life times nov dec 2014
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NEW LIFE CHURCH CANTERBURY
LIFE TIMES
ISSUE 8:NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2014
GRAND DESIGN
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Message from Pastor Aaron
My wife and I enjoy watching ‘Grand designs’, a program on Channel 5
about building modern houses with ground breaking architecture and
engineering.
What really strikes me about this program is the determination and
passion of the builders and what they are able to achieve in the end when
sometimes it seems all the odds are against them. Watching this program
makes me appreciate that to achieve something extraordinary, you must
be prepared to break the mould and do unconventional things.
Occasionally when we look at our circumstances, it seems God’s design
for our lives is unconventional compared with the lives of those around
us. It sometimes seems we are heading in the opposite direction of where
we ought to be. One such life was the life of David; soon after he was
anointed king over Israel, he found himself not in the palace but in a
cave. He became a fugitive instead of a figurehead in the land he was
destined to lead.
Everything about his life was unconventional and I am sure he must have
on occasion been tempted to take matters into his own hands and
orchestrate his way into the palace. When an opportunity came for him
to slay Saul, then king of Israel, he resisted temptation and chose to trust
in God instead of thrusting his sword into Saul’s torso. God’s plan was to
develop in David a unique kingship that was grander than any Israel had
ever seen. The trials, troubles and squabbles in David’s life were all part
of God’s grand design to make David into a king that will transform
leadership for years to come.
Life can be fraught with many a challenge but “we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose” [Romans 8:28]. With faith, love and
perseverance you can achieve something monumental that will be a
testament of God’s grand design for your life.
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NEW LIFE @ THE HUB
The Hub is our city centre base
intended to be a place of blessing
for those in the church as well as a
resource and platform from which
we can serve and impact our City
and local community.
Strategically located at Unit 15b,
Roper Close, the building is within
easy access to the high street,
Canterbury West train station and
along a main bus route serving the
heart of the city. As well as using
the space for much needed ministry
within the church, we hope to
introduce bespoke programs that
will help the church spread the
gospel to our community.
Scripture reminds us that “the
Harvest is plentiful but the labourers
are few.” I therefore ask that you
pray for the Lord of the Harvest to
send in more labourers. I also ask
that you all step forward and offer
your service in the Lord’s harvest
field and in helping us minister
God’s love and Grace to our city .
Here are some of the programs
that will be running from The Hub; I
hope you will take full advantage
of them and where possible
volunteer to help run them.
Café Church
Every 2nd Sunday of the month.
Cre8ive Youth Night
Every 4th Friday of the month
Daughters of Destiny (Women’s
ministry) – Dates to be announced
Ignite (18-25 evening service) Every 2nd Thursday of the month
(term time only)
Inspire Dance Academy (Dance classes for under 18s) – T.B.C
(volunteers needed)
Men of Integrity (Men’s ministry)
Dates to be announced
New Life Choir
Every Monday evening
Prayer and Praise Service
Every 3rd Sunday of the month
Relate & Married/Engaged Couples Gathering
Every last Sunday of the month
Shake to wake (family sing/dance along with brunch) Every 2nd
Saturday of the month
Firm Foundations Discipleship Programme - Six week course every Monday. October - November, February to March and
June - July.
Pastor Aaron
4
5 Things
Believers
Can Learn
From The
ALS Ice Bucket
Challenge
Most of us will have seen the ALS
ice bucket challenge on social
media where celebrities all over
world have been involved in
drenching themselves in ice-cold
water in support of this cause.
Incidentally, I’ve seen that people
are also doing an ice bucket
challenge to fight Ebola, the deadly
disease that has killed many people
in Africa and round the world.
There are a lot of things we as
believers can learn from the ice
bucket challenge but let me share
just a few points to challenge you.
1. The challenge to wake up to
evangelism and discipleship
The ice bucket challenge is good -
even the Bible says we should
support those in need
“For there will never cease to be poor
in the land. Therefore I command you,
‘You shall open wide your hand to
your brother, to the needy and to the
poor, in your land.’
(Deuteronomy 15:11 ESV)
I believe if we can challenge
ourselves to spread the good news
that we have been commissioned to
by Christ (Matthew 28:18-20),
making disciples for Him and
baptising them in the name of the
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit it
would be of infinite and eternal
value.
