2013
insight
JESUS HOPE FOR CARDIFF
a year in the life of city temple church
A PLACE WE’VE NEVER FIRST WORD
At the beginning of 2013 Pastor Geoff Feasey brought us a prophetic word of huge encouragement in one of our Sunday services. He said this: “God is going to take you (City Temple Church) to a place where you have never been before; never walked before; never seen before and to a height you have never reached before.”
any should perish. Friends my prayer is that we will take this message of God to heart and allow it to encourage us as we continue to serve God faithfully.
The Nation
It was an amazing word made even more special in that it was given by a senior figure within Elim who is very familiar with the great history of City Temple. Furthermore, having known Geoff for many years I know that he would not make such a pronouncement unless he was sure that it was from God.
What God is communicating to us is not unique. As I speak to church leaders from across Wales and the U.K. I am hearing God say the same things to other churches, denominations and streams. In 2013 Elim planted more new churches (47) in the UK than it has done since its earliest days. Churches of different traditions are working together more and the lost are being saved. No one underestimates the challenge facing the church in this country but there are definitely signs of God doing a new thing. The fantastic news is that we get to be a part of it here in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.
“Big Picture”
Faithfulness
Reflecting on the prophecy twelve months on, I believe that the Holy Spirit wanted us as a church to see the “big picture” of what God is planning to do among us. This church has a great history. George Jeffreys the founder of the Elim churches, described the early meetings in Cardiff in 1929 as having a “real revival atmosphere.” After 51 nights of consecutive meetings in a large hall in the centre of the city 2,400 people had come to Christ and the City Temple was born. Throughout the decades, particularly under the leadership of Pastor P.S. Brewster (1939-1974) many churches were planted by the City Temple across Wales and throughout the UK. The church in Cardiff also knew great blessing and “Church Full” signs were regularly placed outside on a Sunday evening. Even today, hardly a week goes by without someone coming to Christ – it’s amazing!!! Yet through the prophetic word given by Geoff I think God was saying that he wants to manifest His power in ways that we haven’t seen before, not because we are better and more deserving than previous generations (because we aren’t), but because He is not willing that
Week in and week out the wheels of church life keep turning because of the faithful commitment of hundreds of people. This report outlines much of that work and I give thanks to all those who serve tirelessly in any aspect of church life. May God bless you for your faithfulness and may you be encouraged and strengthened in all you do for Him.
Good News So with the “big picture” in view we continue to work hard to ensure that the church is ready for all that God wants to do through us. Many visitors comment on our vibrant Sunday services. This is reflected in our passionate worship, teaching and prayer ministry. Recently at one 11am service we recorded that 39 different nationalities were represented. Blended together in one heart and mind to exalt the name of the Lord such diversity creates a unique and powerful atmosphere where lives are changed. Throughout the year teaching from God’s Word on a
Contents First Word (Senior Pastor)
2
Making People Like Jesus (Church Secretary)
4
A Generation Of Praise (Children & Youth)
6
Go! … Into All The World (Mission & Outreach)
8
Making An Impact! (Homeless Outreach)
11
City Temple Church, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF11 9AD
029 2038 7741 info@citytemple.info www.citytemple.info
The Journey To Encounter (Creative Ministries)
12
www.facebook.com/cardiffcitytemple
Stronger Together (Connecting Ministries)
14
@citytemple An Elim Pentecostal Church. Registered Charity 251549 (England & Wales)
BEEN BEFORE FROM STEVE BALL (SENIOR PASTOR)
Sunday and throughout the week in various settings seeks to ensure that every person who attends the church feels connected to God and to each other and is growing in their faith. We continue to expand the work of our branch congregations in Llanishen and Wenvoe as well as developing our Eritrean congregation which meets on a Saturday afternoon. The Impact Outreach team does a magnificent job of reaching the poor and marginalised in our city. In addition, Foodbank, Alpha, The Charity shop, Community shop (Llanishen), Alpha, Street Pastors and the work with the Women’s Refuge are just some of the ways we have sought to present the Good News to our City.
