Jesus Heals. And We Saw It!

This is an aside from Outside Light news - I hope you won't mind me talking about the week-end that I've just had with Phil.

Phil and I heard about a HOTS (Healing on the Streets) conference in Winchester; some lovely people from Holy Trinity Church, Knaphill had gone to another of these in Coleraine N. Ireland last year; Vineyard Church, Coleraine is where HOTS is based. Others from HTC had attended similar conferences at other places around the UK. Of those who returned from those, I don't think there were any who were ambivalent about what they'd seen. One had received healing to a long-term leg injury and is as right as rain even today.

Phil's been on strong painkillers for more than three years, but he took himself off of them a week or so ago. Through the past week he found that the pain lessened, but there was still residual pain that made it difficult for him to stand still for longer than a few minutes.

On Friday night we heard Mark Marx speak, Mark pioneered the HOTS ministry. Mark set out in simple language the background and methods of Healing on the Streets. He did this with great humility and with a clear but quiet voice; though the claims he made of healings of cancer and other severe illnesses sounded too good to be true. That said, they would only be too good to be true from a worldly perspective. In order to believe that these healings happened, you'd have to accept them from a different perspective. Whether we can do that or not depends on us having either a child-like acceptance of what we see and believe, or a God-like one. Since none of us is God-like, we therefore have to suspend our worldly beliefs - and that's really, really hard to do.

Despite my positive experiences of God this past year or two - including healing through prayer (bad back), when it comes to the supernatural I still lack faith. Also, when it comes to preachers, particularly those who claim insight into the supernatural, I tend toward cynicism. For me this stems from a worldly cynicism and this was 'confirmed' by a bizarre service I attended in Maidenhead where there was a visiting American preacher - the style of preacher that you might see in an anti-Christian documentary. So theatrical that I'm surprised Equity hadn't demanded he join their union. I felt really uncomfortable with his approach, methods and preaching and I left before the end - behind a group of other people who evidently felt the same. Listening to Mark Marx however, was the antithesis of this experience. There is nothing theatrical about him.

Anyway, the Friday HOTS evening finished and as Phil and I were leaving for home, Phil excused himself and said 'hang on a minute'. At which he marched up to the now resting Mark Marx and asked for prayer for his leg. Mark had already said that evening that if any of us were to ask him for prayer he'd very likely say 'no', because they should take the opportunity to go out to the streets the next day and be prayed for by a team there. In other words, he didn't want us thinking of him as the one who was doing the healing. He was very clear that it was Jesus.

Nevertheless Mark relented and invited Phil to take a seat - telling him to sit with his hips well back into the chair so that when his legs were outstretched it became clear that there was a difference in the length of each leg - probably 10/15mm. Mark prayed, with Phil's feet both supported by a couple of fingers of each of Mark's hands, and others and I watched as the left leg grew to the same length as the other so that the heels equalised. Phil stood and said he no longer felt pain - but I could see a look of doubt on his face still. He said to me on the drive home that it felt like Mark was pulling his foot to be level with the other. The pain, though, had gone altogether.

Roll on to the next day - Saturday morning - and Mark continued with his teaching. This time he demonstrated another leg-lengthening, which was filmed. He also prayed for a lady with a medical condition that was not cured instantly. The previous night, he had told us that healing would not happen every time, but that it WOULD happen others. He also said that healing wasn't always instant and that often they would hear afterwards that healing had occurred. And so in the afternoon we went onto the streets of Winchester.

Something to know about this conference is that the Winchester churches describe themselves as being 'Joined at the hip'. In other words, their activities, prayer and fellowship is based on the one central figure of Jesus, not on differing doctrine, or team colours. They are United in Mission. They act as ONE BODY. On the streets there were a couple of hundred people at least - Baptists, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and we divided into two groups to go to different venues. So when 100+ of us knelt on the ground to pray in heavy rain in the very centre of Winchester, it got noticed!

At the end of our prayers Phil and I found standing behind us a group of young lads. They turned out to be trainee squaddies and wanted to know what was going on, so we told them and invited them to take a seat if they had any health issues. They wondered off, but kept coming back and wondering off again. I had a chat with them and it turned out that one or two had aches and pains from training but they were afraid to sit in the chair. How odd that they were frightened of sitting in a chair but they would be prepared to face bullets! Anyway, one of them eventually summoned up courage, sat in the chair, was prayed for and said afterwards the pain had gone.

I noticed that Phil had been standing and talking with one man for most of the time we were there. Phil thought it was for only 20/30 minutes but we were there for two hours in all and this man had kept him chatting for most of that time. I didn't keep count but the 6 or so chairs were mostly full throughout the two hours.

Anyway, it turned out that the chap followed a sect and he believed that Christian healing was wrong. Phil had listened to Mark's teaching, that we shouldn't try to push anyone to accept healing, or to argue with them. So he stood for all that time listening to the other chap giving him scriptural references for why we shouldn't have been there. But Phil said after, that the longer the chap spoke, the more Phil realised that without the previous night's healing, he wouldn't have been able to have withstood the pain in his leg. He would have had to have moved it/lifted it from the ground/shifted weight or even, perhaps, to have excused himself and sat down on a chair. In other words, every word, every minute this chap spoke, he was confirming to Phil that healing does work and that God works through us in miraculous ways. Phil also felt 'fed' by this man's recital of the Scriptures. At the end of it he was able to shake the man's hand and thank him.

