the Call of the heart april 2011

Living by the Spirit in today's world

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The Call Of The Heart MAGAZINE

Northbrook New Community Church

Northbrook New Community Church Meet every Sunday 11 am- 3.30 pm Welcome to Northbrook New Community Church Part of reality-christianity registered charity: 1120219 …a fresh-expression church meeting people where they are.

No set attendance times — we are open Sundays 10.30—3:00… come when you like, stay as long as you like.

No pews or rows of chairs — just around coffee—tables.

Food all day … time to share, get to know one another.

No long “sermons” — only short informative “real-life” talks.

We sing, contemporary songs — and you can just listen if you’d prefer We’re set in the community of Northbrook & West Durrington to serve that community, through sharing God’s love for all.

For our church love is an action, not just words.

Our passionate vision for our community includes: helping those in need; befriending the lonely; strengthening families; supporting people of all ages.

Our church is not a building, or a club … it is a family.

We aim to envision, empower, and encourage our members in their own faith-journey and in serving their community: being set “free-in-Christ”; being a loving family; growing and sharing their faith; finding and using their gifts; leading fulfilled and fruitful lives.

In all of this we are equal!

In "servant leadership" the leadership team serve you.

Whoever you are, whatever you’ve done — you are welcome.

You are equally loved, your opinions respected and valued.

Our Vision at reality-Christianity seeks to help real people in the real world: to reach out with God's love to our community: to love and support one another as God's family: and to know and follow Christ better.

We believe a great commitment to the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-39) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) grows a great church!

Steve and Karen Clayton

Respect …

I’m struck when I meet young people I know by the greeting I receive “Respect” or “Respect Man” … actually I really like it, I like it’s dual meaning: I respect you; please respect me.

But respect is not just words: it’s actions. It’s how you actually treat people - not just how you say you will, or promise to … but how you live that out.

Here’s a memory verse for you: 1 Peter 2:17 Show respect for everyone and love your Christian brothers and sisters.

A test: do you think people feel better or worse after being with you? do they feel inspired, valued, respected? or discouraged, diminished, unappreciated?

Here are four tips that I try to follow - it may help you to see them as road-signs!

1.STOP – stop talking and listen You see how well Jesus listened.

Would people say you’re a really good listener? Do they get your full attention?

Or are they silently thinking: “stop talking, stop advising, stop pontificating!

2.NO U-TURN When you tell people you’ll do such and such – then do it!! Jesus keeps all his promises. When people don’t honour their words – does that make you feel honoured and respected, or discounted and disrespected?!

Prov 25:14 Like clouds and wind without rain, is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. Matt 5:37 Just let your yes be yes, and your no be no.

A lot of the time, when we break promises it’s because we didn’t think them through … So Prov 25:14 Good planning and insight fill you with life and bring you honour and respect.

3.GIVE WAY When other people want to be first, to get all the attention – what does that say about how they feel about those around them? But if somebody puts aside their own rights and puts you first – gives­way for you – you feel like you really matter, that they respect you.

2 Cor 12:15 So I will gladly spend for you everything I have, and expend myself as well.

(As a church we don’t have a collection … we feel that, if you really want to honour and respect God, and His work here, then you’ll want to give without being asked).

4.SCENIC ROUTE Often the sign is on the high-speed main route, and you’re going so fast you almost miss it!

It’s saying: “Why not slow down and take a look – you’ll be seeing much more if only you’ll take the time!” To show respect, we need to slow down – to see what otherwise we might miss – to not be too busy for people: they are more important than our schedule!!

Why not start each morning with the prayer “Lord help me to see and treat every person I meet today as you see and treat them.!” Wow – what a difference that will make!

Dates for Your Diary

April 2011 S

M

3 Service

10 Service

17 Service

4 Day time Reality Group

Attenders Meeting 11 Day time Reality Group

18 Day time Reality Group

5 Reality Cafe Exercise Class

T

12 19 Reality Cafe Reality Cafe Exercise Class Exercise Class

6 13 Day Time Alpha Day Time Alpha

W

7 Reality Cafe Reality Group

T

14 Reality Cafe Reality Group

1

8

15

2 Prayer Engine

9 SHAPE Refreshers day

16

F

S

Fit For Life

20 Alpha Celebration Lunch 21 Reality Cafe

24 Easter Sunday Baptisms 25 Day time Reality Group 26 Reality Cafe Exercise Class 27

28 Reality Cafe

Whole Church Celebration 22 Good Friday

Reality Group

23

30

29

Prayer Engine

Every Tuesday 7 pm - 9pm Northbrook Barn Squadron Drive

Fit 4 Life Course 7-9 pm Get Fit with Amanda 8-9 pm

DAY

EVENT

SUNDAY

Fellowship and worship 10.30 -3.30 at Oak Grove College

MONDAY

Daytime Reality Group - see Cala for details

TUESDAY

Reality Cafe - 12.30 pm - 3pm, then Amanada's Exercise Class - (7 pm- 8pm) at the Northbrook Barn Squadron Drive.

