Alpha News April 2010

FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY | TO SEE THE EVANGELISATION OF THE SUBCONTINENT & THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR SOCIETIES | ALPHAINDIA.ORG

alpha india news

ISSUE 2 | APRIL - JUNE 2010

NEWS IN BRIEF Reports from the field Read the encouraging testimonies of Usha being freed from depression, Ps. Timotheus running an Alpha course with a group of soldiers in Himachal Pradesh, and an Alpha course helping 20 people find Faith in Northern Orissa - as well as much more. Pages 4-5 BOOK EXTRACT: Chapter two of Tricia Neill’s new book ‘From Vision to Action’. This book is a practical and encouraging guide for turning your church vision into reality and managing church growth. Pages 10-11

THE QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER OF ALPHA INDIA

HEALTHY MARRIAGES: VITAL FOR THE NATION

Prayer In this issue we feature prayer and praise points from the Alpha Global Prayer Network - a quarterly newsletter that encourages prayer for the Alpha ministry around the world. 10 countries are included in this edition, including a special prayer focus on North Korea.

Pages 6-7 Dr. John Stott on The Living Church Read John Stott’s dream for the Church on page 12, and post it on your wall too!

Financial Partnership We appreciate your financial partnership. If you are inspired to support Alpha India then please use the details below, or contact Thomas Mathew at the Alpha India Office.

Alpha India Account Details: Account Number: 03532000005741 Name: Alpha India Bank: HDFC Bank Ltd. Branch: Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore Account Type: Current Account

As urban pressures and divorce rates increase, church marriage ministries offer hope to families and to society at large. The first Alpha Marriage Course training for CNI church leaders in Gujarat was held in March, with new courses starting there in June. Report, page 8.

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ALPHA NOTES

National Alpha Office contact details:

YOUR LETTERS

Alpha India 219, 5th A Main Road, Kalyan Nagar, HRBR 2nd Block, Bangalore - 560 043 Tel: 080 2542 0902 IDD: +91 80 2542 0902 Email: contact@alphaindia.org Web: www.alphaindia.org

Patron: Shri S. C. Jamir, the former Governor of Maharashtra

National Director: Mr J Varadaraj Board Members: Scott Norling, Chairman Chris Sadler, Alpha Asia Pacific Chairman J Varadaraj, National Director Dr A. F. Pinto, CEO of St. Xavier Group of Schools and Ryan International Schools Gul Kripalani, Managing Director of Pijikay Fr. Anthony D’Souza S.J. Director of the Xavier Institute of Leadership Amrit Kunder, Builder/Developer Noel Swaranjit Sen, Former Police Chief of Andhra Pradesh T. David Raj, Joyce Meyer Ministries, India Sam Rufus, Deloitte Matthew Anthony, Secretary for Evangelisation, Archdiocese of Delhi

Church Advisory Board: Archbishop Vincent Concessao Bishop Rt. Rev. V. M. Malavia Rev. Dr D. Mohan, Superintendant of AOG India

State Coordinators’ Contact details:

Thanks very much to the many people who have sent us letters after receiving the January 2010 issue of the Alpha India News newspaper.

Mr. Dinesh Koti of Bidar writes, “Praise the Lord I have received this magazine of Alpha and (read the chapter of) the new book by Nicky on “Relationships”. I want to have it so please give me more details of it and please pray for my business and family.”

Pastor Robin Lal of Agra writes, “When Alpha training came in our church there was a great change & growth in our church.

Through Alpha people’s lives have been changing. Through Alpha... a number of new believers have come....Alpha shows the right path to live a pleasant and good life... I shared Alpha in our church, then I saw a great change in my church. For me, Alpha is a precious treasure and our church has been blessed through this course.”

Mr Kenneth J. Rae of Dehra Dun writes, “Thank you for sending me the Why Christmas booklet, the year planner 2010 and the Alpha Course VCD set. However the Alpha course VCD set is in Hindi, with which I am unfamiliar...Please could you send me the Alpha course VCD set in English, which will be a great blessing to me and my family. I have a great regard for Nicky and his teachings. His CDs will, therefore, be of immense value to me.”

You may send your comments, suggestions and responses to Alpha India News, by mailing the National Office: Alpha India News C/o Alpha India National Office 219, 5th A Main Road Kalyan Nagar HRBR 2nd Block Bangalore - 560 043

Andhra Pradesh: Susheel K Chattar Mob: 098660-99184 Andhra Pradesh - Hindupur: Paul J L Mob: 094408-61979 Assam and Meghalaya: Ranjit De Mob: 094347-59794 Bihar: George Muller Mob: 094310-16124 Gujarat: D Jimmy Mob: 098254-44197 Himachal Pradesh: Rupak K Nayak Mob: 093189-02997 Karnataka: John Roy Mob: 099161-11225 Kerala: Mon C George Mob: 094464-83577 Maharashtra - Mumbai: Bhanu & Sheena P Raju Mob: 093719-12887 New Delhi: Praney Massey & Joydeep Samantroy Mob: 099588-00956 Orissa: Tushar K Behera Mob: 093371-41600 Uttar Pradesh: Vinay P Dayal Mob: 093594-86843 West Bengal: Dilip and Kakali Debnath Mob: 098742-07760 West Bengal - Kolkata: Prabir Mondal Mob: 092368-57722 & 092318-62615

© Alpha India 2010, edited and published

by J.V Raj for Alpha India

FOR A LIST OF UPCOMING TRAINING EVENTS, VISIT WWW.ALPHAINDIA.ORG

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editorial

ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2010

Alpha India responds to the needs of our cities: A message from the National Director In the past four decades, India has experienced a dramatic increase in the urban-educated population. From less than 250,000 fifty years ago, there are now an estimated 50 million graduates in the country. Significantly, 43 cities house more than one million people each. As of 2009, India’s total working age population (age 15 to 64) is likely to hit 765 million or about 17% of the world’s working age population. Furthermore the trend will not only continue but grow exponentially, as, over the next 10 years, India’s working age population is expected to grow by a cumulative 138 million, significantly greater than the expected increase of 33 million in China, 12 million in the US and declines of 8 million in Japan and 18 million in Europe.

This rapid growth has brought with it vast needs of the people of India. With the demands of a growing free market economy, the environment has become increasingly stressful, relationships have come under extreme pressure, and families are breaking up in unprecedented numbers. Year 2007 figures for Mumbai, for instance, show 17,221 marriages registered between January and October, and 7,813 divorce applications filed for the same period. And loneliness and fear of facing an uncertain future has led so many to suicide, in fact, that Bangalore has been dubbed both the silicon valley of India as well as the suicide capital of the country.

