At long last the mildest UK winter for many years has given way to a blast of icy weather from the east.

At least the snow held off until after the Saturday evening concert given by the Regent Hall Band and our own Songsters on which we will report separately.

Bandmaster Stephen Hanover chats with Songster Leader Adrian Horwood before the concert

By the time Sunday morning arrived there was a covering of several centimetres which, coupled with the freezing temperaure, meant that our attendance was far less than usual and many did not make it at all (including your editor). Roads in part of the town were closed which made access almost impossible for some. This was to have been the last Sunday of our ‘Fit for Life’ series, concentrating on taking time to rest. This theme will be held over for a future date.

For the few who managed to beat the elements an impromptu meeting was held dwelling on the proclamation and promise found in Psalm 23. A small composite band was able to operate but not a lot else.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

As we announced yesterday the evening meeting was cancelled as are most of our regular Monday activities.

We look forward to getting back to normal as soon as possible!

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

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.

There were several empty seats on Sunday morning because many had travelled to other places in support of young people undertaking commitments for God. Adam Cotterill was enrolled as a soldier at Falmouth Corps which he is attending whilst studying at the local University and Helen Page was enrolled as a soldier at nearby Gravesend where her family now worship.

Adam

Sorry, we don’t have a picture of Helen

This week we continued our theme of being ‘Fit for Life’ and looked at ‘Practicing Forgiveness’ in our morning meeting. Led by Major Alec we began with song 283 from the Salvation Army Song Book and continued with 1067 from Songs of Fellowship. Following prayers SA 33 led us into a time for the young which included the Singing Company (There’s a way) and a thought presented by Major Alec. Whilst this was aimed at the younger members of the congregation his thoughts were not without significance for the older ones (some mention was made of husbands). He asked some questions:

Who gets told what to do? Who doesn’t like doing what they are told? Is this confession time? The truth is we are often told what to do by those who know best. This thought prompted some discussion! But we need the reality of God keeping us under his control. He does know what is best  and plans ahead and plans ahead for us. His controls are for our benefit.

Scripture used was Colossians 3:1-15 and other musical ministry was from the Songsters with ‘God of all Wonders’. Other songs used were 441 and 381 from Songs of Fellowship which sandwiched the message brought by Major Alec who said:

Do you feel fit. Spiritually we are on a fitness campaign. Our scripture gives us rules for holy living and we must put some degree of effort into abiding by these rules. Practising forgiveness is one of the most difficult things required of us and has been central to a large part of my pastoral ministry over many years. We struggle with forgiveness, don’t we? Memories last a long time and forgiveness can be very difficult. But we must forgive ‘as the Lord has forgiven us’, says Paul. Sometimes it’s not easy to recognize that we ourselves need forgiveness. ‘What have I done?’ we often say. But it is not about what we’ve done, it’s about our relationship with God. We are all born outside of a relationship with him and we are sinners. We must acknowledge this and ask for forgiveness. Sin is not graded into levels of seriousness and the cross has bridged the gap however big it is. So, here are some questions. Are you forgiven? Are you in a total relationship with God? Are you practising forgiveness? Who do you need to forgive? We must be ready to forgive ourselves so that we can let go of the past. It need not separate us from God anymore and there need be no more guilt. Forgive as you have been forgiven is the instruction. Start practising it now.

The meeting concluded with 171 from the Salvation Army Song Book.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

In the evening songs used were 705, 238, 527 and 707 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 310 and 111 from Songs of Fellowship. Musical contributions were brought by the Band and Songsters with ‘Fall afresh’ and ‘If you would be strong’ respectively. Scripture used was from Luke 10:25-37 and the message, on the topic ‘Acts of Kindness’, was brought by Major andrea who said:

What do you think about campaigners for random acts of kindness to brighten someone’s day? however good they may be they cannot replicate the dedication of service and ministry.

This parable is well known. The person who helps is the one least likely to do so. We must be more than just kind, we must be a follower of Jesus because this motivates us. Jesus is talking here about a true compassion, putting self aside. The first person, a priest, didn’t stop. He would have seen his role as delegation of acts of kindness to others. He didn’t get personally involved. He was isolated. The second person would have been one of those to whom the priest delegated such acts. He was curious but not involved, perhaps a little self centered. The third man behaved as he would have wanted others to behave towards him. he followed Christ’s teaching and served. If we want to serve we must have the same attitude.

So what would be your motivation? Would it be me, me, me, me……. or you. We start by looking at Jesus who, by his action on the cross turned the ‘me’ into ‘you’. We see here a different perspective on people’s needs, those which we see around us every day. If we see them with the eyes of Jesus we shall recognise them and be ready to serve and minister. If we are to have Christ’s attitude we must be incarnational people and, in Jesus’ name, enter into the lives of others.

Compassion means feeling as others feel. We must not allow our prejudices to get in the way. Even if we don’t want to help someone we must do it because we are Christian people and need to see others as Christ sees them, caring for them as God cares for us. The challenge is to see the opportunities in Jesus’ name and to act upon them.

We heard yesterday of the Promotion to Glory of William Hudson, father of our own Bev Hudson, early on Sunday morning. Please add this family to your prayer list at this difficult time.

We would remind readers of the ‘Prayer and Praise’ meeting on Wednesday evening (7.45pm start) in support of the new Medway Foodbank which will open a new drop-in centre in our own Church Street coffee shop next Monday (23rd). Come and share with members of other churches in a time devoted to this important new venture which will be under the management of Trish Hall.

Trish

It was back to normal this weekend after the Christmas and New Year activities. Everyone seemed to relish the feeling of being together as a church family once more following a time when a number had been away visiting friends and family.

Majors Alec & Andrea Still

Majors Alec and Andrea Still were our meeting leaders for what has become known in The Salvation Army as Commitment Sunday. Both meetings followed the theme of being ‘Fit for Life’. The morning, led by Major Andrea, began with song 859 and followed with 583, both from the Salvation Army Song Book. Other songs used were 647 and 858 from the SA Song Book and 936 from Songs of Fellowship. Scripture used was from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 and the musical ministry was provided by the Singing Company (Praise His Holy Name – soloist Jessica Boughton) and Songsters (Know my Heart).

