Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

Saving on your heating

by Colin Dexter

https://capuk.org/connect/blog

Agapé’s new logo – The non-techie guide!

by Hannah Pinkstone

New Logo jpeg

It’s been about 20 years since Agapé’s “ACCTS” logo was first introduced to the masses!

A lot has changed since then – we’ve moved buildings, seen people ‘move on’, or ‘move through’ and others ‘move in’; but there are also things that have remained the same, such as:

  • Jesus at the centre
  • Church in the community
  • Agapé (sacrificial) love amongst each other and those we meet
  • Sticking to the mission: Luke 4:18-19

 

So when it came to updating the logo, a couple of things were there for the keeping:

The Cross – in the new logo this is much more prominent

The ‘C’ Church – still sitting neatly within the ‘C’ Community, affecting the places we go and the people we see with God’s love and compassion. This has greater meaning as we build up our partnerships, working with churches, agencies and residents to see changes in the hearts and lives of the community.

ACCTS – we are part of the new New Testament Church with a heart to move as God moves us and take him wherever we go.

 

So what’s changed? Actually, not a lot!

Straight away you’ll notice that the ‘A’ is smoother, the curve perhaps being a little bit more modern, more inviting than the old, sharper shape, and leading nicely into the rest of the logo. The font used to create the logo makes it ‘sit up taller’ and is easy to read.

As already mentioned, the ‘T’ as the cross is more prominent, and more of a focal point, there’s no mistaking what we believe, even if someone’s not sure what the logo means!

There are fewer colours in the logo. Did you notice?! Fewer colours can make a logo look cleaner and clearer; the continuity of the colour is pleasing on the eye and, again, makes the red cross stand out.

 

So what do you think? Do you like Agapé’s new logo? Feel free to leave a comment!

 

 

New Life Community Church

by Colin Dexter

A new community centre in Abercarn held an open day on September 12 to showcase its plans to the public.

New Life Community Church plans to spend over £1 million on the Pant Pennar Project to ensure the facility reaches its full potential for being a community base in the heart of Abercarn.

They hope to create six unisex toilet cubicles, a disabled toilet and wet room with shower, and a lift for better access between floors, as well as other plans.

They will also create a dedicated children’s room for after-school clubs and parents and toddlers coffee mornings and open a coffee lounge and games room and conduct renovation work.

A spokesperson said: “These changes will help us expand our current projects, plus create a vast array of new ones and will also expand our partnerships with other organisations.”

Care For the family Conference 21st November Solihull

by Colin Dexter
Families matter to God

How can we best live out our faith within our families?

For many of us, the reality is that the pressures and busyness of modern family life often make it easy for faith to take a back seat. As couples, we want to grow together in our walk with God, but often find this difficult to put into practice. As parents, we long to nurture our children’s faith, but often feel we are failing in the task. And sometimes, we feel as if there’s little that our family can do to make a difference to others – to bring God’s love to those in our community.

But does it have to be like this?

  • What if married couples found simple ways to put God at the heart of their relationship?
  • What if parents worked in a new, dynamic way with youth and church leaders to nurture young people in their faith?
  • What if our churches increasingly became known as beacons of hope for families within our local communities?
  • What if, instead of pulling up the drawbridge, our homes became places of help, hope and inspiration to others?

Faith in the Family will provide space for us to explore these questions together. To achieve these goals we are not looking for those who come with easy answers. We want people who feel the need of God – perhaps those who have been broken a little. We need people who yearn to see families, including their own, become stronger, more vibrant in faith, and more easily able to weather the storms – financial, emotional, physical and spiritual – that hit every home

http://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/events/other-events/faith-in-the-family

Psalm 84

by Colin Dexter

Pslam 84

Tear Fund – No Child Taken

by Colin Dexter

With the Rugby World Cup upon us, we’re delighted to report a new ‘signing’ to the Tearfund team – South African Ruan Pienaar.  A familiar figure in the world of rugby, he’s also a committed Christian and now he’s working with us on our No Child Taken campaign.

Ruan says he was challenged by fellow player Paddy McAllister’s accounts of what he’d seen during a Tearfund trip to India.  As a father of two, he says ‘trafficking breaks my heart – it needs to be tackled head on’.

Hope & Meaning

by Colin Dexter

Viennese psychiatrist Viktor Frankl survived Auschwitz and later summarized his horrific experience with this now-famous statement: “Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life.”  He observed that prisoners who were most likely to survive were those who refused to abandon hope, who held onto a larger meaning in their suffering.

Keswick Ministries

by Colin Dexter

Keswick Ministries is committed to the spiritual renewal of God’s people for his mission in the world. There are three fundamental convictions which shape all we do: hearing God’s Word, becoming like God’s Son and serving God’s mission.
Our priorities
Hearing God’s Word
The scriptures are the foundation for the church’s life, growth and mission, and Keswick Ministries is committed to preach and teach God’s Word in a way which is faithful to scripture and relevant to Christians of all ages and backgrounds.
Becoming like God’s Son
From its earliest days the Keswick movement has encouraged Christians to live godly lives in the power of the Spirit, to grow in Christ-likeness and to live under his Lordship in every area of life. This is God’s will for his people in every culture and generation.
Serving God’s mission
The authentic response to God’s Word is obedience to his mission, and the inevitable result of Christ-likeness is sacrificial service. Keswick Ministries seeks to encourage committed discipleship in family life, work and society, and energetic engagement in the cause of world mission.

Your kingdom come

by Colin Dexter

Our society desperately needs an alternative, a culture that manifests God’s Kingdom on earth.  A culture populated by those who choose love over lust (Matthew 5:27-30), marriage over divorce (vs. 31-32), truth over lies (Ephesians 4:25), humility over ego (Philippians 2:3-11), service over self (Ephesians 5:21).  (Denison Forum)

Repentance – Good news??

by Colin Dexter

To receive good news, to really receive it—to take it in and discover a new freedom—requires a new way of thinking. This new way of thinking has a Biblical name: repentance. I know: you thought repentance meant remorse, determination, trying harder or feeling guilty. Someone has lied to you. At its very core the word “repent” means rethink your life. The trick is: you have to have a valid reason to rethink your life. A positive mental attitude is not enough; simply trying harder won’t change your world. There must be some hard-core reality that changes the equation, wipes away the past or presents a future filled with joy. Better yet, all three. Jesus presented this hard-core reality when he said, “The Kingdom of God is breaking in. Right here, right now.” He wasn’t describing some new program or advocating a new philosophy. Jesus proclaimed the world would be forever different because God had come down, and he would do whatever was necessary to set people free.

God would not be stopped: the old order of things was condemned, and a new order was made real. He invited us to move to the side of victory with these words: “The time has come. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.”  (Ray Hollenbach)