Yet, every felt need can be viewed as a new window of opportunity to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to a thirsting nation. These needs require a sensitive and appropriate response from the Church. These responses can be philosophical, theological, existential or pragmatic. Alpha provides such a response, offering the opportunity for urban-educated professionals to explore the meaning of life in a relaxed and friendly setting.

The small group gathering offers relational advantages that mitigate many of the urban pressures that this population faces.

Just as evangelisation and transformation go hand-in-hand, Alpha India’s vision is to help churches to meet both the spiritual and tangible needs of their communities. Alpha India now also provides the Alpha Family courses - like the Marriage Preparation Course, Marriage Course and Parenting Course - which have already helped multitudes of families’ world over. You will see some good news in India, too, as these courses are used over the coming time.

Alpha India employs a simple strategy to bring the Alpha course to as many urban professionals as possible using the most efficient and effec-

tive means. Targeting 10 strategic cities in 2010 with over a million in population, we will saturate these cities with Alpha related ministries, aiming to increase the awareness of Alpha manifold. We plan to: • • • • •

Cast a vision for evangelization and train the Churches in the Alpha course.

Facilitate relationships among key churches through common efforts and prayer events.

Begin Youth Alpha and Student Alpha for current university students through existing networks.

Engage churches to start the Alpha in the Workplace course.

Train and serve the Church to start Alpha in Prisons.

A key city for our efforts, for example, is New Delhi, which has six regions in the city and surrounding area called the National capital region, including Sahibabad, Gaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, and Gurgaon. Over two years time, we envision to move from outside to inside Delhi, as well as to other major cities.

We already are working in most of these cities and have influenced many churches. Going forward, we will be even more intentional in directing staffing and resources in this direction.

For example, we are working with Upper Room Youth Ministry in Chennai who is involved in many colleges in South India. They use Alpha regularly and have seen much fruit.

By God’s grace we are overcoming a host of challenges in uniting the Church leadership in our country. We are watching the Lord use Alpha to destroy such strong-holds as narrow vision, power games, inability to cooperate with others, and personality clashes. In cities where Alpha has been at work, we see a greater level of blessing in areas of church growth and spiritual breakthroughs. Through fellowship meetings, prayer seasons, and Global Alpha Training teams, Alpha is uniting the Church in unprecedented measure. Therefore, we are boldly planning and praying that there will be manifold multiplication of the courses over the next year, and that a large number of the urban-educated people in India will be saved.

We would appreciate your prayers, recommendations and partnership as well as encouragement in any other way for us to further this process in the country.

J Varadaraj April 2010

IN THE JANUARY 2010 EDITION OF ALPHA INTERNATIONAL NEWS, NICKY GUMBEL INTERVIEWS FORMER UK PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY PLEASE CONTACT THE TEAM AT THE ALPHA INDIA NATIONAL OFFICE.

* Figures in the editorial were sourced from the Hindustan Times & Tata Institute of Social Sciences

from the field

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ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2010

CHANGED LIVES ALL SORROW, GRIEVANCES, LOWLINESS, AND DEPRESSION HAS GONE FOREVER...

- USHA, PATNA Usha Yadav is a housewife living in Patna, Bihar. Last year she was tragically widowed when her husband died in a truck accident. With two young sons of eleven and nine, and no regular source of income, Usha fell into a deep depression and hopelessness. Then, last October, an Alpha course started in her neighbour’s house. In that house she found new hope; “I realised that someone had died for my sins so that I can live with peace and joy,” she says. Here she tells her story:

Spirit in my inner heart and deeply broken by a mighty pouring of the Holy Spirit in a personal way. I realised on that day that someone had died for my sins, so that I can live with peace and joy.

“I am Usha Yadav, a widow lady from a Hindu family background. I have two sons, the first one is Vikash and the second is Vivek. We are residing on the banks of the Ganga River at Patna.

Now I have decided to join a house prayer group to worship and to learn more about the loving Lord Jesus, who cares for me.

I have planned that I would start an Alpha course in my home. Those who do not know about Him may know by this fantastic course. Praise the Lord for all His mercy.”

Previously there was much depression in my life due to the loss of my husband by a truck accident. My close relatives, my neighbours - none of them could help me out of this extreme depression.

October 2009: I happened to know about the running of a noon Alpha course nearby my house. One of my friends invited me to participate in that Alpha course. They themselves were not Christians but they let a Christian use their house for the course.

On that day there was a talk given on “why did Jesus die?” I felt touched by the Holy

I made sure that I did not miss out on a single session, and got lots of new friends.

My life was changed due to attending this Alpha course and all sorrow, grievances, lowliness and depression has gone forever.

Hallelujah!

SOLDIERS ENCOURAGED AT ALPHA COURSE IN HP I am Pastor Timotheus from Kangra HP. In January 2009 Pastor Rupak Nayak conducted Alpha course training at my church. I had first heard of Alpha when I was in England in 2007, and I was excited about the strategy of reaching out beyond the church walls with this grassroots bible teaching.

After the training I ran an Alpha course at my

own place. Then to learn more about Alpha, I attended another training session in Lucknow. There I heard about Alpha for Forces and I was keen to see how it could be run here. Reaching out to the Armed Forces is a deep desire of my heart, having served in the army for ten years (in my tenth year of service I was found by Christ, and I subsequently asked for release).

I prayed that the Lord would open a door, and through a friend I had an opportunity to begin an Army Alpha group in a nearby cantonment. My friend is a believer and a military man, and he opened his house to run the Alpha course.

I began the Alpha course with this friend as my helper. He brought with him a soldier who was in drinks and vices. This soldier’s life began to change after he walked into our second week of the Alpha course, and he stopped drinking and repented of the sin in his life. Then three more soldiers joined - a Hindu, a Sikh and a nominal Christian.

During the fourth session on prayer, the Sikh Soldier (SIngh) shared a problem with us. I had finished sharing the talk, and had opened the table for questions. He said, “My life is in a mess. I am in a dilemma. I am an efficient clerk and my Commanding Officer has a good opinion of me, however I feel that my immediate senior is harassing me. I am newly married but I am refused permis-

ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2010

from the field

sion to bring my wife here. My son was born but I am refused leave. I was told I could go after a fortnight but then I was again refused permission.”

ties, but Pastor Timothy and Pastor Sunny encouraged me and helped me in the running of the course. Today in the Holy Spirit Day, 20 people were fully clear about their need of the filling of the Holy Spirit, and out of these, 15 are very new to the church, but they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Most of them felt a power of the Holy Spirit in their life and they testified that they will witness for Jesus in and through their lives in the coming days.

Singh explained the options he had, including leaving the barracks without permission, and calling his wife without permission. Then I asked if I could suggest another solution to take the problem to our Father in heaven and let him give the solution.

