Prayer, provision and a prophet

The week ahead includes an opportunity to pray, to give and to receive a prophet.

On Wednesday evening (2nd) we gather at 7.45pm for our monthly prayer meeting. We are in quite extraordinary days, please come to call on God and ask Him to continue to guide us as a church.

Next Sunday (6th) we have our next offering for the building project, please come ready to give. This move to multi-site is not so that we can acquire more property but so that we can provide the opportunity for many more to hear the Good News of Jesus and find their place in the family of God! There are those who are lost this Christmas who will be worshipping God with us this time next year because we made room for more people. We are part of this amazing work of God in the lives of those who don't yet know His love!

Lastly, great timing to have the prophetic ministry of Julian Adams who is visiting the church on that same day, one definitely not to miss! God is good!

'Thank You' all round!

As if returning to King's on Sunday from the London leaders' weekend and taking part in the recording of the live worship album wasn't enough, it was fantastic to hear that 5 people made commitments to Christ at our Alpha Saturday. Praise God! That news gave added encouragement to the week - I spent the day on Tuesday in the King's office and, along with Deb, spoke at the Parenting Course in the evening.

Our musicians and singers did a superb job with our live recording session - thank you to all who put so much effort into the day. They can now enjoy the sense of a job well done (and a rest!) and we all look forward to the release of the album when the necessary technical stuff has been done. And thank you to all of you who came to more than one meeting to sing and support this venture!

I'm now in Milton Keynes with some 70 leaders who have responsibility for the care of our Newfrontiers' churches - it's great to spend time with those who are seeing God at work in our movement. We continue to grow - both in the number of churches and in individuals being added to those groups of believers! God is good...!

Looking forward to next Sunday when I'll be speaking on dating in our ‘Reel to Real' series and using clips from the movie ‘Hitch'. There will also be baptisms in the 5.30 meeting! See you there...!

And don't forget to order your Caring Christmas tree soon - think of it as something crossed off the Christmas ‘To Do' list - and at the same time making a real contribution to our social action ministry. We may not be able to help each week at the Feast or with Jericho Rd Project but we can support this important work by buying a tree!

A Day of Rest

It was great to get back from the leaders' weekend and be with the church at the 5.30 meeting... despite being held up by traffic on the way back and arriving late. It was brilliant to see so many of you there! To worship God using songs written by different members of Kings and to lay down the tracks for the King's Worship Album was fantastic - another first in the King's journey!

Over the weekend I spoke to the London Leaders on the key principle of rest in the life of a leader, and therefore I am looking forward to tomorrow - a day off! Last week my meeting with the current owners of our proposed new building was on Monday, a ‘one off' event and one that I do not intend to make into a habit.

The week ahead involves speaking at the Parenting Course and then being away for 3 days at a Newfrontiers conference. I'm looking forward to being at King's next Sunday (29th) and preaching on 'God's Kinda Romance' - my movie is Hitch!

Then the following Sunday (6th Dec) we have our next offering for the move to multi-site and a guest speaker in Julian Adams. He has an amazing prophetic gifts, a Sunday not to be missed.

Work and rest

Thank you for praying for our meeting with the current owners of the ‘new' building - I'm delighted to tell you that it went well and was very constructive.

Today I have been in Bedford hosting the Newfrontiers Training Summit. We reviewed last years training and have worked on how we can improve the training of our pastors in the coming years. The aim is to provide our churches with leadership that is bible-based, spirit led and strong in wisdom to lead.

Tomorrow I will return to Bedfordshire to host the London Leaders' Weekend, this is a key time of refreshment, teaching and connection for all we are doing in London together. I would value your prayers as I lead the weekend, and speak on ‘Rest' on Saturday morning - a very relevant topic.

Both Deb and I look forward to travelling back on Sunday afternoon to play our part in the recording of the Album! Do come twice if you can!

Growth, giving and generosity!

On Sunday morning I had the delight of hosting the membership morning, with 40 in attendance. I was at our exciting church at Christchurch London in the afternoon where Dave Stroud leads and had the privilege of appointing my friend Ross Bull to eldership.

You will also have heard on Sunday that Martin and Ruth Alley are likely to join Downham Way Family Church for a year as a part of the ongoing joint investigation into the possibility of the church there becoming a part of King's. Obviously this is huge news for us - Martin and Ruth have been in Kings Church since the church was birthed in 1985. The plan is that from the New Year they will attend Downham on Sundays. Other details are still to be finalised.

I was delighted with the total of our first offering - £106,000 including the Gift Aid tax rebate we will receive. The Elders, Trustees and I thank you for your generosity and commitment to the vision here at King's. This is an excellent start with this, the first lap of a long race!

We have now received written confirmation of the acceptance of our offer on the building and I will be meeting the current owners of the site on Monday morning. I would value your prayers for our discussion.

Our next offerings are on the 6th Dec and 10th Jan - please be praying and planning what to give.

