MCC BLOG

Well we just had the call this morning that the team from the Princes Trust have chosen our project for their community project this year. That means that we have a team of 12 or so older teenagers and some in the early twenties, helping us with the revamp @ West End Impact. This is excellent news and we are looking forward to working with these young enthusiastic young people. Some of them have already shown great interest in the work we do at WEI and are really wanting to do a great job for us. One of them has plastering skills so that’s going to be very useful. They will also ring round all the local companies to ask for donations of paint, and other materials. So this is really good news and we can’t wait to see the finished product. This does not mean less work for our team though, as we will have to be on site helping, getting stuck in , supervising and encouraging at all times, but it is a wonderful opportunity. The project will also get some press coverage and a visit from the Mayor. So its all good stuff. Yet another answer to prayer.

On Sunday we had an amazing time at MCC!!! It was baby Esthers dedication, which is very similar to a Christaining. It was packed!! We didn’t have enough chairs its a good job the kids were free to roam around and do colouring and play at the back. The power point presentation that Neil did was amazing and he should put it on our website. Michl’s message was ace and everyone there seemed really enjoy it and be touched and moved in some way. Ian Hamilton read amazingly! The food was scrumptious too!! Many people there hadn’t been in a church for a long time or even never been in a church and they were surprised at how comfortable they felt. People kept saying things like ‘this is normal its not like church.'’ It’s relaxed and the kids are not told to shush and sit down.’ We usually have an age appropriate kids programme after the singing which normally takes about half an hour, then they go away and have loads of fun whilst we hear a message and other things (video, drama or what ever happens). In the NEW YEAR we are starting a series for the kids called BOB building on basics which is a great fun way for the kids to learn about the Christian faith. Well we had a great time on Sunday and a few said they would come back again. I hope they do we look forward to it. 10.30 for tea coffee and cake and we start the service at around 10.50 am See you there!! Oh I forgot to say that it was extra special on Sunday because Emma and Neil were told they would never have children and Esther is their second daughter. Lauren their first daughter is 3 today!! What miracles!!

I had a letter this week that really moved me. At first I thought it was just another of the many letters we get asking for a donation, but it wasn’t - it was asking for my signature. It was asking me to be a voice against the horrors of sex trade in this country. It gave an example of a girl  at the age of 18, who had been sold by her father into the sex trade in Eastern Europe. She was kept in captivity for seven months in Italy and then smuggled into the UK. She is not an isolated case but is one of 10,000 in the major cities of this country. 50% of this trade is fueled by the demand created through adverts in our local newspapers. It is time to put our faith into action and stop the slave trafficking of innocent girls. That’s why premier Radio have started this campaign ‘Not For Sale’. They would appreciate donations of course for this campaign but all you need to do is sign a form saying your against the sex trade and trafficking in the UK and your signature will be sent with many others to the Newspaper Society which serves 1,300 newspapers across the UK. I can do you a copy of the letter to sign or I am sure you will find it online at the Premier Radio website. Just remember that one signature is usually taken as the view of 1,000 people when doing surveys so you signature means a lot and the more signatures we can gathered the better. We can stop 50% of the trade which is fueled by our local newspapers. That’s big!!

Well I thought Michl’s talk on Courage, which is one of subject we’re tackling in this message series, was great!! Courage is not the absense of fear, but the realisation that something is so important that you have to do something about it. The courage to look at yourself and re-ivaluated you character or life style or issues. Seeing a mountain that takes your breath away, however big or small that may be in your situation, and being able to overcome it. For some people little things are big things but as we become more couragous they get smaller. We have to set ourselves aims and goals. Get out of bad habbits, get rid of a sense of failure, don’t let our history effect our destiny. Of course we can’t do this without the help of the Holy Spirit and the encouragement of one another. Anyway it was a great message and we will be dicussing it further on Wednesday in our small group at West End Impact from 10 am to 11.45. You can also here the message from Sunday online www.mcc.uk.com its as great message don’t miss out. Hope Neil’s managed to get it on!!

Just to remind everyone that Impact Youth starts again this evening!!! A new day a new time and hopefully some new young people. At the beginning of a new school year there are always a lot of people making new starts and getting into new routines and we hope that a new fresh start to IMPACT youth will bring lots of excitement, enthusiasm and encouragement. This is not an easy project and it comes with many challenges, but we pray that we can share the life and love of God with many young people in Morecambe and see the amazing difference that can bring. Can you imagine if we could give the CSO’s a rest in the West End of Morecambe because of the amazing things God is doing amongst the young people there. Please pray that this will happen as that is our aim.

Okay - so I’ve had a couple of hours to my self and actually had chance to think for a change, hence two posts in quick succession!