Missions Internationally, we have continued our support for projects in India, Kenya and Macedonia with teams from the church visiting each of these projects regularly. We have also seen many of our church members travel to other countries to serve God.
Giving As well as hundreds of enthusiastic people serving in so many different ways the church is also sustained by the faithful and committed giving of God’s people. As the UK economy was struggling to come out of recession, total church giving (including building fund) increased dramatically in 2013. Thank-you.
Leaders As Senior Pastor I am blessed to serve with a fantastic team of talented fellow Pastors and Elders. Each one of them is committed to serving the church to the best of their ability and helping us become the church God wants us to be. During the
year we were pleased to welcome David Oliver and Gareth Rees onto the Eldership team. Both men have served faithfully in the Church and will help strengthen the team. David Thomas and Bryon Castle stepped down from the Eldership during the year. David had served as an Elder for more than 20 years (for the last 2 years as Church Secretary). We will miss his wisdom and his humour but deeply appreciate his excellent service. Bryon relinquished his position in preparation for his new role as Pastor of the Beacon Church in St. Mellons. Bryon and his wife Carolyn have made a massive contribution to church life and we pray God’s blessing upon them in this new season. On the Pastoral team, Mark Lyndon-Jones felt God leading him in 2013 to more actively develop the ministry of CVM in Wales. Mark is the National Director of this fantastic organisation that seeks to reach men with the Gospel and help them become fully devoted followers of Christ. Travelling widely across the country and preaching in many churches Mark is doing a excellent job. Please join me in praying that God will bless Mark and Gail and the family in this new season of ministry. As I look forward to 2014 I am inspired by what God has in store for us as a church and by the wonderful people that God has entrusted to our care. I pray that 2014 will indeed be a year of breakthrough unlike anything we have ever seen before in the long history of this church. Finally, may I thank-you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your Senior Pastor. Helen and I pray that God will bless you abundantly throughout the coming year.
Steve Ball
George Jeffries laying the foundation stone for City Temple Church in 1932
First Word : 03
MAKING PEOPLE LIKE JESUS
CHURCH SECRETARY’S REPORT
I count it a tremendous privilege to serve our God and Father alongside so many others who are committed to building His kingdom and demonstrating the love of Christ to this community. We all know that the needs are very great but we also know that the church [us], and the gospel we proclaim offers the greatest hope to those around us. Society would tell us that the church has become increasingly irrelevant in this scientific age and yet week after week we see people coming through our doors who are desperate in their quest to find purpose and hope for living. During a recent visit by Gavin Calver (Youth For Christ) he challenged us to be compassionate, full of righteousness, and courageous in order that we might reach today’s youth generation. In his message Gavin said “Life is messy these days. People do not start where you want them to be [when they first come into church]. You cannot say to them that unless you sound right, smell right & look right then you’re not welcome. Life is not like that anymore … discipleship is not about making people like you but making people like Jesus.” As an un-churched teenager I first encountered Jesus through the love and perseverance of a group of Christians who were courageous enough to take me as I was (messy). Through their witness, persistence, patience and prayer over a few years I came to the moment where I accepted Christ as my Saviour and began the wonderful journey of becoming a true follower of Jesus. I made lots of mistakes along the way but never felt condemned but rather accepted despite my failings. Years later I’m proud to be part of a church that has pastors, leaders and members who are comfortable in welcoming and accepting messy people just like I was. It might seem such an obvious statement but Gavin is absolutely right to remind us that we’re not making people like us (with our preferences towards certain styles or opinions) but rather making people like Jesus. Through what we say and do we must point people to Jesus and be the best example we can and then allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of nurturing, growing and directing. Ephesians 5:1-2 teaches us “Therefore be imitators of God, as
dearly loved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”.