We are also building up to our Gift and Pledge Days on 31st Jan and 7th Feb. On these Sundays we will be looking for the church to pledge giving through to March 2013.

These are remarkable days of blessing and kingdom opportunity, let's rise to the challenge!

Album, book. Christmas trees!

Yet another first is coming up! On Sunday 22nd November we will be recording a live worship album at Kings - please come along, if possible twice. We're asking that as many as possible attend one of the morning meetings and then the 5.30 meeting as well.

Last week I meet with a publisher to discuss my book on the story of Kings and the leadership lessons learnt on the journey through the last 15 years. I plan to write this over the next few months so it can be published in early 2011.

Christmas is approaching fast! This year we will be providing five carol services - on Saturday 19th at 5pm and 7.30pm and on Sunday 20th at 2.30pm, 5pm and 7.30pm. Start preparing the ground with your friends and neighbours for those all important invitations that could change a life!

Have you seen the Caring Christmas Tree leaflet yet? Simon Allen and the Jericho Road Project (that includes The Feast) have up to 1000 (yes, that's one thousand!) Christmas trees for sale. The profits from this enterprise will go directly to helping homeless people in S E London. Good quality, non-drop Fraser fir trees in various heights to suit your room size - and the Christmas tree in the auditorium will be one of them! (Only 999 left to sell!) Please tell all your friends and neighbours about this new project - leaflets and posters are available, by the hundreds! And if you are able - volunteer to serve at one of the collection points... details are on the website www.kingscentre.org.uk/socialaction or http://socialactionjrp.blogspot.com

And this Sunday and on Sunday 22nd November, Christmas cards in aid of the Jericho Road Project will also be on sale at £3 for a pack of 8 - or £5 for two packs.

Finally do not miss Sunday's Membership Morning and Mick Taylor speaking on ‘God's Kinda Woman' in our ‘Reel to Real' series.

The move to multi-site

I have just returned from an excellent weekend at the Newfrontiers Cardiff church! It was great to see Andrew Davies now recovered from the terrible cluster headaches which had previously laid him out and back in such fine form, praise God! Do pray for the church in Cardiff, it has a huge call upon it to reach the city and the nation of Wales.

Never a dull Sunday here at King's - I eagerly wait the news of the total of our first Gift Day towards the new building fund. We will announce the amount at the end of next Sunday (watch this blog for details!).

Today Phil announced the possibility that Downham Way Family Church might become a part of King's at some future stage. The Downham Church would fit well into our multi-site strategy - we may have three sites in the future. All this is in the very early stages of consideration with many things to take into account and is not a certainty - we value your prayers as both churches and eldership teams seek God's way forward.

This week I will again be having a number of meetings related to the new building and in my next King's blog (on Thursday) I'll tell you more about the album, the book, and ...Christmas trees!

'Reel to Real' - change in programme

I hope you are enjoying the ‘Reel to Real' series which we are running on a Sunday. Some of the films used to illustrate the messages will be favourites while others you may not have seen and will now want to watch when they come round on TV!

This Sunday Phil Varley will be speaking about ‘God's Kinda Families' using ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding' - it will be a great morning! If you were expecting to hear Mick Taylor speak on ‘God's Kinda Woman' - that's next Sunday (15th Nov). The flyers that advertised this series have them the wrong way round.

If you know someone who was making a special effort to hear these talks, please let them know!

All systems go!

I was out shopping with our youngest son, Sam, when the call came through to my mobile telling me that our revised offer on the new building had been accepted! High fives were the order of the day! The ‘Yes!' moment pretty soon became a ‘Wow!' moment as we began to roll up our sleeves and prepare for all that needs to happen as a result of that one phone call!

So, it was great to see so many at our family meeting last night, to share in the news on the building. To be able to tell everyone the locality of the building was a great joy and relief! And also to be able to say that we have received a loan offer from a bank, which means all systems go!

The serious work now begins! With our first Gift Day taking place this Sunday this is the time to show our commitment to the project. Please come ready to give! We are about a great work and our giving is a real investment in the eternal well-being of so many individuals in this part of London and in the well-being of our city as a result! God is about building His church - a great work - and we are part of it by His grace!

I would love to be with you all for this Sunday's Gift Day when I trust we will make a strong start to the fund for the move to multi-site. A prior commitment means that this weekend I will be in Cardiff, visiting the church there along with my friend David Devenish. The purpose of the weekend is to strength this key church - we will have meetings throughout the whole weekend and, as always, I would value your prayers.

Family /Prayer Meeting - 4th November

Today I announced that we will be holding a family/prayer meeting at 8pm on Wednesday 4th November to discuss the latest news on the proposed building project. Please make every effort to attend and please pass on the news to all our King's family and friends.

My week off has been really enjoyable, a good break with the highlights being winning the golf (shot an 83!) and a family day out at the coast with fish and chips on the beach at Whitstable!

I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday. Let's continue in prayer for all that lies ahead!