Due to inclement weather this evening’s meeting (5 February) has been cancelled. This afternoon’s meeting of the Discipleship Group has also been cancelled as has the Mainly Music Group tomorrow morning. Further announcements will be made here when we receive more information.

Update: We can now confirm that the Monday Lunch will not take place tomorrow and the Hub Cafe will not be open. This includes the Foodbank Drop-in Centre. The Costa Book Club scheduled for Monday evening is also cancelled.

Youth group leader Ruth Hardy is impressed with the attitude and commitment being shown by members of the Youth Group.

In this week’s Monday Spot we reported that Ruth had shared with the congregation the vision for the group for the coming months, shaped around the SA Youth Department’s theme of ‘Boundless’. The group have 6 aims for this year:

Bringing new people into the Youth Group

Engaging in ‘outreach’ ministry

Providing handouts suitable for the youth age group

Spending more time in worship and bible study

Taking a lead in worship

Designing and producing a youth magazine

The image above has been signed by the members of the group as their own commitment to this vision. We pray that God will bless them as they undertake the tasks they have put their hands to. Please add your prayers to this end.

Leader Ruth Hardy

click on the image to enlarge

click on the image to enlarge

click on the image to enlarge

Being ‘fit for life’ remains the theme for our meetings throughout January and we continued in this vein yesterday. Our leaders once again were Majors Alec and Andrea Still.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

The particular topic for the morning was ‘Model of Church’ and was centred around two verses from Acts 2:46-47. The meeting began with 395 from the Salvation Army Song Book and continued with the contribution of the Singing Company (God is my refuge). Song 595 from Songs of Fellowship took us into prayer time. Three more songs from Songs of Fellowship were included (73, 514 and 621) and the contribution from the Songsters was ‘I know a fount’. Following the Olympic idea which has formed the basis for our thoughts a ‘medal update’ was carried out during which Major Alec spoke about our preparations for next week when we shall examine our ‘fitness planner’ and consider how successful our results have been. There will be awards we understand!

Ruth Hardy shared with the congregation the vision for the Youth Group for the coming months, shaped around the SA Youth Department’s theme of ‘Boundless’. The group have 6 aims for this year:

Bringing new people into the Youth Group

Engaging in ‘outreach’ ministry

Providing handouts suitable for the youth age group

Spending more time in worship and bible study

Taking a lead in worship

Designing and producing a youth magazine

We hope to hear more from the young people themselves about their aims and objectives in these areas in the next few weeks.

Major Alec brought the sermon and said:

As we have been going through the early topics of our ‘Fit for Life’ study our thoughts have been largely of a personal application and response. But now we realize there is more to it than this. There is a corporate element. We are called to be here for each other and it helps to be part of a Christian community. Journeying alone can be daunting but together it is so much better. But there can also be problems with community because people are people with all the attendant failings. Sometimes we get carried away with being ‘church’. We set rules and get bound by them, sometimes missing the whole point of living in a community.

Jesus worked in a small group and it supported him even though its members didn’t always agree or even understand his teaching. Despite this they saw many people’s lives transformed. Small groups work when they adopt the purposes of God.  Large groups are wonderful but small groups have a special place because they can provide the ‘soil’ for the new roots of those who come to faith. Examples are the fellowship of our bands, songsters and many other interest groups. These are ample evidence of fellowship but it goes much further as we grow the Kingdom of God. Our homes are important places in this context as we share together and acknowledge the source of our joy. We must share the love of God in all our interest groups so that they can reach their true potential in fellowship. If we do this God will, as scripture says, add to our number those who are being saved.

The meeting concluded with songs 581 and 577 from the Salvation Army Song Book.

The evening meeting was preceded by an informal ‘get together’ with a couple from Serbia who have been recipients and distributors of the Shoebox Appeal organised each year by our friends Blythswood Care.The Ladies Fellowship has been donating boxes to this appeal for many years and Nevana and Sasha wished to meet the ladies to say thank-you for all the gifts sent.

Nevana and Sasha each brought testimonies to the following meeting which were both interesting and very moving. Blythswood certainly do a great work year after year and our ladies have been proud to be a small part of  it.

The meeting began with 745 from the Salvation Army Song Book and included contributions from the Band and Songsters (‘Make me a chsannel of your peace’ and ‘Grace Alone’ respectively). 2065 and 362 from Songs of Fellowship were also included. Major Andrea spoke on the subject of ‘Stretching my Faith’, based on 2 Peter 1:1-11, and said;

What does it mean to stretch our faith? To Peter it was about one word, discipleship, putting our whole heart and soul into what we do. When I was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago I was angry and lost sight of my calling to God’s work and this began a journey back to fullness of faith. Disciples are people of faith, stemming from a God who took the initiative through Jesus. Faith is a precious gift which helps our experience and understanding. Because of this we can be eye-witnesses to God’s majesty. We can be like Jesus but not in our own strength. To do this we must know him because we can’t be like someone we don’t know.

