Stockton

The reason for my visit, my first to the Elim church in Stockton, was on the occasion of their 40th anniversary.  The church is between ministers at the moment but there was an excellent attendance as several people from the Elim church in Darlington joined for the morning service.    Because of the occasion a number of people also attended from the local estate - some of which had never attended since they were children.  Four people responded to the gospel appeal at the end of the service.

Apostle Michael NTumy

One of my closest friends in recent years has been Apostle Michael Ntumy, former chairman of the Church of Pentecost.  Under his ten year tenure as the leader of our sister Movement he saw it grow from around 760,000 to over 1,600,000.  It now stands at over 2,000,000 world wide.

A few years ago he emerged from a serious spinal operation paralyzed from the neck down.  Since that time he has astounded surgeons, doctors and physicians with his progress which they have put down to his faith in God and the strength of his character.  He has also been wonderfully supported by his wife Martha (pictured standing between us).  I have visited him on two occasions in Germany where he currently resides but on this occasion I travelled to see him during a recent visit to London.  Also in the picture are dignitaries from the Church of Pentecost - including the UK Area Head (far right)  In my opinion Michael Ntumy is one of the most significant Christian Statesmen this century has produced.

MiT Conference

Each year around ninety 'Ministers in training' descend on the Elim International Centre for a three-day conference hosted by Nigel Tween and myself.  Main speakers, apart from the hosts, were Duncan Clark, Carl Johnston, Geoff Lee, Gordon Neale, Kevin Peat and Jonathan Skelton - reflecting a wide range of age and experience that contributed to what many felt was once of the most successful MiT conferences in a long time.

Crewkerne, Somerset

I have visited and spoken at hundreds of Elim churches across the UK but this was the first time I had been at Crewkerne.

The church is pastored by Steve Gray (pictured here with his wife Sian, sons Aaron and Joel and daughter Aoife)

Though Steve is from Ireland and Sian from Wales, their commitment to the area over several years has meant that they are very much part of the local community of which the church is an integral part


I enjoyed meeting the congregation and was blessed by the worship.  The added bonus was being able to spend time with this great family over  lunch at the conclusion of the service.

Leytonstone Men's Retreat

For the past few years around sixty men from the Leytonstone Elim Church conduct a retreat for men at the Elim International Centre in Malven.  For the past two years I have been invited to speak at the event.  There is always something great about guys getting together in this kind of context and the 2012 event was no exception.

South Chard

There are times when I get to visit excellent churches situated in very small communities.  My visit to South Chard, Somerset, was one such occasion.  It is led by Neil Reid (pictured here with his wife Jenny).  It was a delight to be with them.

There was a great sense of 'family' in this warm and relational congregation and after the morning service I was able to meet the wider leadership and their spouses over a curry.

Ministers Fellowship Europe

Ministers Fellowship International was  founded many years ago by Dick Iverson and thirteen years ago MF (Europe) was commenced under the leadership of Colin Cooper (pictured) - senior minister of the 800 strong Huddersfield Christian Fellowship who has brought dynamic leadership to the group.

Every year this group, dedicated to the encouragement and support of pastors and leaders,  holds a Conference in a different location throughout Europe.  The 2012 venue was in a top hotel in Athens, Greece.  I considered it an honour to be invited to speak on four occasions during the four days.  The Conference took time to especially honour its founder Dick Iverson who now is 82 years of age but who has lost nothing of his fatherly heart for leaders.

Elim Summit - Ireland

Northern Ireland was the venue for the last of six leadership summits that, over the past few months, have been held in Scotland, the North West, the Midlands, the South West and London.

It has been a pleasure to have travelled with such a great team that included Gary Gibbs, Darren Johnson, Chris Jones, Mark Pugh and Nigel Tween.

Over 200 ministers and lay leaders gathered in Hillsborough for the day subsequent to the invitation of Irish Superintendent, Edwin Michael.  The venue, the hospitality and the atmosphere made the final summit one of the best on the tour.

Newquay Christian Centre

The first time I preached at Newquay many years ago there were just 35 people present.  On the last occasion there were two morning services to accommodate the burgeoning congregation.

On this occasion there was one service but it was in the newly acquired premises - the third complex in the centre of the town and only a short walk from the seafront.

NCC is a great success story that is the product of excellent leadership from Mike Robins (pictured here  with his wife Shelagh) his team and a dedicated congregation.

Whether you speak to the Newquay surfer set that are part of the church, or the most senior people in age, the comments are the same - the pleasure of being a part of a church relevant to every age group.

Following the service the congregation gathered on the beach as six young people were baptised

The Bridge, Erskine, Scotland

The church in Erskine was originally pioneered by Derek and Anne Chittick. On their retirement their son Gavin (pictured here with his wife Louise) already an ordained Elim minister, moved from another part of Scotland to take over the leadership.

The congregation currently worship in a local community centre.  They did have a building fund but when they heard of the devastation in Haiti, emptied the bank account and gave it towards the rebuilding of broken communities.  How can God fail to bless a church with a heart like that?

Gavin and Louise are typical of a whole breed of young leaders within Elim whose character continually reinforces my belief in a great future for our Movement.

