ECC Grapevine Dec/Jan 2012 - Issue 59

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G INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Issue 59

December 2012 / January 2013

rapevine magazine

A heart for the homeless - p5

A very proud moment - p6

PLUS YOUTH MINISTRIES CEBU MISSION p29

An

Pentecostal Church

Come on and CELEBRATE!

W

elcome to Ealing Christian Centre

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATIONS at

CONTENTS

2 A Word from the Senior Pastor

CHRISTMAS FAMILY SERVICE

Sunday 16th December 6.30pm

4 Sent - Priscilla Olivia Mesaque 5 Managing without 'Mum & Dad' - Pastor Mark 6 A Very Proud Moment - Micah Stapleton & Rhoda Mhango

7 My Christmas Wish - Akin Osuntoki 8 What is God Telling Us? - Mirriam Bwalya 9 A Heart for the Homeless - Sharon Grant 10 The Answer 12 Prayer Centre Testimonies 13 Two-month Prayer Diary Pull-out 21 Sunday Services at a Glance / Prayer Ministry 22 Finance page / Elim's Fundamental Beliefs 23 General Notices / Forthcoming Events 24 Fellowship & Congratulations 25 How to... Do Leadership Every Day

CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT

Sunday 23rd December Doors open 6.00pm

CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE

Tuesday 25th December 10.30am-11.30am

- Roy McEwen

6 Adam Named the Animals - John Baker 2 & Classifieds 27 Go With the Flow! - Pastor John Starr

28 Teachers' Workshop with Olly Goldenberg 29 YM Special: Cebu Missions Highlight 30 Women's Encounter 2012 Would you like to contribute an item to the next edition of the GRAPEVINE magazine?

Deadline for MONTH/MONTH edition is FRIDAY 4th JANUARY 2013

If you would like an item to be considered for the next edition of the Grapevine magazine, please submit your piece - by email only, please - no later than Friday 4th January 2013. Please email your article to the Administrator at info@ecc.org.uk, marked 'For Grapevine'.

Articles for half a page should be no more than 250 words, and for a full page should be no more than 600 words. The Editor reserves the right to edit articles where necessary.

Editor-in-Chief: Pastor Richard Buxton Editor & Design: Berean Services UK Photography: Roy McEwen plus various contributors from ECC Stock Images: freepik.com, publicdomainpictures.net, shuttlecock.com Print: Deluxe Printers Ltd, London NW10 7NR, Tel: 020 8965 1771 Ealing Christian Centre, 268 Northfield Avenue, Ealing, London W5 4UB Tel: 020 8840 7508 Fax: 020 8840 1461 Email: info@ecc.org.uk Website: www.ecc.org.uk Grapevine is published by Ealing Christian Centre. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Grapevine and the ECC logo are trademarks of Ealing Christian Centre in the United Kingdom where Grapevine circulates.

Copyright © Ealing Christian Centre 2012. All rights reserved.

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

SENIOR PASTOR

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O

n behalf of the family here at Ealing Christian Centre, we would like to take this opportunity to let you know that we are glad to have you worshipping with us today. We hope you will feel at home in our fellowship - whether this is your first time or your umpteenth time with us. May God bless you.

A word from the

NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION

Monday 31st December from 8.30pm

ife can be very busy, so everyone enjoys a time when they can rest, relax or celebrate as a diversion from the fast pace of modern life, and from the stress that it can bring. We are not designed to be able to work non-stop, but need times set aside to rest. In the Bible, it is interesting to note that God not only commanded one day of rest per week, but also several holiday seasons throughout the year.

These celebrations had several purposes. First, of course, it was an opportunity to take a break from the normal routine of life, in order to become physically and mentally refreshed. By doing that, a person is able to come back with renewed vigour to daily tasks.

Secondly, it was a time for families and communities to get together for fellowship and fun. The holidays that God commanded were not to be carried out in isolation by ourselves, but rather as celebrations together with others.

It was to be a time when people could enjoy themselves, laugh together, sing, dance and shout together, as the words of many of the Psalms show us, such as: “Praise the Lord.

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.

Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.

Let them praise his Name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people.”

Psalm 149:1-4 “Clap your hands, all you nations; Shout to God with cries of joy.”

Psalm 41:1

SEASON'S GREETINGS

COME ON AND CELEBRATE! Thirdly, it was not celebration simply for its own sake, but each festival throughout the year had a spiritual theme running through it that helped remind the people of God’s involvement in their lives as individuals and as a nation.

So there was the Feast of Passover, where the celebration reminded them of how God had led the nation out of the bondage of Egypt, with miraculous signs and wonders.

Those, who had put their faith in God’s Word and plan to rescue them, had been saved from the Angel of Death, by trusting in the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.

From there, they went from slavery to freedom. They did not realise it at the time, but the Feast was also a prophetic sign, pointing forward to the

Whilst using the opportunity to rest from the busyness of life, we celebrate and remember with joy the good things that God has done in our lives and for his people.

IN JESUS' NAME

coming of Christ who would shed his blood on the cross as the “Lamb of God”. For all who trusted God’s Word and who sought salvation through the blood of Christ would

be saved, not from physical slavery, but from bondage to sin.

Christ died at Passover time, fulfilling the prophetic aspect of the Feast. On the first Sunday after Passover, the first fruits of the harvest were to be offered – the very day Jesus would rise from the dead to become the ‘first fruits’ of those who, in Christ, would rise also from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Then there was the Feast of Pentecost, which came exactly fifty days later. People celebrated as the harvest was being brought in. It reminded them, according to Jewish tradition, of the day Moses received the law of God on Mount Sinai. What they did not know at that time was that it pointed forward prophetically to the most significant Day of Pentecost.

The day that would become the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit would be poured out in tongues of fire,

and three thousand people would be saved.

Then, nearer the end of the year, came the Feast of

Tabernacles. The people

lived in temporary booths made of palm branches, to remind them of the temporary accommodation they lived in during the days when the nation had to leave Egypt. Prophetically, it pointed forward to the final ingathering of the Church.

Whilst the birth of Jesus is described in both Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels, there is no ‘Feast of Christmas’, as such, mentioned in the Bible. This came about more as a church tradition, and even that has, unfortunately, been hijacked by the forces of commercialism, with its emphasis on the maximisation of profits and the fabled ‘Santa Claus’ story, which is what many people in our nation now associate with Christmas, rather than the true story of Christ, who is God incarnate - God’s ‘indescribable Gift’, in the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:15.

The end and beginning of the year on our calendar, falling as it does in mid-Winter (December/ January), is also different to the biblical calendar, where the New Year began in the much more sensible time of Spring.

We can make the most of the Christmas and New Year festival season as a vehicle for good, if we follow and seek to incorporate the biblical principles above. Whilst using the opportunity to rest from the busyness of life, we celebrate and remember with joy the good things that God has done in our lives and for his people. And we make Christ central, as we remember the awesome reality that, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14), and “You are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Christmas and New Year can also be a good opportunity for evangelism, as people are much more open and ready to come to church during this time. Let them see how the people of God celebrate with the joy of the Lord, which is focused on the priceless relationship we enjoy with our God, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. And that feeling of joy continues even when the celebrations have ended, because it is based on the inner reality of our on-going relationship with God, which is so unlike the ‘hangover’ that can follow God-less celebrations.

So, rest and celebrate with others, but always keeping Christ as the central focus of what we do.

Richard Buxton

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

T N E S by Priscilla Olivia Mesaque

T

he Lord sent me to El Salvador, Central America, during the summer of 2012 for 10 weeks with a charity called Progressio.

Their main goal is to empower people in poverty. I was in a group of six, including a team leader (all of whom were non-Christians). Whilst there, we were supporting/ working with a local partner organisation called IMU (Institute of Research Training and Development of Women), which supports and promotes women’s rights.

El Salvadorian culture is very beautiful, and is a vast contrast to English culture.

It also has an ugly side, however, which was the gang culture, and how women are seen and treated. Femicide (the act of killing a woman simply because she is a woman) is also a common situation in El Salvador, which I found heartbreaking.

There are about 50 women who are a part of the Organisation, who all came together and, against the odds, built their very own bakery 10 years ago. We lived there for a

couple of weeks, spending half our time there - resting, having our meals, making cake, selling cake and eating cake! I had to refrain from the strong temptations of gluttony, as I was surrounded by sweetsmelling cake for a majority of the time.

Our main job as a group including the indigenous national volunteers - was to help a selection of the women and members of the local community, ‘El Refugio’, to obtain a more sustainable lifestyle, by creating organic gardens, which included building and erecting a structure; making organic fertiliser; ploughing furrows; sowing seeds, and watching some of them reap.

Alongside the gardens, we taught Beginners English to members of the local community three times a week, mainly to children aged 7 upwards and a couple of adults. I found teaching exciting, challenging and frustrating, because I found planning lessons difficult; I felt

I didn’t have much to give. I then began to pray into it and, as time passed by, I started to receive creative ideas during planning and lesson time. I was quite stunned and openly praised God for each idea. By the last English lesson, they still weren’t fluent in Beginners English, but they could hold a short and sweet conversation with confidence, which was wonderful to witness and, considering it had been hard work and play, they had nevertheless learned something!

Furthermore, towards the end of the journey, I came to understand that the Lord had sent me there specifically to sow seeds spiritually, because without somewhat realising it, through my actions and words I had made Christ known to the individuals around me. I wasn’t ‘Little Miss Perfect’, but I was just me. One of my group members, Daniela, in a note said, “You taught me a

lot about faith and spirituality; I have a lot more respect for it now.”

I felt so encouraged, and I just thank God that I was able to freely share and live out my testimony.

The majority of El Salvadorians are of mixed ‘religious’ backgrounds, but I thank God that I was able to meet two born again Christians called Melvin and José, who both shared their testimonies with me (via an interpreter). I remember feeling so inspired by their stories, because they, like me, had been brought out of their crazy lifestyles by the grace of God, and it just felt good to relate to people who before Christ were involved in somewhat similar situations to me. It was interesting to hear how the Lord had intervened and transformed their lives.

All in all, I thank the Lord for an amazing experience - with smiles, tears, sadness and laughter. I grew to learn more about myself - the good, the bad and the ugly! In saying that, I learnt a lot about people and differences in culture, and I hope to return to El Salvador again. This may sound cliché, but I feel like I have a family there.

A word of encouragement for all of you: ‘We are merely a tool in His hands’.

Thanks and praise the Lord

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

SEASON'S GREETINGS

Managing Without

A

‘Mum & Dad’!

fter returning home from their mission field, many overseas missionaries can suffer from what is termed as ‘culture shock’.

Changes in their home church, community and country can cause a lot of stress, as they deal with their ‘new life’. So, for my wife and I, having returned to the UK after eight years in the Philippines, wondering how our ‘spiritual children’ are doing back in Cebu is always at the forefront of our minds.

Hence it was so exciting for us to take a pastoral trip back to Cebu last September to see how the church is managing without ‘Mum & Dad’.

One of the words that the Lord gave me last year, as I was in the midst of handing over the baton of leadership, was that ‘there will be an explosion when you move back to the UK’. I took this to mean that there will be a mighty harvest of souls, who will become part of PCC, Portland Christian Center.

So we were not surprised to see at least 15 new faces in the church when we arrived back. That’s a high percentage when you consider that the church consisted of 200 when we left!

The introduction of ‘Matthew

IN JESUS' NAME

Parties’ has been the major influence in church growth; these are currently the most productive evangelistic tool.

The principle is very simple.

Because very few people in the villages have access to electricity, it means that very few people own televisions. At a Matthew Party, a Christian h o s t

- armed with a generator, projector and DVD player - would invite their neighbours around to see a Christian film which has a salvation message. Food and drinks are also provided. There is a short appeal at the end and, so far, the response has been amazing!

Recently, this church growth has led the leaders to take

the decision to plant a second church in 2013, in order to deal with the amount of people attending from the city. God has recently blessed the ministry with a brand new vehicle which holds 20 people. However, there are now more than 30 people who want to travel to the church from the city, which is 25km away. So, as a church, we

are praying that the Lord will provide us with a building - rented or otherwise - in order to hold services and facilitate outreach in the city of Danao.

In 2004, one of the main factors I identified as a tool for success was to grow leaders. This turned out to be a slow process, requiring a ‘truck-load’ of patience,

considering that many of the mature members at the time had little or no significant education. But our mighty God has an answer for everything!

I remember the Holy Spirit telling me to ‘use the up-andcoming generation to affect this and the next generation’.

So we quickly started to train people as young as 15, as they were in education.

Now that these young adults are in their 20s, they are equipped to influence and impact their generation and the generation above them.

These same leaders are now running four Bible study outreaches in four key villages, where one day, God willing, they will become churches in their own right!

So, one of the many lessons that I have learnt over the last eight years is not to worry about my spiritual children as God, who is our real Father, is in control.

He is building His Church, and there’s nothing that satan can do to stop it!