Imagine the ALS challenge was an
evangelism tool or programme!
Millions would have heard about
the good news, millions would have
been saved - so we should use every
opportunity that we get as
believers to bring the good news to
a fallen world.
An ALS or Ebola challenge alone
wouldn’t fix the problems of this
world but only Jesus can. Believers,
let us challenge ourselves to make
Jesus known to all
. SOCIAL ISSUES BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
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2. The challenge to do good
“If there is a poor man with you, one
of your brothers, in any of your towns
in your land which the LORD your
God is giving you, you shall not
harden your heart, nor close your hand
from your poor brother; but you shall
freely open your hand to him, and
shall generously lend him sufficient for
his need in whatever he lacks.
You shall generously give to him, and
your heart shall not be grieved when
you give to him, because for this thing
the LORD your God will bless you in
all your work and in all your
undertakings. For the poor will never
cease to be in the land; therefore I
command you, saying, ‘You shall
freely open your hand to your brother,
to your needy and poor in your land.’
(Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11 NASB)
This should be a wakeup call to
believers to understand how
important it is to do good. The
Bible commands us to do good to
others but why do we find it
difficult to do so? When was the
last time you gave your service to
a good cause or donated to a good
cause? We as believers should be
the ones teaching the world (and
not them teaching us) how to do
good because our God is a good
God We mostly give to people
that we know but it shouldn’t be
that way. You will never know
how your goodness to a stranger
can turn his or her life around.
The parable of the Good
Samaritan comes into mind here
(Luke 10:25-37).
3. The challenge to boldly
declare your faith to the world
“You are the salt of the earth; but if
the salt has become tasteless, how can
it be made salty again? It is no longer
good for anything, except to be thrown
out and trampled underfoot by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city
set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does
anyone light a lamp and put it under
a basket, but on the lampstand, and it
gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light shine before men in such
a way that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father who is
in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 NASB)
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People that are doing the ALS ice
bucket challenge boldly identify
with and show their support for
this cause. Most Christians
however are hiding in their shells;
many of their friends don’t know
they are believers. I am not
saying we should be walking
about with inscriptions boldly
plastered across our faces or
holding placards professing that
we are Christians (Lol). However ,
in our talk, character and in all
the things that we do, say and are,
we should display Christ to the
fallen world and let God be
glorified in everything we do.
4. The challenge to count it all
joy when you suffer for Christ’s
sake
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when
you meet trials of various kinds, for
you know that the testing of your
faith produces steadfastness. And let
steadfastness have its full effect, that
you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing.”
(James 1:2-4 ESV)
The ice bucket challenge comes
with its own suffering of getting
wet and enduring freezing cold
temperatures but as it has been
the observation, it is all done with
joy. If the world can go through
this “pain” of getting soaked and
frozen to donate to a good cause,
how much more are we as
believers willing to suffer for the
sake of Christ? This should
challenge us to think about how
far we are willing to go and suffer
for the sake of Christ.
Even though the ALS ice bucket
challenge brings about the pain of
getting wet and feeling all cold
and comes with the benefit of
supporting a good cause, on the
flip side, suffering and enduring
the pain of life’s challenges for the
sake of Christ will be of an even
greater eternal value or worth.
...Continued on page 11
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Youth & Sunday School meet every Sunday morning and all our workers
are DBS checked.
Every third Sunday of the month .
Join us for an extended time of prayer,
thanksgiving, praise and intercession.
8
HIGHLIGHTS
Baptism Service: 7pm, Wed. 5th November. St Andrews United Reformed Church. Watling Street.
Family Brunch: 10:30-12:00pm, Sat 8th November: @ The Hub. Hosted by Praisers, Men and Women's ministry) Shake to wake up with Song and Dance for all hosted by Praisers, followed by brunch.
Reach Out Week: Sun 9th—Sat 15th November:
Youth Night: 6:30pm, Fri 28th November @ The Hub. An evening of socializing, fun, games and inspiration for 11-18’s.
HIGHLIGHTS
Christmas Ball: 6:30pm, Sat 6th December. St Stephen’s Junior School. Hales Drive.
New Life Carol Service: 10:30am, Sun 7th December. @ Woolf Lecture theatre.
INSPIRE Leadership Gathering: 7pm, Friday 19th December @ The Hub.