Jessica

Major Alec introduced the theme for the next month (commitment) and used a video outlining a ‘workout’ to get spiritually fit for life in so many different ways. Pointing out that we are looking forward to a very exciting year in the life of the corps he asked if we were ready for our ‘workout’ to begin and promised a Spiritual Fitness Plan to aid us.

Major Andrea brought the message and said:

I’m actually looking forward to the Olympics. We discussed this at home with regard to when we should go on holiday because it doesn’t seem right to be away when such an event is going on in London. Whatever your view you cannot help but notice the Olympic Games and this presents us with many opportunities. This summer will be the culmination of tremendous efforts to be ready, by athletes, organisers and many, many involved people.

There are very good reasons to keep fit. We are better able to do many things including focusing on what needs to be done. This is true spiritually as well. Let us look at verse 23 from our scripture in the Message translation. We need to be fit for our spiritual life and pray that God will help us to be so.

How often do you feel tired and in need of rest? Often, but we can’t always give in to it so we must not allow ourselves to become spiritually unfit. We cannot achieve this on our own so we must study, pray and listen to God. There are times that we need to take stock and recover our lives so rest is important. How sad it is when we lose our spiritual fitness but God will keep us ‘on track’ so that this does not happen. We must become a worshipping, loving, learning and evangelistic church and our identity must be in Christ and the community around us.

Other scripture shared were verses from Philippians 3 (verses 13 and 14 – reprinted here from 3 different translations).

‘By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus. I’m off and running and I’m not turning back.

‘Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.’

‘Let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us….Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.’

In the evening Major Alec used songs 281, 183, 656 and 829 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 544 and 1346 from Songs of Fellowship. The Band and Songsters provided musical contributions with ‘Oh, how he loves you and me’ and ‘Under his wings’ respectively and scripture used was 2 Timothy 3:10-17.

Major Alec, in his address, said:

Over the next few weeks we shall be looking at the concept of ‘fitness for life’. There are many passages of scripture which are significant to us in particular ways. The scriptures are fascinating and Paul was a controversial writer. He uses his own experiences to teach the young Timothy, his own experiences of God. Nothing is dressed up, no easy life is promised but God never fails. Paul says that everyone who follows God will be persecuted, it is the scourge of each one of us.

So, how do we safeguard our salvation and keep fit for God? Paul says we must rely on those who taught us and try to emulate them so who would you like to be like? We all have someone but there is a danger in it. Being individuals everyone has their own faults. But the scriptures will make us wise in this regard and we must continually turn to them. Speak to others but always test the answers they give with scripture. It’s wonderful when, in doing so, we see a reflection of ourselves. There is so much to learn from the Bible and it is a training for us.  We will be equipped for good work and be involved in the world around us. It provides us with a God given authority to be active, serving the present age in which we live.

So, how is your scriptural ‘workout’ going? Is it regular and frequent? If not we must make more time for it so that we can understand what is being said. Don’t miss out, get fit for life and love God’s word.

On a Sunday when we have considered our own commitment to God let us make the prayer made by Albert Orsborn when he wrote in his song:

Light, life and love are in that healing fountain,
All I require to cleanse me and restore;
Flow through my soul, redeem its desert places,
And make a garden there for the Lord I adore.

Click here for whole song

A Benediction:

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The one who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it – HALLELUJAH

This week’s Monday Spot includes brief reviews of our meetings on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

On Christmas morning we began with the question (in song) ‘Do you know the song that the angles sang?‘ and followed, after a reading of the Christmas story, with ‘Infant Holy, Infant Lowly‘ and ‘Long time ago in Bethlehem‘. To include the children was paramount on this special day and Major Alec did so by inviting people to open one of their presents for the congregation to view. This was mainly intended for the children but the gron up children seemed just as excited!

Continuing on the theme of gifts Major Alec urged us, despite all the excitement and laughter, not to lose sight of why we had come to worship; to greet the christ child who was to become the saviour of men. Dwelling on the gifts brought by the wise men he reminded us that we do not know what happened to them after the stable experience and spoke of what they mean to us all today, urging us to give our lives to Jesus as the greatest gift he requires from each of us.

The song ‘I’m set apart for Jesus‘, not thought of as a Christmas song but a very personal one, was used as a time of dedication before we concluded with a heartily sung ‘O come all ye faithful‘.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

On New Year’s Day the meeting was led by Majors Alma and Jim Brown and there was a reasonable congregation considering the events of the previous night.

Majors Alma & Jim Brown

Songs chosen were 173, 19, 76, 745 and 164, all from the Salvation Army Song Book. Martin and Gina Castle led the opening prayers and scripture used was from Philippians 4:4-13. In the absence of musical section participation solo items were included from Daisy Tranah (Flute – Carol of the Bells) and Murray Smith (vocal – ‘I cannot tell‘)

Daisie Murray

Jean Jones and Nigel Day each spoke of their hopes and prayers for 2012. Not surprisingly each mentioned the time when we shall be out of our building for the improvement works, due to start in late spring, and prayed that the corps would ‘pull together’ during that time of disruption.

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Jean Nigel

Major Alma gave the address and said:

Do you look back and say ‘what a good year its been or something different’? Have you had peace and contentment or frustration? As a corps we have known the presence of God, having experienced precious moments and hallowed times. Sometimes we have seemed to be the victims of indecision. But as we start 2012 there is a sense of expectancy especially regarding the development programme we have for the building and all the new things which that will bring. This year may be a ‘gracious’ time but will it be a time of ‘noble’ living? Paul made an appeal for this. His standards were high but he wanted to put  these values into practice. Peace is not a negative emotion but gives us a right relationship with God and with other men and women. Do we feel we have peace in our lives? As we enter 2012 it is up to us, as a church family, to walk together in the peace of God.

We are grateful to Majors Alma and Jim for their leadership yesterday morning. There was no evening meeting.

