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HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 1
WE ARE HOPE CITY 2 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 3
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Are you Ready FELIX? N o, really – are you ready? Welcome to the next twelve months of Hope City Church! In the next year we’ll be celebrating five conferences – ‘She Is Fabulous’ for women, ‘This New Republic’ for young adults, ‘The Leadership Summit’ for Pastors and teams, ‘Summerfest’ for teens and twenty something’s and ‘Fabulous’ for all the Hope City family!
In the next twelve months we’ll be growing in all ten of our locations and seeing hundreds of people express a real desire to get to know the love of God more and more. We’ll be helping more and more women with life controlling issues through City Hearts and restoring more people from the scourge of human trafficking. We’ll be well on the way to starting City Hearts International with our work with vulnerable kids in Ghana, West Africa! We’ll be producing our third live album with the most talented and big hearted bunch of
musicians and worship leaders we’ve ever had. We’ll be celebrating the unsung heroes in some of our big cities through our Night of Honour as well as giving away so much stuff in our Big Summer Giveaways as part of our vision to help the nation in changing times. With our big emphasis on FOOD, we’ll all be striking up some amazing new friendships, and with a bit of faith, allowing them to catch a glimpse of the fresh confidence and joy many others have found through our relationship with Jesus. This isn’t just any year. This is your year! And we are here for you!
Dave & Jenny Gilpin Hope City Church Senior Pastors
Dave & Jenny HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 5
the Fast guide - TO HOPE CITY CHURCH Hope City Sheffield
Hope City Leeds
Hope City Liverpool
Hope City Lancashire
The first of our locations with Lead Pastors Colin and Beth Blois - it’s buzzing with both TnR Fridays and the Sunday morning service, Neon Youth on Sunday late afternoon and Whizz Kids on Sunday mornings.
We are absolutely committed to seeing the heart of Hope City Liverpool spill over into our great city and beyond. With our new Lead Pastors David and Lisa Stoner and great oversight from Dave and Jen, our Senior Pastors, we’re in for an incredible time. Special thanks to Roger and Anna Davies who are still a big part of us having created such an incredible movement of people.
Hope City Newcastle
It’s been exciting to see our Newcastle location take off at The Centre for Life! The brilliant leadership of our Lead Pastors Simon and Rachael Taylor and with one excited team, this is set to be our best year ever. Newcastle – watch out!
Hope City Frankfurt
We have a big heart to see Europe open again to the good news of Jesus and we’re committed to fresh, expectant faith! Our Lead Pastors Siobhan and Steve Bullock alongside Sats and Emma Solanki and the team are believing for huge growth as we meet every Sunday at the Central Station in the very heart of Frankfurt. Be a part of history!
10 LOCATIONS ONE CHURCH
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With an exciting blend of ages and backgrounds and with awesome leadership from Lead Pastors Chris and Gosia Denham, Leeds is set to explode. Friday Night Live and Sunday mornings are rocking so why not be a part of it?
With our two locations – Chorley and Preston, we’re believing for great things. We are pinching ourselves at all of the great people who have come together to see Lancashire shine with God’s great love. Lead Pastors David and Lisa Stoner along with Chorley Service Pastors Clive and Sarah McMullen are pumped to see people fulfil all their God-given potential.
Hope City Birmingham
Hope you like our newly renovated venue – The Novotel in the heart of Birmingham! With our city centre Hub happening midweek and all of the energy created by our interns, Hope City Birmingham with Lead Pastors Simon and Olivia Bolton is ready, willing and able to double over the coming 12 months.
Hope City Accra
We have been meeting at ‘The Venue’ in the heart of Ghana’s capital – but it’s getting way too small. By the time you read this, our Lead Pastors Andy and Karen Gorman may even have relocated to accommodate for all of the growth! People everywhere are hearing about our faith filled church that is naturally supernatural!
Hope City London
This is our newest congregation that began with a Hope City United gathering in the heart of London on Easter Sunday - the day Hope City began in Sheffield 22 years ago. Dave and Jenny Gilpin will be personally pioneering it with the help of a Sunday night crew as well as amazing worship from Ryan and Esther Gilpin.
WAKEFIELD YORK
TAKORADI
BARBADOS
Leeds
KUMaSI
OUR 2020
ZAMBIA
Sheffield
Accra
VISION
Nottingham
Birmingham Chorley
Liverpool
HOPECITY
Lancashire
Blackburn
Preston Lancaster Blackpool
CHESTER
London KUALA LUMPUR
Leadership Academy
With our largest student intake in our history, our one and two year internship and training programme is constently proving to be a hit. Directed by Chris Denham with Beth Blois as Academy Dean, this is the incubator of tomorrows leaders – both in the Church and the World.
Frankfurt
Newcastle EDINBURGH STRASBOURG
ZURICH Athens
Sheffield Megacentre
BUDAPEST
City Hearts AntiTrafficking
We currently run three houses for women, families and men who have been rescued from human trafficking. Jen Baker is committed to not just ending trafficking but to restoring the lives of everyone robbed of their right to dignity.
Hope Families
Situated in Leeds and led by Gosia Denham, we’re committed to mentoring parents, providing for families and assisting children in the inner city areas.
City Hearts International
City Hearts Restore
Overseeing our complete City Hearts vision is Karen Bianchi who works tirelessly to create an environment of care and strength to see the most vulnerable people healed and restored.