Saturday 20th December: Men’s & Women’s Ministries Meetings: Times and venues to be announced.
EVENTS CALENDAR
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HIGHLIGHTS
Baptism Service: 7pm, Wed. 5th November. St Andrews United Reformed Church. Watling Street.
Family Brunch: 10:30-12:00pm, Sat 8th November: @ The Hub. Hosted by Praisers, Men and Women's ministry) Shake to wake up with Song and Dance for all hosted by Praisers, followed by brunch.
Reach Out Week: Sun 9th—Sat 15th November:
Youth Night: 6:30pm, Fri 28th November @ The Hub. An evening of socializing, fun, games and inspiration for 11-18’s.
HIGHLIGHTS
Christmas Ball: 6:30pm, Sat 6th December. St Stephen’s Junior School. Hales Drive.
New Life Carol Service: 10:30am, Sun 7th December. @ Woolf Lecture theatre.
INSPIRE Leadership Gathering: 7pm, Friday 19th December @ The Hub.
Saturday 20th December: Men’s & Women’s Ministries Meetings: Times and venues to be announced.
EVENTS CALENDAR
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There are several ways to serve and
participate in the life of the Church on a
regular basis. Contact any of the ministry
leaders below to see how you can get
serving.
Admin & Comms: Caroline Agoi
CONNECT Groups: Joanna Addison
Men’s Ministry: Ps Shadreck Chikomba
Missions & Outreach: Nicholas
Stephenson
Multimedia: Pastor Will White
New Life Choir: Josh Sebu
New Life Drama: Lanre Kassim
Prayer Ministry: Ronke Adeyanju
Sunday School: Judith Stephenson
Welcome/Hospitality: Akua Berko
Women’s Ministry: Violet Chikomba
Worship team: Pastor Will White
Youth: Lanre Kassim
are a GREAT place for developing meaningful
relationships as you CONNECT with GOD, with
OTHERS and with the VISION for the Church.
We encourage everyone to take part, grow and reach out as a blessing so CONNECT
today! Groups launch mid October and will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at
different locations across the city led by the following leaders:
Amanda Naude & Rebecca Odunaike
Caroline Agoi
Daniel Acheampong & Sheyi Kuyinu
David Kasule & Jennifer Amani
Francis Darko & Christine Ofosu-Ampadu
Jed Nkansah-Yeboah & Aaron Thompson
Email [email protected] or contact [email protected] for more information on joining a group
SERVE IN MINISTRY
Joshua Sebu & Bukunmi Taiwo
Justice & Joanna Addison
Linda Mathe & Andrew Bonsu
Nii Noi & Kafui Osuteye
Shelly Anne-Fung & Abigail King
CONNECT GROUPS
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5.The Challenge of time
Remember also your Creator in the days
of your youth, before the evil days come
and the years draw near of which you
will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;
before the sun and the light and the
moon and the stars are darkened and the
clouds return after the rain, in the day
when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men are bent, and the
grinders cease because they are few, and
those who look through the windows are
dimmed, and the doors on the street are
shut—when the sound of the grinding is
low, and one rises up at the sound of a
bird, and all the daughters of song are
brought low— they are afraid also of
what is high, and terrors are in the way;
the almond tree blossoms, the
grasshopper drags itself along, and
desire fails, because man is going to his
eternal home, and the mourners go about
the streets— before the silver cord is
snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or
the pitcher is shattered at the fountain,
or the wheel broken at the cistern, and
the dust returns to the earth as it was,
and the spirit returns to God who gave
it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher;
all is vanity.
(Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 ESV)
“And just as it is appointed for man to
die once, and after that comes judgment”
(Hebrews 9:27 ESV)
It takes time to prepare yourself for
the ice bucket challenge and you
have an ultimatum of 24 hours to
take the challenge or face the
consequences of donating a $100.
We all have a limited time on earth
therefore how we use our time on
earth is really important. We can
learn from the ice bucket challenge
to value the precious time God has
given us on this earth. Spend your
time on earth wisely, doing things
that are of eternal value or not
things that will fade away. Our life
on earth is to prepare us for eternity.
Who you serve and how you spend
your life will determine your place in
eternity. Heaven or Hell depends on
what you spend your time
worshipping-the things of the world
or God? Remember your creator
whiles you have breath.