It only remains, therefore, for us to wish all our readers a very Happy New Year and to hope that our website remains at the top of your reading list for the whole year. God bless you all.

There will be no Monday Spot this weekend. Your editor is having Christmas Day off! The Christmas and New Year Sundays will be covered on 2 January.

Major Alec Still’s Christmas blog will appear tomorrow.

We wish all our readers a great Christmas.

After the highlights of the Community Carol Concerts weekend the final Sunday before Christmas brings a much more relaxed time when we enjoy our own domestic carol services.

Yesterday morning we had a special time with the children in what has become known as our KAOS Carol Service. How tremendously blessed we are to have so many enthusiastic young people who fill the place with so much joy and happiness.

The only adult group taking part was the Band who brought some introductory music, accompanied some of the singing and did the ‘playout’. Otherwise all the contributions were made by the children themselves with the exception of Lt. Col. Ray Steadman-Allen whose Christmas Medley on the piano brought cheers from the congregation. Ray was supposed to be included two years ago when he was ill on the day in question and again last year when it snowed so hard that the meeting was cancelled. So, third time lucky, and we were!

preparing the congregation

Carols included were ‘Sweet chiming Christmas bells‘, ‘Little donkey‘, ‘While shepherds watched‘, ‘Away in a manger‘ and ‘Joy to the world‘.

Groups taking part were the Primary (‘Christmas Star’), the Junior Band (‘Three kings rock’ and, with the learners, ‘Jingle bells jive’) and the Singing Company (‘I like Christmas, don’t you’ and ‘Christmas calypso’)

Individual participation came from Erin, Ceri, Jasmine and Rebecca (prayer), Jessica (vocal – ‘Thorns in the straw’), Elsa (read Luke 2:1-20), Liam (introduced a carol), Floss (violin – ‘Winter Wonderland’), Chloe (offering prayer), Laura (featured in a carol) and Jodie (vocal – ‘Rejoice with us’).

prayers

Jessica

Elsa

Liam

Floss

Chloe

Laura

Jodie

love the hairstyle!

Jamie and Isaac each featured their ‘Family Christmas’.

Jamie

Isaac

Vanessa introduced ‘Christmas Newstime’. Each week the children bring their news to KAOS and to hear their news often brings laughter (and sometimes a tear)

KAOS leader Tracy Wood  spoke to the children on the question ‘What do your socks say about you?’ Just the topic to keep them interested, reminding us of all the different characters involved in the Christmas story. Fiona brought a benediction

Tracy

Fiona

Critics may wonder why the photographer took all the pictures from the same position. The answer is simple. There were so many people in the meeting that it was difficult to find another vantage point. No complaints about that!

In the evening we began our Corps Carol Service with the traditional ‘O come all ye faithful‘ and a return visit from Able, the student angel from last weekend who now claimed to have qualified.

The meeting proceeded with a three part worship, first considering ‘Time for preparation’. Beginning with a reading from Isaiah 9:2-7, the carols ‘Wonderful Counsellor‘ and ‘Once in royal David’s city‘ were also included together with contributions from the Young People’s Band (‘Three Advent Miniatures’) and Singing Company (‘Ding dong’ and ‘Bless us all’).

John 1:1-14 introduced a ‘Time of reflection’ which included the carol ‘Unto us a boy is born‘, a short message brought by Major Alec who reminded us of the celebration of ‘the word becoming flesh’. He encouraged us to focus not just on the child Jesus but on what he represents in the world now that we are God’s children. Major Andrea brought a vocal solo ‘Heaven’s Child’ accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation and the segment concluded with prayer.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

The final part of the service  was a ‘Time of celebration’ beginning with ‘Joy to the world‘ accompanied by the Worship Band.

The Band (‘Carol of the Bells’) and Songsters (‘One quiet moment’ and ‘Rise up Shepherd’) each brought musical contributions and the scripture used was Philippians 2:5-11.

The evening concluded with the grand exhortation to ‘Hark, the herald angels sing‘. As we enter the final week of this year’s advent season we wish all our readers a very happy Christmas. May the coming of the Christ child be full of meaning to all.

Despite our happy worship yesterday we must finish on a sad note. We have received news of the ‘Promotion to Glory’ of David Ward who had just begun a course of chemotherapy. David grew up at Chatham corps and spent his early years as a young man here before moving to the north of England. He leaves a wife, Margaret, a son, Jeremy and two daughters, Sarah and Hannah. Please remember all the family members in your prayers. This Christmas will be very difficult for them.

Another very busy weekend for the Salvation Army at Chatham as we held our two Community Carol Concerts on which we shall report in detail tomorrow’

On Friday evening the Band were once again in Rochester Cathedral, this time for the annual Carol Service staged for the volunteers of the National Health Service of which there are over 1000 in Kent alone. The service was well attended with the cathedral virtually full once more. Mark Devlin (Chief Executive of the Medway NHS Foundation Trust) introduced and closed the service, with numerous local NHS volunteers reading Christmas readings interspersed between the carols. The band played two pieces; ‘Born For You’ (Noel Brooks) featuring the French carol ‘Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabelle’, and ‘Nativity Swing’ (Andrew Mackereth). A medley of carols in swing-time, including ‘While Shepherds Watched’, ‘Away in a Manger’ and ‘We Three Kings’.

NChant (Rochester Grammar School Choir) also participated (led by Andy Millest) singing several modern arrangements of well-known carols, including ‘God rest ye merry Gentlemen’ and ‘Do you hear what I hear?’.

Major Andrea Still was our leader for our Sunday morning meeting, the only ‘regular’ meeting of the day.

Major Andrea

The worship began with a reading from Luke 2: 1-7 using the Message translation during which the advent candles were lit. Songs chosen included 75, 89, 86 and 274 from the Salvation Army Song Book, 10 from Songs of Fell0wship and ‘Noel‘. Scripture used was Luke 2; 8-20 (Message Translation).

