DEAR FRIENDS....

DEAR FRIENDS..... we are writing to say that about 40 members and friends of the church will be travelling to Torquay for a weeks holiday tomorrow morning. We will update the blog as and when we can upon return. In the mean time, we are grateful to our assistant senior leader Carl, who will be leading morning worship at our church centre at 10.30am on Sunday morning. DON'T MISS SUNDAY 1ST JUNE which will return to the school at 10.30am, for THE EVENT - this month being a Songs of Praise. There will not be a meal to follow. As part of this special meeting we have the welcome into membership of about four people.

Sunday 8th June: we welcome for the day, guest speakers Majors Jenine and Paul Main

Sunday 15th June: as part of our morning celebration we will be enrolling some new junior soldiers as we will also be doing so on Sunday 22nd June.

TWENTY FOUR ACCEPT JESUS!

FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS, The Kingdom Kids have been exploring what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and how the impact of Jesus in a believers life is amazing. This evening, after a week of prayer from members of the church, twenty four young people prayed the prayer of Salvation and invited Jesus Christ to be a part of their lives. It was a very moving experience to see so many make a response, and then praying. PLEASE do pray for these children as they move on with Jesus, and that they will keep growing in Him in the weeks and months to come - guess really its about watching this space!

ASHFORDS GOT TALENT....

As part of their annual appeal challenge, the Kingdom kids are holding this very special event in June. To order your tickets see the children's ministries officer, Clare, or a Junior Soldier in the church. Please support this important event

OUTREACH GROWS AND CONTINUES

THE SOUTH ASHFORD OUTREACH into the heart of Stanhope continues every Thursday, under the leadership of Envoy Val Barkley, supported by District Pastor Elsie Willis and team. This week over sixty people attended the 'drop in' which provides FREE refreshments, and opportunity to chat and meet with friends, as well as make friends. The project is bringing in people of all ages, and each week it is good to see regular faces as well as new ones. For further information contact Envoy Val

NEW MEMBER WELCOMED

EUNICE WESTPFEL was welcomed today as a member of our church family. Eunice has been attending the church for some months now, and came after an invitation from her older daughter Caroline, who is a soldier at the church. Eunice came also with her other daughter, Sarah-Jane and her son, Charlie. The 'ceremony' was held in the church's quiet room, and was a private ceremony, attended by her two daughters, and supported by our discipleship officer, Lyn (pictured to the left of the picture). Captain Susan Woodgate is also pictures (far right). We thank God for the blessing of a new member in the family.

DEEPER.....

DEEPER tonight was an amazing night - you missed a very special time. We looked at similar to last time, to start with, the impact of the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. We then shared some of the amazing testimonies coming from days of refreshing in Florida, and how God is reviving His People and people are coming to Salvation. We recognised the importance that our own hearts were ready for a visitation from God, that there was room in our hearts for Him, and tha we were reaching out for the blessing - not for our Glory, or the Glory of The Salvation Army - but for the Glory of GOD. And as we prayed, God's spirit descended, as we prayed God released to speak words and see pictures - and as we prayed His Spirit continued to minister. One person requested prayer and God's power was so strong He fell under the touch of His Spirit. A further person then was over come by the Power of the Spirit and the testified to feeling that they were burning, this released someone else to share the same, and to say they felt they were burning, and they recognised that God was there! God then brought people to their knees, His Spirit touched us, and we were blessed. We pray others will be because we have been - we do not want to keep this blessing to ourselves. Maybe you did not come tonight because you were tired, or you did not have the passion or desire to. We pray with all our hearts you will have a desire to ensure time is set aside to meet with God through these opportunities, because you too, are a person God is wanting to bless tonight.

if you want to know more about the blessing and power of God, then contact us today, and we will pray with and for you.

NEXT SUNDAY

Advance notice: Next Sunday being the week of the church holiday, thus about 40 attending this, sunday morning worship will take place at our church centre and will be led by our assistant senior leader, Carl. There will only be morning worship.

CHRISTIAN RESOURCES EXHIBITION

A mini bus full of people, driven by Bob Shrubb, attended this years Christian Resources Exhibition at Esher. As always there was lots to see, try and explore, and of course senimars to attend.

ADULT MINISTRIES RALLY

a good number from the church attended the divisional adult ministries rally held at tunbridge wells on Wednesday. It was a great day, featuring a wide range of different people, and guest speaker Commissioner Margaret Taylor. Captain Sue sang solos in the morning, and Ian was pianist throughout the day. As always good opportunity for us as family to share with the wider family, and we are grateful to the team who arranged the day

SUNDAY 18TH MAY 2008

Our guest speakers today were Captain Christine and Captain Norman Ord, from the William Booth College. It was special, and we are thankful to God for the way He used the captains to challenge, as well as inspire and stir up His People. It was good to see so many people gathering together this morning at the school, where Captain Norman spoke on living by faith, looking at the life of Caleb. Disciple College saw a good number gather where Captain Christine gave some good sound teaching on Living by Faith, from Jeremiah. Worship throughout the day was led by the senior leaders, supported by the Radiate Worship Team. Throughout the day various people have responded to the opportunity to pray and to be prayed with, and again testifying to the closeness of God's Presence.