It takes sacrifice and love to reach the lost and to make disciples and we can only do this when we become true servants of Jesus with our time, our prayers, our energies, our finances and most of 04 : Secretary’s Report
all our hearts given over to love. Despite all the great things happening within our church there are still many challenges week after week and I want to be bold in asking you to go the extra mile in looking within yourself to see what you can bring to make it easier on those already serving. If you are not yet involved in some form of service in the church then please prayerfully consider what you could do to help. We are embarking on a significant project to renovate our church building to make it more inviting and comfortable both for today’s and future generations. Thank you to all who have already given sacrificially to the building fund and I know you will be blessed because of what you have done which doesn’t go unnoticed in heaven. If I could be so bold as to further ask that if God has blessed you with finances beyond your needs then please would you consider further giving into this fund so that we can complete the work quickly. Finally, I want to encourage you with an excerpt from Psalm 145. The writer was David who as a young shepherd boy was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) and later became Israel’s greatest King. David knew what it was to live on the mountain top in the blessings and power of God but also what it was to be in the valley, deeply aware of his weakness and failings in his walk with God. “The
LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down…. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.” Our loving Father knows our weaknesses and yet he is full of grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. We can always trust Him no matter what. He has given us His precious Holy Spirit so that we will not be alone. He picks us up when we fall and permits us to fail. Hebrews 11 lists a string of Bible characters who despite being messy were greatly used by God. Therefore be people who know the Lord and have confidence both in Him and in the power of his Word that we might become imitators of God to reach a lost world around us. The Lord bless you and keep you always.
Richard Culff Elder & Church Secretary
people brought into membership
7
38
babies dedicated funerals
Wedding
4weddings
9
2013 - in figures
21
people baptised in water
Finance Report 2013 Total offerings including gifts to the building fund were up on 2012. This is a tremendous achievement when one considers the difficult financial climate in the UK throughout the year. Whilst there was a small fall in tithes and offerings (down 4.5%), this was more than off-set by gifts to the building fund which reached ÂŁ60,000 by the end of January 2014. On behalf of the church leaders I would like to say a huge thank-you for your generosity. The Gift Aid continues to be a real source of blessing with 11% of our income given this way. If you pay tax please consider this method of giving to the church, we are really blessed by the Gift Aid Scheme. Last year also saw an increase in the amount of giving by internet banking and standing order. For those who wish to give by a more traditional method, envelopes are also available. Detailed copies of the church accounts are available for members at the AGM and in advance at the Welcome Desk. Please ask. Thank you once again,
Keith Stephenson. Elder & Church Treasurer
Finance : 05
A GENERATION OF PR CHILDREN “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies� (Psalm 8:2) YOUTH We continue to connect with young people across the city with up to 100 teens coming through our building each week. Over 30% of them come from unchurched families, so it is a privilege to have input into their lives. Our key programmes are Reality Breakfast Show (1114s) on Sunday mornings, Reality (11-14s) on Wednesday and Boxfresh (15-18s) on Thursdays. We have a broad range of activities to encourage them in their faith, in relationships and in serving in church. Please pray that our young people will continue to speak to their friends about Jesus and bring them along to our youth programmes. Highlights this year have included our summer trip to Soul Survivor. It's an inspiring environment with over 10,000 young people worshipping and learning from the Word. Our young people are always impacted by God and inspired to go on in their faith. We also enjoyed a good trip to The Gathering, the national youth weekend for Elim churches. Matt Gregor, our Youth Pastor continues his work with 6 different high schools across Cardiff. This is a great link for our youth work and he is involved in Christian Unions, assemblies and mentoring programmes. We are also looking forward to June this year when Youth
06 : Youth & Children
For Christ will send a 'Nomad Football Outreach Team,' to work with our youth in growing relationships across the city. Please take opportunities to thank our amazing adult volunteers and pray for them as they continue to serve and encourage our young people.
ADVENTURE ZONE Sunday programmes Our 3-6s and 7-11s programmes on Sunday mornings have continued to grow steadily over the past year. We use Powerpack, an excellent, practical bible teaching resource. We are currently learning about the Holy Spirit. It's been a delight to have opportunities for the kids to step out in spiritual gifts - listening to His voice, speaking in tongues, bringing words of knowledge etc.
