B Magazine Issue 6 - Summer 2012 by St Barnabas Church

Issue 06 Summer 2012

Be Still Actively stopping to stir and encourage prayer

Fulbe Shepherds meet the Good Shepherd Encountering Jesus in sub-Saharan Africa

Our Place at St Bs Our Place to encounter God

God on Mute Book review

Praying For London For such a time as this

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EQUIP SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

EQUIP TRAINEE WORKER SCHEME

• Would you like to go deeper into the Bible? • Do you wonder how the Bible fits together?

The St Bs Equip Trainee Worker Scheme is a two year programme for those with a clear calling to a ministry in one of the following areas: • Children’s Ministry • Discipleship • Support/Media • Youth Ministry • Estates Work You will gain vocational and theological qualifications, be developed as a person and as a leader, all within a package including financial provision.

We have a course just for you! The Equip School of Theology meets once a month for 9 months on Saturday mornings, starting in September 2012. No previous theology knowledge required – just a desire to learn and grow as a follower of Jesus.

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For information, application forms or to find out more about Equip, contact: David Brown, Discipleship Pastor 020 8343 5779 or Georgie McMinn, Equip Administrator 020 8343 6131 Email: equip@stbarnabas.co.uk

> How to advertise: To advertise in B Magazine please contact: katewong70@googlemail.com 02

From the Vicar

B Mag’ Issue 06: Contents

Page

Be Still Colin Brookes stops to stand and stare

Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner In 2012, London is going to experience an extraordinary confluence of events: the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Mayoral Elections, the Olympics and the Paralympics. The capital is about to step into the world spotlight as never before. And what will they see? Beyond the razzmatazz of the large choreographed events, beneath the image-makers’ gloss, what kind of London have we become? Our enthusiastic, if rather eccentric, Mayor assures us that crime is down and everything is going just fine. And there is no doubt that London is a fantastic place. Racially and culturally diverse and a focal point for the arts, it is surely one of the most exciting cities in the world. But most Londoners also look around with a hopeless desperation at the social problems we face: gun and knife crime, poverty, social exclusion, homelessness, drugs, binge-drinking, gang culture, racial tensions, the expanding rich/poor divide; to name but a few. The riots that started in North London last September were shocking in the speed of their destructive power. Although the causes are complex, they were surely the culmination of years of ignored social decay. So, have they been a wake-up call for London? And in an age of austerity what could be done to redress the flagrant inequalities that led to such levels of discontent? Ahead of the festival that is London 2012, the rhetoric has gone quiet. Meanwhile a good news story has been quietly unfolding in our capital city: the Church is growing. Both numerically and in vitality the Church in London is getting slowly stronger. Paradoxically London has the lowest percentage of people in the country saying that they are Christians, but the highest percentage of church attendance. About one in five Londoners attend church at least monthly. The gospel is being heard, many are embracing it, and with that turning, many tragic social problems are alleviated. Bill Hybels said “the local church is the hope for the world” and that truth is being played out on the streets of London. At St Barnabas our outreach into the community has had some remarkable results both in people coming to a living relationship with Jesus Christ, finding meaning, purpose and salvation, and in a noticeable change to people’s lives. What can we do? David Vincent has given some excellent pointers in his article (see page 8), and this year of all years perhaps the most important thing we can all do is pray for our city. Pray alone (you can pick up a Prayer Themes leaflet from church); pray in triplets or groups and at events (please watch the website for details). Then get involved. There are lots of opportunities to make a difference. London is too special a place to sit on the sidelines.

Fulbe Shepherds meet the Good Shepherd Kerry Stillman on life in Cameroon

Praying for London David Vincent on praying for our city

Centre spread Pull out Programme & Directory

09 Dave and Bridget Harvey Interviewed by Katie Storey

I saw God at Work Stories of encounters with God

Our Place at St Bs Jessica McLeod on St Bs special needs ministry

News in Brief A round-up of St Bs news

Back Page Henry Kendal

God on Mute Book review by Kate Wong

B Magazine Issue 06 Editorial Team: Editor: Kate Wong: katewong70@googlemail.com Henry Kendal, Margaret Peach, Sam Whittington, Katie Storey Photography Coordinator: Phil Rogers Art Direction: Hannah Knight: hannah@branddelivered.co.uk

Be Still By Colin Brookes There is a spiritual discipline which, though it didn’t make it onto January’s sermon series, is embodied in one of our key strategic goals for 2012. It is the spiritual discipline of Stillness. Back in the 90s when I worked for Soul Survivor in Watford, I would cycle from the one-bedroom flat I shared with Natalie, right across town to the Soul Survivor Warehouse. It was a wonderful way to get through Watford: zipping past jammed traffic and whipping down back alleys and side streets to arrive in ever-shorter times. But it wasn’t all rush-whizz-and-‘scuse-me! You see, I had a little custom on the journey home, an inbuilt pause which was one of the highlights of my day. It became a habit, a discipline; one that I look back on now with a disproportionate sense of relish. Part of my journey took me through Cassiobury Park, where oak trees towered anciently above whatever seasonal flowers had just

popped into bloom. And every day, as I rounded a corner and hurtled onto the path that opened into the park, I would ram on my brakes (“errrrr”), put my feet down, and STOP. I would stop and I would stare. I would drink in the beauty of nature, thanking Father God for it. I would pause to connect again with the fact that I was physically fit, had a fulfilling job, and was loved by family and friends. I would breathe in the air, cold and crisp in winter, warm and sleepy in summer. I would engage afresh with the goodness of the Lord, and, no matter what terrible things had happened to me that day, how good it was to be alive.

