Our meetings this Sunday will be led by Major Ian Payne

10am ‘Standing as Salt & Light’

4pm Chatham Review  – Soldiers Meeting

 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth.

Matthew 5:13

Please come along , you will be most welcome.

Here’s where we are:

Click on the maps to enlarge

If you need further directions  click here

                                 Copied below is our Newsletter for this week

Welcome to Chatham Salvation Army, a Christian fellowship where we are attempting to bring ‘Christ to people and people to Christ’.

I trust that your week has been well. I am still encouraged after the response that you gave last week as we shared our Commitment Sunday together, ‘Living Fruitfully as Disciples’. I trust there have been occasions where God has blessed your journey.

This morning we will focus on ‘Salt and Light’, Matthew 5, from part of the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus. Where do you stand? What is salt and light? How does that fit into our daily living?

I believe it follows on seamlessly from last week and this morning it will give you further food for thought and encourage you in your walk with God.

This evening we will be having ‘Soldiers Meeting’ at 4pm – an opportunity to hear what we have done over the past year and look at the future. What is our vision, our direction, what will we look like in 10 years’ time? Also, you will be able to ask questions about the running of Chatham Citadel Corps, programme, finances etc. You also may want to give positive comments on opportunities for the future of the Corps. Come ready to participate. Uniforms will be not necessary as no sections will be required.

God Bless Chatham Citadel Corps today.

Major Ian

FLOWERS – We are grateful to Linda and Graham Tout for the flowers which adorn our hall. (Thanks to Joan for arranging them). Please add your name to the list of dates on the notice-board if you wish to donate flowers.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray this prayer:

Father God, I pray for my church today, that you will fill each of us with your joy and peace, and that, in our worship, our fellowship and mission, we will overflow with hope, by the power of your Holy Spirit, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pray for the New Road School project. For both SA volunteers, staff and children involved. Thank God for the receptiveness of the children to the teaching.

Pray for all those needing food from the Foodbank and for our volunteers who are working hard to fulfil this need.   Pray also for the L.I.F.E. volunteers and guests that lives will be changed.

Please let Jean know of any urgent prayer requests for the supportive prayers of the Prayer Chain. Email her on jeanmjones86@yahoo.co.uk or text on 07787718273.  

Prayers can also be put in the Prayer Box at the back of the Hall. They will be added to the prayer book and prayed for on Friday.

PARKING OUTSIDE THE HALL

Can I respectfully ask those with Blue Badges to not park immediately outside the front doors of the Hall on the roadside. Please drop off your passengers then park on the cobbles behind the hall displaying your blue badge.

RECORDED MEETINGS

Every week the meetings are recorded and sent out to those who are unable to attend – I am grateful to Lisa Davis who carries out this important ministry.  I thought to highlight this fact as there may be others who you know and who could benefit from this service. Please speak with Lisa.

FIRST AID

Are you a qualified First Aider? If you are, would you consider being on a list at the hall to be called upon in the event of an incident? Please speak with Major Ian.

FOODBANK
As you are all aware the Foodbank is an amazing service that operates from the hall. Last year over 4800 people were helped with food parcels, including over 1900 children. It is a much-valued service and I am grateful to Fran and her team for all their hard work. Mike Rowley has been on the team for a number of years and is looking to take a step back. We are looking for someone to take on this voluntary role. If you are able to give two mornings a week to be a part of a very important team and service, please speak with Major Ian.

SATURDAY 23^rd February 10am – 4:30pm AFRICIAN HOME LEAGUE CONFERENCE

‘KNOW YOUR WORTH’

Chatham Citadel will be hosting the above programme on Saturday 23^rd February. Guest speakers will be Major Judith Payne (THQ) and Commissioner Makina ®

For further details please speak to Shingie.

Sunday 24^th February

Our 10am meeting will take the theme of an International flavour with participation from African and Norwegian Salvationists.

Giving over the past Year 2018

I have been asked about the giving of the Self Denial Altar Service and the Harvest Altar Service in 2018. Apologies that these have not been circulated and thank you for your giving to these two important areas of The Salvation Army Work.