WEDNESDAY

Daytime Alpha - at 2 Rye Close 11.45 - 2 pm

THURSDAY

Reality Cafe - 1pm - 3 pm at the Northbrook Barn also Reality Groups meetings in homes 7 pm

FRIDAY SATURDAY

S H A P E day - Saturday 9th April 10.15-2.30 pm This is a refresher day, for those who have attended the course previously - to update their spiritual gift assessment - or for those who have never attempted their spiritual assessment. Please see Karen for further details or put your name down.

Attenders Meeting Sunday 10th April - 1.30 pm These are usually held on Thursday Evenings, but as we don’t have many opportunities to meet together on Thursday’s we thought we would try holding the meeting on Sunday afternoon instead. Anyone who attends any of our activities is welcome to come. Please let Steve or Karen have a note of anything you’d like to see on the agenda.

Whole Church Celebration Thursday 21st April 7 pm At Oak Grove this month will include a special dramatised version of the Easter Story - not to be missed.

Everyone welcome

If you have any DVD’s, books or bowls(!) that belong to the church, that you have Finished with, could you please return them. Thanks so much

With the benefit of grant funding and in collaboration with the Alternative Learning Company (Shirley Steel) and Northbrook College, we have restarted the Forward Club in the sp lendid premises of the Farmhouse Restaurant opposite the Northbrook Barn Community Centre in Titnore Way. Help is provided for your p ersonal assessment and goals, job searching via papers and the internet, motivational and training videos, invited sp eakers from local sp ecialist agencies, and teambuilding all in a welcoming friendly and informal atmosphere.

Our tea m building a wa y day a t Shoreham Outdoor Activ ity Centre

The Forward Club is linked with the Cooperative development and will provide a ‘preparation for work’ programme for all Cooperative members You are very warmly invited to come along and try the Forward Club Contact Mike Tyler for more information: Tel: 01903 242499 Email: miketyler@aidfortrade.org.uk

Authentic Fellowship It's the blueprint for the church to be effective in the world and to each other.

Acts 2:41-43

What is fellowship?

In the New Testament it's described as Koinonia Meaning of Fellowship The word has such a multitude of meanings that no single English word is adequate to express its depth and richness. It is a derivative of koinos, the word for common. Koinonia is a complex, rich, and thoroughly fascinating Greek approach to building community or teamwork.

Koinonia embraced a strong commitment to Kalos k'agathos meaning "good and good", an inner goodness toward virtue, and an outer goodness toward social relationships. In the context of outer goodness, translated into English, the meaning of koinonia holds the idea of joint participation in something with someone, such as in a community, or team or an alliance or joint venture. Those who have studied the word find there is always an implication of action included in its meaning. The word is meaning-rich too, since it is used in a variety of related contexts.

Sharing Koinonos means a sharer' as in to share with one another in a possession held in common. It implies the spirit of generous sharing or the act of giving as contrasted with selfish getting. When koinonia is present, the spirit of sharing and giving becomes tangible. In most contexts, generosity is not an abstract ideal, but a demonstrable action resulting in a tangible and realistic expression of giving.

In classical Greek, koinonein means "to have a share in a thing," as when two or more people hold something, or even all things, in common. It can mean "going shares" with others, thereby having "business dealings,” such as joint ownership of a ship. It can also imply "sharing an opinion" with someone, and therefore agreeing with him, or disagreeing in a congenial way. Only participation as a contributive member allows one to share in what others have. What is shared, received or given becomes the common ground through which Koinonia becomes real. [ Relationships To create a bond between each other is the meaning of koinonia when people are recognized, share their joy and pains together, and are united because of their common experiences, interests and goals. Fellowship creates a mutual bond which overrides each individual’s pride, vanity, and individualism, fulfilling the human yearning with fraternity, belonging, and companionship. This meaning of koinonia accounts for the ease by which sharing and generosity flow. When combined with the spiritual implications of koinonia, fellowship provides a joint participation in God’s graces and denotes that common possession of spiritual values

Like all things fellowship takes time to develop. Its about what you build the foundation of relationships upon. If you start trying to build on a picture of perfection or what you see is the right way to do it, you will never get to see the very best in fellowship. Many times it gets swallowed up by everyone trying to build what they want out of it. But like any building project you need good foundations to start it off. And the best place to look for those foundations is in the scriptures, especially in Acts as we see the template of true fellowship as we read the book of Acts 2 verses 41-43.