Stillness. William Henry Davies famously wrote, “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?” This is a trustworthy question. This is a prophetic question. What are our lives if, full of care, we don’t make time to stand and stare? Staring at nature. Staring at our loved ones - our friends as they chat on the other side of the room; our kids as they sleep with gentle, sighing breaths. Or staring at the strangers on the tube (careful with this one,

Be Still

“What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?” This is a trustworthy question. This is a prophetic question. What are our lives if, full of care, we don’t make time to stand and stare?

daily habit of standing and staring, even if it’s just for 20 seconds. Try it. Try being still at least once a day. Try standing and staring at something familiar or something new and appreciating it as the Lord intended you to.

though!). Staring at ourselves in the mirror or at the work of our hands – we, who are fearfully and wonderfully made. Apprehending the little features of our daily lives which we never notice, but would feel bereft without: the missing brick in the wall at the end of our road; the funny looking guy jogging in a velour shell suit; the nigh-on miraculous thinness of plastic bags in the supermarket; the sound of electricity shooting down the tube line as the train nears; the feeling of warm gloves on an icy morning; the smell of fresh cut grass on a summer’s evening.

Stand and stare. Breathe it in. Stillness. The writer of Psalm 46 knew about this spiritual discipline when he voiced the

Lord’s command, Be still and know that I am God. This is a psalm of someone caught up in the accelerating speeds of power struggles and war. This is someone who knows the tyranny of a wake-up-andstraight-back-to-it kind of lifestyle, something that is now standard for most north Londoners. And yet, this is also someone who knows exactly where their refuge, strength and fortress is. This is someone who, in the midst of the incessant, urgent calls upon his time and energy, is in the habit of recalling Father God’s command for him to be still, and re-orient himself around the goodness of his Creator. One of our key strategic goals for 2012 is: Actively stopping to stir and encourage prayer. In the hectic busyness of north London life, I would urge you to build in the

Or try this. When I was living in a rural semi-detached house in Cambridge, I would make a point of walking into the garden most evenings, and, in the darkness, wandering around saying things like, “this is my garden; that is my laurel bush; that is my house; in it are my family; those are my neighbours; this is my shed; that is my bike”, and so on. Might sound a bit silly, but as a tool for slowing down and connecting with the ways in which Father God had blessed me, it is currently unsurpassed. Try it. For those who didn’t really like the phrase “spiritual disciplines” in our recent sermon series, we offered the alternative phrase, “habits of the holy”. And for any who didn’t like that, we offered the more prosaic phrase, “things what’ll help you grow as a Christian if you do ‘em regular, like!” As part of our fulfilling of one of the prophetic strategic goals we believe the Lord has given us for 2012, let us get into the habit of “actively stopping”. Let us get into the discipline of stillness. Let us daily stand and stare. Be still and know that He is God.

Fulbe Shepherds meet the Good Shepherd

Fulbe Shepherds meet the Good Shepherd By Kerry Stillman Bump! Bump! Scrape! Rattle! That’s the sound of our car as it approaches the hidden-away village of the semi-nomadic Fulbe people who have become our friends. There is only a footpath to access them, so the thorns, tall grass and rocks are not used to this punishment from a vehicle.

Once we have pushed our way through, there are the grass roofs and mud houses looking rather abandoned - none of them have any doors, and furniture is definitely not the ‘in’ thing here! But signs of life emerge as our car is seen - little children from all directions run towards us, big smiles on their faces, shouting “Kerry’en ngari! Kerry’en ngari!”, roughly meaning “Kerry and her lot have come!”. We will never get tired of this welcome.

It has been our greatest privilege to introduce them to ‘Iisa Almasiihu’ (Jesus Christ), the Good Shepherd. Where I live and work in Cameroon the culture is dominated by the Fulbe people. They came to this part of sub-saharan Africa a few hundred years ago, bringing the religion of Islam with them. They became the ruling tribe here and many of the other tribes became subservient to them. Over the years they have intermarried with other tribes but their culture and language remains. The big difference now though is that the Fulbe have mostly become settled in towns and villages, have lost their huge herds of cattle and have learned to farm. Most of my neighbours will call themselves Fulbe but they have never owned a cow, let alone milked one. But these Fulbe out in the bush remain 100% pure - it is the welfare of their cattle that is the priority, the herd is their pride and joy and everything else is secondary to that. They are so orientated to protecting the family’s herds that they will marry their direct cousins. Family relationships are therefore very complicated - your aunt or uncle is also your in-law! But there is also a very strong sense of being together, living as a community and never as an individual. We got to know these precious people because one of their children was born without an anus. He was born out in the bush when his family were out for a few months with the cattle - no house, no bed, hardly any water, no shops, just the open fields and lots and lots of dust. By his sixth day the family realised something was wrong and brought him to the hospital, a very sick boy with a very obstructed abdomen. He had emergency surgery for a colostomy and was then told that he needed specialist surgery that would have to be done at the other end of Cameroon as we couldn’t do it here. All of a sudden this family were plunged into the bizarre world of hospitals, beds, rooms with doors, paperwork and white people! It was all very overwhelming for them. They had named their little boy ‘Iisa’ which means Jesus, a common name among the Fulbe. We didn’t

