We did a Christmas Nativity full of chocolate references, with people gaining prizes for naming the most number of chocolates. One winner left before she could claim her prize, so Samantha Linskey needs to contact us to claim her prize for identifying the most chocolates named in the nativity! Other prize winners were the ‘A’ team:

Karen collecting the team’s prize:

Jeannette winning a prize:

At various points in the service, games were played, such as pinning the star on the Christmas tree (whilst blindfolded!):

Everyone had goody bags and Debbie drew the short straw!

… whilst this person won the lucky numbered bow:

Stephen sang the Michael Card song ‘We Will Find Him’:

… whilst these wise men were definitely looking for the star:

Tonight’s carol service started with a Christmas jumper competition. Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun by dressing up in Christmas attire:

A stylish pastor with front and rear views:

An equally stylish Garry:

These are costume-coordinated:

We had some great family shots:

People were very creative:

These were our celebrated winners:

Mark continued his series on Joseph this morning in Genesis 37, looking at how Joseph continued to hold on to the dream even in a strange place. The ‘worst day of his life’ was when he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, but actually, as we saw last time, this was the start of the fulfilment of his dream – not that it must have looked like that to Joseph. Instead, he was in that strange in-between place between the old and the new, having left the security of home but not yet seeing the fulfilment of his dream, for at this point in his life, he was actually the slave having to bow down to others.

Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh; at this stage in his life, he was just a commodity to other people. How could this be part of God’s plan? Yet Joseph, although in a strange and scary place, was actually in the right place at the right time. Sometimes we go through strange times and places before we can see the fulfilment of God’s plan in our lives.

During this ‘in-between stage’, we often feel uncomfortable. We find it hard to keep our minds fixed on God because we cannot see how good will come of it. We might even feel as though the devil is winning the round in our lives at that time, but we need to learn the secret of singing the songs of the Lord even whilst in a foreign land. (Ps 137:1-4 TNIV) We are called to praise God in all circumstances.

When we are in these strange places, we may long for better times in the past (‘If only…’) or panic or cry or even forget the dream. Nonetheless, we need to hold on to the dream. We may feel like a house perched precariously on the edge of cliff, but actually, we are more like a tree which grows around a boulder.

Change can be very strange, but for our dreams to be fulfilled, we have to go through these strange times, secure in the fact that God is with us and is still working through every situation.

As we reach the end of another year, not only do we look back retrospectively, assessing all we have experienced and learnt in that year, we also look forward with anticipation to what God is going to do in the New Year. Dave was talking about this in the prayer meeting last night: how we combine hindsight with faith to look forward to what God is going to do. Isaiah’s words always seem very relevant at this time of year: ‘See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland’ (Is 43:19 TNIV – perhaps even more in the context of winter, for we see desolation and barrenness all around us in the natural world but by faith we look forward to spring and the new life that brings. As Matt Redman sings:

‘Just like the desert needs the blessing of the rain
Just like the winter, waiting for the sun again
I need you now
Just like a river as it reaches for the sea
Just like a song, it needs the sound of melody
I need you now.’ (‘I Need You Now’, Matt Redman)
‘I Need You Now’, Matt Redman

So, what is ahead in the New Year? Well, we start, as always, with the New Year’s Day party at 4 p.m., an opportunity for fun, fellowship, food and silly party games. It’s a great opportunity to bring friends who might be wary about attending church. Everything is very low key and informal and it’s great to be able to ‘catch up’ with our wider circle of family and friends. All are welcome.

On Saturday 4th January, we will be formally recognising the change of leadership. The church will be open for its first coffee morning of 2014 as usual (10 a.m. until 12 noon) and then will stay open for prayer from 12-4 p.m. This is not a fixed meeting as such, more of an informal drop-in where members can come and pray for the leadership and for the future, for God to pour out His Spirit on us and give us the direction, strengthening, vision and wisdom which we need. Without Him we can do nothing; with Him, the sky’s the limit! Come along for whatever time you can spare; it’s vital that in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we take time whenever possible to seek God’s face and to set apart time for Him.

The celebration service will start at 6 p.m., but come early to get a seat! We are expecting friends from far and wide to attend, so this will be a great way to start the year. It is good to recognise all Mark and Diane have given to the church and to thank them formally for their leadership as their roles change. It is also good to formally recognise Garry and Julie as new leaders and to pray for all involved in the church.