Discipleship isn’t easy, requiring study and hard work. We must be excited about what God is doing all around us. He has given us every tool we need for a godly life, this participating in his divine nature. We must take part in God’s mission in the world around us. Jesus said ‘go and make disciples’ not go and start a church. This means we must draw people in as participants, by participating ourselves in God’s purposes. Then we can make a difference in our community.

The final two songs were ‘I then shall live‘ and 696 from the Salvation Army Song Book.

The contributions from our Serbian friends brought a very special atmosphere to the meeting and it was a privilege to meet them.

We would remind readers of next Saturday’s concert to be given by the Regent Hall (Oxford Street, London) Salvation Army Band and our own Songsters which is expected to be a great evening. The programme starts at 7.00pm and admission is £6 (£4 for concessions). All proceeds will go towards our building development costs. The work is anticipated to start in the late spring.

Regent Hall Band marching on Regent Street, London

Once again we thank you all for taking the time to read our website and look forward to you visiting us again. If you live near enough why not visit us in person (Sunday meetings 10am and 6pm). Our hall is in Church Street as shown on the following maps.

Click on the maps to enlarge

This week our Foodbank ‘Drop-in’ centre opened for the first time and we received our first ‘client’. There was real need in this family and we pray that God will help all involved to resolve the difficulties speedily.

Helen Gallagher, Foodbank Co-ordinator, has also been having a busy time. Here is a quote from the Foodbank’s Facebook page:

Sunday was a busy day for us! Across Medway many churches came together with joint services, marking the culmination of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In Twydall the churches gathered at Holy Trinity to worship and hear about the Foodbank. It was a joy to share & pray with them. In north Gillingham, at St Augustine’s, the Bishop of Rochester, James Langstaff spoke about the importance of churches working together to bless and benefit the communities around them. The Foodbank was again highlighted and our DVD shown. In Strood the churches gathered at All Saints, Frindsbury to celebrate together and hear about the work of the Foodbank. We are so grateful for the practical support and encouragement of more and more Medway churches as we develop the Foodbank and take it forward together. Thank you, one and all!

The Salvation Army would be pleased to hear from any suitable persons wishing to volunteer for work with the Foodbank. Anyone interested should contact us. Our ‘Drop-in’ centre is open on Mondays and Fridays between 10.30am and 1.30pm and is situated in Church Street.

Click on the maps to enlarge

Serbian friends Nevana and Sasha will be visiting us next Sunday (29th). They are recipients of the Shoebox Appeal organised by Blythswood Care to which our Ladies Fellowship contributes each year.

Last year’s contribution

The ladies are organising a tea at 4.30pm on Sunday which will be attended by Nevana and Sasha who will be staying for our evening meeting and speaking about the effects of the appeal in Serbia. This promises to be an excellent evening so join us if you can at Church Street. Here’s how to find us.

Click on the maps to enlarge

A new Bible Study course starts tomorrow (Wed 25 January at 8pm) at our Church Street hall, Nigel Day tells us.

Course leader Nigel Day

Nigel writes:

It (the course) is entitled “Stop looking for the will of God” and is  a DVD presentation with discussion notes. It only lasts four weeks and should be very interesting as Jeff Lucas is an engaging and humourous speaker.

Why not join us if you live locally. Here’s how to find us.

Click on the maps to enlarge

Bandmaster Carl Woodman informs us:

General Linda Bond was delighted to accept £50,000 from the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland to support the continuing expansion of Salvation Army ministry in Africa. The money was raised through ISB120, a successful series of meetings held in London in 2011 to mark the 120th anniversary of the International Staff Band of The Salvation Army.

General Linda Bond

In a letter to the General, Territorial Commander Commissioner John Matear asked that the donation be used specifically to fund mission development in Africa. In addition to being our corps Bandmaster Carl Woodman is a long standing menber of the ISB.

Commissioner John Matear

B/M (Staff Bandsman) Carl Woodman

On Sunday we continued with our theme of  being ‘Fit for Life’. In the morning we began with song 22 from the Salvation Army Song Book and also used 917, 330 and 734 from the same book. Additionally songs 97 and 390 from Songs of Fellowship were chosen.

Time for the younger persons present centered around the value of time. Does it drag or isn’t there enough of it? Four people (2 young and 2 older) were asked to stand and remain silent for one minute. On of the ‘oldies’ failed after 3 seconds. One of the youngsters only succeeded by staring steadfastly at the floor thus avoiding any eye contact. A minute seemed a long time to them and numerous examples of time going fast or slow were outlined. Time is important, said Major Andrea, especially the time we spend with God. A reading from Ecclesiastes 3:1-18 put this into a scriptural context.

