Aylsham Community Church is a part of Relational Mission
Connecting with God Connecting with Each Other Connecting with the Community Connecting with the Bigger Picture
In Touch March 2015
01263 733332 info@aylshamcommunitychurch.org aylshamcommunitychurch.org twitter.com/aylshamcc facebook.com/aylshamcc
Jubilee Family Centre Norwich Road Aylsham Norfolk NR11 6JG
Instant Change Most of us are naturally suspicious of adverts that promise instant change whether that is to do with being fitter, transforming our credit rating or having ‘visibly younger looking skin’! In most cases change takes time. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” If you know how amazing Jesus is, then the thought of being changed to be more and more like him is a very exciting one! Even more so when you realise that the Bible tells us that God has committed himself to doing this in the life of everyone who follows his Son. It has to be something that God initiates, because real transformation is not manmade - it is Holy Spirit-led and Holy Spirit-empowered. God calls us to commit ourselves to this process by walking in step with his Holy Spirit in such a way that he is delighted to work in and through us. This takes prayer, faith and conscious choices about living to be like Jesus. Someone once put it like this: “We must lean in the direction we are praying toward.” When we do this we begin to find the Holy Spirit at work in incredible ways - helping us to: • • • • • •
see things in a new way think about things in a new way respond to situations in a new way relate to people in a new way be free from things that used to hold us captive dare to believe that God can do more in and through us than we ever thought possible!
As we continue through our series on ‘Being An Irresistible Church’ let’s be more and more hungry and full of faith for God to be changing us to be like Jesus. And let’s ‘lean in that direction’ together – spurring one another on and praying for each other as we do. It may take some time, but if God is the architect, the results will be fantastic – we will find great freedom in Him, and the world will see a clearer and clearer reflection of Jesus in His church. Simon Gallagher Lead Elder | Aylsham Community Church
Teaching Series
Recap & Update Being a People of Honour Romans 12:1-13 Outdoing one another in showing honour. This comes from having a right view of ourselves and others - God is loving and gracious to us, not because of what we have made of ourselves, but because of who He has made us to be – each person bearing His image, His workmanship (‘masterpieces under restoration’). Because of this we love and serve one another, are humble and devoted to one another, want to honour others above ourselves, and are thankful for and ready to learn from one another. Being a People of Acceptance Colossians 3:12-13 – Demonstrating kindness, forgiveness and patience to all. In Jesus’ community no-one is perfect, everyone is welcome and anything is possible! Being committed to breaking down judgement, barriers and unhelpful cliques within the church – making it as easy as possible for anyone (believer or unbeliever) to come in and feel welcomed and included. All this is from God! (Galatians 5:22-25) Still to come: •
Being a People of Authenticity - Sundays 8th & 15th March
•
Being a People of Generosity - Sundays 22nd March & 12th April
•
Being a People of Courage - Sundays 19th & 26th April
March 2015
Wednesday 4th & 18th 7.30pm Jubilee Family Centre
Monday 30th Midnight
Christianity Explored Plus
Newday 2015 1st price break
ENOUGH is our desire to see the church take to intercession together for the change of our societies. Relational Mission Prayer Event Friday 13th March, 7pm-Midnight, King’s Church, Norwich. Coach spaces available, leaving JFC at 6pm. Contact church office to book.
April 2015
Wednesday 1st 7.30pm Jubilee Family Centre
Sunday 12th 7.00pm Jubilee Family Centre
Christianity Explored Plus
Encounter Prayer Meeting
Saturday 18th Morning Aylsham Marketplace Outreach
Easter at Aylsham Community Church Friday 3rd 8.00am Good Friday Communion followed by Hot Cross Buns & Coffee
Wednesday 15th, 22nd & 29th, 7.30pm Jubilee Family Centre
9.30am Churches Together March of Witness Sunday 5th
Christianity Explored
10.30am Easter Sunday Celebration
EPIC Kids Weekend Regional event for children in school years 4-6 at Letton Hall, Dereham. 15th—27th May 2015 Booking now open - www.epicweekend.org.uk/book-in £60 for everything!! (subsequent siblings £53) Limited spaces, so book early to avoid disappointment!
Dates: Monday 3 - Saturday 8 August delegates leave on Sunday 9 August Price: to 30 March £115 from 31 March £135 Book online: https://newfrontiersevents.org/nf1530/ See Ed or Tara Osborne for more information.