AND THERE'S MORE

GOD CONTINUES TO REMIND US THAT HE HAS NOT FINISHED WITH HIS CHURCH IN ASHFORD YET.....in the last couple of weeks we have seen a number of people wanting to become members of the church, and also young people sharing in some studies for being junior soldiers (members) - these are special days and we thank God for what He is doing among His People

PENTECOST SUNDAY - 11TH MAY 2008

PENTECOST SUNDAY started with our morning worship meeting - well attended - and some great worship with songs including Holy Spirit rain down, Send a new touch of Power, Great is the Darkness, He is the Lord, Send the Fire, Dare to be different and For the Mighty Moving of The Spirit. Rachel Whitewood shared a helpful All Age Presentation, taking a picture of her dad and asking the children to paint it and make it better. From here Rachel shared how God wants us to be different when His Spirit comes into our lives. The meeting also included our annual appeal challenge exploration with a powerpoint presentation of pictures exploring what our challenge to raie £40 will go towards. Captain Ian spoke and spoke on 'Send a new touch of Power'. Taking John 20, he looked at how Jesus teaches us what The Touch of His Spirit brings, what the coming of God into our lives and situations really mean. Here we see how God brings to us His breath (new life), Peace, Joy and then a sending out to get on with this amazing life we have in Him. Time to pray and respond afterwards used songs such as I'm in His Hands (played dreadfully by Ian who was in the wrong key for about five minutes) and concludign with The Spirit of the Lord is on me now.

DISCIPLE COLLEGE was good...we started with a look at Scripture and what God teaches about His Spirits touch in our lives. This was followed with time to pray, to reflect, to receive, to share what God laid on our hearts etc. People then concluded with praying together, which as always is very beautiful.

JAN CHITTENDEN

For some time we have been praying for Jan Chittenden. Jan entered hospital some two weeks back for an important operation. News today is that Jan has taken two giant steps for mankind, and for God... keep praying at this time for Jan and Gary

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2008

THE WELCOME MEETING with the induction of the new senior leaders of the Ashford Salvation Army, will take place SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST at the East Stour School at 10.30am. This will be conducted by Major DAVID RAMSAY. Please do all you can to make this date free in your diary and give a really warm welcome at this important meeting and event for this church and indeed the wider community. In the mean time continue to pray for cadets Emma and Mark Scott as they work towards their commissioning to officership in July. Tickets are still available for this.

THIS SUNDAY

THIS SUNDAY is an important Sunday in the church calendar, often forgotten or minimised, but we will maximise this Sunday as we celebrate the Power of Pentecost for us all. We meet at the school at 10.30am and in the evening at our church centre at 6pm. Our focus will be 'Send a new touch of Power', and we will be asking God to do something new with us, and within His Church at this time. We really hope you will do all you can to share this day with us.

DEEPER

TONIGHT a good number of leaders and members/friends of the church met together to share in DEEPER. As we have said before, we meet twice a month, once in willesborough and the other in south ashford. The purpose - to go deeper with God in prayer, worship and ministry. Equally it is a time for us all to go deeper in our relationships with one another. Tonight we shared some prayer and looked at the ministry of Jesus in His last days, in preparing the disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit. It was a special time, as we opened His Word. Following this we shared more prayer together - for each other; but also for SOUTH ASHFORD and the developing ministry within this area. We pray for specific people whose lives are being touched within the area, and we prayed too for the home of nancy and charles, in whom we met tonight. We concluded with supper together. Thank you all for this special time, and if you have not shared with us yet....then do come along soon. The 3rd Tuesday in this month, in willesborough, will be at the home of the senior leaders, and the 1st Tuesday in June at the home of Bob and Jean Shrubb in south ashford.

THE EVENT - MAY 2008

THE HALL WAS FULL for today's THE EVENT, which was the last of 'this kind' to be led by our senior leaders, thus it was an important one to them, with a message which reminded everyone that we never walk alone, but that God has promised us simply that He is always with us. We started by exploring what Friendship is all about, and people painted their idea friends, and then came and shared that with us. We recognised that in though, that friends are not perfect and that they....and we....fail. BUT God is a faithful Friend, a friend who can be trusted, and He has given all of Himself in us, through the Holy Spirit, to be our Friend. We then look at how God is our guide, and has given His Holy Spirit to be such. Captain Sue asked the children to consider journies and then invited them to take a journey around the school to make some discoveries, as they did they were encouraged to find areas of the school where they found answers, and brought these together to discover that on their journey the Holy Spirit was with them (finding that in ltters that they found). At the same time Pam Quinn shared a little about God being with her and shared a powerful testimony. When the children returned the letters, we all shared how actually we do not always recognise who is with us and sometimes its a real muddle, we just have to spell out the fact that it is GOD, the Holy Spriit guiding us - and helping us - which is where the final part of the morning came. Encouraged to bring items to the front when called, we recognised that sometimes we look here there and everywhere for the help that we need, but actually only need to look to God, and that He has given us The Holy Spirit to be our Friend, Guide and Help. In final moments we reflected how on the road to Emmuas, Jesus' friends did not recognise Him, but He was there. Sometimes we feel alone, but God is with us. We also reflected on words from Isaiah that in the water we will not drown, in the fire we will not burn, and words from Joshua which reminds us to be bold and strong, for He is with us. In closing, people were invited to write on a foot where they needed God to walk with them, and in some very moving moments, people moved forward and left their situations with God at the cross. The family dinner followed, providing about 70 meals, and then closing with a praise party which Captain Sue saw through. We are grateful to everyone who has made today possible, and the special way God spoke to so many