CPAS Prayer Diary, Spring 2017

SPRING 2017

PRAYER DIARY

LET THE ONE WHO IS WISE HEED THESE THINGS AND PONDER THE LOVING DEEDS OF THE LORD. PSALM 107:43

SUPPORTING THE MINISTRIES OF CPAS THROUGH THE POWER OF PRAYER.

I PRAISE YOU, FATHER, LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.

We value your prayers and support greatly.

This diary is designed to guide your prayers across the breadth of our work, offering a weekly theme, prayer points and a Bible verse to aid daily or weekly prayer.

LUKE 10:21

CPAS Sovereign Court One (Unit 3), Sir William Lyons Road, University of Warwick Science Park, COVENTRY CV4 7EZ A company limited by guarantee Registered in England no 2673220 Registered charity no 1007820 Registered office at address above

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Editor: Hazel Lancefield Design: Catherine Jackson All Bible quotations taken from the New International Version.

Copyright CPAS 2017. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication for CPAS promotional use only. For all other uses, please contact us.

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Daily prayer points from CPAS are also available through the PrayerMate app on iOS and Android devices. Visit www.geero.net/prayermate or search in the App Store.

LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

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have recently been struck afresh by the strength and presence of praise in biblical prayers.

On hearing of the broken walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah prays: ‘Lord the God of heaven, the great and awesome God’ (Nehemiah 1:5). The psalmist repeatedly uses phrases such as ‘how majestic is your name’ (Psalm 8:1). Jesus addresses his father as ‘Lord of heaven and earth’ (Luke 10:21). In the book of Revelation we read of the heavenly throne and the multitudes who cry out ‘worthy is the Lamb’ (Revelation 5:12).

To my mind, these words of praise are not just the appropriate opening gambit for intercession. They are indicative of something much more profound about how we are to pray.

Fundamentally, our vocation as creatures is to worship the Creator – and so it is right when we enter the place of prayer to lift our hearts and voices and recognise his greatness and glory. This is not because God needs us to – his self-sufficiency would otherwise be in question. And we are not in any way diminished by this but rather brought into a place of communion with him.

But interestingly – and paradoxically – this giving of praise and recognition of God is

also for our benefit and for the increase of our praying, because it reminds us who God is. We are not praying to ‘a’ God but ‘the’ God. We are not interceding to a derivative power – but to the Author of all that is.

And as we remind ourselves of who he is, so our faith to pray is nurtured. You may have heard the story of the railway signalman who closed one level crossing gate and left the other open. When asked ‘why’, he replied ‘because I was half expecting a train’. Our faith and expectancy are lifted from halfheartedness to a fuller place of faith as we recognise the greatness, glory, majesty and awesome power of the living God. Thank you for continuing to supporting CPAS with your prayers. And as you come to pray with us for the churches and people mentioned in this diary, can I encourage you to begin each time by praising and giving honour to God the ‘Lord of heaven and earth’.

John Dunnett General Director

www.cpas.org.uk info@cpas.org.uk

0300 123 0780

23-29 APRIL

LEADERSHIP Mentoring Leaders

INSTEAD, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, WE WILL GROW TO BECOME IN EVERY RESPECT THE MATURE BODY OF HIM WHO IS THE HEAD, THAT IS, CHRIST. EPHESIANS 4:15

ood mentoring relationships are an important way of supporting church leaders in their roles, enabling their missional work to flourish.

However, many leaders do not have sufficient support, whether formal or informal, and may end up feeling isolated.

We help in the following ways:

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Training mentors for clergy in various dioceses, including providing local support networks especially for leaders in the initial years of ordained ministry.

Mentor Connect, a website created in partnership with the Evangelical Alliance which allows leaders of churches and Christian organisations to find mentors.

Mentoring in CPAS training, including for participants on the Arrow Leadership Programme and in churches running Growing Leaders courses.

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For your prayers: Sun 23: Wales: The latest meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales concludes today in Cardiff.

