The anniversary weekend is an opportunity to pause and reflect on God’s goodness and faithfulness to us as a church over the past two years. On 3rd July 2010 we officially opened Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church in the new building on Market Street and on 7th July 2012 we stopped to reflect on all that has happened in the past two years.

We had photo displays in the main hall of the things we have done in that time:

We have had family services on a range of themes, including love, ‘mission impossible’, Samson, the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics and been involved in a range of building work to further improve the building.

The family services reflect our ongoing desire to make God’s Word accessible to all, presenting it in a fun style, with quizzes, competitions and short sermons to show people that God is interested in all ages and can speak through a variety of media.

The building work has involved replacing all the windows in the building and rewiring the Community room. We have a new cooker and new heaters in the kitchen and have worked on the drains and have new tarmac in the car park. We have also cleared our old building site on Beever Street before we sold it.

The other photo display looked at the outreach work we have been involved in (including working with other local churches and missionaries) and at the role of the Bible in all our studies. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that the food boxes are already full again as we seek to minister to needy people in Goldthorpe! This display also looked at all the fun activities we do together as a church (parties, celebrations and so on.)

Two years ago we put up a photo montage in the foyer showing how we had worked on the building. We have just put up another photo montage showing how the journey of faith has continued (with thanks to Stan Plus Stan Two for the donation of the photo frame):

I believe it is vitally important to record and remember all that God has done, partly because we have a human tendency to forget, partly to proclaim to others His marvellous deeds. That’s one reason I am keen to keep this blog, so there is a record for people to see what God is doing. We have photo albums in church of all that is happening and these displays reflect the diversity and range of ministries in which the church, a body of ordinary believers with an extraordinary God, are involved. Wes King has written a song called ‘Remember’ which says:
“Remember
Oh, I never will forget
My Ebeneezer
Is the day You paid my debt.” (Wes King, ‘Remember’)

The reference to Ebenezer is taken from 1 Samuel 7:12: ‘Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”’ (since the word ‘Ebenezer’ means ‘stone of help’). These anniversary weekends and photo displays are one way we set up our own modern-day Ebenezers, reflecting on all God has done to help us and trusting He will continue to be our help and our shield in the days to come.

We had a lot of craft activities based on the theme of ‘God’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’.

So we made worlds with handsto represent this theme…

We also had pictures of the world:

… and Indian headdresses and bracelets...

We had a competition about animals of the world and face-painting as well:

We also had a quiz about famous buildings and places in the world:

We had flags of the world to colour:

Today was the anniversary weekend of the official opening of Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church at Market Street. We held a coffee morning and community craft day from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Setting up the crafts:

Getting ready to serve refreshments:

Stephen’s message on the Olympic theme was from Hebrews 12:1-3. The Olympics will see crowds of people coming to watch as spectators; the Bible teaches that we are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses who are there to cheer us on and encourage us to put off everything that would distract us or hinder us so that we can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

For all those taking part in the Olympics this year, it will be a life-changing experience for them, rather like the experience Steve Austin faced in the TV series! ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ We too have the opportunity for a life-changing experience when we come to know Jesus and are then called to run the race for life, picking up the gauntlet and keeping our eyes focussed on the finishing line.

The song below is taken from this passage in Hebrews and reminds us that we do not run alone in this race for life. Each Olympic athlete ultimately has to compete on their own; Jesus has promised to be with us always to help us, strengthen us and carry us:
‘Like I Never Felt Before’, Aaron Shust

Tonight’s family service looked at the Olympics as a theme. We had a game of Noughts & Crosses where we had to answer a variety of questions about the Olympics, including naming this gymnast:

(Nadia Comeneci)

We also had to compete to throw rubber food into a bucket!

The men were the winning team:

Afterwards, there was extra juggling of the rubber food!

We also had a birthday to celebrate:

Dave preached from Acts 4:8-14 this morning, looking at how Peter was changed from being with Jesus and how his boldness in speaking before the Sanhedrin was noticed by the leaders.

Peter, the local fisherman who was not well educated but whose impetuosity and hot-headedness had been his chief characteristics, was changed after Pentecost, filled with the Holy Spirit, enabled to testify to the gospel. The leaders’ only explanation for this was that ‘these men have been with Christ’. What should people see if we have been with Christ?

We are urged to be ‘imitators of God’. A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus. Jesus displayed the following characteristics, which must be seen in our lives too:
(1) Courage
Jesus was not afraid to speak God’s truth to the religious leaders, to be bold and to face unpopularity. He was not afraid of men.
(2) Love
Jesus accepted children, wept over the widow’s son, had compassion on all around Him, prompting healings and miracles. Christ is love personified. Our lives should be characterised by the same mercy and kindness that Jesus displayed.
(3) Humility
Jesus lived with the poor, washed His disciples’ feet, showed no favouritism to the rich, was the friend of tax-collectors and sinners. We need to show humility and the same kind of service in all our living.
(4) Holiness
We need to deny ourselves and be devout, showing patience and forgiveness in all that we do.

Dave also spoke about where and when we should be imitators of God. We should be imitators of God in the world, in the church, at home and in secret and we need to be like Him at all times, not separating ‘secular’ from ‘sacred’, but striving to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.