Harlestone RoadSeventh-Day Adventist Church

Newsletter Issue 4 - April 2015

“The winter is past, the rain has gone,

the flowers appear on the earth.”

Song of Soloman2:11-12

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Dear Church, Christianity is about moving from darkness to light. We who were in darkness are now in light,

so we have the responsibility to bring others who are in darkness to that light. This is our commission. It’s the duty of all of us and we

are accountable and responsible as children of the light. The Bible says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people that you should

show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” 1 Peter 2:9. We were in darkness before God called us into his light.

When we are in darkness we do not know what is happening around us. We are totally ignorant. To be precise, we are in our sinful nature. We feed our selfish desires no matter what happens to others and this becomes our ultimate purpose. This is all because we have no connection with the LIGHT - Jesus, who has called us to be the light of the world. Paul says, “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.” Romans 1:29

But the good news is that we are no more in darkness when we are called according to His purpose. Therefore we need to walk in the light. Now that we are in the light, we need to introduce others to this marvellous light. Jesus lived among the people, moved among them, reached their needs, healed the sick, cast out the devil, fed the hungry. Nothing was done with a plan of self-glory, but to help others. When we are in the light, we will also be able to accomplish that same mission. We are expected to walk in that light. When we really know Him, our vision will be improved and we can see perfectly well what our real condition is. Beholding Him we will be changed into His likeness. He was full of kindness to everyone who was in darkness. Many a time we are proud, bold and self-serving, without being aware of it. Unless we give them up, we will remain in darkness. When we surrender self willingly “..we become a new creature, old things are passed away...” 2 Corinthians 5:17

If we are going to reach people for Christ, then we must seek out lost people, care for them, fellowship with them, share the truth and teach them how to live and how to give their lives to Christ. Follow the example of Jesus and you will be an effective witness for Christ! From the pen of inspiration — ‘Let every worker in the Master’s vineyard study, plan and devise methods to reach the people where they are. We must do something out of the common course of things. We must arrest the attention. We must be deadly in earnest. We are on the very verge of times of trouble and perplexities that are scarcely dreamed of ’. Evangelism 122, 123.

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and honour and praise your Father which is in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16. May God bless us richly as we reach to others. Blessed campaign!

Called fromDarkness to Light Pastor Paul

We have been honoured to host 2 fundraising concerts in the past few months. On the 14th February, we

hosted the first of these concerts, with proceeds going to the Malawi Floods Disaster Appeal. Our very own brother Moses helped to arrange the event along with the Malawi Adventists of the UK. The audience, who had gathered together from all over the UK, brought a lot of energy and sang with much joy, whilst showing compassion for the plight of friends and family back home in Malawi.

The fundraising efforts on the night were definitely innovative and they clearly worked as over £1000 was raised! It’s not too late to donate to the cause either, as they have a separate fundraising page setup for all who would like to contribute to the aid that is still needed in stricken parts of Malawi:http://www.gofundme.com/m6tge4

Monies raised will be used to buy food for many of the victims, in conjunction with ADRA Malawi who are already assisting over 30,000 flood victims.

To find out more about the Malawi Adventists in the UK, see their website:http://www.mau.org.uk/

The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.2 Samuel 22:29

MalawiFloodsFundraising Concert

Meet theDeaconessesWe are happy to be invited to introduce ourselves and to give a brief overview of the role we undertake within the Harlestone Road Church, here in Northampton.

At the head of the team is Sister Juliette Fuller who has held this post for the past 7 years, although she has been a deaconess for 9 years. The team comprises: Sister Maxine Crossley, Sister Maxine Barrett, Sister Perpetua Rangarira and Sister Ingrid Sharpe. Each one has served the Church as a deaconess for a number of years. The total number of years they have served between them is almost 30!

The professional backgrounds of the deaconesses, apart from being wives and mothers, encompasses a range of professions such as Bible worker, Social worker, Mental Health professional, as well as teaching, nursing, child care and general care work. All such training, qualifications and experience informs and enhances our work as deaconesses.

The team are committed to the Church as baptised Seventh-Day Adventists and undertake our duties in such a way as to uphold the beliefs and values of our beloved Church. We believe that the Seventh-Day Adventist Church is the “Remnant Church” of the Bible, called to “Keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” Revelation 12:17, in these last days before Jesus comes again. Consequently, the focus of our work is to help and encourage the brethren in the faith, both practically and spiritually.

