Coatbridge, Scotland

My time in Coatbridge commenced with an evening celebration attended by Elim churches in the area and was followed by speaking at the Sunday morning service. The music at both meetings was a provided by Chris Mercer who has achieved a great deal of recognition on both sides of the Atlantic as a Gospel recording artist.

The development of the Coatbridge church is an evidence of the faithful and dedicated work of David and Linda Bell and their family who re-pioneered the church some years ago. It is always good to be both with them and with the church.

Switzerland

There could hardly be a more picturesque location for a church than Ambilly, Switzerland nestled under the shadow of Mont Blanc.

Michel and Balbina Rimbert, after a successful career in banking, planted the church and built a remarkable 2000 seater facility built to the very highest specification.

Though the current congregation has a long way to go to make the fullest use of the centre, it stands as a testimony to faith and vision.

On the Saturday morning I spoke to a men's meeting and in the evening to a main church celebration. The Sunday morning was a very special event and one in which Michel Rimbert, who will retire from senior leadership in a year's time, announced that the churches' new pastor would be Christophe Saez (pictured here with his wife Sabina and their family). The news was greeted with much applause - partly in recognition of the work that Michel and Balbina had done and partly in enthusiasm for the excellent choice that had been made for succession.

I got to know the Saez family very well during my time there and I am very optimistic for the future of the church in the years that lie ahead.

Elim Midlands Region

There was a capacity turnout for the meeting of the Elim Leaders in the Midlands Region and it is always a joy to be with them. The venue was the Nettle Hill Conference Centre near Coventry and was lead by Gordon Neale who is the Regional Leader.

AoG Conference

I very much enjoyed being part of the Assemblies of God Conference held in Huddersfield and considered it a privilege to be invited to address 900 of their pastors and leaders.

The venue was the new £13 million pound home of Huddersfield Christian Fellowship - an independent Pentecostal church which has one of the best church facilities in the country.

The mood of the Conference was one of faith and expectancy as they welcomed their new General Superintendent, John Partington. He will be a speaker at the 2010 Elim Conference. We pray God's richest blessing on our sister Fellowship with whom we have enjoyed such close relationship over very many years.

Clydebank 50th Anniversary

It was a pleasure to participate in the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Elim Church in Clydebank. The church was pioneered by one of Elim's premier and highly respected evangelists Rev. Alex Tee. His health did not allow him to be present but on the Saturday evening meal held in a local golf club he brought an inspiring greeting via DVD.

The church is currently pastored by Gordon and Heather Allan (pictured here centre and right) together which Becky Haldane who is the associate minister.

I knew the Clydebank church well due to the fact that I was once the Regional Leader for Scotland for a nine year period, so it was a special delight to witness on the Sunday morning how it had grown numerically since the last time I had been there. There were people present in the congregation who were there 50 years ago when it started and several that I met that had joined the church in the past twelve months.

Blackpool (Clifton)

Sandy and Patricia Kirkwood (pictured) have had a wide and varied ministry and a little over a year ago took over the pastorate at Clifton - one of the three Elim Churches in the Blackpool area.

The excellent facilities are kept in immaculate condition but 'church' is not about buildings its about people. While I was there I met five ladies who had been at the church since its earliest days. They told me they had a combined age of 414 years and that two of them have been missionary secretaries for a massive 43 years! While thanking God for the growth in our Movement among young and middle-aged people, my visit to Clifton gave me reason again to thank God for the stalwarts in our churches who have served God over very many years. We appreciate them so very much.

Worcester

Ian and Liz Nicholson, pictured here with their son David and daughter Rachel, have pastored Worcester Elim church for eleven years. It was five years since I had last spoken at the church and it was clear that there are been developments in several dimensions of the churches life since that time. Ian has a strong pastoral gift and Marilyn and I enjoyed our time with the family during the day. Rachel and David are both in the worship team and play their own part in the life of the church.

Five minutes old

If you were to ask me to chose between preaching to five thousand people or leading one person to Christ - there is no contest.

After the close of one of my meetings in France I chatted, through my interpreter, to some of those who had attended. Among them was Pierre. When I asked him if he was a Christian he said that he was not but that he was only a few steps away. Enquiring what it would take for him to make a commitment he told me that he was partly Jewish. I had the pleasure of telling him that the Gospel was, "To the Jew first and then to the Gentile" and that he was not rejecting his roots by coming to Christ but completing the purpose that God had for him. We talked further and prayed together. This photo with my new French friend shows him five minutes after his New Birth,

Gaston Claudel

Gaston Claudel is a remarkable man by any standards. He was one of the 300,000 children around Europe snatched by the Nazis to create their master race simply because, at the age of three, he had blond hair and blue eyes. He tells his story in the "Les enfants sur la lune" (The children under the moon).

He entered Elim Bible College in 1964 and after one of our Easter meetings in the Royal Albert Hall noticed a man in a London street injecting drugs. "Immediately", he says, "I knew what my life mission would be". Returning to France he has spent the past 45 years in that ministry and has received about every award that from the Government and civil bodies that a civilian can get. Now 74 and still in ministry he was proud to show me his Elim credentials that he carries with him at all times. His amazing story will be the subject of a future Direction feature.

Elim France

Each time I visit the church in Thonon, France I see growth numerically and in depth. Luc Favre has also transformed the building and is pictured here in the cafe entrance to the church which is a hub for the people before and after the services.

After a weekend with the Thonon church I spoke at the Conference for Elim pastors throughout France. Though only a small group at the moment the President David Thabot is encouraged by the number of leaders from independent groups who have shown an interest in linking with Elim in this spiritually needy nation.