Musical items were brought by the Singing Company and Songsters with ‘He sought me’ and ‘It must be love’ respectively. Further scripture was chosen from Mark 1:29-39 preceding the message, entitled ‘Exercising my prayer life’, brought by Major Andrea who said:

Do you ever feel too tired or too busy to pray. For most of us the answer would be ‘yes’. A lot of our business is on God’s behalf engaging in his work but the more we do the more we need to pray. God’s logic is not always the same as ours and he wants our company as well as our service. Running an efficient home is not necessarily the same as raising a family and  the same applies to our church and its family. We must be about God’s business and be ready to meet human need in Jesus’ name. This requires us to pray and the timing is not as important as the prayer itself. We need to fit our busy life around our prayer life and not vice versa. Jesus himself demonstrated a life of prayer surrounding everything he did with it. Without prayer our life for God has no real meaning. So we must ask ourselves when and how we can carve out the time and space for it . It should be a natural part of our everyday living so that we are continually aware that we are in the presence of a great God.

Verses 11-12 from Jeremiah 29 featured in a time of contemplation before the final song.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

‘Worship as a 24/7 experience’ was the topic for the evening meeting which began with song 56 from the Salvation Army Song Book. Songs 480 and 43 from Songs of Fellowship were used during the meeting before reverting to the SA Song Book (184) to conclude. Scripture chosen was Romans 12:1-2 and the musical ministry was provided by the Band (‘Be Thou my vision’) and Songsters (He is exalted).

A period of personal testimony centered around the choruses ‘I want to sing it‘ and ‘I’m living my life for Jesus‘. Thoughts expressed evoked the need for prayer on the subject of outreach in many different areas.

Major Alec brought he message and said:

If you want to feel old speak to children! How things have changed in recent years amazes me. Particularly how technology has changed is remarkable. How did we survive as children with only 3 TV channels which were only available at certain times of the day? Today we can do everything 24/7, at any time of day or night. Our short reading defines our spiritual act of worship (‘keep your bodies a living sacrifice’) which is a 24/7 act. No translations of the scripture suggest this is in any way part time or related to specific circumstances. This would be a compromise.

So what does all this mean? It does not mean we have to be boring or lacking in fun. God did not create us to be miseries but to have life in all its fullness. In fact it means that we must always be aware that God is with us and we must live in that relationship so that he can be seen in us inn our everyday situations. Being like Jesus is not just for the times when we are on public view but for all times, 24/7, We will make mistakes but we can be ‘work in progress’ so that we work toward a life that is pleasing to him.

Today we take a further step towards ministering to our local community as we open our ‘drop-in’ centre for the new Medway Foodbank. Much prayer and preparation has gone into setting up this facility and many met last Wednesday for a special prayer gathering when we were given some insight into the early days of the Strood centre which opened just before Christmas.

Jean shares her experiences of the recently opened Strood  Foodbank with those at the prayer meeting

We will report further on the development of this project in the weeks and months ahead. Meanwhile we ask our readers to support with prayer and, where possible, donations of food. Volunteers are always welcome and any interested persons should contact us.

A new group formed from mums who recently attended our Parenting Course. All are welcome so why not contact us. For more information click on the images below to enlarge.

Here’s where we are:

The following letter has been received from Helen Gallagher, co-ordinator of the new Medway Foodbank regarding our Christmas Carol Concerts.

Helen

Click on the letter to enlarge

We invite all who can to join us on 4 February at 7pm for a concert given by the Regent Hall Band of The Salvation Army in aid of our Building Refurbishment Scheme.

On Regent Street, London

The Band will be joined in the concert by our own Songsters so the evening will contain much variety for the enjoyment of all listeners.

The Salvation Army at Regent Hall is the only church on London’s famous Oxford Street. Click here to read about the history of this historic corps.

The concert will be held in our Church Street hall. Check the maps below for our location.

Click on the maps to enlarge

The ‘Fit for Life’ series in our Sunday worship programme will continue for the next three weeks.

Next Sunday (22 January) the morning theme will be ‘Exercising my Prayer Life’ (Jeremiah 29:11-12). The evening theme will be ‘Worship as a 24/7 experience’ (Romans 12:1-2)

On Sunday 29 January the morning theme will be ‘Sharing in Community and small groups’ (Acts 2:46-47). The evening theme will be ‘Stretching my faith’ (2 Peter 1:3-9)

Sunday 5 February will see the concl;usion of the series as we dwell on ‘Taking time to rest’ (Mark 6:30-32). This will involve the presentation of medals. In the evening we shall be ‘Celebrating Victories’.

Why not join us if you are able to. We meet at 10am on Sunday mornings and 6pm in the evenings.

Here’s how to find us:

Click on the maps to enlarge