We are reminded of the work of Dorcas before she died (and afterwards was resurrected) which the Bible says of her, “this woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did... and all the widows stood by him(Peter) weeping and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made while she was with them.” Acts 9:39-43. Whilst we do not claim such things for ourselves we seek to follow our Saviour in reaching out to others for their benefit and His glory.

Much work is done in visiting the members who are sick or housebound and doing what we can to help and cheer. Bible readings and prayers are offered on their behalf so that members do not feel left out or forgotten. Visiting the sick in hospital, whether members or not, is also work carried out, as is giving Bible studies, along with accompanying the Pastor on pastoral visits.

Not only do we work outside the Church, but within its precincts too. One of our main functions is to organise and prepare equipment and facilities for the Holy Communion service and the Service of Humility (the feet washing service prior to Holy Communion). All the table linen, towels and serviettes are specially laundered and the unleavened bread is baked and the wine made ready prior to the service, to ensure the smooth running of both services. This is so that during these special and sacred services, which remind us of our Lord’s suffering and death for our sins, the Church can immerse itself in the solemnity of the services. The aim is to bring about re-consecration of ourselves to our Saviour.

After these services we visit (with the Pastor) the sick and housebound so that they can also partake in the Holy Communion. Thereby we engage with those brethren who are unable to attend Church.

Other duties include making full preparation for baptismal services (along with the deacons). Much preparation is needed to make these services special and memorable for the candidates, their families and friends and for the Church as a whole. Baptism is the public declaration of a person’s acceptance of Jesus as their personal Saviour and not as a rite or just a Church sacrament. Acts 2:38,41 shows baptism signifies repentance and remission for sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit and membership into the Church. Romans 6:3,4 tells us, “That as many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into His death. Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

It is our prayer that God will teach and guide us in the way we should go and that our ministry will be a blessing to every member and our Church friends. We seek to show the love of Jesus for every person and for His prayer to be fulfilled in our Church, that we may be one as He is with the Father, (John 17:11,21) in reaching out to each other and those in our community.

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Not to keep you in suspense for any longer, the person who received the highest nominations for the Happiest Person in Highlands Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist Church was Sis Elvida Hildyard (pictured below). “Congratulations to you our dear Sister!” I’m sure anyone who knows Sis Elvida, even in passing, cannot disagree or feel that the vote may have been rigged! Many will now know that Sis Elvida and her dear husband Victor have been working tirelessly over 10 years to develop the Nyotastar Christian Charity, to transform the lives of many adults, but especially children in a poor remote region in Tanzania. This influence of kindness and happiness has been felt, not only 6000 miles away in east Africa, but evidently here in Northampton too.

In 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 the following counsel from Paul is given: ‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purpose in his heart, so let him give not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’

Below is a picture of me to remind you that I don’t always have a face like a horse that has finished the Grand National in last place! Be Happy in the Lord! “You won’t have to cross Jordan alone.”

Highlands AvenueHappy Adventists!Aubrey Davis

When I was asked by the editor to

contribute again to the newsletter, I promised that the topic would be a little lighter than the previous one on the importance of time keeping.

What could be lighter than talking about Happy Adventists!?

Seventh Day-Adventists, above all people, should be the happiest in all the world! Why? We believe Jesus Christ came down to earth to die to save us from our sins. We also believe that Jesus is coming again soon. Research has proved time and time again that our health and temperance practices, taught in the Bible and expanded

upon through the writings of Ellen G White, have resulted in a life expectancy of 10 years more than the average person! I could go on and on. So why then do so many of us have faces as long as horses?

Well, I say many of us.....but not all of us! On Sabbath 14th March 2015 the Highlands Avenue Seventh Day-Adventist church was asked to vote for the person they perceived to be the happiest person in the Church. This question was asked

for a number of reasons (certainly not to make anyone feel puffed up in anyway) but more for an opportunity of self-reflection. People may have asked the question of themselves: Do I look happy? Am I happy? What is happiness? Why am I not happy? Do I need to change? How can I change? What impression do visitors have when they see me/us?

Not for the first time in my experience I witnessed how the Lord can work to orchestrate outcomes. That same Sabbath the Moyo Sisters presented the special item. It was one they had not planned but were inspired to sing. The title was ‘I won’t have to cross Jordan alone’.