In a time aimed particularly at the younger members of the congregation (although all ages were included) Andrea began by reading the geneology of Jesus, a very long and tedious reading. Major Alec became bored and, with perfect timing, began a series of distractions involving others on the platform and members of the congregation (including some in the gallery). Whilst being hilariously funny it served to demonstrate how easy it is to be distracted from Jesus by the things going on around us in the world.

In her sermon entitled ‘The Song of the Angels’ Major Andrea said:

Isn’t it frustrating when we are interrupted in what we are doing? The unexpected is inevitable and we should not be surprised by it. To interrupt is to ‘break into’ and God likes to do this in our lives. We seem to believe that the schedules and plans we make organise our lives and that things should always be neatly planned. Interruptions throw us off guard. Christmas is about God breaking into the lives of orderly people. He broke into the lives of Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men and Herod and his court.

So why does he break into our lives? It is so that we might see his glory and power all around us. God’s glory is not seen where things are static, only where there is change and action. The ‘Army ‘ wants to remain a ‘movement’, showing God’s glory in the world. When the Holy Spirit breaks into our lives he blows our plans apart. We need to acknowledge our need for this and step back from the ‘safety’ of our plans.  This acknowledgement should include our need for God to work through us in a new and powerful way. Then, like the shepherds, we can ‘let loose’ and discover that it is ‘exactly as we were told it would be’. We will have opportunities to work for God that we have never had before.

During the week ahead much hard work will be undertaken by those who collate, sort and distribute the gifts  donated by many, many people and local organisations for the benefit of families and children here in Medway who are in great need at this time. Sadly, there are many of them and we only wish we could do more but what we are able to achieve is done with our love and care for all who are touched by this ministry. Please surround this effort with prayer because we know that God can intervene in people’s lives changing them for the better.

A weekend full of highlights began with two Band engagements on Saturday. More detail on these tomorrow. Our Sunday meetings were again led by Majors Alec and Andrea Still.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

But first we must report the sad news of the passing of David Burdett, husband of Norma and father of Stephen and Matthew, early on Saturday morning. Please remember all the family in your prayers at this difficult time.

Turning now to Sunday, the ‘Angel’s song of Glory’ was the theme for the morning meeting, led by Major Alec, which included songs 104 and 529 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 243, 1, and 226 from Songs of Fellowship. Scripture used was Luke 1:67-80 and musical ministry was provided by the Singing Company and Songsters with ‘Remember the Children’ and ‘Mary, did you know?’ respectively.

There were three particularly special features to the meeting which we are pleased to report here.

Next week we shall be engaged in the task of preparing and delivering a large number of food and toy parcels for families recommended to us by various agencies as being in need of help at Christmas and so our meeting included a ‘Toy Service’. Members of the congregation brought new toys and these were placed at the front of the hall to be added to the numbers received from other churches and our Community Carol Concert audiences next weekend.

Five new Junior Soldiers, Erin, Daniel, Katie, Liam & Jasmine’, were enrolled and one new Adherent, Richard Medhurst, recognised

Clockwise: Erin, Daniel, Katie, Liam, Jasmine and Richard

Junior Soldiers Awards were presented to Daniel (Gold) and Florence (Silver).

We are so privileged to see progress being made in our church family and we thank God for the encouragement this brings.

In his sermon on ‘Zechariah’s Song’ Major Alec said:

This is a great song of praise and an acknowledgement of all that God has done, is still doing and will continue to do. It also acknowledges everything God has prepared for the world. Let’s look at the context in which this song was sung. Zechariah has been on a journey with God. He was a man of duty being a priest in the Temple, sincere and God-fearing. His ‘duty’ soon becomes ‘discovery’ as he encounters the angel telling him how God is faithfully answering his prayers. Then came the ‘doubt’. ‘Are you sure?’ he said, questioning the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. ‘Delight’ is the result when the fulfilment comes in the naming of his son John.

We have shared, this morning, in an enrolment. God is doing great things here but we are all on the same journey, serving God. We must do our duty and accept the need to discover more about God and his plans for us. There will always be times of doubt. We will question God. But these questions must be about making sure we are all doing his will. Knowing that we are at the heart of God’s plans will bring us delight as we continue to serve him and discover more. God’s purposes are being worked out in us all the time. Where are you in your journey? What is your position today? How is God’s purpose being worked out for you today?

Continuing with the theme of ‘Promised Hope’ our evening meeting featured songs 84, 92 and 75 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 390 from Songs of Fellowship and ‘They all were looking for a King‘. The Band and Songsters brought ‘Born for You’ and ‘Come into our World’ respectively as their musical contributions.

Basing her sermon, ‘A Prophecy Revealed’, on Matthew 2:1-12 Major Andrea said:

Those who can see through the rat race of Christmas and see the Kingdom values are seekers of God, like the wise men in scripture. These men were special in the eastern courts and it is thought that each one may have seen the star independently. But they met to seek the ‘King of the Jews’. What was it that made them search for Jesus?

Firstly they asked questions. Perhaps they had lost their way and asked ‘where?’. Seekers want to know where Jesus is and they seek his truth. It was known that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem but the Jews did not find him. They were not seekers. Jesus himself later asked questions but the Jews simply made statements. They were ‘sitters’. Today we must ask where to find Jesus.

Seekers journey to find the truth. The wise men came a long way but the sitters (Jews), only five miles away, didn’t move to find him. We must never stop journeying to find Jesus.

Those who seek are guided by revelation. Wrong turns on our own journeys need not stop us finding Jesus if we accept the guidance he gives. God led the wise men, by star and scripture and then by a dream. He will always lead a sincere follower. He knows more than we do and his guidance can also be ours.

Seekers are finders. It may take a while but it is the promise of God. The journey of the wise men was a long one and they might easily have given up but they kept going and found Jesus. We must continually seek him too, learning more and more about him. Jesus changes the status quo and threatens those who sit comfortably. They miss the wonder that the wise men found. We must give Jesus all we have and worship him with adoration. God is too great to be found in a moment. The experience of finding him will be life long.