RAISE N’S & YOUTH MINISTRY Bible Holiday Club Our summer holiday club was held at the end of July and brought in about 50 children each day. The week was called Mission Rescue, and looked at God rescuing His people from slavery and taking them towards the Promised Land. It was encouraging to see several of our kids bringing friends from school. We pray that the seeds planted in these kids hearts will grow and that they will come to a place of discovering real relationship with God.
Christmas Nativity It's requires a lot of hard work, but it's definitely worth it as we see dozens of kids involved in our show of the year! Our church was rammed full on the Sunday when the kids performed Christmas Stars: The Xmas Factor. Thank you to all the adult helpers who made it possible. And of course, the stars of the show our enthusiastic kids retelling the story of Jesus' birth.
Kensington Temple for many years and now leads a ministry called Children Can. His input on a number of occasions over this year into our leaders and kids has been special, especially in the way he encourages the spiritual capacity of our kids to really flourish. We have had great times of encountering God together. One week in the 3-7s, 3 children said they had prayed for family members with bad backs and God healed all of them!
CRECHE Our biggest blessing this year has been our increase of children in creche (0-2s). We now regularly have 2025 in our 11am service alone! This presents us a challenge of space as a creche facilities are not built for that number. However, we benefitted from the construction of great new outdoor space last summer. On those dry, warmer days, this is a great play environment for our children. In addition, we now have a TV link installed in an additional quiet room for our Mums and Babies. This allows them to have a quiet place to sit and listen to the service. Our babies and toddlers continue to enjoy the See & Know programme with interactive singing and simple actions. This short time with the children and their parents allows them to consistently hear simple words of Gospel truth.
Olly Goldenberg We have continued to benefit from the input of Olly, who was Children's Pastor at
LET'S GO CLUB Every Wednesday evening, we connect with a mixture of church and non-church children from around the city. They enjoy a mixture of fun activities to help them grow in their faith in Jesus. We are encouraged by their willingness to listen to God as we take time regularly to pray and hear what God is saying. The club reaches children 5-11 and we have been encouraged by a new small group developing this year for the older girls in the group. They look forward to dancing, cooking and girly chats! It has been wonderful to see the children grow and progress in their faith over the year and especially to see the non-church children praying and listening to God. Please pray for new children to join us this year and for our adult helpers as they continue to have valuable input into the lives of these great kids.
Youth & Children : 07
GO! … INTO ALL THE THE GREAT COMMISSION OVERSEAS MISSIONS During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Acts 16:9
help feed the 500 children at St. Stephen’s centre on Christmas Day. Michelle Warren, Richard Culff, and Nigel James also visited the project in the Autumn. CITY TEMPLE NORTH
Pastor Nigel James reports: Alun Mathias reports: 2013 saw City Temple respond to the Macedonian call and begin to help the ministry of Pastors Angel and Zoki in Oasis church. A team headed out to Štip in January 2013 to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas on January 6th with Oasis church. As a result of the outreach there was a dramatic increase in numbers attending the Christmas Day gift service, and a successful Alpha course was launched. Over the summer, Nigel and Gill James visited both pastors Angel and Zoki, whilst Teresa Madden led a ladies team in September ministering specifically to women, but also helping launch another Alpha course. Both 2013 trips to Macedonia included a wide age range in the teams, and several members were experiencing overseas mission for the very first time. Teresa said this about leading her trip: ‘Seeing team members developing their gifts, and achieve the Godgiven purpose of ministering to women was especially fulfilling.’ We were pleased to welcome Nicky and Chris Tiltman back for a few weeks from their ministry on Lake Tanganyika, Zambia, with OM, and to hear all that the Lord is accomplishing through them. During the year we also saw Gary Smith lead a team to continue our partnership with Gateway Ministry and Pastor Prasad in Rajahmundry India, Linda Murray also visited there on a couple of occasions and also began a new role within Elim International Missions especially visiting Cambodia. Several members of City Temple stepped out into short-term trips overseas, including Helen Devereux who worked at a school in Bangladesh for several months. We continued to support the work of Lighthouse of God in Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya by donating a chunk of our Christmas Love in Action offerings to
City Temple North is a branch congregation of City Temple Church seeking to reach people in the north of the city of Cardiff. We run a charity and community shop on Llanishen estate, raising money for City Temple’s third world projects in India and Africa. There are a good number of local people who have become regular visitors to the shop and others who have become volunteers and helpers. We have tried to create a welcoming atmosphere in the shop – although it is a charity shop there are places and space to sit down and talk over a cup of tea or coffee. We are hearing that the shop already has a reputation for having a lovely atmosphere and people. On Sunday evenings we meet for worship in a United Reformed Church, called Bethel, on the estate. We began the year with an Alpha course, hosting around 20 people, most of whom then joined us for a Freedom in Christ course. In the summer we prayer-walked around the estate, praying for blessing and breakthrough for the people who live there. In October we celebrated the first year of trading for the shop, holding a Sunday morning celebration service in a church on the estate, bringing the community of people who relate to the shop together with the City Temple North community. Over Christmas we were further able to strengthen these connections and relationships through combined Christmas events such as a Carol Service and a Christmas party.