need much encouragement to tell them that we knew of another ‘Iisa’ who was sent from God. With the help of the ‘Willing and Abel’ charity from the UK we were able to help this family go to the specialist hospital for surgery. Iisa and his family experienced another bizarre world of buses, trains and people speaking every other language except fulfulde (the Fulbe language). God answered many prayers for them during this trip and the family came back with their healthy, repaired boy, rejoicing and so thankful. Since this time we have continued to visit them regularly, and always received the same welcome as I have described. It has been our greatest privilege to introduce them to ‘Iisa Almasiihu’ (Jesus Christ), the Good Shepherd. We have used pictures to tell the story of salvation from creation to the ascension of Jesus - imagine a mud house about 4 metres square crammed with 20ish people, all sitting on the dirt, sweat pouring down our faces, flies buzzing, children wriggling and fighting for position, all eyes fixed on the picture I am holding and most of the ears listening to the story I am telling. This is what it is like to bring the Gospel to the Fulbe. It is the first time that they have heard anything from the Bible, the first time they have had anything explained to them

about salvation and about Jesus, the first time they have ever even thought about a loving God. They have always been Muslims, they follow the religion well but none of them can read so they don’t even know what the Quran is, let alone the Bible. Can you remember the first film you ever saw? For these Fulbe, it is the ‘Jesus’ film. They’ve now seen it five times in their own language - the first time they ever saw a film, and for most the first time they ever saw anything like a TV. We took it out to them on a portable dvd player - 20 faces all crowded around it, many of them listening intently. The best reaction was when Jesus appeared after his resurrection, one of the grandmas watching said “A jabbaama!”, meaning ‘welcome’! This is our hope and prayer for these Fulbe, that one day this whole clan will say “welcome” to Jesus as their Lord and their Shepherd.

Kerry Stillman lives in Cameroon. She was sent out by St Barnabas in 2000 and works, through Pioneers, as a physiotherapist in a hospital in the north of the country. She is also part of a church-planting team. If you would like to know more, or to support Kerry, pick up a prayer postcard from the MTF noticeboard at St Bs.

Praying for London

A London Prayer Let London be the city You intend it to be. May its homes be places of love, streets places of peace, communities places of unity, businesses places of integrity, schools places of wisdom, hospitals places of healing, courts places of justice and its government righteous. May it know you and joyfully serve you.

By David Vincent

I remember when as a student I first moved to London being thrilled by the place but also slightly overwhelmed by its size and diversity. There is no one London - it has absorbed many distinct villages as it has grown, whose individual character have not been wholly subsumed by its dominant personality. How then do we pray for such a large and diverse place? Firstly, London is a microcosm of what we see across the nation. There are great differences in wealth, health and spirituality across the capital that mirror what occurs in the UK. So, when we pray into national issues very often we will find our prayers being grounded within the capital. Praying for the government, monarchy, businesses or even the media will result in us praying for people and places within our city. So part of praying for London will be to pray for these national themes. London does have its own flavour, although living here we get accustomed to it. I always ask visitors after a couple of weeks of their impressions of the place. It’s made for some lively discussions. London’s history also reveals some of its enduring nature. I love Peter Ackroyd’s Biography of London as it reveals many themes through history that are also current prayer issues. Some of the most significant are London’s reputation of being a violent city, and the fact that the City’s wealth grew through the plunder of nations (cf. Habbakkuk 2:6-13). We reap what we sow and the financial institutions in Docklands may to some extent be reaping the impact of a correction of past injustices. Tackling London’s entrenched habits will not happen quickly, but praying scripture and calling London to fulfil its destiny, for example to be a place of peace (Isaiah 60:18, Jeremiah 27:7) will bring change.

Although there are lots of “woes” in the prophetic scriptures against cities, God is not against them. He scattered the people of Babel for their united pride, and the other cities that get a bad press do so for their stubborn character and the unrepentant actions of those who lived in them. God is for cities; His-story may have started in a garden but it ends in a city filled with the presence and light of God. Prayer is about bringing something of God’s will and Kingdom into the here and now. So ask God for a vision for London as He would like it. Let that be a motivation and guide for your prayers for London. God has a plan for London that is good. Finally, watch over your patch. Get to know where you live intimately. To help me learn about the new city I had moved to I used to sit and pray in a small park beside the local estate. As I listened to the people in the flats around me and became sensitive to the Holy Spirit I discovered many specific prayer issues for these local families. I got to know that part of London very well through engaging with it. London will change through lots of people taking small actions. Prayer walking is another important way to watch over your neighbourhood. A sex-shop opened in my locality and as I passed it every day to work I would pray for its closure and the people who used it. It closed after 6 months. Is there an area where the local youths congregate and cause trouble? Spend some time there praying and you’ll find the issue improves quickly. What would God like you to change in your community? Whatever the symptom, apply prayer - it works.