Other changes on the horizon include further building developments as we install a custom-made notice board in the foyer area (bearing all those wonderful team photos taken the other Sunday evening!) and as we wait for the new gas meter to be fitted (a task that is proving more strenuous than originally anticipated!) The notice board not only will proclaim God’s light shining invincibly in the darkness (John 1:5 TNIV) but also gives some indication of how we see ourselves: ‘With God in the community, with God for the community.’ We are definitely glad to be ‘Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church’ and look for that community development to continue in 2014.

The other big thing on the horizon is the church’s Big Birthday Bash! 2014 is the 50th anniversary of the church moving into premises in Goldthorpe; Beever Street became its first home in 1964. To celebrate God’s faithfulness over these 50 years, we are holding a special celebration weekend of events on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June. Keep those dates free as we are hoping to hold a community day on the Saturday (10 a.m. until 2 p.m.) with an evening meeting and special meetings on the Sunday.

So let’s look ahead to the future with confidence and faith in God, for He never changes and never leaves us or forsakes us!

At the end of every year, I usually get a selection of photos printed off to go in the church’s photo album (one of our ‘archives’ or means of keeping records.) It is always interesting to go through the collection of photos from the previous twelve months and see what the church has been up to!

January started with a month of prayer and fasting and a series of prayer walks every Saturday. The walks around Goldthorpe resulted in photographs being displayed in church and a prayer map being constructed so that we can continue to visualise where the places are for which we are praying. The prayer map was also used to record the topics for prayer throughout the year and prayer requests have been pinned to this throughout the year.

Each month we have prayed for a different topic, including healing, political influence, schools, churches, regeneration and boldness. In our last service of the year on 29th January we will be hearing testimonies of how God has answered prayer throughout the year and recording these answers on the prayer map.

Each month we have also been involved with a family service on the first Sunday evening of the month. Themes this year have been:
1) Spiritual clothing (robes of righteousness and garments of salvation)
2) Never been unloved
3) The Valley of Dry Bones
4) Faith, Hope & Love
5) Cool or Fool?
6) Chains
7) Healing
8) Home & Away
9) Harvest
10) Passing on the baton
11) All Things Work Together for Good
12) Time Travel: Jesus, the Lord of Time

We have had a whole range of games and quizzes to test our skills on these themes! The upside down skeletons in March were particular favourites of mine:

Packing suitcases, racing with batons, wordsearches on ice-creams and difficult quizzes on time travel films have all featured in these services which are great fun.

The outreaches of the church continue to flourish, with the children’s work on Monday nights being attended by up to 60 children a night! Not surprisingly, the sound-proofing on the community room has been really appreciated by all the children’s workers as it reduces the shrillness of all those yelling voices. The Parent & Toddler group also continues to flourish and the coffee mornings are steadily busy each week, with market stall holders appreciative of the hot drinks taken to them in this weather! Those who like to keep fit also regularly play badminton on Friday evenings: a good time of fellowship as well as of exercise!

The food distribution work and alliance with the Salvation Army church continues to flourish, though it is sad that there is such a need for this work. The boxes never seem to be empty, testimony of God’s overflowing provision:

We are grateful for Mark and Debbie for all their coordination of this work and to all who give so generously, especially this month with the sponsored half-beard project!

Midweek meetings continue to alternate between Bible studies and prayer meetings. We finished studying the book of James and looked at various topics (including the renewal of our thinking) before starting on our most recent study of 1 John. It is good to dig deeper into God’s Word and to have the opportunity to pray collectively on a regular basis.

Mundane though it may seem, keeping up with refurbishment and repairs continues to take time, thought and effort. The kitchen has been completely refurbished this year and the new boiler and cooker are particularly useful. We are in the process of upgrading the second boiler, having had a new boiler for the Worship Room fitted and re-housed. New blinds in the Community Hall and the kitchen help to keep heating costs down.

Most exciting of all to see – but much less easy to quantify – is the spiritual growth within individual members of the church as they have sought God and taken steps of faith into new ministries and new adventures. Change is around the corner with Mark’s resignation as pastor taking effect from the New Year, but we are confident that the God who does not change will guide us and lead us through all changes and will continue to pour out His Spirit on each one of us, for He is faithful to do all He has promised.

I doubt we can do it quite like this, but ‘Sing and Shout’ is definitely something we want to do at Goldthorpe! (I love all the drums…!) Matt Redman and Christy Nockels (both on the video) will be in Bradford on Wednesday 26th February as part of the ‘Big Church Night In’ tour. Tickets are still available here.
‘Sing and Shout’ live, Matt Redman