All-Age Learning Style Service

Creative Expression

I posted a blog about our All-Age Learning Styles service. Here’s an update on how it went. It was a very positive time. We had eight workshops, 4 creative arts,  plus expressive worship - drama, dance, music , writing and a conventional style of Bible study and discussion. It was lovely to see the theme of  ‘The Body of Christ’ being taught in so many ways and people engaging in the way they preferred.

On the whole the feedback was good, whilst a few were gracious enough to say  that it wasn’t their preferred style, but they appreciated that people learnt differently and that was the reason for trying something new.

Many thanks to everyone who led  a workshop – some of the results of which we will be seeing in the weeks to come.

Ashurst On The Air

The 31st October is a day many associate with witches, ghosts and things that go bump in the night.  It’s generally a day of bad news.  But thanks to Viz-a-viz and Premier Radio, Ashurst Drive was given the opportunity to spread some good news about what God is doing here at ADBC.  In a new program called “Wind of Change”, Fay Chambers spoke to Rich Powney about the way in which God met her in her time of need and how her life has been transformed, while I spoke to Dennis Pethers about how God changed my life and how we are seeing others’ lives changed through faith in Him.

If you missed the program you can still listen to it online via Premier Radio’s website.  Click here to listen now.

You can find out more about the program from the More to Life website (http://www.mtlresources.org/windofchange.htm) or on the Wind of Change pages on the Premier Radio website (http://www.premierradio.org.uk/ministry/winds%20of%20change.aspx)

Journeys

How does God guide? This was the exploration that took place on Thursday evenings during the month of October. The evenings all began with a meal superbly cooked by Sue and Eileen – well done on that front. We then watched a DVD where Jeff Lucas took us on part of his car journey each week. We ignored his driving! The evening was then spent in small groups looking at Biblical material and other questions looking at motivation and where we are in life.

In the last DVD Jeff talks about ‘Someday Isle (or I’ll)’ where we are constantly looking forward to what I will do one day with the expression ‘Some day I’ll’…… Life is never lived, never achieved because one is always wondering about the future. This is wishing one’s youth, one’s life away. God wants us to live now and we know that we are to go deeper with God, getting to know him better and better and also to take the message of the gospel out into the world. We need no burning bush or man from Macedonia to tell us this.

The other danger is that we go down Memory Lane – living in the past because we think that God has nothing for us. We never retire with God and he always has something in life for us no matter what. We have eternal life which begins now, when we come to know Jesus and then carries on forever.
God does guide us, and at times it is directly through a dream, vision or prophecy but we are not to wait for those or else we might remain in a state of inactivity. Remember Moses only saw one burning bush in his 40 years in  the desert! So not looking all the time for the Will of God, but live for the day in God, or in other words Carpe Diem – seize the day.

If you missed out but would like the notes, then do see me and I can give you a set.

Gardener Growing In More Ways Than One

Charlie Smith is known to most as ‘Charlie the gardener’ thanks to his profession which has benefitted both the church here at Ashurst Drive and also several members of the church for whom Charlie gardens.  Charlie is skilled in ensuring plants and trees are healthy and growing as they should be, but the plants are not the only thing that has been growing recently.  Charlie told us on Sunday that while he was in the church garden, he heard a voice telling him he should go to church.  Charlie responded to this, going first with his friend, Roz and then later settling here at Ashurst Drive.  Since then, Charlie has discovered that the master gardener has a plan for him to grow into the person he was created to be.  Charlie has decided to put his faith and trust in God, the master gardener and as part of this, on Sunday he was baptised.  Congratulations Charlie, may God continue to help you as you grow in him.

Girls’ Brigade Parade Service

Yesterday we had our Girls’ Brigade parade service in which we dedicated the company to God.  The Girls’ Brigade company here at Ashurst Drive Baptist Church was the eighth company to start in Ilford and therefore the company’s official title is The 8th Ilford Company of the Girls’ Brigade.