Hannah Bailey Children’s Pastor 020 8343 6142 hannahbailey@stbarnabas.co.uk Currently on maternity leave Susie Yeates Assistant Children’s Pastor 020 8343 6142 susieyeates@stbarnabas.co.uk Becki Williamson Trainee Children’s Pastor 020 8343 5778 beckiwilliamson@stbarnabas.co.uk Jessica McLeod Trainee Children’s Pastor 020 8343 5778

YOUTH

SUPPORT

Liz Bewley Youth Pastor 020 8343 5788 lizbewley@stbarnabas.co.uk

Mike Vamvadelis Church Manager 020 8343 5774 mike@stbarnabas.co.uk

Jason Kirk Trainee Youth Pastor 020 8343 6148 jasonkirk@stbarnabas.co.uk

Gail Beckett Office Administrator 020 8343 5781 gailbeckett@stbarnabas.co.uk

Tristan Warr Trainee Youth Pastor 020 8343 6146 tristanwarr@stbarnabas.co.uk

Trevlyn Yeates Office Administrator 020 8343 6137 trevlynyeates@stbarnabas.co.uk

Grace McPhee Trainee Youth Pastor 020 8343 6143 gracemcphee@stbarnabas.co.uk

Siming Hill Finance and HR Administrator 020 8343 5783 siminghill@stbarnabas.co.uk

James Brown Youth Ministry Intern jamesb715@hotmail.com

Dave Harvey Facilities Coordinator 020 8343 5782 daveharvey@stbarnabas.co.uk

jessicamcleod@stbarnabas.co.uk

Marcus Hockley Children’s Ministry Intern marcushockley@stbarnabas.co.uk

Emily Workman Children’s Ministry Intern emilyworkman@stbarnabas.co.uk

Siming Hill Under 5s Leader 020 8343 5783 siminghill@stbarnabas.co.uk

MTF

CHURCHWARDENS

Ros Pateman Missions Pastor 020 8343 5785 rospateman@stbarnabas.co.uk

Jessica Mariano Missions Coordinator 020 8343 5785 jessicamariano@stbarnabas.co.uk

Sally Dryden 020 8343 5787 sallydryden@stbarnabas.co.uk

Sam Markey Acting Churchwarden sammarkey@stbarnabas.co.uk

GIVING For information about how to give financially, Gift Aid and other tax-efficient giving schemes, contact: Siming Hill Finance Administrator 020 8343 5783 siminghill@stbarnabas.co.uk

Directory

DISCIPLESHIP AND TRAINING

CHURCH

Henry Kendal, Vicar 020 8343 5775 henrykendal@stbarnabas.co.uk

Colin Brookes, Associate Vicar 020 8343 6144 colinbrookes@stbarnabas.co.uk

Margaret Peach Henry’s Assistant 020 8343 5780 margaretpeach@stbarnabas.co.uk

Chris Hassell Ordinand on Placement 020 8343 6134 chrishassell@stbarnabas.co.uk

Ryan Venn-Dunn Young Adults Pastor 020 8343 5773

ryanvenndunn@stbarnabas.co.uk

David Brown Discipleship Pastor 020 8343 5779 davidbrown@stbarnabas.co.uk

Sam Whittington Assistant Discipleship Pastor 020 8343 6138

samwhittington@stbarnabas.co.uk

Georgie McMinn David Brown’s PA 020 8343 6131 georgiemcminn@stbarnabas.co.uk

Don Skinner Discipleship Administrator donskinner@stbarnabas.co.uk

Ruth Copping and Liz Kovar Oasis Team Leaders oasis@stbarnabas.co.uk

Jane Kendal Josh Kane Worship Pastor 020 8343 5786 joshkane@stbarnabas.co.uk Jo Doré Associate Worship Pastor 020 8444 9307 jodore@stbarnabas.co.uk Elaine Rupasinha Worship Team Administrator 07932 646496 elainerupasinha@hotmail.com

Encouraging Women

Team Leader janekendal@stbarnabas.co.uk Assisted by Georgie McMinn Women’s Ministry Facilitator Contact details above

Colin Brookes Motivating Men

Team Leader colinbrookes@stbarnabas.co.uk Assisted by Angus McMinn Men’s Ministry Facilitator 07888 657527

Anne Hawes Deaf Sign Ministry Team Leader 07813 305036 annedhawes@gmail.com Anne Brown Prayer Ministry Team Leader 07960 716443 annebrown46@googlemail.com Dave and Bridget Harvey, Healing on the Streets Team Leaders 020 8343 5782 daveharvey@stbarnabas.co.uk

John Auton Hospitality and Shop Team Leader 07885 142217 hospitality@stbarnabas.co.uk

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Helen Shannon Neighbourhood Pastor 020 8343 5789

helenshannon@stbarnabas.co.uk

Sally Dryden Assistant Neighbourhood Pastor 020 8343 5787 sallydryden@stbarnabas.co.uk Ash Chafe, Trainee Neighbourhood Pastor 020 8343 6139 ashchafe@stbarnabas.co.uk Cat Overend Trainee Estates Worker, Children & Families 020 8343 6147 catoverend@stbarnabas.co.uk Anna Bryan Neighbourhood Intern 020 8343 5784 annabryan@stbarnabas.co.uk Elizabeth Burgon Neighbourhood Administrator 020 8343 6140 elizabethburgon@stbarnabas.co.uk

Chris Sykes Senior Citizens Ministry Leader 020 8888 1786 Peter & Pauline Sutton, Homeless Ministry Leaders 07813 024585 peter.sutton53@gmail.com

Dave and Bridget Harvey Interview

INTERVIEW WITH DAVE AND BRIDGET HARVEY Interview by Katie Storey

How long have you been at St Bs?