Mon 24: Mentoring: Praise God for our partnership with the Evangelical Alliance on Mentor Connect, and pray for the core team which meets this week to plan strategy.

Tue 25: Mentoring: Today we’re running a training day in Chilwell (Nottingham) for potential mentors who are interested in being listed on the Mentor Connect site.

Wed 26: School of Leadership: Tomorrow, participants in Ware will be learning about building effective teams, managing expectations and common conflicts of leadership.

Thu 27: CPAS: Today sees a regular gathering of CPAS staff (involving the Leadership team, John Dunnett and Graham Archer) to review the models and processes we use for training.

Fri 28: Mentoring: Part of our work includes training mentors for clergy in various dioceses.

Pray that all church leaders find supportive relationships to help them flourish.

Sat 29: Mentoring: God’s blessing on everybody who shares their time and experience to help develop younger leaders in local churches.

FALCON HOLIDAYS

30 APRIL-6 MAY

Getting Ready for Summer

BECAUSE WE LOVED YOU SO MUCH, WE WERE DELIGHTED TO SHARE WITH YOU NOT ONLY THE GOSPEL OF GOD BUT OUR LIVES AS WELL. 1 THESSALONIANS 2:8

For your prayers: Sun 30: Falcons: Praise God for the support given to Falcon leaders from others in their churches.

Mon 1: Falcons: That we reach the right young people who will really benefit from a break away from difficult home circumstances.

s the summer approaches, bookings are being made for many young people to attend the various Falcon holidays taking place around the country during July and August. ‘

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‘As the leaders make their preparations, please join us in praying that the teaching programmes are faithful to the gospel and creatively delivered so that the truth about Jesus really appeals to the young people, which is something that we focused on at the recent Falcons training conference.

‘Also, as the leaders finalise their teams let’s pray they’ll be able to recruit people with the right mix of gifts and skills, which enable this summer’s Falcons to be the best that they can be. Thank you!’

Jane Stephenson, Falcons Development Manager

Tue 2: Falcons: For the work of activities organisers in sourcing great discounts on the different activities and outings.

Wed 3: Falcons: That all the children and young people who came on a Falcon last summer are still positively influenced by what they heard about Jesus.

Thu 4: Ireland: The Church of Ireland’s General Synod, which meets in Limerick from today until Saturday.

Fri 5: Falcons: As the leaders invite children and young people around the country to join different Falcon holidays, pray that they are excited about the idea of attending.

Sat 6: You and Ministry: A conference for people exploring a call to ordained ministry is taking place in Staffordshire. Pray those attending gain helpful insights and a sense of God’s next step for them.

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7-13 MAY

LOCAL CHURCHES A Culture of Mission

For your prayers: Sun 7: A culture of mission: Ask the Holy Spirit to speak today in church services in places where people have an apathetic approach to evangelism.

THEREFORE GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS. MATTHEW 28:19

Mon 8: Theological students: James Lawrence is speaking to ordinands at St Mellitus today on how to lead PCCs and other committees well.

Tue 9: A culture of mission: John Dunnett, who is leading the training day tomorrow. Ask God to use his words to bring about significant change in every church represented.

Wed 10: A culture of mission: The participants at ‘Reshaping the Culture of Local Churches’.

Pray God speaks powerfully through the biblical study, practical teaching and discussions.

t is said that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’. If this is true, then even our best efforts to evangelise and grow churches can be thwarted if the culture of local churches is not supportive of this intent.

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This Wednesday, church leaders will meet in Aldridge for a CPAS training day titled ‘Reshaping the Culture of Local Churches’.

Participants will explore what culture is and how to read it, the ways in which culture and strategy interact (sometimes badly) and suggest ways of reshaping culture in order that growth might be released as part of normal church life.

Please join us in praying both for this training day and for a culture of mission in local churches across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

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Thu 11: Multi-parish benefices: The two Lichfield diocese Thrive learning communities as they meet this week (Shrewsbury on 10-11 and Stafford on 12-13 May).

Fri 12: A culture of mission: For your own local church. Pray for any cultural barriers to evangelism to be removed, and ask that many will hear and respond to the gospel.