Driffield

Mark and Cheryl Witherden (pictured) have been in Driffield for two years. This church, like several others in our Movement, has long outgrown the original building and worships in a school which retaining the original facility for youth and childrens work. This was my first visit to the congregation. It was an enjoyable day at this long-established Elim Church in the heart of Yorkshire.

Emerging leaders

This group of Elim ministers that met for a three day conference at our International Centre in Malvern were participating in an ongoing leadership program led by Nigel Tween and Chris Cartwright. These seminars are not for those who are emerging 'into' leadership but for those who are emerging into a new dimension of leadership and are seeking to enhance the skills and abilities that they already possess. It was great to engage in the interaction that followed the two sessions that I had been invited to take.

Newquay Christian Centre

The first time I visited Elim in Newquay was over twenty years ago. In those days the congregation numbered around 35 people. I have spoken at Newquay Christian Centre many times since and especially during the years that Mike and Shelagh Robins (pictured) have been there. It seems that on every occasion new facilities have been purchased, people added to the team or another threshold has been reached.

I left home at 4:30am in the morning for the first of the two Sunday morning services that now accommodate this constantly growing church. Arriving at 7:45am I was met by the musicians who were waiting for the church to open so that they could set up prior to the first service at 9 a.m. - that's commitment!

The complex already consists of a sanctuary, youth centre, administration block, restaurant and purpose-built residential accommodation. At the close of the second service Mike took me to view a 700 seater facility adjacent to their current complex the front of which faces into the main street of the town and is one of the most high profile buildings in Newquay. They had completed on the sale only a few days earlier. Mike and Shelagh, and the team around them, continue to make a major impact in the town and surrounding area.

Romania

My admiration for Bob and Edith McDonald knows no bounds!

Having pastored in Elim the UK for forty years, and approaching the age of retirement, many would assume that it was now time for them to slow down.

Through remarkable events that will be featured in Direction magazine at a later date, they decided instead to sell up home to live in one of the most economic-disadvantaged areas of Romania.

However, when around thirty-five children and young people began meeting in their home it was clear that their vision need to be enlarged.

The reason for my visit was to officially open a purpose-built youth centre on two floors. This excellent building is the only centre for young people for several miles around. It was a delight for Bob and Edith to witness during the two dedication services on the day, over 300 parents and children in attendance. Several teams from Elim churches in the UK have gone out to work short-term with the McDonald's and at the opening ceremony there was was representation from the Elim churches in Bradford and Dundee as well as Pastor Robin Baker from Redditch.

Pentecostal churches are spreading rapidly across Romania and already number around two thousand. In the nearby city of Cluj there are several Pentecostal churches with over a thousand in attendance. Before leaving I was asked to address a meeting at one of the largest centres which comprised of senior Pentecostal leaders in the area.

The sacrificial love and commitment that Bob and Edith have shown to some of the poorest people in the country is mirrored in the hearts and lives of the young people who have come to see them as spiritual parents. Remember them, and those they serve, in your prayers.

Chaplains Conference

Elim Chaplains gathered at Elim's International Centre for their second annual conference in Malvern. The venue was hosted by Nigel Tween, Director of Training. The chaplains work in a wide variety of ministry ranging from hospitals, prisons, the fire service, the police service, airports and the armed forces. It was delight to speak at the opening session.

Formby Elim Church

Malcolm and Denise Dyer (pictured) came to Formby after a fruitful period in Malcolm's ministry as a senior lecturer at Regents Theological College. Feeling a call to pastoral ministry he accepted the pastorate of the church located in the Liverpool/Southport area.

Some weeks prior to my visit the church had entered a process of re-visioning and, by the time I arrived, it was clear that there was a very clear dynamic of faith and expectancy that permeated the whole congregation.

It was an absolute joy to spend time at Formby and to meet a group of people who were evidently looking forward to everything that God has in store for them in the future.

Onehope Conference - Miami, Florida

One of the most amazing and successful missions organisations in the world is also, remarkably, one of the least known. Onehope publish the "The Book of Hope" which is an evangelistic tool that has a version for children and for teenagers. It puts the gospel in clear graphical form and has recently distributed its six hundredth million copy: making it the biggest publication after the Bible itself. Many thousands of people have been reached for Christ through this ministry which now has a digital animation DVD called The God-man - produced by Hanna Barbara - probably the best know cartoon creators in the world. . Another amazing statistic is that everything is made available free of charge to the local church at the point of contact. I was invited to Miami for their annual conference. It was a powerful missions opportunity.

True Vine -Luton

A few months ago I spoke at the opening of our church in Dunstable that had taken over the main night-club to create a 1000 seater worship facility.

On this occasion I was just a few miles down the road at one of Elim's three churches in Luton which had just taken over one of the main casinos in the area.

True Vine Fellowship was pioneered several years ago with a very small group of people. Under the leadership of senior pastor Vicky Gee (pictured here with her son Michael who is also on the team as an Elim minister) it has grown to the point that it was able to take over and refurbish this new complex. The church, which is on several floors, features the worship area, committee rooms, restaurant, children/youth areas - all finished to a very high standard.

Several local churches were represented at the opening ceremony which was also attended by the two Members of Parliament for the area. The full story of the development of this church is to be featured in a forthcoming edition of Direction.

Yeovil Elim

Howard Davenport, pictured here with his wife Emma and their children Ava and Boaz, is the senior minister of the Elim Church in Yeovil Somerset.

A packed church was evidence of the growth that this church has seen during the period in which he has been the pastor. He has built a strong leadership team around him and invested heavily in children and youth ministry - a reflection of his involvement with Elim's National youth department Serious4God

The congregation covered a wide age spectrum and the style of worship was such that anyone participating would have felt connected and involved - not an easy balance to achieve but managed well in this warm and welcoming church.