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MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

The role of the Core Leadership Team is to serve the Church, assist the Senior Leader and seek God’s

wisdom for the direction and vision of Arun Community Church.

Please note: The Church Offices will be operating out of the Wickbourne Centre from January.

I hope you’ve had a great Christmas and are excited for the freshness that the New Year brings.

I recently watched the family film The Polar Express. In the story a little boy is given a precious bell that he has to keep safe, but loses it because he has a hole in his pocket. This got me thinking about pockets! They’re where we keep the things we need. If our pockets are full we are equipped and ready for any situation. As we journey with God, it’s so easy to let holes wear into our spiritual pockets, meaning we lose some of the precious things God gives us.

Or maybe our spiritual pockets are full of rubbish, and we need a good clear out at the start of the year in order to fill them up with faith. Our theme for this year at church will be ‘Pocketful of Faith’. So right at the start of the year let’s clear out our pockets, mend those holes and be ready to receive all that God has for us in 2016.

I pray we will all go deeper with God this year, that we will see many lives transformed in our church, family, community and world and that our pockets are full and overflowing with faith.

Much love and courage to you all this New Year,

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

In Hebrews 11 it’s pretty clear that without faith it’s impossible to please God, so why is that? Why is faith so important, and why do we need our spiritual pockets full of it? I guess in all of our lives we have had to take a leap of faith. That may have been when you first became a Christian and even though all your questions weren’t answered, you knew that there was something more for you in life. You took that leap and discovered that the unseen God can be found in so many different ways. For some of you, your leap of faith has been with your finances, your relationships or your work. Whenever I have stepped into anything God has asked me to do it has taken huge courage and trust in Him, but I have never, ever regretted it.

Whatever our stories, and great though they are, we cannot just settle with our ‘faith stories’ of the past when our God has so much more for us. This is a New Year, a time for new stories of faith and breakthrough.

God has so much to say about faith in every area of our lives, so this year we will be looking at lots of different subjects such as ‘Faith and Work’, ‘Faith and Relationships’, and ‘Faith and Money’. I want to have my pockets full of faith, and to stand as part of a church whose pockets are full of faith.

This year may there be stories of faith that surprise us, and breakthrough that’s bigger than we imagined. May we grow in faith and courage and keep stepping out, knowing that our God is faithful.

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POCKETFUL OF FAITH

Hebrews 11:11Faith is the

assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute

conviction that there are realities you’ve

never seen.

Hebrews 11:6Without faith no

one can please God because the one

coming to God must believe He exists, and He rewards those who come

seeking.

Alpha is an opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith in a friendly, open and informal environment. The course looks at topics such as ‘Who is Jesus?’ and ‘Why and how do I pray?’. The evening includes delicious desserts, a short talk and a discussion at the end where you can share your thoughts and questions. This year we encourage everyone to go on the Alpha Course and take a friend.

Who is Alpha for?The Alpha Course is designed for anyone who wants to explore the big questions of life and faith. Everyone is welcome!

When and where is it?The next Alpha Course with Arun Community Church will start on 11th January at The Wickbourne Centre, meeting on Monday evenings for eight weeks (not including half term), with a Saturday full day.

The sessions are led by David Thatcher, and cover the following topics:

Mon 11 Jan: Who is Jesus?Mon 18 Jan: Why did Jesus die?Mon 25 Jan: How can I have faith?Mon 1 Feb: Why and how do I pray?Mon 8 Feb: Why and how should I read the Bible?Mon 15 Feb: No Alpha – Half TermMon 22 Feb: What about evil and does God heal today?

Sat 27 Feb: The Holy Spirit Day: 10am - 3pm 1. Who is the Holy Spirit? 2. How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Mon 29 Feb: What about the Church and telling others?

Please contact the office to register your interest: office@aruncommunitychurch.com.

Or for more information go to aruncommunitychurch.com/alpha

ALPHA

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Prayer causes us to pick up on God’s heartbeat,

and move into a rhythm of rest, renewal and release. It is essential that we start 2016 hearing the voice of God and following Him. If we want our

pockets to be full of faith we must hear

His voice, because faith comes when God

speaks (Romans 10:17). ‘Start with Prayer’ gives us the opportunity to connect with God in diverse, creative and challenging ways.