• OVER 25 Congregations • City Hearts in 1o cities (including Europe & Africa) • Night of Honour in 1o cities • Megacentres in 1o Cities • 15oo seater megaplex in sheffield • National Television influence across Britain
Our newest project is geared toward protecting those vulnerable to trafficking through poverty, unemployment and deception. Our goal through Colleen Brownlee is to provide micro business opportunities, after school clubs and life skill training.
WE ARE HOPE CITY
Night of Honour
Each year we celebrate the unsung heroes of Sheffield and Liverpool in a night of entertainment, awards and recognition. It’s a vision that’s catching on nationally. Louise Davies has spent over a decade fashioning the vision.
We provide a full time nursery, a full time children’s centre called Megakids, the Storehouse food bank, a city wide conferencing facility as well as the training facility of The Leadership Academy. It’s also the head office for Hope City.
Leeds Megacentre
We’ve built a 400 seater auditorium that needs expanding! Our desire is to renovate our 45,000 square feet into a premier conference facility for the city, a vibrant home for Hope Families and a centre for hope and restoration for our city.
Hope City Conferences
We put on five conferences a year. ‘She Is Fabulous’ for women happens at the end of February, ‘This New Republic’ for college or university students and young adults, ‘The Leadership Summit’ for Pastors and core teams, ‘Summerfest’ for teens and twenty somethings and ‘Fabulous’ for the whole church family.
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 7
Mmmm, carrots* *Nutritious and delicious
PECKISH? WE ARE FOOD 8 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
THE Theology of food 1. Everyone is up for a meal A lot of people who would say “no” to attending a church event would say “yes” if invited out for a meal with you!
2. It makes you real Food is a relaxer and shows off more of the real you.
3. It frees up the conversation Food makes it less one tracked, less direct, more free flowing and much easier to do. It’s agenda free.
4. It’s an act of generosity It’s a present – a gift in a culture that finds it hard to receive gifts.
5. It subconsciously links you with comfort and joy – and that can only be a
J
Food s u o i r o l G Food
esus and his disciples had gained a reputation for liking food. So much so, the ‘religious’ people made the claim that Jesus was ‘a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ (Luke 7:34).
I suspect if it wasn’t for all of the walking they did, the disciples would have had a slight problem with their weight! Their reputation wasn’t helped by the first ever miracle of Jesus – the turning of water into 600 litres of wine. Why did Jesus do that? What was it about Jesus’ love of ‘parties’ that gained him his warped reputation? He used food to cement his relationship with Matthew the tax collector and to bridge the gap with all his ‘mates’. (Luke 5:27-31). He used food to affirm salvation with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5-10). He used food to commemorate the Passover and to say his goodbye to his disciples at ‘The Last Supper’, and he used
good thing.
6. It lends itself to stories, not soundbites. Your narrative is your greatest friend to seeing others wanting what you’ve got. food – a good, hearty fry up - to reinstate Peter back into the fold.
Jesus mission was clear – ‘to seek and save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10). And now his method was clear – to use miracles (to capture the imagination) and food (to pave the way). Food, glorious food was the ‘Jesus Way’ of reaching out. And we must do the same!
They once said to Jesus - ‘John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ (Luke 5:33)
7. Everyone gets hungry. With over 21 opportunities a week and over 1000 meals a year, there are a lot of conversations to be had!
OUR VISION TO BE A FAITH FILLED CHURCH LEADING PEOPLE EVERYWHERE
through food
to discover the journey of their god given destiny. HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 9
THE REAL PATH TO CHURCH GROWTH 2o2o
OUR FUTURE IS HERE
HOME IS HERE
YOUR
SUPER SUNDAY SERVICES
YOUR HEART IS HERE
CONNECT HOUSE PARTY
YOUR
CHURCH IS HERE
SUPER SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE
Your Shout!
YOU ARE HERE
YOUR FRIENDS, MOVIES, DRINKS, SNACKS AND CHAT
FAMILY IS HERE
CONNECT HOUSE PARTY WITH FOOD AND QUIZ
YOUR FUTURE FRIENDS ARE HERE!
WE ARE FAITH, FOOD, FRIENDSHIP, FREEDOM, FAMILY, FUTURE
THE ART OF
BUZZ
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E WE AR
LISTENING LO
STARTING WITH HOPE CITY UNITED ON EASTER SUNDAY, LEADING UP TO WEEKLY SUNDAY NIGHT MEETINGS
TH N EL D OW O D O N: WN
HOPE CITY LONDON
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 11
31% ARE UNDER 24
30% FROM MINORITY ETHNIC GROUPS
WE ARE LONDON
TUBE JOURNEYS EVERY DAY: 3, 500,000 21,000 BLACK CABS 500 CINEMAS
8,500 BUSES 40,000 LISTED BUILDINGS EST. 4,900 CHURCHES
250 FESTIVALS A YEAR
43 UNIVERSITIES
300 THEATRES 12,000 RESTAURANTS
L O N D O N : WE ARE LISTEN
18,000 NHS HOSPITAL BEDS MORE CCTV THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN THE WORLD 12 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
ING
3.2M IN EMPLOYMENT WITH 15.6%
18% OF CHILDREN IN SEVERE POVERTY
POPULATION: 10,174,100
15% OF UK POPULATION
AREA: 1570 KM2 32 BOROUGHS
270 TUBE STATIONS COVERING 250 MILES
3,673 PEOPLE SLEEPING ROUGH
OVER 300 LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY OVER 270 NATIONALITIES
4 MILLION TONNES OF RUBBISH A YEAR
32,000 MUSIC PERFORMANCES A YEAR OVER 300 VENUES
857 ART GALLERIES
30,000 ALLOTMENTS
For m ore infor m ation
OVER 2,000 SCHOOLS EDUCATING 1.25M PUPILS
N // @ ho p /londo .tv ch r u ch y ecit : www.ho p
ecit y london
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 13
NADJA Hope City Frankfurt
H
i, I’m Nadja. I’m 27 years old and I grew up in a village in the north of Germany called Lemgo. I came to Frankfurt six months ago. I’d been studying in Sweden and never found a church there that suited me.
