March 2007

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Prayer Letter

March / April 2007

This is the last introduction I will be writing for the Christ Church Prayer letter. Deborah and I will be saying a sad farewell to the Parish at the end of March. At Christmas I was formally “called” as minister to the Presbyterian churches of Spa and Magherahamlet in County Down in Northern Ireland, and will be installed to the ministry of the churches on 20th April. 

I was delighted however that Mike and the wardens have already been able to appoint a replacement -  Revd. James Hughes - to come to Christ Church to continue the ministry. James is married to Kirsty and they have three Children, Sarah, Noah and Caleb. He is presently ministering in Christ Church Virginia Water, Surrey, where he completed his curacy after training at Oak Hill Theological College in London. 

James is from Hartford, and was a member of St John’s for many years, before entering into the ministry. The fact that he comes with a considerable knowledge and experience of the parish already will be a tremendous asset for Christ Church. A former History teacher at a comprehensive school in Liverpool, he is well equipped to offer a great teaching ministry, and will begin that very soon! James will be licenced in the evening service at St John’s on 22nd April by Bishop Peter. Please pray for James and Kirsty as they prepare to uproot and  move over Easter, that they would be able to secure a place for Sarah in a local school, and that the children would settle into life in what will be a completely new environment for them. 

These are exciting times for Christ Church as God continues to develop his plan for the Church, but also unsettling times as occasions of change always are. Could you also please pray for the congregation as they adjust to a new ministry, and new directions. 

Thank you for all your prayers and support for us as a family in these last two years. The chance to minister in the Parish and at Christ Church has been a tremendous blessing to us all and to me personally. We are saddened with the prospect of being separated from the warmth of such a wonderful Christian Church family. And you may be assured of our prayers for you all in the years to come.  

Yours in Christ, 

David, Deborah, Imogen & Lois

 

Christianity Explored

A series of 6 evening sessions about the claims of Christ from Mark’s gospel, with DVD presentations by Rico Tice.

 

Give thanks …

·         For the fantastic material produced by The Good Book Company, including a DVD & study booklets.

·         That several of the attendees have been diligently studying passages from Mark’s gospel week by week.

 

Please pray …

·         That some who attended will choose to trust in Jesus for eternal life & will follow Him.

·         That we will be able to stay in touch with those who attended, now that the course has finished.

For those who attended only a few of the sessions, that what they have heard will ‘bug them’ and that they will continue to investigate the claims of Christ.

 

Tots & Co.

Every Friday morning.

 

Give thanks …

·         That baby Joe Russell came out of hospital 1 month earlier than expected.

·         For the Thanksgiving service of another ‘Tot’ at Christ Church in February.

·         For Deborah’s help during their time here.

·         For safety week by week.

 

Please pray …

·         For more helpers.

For the planning and execution of the Good Friday Special; for Glyn speaking; that many dads will come and that there will be an openness to the gospel message.

 

OnTrack

Every other Friday, 6-7.30pm, for ages 7-11.

 

Give thanks …

·         For the smooth transition to a new format (now fortnightly & 1½ hrs long).

·         For the children who have invited their friends to the ‘Film night special’ & to OnTrack.

·         For the way the children are being challenged in their thinking & for the questions they are asking.

 

Please pray …

·         That Christ will continue to be central to our Friday evenings.

·         For one of our OnTrack children who wants to be baptised; please pray for wisdom for the leaders as they pursue this with the family.

·         That we will continue to build up relationships with the children’s parents at the ‘Breakfast Special’ in March.

For stamina, lots of it!

 

MtG (Mind the Gap)

Fortnightly Friday meeting for all in school years 7-9 who trust in Jesus or want to find out more about Him.

 

Give thanks …

·         For the regular number of young people who meet each fortnight to study God’s word & talk about being Christians at school.

 

Please pray …

·         That they will encounter Jesus Himself as they study God’s word & will not just be ‘going through the motions’ of Bible study.

·         That the young people will desire to spend regular time with God on their own in prayer and Bible reading.

·         For the leaders as they consider what to study next term as well as longer term plans once Glyn leaves Christ Church in August.

 

Home….

As the word suggests!

 

David, Deborah, Imogen & Lois Hyndman
Please pray …

·         For schooling for the girls, particularly for Imogen who will be moving up to secondary school in September. They will both miss their many friends here.

·         For a job for Deborah. She would love to continue working teaching languages in Primary school, but at the moment there seem to be few such opportunities.

·         For David as he adjusts to ministry in the Presbyterian Church. That he would faithfully live by and teach God’s word to the congregations in his care.


Ruth Port
(North West Team Leader, UCCF)
Give thanks …

·         That the CU Leaders’ Training Weekend went well, with 110 students attending from 13 CUs across the region. It’s the most important regional event I am responsible for and, as I’d never previously been to one, I was very nervous about how it would go. The feedback was that the students found it really helpful in training them to lead their mission teams on campus.

·         For the many students who have heard the gospel at this term’s missions in Lancaster, Preston, Liverpool, Chester and Manchester. Please pray that they will be followed up well and that many will turn to Christ in His time.

Please pray …

·         That God would guide me and the other interviewers as we seek to appoint new staff for next academic year. It will be a new experience for me to be interviewing people for Christian rather than secular work.

·         That I will be able to stay in touch with my non-Christian ex-colleagues; I’ve been really bad at it so far since starting work with UCCF.

 

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