The company has been going for many years and is still thriving today.  Numbers have grown steadily over the past few years but sadly we are short on ‘Explorers’ this year (school years Reception to Year 2).  If you know of any girls in that age, or indeed of any age group who would like to join GB, then why not bring them along to GB on a Friday night?

Click here for more information about the Girls’ Brigade.

All-Age Learning Styles in Worship

I have been thinking a lot about learning styles in church worship, this is why the church offers Myers-Briggs workshops.  It develops us as we discover self as well as others. The programme also enables us to comprehend the way people worship, pray, learn and interconnect.

Following on from the Myers-Briggs workshop, I am developing a new style of  service called All- Age Learning Styles. On November 1st at 10.30am we will run our new style of service (just as a pilot to see how it goes!). The theme is  ‘The Local Church: The Body of Christ’. We begin together with worship and teaching aimed at all-ages, then move into eight workshops where leaders will continue with the theme while the groups depict the expressions of The Local Church: The Body of Christ. My hope is that people can learn in their preferred learning style and embrace God as we listen to Him through the outworking of the workshop – some by sight, sound, words, visuals, touch, emotions and their cognitive processes.

The workshops are:  music, Bible study discussion, creative writing, communication with crafts, paint with expression, drama, dance and expressive arts.

Will it work? Hmmmmm - hopefully! And who knows maybe some of us will be happy to go to a group which is our non-preferred learning style.

Caring for Creation

This Sunday morning (27th September) we had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Lisa Goddard to speak at our Cafe Church service on her specialist subject of creation care.  Lisa has PhDs in both Theology and Ecology making her an excellent person to address this subject.

As part of the Cafe Church service we explored our responsibility for looking after the world that God has created and entrusted into our care.  We shared some ideas of how this could be done.  These included: walking to church, recycling our waste, using re-usable carrier bags, turning off lights and equipment when not needed and reducing our consumption so as not to waste food.

The ideas we came up with in the service will be displayed in church shortly as part of our rolling notices.  If you have any bright ideas of how we could help look after our world, please email them to notices@adbaptistchurch.org.uk so that your ideas can be added to the list.

Monthly letter from the ministry team

Our high calling to step out to the neighbourhood in the name of Jesus…

Read the latest monthly newsletter from the ministry team

Prayer Labyrinth

This week we have a prayer labyrinth set up in church.  The labyrinth takes you on a journey with God towards the centre of the labyrinth, the holy space of God’s presence.  Along the way there are opportunities to reflect upon your own life journey.  The things you find difficult to let go, the hurts you have, things that distract you from God’s way.  Once at the centre of the labyrinth you begin a journey out again and have the opportunity to reflect on yourself, made in the image of God and God’s glorious creation.  You may also like to pray for someone special to you.  And finally, you can leave your own mark in the labyrinth as you journey onwards with God.

Click here for the Ministry Team’s newsletter which explains more about the prayer labyrinth.

An Extra Ordinary Ordination

Saturday 12th September 2009 marked the very special occasion of my ordination and induction into full time ministry at Ashurst Drive Baptist Church.  The whole weekend holds very precious memories for me and I hope also for the church.  On Friday evening, the church seemed alive with the buzz of anticipation.  While children rehearsed their pieces, flower arrangements were taking shape, chairs were being put in place and tables arranged ready for the celebration meal.  There was an excitement in the air as we looked forward to the ordination service the following day. 

We were certainly not disappointed.  The children opened the service with two beautiful songs including a unique version of “Lift my eyes up to the hill” arranged by Inova and Irene Lee.  The youth also made a valuable contribution to the service in the form of an interpretive dance which was so impressive that a fellow minister from another church who attended the service, asked the girls if they would perform the dance at his church.

One of the memories that will stay with me was during the laying on of hands.  As I stood with people gathered around praying for me, I was filled with a deep sense of God’s peace.  It was such a tremendous feeling, I could have stayed there forever. But I am reminded that there is much work to be done in growing the kingdom of God.  I look forward with great anticipation to the things God has planned both for me and his church.