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

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

Our Adherents met recently for their annual fellowship tea under the leadership of Majors Jim and Alma Brown.

Majors Alma & Jim Brown

The group is an important part of the corps as it embodies within the fellowship of the corps those who are not quite ready to commit to Soldiership and yet want to belong to the corps family. In  many cases this group forms a stepping stone whilst people prepare themselves for further involvement. The pictures below were taken during last year’s fellowship meeting.

Purpose Group Leader Nigel Day says:  ‘Everyone is welcome to come to the meeting of the Discipleship Purpose Group on Friday 21 October at 8pm at Chatham Salvation Army Hall.   We will be reviewing what we did during the past twelve months and plan events for the forthcoming year including: hot potato evenings, Discipleship Sunday 2012, special prayertimes, mentoring.’

If you’re not able to come Nigel would like to hear from you with any suggestions and ideas.    Add your comments here.

Click here to read the recent article in Salvationist regarding General Linda Bond’s call to prayer.

General Linda Bond

Click here to submit prayer requests to Major Jill Miller (24-7/SA Prayer Co-ordinator, THQ)

Click here to submit prayer requests to Margaret Day (our own corps Prayer Co-ordinator) or to seek further information about our prayer fellowship.

MEET GOD DAILY THROUGH PRAYER AND PRAISE

ENJOY A VARIETY OF BITE-SIZE BIBLE READINGS

BUILD A LASTING LIBRARY FOR FURTHER STUDY

The September – December 2011  edition of Words of Life is now available at £3.50 per copy. Click here to order on line or contact us.

Advent…….a chance to prepare for the celebration of that moment in history when ‘the Word became human and made his home among us’ (John 1:14, NLT). So, in this advent edition guest writer Lt. Col. Andre Sterckx helps us to understand further how God came to earth for our salvation – in the person of Jesus Christ.

Other studies in this volume lead us through the life and teaching of Jesus, as outlined in a selection of books authored by Salvation Army officers. We consider how best to display the nature of Jesus as we endeavour to live like him, producing the fruits of the Spirit. We discover more about his character from some ‘portraits’ of Christ, and learn about God’s kingdom from teaching Jesus gave through his parables and some question-and-answer encounters.

As the year draws to its close, we get to meet the next author of ‘Words of Life’ as Major Beverly Ivany, of Canada, introduces herself by way of two mini-series.

Major Beverly Ivany

A new Alpha course will begin at our Church Street hall on Wednesday 14 September.

The leaders for the new course will be Paul and Wendy Scoulding assisted by Rod Tranah. New Corps Officers Majors Alec and Andrea Still will also be involved.

L to R: Wendy & Paul, Rod, Andrea & Alec

Click here for more information about Alpha

Click here to register for the course

Lieutenants Steve and Mel Scoulding share their thoughts about Commissioning Day at Westminster Central Hall (9 July 2011).

Steve & Mel

They write:

There are a few occasions in life when you wish that you could bottle each moment, so you could take it out again at your leisure and enjoy every detail. Today was one of those days as we celebrated our Commissioning and Ordination as Salvation Army Officers.

Coming at the end of two years of formal  residential training at William Booth College, which itself followed five years of journeying towards Officership, we were in some ways well-prepared. We cadets had certainly spent time in preparation and rehearsal, so that we knew what was happening when and could sing our Sessional and Dedication songs without too much difficulty. But it’s not easy to be prepared for the emotions of such a day.

The solemnity of Wednesday’s Covenant Day set a seal on what God has called us to by reminding us that covenants with God are sacred and not to be entered into lightly. The sense of peace that followed the signing of each Covenant was overwhelming and we looked forward with eager anticipation to sharing our Commissioning Day with family and friends.

A ramshackle band from the Friends of Christ Session serenaded us before breakfast, making sure that nobody overslept! Two coaches took us to Westminster and almost before we knew it, we were into our final run-through. Then it was time to meet up with family and friends, checking that those not yet there were on their way, before entering the Main Hall for the first meeting of the day.

We will never forget the joy of looking around and spotting so many familiar faces: from Chatham, from our placement corps of Reading and Bexleyheath, from our former workplaces and from those chance encounters  that God has made possible. The meeting seemed to move effortlessly towards Commissioning and before long it was our turn. Standing facing the Territorial Commander as he commissioned and ordained us, and gave us each an individual verse of scripture, was a particular highlight.

After an interval to once again catch up with family and friends, we were back in the Hall, this time wearing our new Lieutenant’s uniforms and Sessional flags, waiting to march out in celebration. The noise of the air-horns, the cheering and clapping, and the smiles on everyone’s faces was overwhelming. It felt like we marched on air because we were so well-supported! Our thanks go to you all, for your love, constant encouragement and your prayers.

The next chapter is just beginning as we prepare to lead St Helier Corps, Jersey, but we will never forget this very special day of celebration. We are truly blessed.

St Helier hall

A new Alpha course will begin at our Church Street hall on Wednesday 14 September.

The leaders for the new course will be Paul and Wendy Scoulding assisted by Rod Tranah. New Corps Officers Majors Alec and Andrea Still will also be involved.

L to R: Wendy & Paul, Rod, Alec & Andrea

Click here for more information about Alpha

Click here to register for the course

Knowing God’s place in our world

‘If my people  … will humble themselves and pray …’  2 Chronicles 7: 14.

Some thoughts used during the recent Fast Forward week-end.

