Friday nights give church members opportunity for fun and fellowship as well as keeping fit, with one of the three badminton sessions held during the week.




All levels of expertise (from incompetence to skilful) are acceptable here, so come along, get fit and have lots of fun too!

Following on from Sunday’s sermon about the beauty and perfection of the original creation, we looked last night at how sin has marred that creation and what God is doing about the problem!

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed,” Romans 8:19 tells us. Creation is ‘groaning as in the pains of childbirth'(Rom 8:22). God cursed creation as a result of man’s sin (Genesis 3:14-19)and the effects of that curse are seen everywhere in nature and in our own lives. We too are groaning (Rom 8:23) as we wait. There’s this constant tension between the blessings we have now and the suffering we face and the hope that is ahead of us. Paul reminds us in these verses that hope that is seen is no hope at all; we have to learn to wait patiently for what we don’t yet have or don’t yet see.

There has to be balance between looking ahead and living now; Christians are sometimes accused of ‘being so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good’. As Peter and John remind us, the future hope we have should mould how we live now (2 Pet 3:11-14, 1 John 3:1-3). The firstfruits of the Spirit (reminiscent of the Feast of Weeks and the power of the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost) give us hope that God is working all things out for good (Rom 8:28) and that one day He will re-create (Is 65:17, 2 Pet 3:13, Rev 21:1).

Romans 8:28 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible and a tremendous encouragement to all who suffer. God is working all things together for good. He is working for the good of those who love Him. However we translate these verses, the truth remains that God is able to bring good out of evil, to redeem suffering, to bring justice to all who have suffered injustice. May we learn to trust Him and hope in Him through every experience of life.

(Below is a link to the Jeremy Camp song ‘The Way’ which starts by looking at this very passage:
“All creation cries out with longing
With groans only You can comprehend
And with wisdom, You always answer
And give the words of life
So unfailing”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q6o4sbndVE)

Last Sunday morning while I was at work (celebrating Jesus at School Sunday at Hope House Church), Stephen preached on Genesis 1, looking at creation, looking at the ‘6 days of perfection’. In this account, we read how God created the heavens and the earth and separated day and night. We read of the creation of water and land, of plants and trees, of the sun, moon and stars. We read of how the water creatures, birds and animals were created and finally, how God created man.

God proclaimed repeatedly that His creation was good. In creation, God provided all that we need and in Him everything is found. Since then, man has lived on this earth with or without God being part of his daily life. Sin marred that original creation, and, as our Bible studies in Romans show, all of creation has been affected by sin (see Genesis 3).

The challenge for us as God’s children is to look to God for our provision. He has promised to supply all our needs and to provide for us, but so often, we look elsewhere. God has given Himself as our first port of call, the first door on which we should knock when we need help. We are still, so to speak, under God’s warranty!

When a product becomes faulty and is still under warranty, we return it to the manufacturer, for the manufacturer still has a responsibility for that product. In some ways, that is the same with us and God (not that our fault reflects badly on God as ‘manufacturer’, since it is the result of our sin, but He still extends grace, forgiveness, healing and restoration to us!)

God has provision and answers for every situation that we face. Let’s turn to Him and allow Him to deliver the ‘first aid’ we so desperately need.

It’s Mark’s birthday this week! As the one who bought the birthday hat, it’s only fitting that he wears it too!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have very little interest in gardening. I do, however, like looking at gardens, reaping the benefits of other people’s work! A few years ago I visited Alnwick Gardens, which were absolutely wonderful:


Ralph preached last night on three different gardens, mentioned in the Bible:

(1) The Garden of Eden (Gen 1-3)
This garden, prepared by God the Creator, was paradise for Adam and Eve, filled with trees bearing lovely fruit and flowers blending their hue. Adam and Eve knew unclouded communion with God in this garden, where there was no taint of sin, no shadow of death. However, God gave man free will and they chose to disobey His command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, with the result that paradise was marred.
Ralph highlighted the 4 steps that led to them committing sin:
a) Satan drew Eve’s attention to the tree, causing her to look at something with different eyes
b) She kept her attention there, giving the tree undue consideration
c) She took of the forbidden fruit, allowing herself gratification
d) Gratification led to humiliation, for guilt always follows sin.

Adam and Eve then tried to hide from God, but we can never hide from Him. Adam saw evil thing as a result of his disobedience and he and Eve were banished from the wonderful garden.

(2) The Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-46)
The first Adam failed in a garden, but the second Adam won victory in the garden. Jesus knew agony and betrayal and wrestled with temptation in this garden, but took the cup of salvation (Ps 116:13), wherein he saw:
a) that he had to go to the cross, for this was the price for our salvation
b) that he would be able to unite all believers together through His sacrifice (even though he sweat drops of blood in agony as he wrestled with the desire not to suffer, see Luke 22:44)
c) that power would be the result of the victory (see Acts 1:8)
“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19)

(3) We are God’s garden, the garden of the Lord (Song of Songs 4:12-5:1)
We are God’s garden. We are enclosed, shut in, protected by God. Many wonderful fruits and spices are mentioned in this passage, and all provide a fragrance that is meant to spread to others. The north winds of suffering and the gentle south winds of comfort all combine to spread the fragrance of Christ to others.

The first garden was one of tragic collapse.
The second garden was a place of glorious victory.
The third garden will be different for each believer. We are God’s special treasure, and all our fountains are in Him (Ps 87:7). May we produce the fragrance and beauty of the Lord in our lives.

GPCC is a busy place!

There are groups meeting most evenings:

Mondays
Youth groups run by the church.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays
Badminton is held in the building, organised by different groups.

Thursdays
Slimming World meets from 4 – 8 p.m. in the community hall and the church holds a prayer meeting or Bible study from 7.30 p.m. in the main hall.

Sundays
The church’s family service starts at 6 p.m.

In addition to these meetings, the Alzheimer’s ‘Forget-Me-Not’ cafe is now held on the 3rd Tuesday afternoon of the month and a Zumba class is held between 5.30 and 6.30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

The church also meets on Sunday mornings at 10.30 a.m. and hosts a coffee morning on Saturday mornings as well as running a Parent ‘n’ Toddler group on Friday mornings.

Why not come along to one of these sessions and find out more?