My family are not Christians but my parents allowed me to go to a Christian kids programme when I was nine years old and that’s how I got
to know about God. I wanted to find a modern church but so many in Germany are traditional – then my friend invited me to Hope City. When we were on the train on the way I prayed that it would be the right church for me. I really love Hope City. The first moment I knew it was the right place it felt like coming home. I especially love the friendliness of the people and the open, loving spirit. I was amazed too that they work in rescuing
“I have found a calmness and confidence that He knows what He is doing.” women from human trafficking. I’d spent some time in LA as a part of my degree and had worked at the LA Dream Centre with women who had been rescued and I am passionate
FROM AROUND THE WORLD
BASIL Hope City ACCRA
B
asil Telfer has lived in Accra, Ghana, all his life. Though he loves his city he’s experienced the rough sides of it too – but when he went to Hope City Church his life changed! We found out some more about him… What’s your job? I’m an apprentice craftsman – working with silver and gold, designing and making jewellery. I started a year ago and have two years to go! I am also a trainer in cardio exercise. What do you want to do in your life? I’m working on my apprenticeship at the minute and will finish that. Eventually though I would love to run my own gym. On a church level I want to get closer to God!
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What’s your favourite food and your favourite place to eat? My favourite food is fufu and groundnut soup. I mostly have it at “Asanka Local Dishes”. What’s it like living in Accra? Accra is a great place to live. You just have to make sure that you get the right friends and surround yourself with people who will support you. There are hardships and many young people get involved in risky stuff to get out of poor situations – or just to cope. You have been coming to church for about six months now - what brought you to Hope City? My friend invited me to church and at first I came to make my mum happy! But what brought me back and made me fall in love with Hope City was the advertising outside – it said “Be Yourself”.
Were you a Christian before you came? I grew up in a Christian home and went with my family to the Presbyterian Church. My dad died about 10 years ago and it was really hard on me. I dropped out of school and got involved with the wrong crowd – eventually getting mixed up in some things including smoking weed. My friend Amanda knew me from Primary School and invited me to Hope City. Then when my mum died last year I was really lost and didn’t know what to do with my life. Amanda invited me again to Hope City and I came along. What made you keep coming back to Hope City? I just loved the whole church; the atmosphere, the love, the care and the smile people have on their face in the church. I remember sitting at the end of the service the first Sunday and I was amazed that people stayed around and talked and actually wanted to get to know each other.
about the cause! I love being a part of what we’re doing in Frankfurt – taking gifts from Hope City Church to the trafficked women to really encourage them. Since being at Hope City, God has really grown my faith and I am learning to trust. I’m the kind of girl that likes to have everything planned out, but now I am giving over to God and trusting him for my future. Usually I need the security of planning but I have found a calmness and confidence that He knows what He is doing.
What made you decide to follow Jesus? I just knew I needed to follow Jesus – I had no parents left and my life was messy. I wanted what the people in Hope City had and week after week I just knew something was happening in me. How is life different now? Life is cool with me now! I love worshiping with Hope City and the church really helped me turn my life around. I am happier and have many good friends now. If someone had never been to Hope City Accra how would you describe it to them? I would just tell the person to come in, be yourself and get closer to God. ■
WE ARE GLOBAL
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 15
SLIMMING IT Sue Wrigg from Hope City Newcastle has not only lost 10 stone in weight, but has found a confidence she never knew existed. This is her story.
O
n the inside I knew there was a different person. The one that everyone else sees now I have always known. I was hiding behind my weight. When I looked in the mirror I would just see a thing. I wouldn’t even call myself a person - I’d see a thing that was fat. Really all I wanted was someone to get hold of me and hug me - someone who wasn’t family who accepted me. I wanted to meet someone and get married. I wanted someone to say I love you, you’re everything. But I was too scared of it, so I would eat to make sure that I wouldn’t get any attention. I would hide and not go out. Rather than deal with things I’d cook, or eat to cover my emotions, even from myself. But you can only push so much down before it starts spilling out. In 2008 I weighed 24 stone. I was a youth worker and had an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle, eating unhealthy snacks then getting fast food every night because it was so late.
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In early 2009 I started coming to Hope City Church. It felt like a new start for me, and I started to tackle some of what was going on in my life, admitting that I needed help. I had four bouts of depression since I was eight years old.