Please continue to pray for the leaders and members of PCC, that they would attain the purpose that God has for them.

Pastor Mark King

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

A VERY PROUD MOMENT

"God began to show me how basketball was less about winning and more about bringing people together."

First Annual Christian Basketball Tournament

B

efore knowing Christ, basketball for me was my outlet, where I was able to express myself, and a way of switching my focus from the stress I faced in everyday life into a game where I felt a sense of freedom for a period of time. The only problem with this is that a game only lasts for so long, and all it would take is a bad game to add to the stress that I was already facing. When I got saved and accepted Jesus into my life, I then found stress relief that doesn’t have a time limit and doesn’t have bad days.

down from Jesus House, based in Northwest London, and Oasis church from Southwest London.

The point of the tournament was also to help bridge the gap between Christian and nonChristian people, and show them the love of Christ in a practical way and, again, to build stronger relationships. Teams came from Hayes, Hounslow, Northolt and Greenford to compete. We even had a national league team come down from Brent. Despite 71 people being registered, cheered on by approx 20-25 spectators, a group of five men representing ECC were able to collect enough points and get into the final, and then go on to win that final with a score of 12-4.

Eventually, God began to show me how basketball was less about winning and more about I would like to thank bringing people all the pastors and together. Over the the elders for their years, God has encouragement and also revealed to love; Hakeem and me the things I had DeLuxe Printers, learnt from playing Micah Stapleton for helping print basketball, such as the leaflets for the discipline, teamwork tournament; Ivor and consistency - all things that Thomas, who helped ref on I use and apply to my walk with the day, as well as organising; God today. This is one of the Rhoda Mhango, who was great main reasons that I wanted this in speaking to people and tournament to happen, because promoting the tournament, and I know how God can use a the support of Kweku Mills, who sport to instil good traits into helped plan the structure of the people, and also to build strong tournament, and designed all relationships. the artwork - as well as being a The spiritual objective of putting massive support to me. the tournament together was Most importantly, I thank God first to create a sense of unity and believe in Him that He will among churches in London. use all of us to help spread the So, before the tournament, we truth about His unfailing love in contacted several churches from many different ways. all over England and, on the day, we had representatives come Micah Joseph Stapleton

MEN'S FINAL POSITIONS

1st ECC Ambassadors 2nd Harlington Sonics 3rd Brent Ballers 4th North West Ballers

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

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ondon in 2012 has been the source of immense excitement, sporting success, and integration of several countries, cultures and common interests.

One need only think back to the Olympic Games and remember where you were, who you were cheering for, and how it made you feel, to get a sense of what is possible. This year, ECC, through Micah Stapleton, took on its own challenge and the first of its kind - the Annual Christian Basketball Tournament. Anyone who has met Micah will know he is an ambitious, influential and charismatic person with a David heart; willing to take on obstacles for God's glory; share the Gospel, and stand in the gap for this generation and the next.

It was a privilege to be asked to be involved and, even more so, to be able to help in bringing together the first ECC Women's basketball team. I was nervous to begin with, not knowing if anyone would come forward and, if they did, whether their command of the sport would see us through. I needn't have worried - a dream team emerged! All at varying levels, with different techniques and some very interesting tactics at times (!), the common thread that bound us together, however, was that (a) God was with us; (b) we were all determined to laugh and have fun, and (c) it was a chance to share in fellowship, explore something new, and learn more about each other.

For a couple of weeks, we practised for a few hours in the park after morning services, and by Match Day we were ready. The court accommodated over 50 excited players, spectators and assistants, and we all braced ourselves for an afternoon filled with cheers, skilful basketball and running - a lot of running!

Our first game against Jesus House helped us to find our feet and let go of our nerves. The subsequent games featured some awesome baskets (Reanne, Beth, Rebecca); fantastic defence (Rasheeda, Kay), and solid handles (Nathaniel, Nicole) for those winning passes. It was a great feeling for both the Men’s and Women's teams to walk away as winning champions. I'll dare to go as far as to say that it was a proud moment for the young ECC men and women, who signed up weeks before, not knowing what to expect, and returning victorious.

A proud moment, even more so, for a young man with a vision from God, who walked in obedience and fulfilled His will.

Congratulations on a successful tournament, Micah, and thank you to all who were involved and kept us in prayer. With your support we are building the Kingdom and putting 10,000 to flight.

May God bless you.

Rhoda Mhango

SEASON'S GREETINGS

MY CHRISTMAS WISH Dear God

Y

ou - more than anyone else - know all things and forget nothing. You therefore no doubt remember that I had presented a rather long list of things I would like for Christmas 2011. And - forgive me if I sound ungrateful, given that You actually blessed me with more than I’d asked for last year - I cannot but wonder, though, why some important wishes never came to pass!

In particular, God, I am anxious to know why You have not granted my desire to see more men join the Discipleship Cell groups. I know that You said we should not fret, but God, I am concerned that our number seems to be reducing rather than increasing! And I know You are probably chuckling at my selfish motive, that more men in Cell would give

attend prayer meetings; commit to evangelism, as Christ commands; be visible in various other ministries, including the Ministry Team and the Worship Team, where there is an obvious dearth of men/tenors. And yes, I keep getting told that this is the same problem in Christendom - from Land’s End to Timbuktu, from Chicago to Tarawa - but surely, You, like me, must be concerned that if this trend continues, there would be no men for the harvest, which Your Son says, is plentiful and which indeed is, given the number of burqa-clad women we can see in and around Ealing!

In our local assembly, we have men with obvious trappings of the blessings You have

of labourers in this vineyard!

I am confused, Lord. Why is it that Your Word instructs believers not to give up meeting together, and to encourage one another ‘as we see the Day approaching’, yet male believers can’t - or won’t - spare the time to fellowship, much less encourage one another? Is it that they cannot see the Day approaching? Yet, day by day, misguided Muslim men, in the prime of their lives, and at the command of mortal cowardly generals, willingly adorn themselves in garments of explosives, to blow up the innocent and the perceived guilty into smithereens. Is it that whilst such people have chosen to die for their cause, that we can’t see that Your Word is worth living for? Surely

In our local assembly, we have men ... who have chosen to be the backbenchers to ECC’s parliament me some sense of personal accomplishment. I confess that You have got me bang to rights (as we say here), but who wouldn’t be pleased at a little increase, after much toil?

Believe me, I am not alone here; every member of the Primary Team would rejoice in any boost to the number of men in Cell. For who wouldn’t be pleased at rallying men for You? Pure miracle, comparable only to squeezing water out of stone!

But honestly, God, even if men hadn’t immediately joined a Cell, I would still have been pleased to see more of them

IN JESUS' NAME

bestowed upon them, but who have chosen to be the backbenchers to ECC’s parliament. You alone know why men have no hesitation to working every hour You send, in a futile drive to store up earthly treasures that moth and rust can easily destroy, and that thieves can steal in a twinkle of an eye, but barely lift a finger to build Your Kingdom? Have You not said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”? So, God, even if You would do nothing else this Christmas, please stir up the hearts of men, and increase the number

God, won’t You open our eyes to see how close the second coming of Christ is?

In conclusion, God, my Christmas wish for this year is wrapped in this prayer by Sir Francis Drake: Disturb us, Lord When we are too pleased with ourselves When our dreams have come true Because we dreamed too little When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord When, with the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst for the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord To dare more boldly To venture on wilder seas Where storms will show Your mastery Where, losing sight of land We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes And to push back the future

So, God, even if You would do nothing else this Christmas, please stir up the hearts of men, and increase the number of labourers in this vineyard!

In strength, courage, hope and love.

This, we ask In the Name of our Captain Who is Jesus Christ.

Akin Osuntoki

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

TRUE LIFE STORIES

WHAT IS

GOD

TELLING US? MIRRIAM BWALYA shares her testimony of how, even in the midst of grief, it is important to listen to God's voice

A

lot of times we watch on TV or read in the newspaper of children and adults who have gone missing.

We see families calling people to help with the investigation, and to plead for the safety of their loved ones. However, in most cases, the outcome of the investigation is not always good.

As a family, we had a similar experience earlier this year, when my brother Noel went missing and eventually was found dead. His death was

As Christians, sometimes we try to suppress the natural process of grieving, but this only prolongs the pain, and may sometimes lead to bitterness or anguish

- and still is - a mystery, and only God can fill in the gaps.

The weekend before my brother died, I had gone to Ashburnham Prayer Centre for a retreat, and had a great time in the presence of the Lord, and was more on fire for God. However, a few days later, I received the bad news about my brother’s death…

I felt like a bucketful of icecold water had just been poured on that fire. It took me a while to process why God had allowed him to die in such a way: he was a young man; mixed well with anyone and everyone; loved people unconditionally - regardless of how they treated him.

He wasn’t perfect, but he realised and acknowledged his imperfections, and was working on them.

The grief we all felt as a family was immeasurable, and it was by God’s grace that the funeral arrangements went well without any hiccups.

Subsequently, in my grief, I remembered a question that my elder brother always posed to me whenever I had a problem and asked for his advice: “What is God telling you in this situation?”

Some of us have come to the realisation that, as Christians, it is OK to grieve, as long as we do it with faith. Jesus knew

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead and yet, for a moment in time, He grieved with those who were grieving (John 11:33-36).

As Christians, sometimes we try to suppress the natural process of grieving, but this only prolongs the pain, and may sometimes lead to bitterness or anguish, but

going to die and yet, when He was told of his sickness, He did not rush to heal him, but He waited for him to die before He made His way to Bethany (John 11:1-16).

It took great faith to wait on God’s justice instead of seeking our own, especially when we had the means to do things our way.

It took great faith to wait on God’s justice instead of seeking our own, especially when we had the means to do things our way the Bible tells that there is a time to mourn and a time to laugh. In acknowledging our weakness, God gave us the strength during the difficult time before and after the funeral.

Our intention was to seek justice, and to ensure that the person who committed the crime paid the price.

However, God spoke through some ministers of His Word, who advised us to only look to Him for justice (Romans 12:17-21).

It was important to remember that there is no death which happens without God’s knowledge - whether people died at a young age or in old age; whether a sudden death or after a long illness (Job 1:12-21). Equally, Jesus knew that His friend Lazarus was

Noel’s death was also a wake-up call to many; it really enlightened some of the family members and other relatives about how short life can be, and the importance of staying close to God. As a family, we were more united spiritually than ever before: we prayed together, and strengthened each other in the Lord. Additionally, I saw and heard people witness to others who had ceased professing the Christian faith.

Through Noel’s death, God has brought spiritual birth and growth to even the bystanders (John 11:45, Mark 15:39).

SEASON'S GREETINGS

E

aling Christian Centre (ECC), which includes

Ealing churches joint project to support homeless and vulnerable people during the coldest and loneliest time of the year. Volunteers are needed, and training is on Thursday 8th November 2012 and Tuesday 8th January 2013 from 8pm to 9.30pm.

For more information, look on the ECC Information Board; contact Alison Wood on 07930 378263, or email ecwns.office@yahoo.com.

the Polish Fellowship (Elim Springs), partners with over eight churches to provide food, support and fellowship for 80-120 homeless and disadvantaged people every weekend on a rota basis. This ministry takes place at the EALING SOUP KITCHEN (ESK), at St John's Church in Ealing.

We demonstrate Christ’s love tangibly by preparing and serving a three-course meal, consisting of two freshly prepared soups - vegetable and chicken - thanks to Ken Sakulku, our resident cook; a main course of chilli or stew and rice, and a dessert.

Our ECC team are made up of great people; their personalities and input make the sessions enjoyable.

Some of their comments are: Ken: “I love Soup Kitchen, because it is practical. I may not be able to heal the sick or drive out devils, but I can smile and serve soup!”

Kazik: “The Lord Jesus said that people will know that we are His by our LOVE. The main motivation for me being part of Soup Kitchen is to give praise to Jesus Christ, but also to share His love with others. We give food, clothes, etc, to those who are less fortunate. We also talk and, most importantly, we listen to them, because everyone has a story to tell. Many clients are Polish, and I'm so happy that I and others from the Polish Church are able to talk to them. The hurt, brokenhearted, hungry and cold are the same anywhere in the world. Under the rugged exterior, there are real people who are looking for love and compassion. That's why I'm there with others from my church to show our clients Christ’s love.”

Mark and Sherine: “We have been involved with Ealing Soup Kitchen for

IN JESUS' NAME

A HEART FOR THE

HOMELESS

and those in need seven years now, and we have learned so much and grown as people just from our experience there. We are very practically-minded individuals, and Soup Kitchen is an excellent opportunity to put Christ’s love into action.

We have an amazing team of volunteers from ECC, and we look forward to continuing to serve those in need in 2013.”

Beata: “I do Soup Kitchen because it is a form of showing people that God loves and cares for them, and we do it to serve people. We don't really talk about God to most of them, but the best part is to meet people, to show them there is hope. We give them more than food; we give a sense of stability that Soup Kitchen is there every weekend, and we are there to listen to their stories, and they know that they will be heard. It’s a challenging but rewarding experience for me. Sometimes it’s overwhelming to see how many Polish people are there,

and how many people are in need.”

