Holyhead, North Wales

David and Katie Meggers (pictured here with their son and recently adopted baby) have been in Holyhead in Anglesey for a little over three years.

The Welsh chapel in which they worship reminded me the first building I pastored in Llantrisant 45 years ago.  Although the there are a number of church buildings in the town, several of them only have very small congregations.

It was good therefore to hear from the Elders that Elim in Holyhead is reversing the trend with particular growth within the past six months.

I have spent a number of Sundays in Elim churches in Wales and experienced their typically warm and welcoming atmosphere.  Holyhead was certainly no exception.

Porth, South Wales

Mark Lyndon Jones, pictured here with his wife Gail, leads the Gatehouse church in Porth.  The church is a spiritual gateway but Porth is also at the gateway to the Rhondda valley.  Marilyn is from Ynyshir, Porth and this is the church that we were married in 43 years ago.

The church has seen very consistent growth since Mark took over the pastorate and baptismal services are a regular event.

After the morning service I had lunch with the leaders and then spent time briefly with core members of 'Sporting Marvels' a team of young people who use sport within local schools as a vehicle for sharing their faith.

Mark is also the founder of MPower - Elim's first national men's ministry - having previously been the Welsh coordinator for 'Christian Vision for Men'.  This great couple are doing a phenomenal job.

Salisbury

One of the first things that Marilyn and I became aware of as we entered the Salisbury church church on this occasion was how the building seemed so much more bigger - evidenced from the renovations that had taken place and in which the senior minister Darren Mallett, pictured here with his wife Leanne, had been both personally and practically involved.

Salisbury is a church that, like so many in our Movement, is very much involved in community life and their buildings  reflect this in scope and the fact they are available and open throughout so much of the week.  It was great to spend time with Darren and Leanne after the morning service.  Leanne, apart from her involvement in the local church, is also part of the Aspire core team and is Regional coordinator for the Southern area.

Llanelli

 The Elim church in Llanelli gives powerful testimony to the value of a strong long-term ministry and an increased presence in the local community.  The senior pastor, Bill Chapman, pictured here with his wife Ellen, have committed the majority of their ministry to building a resource for the town.  A well equipped and run creche serves the mothers and toddlers and seniors are provided for through a program customised especially for them.  Over ten thousand voluntary hours a year are invested by people in the church for the community that they serve.

The main building has a sanctuary and and several suites of rooms catering for the vision of the church.  Across the town, and on the main street, an art gallery and cafe (pictured) operates on three floors and is another feature of the church's outreach.

Marilyn and I arrived for the 9am informal breakfast service that was followed at 11am with the main act of worship and teaching. The sense of community was such that we calculated that we had spent six hours around the Llanelli church family before spending some time with Bill and Ellen prior to our journey home.

Clydebank, Scotland

Ian Miles (pictured here with his wife Lisa and their daughters Melisha and Esther) has led the Elim Church in Clydebank now for almost three years.

I have preached in this church on a number of occasions in the past and my visit on this occasion found it at its strongest numerically that I have ever known.

Ian and Lisa have a very strong pastoral gift which is evident in the sense of fellowship and community that there is within the church.

As I continue to travel throughout our churches during our centenary year I especially enjoy meeting people in our congregations who have given long and faithful service to our Movement.  In Clydebank there was more that one person present who had attended for over fifty years.

St Luke's, Newcastle

Robert Ward (pictured with his wife Alice) is a member of the council of the Evangelical Alliance and the leader of the largest Charismatic Anglican church in Newcastle.

Having spoken at the Elim church on the Sunday morning I was happy to accept the invitation to speak at St. Luke's in the evening

The informal service consisted of an exceptional time of praise and worship after which I ministered.  This was then followed by everyone breaking bread together as we took Communion.  One of the very special things about St Lukes is the wide sociological mix that ranges from upper middle class (for those who recognise such distinctions) to ex offenders and the homeless. I very much enjoyed my time there.  Its always a pleasure to engage in the strengthening of friendship and fellowship across the Denominational spectrum. 