Sat 13: A culture of mission: Encouragement for church leaders who are trying to inspire their congregations. Pray that many people will feel excited and enthusiastic about sharing their faith, and then do it!

Over 200 resources now reviewed

14-20 MAY

PATRONAGE CHURCHES Hull Minster (York)

For your prayers:

YOU WILL BE BLESSED IN THE CITY AND BLESSED IN THE COUNTRY. DEUTERONOMY 28:3

ast Saturday saw the UK’s largest parish church re-named as Hull Minster. Formerly known as Holy Trinity, the CPAS patronage church in Hull’s city centre is led by Neal Barnes: ‘Becoming Hull Minster recognises our ministry across the city and beyond. Over the centuries, minsters have been places where people come together to pray, worship and study, and serve as regional centres for evangelism, practical care and education.’

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The Archbishop of York marked this occasion by hosting an outdoor event in the square outside the church on Saturday, followed by a service of celebration inside.

The church is playing an active part in Hull’s year as UK City of Culture. Neal added: ‘Our visibility in the city is enormous and during the next few months we’re hosting about 100 cultural events in the church. As we welcome performers, audiences and visitors this is a great opportunity to remind people that this is a house of prayer and a place of worship, and open doors for them to dig deeper with God.’ 08

Sun 14: Hull Minster: May the Holy Spirit inspire all those at yesterday’s events and today’s services to respond to however God is calling them to follow him.

Mon 15: CPAS: As our Council of Reference meets in London tomorrow, give thanks for all those who help shape our ministry through this group.

Tue 16: Hull Minster: All those attending and leading the Alpha course which begins this evening.

Wed 17: Hull Minster: Ask God to provide good opportunities for proclamation, especially during the UK City of Culture programme.

Thu 18: Leadership: Today James Lawrence and Charles Burgess are delivering leadership development sessions for clergy in Peterborough and Exeter dioceses.

Fri 19: Hull Minster: Following the completion of a major building project, pray for ongoing refurbishment and that new income will give the church a more financially sustainable future.

Sat 20: Hull Minster: For a fruitful discipleship programme as the church walks alongside enquirers, new believers and those developing as leaders.

LEADERSHIP

21-27 MAY

Initial Ministerial Education

CONTINUE TO WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING, FOR IT IS GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU TO WILL AND TO ACT IN ORDER TO FULFIL HIS GOOD PURPOSE. PHILIPPIANS 2:12-13

For your prayers: Sun 21: IME: Ian Parkinson as he delivers a leadership module session at St Barnabas in Sheffield.

Mon 22: IME: For prayerful preparation for Thursday’s symposium to pave the way for kingdom-building plans to be formed.

Tue 23: Leadership: James Lawrence is at the Missioners’ Conference today, where all the diocesan missioners gather. James is speaking on leading from the second chair.

Wed 24: IME: May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and shape all men and women in the early stages of training for ministry.

s we deliver leadership development training, and especially as we teach regularly across many theological colleges and courses, we now have increasing opportunities to invest in the same people on a number of different occasions during the early stages of their training and ordained ministry.

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This Thursday, we are hosting a symposium on the subject of Formation for Leadership in Initial Ministerial Education (IME) to help take a more considered view about which leadership topics might most helpfully be covered at each different stage of IME.

Thu 25: IME: That the Formation for Leadership symposium in Sheffield will further contribute to current discussions on leadership development for ministerial education.

Fri 26: IME: For all training and teaching to help equip leaders for demonstrating and sharing the love of Jesus in communities nationwide.

Sat 27: Big Church Day Out: The popular festival takes place in West Sussex this weekend. Pray for people of all ages to be equipped and inspired by the teaching and worship.

While we have given a good deal of thought to this ourselves, we are very keen to draw on the wisdom and experience of a wider range of people as we shape our own delivery of teaching future leaders in the Church.

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28 MAY-3 JUNE

‘In praying “Thy Kingdom Come” we all commit to playing our part in the renewal of the nations and the transformation of communities.’