Very slowly Singh said, “okay, you pray and let me see.”

Photo: ‘Alpha Christmas’ at an Odisha prison in December.

Then I said we need to pray with one mind and take God’s promise on this issue. He agreed. Then all five of us joined hands and I made a simple small prayer, asking God to intervene and let his plan prevail. Amen.

Soldier Singh said thanks for the encouraging words.

new to church, I had so many questions about Christianity and other faiths. But after attending the Alpha course I got answers and my doubts were cleared - especially when I heard about how we are his children and he loves us.

After a few minutes we concluded and walked across to the cafe for coffee. We had not even started to sip and he got a call from a colleague that orders have been passed to give him accomodation and that he can bring his family too! He thanked God and it was an example to the other three soldiers as to how God responds to our needs.

The Alpha course is now completed and three of the soldiers have moved away to Punjab and other locations. I am in touch with them and they are gathering with others to pray and read the Bible daily.

I have been longing to make a way for God in the Forces ever since I came to faith.

Alpha is a very practical and systematic approach to lead people, in His grace, successfully. So I am available at my best to carry out the Alpha for Forces!

“I HEARD HOW WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN AND HE LOVES US” RISHIKESH, H.P - My name is Bhavna Laldehati, I am from a Hindu family that was very rigid in their rituals, and I was also a worshipper of Shiva. But one healing brought me to think about the the living God (my father had been on his death-bed and there was no hope).

I came in touch with Pastor Balwant, and he invited me to an Alpha course. Since I was

Now I am strong in faith and sharing with others. Alpha course is very helpful to understanding the Christian faith, and about a true living God who loves us. Please pray for my family so we all may grow in the Lord and bear his witness.

20 NEW BELIEVERS IN NORTHERN ORISSA REPORT BY ALPHA COORDINATOR FOR ORISSA, TUSHAR BEHERA Pastor Samara Singh, from village XXXXX (location omitted because of persecution) in the North Zone started a small house fellowship in 2008. In 2009 he introduced Alpha there. There were 20 members at that time, and 6 of those were baptised.

Every Thursday Samara Singh ran the course, and other people from the village started coming to it, including non-believers.

In due course, at the Holy Spirit weekend last December, 20 of the guests on the course accepted Jesus as their personal saviour! The course ended in February, and all who came to new faith have decided to take baptism at the end of March 2010.

We praise God for his wonderful work in the land of Orissa. Please pray for these new believers and for Pastor Samara Singh.

As you know there is persecution here in Orissa, so we request you not to make the place name public.

“I FEEL THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF REVIVAL IN MY AREA” DHARAMSALA - I am Pastor Warish Mashi from Dharamsala IPC, I have been serving here for the last three years. I heard about Alpha six months ago and attended two days of Alpha training.

Ps. Timotheus recording Christian radio messages.

He recently held an Alpha course for soldiers.

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As I prayed for this matter the Lord guided me to start the course. I had many difficul-

I feel this is the beginning of the revival in my area and I feel many more will know Jesus in the coming days. Please pray for these new believers who accepted Jesus.

ALPHA IN THE CATHOLIC CONTEXT REPORT BY MATTHEW ANTHONY, ALPHA ADVISER FOR THE CATHOLIC CONTEXT IN INDIA I hope this report of mine finds you in good health and cheer. I wanted to update you about the recent programmes in Goa and Mumbai. In Mumbai we had a training for about 40 people from different parts of the Diocese. They have all been involved with Alpha for some time and after the training they formed coordination teams for different areas/zones of the diocese. I am sure it will really take off well from there on.

In Goa, we had 46 delegates including lay and religious leaders and they were introduced to the Alpha course. They showed much enthusiasm for the course and here again it is completely endorsed by Archbishop Philip Neri. Though he was not there, since he was travelling, he sent his blessings and encouragement to the participants through a letter which was read out to all of us. Here again after the programme the participants were broken up into zones and there is a coordinating body which will push the Alpha course forward.

We have one more Alpha pilot-run scheduled for Guwhati 23-25th of March.

Archbishop Thomas Menamparambil, Archbishop of Guwahati is the initiator. He is a key voice for evangelization in the Catholic world. He was one of the persons involved in drafting the Pope’s document on evangelization in Asia - Ecclesia in Asia.

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. It means so much to us.

God bless, Mathew

Please email or write to us, alphaindiaoffice@gmail.com or to the National Office postal address, page 2.

alpha global pr

6 WHAT IS THE ALPHA GLOBAL GHANA PRAYER NETWORK? The Alpha Global Prayer Network (AGPN) is a quarterly email newsletter that is sent to prayer partners around the world. It includes prayer and praise points from National Alpha Offices, and is an opportunity for all involved in Alpha to join in prayer and praise for the needs, struggles and successes shared.

This issue of Alpha India News includes points from the latest AGPN. If you would like to subscribe to the AGPN e-newsletter, please email alphaindiaoffice@gmail.com

AUSTRIA We are thankful for: • The great start of many Marriage Courses this Spring.

• Alpha being promoted as one of 20 tools at Apostelgeschichte 2010 (a large evangelistic program from Cardinal Schönborn).

• Our special deal: get a free Bible with every Alpha manual.

• The huge Alpha Courses in the Catholic parishes at the moment.

• Our new Alpha for Prisons team.

Please pray with us for: • Open doors in other prisons.

• The work that comes with building a new website.

• The fundraising for the Bibles we are giving away.

• The follow-up programs after the Alpha Courses this Spring.

CANADA Praise: • We would like to thank God for his goodness and loving-kindness upon all Alpha Canada staff and volunteers.

• We would like to thank the Lord for our nation where we can pursue the Lord openly and without fear.

• We would like to praise God for the selection of our new National Director Shaila Visser!

• We would also like to praise God for the healing of many staff members and family members who have suffered physically.

Prayer: • The Lord’s direction in future strategies of Alpha Canada, that our direction would be in accordance with the will of God and his wisdom.

• For financial provision for Alpha Canada.

• Prayer for Campus Alpha, that this course would be at every institution in Canada and that a sponsoring church would be connected with each one.

• For Global Alpha Training, for many churches to be inspired to go and train others around the world.

Praise and thanks: • Praising The Lord for seeing the Alpha Ghana Prayer team through a month of “Praying Without Ceasing” titled Africaback-to-back prayer.

• Thanking God for the result of the recently organized fundraising dinner including the funding of the dinner.

• Thanking God also for the enthusiastic Board of Trustees meeting last month.

• Praise and thanks for visas and other provision for the Youth Team that attended the last month Youth Alpha conference at Holy Trinity Brompton, and thanking God for his travelling mercies.

• Thanking God for promised GAT support in Ghana and Francophone West Africa – a real answer to prayer, the Netherlands, USA and France have offered support in due time.