There will be a prayer room at the Rustington office, (104 The Street, BN16 3NJ) running from 7am – 7pm, Monday to Friday. There will be additional activities and challenges to help us pray with focus during the week. Please put these in your diary, as we would love everyone to get involved:

Monday 18th. Focus - Faith: ACC Vision 2016, Pocketful of Faith. Visit the prayer

PRAYER WEEK 18TH - 23RD JANUARY 2016START WITH PRAYER

room and ask God what steps of faith He is challenging you to take in 2016.

Tuesday 19th. Focus - Revival: United Kingdom and Europe.Prayer walk your neighbourhood and by faith declare over it what you expect to see in 2016.

Wednesday 20th. Focus - Justice: Calling The Nations Home.Join with two others and pray through the news today. Pick a place and people to pray for from the Operation World Prayer Guide. http://www.operationworld.org/countries-alphabetically

Thursday 21st. Focus - Sacrifice: Learning to Bow so We Can Touch the Sky.Fast today and focus on the things God would have you lay down in 2016.

Friday 22nd: Focus - Worship: Intimacy with God and Pursuit of His Presence.Spend at least an hour listening to God today without other distractions. Attend the worship and soaking meeting at The Wickbourne Centre 7 - 9pm.

Saturday 23rd: Prayer Walk at Chanctonbury Ring and worship there,10am

PRA

YE

R

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EXPAND

Tuesday 12 January Faith and Community & Education Wednesday 27 January Guest Speaker Duane White Tuesday 9 February Faith and Mission Tuesday 23 February Faith and Worship Tuesday 8 March Faith and Business

Expand is an evening teaching series at the Wickbourne Centre that gives us the opportunity to explore topics further and delve deeper into the Bible. Refresh is open from 7.30pm followed by a talk and some discussion from 8 – 9pm.

On the Leadership Development Course last year we looked at different aspects of Kingdom life. These were great topics that we want to revisit during our Expand evenings this term. We’d love you to be there as we explore the following:

COMMUNITY & EDUCATION TRANSFORMING LIVES TOGETHER

ACC member Andy Gill moved with his family to Littlehampton last summer. Here he tells an inspiring story from his time in Surrey, and gives us an insight into his heart and plans for Littlehampton.

Daniel, a confident and outgoing 19 year old has just completed the first year of an IT apprenticeship. He’s living independently and volunteering at his local youth project, but years earlier his situation seemed bleak and this outcome very unlikely.

Daniel had grown up caring for his mum who suffered with anxiety and depression. His Dad was abusing him, leading him to fear for his own life. He was bullied throughout school where he was often excluded for outbursts of anger. By age 13 Daniel was only attending 20% of his lessons at secondary school and was regularly experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

It was about this time that Daniel stumbled upon a youth centre, converted from an old church in his local town of Leatherhead in Surrey. In this place Daniel found a home, and with the support of the youth workers he began to find ways to control his anger, relate better to his peers and stopped experimenting with drugs and alcohol. In the coming

years with his newly gained confidence, Daniel took on leadership roles on a mountain bike project, the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and finally managed the youth centre’s coffee shop. After 6 years of ongoing support and access to opportunities he gained the skills and confidence needed for an IT apprenticeship.

Seeing lives like Daniel’s transformed was what I lived for during my time running the Leatherhead Youth Project. Having started on a new journey, that passion is still burning stronger than ever and over the last three months Ben Ansell and I have been working hard, forging a new partnership between ACC and Littlehampton Town Council that will focus on impacting young people like Daniel as they move from education into employment. Areas of Littlehampton are within the bottom 1.3% for education, skills and training nationally. This data shows us that the life chances of local children and young people are being seriously affected and we believe it’s time for change.

We’d love to let you know more about our plans for Littlehampton, so please come and have a chat after church or arrange to meet us for a coffee.andy.gill@sodevuk.com8

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OVERSEAS TRIPS 2016FAITH IN ACTION

Faith is the catalytic element that gives movement to what we believe. ACC has always been involved in resourcing churches both overseas and locally, putting our faith into action. Could you pray for, give to or consider going on a trip with ACC this year?