I went to a counsellor who helped me to work through things that I had carried around with me for a long time. I did six months of The Leadership Academy course in Sheffield - and in that time I dealt with a lot of the insecurities and fear that was so deep within me. I slowly learnt to accept and love myself. Then in 2011 at a conference at Hope City, someone who had lost a lot of weight told their story. As I listened something changed in me. I knew that it was time for me to sort out my weight and I made the decision there and then. When I got home my friend invited me to slimming world. I went with her, and just before I left I prayed; “Please God, let this work.” They have a plan which involves starting some exercise, eating healthily and going to groups that support you. I now weigh 13 stone, 1 pound. In almost two years I’ve lost almost 10 stone! My target weight is 10 and a half stone, and I hope to get there soon. Most of the time it hasn’t been that hard, because it was the right time for me to do it. But sometimes I decide I don’t want to do it, and just eat loads of pizza and cake - chocolate is my downfall! But I made the decision when I started that I was in it for the long haul, even if it takes ten
“God changed that all around. He gave me the love and acceptance I’d always longed for - and because things were different inside it was easier to deal with the outside.” years, which really relieves the pressure. So I draw a line in the sand and get back on track. It was the right timing for me. I haven’t had to work too hard for it; because so much of the inside stuff had healed, I had more discipline and I believed in myself. Now when something comes up I sit down and work through it, or go for a walk. In the old days I’d have eaten three bowls of pasta then a whole cheesecake! I’m much more confident now. I used to get up and not bother about doing my hair or make up - now I do. I won three of the Slimming World awards last year and was in the newspaper for it too! Now loads of people facebook me and text me asking for advice - friends and family have started going to Slimming World. I’m even thinking about being a consultant for my group to help other people on the same journey. I feel so different. I used to help people because I needed to feel needed - but God changed that all around. He gave me the love and acceptance I’d always longed for - and because things were different inside it was easier to deal with the outside. ■ Sue is an active member of Hope City Newcastle.
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 17
AskGOSIA
LEEDS PASTOR Gosia Denham answers your PARENTING questions
Gosia regularly delivers courses to parents in schools to help them deal with a wide range of parenting issues.
I
wonder how many of you hearing the word ‘discipline’ imagine a belt, being grounded or at least a good telling off. Discipline doesn’t have to involve cruel punishment, nagging, shouting and constant power contests between a parent and a child. There is a way in which you can set good boundaries, allow your child to grow up to be a responsible adult, yet still remain friends into their adulthood. Here are six golden rules we share with our parents: Notice them when they are good We spend so much time telling them off when they do something wrong, but when they play quietly we say nothing. We need to address this imbalance. The behaviour we notice is the behaviour that will persist. Ignore some misbehaviour Children often misbehave to gain attention. Misbehaviour is much more likely to stop when it is ignored. We often think
that to ignore bad behaviour means we give sanction to it, but how did you feel last time someone ignored you?
Give them limited choice and allow them to live with the consequences.
Don’t do for your child what they are able to do for themselves Mums often run around like headless chickens doing everything. Yet children as young as 4 can tidy their bed, 7 year olds can make their lunch and 5 year olds can be very good at putting dishes away. Children who are given responsibility early on are often more confident and responsible.
Instead of empty threats, coaxing, bribing your child, offer them a limited choice: “You don’t have to eat your dinner, it is up to you, but there is nothing else for the rest of the night”. Then remember not to give in at 7:30pm when they suddenly would like a little snack. Going to bed hungry one night will not hurt them, but will teach them that there are consequences to their choices.
Encourage your children
Make time for quality time
Speak well of your children, become their biggest fan. Find things to celebrate. Don’t try to “improve” them by constant fault finding. Notice the improvements and efforts. Be specific with your praise – just saying “you are such a good boy” doesn’t mean that much.
It doesn’t have to cost the earth. Go to the park together, play their favourite game, help them with their jigsaw puzzle, go on a “bear hunt” in the garden, read them a bedtime story, and from time to time create those unforgettable memories of sledging in the dark!
i
Gosia Denham oversees Hope Families based in our Leeds location.
WE ARE FUTURE 18 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
Circles of Comparison An article by Dave Gilpin HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 19
How do you know how well you are doing unless you compare yourself against what other people are doing? Some say that we should just be content with who we are but, how do you know who you are unless you compare yourself to who you are not? We all use the circle of comparison to gauge our own degree of success or failure. To not do so can lead to the X Factor syndrome where our isolation can lead to the problem of thinking we’re much better than we actually are! To measure ourselves against others, we often use three different circles of comparison.
1. The Big Circle Firstly, we can create such a big circle of comparison that we stick every legend that’s ever lived within it. There’s two problems with doing this – firstly, it’s incredibly unfair on you. Their starting point in life was very different from yours, not to mention their giftings, purpose, time in history as well as the unique set of unusual circumstances that surrounded them. Secondly, if they’re a ‘legend’ then generally what you’ve heard about them isn’t really the entire truth. There’s a thing called the ‘halo effect’ that causes us to think that if they’re good at one thing, they’ve also got a great marriage and probably never had need of a dentist. The ‘halo effect’ makes someone look more successful than a person actually is. It creates testimonies like ‘I started with nothing’, when the truth was they started with a great team and a big secret inheritance! The good news for our souls though, is that we limit how many people we put in our large circle of comparison – enough to make us feel small, but not so much to crush us! A small degree of ignorance is bliss.
2. THE SMALL CIRCLE The second circle of comparison is often the most deadly. It’s quite a small circle that only includes those who are struggling a bit at the time of our comparison! They say that happiness isn’t earning millions, but just a bit more than your wife’s sister’s boyfriend! Humans get a kick out of being a little wealthier, a little wiser and a little more spiritual than those around about them. If pride had an incubator, then this is it!
