Understanding the current conflict in Syria
Glenwood Church,
Cardiff, CF23 6UW
Sat 22 Oct. 9:30am – 3:30pm

Today Open Doors staff are in Parliament to launch the new report and campaign, Hope for the Middle East. Over 80 MPs have said they’ll be coming to hear first-hand accounts from the Middle East, in-depth research and calls to action. We’d love it if you would pray for this event, which starts at 14:30pm

Joining in the celebration of 20 years of Christians Against Poverty.

WHATEVER IT TAKES THEY WILL GIVE: BREAKING THE RULES.

SHAKING MEDIOCRITY FROM ITS COSY LITTLE HIDE. LAYING DOWN THEIR RIGHTS AND THEIR PRECIOUS LITTLE WRONGS, LAUGHING AT LABELS, FASTING ESSENTIALS.

THE ADVERTISERS CANNOT MOULD THEM. HOLLYWOOD CANNOT HOLD THEM. PEER-PRESSURE IS POWERLESS TO SHAKE THEIR RESOLVE AT LATE NIGHT PARTIES BEFORE THE COCKEREL CRIES.

THEY ARE INCREDIBLY COOL, DANGEROUSLY ATTRACTIVE INSIDE. ON THE OUTSIDE? THEY HARDLY CARE. THEY WEAR CLOTHES LIKE COSTUMES TO COMMUNICATE AND CELEBRATE BUT NEVER TO HIDE

EXTRACT FROM THE VISION POEM BY PETE GREIG

Amy Orr-Ewing

“Plenty & comfort in this life are not promised in the kingdom. Instead, those who are crying tears because they have been excluded and insulted as a result of a firm allegiance to Christ have this nearness to God within their time if crisis. This is a profound and mysterious truth.

I witnessed this myself when worshiping  with 250 leaders of the underground church in China. many had suffered beatings and persecution because of their faith in Jesus. Yet I never experienced such joy in worship.”

There is a direct , dynamic link between the persecution of God’s people and the church growing rapidly as God’s kingdom advances. this is a Biblical principle.

Akbar al-Masih

Akbar was a Muslim-background believer from Afghanistan. Like many Pushtun people, Akbar’s life had been torn apart by war. After the 2012 US invasion, Akbar joined millions of refugees who streamed into Pakistani slums and refugee camps. It was in Pakistan that Akbar met a Christian family who discipled him. I asked Akbar to tell me how he had come to faith in Jesus.

‘My name at birth was Muhammad Akbar, which means “Muhammad is the Greatest”. Between the wars, I was in an open country looking for a job. One day I came upon a cinema showing a movie about the life of the prophet Isa (Jesus). I watched the movie alone, and learned many things that I did not know. I saw how they beat Jesus and nailed him to a cross. I said to myself, “Now Isa will call down fire from heaven to destroy them!”

‘Instead, Isa looked down at them with compassion, and said, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”

‘In my heart I said, “That is for me.” That is when I became a follower of Isa, and changed my name to Akbar al-Masih (the Messiah is the Greatest).’

(taken from christian premier magazine)

People don’t come to a small church expecting a scaled-down version of a megachurch experience. They expect a great small church experience.

Yes, there are principles that all great churches hold in common. But a great small church is not a miniaturized version of a great megachurch.

A great small church won’t have parking lot attendants and professional signage leading families to hi-tech, age-segmented children’s ministries.

Mum and Dad aren’t going to be handed a cup of finely roasted cappuccino from a smiling barista in the church lobby, before being led into a thoroughly post-modern worship space with form-fitting seats.

The worship team won’t be playing original songs from their best-selling album to tightly choreographed lights and video. The pastor’s message won’t be backed by perfectly-timed, custom-made graphics and video clips.

There are a lot of great megachurches that have all that cool stuff. But that’s not what makes them great. And if small church pastors try to duplicate that on a small church budget, you will fail.

Yes, I said it. Fail. I know that sounds like lack of faith to some people, but it’s not. Because failing at those things isn’t even the worst of it. The saddest part is that the time and expense you’ll waste trying to be something you’re not great at will be taken from the things you can be great at.

Yes, keep the place clean and uncluttered. If you own a building, strip off the 1990’s wallpaper and slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Make sure everything and everyone are well prepared. But put your main efforts into people, not programs. Friendliness, not facilities. Worship, not entertainment.

Give people the space and time to meet with Jesus.

Then do something small church pastors can do that megachurch pastors can’t do – hang out in the lobby after the service. Build relationships. Pray with and for people. Tell dumb jokes. Hug, laugh and cry together. Be a church family.

That won’t lead you to greatness. That is greatness.

Karl Vaters is the author of The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking That Divides Us. He’s been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years and has been the lead pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California for over 20 years. He’s also the founder of NewSmallChurch.com, a blog that encourages, connects and equips innovative Small Church pastors

Thank God Jesus met me.

It was about 10 yrs ago during my last prison sentence. I was on suicide watch and the prison officers  thought I was going to end my life.

That was until a little old lady came into my pad. She told me that Jesus died for me. All the pain I was carrying he put on the cross for me. I thought she was a nut job at first. But when she left I opened the Bible and discovered it was true. I read Psalm 23 with new eyes. I heard him say to me that he was all I needed. I knew this the love I was looking for. so that day I asked Jesus to come into my life.

Straightaway I could feel a change in my heart. I lost the desire to do drugs and the self-harm stopped to.

Life story from “the message summer 2016”  CW  team member