Brecon, South Wales

The opening of the new church building in Brecon is a huge tribute to the vision and faithfulness of the senior minister, Malcolm Jones, the local leadership and the church membership.

The celebration, at which the local MP attended, packed the new premises.  The photo shows a proportion of the congregation who were present for my official 'cutting of the tape' prior to the ceremony commencing.

Five members of Elim's National Leadership Team were present including the Regional Leader for the area, Chris Cartwright.  The speaker was NLT member Gordon Neale.  Brecon had been his first church when he entered the ministry over 40 years ago

Summit - on the road

Over the past twelve years there have been a number of Vision and Summit leadership conferences that have been held.  This year however the Summit conference went on the road travelling to venues such as Bristol, London (pictured), Scotland, Chorley and Coventry.  

The theme was 'Discipleship and Outreach' and the speakers were Gary Gibbs, Chris Jones, Mark Pugh, Nigel Tween and myself.  

The delegates had the opportunity, not just receive input, but to discuss the issues around the group tables as well as sharing their insights in a plenary setting.  The new-style summit ensured not only greater participation among those who attended but also a greater number of our churches around the country being involved.

Elim - Paisley

Its always a delight to be back in Scotland given that fourteen years of our ministry was in that country both as pastor and as Regional Leader.

My earliest memories of Paisely was of a congregation of around seventy people.  Today it is three tims that size with two morning services to accomodate the continued growth.

Wherever I travel on a Sunday there are two things that I value.  The first is visiting and ministering at one of our churches and the the other is spending time with the pastor and his family. 

This was especially true with regard to my time with Tom and Jennifer Paton and their family each of whom are fully involved in the local church.  Few things give more thrilling than seeing young adults, that you have known since they were first born, who are totally committed to serving God.

Back row left to right, Callum, Tom, Euan, Neil.  Front row Jennifer, Hannah, Kathryn (Callum's wife).

Festival of Life

Over thirty thousand people attended the 'Festival of Life' at the Excel Centre in London for an all-night celebration that lasted from 8pm to 5am.

It was held under the auspices of the 'Redeemed Christian Church of God'.  The other speaker  was Rev. Enoch Adeboye - the minister of the world's largest church in Lagos, Nigeria which has a membership of one million.  The walls of the church compound are three miles long. 

Stevanage

When senior accountant Kojo Wood, pictured here with his wife Caroline, entered his profession he would never have imagined that a few years later he would become an ordained Pentecostal minister. Yet, not only was that to happen, but he would also be involved in one of the most successful church plants in the Metropolitan Region.

It was veteran minister John Sainsbury that first recognised the call upon this emerging leader and created the initiative for the commencement of the Stevanage Elim church.  In the past three years under his leadership the congregation has tripled from 50 to 150 and the only limitation on further expansion is the size of the rented community centre at which the church meets.

During his ministry in Stevanage he has not received any salary choosing to support himself from his professional position.  While ministering at the church I learned one of the primary factors in this success story - his ability to build a high caliber team of leaders around him.  I was very much aware of witnessing a church on a journey towards a destiny yet to be realised.

Glasgow Elim

It is always a joy for Marilyn and I  to return to Scotland for any form of ministry as fifteen years of  my ministry has been spent there as either pastor in Kilsyth or as Regional leader.

Elim in Glasgow has had a succession of fine pastors in the past. James and Beryl Glass (pictured here with their family Alice, Nial and Johnny) have been at the church for the past two years and Kevin Peat, Regional Leader for Scotland, tells  me that it is currently at its strongest place numerically, in the church's long history.


My experience of Scotland is the generous heartedness and openness of its people and this is very much a characteristic of the membership of this Glasgow church


The pastoral leadership of the church has the added advantage of having Carl and Danielle Johnston on the team and they, together with the local Elders, provide an effective leadership focus for the Fellowship.


I met many friends I remember from my previous visits but I also encountered a crowd of people who have joined the church within just the last few months.


Saturday morning was spent with around thirty of the departmental leaders in the church and I concluded my time there by speaking at the Sunday morning service on the following day.

Regional Day

Over one hundred leaders and spouses gathered from the "Wales and southwest midlands" and "Southern Regions" at a residential two-day conference at the Webbington Hotel in Loxton, Somerset.