The preacher for the day was Elder Dayo who thanked the Moyo twins by saying that his sermon had been preached through their song as he was covering exactly the same topic! Later in the sermon, Elder Dayo said that it was the topic of this article, which I had submitted in an email earlier in the week, that had inspired him to preach as a topic for the message of the hour! All this to say that God is in control! (and another reason to be happy!)

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Places to visit in Northamptonshire

Abington Park

Althorp

Coton Manor Gardens

Brixworth Country Park

Salcey Forest

Castle Ashby

As we get many visitors to Harlestone Road, I thought it would be a good idea to showcase some of the local places that exhibit God’s awesome creation, especially with the spring and summer months ahead of us!

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fellowshiplunchesOne of the many great traditions that

abound within Seventh-Day Adventism is the beloved fellowship lunch. Many

people know it as ‘Potluck’, but I personally prefer the name we have given to it. So what is it and why do we do it? Pot Luck basically means ‘a meal, esp. for a large group, to which participants bring food to be shared’.

As for why we do it? I guess each church and individual have their own answers to this question. I for one am so glad that Harlestone Road has these lunches. It has helped me get to know and love our church family, with whom I share pews (or school seats in our case) each Sabbath morning. It’s a place where many friendships have formed, sermons discussed, plenty of debates had and many a comforting word and prayer offered. It’s also a place that we can get to know our visitors and answer any questions they might have, instead of just greeting them with a ‘Happy Sabbath’, swiftly followed by ‘Hope to see you again soon’. So long may our Fellowship Lunches continue

and thanks to all those involved behind the scenes. I know a lot of work goes on to make these happen.

Message from The Kitchen

We have received a message from the kitchen help which I would like to share with you all. Church - There are 3 requests we would like you ALL to consider:

1. It always seems to be the same people helpingto tidy up each week, so if others could help occasionally then that would be great.2. Can we ask church members to please bringsomething. Things like drinks and garlic bread are always needed. Or maybe even bring a dessert? That way we can have enough to serve not only ourselves but more importantly our visitors. It’s always good to have a variety of foods available to serve.3. Please can parents make sure that childrendon’t take ANY food into the corridor areas. That includes desserts (especially cakes) as a lot of mess is often made.

Thank you.

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By David Wells

In the last Harlestone Road Newsletter (Issue 3) I shared with you some of my experiences of God’s guidance and goodness

in my life. This time I’d like to build on that by sharing some of the blessings I received during my year in New Zealand. Ultimately I’d like to encourage you. If God has done and will continue to do great things for me, why not trust that He similarly can and will do great things for you?

Prior to getting to New Zealand, God blessed me with amazing answers to prayer such as obtaining my working visa within just a few days. On arriving in New Zealand the blessings continued. God showed me in very real ways that He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7), that I just have to give all my worries and concerns to Him (Psalm 55:22) and trust He is working things out for my good (Romans 8:28) and His glory.

The major blessing God provided was people: the opportunity to meet, get to know, learn from and be blessed by multiple people. God allowed me to experience tremendous love and generosity during my year away. I had experienced these blessings previously, however I think God used my year in New Zealand to open my eyes and make me more aware of and receptive to the blessings I have been receiving throughout my life. I specifically prayed for: a positive experience professionally, a church that I could serve at and good female friends. God provided these and so much more. I learnt and grew considerably, both professionally and personally. I gained a beautiful and loving church family in Brentwood Avenue SDA Church and I gained some friends that I feel privileged to share life with.

That’s a broad summary of the blessings I received during my year in New Zealand, however God also blessed me in some very specific ways. My new employers provided me with accommodation for the first 2 weeks, but after this I needed to make my own arrangements. On my first Sabbath in New Zealand, I went to church and was talking to a couple of members about my living arrangements. I only had accommodation provided for just 9 more days, but after this I would be homeless... (well, not quite – but I would have to start paying to stay in the hotel!) My concern was that letting agents worked Mon to Sat, but I worked the same hours as them (Mon-Fri) and on Saturday I didn’t want to break Sabbath. I was sharing my predicament with these church members, not expecting a solution, when they commented that they knew 2 young Adventist women who had a spare bedroom they wanted to fill. The members took my contact details to pass on and later that day I had an email from one of the women. We arranged to meet and 8 days later I moved in!

ExperiencingGod’s BlessingsSarah DeVos

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Now, not only was the accommodation shared with 2 Adventist women, it was on a direct bus route to the hospital

and the city centre, so I could get to and from work easily. The house was around 2 miles away from Mission Bay, Kohimarama and St Helier’s Bay, three beautiful east coast beaches, meaning when I went for a jog, I could run alongside the Pacific Ocean for a few miles! The rent was cheaper than anything I had seen advertised, yet the house was great. One of the women also had 2 cats, helping me miss my family cat less (who was at my parents’ home in England).