First of all, let me say I’m especially thankful to God for the beautiful weather we’ve had up here in Scotland whilst we’ve been on holiday. Normally, in Scotland, it rains. Last year we came here, and the rest of the country had reasonable weather I seem to remember. Here, it was sunny on the day we travelled here, sunny on the day we travelled back, and tipping it down every single day in between. And by that, I mean serious Scottish Highland rain, not the half-hearted stuff we get in Lancashire. But here, this week, so far it’s been sunny. We’ve had some lovely days out, seen some lovely scenery, Lauren has built countless sandcastles, and run into the sea fully clothed at least once. So praise the Lord!

I put my time to good use and went out for a walk along the beach. Me being me, I didn’t let a huge outcrop of rocks (which turned out to be a small cliff) hinder me - it was my walk, and I wasn’t going to let a small thing like the fact that I’m not a rock climber spoil my fun, and anyway, I wanted to buy Lauren a treat at the shop a mile or so down the road (a magazine with some felt-tip pens, maybe not such a great idea!) So to cut a long story short, I ended up climbing over some rather impressive rocks. Great fun, and glad I got back in one piece.

There is however a serious point to this tale. Emma was talking this week something about “isn’t it amazing that all this happened by two bits of dust colliding”. I’m attaching some photos I’ve taken this week (could this be a new hobby?) just using my phone, but they show the beauty that God’s capable of creating. How can people say that that happened by chance?

OK - so by the law of averages eventually it would have happened, but how unlikely that we would end up with it!!

My friend Ann-Marie e-mailed this around to a few of us… thought it was worth posting! Very thought provoking, and certainly a sign of how our world is going…

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That’s no offence; it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all
In silence alone we must meditate,
God’s name is prohibited by the state.

We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the ‘unwed daddy,’ our Senior King.
It’s ‘inappropriate’ to teach right from wrong,
We’re taught that such ‘judgements’ do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It’s scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen !

Well it’s kinda good, after things have been a bit different over the summer holidays, to get back into the swing of things again. Our small group started up again on Wedenesday which was good, youth club and the ‘EXPECTATION’ cafe will be back next week. Oh an youth club is starting at an all new time and day. Zofia thought she would try an earlier time on a Wednesday to see how that goes, as kids tend to get bored mid-week. Some renevations are already on the way at WEI in preparation for the big revamp in October, so that’s all good!! Please pray that the weather will brighten up a bit so that we can have our roof fix at the front as the leak is now causing damp in the cellar. We have someone lined up to do the job but he can’t possibly work in this weather. Zofia and I are going on a seminar about debt counselling on Monday called ‘Debt Doctors’ which should be interesting. This is with a view to setting something up at West End Impact. Obviously with the economic climate as it is a the moment this is a very poignant issue and a much needed service. CAB are swamp with people needing help with debt and financial issues at the moment.

On Sunday we will start a new series on Character - or dying character traits. So please come it will be very interesting - Coffee tea and cakes at 10.30 am as usual - see ya there!!!

Talk about church life being varied and full of surprises. I had a phone call from Radio 4 again this morning, who are writing a documentary on the ‘Regeneration of Morecambe’. This isn’t the first time that people have been in touch with us who are doing the very same thing. Do you remember James Ball who filmed us last year? Anyway sometime next week someone from Radio 4 will be coming up to West End Impact, I already talked at length to a lady called Sam some months ago and again this morning to Ian. So that will be something to look forward to next week - I just hope that what I say will be a good representation of all that goes on a West End Impact and the work that we do there in God’s strength and guidance. When I talk at length about what happens at WEI, it makes me realise afresh what a great work God is doing through us and really we are hitting the mark in so many ways. I am reminded again, and a little frustrated, that there really isn’t much out there in the way of help for the people that visit it us on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Who else can deal with the deep seated issues that we see every week, people with no sense of purpose, no motivation, lack of self-esteem, lack of self worth. People who are lacking the motivation to even get up and walk in a morning never mind find a job. They don’t even know how to speak to anyone properly in an interview because of a lack of communication skills, how could they when some of them go for days without even speaking to anyone, let alone have a deep conversation with a family member or loved one. Some have never experience being really cared for and who’s job is it to care for them now? Well I think it’s ours, as the church, as a bunch of Christian believers who experience the love of God and the love and fellowship of each other, we should have something to offer. I guess that sums it up really. How that works practically is the hard bit when we are such a small group, but I think we do the best with what we have and we are always looking to do more. Man-power and funding are always the issues, but it will happen, slowly but surely it will happen.

Thank you for everyone who took part in the sponsored walk in the rain yesterday

It just opened my eyes to what it really is like to be homeless.

At least we could come home and get warm dry and showered.

My clothes were not just wet they were cold and covered in grime.

Imagine never bieng warm and dry, and just having to take what ever food is on offer.

At least we did a small thing to help them.

But my prayer is that someone one day will give us a house in morecambe that will provide shelter, for the many vunerable people in this area.

Hopefully this is your prayer to please pray or if you have any spare buildings pray about there use.

I long for the day we can do more than provide food and a sleeping bag.