Dunstable

Doug and Helena Richards planted Dunstable Christian Centre twenty two years ago and today it has a thriving congregation located in excellent premises in the centre of the town. For may years Doug worked for GMAC the American company that finances General Motors. He joined it in the early Seventies three years after I left the same company to enter Bible college in 1968. Though it was the hight of the holiday season with may members away, the church was very full for the morning service at which I had the privilege of preaching.

City Gates - mens weekend

City Gates, Ilford, is one of the largest churches in our Movement with a regular Sunday attendance of around a thousand people. The senior Pastor, Stephen Derbyshire has seen remarkable growth in the church in the fourteen years that he and his wife Julia have been there. The mens weekend was held at the Kings Park Conference Centre in Northampton. It was great to spend a couple of days with a group of amazing guys who are open to all that God wants to do in their lives.

Apostolic Conference

I considered it to be an honour to be invited to speak at the final night of the Apostolic Conference. Over a thousand people packed the marquee. in the grounds of Swansea university. Elim rejoices in what we have witnessed happening in our sister Denomination under the excellent leadership of Warren Jones and his team. Warren is shortly to retire from office and we wish him well as he itinerates around the UK and abroad.

Clacton on sea

It was great to be at Clacton for their 70th anniversary. Over the past year the church had encountered a number of difficulties so it was especially thrilling to see what a great sense of faith and excitement there was for the future. Stephen and Elizabeth Smith (pictured here with Mark, Sarah and Annie) have only been at the church for a few months and it is very clear that they are delighted to be in this new pastorate and the people have very evidently taken them to their hearts. Pastor and Mrs Rose who successfully ministered in the church for over thirty years were present at the meeting. This is now a church so full that they need to be urgently considering an extension. This is an example of church set to flourish through good leadership and a faithful congregation

Llanelli

The Elim Church in Llanelli is a remarkable success story. When Bill and Ellen Chapman came eleven years ago there were less than twenty people in the congregation. Today more than that number are employed by the two-hundred strong church that is housed in a complex that sees a thousand people pass through its doors every week. Care for the elderly and a well-managed nursery is just part of the churches involvement in the local community. I spoke at the church in the morning and at a baptismal service in the evening at which the Elim jchurch oined with the local Apostolic church which is also enjoying a season of growth.

Dowlais

It was thirty five years since I last preached in the Dowlais (South Wales) church. Since those day many things have changed not least their occupancy of a fine building. Phil and Babara Gray (pictured here with two of their four sons) had been missionaries in Belgium before taking up the pastorate here. In the evening David and Jan Holdaway who pastor the Elim church in Merthyr attended with a number of their congregation

MIT Conference

Every twelve months Nigel Tween and I co-host the three-day Conference for 'ministers in training' held at RTC. Other speakers this year included Stuart Blount, David Campbell, Clive Corfield, Eric McComb, Robert Millar. Mark Ryan and Ben Oliver. The excellent quality of emerging leaders within our Movement augers well for the future.

Redditch

Robin and Esther Baker (pictured here with Lydia and Joshua) have built an excellent team around them. The only problem that the church faces is accommodation. The building was packed to capacity on the morning of my visit and it was great to see the plans for the new complex displayed as a reminder of the provision this excellent congregation is making in anticipation of even further growth.

St Combs Community Church

St Combs is a remarkable success. Commenced four years ago with 18 people it now has a Sunday attendance of over 100 - and that in a village with a population of only 800. I spoke at a midweek meeting at which 120 were present due to additional support from the Fraserburgh Elim church from which St Combs was planted. Forbes was a deep sea fisherman with his own boat before selling up and, with his wife Audrey, investing their lives in this new ministry. Though all age groups are present, the 18-35 range is the most predominant. Through focused outreach and good pastoring, this church has acheived what many people may have thought impossible in such a short space of time.

Nuneaton

David and Jan Evaniew have spent much of their life in Canada and are now pastoring the Elim Church in Nuneaton. It is five years since I last visited the church and its growth and development is evident. I met members who had been there for fifty years and others who had only recently joined the fellowship. Nuneaton is a warm and welcoming congregation led by a couple with strong pastoral gifts

MetroChurch International

Ken and Lois Gott, who have been close friends for many years, lead Metrochurch that is located in Newcastle Sunderland and Durham. It was great to be with them and to witness firsthand how God is blessing their ministry. Friday night was spent in at their Prayer Centre that is open 24/7 365 days of the year. The occasion at which I spoke was the Fire School that attracts many young people. Saturday morning was spent with twenty of their core leaders and Sunday morning I preached to over 500 people at their prime location in Newcastle.

Letchworth Garden City Church

Letchworth is a success story.. I can remember when this church had a congregation of thirty and was meeting in a small hall. Today it has a congregation of over over 400 and meets in one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in our Movement. This thriving congregation, which for the past ten years has been pastored by Mark and Kathy Ryan, spans all age groups but most are young families. Its vibrant services and innovative and creative style is attracting ever-increasing numbers. My time with them was spent at the morning service followed by a meeting with twenty of the core leaders in the afternoon. This church is is a tribute to a faithful congregation and excellent leadership at every level.

