Christians together in the Hook Norton area
Prayer Supporters’ Newsletter, November 2009
MISSION ENCOURAGEMENT 2010
Dear Prayer Supporter,
Our warm greetings to you as we enter this special time of Advent and Christmas. You pray, they’ll stay” is a little motto given us at the recent “Pudding and Planning” meeting for Connect 2010. ("Suppers” will probably henceforth be “Pudding” occasions: less angst, more time for what matters!) The “you” is of course primarily those of us here who are committed to outreach, but we are so grateful when the praying extends to you our partners in this enterprise. We still need much prayer for faithful prayers; but we thank God that the rhythm of bi-monthly prayer meetings round the area, plus the beginnings of prayer duos and triplets, Sheila Acreman’s monthly prayer lunches, the Baptists’ prayer walks and street-by-street intercession, and a leaflet on “Praying for your Neighbours”, are all raising the profile of this fundamental building-block of mission. Also, a prayer for Connect 2010 has been printed on bookmarks and placed in all the churches. The monthly Prayer Diary continues, featuring special needs and events. Please ask God that all these opportunities may be more widely used. Some, we know, are quietly praying at home.
Another urgent need is for a chief Events Co-ordinator for Connect 2010 to join the Planning Team, since Keith Disney feels he cannot do full justice to this major role, owing to pressures he is under at the moment. We look for someone with the love of Jesus at heart, and with the organizational skills, plus familiarity with the local community, to handle this. A host of ideas for events, and a number of offers of help, have been sent to Jonathan Mortimer for him to ponder in the light of the personnel and talents likely to be available to us from Through Faith Missions in mid-June. Definitely fixed are at least one Art Workshop before the mission, a visit of “Juggling John” to schools during it, and a follow-up day on the Saturday after it, with an Alpha Course from September. Much else is in the air . .
Talking of the air, yet another urgent need is for an I.T. expert to set up and “host” a website for Connect 2010. Needless to say, good publicity is vital, and Salim Sajid, our Publicity representative (with Sue Wood) on the Planning Team, would value your prayers for discernment in choosing the right approaches at the right time and recruiting enough manpower to broadcast these effectively. To help in this, a Publicity Sub-Committee is being formed.
And the inevitable subject: funding. Money so far received has covered the expenses (booking fees etc.) so far incurred, for which we thank God. We will need a continuous flow of giving, and a “2010 Pledge” has been mooted - pledge £10 (or what you can) a month for 20 months. Please pray that we may, in this and other ways, “trust and obey” as Christ calls each one of us to do. “For (we) know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for (our) sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty (we) might become rich . . . And God is able to provide (us) with every blessing in abundance, so that . . . (we) may share abundantly in every good work.” (2 Cor. 8 v. 9, 9 v. 8). This Advent and Christmas you will be praying, as we are, that the truth of “God with us” will shine out to our whole nation. This year, here, special Christmas cards will be given to visitors at all our Christmas services, giving information about coming events to those who rarely attend. For this we would ask your prayers, and also specifically for the following planned events, which take you round our four villages:
Thursday 10th December United Prayer Meeting in Swerford Village Hall
Wednesday 23rd December Carol Singing outside the Sun pub, Hook Norton, giving away mince pies and Nicky Gumbel’s “Why Christmas?”
Wednesday 6th January Prayer Team meet 2 p.m., Planning Team evening
Wednesday 13th January Pudding and Planning in Gt Rollright Village Hall.
Sunday 31st January CONNECT 2010 Service in the Baptist Church, HN
Tuesday 9th February United Prayer Meeting in Wigginton Methodist Chapel
With renewed thanks, and our prayers for you now and in the coming year,
Yours in Christ,
Lucia Turner
on behalf of the Christians of the Hook Norton area
Rosemullion, Great Rollright, Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 5RQ
tel: 01608 737359 email:
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