Clients still need winter clothes, woolly hats, scarves, jumpers, jackets, coats, gloves, socks, blankets, toiletries and sleeping bags.

Other agencies that work with the homeless and disadvantaged people in Ealing include the following: ACTON HOMELESS CONCERN operates a dropin day centre. They provide meals, clothing, showering facilities and advice. There is also a doctor, chiropodist, barber/hairdresser, optician, dental services, drug and alcohol counselling, life skills training, and advocacy. For more information, contact 0208 992 5768 or email actonhomelessconcern@ yahoo.com.

EALING CHURCHES WINTER NIGHT SHELTER PROJECT (ECWNS) operates from 1st December 2012 to 31st March 2013. This is an

We’ve been amazed at the generosity of church members over the years. We encourage more people to get involved, and ask you to keep sending items in, but please ask permission before leaving anything in the building!!!

In future, we will be offering pastoral care packs to clients, and awareness information and fundraising initiatives for volunteers, as we continue to partner with other agencies.

We pray that God will help us to cooperate with Him, as we continue to share the love of Jesus - one person at a time.

Sharon Grant

and the ECC ESK Team 2012

THE NEXT ECC SESSIONS AT EALING SOUP KITCHEN ARE ON SATURDAY 5th JANUARY AND SATURDAY 2nd MARCH 2013

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

The

ANSWER

TESTIMONIES FROM THE REVIVAL & HEALING MEETINGS

J

ames 1:6-7 says, “When he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all he does.” Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Not only must we believe His promises, but when we come to God we must believe He is going to reward us and fulfil His promises, regardless of our circumstances. Let us get rid of all doubts and unbelief. Let us get our eyes off man, and onto Jesus! Allow Jesus to reveal Himself to you as your great Healer, who stands with outstretched hands, ready to touch and heal you.

Regardless of what sickness or pain you may be suffering from; regardless of how long you may have suffered; regardless of your condition, even as you set your eyes on Jesus the Healer, release your faith to touch Him and receive the healing you need.

These are powerful testimonies of healing, shared by those who are grateful for God’s divine healing. Trust Him, as Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. He is compassionate and loves you.

If you need personal prayers, we invite you to the monthly Revival and Healing meeting on the second Sunday of each month at 6.30 pm. Also, you can ring our 24/7 Prayer Centre on 020 8799 2199, where a compassionate intercessor will pray with you over the telephone line.

Pastor Rajinder Buxton

Angie

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Nicky

Injury to back and knee healed “I came to church with great difficulty. I had been off sick from work, because I had suffered injury and pain to my back and my knee. I was unable to walk for more than thirty seconds at a time. I was unable to do my daily duties. I had been on painkillers throughout the day for almost three weeks. After receiving prayer, I walked out of church and realised that all pain was gone. I went to Sainsbury’s supermarket, and walked all round, not having to lean on the shopping trolley as I had been doing, and I am amazed that Jesus Christ has healed my sick and painful body.”

Nicky is a nurse, and is back at work without any pain, and is very grateful to Jesus for what He has done for her.

Rowena

Taller by two inches “I had been having osteoporosis of my back.

Today when I came forward for healing, I suddenly felt taller then before. The Lord had brought my back into alignment, and I mentioned that to the Ministry Team that I felt taller. I went back to the nurse for a check-up and, after measuring my height, I had indeed grown taller by two inches. Before, I was five foot, and today I am five feet two inches. He is a mighty God!”

Ariana (testimony from a nine-year-old girl)

Instant prayer answered

No need for crutches - healed!

“My son did not come home. We tried to contact him, but no answer.

I was so worried about him. I came forward to receive prayer that my son would come home. During the prayer time, I felt that God had touched me, and I cried because I knew that God had answered my prayer. After the service, I went to my car and I had received a phone call. It was my son, and he said that he was alright and that there was nothing to worry about. I want to thank God for His unconditional love for me.”

“One day I came into school to find that my friend, Stevie, was on crutches. I sat down starting to think how happy Stevie always was, with a massive smile on her face. Then I looked behind me to see Stevie doing her maths with an agonised face, as electric pains shot through her legs. When I went out to play, I decided to pray for her, so I told her, and she agreed to let me pray for her and said “Thanks!”

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

So the following night I prayed for her, hoping her leg would get better, and the next day I came back to school to see Stevie smiling more than ever before, because her leg had got better and she didn’t need crutches anymore!!!”

SEASON'S GREETINGS

Seni

Sonia

Sprinting injuries healed

Neck problem and pain gone after two years

“I came out for prayer after the call for healing in the service. I had a lot of injuries due to my athletics. There were many long-term issues caused by the strain of sprinting. After some prayer and anointing with oil, the Ministry Team noticed that I had one leg shorter than the other.

They sat me down and held my feet, while praying for my legs to go into proper alignment. My leg grew out to its normal length and the dull, background pain I was accustomed to was gone from my legs. Relief was felt. Jesus has healed me.”

“I had been having pain at the top of my neck for at least two years. I lived with this pain and wondered if I would have it always. I had problems and great difficulty lifting my shopping. I went to the Healing Service and I was prayed for, and within about five minutes of receiving ministry, all the pain in my neck totally disappeared. I am today pain-free after two years of experiencing pain.”

Abigail

Pregnancy pains gone “I prayed for some health issues and for my pregnancy. I sat down after the prayers, and started worshipping God. I felt that something happened in my body; my baby moved in my body and before that it felt so heavy and painful, but now it felt so different. The pain was gone.”

Simone

Healed without laying on of hands

Davina

No need for hospital - healed!

“I came to church, and when the call was given to go forward for healing ministry, I came forward to receive prayer for my husband, who was sick at home. My husband had already packed his suitcase to go to the hospital, so that on my return from church, he would be ready to go. The Ministry Team prayed for my husband, and I prayed for him, too. When I got home, my husband said he felt well and did not need to go to hospital. Jesus is our Healer!”

Philomena

Side pains gone “I have been healed today.

I had pain on my right side, and it had been there on and off right throughout the week.”

But after coming forward and receiving ministry for healing, Philomena testified of total healing.

All pain had vanished.

IN JESUS' NAME

“I had been having pain in my back for at least three weeks. As I made my way forward, and even before I sat down on the chair to be prayed for, the pain was gone.”

God healed Simone without anyone even laying hands on her body.

Bridget Elias

Bleeding of uterus stopped “I had been experiencing lower abdominal pain for some time and, in spite of several visits to my GP, I failed to get a diagnosis or referral.

Then one day, I decided to book another appointment with a different GP at my local clinic. I had an examination, and a request was made for an abdominal scan.

The scan showed that I was bleeding into the uterus, so I was admitted to hospital for a hysteroscopy. The hysteroscopy failed, and I remained an in-patient for the night, and was discharged home the next day.

Two weeks later, I had a follow-up scan, with the plan of a second attempt at the hysteroscopy. However, when I met with the Consultant, he informed me that the scan showed that the bleeding had ceased, and confirmed that I no longer needed to undergo the hysteroscopy. Therefore I was discharged.

I was healed by the power of my God.”

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

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the

PRAYER centre

The Prayer Centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as compassionate prayer partners are waiting to take your prayer requests and to pray for your individual needs over the telephone. Here are some of the amazing answers to prayer, as individuals ring back to share their answers with us.

020 8799 2199

A very small selection of the many answers to prayers received in the Prayer Centre BENEFITS REINSTATED A sister called the Prayer Centre many times for prayers to redeem all her benefits that the Government had held back from her. She called back to give God the glory, because she has won all her benefits back to the glory of God.

DIABETES A sister had had a blood test that indicated she had diabetes; she rang the Prayer Centre and the results from the next lot of tests showed that no diabetes was found. She rang the Prayer Centre to testify to God’s goodness.

Praise God.

DENTAL EMERGENCY A sister phoned the Prayer Centre during her lunch break to ask for prayer for her daughter, who was about to go for emergency dental treatment. She called back later that evening to say everything had gone well, and that her daughter was in bed sleeping peacefully.

CHEST PAINS A sister rang the Prayer Centre, because she was having pains in her chest, and after prayer she was completely healed. Praise the Lord.

JOB OFFER A sister received a job offer, starting the Thursday after she had called for prayer the previous week, and wanted to thank God. INSOMNIA A gentleman called the Prayer Centre one night, because he was suffering from multiple sclerosis and wanted, among other physical needs, to be released from his insomnia.

He reported that he had slept well like a baby, even though he hadn’t taken his usual sleeping tablets.

NEW JOB A gentleman received prayers concerning a job, and God has answered his prayer for a job as a bus driver. Thanks be to the Lord.

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CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR An anonymous caller was having great difficulty looking after a 12-year-old girl, who had challenging behaviour. After two hours, she managed to get the girl safely home to her parents, and rang back to give thanks to God. TRIBUNAL A sister wants to give God thanks for giving her victory in her tribunal case, after she had received much prayer from the Prayer Centre. To God be the glory.

ALCOHOLIC A sister called for prayer on behalf of her father, who is an alcoholic. She phoned back a week later to say that her father had cut down on alcohol considerably, and she prayed that he will be permanently delivered from this bondage.

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

BROKEN HIP A lady called the Prayer Centre concerning her mother, who had fallen and broken her hip. She was operated upon, and had to have a plate inserted in her hip. The operation was successful; she is now doing very well; looks amazing; comments by medical staff are positive, and she is ready to return home. The lady has been granted two months’ sick leave with pay to look after both her mother and father (who is recovering from heart attack).

WORK COLLEAGUE A sister had been going through a stressful time at work with her manager.

She felt constantly under pressure, because her manager is a shorttempered person, She called the Prayer Centre and the situation has become much better; her relationship with her manager has improved greatly, and she wanted to thank God for all the prayers.

FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH A sister phoned the Prayer Centre to give thanks to the Lord for her financial breakthrough, after phoning the Prayer Centre for prayer. She was now able to bless her friend.

There was also an on-going problem with a particular firm, but this was now being resolved. Praise God.

BEDRIDDEN A brother called for prayer after visiting his sister, who was bedridden and experiencing much pain. She had a muscular problem and was unable to move around. Two days later, his sister has shown remarkable and outstanding recovery; has been released from pains; has greater mobility, and is even looking much brighter. Praise be to God. REIMBURSEMENT A sister, who is a disabled student, had to use a taxi to get to college. She was refused payment for all her taxi trips.

She rang the Prayer Centre and all payments due were refunded after a year. Praise God. DRIVING TEST A lady called the Prayer Centre at 20.00hrs on 24th September, because she was going for her driving test the following day; she had already failed two previous tests, and now needed the help of God to pass. She called back to testify that she has finally passed her driving test, and wanted to thank God and the Prayer Centre for their powerful prayers.

GOD CAN USE YOU

Amazing testimonies abound at the Prayer Centre, and you can make a difference to someone's life. Are you willing to be used by God in this area? Please contact Rudy or Tom, our Prayer Coordinators, on 020 8799 2199.

SEASON'S GREETINGS

PRAYER PRAYER DIARY DIARY for for

JANUARY 2013 PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR DAILY LIFE I

f the Book of Psalms helps us in our devotional lives, we may say that the Book of Proverbs helps us in applying spiritual principles to our daily lives in a practical way. Here, we find wisdom in how to live in all the various situations we find ourselves in day by day.

Although Solomon wrote these particular proverbs 3,000 years ago, the reason why they remain timeless is that, although the world may have grown more complicated and technically advanced, human nature has never changed. Indeed, this is why the Bible remains relevant to all generations, because it deals with two things that have never changed from the beginning of creation until now: namely, God (“I, the Lord, do not change” - Malachi 3:6) and human nature (“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” - Romans 3:26).

As Christians, we are called to be 24/7 followers of Jesus. Since most of our time is not spent in church, but at home, amongst neighbours, in the workplace or market place, mixing with people of all kinds, the proverbs deal with practical ways of interacting in all these different situations.

As we pray this month through two Chapters of the book of Proverbs, we will be praying concerning areas of the home, places of work and the market place, seeking to maintain integrity in all our day-to-day activities in how we relate to people as we conduct our affairs, so that we can be effective instruments for the Holy Spirit to use.

1st – Proverbs 13:1 Being teachable

3rd – Proverbs 13:4-6 Diligence and integrity

1. Heavenly Father, give us a teachable spirit that enables us to change as the Holy Spirit leads us.

2. When we are wrong, O Lord, help us to have the humility to acknowledge it and change.

3. Give us a desire to learn from your Word, O God, and the wisdom to put into daily practice all that you teach us.

4. Give us ears to hear when you speak through preaching and teaching, and a determination to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

5. Help us to become spiritually mature so that we, too, can be teachers of others in word and example, we pray.

1. Keep us from laziness, O Lord, and help us seek to strive for excellence in all we do, since we do it as unto you.

2. Give us the desire to go the extra mile whenever we are called upon to do so, O God. 3. Keep us from every form of falsehood, and convict us when we do so, Holy Spirit we ask, so that we can learn not to do so again.