WORLD IN CARDIFF, WALES AND THE WORLD VALE VILLAGE CHURCH Gary Smith reports: The congregation is becoming increasingly part of the Wenvoe Community; each and every week we see people join us from the village and Vale Village Church soon becomes their church. As part of the Easter weekend in 2013 the congregation were delighted to present a bench to the community orchard as a place to “Be still and know that I am God.” For many the highlight was the Vale Village Fun Day. More than 400 people joined us for a free afternoon of activities, refreshments and stalls in the Grange Park, Wenvoe. We are already planning the 2014 fun day-which promises to be even bigger and better! Connections and relationships have been forged with the local school and community council but more importantly, we know the spiritual dimension is shifting and we are seeing increased attendances at special services such as the anniversary and Christmas. The Lord is adding people to us from other towns and villages in the Vale of Glamorgan and we are very encouraged by what He is doing amongst us. Please join with our prayer- “More Lord!” FOODBANK On Thursday mornings at City Temple we have one of several Foodbank drop-in centres across the city of Cardiff. In 2013 a total of 1480 people came to the Foodbank here- 1027 adults and 453 children. Visitors come with a voucher from social services and receive three days’ nutritionally balanced food and information about other agencies that will help them move on from their crisis. Here are the words of a grateful single parent in low paid work who Foodbank helped at Christmas: “It's a constant battle. Some days I don't eat at
all. We don't have treats: that grinds you down after a while. This year I bought a pair of shoes for the first time in 6 years: that was my treat. You work hard and have nothing to show for it. Without the Foodbank I'd have been worrying right up to Christmas about how to provide for my family, and then feeling guilty about not having managed to afterwards. Now, we can have a proper Christmas. It's so important to know that people care.” We thank the committed team of volunteers who staff the Foodbank each Thursday, and for all those in the church who have donated food during 2013. We also thank Ian Purcell in his role as project manager of the Cardiff Foodbank for the work Foodbank do across our city. RE:NEW CHARITY SHOP Lesley Smith reports: The renew charity shop has enjoyed another year of trading in Canton. Highlights include our presentation to Victory Outreach after hearing heart-warming testimonies from people whose lives have been tormented by addictions but saved by the grace of God; and two special days where all the proceeds of the shop were given to the Philippines where thousands of lives were cruelly taken by the typhoon. Passers by were rushing in and just handing money to the volunteers. We were overwhelmed by the expression of love by the people of Cardiff. The shop staff aims to be a reflection of Jesus and this was exemplified when one customer asked one of our team to look after her little toddler whilst she rushed to another shop saying she'd be faster without him! (Continued on page 10)
Mission & Outreach : 09
Macedonia With Oasis Church, Štip India With Gateway Ministries, Rajahmundry
Kenya With St Stephen’s School/Lighthouse of God Ministries, Kibera, Nairobi
Zambia With Nicky & Chris Tiltman/OM Africa, Lake Tanganyika
(Continued from page 9)
We are excited to step into 2014 and have new opportunities to bless those in need, both in the UK and overseas. A big thank-you to all our volunteers and to those who provide items for us to sell. ALPHA Jesus said: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 Pastor Steve Harris reports: 2013 saw City Temple run another three Alpha courses in January, May and October. Our first course of the year took us out of the building working
10 : Missions & Outreach
with our City Temple North Congregation. We then ran two courses in the church in May and then October and saw many people attend and as a result a number were baptized. It has been exciting seeing some of those who attend the course get involved in a number of ministries across the church, including worship, serving, Impact Outreach, and our recent mission to Macedonia, January 2014, where two of the team were participants on our Alpha course in 2013. Alpha is always a team effort and could not be delivered without a great team of speakers, helpers, cooks, servers, dishwashers, and table leaders. Thank you too all who helped us see about 90 people attend Alpha in 2013.