Afterwards, Phil, Mark and I chatted as we walked to the Baptist Church for the day's debrief. Phil admitted to his lack of belief and worries that he'd had his leg 'pulled'. Mark showed him a picture on his mobile phone taken in Oxford of a man holding in his hands a pair of orthopaedic boots, one of them very built up. But he was wearing a shiny new pair of shoes. He'd gone to buy those on the day that his leg had grown and he had returned to show Mark. Mark's point was that there was no way that he could have 'pulled' his leg to the length of the other given that the difference was inches and that the man had always had to wear orthopaedic boots.

Yesterday, Phil went to church and told Nancy about the week-end. She encouraged him to give that testimony at the front of the church. At the end, the Worship Group leader said that Phil would be at the back of the church for those who wanted prayer - which wasn't what Phil was expecting. He'd been dropped in the deep end.

Apparently a line formed, and Phil prayed for several people. One man said he no longer felt pain in his knee. Others wanted prayer too so they moved to the prayer room. One man had had his trousers made for him with one leg longer than the other to compensate for the 20mm difference in the length of his legs, which caused him back pain. Phil went through the taught process and was determined that if this was to work, then he must not attempt to pull the leg in any way. He let the man's heel rest on his hand, prayed and watched as the leg grew, heel "sliding" on the palm of his hand. Others saw this too and after it happened Phil asked the man to stand and sit again to see whether he could make the legs a different length as they were before. When sitting back in the chair, this time the legs were of equal length and they couldn't get the legs a different length. A second lady had been complaining of back pain, so Phil prayed for her legs too - with the same result. The man and the woman had both felt a 'pulling' sensation at the tops of their legs - but it wasn't Phil exerting pressure or tension to give them that sensation.

Having seen what I've seen and heard what I've heard it's really, really hard to remain cynical about supernatural healing. A part of me wants to believe that it can't be true - I think because if it is true it shakes my world-view and is a bit scary. But I've seen that it IS true. It's not a trick, it's not people wanting it to be true and feeling healed when they're perhaps not; there's physical evidence for it - legs of a differing length becoming of the same length once they were prayed for. AND there's nothing to be scared of.

What a great thing it would be if God wants Woking's churches to work together, to be 'joined at the hip' in the same way that Winchester's churches are. I was really encouraged to discover that there were people there from Christ Church as well as the churches that Phil and I represented. Will Woking's churches hear the call to unite in mission and take Jesus' healing to the streets, really making Him visible through Word and Power? Or are we perhaps a little scared to take this step out of the boat and discover what it's like to walk on water? Plenty to pray for here.

Blessings - John

Hungry? In Woking? In Surrey - England's Richest County?

from: Outside Light Memorandum of Association:

The Charity's objects (“the Objects”) (acting in accordance with Christian biblical principles, and in particular Christ's teaching to feed the hungry, provide for the thirsty, clothe the poor and look after the sick)

To tell you the honest truth, when I was sat with our wonderful solicitor Mike Tinling of Robbins Olivey drafting our Memorandum, I’d no real concept that there might be young people in Woking actually going hungry. I’d thought of this form of words more as an ‘excuse’, if you like, to entertain and encourage. But last night a couple of things happened that woke me up.

We were visited by another church youth worker who’s set up a youth drop-in similar to ours, in Old Woking. They meet twice a week and attract very much the same group of kids that we do. He mentioned at the beginning of the evening that he was concerned that there were a couple of kids who seem malnourished and who eat ravenously when they’re visiting his group. Volunteers in our group had noticed the same two lads' behaviour and appearance, and there was a question-mark over whether they were getting enough to eat.

My thoughts were that they’re just skinny lads who can ‘get away’ with eating several slices of pizza and drinking milkshake by the bucket and that they keep their weight off by running around. I’m still not sure why they’re so thin but we’ll keep an eye on it. That said, something happened later that made me feel uneasy about my lackadaisical attitude.

The evening went really well – we’ve been operating a yellow and red card system, which seems to have had a positive effect on behaviour. More than that though, we’ve installed a new tv so that the kids can bring along their x-boxes. We’ve had a pool table up since day one, and last night was the first for a new volunteer, Paula, to run her most excellent Street-Dance lessons. This proved really successful - boys and girls, about 15 of them, were strutting their stuff to Paula's leading and were having a great time - but for a spat between a couple of girls who have a problem with one another. But the most excellent development of the evening was that another girl of 16, a kind of alpha-female who has the respect of the other kids, intervened and took one of the girls aside, and explained in a very controlled way, why she should behave when she’s in the Drop-in!

This girl came to our notice a while ago. On the field she’s been keen to encourage us – yes, that’s what I mean – by getting the other kids to fall in line when they’ve stepped well away from it. She’s also helped practically in the Drop-in by volunteering to help clear up. In short, she stands out from the others because of her maturity, integrity and willingness to see things from another’s point of view.

She asked for prayer before leaving - we had no idea why. Bravely, she explained that she wanted prayer for the relationship with her mother who has effectively stopped feeding her. This girl has applied for four jobs, and been rejected, but she says that her mother wants her to pay rent - which she's unable to do!

She explained a lot more about her life that I can’t write about here. But suffice it to say that this girl has been ‘through the wars’ in more ways than one – and yet she faces life with dignity and noble bearing. There wasn’t a volunteer in the room last night whose heart didn’t go out to her after what she poured out to us. And so it seems that the words from our Memorandum of Association shown at the top of the page will take on real meaning now that Outside Light has promised to help her in practical ways, providing food as well as a job-reference that she can take with her to her next job interviews. We'll find other ways to help too - with God's guidance.