Eastbourne

The church in Eastbourne, pastored by Keith and Barbie Jackson (right), currently worship in a school. This is not because they do not have a building of their own but due to the fact that their current site is under development. The three million pound project will be completed in around twelve months time. In the two years that they have been there they have seen the relatively small congregation grow and the average age decrease. Among those who worship in Eastbourne are the families of some of Elim's pioneers. One former Elim minister, now in his 89th year is Bill Plowright (left). He is not only known for being one of our finest pastors but also an accomplished soloist in the formative years of our Movement.

Portadown - Ireland

Portadown has long been one of Elim's finest churches. Edwin Michael (pictured here with his wife Margaret, daughter Laura and son Ryan) leads a great ministry team. Around 600 people were present for the morning service. It is a church bursting at the seams. A major feature on Portadown will appear in a forthcoming issue of Direction. On Saturday, shortly after flying in, I visited the Y Zone drop-in centre in the town. It is not unusual for a church to cater for young people who are vulnerable to drugs and other addictive lifestyles. What is immediately striking about this outreach is that there are no threadbare carpets or old setees. Everything is of the highest quality - top multi media, IT, internet access, big screen Xbox gaming etc. The lounge area with is sumptuous leather sofas would not look out of place in a corporate HQ. By showing respect and value to the young peopole who attend they, in turn, treat the facilities with respect. The members of Portadown Elim have invested heavily in reaching their community in a spirit of excellence.

Keynsham - Bristol

Though my Sundays remain booked until 2009, midweek services are still possible in 2007. I have enjoyed therefore being at Keynsham to take a series of the three Thursday Bible Studies. It was good to be with my good friend Des Morton and this excellent church.

Palmers Green -London

I enjoyed an excellent time with Bediako and Caroline Bosque-Hamilton who lead the church in Palmers Green. This creative and innovative church, which is part of the KT network, was packed for the morning service which was conducted cafe style. The service began with a short time of worship which was followed by a meal after which I was invited to preach. It was a delight to spend time with this warm and welcoming congregation. The congregation presented me with a very generous financial contribution to Elim's relief work in Mozambique.

Crawley Leaders Day

It was great to spend Saturday morning with around 40 key leaders from three churches and which began with a breakfast in a local Hotel. Elim Crawley- led by James Glass, Mid Sussex Christian Centre - led by Christy Smith and Aldershot Elim- led by Mike Keeping joined together for a time of teaching. Few things are more enjoyable than being with men and women of this calibre who are open to be their very best for God and sharpen the gifts they already possess

Kilsyth Community Church

My last pastorate, before taking on the role of GS, was at the Church of God Kilsyth. During that period I had considered inviting Mark Fleming to be my associate pastor. However it occurred that at that time Kilsyth Community Church was looking for a pastor and, as I knew that Mark had a great track reacord of growing a successful church, I suggested to their leadership that he might be the man for them. Subsequent to the interview he became their pastor and in the years the followed now leads a great church with an excellent future.

It was a delight to spend time with his leaders on the Saturday and preach at both services on Sunday. His wife Aileen, herself an accomplished speaker, have become great friends and I have a high regard for them both..

China

China is undergoing an economic explosion. It is now one of the top four tourist nations with inbound tourists reaching 120 million in just one year. Its tourism industry employs 7 million people directly. 30 million Chinese visited other nations in a single year also. Construction is unparalleled. Half the world's cranes are being used in the country,

This expansion is having a huge effects on the world's resources. Though many of its 1.3 billion population are poor, there are 25 million cars on China's roads. The mobile phone industry is already twice the size it is in the USA. In a single year China manufactures 300 million of the world's mobile phones. It manufacturs 50% of the worlds shoes and 70% of the world's DVDs and micro-wave ovens.

But what is happening spiritually? There are two "churches" in China. The official church is heavilly controlled by the atheistic Communist government. It allows only a modified Bible. No evangelism is permitted and the Deity of Christ is not allowed to be taught. In contrast, the underground church exists in a context of severe persecution. Imprisonment, beatings and torture are common. Despite this, the underground church is growing and is conservatively estimated at 80 million.

Chris Jones (Elim's international Missions Director) and I had arranged to fly into Hong Kong and from there to enter mainland China to meet with some of the leaders of the underground church. However on our arrival in Hong Kong our key contact "John" failed to meet us. He and his wife have been referred to in our prayer request as John and Mary (not their real names). Mary is Chinese and has spent time chained in prison simply for bring a Christian.

We found out on our return that John and the leaders had been arrested while in a meeting and John was not released until Chris and I had left the country. Our time however was valuably spent as we were able to spend time with a group who have multi-level means of outreach into China. As a result, Chris will be soon unpacking the possibilities for Elim people to be personally involved in this vital mission field. The short-term obstacles put in our way only served to re-double our determination to ensure that our Movement plays its part in reaching this great people for Christ.

Hundreds of thousands of people enter Hong Kong from China on a regular basis and the picture above shows a team, based in Hong Kong, that provides free literature for those who enter the harbour. It was a joy to meet and pray for them before we left.

Elim@Bristol

Every time I visit this church it appears to have risen to a new level in either attendance or in the development of the fascilities. There are now two morning services to accomodate the numerical growth and, before they commenced, Peter Davies (pictured) showed me the architectural drawings that outline the next phase in their building development. A theme that is current in the church at the moment is the "Presence of God" and the ambience of the time of worship indicated to me that the emphasis is having a positive effect. E@B adverstise themselves as a "new generation" church and anyone wanting to know about "doing church differently and well" could do far worse than check them out. As always, I enjoyed my time with Peter and the team.