Rugby

David and Sheila Crabb have been at Rugby for twenty-two years and this great church is a testimony to the value of long-term ministry.

Both of them have have a heart, not only for their congregation which is their first priority, but for other leaders.

I spoke at the Sunday morning service and in the evening many of the members were engaged in practical service to the neighborhood.

Yet another example of a warm and welcoming congregation with a desire to positively affect the community in which they have established a long and trusted relationship.

Glasgow Elim

Simon Foster is the senior pastor of this four hundred strong church. He and his wife Jane have been in Glasgow for the past six years in which they have seen a great deal of numerical and spiritual growth.

I was present for the Sunday morning service after which there was a fabulous meal to honour around fifty members who had been involved in various forms of service within the church during the past year.

This church is without doubt one of the finest Pentecostal churches in Scotland

First Elim Conference - India

Over eleven hundred church leaders were present for the first India Elim Conference. Paul Hallam Elim's coordinator for India has done a phenomenal job over the past few years in networking these churches together. The host church senior pastor Dr Arthur Paul was honored together with his wife and sons for the magnificent work that they had done behind the scenes. This 5000 strong church in Bangalore is a dynamic congregation. Elim's international missions director Chris Jones also spoke at the Conference attended by around twenty Elim leaders from the UK who are supporting missions in India. A fuller report will appear in Direction magazine.

Isle of Man

There are four Elim Churches on the Isle of Man which has a population of 84,000. On Sunday morning I spoke at Douglas and then, after a meal with Simon and Anita Ricketts (3rd and 4th from the left) and their family, spent the afternoon with all the pastors/wives. In the evening there was a joint service in an Anglican church for the four Fellowships to which members of other Denominations were invited.

Hamilton Elim NZ

I have known Bob and Margaret Lawson for longer than any of the New Zealand Elim leaders and, as with Luke and Marilyn Brough, they are great friends. It was great to be with them on the Sunday evening at their fabulous church in Hamilton.

Driving into the city one is immediately impressed by the imposing building that, when it it is fully developed will incorporate a thousand seater auditorium.

There is a great atmosphere in this church and there is little wonder why it is a growing congregation. I was due to fly home to the UK on the Monday but, before doing so, spent some time back at the church which was packed with children enjoying a vacation holiday club.

Bob and Margaret will be the delegates to our 2008 Conference in Prestatyn

Auckland Elim

Luke and Marilyn Brough pioneered Auckland city church with just a handful of people. Today it is one of the largest congregations in New Zealand with Sunday attendance of over two and half thousand people. I preached to a different congregation in each of their three morning services. The complex sits on a seven acre site and incorporates a 500 strong school and a Bible College. The youth group of the church attracts 500 people every week. This church is the largest of the 45 Elim churches in the country. There are around 16,000 in Elim churches throughout New Zealand.

There are six Elim churches in the city of Auckland alone and it was great to meet with leaders (pictured) from some of these churches on the Sunday afternoon.

Elim New Zealand Conference

Elim New Zealand is a success story and their strength was certainly reflected in their largest Conference ever. I was one of two keynote speakers for the event - the other being Wayne Alcorn of the three thousand-strong Brisbane City Church in Australia. Conference business was minimal and, because my plane was delayed an hour I missed it! The primary consideration is teaching and worship which takes place throughout the entire day.

Luke Brough leads the National Leadership Team. Elim New Zealand has a wide spectrum of high caliber leadership.

The worship bands are as good as can be found anywhere in the world. The presentation of the Conference was hallmarked by excellence from start to finish.. The Auckland Elim hip hop dance group who took part in part of the worship time - recently came fifth in the entire country and are a great testimony to radically saved young people.

Elim New Zealand is linked closely to Elim UK in that at each of our Conferences we send and receive a delegate from each of our two nations.