• Thanking God that none of the leaders are lacking in zeal but keeping their spiritual fervor in the Lord. Romans 12 v.11 And now for our supplication: • More voluntary labourers in the vineyard with sincere commitment.

• Also the way forward for the pending Pastors’ training conference.

• Expansion of Youth Alpha Courses throughout the country especially in juvenile institutions, so that they will be released knowing that Christianity is a way of life and not about just going to church – a real turn around in life.

• Church leaders in the communities to encourage Alpha Courses and not to feel threatened by the course.

• Lifting all “untapped avenues” to a wake up call.

• Funding to establish a solid National Alpha Office.

KENYA Praise: • We thank God for His sustanance in 2009.

• Thankful for all the GATs held last year.

• For the new areas of the country reached last year.

• Thank God for the rains.

• Thank God for availability of food in some areas that had devastating drought last year.

• Thank God for the healing process that is taking place in Kenya.

Prayer Points: • God’s provision for the Alpha Kenya Office.

• God’s sustanance for Alpha Work in Kenya.

• For more workers (Volunteers) • God’s leadership in the Constitution making process especially (Kadhi’s court and Abortion).

NEW ZEALAND Praise for: • All the lives being transformed through the current Alpha courses.

• The success of the recent Alpha weekends away.

• Positive responses to our recent Alpha Update newsletter.

• Great new promotion materials featuring Bear Grylls.

• Developing relationships with other appropriate Christian Ministries.

Prayer for: • A new (replacement) full-time office administrator.

• More people to attend our Annual Conferences.

• A good response to our Annual Invitation held after Easter.

• The health for the Alpha staff.

• More Alpha partners to expand our activities to grow the churches in NZ.

SOUTH AFRICA Praise: • We give enormous praise for the very successful conference we had recently and the fruit we will see from it.

• We give thanks for the many people who have blessed this ministry with offerings of services, products, time and/or finances.

• We give thanks and praise for the strength and guidance of our team and for the unity and protection the Lord has given us.

• We give thanks for the new Prison Alpha Courses that have started.

• We give thanks for the new churches that are interested in starting Alpha courses.

• We give thanks for the many many answered prayers over the last 2 months.

Prayer: • Following our National Conference on 12 and 13 March, we pray that we will see many more Alpha courses starting around the country and many more churches seeking to maximise their current courses and becoming mission churches.

• We pray for the Alpha courses running and starting in prisons, may the Lord work with power in their lives.

• We pray for the 24/7 Prayer vision for our country. As we start to move with this project may the Lord guide us and bring many churches on-board to cover our country in prayer.

• We pray for our fundraising activities and events over the next few months, may they be fruitful for the Kingdom.

• We pray for the relationship-managing role we are playing with the regions in South Africa. As we start to build on these we pray for the Lord to establish and strengthen these relationships.

• We pray for our support churches and those wanting to assist in any way in our ministry, may their hearts be open

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to contribute according to God’s will and may our relationships with them be strong and productive.

We pray for the protection and guidance of all the Alpha South Africa staff members and their families.

We pray for the smooth development of our new website.

We pray for great regional leaders for Alpha.

We pray for the Cape Town Initiative that is taking off for Alpha.

SWITZERLAND We are having an NAO Training next week, where Latvia, Bulgaria and Ukraine are taking part. They will be here in Switzerland for 3 days. Thank the Lord, that he has made this possible and that we have been so blessed in the last 13 years - that now other countries can profit from that.

Please pray that each of the participating country will be able to take home and implement what God puts on their heart! So that their ministries can flourish and the kingdom of God will grow in those countries!

For Switzerland we would love to have prayer for Youth Alpha, as we have new people coming on staff and are preparing to work with some of the Evangelisation Campaigns for Youth this year as Follow-Up. Please do keep praying that we as a Nation meet God and are open to the Message of Jesus! We need him desperately!

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Praise Items: • For the seven interns that are starting the Vintage program (a 9 month scholarship program to train and equip young people to reach college and High School kids with the gospel via Alpha).

• For the appointment of several more Regional Directors and National Coordinators of Specialty ministries.

• For excellent progress in strengthening the Alpha USA Board.

• For an outstanding launch in Charleston, South Carolina, to our Faith in the Workplace road trips with 220 business people and 25 that have already committed to run an Alpha in the Workplace course or God at Work course in their businesses.

• For God’s continued provision of workers, initiatives and finances to grow Alpha across the US. Prayer requests: • For continued guidance and blessing in planning 14 more city events in 2010 to give a ‘call to action’ for Christians to live out their faith in the workplace.

• For wisdom and favor as we establish nine groups of senior pastors across America to encourage, share ‘best prac-

• •

•

tice’ and pray for each other’s churches to make better use of Alpha to spread the gospel to their communities.

For wisdom and guidance as we look to recruit additional outstanding interns for the Vintage program For an outstanding response as we start to promote the Americas Conference June 22-23 and the International / Family Days June 24-25. In particular, we plan to use the conference as a spring board to launch Alpha in the Catholic context across America.

For wisdom and guidance as we launch many new initiatives to help improve the quality of Alpha courses across America.

ZIMBABWE Praise Points: • Thank God permission was granted to host a full Holy Spirit Day for women inmates at Chikurubi Prison on 10 March and for its impact.

• In association with Miracle Missions and Prison Fellowship, we praise God for three days intensive training for 39 Prison Chaplains ‘How to run the Alpha course’ and ‘Life Skills’ planned for end of March.

• Thank God for existing partnership opportunities with Miracle Missions, Prison Fellowship, the Greystone Park Christian Fellowship’s Michael Project, Joyce Meyer Ministries and for opportunities to work with Foundations for Farming and World Vision.

• Thank God for the encouragement and support received from Alpha International, Alpha Africa and for the prayer and financial support received from international and local donors.

• Thank God for the amazing “Weekends and Day Aways” held and for the Holy Spirit’s power and presence at them.

Please pray: • For The Holy Spirit to inspire increasing numbers of dedicated intercessors to pray for Zimbabwe, especially for well planned, prepared and well run Alpha and Marriage Courses.

• Pray for churches to support outreach to prisoners and volunteers to run Alpha courses in prisons countrywide.

• For a visa to enable Chairman Matonhodze Murombedzi to attend EMEA Week scheduled for June 2010 at Holy Trinity Brompton.

• For organisers of the Joyce Meyer outreach in Zimbabwe scheduled for 4-6 June at the Harare International Conference Centre, for overwhelming guest attendance and for opportunities to use Alpha as a follow-up discipleship course for new converts.

• That new Trustees and members of staff will be appointed to continue growing the ministry, that they will be outward focused, dependent on the Holy Spirit, passionate to grow God’s Kingdom, and essentially divinely inspired.