What does Healing on the Streets involve?

Dave: I’ve been a member of St Barnabas for 9 years.

D: Eek - I could write a book about that! Simply put, I think it is about enjoying a close relationship with God and having fun allowing him to use us to serve others by praying for healing.

Bridget: Even longer – 15 years, although with a 5 year break leading worship at Oakleigh Community Church.

How long have you been married?

What’s the most challenging thing about it?

B: 2 years on 3 July.

B: It can be challenging when some weeks are quieter than others, and it seems like nothing is happening!

What are your day jobs?

And what is the most inspiring thing about it?

D: I am Facilities Coordinator at St Barnabas. This involves keeping everything at St Bs running smoothly – from the PA system right down to the drains! B: I am a Systemic Psychotherapist working with Child and Adolescent Mental health for the NHS. This involves working therapeutically with individuals, families and couples and there is also a training and consultation element to the role.

What’s your favourite thing about St Bs? D: My favourite thing about St Bs is our collective hunger after God and His presence, especially in worship. B: And also our many outreach ministries.

What ministries are you involved with? D: Lots! I lead a prayer ministry team and together Bridget and I lead the Healing on the Streets ministry, where we pray for people to be physically healed, on North Finchley High Road every Saturday morning. I also love mixing sound for worship as part of the Technical Team. B: As well as co-leading Healing on the Streets I am also on the worship team and I am involved in mentoring.

Why did you both feel drawn to help out with the worship ministry?

D: Seeing lives changed and people blessed, healed, set free, born again, and also watching God use the incredible people He has put alongside us in this ministry. B: Healing on the Streets is always inspirational and fun. Seeing people healed physically and emotionally by God is the ultimate buzz!

What do you like to do in your spare time? B: I enjoy dancing with my girlfriends – I’m passionate about music. D: Together we love to wander around the shops, especially in Cornwall – God’s own county!

How would you encourage someone new to St Bs to get involved? D: Love God with all your heart, listen to His voice, don’t argue with Him … take a deep breath and do whatever it is He is talking to you about. If you’re not sure how, then we would love to help – come and talk to us!

What are your long-term plans? D: Hmm, good question! Well I could not have predicted the last 20 years but it has been awesome walking into the plan God has for us. We’re hoping for more of the same and, God willing, helping lots of others do the same.

D: Worship is very important to both of us. If you have been forgiven much you love much, and as we both have quite dramatic stories of how Jesus saved us into relationship with God, He keeps filling us up with his Spirit so we can give it away - that’s why.

I saw God at Work

God at Work

God is doing amazing things all the time, with many people’s lives being hugely impacted by divine encounters. Here are some stories:

GOD’S

PRESEN

GIFT OF GOD

Stephen Arnold

Dean Vaz

Nikki M

“We loved the atmosphere from happy smiling people ...” That was a comment from one of our guests (not yet a believer) at an East Asian Missional Community gathering. We met just before Christmas at a local venue to share a meal following the St Bs Carol Service. In addition to our regular members from church, we had invited many outside contacts to join us in

I have never considered myself as being particularly passionate about prayer and indeed it is one of the areas of my spiritual life that I have tended to find most difficult. When I heard about the 24/7 prayer week, I decided to book in one hour just before work on the Monday morning but to be honest, I had very limited expectations.

At the recent Go Deeper weekend away, you could tell the Holy Spirit was present. During the first night, the whole atmosphere felt electric but on the whole, I am not someone who has ever really ‘felt’ anything when I am asking to receive from the Holy Spirit. I had gone forward the second night to be prayed over in response to a call about prophetic evangelism. I stood there quietly at the side of the aisle and

We loved the atmosphere from happy smiling people celebrating Jesus’ birth. We had other similar comments from these guests about the warm and friendly atmosphere. As Phil Slater commented, “Sometimes we take Christian Fellowship for granted. But for people who aren’t used to this, the joy and love amongst us makes a big impression even though our joy and love feels to us rather limited!” Our aim is to build relationships within this context and, as opportunity arises, to share the good news of the wonderful salvation that is available to all who will accept it. Guests were both impressed and challenged by the Carol Service and conversations about spiritual things at the gathering. We really felt God’s presence amongst us, and eagerly anticipate what He will do in the future.

R 24/7 PRAYE

However, when I arrived in the prayer room and started to pray, I was immediately impacted by the presence of God. I felt an incredible urge to pray for the Church and the wider world. I also felt conviction of sin that had kept me from being closer to God. God spoke to me about St Barnabas and the wider church, as well as revealing more about His designs for me. Very quickly the hour was up. The rest of the week I felt such joy and it was an easy decision to make to book a 2am-4am slot later in the week, which would again yield powerful interaction with God.

The rest of the week I felt such joy Since then my relationship with God has fundamentally changed for the better and I am hugely indebted to God (and all the organisers) for this wonderful idea.

