Bude, Cornwall

There are not many more picturesque places in Cornwall than Bude and it was great to return to the church which, for the past three years has been pastored by Steve Ellerington (pictured here with his wife Natasha)

Return visits give me the opportunity to appreciate how a church has developed since I was last there and, while always a pleasure to attend, I was aware on this occasion of an increased sense of church 'family' and appreciation of the worship team who, from point of view had stepped up to a whole new level.

From a personal point of view it was great to spend time with Steve and Natasha.  Both of their fathers were Elim ministers before they retired and were fellow students with me in Bible college in the late Sixties.  In other words, I have know this couple since they were born and to see them with three lovely children of their own, watching the pastoral care and fine leadership with which they serve the church was really something special.  If you are holidaying in this part of Cornwall this year, Bude Christian Fellowship is a church you would not want to miss.

Manchester

In 1968 I left my home church in Elim Manchester that had been pioneered by my father and went to Bible College to begin my training to be a minister.  It was more than fitting that 47 years later, and shortly before retiring as our Movement's leader, the final large gathering at which I would be preaching in that capacity would be the church where it all began that is now located adjacent to Media City Salford - the part of Manchester where I became a Christian as a child 62 years ago

For the past thirty years Paul and Mags Hallam have led the church and it is during their ministry that the major growth and development has taken place that has brought this significant church - that now has branches throughout India and Romania that, apart from churches, include schools and orphanages - to the place it is in today.

During their tenure which has been hallmarked by huge vision, faith and sacrifice they have built a first class team of top quality leaders around them.  They are truly amazing people.

My Sunday began with an interview with BBC radio Manchester to talk about Elim's Centenary and then on to minister at the 11am service.

North of England ELIM100

Over nine hundred people packed the Lighthouse Christian Centre (Elim Manchester)  from our churches in the north of England for the final centenary celebration that have seen around ten thousand people in attendance during 2015

The event was convened by Regional leader Kevin Peat and the worship led by Mark Stevens.  It was the perfect finale to a great year of celebration.  Many thanks to host Pastor Paul Hallam and for the amazing team at the Lighthouse who hosted the event.

Guernsey

The three churches in Guernsey wanted to celebrate the Elim Centenary on the Island and it was a delight to speak at their event.

The day began with an interview with BBC radio Guernsey, followed by lunch with the leaders and their spouses before going on to the celebration meeting in the evening.

Pictured with me left to right are Mick and Heather Leggett (St Peterport), John and Angie Roddis (Delancy) and Steve and Angela Mudge (Vazon)

The Source, Malvern

When Elim came to Malvern six years ago a small independent fellowship asked to become affiliated to us.  

A year ago Dan and Rachel Bennett came to take over the leadership of the church and during that time have developed the culture of the congregation that has a heart to engage with the community.

Having spent time with this fine young couple afterwards, I have every confidence that the church will see continued growth in the days that lie ahead.

North West Region

Every two years I have visited each of Kevin and Margaret Peat's two Regions.  

On this occasion the venue was a golf and country club in Blackpool.  This residential retreat was subsidised by the Region in order to create a memorable, relaxing and well-deserved break for the leaders and their spouses.

As a Mancunian it is always a pleasure to be back in the North West and particularly so as the pastors in this area are so open to everything that God has for them.

During one of of my messages I gave an illustration of a baby that makes its first steps.  A young couple came to me to stay that, while I was speaking, their child had done just that!

Thank you everyone in the NW Region for the warmth with which you received Marilyn and I during the time that we were with you and Kevin and Margaret, thank you for the opportunity you have given me to minister to your leaders in the years I have been the GS

Ludlow

Our centenary celebrations have been held in  some of the largest venues across the country but this special occasion has also been replicated throughout the Movement in individual churches large and small

Ludlow, pastored by Tim Coles pictured here  with his wife Judith, had around forty special guests in addition to their normal congregation.  These included the Bishop of Ludlow and several other local clergy, and various local dignitaries from the town.

Tim convened the service with a balance of warmth and dignity and the morning service at which I preached was followed by lunch for all who were able to attend.  It was a special joy that the centenary was able to be celebrated in their newly acquired facilities which are a great credit to the congregation who have prayed and sacrificed to bring their vision to completion.  Ludlow has one of the longest serving Elim members in our Movement.  David Smith (pictured) was dedicated as a baby in an Elim church 85 years ago!.