Newcastle, Elim

Several changes  have taken place in recent years at Elim in Newcastle but non so pivotal as the purchase of a complex now know as the Dream Centre.

The local Bingo Hall had seen its number decline as the Elim church has seen its number grow.  The two buildings, just a short distance from one another on the same road were subsequently swapped with the Elim church also providing the difference in a financial settlement.

Senior pastor Simon Lawton (pictured here with his wife Julia and daughter Amy) showed me around the new building which is an extraordinary acquisition on several floors.  Most exciting of all was seeing for myself the development plans that reveal a huge vision and the dream that is now beginning to become a reality.

Marilyn spoke at an Aspire event that attracted a record number of ladies on the Saturday morning and which was hosted by Julia, and I ministered on the following Sunday morning.  This great initiative is a tribute to Simon and his leadership and the loyalty and sacrifice of the members of the church.

AoG Scotland

It is always a pleasure to be back in Scotland, for whatever reason, having spent so many years of our ministry there.  On this occasion I was the speaker at the Assemblies of God leaders day which was held at a conference centre in Perth

The Regional Leader for AoG Scotland is Andrew Smith who is also the senior pastor of the Whitburn church and is member of the AoG NLT.  We have known one another for very many years and he is a good friend.

It was a great day and I was delighted to hear about the increasing progress and strength of our Sister fellowship north of the border.

Cynon Vally Church

One of the greatest parts of my role is spending time with  emerging young Elim leaders and on this occasion Marilyn and I really enjoyed being with Luke and Sam Goodway of Cynon Valley Church in Mountain Ash, South Wales

Its always good to be in Welsh churches and you can always be sure of a great welcome there.

Ignite, Lincoln

There may be some people who do not like the words 'Chav Church' but those who attend this exciting new church plant in Lincoln are not among them.

Darren and Laura Edwards (pictured here with their children Liam and Sophie) commenced the church over a year ago and the initiative came to wider prominence at the publication of Darren's book on the subject and a very support two-page spread in the Sun newspaper who, last Christmas, asked him to write a Christmas message to their millions of readers.

As I have no Sundays free for over a year I visited the church on a Monday evening and spent time with the people.  It was great to witness those present eagerly engaging with the scriptures and sharing their life experiences.  Darren and Laura are a living testimony in their lifestyle as well as their public ministry to their passion to reach the culture of which they are part and which they love.  Spending time with leaders such as these makes me increasingly proud of the young men and women who are reaching people for Christ through our Movement.

Oasis, Treorchy

It was great to be with Jeff and Susan Evans and the congregation at the Oasis, - the Elim church in Treorchy, South Wales.  Jeff and Sue commenced their ministry in our sister Fellowship (Assemblies of God) but have pastored within the Elim Movement for the past 25 years.

The church appeared to have grown since my last visit especially among those in their Twenties.  It was a joy to spend the day with Jeff and Sue and the church there. 

Marilyn grew up in the Rhonnda valley in the small village of Ynyshir.  I went to my first church as pastor in Llantrisant  so it was very much a case of both of us returning to our roots.    

Destiny leadership conference

Apart from my ministry within Elim, I often have the privilege of speaking to Denominations and networks outside of our Movement.  One such example was when being the keynote speaker at the international leaders day in Glasgow for the Destiny network of churches.  This groups has congregations in the UK and in Europe and was founded, and continues to be led, by Andrew and Sue Owen.  It was an absolute joy to be with them and their leaders

Oldham, Elim Fountain of Hope

There are not many churches when I can say that the last time I was there was sixty years ago - but I could do on this occasion as, when I was a very small boy, my father was the pastor at Elim, Oldham all those years ago

Today it is ably led by Willie and Daphline Achumba (pictured) and the special purpose of my visit was to speak at the name change from "Elim Foursquare Church" to "Elim Fountain of Hope".

