Category: Blog

Update from Rachel (September 2017)

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Well, another year is over, which means I have done two of my three years of study. It has been an eventful year to say the least. This time last year I was thinking maybe that God was telling us to try for a baby – something that I’d almost given up on. A year later and the birth and loss of our daughter has become my most precious and most painful memory.

I write these articles to keep you up to date with my training but in truth I believe that these kinds of events are part of ministerial training. I am certainly not the only one on my course who has had to face a significant loss, and it seems that everyone goes through something. Of course these events are not part of the formal training program – they are certainly not arranged by Spurgeon’s college. But then it is God who’s in charge of the real training

C.S. Lewis wrote:

‘Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.’

If this is the case for the ordinary Christian how much more for those training for those training for ministry?!

So this year it’s almost been like the actual course has been running in the background while the biggest part of my training has been in my personal life. I have learnt too much through this to write it all here but some of the main things I have learnt are

  • That I don’t have to be afraid even when life is hard because God is in control and he is there by my side
  • Empathy with those who are pregnant and those who are bereaved
  • That the existence of a loved one, however short, is worth all the pain in the world – I can understand why Jesus would willingly go through crucifixion for his beloved creation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported us through this year. You’ve been amazing.

On top of these things I have been continuing to develop in my preaching and leading. It was nice to be visited recently by a few Perry Risers who decided to come and hear me preach at South Norwood Baptist Church. I’m still learning my Greek and Hebrew. I’ve learnt more about the bible and more about church history. I’m coming to the realisation that this course is only ever going to scratch the surface of what is a very deep subject. But the more I learn the more awesome God becomes to me.

I’m just about to start the third year which includes a dissertation so I’ve started reading for that. I don’t exactly know where I’ll be at the end of next year except to know that God will still be holding me in his hand. Please pray for continued guidance, learning and provision over the following year. Pray that the Lord will show both myself and Andrew where he wants us to go next.

Love and Blessings

Rachel

 

Update from Rachel (December 2016)

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Hi everyone

I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last update. Time flies! It seems like only yesterday I walked nervously up the drive of Spurgeon’s for my first day but here I am in my second year!

College is still going well but it is still a lot of hard work. This year I seem to have more lectures about the church including doctrine of the church, church history and transforming congregations. This suits me well as the church is a particular area of interest for me. I want to know how the church can best embody the kingdom of God in this world and I think to do that we need to think about where we are, where we have come from and where God wants us to be. So for me all these lectures on church are great. We are also doing modules focussing on specific parts of the bible such as the Pentateuch (the first five books) and the Old Testament writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs). I’m also continuing to steadily improve at Greek and Hebrew. I look forward to the time where I can read these with only a little assistance from the dictionary – I’m still looking up most words at the moment.

My placement at South Norwood Baptist continues to go well. I preach or lead a service about once a month. Pete, the minister there, is very supportive and ensures that I get the chance to be involved in a range of experiences. Recently I got to observe a wedding, which was beautiful, and a school visit of 2 classes of 5 year olds, which was fun.

The church itself is a friendly church with about 100-150 attending on a Sunday. We feel that lately there has been an increased movement of the Holy Spirit which is a cause for thanks and praise. We also pray that it will continue, especially as we have also noted a corresponding increase in spiritual battles facing the church. Another area to be thankful for is that after a number of problems we finally got our leaky roof fixed. Feel free to visit anytime. I’m sure you’d be made welcome.

Thinking of college again, Spurgeon’s is going through some upheaval. Our principal, Roger Standing, after an extended period of sick leave has decided to resign. I understand he is recovering but has taken the decision to move on. One of our vice principals, Peter Morden, has also decided to go back into pastoral ministry at the end of this academic year. Therefore the college is looking for a new principal and vice principal (as well as a doctrine tutor). So if you know anyone who might be suitable please let them know about the vacancies. Andy Stockbridge has been appointed as interim chief executive to support the college through this process. It’s not all people leaving though. We had Andy wright (vice principal), Zoltan Schwab (Old Testament and Hebrew tutor) and Katie jack (deputy head of operations) all start with us this year; all of whom are excellent at their jobs as well as being nice people.

I will try not to leave it quite so long before writing again, but in the meantime please could I request the following prayers;

– That I will continue to balance my studies well

– That I will continue to develop in my walk with God

– That God will guide us in decisions about the future.

– For South Norwood Baptist church; that we will continue to seek God’s guidance and that we will act according to his will especially as we explore our mission in the local community.

– For Spurgeon’s college, as they look to find a new principal and fill other vacancies. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as well as support during the upheaval.

You are always in my hearts and prayers

Rachel Jeffreys

Update from Jamiko (December 2015)

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It has been some time now Perry Rise and for that I do apologize. Serving in new capacities has been a little taxing at some points but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and strengthening He has been doing indeed.

It has been almost eight months now I have been at the Burchell Memorial Baptist Church and what a time! I have had quite diverse experiences at the Church itself as it is 192 years old and still looking fresh just like the members. Due to its age and other factors the roof of the Church is temporarily down but we give God thanks that He poured it out in someone’s heart many years ago to build a multi -purpose education center so for a year now they have been worshipping from there. From the collapse of the roof also came the birth of a 7 a.m. service which has been an amazing help for those who have to work on a Sunday and just for those early birds, even I. 

