JUNE 2015 ISSUE 15 We have just recently celebrated our Thanksgiving Weekend, during which we had a thanksgiving meal together and Sunday services where the focus was on giving thanks to God.Various people took the opportunity to say what they were particularly thankful for, and we expressed our thanks to God by giving an offering towards the Nepal Earthquake Appeal fund. Although originally we were intending to have a 'thanksgiving offering' to bless the church, when the news of the earthquake in Nepal broke, we immediately realised that we needed to do something, and it seemed obvious to us that the thanksgiving offering intended for the church should, in fact, be given away. We pray that this offering will be blessed and used by God to bring comfort and help in that land. 'Thank you' are two very powerful words, especially when directed towards God. As Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback church has said, "God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too. … An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God.When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy." -- Rick Warren Thanking God brings a smile to his face, but it also has an impact on us. The Bible says: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp and the melody of a lyre.” (Psalm 92:1-3) It's good - it does you good. Giving thanks keeps us humble, because it reminds us that all we have is a gift from God, rather than a monument to our own brilliance. Giving thanks stops us from getting things out of proportion. If you are anything like me, you are prone to this...pressures and irritations build up and we find ourselves losing it over the most inconsequential thing. Giving thanks focuses us back on what we have that we can be grateful for, rather than what we do not have. With our focus on what we do have rather than on what we don't have, we find a sense of proportion returning. Giving thanks confronts a 'me first' attitude. According to a well-known saying, Charity begins at home - and that's where it all-too-often stays! It's never particularly convenient to put others first. There are so many things we could do with the money we could raise from a thanksgiving offering - so many projects that need funding. But it is more blessed to give than to receive, and prioritising the tragedy in Nepal over our own needs is a way of confronting that 'me first' attitude and trusting that God will bless us as we first bless others. "Give, and you will receive.Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38 NLT) Giving thanks is a powerful thing! An attitude of gratitude releases us into a new level of trust and adventure with God. "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." (Matthew 16:25) Giving thanks leads to action! I cannot truly give thanks to God for all that he has given me and done for me, and not be motivated to give back to him, to offer myself for his cause. Thanksgiving is the only authentic place to launch into action, because it ensures that there are not selfish, sinful motives lurking in our hearts. There are so many opportunities to serve him - not out of guilt, or coercion, but out of a thankful heart. "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others". (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT) How are you going to express your thanks to God for all that he has done for you? You can't out-give him, but you can express your heartfelt thanks to him through acts of kindness and service to others! The power of giving thanks THE NETWORK We raised about £3,000 at our Thanksgiving Services to go to the Nepal Earthquake Appeal!
Transcript
JUNE 2015 ISSUE 15
We have just recently celebrated our Thanksgiving Weekend, during which we had a thanksgiving meal together and Sunday services where the focus was on giving thanks to God. Various people took the opportunity to say what they were particularly thankful for, and we expressed our thanks to God by giving an offering towards the Nepal Earthquake Appeal fund. Although originally we were intending to have a 'thanksgiving offering' to bless the church, when the news of the earthquake in Nepal broke, we immediately realised that we needed to do something, and it seemed obvious to us that the thanksgiving offering intended for the church should, in fact, be given away. We pray that this offering will be blessed and used by God to bring comfort and help in that land.
'Thank you' are two very powerful words, especially when directed towards God. As Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback church has said,
"God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too. … An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy." -- Rick Warren
Thanking God brings a smile to his face, but it also has an impact on us. The Bible says:
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp and the melody of a lyre.” (Psalm 92:1-3)
It's good - it does you good.
Giving thanks keeps us humble, because it reminds us that all we have is a gift from God, rather than a monument to our own brilliance.
Giving thanks stops us from
getting things out of proportion. If you are anything like me, you are prone to this...pressures and irritations build up and we find ourselves losing it over the most inconsequential thing. Giving thanks focuses us back on what we have that we can be grateful for, rather than what we do not have. With our focus on what we do have rather than on what we don't have, we find a sense of proportion returning.
Giving thanks confronts a 'me first' attitude. According to a well-known saying, Charity begins at home - and that's where it all-too-often stays! It's never particularly convenient to put others first. There are so many things we could do with the money we could raise from a thanksgiving offering - so many projects that need funding. But it is more blessed to give than to receive, and prioritising the tragedy in Nepal over our own needs
is a way of confronting that 'me first' attitude and trusting that God will bless us as we first bless others.
"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38 NLT)
Giving thanks is a powerful thing! An attitude of gratitude releases us into a new level of trust and adventure with God.
"If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." (Matthew 16:25)
Giving thanks leads to action! I cannot truly give thanks to God for all that he has given me and done for me, and not be motivated to give back to him, to offer myself for his cause. Thanksgiving is the only authentic place to launch into action, because it ensures that there are not selfish, sinful motives lurking in our hearts.
There are so many opportunities to serve him - not out of guilt, or coercion, but out of a thankful heart.