Archbishop Justin Welby

For your prayers: Sun 28: Thy Kingdom Come: Your church. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower every Christian in your congregation to be bold in sharing the good news of Jesus this week.

rom 25 May-4 June (between Ascension and Pentecost), Christians around the world are being invited to pray for more people to come to know Jesus Christ. The movement started as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in 2016 to the Church of England.

Mon 29: Thy Kingdom Come: Your family. Ask God to move in the hearts of family members who don’t know Christ and may not have considered faith for many years.

The hope is that people will commit to pray as a church, individually and in families for those who don’t yet know Christ. Please join us, and thousands of others, in praying that the Church will be empowered through prayer by the Holy Spirit, finding new confidence to share the good news of Jesus so that many can come to faith in him.

Wed 31: Ventures: The overall leaders of The Buzz Ventures. Robin Barfield, Peter Boorne, Stephen Boyall, David Casson, Anna Leadbetter, Helen Neville, Julie Noonan and Mark Tomlinson.

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Tue 30: Ventures: Two holidays beginning today.

The Buzz: Lancaster and Smallwood Manor are taster Ventures for 8-11s.

Thu 1: Ventures: Lots of laughter and fun on The Buzz Ventures. Pray for joyful, open hearts as the children learn together about Jesus.

Fri 2: Thy Kingdom Come: A friend or colleague who isn’t a Christian. Pray for any barriers to them coming to faith to be removed.

Sat 3: Thy Kingdom Come: With thousands of Christians all over the world, pray for your community: ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10, KJV).

Prayer resources are available from www.thykingdomcome.global 10

LEADERSHIP

4-10 JUNE

PCC Tonight

CCs are busy. There is always lots to do. And that sometimes means we don’t stop to reflect on how we operate as a PCC. Every group that meets over time can find ways to improve their meetings, and our hope is that PCC Tonight is a tool to enable that reflection to take place.’

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James Lawrence, author of PCC Tonight

‘Today we had our annual PCC away day and did the first three sessions of the resource.

They worked brilliantly and everyone really enjoyed them. We’ve now formulated a code of conduct for our meetings, and decided on a few changes such as having timed agendas, having to notify about any other business in advance – and having a refreshment break in the middle.’

The Rev Canon Kate Wharton, who used PCC Tonight in her parish

I STAND IN AWE OF YOUR DEEDS, LORD. REPEAT THEM IN OUR DAY, IN OUR TIME MAKE THEM KNOWN.

For your prayers: Sun 4: Local churches: Ian Parkinson is preaching in Ashton-on-Mersey today. Pray the message is relevant and encouraging to the congregation.

Mon 5: Scotland: The Church of Scotland’s ‘Going for Growth’ summer school takes place in Dundee this week, with a focus on discipleship.

Tue 6: PCC Tonight: Praise God for the positive impact PCC Tonight has had on Kate’s church and ask for God’s blessing as many other churches use this resource.

Wed 7: PCC Tonight: The training event happening tonight in Chesterfield. Pray for everyone to learn one key thing to take back to their PCCs. Thu 8: Scotland: The Scottish Episcopal Church’s General Synod starts today, which will include a final decision on changing the canon on marriage to allow for same-sex marriage.

Fri 9: PCC Tonight: The training happening in Amsterdam this weekend. Pray for James as he communicates the principles of good PCCs cross-culturally.

Sat 10: PCC Tonight: For the resource to find its way into all the hands of those who need it for more fun, effective and fruitful PCCs to further the Church in its mission.

HABAKKUK 3:2

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11-17 JUNE

CPAS STAFF Leadership Team

THEY TELL OF THE GLORY OF YOUR KINGDOM ... SO THAT ALL PEOPLE MAY KNOW OF YOUR MIGHTY ACTS. PSALM 145:11-12

Sunday 11 James Lawrence, Leadership Principal and Kirstin Macdonald, Leadership Administrator James oversees the team as well as writing and delivering training material. James and the rest of the team are supported by Kirstin.

