THE HOPE OF GLORY

Lent is coming! The material we will be using this year is THE HOPE OF GLORY, which we will be encouraging people to use personally, but also to come together once a week to explore. The whole thing will explore a passionate relationship with Jesus. Please pray for our senior leaders as they prepare this material and that they get this right for the people of this church community

STIR UP THE GIFTS WITHIN YOU!

Sunday 28th January.

Last Sunday we welcomed a new leader onto the team of the ashford salvation army christian centre, and this Sunday we have done the same. Sara Hayward who has been part of this church community for some years, has been working alongside the leadership for some months now, and we formally commissioned Sara Hayward into leadership, which as last week, including the anointing of oil, as a sign of being set apart by God. Believing that all are gifted in so many ways by His Spirit, we believe in celebrating all this, and together as a church community really did celebrate it. Our focus this morning started by remembering Pauls Words in Ephesians to BE STRONG IN THE LORD and the Kingdom Kids were asked to spend sometime considering what it is we want to lift Jesus High in. Various songs helped us to lift Jesus high and recognise we are called to storms the forts of darkness - and that happens through lifting Jesus High. Our senior leader, Ian, shared some words from Psalm 23, reminding us of Gods commitment to us, and His love for us in being everything to us in everyway. We were reminded that our hope is to keep looking at Jesus and trusting Him, letting Him guide and lead, and surrendering everything to Him, our great shepherd. We celebrated in this Sara Haywards commissioning, with included being charged with the responsibilities of looking after the 20plus age group and how so often after youth ministry age people get forgotten. We are anxious to have a pastor and friend for that age group and God has called Sara to do this. Along with Sara we also celebrated Lyn Farthing and Sara being charged with the responsibility of district pastor for willesborough. Together they will work to support, pastor and care for the 80 plus units of people we have linked to this church community in the willesborough area alone. We have split the town into three where people live, and each are served by a district pastor. This is very traditional for the army, who used to have ward systems, and thus we are encouraging the building of relationships and the taking of the Light of Jesus beyond our already exisiting buildings - taking the church to where people live!

Finally for today, being our monthly community church Sunday our members and friends were encouraged to cluster together where they lived. South Ashford met for prayer for South Ashford and Teaching at the home of Envoy Val. In Willesborough members and friends went and shared some precious moments with residents of Athena House in Willesborough. Finally Kennington/Town met to enjoy fellowship and prayer together - and the most ever met in that ever.

We thank God for today and the opportunieis. Above all our thanksgiving is offered to God for Lyn and Sara in listening to God and allowing those gifts to be used in and through them.

SELF DENIAL MISSIONARY APPEAL

We have launched the Self Denial Missonary Appeal for 2007 and it is our vision to raise over £1000 to bless the lives of others in other lands. Members and Friends are being encouraged to give up something for a month, and place that money towards this appeal, and their financial gift for the appeal together. For further information about the appeal if you are a member check your mail tray, and if you are not, then do not hesitate to contact us.

MARILYN BAKER

MARILYN BAKER - International Worship Leader and song writer is visiting the ashford salvation army christian centre, this spring, and we hope to see as many of you with us as possible. On Saturday 31st March Marilyn will be leading an evening of praise and worship at 6pm at the east stour school, and on the Sunday 1st April, Marilyn will be speaking, at 10.30am and will be sharing her tesimony at THE EVENT at 3pm. Watch this space for further information

LOOKING TO HEAVEN IN 2007

Last week our assistant senior leader for mission shared his wise words for our Hope for the year to come - Looking to Heaven in 2007. Those words have caught on a little, and we are all sharing them, and indeed doing it! Among us on Sunday 21st January we had opportunity to get more glimspes of Heaven, and to have more hope for the future of God's Church among us. Our morning celebration meeting was amazing when it came to attentors - about 100 people gathered - so many more chairs were put out - and there were not really any new faces this week - just the whole family together - with several not able to be with us. Our Senior Leader Ian, supported by senior leadership, commissioned Trevor James as a leader in this church and to the office of youth ministries officer. In turn, Trevor commissioned his youth team to their responsibilities. Russell Rook - director of ALOVE UK was our guest speaker today and spoke on Hope this morning - and the life that dead bones can really have - our future - eternity! To celebrate the day as a whole our assistant senior leader carl, cooked a meal for the youth team, youth group and other visitors - it was great as always!

