Kingfisher Family Newsletter - June 2021 by Kingfisher Church

ISSUE 30

K I N G F I S H E R FA M I LY Nearly there! After over a year of lockdowns, online church services, zoom meetings, no hugs, of not seeing each other in person at Christmas or at Easter, we are nearly there! God willing, June 21st is the day when we will be released from this enforced isolation. No more shall we hear the words, ‘You’re on mute!’. We are nearly there - but nearly where? Those hoping we will just be going ‘back to normal’ are probably going to be disappointed, because in life we can’t go back, we can only go forward. Forward to a ‘new normal’. We bring various things into this ‘new normal’. For many people, lockdown has brought isolation which has been hard to deal with. For others, there has been the sadness of the loss of lovedones. Many people are struggling with some degree of depression and many have found the loss of routine has left them adrift. We feel like we are carrying around more than the weight of the ‘Covid stone’ - many are carrying the weight of feeling disconnected, both spiritually and relationally. The ‘new normal’ is not going to look like the ‘old normal’. We have the opportunity to refocus, reset and rise up to the challenge of starting afresh. But we need to recognise the ‘extra weight’ that many of us will be carrying. The fresh start of the ‘new normal’ will not just be about hitting the deck running, forging ahead with new initiatives and restarting old favourites. The ‘new normal’ will be about taking the extra effort to notice each other and be kind to each other, prioritising the importance of getting alongside those who have struggled during these lockdowns.

The ‘new normal’ also applies to church. There will be churches with a ‘preCOVID’ mindset, seeking to reinstate all of the business and activities that were the feature of church life prepandemic. These churches have seen lockdown as hitting the pause button on church life. They will attempt to relate to each other, to have the same priorities and the same view on mission and ministry as before.

encourage people who have not had to get up early on a Sunday morning in order to travel to church to now begin to go back to that? The attraction of real, authentic, life-af rming community

Post-COVID mindset churches will also be more focussed on MISSION. The Evangelical Alliance in the UK surveyed nearly 900 churches during pandemic. Out of nearly 700 church responses to the survey, 59% said they have seen an There will be church with a ‘postincrease in people interested in nding COVID’ mindset. These churches have out more about Jesus and the Christian understood that the Pandemic has been faith. More than 1 in 10 church leaders a watershed time - a de ning moment - saw an increase in people making rstfor the Church worldwide and they time commitments to follow Christ. come together determined to learn the King sher Family around the world has lessons of lockdown and relate to a seen hundreds of people make post-COVID world in a different way commitments to follow Christ. This fresh focus on evangelism will continue The churches that will ourish and in a post-COVID world and the grow will be the ‘post-COVID mindset’ con dence gained through preaching churches. These are the churches that the Gospel and seeing people come to have learned the central lessons that faith will ensure that the Church moving forward will be committed to maintain that focus. The post-COVID Church has a great opportunity to The ‘new normal’ is grow through evangelism, so long as it does not allow itself to slip back in to not going to look inward-focussed maintenance mode

like the ‘old normal’. We have the opportunity to refocus, reset and rise up to the challenge of starting afresh.

Post-COVID churches will also be more focussed on HELPING THE VULNERABLE. Going back to that EA survey mentioned earlier, a further nding was that: ’88% of church leaders said their churches are working to meet the needs of vulnerable people. Of these churches, 72% are working in partnership with either local authorities, other churches or charities.’ The desperate need for Food Banks, God has been wanting to teach us knocking on doors to check on elderly during the Pandemic. They will come and vulnerable people, providing out of this time leaner, more focussed support and safe spaces for those with and more able to provide the hope and mental health challenges has galvanised Where can I go for help? Fortunately we have various options at King sher - security that has been ripped away the Church during the Pandemic. Postfrom society over the past 18 months. your Connect group, your Connect Covid churches will continue to seek group leader, the elders, the pastors. No In a word, ‘post-COVID mindset’ ways of reaching out to the vulnerable churches will be FOCUSSED. That focus and the isolated in an environment that one needs to feel that they are will be on three things: community, struggling on their own. We all need now is much more aware of the value mission and helping the vulnerable help and encouragement to make the of this and more willing to acknowledge transition back to living our lives the role the Church is playing in this. We need COMMUNITY, and the without the restrictions that we had been under this past year. All of us need post-COVID church needs to prioritise Get ready - we are almost there real, authentic community. What will to care for each other.