My room in the house was unfurnished – but I ended up only having to buy a bed. Between church family and colleagues I was provided with everything else I needed: a chest of drawers, bedside table, bedside lamp, desk, and a full length mirror – all were given or lent to me! As I mentioned earlier, I was struck by the generosity and helpfulness of others – God met my needs through people who were willing to be used by Him.

Through all of this, I could see God caring for me (1 Peter 5:7). He knew I needed accommodation, but I wouldn’t have thought to ask Him for a place to rent that was cheaper than anything I had seen, in a nice area, on the bus route to my hospital, with 2 Adventist women. He provided exactly what I needed (Philippians 4:19), down to the smallest details. He showed me I didn’t have to worry about anything, because He was (and is) looking out for me (Matthew 6:25-34) – I just needed to keep seeking Him first and His righteousness, and He would provide all I needed (Matthew 6:33).

A month later, I was looking for a car to buy, as getting around Auckland by public transport can sometimes be challenging. Again God provided – this time through a church member whose brother owned a car dealership. He sold me an affordable, economical and reliable vehicle which worked well for my year, helping me travel the length of the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It was also far better than anything else I had seen advertised for a similar price, and I was subsequently able to sell it on when I was leaving.

These are just a few examples of how God blessed me; however my year away wasn’t all smooth-sailing. There were rough patches and difficult times. There were times when I felt alone and struggled with challenges, but God repeatedly showed me that beyond the shadow of a doubt, He cares (1 Peter 5:7) and He answers prayers (Matthew 7:7,8). He cares about the small details of our lives as well as the big picture.

He provides for us no matter where in the world we might be (Psalm 139:9,10). Also, as described above, He does IMMEASURABLY MORE than we can ask, hope or even imagine! (Ephesians 3:20,21).

I’ve barely scratched the surface of the blessings I received during my year in New Zealand, but I hope the sample I’ve shared with you will encourage you to try for yourself how good following God can be. As Psalm 34:8-10 says: ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him’ and those who fear the Lord and seek Him lack nothing – I can certainly testify to that. Like all of us, Iam undeserving of God’s kindness and mercy, but He freely bestows it – so, just seek Him first, ask Him and be prepared to be blessed... beyond your wildest dreams!

SanctificationJourney - Part 2Working Towards Spiritual Perfection

The whole Bible supports the idea of progressing toward spiritual perfection in our Christian lives. It is what Paul longed for and spoke about in Phil 3:12, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus”.

Spiritual perfection has everything to do with Jesus Christ. Not with rules and regulations. Not with how we dress or what we do or do not do. It is about being absolutely committed to following after Christ Jesus. To be more like Him. To think like Him. To act like Him. To love like Him.

This spiritual growth happens by the grace of God as He blesses our efforts. Philippians 2:12-13 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Thus we work and God works – we cooperate with God.

Our work involves the personal struggle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. We need to be intentional in taking on sin patterns and defeating them by the power of the Spirit and to the glory of God. We need to make ambitious strides in:

• Scripture memorisation/meditation

• Prayer

• Character development

We should yearn to reach the end of our days here on earth knowing that we never rested in our efforts to grow to maximum Christlikeness. We should fear lying on our deathbed and groaning, knowing that we let some lust or sin habit rob us of the best years of our lives on earth.

This is God’s will, that we make progress after conversion, on a journey towards being like Christ, that we call ‘sanctification’.

By Sheryl Lawrence

The 2nd concert that we recently hosted was on Saturday 7th March, when the recipient of our fundraising efforts was the Nyatostar Christian Centre in Tanzania. It’s a Christian orphanage which Sister Elvida (from Highlands Avenue

Church) has worked tirelessly alongside her husband Victor, to establish and support.

Another enjoyable and blessed evening was had by all. Guests included The Golden Chords, The Tuckley Twins, Essence of Grace and the Northamptonshire Youth Praise Team. Compare for the evening was the ever dependable Brother McKenzie. Food was served afterwards and the total raised on the night was £730. We pray that the Lord will bless this money and help it to reach the young children in Tanzania.

NyatostarFundraising Concert

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I am the kind of person who loves to travel, visit different countries and get to know the people, the food and the culture. When I came to the UK it was a culture shock for me. People’s mentality, their lifestyle and quality of life is totally different.