They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added [unto them] in that day about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles` teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Once a believer accepts Christ it is very important to then move on and to be part of the body of Christ. By moving on we learn by the apostles teachings. Getting to know His word and living a life led by the spirit is key to fulfilling our individuals calling on life. And key to that is fellowship, without fellowship it is hard to get the encouragement and the support to learn about how amazing the new live in Christ will be. By meeting with others in fellowship it brings something very special into your relationship with Christ. True fellowship is a place where you can feel completely free and secure amongst others that have only your best interests at heart.

It’s when we are in this environment we begin to see the true relationship that God wants us to be. By being in this relationship we begin to build our lives on firm foundations. Then we can be ready to go deeper with God and with each other. I am so often amazed at people think that something is going to work first time when they have not even surveyed the ground on which they are building. The same is true of groups at the early stages of growth. The key thing to remember is that there has to be trust and honesty. And early on there has to be a commitment to not sharing about others outside of that meeting group, or else there will only be foundations that are built on sand and that is a recipe for disaster. So it good to get all to agree on this and to move on to building on foundation that are sure and steadfast. There where the building blocks come into being. Those blocks are the gifts amongst the room and to find out them only comes from relationship.

Every successful group exists because of the gifting's in the group and how they operate in a team. I have found that as a individual feel there feet in a group they use there gifts to benefit others. So just imagine your group operating this way what would it look like?

Here is a suggestion to how a group operates in such a manner, 1. Leads 2. Facilitates 3. Hosts 4. Prayer Journalist 4. Worship 5. Events Coordinator 6. Interceder 7. Communicator.

Leaders set the programme, Facilitators set the scene and pace, Hosts welcome the guests. Prayer journalist records the prayer needs. Worship Leader prepares the worship style and time. Events Coordinator sets the calendar of events. Intercessor keeps the prayer needs flowing in the group. Communicator does the newsletter.

This is only a suggestion and you may find one or two may do more than one gift at the same time. If each group could operate in such a manner just imagine how powerful that group would be in witnessing to the world the Kingdom of God.

It’s About Building The Right Foundations Written By Kevin Hussey

Some of us have started playing badminton on a Wednesday evening at the Worthing Sports Centre in Shaftesbury Avenue usually at 8.00pm

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It s good fun and can help you keep fit!

- it a go - men and women welcome!

Why not give Contact for timing: Mike Tyler on 01903 242499

A key part of our mission is to be salt and light in our community. With high and rising unemployment in Worthing, we believe now is a very good time to start an initiative to provide affordable local work for local people.

Cala Varga, has been appointed Administrator for the Cooperative and is busy recruiting people interested in part time paid or voluntary work.

We are planning to recruit and start three teams:

Housework Team , Gardening Team and a Catering Team Work has started to explore possible service contracts with local housing and other agencies and the Cooperative will also offer an affordable workforce for residents. A great way to meet and chat to new people, which will open opportunities to share your faith- to gossip the Gospel!

Work preparation for those interested in the Cooperative will be provided by the Forward Club, which meets Thursdays 10.30am to 12.30pm in the Farmhouse Restaurant, Titnore Way So, you are very warmly invited to:

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Contact: Cala on 0785503566 Email: cala5000@hotmail.co.uk

PRAYER ENGINE

April’s 5th and 19th Ed’s & Di’s 12 Melvile Way

CHURCH PRAYER WALL

9.30 - 10.30

A fr ee co urs e is b ein g p la nn ed for an yon e int er est ed to ga in an o fficia l Foo d S a fet y and H y gien e C ert ificat e, t o add to y our cv and enab le you t o w or k in th e C om m u n ity ca fé or in o th er cat er in g w ork .