JUNE 2021

News from King sher Church Tredworth In the Dark Room Recently on Coronation Street, one of the characters, Mary, quoted a preacher called Christine Caine, and the quote went like this, ‘Sometimes when you're in a dark place you think you've been buried, but you've actually been planted.’ It’s the idea that when you’re experiencing testing times, it is not necessarily a fatal place to be, it might feel tough, but that doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you, or that He isn’t working in your situation, in fact you might be in exactly the place where He can grow you the most. This has been the premise of our most recent morning series at King sher Tredworth, ‘In the dark room,’ and we have been learning from the life of a man called David in the Old Testament, who went through some pretty testing situations of his own before he became the King of Israel.

But why the dark room? For those of us brought up in the age before digital cameras, things were a little different when it came to seeing the photographs you had taken. Today you can view and edit and lter and post immediately after having taken a picture, we are the instant generation, we demand instant results, and we don’t like to wait for anything if at all possible. But if you were born before the 1990’s, you’ll remember that we had to actually go to a shop and buy camera lm which had to be inserted into a camera, * were only a certain amount of there photos that could be taken and when we had used them up we would then have to take that lm out of the camera, and either take it to a shop or put it in a envelope and send it off to be developed. Days or sometimes weeks later we would then get those photos back and only then could we see how they had turned out! In order to be developed that lm would have been opened in a dark room, because too much exposure to light too quickly and those pictures were ruined, but in that dark room there is a process that the lm is put through, different chemicals are applied, the lm is rinsed and then hung out to dry and the result is that the negatives that came into

that dark room, are developed into amazing beautiful pictures hopefully! Well this is such a great illustration of how God works with us. There is no such thing as digital maturity. For God to develop His character in us there is a process, and we might not like the time that it takes, but if we understand that there is a process, and trust Him in it, then when we encounter tough things, darker times, rather than destroying our faith, they might actually grow it! So we’ve looked at three dark rooms that David went through, three situations that could have been detrimental to his faith, but through trusting God and applying himself to the learning/developing process, he became all that he needed to be to take up his appointed role as king, over fteen years from when he had been anointed to be the next king. The rst dark room was the obscurity of the elds, a simple shepherd boy, unknown, inconspicuous and unimportant and yet God saw him and called Him. In that place David learned the importance of pleasing the audience of one, he learned to worship and to trust God and he gave his best to protect and look after the sheep in his care. Next was the loneliness of the battle. In his rst, most famous battle against the giant, Goliath, facing him alone in the valley with the taunts and threats of the enemy in his ears, with the derision of his family still echoing in his mind, and even King Saul having no belief in his ability to win the battle, David found a con dence in God. He remembered God’s faithfulness from previous less public battles and activated a courage that saw that valley become a place of victory and not defeat. But the dark rooms didn’t end there and after King Saul became intensely jealous of David and wanted him killed, David went on the run and ended up in the hold of the cave. This was so far removed from the promise he had been given that he would be king, but David held on to that promise. He might have felt

confused, abandoned and unable to see the way forward, but he trusted that God was working his purposes out, so even in that place he just kept doing the right thing. He welcomed those who came to him in trouble, debt- ridden or just discontented, and turned them into a mighty army. He continued to take care of his family, and he refused to harm King Saul even when he had opportunity. And so David advanced in his training from shepherd boy, to warrior, to leader, to king. This is such a great perspective to have when we experience dark and testing times and it’s the perspective that God’s Word encourages us to have,“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our con dent hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.” Romans 5:3-4 NLT This hope always leads to appointment! So although no one really rejoices when they experience problems and trials, we can rejoice that God is working in us and moving us to take up what He has prepared for us, His good, pleasing and perfect will. All three messages can be found on YouTube, King sher Church.You can also access a study based on this series via your Connect group leaders or you can message me for it. There is also a Spotify playlist of new songs called ‘In the dark room,’ to encourage and inspire you if you are in a testing place right now. This last year has felt like one long dark room experience for so many of us, but God is still God and He still has a plan worth pursuing. I hope you will be encouraged, like David, to keep trusting, to keep ghting, and to keep doing the right thing, because the best really is yet to come. Don’t give up before the miracle happens! Pastor Ollie