There have been times on a Tuesday when others and I have wondered why we take some of the abuse that’s thrown at us – most of it the result of the kids' idea of humour, some of which the more sensitive petals among us find hard to take. But last night we had revealed to us one excellent reason; this young woman who exists within the raw underbelly that we laughingly call society. A "society" that has let her down so badly that I'm ashamed to be a part of it; and yet she survives with dignity - she has grown into someone of whom we should all be proud. With young people like her around, there is hope for us all.

Please pray for her healing, and for her provision.

For help with finding a job - she's been looking for shop work.

and for God to smile on her.

MUGA-Lite

Mondays
These past few weeks we’ve not had much opportunity for relationship-building in Knaphill as the young people have been inside in The Cabin, and we’ve been concentrating on preparing the ground for the Inkerman Estate. But, hopefully we’ll have more opportunities these coming weeks now that the MUGA floodlighting has been installed –making it more likely that young people will venture out on dark evenings.

I went there a few nights ago and took some photos (with permission) of some 16-year olds playing football under the floodlights. One of them said, ‘This is awesome’, another said, ‘We’re loving it’. The £10k+ grant application for the lighting installation was submitted by one of our Outside Light lads and supported by Geoff Ward of Woking Borough Council, our local Knaphill councillors and Knaphill Residents’ Association. We’re really blessed to have been able to have worked with this excellent group of professionals, and we know from the young people who are using it, that it’s already a huge success. Thanks to everyone for pulling out the stops to enable this to happen.

I’m hopeful that as a result, dynamics in the area will change from last year, where young people were congregating in the car park next to residential property and playing football there amongst other things. Now that the MUGA is floodlit, there’s no reason for them to do that. The main benefit though, is that young people have further evidence from society that they’re cared for.

Since Outside Light’s arrival on the scene last year, they’ve seen adults taking an interest in their wellbeing; The King’s House was opened to them as a drop-in; The Vyne provided a larger venue, thanks to Eileen and Knaphill Residents’ hard work; and now they’ve got MUGA lighting. Hopefully it’ll dawn on them soon, if it hasn’t already, that they’re valued and cared for. Hopefully this’ll have a positive influence on their lives, which will be realised in the coming times.

Tuesdays
Opening New Life Church as a drop-in has proved to be really challenging. A few weeks ago you’ll recall that the first evening open there was a fight that ended in the road outside. The second week was a little calmer and each subsequent week the evenings have become calmer still.

A feature of these evenings is that the kids are really keen on singing and playing instruments in the Church’s Sanctuary. This amuses me, because most of them rush to be in there. In more usual circumstances we might have expected to have had to have dragged them screaming and shouting into a church building. What’s really good is that one of the young lads, who fought in the street a few weeks ago, is actually quite good at singing. The kids seem to enjoy it so much that we’re planning a talent contest in five weeks, to take place just before Christmas. Plenty to pray about there :o)

This week we’ll also be setting up prayer for the latest vision for Outside Light, which is that we’re not to restrict ourselves to serving young people, but to look at needs across our society. So our prayers are now being specifically targeted at what we might do to serve the elderly and infirm, particularly those who have little contact with other people, perhaps because they find it difficult to leave their homes.

We’re looking for this vision to be confirmed, so if there’s something about this that speaks to you then please do let us know.

One Body Many Parts - and New Website

Long summer days seem a distant memory, but picture the scene when you are sat in a pub garden and the bees buzz around a pint of cider - or leave a pot of honey in the garden and watch them swarm.

It was a bit like that last night at Outside Light, really, we opened the door and it was like a very loud swarm of bees, young people creating a buzz in the air.

Someone had a snooker cue in one hand and a much larger young person's head in his sight within about 5 minutes; this sort of frenzied start usually means we are in for a good night spiritually.

Everyone was playing their roles brilliantly last night, we really want people to understand the team-work involved in something like Outside Light, if people aren't working together it simply wouldn't work. You have team members running the kitchen producing food, others policing, others engaging in conversation, others listening, others setting equipment, it goes on.

Much like a body, if one of those parts is not functioning then the whole body suffers and doesn't work. Some team members had to suffer last night in order to support the rest of the body, a bit like the foot has to take all our weight in order for the body to move about, that poor foot gets the brunt of everything, but take the foot away and you fall over!

We had the chance to share a simple presentation of the Gospel last night to a group of young people who really wanted to understand what Christianity was all about. We didn't force them to be there, they came along because they were invited to.

Although there were distractions some went away really wanting to get right with God and begin a relationship with him, we can't ask for more. In fact all we can do is share the news; really it isn't up to us how people react. So often I think people presume we are selling something, but the reality is that we are just news readers announcing something that has happened in history. It was an awesome honour to do that last night.

We are also seeing young people now join the Outside Light team and begging to help with policing and running the group; another young girl wanted to be prayed for as she had her first job interview today; a talent contest is also brewing for a few weeks time, so lots to give thanks for. Please give a special thanks to the foot last night too...

We are also now live with our new website, there is more to go up but please have a look around and let us know what you think -www.outsidelight.org

Much love

George

Outside The Walls

Well, last Tuesday was our first since opening the Drop-In this year that took place without a fight spilling out onto the road (youth, not team members!)

Again we had a great team, all working together. Robert was back!!