He says ‘ask and you will receive’. That means even if you don’t ‘feel’ anything. felt… nothing. After a while, I began crying out silently inside “Lord, please don’t pass me by.” I then ‘saw’ in my mind’s eye an image - it just sort of flashed into my thoughts and was gone a second later. It was an enormous square gift box with a big blue bow on it. It was being pushed by a tiny figure and the gift towered above him. I immediately felt in my heart that this was God showing me the gifts that he had for me. This encouraged me so much and if your story is similar, I hope it encourages you too. He says ‘ask and you will receive’. That means even if you don’t ‘feel’ anything.

THE GOD WHO FINDS

GOING DEEPER

HEALS GOD WHO

Samuel Wong (aged 10)

Ros Pateman

Claire Trenholme

One Friday I went to play tennis with my mum’s very expensive tennis racquet. Mum told me, with strict instructions, not to lose it. You guessed correctly – I lost it, and didn’t tell Mum for two hours because I was afraid of her response. She admits that she felt the Lord tell her not to sin in her anger but to pray; however, she didn’t feel like praying and so didn’t! Instead, Mum phoned the tennis club four hours after the event and asked them to search high and low on the court. Disappointingly,

When I booked into the Go Deeper weekend, I had no idea the weekend was going to be on the prophetic, but God had been speaking to me in recent months about hearing his voice and the need to be a prophetic people, so that was an amazing fit. On the first evening, John White mentioned a verse in Jeremiah which had been integral in my call to China some years ago and it stirred up in me a longing for a clearer confirmation of a call for a new job I had been offered; and I was also very aware I needed a fresh anointing and

On the Sunday of the Go Deeper weekend I received prayer for a tendon in my hand. I’d had a problem for about two weeks, with a lump on my tendon that had been growing steadily. It had been sore to bend, and even to wash my hands and face, because it was uncomfortable to rub it against anything. At the weekend when it was prayed for, I thought I heard God say he was going to heal it, but I thought I must have misheard, because the lump kept growing. The following day when I woke up it was still the same, but part

He too was amazed that it had been found! it couldn’t be found. The next day, Mum prayed with me that someone honest would hand in the racquet. The time of prayer was 8.30am and I went off to my music theory class. While I was in class, Mum called the tennis club one more time, and the person who picked up the phone mentioned that someone had handed in the racquet at 8.30am! The receptionist remarked how surprised she was that someone had handed it in. At the desk waiting for Mum to collect the racquet was the man who had tried to search for it the night before. He too was amazed that it had been found! Following this answer to prayer, Mum lost part of her precious handbag the following week; she prayed for it and retraced her steps, crossing the road and entering another store, and found it on the floor, totally unharmed! I have learned to pray for missing objects – I hope you can do this too!

a prophetic word for me, which exactly described the situation empowering of the Spirit on my life and work. Just before the evening meeting on Saturday, I was asking the Lord for this and went forward for the ministry time at the end. During this time, John had a prophetic word for me, which exactly described the situation I was in and which was so encouraging and empowering, beyond anything I could have imagined. I want to thank God that He hears the specific prayers and longings of our hearts and responds to us in such grace.

No lump, no pain, nothing. My hand has been completely restored to normal! way through the morning I accidentally knocked it, which when it has happened before, has been really painful... but it wasn’t painful. So, surprised, I looked down, and couldn’t see the lump. I felt around - no lump... I got my husband Nick to feel the tendon too, just to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. No lump, no pain, nothing. My hand has been completely restored to normal!

If you have any stories of God at work in your life, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Kate Wong katewong70@googlemail.com

Our Place at St Bs

Our Place at St Bs is our ministry for children and young people with special needs. We provide an environment and opportunities in which they can meet with God in an environment that is appropriate to their individual needs, by means of a specially set-up venue in the Tubeside Hall every Sunday during the 11.30am service. Alongside this, we also seek to provide inclusion within our Sunday services. Our Place at St Bs has taken its vision and ideas from the thriving and passionate Our Place at New Wine.

Our Place at St Bs -

OUR PLACE TO ENCOUNTER GOD By Jessica McLeod Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 11.30am on a Sunday morning. You have just made yourself a cup of coffee and found somewhere to sit. You glance around and see all the fellow adults and you can hear some childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voices coming from somewhere. You see some youth escaping the building through the side door. But that is all you see and hear; you wonder what they do, but then you re-focus your attention on what is happening on the platform and engage with the service.

But out the back of church, an exciting session is beginning ... Our Place at St Bs! It is my pleasure to lead this ministry and what a privilege it is! Every week, we gather together with children and young people who need a quieter and more flexible environment. Our Place has been running since January 2012 and has started so well. It has been on the hearts of lots of people for such a long time and it now exists! I am excited to see what God has planned for Our Place and our vision is that as more children and young people come, they will be able to enjoy an environment in which they can encounter God and develop their personal relationship with Him. We are also looking at providing support for those children who need some help within Kids Church and Under 5s Church.

The children and young people are so ready and eager to talk to God and hear what He has to say to them.

the session is creative and is such that it has to capture the attention of all children and young people. We have even acted out the story of Jonah, which was a lot of fun and it allowed one young person to really understand the story as he played Jonah!