T h is tr a in in g w ill b e p rov id ed by t h e For w ar d C lu b (W h ich m eets T h ursd ays 1 0.30 to 1 2.30 T hu rsda ys in th e F arm hou s e R estau ran t ), T h e s hort t ra in in g cours e w ill b e co nd u ct ed ’on lin e’ - don’t w orr y it’s n ot d ifficu lt a nd h elp is p rov id ed S o, com e a lon g to th e F orw ard C lub if y ou ar e int er est ed to tak e th is cours e or co nta ct M ik e T y ler (T el: 019 03 2 424 99 ) fo r furt h er in for m at ion

Karen would also like to see current cafe staff taking part if they need to.

HIDDEN RAIN VERSE OF THE DAY www.ktcoth.com

Many of you have attended day courses held at Micklepage. So will have an idea of the place. It’s an old farmhouse and barn, owned by a Christian charitable trust, and let out mainly to church groups.

It can accommodate a maximum of 26 people - although this would sometimes mean people sharing so there may actually be fewer able to stay. However, Micklepage is only a half hour drive away so some may wish to come up during the day instead of sleeping over.

An estate agent would probably describe the property as ‘Rustic but homely and the price reflects this!! There would be a charge of £25 per adult and £10 per child staying over and £10 per day for Day Visitors.

The theme of our visit will be ‘Living in the flow of the Holy Spirit’ Please see Steve or Karen for further details, and Karen to put your name down. A deposit of £10 per adult will be required to ensure your place, and full advance payment by 30th April will be needed.

We all know, don't we, that weight loss depends on what we eat and how much exercise we take! The difficulty about losing weight is that most diets and weight loss programmes do not lead to sustained weight loss. The challenge for us all if we want to lose weight, is that we must really want to and be willing to make the effort to change our lifestyle a bit, which will be tough!

God asks us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20...

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

In other words, as Christians we owe it to God to make the Temple He gave us a healthy and holy place for His Spirit to dwell!

A group of men are getting together Sunday from time to time, to encourage each other to lose weight. The need is pretty evident for most of us and individual needs, some with doctors advice is to lose between 7lbs and 3 stone! Goals are being set and a prize anticipated for the winner!

A larger group of our ladies are meeting weekly to tackle weight loss through the excellent Christian Fit for Life course, followed by a work out sessions led by Amanda.

So perhaps this whole weight loss thing has a number of linked steps:

So, how are you doing in our battle against the flab?

MCT

When we got baptised last year I thought that I had made it as a Christian. A few months ago Roddy and I got told we had to leave our flat. We both thought we were going to be there forever, at first I thought it would not be a problem as God would help us to find somewhere else As the weeks went on I really started doubting the Lord thinking he wasn't going to help us. Then I started to do things under my own strength. Because I let the devil get to me, everything started to go very wrong. I got very uptight and angry I thought God had abandoned me.

We looked at a few flats one in particular we liked, but being stubborn I wanted something which I thought would be better than anything we had yet seen. We kept looking with no joy but all the time God was trying to tell me where to go but until my home group pointed this out to me I did not realise what God was showing me, so after looking and getting more stressed we went back to the first one checking that it was still available. So we excepted this one. What I am trying to tell you all is that God leaves you, he is always there in good times and bad times. God never fails us so trust in him always.

Article shared by June

Easter Sunday We are thrilled to announce two baptisms to take place on the afternoon of Easter Sunday - if you wpuld like to come forward for baptism too, then please speak to Steve

Marriage Course Friday evenings 13th May - 1st June 2 Rye Close This is a course designed for all married couples, wishing to build a strong and lasting relationship, covering topic such as the art of communication, resolving conflict, the power of forgiveness etc. Each couples privacy is respected as there is no group discussion. This is an excellent course - even Steve learn’t something!!!!!! See Karen for Further details and put your name down.

Sunday Church 11.30 -15.30 pm Celebration’s Northbrook New Community Church Sundays at reality Let’s face it, modern life is full and complicated …. So we want to provide a time and a space and a feel that is flexible… Come when you like, as you are, stay as long as you like Above all you will be made welcome and at home… regardless of what you do or don’t believe about faith.

For much of the day we are able just to sit, talk and eat together … it’s about getting to know, then care about, each other. We aim to grow … and to have fun!

There are some structured sessions: a few songs, a short talk …. addressing practical “real—life” issues.

There are also interactive self—development “seminars” … on subjects such as self—esteem, anger, debt … And you get to help decide future programmes!

We Meet At Oak Grove College In the grounds of Durrington High School The Boulevard