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3. THE INFINITELY SMALL CIRCLE The third circle of comparison is the infinitely small one – so small in fact , that only you can fit inside it. The trick is to keep reducing the circle by excluding everyone with a different age profile, different starting position, different gift mix, different calling and different set of abilities and disabilities. Eventually – you’re the only one left standing! In this circle you’re royalty! You’re an original! It’s not Gold, Silver or Bronze that counts, it’s PB – your Personal Best.
4. RUBBISH AND ROYALTY You’ll never get away from the fact that in some circles you’re going to feel like rubbish, and in others you’re going to feel like royalty. It’s managing these two emotions that is the key to great success in life. To feel unimportant and underrecognised by others is the only fuel we can ever take to the eternal flame of the love of God. Before Jesus had accomplished anything worthy of reporting and at the age of 30 when many of his friends had moved up the ladder of success, the Father had something to say – ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ (Matthew 4:17). God was declaring his real identity – an identity based on relationship and not on performance. And it’s this intimacy with Christ that changes everything - that a God so big should grace a speck so small. We don’t need New Year’s resolutions as much as new identity revelations! Stop asking God what you should do when the answer is in who you should be – His. Forever. Covered. Valued. Forgiven. Called. Protected. Sent.
6 5. MAKE FAILURE A FRIEND Because we see small as a possible sign of failure, we’ve developed some self protection to avoid it. It’s called cynicism – bringing other people down to a less intimidating level. Fault-finding and sarcasm are signs of our own inability to be comfortable with small. All of us have a fear of failure that we need to beat. They say that golf professionals will try harder and succeed more when they are one over par than one under par. Their fear of failure is greater than their actual will to win. It’s time to make friends with failure. Failure means we gave life a go. To no longer fear it is to know that our true value isn’t in success but in our new identity as a child of God.
6. NO MORE KARAOKE To celebrate our royalty is to invite a revelation that there’s no one like us on the planet. We’re tailor made, bespoke, perfectly placed and fully equipped to do all God has called us to do. The more you embrace your originality, the more you exercise your gifting, the greater your success will be. Beware of karaoke – trying to be who you’re not. The secret to life is to embrace both small and special, both rubbish and royalty. If you neglect taking your smallness to Jesus you’ll shrivel up. If you spend too much time on being royal, you’ll swell up. We all need to live with these two conflicting emotions, using them as fuel for the fire of God’s love and power.
7. SELL THE BOXSTER Ok, and by the way, if you do earn that little bit more than your wife’s sisters boyfriend, or if you find yourself in a remarkable summer season, don’t gloat. All you have ever received is by grace and not by works. Be generous to others in need, help those who are helpless and avoid at all costs the evil of pride. Remember the scripture that says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ James 4:6. Recently a rich man by the name James Hong sold his Porsche Boxster and bought a Toyota Prius. He’d made a lot of money from the internet and had become good friends with the founder of PayPal who was worth tens of millions of pounds. No matter how much money he had, someone else had that little bit more, and he was simply never satisfied. He decided that the craziness of his circle of comparison was just too much for him. So he broke it by buying a Toyota. He said “I don’t want to live the life of a Boxster, because when you get a Boxster all you wish for is a 911. And you know what people want when they’ve got a 911 – they wish they had a Ferrari,” The more you have, the more you need. It’s time to be content with our smallness, celebrate our specialness and squash our hidden areas of smugness. There lies the keys to great success. ■
7
MANBOOBS N E R D S RU L E ! The seven days of creation revised for men who like to tweak their geek!
In the Beginning God created the Nerd. The Nerd was without basic social skills and very fidgety, and the Spirit of the Lord hovered over their slightly enlarged waist lines. God said, ‘Let there be light sabers’ and there were loads of them, enough to go around. And God looked on their faces and said it was good….
On the second day God said, ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters above and the waters below’, so the nerds could see better. And God saw the nerds gazing through their slanted spectacles at the array of Cumulus Nimbus clouds. And God said it was good to see them enjoying partial sightedness.
On the third day God said, ‘Let dry ground appear.’ And it was so. Every nerd marvelled at the earth’s spherical nature and each bought themselves a globe to play with. God saw the nerds being very nerdy and said it was good. God then said, ‘Let vegetation appear.’ And it appeared on the earth and in the crevices and orifices of every nerd. And God thought ‘It’s not so good’ But He kept his thoughts to Himself.
On the ‘fourth day’ God said, ‘Let lights appear in the sky. One that governs the day and another that governs the night, as well as lots and lots of stars.’ All of the nerds looked up and wondered if they could travel faster than light, would they be able to see themselves before they left…
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God knew it would entertain the nerds for a considerably long time, so He also created lab technicians, geography teachers and university lecturers.
On the fifth day God created lots of sea creatures. The nerds thought God was brilliant for making them look so familiar to other nerds they knew. God knew it to be true but kept it zipped.
On the sixth day God created land creatures as well as some great companions for the men. He called them women with whom they could have a normal conversation. The men, however, were not interested. They loved their nerdiness so much they all bought handkerchiefs and placed them in their front pockets so they’d all recognise each other.
On the seventh day God rested from all His work. The men, however, all went to the Steam Railway Exhibition. It became obvious to them that they were actually the normal ones. Without properly thinking it through, some men tied the knot with some of the women. They tried to become understanding, sensitive and very thoughtful but knew it to be all too much for them. They all reverted back to their nerdy ways and again found light relief in a complex world.