RTC Graduation Day

As the final months of my role as General Superintendent come to a close I commence officiating at a number of our Movement's national  events for the final time.  One of these was speaking at the Graduation service  of Regents Theological College held in Malvern Priory

The service was conducted by Elim's Director of Training Dave Newton and vice Principal Peter Read.  Fifty five students graduated and received their degrees.  RTC is blessed with a faculty who are godly people as well as being consummate professionals.

Centenary Celebrations - Wales and South West

This is just a section of the 1600 people who packed the St. David's Hall in Cardiff for the ELIM100 celebrations.

This was without doubt one of my personal favourite venues on the Centenary tour.  Chris Cartwright, Regional Leader for the area convened the meeting which balanced songs from the early days of Elim as well as the latest contemporary music.  

The contribution of the Choir led by Myra Harris added so much to the evening.  The level of worship and sense of the presence of God was extraordinary.  I have preached the identical message in all of the celebrations I have attended to this point and nowhere did I feel a greater rapport  with this great congregation of Elim people.  The evening was an absolute pleasure to participate in.

Eastbourne

It was good to be with Stephen and Elizabeth Smith for the morning service at our Church in Eastbourne.

There were a number of testimonies in the meeting of the impact that the church is having upon the local community as a result of their heart for the marginalised including that of an award presented to a member of the the congregation at the House of Lords that will feature in a future edition of Direction.

During the service I led in prayer for  assistant minister Ashley Steinschauer and his wife Rachel as Ashley prepares for chaplaincy in the armed forces.

At the close of the service Marilyn and I spent  some time over lunch listening to the plans that Stephen and Elizabeth have for the church in the days that lie ahead.

Elim Centenary, London

Two thousand five hundred people attended back-to-back meetings in the iconic Westminster Central Hall for the Elim100 celebration in the London area hosted by Colin Dye (KT and NLT member) and David Campbell (London Metropolitan Regions and NLT member.  Dominic De Souza (TLC Norwich) and his team worked tirelessly over many weeks to ensure that the day was the success that it turned out to be.

Worship was lead by Sam Blake, Noel Robinson, Helen Yousaf and band plus a backing choir.

This was a the third time that I had spoken at one of these events, the previous two being in Birmingham and Scotland.

Blackburn

Simon and Valentina Pastorello moved from AoG  Italy to join the team  in Elim Blackburn a few years ago and within the past few months Simon has taken over as lead pastor in what was the first church that Stephen Jeffries pioneered in Lancashire

Their strategically positioned building is now full to capacity on a Sunday morning and there is a wide spectrum of events in which the church is engaged in through the week.

It was good to be back in  church that has members who have been there for a generation as well as those who have recently joined the church

There are a number of levels of transitioning and restructuring in which the church is engaged that will position it to be a church that I will believe will see accelerated growth in the years that lie ahead.

Elim Centenary, Scotland

The result of eighteen months of planning and preparation came to fruition when over 1500 gathered in the iconic Armadillo arena at the SECC for the centenary celebrations.  Regional leader Kevin Peat was quick to mention the work that the organising team had put into the success of the event - notably Alan Scobie, Gordon Alan and James Glass.  It was a night of great worship, video memories and, after I had brought the message the whole congregation stood together in making a verbal declaration of their commitment to move into the next phase of our Movement's life believing that, without doubt, 'The best is yet to come'.

The night was hallmarked by those who came to faith for the first time and many who recommitted their life to the Lord.  Elim in Scotland has never been in a stronger position than it is today and its commitment to church growth and continued church planting make it clear that there is, under God, a great future to be anticipated.

Elim New Zealand

Of the four million people who live in New Zealand almost half of them live in Auckland and, in this great city, Elim's multicampus church has a congregation of over 2,000.  In addition to this it has a state-of-the art Christian School that educates over one thousand children and has a waiting list of over 700 who wish to attend.  The school has recently received the coveted 'Apple' award for excellence.  A remarkable feature are the huge four-coloured letters on the roof of the school campus that spell the word ELIM and can be seen on the international flight path as planes approach Auckland airport.