Church for a Lost World
Review During the second weekend in February Carl Maidment came up to Aylsham to take our ‘Church For A Lost World’ weekend. We had a fantastic time getting to know Carl who leads ‘Gateway Church on the Weald’ in Kent and what came across as he told some of the stories about what God has done and is still doing in his life is that: (a)
he is a very normal guy and
(b)
that God clearly loves to use very normal people to help point others to Jesus.
What he shared was both full of faith and very honest, with the ups and downs of his journey in this, so that we came away feeling stirred by God, but also thinking ‘I could probably do that too’! Here are a few of the headlines from what Carl shared: •
If we are willing God will use our lives to help other people come closer to Jesus.
•
You don’t have to be loud, an extrovert, or a salesman to be a witness – just be you!
•
There is great power in simple acts of kindness and hospitality to impact people’s hearts.
•
This may lead to people asking ‘Why would you do that for me?’
•
We need to be ready to answer this question!
•
We don’t have to be great preachers, just willing to share our stories of what Jesus has done in our lives.
•
When we take simple steps of faith to share Jesus we step into a dynamic where God is already at work and where He takes the responsibility for the outcomes.
•
We will see God at work and we will also experience knock-backs!
•
However we need to be convinced of the power of the gospel to change lives – remember it did for us!
If you weren’t able to come along to the Saturday training sessions, or hear Carl preach on Sunday morning, or if you just want a ‘refresher’, I would thoroughly recommend taking some time to listen online to the recordings on our InTouch site.
Church for a Lost World
What next? If you are anything like me it is very easy to come away from events like this feeling all ‘fired up’, only to find a few weeks later that somehow most of your enthusiasm has gone cold! How can we avoid this? Find some simple ways to start putting into action what God has spoken to us about. Someone once wrote: “When an idea enters our head, it’s called information. When it touches our heart, it’s called inspiration. But when it bleeds out of our toes and fingernails, it’s called incarnation.” As good as information and inspiration are, what we really want is to be able to start living it out, so here are a few suggestions of ways to start ‘living it out’: • • • • • • •
Pray regularly for the lost to be saved, including friends, neighbours & family! Ask God to increase your compassion for those who don’t know him, and for courage to help point them to Jesus. Feed your soul with stories of healing and salvation – share testimonies with each other and read books like ‘Sustainable Power’ or ‘Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire’. Go through the Gospel regularly – it will build your faith and confidence. Look for chances to bless people and show kindness. Practice telling stories of what Jesus has done and is doing in your life. Keep them short and simple, they don’t have to be ‘spectacular’, just real! Be ‘being filled’ with the Holy Spirit – take time to listen and learn to recognise God’s voice as you worship and read the Bible.
Then be ready for the opportunities that God will give you! Also, how about getting involved with: Christianity Explored – after Easter we will be running another Christianity Explored course at Jubilee. Do you know someone who might be open to being invited? Marketplace Outreach – on the morning of Saturday April 18th we are planning the first of what we hope will be monthly opportunities to have a church presence in the marketplace in Aylsham as part of the Farmers Market. We will have a ‘pitch’ in the market, as well as the use of the ‘Green Room’ in the Town Hall, to promote activities and ministries at Jubilee, to pray for people for healing, and to bless people in the town centre in any other way that we can! Could you be part of the team to help man the stall, or be available to pray for people, or hand out flyers, or just be walking the town centre praying and looking for opportunities to show an act of kindness to someone?
Prayer Matters Healing Praise God for John’s, Alison’s and Vicky’s testimonies of recent healing. Continue to pray for those who need God’s healing touch at this time.
Outreach Pray for those who are continuing to meet on Christianity Explored Plus. Ask God for opportunities to invite people onto the new Christianity Explored Course starting on 15th April. Thank God for favour shown in having a pitch at the farmers market. Pray for God’s presence in the town square and for opportunities to share Jesus.
Jubilee Family Centre Pray for Keith Bonner as he retires after working for Jubilee Family Centre and serving the local community so well over the past 10 years. Pray for Peter Atthill as he starts working full time for the church on 23rd March. Pray for the Elders and Trustees as they pursue the Children’s & Families Worker position with Ann Gallagher.