Self-Denial    £8,626.76

Harvest          £2,520.00.

Again, sincere thanks for your sacrificial giving to these two projects.

THIS WEEK AT THE HALL

MONDAY
10am                     Mainly Music
10am – 1pm         Coffee & Chat
10am – 1pm        One2One

Employment Plus
10:30 – 1pm         Medway Foodbank

1:30pm                  Bible Study
6pm                       Beavers & Cubs
7:30pm                  Scouts & Explorers

8pm                       Ladies Fellowship                                          Games Evening

TUESDAY
1pm                       Youth Care Medway

6:30                       YP Band & Learners
8pm                       Senior Band
7:00pm                  L.I.F.E. Dinner

WEDNESDAY
8pm                       Bible Study

7pm                       Armada Spasy

THURSDAY
6:15pm                  Young People’s

Singing Company

8pm                       Songsters

FRIDAY
10am                     Mummy & Me

12 Noon                Prayer Fellowship
10:30 – 1pm         Foodbank

7:15                       Open Kids Club
7:30pm                  Youff (Youth Club)

NEXT SUNDAY (17^th  February)

10am          Where do you Stand?

4pm            On the Sofa with Majors

                    Peter & Estelle Clack

MONDAY Matthew 22:37-39

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:’ Love your neighbour as yourself’.

Some things are just not very complicated. Living for Jesus can be boiled down to two principles: love God with everything I am and have, and love others and treat them as I would like to be treated. Not too hard to understand. I guess it’s living it that is the challenge!

TUESDAY  1 John 4:9

This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Love is a verb.  We can’t say it enough.  Love must not only be spoken, but must also be shown.  The beginning of love is God.  He showed his love in the most sacrificial of ways so we could know our incredible value to him.  The price of our adoption was the emptying of heaven of its greatest treasure, God the Son, who is our Saviour.

WEDNESDAY  1 John 3:18

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

“Talk is cheap!”  “You can tell me with your words, but I’ll show it with my life.” “Put your life where your mouth is.” We know the slogans, now let’s live love in truth.  In a world where barter has replaced sacrificial and steadfast love, let’s go against the grain and do the truth!

THURSDAY 2 Timothy 1:7

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

Power!  We like that concept.  When it is godly power, might does make right, because godly power is accompanied by love and self-discipline.  These three together make a person’s life effective.  Live life to its fullest:  not as a closet Christian, afraid of standing true and firm, but one who lives by God’s power, shares God’s love, and displays God’s virtues.

FRIDAY  Psalms 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire  besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

What can truly fulfil and sustain us?  Maybe the best way to answer that question is by asking another:  What can we keep when our bodies are placed silently in their graves at death? Only our relationship with God and his people last beyond the grave. If he is what lasts, then how can we displace him for anything that doesn’t?

SATURDAY Job 23:10-11

He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.  My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

How we long for this to be our true confession.  We are not yet gold, but long to be.  We are not yet fully following his steps, but are trying. We have tried not to turn aside, but we sometimes falter.  Thank God for his grace until our intentions and desires are fulfilled!

SUNDAY Isaiah 55:8-9  

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

No matter how we try to perceive God, he is still God and we are not.  We must forever remember that the original, and still primary sin was to try to become like God in terms of knowledge and understanding.  We are to know God, but we can never fully know about him.  We are to take on his character, but we cannot approach his majesty.  This is both exciting and frustrating.  But the promise remains that one day we will be like him and see him as he is

Our Meetings this Sunday are at 10 am & 4 pm , as they will be until further notice

Sunday Morning is our Commitment Sunday Meeting led by

Major Ian Payne

Our Sunday afternoon meeting will be led by our Songsters

‘Living Fruitfully as Disciples’

John 15:1-17

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Please come along , you will be most welcome.

