Monday Spot (18 January 2010)
This week-end has been rather special with the visit of the Territorial Commanders, Commissioners John and Elizabeth Matear.
Commissioners John and Elizabeth Matear
On Saturday the newly refurbished foyer/cafe area was officially opened by Commissioner John Matear in the presence of the Deputy Mayor of Medway, Cllr. Barry Kemp. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to set it up with the movable screens as the doors, long awaited, still hadn’t arrived. However, this didn’t stop the facilities being used and enjoyed.
Cutting the ribbon Dignitaries enjoying the cafe area.
There was a short service introduced by the Divisional Commander, Lieut-Colonel Anthony Cotterill which included an act of dedication and a presentation about future plans. Click here for a fuller report.
In the evening the Commissioners participated in the Divisional Celebration with Maidstone Band and Sittingbourne Worship Band in attendance.
About 20 people from the Czech church which meets at Margate Salvation Army were welcomed to the celebration and one brother gave his testimony, interpreted by another. He witnessed that he came to the church to find a brother and found a father – his heavenly father.
Two Czech Christians 
Lieut.Col. Anthony Cotterill presented an appeal for the people of Haiti. There was a powerpoint presentation of the SA Corps and Regional Headquarters as it was last week, (approx. 1000 people met for worship each Sunday), then showed the damaged buildings after the earthquake. Haiti is close to the heart of Commissioners John and Elizabeth Matear as they were in charge of the Caribbean, including Haiti, for five years up to 2006 and have many friends there. A collection was made for the SA Haiti Appeal fund.
The Sunday meetings were led by both the Territorial Commander John Matear and Commissioner Elizabeth Matear. In the morning the songs used were Song 171, SoF10, SoF877, Song 59. Music ministry was provided by the Singing Company ‘Give Thanks’ and Songsters ‘Praise His Holy name’.
Commissioner Elizabeth spoke about the people of Haiti. She said that they have an incredible faith in the living God. They say ‘We have a great big wonderful God!’. They have resilience – they have undergone severe testing; they have courage and creativity – they make something out of nothing, even making cakes out of mud when they are desperate; they have an enduring spirit – they have experienced broken promises time and again. They survive in the best of days with little or nothing.
200 years ago Haiti was the world’s richest colony but now life is a struggle. It is a young nation. It does not need to be rebuilt but to be built as a new nation from scratch. We must pray for the people of Haiti to hold on in the face of disaster, to have their faith strengthened and have courage and endurance. They will then say ‘God does not break His promise to me.’
Susan Willard testified to the way God was leading her and she was ‘In His Hands’.
Susan Willard
The scripture used was Revelation 3:7-13 and was read by Trevor Grant.
In his address, Commissioner John Matear said that God knows all about us ‘I know your deeds’ and the God who ‘so loved the world’ continues to love us. He knows us intimately and loves us perfectly. The open door is an invitation to us as a door of opportunity which only God can shut. Many have foreboding and fear but as God knows all about us we need not be afraid. This is an opportunity to be all we have been created to be, realise our potential and experience a challenge to work towards being different. Some refuse to cross the door even though God keeps it open for fear of failure or fear of the unknown. But if we fail to move forward we can’t experience the fulness that God wants to give us. The message is not about optimism but hope. The Lord will deliver. The open door is the door of personal growth for us to experience the height, width and depth of God’s love. The Holy Spirit continues to guide us. He calls us to be strong in Him because we have little strength to call our own. Col.1:29 is a verse which can be depended upon. It is not our good works but our love for God and one another that marks us as Christians.
The afternoon meeting commenced with Song 24 and included SoF 8, Song 707, SoF 709, SoF 40, SoF 646, Song 435 and Song 833. Both the worship group and the Band accompanied the singing. Mark Scoulding gave his testimony and witnessed that he is thrilled to be reminded that God knows him yet calls him. He holds fast to the verse ‘The righteous shall live by faith’ and is encouraged that we are a ‘work in progress’. He asked for prayers for the Alpha for Civil Servants which is commencing at 12.30 on Wednesdays.
The Band and Songsters’ provided thoughtful music ministry with the Band playing ‘Fall afresh’ and the Songsters singing ‘I surrender all’. Mike Cooke read the scripture from Acts 20: 17-27.
Commissioner Elizabeth Matear spoke words of encouragement and said that God has given us everything we need to fulfil our mission. Although she was glad to see the improvements made to the fabric of the hall, this is not an end in itself. Our lives need to be meaningful and productive the the kingdom of God. Pursuing self indulgence leaves us unsatisfied. We should ask ourselves ‘What am I giving my life to?’ ‘What is motivating me?’ The song ‘One life to live’ is relevant for all ages. She said that we must, like Paul, run the race and achievew the goal. We don’t always finish what we start so we should ‘Hold on – keep going- stay with it’. It’s the challenge for discipleship. She said that God’s commission to the Corps was that here in this place we will faithfully teach and build up the people. Make it a priority so that we can confidently make disciples. Then go out into the secular space and explore about flying the flag for salvation and justice. We can work with confidence and courage as there are no no-go areas of mission – no dodging or diluting. Proclaim faithfully and live consistently.
And so we come to the end of this week-end for which we had planned for so long and thank God for giving us these inspirational leaders who spoke with passion and dedication.
And now we move on to the next important step for the Corps, our Give to Grow programme. The Corps meal is being held next Saturday followed by a week of bible studies and small group meetings.
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