• For wisdom and discernment in using all our resources most effectively.

SPECIAL PRAYER FOCUS: NORTH KOREA SOURCE: WINDOW INTERNATIONAL The nation of North Korea was named the worst persecutor of Christians in the world for the eighth year in a row by Open Doors.

The conditions for Christians inside this politically closed, spiritually dark country are considered “extremely harsh,” with untold thousands imprisoned for their faith.

Among the many atrocities taking place in North Korea is one of purposeful neglect.

Though the leaders of the nation live in opulence, millions of citizens have died in famines that have ravaged the population since the 1990s. One study estimated that in 2006, 37% of the nation’s children were undernourished and more than 24% were underweight.

The national religion of North Korea is an ideology called Juche, developed by former leader, Kim Il Sung. Juche is a form of emperor worship that “centers on the worship of the country’s leaders.”

“Every religious activity,” notes Open Doors, “is recognized as an insurrection to the North Korean socialist principles.” The government has been especially zealous in its attempts to eradicate Christianity. Those who follow Jesus must worship underground. If they are discovered, they face arrest, torture, imprisonment and often death.

Please pray for: • The heart of Kim Jong Il and the other leaders of North Korea to be transformed by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. (II Corinthians 5:17) • An immediate end to the barbaric treatment of Christians and other citizens considered to be a threat to the repressive government. Pray for this mistreatment and abuse to be made public, capture the attention of the media, and for international governments to call for it to cease right away. (Hebrews 4:13) • The Light of Christ to shine throughout this darkened nation. (I Peter 2:9) • The Lord to be present with Believers who have been imprisoned, those being tortured, and with families who have lost loved ones. Pray for the Lord to comfort, strengthen, and encourage them. (II Corinthians 1:3-5) • The Gospel to continue to spread in North Korea. Pray for Christians to share their faith with boldness, seeking to honor the Lord, despite fierce resistance. (Ephesians 6:19,20) • Pray Christian Believers will be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

(Ephesians 6:10) • The Kingdom of God to come to North Korea with great and awesome power.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to move among the people, drawing multitudes into relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord today. Pray they will be discipled in the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven.

(John 6:44)

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from the field

GAT REPORT

THE MARRIAGE COURSE, GUJARAT

SHILLONG, MEGHALAYA

REPORT BY ALPHA COORDINATOR FOR ASSAM AND MEGHALAYA, RANJIT DE

At the invitation of Bishop V M Malaviya of CNI Gujarat diocese, the Alpha India team conducted Marriage Course training there during the first week of March.

21 couples from CNI, New Life Church, the Methodist Church and Operation Mobilisation attended the two-day training event, which included complete training on why and how to run The Marriage Course, as well as three practical sessions taken from the course itself.

This four-day Global Alpha Training (GAT) began on 9th March at the Nepali Christian Fellowship, Leitumukhrah in Shillong. We had 124 delegates in attendance, and they represented 23 different denominations/ churches.

The opening address was given by Fr. Rev Devasia Vazhayil from Nongshilliang Parish Roman Catholic Church. Fr. Devasia emphasised the Great Commission of Jesus Christ for evangelism of nations, and encouraged all the guests to take part in fulfilling it.

The resource persons were Stuart, Juanita, Nic, Lara and myself. Two sessions were also taken by our local Alpha Advisor Rev Subhas Lyngdoh. Local testimonies were given by Devika and Sara. They witnessed how their lives were transformed during an Alpha Course running in their church, named Zion Anugraha Mandali.

Bishop Malaviya and his wife took part in the entire program, and most of the delegates were married couples already involved in marriage ministries in their churches. All who attended will use The Marriage Course with their church members going forward.

PASTOR CLEMENT AND JENNIFER - A MARRIAGE HEALED Pastor Clement and Jennifer attended the Gujarat Marriage Course training together.

Jennifer: “Being a Pastor’s wife is very hard and is full of frustrations, and anything can happen. Until the training, we didn’t communicate properly so we hurt each other so much, and there were so many scars between us. But now our relationship is healed and we are dealing with our problems. The

Rev Dr Prabhat Thapa said, “In the history of the last 60 years of Nepali Christian Fellowship, this is for the first time a Catholic Priest has come and preached in our church. This is the kind of unity God has brought through GAT in Shillong.”

- RANJIT

two years ago, we gave our attentions to the baby and not to each other, and that made things worse. After the Marriage Course training I do not let my frustrations come out in my family. Now we can resolve our problems together, and communicate with each other. There is peace now.

The Marriage Course is very nice and very important to us. There are so many families who are suffering in our community and divorce is very common, so we want to help these families with their marriages.”

Clement and Jennifer hope to start a Marriage Course in June 2010. Please pray for them.

WHAT IS THE MARRIAGE COURSE? The Marriage Course is very practical, giving any married couple the tools to build a strong and healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime. Over eight evenings, couple talk about important issues that can get swept under tha carpet in the rush of daily life.

The Marriage Course talks are presented in one of two ways: Either DVD talks featuring Nicky and Sila Lee, the creators of the course, or live talks, delivered by the course leader.

During the course couples will discover practical tools to help them: • • • • • •

Each morning’s devotions were taken by the local pastors from different denominations – Rev S. G. Momin from Bethel Christian Church, Rev Ruben Pradhan from Grace Family Church and Rev Benjamin Rai from the Presbyterian Church. The commissioning session on the last day was led by Prof. Dr. Rev E. R. Tongper, the Director for TESPRO International and Professor in North East Hill University. He was assisted by Rev Wakiru from Church of God, Jowai.

The GAT was excellent and this is going to help the churches in North East India. 22 courses are already registered and others are taking decision shortly. The GAT brought unity among different churches, as it was the first training event in Shillong where different churches came together.

ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2010

• •

understand each other’s needs communicate more effectively grow closer through resolving conflict heal the ways they have hurt each other recognise how upbringing can affect their relationship improve relationships with parents and in-laws develop greater sexual intimacy discover each other’s love languages & much more!

WHO IS IT FOR?

Marriage Course taught us how to communicate to each other - when they gave us exercises to do together, we realised there were so many things we needed to work on between us. Now we communicate well, when before we used to fight. Now we are doing the Marriage Course exercises again and again so that we can keep growing our relationship.”

Pastor Clement: “I am a Pastor, and I am working hard and I pray hard but many times I do not see the expected results. This effected my family life and my relationship with my wife. Also, because my wife and I are from different parts of Gujarat, there were many problems of cultural differences between us. And when our baby was born

The Marriage Course is for any couple, whether they have been together for one year or 61 years and whether they have a strong relationship or are struggling. For those with a strong marriage, this course will help make it even better and will reinforce your good habits. For couples with marriages that are in difficulty, the course will help provide very practical tools to help them work through the issues.