A typical session Children and young people spend time in Kids Church (5s-11s) and The Sunday Session (12s-14s) to socialise with their peers and then join us in the Tubeside Hall. The session begins with socialising or freeplay and that is a real chance for friendships and trust to grow. The children and young people love the freedom that they have to choose what they want to do, and the flexibility that they have to switch activities as many times as they want. For me, the best part of the session begins when we all get together to learn about and encounter God. The teaching part of

The time of talking and listening to God that we have at Our Place is such a special time. The children and young people are so ready and eager to talk to God and hear what He has to say to them. Whether they are saying their own prayers whilst popping bubbles, or lying down waiting to hear from God, or sitting beneath a moving parachute to feel the Holy Spirit, they all meet with God. Allowing them to have the space to meet with God in the way that they need to, is easy to do and an absolute honour to be a part of! To quote a team member: “Being in Our Place is like a close encounter with God - through the young people we spend time with, I come face to face with the beauty and complexity of the Lord’s creation; and I am taught to trust wholeheartedly and unconditionally in God again, just as they do.” Worship does not look exactly like you would see in Adult Church, but it takes the form of the children and young people

using flags to worship, using signing to help them understand and say the words, as well as asking the Holy Spirit to come and fill them with His love and peace. In the words of another team member: “God is so present that it makes you feel warm inside even when the heating is broken!” Our Place is definitely a place where God dwells, and being a part of this ministry is an absolute privilege and a joy. I would encourage you to come and see it for yourselves! We would love to have any other people in our team who are passionate about this ministry, so please do contact us to come to a session and see what we do! Similarly, if you know of any children or young people who do not yet attend Our Place, but who you think would benefit from it, then please do contact us.

To find out more about Our Place at St Bs, contact Jessica McLeod: jessicamcleod@stbarnabas.co.uk 020 8343 6149

News in Brief

News in Brief A round-up of Who’s doing What, Where, When and sometimes Why

Mission Partners Update Go Deeper After an amazing year in Brazil, Bianca Ferreira Da Silva returned to London in February. Please do look out for Bianca and find out about her time on mission. In May we also welcome back two more of our mission partners: Kerry Stillman will be in the UK for five months home leave from Cameroon, while Caroline Burns is returning permanently after five years in Bolivia. Please do join us at St Bs on 27 May, for our annual Mission Sunday, when we will have the chance to hear inspiring stories from around the world.

Caroline

Bianca

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Thought for the Day After almost twelve years of inspiring and encouraging members of St Bs, our daily email Thought for the Day will stop running after Easter. However the roughly 300 readers of TFTD should not despair; in September St Bs will be starting something new in its place – watch this space for details!

Henry and his amazing technicolour world map jacket In December, our evening service was blessed to have the founder of Operation Mobilisation, George Verwer, as a guest speaker. Wearing his eye-catching world map jacket, George shared some of his incredible stories and exhorted people to get involved in mission. A great evening was truly capped when George presented Henry with his world map jacket, in recognition of Henry and St Bs commitment to world mission as expressed through MTF.

New Wine News Following John and Anne Coles moving on from St Bs last year, Henry has now taken over from John in heading up the New Wine Network in North London. The network exists to support and resource church leaders in North London, and St Bs hosts a meeting each term as part of this. At the start of March, St Bs also hosted a New Wine Learning to Heal day. With teaching from Henry, well over 50 participants packed into the Parish Hall to learn about the healing ministry of Jesus and to practise praying for one another in the power of God’s Spirit. It proved to be a powerful day with a number of healings as people took the opportunity to give and receive healing prayer. If you would be interested in attending a future Learning to Heal event, then contact Anne Brown (details in the directory in centre pages).

At the end of February 200 members of St Bs enjoyed a fantastic weekend at Latimer Place, Buckinghamshire. The main sessions included some challenging and encouraging teaching from John White on prophecy and Neill Archer on mission, as well as powerful times of worship and ministry. And in between there was plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, good food, and some wonderful company. See pages 10-11 for some of the good stories from the weekend.

Mission Action Plan Hopefully at some point in the past few months you will have picked up a business card featuring the church’s Mission Aims and Key Strategies for the current year. As well as focusing the church’s attention on key strategies for this year, the Mission Aims are also included in a larger piece of work, our Vision brochure, which outlines what St Bs hopes to work toward and achieve in the coming five years. This Vision brochure, which includes our Mission Action Plan, has been prepared by the Senior Team and PCC, and will be published at our AGM on 22 April.

Lounge Worship It may have already come to your attention, but a bit more work has been done to help ensure that St Bs can provide a warm welcome to those who come to worship here. In response to a picture that Henry received from God, the north transept of the church, where previously we served tea and coffee, has now been refurbished with sofas and comfy seats. A beer fridge has also been added, although this will remain firmly locked until the close of evening services on a Sunday!

24/7 Prayer

Youth Weekend Away March also saw two camps, one site, one big weekend away for our young people! Forty of our 11s-18s tackled the high rope challenge at Carroty Wood; they also met together, ate together, laughed together, encountered God and hardly slept!

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7 24/

For one week in February, members of the young adult community at St Bs organised a 24/7 prayer room, where over 70 members of the church went at all hours of the day to spend time praying and seeking God. Lara Simonot, who was part of the 24/7 leadership team, commented that, “The actual room had an incredible sense of peace in it and it was obvious that the presence of God was resting there, ready to meet with every person who came in to spend time with Him. Many people felt the burden of intercession whilst in the prayer room and gave their heart’s cry and prayers to many of the areas which affect us as a church now and will affect us in this coming year.” Topics people were encouraged to pray for included the Olympics, human trafficking, as well as for the vision and leadership of St Bs. To read more about one person’s experience of 24/7, check out page 10.

