ASHFORD COMMUNITY CHURCH

NEWSLETTER: 12th MAY 2019

       FROM THE PASTOR’S PEN

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ
Today we welcome Brian and Pat Carter and are going to hear about the state of the Persecuted Church. Around the world Christians in many countries are enduring such hateful persecution for their faith. Yet, what always strikes me as I read their stories and look at photos of them in their churches is their sincere and exuberant worship. Man may be attacking them –verbally and physically – but with arms raised or bodies bowed to the ground I see them worshipping Father God with love and determination. Nothing is going to stop them worshipping the God they put their trust in! And may God continue to bless them because of this. And may we be challenged and encouraged as we see them do this.

As we enter into the next phase of the year we are turning out thoughts to the Vision of Worship in our church for 2019. At a very simple level our worship has two aspects. The first is a sincere desire which each of us should have to lift up our eyes to Heaven and to see Him more clearly, draw closer to Him and just adore spending time with Him. But, our worship, secondly, should always be an act of sacrifice to Him – sacrificing ourselves (what we want and who we are) to praise the One who is worthy of all our praise. Let us remember the following:

“Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13: 15)

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power” (Rev 4: 11)

Let the Persecuted Church, that we hear about today, be a spur to us to increase the level of our worship. If they can do it despite all their circumstances, then so can we!
God bless       Peter

TODAY: We are pleased to welcome our dear family friends Brian and Pat Carter to update us on the essential work of “Open Doors” in supporting the Persecuted Church worldwide.

NEXT WEEK: Our brother Dudley Ward will be sharing what the Lord has laid on his heart.

BIBLE STUDY: Starting on June 28th, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm, there will be a Bible Study group meeting facilitated by Brian & Pat Carter. This will be held at church house. Please let Peter know if you would like to attend.

MARRIAGE MASALA: This will be held on Saturday July 6th and led by Rod & Ruthie Gilbert. There is only space for 12 married couples so let Dorothy know if you are wanting to attend as soon as possible.

SPRING HARVEST 2020: It would be great if a good number of us could go together to Spring Harvest next year. Please speak to Helen if you would like further information regarding the accommodation available and pricing.

BLOSS COFFEE: The new Coffee Shop at Kingsmill Granary is now open each week from Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 3pm. Why not support this new Christian run venture and enjoy a lovely cup of coffee, and cake in the beautiful surroundings at Kingsmill.

As a church we will also be supporting them by buying our coffee from them and if anyone would like to help with the costs of supplying refreshments at church services then there will be a donation box available for this purpose. These donations are totally voluntary and for the church family only. We want to be clear that visitors are NOT expected to pay for their refreshments.

CHURCH APP: The Church App is a very useful addition to your phone or tablet and gives easy access to information about the church. All personal information is only accessible with a password so this is only available to authorised members of the church family. If you are unable to download the app you can also access this information from the church website, but again only with a password. Please speak to Gill if you would like to be issued with a user name and password.

LADIES’ FELLOWSHIP: The next meeting will be on 24th May at Pat’s between 2pm and 3.30pm.

PRAYER TABLE:  Don’t forget to look at the prayer table each week and help yourself to any literature that is available. There is a new “Open Doors” Magazine available and also info on how to be part of the 2020 Bible Reading initiative

FOODBANK: There is still a great need in our area to provide food for the Food bank to distribute to those in need. If you can help please place your offering in the box provided.

MEDICAL MISSION: Please also remember to save your used stamps and place them in the box on the prayer table. These stamps raise significant funds for the work of the Medical Mission.

                     WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK

 

Tues 14th         11:30 – 14:30  Open Arms

19:00 – 20:30  Worship practice

Weds 15th         09:30 – 10:30   Weight Watchers

19:30 –  21:00   Home Groups

Thurs 16th        19:30 – 21:00    East Kent Chorus in main hall

Fri 17th              09:30 – 10:30  Revival Prayer

19:30 – 21:30   Friday Youth Night

Sat 18th             09:00 – 10:00   Park Run in Victoria Park

Sun 19th             10:30 – 12:00   Celebration Service (Coffee from 10:00)

Prayer in the Prayer Room from 10:10