Kilsyth, Scotland

 It is always a pleasure to minister in our churches throughout the UK but it was special joy to be in Kilsyth for their anniversary weekend as this was the church that I had pastored prior to being elected as General Superintendent in 1999.

Kilsyth Church of God is the longest established Pentecostal church in Scotland and celebrated its centenary during the period in which I was the minister.  This anniversary marked fifty years since the opening of its present building.
Twelve months ago Mike Preston - pictured here with his wife Bev, his son Yoshan and daughters Yolanda and Zara - became the pastor and the church is prospering under his ministry.

Apostolic Church, Ebbw Vale, South Wales

Although I usually only accept invitations for ministry at the weekend from Elim Churches it was a pleasure to visit the Ebbw Vale Apostolic church pastored by Jason Pennington - pictured here with his wife Charis, his son Nathan and his daughters Abigail and liberty - all of which are fully involved in the life and ministry of the church.

It was a joy to spend time with this warm and welcoming congregation. 

 

Gatehouse Elim Church, Porth

It was great to be with John and Debbie Bullock (pictured) and the Gatehouse Church in Porth - a dynamic congregation in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales.

Apart from being the local Elim church in the area, it is also home to  'Sporting Marvels' a phenomenal initiative that links the church to the community via sport -  google 'sporting marvels' to find out more.

This church also holds many memories for Marilyn and I as it was venue at which we were married over 40 years ago.

Silverdale

The Saturday meeting for leaders entitled, "Creating a place for the Presence'" was made open to a number of churches in Potteries and was organised by Edwin Cotter, pictured here with his wife Lorna, the senior pastor of the Elim Church in Silverdale.

It is a remarkable that a village of just a few thousand should have such a thriving Pentecostal Church.

It was an excellent day and I thoroughly enjoyed being with leaders from a variety of backgrounds.

Faith through a lens

A powerful scene of former drug addicts reading the New Testament scooped the overall winner’s award at the national amateur photography competition, Faith Through a Lens. Created by national church insurer Congregational and General, renowned photojournalist Don McCullin and Minister for Faith and Communities, Baroness Warsi, John Glass, General Superintendent  Elim Churches and Dr. David Cornick presented the prizes. .
‘Brothers in Arms’ by Paul Triller was praised by the judging panel for its immediate impact, fantastic use of light and real intensity. Paul, who took the photo whilst in Romania, received a camera-shaped trophy sculpted by emerging artist Craig Dyson and a prize pack valued at £1,400 which included a new Nikon V1 camera. Winners of the other categories also scooped a photography prize pack and also the opportunity to nominate a faith, charity or community group to receive £1000 of audio-visual or photography equipment of their choice.
Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, said: "They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I was delighted to see A Year of Service really come alive in some terrific photos that perfectly captured the strength of our faith communities and the commitment they make to their neighbourhoods. This has been a memorable year of social action so thank you to all the budding photographers who entered and congratulations to the winners."
The above photo shows the winning picture two of the judges - John Glass and Don McCullin CBE