Wherever you go in this world, one thing you can be certain of, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church is your family. This wasn’t any different when Lori and I first

visited Harlestone Road Church. We felt at home instantly.

There are a few differences though, in the way of Sabbath observance and I would like this time to tell you about how we prepare for the Sabbath in Transylvania.

We plan our Sabbaths and our meals way before. We organise our whole week

around the Sabbath. We make sure the Sabbath is the most special time of the week, therefore we cook special food. Food that you don’t usually cook on weekdays. We bake cakes and have a special Friday night dinner (this can be anything that you don’t necessarily eat during the week to have that special feel to it, something that the whole family

enjoys), a special Sabbath morning breakfast (this includes bread and different home-made spreads: aubergine, lentil,

Sabbath inTransylvaniaBy Beti Soos

chickpea, beans etc) and a special Sabbath lunch, which includes a soup and a second course followed by dessert (usually some kind of home baked cake or fruit salad).

We don’t have pot luck’s at church, therefore everyone cooks enough, just in case there are people visiting the church that we can invite home for lunch. This is good to get to know people and you can be sure if you ever visit any Seventh-Day Adventist church in Transylvania, that you most certainly get invited to somebody’s home for lunch.

We do have a Friday night divine service in church, lasting for an hour. We then have the Sabbath morning service that starts with the prayer hour (this is a half-hour sermonette, meditation on a Scripture, followed by prayers). This is followed by the Sabbath School in groups and the divine service at 11 o’clock.

The church has got a choir that sings every Sabbath before and after the divine service. This is an important part of the church service and you will not find an SDA church in Transylvania without a choir and also no divine service passes without a performance from the choir.

After that you go home for lunch and return to church one hour before sunset (in the winter) for another divine service and to close the Sabbath. In the summer the latest gathering time for the afternoon divine service is from 7 pm to 8 pm. The sun sets a bit later than that but people usually stay in church and spend time together to catch up or go to the park for a walk.

Very often the young people would have a social after sunset which is held at the church in a different room and is supervised by the pastor or the youth leader. They play interactive games and also bring some nibbles. They sing together and chat.

I miss those times when I was part of all this, but life takes us to different places and it is good to be in the House of the Lord wherever we are.

Think of a loving shepherd. He loves his sheep more than any other thing he owns - but one of his sheep has a broken leg. It

looks so shaggy and bedraggled and as it bleats pitifully on the top of a cliff, the shepherd looks on and groans inwardly.

The shepherd will have to wait to rescue his little pet from the top of the cliff because it will have to be still for him. It has to stop struggling and seeking to rescue its self. He knows that once it is still, it will lose the danger of hurting itself any more.

Finally, the sheep realises that there is no point in struggling and it sinks down, totally helpless and exhausted. It is now that the shepherd can help the sheep back onto safe and sure ground and can mend its broken leg.

Think of an attentive birdwatcher. He loves his birds more than any other thing he owns - but one day he finds that a small robin has broken its wing. It looks so battered and rough and the birdwatcher wants to help it so much.

He reaches down to pick her up so that he can fix her broken wing, but the little bird only feels the pain and doesn’t know that the birdwatcher is helping her. The

birdwatcher whispers reassuring words to the robin. He says that she will have to lie still in his hand if she wants him to take away this pain, to fix her broken wing.

If we are hurting, or have a broken wing or leg, then we will have to lie still so that the Master Shepherd and the Master Birdwatcher can mend all of our brokenness. He whispers to us softly, in His word, that he can take away all of our pains. Jesus had His heart broken, so He is the only one who can totally heal our broken hearts.

Once you have fully surrendered yourself to Him you will realise that you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the entire world. In fact, you will realise that if your wing was fixed completely you would fly away.

But what does it mean to lie completely still in the arms of Jesus?

We must fully surrender our whole life to Him. That means surrendering our sinful tendencies to take on the godly characteristics of Jesus. Once we give our lives to Him He will help us through a divine miracle to become like Him. What is God’s character like?

‘And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.’ Exodus 34:5-7

So what will happen when God’s character is displayed in His people?

‘When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.’ Christ Object Lessons p69.