Andrew and Jo have started a low-key nurture group for the teenagers that wanted to become Christians a few weeks ago. We never thought that within three weeks we would actually have the makings of a nurture group. This is something we have prayed for for years!! These are un-churched teenagers learning about Jesus!!

Nick (team leader) has brought the drop-in alive with ideas for activity and with his catering skills is exploring the idea of food on a Tuesday night, much to the teenagers' enjoyment.

We are looking to get various activities going, like playing the drums, drama, talent contest etc.

I'd like to draw your attention to two youngsters who are coming along regularly.

One is a young lad who has a troubled background who has latched onto the team members and last week asked if he could become a team member and have an Outside Light t-shirt. We have seen this lad a few times. Please pray that we would be able to give him what he needs in the way of friendship and love.

Also a young girl studying for GCSEs. She has anger issues and struggles because of this to complete her schooling. She is a bright girl and could easily get good results if it wasn't for the things that hold her back and that are on her back.

These are just two of the many youths we see each week. There are many more, all made in God's image, all there to be loved even when they wind us up and behave badly.

But we are few! So, please get involved as a helper-volunteer if you can or join our prayer support team. We've noticed how this past couple of weeks there's been a more positive atmosphere over the Drop-In, and that's largely, we believe, because of the additional prayer support we've been receiving. But we also know that Satan won't let things be. He'll ramp up his activities, so we'll need to shore up our defences with yet more prayer. Prayer supporters aren't a luxury add-on, they're an absolute necessity, so please get behind us and please let us know that that's what you're doing.

If you can help in any way please contact me, (Phil), George or John and show your support. We are pushing forward. We face challenges and hurdles, even amongst ourselves we have doubts sometimes; this is all part of the battle. The more loyal people we have joining that battle the more we are able to press forward together in the footsteps of Jesus.

We want to be surrounded by the miraculous in what we do. Praise God for a team that is united in it's effort. Nothing will stop us if this remains. Join in if you can.

Inside/Out(side)

Outside Light is no longer just about reaching youth who are outside, we are now exploring other spheres of outreach, such as those stuck inside like the elderly, lonely, those who are hurting.

We believe that God wants Outside Light to serve those who are outside of the church walls! We are interdenominational - let's face it, where Christ is concerned, denominations are not relevant - they never were.

Outside Light is about loyal Christian brothers and sisters joining together to take action in the communities we live in, to not hold back with this but to work together to make it happen.

In 25 years as a Christian and church goer, I have not been part of a team like this, with its unity, love, acceptance and enthusiastic approach but most of all, its commitment to the un-churched and to Jesus Christ.

I really wish that you could be feeling what I'm feeling now - it's a feeling that only comes as the result of walking with others AND with Jesus, doing as he commanded and loving others. There's nothing better. No feeling like it. Nothing comes close.

Phil

philhazelden@hotmail.co.uk

georgeosborn@avantiministries.com

jndurrant@gmail.com

Mondays - The Cabin

Mondays couldn't be more of a contrast. This evening the boys were playing chess and checkers. I almost had a heart attack at one point - one of the lads had stacked a pile of cans but inevitably they fell over. The heart attack was almost provoked when one of the lads actually got under the table to pick them up. I was shocked. It was a first - but I hadn't realised at that point that apparently he'd get a free lolly if he took them to the counter for disposal.

Another feature of Mondays is the girls and lads doing various crafts. I'd never have guessed that lads would do this - I think I've said in a previous blog that I'd not have been caught dead at their age making friendship bracelets. It just goes to show though, that society is totally wrong to stereotype young people. They're all different.

It's true that the behaviour of the kids in Old Woking is more challenging than it is here, but from my own eyes and from what Phil has reported above, it's clear that those kids are capable of better behaviour when they're given time, love and respect. It's just a slightly longer process with them but I'm sure that with Him leading us, we'll get there.

Much love

John

Threats and Blessings

This last Tuesday at New Life Church was our first night of opening the drop-in for the young people that we have been meeting all Summer.

As the evenings now begin to draw in and with less youth hanging around and sitting on park benches, we started our Autumn/Winter plans in Old Woking.

The idea is to run a drop-in from New Life Church Kingfield. With some games (pool, cards etc), possible talent contest and a separate room for discussing topical subjects (very low key Alpha style) and generally being friendly to youth, and serving them drinks etc.

Well, Tuesday was the night to start. We had a BBQ lined up!

There was a good strong team. George and Simon went out to round up any youth hanging around. Jackie was there as prayer support. Nick and Richard took charge of the BBQ, and Nancy, Andrew and I went where we were most needed.

To start, a couple of youths we have known for a long time washed someone's car for cash.

The pool table was well-used and Richard tried to organise a few games upstairs in the hall with Jackie.

George and Simon started sending people our way and before long we had a good selection of the teenagers we had been meeting all summer up on St Peter's Rec. We had a number of lads who were 15-16.

What started off as a friendly atmosphere soon became threatening when one particular big 15-year old lad decided he didn't like a smaller 17-year old.

There were threats and counter-threats. What had been a peaceful start soon spilled out onto the road with a fight egged on by most friends of the two involved.

BUT, what could have been a discouraging evening was completly turned around by the friendliness and calm of all the team present; we really did have a sense that everything was in control and in God's hands.

Before we had to intervene in the fight, Nancy and I prayed that all would turn for good. And we saw that happen!

By the end of the evening another two people had been prayed for their healing, George had had some very positive conversations and 5 (FIVE!) teenagers wanted to know what it meant to be a Christian after their friend had asked for, and received prayer for healing.