Monday 12 Sally Taylor, Arrow Programme Manager Sally manages the Arrow Leadership Programme, ensuring the smooth running of the programme and the support of participants.

Tuesday 13 Emma Sykes, Leadership Specialist Emma heads up our younger vocations work inspiring under-30s to pursue their God-given calling, particularly to ordained ministry.

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Wednesday 14 Ian Parkinson, Leadership Specialist Ian’s work focuses on leadership development with those training for ordained ministry in theological educational institutions.

Thursday 15 Pam Macnaughton, Leadership Specialist Pam oversees our learning communities with multi-parish benefices, as well as contributing to leadership training in other areas.

Friday 16 Di Archer, Leadership Project Co-ordinator Di is involved in various projects such as DiscipleKit, Growing Bridgebuilders and several other CPAS resource initiatives.

Saturday 17 Charles Burgess, Leadership Specialist Charles spends his time training church leaders in building a stronger culture of leadership and mission in their churches.

VENTURE AND FALCON LEADERS

18-24 JUNE

Volunteer Leaders ith just over a month before

the first summer Ventures and W Falcons begin, we’re praying for our

fantastic leaders. These dedicated teams of volunteers will be running over 70 holidays in July and August.

There are programmes to finalise, food orders to make and other practical arrangements to complete for our senior leaders who’ve been preparing all year round. This last month is crucial to making sure that all the pieces will neatly fit together at holiday time.

Please join us in praying for them this week, that God will use them to do great things and help them to remain mindful of why they’re putting in all the hard work.

For your prayers: Sun 18: Volunteer leaders: For the leaders to receive from God in their home church environment so they are ready to freely give in his strength over the summer.

Mon 19: Volunteer leaders: That those who need transport will find the right options to get them to their holiday venue.

Tue 20: Volunteer leaders: At this year’s Ventures conference the leaders spent time thinking about mental health. Pray for this increased understanding to make a difference.

Wed 21: Volunteer leaders: Falcon leaders to have a real and deep understanding of where the young people come from and their home situations.

Thu 22: Patronage trustees: Meeting today to shortlist for vacant incumbent posts at parishes including St Mary’s Reigate and St Leonard’s and St Anne’s Hollington.

Fri 23: Volunteer leaders: The Ventures and Falcons team in the office as they support the thousands of amazing volunteer leaders.

Sat 24: Volunteer leaders: Holidays with spare spaces for additional leaders or children. Pray for the right people to find their way to the holidays they’d most benefit from.

MAY THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE AS YOU TRUST IN HIM, SO THAT YOU MAY OVERFLOW WITH HOPE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. ROMANS 15:13

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25 JUNE-1 JULY

LEADERSHIP Arrow Residential 4

lease join us in praying each day as the 24 Arrow participants gather for their last residential together. Ask God to plant seeds this week which will produce fruit for the gospel not only throughout the participants’ own ministries, but also in the new leaders they invest in and the congregations and communities they lead, so that many, many people can come to know Jesus.

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SUNDAY 25 7.15-8.15am

Breakfast

8.20-9.30am

Worship and Bible teaching on 2 Timothy (David Bracewell)

9.50-12.30pm

Team meeting and set up

Leading well with others

(James Lawrence)

Lunch and one-toone meetings with Arrow team

12.30-2.15pm

Leading well with others

2.15-4.45pm

(James Lawrence)

5.00-6.00pm

Welcome

Free time

6.00-7.30pm

Dinner

Dinner

Orientation

Social evening

Free time

Reflections on the day and time to pray

7.30-9.30pm

9.40-10.00pm

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MONDAY 26

TUESDAY 27

WEDNESDAY 28

THURSDAY 29

FRIDAY 30

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Worship and Bible teaching on 2 Timothy (David Bracewell)

Worship and Bible teaching on 2 Timothy (David Bracewell)

Worship and Bible teaching on 2 Timothy (David Bracewell)

Handling conflict

Leading evangelism

Quiet morning

(Colin Patterson)

(Tim Chilvers)