While The Marriage Course is based on Christian principles, it is designed for couples with or without a Christian faith. Many couples who are not churchgoers have commented that the Christian content was presented in a way that did not make them uncomfortable at all.

For Marriage Course training and resources, please contact Alpha India.

ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2010

international

9

A FAMILY’S NEW FAITH When Lizzie Heng and Thomas Chin went to an Alpha course in 2005, they started a process that, at the beginning of 2010, has seen many in their family come to Christ.

Four years ago Lizzie and Thomas, a married couple in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, started attending an Alpha course alongside the Buddhist classes they were also going to. Lizzie was confused and not happy in her life, and was searching different religions to find answers.

A few weeks later they found themselves learning so much at the Alpha course and enjoying it so much that they decided to stop attending the other classes. Near the end of the course they made a decision to begin to live according to the Christian faith and to trust in Jesus. Because of their Buddhist backgrounds they had both been anxious to find peace, and it was at Alpha that they finally found peace and joy.

“I would use a lot of methods to live a secure life, such as superstitious practices and using crystals,” says Lizzie. “It was during Alpha that I began to trust God and to pray, and I would remember to pray when I was going through trials. I came to know that God is the Creator of everything, and that Jesus is the way to salvation,” Lizzie says.

Lizzie and Thomas were excited to share their experience with their family, and on subsequent courses between 2005 and 2009 a total of 15 family members went.

On the next course after theirs they invited Lizzie’s mother and three aunties. Lizzie’s mother learnt a lot on the course too and loved how friendly it was. She also became a Christian and was baptised after Alpha

course finished, with two of the aunties.

“I wanted to find out why Jesus had to die,” Lizzie’s mother says, “and through Pastor I learned the Word of God and also the way to pray. I learned to surrender my burdens to the Lord, and I found peace and joy in Jesus Christ.”

“I most of all enjoyed the eating, the games, the singing and the opportunity to make new friends.”

Lizzie’s mother’s attitudes changed because of what she learned on the course. Instead of scolding her husband when they were driving as she usually did, she started to quietly pray instead. The husband was so impressed at this simple change in his wife that he wanted to go to Alpha too. He attended the next course with Lizzie’s brother

and cousin. He came to Christian faith during the course and started going to church with his wife.

On the fourth and fifth courses more cousins and siblings attended. The fifth course finished in October 2009, and in December three of the family members took baptism at the church. Indeed, most of the family have now been baptised!

Of course not all the family members who attended the Alpha course have made the same decision of faith and some say they are not ready to yet. There has also been some resistance from some extended family which has meant that one of the aunties is not able to attend church. But the family is hopeful that in time more of their relatives will come to experience the peace and freedom that they have come to know.

GOD TURNS THINGS AROUND to pick up the phone. He remembered ‘Big John’ from having played table tennis with him on the weekend. He found him accommodation. A dentist volunteered to replace all his missing teeth. He has been reconciled with his mother and his daughter and he now has a relationship with his grandchildren whom he had never met before.

As told by Nicky Gumbel, in ‘Through the Bible 2010’ Day 65.

‘Big John’ walked into our night shelter for the homeless at St Paul Onslow Square two years ago. He had been living on the streets of London for over ten years. Before that he had spent over nine years in prison. Most of his teeth were missing. He was addicted to methadone. His nickname on the streets of London was ‘Big John’ because he was a big guy who had once boxed for the Army.

He came with his friend ‘Little John’.

He loved the night shelter and appreciated all the young people who cared for him. He started coming to church; he came on the Alpha course; he gave his life to Christ; he was filled with the Holy Spirit on the Alpha weekend, he came off the drugs. God turned his life right around.

He started telling his friends on the streets about Jesus. Each week he would turn up at church with more friends from the streets.

His nickname changed from ‘Big John’ to ‘John the Baptist’!

One of the guys he had met on the Alpha weekend was an estate agent. As we were ringing around trying to find ‘Big John’ a place to live, this estate agent happened

His mother now displays on her wall a picture of her son meeting Prince Charles, who came to visit St Paul Onslow Square a few weeks ago and met and chatted with John.

He is now writing his autobiography telling the story of how Jesus has turned his life right around.

Following Jesus is very exciting. He constantly turns things around in people’s lives.

[Photo: Big John meeting Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Church Onslow Square, London, UK]

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resource feature

ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2010

casting the vision Chapter two from Tricia Neill’s book, ‘From Vision to Action’ forward or not? Does it distract you?’ Of course, sometimes the Spirit will speak to us and release us, and we have to be free to do that. But on the whole, following the vision is the first priority.

m Vision to Action

Tricia Neill, author of Fro

Tricia Neill is the Executive Director of Alpha International. Her new book, ‘From Vision to Action’ is a practical and encouraging how-to-guide for turning vision into reality and managing church growth.

From Vision to Action can be purchased through the Alpha India National Office at a cost if Rs. 100.

Articulate your vision Our vision statement at HTB is ‘the re-evangelisation of the world and the transformation of society.’ You probably already have a sense of what God wants to do through the ministry of your church, or maybe there is simply an inner longing for change as you have seen the impact of Alpha within your parish. The steps we at HTB took to develop our vision have changed over the years, as we ourselves have grown.

Set the baseline When we first embarked on the systematic process of applying business principles to the running of HTB, we looked at and addressed what we believed God was calling us to do. We asked ourselves what we thought our future should look like, and what the vision for our church was.

We then looked at our current situation. We looked at what we were achieving and what we were not.

We noted where we were, and where we wanted to be. We looked at specific areas like the number of services, the number in the congregation and the profile of the parish. That became the baseline for any comparison we were working towards.

For example, in a particular year, we decided we wanted to see ten new pastorates1 and twenty new volunteers to run the children’s work.

Each year when we report at the Annual General Meeting, or in our Annual Report, we can chart our growth and see how far we have come. We also review on a regular basis where we think we are going. The review process is covered further in the next chapter.

Invest your energy in the vision Once we knew the direction we were going in, we had to stay focused on what our vision and our values were. It was necessary to clarify our message, and in everything we did we needed continually to ask ourselves: ‘Does this fit in with the aims and objectives of the vision that God has for us?’

At one time a member of our staff, Emmy Wilson, was getting confused about what commitments to take on in her role, as churches were inviting her to speak on many different topics. For me it was simple, because I used to say to her, ‘What are we trying to do? Where are we trying to get to?’ Emmy’s role was heading up the prison work, which we were very keen to see grow. I encouraged her to ask herself: ‘Does that task move the vision

So we would only undertake a project if it would move the vision forward. We have had many opportunities over the years to participate in other areas, but we have had to stay focused on what we believe is our specific calling.