When they were told what being a Christian meant, all of them decided that they wanted to be prayed for so that they could become Christians!

I'd just like to thank all the team for a great job and individual commitment, also boldness and faith.

This was the first week of the drop-in after a summer of making connections in the local community. We have a lot to look forward to! Thanks for all involved, it's a pleasure to be part of this Spirit-filled team.


New Outside Light meeting the Elderly, Lonely and Housebound.

As most people are aware, Outside Light has predominantly worked to meet youth in the local community. Most of our work over the years has been to connect with youth. This, though, is not all that Outside Light is about. OL is equally about encouraging and enabling churches to take the bold step to connect with their community and love the people around them regardless of whether they are potential church-goers or not.

OL is primarily youth-orientated because, when you go down a road in a local community, it is often youth that you meet first.

If you are interested at all in outreach to the elderly, lonely and housebound, we are looking to start a new Outside Light team to meet and pray to see what openings there are in your local community for this work to begin.

In usual Outside Light fashion, we will pray, prayer-walk, look for leads and build block by block with the Holy Spirit's leading. If you are at all interested or know someone who would be, or even if you/they want to be supportive in prayer rather than in a bodily way, please could you e-mail so we can gauge whether to push forward with this?

We're looking for confirmation that this is really on people's hearts and is therefore of God, and not just something that we've just thought of ourselves.

Many thanks.

Blessings to all - much love

Phil

philhazelden@hotmail.co.uk

MONDAY NIGHT

We're looking for a second mission-field in and around Knaphill/St John's. Helen feels strongly that God has put on her heart that one of the areas near to The Winston Churchill School is a potential candidate for that. In order to resource that vision AND maintain our presence around The Vyne field and the drop-in, (now by popular vote called The Cabin), we will need yet more volunteers. It could be that some of those will come from St John's Church, but equally we're praying that God will lay it on the hearts of those from Holy Trinity Church, The Baptist Church and other local churches in and around Knaphill and St Johns to step forward in faith.

Thinking about this earlier in another context, the volunteers actually get as much out of volunteering as they give in terms of serving the young people and others. I can guarantee that stepping out and DO'ing will grow you as a Christian and as a person. You'll feel refreshed as a result. Where you were empty, you'll feel filled up. It's not ALL about giving. You WILL receive as well. I'm not suggesting that you serve others just so that you can benefit - but I do strongly believe that in serving others, a side-effect will be that you'll benefit too. I've found that it's a practical example of what is meant by 'It's better to give than to receive'.

If you're reading this and thinking I'd like to get involved some way but I'm a bit scared, or it's getting cold in the evening, or I'm not good enough because I just ate a barrel of biscuits to myself and therefore committed one of the deadly sins, then this might be your opportunity to do something positive, to see God working in a very real way (read Phil's report above) and to see lives changing for the better.

Much Love

John

From Phil:

Below are probably the most recent prayer needs in Outside Light.

• TUESDAY NIGHT DROP-IN. THAT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO SEE THE MIRACULOUS UNFOLD BEFORE OUR EYES.
• POSSIBLE NEW OUTSIDE LIGHT GROUP STARTING WITH AN EMPHASIS ON REACHING THE ELDERLY AND LONELY.
• MONDAY NIGHT. PRAYER WALKING ON THE INKERMAN WITH A VIEW TO AN EVENT AT CHRISTMAS. SUPPORT NEEDED FOR THIS.
• PROTECTION FOR TEAMS MEMBERS AND GOOD FELLOWSHIP.
• MEETING WITH THE DEANERY SYNOD THIS MONTH TO PRESENT OUTSIDE LIGHT.
• MEETING WITH IAN NICHOLSON THIS MONTH OF THE 'MATRIX' IN GUILDFORD. WITH A VIEW TO CREATE A LINK.
• GEORGE PREACHING THIS SUNDAY AT ST MARKS WITH A VIEW TO HELP THEM START AN OUTREACH TEAM IN WESTFIELD.

Fly Fishing by JC

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

This story in the Bible always strikes me, these men who had a decent living dropped their nets and just followed Jesus, amazing. What I also like is that is all Jesus asks, he doesn't ask them for their CV or how much of the Bible they know, or how much evangelism they may have done in the past, the only requirement is that they follow him and HE will make them fishers of men.

Monday was generally a quiet night, the field we normally visit was silent, there was not a ripple in the pool, all was calm. It gave us a chance to check our nets, to listen to the call of Jesus and see where we needed to follow. We spent time going to a new pool that we have been checking out down the road, we threw some ground bait out and prayed and we look forward to what Jesus has called us into, it is up to him to make us fishers of men, we just want to follow.

It has been an exciting few weeks with ripples going out on the pond. We are in talks with another local church about supporting some fishing in their area, we are talking to some churches in the town centre in October, we have another meeting planned the following week for other church leaders, a large charity in Guildford is talking with us about teaming up. To be honest the problem we are facing is not where to fish but that we need more fishermen!

I don't know about you but I often read things like this and think this sounds great, good on you but it's not for me. I am not great with young people, I don't really like meeting new folk and so on. However there is something for everyone, we are all part of the body of Christ and we need all those parts to function. You are a valuable member of the team, yes you do have something you can offer, and more importantly, is Jesus saying "Come follow me...."

We really need a prayer team for Monday night, we currently have one member and need another to join so that when the team is going out there are people back at a house-base praying, could you help us in this way?