Lunch and one-toone meetings with Arrow team

Lunch and one-toone meetings with Arrow team

Lunch and one-toone meetings with Arrow team

Handling conflict (Colin Patterson)

Leading evangelism

Going the distance (James Lawrence)

Leadership clinic

Leadership clinic

Dinner

Dinner

Free time

Peer cells and next steps

Reflections on the day and time to pray

Reflections on the day and time to pray

(Tim Chilvers)

Free time

Last night celebration dinner

Worship and moving on (Arrow team)

Lunch and depart

Team meeting and set down

SATURDAY 1

‘This is a time of mixed emotions for the participants. As they enter this phase of the programme leading to the final day in November, pray they will work well with their mentors on integrating the learning from this residential.’ Sally Taylor Arrow Programme Manager

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2-8 JULY

PATRONAGE CHURCHES St Mary’s Reigate (Southwark) ALL THIS IS FROM GOD, WHO RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST AND GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18

For your prayers: Sun 2: St Mary’s Reigate: Praise God that so many under 16s are involved in the children’s and youth ministry. Pray for the upcoming holiday club in early August.

Mon 3: St Mary’s Reigate: For those on the fringes of church life. Ask that they will be brought closer to Jesus and begin making disciples themselves.

Tue 4: St Mary’s Reigate: Those who come to the weekly community meal (called ‘The Easter Project’), particularly those suffering with loneliness or homelessness.

Wed 5: St Mary’s Reigate: The Heath. Pray for sustained growth and deepening faith for this smaller congregation, many of whom are retired.

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uilding a community to reach a community with the love of God’ is what St Mary’s is all about! Currently in vacancy, this busy town centre church has a usual Sunday attendance of 550 including around 150 under 16s.

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As well as a thriving children’s and youth ministry, the church also has a big focus on welcome. Community engagement is a significant part of this with community lunches, various courses and groups, involvement in the church school and holiday clubs. Finding ways to effectively disciple those on the fringes of church life is a key area St Mary’s would like to develop.

Please also pray for St Mary’s daughter church, The Heath, which has a more traditional worship style in a smaller setting.

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Thu 6: St Mary’s Reigate: Previous vicar Phil Andrew, who recently left to become Archdeacon of Cheltenham. Praise God for all he has done through Phil since he began at St Mary’s in 2006.

Fri 7: General Synod: Taking place in York from today until Tuesday. John Dunnett is chairing a meeting of EGGS (the Evangelical Group on General Synod) this evening.

Sat 8: Multi-parish benefices: The Wolverhampton Thrive learning community as they look at leadership issues across their groups of churches.

CPAS STAFF

9-15 JULY

Summer Season

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s we enter the summer holiday season, life at CPAS is one of contrasts. The Ventures and Falcons season gets underway at the end of next week, with dozens of holidays for children and young people taking place during the rest of July and August.

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‘And with a range of summer festivals on the horizon too, our input includes speaking at New Wine Ireland this week, as well as once again delivering the leadership stream of seminars at New Wine in Shepton Mallet.

‘By contrast, summer is a quieter time for much of our leadership and patronage work, but the staff team will be using the weeks ahead for writing and preparing new material for events and resources to help equip local church leaders for growth – as well as enjoying some well-earned holiday time!’

John Dunnett, General Director

WHOEVER SOWS TO PLEASE THE SPIRIT, FROM THE SPIRIT WILL REAP ETERNAL LIFE.

For your prayers: Sun 9: CPAS: John Dunnett and everyone else attending General Synod in York. May God’s will be done.

Mon 10: Ireland: New Wine Sligo runs all this week, with speakers including CPAS leadership specialist Ian Parkinson.

Tue 11: CPAS: All staff visiting Venture and Falcon holidays this summer as they travel the country to encourage leaders and check relevant procedures are being properly followed.

Wed 12: CPAS: Preparations for seminars on intentional leadership to be delivered at this summer’s New Wine events in Somerset, being overseen by John Dunnett and Ian Parkinson, and also involving a number of CPAS partners.