Extract taken from Manboobs and Other Human Rights by Dave Gilpin Available from www.hopecitychurch.tv/shop
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 21
HOW DO YOU MEND A GABOR WAS A VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. THIS IS HIS STORY.
“When I was 20 and living in Eastern Europe, someone I thought was my friend told me I could earn £2000 a month working in a factory in the UK, and I accepted straight away. There was no hope for me in my country things were bad in my life; I had made a few mistakes and was looking for a way out and to make a new start. So I thought I had nothing to lose. I was wrong.
ID. It was awful. At times I felt suicidal. After five months the men started to watch us less, and one night we overheard them speaking about transferring us to another area to work for other people. My heart sank. What was going to happen next? I couldn’t take it anymore, and the others agreed. We had to get out.
to open, helped to clear my record, as well as help to sort out my teeth with the dentist as they needed urgent attention. I also got a chance to go to English classes. I feel so much more confident now when I meet and talk to new people. I can attend appointments on my own, and can even help my new friends with the things I learnt at City Hearts.
“We were REPEATEDLY threatened, and were close to being physically assaulted.”
I was taken by car with three other men and we arrived in the UK after two days of driving. As soon as we arrived at the house, one of the men took my passport. From then on we were not allowed out – we were kept as prisoners. We were repeatedly threatened and were close to being physically assaulted. For five months I was forced to work for
between three and five pounds a week in many different places; a pizza parlour, chicken factory, selling mobile phones and distributing flyers. I was forced to steal petrol and scrap metal and made to open false bank accounts in my name. I was afraid to escape as I thought that the police would deport me because I had no
22 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
So I started planning how to escape. We jumped out of a window and ran to the police who said that we could be taken to a safe place for our protection. We accepted and were taken to City Hearts.
From the moment I arrived I felt they believed in me and they wanted me to succeed. At first I was just so angry at the men who had done this to me and wanted to see them punished. The City Hearts staff stood by me as I confessed all to the police. They never left my side through the whole process. I felt so supported. I was assisted in closing the fraudulent accounts I had been forced
When I came to the UK, though I had been brought up a Catholic, I believed that God had turned his back on me. In response, I turned away from Him – but while I was at City Hearts I went to Hope City Church.
Now I have found my faith again and I recently got baptised to show that this is my new start, my new life. My whole outlook has changed. I now look at people
with love and I want to build a life that I can invite my family to be a part of again. It felt like my life was impossible – that it could never change, but it has completely.” ■
WE ARE MERCY
city
hearts LOVING PEOPLE TO LIFE
City Hearts began by looking after women with lifecontrolling issues. Today it cares for victims of human trafficking, including men and women, and families. @CH_Anti-traf @CH_Restore @CH_International
www.city-hearts.co.uk HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 23
Connect
The small group network of Hope City Church with two alternating programs to build friendship and family.
SUPER SUNDAY
OPEN HOUSE Once a month we’ll be sharing on subjects like relatioNships and personaliTY TyPES as well as having guest singers and themes. It’s designed for invitation and includes a Whizz Kids Party every time. W e ’l l h av e c o o l i n v i t a t i o n s f o r y o u t o h a p p i ly g i v e o u t to everyone you know.
Fresh Prayer Fresh coffee and donuts ready for our Super Sunday service to begin! www.hopecitychurch.tv/services
24 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
1. 2.
Connect and Grow
Chat, prayer and desserts to create faith, family and future.
Connect House Parties
Uniting our friends with our guests for dinner mixed with games, quizzes, comedy & more food.
H E A R T & S O U L N I G H T S
Your opportunity to join the leadership revolution and volunteer army of Hope City Church From working with our worship and creative arts teams to hosting and connecting all of our new people and visitors into their destiny. God is changing hundreds of lives every week and behind every changed life is someone giving their heart and soul. Look out for ‘Friends of Hope City’ nights coming soon.
Without bones, we decay. With bones we excel.
HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 25
Behind all of the life and vitality of Hope City Church and our vision to expand and make a mark on planet earth lies its bones. The bones are what support us, what strengthen us and what enable us to sit, stand, walk and run. Without bones, we decay. With bones we excel.
FIRST FRUITS WEEKEND THE SECOND TO LAST WEEKEND IN MARCH On the eve of a new financial year, we First Fruit our personal income to prepare ourselves for God’s blessing and to be the bones behind the people vision of Hope City. Our suggestion is the equivalent of one week’s income for some it’s thousands and for others it’s far less, but for all it’s our sacrifice which says Jesus is Lord of our finance, our future, our family and our fruitfulness – not the world, not the government, not the banks and not any other influence. First Fruits will be supporting our Hope City Enterprise Community Vision, The Hope City 2020 Vision and our City Hearts International Vision.
RISE AND BUILD THE LAST WEEKEND IN SEPTEMBER A church can do little without facilities. This huge offering, with a goal of £150,000, is set to grow the facilities of Hope City as well as pay off the mortgage on our two main centres in Sheffield and Leeds. Our vision includes a new Megacentre for Liverpool, Lancashire and Accra as well as to expand our Leeds Auditorium. Together we can be bones. Make no bones about it. ■
26 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
ONE NIGHT
ONLY
C OU RS ES (and one day only courses)
twice a year, we've got our n e w o n e n i g h t o n ly c o u r s e s * Money MATTERS reducing debt and maximising your cash Leadership Academy Night School an introduction to leadership Marriage Matters resolving conflict and strengthening the bond Practical Parenting raising champion children Business Class taking it to the next level in business Encounter Night healing, wholeness and baptism in the spirit
of courses varies by location. our senior pastor dave gilpin * (thewill number be touring the leadership academy night school across hope city.)