"You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others". (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT)
How are you going to express your thanks to God for all that he has done for you? You can't out-give him, but you can express your heartfelt thanks to him through acts of kindness and service to others!
The power of giving thanks
THE NETWORK
We raised about
£3,000 at our
Thanksgiving Services to go to
the Nepal Earthquake
Appeal!
News from Kingfisher Kingsway
At the beginning of May, Kingsway welcomed Stuart and Janet Gray to become part of the community. Stuart was commissioned as Assistant Pastor at Kingsway and has already got involved in leading worship, preaching and coming along to Men’s Breakfasts!
Stuart and Janet have been with Kingfisher for 17 years now, having relocated from Bracknell, Berkshire to join us. Janet has been involved in our Prayer Counselling ministry for
many years, becoming the leader in this area a couple of years ago. Stuart has been an Elder at Tredworth church for a number of years and is also the UK Coordinator for the Network in Africa. He regularly leads teams of volunteers from Kingfisher UK to Malawi and Mozambique.
This is a great addition to our church, and we look forward to all that they bring over the coming years!
New assistant pastor at Kingsway
Have you booked your place at our holiday club?Tredworth - Monday 27th to Friday 31st July, 10am until 12noon at Kingfisher Tredworth
Kingsway - Monday 10th to Friday 14th August, 10am until 12noon at Kingsway primary school
For children aged 5-11 years old
Places are limited and filling up fast! Booking forms available at both churches or by emailing [email protected].
Stuart and Janet Gray with their daughters Naomi and Becky
Little Fishes FundraisingThroughout the year we hold events to raise money for our summer trip. In April Kirsty Dalley raised just over £200 for Little Fishes by running a marathon!
One of our Little Fishes mum’s is a Forever Living rep and she’s going to have a sale during the session on 12th June with proceeds going towards our fundraising and we have a Babies and Children’s Clothes Sale planned for Friday 19th June. We
have already raised enough money this year to pay for all the children to go on our summer trip to Cattle Country (and some towards the adults entrance fees too!) so all our upcoming events will be raising money for our Christmas party and for new toys for Little Fishes.
If you have any good quality children’s clothes that you no longer need please let Kirsty know.
We have recently bought a slide and some floor mats with money left over from last years fundraising. Now we won't have to borrow from Kingfisher Tredworth each week!
Connect groupsAs our church continues to grow it is so important that each of us has a smaller group of people that we can meet with regularly, where we can know others at a personal level and be known ourselves. It’s the place of refuge and support, where we can study the Bible together with the space to ask questions and grow in our faith. It’s the environment where we can learn to pray effectively and for each other and where we inspire and motivate each other to greater acts of serving Jesus and His church. This is the place of discipleship!
My hope is that everyone who calls Kingfisher Tredworth home will find that connection, and to that end we have made a number of changes this year to increase the capacity to accommodate more people in our Connect groups. The prayer counselling small group has now disbanded to create two new Connect groups
led by Stuart and Janet Gray and Andy Davis. Prayer Counselling is still overseen by Janet Gray and she will also continue to provide training and supervision. The aim is to see our trained prayer counsellors integrated more into the life of our church and alongside others, without always being in a counsellor role.
Bev Lloyd, Simon Beardsell and Emily Williams are also leading new Connect groups which were launched at the beginning of April and it has been so encouraging for me to see a number of new people connecting in at a deeper level than just church attendance on a Sunday.
If you are still not in a Connect group please speak to me at church or email the church office and we will do our best to find you the right group where you can find friendship, support and a place to grow in your relationship with God.
A huge thank you to Katie Tucker for all the hard work she’s put in to secure a much needed grant to replace the pre-school tables and chairs. This is something that we have been trying to achieve for years without success and we are looking forward to our pre-schoolers having the equipment they deserve!
Twins group and Toddler group are also doing a sponsored event in two weeks time to raise some money to replace some of the ride-on toys. An obstacle course will be set up in the main hall for all children taking part to complete 10 obstacles including egg and spoon, tower building and beat the goalie.
Pre-school fundraising
The Cavern’s in the news!The opening of the Cavern has recently been on BBC Points West news. The news coverage continued on Midlands Today and there has been extensive coverage on BBC Radio Gloucestershire and in the Citizen. Watch the video on The Cavern facebook page.
News from Treasure Seekers Social Enterprise
It feels like every time I write for the newsletter we have new groups starting. I'm going to focus on the Cavern this time as we have lots of new things happening.
So, as you will probably be aware, we are now fully open as a coffee shop from Tuesday’s to Saturday’s. Thanks to Dave, Anna and Wenna for giving their time to run it. We are so blessed to have them on board!
Our board game nights on a Monday continue to be a great success reaching more and more new people who are keen gamers!