Here’s where we are:

Click on the maps to enlarge

If you need further directions  click here

                      NEWSLETTER

Chatham Citadel Corps
Corps Officer
Major Ian F Payne
ian.payne@salvationarmy.org.uk
07813949773

Corps Website:  www.chathamsa.org.uk

3^rd February 2019

Welcome to Chatham Salvation Army, a Christian fellowship where we are attempting to bring ‘Christ to people and people to Christ’.

Today later than most Corps, due to our furlough, I will be leading our Commitment Sunday ‘Living fruitfully as Christians’.  It’s a great challenge to us all.  How do we live as fruitful Christians in a society that is divided, culturally not relevant, people do not care for each other, there is so much greed and the list could go on.  However, we are all called to live a life that examples Christ.  For each of us it is different, but largely the same.

For us to be fruitful we need to take care of ourselves, preparing ourselves to be ‘fit’ and well sustained in God’s word; being different, not weird; objective, but different, so that people will want to know why.

May this morning begin afresh a journey for us all that will refocus us, refreshes us, reunites us to the Vine: that being Jesus. God bless you all as you consider His claims on your life and re-commit to the ongoing work of Christ through Chatham Citadel. Maybe this morning you will allow yourselves to commit together as families, partners, friends. However you respond this morning, may you know God’s abundant blessing today and for the days ahead. God wants to do amazing things and we can and will help in the call from Him by responding positively this morning.

This evening the Songsters will be leading our worship and I am sure it will be a fitting end to a day when God will draw close to us all as we worship in Spirit and in Truth.

God Bless Chatham Citadel Corps today.

Major Ian

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray this prayer:

Father God, I pray for my church today, that you will fill each of us with your joy and peace, and that, in our worship, our fellowship and mission, we will overflow with hope, by the power of your Holy Spirit, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pray for the New Road School project. For both SA volunteers, staff and children involved. There’s been a very good start.

Pray for all those needing food from the Foodbank and for our volunteers who are working hard to fulfil this need.   Pray also for the Tuesday LIFE Dinner, volunteers and guests that lives will be changed.

Prayers can  be put in the Prayer Box at the back of the Hall. They will be added to the prayer book and prayed for on Friday.

FLOWERS – We are grateful to Carole and Adrian Horwood for the flowers which adorn our hall. (Thanks to Joan for arranging them). Please add your name to the list of dates on the notice-board if you wish to donate flowers.

PARKING OUTSIDE THE HALL

Can I respectfully ask those with Blue Badges to not park immediately outside the front doors of the Hall on the roadside. Please drop off your passengers then park on the cobbles behind the hall displaying your blue badge.

Wednesday 6th February  8pm

Pastoral Care Council meeting at the Quarters. This is a selected group chaired by the CO to look at all the rolls of the Corps and action any Pastoral work to be undertaken. Also looks at future leaders and members of the Corps. Any questions please speak to the CO.

RECORDED MEETINGS

Every week the meetings are recorded and sent out to those who are unable to attend – I am grateful to Lisa Davis who carries out this important ministry.  I thought to highlight this fact as there may be others who you know and who could benefit from this service –  Please speak with Lisa.

FOODBANK
As you are all aware the Foodbank is an amazing service that operates from the hall. Last year over 4800 people were helped with food parcels, including over 1900 children. It is a much-valued service and I am grateful to Fran and her team for all their hard work. Mike Rowley has been on the team for a number of years and is looking to take a step back. We are looking for someone to take on this voluntary role. If you are able to give two mornings a week to be a part of a very important team and service, please speak with Major Ian.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS & THOUGHTS

‘Seven days make one week, Seven days without prayer make one weak’

I have added to the newsletter seven texts and thoughts to help you in your daily walk with God – I hope you find them useful. You already have the prayer subjects in this newsletter that you can use as you pause each day to make a difference in your life, and those you are praying for.

FIRST AID

Are you a qualified First Aider? If you are, would you consider being on a list at the hall to be called upon in the event of an incident? Please speak with Major Ian.