News from King sher Church On the road to Emmau Thoughts from my journey with Jesus - by Sandra Ashenford

At a recent Connect Group meeting we were talking about Pastor Ollie’s In The Dark Room series, and were swapping our experiences of living through dark times and how that impacted our relationship with God I have certainly had my share of dark times and when I was in my twenties and thirties I faced them without any interaction with God at all

If asked I would have denied God’s existence because even though deep down I could never shake off completely the very strong faith I had had as a teenager, I couldn’t accept that a loving God would let me go through the troubles I was facing

Yet because of those troubles I developed into a much stronger, more compassionate person. I not only survived them, I came out the other side with new gifts and new opportunities that I would never have had if my life hadn’t veered so dramatically off the course that I had planned A series of events led to the gradual re-birth of my faith, and I now rmly believe that God was truly with me through the terrible times, giving me the strength to keep going and shaping his plan for me, which was so very different from my own Now when things go wrong I pray for the strength to endure them and trust that something positive will come out of the situation As for many people 2020 was a dif cult year for me, but 2021 started off an even worse footing. My beloved little dog Robbie suffered a severe bowel obstruction and I had to make the terrible decision to have him put to sleep He was only 10 years old and I had hoped for many more years of his company but I knew it wasn’t fair to prolong his suffering with a barrage of tests which could con rm what

Sandra Ashenford is a member of the King sher Church family at Tredworth. She was introduced to Jesus at primary school but has spent most of her adult life in the company of sceptics and non-believers. This is a series of light-hearted blogs in which she re ects on the challenges of growing in faith and sharing the Good News amidst the pressures of a modern life

type of cancer he had but couldn’t ultimately save him He was only little but he left a massive hole in my life; our other dog, Fergus, missed him enormously as well, and he became quite ill for several weeks I always intended to get another dog at some point in the future and I looked at the details of a few breeders for the sort of dog I wanted Then, by chance, I saw an advert for a litter of puppies not too far away. The breeders were lovely folk who clearly adored their dogs. And so, with God’s blessing, we have a new member of the family – Sherlock Bones Everyone adores him except the cat, but I’m praying hard that he’ll get there in the end!

Above: Sherlock Right: Robbie

News from the King sher family King sher Tredworth Toddler and Twins groups After a year of lockdowns we have reimagined our Toddler group on a Monday, and have relaunched Twins group on a Wednesday, with a renewed emphasis on parental support. Due to Covid there are still restrictions on numbers so we have started small.

“When we left King sher twins all those years ago it was really hard to not have that support group. I can't begin to imagine having such small twins and going so long without that sense of community, you're all amazing people. Mine are 14 years old now and I still miss you all. Xx”

The new Toddler group has been birthed from a team of our church mums meeting together, with the encouragement that they extend the invitation to other parents of preschool children they know. Local parents who have contacted us directly have also been invited along. We are also linking in with a new perinatal mental health team who can refer parents who would bene t from community support. It is great to be able to offer these times of respite and peer support, and exciting to see how this group is growing already and relationships built. It is also so good to see children socialising again, and some for the rst time due to the suspension of groups over the last year! Our Twins group has always had a greater focus on supporting parents, and it has been a lifeline for those who have started attending again. We have also had new mums of twins join who have been desperate to access that mutual support and a safe place for their children to play. Here is some feedback we have had since the groups started again. “It has been just wonderful to be able to talk to other parents, adult conversation, all while the children wear themselves out. It’s been great for my mental health too. Ooh, and to get made a cup of tea has been lovely.” “It’s a slice of heaven in my week! Watching my daughter nally play with other children and being back with other parents is so great.” “It’s so nice to be back to some normality, chatting with other mums and watching the kids play together.”

“It’s fantastic to be back at twin group, we’ve REALLY missed it!”

