Monday, December 16, 2013

Lane End, Buckinghamshire

Anyone entering the small village of 'Lane End' on the outskirts of High Wycombe does not expect to see the fine modern building with a prominent Elim logo that looms up before them.

I very much enjoyed being with the church for their Sunday morning service that was followed by a lunch to which the whole congregation was invited.  

The picture is of the church leaders and includes the senior pastor Nick Whittome (third from left) and associate Alan Osborn (Centre)

Monday, December 09, 2013

Paisley, Scotland

Its always a pleasure to minister in Scotland where fifteen years of our ministry was spent either as a pastor or a Regional Leader.  When I first met Tom Paton who is now the  senior minister he was a single man.  On this visit so many years later three of his adult sons are in the Praise band with one of them, Callum, himself a 'Minister in Training'.

The church is was originally founded by one of Elim's primary Evangelists, Alex Tee, and today it is at its strongest both numerically and spiritually.  The weekend I was there marked twenty years since the current town centre building was first opened.
The picture shows Tom and  Jennifer (back row) with their son Neil.  Front row is daughter Hannah and sons Euan and Calum with his wife Kathryn.

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Charismatic leaders Conference

For many years a Conference of Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders have met annually at the High Leigh Conference Centre.  It is currently led by Hugh Osgood and John Whitehead and I was  present as a speaker.  Not everyone is familiar with the word 'Charismatic' and in this context it refers to those, usually in traditional and historic Denominations, who have come into the same  'fulness of the spirit' as experienced by those of us in Pentecostal Churches.  Joel 2:28,29 promised how one day God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh and we thank God for contemporaty evidences of this across the world  with 640 million people who claim to have been Baptised in the Holy Spirit.

Lancaster - FM

As there is a two year lead-in time before I am able to visit a church, I have always prioritiesed engagements within our own Movement when accepting ministry invitations on a Sunday.

An exception to this was a visit to the Free Methodist church in Lancaster where I spoke at the morning and evening services and spent time with the pastor and local leaders over lunch.  The church has seen growth in recent months as a direct resukt of its engagement with the needs of the local community.