Share the vision In order for the vision to take root, it had to be shared with key people in the church, and the congregation as a whole. I remember in my first week on staff, I received a little bit of a difficult phone call from the accounts department on how much the development of Alpha outside Holy Trinity was costing the church. I remember being really shocked, and saying to Sandy and Nicky, ‘You know, I’m not sure whether everybody shares the same vision. If this is what God is doing, I’m not sure that everybody, both on the staff and in the congregation, is on the same page we’re on.’ We didn’t sit down and think through every possible channel of communication to impart and reinforce the message, but I did notice that Sandy, as the church leader, started speaking about Alpha and his vision for the church all the time.

He was leading from the front and using every opportunity – the PCC, sermons, everything he did – to talk about what he felt God was doing.

The more people understood and felt part of the vision, the more enthusiastic and committed they became. It is important to recognise that you do not have to do it all on your own – even if you appear to be alone in your church. In our situation, Sandy Millar identified those in the congregation and among the church leadership who were also longing for growth and change. As a leader, you need to identify key people and put them around you – as staff, leaders, or other people in the congregation – to help you realise your vision.

We have needed to build up a team both within the church, and also from outside – a network of other, like-minded churches. At our conferences we encourage people to come as part of a team, and we then set up a time during the conference for churches from the same geographical area to meet up and get to know one another It is really helpful, when you are struggling, to be able to talk to someone who understands your situation and is working towards similar goals. Similarly, you can be a great encouragement to others.

All the leaders of HTB church plants (known as the Home Focus Churches) get together three or four times a year to meet and encourage one another.

No church’s vision, however well thought through, will be realized without the commitment of the community who can make it happen. As Sandy used to say: ‘Put the sign on the bus. What I simply mean is tell people as soon you can where you are going. Then they don’t have to speculate. If you go out into the high street you will see a number of buses. They have numbers and stops. You can decide whether to get on. As soon as I could I said to them here at Holy Trinity Brompton, ’We

are moving in the direction of the New Testament Church. It’ll take time; we might go to Birmingham via Calcutta and Sydney, LA and Brighton, but it’s to Birmingham that we are going, that is the direction.’

One church leader tells of how he lost a church plant because he did not repeat the vision enough to people he thought knew it already. In the end they left, and the plant died. Tell people where you are going. Expect to repeat yourself over and over again as you communicate your plans and priorities.

What follows is a structure that might help you to think through how to communicate your vision.

Documenting your vision There are a variety of tools which help to keep us on course and to communicate the vision effectively. These will form the basis for all your communication, whether written or verbal. For example: The vision statement This is a brief statement, only a few sentences, that summarises who you are and what you are hoping to achieve by carrying out the mission of your church.

The five-year plan The five-year plan is the main vision document.

It gives a long range view of where the church is heading, and where it will be within five years.

John Wimber used to say: ‘Most clergy overestimate what can be achieved in one year, and underestimate what can be achieved in five.’

The one-year plan This is the action plan for the coming year, and the budget flows out of this document.

Quantifying the goals Quantifying the goals within these action plans enables us to be more specific when communicating the vision. It helps to form images in the minds of people. For example, how many small groups would we like to see on Alpha? How many children attend our children’s groups on a Sunday?

Who needs to experience the vision?

Once you have formulated and documented the vision, there are a number of different groups that need to hear about it. For example, at HTB we would communicate with the: • Church committee – (eg the PCC) • Leaders (pastorate leaders, worship leaders,Alpha group leaders, children and youth leaders, etc) • Staff • Congregation • Broader church community.

Defining these groups is a key part in ensuring that the vision is shared appropriately.

What are the best ways to communicate to the different groupings within your church?

For each grouping, decide on the best means of communication. For example, when we moved to

ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2010

from vision to action

five services on a Sunday, we chose to hold a special meeting so that we could explain things fully and take questions straight away. When we are encouraging everyone to go to Home Focus (our summer holiday as a church family), we make a big announcement at church, have an article in our church newspaper, and send letters out with a brochure inviting our congregation to attend.

We have found that identifying and developing communication skills is central to making sure that more people understand and therefore take on the vision. Where expertise exists in writing or speaking within your congregation, use it to help you communicate the message. Similarly, where someone has a skill in photography, web design or desktop publishing, do not be afraid to ask for help.

As many people in the church come from different backgrounds, education and cultures, we have discovered that when we share common experiences with a particular group of people we find it much easier to communicate with them. We therefore set aside a significant amount of time in the church calendar for creating those ‘common experiences’ – opportunities to build the relationships that enable us to share the collective vision effectively. Some examples are discussed below.

Church leadership committee Your church committee meetings are a key time to pray about and build on the vision of the church, and to ensure that all the church’s activity is supporting that vision. We meet once a month and begin with supper before the business part of the meeting, as a supportive church committee will be based on good relationships made during this informal time. At HTB the PCC have a ‘Quiet Day’ once a year, to set aside all the day-to-day business of the church and discuss and pray about the vision God has given them.

Leaders Leaders’ Weekend – At HTB we hold an annual Leaders’ Weekend at a conference centre in the country. We invite all the leaders in the church – pastorate leaders, Alpha group leaders and so on – to go away for a weekend together. Over the course of the weekend Nicky presents what he believes God is calling the church to, and will then work with the leaders and hear from them what the issues are.

Vicarage suppers – Nicky regularly opens up his home to invite the leaders in the church to come for supper and get to know one another, and to discuss the vision together and the part they may play in it.

External conferences – Nicky will seek to take leaders with him when he attends a conference or meeting that he feels might influence the direction of the church. In this way it is not only Nicky who comes back keen to bring about new ideas or changes, but a whole group that understand the values, reasons and models he is hoping to implement. In addition, relationships are built up by attending the same event. When delegates return, there are more people able to spread the message.

Staff Staff Day – We have a ‘Staff Day’ every year, during which we talk about the direction the church is taking, and what that will mean for the staff. We also enjoy a leisurely lunch, and have time to pray for one another.

Staff prayer meetings – We hold a full staff meeting once a week (see later for more detail). Each meeting is dedicated to worshipping God, restating the vision, and giving feedback on how we are seeing God fulfil that vision week by week.

Project meetings – These meetings involve different members of staff, and the purpose is to plan and track individual projects and create a common understanding of where we are all going. These are practical meetings that serve to establish what needs to be done to move a project forward. They also ensure that the team knows why we took on the project in the first place – how it fits into the vision. These regular meetings help build relationships within the team as it goes along. This is particularly important for volunteer teams, where these meetings might be the only opportunity people have to spend time with other members of their team.