Six words testimonies Pastor Ollie has been encouraging our Connect group members to describe what God has done for them using just six words. Below are some of the testimonies Down and out; raised to life In Him I am changed forever It’s literally from death to life Love to learn; learn to love For the battle has been won Forgiveness in full; fullness in life Nothing much, but all to him In all things, blessed by God Bound by fear, freed by love I can’t do life without Him I fell into His open arms My life was always to help Bringing God’s creation to the children Life of despair turned into joy He knows me and loves me Coming from nothing to being something The best is yet to come His hands, His love for me Thanking God for His amazing grace Fear not, be strong and courageou Always there even when I’m distant Constant and true through all situations Planted not buried, work in progress Thanks for the life You give Work in progress, not nished yet I’m moving from despair to hope He uplifts me, I uplift others Once a worrier now God’s warrior Growing to understand what love is By God’s grace I am me Damaged and lost, found and restored Nobody’s perfect but God brings peace He turned my mourning into dancing Knowing the master, I’m His masterpiece Spiritually transformed, ready for use He’s the potter, I’m the clay He died, that I might live.

News from King sher Treasure Seekers The role of the Trustees and Treasurer King sher Church is a registered UK Charity, and the Trustees are the people who serve on King sher’s governing body. The Trustees have three areas of responsibility; compliance - to ensure compliance with charity law, the Charity Commission regulations and other legal requirements; prudence – ensure the charity is accountable and managing the church resources responsibly; and, care – use our skills and knowledge to ensure the charity is well run, manages risk and Neal Parkinson - Chair of Trustee

David Burn - Treasure

I've been part of our church since the beginning and I've been lucky enough to be working for King sher since I left uni about 15 years ago! My job involves many different roles but they all have a common theme of being a support role to the work that is going on at King sher. As Treasurer, I manage the day to day nances for the church, prepare reports for the Trustees on a regular basis and co-ordinate with our accountants to prepare the yearly accounts that we have to submit with the Charities Commission. It can be a challenging role and, at times when we have struggled nancially, can also be a stressful weight to see the reality of a situation everyday. But it's also such a privilege to be able to serve the church in that way and seeing God work miracles in our church on a regular basis to enable is to keep going and doing what he want's us to do!

The Treasurer is appointed by the Trustees to look after the nancial administration of the charity – such

as managing all money paid in and out, salary payments and Gift Aid claims. In addition, the Treasurer produces monthly management accounts and cash ow forecasts for the Trustees, and is responsible for working with our accountants to produce our Annual Report and Audited Accounts for submission to the Charities Commission. This is a role that caries a lot of responsibility and is a position of great trust.

Katie Tucker - Vice Chair of Truste

I have been coming to King sher Church since 1998. Although I was not a Christian, I came along to support Gill, my wife, as we had just moved to Gloucester. In 1999, after attending an Enquirer’s Course, I invited Christ in to my life and became a Christian. I was invited to become a Trustee in 2005 because I would bring some business management experience to the Board. I was asked to become Chair of Governors in 2010 and have remained in that role since then. Gill and I have 3 grown up children – David, Matthew and Gina – and I am currently Head of Programme Management at a multi-national vehicle tracking technology company based in Swindon.

is accountable. In simple terms, the Pastors and Elders look after the spiritual health of the church and the Trustees look after the nancial, administrative and legal health of the Church. We have formal Trustee meetings every two months, as well as regular Trustee workshops and informal meetings throughout the year

I have been a trustee since January 2015. I am a founding Director at Treasure Seekers and manage the business, nance and tendering aspect of our work. I have been a part of King sher Church since it began and have had various roles since. When there was a vacancy for a trustee I thought I could use the skills I was developing at Treasure Seekers to support the charity. I am married to Craig and have two boys. It has been a real privilege to see God's hand at work in the nances of King sher Church. Paula Braham - Truste I have been a Trustee for seven years. I am married to Euton and we have one son Alex who is 21. I have been part of King sher for around 18 years. I currently work full time for Treasure Seekers. When I’m not working I like to walk/cycle and go camping when I get the opportunity. I was invited to join the board of Trustees, I had no idea what the role of a trustee was, but I was passionate about my church and it’s future. We sometimes have to make some dif cult nancial decisions, but one thing we always agree to prioritise is our tithes, as a result we believe God has been faithful in return.