Twenty plus Salvation Army 'People' travelled to the annual songs of praise for the week of prayer for Christian unity, held at St Marys Parish Church. Rachel Whitewood represented us well, and chose her song - King of kings, Majesty.

At night we concluded with 30 people gathering together for Disciple College - an evening of prayer, worship, love feast and more together. It was a great time and God really blessed us.

PRAYER MINISTRY COURSE

An evening on teaching and equipping is being held this tuesday for all those who wish to be involved in prayer ministry within the church, or those who wish to explore ministry in the Power of The Holy Spirit. This is s course we have run several times and excited that again this year there are more who wish to do this. For further information see our prayer ministries officer, Elsie Willis or the senior leaders

WITHOUT VISION.......

Today we have shared together in VISION SUNDAY. Once a year we set time aside to consider again the vision God has called us to have, and to consider how in the year ahead we might fulfil this more. We also have time as members and friends to consider the year past and the year ahead, and how we can help fulfil what God has called us too. It also, hopefully, also a time to encourage, challenge and refocus. This morning our senior leader, Ian, spoke on Vision and how we are all called to see. We started by singing At The Cross, where I first saw The Light and the burden of my heart rolled away - it was there by faith I received my sight.....and reminded that we must not allow satan to blind us as God has brought us into the Light, but how many of us choose not to see Jesus. We considered the vision of Ezekiel and the life given to dead bones. We considred the Vision of Isaiah and our Cry also to See the Lord. We considered How Vision Guides Us, Vision Empowers us, Vision Unites us, Vision Gives us Hope, Vision Gives us a Future. After sharing a buffet together - which was great to be together - we shared our membership meeting, where our senior leader reminded us again about Vision - and how we must believe in it, belong to it (ie commit to it) and beactive in it for it to be fulfilled. Various leaders shared their vision and where God has directed them and is directing them, and in all it was a helpful time of presentations and excitement for the future - a very important year for this church. Copies of the summary of the meeting will be available later this week. Thank you to all those who shared this time, to the children who enjoyed time together as well, and to everyone who shared presentations etc. We do not taken any of you for granted - and as Trev says - God loves you and so do I (we)

VISION

The Ashford Salvation Army Christian Centre is at a very exciting point in its history! It has had an amazing history, with lots of ups and downs and so much else - like many churches made up of human beings. It was well versed - if you find the perfect church, do not join it! We are here, made up of very honest and open human beings, and that can sometimes make the fellowship and interesting place to be part of. We have known much of His healing and Empowernment in the last few years and months. This year will be an important time in the development of the future of the church. We know it will also be full of ups and downs and many challenges. God has a lot more to teach us. We are ready! This Sunday we will be having an important 'day' together. We will be exploring what Vision is all about, and then after a shared meal together, sitting down to discuss 'the church' in our annual membership meeting. If you are a member of the church please come and be part of it. If you are not a member of the church - you are welcome to become one - we ask you to pray for us ..... please. Watch this space for further comment.

ESSENTIALS

Our Daily Reflections for the past week have looked at Essentials for Serious Believers. For those of you who don't know, our church publishes daily reflections for five days in a week, encouraging us all to spend some time Reflecting on The Word; Reflecting The Word and Reflecting through Prayer. These notes are available to anyone who would like them, and emailing us at ashford.corps@salvationarmy.org.uk would mean you will get on the mailing list. This week we have encouraged everyone to realise that there is no thing as a serious believer - for all believers cannot be other wise, and that we all have to take seriously this life that we have been given to live. In this we have recognised the essentials are about one thing, with lots of other things that can come out of that. Day Five Concludes: Its to ensure that we know that we have a purpose on this earth and its to live and serve God, who has placed us here. God loves you so much He has created you and breathed His breath into you.

JOURNEY

You may recall that we were due to hold Alpha starting next week, but the decision has been made not to do this. Instead we will be using new material called Journey, which explores the Journey of Life - and how it is we can get the most of our it. One of the major subjects that are explored are relationships - which many people battle with and do not understand. Journey is held over four sessions. If you are interested in being involved in this please contact our senior leaders at: ashford.corps@salvationarmy.org.uk