The next trip will be to India in March, working with City Church in Shillong. The team will:• Lead sessions at the School of Supernatural Discipleship• Help teach basic healthcare in villages (please note you do not have to be a healthcare professional!)• Visit and support exsisting projects• Train in, and carry out, prophetic evangelism There will be another ACC trip later in the year, and there will also be trips through Links International, including Colombia, Peru, Malawi, India, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Please speak to Joe Gisbey for more information. joe.gisbey@aruncommunitychurch.com

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Kat Archer moved to Littlehampton and joined Arun Community Church in

2010 with her husband Sam. She

recently joined the Leadership Team at

ACC and is involved in lots of areas of church life. Here she writes about her journey to faith, to Africa and to the southern English coast!

Sam and I grew up in Teeside in the Northeast of England, and went to the same church (we first met in Sunday school, age 3, and the rest in history!). My parents and siblings are Christians and I can’t remember a time that God wasn’t part of my life. I was taught Bible stories at home, prayed with my parents before bed, gave a tenth of my pocket money to church,

HAVE YOU MET?KAT ARCHER

and loved Sunday School, which was led by a great, wise and loving man called Neil Strike. I invited Jesus into my heart at every opportunity that arose - just to be extra sure that I was a Christian!

When I was a young teenager, God very clearly told my mum to take my sister and me on a mission trip to Uganda, as part of a charity we supported called CPA (Christian Partners in Africa). This was a huge leap of faith for my mum, who hadn’t been anywhere without my Dad by her side, never mind take half her family to a Third World country in a continent she never had any desire to travel to previously. So we went to Uganda, and this adventure captivated every ounce of my being! From this point onwards I would say my heart was committed to Jesus alone, and I left fragments of my broken heart in Uganda. I have since returned to East Africa several times and continue to fall more in love with it. My mum’s courage and obedience to God in taking this scary step formed my heart for the love of people, and the fire in my belly to fight for justice! When we don’t know the reason for God’s plan, that doesn’t mean the impact won’t be huge.

Sam and I started dating as teenagers and had a great group of friends at church. We all attended our youth group and church together, volunteering in the children’s work and playing in the youth worship band. Neil Strike gathered us together in a small

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group, teaching us how to become young leaders through Bible reading plans and inspiring us to live to a ‘higher calling’. I never felt labeled a ‘teenager’ by him, but truly believed God not only would use me for His purpose, but was using me already. During

this time I chose to get baptised, to publicly declare my faith.

After college I didn’t know what to do, I wanted to not waste my life but live it

fully for God, but didn’t know how to go about it. I decided to go back to Uganda for 4 months to be a nanny and support a missionary family. I thought during this time God would paint my life’s purpose in the clouds, but He didn’t. I spent the rest of the year working and doing what I enjoyed, this included mentoring teenagers, volunteering with a pregnancy crisis centre, and teaching sex and relationship education in secondary schools. One summer’s day my Aunty suggested Midwifery as a career, which summarised everything I loved doing, and it all clicked into place. I found a university place through clearing, interviewed and within a month had started my Midwifery degree. I later found out that 4000 people had applied for the 24-place course; God had opened a side door for me and I sailed in! During this time Sam moved to Brighton to study song writing at Brighton Institute of Modern Music, and I spent 2 years catching the National Express

bus to see him between shifts. We were fed up of being apart so decided to marry as soon as possible! I was a year ahead of Sam in my studies, so we got married the month I graduated, choosing Neil Strike to perform the ceremony. Then we moved south together ready for Sam to start his final year of university. Sam had occasionally attended ACC with a friend and knew that this would be the church we could call home, so without question we moved to Littlehampton, into a flat we had never viewed, and have been coming to Arun Community Church ever since. Within 2 months I moved away from home for the first time, got married, graduated and started a new career. Not once did I feel uncomfortable or uncertain, God guided our journey and we just felt at peace and at home!

We’ve both been part of the youth team since we joined the church, and Sam’s been part of the worship team. I haven’t lived a wild life, or had any huge adventures, but all I know is I love God and I love people, and I have experienced again and again that He only has good things for me, and that I can trust and follow Him wherever he leads me.