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.