The event was hosted by Chris Cartwright the Regional Leader for the area.  Input on the first day had been given by Simon Foster (Bristol) and Mike Robins (Newquay) and it was obvious that by the time I arrived to do three sessions of the second day, that everyone there had already had an enriching and beneficial time.

Although Chris Cartwright is relatively new to the role, it was very evident that he and his wife Annie have been universally and enthusiastically welcomed by the churches represented and there was a great sense of excitement about the days ahead.  The message that I brought over the day was on a subject that is of very great importance to me and it was a joy to share it with men and women who are clearly open to receive everything that God has for them.  As I said on my Facebook page at the time, the potential and calibre of the leaders in these Elim regions is exceptional.

Newport, Isle of Wight

Tony and Sally Murphy (pictured here with their daughter Jodie and son James) are the kind of people who, through tenacity and commitment, create a culture in which church growthtakes place

Twelve years ago Tony, a teacher, took over a church that was around a third the size it is today and during that period worked as a bi-vocational pastor.  Now Tony and Sally have taken a 'step of faith' to go full-time at 'Church on the roundabout' one of the two Elim churches on the island.

The first impression you get when entering the church building is the sense of inclusivism - a wide spectrum of the community worshiping and relating together in a relaxed family atmosphere in which singles are as much 'at home' as anyone else.

Nor is this a church where young people exist on the margins.  The worship leader is fifteen and her band are almost all around the same age.  I really enjoyed my time at Newport and look forward to the next time I am with them.

LivingLife Church, Shirley

Livinglife church is a brand new church in Shirley near Solihull, West Midlands.

It was my pleasure to be the first visiting speaker since the church had been planted eight weeks earlier.

LivingLife is ably led by James and Lindsey Booth (pictured here with their daughters Holly and Abbie).  James is a visionary leader and his wife Lindsey an exceptional worship leader.

The service, held in a local school, was well attended with several Elim churches in the area represented.  I have every confidence that this new church will growth both in size and depth in the days that lie ahead..

Regents Theological College

One of the great advantages of the new location of the Elim International Centre being in Malvern is that Regents Theological College is on the same site.

It was great therefore to be the speaker at the first Students Devotions that incorporated the new 'first years' together the second and third year students and it is evident that this year's intake looks as good in quality as it does in size.

Church of Pentecost

No Denomination is closer to us than the Church of Pentecost - based in Ghana and with over 1.4 million members world wide.

The meeting that I attended in London was the ceremony which handed over leadership from Apostle Martin Seth Appiah the outgoing head of CoP (UK) and the inauguration of the new incumbent Apostle Newton Ofosyhene Nyarko.

The service that lasted for over four and a half hours incorporated many sincere tributes to Apostle Appiah for his work over the five years in which the Church has grown both numerically and spiritually.

The co-officiating minister with myself was Apostle Emmanuel Gyesi-Addo the International Missions Director who had travelled from Ghana for the proceedings.

The enthusiastic congregation prayed much for their new leader and his family as they took up their role in leading the Church of Pentecost in the UK.  On behalf of Elim I brought the good wishes of our people and expressed solidarity and support for all that CoP were doing in this country and led in prayer for God's blessing on them in the future.

Ashbourne

The opening of the new church building in the town of Asbourne was a big community event incorporating a Barbecue and Bouncy Castle at which many local people from the Waterside area attended.  As I cut the tape, I was accompanied by the local mayor and the MP for the area.  The opening service was attended by local Elim ministers and and those from churches of other Denominations in the town

The service was convened by the pastor of the church Ben Brown who, together with his leadership team,  had overseen the whole building process.  The former minister, now retired, Alec Prail spoke of the time when he had the vision for a new place and paid tribute to Ben Brown for seeing the vision through.  Before I brought the message, Regional Leader Gordon Neale spoke of the huge part the Asbourne membership had played to bring the concept to fruition.  Everyone was thankful to God that, in recessionary times, such a facility could be built.

Vazon - Centenary celebrations

There are three Elim churches on the small island of Guernsey the oldest one of which is Vazon - currently pastored by Steve Mudge (pictured here with his wife Angela).

The first Pentecostal Church was commenced in 1911 by Welshman, Robert Davies - in a packing shed.  In 1920 the church applied to be part of Elim and in 1926 George Jeffreys held a Crusade there attended by 900 people

The centenary celebrations began with a meal at a local four-star hotel at which around 200 people attended. On the Sunday both  services were packed to capacity.  It was 'standing room only' in the evening when other churches joined Vazon for these special meetings.

