Christian Life Centre - 25th Anniversary

It is 25 years since Christian Life Center in Selly Oak, Birmingham was first planted. To celebrate this, 250 people met for a banquet in the Botanical Gardens. Stuart and Amanda Blount have been at the church for the past 14 years and have taken the rapidly growing congregation through a major building program. Stuart, who also serves on Elim's National Leadership team, used the celebration to announce to the church, which has a prime position in the area, that it had now totally cleared its debt. Two morning services are necessary to house the burgeoning growth and it was my privilege to speak at these celebration services. Simon Foster, a previous associate minister and now senior minister of the Glasgow Elim Church, ministered at the evening celebration. CLC, while catering for all ages, has a high percentage of young couples. It's expanding leadership team is evidence of preparation for an even greater future

Pentecost Centenary Celebrations

The first modern outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place at an Anglican church in Sunderland one hundred years ago when Rev. A.A. Body was the minister. The building today houses an Elim Church pastored by Mark Drew who put in many months of work to highlight this very important event. Similar manifestations of the Holy Spirit took place in the USA and Norway a century ago and today there are around 600 million Pentecostals around the world. I had the privilege of speaking on the opening night to a packed church.

Chinese Church London

"Salvation for Chinese Church" is an exciting place to be. The five congregations based around London are led by people who, while working in their secular professions, are growing an amazing network of congregations. Those who hold Elim credentials are Joshua Chan, Aaron and Anna Chan and Tony Tsang. Periodically all the congregations come together at the Barbican Theater and it was to that group of around three hundred that I was the speaker. All the worship is in Mandarin or Cantonese and the message is translated into both those languages - either directly or via headsets. There will be a major feature of the church in a future edition of Direction.

Elim NW Region Residential Retreat

Kevin Peat is the Regional Leader for the NW Region and the Scottish Region. I had the privilege of being the speaker at the two-day residential retreat for the NW held in one of the largest hotels on the promenade in Blackpool. Around eighty pastors and spouses were present and there was a perfect balance of teaching and relaxation together. At the close, well-deserved appreciation was expressed to Kevin and Margaret for putting on the event. Spending quality time with Elim leaders in such a context was a tremendous pleasure.

Smethwick Elim 75th Anniversary

Fourteen ministers have pastored the Smethwick church in its seventy-five year history. For the past six years Joseph and Elizabeth Chinnalyan have led this growing congregation and have tapped into the multi-racial context in which the church is located. My message was translated into Tamil and the three girls pictured are the Tamil children's dance group who took part in the meeting.

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.