Congregation Restating the vision to your congregation is essential – they need to own it. Repetition is key. You can do this in many ways.

Vision Sunday – We have two ‘Vision Sundays’ each year, on the Sundays before Gift Days, in September and March. In the sermon we explicitly set out the vision of the church, and what support it will require from the congregation.

Annual report – To coincide with the first Vision Sunday of the year, we produce our annual report.

This document includes reports from all the church ministries (and a good number of photographs) explaining what has been going on in the past year, as well as showing the congregation how all resources have been allocated. We distribute a copy to every member of the congregation during the Sunday services.

Other Sunday sermons – We regularly take the opportunity on a Sunday to explain how the Bible passage we are teaching on relates to our vision.

We give examples of how we see the vision being fulfilled. We talk about Alpha a lot, and have testimonies and stories of the ways God is at work.

These are a powerful way of re-illuminating the vision for the congregation.

Website – Our website clearly expresses the vision of the church, both explicitly, by stating the vision statement, and implicitly, by describing all the activities the church is involved with.

Church newsletter – Once a month we publish a church newsletter for the congregation. It includes plenty of photographs, and provides news about what is going on in the church, including weddings and events, and information on new initiatives. It is also a key opportunity to restate the vision, and to tell stories of God at work in the life of the church.

HTB News – Every Sunday we show a short video of what is happening in the next few weeks at HTB. Our vision is restated through the activities that happen week by week in the church.

Church Weekend/Holiday – Every summer HTB hosts a week’s teaching holiday for the congregation at a holiday camp on the coast. This is an important time for refreshing, re-focusing, and building relationships within the church. It is also an important time in restating the vision of the church and, if necessary, changing direction.

While we have found a week to be an advantageous length of time, many of our church plants hold great weekend events.

AGM or APCM – In the Anglican Communion every church holds an annual meeting known as the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). This is where the PCC (church council) is elected and we review the previous year’s activity and outline the vision for the future. The HTB congregation is encouraged to attend this meeting, to ask questions about the vision of the church and to take part in

11

electing representatives. If an annual meeting is not a standard feature of your church, we would encourage you to consider it, as a year is a good timeframe for marking progress.

Parish Day – Every summer we host a ‘Parish Day’. It is an opportunity for the whole congregation to come together and share a common experience. There are picnics, a bouncy castle, games and music. We all just have fun together.

Broader church community No doubt you are involved with ecumenical groups and secular community groups, and you will want to keep them informed of your church’s vision.

Refining the vision Any vision is dynamic. It moves and grows with the organisation. It is important for any organisation to review its vision regularly, and to make sure that its communications are consistent with that vision. How does today’s work – a year down the line – compare with the baseline you established when you started the whole process with your parish review? How have you moved on?

Be prepared to change as you go At HTB we have often struggled because everything outgrew the structures we put in place.

So we have had to create a new structure. I have been at HTB for twelve years and I think in that time we have probably restructured three times.

Each time we have gone back to the drawing board, armed with new knowledge and new ideas on our direction, and asked the question – ‘How do we make sense of who we have and what we need to do?’ In 2005 we went through a key change, as Sandy handed over responsibility for HTB to Nicky.

This gave us the opportunity to re-examine and re-align our structures to support Nicky’s leadership. The church cannot afford to have a static organisation.

I have been asked a few times to help other churches review their own structures, and have included three organisational review documents in the appendices of this booklet. All three are urban churches, but the principles can be applied in any context.

A particular challenge in restructuring lies in knowing when it is right to take the risk of moving on from working strictly with volunteers to having a full-time member of staff. This is an enormous step. At HTB the Alpha course had grown to 120 people before we took on paid staff to support it.

Pray into the vision Everything we do is based upon prayer. We pray that the activities we do are consistent with the vision that God has in mind for us. We pray that God will refine our vision, and will help us to discern it. We pray constantly, and sometimes we find we are in a position where that is all that we can do.

Without prayer the vision will never flourish.

Available from the Alpha India Office for Rs. 100

convictions of a lifelong pastor

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“I HAVE A DREAM OF A LIVING CHURCH”

BY DR. JOHN STOTT. TAKEN FROM HIS BOOK “THE LIVING CHURCH” PUBLISHED BY IVP I have a dream of a church which is a biblical churchwhich is loyal in every particular to the revelation of God in Scripture, whose pastors expound Scripture with integrity and relevance, and so seek to present every member mature in Christ, whose people love the word of God, and adorn it with an obedient and Christ-like life, which is preserved from all unbiblical emphases, whose whole life manifests the health and beauty of biblical balance.

I have a dream of a biblical church.

I have a dream of a church which is a worshipping churchwhose people come together to meet God and worship him, who know God is always in their midst and who bow down before him in great humility, who regularly frequent the table of the Lord Jesus, to celebrate his mighty act of redemption on the cross, who enrich the worship with their musical skills, who believe in prayer and lay hold of God in prayer. whose worship is expressed not in Sunday services and prayer gatherings only but also in their homes, their weekday work and the common things of life.

I have a dream of a worshipping church.

I have a dream of a church which is a caring churchwhose congregation is drawn from many races, nations, ages and social backgrounds, and exhibits the unity and diversity of the family of God, whose fellowship is warm and welcoming, and never marred by anger, selfishness, jealousy or pride, whose members love one another with a pure heart fervently, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, and bearing one another’s burdens, which offers friendship to the lonely, support to the weak, and acceptance to those who are despised and rejected by society, whose love spills over to the world outside, attractive, infectious, irresistible, the love of God himself.

I have a dream of a caring church.

I have a dream of a church which is a serving churchwhich has seen Christ as the Servant and has heard his call to be a servant too, which is delivered from self-interest, turned inside out, and giving itself selflessly to the service of others, whose members obey Christ’s command to live in the world, to permeate secular society, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, whose people share the good news of Jesus simply, naturally and enthusiastically with their friends, which diligently serves its own parish, residents and workers, families and single people, nationals and immigrants, old folk and little children, which is alert to the changing needs of society, sensitive and flexible enough to keep adapting its programme to serve more usefully, which has a global vision and is constantly challenging its young people to give their lives in service, and constantly sending its people out to serve.

I have a dream of a serving church.

I have a dream of a church of which is an expectant churchwhose members can never settle down in material affluence or comfort, because they remember that they are strangers and pilgrims on earth, which is all the more faithful and active because it is waiting and looking for its Lord to return, which keeps the flame of the Christian hope burning brightly in a dark, despairing world, which on the day of Christ will not shrink from him in shame, but rise up joyfully to greet him.

I have a dream of an expectant church.

Such is my dream of a living church. May all of us share this dream, and under God may the dream come true!

Published with permission. The Living Church, Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor is available from OM Books.