4. Enable us to conduct ourselves with integrity in every area of our lives, because we want to live according to your standards, O Lord.

5. Keep us alert, Holy Spirit, so that we do not allow the devil to gain a foothold in our lives.

2nd – Proverbs 13:2-3 Guarding our lips 1. Help us to think before we speak, O Lord, so that we do not regret any words we speak.

2. Since faith comes by hearing the Word of God, may our words be ones that help others to discover faith and grow in faith, we pray.

3. As we draw closer to you, O Lord, may the wisdom you give us be helpful to others through the words we speak.

4. Give us a heart that always seeks to bless others with our words and to build them up, rather than pulling them down, we pray.

5. Help us to be a blessing to someone today, O Lord, by saying something to encourage and edify them.

IN JESUS' NAME

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

Proverbs Chapters 13 and 14

we are in control our finances, rather than finances controlling us.

4th – Proverbs 13:7-8 Wisdom in using our finances 1. Help us to learn the secret of being content in our changing circumstances, whether we happen to have much or little at present, we pray.

2. Teach us to trust in you as our heavenly Father, rather than in whatever we happen to possess, we pray.

3. Whether we have much or little, help us to use our finances wisely, O Lord, in a way that pleases you.

4. May we not forget to give back to you and your work the finances you expect of us, O God. 5. Give us generous hearts when it comes to money and possessions, O Lord, so that

5th – Proverbs 13:9-11 Letting our light shine 1. Cause the light of Christ within us to be seen simply by the way we live our lives, we pray.

2. May our light shine for Christ in our homes, O Lord, and help us to live for you amongst our families.

3. Enable our light to shine for Christ in our places or work, college and school, we pray, as we seek to carry out all our responsibilities with integrity.

4. Show us, Holy Spirit, what ministry you want us to do in church, so that we are not content to leave everything to others.

5. Give us confidence in who we are in Christ, and a boldness to stand up for Christ at all times, coupled with the wisdom in how to express it.

6th – Proverbs 13:12 Learning how to wait in faith 1. Help us to learn a trust in you, O Lord, that expresses itself in being able to wait patiently upon you.

2. Knowing how waiting can be the cause of developing and strengthening our character and faith, give us the patience to wait in faith, we pray.

3. Since your timing is always best, help us not to spoil your desired outcome for our lives by forcing a situation rather than waiting on you, O God.

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PRAYER PRAYER DIARY DIARY for for

JANUARY 2013 4. Deepen our faith, O Lord, so that when we are waiting for you to act, we do not become anxious.

5. For those among us, who have long been waiting for an answer to prayer, encourage their hearts and strengthen their faith, we pray.

7th – Proverbs 13:13-16 Obedience 1. Give us a passion to read your Word; to meditate on its instructions for our lives, and to put them into daily practice, O Lord.

2. As we walk in obedience to your Word, may we experience the blessings that follow as a result, we pray.

3. Holy Spirit, help us to allow our new spiritual nature to always have prominence in our lives, and enable us to put to death our old ungodly nature.

4. Help us to walk in obedience to what we know you would want us to do, O God, even when it is hard to do so.

5. May we be a people who are always willing to count the cost of obedience, realising that the benefits infinitely outweigh the drawbacks.

8th – Proverbs 13:17-18 The rewards of God’s discipline 1. Cause us to remember, O Lord, that you always seek our good not our harm, so help us to patiently learn in times of trial, the lessons you want to teach us.

2. Give us hearts that are humble to understand and receive your correction to our lives, O God, so that we may benefit and be blessed by it.

3. Give us the grace to speak to one another in love when we may be at fault, and the grace to receive and act on those words of correction, we pray.

4. We pray for all the parents in the church, that you would give them the grace and wisdom to raise and train up their children in the ways of the Lord.

5. Teach us, Holy Spirit, how we can continually exercise self-examination and self-discipline, so that you do not need to discipline us.

9th – Proverbs 13:19-21 Choosing godly company 1. Keep us spiritually strong, O Lord, so that we may always be influencers of others for good, rather than others influencing us for bad.

2. Lead us to those unbelievers who you know we will be able to lead to Christ, and give us wisdom as we talk and spend time with them, O Lord.

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GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 •

3. Cause us to find godly men and women who can be mentors to us, and encourage us by a godly example, we pray.

4. As we move in the company of unbelievers, give us the wisdom to recognise and avoid those who would be a bad influence on us, we pray.

5. Help us to grow to be mature in Christ and therefore to be good mentors of others, and especially those who are young in their faith, we pray.

10th – Proverbs 13:22-23 Leaving a godly inheritance 1. We pray for all the parents in the church, that you would help them to lead their children to Christ.

2. Help each one of us to be able to instruct the generation below us in the things of God, so that we leave a godly legacy in that generation.

3. In all our places of work, may our godly influence bring changes that leave a legacy of integrity, we pray.

4. Since we all influence others simply by interacting with them, help each of us to ensure that the influence we bring is a positive and a godly one, we pray.

5. We pray for the church, that in all we do we may influence for good the society around us in a way that a lasting godly legacy is left behind.

11th – Proverbs 13:24 Godly instruction

2. As we always seek first your Kingdom and righteousness, O Lord, add to us all the things we need in life, we pray.

3. We pray for all in the church, who have or desire to set up their own business; prosper the work of their hands.

4. We pray for all those seeking employment or a change of employment; give them divine favour and prosper their endeavours, O Lord.

5. Give us our daily needs, O Lord, and some left over that we can give away.

13th – Proverbs 14:1 The ministry of women 1. We pray for all the women in the church, that you would help each one to rise to the full potential you have for her.

2. We pray for all our women’s Discipleship Cells and Cell leaders, that you would strengthen them and cause each one to be a blessing to others.

3. We pray for all the wives in the church, that you would enable them to exercise their maximum influence for God in their homes.

4. We pray for the single women in the church, that you would lead them into the full potential for their lives that you have planned for them, O Lord.

5. We pray for all the single mothers in the church, that you would help and strengthen them with all wisdom, as they raise their children in your ways, O God.

1. We pray for all parents in the church, O Lord, that each may understand the difference between discipline, which is motivated by love, and punishment that is motivated only by anger.

2. We pray for all the children in the church, that you would give them open hearts to receive the godly instruction from their parents.

3. We pray for the youths in the church that, as they transition into adulthood, you would enable them to live out all the biblical values they have learnt.

4. We pray for all the adults in the church, that each would be open to receive all the instruction that you teach us in your Word, O God. 5. Help us to learn your ways, O God, and to work hard at disciplining ourselves, so that we can be true disciples of Jesus.

14th – Proverbs 14:2-3 Walking uprightly

12th – Proverbs 13:25 Godly prosperity

15th – Proverbs 14:4 Our daily needs

1. In our efforts to seek prosperity in employment or business, may we never be tempted to cut corners and compromise on godly integrity, we pray.

1. We pray for all the physical things that you know we need today, concerning our jobs, finance and families, and ask that you, O Lord, would provide them.

1. Help us to walk uprightly in all our dealings with one another and with other individuals we interact with on a daily basis.

2. Give us the wisdom to guard our eyes from watching anything that would be a stumbling block in our walk with you, O Lord.

3. Give us the wisdom not to react to provocation, but always to have our emotions under control, we pray.

4. In our dealings with others, keep us in a state of constant forgiveness, O Lord, not allowing the enemy to gain a foothold and so hinder our lives.

5. Help us to be a people who always honour our promises and commitments, O God.

PRAYER DIARY for

DECEMBER 2012 MINISTERING TOGETHER UNTO GOD T

he psalms we are praying through this month are a group of 15 short psalms that are known as the “Songs of Ascents”. The whole group begins at Psalm 120, and runs through to Psalm 134. They are called “Songs of Ascents”, it has been said, because:

1. They are the psalms that the Jewish pilgrims would sing, as they were making their way from their homes to Jerusalem, which is set on a group of mountains. As they climbed up the roads leading to the city, they would be singing these psalms.

They would be making their way to celebrate one of the annual feasts, such as Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.

2. The Levites, whose job it was to lead the worship with music and song during Temple service, would sing these psalms as they ascended the steps of the Temple courtyard.

They tell of the joy of the people of God gathering together to worship the One who is the Maker of Heaven and Earth. He watches over his people to protect them, and never slumbers or sleeps. Those who trust in him will never be shaken, and need not fear.

The wise person builds his or her life upon God as their Rock, who will guide them through life, and surround them like the mountains surrounding Jerusalem. Though there may be times of sowing in tears, this will be followed by reaping in joy.

This section ends with two short psalms. Psalm 133 provides the picture of Aaron the High Priest being anointed with the precious, sacred oil, which runs from his head down onto his body. This special and unique mixture of fragrant oil was only to be used for anointing that which was holy unto the Lord (Exodus 30:22-33). This is likened to unity amongst God’s people. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who is special and unique and who flows from the head (Christ) down through his body (the Church) when his people live and work together in unity. That is when the power of the Holy Spirit is released to work in and through his people in all his power and fullness.

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

Psalms 120 to 134

Psalm 134 concludes this section with God’s people worshipping in wonder, love and praise – the kind of people God wants us to be, so that we can be the effective, anointed witness of his presence and power to the generation in which we live.

1st - Psalm 120:1-3 Help in times of distress 1. We pray for all those amongst us who are struggling in their personal lives at this time; strengthen them, O Lord.

2. For all those we know who have financial difficulties at this time, as they seek you, O Lord; provide for their needs, we pray.

3. We pray for those amongst us who are seeking you, O God, regarding family issues that are causing them distress; bring resolution, we ask.

4. For those experiencing distress because of their job situation, meet all their needs, we pray.

5. For those we know who are struggling in their spiritual lives at this time, help them draw closer to you, O Lord.

2nd - Psalm 120:4-7 Being a peacemaker 1. Help us always to seek to follow you in every way, Lord Jesus, as the Prince of Peace.

2. Cause us to be peacemakers, going the extra mile to seek reconciliation, we pray.

3. Cause us to be a people, O Lord, who, as far as it depends on us, live in peace with all.

IN JESUS' NAME

4. Help us grow in the fruit of the Spirit, so that we are not prone to be people who are contentious.

5. Give us wisdom, O Lord, to know how to handle situations in a godly way, where people are contentious towards us.

3rd – Psalm 121:1-2 Looking to God 1. In all our decision making, may we learn to seek your guidance, O God. 2. Help us never to neglect to take time out each day to spend in your presence, drawing closer to you, O Lord.

3. As we read the Bible, may we learn all the principles to put into practice for every part of our daily lives and decisions, we pray.

4. Teach us the strength of trusting in you, O God, and not solely in our own wisdom.

5. As we contemplate the reality that you made all that exists, may we be inspired to trust you even for what seems impossible, we pray.

4th – Psalm 121:3-8 God’s protection 1. Lord, cause us to make use at all times of the spiritual armour you have given us, to

protect us against attacks of the enemy.

2. Cause us to live such godly lives in all we do, that the devil can never gain a foothold in our lives, we pray.

3. Give us the ability to know and use the Word of God as the effective sword of the Spirit that you want it to be in our hands and lives, O Lord.

4. We come against every plan of the enemy against us as individuals, and break its power in the Name of Jesus.

5. We take authority over every spirit that would seek to attack the church in any way, and bind it in Jesus’ Name.

5th – Psalm 122:1-2 The House of the Lord 1. May the gathering together with your people, O Lord, always be a source of strength and joy to each of us.

2. We pray for your manifest presence in our midst, O God, whenever your people gather in your Name.

3. Each time we gather together in your Name, O Lord, may we see the unsaved giving their lives to you.

4. In all our gatherings together as the people of God, may the Name of Jesus be uplifted and glorified.

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PRAYER DIARY for

DECEMBER 2012 5. Move in our midst, Holy Spirit, we pray, in signs and wonders that confirm the preaching of your Word.

5. Guide our lives in every detail, O God, as we submit all our plans and desires to you.

6th – Psalm 122:3-5 Thrones of Judgment

9th – Psalm 123:3-4 Suffering for the Lord

12th – Psalm 125:1-2 Trust in God

1. May the knowledge that we have been saved from judgment of our sin through the cross of Jesus, cause us to live our lives in daily thankfulness to you, O God. 2. Knowing that one day we will stand before you to be judged for our faithfulness as believers, help us to live out our lives in faithfulness to you, O Lord.

3. Help us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”, by choosing never to willingly act in ungodly ways, we pray.

4. Give us a heart for the lost, O Lord, so that we may intercede and actively seek their salvation.

5. We pray for all those we know who are not yet saved; save them, O God, so that they will not stand before your throne of judgment in their sins.