Recently the Jehovah's Witnesses moved their headquarters to Australia and the huge £7 million pound complex is now owned by the Aukland Elim Church and used as a leadership training centre.  The purchase of a golf course also means that the church has its own gold academy.

The brains behind this entrepreneurial expansion is senior pastor, Luke Brough, pictured here (right) with New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key.

I was there at the invitation of good friend Mike Griffiths (pictured with his wife Liz) who was the leader of Elim New Zealand prior to, at the conference, passing the baton on to Luke.  Mike is an exceptional leader who has decided to concentrate on the growth of the church of which he is the senior pastor.

My preaching schedule for the conference was hectic however as I was ministering twelve times within a six day period.  However, I love everything about New Zealand, its national culture, its church culture and its vision for the future.

Coventry Elim

Coventry Elim has never been in a more healthy  state.  Already in multiple Sunday morning services, it now meets once a month in a city centre theatre so that all the church family can be together. Over 700 people were present at  service at which I spoke.

Duncan and Helen Clark (pictured) have led the church for several years and have built a great team around them which, together with the Elders and a committed congregation, have created, under God, something that has a full potential yet to be realised.

A recent survey showed that 75% of the congregation are younger than the senior pastor which certainly augers well for the future.

Apart from leading one of our Movements fastest growing churches Duncan is also a member of Elim's National leadership Team.

Hatfield

Fifteen years ago Mike and Heather Dyce, then based in St.Albans, pioneered a church in Hatfield.

Today both of them are ordained Elim ministers and the church which has steadily grown over the years attracts a wide age range and cultural base with many nationalities represented.

After a number of challenges and initial setbacks they were able to secure the town centre building that they are now in which, apart from a worship area has large office areas and facilities from which they operate their several community outreaches.

They are the second largest facility in the town (after Asda)

Mike remains bi-vocational and this church is an  example of what can be achieved by sacrificial and tenacious leadership.  It was great to be with them for the day.

Elim Centenary Birmingham

During the next few months I have the privilege of speaking at venues all over the UK as our Movement celebrates its centenary.

The first of these was in the iconic Birmingham Town Hall which was packed to the rafters with Elim people from the Midlands.  Many people who wanted to purchase tickets were unable to do so such was the demand to be part of this very special day.

Many thanks to Gordon Neale, Stuart Blount and a team of great leaders who put the day together and to Leon Evans and Abby Eaton who led the worship.

Elim, Glasgow

I am often asked what relation James Glass is to me and the precise answer is 'first cousin one removed' and my time at the church coincided with James and Beryl's wedding anniversary - the happy occasion at which I had the pleasure of officiating at 22 year ago.

My visit, part from ministry on the Sunday morning, was to speak at a  lunch for around thirty of the core leaders on the Saturday.

Kevin Peat, the Regional Leader for Scotland, tells me that the Glasgow church is currently the strongest it has been in its long history and this was corroborating by the ;largest Sunday service I have preached at on the many occasions I have visited the Glasgow church over the years.

James is a member of Elim's National Leadership Team.

Elim Chinese Church, London

 Without doubt one of the highlights of my year was attending the double celebration of Elim's Chinese church in London

The meal, followed by a excellent presentation in music, dance and drama marked their 27th year as a church and our Movement's centenary celebration.

 In a future edition of Direction we will feature a story of the this great church with a selection of photo's highlighting its journey.

Aaron and Anna Chan, who are both ordained Elim ministers, have been instrumental in building the church network while remaining for much of the time bi-vocational and the photo below features the core leaders of the church.

One of the most significant thing that one  notices, apart from the vibrant worship and dedication of the people, is the broad spread of ages with a large proportion consisting of those in their Twenties.

An unforgettable day.

Norwich, TLC

 There has been an Elim church in Norwich for many years but now Norwich (TLC) - Today's Lifestyle Church is now Elim's newest church.  An already established church of around eighty people in an excellent facility has applied to join our Movement.

Dominic and Catherine De Souza have moved from the 400 strong Elim church in Letchworth to lead the current congregation and already plans are underway to build a significant church complex in the heart of the city.

I preached at this significant and pivotal service and David Campbell, the Regional Leader for the area, presided over the induction.