T . N . R F
R
I
D
A
Y
S
Running every Friday n i g h t i n M ANY C ITIE S , TN R F r i d a y s a r e d e s i g n e d t o cr e a t e a buzz amongst young a d u l t S , u n i v e rs i t y & college students.
WE ARE BONES
Because many of our leaders came from being a student, we’re hot about raising up a new generation of leaders and influencers.
In Leeds A vibrant service with down to earth preaching that seeks to make church accessible for even more professionals, couples, families, students and young adults in Leeds. It’s a great service to introduce friends to church life no matter what chapter of life you’re in. Free Entry and refreshments make it the perfect Friday night out! HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 27
22 years ago, Dave and Jenny Gilpin left their homeland of Brisbane, Today, across its many locations, the Church has a weekend attendance 22 August 1990 (The Reconnaissance - Six Months before leaving Australia.) I am writing from an unusually quiet place. Dave has just gone away to a Youth Leaders camp for three days. Boy, will I get a lot done. Someone rang us last night and said they would pay my airfare to England so I could go with Dave for three weeks at the end of the year to spy out the land! Unbelievable! I am going there in three months! I asked at work today and they said it was fine. Just before the person rang, I was reading the Word and I felt the Holy Spirit say to me that He was going to bless us financially! But I never in my wildest dreams guessed God would move so drastically. We wondered why God was sending me early but Dave seems to think it may decrease that real culture shock when we finally get to live in England. To add blessings to blessings, I was walking past Vinnie’s (charity shop) and thought I’d have a quick look. I got a hip length English coat made of wool with flannel lining and a
hood (really nice) for $18 (£9). A lady walking through the shop said she had lived in England and the same jacket was worth £100 in London. Mate. God is so good!
4 March 1991 (three months after returning to Oz, we packed our bags and said ‘farewell’ to the land down under! I had just turned 25 and Dave had just turned 31.) We got to Heathrow at around 4.30am and caught a train into London, a taxi to St Pancras Station and a two and a half hour train journey to Sheffield where Janis (who we’d met three months ago in a church near Barnsley) picked us up. It took us about five days to get back to normal sleep. We’ve been so tired. We went to church in Darton (near Barnsley) yesterday. I got a lonely attack unfortunately. You don’t feel quite at home without all your friends. We have bought a car. A ROVER!! Posh eh! It is 1988 reg and only done 30,000 miles. It’s burgundy with pin stripes and all the extras - velour seats etc. We had a bit of a miracle with it. The
car only came with a radio and Dave really wanted a cassette deck. Anyway, when I was praying in the morning before we picked it up, I thought wouldn’t it be funny if they lost the radio while fixing it and had to put in a tape deck. That is just what happened; Dave got his tape deck. It has been really depressing looking around for rental houses. Rent is beyond us. We’ll have to buy something to be able to afford to live. To get a loan Dave has to get a job. That is going to be really hard too. Man we need a miracle. The houses we could afford are mostly revolting, overlooking gas tanks and sewerage works etc. God has to be in control somehow. When you face all this, it seems like a lot of impossibilities. It would have been much easier to take on a church somewhere in Australia than to step out cold turkey like this I can tell you. It wouldn’t be hard at all to return home but God must be with us in all this. We found out that a house contract takes three months here before you own it, so if we buy a house with the deposit we got from selling our small Brisbane house, I won’t have a house till I’m seven months into my pregnancy.
THEY STARTED WITH NOTHING 28 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
Australia and arrived in Sheffield England to pioneer Hope City Church. of around 1500 people. Here’s an extract from the actual diary of Jenny Gilpin. 11 March 1991 (After being refused a mortgage because Dave had no work, the Barclay’s manager from Barnsley called us a few days later saying she’d changed her mind. A miracle – me thinks!) This afternoon the lady from the Real Estate rang and said it looks like we will be able to buy this little house we have fallen in love with. Actually, after we had seen it we got a peace not to look any further. It has three bedrooms, a downstairs toilet as well as a bathroom upstairs, built in wardrobes, is centrally heated and has double glazed windows, double doors to the back yard, a sensational kitchen and lounge - and backs onto an open field. The bathroom needs doing, but that is all. It is only five minutes drive away from the youth hall Dave has found for church. He only found it this arvo so it is hot off the press. It will only cost £5 or $10 an hour. I have put on 2.5kgs but am rapidly developing a pregnant shape. My body is changing fast! You don’t worry about it as much here as you hardly ever show your
legs. This week, I have walked for two hours and done two aerobics sessions at home. I swam a kilometre last week. It cost about £2.50 to get in - a bit expensive!
24 March 1991 (two weeks before moving into our middle of three house in an estate on the edge of Sheffield and just before launching the church!) I feel really alone. I even had to walk out of the church we’re temporarily attending. You know when you are open to God sometimes you just want to cry. It is easier to be hard than to soften yourself and be real about how you feel. I have resorted again to mild panic over a few things which I know I shouldn’t. Dave hasn’t got a job yet and he has to pay the mortgage starting in two weeks. No doubt it will work out. It always does doesn’t it. I hate being squeezed all the time but Antoine (the Pastor of a Brisbane church that graciously included us on their missions budget) rang this morning and is sending some support over for next month. It’s not huge but will certainly be appreciated.