I’ve been reading the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for 2011.  ‘The Barefoot Disciple – Walking the Way of Passionate Humility’ by Stephen Cherry and would like to share with you some quotes from this book which might just help us in our consideration of ‘humility’.

Humility is that network of attitudes that springs from a radical conversion of heart, and signals a deep, inner conformity with Christ.   Growth in humility is powered by the simple desire to become like Christ.   P.39

‘Today humility is seriously out of fashion so much so that you could say that ours is a humility-averse society.   When humility is mentioned it’s thought of as a vice and talk of humility generates hostility.   Maybe because of the Uriah Heep image which is very creepy and ugly.’  It is difficult to get our heads round the virtue of humility.

‘Thinking in terms of virtues is that it is a way of living that orients itself to a goal. The goal of Christian living is to follow Jesus and to share with the other disciples in seeking the kingdom of God.   The witness of the New Testament is that this requires distinctive virtues which are:  patience, charity, chastity and, above all else, humility.   Humility is not an option for a few who like that sort of thing.   It is not a mark of the sanctity of some – though the sanctified will have it in spades.   It is not a mere by-product of exceptional discipleship.   Humility is central and of the essence;  indeed humility is, in the context of the new values and new life of God’s kingdom, both strength and integrity of character.   This is what God teaches us as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and seek God’s kingdom.   ‘     ( Wright. Virtue Reborn, 104)

Matthew 11. 28-30 says ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;  for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

As disciples we are continually learning as we try to follow the way of Jesus.   God’s curriculum, if we can think of it that way, is less about learning new things and more about becoming new people.   It is not about ensuring that people are being informed so much as transformed.  We learn through our life experiences such as bereavement, visiting a developing country, falling in love, caring for a loved one or nurturing a child.   They impact on us in a deep, holistic sort of way and form us into the people that we are.   Christian formation, like humility itself, is a holistic experience which impacts on our attitudes and emotions, our character as a whole.

It is difficult for us to know how to acquire humility but this image may help us to understand that to strive after humility can be counter-productive if we make the wrong kind of effort or try to capture it.

‘Being humble, then is like trying to catch air in our hands.  The faster we close our fingers around it, the faster the air spurts away.   The slower that we close our hands, the slower the air spurts away.   But if we hold our hands, palms up, arms outstretched, then air will come to rest in our hands.   To experience humility, then, is not to grasp or strive towards it, but to rest as we seek to bless others.   When we are moved from within, a humble spirit can descend upon us like that air resting in the open hand.’   (Worthington, Humility.  p.103)

Sue Willard has sent us some thoughts aroused by the recent Fast Forward weekend. Click here to read

Sue Willard

MEET GOD DAILY THROUGH PRAYER AND PRAISE

ENJOY A VARIETY OF BITE-SIZE BIBLE READINGS

BUILD A LASTING LIBRARY FOR FURTHER STUDY

The May – August 2011  edition of Words of Life is now available at £3.50 per copy. Click here to order on line or contact us.

‘Words of Life’ is written by Major Evelyn Merriam. Primarily educated in the USA she received her high school diploma in Kobe, Japan, a degree in education from Eastern Nazarene College, her officer’s commission from The Salvation Army’s training college in New York and a degree in writing from Manhattanville College. Evelyn and her husband have worked for The Salvation Army for more than 35 years, five of them in Japan. They now live in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Major Evelyn Merriam

This Pentecost edition of Words of Life taps into some of the treasures God offers us. We start by appreciating his good gifts to our senses; go on to learn from some prayers of the apostle Paul; find encouragement from guest writer Commissioner Keith Banks as he prepares us for Pentecost’s power surge; view the disciples in a unique way; explore some of the Bible’s ‘Wisdom Literature’; walk with Jesus through more of the gospel of John and then visit some of the women of the Bible. On Sundays we continue to glean inspiration from the Psalms.

‘You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands’ (Isaiah 55:12, NLT)

The Nine Kings Suite at the Lancaster London Hotel was full to capacity to greet General Linda Bond on the occasion of her Welcome and Dedication meeting. Canadian born General Bond entered the hall to the playing of the march ‘Montreal Citadel’ by the International Staff Band and immediately gave words of greeting to all present and the many thousands watching on the live internet stream.

General Linda Bond

The songs ‘And can it be‘ and ‘King of kings, majesty‘ preceded a prayer session led by delegates to the International College for Officers, each praying in their own language. Music by the International Staff Songsters (In the Army) and International Staff Band (Celebrate and Sing) sandwiched a powerful revelation by the General of her vision for the Army.

Representative speaker Cadet Christianne Zund commenced a period of dedication including the song ‘Beautiful Lord, wonderful Saviour‘, a prayer of dedication given by General John Larsson (Rtd), words of scripture (John 7:37-44) by Commissioner Sue Swanson and ‘If Your Presence’ from the International Staff Songsters.

In a challenging address General Bond spoke of the needs of the Army today and encouraged all Salvationists to seek after the desires we all have for our movement so that it can go forward together into the future with a strong faith and a determination to fulfill its calling. Many lined the mercy seat during the congregational singing of the song ‘His Provision’ which followed.

An inspiring afternoon concluded with the sing of the Founder’s Song (O boundless salvation). General Linda claimed this to be her favourite song and insisted that she will always want to sing all 7 verses! Lusty singing was rewarded with an invitation to take tea with the new General.

General Linda Bond

Click here to read Nigel Day’s account of the recent Fastforward weekend.

Nigel Day, Discipleship  Group Leader

Margaret Day, Prayer Co-ordinator