SUNDAY 10^th February 4pm

We will be holding a Chatham Citadel Soldiers meeting. This will be an opportunity for the Major to give an appraisal of the past 10 months and also propose the future plans of the Corps. There will be opportunity for a Q&A session. Please come prepared as this is a time, after our Commitment Sunday, to set plans for the future of the Corps.

CAROLLING 2018

Grateful thanks to all those who helped collecting, when the various sections went out and about over the Christmas period. The people below only reflect those who stood and collected, but throughout the Christmas Season there were many people, not named below, who worked tirelessly with the food parcels (over 150) and the Christmas Gift appeal (over 600), those who counted, banked, offered refreshments and Christmas Day volunteers. To you all – THANK YOU

THIS WEEK AT THE HALL

MONDAY
10am                   Mainly Music
10am – 1pm       Community Café
10am – 1pm      One2One

Employment Plus
10:30 – 1pm       Medway Foodbank

2pm                     Bible Study
6pm                     Beavers & Cubs
7:30pm               Scouts & Explorers

TUESDAY
1pm                     Youth Care Medway

6:30                     YP Band & Learners
8pm                     Senior Band
7:00pm               L.I.F.E. Dinner

WEDNESDAY
8pm                     Bible Study

8pm                     Pastoral Care Council

THURSDAY
6:15pm               Young Peoples

Singing Company
8pm                     Songsters

FRIDAY
10am                   Mummy & Me

12 Noon              Prayer Fellowship
10:30 – 1pm       Foodbank

7:15                     Open Kids Club
7:30pm               Youff (Youth Club)

NEXT SUNDAY (10^th  February)

10am         Where do you Stand

4pm            Past, Present & Future

 An Evening of thoughts and Q&A

MONDAY Romans 8:38-39

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Separation is something we fear whether it’s from a child, a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a friend, or from God.  Because Jesus bore the separation from God, becoming human and going to the cross, we can know we won’t have to ever be separated from God’s love.

TUESDAY 1 John 4:11-12

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Can you imagine what an honour it is to have the Creator of  the universe, the Lord God Almighty, living inside of you!  But when we love each other, that is exactly what happens.  When our hearts are full of love, there is room for God.  When they are not full of love, we leave God little room to take up residence and produce his character in us.  Let God complete his love in you.  Make a commitment to do loving things for other believers today!

WEDNESDAY Proverbs 17:9

He who covers over an offence promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

“It’s just a little harmless gossip.”  The Wise Teacher reminds us that gossip is neither little nor harmless.     Its consequences are huge and its damage horrible. Instead, it is much better to be a peacemaker and an offence-mender.

THURSDAY  Romans 13:9-10

The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule:  “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfilment of the law.

Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to have laws to keep people in line!  That’s the point behind Paul’s message here. Treat our neighbours as we would like to be treated.  Love them as we like to be loved.  If we do that, then we’re not going to do anything that would hurt them, much less violate a command of law!

FRIDAY 1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

What is there to fear if God sent his Son to die to redeem us?  What is there to fear if we cannot be separated from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus?  What is there to fear except ourselves?  As we love God and his children, we are reminded by his love for us, which is far better than our meagre love for others.  Rather than run from him in fear, we bow before him in thanks, knowing that he who hears our prayers is also he who loves us and stops our fears.

SATURDAY Ephesians 2:4-5
Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.

I cannot think of anything I’d prefer the Holy God to be rich in than mercy. I know my failures, shortcomings, sins, and transgressions. Without his mercy to pardon, and without his grace to send Jesus to pardon at first, I would be lost and without God. Now, because of his rich mercy, my life is tied to Jesus’ future and not the one I earned for myself.

SUNDAY  1 John 4:19

We love because [God] first loved us.

It’s all very simple. God is love. He is its origin, example, and architect. I love because he loved me first. I know how to love because he has demonstrated it. I can love because he made me to have his likeness. He is the fountain, the motivation, and the pinnacle of love. I love because he does, first, last, and always.

We had a great evening at Chatham Corps , at our Community Quiz night. It was a well attended event with 80+ people taking part for the Majors Trophy.

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 Our meetings this Sunday will be led by Major Ian F Payne

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