Next weekend sees the annual Community Carol Concerts and those still requiring tickets should order them without delay. There are two performances, Saturday (10th) at 6pm, and Sunday (11th) at 4pm. The charity being supported this year is the newly formed Medway Foodbank and details can be found on their website. A cheque will be presented to a representative of the charity in the Sunday afternoon concert.

Other activities during the week include the Medway District Cubs Carol Service (Wednesday 7pm), involving our Young People’s Band and Singing Company, and the National Health Service Volunteers Carol Service in Rochester Cathedral (Friday 7pm), involving the Band.

Mince Pies and Sausage Rolls will be a feature of the ‘open’ Songster rehearsal on Thursday evening which commences at 8pm in our Church Street hall. All former songsters are welcome to join in the fellowship.

As we enter the time known in the Christian calendar as ‘Advent’ our worship begins to focus on the coming of Christ to this world as a baby, a time which we celebrate as Christmas.

Margaret lights the first candle

During Advent our morning meetings will follow a series of ‘Nativity Songs’, beginning this week with ‘Mary’s Song of Exaltation’. In the evenings we shall be considering ‘Promised Hope’. We shall publish the series details during this coming week.

Yesterday our morning worship began with a reading from Luke 1:26-38 during which the first of the four advent candles was lit. An additional candle will be lit each week until 18 December and on Christmas Day the white central candle will herald the birth of Jesus.

Led by Major Andrea, the meeting included songs 79, 97, 81 and 96 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 28 from Songs of Fellowship. Prayers were included for the Christmas ministry in which we will all be engaged over the next few weeks. To aid our prayers, and to involve the children, members of the congregation were asked to write on a paper strip just one activity they would be involved in over the next few weeks. These were collected and formed into a paper chain symbolizing the linking of our prayers together for the effectiveness of our Christmas ministry.

many prayers, one ministry

The Singing Company brought ‘He is able’ and the Songsters ‘Thou art worthy’ as their musical contribution to the worship and further scripture was chosen from Luke 1:39-55.

In her sermon Major Andrea said:

There are two great dramas in the New Testament, the birth of Jesus and his death and resurrection. Each is meaningless without the other. For many years the Jewish nation had been waiting for the Messiah and some, though not all, realized the nature of what the Holy Spirit would accomplish. Mary was one of those people. Of course she had questions about what was revealed to her but here we see the work of the Holy Spirit. He comes as one involved in the things of the world and is not distant from daily life. He deigned to live amongst his people and became a part of their lives and he communicates with those who listen. When God speaks his voice is clear above all other voices demanding our attention and we will know it is him.

So, what does the Spirit say when he speaks? Sometimes it is a calling to do God’s will and Mary experienced this knowing that she would never be the same again, surrendering her child to God’s will. This was not a call to a particular task but to be a special person in God’s plan and purpose. It is the same for us. We are called to be a part of the bigger picture, to ‘be’ and not just to ‘do’. We need to put our trust in God as he reveals his plan for us, piece by piece. We need time for reflection and time to find the right balance in this Christmas season, whatever our busy role might be. It must be more than just ‘a job to be done’. We must be ‘with God’ in all our ministry and everything we do for those in need. We learn this from Mary, by her acceptance and willingness to be part of God’s redemptive plan.

We are always delighted to welcome new people to our meetings and we were especially pleased to say ‘hello’ to Isabella Woodman who obviously found the meeting most interesting!

pay attention!

proud Mum & Dad

In the evening, led by Major Alec, we looked at the scriptural prophesy surrounding the coming of Jesus, basing our thoughts on Isaiah 9:1-7. Kicking off with the march ‘Alderney’ by the Band songs chosen were 7, 349, 94 and 400 from the Salvation Army Song Book and 707 from Songs of Fellowship. Song 63 from Happiness and Harmony was also used. Musical ministry was provided by the S0ngsters and Band with ‘Breathe’ and ‘The Beautiful City’ respectively.

Major Alec spoke of ‘the foretold prophecy’ and said:

I object to being called miserable but I admit to sometimes being grumpy! I love Christmas but don’t love decorations. In my mind ‘less is more’ and I prefer the real issues of Christmas. I have, however, been known to have lights on my house and have joined in with others in enjoying the anticipation of the season.

I am excited by the prospect Isaiah is anticipating, the coming of Jesus, and his expectancy that all things will be made new when he finally arrives. It is something to be excited about, something to look forward to. But the people then didn’t know when it would happen. How do you think they felt? In the event it wasn’t even in their lifetime but it was enough for them to know that God was planning their future and that the prophecy would, one day, be fulfilled. Today, 2700 years later, we know the outcome. We know the Jesus story from birth to death. Is it possible, then, that we have lost the anticipation that Isaiah had? Do we still believe that God is going to do wonderful things in our lives, or do we take it all for granted? We must share the wonderful light of Jesus now, today, and do it with excitement. Christmas is not about sharing toys or displaying decorations. It is about sharing Jesus with others and acknowledging his lordship. Let us approach Christmas in that way, sharing the hope with all we meet and in all that we do.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

During the coming week we also hope to be publishing our programme of Christmas activities, including the carol playing schedule, so watch this space!

We wish all our readers a happy and enjoyable advent season and pray that everyone will receive much blessing from the preparations in progress. Christmas is a great time of the year. It is, after all, a celebration of an event which, coupled with Easter, changed the history of the world for ever. Anyone wishing to know more about Christmas and its true meaning is welcome to contact us.

God bless you all and have a great week.

The Christmas season seems to start earlier each year. On Saturday a small brass group played carols at the Bluewater Shopping Centre for the John Lewis Christmas launch.

where are the shoppers?

But we will wait for the first Sunday of Advent to arrive next weekend before beginning to focus our thoughts in that direction.