We are not buying an awful lot for the house yet as we are trying to be careful. We did buy a new bed in faith and bought a solid teak table and six chairs out of the paper. It’s really nice. You can take a leaf out of the table so it becomes round instead of oval. There’s a few dog eaten legs but overall it’s fabulous. We are having two rooms carpeted because there is no carpet. I said to Dave I would rather have carpet than furniture. It just feels more homey. Oh, by the way, I went to Sheffield Hospital yesterday and I have put on 4.5kgs. I thought I was having twins. I don’t seem to be any fatter in myself so it all must be baby. They took a scan and the baby has grown a lot (and waved to us). All is perfectly normal. I used to be really scared of having an abnormal baby. God took away the fear but it is good to know all is A OK. I am walking every second day for an hour or so as pools are hard to come by. We are starting the church this Sunday and I have to take communion, lead the worship, smile at the door, pour tea etc etc. More than a bit scary I can assure you. ‘Up The Creek’ - The Untold Story from the Diaries of Dave and Jenny Gilpin - will be published this spring and be available from hopecitychurch.tv/shop
THEY SURVIVED EVERYTHING HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 29
How to host a
CONNECT Y T R A P HOUSE Top 10 Things t0 Do 1. Do include lots of food! (Dinner parties etc.) 2. Do think outside of the box - be creative. 3. Do consider what new people will enjoy 4. Do chit-chat, laughter, smiles and a lot of jokes. 5. Have ambient lighting. 6. Clean the toilet and make sure there’s loo roll before people arrive. 7. Have some proper coffee on to create a nice smell. 8. Get some great background music on – nothing too overpowering so conversation isn’t a shouting match. 9. Introduce people to each other – give a name and random fact to get a conversation started!
Top 3 Family s l i a t k c o M y l Friend
10. Do invite all your friends and have a blast!
Top 10 Things Not t0 Do 1. Don’t have pet dogs wandering around (or pet snakes). 2. Don’t use cheap paper plates for dishes with gravy. 3. Don’t be too busy in the kitchen that you can’t talk to guests. 4. Don’t make fish pie or leave your smelly trainers near the front door. 5. Don’t kick everyone out at 9pm because you’ve got work tomorrow. 6. Don’t do karaoke. 7. Don’t do weight watchers or anything that ends with anonymous. 8. Don’t do fancy dress. 9. Don’t debate creation vs. evolution. 10. Don’t just sit there and do nothing!
30 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION
rise
n Tropical Su
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Cranberry
Punch
juice • Cranberry ade on m le • Pink e ic res ed sh • Cru equal measu lemonade in d an e ic ju e Mix th crushed ice. and pour over
Apple Tiny
Perfect Tunes
e, Ellie Goulding, Michael Bubl Jools Holland, Coldplay, Emeli Sande...
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For a house party near you visit
hopecitychurch.tv/connect
or scan here
Coming uP A New Megacentre for Liverpool Our dream is to renovate a city centre facility to be the new home of Hope City Liverpool and provide a base for youth, children, young adults and a whole new chapter in community impact.
A New Megacentre for Accra Our current facility called ‘The Venue’ is going to be overtaken by our dream to move into a much bigger place for the church to expand! It’s our dream to create a magnificent church touching the city as well as creating a base for City Hearts, youth, kids and the community.
Next phase Renovations for Leeds
Great Game Choices Games to get the party going…
We want to create an auditorium double the size as well as provide a financial base through conferencing for the city that will go towards our big community vision.
Our Brand New Live Album rades
• Pictionary • Cranium • Chinese Cha • SingStar • Taboo
Games to not consider
k Ops 2 • Twister • Sardines • Call of Duty: Blac • Bible Trivia • Spin the Bottle
Later this year we’ll be combining our creative talents to produce an album that reflects the heart and enthusiasm of Hope City Church. With our own original songs and unique production this will both glorify God and be a voice to our nation.
Plus... To have 100 Connect groups with 1000 people attending across Hope City Church. We currently have just over 70 Connect groups with 700 people attending. We want our Connect House Parties to explode with 300 special guests each month. To increase our weekend attendance from 1400 people to 2000 people across our locations by increasing our special guests from 260 to 400 people each month. To increase our Friday Night services, including Neon Youth, from 450 people to 750 people through invitations and multiplication. To increase our Partners in the Vision from 450 people to 600 people, totally committed to seeing all we’re believing for come to pass.
WE ARE SOCIAL HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION • 31
SHE IS FABULOUS
M
Y FAITH
THE DOOR TO OUR TOMORROW. THE KEY TO THE IMPOSSIBLE. FRIDAY 21 - SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY // J. JOHN (UK)
Date//
26-27 April
Where//
Sheffield, UK
Feat.//
James Murray (USA) Lucas Connell (AUS) Guvna B (UK)
FAB ULO US. THE CONFERENCE
1-2 NOVE MBER. JEFF LUCAS (USA)
GREAT BRITISH CHURCHES SUPPORTS
THE LEADERSHIP THE SUMMER IS HERE
SUMMIT 19-20 JUNE
DONOVAN COETZEE (South Africa)
REGISTER YOUR PLACES FOR ALL HOPE CITY CONFERENCES AT:
32 • HOPE CITY MAGAZINE 2013 EDITION www.hopecitychurch.tv/conferences
Fest 1 (11-17s): 22-24 July | Fest 2 (18-30s): 25-26 July