MAKING AN IMPACT! WORDS & ACTION REACHING OUT
IMPACT OUTREACH “He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burnedout lives with fresh hope, restoring dignity and respect to their lives” 1 Samuel 2:8 (Message translation)
Impact Outreach is the name of our homeless ministry that regularly sees 50-60 people being fed at City Temple Church on Saturday night. Led by Antonio Cavalho and Mandy Powell and supported by a large team of helpers who set up, serve, cook, provide support, clothing and encouragement to those who attend each week. Pastoral support is provided to the team by Pastor Steve Harris. Who attends? Some are homeless, some are in hostels across Cardiff, some sleep on the sofas of friends and family members, some are lonely and isolated. There are men and women - old and young—and a number of nationalities. What happens? Each week there is short testimony, word of encouragement or challenge and always a hot meal but most of all there is a place of love and acceptance. Sleep Over During the winter season the team also work with churches from across Cardiff to provide overnight accommodation for up to 12 people.
support those who request help by meeting with them, praying with them, helping them get on their feet and find houses and jobs but most importantly of all we help them discover Jesus. Challenge and sadness This work is not without it challenges. As the saying goes “hurt people, hurt people” some of these people are broken and hurting. It is sometimes messy, often challenging, occasionally a bit scary but always rewarding. The team has seen a number of those who have attended die prematurely as a result of addiction and lifestyle but they have also seen other lives transformed and given fresh hope. As a church, we can be very proud of this team, some of whom have previously struggled with some of these issues themselves. We thank God for their commitment to those in this city who have fallen on hard times and thank God for lives changed and people coming to know Jesus.
Special Events Every few months the team organise a special event with a visiting speaker or special meal and music. The team have created links with Teen Challenge and Victory Outreach and also a number of rehabilitation centres across the UK. Key team members try and Mission & Outreach : 11
THE JOURNEY TO ENP
When we gather together as the church, music is a powerful tool in which we can give glory to God. I often think of our sung worship like a journey which starts with PRAISE, moves into WORSHIP and potentially culminates in ENCOUNTER. Psalm 95 gives us a picture of this journey. Psalm 95:1-5 is an invitation to PRAISE - to sing joyfully, to shout, to bring thanksgiving and to extol God with music and song. Praise usually begins with a decision of the will because we don't always feel like praising God! So in our services, we often start with stirring songs to help us on our journey into praise. I'll sing because You are good, and I'll dance because You are good, and I'll shout... Psalm 95:5-7 is a calling into WORSHIP - to bow down, to kneel and to acknowledge who God is and who we are. Worship is a further stage on the journey as our hearts become warmed by the declarations of our praise. This is often when we begin to sense God's presence in a deeper way. While praise was more of an effort, worship now flows more naturally. Our songs move from objective truths to include responses of the heart. Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that You're my God... At the end of verse 7, the Psalmist says, 'today, if only you would hear his voice...' I believe this is an encouragement for the whole church to listen for God speaking. He wants to draw us into ENCOUNTER. I don't think we always get there, but we are
12 : Encounter - Worshipping God
NCOUNTER PRAISE, WORSHIP AND ENCOUNTER
always trying to be sensitive to the leading of Holy Spirit. This is where gifts of the Spirit have the opportunity to operate. As people submit their contribution to the service leader, the church can be strengthened and encouraged. Musically, this is where we try to provide space. We may sing a simple chorus, a spontaneous song or just quietly play. You are here, Holy Spirit You are here, You are here and Your presence fills this place... I am very thankful for the faithful and creative team we have serving in City Temple. Musicians, technicians and artists meet every week to rehearse, plan and worship together. Once a month, we put rehearsals aside and meet as a whole community. City Temple Creative is a place for food, worship and creative inspiration. We have been blessed with several new team members this year but we are always looking for more! Fill in a serving form at the Welcome Desk or get in touch with me if you'd like to use your musical, technical or artistic gift in church. We enjoyed the opportunity at Christmas to go the extra mile. Highlights included an enthusiastic choir, international music contributions, musical puppets(!) and dramatic monologues. I'd also like to thank Ben Charles who has been working with me since August as a worship intern. He works hard in the office as well as being a gifted musician! Stephen Gibson