1. Enable us to take our stand for the Gospel and truth, we pray.

2. For those among us who are ridiculed for their faith in Christ, make them a strong witness in word and action, O Lord.

3. We pray for those believers in countries, where to publicly profess faith in Christ brings great hardship; strengthen and help them in their trials, O Lord.

4. We pray for those countries which prohibit the preaching of the Gospel; enable the Good News of Jesus Christ to reach their populations nevertheless, O God. 5. We pray for those believers around the world who are in prison, simply because they follow Jesus; be close to them, and use them mightily for your glory, O God.

1. Holy Spirit, teach us how to live a life of complete trust in our God. 2. Even when we seem to be waiting for a long time, teach us how to trust totally in you, O Lord.

3. Help us to trust you with our future, always seeking your guidance in all we do, we pray.

4. Cause us to trust you with our finances, O God, whether we have little or much.

5. For those situations we may be undergoing right now, where we cannot see any solution, help us to trust wholeheartedly, believing you will bring the answer.

10th – Psalm 124:1-5 Thankfulness for God’s help 1. O Lord, we thank you for our great salvation in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

2. As we think on your infinite greatness, O Lord, help us put our momentary problems in perspective, recognising they are nothing in comparison with the glory to come.

3. When we are conscious of your help in our lives, cause us to be quick to testify of your grace, we pray.

4. We thank you, O Lord, for all the times you have protected us from dangers unknown and unseen by us.

5. When the enemy has come against us like a flood, we thank you, Holy Spirit, for enabling us to stand firm.

1. We pray for all the secular leaders of nations, O Lord, who govern according to humanistic values, rather than godly ones; raise up righteous rulers in their place.

2. We pray for all Muslim rulers of nations, who persecute Christians; turn their hearts, we pray.

3. We bring those leaders of nations, who govern as dictators and persecute Christians; cause there to be a change, we pray.

4. We pray for Buddhist and Hindu nations, whose leaders suppress Christians; remove the hindrances to the spread of the Gospel, O God. 5. For communist leaders, who seek to oppose the preaching of the Gospel; overrule and cause there to be much fruit, O Lord.

11th – Psalm 124:6-8 God’s great salvation in our lives

14th – Psalm 125:4-5 Good and evil

1. May our gratitude to you for all you have done for us, O Lord, be translated into willing hearts to serve you.

2. Give us a burning desire, O God, to share the joys of your salvation with others.

3. We pray for all our evangelism teams, that you would prosper and bless their work, by enabling them to lead many others to salvation in Christ.

4. We pray for all our missionaries, that you would help them to bring the Gospel of Jesus to many who are, as yet, unsaved.

5. We pray that the church would be a place

1. Turn back the tide of evil in our land, O God. 2. Turn around the tide of ungodly laws coming from our Parliament, we pray.

3. Turn around the teaching in our schools that encourages sexual promiscuity, O Lord.

4. Turn around the growing pressure on Christians in the public workplace not to stand up openly for their faith, we pray.

5. Help all your people to make a stand for the truth, and not to be bullied into remaining silent in the face of evil, O Lord.

7th – Psalm 122:6-8 Praying for Jerusalem 1. O God, open the hearts of modern-day Israelis to receive the Gospel and be saved.

2. We pray for all Jews who believe in Jesus as their promised Messiah, and pray, Holy Spirit, you will help them reach other Jews for Christ.

3. Move in saving power in Israel, Holy Spirit, and also in the surrounding countries, causing Jew and Arab alike to come to know Christ as Saviour.

4. Just as you instruct us, O God, we now pray for the peace and prosperity of your city, Jerusalem.

5. As we wait for your return, Lord Jesus, come and take up your throne in Jerusalem, we pray.

8th – Psalm 123:1-2 Servant hearts and God’s guidance 1. In the busyness of life, may we not forget always to look to you, O God, to show us your perfect ways.

2. Help us, Holy Spirit, to be a people who seek to be obedient to all the ways of our God. 3. Give us servant hearts like yours, Lord Jesus.

4. Teach us that giving is always a greater blessing than receiving, we pray.

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GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

where we see people continually coming to know the Lord, who can save them completely.

13th – Psalm 125:3 Praying for non-Christian rulers

SEASON'S GREETINGS

PRAYER DIARY for

DECEMBER 2012 18th – Psalm 127:1-2 Partnering with God

21st – Psalm 128:5-6 God-given prosperity

1. Rise up in the midst of all European nations, and do a great work of turning them back to Christ, we pray.

2. May the great move of the Holy Spirit in Africa continue, and touch every nation on that continent with revival power, we pray.

3. Cause the great move of the Holy Spirit in China and South Korea to spread to every nation in Asia, we pray.

4. May the revivals that have touched some South American countries, spread out to the furthest north and deepest south of the whole continent of America.

5. Bring a great move of your Holy Spirit to Australia, and to all the island nations of the world, we pray.

1. Teach us how to learn your will, O Lord, so that all we do will prosper, because it is built by you.

2. We pray that in our homes, O God, that everything we do may be built on Christ as the Foundation, so that we build godly homes and children.

3. In all we do in the church, help us to discern your will, Holy Spirit, so that nothing we seek to build will be in vain.

4. As we wait on you, O Lord, reveal your plans and purposes to us, so that we can labour fruitfully.

5. Build your Church in and through us, we pray.

1. As we seek first your Kingdom and righteousness, O God, may we see your prosperity on all we do.

2. We pray that we would know your divine favour on all we do, O Lord.

3. We pray for all the youth in the church, O God, that you would watch over and keep them close to you as they grow.

4. As they seek to carry out their God-given responsibilities, O Lord, we pray for your grace and blessing on all mothers and fathers in the church.

5. Prosper your church, O Lord, so that unbelievers may know you are amongst us.

16th – Psalm 126:4 Restore our fortunes 1. For any of us, who are struggling for any reason, O Lord, help us get back to a place of strength and fruitfulness.

2. We pray for all we know who have backslidden; draw them back to yourself, O God. 3. For those amongst us, who are struggling with jobs, businesses, or studies; turn around their fortunes and prosper them, we pray.

4. We pray for your Church in this land, O God, and cry out to you to turn around its fortunes by bringing a great revival in our nation.

5. We cry out to you, O Lord, to turn around the desperate spiritual state of our nation, and change the spiritual climate.

17th – Psalm 126:5-6 The fruit of tears 1. For those in our midst, who are weeping because of a great personal need in their lives at this time; bring them the answer, we pray.

2. For those who are weeping over their unsaved family members; give them the joy of seeing their salvation, O God. 3. For those we know, whose hearts are heavy because they have a serious sickness or ailment; bring total healing, we pray.

4. For those who are feeling lonely, even in the midst of people around them; hear their cry for special companionship, O Lord.

5. For those whose hearts are sick, because hope has been deferred for a long time; may they now know songs of joy, we pray.

IN JESUS' NAME

22nd – Psalm 129:1-4 Overcoming opposition

19th – Psalm 127:3-5 Praying for our children 1. We pray for all the boys in the church, O Lord, that they may not come under a worldly influence of their peers, but grow up living godly lives.

2. Prepare the boys in the church for lives that will impact our society for good, in every sphere of life and work, we pray.

3. May all the girls in the church grow up to be great role models to their peers, because they make a stand for the things of God. 4. We pray that all the girls in the church would grow up to be influential women of God, to all those they mix with.

5. We pray for all the children growing up in our society, without hearing about Christ; cause them to hear the Gospel and be saved, O Lord.

20th – Psalm 128:1-4 Walking in the fear of the Lord 1. Holy Spirit, convict us whenever we stray from your standards - whether in thought, word or deed - and help us immediately to correct it.

2. As we walk in the fear of the Lord, prosper all our labours with great fruitfulness, we pray.

3. We pray that you would prosper us with a godly prosperity, O Lord, and bless us with the wisdom about how to use the fruit of that prosperity.

4. Bless every family member, and make our families strong as they walk according to your ways, we pray.

5. As we seek to walk in the fear of the Lord, bless all we do and all we are, O God.

1. May your Church stand firm in the face of opposition, O Lord.

2. We pray for all church leaders, that they would contend boldly for the truth of the Gospel at all times.

3. Help every believer to know their power and authority in Christ, and so always to make a stand for Christ.

4. Deliver your church from every attack of the enemy of our souls, we pray.

5. Teach us to take up the authority we have been given in Jesus’ Name against the powers of darkness, and to bind their powers to harm.

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

15th – Psalm 126:1-3 God great among the nations

23rd – Psalm 129:5-8 Praying for those who oppose the Lord 1. We pray for those who oppose the Gospel and the work of your Church; may their plans of opposition come to nothing.

2. For those who are opposing you now, O God, bring them to repentance as you did with Saul of Tarsus, we pray.

3. Give us the wisdom to see through the devises of satan, and so not be overcome by them.

4. Help us to effectively use every spiritual weapon you have given to us to fight spiritual battles, O Lord.

5. Cause us to rise up in powerful intercessory prayer, to bring down every opposition that seeks to hinder the Gospel, we pray.

24th – Psalm 130:1-4 Forgiveness through Christ 1. We thank you, our God, for the great salvation you have made possible in Christ.

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

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PRAYER DIARY for

DECEMBER 2012 2. We praise you, O God, that, in Christ, the record of our sins has been forever erased.

3. Holy Spirit, since we have been forgiven totally, cause us, in turn, to forgive others in the same way.

4. Knowing that we have been forgiven in Christ, for any believer who has not forgiven himself or herself, help them to do so and be free, we pray.

5. Help us to live in the assurance that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, O Lord.

25th – Psalm 130:5-8 Jesus our Redeemer 1. Lord Jesus, we thank you for your love towards us, which caused you to come to this earth as our great Redeemer.

2. We thank you for your humility in taking on human nature, which enabled you to live as God amongst us.

3. We thank you, O God, for the “indescribable Gift” of your only begotten Son. 4. May we become people who are as generous as you are, O God, in what we give.

5. As you have given us your all, O Lord, help us, in turn, to give you our all.

26th – Psalm 131:1-3 Being still before the Lord 1. In the busyness of life, teach us how to come and be still in your presence, O God. 2. As we wait in your presence, enable us to listen to what you are saying to us, Holy Spirit, we pray.

3. Keep us from any pride that would block our spiritual ears from hearing you speak to us, Holy Spirit, we ask.

4. Show us, Holy Spirit, the times when we need to stop striving, and instead begin waiting on you in trust.

5. Give us the childlike trust in you, O Lord, that you long for us to exhibit.

27th – Psalm 132:1-5 Committed to the Lord 1. May we never live with one foot in the world and one in your Kingdom, O Lord, but rather always be wholly committed to you.

2. Bring us to the place, Holy Spirit, where we can surrender our everything to you.

3. Give us no rest, O God, until we are in that place of total surrender to you.

4. Make us people of our word, O Lord, who can therefore be trusted in everything.

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5. Even when we are experiencing hardships, O Lord, may we never slip backwards in our relationship with you.

5. In the same way that you are a blessing to us, O Lord, may we, in turn, always be a blessing to you and to others.

28th – Psalm 132:6-8 Kneeling at his footstool

31st – Psalm 134:1-3 The blessings of worship

1. Enable us to humble our hearts before you, O Lord, in the way you desire from us.

2. May the devil never gain a foothold into our lives, O Lord, because we remain in that humble position before you that gives him no opportunity.

3. Cause us always to remember that we brought nothing into this world, and will take nothing from it except what you have given to us, O Lord, so we have no cause for pride.

4. Cause us to learn the power of a Christlike servant leadership, we pray.

5. All we are and all we have, we surrender to you right now, O God.

1. Lord, help us to worship you with all our mind, body, soul and spirit, and so bring you glory.

2. As we lift our hands in worship, accept the full surrender of ourselves to you.

3. As we worship you now, O Lord, may the presence of your Holy Spirit be manifest in and through us in all his glory and power.

4. Help us to give you all the worth due to your Name, by living constantly as the children of God you have enabled us to be, we pray.

5. As we worship you with all our being, rise up in the midst of your church, O Lord, in power and glory to save, heal and deliver.

29th – Psalm 132:9-18 Clothed with his righteousness and joy

NOTES

1. Help us to forsake every desire to sin, whether in thought, word, attitude or action, O God, and instead live out the righteousness of Christ.

2. Holy Spirit, help us to keep our old nature crucified, and instead to grow in our new nature in Christ.

3. Cause us to be true sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, by exhibiting your characteristics, O God. 4. As we keep our focus firmly on our great salvation in Christ, keep us full of the joy of the Lord at all times, we pray.

5. May that joy of the Lord always be our strength in times of blessing and in times of trouble.

30th – Psalm 133:1-3 The blessings of unity 1. We pray for a total unity between ourselves as individuals and you, O Lord, ensuring we do nothing to break that oneness.

2. We pray for a total unity within the family of believers, O God, and may we continually strive to maintain that oneness of spirit.