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT

I AM GODBy Louisa

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I asked for strength that I might achieve;I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things;I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I had asked for,but everything that I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

It is said that all of a sudden there were no Atheists when the Titanic was sinking. In the immediate terror of facing virtually certain death in a freezing sea, thousands of travellers were desperately calling on God, Allah, Father, Yahweh for any kind of protection and

safety.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14,15 NKJV)

Folks around the world pray in many various ways and God assures us in the text above that he hears our prayers on this one condition: that what we ask is in accordance with His Will. There are times we pray earnestly and with honest intentions yet the things we yearn so prayerfully for just don’t seem to come our way at the time when we want or need it so badly. Why? Why do our prayers seem to pass so often, unanswered? Maybe this verse ‘Answered Prayer’ might hold a clue:

Answered PrayerBy Michael Davis

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I’m always fascinated by some of the prayers I hear. Have you ever said one like this?“And Father, we want to remember Sister

Johnson who went on vacation to Zimbabwe and caught Malaria while she was there. She was admitted to the University Hospital on Wednesday and although she’s in ward 5B, she is not receiving visitors at the moment. Please remember her in her moment of crisis.”

What is happening in this prayer? It sounds as if God is completely oblivious to Sister Johnson’s situation. He did not know that she was on vacation and had contracted the illness there and has since been hospitalised. So we have to inform Him. Or, in the middle of our prayer, we cease talking to God and use the prayer to inform the congregation of Sister Johnson’s situation.

When I hear prayers like this, they throw off my concentration because the person saying the intercessory prayer in worship is supposed to approach God as our spokesperson. I want him or her to be speaking the sentiments of my heart; otherwise, how can I say the ‘amen of agreement’ at the end?

Far too often intercessory prayers seem to be long recitations of well-worn clichés, meanderings or even sermonettes. The bulletins may as well list some of them as sermons because the person praying is preaching to the congregation. In one church, it was so long that

the elder’s daughter fell asleep whilst kneeling! Usually, when the 10-15 minute prayer finally winds down, after numerous hopeful, but false endings, and we hear the welcomed words, ‘’We ask these things through the name of Jesus” indicating that it is finally finished, the congregation sighs, offering the ‘amen of relief ’, and we begin rubbing our sore knees and return to our seats. A few people have been known to make a mental note of who was praying and determine to step outside whenever he or she is scheduled to pray again. This shouldn’t be though. The intercessory prayer is one of the most significant aspects of corporate worship. Yet, it is rarely taught. It is perhaps the most intimate aspect of worship when the entire congregation is of one mind, everyone focussed on the words used to express our adoration, praise, thanksgiving and desires to the Creator, our heavenly Father. Instead, it seems a chore to get through, a burden to set aside. The wonderful privilege of worshipping God through the intercessory prayer is missed and the experience of drawing close to Him and being filled with His Spirit is lost.

As with all true worship, the most meaningful and fulfilling experience, when it comes to worshipping God through prayer, is realised when prayer is a response to who God is. In the next issue of the newsletter we will expand on that thought. We will also look at how we should be praying.

A Community PrayerBy Maxine B

Bless our eyes dear Lord that they may be opened to the needs of others in our community.

Bless our ears dear Lord that we hear your words of truth as the Holy Spirit directs our path to the needs of others in our community.

Bless our mouth dear Lord that as we speak you will season our words with the sweetness of heaven as we proclaim the gospel message of salvation meeting the needs of others in our community.

Bless our hands dear Lord that we may use them to labour and distribute personal invitation from you to others in our community.

Bless our knees dear Lord as we pray before your throne of grace earnestly pleading for others in our community.

Bless our feet dear Lord that they will be beautiful as we bring peace glad tidings of good things from you to others in our community.

Bless our minds body and soul dear Lord fill us with your Holy spirit and use us as your vessel to reach out to others in our community.

Thank you dear Lord for the breath of life that you have breathed into us, all because of your love. And that is what everything is all about… LOVE. Love for God and love for others in our community.

Submitted by Joan Fuller

Public Prayer 101 - Part 1

St James CEVA Primary School, Harlestone Road, Northampton, NN5 7AGhttp://northampton.adventistchurch.org.uk

Church Info and ContactsJoin us on Sabbath (Saturday) mornings.Bible Study (Sabbath school) from 10am

Divine Worship from 11.15am.Fellowship Lunch from 1pm

Afternoon Programme from 2pm--------------------------------------

Pastor - Paul Dhanaraj - 07445 318778 Church Elder - Lloyd Sterling - 01604 591117

Newsletter Editor - David Wells - dwells1972@hotmail.co.uk