ECCLESIA Monthly Newsletter of Place of Victory for All Nations, Belfast February Edition Volume 2

February Birthdays We would like to wish all those born in February, a happy birthday. We pray

for grace and favour in this year.

Funsho Abogunrin Adeosun Adegbola Shulamite Adepoju Victoria Hanna Teniola Joy Iluyemi Ibukun Johnson Emmanuel Johnson Lynne Miller Praise Ogundipe Naomi Oyebode Victoria Chukwunwike If we have missed your name on

this months list of celebrants, please alert us.

February Events Wed 1st -Month of Fasting commences Friday 3rd Watch-night & Holy Communion Service Europa Hotel, 10pm Sun 5th -Guest Minister: Area Pastor, Yetunde Ayodele Europa Hotel, 11am Sun 12th Special Sunday Service - Relationships in Focus Europa Hotel, 11am Tues 21st -Members evening Andras House, 6.30pm Sat 25th -School of Disciples Lecture @ Andras House, 10am Wed 29th -End of Fasting, Anointing Service @ Europa Hotel, 6pm

Members Evening on Tuesday 21st @ Andras House, Great Victoria Street from 6.30pm Calling all new comers & members to an informal, interactive & informative evening:

Its a great opportunity to learn more about the church, meet other members (new and old) and allow us to learn more about you. Refreshments provided

For further information contact us on 07414246008 or via email: at info@placeofvictoryni.org

The Power of Fasting and Prayer

Volumes of pages have been written on the subject of prayer, many seminars organised on prayer and we continue to

learn. Virtually everyone engages in some form of prayer, regardless of their religion. Suffice it is to say, prayer is

important-prayer is key. In desperate times, when there seems to be no solution to our problems, people tend to pray -

cry for help to anyone, anywhere to come to their aid. Whilst it seems natural to cry out when in desperate need for

help through prayers, the effectiveness of our fervent prayer is based upon the intimacy of a relationship developed

through a lifestyle of prayer. Jesus had intimacy with God the Father such that He often spent all night praying and He

would also wake up before dawn to pray. This intimacy was so evident that the one thing his disciples asked him to

teach them was to pray. Prayer, as a mode of communication, helps us form the most powerful relationship friendship

- with the most important and powerful being in the universe. This form of communication does not depend on your

calling card credit limit nor is it affected by poor reception. You can make contact anytime and anywhere. Through the

life of Jonah, we discover that you can get prayer signals even at the depths of the ocean.

When we pray and fast, we discover that it affords us great power with God. When the disciples asked Jesus why they

were unable to cast out a devil, Jesus stated in his response in Matt 17:21 that the case in question required power and

authority which was made available only through prayers and fasting. Clarkes commentary on the above verse noted in

relation to personal victories that there are certain evil propensities, in some persons, which pampering the flesh tends

to nourish and strengthen; and that self-denial and fasting, accompanied by prayer to God, are the most likely means, not

only to mortify such propensities, but also to destroy them. Prayers with fasting, conducted properly, humbly position us

to have our petitions heard. By the mercies of God, He allows us to influence Him through our prayers and fasting. It is

important to note, however, that our prayers and fasting must first have impacted our lives before we can expect it to

be influential with God as seen in Isaiah 58. In the account recorded in the book of Jonah, God changed his mind about

destroying the city of Nineveh after he saw that the people had repented of their evil ways and had coupled this

repentance with a national declaration of fasting and prayers. And God saw their works that they turned from their evil

way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. (Jonah 3:10 KJV)

During this month of February, which we have set aside to seek the face of the Lord in prayers and fasting, I believe that having the following objectives may be of great help:

Use this period of prayers and fasting as an opportunity to develop a sustainable prayer life; Use a prayer journal to record your prayer conversations with the Lord; Set aside some regular quiet time for this; Prayerfully focus on an area in your life that you know requires change; Spend some time fervently praying for change in that area (James1:17): Select an entire book or two in the bible to study during this month; Consciously write out prayer points in your journal from this book and pray them into your life and future.

I pray that by the end of the month of February, our relationship with God would be more intimate, the flesh would have been mortified and besetting sins and habits would have been destroyed in Jesus name- affording us a more intimate and productive relationship with our loved ones and making us more useful in the hands of our Lord.