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Missional Communities Missional Communities continue to gather momentum at St Bs. During a recent meeting, leaders shared encouraging stories from their groups. Particular highlights included an East Asian Missional Community Christmas Event (see page 10 for details), six members of the Prison Ministry group attending Christmas Day services in Pentonville Prison, and stories of God working through the Palmers Green and Southgate group’s involvement in their local community. In addition, Homeless Outreach ran a highly successful Winter Shelter, providing a place for people to stay every Monday evening from January until March and to mark Fairtrade Fortnight 2012, Justice Matters held a screening of the documentary Blood in the Mobile, which explores the connection between Western consumerism and conflict. You can find out more about Missional Communities on our website, or by contacting Sam Whittington (details in the directory in centre pages).

At the start of the year, St Bs hosted another six week series of God Questions. In June, the GQ team are planning on taking the event to the High Road, giving more people the opportunity to come and ask any question about God, faith and life that they have – see back cover for details.

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Our new Friday night group for kids launched in January, and has enjoyed a really exciting first few months with around 100 children regularly coming along to play games, do crafts, watch movies, and enjoy tuck shop and hanging out together. With Friday Night Chill running for Youth, it means St Bs is welcoming 150 children and young people every Friday evening.

Staff News Ros Pateman and Jess Mariano: we are delighted to announce that Ros Pateman has agreed to join the St Bs MTF staff after she finishes covering Jess’ maternity leave. Ros will be taking up the new part time position of Missions Pastor with leadership responsibility for pastoral care of our mission partners and MTF. She will be working alongside Jess, who we look forward to welcoming back to her role of MTF Coordinator in April. David and Anne Brown: in March, our Discipleship Pastor David and his wife Anne visited China, and had the opportunity to spend some time meeting with overseas members of St Bs who are teaching there. Joshua Kane: following interviews in January, we are thrilled to announce that Joshua Kane has been appointed to the role of Worship Pastor. He is currently completing a Masters ne in Biblical Studies Joshua Ka and will initially take up the role part time after Easter. Joshua and his wife Rachel, who is a secondary school teacher, will then complete the move here from Huddersfield in the summer. Hannah and Adam: in February our Children’s Pastor Hannah and husband Adam’s first child, Toby William, was born. Although he arrived early, Toby has progressed very well. Hannah and Adam have also recently completed the process of changing their surname from Feery to Bailey.

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God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer By Pete Greig

Review by Kate Wong “If your deepest, most desperate prayers aren’t being answered, if life sometimes hurts so much that you secretly wonder whether God exists, and if He does whether He cares, and if He cares why on earth He doesn’t just do something, then you are not alone. Surprisingly, the Bible reveals that Jesus - even Jesus - suffered the silence of unanswered prayer.” This magnetic introduction to Greig’s excellent book is inviting enough to draw any Christian to pick up this easy-to-read, but thought-provoking and spiritually nourishing book. The difficulty of unanswered prayer is bravely explored by Greig, one of the founding champions of the 24-7 prayer movement. As someone who has needed to deal with the paradox of unanswered prayer for his wife’s chronic and unpredictable illness, Greig draws us into his exploration of the why of unanswered prayer. The book is structured in four sections, the latter three superbly drawing on the themes of Good Friday (Why Aren’t My Prayers Being Answered?), Holy Saturday (Where is God When Heaven is Silent?) and Easter Sunday (When Every Prayer is Answered). Greig draws on Scripture, and couples it with practical insight and the writings of theologians, Christian writers and Jewish and secular commentators, to add depth to his rich explanations. Of note, the concept of Holy Saturday is particularly encouraging for the weary. Greig reminds us that “Holy Saturday is the no-man’s land between questions and answers to come. It’s where we wait with a peculiar mixture of faith and despair - whenever God is silent or life doesn’t make sense.” Many of us live in the interim state of Holy Saturday, and this book will encourage us to think in a way which does not make us feel that our pain is trivial, but will allow us to address our pain in the totality of its rawness. Greig says that honest questions to Jesus enable us to “continue to worship, even at the grave of everything we ever believed in,” and in so doing, “our grief will turn to gold”.

WOODSIDE PA RK NORTHERN LIN E

REPUBLIC E E F F O C @ Submit questions via facebook, email, or bring them along in person. What is your God question? Find us on facebook ‘God Questions‘

What is your God question?

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How can there be a God, when there is so much suffering in the world?

Join us for an informal discussion on three Tuesday evenings Contact Helen Shannon on 020 8343 5789 Email: helenshannon@stbarnabas.co.uk

To Finchley Central

St Barnabas

Don’t all religions lead to God?

@Coffee Republic *778 High Road, North Finchley, London, N12 9QR

TALLY HO

HOLDEN ROAD

12, 19, 26 JUNE 2012

To East Finchley

HIGH ROAD NORTH FINCHLEY A1000 WOODSIDE PA RK RD

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St Barnabas Holden Road Woodside Park London N12 7DN Tel: 020 8343 5770 Email: theoffice@stbarnabas.co.uk www.stbarnabas.co.uk