Stuart Seagrave - Truste I have been a trustee for the past three years . For those who don’t know me, I have been part of King sher since the very beginning, so King sher and all we stand for are in my blood. I passionately believe that society is a better place when the church (God) is at the heart of the community. Professionally I spent 26 years working for HMRC and now work for DWP. Other than being a trustee, I am married to Lisa and have 3 sons, James, Ben and Dylan. I am also involved with the youth ministry and the International ministry.

Treasure Seekers is coming out of lockdown! We are looking forward here at Treasure Seekers to the coming months and are hoping that the planned roadmap out of lockdown will come to complete fruition. We are hoping that we will be able to start bringing back our discos for adults with learning disabilities soon and that Treasure Seekers Performing Arts can meet in person again in the near future. The Cavern opened it’s doors again a few weeks ago and it's been great to see people (both old friends and new visitors) coming inside, as well as making good use of our new outside seating area. The Cavern is open from Monday to Saturday 10am-11pm and on Sunday 4pm-11pm. Food will be available Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm. In addition, we will be holding some socially distanced music events over the summer and our Yu-Gi-Oh events will also be back every Saturday. Please continue to look at our Cavern social media pages for further information

Here at Treasure Seekers we run a variety of courses suiting all needs, from parenting courses and budgeting courses to con dence building courses. Some of the courses are able to run over zoom but a lot are more effective in a face to face setting. We are planning to have our face to face courses up and running as soon as possible so if you are interested in attending one of our courses and would like to be kept up to date with dates for starting, please email

News from King sher Treasure Seekers

training@kftseekers.org.uk. You can nd out about all the courses available on our website under the ‘What We Do’ tab Treasure Seekers Hub was able to reopen during the last phase of restriction easing and is open from 10am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday. This is the place to come to nd out what is happening at Treasure Seekers, get any information lea ets and also the place to sign up for courses which we run.You can also come in and browse our art and craft kits. There is a spectacular choice at affordable prices, including lots of ideas for Father’s Day, and we are in the process of planning to incorporate the make and take back into the process. You can also order from our online shop www.takenmake.co.uk, which has the option of delivery or click and collect

The Lighthouse, our day time opportunities centre for adults with learning disabilities has kept going all through the pandemic, providing much needed training. Those who access this service have a whole range of activities and practical issues to help their learning; the pictures below show an afternoon of working out the times of buses and cyclin

The TSPA Summer Term has begun. Hopefully this will be the last term over zoom but we are so pleased to welcome people back. Our theme this term is all things summer and our groups have been ready to embrace the theme! Everyone takes part in all the sessions, including dance, drama, puppets, choir, music and percussion, giving a mix of things to learn and try out. We are so thankful to have been able to continue to provide this resource over zoom and to keep in contact with everyone Support at the Cavern will always be available every evening of the year from 6-11pm. From the 17th of May we have been able to bring back Support on a face to face basis in its original, newly decorated home, now called The Studio. We will continue to offer phone Support for those who are unable to come in, or who feel uncomfortable doing so.

News from the King sher Family King sher International Family update So many great things are happening around the world right now, in spite of the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic Right: Lordslight King sher Family of Churches, Pantay, Rio Chico, Philippines had its opening service on Sunday, 2nd May 2021.What a celebration!

Left and below: Multiple baptisms in Haridwar, India on Good Friday 2021

Above: Conference for 100+ pastors and leaders in Delhi, India on Saturday, 1st May.

Sad news about Simo

We are so sorry to say that despite Simon Haq seeming to recover from Covid, he suffered a reversal and has sadly passed away. He went to be with the Lord a few days ago. This is a huge loss for so many - he led thousands to the Lord and was a friend and mentor to so many people. We shall miss him greatly - please pray for his family, friends and for the great legacy he leaves behind.

Below: Church planting in Amritsar,The Punjab, India

GET INVOLVED WITH THE NEWSLETTER In order for this newsletter to grow and develop, we need your help! If you go to any King sher event and have taken a great photo, then please post it on our Facebook page or email it to Kirsty at kirstydalley@king sher.org.uk. The copy deadline for the next issue (due out in September 2021) is 18th August If you would like to get involved in the production of the next newsletter then email us with your particular area of interest. Hope you enjoy hearing all that is happening across the King sher Family!

King sher Churc Moor Stree Tredwort Glouceste GL1 4N www.king sher.org.uk info@king sher.org.uk +441452 30433