I pray you have a fulfilling and empowering month in His presence. Pastor Chris Ifonlaja See Fasting details on overleaf

For we walk by Faith For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5) Faith is taking God at His word. Faith is not belief without evidence. It is belief on the very best of evidence- the Word of Him who cannot lie. (Titus 1:2). Faith is so rational that it asks no other evidence than all-sufficient evidence. To ask other than the Word of Him who cannot lie is not rationalism, but consummate irrationalism Dr R. A. Torrey. When we see it is not faith but reasoning. Look at the faith of the master mariner! He loses his cable, he steams away from land. For days, weeks or even months, he sees neither sail nor shore; yet on he goes day and night without fear, till one morning he finds exactly opposite the desired haven toward which he had been steering. How had he found his way over the trackless deep? He has trusted in his compass, his nautical almanac, his glass, and the heavenly bodies and obeying their guidance, without sighting land, he has steered so accurately that he has not changed a point to enter port. It is a wonderful thing- that sailing or steaming without sight. Spiritually it is a blessed thing to leave altogether the shores of sight and feeling, to say good-bye to inward feelings, cheering providences, signs, tokens and so forth.It is glorious to be far out on the ocean of Divine love, believing in God, and steering for Heaven straight away, by the direction of the Word of God. CH Spurgeon. May we continue trusting Him in faith and not by sight. Amen.

Shared by Lynne Miller

Relationships in Focus On Sunday 12th February 2012,

At the Europa Hotel, 11am.

Interactive Q &A Forum

Regular Meetings 1. Sunday School @ 10am, Europa Hotel

2. Sunday Service @ 11am, Europa Hotel

3. Monday Prayer Meeting @ 6.30pm, Andras House

4. Wednesday CFGs @ 6.30pmVarious Addresses

5. Friday Bible Study & Prayers @ 6.30pm,Andras Hse

6. 4th Saturday of every month, School of Disciples

@10am, Andras House

7. Evangelism on Saturdays-Meet 2pm @ Andras Hse

Please note: From March onwards, monthly Watch-night

services will take place on 2nd Fridays rather than 1st Fri.

For more details on any of the above, please go to the

church website www.placeofvictoryni.org

Community Fellowship Group Venues South Belfast: Runnymede Drive, Belfast, BT12 6LZ. Please

contact the church office for full address

University Quarter: Starbucks, 90 Lower Lisburn Road, BT9 6AG

City Centre: Andras House, 60 Great Victoria Street, BT2 7ET

North Belfast: The Streat Caf, University of Ulster, BT15 1ED

East Belfast/ Holywood: Please contact the office for address

Lisburn: Donard Drive, Lisburn, BT28 1UU

Newtownabbey: Derryhill, Newtownabbey, BT37 9JD

Fasting Note: We will be fasting each day of the month of February from 6am-6pm. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are exempted as well as those on prescription medicine. Please read the health advice on the church website for more details.

Let my prayer be set forth as incense before

You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141: 2

The following seminars have been booked

Contemporary Worship Music Workshop: Developing a CULTURE of Pastoral Care in your Church: Devising a Strategy for Youth Work in Your Church: How the Data Protection Act Applies to Churches and Church-Based

Organisations: Messy Church - Reaching the Unchurched: Street Pastors: The Church Kitchen: Getting the Best From Your Church Sound and AV System: Traditional Worship - Music Workshop: Children and Youth Ministry Resources: Making the Most of Gift Aid: Engage: Can Your Church Make a Difference?: Preparing Yourself to Teach Children: Children's Work Within the Life of the Church: Promoting Your Church: How to Inform Your Local Community about What

Happens in Your Church:

If interested in attending any, please email or text the church. For further information, see www.churchresourcesonline.com or visit the church office notice board.

Congratulations to all the School of Disciples students who graduated on Sunday 15th January. The graduation ceremony was wonderful and the testimonies of the students were inspiring. The 2012 S.O.D. year had started with a bang! It's still possible to enrol on this life changing course.

Please see Bro Wale for application form.

Congratulations to the following members who were blessed with bouncing babies in the month of January:

Sis Honeybell & Bro Abbey Baby Boy

Sis Joanne & Bro Ade Baby Girl

Sis Janine & Bro Chinedum Baby Girl