We are also moving into new territory, we want to reach out to the elderly and lonely, people who need contact with the outside world, Outside Light perhaps becoming an Inside Light on some occassions. Could you get involved in this way? Can you design flyers or posters? Can you mow a lawn or paint a fence?

Please contact us if you can help, Jesus supplies all you need.......

George

(Our thanks to Jackie Bolton for offering to pray-partner us in Old Woking on Tuesday evenings. We desperately need more to join us as prayer partners for Monday's as well as more volunteers for Monday's and Tuesday's please.)

A Hard Afternoon

Several O-Lighters attended the very moving service celebrating the life of the young lad who died as the result of a motor accident a couple of weeks ago. There were heart-rending moments as grandparents and parents got out of the car and waited patiently to enter the Chapel. What testimony to this young lad's life that there were several hundred people there, mostly young people but older folk too - possibly his teachers. Far too many people for everyone to fit into the Chapel.

Young people cried, make-up ran, emotions ran high, and tributes relayed by the loudspeakers to everyone outside, spoke of meeting the lad again, 'somewhere, wherever he is'.

That evening we met again on The Vyne field where there was much sadness - perhaps only a half-dozen or so kids turned up. It's dark now at 7.30 so no surprises there. One or two kicked a ball but others just wanted to chat.

Last night, in Old Woking, some of our group met with lads there, who also knew the young chap who had died. Their opening comments related to the previous days' events and much sadness was expressed. One of those who spoke last night had been one of the older lads who had said 'don't come back' at the end of the last football session we held there a few weeks back. Last night he seemed pleased to talk!

Our prayers must be with the family of the young lad who died, and his mates. His circle of friends extended around Woking and his death has touched each of them individually. Maybe, just maybe, his fate will resonate with all or many of them and will help them to value their present life, as well as their life eternal. The lad who died may just help all of his mates in a very special if unintended way.

Prayer, Planning and Tragedy

Since the last post we've not done much in terms of frontline youthwork. Two Monday's ago we prayed, Monday gone we planned - Phil's vision is for a couple of bods to go out in Old Woking prayer-walking, while others wil run a drop-in at New Life Church throughout the months when we have darker evenings. Others, we hope, will be praying inside the building while this goes on. Previous drop-in's have been something of a challenge since fights apparently broke out most weeks when the old Gloster Road Group last ran drop-ins a couple of years ago. We have God with us though. We trust Him.

The next couple of weeks, however, will be on the field as normal - although we're hoping to hold a final bbq on the last week to promote the drop-in.

We really would value your prayers about these plans. As I indicated in earlier blogs, it's been a bit mad in Old Woking of late. BUT, maybe that's a good thing. Just maybe this is our old adversary taking a pop at us because we're getting places with some of the kids we're talking to. There's definitely a polarisation between kids who are very engaged and talking to us, and those whose behaviour is something more challenging than mere 'naughty'.

MONDAY's

Sadly, tomorrow is the funeral of one of the lads we met on the field on a regular basis. Tragically injured in a motor accident after collecting his GCSE results, he died a few days later in hospital. Our prayers must be that he absorbed some of the seeds that were planted during our encounters with him. Our thoughts right now are with his family and his mates; I can't at the moment imagine the scene tomorrow - I don't want to imagine it. My heart goes out to everyone for the tragic loss of his young life. He'll be sorely missed.

There's a lesson here though. There has to be urgency about what we're doing. To not share the Gospel with those we meet is like not handing out parachutes to the passengers and crew of a plane that we know will crash. Can we really bare the responsibility of knowing that we had the means or message that could save someone but chose not to share it - perhaps because we were a bit scared, or thought our faith should remain private, or thought we weren't good enough?

Testing, testing.

After several years working in Old Woking, a curious pattern has started to emerge when we go out there.

The evening starts really well, with lads playing football, girls chatting to our girls; then right at the end it feels as though there is malevolence in the atmosphere and things start to get out of hand.

Three weeks ago, we had a good evening playing football - had some really good chats with kids asking us about God - only to have these conversations interrupted as we watched two very young brothers trashing a bike right in front of us. It all happened really quickly – first one of them picked it off the ground, rode it away a few yards, then he got off, lifted it above his head and slammed it into the tarmac. The wheel came off and rolled toward the older lad who had ridden the bike there. The other brother ran toward the bike and leapt up and down on the frame bending and breaking it as more pieces flew off. Then he picked it up and hung it from the overhead slide wire. It was as though he'd lost his mind and had gone completely nuts.

I fully expected the older lad to take issue with this but instead he laughed. It turned out it wasn’t his bike.

The brothers are both small - no more than 12, probably only 10. It was amazing to see the damage they could cause in such a short space of time.

Then another older lad decided to ride a more expensive bike belonging to a younger lad – I was concerned that he might have a similar fate mapped out for it - a fear that was shared by the bike’s owner. I took hold of the handlebars and took some verbal abuse and threats that I’d be head-butted. The bike’s owner had hold of its rear and eventually was made to say ‘please’ before the older lad would get off.

Last week we had the incident with our goalposts where everything went swimmingly until we came to packing up – when the same two brothers and the same older lad started jousting with the goalposts, and swinging around a heavy weight that would have broken something had it landed on them or someone else. On that occasion I shouted, as much for their protection and that of others, as for my frustration that they could be so stupid.