Thu 13: CPAS: Our chair of trustees Martyn Snow (Bishop of Leicester) and the trustee body as it provides prayerful governance, strategic direction and oversight to CPAS. Fri 14: CPAS: Staff who will be working on researching and writing mission-enabling material for new CPAS training events and resources, such as our new material on creating a culture of vocation.

Sat 15: CPAS: All those on our Council of Reference, chaired by Keith Sinclair, Bishop of Birkenhead.

GALATIANS 6:8

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16-22 JULY

PATRONAGE CHURCHES Aspenden, Buntingford and Westmill (St Albans)

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD LIKE? … IT IS LIKE A MUSTARD SEED, WHICH A MAN TOOK AND PLANTED IN HIS GARDEN. IT GREW AND BECAME A TREE.

For your prayers: Sun 16: Aspenden, Buntingford and Westmill: The welcome and mission of the church as many new residents move in to the area.

LUKE 13:18-19

Mon 17: Aspenden, Buntingford and Westmill: Greater church involvement with the two parish schools and lots of volunteers to come forward.

Tue 18: Aspenden, Buntingford and Westmill: The Mustard Seed Singers. Pray this group grows, flourishes and that seeds of faith are sown alongside the much needed fundraising.

Photo: Jeff Jones

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Buntingford will approximately N double in size between 2010 and ew housing means the town of

2025. Whilst this is a great opportunity for the church to foster community there and welcome new people, it is also a challenge as it is a lot of uninvited change happening to the community very quickly.

‘The benefice has two church schools: Layston First School and Edwinstree Middle School. The churches hope to deepen their involvement with the life of the schools (volunteers permitting).

‘A new benefice choir called the Mustard Seed Singers has been formed to perform a couple of fundraising concerts a year to support the maintenance of our wonderful historic churches. Members are drawn from the churches and the wider community, and it is hoped that out of a small start great things will grow.’

Ian Hill, Rector

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Wed 19: Scotland: The new Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney. Pray also for the upcoming appointments of the new Primus and Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane.

Thu 20: Aspenden, Buntingford and Westmill: Guidance for Ian in planning his postponed sabbatical for 2018 along with his wife and daughter.

Fri 21: Aspenden, Buntingford and Westmill: Thank God for his provision of Norman (SSM) and Sandra (Lay Reader) and pray for new people to join who are able to take on leadership and administrative roles.

Sat 22: Ireland: For all the children taking part in camps and holiday clubs across Ireland this summer. Ask that they will come to Christ as they have fun and learn together.

GIVING TO CPAS Our ministry helping local churches share the gospel with the communities around them is only possible because of the generous gifts of churches and individuals like you.

Thank you for your support.

Ways to Give Personal donations

You can give one-off or regular gifts to CPAS in a variety of ways. Make a donation online, send a cheque through the post or contact our Finance team on the details below to make a donation over the phone or request a Standing Order form.

Church giving

Whether your local church serves a village, town or city, by supporting our ministry as a church you are contributing towards mission-enabling work across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Please visit our website or call us to find out more.

‘It raised the status of our PCC as a mission vehicle for Christ.’ Training day participant

Legacies

Leaving a legacy to CPAS is a fantastic way to help us continue enabling churches to help every person hear and discover the good news of Jesus Christ. Find out more online or contact us on the details below.

www.cpas.org.uk /donate

CPAS, Sovereign Court One (Unit 3), Sir William Lyons Road, University of Warwick Science Park, COVENTRY CV4 7EZ 0300 123 0780 supporter.relations@cpas.org.uk

SUPPORT FALCONS

Falcons holidays show Jesus’ love to young people who are facing difficulties, from financial hardship and dysfunctional family situations to social, educational and behavioural problems.

PRAY for the young people GIVE generously TELL others all about Falcons Thank you!

‘I learnt that God is always here for us and he loves us. I can do stuff that I didn’t know I could do, it has been amazing.

Thank you.’

Katie*, 11

* Name changed to protect child’s identity

www.cpas.org.uk/supportfalcons