3. As the anointing oil ran down from Aaron’s head, may your anointing flow through us as individuals, Holy Spirit.

4. May that same Holy Spirit anointing flow in life-changing and miracle-working power through every area of your Church, we pray.

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

REVIVAL PRAYERS

AN EXCELLENT GIFT - at any time of year!

SEASON'S GREETINGS

PRAYER PRAYER DIARY DIARY for for

JANUARY 2013

16th – Proverbs 14:5-7 The truth 1. May telling the truth be so natural for us, O Lord, that we would never be tempted to do otherwise.

2. May the words of our mouths always be acceptable in your sight, O God. 3. Cause us to read and meditate on your Word of truth, Holy Spirit, so we can always discern between what is true and what is false teaching.

4. Give us deep understanding of the Bible, Holy Spirit, so we can be people who are able to rightly handle the Word of truth.

5. Help us to contend for the truth of the Gospel, even when we are treated with hostility as a consequence.

17th – Proverbs 14:8-9 Giving thought to our ways 1. In every area where we lack wisdom, O Lord, provide us liberally with your wisdom.

2. Keep us from being influenced to act in unwise ways by those who do not know God, we pray.

3. Give us the wisdom to take godly counsel from others when we are unsure of decisions we need to make, O Lord.

4. Give us the wisdom to know our godly boundaries in advance, so that when under temptation we will not be overcome by a foolish decision, we pray.

5. Keep our tongues from course jokes, questionable speech, or anything we would later regret saying, we pray.

18th – Proverbs 14:10 Overcoming discouragement 1. Cause our faith in you to be so strong, O Lord, that we can handle the discouragements that come our way.

IN JESUS' NAME

2. Help us to be sensitive to the situations of others, we pray, and quick to seek to encourage them.

3. Give us the spiritual maturity to be like David who, when things looked bad, was able to ‘encourage himself in the Lord’.

4. Enable us to overcome any adverse circumstance, by remembering that you work all things together for good to those who love you, O God. 5. May our confidence and our trust always be solely in our relationship with you, O Lord, and never in our circumstances alone.

19th – Proverbs 14:11-12 Avoiding the wrong paths 1. Holy Spirit, keep us from straying, falling, or in any way departing from the narrow road that leads to eternal life.

2. We pray for all our children, O Lord, that you would guard and keep them from being drawn into ungodly activities through television or the Internet.

3. Guard our youths, O God, from every ungodly influence that would seek to lead them astray.

4. Guard us, Holy Spirit, from being wrongly influenced by our work colleagues or fellow students, we pray.

5. Keep our hearts and our eyes pure in your sight, O Lord.

20th – Proverbs 14:13-14 Joy as the fruit of the Spirit 1. Keep us grounded in you, O God, so that we are not distracted or knocked off course by changing circumstances.

2. Help us develop the joy of the Holy Spirit, that is not dependant on what is happening around us, but comes from our relationship with you, O Lord.

3. Teach us, O God, how to trust not in what we are or what we possess, but in who we are in you.

4. We pray for any around us at this time who have heavy hearts for whatever reason; help us be an encouragement to them, we pray.

5. Cause us to be people who always have a positive outlook, O Lord, because we know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

21st – Proverbs 14:15-17 Wisdom, self-control and sincerity 1. Give us godly wisdom in all affairs of this life, Holy Spirit, and cause us to be people whom others seek out for advice because we have godly wisdom.

2. Give us the wisdom to master our temper, we pray, so that we act through sensible reasoning, and not out of unbridled emotion.

3. Keep us from foolish or reckless actions and words, we pray.

4. Help us to be people who are honest and can be trusted in all affairs of life, and may this be a good testimony of your influence on our lives, O Lord.

5. Holy Spirit, make us more like Jesus in character, anointing and power, we pray.

22nd – Proverbs 14:18-19 Seeking godly knowledge 1. Holy Spirit, give us understanding, knowledge and revelation as we read the Bible, we pray.

2. Give us the wisdom to surround ourselves with those who can give us godly advice and counsel for all the affairs of our lives, we pray.

3. We pray for all the leaders in every department of the church, that you would instil knowledge, wisdom and grace in all their dealings with those they lead.

4. We pray for all in the church who teach children, youth and adults, that you would help them to be effective in communicating your Word and ways, O God. 5. Give us the grace to be always learning new things from your Word, O Lord, and the grace to put them into practice in our daily lives.

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

2. We pray for every spiritual need that we have today, that you would help us grow daily in character more like Christ.

3. Raise up from amongst us those who can engage in every ministry needed to fulfil your will, O God, and give each of us the heart to respond to your prompting to serve.

4. We ask for a new infilling today of your Holy Spirit that will overflow from us into those around us whom we meet and can influence.

5. Holy Spirit, we pray that you would pour out every gift upon us and amongst us, so that we can use them to build up your church and engage effectively in the Great Commission.

23rd – Proverbs 14:20-21 Blessing our neighbours and the poor 1. May we always be people who are grateful to you, O Lord, for what we have, realising there are always others who would be glad to be in our position.

2. No matter how much or how little we have, O God, may we always have something to give to bless others, we pray.

3. Give us open and generous hearts, Holy Spirit, and make us sensitive to your leading as to when and whom to help in times of special need.

4. We pray for our unsaved neighbours, that they would see something of Christ in us in all our dealings with them, and that they would be saved.

5. Help us to love our neighbours as ourselves, O Lord.

24th – Proverbs 14:22 Finding God’s will 1. As we wait on you, O Lord, reveal to us your plans and purposes for our individual lives, we pray.

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

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PRAYER PRAYER DIARY DIARY for for

JANUARY 2013 2. As we commit each day into your hands, O God, guide our daily affairs, so that we fulfil your plans and purposes for each of those days.

3. We pray for the church, O Lord, that we would know your specific plans and will at every time, so that we can be fruitful in all we do.

4. For those in the church, who are seeking your specific will at this time, O Lord, guide them clearly, we pray.

5. As we grow in you, O God, cause us to be people who are able to disciple and guide others into your perfect will.

25th – Proverbs 14:23-24 Working hard for the Lord 1. Teach us to strive for excellence in all we do, O Lord, because we represent you as ambassadors in this world.

2. Help us to work hard in all our areas of employment, seeking to become model employees, as a witness for you, O God. 3. Cause us to remember that all we do, we should do as unto you, O Lord, and as a consequence, we will not lose our reward.

4. Make us people who are responsible and therefore always regarded as trustworthy at our places of work, we pray.

5. For all your people who run their own businesses, we pray that you would prosper them, and that they in turn can be a blessing to employees and to your work, O God.

26th – Proverbs 14:25-27 The fear of the Lord 1. May our lips always tell the truth, O Lord.

2. Help us to live in the godly fear of the Lord, that causes us to walk and act with total integrity, we pray.

3. Give us the courage to always stand up for the truth, O God, even if we are in a minority of one.

4. May we act, think and talk with the knowledge that you are watching at all times, not wanting to grieve you, Holy Spirit, by anything we do.

5. Make our lives a secure fortress, O Lord, because the enemy can find no foothold in our lives as we walk in the fear of the Lord.

27th – Proverbs 14:28 Praying for the lost 1. For any of our children as yet unsaved, save them, O Lord.

2. For any of our parents, who have never given their lives to you, save them, we pray.

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3. For any other family members, who do not yet know you, save them, O God. 4. We pray that you would save any of our neighbours who do not yet know you, O Lord.

5. We pray for all our work colleagues or student colleagues, that you would save them, O God.

28th – Proverbs 14:29-30 Knowing God’s patience and peace 1. Help us, O Lord, to develop patience as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and to put it into practice daily, we pray.

2. May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, be evident in us in all we do, as we develop peace as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

3. Holy Spirit, keep us from losing our temper, we pray, since it never helps but only worsens a situation.

4. As we develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, O God, may we experience the benefits of a healthy body, mind and emotions also.

5. Help us root out any unforgiveness or bitterness in our spirits, O Lord, which will only cause us harm.

29th – Proverbs 14:31 Acting with kindness 1.Enable us to be a people who can stand in the shoes of others and understand their concerns, we pray.

2. May the busyness of life not be a cause of our hearts being closed to those in need around us, whom we have the ability to help, O Lord.

3. Cause us to be people who do not desire to retaliate when we are badly treated, but rather to respond with kindness and praying for those who mistreat us.

4. Since it is “more blessed to give than receive”, teach us how to receive the blessings that come when we give, either physically or by acts of kindness.

5. As we contemplate the fate of the unsaved, may we be moved with compassion to see them saved, we pray.

30th – Proverbs 14:32-33 God’s favour and protection 1. We commit this day and every day into your hands, O Lord, and pray for your protection on us in all we find ourselves involved in.

2. May we know your favour on every activity we will carry out today, as you prosper the work of our hands.

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

3. We pray that you would protect us from every plan and every fiery dart of the enemy, sent against us and our families, O God. 4. We pray that you would expose and thwart every plan of the enemy against the church, O Lord.

5. Help us to always be men and women who can rise above every calamity, and overcome through the strength of our God within us.

31st – Proverbs 14:34-35 Praying for the nation 1. Cause your Church to intercede passionately for the tide of unrighteousness that is sweeping our nation to be turned back, O God. 2. We pray for all those who govern us, that you would open their eyes to the folly of replacing godly laws with ungodly ones.

3. We pray for our society that is suffering in many ways because of the way the nation has turned from God; bring revival, O God. 4. We pray that all the churches in this nation would receive a Holy Spirit visitation that will bring a mighty revival to every part of our land.

5. Cause your Church to so rise up in the power of prayer, that the powers of darkness gripping our nation may be put to flight, we pray.

NOTES

REVIVAL PRAYERS

AN EXCELLENT GIFT - at any time of year!

SEASON'S GREETINGS

SUNDAY SERVICES at a glance 9am, 11.15am, 6.30pm JANUARY 2013 DECEMBER 2012 PRAISE & COMMUNION Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton

AM

BAPTISMAL SERVICE Speaker: Pastor William Anane-Forkuo

PM

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton

AM

2nd 9th

16th 23rd

REVIVAL & HEALING SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Rajinder Buxton

PM

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Rajinder Buxton FAMILY SERVICE & CHILDREN'S NATIVITY Speaker: Pastor Sam Blake

AM PM

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton

AM

CAROL SERVICE & CELEBRATION Speaker: Pastor Ruth Trbojevic

PM

6th

PRAISE & COMMUNION Speaker: Pastor Mark King

AM

EVENING CELEBRATION & MINISTRY Speaker: Pastor William Anane-Forkuo

PM

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton

AM PM

13th

REVIVAL & HEALING SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Rajinder Buxton

CELEBRATION & RECOMMISSIONING SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton EVENING CELEBRATION & MINISTRY Speaker: Pastor Mark King

20th 27th

AM PM

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton

AM

PROPHETIC WORSHIP EVENING Speaker: Pastor Sam Blake

PM

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton

30th NO EVENING SERVICE Please note: There will be NO PRAYER MEETINGS from Monday 24th December to Tuesday 1st January inclusive

Daily Revival Prayer Meetings Monday to Friday Morning meetings

10.00am Meeting in Annexe Room 2 EVENing meetings

6.00pm (Hour of Encounter Mondays-Fridays) Foyer 7.30pm (Prayer Explosion Tuesdays only) Foyer Annexe Room 2 is on the main street to the left of ECC's main doors and can be accessed directly from the street

For personal prayer, why not come along to our

PRAYER & HEALING MEETINGS The second Sunday evening of every month at 6.30pm Sunday 9th December • Powerful worship!

Sunday 13th January

• Testimonies of God’s provision and healing • Bring all your requests – God specialises in the impossible!

Jesus is the answer

IN JESUS' NAME

All-Night prayer Meetings A night of intercessory prayers, celebration, thanksgiving and NO praise!

Next Meetings:

DECEMBER MEETING Friday 25th January

The last FRIDAY of every month 10pm-5am December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

21

ECC Attendance and Finance Statistics SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2012

Children Children ATTENDANCE 9.00am 9.00am 11.15am 11.15am 6.30pm 02 Sep 2012 258 32 453 79 197 09 Sep 2012 269 40 438 85 137 16 Sep 2012 273 45 429 81 90 23 Sep 2012 249 34 403 72 111 30 Sep 2012 252 39 361 68 101 07 Oct 2012 245 40 430 78 72 14 Oct 2012 243 34 443 85 115 21 Oct 2012 209 26 459 88 71 28 Oct 2012 255 28 434 98 85

FINANCE SEPT

OCT Tithes & Offerings £50,556.87 £46,168.05 Building Fund £450.00 £90.00

Standing Orders £14,229.21 £14,932.29

GIFT AID RECEIVED FOR PERIOD APRIL TO JUNE 2012 WAS

£31,076.23

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR GIVING TOWARDS KINGDOM WORK!!!