Emmanuel Amponsah
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I decided to get baptized at the age of 19, even though I had done it before and believed I had grown up a as a Christian. A lot of things have happened to me over my past 2 years at university, making me question everything I ever thought I believed in and who I thought I was as a follower of Christ. My faith was completely overturned and I was at a very low point in my life, probably the lowest. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be in
the situation I found myself in. But over the last few months I have come to know the love of God, experience his grace, which has saved and transformed me - and I’m finally starting to have a relationship with a God I thought I knew for 19 years. The journey is far from over but when they say true satisfaction and completion is found in following Christ... they really are telling the truth.
Demi
TESTIMONY
At the start of the new academic year, we launched the Love Campaign with two outreach events at Kent Uni and Canterbury Christ Church University. Hosted by the New Life Student Group committee and with help from the CONNECT Groups, the team held the three day outreach events at the universities to ‘reach out as a blessing’ to the student and staff community.
The privilege of being able to engage the student community in the city remains one that we are especially thankful to God for as the church has been able to reach countless students from all over the world through the ministry we offer on the various campuses in the city.
This September, the outreach offered students and staff the chance to explore the idea of ‘The Sweet Life’ as well as the opportunity to ‘Take A Break’ from the busy-ness of academic life to enjoy a chat and a KIT KAT.
Several of the contacts made during the outreach have started attending services and have even joined CONNECT Groups which is a fantastic testimony of the impact God can have in peoples lives when we allow His love to flow through us.
The Love Campaign will run all year round so look out for events and activities, come join in and ‘Let your light shine!’
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Moving On Into A New Season Pt II
Genesis 8:22 “Seedtime and harvest will
never cease.” ———————
Have you ever thought about which season you are in spiritually? How exactly do you “move on”? One thing is certain, Jesus said, “Follow Me”, so He is on the move. If we don’t follow Him, we will miss out on everything He has for us in this season of our lives. In the second part of this article, we take a look at how to move on and manage the transitions of life, what holds us back and how we can move forward by yielding to God’s leadership and direction So how do we move on? Firstly try to establish which season you are in. Then using the soldier, athlete and farmer principles prepare yourself for the next season. Whatever you do in your current season prepares you for the next. Words and promises for your family, church and city spoken out will create. Transition can be very strange! It is a bit like doubt between seedtime and harvest. You feel a healthy frustration. Just like children returning to “big” school in September in uniform which is too big; God does the same. You feel as if your shoes are too big not to mention your jacket sleeves too long. God is challenging you to grow.
So what holds us back? Firstly, unforgiveness or offense will stop you in your tracks. In effect your “self” life is demanding recognition for being hurt. But Jesus said, “Follow Me”. Secondly, you have to let go of the past. Everything God has given you, you are to steward. This includes your children, possessions, job and ministry. There will come a time when you have to release these back to God. The bad things, it is easy to release but He wants the good things too. You cannot receive new things if your hands are full! Finally for those of you who are in Canterbury for a season, allow God to plant you here. He wants to train and equip you. Let go of your home church, so you can move on and grow. God is calling us, New Life and Canterbury to move on. He is calling us to follow Him. So be disciplined to seek Him, know what you are called to do, sow seeds for the way forward, forgive and let go. He will always lead you in the same direction as New Life and the body of Christ in Canterbury. He will never lead you in a different direction. So, in case you have missed it .. (and there is no condemnation in Christ!) He is leading His whole church into a season of worship and resting in Him. Now, watch Him do it and join in!!!!!
Rosamund Dufort
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On Sunday mornings we come
together in a big two hour celebration
service to worship God and hear
dynamic teaching. We want Jesus to
be at the centre of everything we do
and we believe every service should
be a life changing experience for all
those who attend. You are very
welcome to join us; refreshments are
served from 10am.
Woolf College, The Pavilion,
Giles Lane. University of Kent.
Canterbury.KENT.CT2 7BQ
01227 827524
We run a minibus service all year so
feel free to hop on board if you would
like a lift to and from service on
Sundays
9:45 am: Parham Road
9:50 am: Dominos car park
10:10am: Canterbury East Station
The return journey leaves campus at
12:50pm every Sunday. Please be at
the pick up points at least five minutes
before time to avoid delays.
TRANSPORT SERVICE
We are here
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WWW.newlifecanterbury.org l @NLCCanterbury l /NLCcanterbury
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