Last night was the same. It was a great evening. Five of us had gone out, our girls chatted to their girls, we had the goalposts up – and we were even joined by a local resident who was happy to play football with the lads - Alexandra Gardens take note! Andrew and I packed up – without incident. We chatted to the lads, including the older lad who had been a wally the week before - no brothers this time. The older lad is 15 but looks older and acts younger. He seems to want to prove that he’s a man by making veiled threats and joking that he has a weapon, when he doesn’t. Full of bravado - completely lacking in common sense.

As Andrew and I put the kit back in the car we became aware that the older lad was now by the swings. It was dark but as we got closer we could see Nancy standing by the swing and a couple of people in the basket being swung really high. Nothing was said, there were no screams but the older lad was laughing and shouting as he pushed harder and harder at the basket - there was the sense that whoever was in the basket wasn’t enjoying it – so Andrew and I stepped in and slowed it down, again taking abuse and threats from the older lad whose fun we’d spoiled. He laughed at us.

It wasn’t until we’d stopped the swing that Andrew and I realised it was Annabel, one of our volunteers (on hols from university) who was in the basket with a younger girl. She was shaken and took abuse from the culprit who had swung the bucket so high that it had shaken her. She walked off with his insults directed at her, Andrew and me ringing in her ears. What was more worrying was that the younger lads were joining in and saying, ‘Don’t come back’.

Obligingly I turned and said, ‘Fine, we’ll not come back then’. Older lad decides to walk toward me and make more threats. He tells me to come over to him so that he can nut me. I tell him I won’t fight. And I add that we won’t be back, either. The other boys hear this and start apologising – ‘We’re really sorry’ they say. ‘We didn’t mean it’.

Now, interestingly, Phil decided a few weeks ago that we would pray this coming 1^st of September and not go out. The following week we’ll be planning – and not going out again. Was this all in God’s plan maybe? Certainly, if we don’t turn up for a couple of weeks it might focus their minds on whether they want us around or not. We’ll see.

It’s clear to me that things were going really well until just three characters turned up, so that now we have to think about our response and whether we need a strategy for dealing with any future events like this. It’ll be a big prayer subject of mine this coming week but I feel that the Lord may already have shown us the way.

What’s also clear to me is that we must take a leaf out of the Street Pastors’ book and have a team back at base praying for those who are out. We did this before when we had enough volunteers and there were none of these problems then – in fairness we’ve not had these problems when we haven’t had a prayer team back at base supporting us, although I know that others pray for us through the week. But there’s the sense that we really need to buttress our defences with contemporaneous prayer to try to prevent these events from getting out of control. It would be Satan’s way to put something into the minds of just a few individuals to upset the work we’ve started. We need prayer at that time for these lads, and for our protection.

Interestingly, there is a prayer room very nearby - even closer than the church, which is God- inspired and set up in someone’s house, completely independently of Outside Light. It’s there 24/7, it’s comfortable, peaceful and perfectly placed for the support of our work on St Peter’s Rec.

Is there anyone not yet with us who would like to support us in prayer who would be prepared to give up a few hours on Tuesday evening’s please? Ideally we’d get together a small team of prayer supporters so that we could put together a rota? If you might be prepared to support us in this way, please will you contact me jndurrant@gmail.com. Thanks

Monday, in contrast, was great. Even I played football. Believe it or not, Malcolm Ramsay, Big John Holland, young K and I thrashed a similar size team that included George and three good players. Well, we were thrashing them with our star striker Malcolm scoring some amazing goals - but I lost the will to live and let in some of their balls so that we ended in a draw.

There's a good feeling around the kids at The Vyne - we've got strong relationships building with several of them and they're happy to chat about life stuff. We thank God for that.

Ketchup. And Rules, Rules and more Rules

This week I watched an interesting dvd, borrowed from someone just back from a Christian conference. This was about Street Pastors. Street Pastors do similar work to us but the target age-group is older than the kids with whom we are building relationships. Young adults and older teenagers fall out of pubs and clubs high on alcohol etc, then get cared for by Street Pastors, some of whom are in their 80's!!!

The interesting part is the emphasis that Street Pastors put on prayer. As a rule their evening amounts to a team praying before going out, then a prayer team staying back at base constantly praying until the out-team returns. The overall result of this prayer/action combo is that the Assistant Chief Constable (covering Torbay) says in interview that crime is down 25%, violent crime and burglary being the main benefactors of this reduction. He calls this 'significant' and points out that the crime is only reduced in the area where Street Pastors are active.

For me it's really encouraging that a secular body such as the Police can see that Street Pastors is making a difference. The challenge might be, however, for the Police to understand that Street Pastors aren't going out because of their community spirit alone but because of the Holy Spirit. In other words, their good works should never be separated from their motivation in Jesus Christ. For Street Pastors to go out in their own strength would be folly. For the Police or any other body not to recognise that Street Pastors' work is inextricably linked with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ would be a massive disservice to Street Pastors, and to God.

The same is true for Outside Light. Yes, we want a better-balanced community, but we want it to be one in which God's rules apply, not our own. After all, there's nothing wrong with God's rules - many of our laws are based on them. We have the Ten Commandments as the foundation for our laws; in fact my all-time favourite Billy Graham quote is, 'They're the Ten Commandments, they aint the Ten Sugges'ions'. How good it is to have a clear line that we know not to cross, instead of the moving goalpost 'rules' of our secular society that become eroded by time and by people continually pushing at their boundaries. I was listening to the radio today about how many more young people are using alcohol than 15 years' ago - the rules may not have changed but they're getting hold of it somehow, so the reason for the increase is that the rules are not being adequately enforced, perhaps. The further Society moves away from God's rules, the more trouble it gets into!