Encounter - Worshipping God : 13
STRONGER TOGETHER BUILDING COMMUNITIES OF LOVE & FAITH
As a large citywide church drawing individuals from approximately forty different nationalities, every age from zero to over one hundred, and backgrounds as diverse a salesman and solicitor, doctor and homeless person; building strong, vibrant and life transforming discipleship relationships is always going to be challenging. It is for this reason that, as a church, we have been on a journey to finding the best way to encourage and challenge these relationships in a way which draws everyone in. This started with the development of small groups over ten years ago and has progressed through the creation of Connect Groups a few years ago. Whilst campaigns such as 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community have been very successful and taught us of the need for real, vibrant relationships within the body of Christ which bring transformation and growth, we have yet to truly put our finger on the structure which will engage a lot more people into smaller settings, although we believe that this is changing as we go into 2014. 2013 has seen our existing groups in their many different forms continue their great ministry of strengthening believers, releasing giftings and ministries and reaching out to those outside the church. The Connect Groups have grown deeper in their knowledge of God’s Word and have built strong relationships of support and trust. This huge strength of trust enables real discipleship to start to happen where issues are challenged and Christlikeness developed. Our slightly larger groups have seen the blessing of God on them as they reach specific groups within the church and often outside of the church. We have groups which are gender based such as Cave Lyfe for men only and women only groups covering a
14 : Connecting Lives
whole range of different ages from ‘Ghetto Princesses’, Mums & Tots Group and Refresh through to the Ladies Friendship Hour. We gather our different ethnic populations through the African Fellowship, Indian Pentecostal Fellowship and the Eritrean Fellowship. This year saw the Eritrean Fellowship fully become part of the life of City Temple Church and within the structures of the church’s eldership and finances. Students continue to play a vital role within the life of the church and the Tuesday evening group provides a great forum for them to meet, grow and support one another as well as reaching their friends. The Lydia Singing Group has also continued to provide a place for fellowship and outreach for older members. As we entered the second half of 2013, there was a growing sense that God was stirring something and wanting to reshape us and create a structure which will be discipleship focussed and builds on the strengths of everything that is working well and drawing people into smaller settings for growth, encounter and outreach. A group (made up of David Oliver, Stephen & Rachel Gibson and Alun & Kathy Mathias) has now formed to lead these developments, work on structures and material as well as support and train the leaders of these new groups. Some of what is created will look very similar to now, other groups will look slightly different and other groups will look very different, but in all of this our heart is to fulfil the challenge of Jesus set out in the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Watch out as 2014 progresses and we start to share the exciting adventure God is about to take us on in developing a framework of many life-giving, love-sharing, giftsreleasing community groups!
Keep up to date with City Temple Church Visit our website at www.citytemple.info Includes ‌ Diary Dates & What’s On Audio Recordings of morning & evening services Info on how to contact the church Links to & Info on City Temple North & Vale Village Church
With David & Greta Peters from New Zealand
prayer @