H

A NOTE from the Treasurer, Sandra Dawodu

ow we handle our finances is important, and it reflects where our hearts and priorities are. Here are seven Scriptural principles to guide us, as we seek to honour God’s command to His Church to give of what we have been given.

1) Our giving should be free. Jesus said in Matthew 10:8, “Freely you received, freely give.” All that we have is from God, and He commands us to give freely. We ought not to expect something in return, as if we are looking for approval or honour before men, but simply because we have the privilege of being able to give.

2) Giving is to be in secret. Matthew 6:3-4 says, “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” We will already have had our reward in full if we are seeking to give for the sake of looking good to others.

3) We are to give according to our ability (Ezra 2:69, Nehemiah 5:8). We can’t give what we don’t have, and we are not to put our families at the risk of not having a home to live in or food to eat. God understands that life costs money. We must meet our debts and expenses, so as to keep a good testimony before men.

4) There are times when God will move us to give above what we feel able to do (2 Corinthians 8:3). This is not the rule or the norm, but there are instances where God will call us to give in such a way that really requires faith on our part.

5) We will reap in proportion to that which we sow. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” In other words, those who give generously will themselves receive generously from God. No one can say exactly how God will repay a person’s

generosity, or exactly when it will happen, so we must beware of any who claim to know the mind of God in regard to our finances.

6) We are not to give out of duty and against our will, but cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that our giving is not to be done “grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” The giver is not trying to satisfy the harsh expectations of a deity, nor is he supposed to be giving begrudgingly and against his will. God moves in a person to give joyfully and cheerfully.

7) We give as the Lord leads us individually. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart.” We are not to give because a pastor ‘motivated’ us by sending us on a guilt trip about tithing. Rather, we are to give because we want to give, and because we believe that God would be honoured by our giving.

PLEASE NOTE: You can now pay your tithes and offerings through the ECC website at www.ecc.org.uk

FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS OF THE Elim Pentecostal Churches 1. THE BIBLE: We believe the Bible, as originally given, to be without error, the fully inspired and infallible Word of God and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

2. THE TRINITY: We believe that the Godhead exists co-equally and co-eternally in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and that these Three are one God, sovereign in creation, providence and redemption.

3. THE SAVIOUR: We believe in the true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His real and complete humanity, in His sinless life, in His authoritative teaching, in His substitutionary and atoning sacrifice through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His heavenly intercession and His second advent to receive His Church.

4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit Who proceeds from the Father and the Son and the necessity of His work in conviction of sin, repentance, regeneration and sanctification, and that the believer is also promised an enduement of power as the gift of Christ through the baptism in the Holy Spirit with signs following. Through this enduement the believer is empowered for fuller participation in the ministry of the Church, its worship, evangelism and service.

5. MANKIND: We believe in the universal sinfulness of all mankind since the Fall, rendering man subject to God's wrath and condemnation.

6. SALVATION: We believe in the necessity for salvation of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which the sinner is pardoned and

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GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

accepted as righteous in God's sight. This justification is imputed by the grace of God because of the atoning work of Christ, is received by faith alone and is evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit and a holy life.

7. THE CHURCH: We believe in the spiritual unity and the priesthood of all believers in Christ and that these comprise the universal Church, the Body of Christ.

8. THE MINISTRY: We believe in the ministries that Christ has set in His Church, namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and in the present operation of the manifold Gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the New Testament.

9. THE ORDINANCES: We believe in the baptism of believers in water in obedience to the command of Christ and the commemoration of Christ's death by the observance of the Lord's Supper until His return.

10. THE COMMISSION: We believe that the Gospel embraces the needs of the whole man and that the Church is therefore commissioned to preach the Gospel to the world and to fulfil a ministry of healing and deliverance to the spiritual and physical needs of mankind.

11. THE COMING KING: We believe in the personal, physical and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign in power and glory.

12. THE FUTURE STATE: We believe in the resurrection of the dead and in the final judgment of the world, the eternal conscious bliss of the righteous and the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.

SEASON'S GREETINGS

GENERAL NOTICES & FORTHCOMING EVENTS CHRISTMAS CLOSURE The ECC Office will be CLOSED on the following dates: Monday 24th - Wednesday 26th December inclusive and Tuesday 1st January There will be a SKELETON SERVICE ONLY on: Thursday 27th, Friday 28th, Monday 31st December

Our annual RECOMMISSIONING SERVICE will take place on SUNDAY 20th JANUARY 2013

PRAYER MEETINGS

There will be NO PRAYER MEETINGS on the following dates: Monday 24th December to Tuesday 1st January inclusive (Prayer meetings resume on Wednesday 2nd January)

POLISH FELLOWSHIP Elim Springs Every Sunday @ 2:30pm in the Auditorium (Please use side entrance)

Coming soon: An Evening with

IAN YATES

(of Elim Sound)

DELIVERANCE MEETINGS ECC Japanese Fellowship Every Sunday @ 2:30pm in the Foyer For details, please contact AOGU & CHISATO TATEYAMA

For ECC attenders: Before coming for deliverance for the first time, please make an appointment to speak to Pastor Rajinder

NO MEETING IN DECEMBER Saturday 19th January For non-ECC attenders: please contact ELLEL MINISTRIES on 01252 794060

info@eccj.org.uk

EVANGELISM EXPLOSION

Borough-wide Evangelism 11am - 1pm Saturday 8th December WEST EALING Saturday 12th January EALING BROADWAY For all those wanting to take part in Evangelism, there will be meetings in the Auditorium on:

Sunday 2nd December (after 2nd service)

12noon - 2pm

last Wednesday of every month in front of ECC Next dates:

NO MEETING IN DECEMBER Wednesday 30th January

Lighthouse Evangelism (in front of ECC)

11am - 1pm

Sunday 6th January

Third Saturday of each month Next dates:

ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN THE TEAM

Saturday 15th December Saturday 19th January

(after 2nd service)

IN JESUS' NAME

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

23

MONDAY 14th JANUARY MATINEE FILM 1.30pm to 3.30pm Cost: £3.50 for Lunch

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GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

Congratulations to Miriam Wetherall and Dreu Grayson on their Marriage Blessing on Saturday 8th September 2012

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FELLOWSHIP

MONDAY 10th DECEMBER FESTIVE CHRISTMAS LUNCH 12.30pm at Beefeater Hayes Cost: £9.99 for 2 courses or £12.99 for 3 courses LIMITED SPACES Please see Sharon Grant asap

KEEP FIT CLASSES: Please check with instructors regarding Christmas closure

EVERGREENS

Fellowship & Congratulations

Meetings start @ 2pm

5th 12th 19th 26th

2nd 9th 16th 23rd 30th

DECEMBER 2012 Pastor Lindie Prayer and Praise NO MEETING NO MEETING JANUARY 2013 NO MEETING Annie Morris Merle Aqui Prayer and Praise Merle Aqui

SEASON'S GREETINGS

PRACTICAL TRUTHS

How to...

DO LEADERSHIP EVERY DAY for better results

L

eadership is one of those things everyone does, but don't believe they do, or don't even believe they can do or, worse still, deny they do.

was pointing out the direction.

Both vision and direction are important. Practise using both appropriately.

Feeding & Inspiring:

From the playground to grandparenting, in every walk of life, at every age in life, in every conceivable activity, leadership is employed. What's more, we actually use a range of leadership skills either knowingly or unknowingly.

For example, have you given someone feedback, or commented on ’how‘ they have done something? Great, then you are practising leadership!

Spiritual feeding is about learning great lessons and opening up new insights.

Inspiration may create the same feelings as feeding, however the purpose of inspiring is to ignite action, to get things done. The team pep talk is supposed to be inspirational, however some leaders use the pep talk to feed, but hope for inspirational outcomes. To do something new or different requires inspiration. So do both: feed and inspire!

Here are some tips, which you can practise to build up your leadership muscles.

Accompanying & Navigating:

Direction & Vision: Direction is pointing the way, whereas vision is about imagining an end state of benefit for ’you’. God's promise - of a land flowing with milk and honey - is a clear vision.

The beneficiary is the person who is going to experience the vision. God also gave Moses directions on how to get the people out of Egypt and into the land flowing with milk and honey. It’s easy to confuse direction with vision - I've been there. I've painted a picture of the way to achieve an outcome that I wanted, and convinced myself that I was being visionary, when in fact I

IN JESUS' NAME

Accompanying me on a journey means we travel together and experience everything together. Take the disciples: Jesus was with them; they could call on Him to calm the storm. Navigation is about plotting the path for someone, like sending out the 72, Jesus informed them where to go and what to do under different circumstances, but He wasn't with them in the flesh on their journey. When mentoring, it can feel like you are going through experiences with the person, but slow down a moment, you are still only the navigator! We can suggest possible options, but ultimately we have to trust the one travelling to make the

decisions for their journey, like Jesus did.

Feedback & Condemnation: Everyone loves giving feedback, but I've yet to find anyone who loves receiving feedback!

Feedback is interesting: get it right, and the receiver will love you forever. Get it wrong - condemn them - and they will rightly see things differently from you. Feedback is about showing someone how specific decisions or actions contributed to the success or failure of an outcome. Condemnation is about pointing out behaviours or approaches of ’yours‘ that offend ’me‘. Condemnation is always personal. I was once given personal feedback which went like this: "You're very articulate, but some people wouldn't warm to that." This is condemnation wrapped up as ‘feedback’ - a praise sandwich!

Condemnation is designed to trigger a change in behaviour to benefit the one ’condemning’, whereas feedback benefits the ’receiver’.

making decisions based on fact rather than on what I'm feeling. My interpretation of what I'm feeling may be 100% wrong. So the challenge here is to know how to apply feeling, and when to operate with facts.

Feelings should rightly give rise to additional investigation, but you should be very careful about making decisions based on feelings. My advice would be to invite the Holy Spirit in to control.

Now, use these tips at home, at work, and at church, and see your leadership ‘cred’ increase!

God bless.

Feelings & Fact: We all use feelings to understand the ’vibes‘ the other person is giving off, whereas being factual is about

ROY McEWEN

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

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Adam Named The Animals (One man's look at the Christmas Story) And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet (help suitable) for him. Genesis 2:19-20 KJV.

T

his took quite a long time, and sometimes Adam thought he would run out of names: Leonard the Lion, Ellie the Elephant, Polly the Parrot and so on. Then most of the animals just wandered off. But two took a liking to Adam and stayed with him: Lammy the Lamb and Log the Dog. Log the Dog is where the famous saying ‘Let sleeping Logs lie’ came from, though people soon forgot that Adam had a dog called Log, and the saying became ‘Let sleeping dogs lie’!

Classifieds

It soon became clear that animals were not going to help make Adam lonelinessproof, so God made a woman (Eve) for him so he wouldn’t be lonely - not so he could boss her around. She turned out to be capable of making her own

26

decisions anyway. She liked animals, though, which was a good job because Lammy and Log weren’t leaving on her account. For a while everything in the Garden was rosy. But there was a snake in the grass.

And he could talk, albeit with a slight hiss. He persuaded Eve to eat fruit from a tree which God had told Adam they should NEVER eat of. Adam ate as well.

Disaster.

Then they knew they were naked, and made some shabby clothes from leaves. God said, “There will have to be a blood sacrifice to atone for this disobedience (sin), and I’ll make you some proper clothes, too. Go and get Lammy the Lamb.”

“What!” cried Adam and Eve. But the deed had to be done.

They left the Garden wearing clothes made from Lammy, followed by a miserable Log, who was already missing Lammy.

Over the centuries, there were many Lammy the Lambs

EALING CHRISTIAN CENTRE does not in any way endorse any advertised company or products, and cannot guarantee rates, levels of service or workmanship

He was the perfect sacrifice for all our sin, and loves us So about two thousand years ago, God the Son (Jesus) came enough to have as Man, born of Holy Spirit and a young Jewish woman become the named Mary.

He was born in Sacrificial Lamb the inn’s stable in the town of for each of us Bethlehem. individually.

The road to sacrificed to atone for sins they hadn’t actually committed.

But the animals weren’t man, so they couldn’t really pay the price for man. There was no perfect person, and mankind was really stuck.

Calvary started thirty-three years before Good Friday at Bethlehem, when Jesus the perfect Man came as a little Baby - just like you and I did.

Except that He had no sin to taint Him. He was the perfect sacrifice for all our sin, and loves us enough to have become the Sacrificial Lamb for each of us individually.

the Calvary Road. When they ask what do you mean, you’re in.

Tell them.

You needn’t mention Lammy the Lamb or Log the Dog if you don’t want to, but you can tell them about Heaven and Hell, and why Jesus came. Please, Christmas is a wonderful evangelistic opportunity.

Tell them.

Christmas is a brilliant opportunity to spread this Good News. We can tell family, friends, work colleagues, fellow students - anybody really - that Christmas is the beginning of

John Baker

ADVERTISE YOUR GOODS OR SERVICES - Call 020 8840 7508

Advertising space is offered on a first come, first served basis. ECC reserves the right to publish the advert where space is available, and not necessarily on the Classifieds page. ECC reserves the right to alter any advertisement to improve reproduction quality. ECC excludes liability for any loss due to non-insertion or any errors in the advertisement. ECC reserves the right to refuse publication of any advert that it does not deem suitable for Grapevine magazine; the Editor-in-Chief's decision is final.