Hope Chapel

Sally Livingstone founded the rehabilitation centre for those wanting to be free from controlling addictions and is shortly to set up the fifth house for this purpose.  Hundreds of people have been helped since its inception.

Now Sally is has planted and pioneered a church in the Birmingham area and it was my pleasure to be the speaker at the opening celebration.

Livingstone House and Hope Chapel is a tribute to tenacity, dedication, spiritual principles and the highest standards of clinical excellence.

Ealing Christian Centre

My previous visit to Ealing Christian Centre had witnessed a church packed from floor to ceiling (ECC has a huge gallery).  Since then however this great church has moved to two Sunday services - 9am and 11:15am.  I preached on both occasions and the combined congregations would have been in excess of a thousand people.  

As soon as the second service concluded two more services would take place.  One in Polish and the other in Japanese.  Yet a further service would take place for the whole church in the evening.

One of the significant hallmarks of ECC is its emphasis on praying for Revival and, if ever there was a church in the UK that has 'earned the right to speak' on such a subject, it is this Elim church.  Richard and Rajinder Buxton (pictured) lead a great pastoral team and Richard is shortly to launch a book on revival which I believe should be recommended reading for every church in the country.

Alloa, Scotland

The church in Alloa has throughout its history been one of the smaller churches within Elim.  Subsequent to my recent visit, I feel that that could be about to change.  I have spoken at the church on a number of occasions over the years - mostly when I was the Regional leader for Scotland.  On this visit, I sensed immediately an attitude of expectancy and was aware of a clear culture-shift that often heralds a new season - apart from being essential to growth.

Paul and Isla Martin (pictured) came to Alloa to pastor the church from their native Glasgow two years ago and, working together with the people in their congregation, are injecting fresh vision into this small picturesque town.

Things like this never occur without some sacrifice and I came away impressed with two young people who are committed to serve God faithfully in their locality.

Elim, Burton on Trent

It is not unusual on my travels around Elim churches to encounter packed churches or multiple meetings on a Sunday morning.  What is unusual is to experience the same thing on a Sunday night

Robert and Julie Styles have been in Burton for twelve years and during that time have seen steady and consistent growth due, in my opinion, to the strong pastoral heart that both of them have, a fine eldership and a faithful congregation.

Apart from numerical growth, the church has been completely refurbished and additional space made possible via en enlarged ground floor and two balconies.  Regular readers of Direction may remember the item two years ago of the church opening a conference centre on the opposite side of the road.

 

Father's House, Lancaster

The reason for my visit to Father's House, Lancaster was to take part in their tenth anniversary celebrations.

The senior leader of the church is Clive Corfield, pictured here with his wife Karen.

Clive, who also has an international itinerant ministry, is a gifted leader and has  attracted a great group of leaders around him - several of whom are credentialed Elim ministers.

Father's House has recently acquired excellent new facilities in at the heart of the city and the church building was packed for the special services.

This is  Fellowship with a great heart and outward-focused vision.

Nuneaton

The Nuneaton Church is pastored by Mike and Suella Brown who were both recently ordained at the  Elim Bible Week in Telford.

On my previous visit three years ago, and just before they came to take over the leadership of the church, the church had experienced a number of difficulties.

On the Sunday I was there things were very different and it was clear that they were in a new season, a new atmosphere and the congregation almost twice the size.

Numerical growth is good and especially so when it is matched with growth in depth.

Elim, Barking

It was two years since I was with John and Trish Waller in Barking, London and a great deal has transpired in the life of the church since that time.

Some things have not changed - the great atmosphere, excellent worship team and the aspirations of a committed congregation.

What was different however is that, due to the numerical growth of the church, it has been necessary to hold two Sunday morning services to accommodate the continued expansion.

John and Trish have done, and continue to do, a great job as they work as a team to build a church that makes a difference in the community.

Bethel, Olbury

Bethel, Oldbury is in the West Midlands and is a long-established Pentecostal Church.

A little over a year ago the church made the decision to affiliate with Elim and subsequently Steve Kerry (pictured here with his wife Rachel and their son) became the pastor

Although Steve and Rachel have only been at Bethel a relatively short time the church has experienced significant growth.

The church was packed for the Baptismal Service at which I was the speaker and it was great to listen to the testimonies of four people whose lives had been powerfully transformed by a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.

Micklefield

There are two Elim churches in the High Wycombe area and Paul Turner (pictured here with his wife Yvonne and daughter Becky) pastors the church in the Micklefield.

There are very few churches in our Movement that I have never visited previously but this was my first time in Micklefield.

Although Paul and Yvonne have only been at the church for just over a year it is evident that they are very much 'at home' and feel part of this growing congregation. 

It is a church that is clearly open to the things of the Spirit and this warm and welcoming group of people has great potential for further expansion.

Romsey Christian Centre

Due to the number of churches in our Movement it is usually several years before I am able to make a return visit.  In the case of Romsey however, the last time I ministered there was 43 years ago when a student in Bible College aged 20.

David Walker (pictured here with his wife Jackie) is the current pastor of the church and it was very evident that, not only are they highly regarded by the congregation, but that they too have a heart for the people under their care - and also for the town in which they are ministering.

It was good, while I was there, to see the church in action and to learn of the vision and plans that they have for the years that lie ahead.