Outside Light has, on occasion, had the luxury of a team that's large enough to be able to leave a small prayer team back at base, constantly praying. And when that's happened, there's been a general positive feeling that this has been worthwhile - there's been a really positive atmosphere. Contrast this with Tuesday night's report below. We have to find a way to ensure that our out-teams are covered in prayer for the entire time we're out. There's no question in my mind that it makes a real difference.

Monday – a 'different' evening to the usual. Just Michelle, Mary and I went out as Phil and George are both on their holidays, John was poorly and Helen had a lot of OL admin she wanted to do, so we left her back at base. I really didn’t want the hassle of taking the goalposts/balls etc to the field as I was the only chap that night and my knees creek too much these days to kick a ball around. Anyway, we got to the Vyne and within 30 seconds one of the lads, K, asked if we’d bought the football stuff. He wasn’t impressed that I hadn’t, so I made my apologies, returned home and collected the balls.

Got back to the field with the balls, the lads arrived at the same time from The Vyne drop-in and within minutes had joined up with another group of lads, and a (fit) dad who invited them to get into a game. Thus, God’s plans were not thwarted by my lack of health, spirit, motivation and energy. There’s certainly a change in dynamic when these lads are kept occupied; football is by far their favourite activity, I would say. This is another way of saying that all the time they’re doing stuff the Devil isn’t making work for their ‘idle hands’.

What’s very interesting is that the lads, as well as the girls, have taken really well to the various craft activities that Michelle and Mary do with them. One of these involves platting pieces of coloured string in order to make patterned strips of material. At their age I wouldn’t have been seen dead doing ‘girl-stuff’. So what’s different now?

Reflecting on this, it occurred that at their age I wasn’t at all comfortable with girls let-alone with participating in what’s generally regarded as feminine activities - perhaps because then I didn’t hang out with them in parks and on street corners – I engaged with girls only at school when there wasn’t that much opportunity to build relationship. Perhaps, therefore, there is a positive aspect to young people meeting with their friends, even if it’s outside where they can be an annoyance to others. At the very least, these should be confident as they grow into adulthood. Over-confidence can lead to problems, but confidence is generally an empowering thing; don’t you agree?

Inside The Vyne this week, Eileen organised a live band – with OL/Vyne volunteer Barnaby on drums. I heard only a little of their performance but they sounded good together. Bookings for weddings, funerals and bar mitzvahs are being taken right now.

After we’d packed up and were walking away, three of the lads said ‘thanks’ for going back to get the football kit. It doesn't go unnoticed when we do things for them - although sometimes we might wonder.

Tuesday

Again, because Phil, Nancy, Nick and Jo were on holiday, and other OL volunteers were away also, I thought it might just be me starting out from New Life Church. Another confession: to be honest, I had hoped I’d be the only one to turn up that evening. We have a strict rule for our own protection as well as that of the kids, that we work in pairs as a minimum. I really didn't want to go out as I was having at attack of the 5.30-7.00-blues, a malaise that comes over me, curiously, every Monday and Tuesday evening but soon passes when I'm actually there and usually changes to positively-charged excitement by the time we return to base. I was also a little tired as a result of going out on Monday evening and having helped with Monday's and Tuesday's Baptist Church (Knaphill) Kids’ Holiday Clubs – although it has to be said these were more pleasure than pain. Anyway, to pass time while I waited to see if anyone else was coming, I picked up a Bible, flicked it open and the first words I saw were in Galatians, 6:9, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’. No sooner had I read that than Simon (Coign Church) turned up – and after praying we went out.

We took the goalposts, arrived at the field and I thought we’d got away with it, as there were no kids there. Then within no more than a minute, they started to arrive. So we set up the goals, the girls cottoned on to me and together we played basket ball, while Simon played football in goal. Despite me being nearer to 60 than 50 and 6'5", the girls are always really chatty and wanting to talk.

Everything went well, except at the end of the evening. Whereas we usually have more volunteers to help pack up, this evening Simon had started to pack one of the goals, while another lad (who usually helps us and for whom we're really thankful) packed the other goal at the other end of the field. As I walked back toward the football area I saw that Simon had a large group of lads around him and they were being boisterous – more so than usual. They had hold of pieces of the goalposts and were attempting to hit one-another with them, and another young lad was swinging one of the weights around, (I used these to keep the goalposts in place) but if he'd dropped it onto his foot or someone else's, it would have broken a few bones, no doubt whatsoever). I’m afraid I let rip, as loudly as I could, I told them we wouldn’t bring the equipment again unless they put it down. For a couple of seconds there was stunned silence, (I can’t remember any volunteer shouting at them before like that). However after a couple of the younger ones made silly ‘ooooh’ noises, the older lads handed the kit back to me. What I was really pleased about was that one of the older lads who capitulated, was the only one who has ever made a threat of physical violence to an OL volunteer, who happened to be me. Of course he didn't follow through on that occasion, and on this one, he simply handed the pole back and said, 'here y'ar mate' and cycled off. Good job too, else next week I was planning to take some string to see how he'd like platting it into different shapes. :o)

We don't get to Heaven by following rules, nevertheless rules are there to be followed and to help us. This week we got by with the bare minumum that OL's rules allow. The kids in Old Woking took liberties with our rules and the result could have been dire for them and for Outside Light because of the litigious society in which we're living.

Blessings

John