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

Call

ITEE TOUCH FINGER

for your meat pie, chin-chin, moi-moi jollof or fried rice, etc

07404 966765

Christmas booking available SEASON'S GREETINGS

I

There’s never been such a need for the men and women of Jesus Christ to rise up, activate their faith, and make a greater difference.

n the Lord’s vision given to Ezekiel, of a river of His presence flowing from the temple sanctuary, we have a picture of the Christian’s life as God intends.

The temple is the Body of Christ in the new covenant, and the river is the presence of the Lord flowing from within us (John 7:37-39).

The nature of the Lord’s presence in a believer is to get deeper and stronger as it flows outwards. As it flows beyond the church’s walls, the presence of the Lord in us irrigates and transforms the entire landscape, making society fruitful wherever the Spirit flows.

“Go with the flow …

Flow with the go!”

The more we step out; making ourselves known; activating our faith, and making the presence of Jesus known, the stronger and more fearless we become. As one young Christian recently said to me, “When people see us as fearless, they receive us.”

The Word of God in Romans 8:19 tells us that creation is waiting for the children of God to rise up and make themselves known. How are you going to do it? How are

Passive Christians are leaving a spiritual vacuum for activists of other faiths to fill.

IN JESUS' NAME

GO WITH THE FLOW! you going to activate your faith toward the unsaved world?

It’s vital that you step out in faith, but stepping out alone is not sufficient. You need to step out with the flow of the presence of the Spirit of God. We need to step out with the “River of God” – the presence and power of the Holy Spirit - confident in who God has made you to be in Christ, and the authority you have in Him. If we step out with a “dry riverbed”, we are moving out, but we are not activating our faith in the flow of the Holy Spirit. Our assignment from the Lord is to step out and be carriers of the Spirit’s presence, releasing upon them an encounter with His presence. “Come, Holy Spirit!”

The non-Christian world doesn’t need more words about religious beliefs, but

an experience of the Lord’s presence, demonstrating that Jesus is real. Never have there been such opportunities to effect change in our world, but it’s ironic that so many people in the West are pursuing vicarious adventure through entertainment, and yet they’re reluctant to get out of their armchairs. Passive Christians are leaving a spiritual vacuum for activists of other faiths to fill.

Can we really describe this as the “Bride” preparing herself without spot or wrinkle for the return of her Lord?

We’re told that over half the world is suffering extreme poverty, and more people are living as slaves than at any other time in history. What’s happening in the natural is a reflection of what’s happening in the spiritual: poverty of

spirit, and slaves to sin’s strongholds.

There’s never been such a need for the men and women of Jesus Christ to rise up, activate their faith, and make a greater difference.

The fear of inadequacy lies at the heart of much of what Christians do or don’t do: the fear of getting it wrong, and rejection by others if we try to step out with the assignments God sets before us. “I’ll suffer shame. I’ll be disgraced. I’ll be humiliated!” But the truth is, “When people see us as fearless, they receive us!”

What we do or don’t do reveals the true condition of our faith and trust in the Lord, and how much we have allowed Him to be the Source of our lives.

“Go with the flow…

Flow with the go!”

Pastor JOHN STARR

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

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Teachers’ Workshop CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES

with Olly Goldenberg

A

s we carry out our mission to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...” (Matthew 28:19-20), it is imperative that we train and equip our teachers so that they, in turn, can effectively teach, motivate, influence, train and equip our children here at ECC. We were blessed to have had the opportunity to listen and learn from Olly Goldenberg, author of The Josiah Generation; Children’s Pastor at Kensington Temple, London, and founder/leader of the Children Can ministry.

The Teachers’ Workshop, which was structured around five key areas known as the Five Ws, was truly informative, interactive and motivational. It empowered the teachers to be more creative, and equipped them with new approaches on teaching by providing a framework to guide them in their approach. With the application of the Five Ws in our Sunday School classes, the teachers will be able to assist in the spiritual growth of every child in their class, and grow them as balanced believers.

The Five Ws are as follows:

5Ws

1. Welcome builds a sense of fellowship and belonging.

2. Worship leads the children to worship God in spirit and in truth.

3. Word studies God’s Word, and prepares children to live it out in their daily lives.

4. Warfare leads the children in prayer.

5. Witness encourages the children and young people to look out from the group to those who don’t know God. The participants were truly fired up after taking part in the fun, engaging and very enlightening session.

Maternity Leave Sister Ernestina Charles-Obi, ECC Children’s Ministry Coordinator, is now on maternity leave. Mrs Josephine Mills and Ann Ko will cover for her while she is on leave.

Ann KO

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GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

Q

On behalf of the Children’s Ministry Team, we’d like to thank Sister Ernestina, for her years of great leadership, hard work, dedication, and commitment thus far - most especially to the Children’s Ministry. We thank her for giving all her best, and we congratulate her as she soon welcomes her new bundle of joy!

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

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eing a guide at the Women’s Encounter B Weekend is both a privilege and a challenge.

Women's

ENCOUNTER Weekend 2012

‘An Encounter Weekend? Wow! I never expected this could have happened to me. I really feel like a new person, so much lighter and happier. I am able to read my Bible and pray more since I’ve been on the Encounter. What an amazing God; my experience with Him was simply awesome.’

"Arise, walk through your inheritance; see that it is good ..receive all My words so that you experience deep healing and a closeness with Me..."

(The word for Encounter 2012)

We serve God with faith, prayer and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Being a guide means serving others, while focusing on Jesus and seeking His counsel for each situation that develops during the Encounter Weekend. We commit ourselves to seeking God’s plans through prayer and fasting during the whole year. He fills us with His love and compassion, equipping us according to His plans to overflow to others. Therefore, guides are Jesus’ facilitators and the glory is His. It was a delight to hear the delegates’ testimonies about their encounter with Jesus and the continued work in their lives.

Lucia Barrieros Primary Leader

‘I never knew I carried that problem, not until the Holy Spirit came upon me and did an amazing work - inside out.’

‘I will never be the same again. I waited for ten years to get rid of that problem, and the Holy Spirit did it so quickly when I allowed Him.’

M

y dear friends, these were just some of the many comments we received as we finished the awesome weekend. For the three days away at the beautiful Highleigh Conference Centre, there were no hidden stones or human agendas that were not left unturned, as God’s Holy Spirit swept through the Encounter meetings over the yielding women. Some wept, some cried, some laughed, everyone reflected, but God did His work! The women came back so refreshed, having got rid of all kinds of baggages, and some found it hard to get back to reality because the atmosphere which we had just left at the Encounter Weekend was electric!

Please book your place for the next Holy Spirit Encounter Weekend now!

First come first serve basis. Please see your Cell leader for a booking form.

Pastor Rajinder Buxton

30

"It was as though the Lord Himse ncounter 2012 promised to be a E time to meet with God. It was more than that. Like never before, it was a time when God ministered to women, removing barriers, and giving peace to all who attended.

Praise God! We promised the women a stress-free weekend, and the women confirmed that it was indeed a stress-free weekend with a Holy Spirit encounter.

God proved that His Word is sharper than a double-edged sword, and there is nothing that can be compared to Him. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, and we can do nothing without Him. Jesus honours us as we abide in Him. As He says in His Word in John 15:7, ‘If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you’. Jesus promises us limitless blessing. All we have to do is

GRAPEVINE • Issue 59 • December 2012 / January 2013

surrender to Him, and allow God to be God through the work of the Holy Spirit.

God’s blessing was on the Encounter. We had beautiful weather, scenery and healthy food, as well as accommodation. Most of all, God’s presence enabled us to experience a taste of Heaven.

Women, are you ready to experience a taste of Heaven for yourself in 2013?

The next Women’s Encounter is from 27th to 29th September 2013. Please collect your Encounter form from your Discipleship Cell leader. If you are not in a Cell, join one, and your Cell leader will give you more information.

Stephanie Antoine Primary Leader

SEASON'S GREETINGS

Here are some experiences testifying to God’s goodness: “I have been a Christian for some years, but I hadn’t been baptised in the Holy Spirit.

But now I have, and am overjoyed and feel blessed.

I thank God for making me whole ... I realised that it is not about me. It’s about Him and giving Him the glory.”

Anne Murray

elf was standing in the midst of us"

“God healed my emotions from pain, hurt and unforgiveness. I felt a release from the past, and this led to a fresh encounter with God the Holy Spirit. I also got healed in my physical body...”

Josephine Laeye

Psalm 122v1: ‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”’ thank the Lord for choosing me to do His work, and I also want to thank Pastor Rajinder for placing me into this ministry. I went on the October IEncounter as a guide (part of the Ministry Team). As I ministered to

others, God ministered to me! I have been on several encounters, but this Encounter was different.

As with all the previous encounters, the Holy Spirit was there; there was love and unity, and the delegates' needs were met.

This one was very special for me, as it was as though the heavens were open, and the Lord Himself was standing there in the midst of us. I personally witnessed more breakthroughs and testimonies than I have seen or heard before.

I encourage all ladies to pray and ask the Lord to provide whatever they need, to be able to go on one of the encounters. When you go on an Encounter Weekend, when you let go and let God in, He will be "nothing more, nothing else, nothing less than able to meet ALL your needs".

May the Lord continue to bless and guide each one of us in Jesus' Name.

Minette Thomas Primary Leader

IN JESUS' NAME

Book your place on next year's Encounter Weekend: Friday 27th to Sunday 29th September 2013

“I felt very light when I left the Encounter, and I also felt a deep peace in my spirit, soul and body.”

Mylène Duevi “When I felt that I had received enough ministry, the Lord was ready to take me even deeper...I feel 100lbs lighter, unburdened, unworried and happy...I am ready to let go, and let God have His way.”

Marcia Neutrice

December 2012 / January 2013 • Issue 59 • GRAPEVINE

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one family of many nations proclaiming one gospel through many disciples

E

ALING CHRISTIAN CENTRE (ECC) is part of the Elim Pentecostal family of churches, of which there are around 600 in the UK, and which is in fellowship with approximately 8000 churches worldwide. Year by year, ECC has continued to grow steadily with people coming from every continent, joyfully blending into a multi-ethnic family, drawn from approx 100 nationalities. With its emphasis on prayer, worship, fellowship, discipleship and evangelism, the church seeks to live out its motto.

Now hundreds of Christians - of all ages and backgrounds - meet together for lively celebration on Sundays in the beautifullyrestored decor of the 1200-seater auditorium, a former Odeon cinema, and in small Discipleship Cell groups during the week.

CARIBBEAN EVENING 2012

Weekly MEETINGS Sundays 09.00 09.30 09.30 09.30

11.15 11.45

11.45

14.30 14.30 18.30

20.00

FIRST MORNING SERVICE Little Seekers (Age 2-5yrs) Finders (Age 6-10yrs) Teens Talk (School years 7-11) - single gender classes SECOND MORNING SERVICE Crèche (18mths-3yrs) Adventurers (Nursery 3-4 yrs) Discoverers (Age 5 yrs) Explorers (School years 1&2) Investigators (School years 3&4) Pioneers (School years 5&6) Nu Talk (School years 7&8) Talkin' God (School years 9,10&11) - single gender classes Polish Church Service Japanese Church Service SUNDAY NIGHTS AT THE CENTRE (see page 21 for details) Refreshments in Coffee Lounge

Mondays

10.00-12.00 Daily Prayer Meeting 18.00-19.00 Daily Prayer Meeting

Tuesdays

10.00-12.00 Daily Prayer Meeting 19.30-21.15 Tuesday Night Prayer Explosion

Wednesdays

10.00-12.00 Daily Prayer Meeting 14.00 Wednesday Afternoon Fellowship 18.00-19.00 Daily Prayer Meeting

Thursdays

10.00-12.00 Daily Prayer Meeting 19.00-21.30 EITC - Bible College

Registration required

18.00-19.00 Daily Prayer Meeting

Fridays

10.00-12.00 Daily Prayer Meeting 18.00-19.00 Daily Prayer Meeting 19.00-21.30 EITC - Bible College

Registration required

(Last Friday of every month)

22.00-05.00 All-Night Prayer Meeting

Saturdays

11.00-13.00 Street Evangelism

Prayer • Teaching • Praise & Worship • Evangelism & Missions • Fellowship for all Ages School of Ministry (teaching ministry) | PRAYER & Healing | Deliverance Discipleship Cells | Children & Youth Ministries | Evergreens (Ministry for the Retired)

For further information, tel 020 8840 7508; email info@ecc.org.uk, or visit www.ecc.org.uk EALING CHRISTIAN CENTRE • 268 Northfield Avenue • Ealing • London W5 4UB Registered Charity No. 251549