August is busy!

The sun has come out ,the temperatures are rising,the school holidays have begun and church life moves into a different phase.
Different but it is just as busy, for even though various ministries have stopped and those that run them are having a well earned break,we still have various projects on the go.

August in particular is a very busy month .In our Central building we have various things going on that relate to the big Flower Show that is such a popular annual event in August, these include an afternoon tea (complete with speaker ) for Senior Citizens,  various children's activities and an art exhibition ,we are hopeful hundreds of local people will come and see these as they go past our building on the way to The Flower Show See here. This is a great opportunity to meet and bless people.

Roy and Mary Ellis are running Senior Moments at Crowmoor  for the second time from 14th -16th August  and I am, hearing bookings are going very well indeed, and many of those booking in are not regular members of our congregation which is great!

Then last but not least there is The Holiday Club. This has been run annually for many years and is hugely enjoyed by those primary school  who come along.
August is therefore not a quiet month but certainly a very exciting one giving us loads of opportunities to engage with local people
I am looking forward to a good month!

Senior Citizens of The Kingdom

Photo from Age Concern website




I went to a large sheltered housing complex in town today
The group of Christians there had kindly asked me to speak at their monthly service.I spoke from Marks gospel to about 16 people for about 40 minutes (well they said I could!)
A few impressions follow
I was encouraged and delighted by their enthusiasm. Some had been Christians for a long time and still keep up their church connections.For others that was more difficult and this monthly meeting had in effect become their church all appeared to enjoy looking at the Bible and some asked questions afterwards
I was impressed by the pastoral care they showed to one another.Some people who used to be in the residential home and come to the service have moved on to nursing homes.They were still remembered, ,prayed for and cared for.One lady felt this was a very specific ministry God had given her.
I was surprised that the people who came were all women.I know they live longer but I thought there might have been one or two men

Leaving that meeting I went back to our church building where First Tuesday (a work we do for mostly senior citizens) was going on,there were about 30 people present (many more men here) I stayed for a short while chatting
There is quite a culture of youth today. Reflecting on this mornings events reminded me how much older people have to contribute to our churches and how involved they are in the work of the church and the Kingdom
As I myself get older I hope God will give me the grace and energy some of these people have.The ones I met today were not living in some nostalgic past but seeking to serve God today!

They were seeking to do what we should all seek to do: Finish Well!