Apart from enjoying my time with the church I also had opportunity to spend time with the leaders over the lunch. The youth leader is Ugandan International Basketball star Robert Muburu (pictured)

Crawley

It was good to be with our friends Phil and Elaine Johnston at Crawley Elim.  This was the first time Marilyn and I had seen their new building.

The church was very full for the morning service which overflowed into the gallery.  There was a great sense of the presence of God in the service.

Phil and Elaine have always brought added value to every church that they have led and Crawley is certainly no exception.

S4G Connect

Tim Alford who leads Serious4God has done a tremendous job in the short time since he took up the new role.  S4G Connect is a conference that draws on youth leaders from across our Movement and which is held annually in Malvern.

The speakers are drawn from people across the UK who, in one way or another, excel in youth ministry and this year, with attendance up 25% on last year, was no exception

The reason that I had been invited to speak, apart from being the GS, was to address the subject "Knowing what I know now, what would I do differently today than when I was a youth pastor.  

I very much enjoyed engaging with a great group of young leaders from throughout our Elim churches.

UCB Leaders Day

Over recent years I have made many good friends in the cross Denominational world beyond the borders of our own Movement and non better than David L'Herroux the Managing Director of United Christian Broadcasters.

UCB producers the highest quality TV and Radio Broadcasts and is responsible for the publishing of the daily reading booklet 'Word for Today'.

Apart from this wide ministry it also holds leaders day that attracts people from all over the Denominational spectrum and from all over the UK.  It was my privilege to speak at one of these important days led by UCB church coordinator Bill Partington.  The venue was packed for the event and it was a pleasure to spend quality time with quality people.

Brighton

The church in Brighton has not gone through the easiest of times in the past couple of years.  The situation has been reversed however through the leadership of Christy Smith (pictured here with his wife Lynda) and the members of the church.

As so often is the case, its always a pleasure to meet people who have been in the church for a generation or more (one lovely couple having attended Brighton Elim for seventy years) as well as those who have recently become part of the congregation.

An excellent Praise band led the worship.

Camborne

At one of the southernmost tips of the UK, our church in Camborne lies in the beautiful area of Cornwall.

It was great to be with senior pastors David and Liz Smyth who we have known since I was their pastor over thirty years ago.

We felt very much 'at home' in the church on the Sunday morning we were there.  There is a great sense of community and family about the congregation and the worship, led by Christian Ponsford was exceptional.

Dave Smyth is one of our Movements entrepreneurs and, because of his heart for the marginalised, those with learning difficulties and disabilities, has set up a program of care within the town that not only reach many hundreds of people every week but has a turnover of almost a million pounds annually.  It was a joy for Marilyn and I to be with them.

Ealing Christian Centre

By any standards ECC is an exceptional church. Marilyn and I were present to speak at the Watchnight service as the church and the Movement moved from 2014 into our centenary.

One thousand people were in the congregation that commenced at 8:30 pm and concluded at 4 pm the following morning.  Most of us would find a 7.5 hour service daunting but not the members of ECC who do this not just annually but every month of the year.

Apart from my ministry the meeting was packed with worship, intercession, musical ministry and powerful testimonies of the year that had gone past and which included the story of a remarkable creative miracle of which their was full medical documented evidence.  

Two days later I was able to spend time with the senior ministers, Richard and Rajindark Buxton (pictured) and all of the leaders in one of their monthly leaders meeting

Victory Church, Cwmbran

Victory church Cwmbran was in the news in the early part of this year as it was the centre of the what was being termed the 'Welsh Outpouring'.

 In recent months however it entered a very challenging period.  However, through the commitment of Clyde and Rebekah Thomas,(pictured) and the excellent team around them, everything is now back on track

There was a great atmosphere in the Sunday morning service at which I spoke and it is evident that they have now entered a new season.  Following the service I enjoyed lunch with the full leadership team and their spouses - a memorable and enjoyable day.