Yesterday the morning meeting, led by Major Alec Still, began with song 141 (SA Song Book) and scripture from Philippians 2:5-11, continuing with the chorus ‘He is Lord‘ and prayers. The Singing Company and Songsters each provided musical ministry with ‘Hallelujah, Salvation and Glory’ and ‘Footprints in the sand’ respectively and further scripture was found in Hebrews 4:14-16. Songs 742 (Songs of Fellowship and 740 (SA Song Book) led us to the sermon. Major Alec, speaking on ‘What is the Mercy Seat’ said:

Is The Salvation Army user friendly? How much jargon do we use? Do we, ourselves, understand what we are about? What is our Mercy Seat for? We have been very blessed here at Chatham as we have seen ours used on a regluar basis and yet somehow traditional Salvationists don’t always seem to know what its all about.

In the Old Testament we read of the original Mercy Seat which covered the Ark of the Covenant. Nowadays, in the first place, it is a place of forgiveness where we can encounter the risen Christ and kneel in his presence. But its more than just a ‘penitence form’ (as we used to call it). It is a place of communion where God can speak to us, not just at the end of meetings but at all times. Even in my short time here I have seen it in use during the week by individuals wishing to have time with God. It is, at times, the most hallowed place on earth. We have people here today with all sorts of emotions and this is a place where we can all unite in communication with God. He will meet our need for mercy and grace. “Approach the Throne of Grace with confidence”.

The meeting concluded with the meditative song ‘In the secret of thy presence,’ during which the Mercy Seat was again used for prayer, and the bouncy ‘There’s no other name.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

In the evening we began with two songs from Songs of Fellowship, Nos 192 and 475. Other songs included were 731, 732 and 730, all from the Salvation Army Song Book and scripture  used was Exodus 1:6-2:10.

Musical items were presented by the Band (Evening Prayer) and Songsters (Before the Cross).

Major Andrea gave the sermon, on the question ‘Why Egypt’, and said:

Slavery is a terrible thing and we hear much about it, even today. But there also exists the slavery of sin from which we can be released by Jesus. This is a different kind of slavery from that described in our scripture. So, why did God send Joseph and his family to Egypt? Why this detour to a foreign land and 400 years of slavery? God led them there so that they could develop into a great nation in relative safety. He had a plan for them although they may not have seen this for themselves. But there may also have been spiritual reasons for their exile. Despite the tribal culture of Israel they needed to be a single nation and they developed this in slavery, even though they were oppressed. Even in their agony God was at work. It took this experience to cause them to cry out for God’s help. That can also be the same for us as our faith is  strongest at times of great struggle, leading us to have a greater trust in God. These are the times when our faith grows.

But this does not answer the big question of how we cope when things go wrong. Why does God let bad things happen? Israel’s hope was in  the form of a tiny baby called Moses who, throughout his life, maintained his faith in God. We can be sure that God is in the midst of our suffering. Four thousand years later the world was placed in the hands of another tiny baby, Jesus. Through him many thousands of Christians have found God. The first step to God can be the first step to freedom. We must look away from the context we are in and look towards God. Where is your Egypt? Have you lost sight of the reality of God? Are you in situations beyond your control? Moses shows us that God is in the midst so cry out to him for the freedom he brings.

We want to remind readers that our Christmas Carol Concerts are on 10 (6pm) and 11 December (4pm) this year in our Church Street hall. Please order your tickets (£5, seniors and children £4) from Marjory Hudson (01634 854266) or contact us through this website.

click on the poster to enlarge

We conclude this week with a request for prayer for former members of our corps. Peter Cline is currently Corps Sergeant Major at the Hastings North Corps and has suffered a stroke whilst on holiday in Tasmania. This is serious enough in its own right but the situation is made worse by the fact that Peter’s wife Christine (formerly our Corps Treasurer) is a niece of Rose who was Promoted to Glory earlier this week. The following is an extract from a prayer circular issued by London South East Divisional Headquarters this week.

He (Peter) is able to walk and appears to have full mobility in his arms and legs but it is his speech that is affected. He is having speech therapy every day and responds well to some aspects of observation but is not able to express himself or identify verbally certain things. He does find this very tiring. It is early days and we are hoping and praying for improvement.

Thanks for reading us this week. We hope you enjoy what we have to say and look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Once again remembrance weekend has come and gone.

On Friday (11th November) and yesterday war memorials and other locations up and down the land echoed to the sound of thanksgiving for those who made the supreme sacrifice on our behalf. A number of such services took place in the Medway Towns and our Band was present at Victoria Gardens, as it has been for many years, to support with suitable music and accompaniments including the sounding of ‘Last Post’ and ‘Reveille’.

The Band & Last Post

A beautiful morning

Remembrance

In our own morning meeting a time of remembrance was spent at the conclusion of the gathering. Led by Major Alec Still, songs chosen were 578, 769, 862 and 707 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 102, 8 and 92 from Songs of Fellowship. The Singing Company brought ‘Whose life is it anywat?” as its musical contribution and the Songsters sang ‘All for Thee’. Scripture chosen was Ephesians 6:10-18.

In a sermon entitled “It’s real” Major Alec said:

My children, like many, are into their computer games. One of the games on xBox is called Modern Warfare 3, a game of strategy. I tried it but wasn’t very good at it.! If you haven’t got the strategy or skill you end up splattered on the floor. But if you press the A button you are put back together again and can start over.

Today is not a game. We remember those who went to war and didn’t return. Still today families are being ripped apart by war. On Radio 2 there is a time for mothers to play a son’s music. We are becoming used to hearing those twelve words ‘a soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, the family has been informed’. Still families are grieving and shedding many tears.

Let’s be reminded today that we are all engaged in a spiritual war, we are The Salvation ARMY. We have been looking at the ‘Highway of Holiness’ as we are called to be in the world but to be different people. But still we are in a spiritual war as many songs in our song book highlight. The time for enlisting will not go away and we need to take t seriously. Its not a game but a real battle which we are called to wage. Our scripture reading calls us to be strong. We sometimes have a comical image of the devil but Paul tells us to put on the ‘whole armour of God’. The devil is active because God is doing wonderful things in this church. On this Remembrance Sunday we need to put on that armour because the devil is ready to attack. He’s scared because he knows his war is lost.