Our youth nights are going well too, the team are great and we all realise we have our different strengths which work together brilliantly! We are having really positive conversations with the local young people, and we are currently working towards our 'Battle of the Bands' which we have a few signed up to already. One group of young people, who were moved on by the police around the cathedral because they were being too noisy, came into the cavern and started singing a song about coming home - very fitting!
We have had a couple of jazz nights now, which seem to be going really well. Its such a nice chilled atmosphere and thanks to
Andy Farrington we are getting lots of different bands in.
We also have, coming up soon, the start of our open mic nights for all ages. This will be every other Wednesday to start off with. Plus, we have a Quiz night coming up soon.
As well as all of this, our 'Behind the scenes' at the Cavern in the back room, is starting to build up too. We have Soul talk launching on Friday nights for young people. We also have Music Room on a Wednesday morning for those in recovery and wanting to reignite their passion for music. Plus coming soon, Christianity for Star Wars fans!
With all of this, we continue to feel blessed, not only because we have access to a building in the centre of town, but also because
of the large number of people that make all of this happen. We are seeing lives change, relationships built, and community happen. Such an exciting time and a real privilege to be a part of!
As always, get in touch if you want to find out more, or if you’re interested in helping out at the Cavern, or any of our other groups at both the building or at Church, let me know.
Craig Tucker
More new events at The Cavern!
News from Kingfisher Malawi
In January 2015, the population in the Southern part of Malawi and much of Mozambique have been affected by incredibly severe weather events. The residents are used to heavy rains at this time of year – but 2015 has seen a natural disaster unfold. The storms have been so bad that villages are washed away, people have lost their food supplies and their livestock. Some families have even lost loved ones. It has been an incredibly difficult time.
YET – God is ministering to so many suffering individuals in these areas right now. And however unexpected and horrifying the experience has been for people, God is working out a plan to bring hope in the midst of this suffering through Kingfisher Network.
One way Kingfisher is serving the community, is in the gradual rebuilding of subsided and collapsed houses. Suffering families without a roof over their
heads are being given back their dwellings, one family at a time.
Kingfisher is also helping to address the hunger situation in Malawi. While we are buying and sharing short term food supplies for many people, we are also rebuilding irrigation farm land for the growing of crops. God willing, a good harvest of crops will be the result.
These communities also have a water crisis underway. The floods have left many people living in these rural areas with dangerous swollen rivers and dirty swamps where once they had a safe, natural fresh water supply. Water borne disease is a real problem.
Back in 2014, Kingfisher raised £3,800 towards our Fresh Water Project - equipment that will provide water purification kits to villages in Malawi and Mozambique. These funds were released at just the right time to address the water crisis. Safe, clean water is being made
available to many people living in the rural villages of Malawi and Mozambique. People are flocking to the churches for support, many are becoming Christians as they gradually recover from the effects of 2015’s natural disaster.
Further, the Kingfisher Training Centre building that we opened in Mauza last year is proving to be vital in the process of recovery following the storms. In Mozambique, so many rivers burst their banks that school buildings were washed away, bringing children’s’ education to a halt. Yet here too, Kingfisher is able to help. School education for the children has resumed again using the Training Centre as alternative accommodation until the schools are rebuilt.
It has been a difficult start to 2015 for our friends in Africa. Yet God is coordinating Kingfisher as a Network of Churches to bring his hope and comfort to those in need. As Charles Mithowa would say – “This is very wonderful!”
God is using Kingfisher to bring hope and comfort to people following a bad rainy season in Africa
News from Treasure Seekers Performing Arts
Congratulations to the TSPA members who took us to a fantastic Night at the Musicals on 26th and 27th March 2015 at The Waterwells Police HQ in Quedgeley.
The Musical numbers just kept on coming with an Annie medley by the belly dancing group, “You Just Can’t Stop The Beat” from the dance group and the choir singing the ever popular “Any Dream Will Do” from Joseph. With the drama group performing an amazing
puppet performance of the Sharks and the Jets from West Side Story this show was an example of top class entertainment.
The variety also was evident with performances of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “All That Jazz” from the music percussion group. Added to that were other excellent performances including Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller”, a Mary Poppins medley, the drama group acting out Blind Date and our warm up songs of “Reach” and “YMCA”.
A special mention to our two individual performers Rime (who sang “Honey Honey” from Mamma Mia) and Peter Deverson (who sang “Everything I Do” from Robin Hood). This was another brilliant performance by TSPA. If you missed it then don’t miss our Day at the Carnival show - coming soon!
If you would like to be notified when the next newsletter comes out, please go to www.resources.kingfisher.org.uk and enter your email address so we can keep you up to date with news.
In order for this newsletter to grow and develop, we need your help! If you go to any Kingfisher event and have taken a great photo, then please email it to: [email protected]. The copy deadline for the next issue (due out in September) is 24th August.
Or if you would like to get involved in the production of the next newsletter then email us with your particular area of interest.
Hope you enjoy hearing all that is happening across the Kingfisher Network!