Several former ministers of the Vazon church travelled to the Island for the celebrations.  

Today Vazon is a great church with a fine leadership and whose services have a good blend of traditional and contemporary music.  All three Elim churches work together as a coherent team on a island that measures only nine miles between its furthest points.

Hayes - Elim Church

It was good to be with the friends at the Elim Church in Hayes.  For the past six years it has been pastored by Ra Smith pictured here with his wife Helen and church Elder Steve Blake and his wife Jane

Ray had been ministering recently on the work of the Holy Spirit and asked if, at the end of my message on the Sunday morning, I would especially pray for those who wished to receive their baptism.  It is always awesome to witness people baptised in the Holy Spirit and come  through into an experience with God for which they had been praying for so long.

WellSpring - Peterbough

Forty years ago the late Alexander Tee planted the first Elim church in Peterbrough.  Today there are three of our churches in the town.

My visit was planned to coincided with the weekend celebrations at at which a number of former ministers were present including John Cave who was the first pastor  and Gordon Neale who is now the Regional leader for the area.

Wellspring is a great church and currently pastored by David Ashton pictured here with his wife Susannah and daughter Rebekah.

River Camp

I



Rivercamp, held near Evesham and in its tenth year, attracted over two thousand people for the six day event. Its growth and success is is due to the excellent leadership of David Campbell and his team.

One of the highlights for me, apart from listening to my fellow speakers, was the final day when the children and youth workers reported on the spiritual impact that had been made across all age spectrums. Rivercamp is, without doubt, one of Elim's most significant summer camps.

Ignite Camp

The Ignite camp was held in the beautiful Welsh countryside at Cefn Lea near Newtown.

It is held under the auspices of Elim's Northwest Region led by Regional leader Kevin Peat, pictured here with his wife Margaret. Tribute was paid to Steve Yates, pastor of Elim Bootle, for the work that he had done to see that this holiday conference ran smoothly.

Other speakers included Simon Foster, Paul Hallam and Kevin Peat.

I never fail to enjoy being with a group of people who are open to all that God has for them and who are authentic and transparent in the way that they express their Christian lives.

Funeral of Matthew Weaver

Matt Weaver was only 29 years of age when he was taken home to be with the Lord. Over 500 people packed the church service that celebrated his life and 1300 messages of condolence were received.

Matt leaves behind his wife Sarah and two small boys. He is the son of Phil and Helen Weaver, and brother to Nathan who are the leaders of Newsprings church - one of two Elim congregations in Loughborough.

Most funeral services are moving but this one was exceptional in the degree that it expressed joy and celebration on a man who was massively committed to God, his family and the local church. One of those who gave tribute commented on the fact that the way the family responded to events around the passing of Matt following a routine operation - was a powerful expression of the existence of God in the lives of those family and friends who loved him.

Rev. Archie Biddle

It was a delight to spend a few hours recently with Archie Biddle who is now well into his 90's and has been a Elim minister for over fifty years. Though now in a residential care home, in his earlier years he pastored some of our key churches and served as Elim's President in the days when that annual office was in place. He was also a member of the National Leadership Team - then known as the Executive Council.

He was a great pastor and an excellent preacher - speaking on two occasions at Elim's Easter celebrations in London's Royal Albert Hall.

It was very evident that he is held in the highest regard in his Torquay home. The staff refer to him as the 'father of the house'.

I try whenever I am able to visit those who have served our Movement for so many years - not just for their sake but for my own - to remind myself that, were it not for their input and sacrifice, Elim would not be what it is today.

Infuse

Infuse is one of several family camps that Elim hold around the country during the summer. Most people who attend Infuse come from churches around the Midlands and the South West. This year the venue was the Three Counties Showground in Malvern - a fabulous venue and just a few miles away from our International Offices.

For the first time in the history of Infuse the number of young people attending exceeded the number of adults. In a camp of this nature a huge amount of work in done by volunteers - those very special people in our Movement who give freely of their vacation to work in the kitchens and arrange stewarding etc.

Other speakers at the adult venue included Stuart Blount, Colin Dye, Simon Foster, Jason Heron Gordon Neale, Mark Pugh and Mark Ryan.