When the devil attacks we have all the equipment we need, especially the Helmet of Salvation, which gives us the right to go into battle, and the ‘Sword of the Spirit’, the Bible. We come to worship to prepare us for battle. This is the place where we come to be in touch with God and other believers, to be energised and made ready.

Major Alec Still

For our evening meeting we joined with our friends at the Emmaus Church Centre where the leadership was in the hands of Rev’d Brian Adams.

Rev’d Brian Adams

Songs included were 876 and 690 from the Salvation Army Song Book togeher with three songs from’Church Family Worship’, ‘God is our Strength‘, ‘For this purpose‘ and ‘Faithful Vigil ended‘. Musical ministry was provided by the Band and Songsters with ‘Stracathro’ and ‘Holy ground’ respectively. Major Alec was again the speaker, his first time in this church. Scripture chosen was Revelation 7:9-17 and he said:

On this remembrance Sunday we are, in some ways, almost envious of those who have gone to be with God. Peace is something we find very comforting. Andrea and I arrived in Chatham just four months ago having spent all our previous officership in the north of England and Scotland. Travelling has been a large part of our lives and our three children have spent many ‘warring’ hours in the back seat of the car. So how did peace emerge from that back seat? Usually only by negotiation! ‘Peace in our time, O Lord’ is a great song which talks about how we can restore peace to our world. Alec then introduced scripture from Micah 4:1-5. He went on to say: Peace in our time is possible as Micah outlines because God will teach us his ways and judge us, settling the disputes of nations. Peace will come when Christ’s mission is complete and we need to seek him in all his love, thus avoiding all other agendas. We must therefore be the people who seek out God and come to know him, becoming the instruments through which his will can be done. Then we will have peace ; in our time. It starts with us. We struggle with the concept that God is in control and we must pray that understanding will come to us and our gentleness will be evident to all.

Major Andrea led a period of intercession for the many needs of today and included reference to SA song 529.

Major Andrea Still

We have received the good news that Isabella Grace Woodman made her entry into the world on Saturday. Weighing in at 6lbs Isabella arrived a little earlier than anticipated but she is obviously already concious of the great tradition of punctuality in this family. Everyone is doing just fine so we are told and we offer our congratulations to Carl and Carolynn on this lovely news. Isaac is now the proud owner of a new sister!

We conclude this week with a reminder to the ladies that this evening the ‘felloship’ will be filling and wrapping shoe boxes for the Blythswood Care Shoebox Appeal. This has been a tradition for several years now and has been very well supported in the past. All ladies are welcome, whether they have been before or not. See the maps below to locate us.

Click on the maps to enlarge

What a mess the world seems to be in this week. It is 406 years since Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Houses of Parliament. Whatever he perceived as the problem then, governments around the world don’t seem to be any nearer solving the difficult issues humanity faces today.

failed attempt

As we see regimes throughout the world struggling we are tempted to ask ‘who has the authority to put things right’. Of course, the Christian knows the answer which was portrayed in the opening to our Sunday morning meeting with the hymn ‘Crown Him with many crowns‘. The Singing Company brought ‘Holy, holy, holy’ and songs 386 (SA Song Book) and 646 (Songs of Fellowship) led us into prayer and scripture (Matthew 1:14-20). Following the contribution of the Songsters (Hear me when I pray) song 935 from Songs of Fellowship took us into the  sermon, brought by Major Alec with the title ‘Authority plus….?

He said:

Who amongst us has heard of Frederick Tucker? He became a donor to The Salvation Army whilst working in India and later volunteered to work with the ‘Army’. In fact, in 1882, he began the Army’s work in  India. When he arrived in Bombay (as it was then known) news had gone before him of an ‘attack’ on the country by this relatively new Christian movement and he was met by a large force of police who ordered him to stop. Tucker challenged this and claimed the authority of God to continue with his work thus starting a great work which lasted for many years despite being thrown into prison on that first night for disobeying the police order. In our scripture the disciples did not understand why they were not able to drive out the demon in the boy despite receiving the authority of Jesus. Had they let Jesus down? In our own context today we ask ‘why can’t we do what Jesus wants us to do?’ Is it because we do not obey his commands? The real question we should ask is not ‘why can’t we?’ but ‘why don’t we?’ Perhaps we don’t have the confidence to do it or we don’t want to look foolish when things don’t work out. Jesus questions our faith because it seems so small. But he says that, even with a little faith, nothing is impossible. So, we ask again, ‘why don’t we?’ God will use us to spread his word in today’s world if we call on his name in ministry. In the name of Jesus WE CAN! More than that, in the name of Jesus, WE WILL! He needs us to change lives in  his name and gives us the energy, confidence and power to do so. He gives us the authority.

SA 691 followed in a time of reflection before the meeting concluded with 955 from Songs of Fellowship. Once again a significant number of people came forward for a time of dedication. We can only come to one conclusion; we need a bigger Mercy Seat!

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

The evening meeting centered around the foundation of our Christian faith, beginning with songs 56 and 711 from the Salvation Army Song Book. prayer and scripture from Hebrews 2:1-18 led us into the chorus ‘We have a gospel that matches the hour‘ and song 49 (SA). The Band and Songsters each brought musical ministry with ‘Garden of my heart’ and ‘What a friend’ respectively.

Major Andrea brought the message confirming that ‘Christian Living – Begins with Certainty’. She said:

What are you embarrassed or nervous about? I confess I like children’s TV. I was watching a children’s geology programme the other day about ice sculptures and could not see what the sculptor was trying to make with all his little chips and scrapes until suddenly it became clear. Hebrews is a bit like that. It is not a blind leap in the dark but is part of the process of revealing God’s love. We are being changed, step by step, to be more like Jesus. The writer is always ready to interrupt his thoughts to apply them to the reader. A build up of teaching gradually brings the point home. This book was written for the Jews and shows that Jesus is even greater than Moses, so much so that we can’t ignore his ‘great salvation’. Jesus himself shares our humility being presented by the author as ‘truly and properly God and truly and properly man’. He experienced everything we experience and so understands us. All that is wrong with our lives can be changed by Jesus. Being made in God’s image, not as clones, is a cause for celebration. We know that sin has entered our world and that image has been broken. That’s why Jesus came into the world and I wonder if we really understand what that means. God is with us (Immanuel), as we shall be celebrating in the approaching Christmas period, and he came to free us from the devil. What is it that makes the difference? A Christian is shaped by the future and not the past. We often let our past guilt shape our actions in the present but salvation brings a healing so that guilt need not control us. Salvation is the power that brings hope into our lives. We must give our future to God so that we have the certainty of his love. His plan for us starts now!

‘Lord I come to you‘ were the opening words of our time of reflection, moving to the assurance of the song ‘Come on and celebrate‘ which preceded prayers of thanks. The day’s worship concluded with the certainty that we are ‘Made in the likeness of God‘.

It has been great to hear reports of the Alpha Course Day Away which took place on Saturday at Aylesford Priory. Four of those attending made decisions for Christ and received the Holy Spirit. Please pray for the continuing work which will be necessary as they seek to develop further in their Christian experience.

Aylesford Priory

In closing we are pleased to reveal that Trish Hall has agreed  to accept the responsibility of manager of the ‘drop-in centre’ for the Medway Foodbank which will operate from our ‘Hub’ cafe from around December or January. Preparations are well under way and the first collection of food from supermarket shoppers will take place next week (Thursday 17 November) at ASDA Rochester. Training for the various volunteer roles will begin this week. Please pray for the success of this venture to help families in crisis in Medway. Click here for Medway Foodbank Facebook)

Trish

Anyone wishing to volunteer for work with the foodbank should contact us or follow the links above.

A week on from the powerful worship experiences of last weekend people arrived expecting another good day in fellowship together led by Majors Alec and Andrea Still. They were not disappointed.

Majors Andrea & Alec Still

The morning ‘Call to Worship’ was found in Psalm 100 and was followed by songs 553 and 10 from Songs of Fellowship. Prayers preceded song 730 from the Salvation Army Song Book.

Major Andrea introduced an exercise for the children based on the question ‘what is Sunday for? (which was to form the subject for the sermon brought later in the meeting). ‘Veteren’  Salvationists in the congregation were asked by the children to describe ‘army life’ when they were 8-10 years old (for example, 3 senior meetings, 2 junior meetings, 3 open-air meetings every Sunday).

Simon asks Rex

The Singing Company and Songsters each brought musical ministry with ‘I’m in His hands’ and ‘Part the Waters’ respectively and the main scripture reference was Matthew 12:1-8.

‘What is Sunday for’ was the title of Major Andrea’s sermon and she said:

This subject is the result of my personal evaluation of Sunday. Sundays have always been busy and, in the main, we like it that way although we recognise that, to some extent, this has been eroded over the years. We can ask the question ‘how can you restore something which was never there in the first place’ because, despite the activity, the days did not always seem to be connected with God. And what about the increasing pressures on our time today? Perhaps we need to look again at our approach to the changing pressures of the world. Making Sunday ‘special’ is a personal responsibility and we must base our position on the principles laid down by Jesus himself. We can find ourselves in a conflict brought about by rules, regulations and customs and it is up to us to decide what the right way forward is. Jesus taught that we must not rely on external laws to determine our attitude because these will not make us righteous or connect us to God. He invites us to learn from him and calls us to ‘rest in the Lord’. There will always b conflict and finding the necessary space is important. We must always do things in God’s name as we share our concern and compassion for others and receive from God himself. This is the most important aspect of all as we give ourselves to growing in grace within the context of a busy world and to being in His presence. Jesus must be lord of our lives, not just on Sundays but every day.

During a period of reflection songs 567 (SA Song Book) and 1067 (Songs of Fellowship) were used together with a PowerPoint presentation entitled ‘Liturgy of Grace‘ which brought much blessing. The meeting concluded with SA song 757.

The evening meeting commenced with song 43 from the Salvation Army Song Book together with 894 and 897 from Songs of Fellowship and a time of prayer. The Songsters and Band again offered musical contributions (Songsters – ‘God of all wonders’ and Band – ‘Lord, with my all I part’). SA song 324 was also used and the scripture chosen was 1 Samuel 24:1-8.

In his message (Wait for God’s time) Major Alec said:

It is often said ‘revenge is sweet’, something which can be seen regularly in any worthwhile soap opera on TV. Revenge, however, can get out of proportion as we have seen only this week on our screens in the case a convicted murderer and the victim’s family. Why do we need to gain revenge in the first place? In our scripture David himself had done nothing wrong up to this time but Saul tried to kill him out of jealousy for the public accolades he was receiving. Jealousy led to anger and anger to the desire to kill. David, it would appear, had a right to revenge but he chose to obey God’s word and would not lift a hand against Saul, even bowing down before his king. He offered respect despite the history. This tells us that the world’s ways are not God’s ways. In a world seeking revenge we should offer forgiveness. Where there is hate we should offer love. We need to be like Jesus possessing the hope he gives.  When we have been hurt and damaged we need to leave the issues at Calvary where Jesus said ‘Father, forgive’. As Jesus did, so should we and God will give us the power to achieve this and identify the actions we need to take. So, what do you need to ask for today? Forgiveness or strength to forgive? Strength to carry on or strength to let go? You must decide. You have the ability to find spiritual rest through acknowledging Jesus and his power.

The meeting concluded with SoF 40 and SA 734.

We are praying for a good attendance at this evening’s meeting of the Service & Ministry Purpose Group when we shall be seeking to develop further our role as a drop-in centre for the newly created Medway Foodbank. Come along at 8pm if you would like to add your views to the discussions. A number of our friends will, however, be at Rochester Cathedral for the annual ‘Saints Alive’ celebration. Medway Foodbank will have a stand at this event (7.30pm start) when further information can be obtained about this exciting project. Why not put Halloween to good use by attending one or other of these functions?