I have made quite a lot of new friends and new challenges as I have served. In observing Rev. Thomas from leading Bible study to even home visits I see a care for his members that I have grown to emulate as well. The aspect that I have thoroughly enjoyed the most was the home visits. It allowed me to see the mixture that is found in the Burchell Church and the terrain that we had to travel from the hills to the valleys we went and yes the journey was good as we were able to speak to and pray with people who were not yet saved from the various communities but the destination was the highlight for me.

In our Churches people are divided in different groups or classes usually based upon where you live so as to help in the logistics of organization and to assist in situations such as these, the class leader and or other members would accompany the pastor in the visits to the homebound members and the members of the class would visit them on their own as well. The members that we visited were the saints of God that were no longer able to come to the Church due to various reasons but still had a lot of love in their hearts. The visits themselves would focus on different aspects of worship but generally we would pray, sing some of their favorite songs, share testimonies and reminisce on their lives and the goodness of God through it all.

The aspect of the visit that really resonated with me and has now been engraved into my heart was the fact that you went there to encourage these homebound members but I left feeling more blessed than expected. It was strange at first because these people have never met me but the love that they have for others permeated the air and their lives. Even in their difficult situations they haven’t lost hope but share that hope which is found in Christ Jesus.

The church itself is a large Church with members ranging from 500-600 for just Burchell Memorial Baptist Church as there are three churches under Rev. Thomas’s leadership; in Jamaica we call them Circuits. We have the largest being Burchell Memorial Baptist Church, then Tower Hill Baptist and finally Spot Valley Baptist Church which in the Jamaica Baptist Union’s recent general assembly gained Church status. I have observed like most Churches each Church has its own culture and my job has been to adjust to each and serve where I am told.

One of my assignments so far from Rev. Thomas, keeping within the theme of the Jamaica Baptist Union “Living the Sacrificial Life” is to guide Bible study at Spot Valley, there newest church. It has been a learning experience from looking at the true meaning of some text to wrestling with theologians views on certain topics to even rediscovering the mode of Sacrifice for the ancient Hebrews.

For Spot Valley Baptist Bible study is held at a member’s residence which does provider a warm environment. For corporate worship we now meet in a school but plans are underway to build a Church in the area, the congregation know however that they are the Church but see the benefits of having their own Church building. Recently we celebrated Harvest at Spot Valley.

During Harvest we get produce gathered from various members’ contribution give God thanks for His blessings upon us in various ways of our lives and then inviting others to a Church service wherein we thank God but also allow our invited guest to purchase this wonderful bounty. The service was great as the young people were given the task to write, direct and produce a play depicting the birth of Jesus and since it was drama you know I had to be there as the plump King Herod and one of the wise men. It was given a youthful filed and besides from us loosing baby Jesus at one part of the production I believe it went well.

In the same period at the Burchell Church they were having their annual Cantata, which included narratives, melodious singing, and elegant dancing. This production takes 3 – 4 months of preparation and it was quite a sight from the areas I was able to observe. The costume changes took some time but I was able to see quite a lot of the program. There was a combined youth, adults and youth at heart choir singing up to 10 songs through the program. They had smaller groups which took part as well and dancing.

I believe as a pastor you should be able to serve in various capacities, God has given us different gifts and so we use them. I was able to be a part of the choir, rendered a solo, dance and narrated; it was a busy night but helped with my flexibility. It was the first time I was dancing officially since returning from England and we decided to push the boundaries and did two dances. In all ministries it takes a lot of preparation physically, mentally and spiritually.

After months of practicing we ministered in the various art forms and the hearts of the people were blessed but equally important God was glorified. Overall I am still observing the various ministries of the Church, learning and imparting from the people I get to interact with and a major part of the year of Church placement is reflection on the call of God. I continue to reflect on my call, of how I can be of use to God and extension the Church and how can I learn from the ministries of my home Church and Burchell Church to impact the Church that I will eventually be sent to.

I hope to update you soon on further developments. While you wait I am thankful for your care and prayers; here are some more things you could pray about.

Prayer points:

  • Peace and discernment as I continue to understand the call of God on my life
  • Preparation for the second interview with the ministerial training committee of the Jamaica Baptist Union
  • Continued integration into the Burchell Baptist Church
  • Strength when I will have to leave the family at Burchell Baptist Church
  • Even more strength when I have to leave my Calvary Baptist Church family hopefully for full-time further studies
  • Guidance on this new stage of my journey

 

Lots of learning

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Hello Everyone

The last four months have felt a bit of a whirlwind but I have now finished the first semester. We have 2 semesters a year in which we take different modules. So this is a good time to review how it’s been going.

It’s been going well. Some of the highlights of this semester have been:

  • Translating passages of John from the original Greek. I still need help to do this but I find it so moving as it helps me to really understand the writing on a deeper level.
  • Having time to study in depth. The essays we have to write are particularly good for this – for example, I wrote an essay on the trinity which gave me a chance to focus on something I’ve always found a bit confusing (If you feel the same way, don’t worry! The general conclusion of most theologians is that it is beyond human understanding, but we know it’s true due to our experience of God and the scriptures – it just points to how awesome God is).
  • Spending time with God. There has been time made specifically for reflection to help in our walk with God.
  • A moving talk from Christian Solidarity worldwide, who support those persecuted for their religion and raise awareness.
  • Worship and Preaching skills classes which despite occurring first thing on a Monday morning, have been inspirational for me. I have so much more to think about now in planning services but I also find it very exciting.
  • A role play of a wedding – I was a bridesmaid – it was a lot of fun.
  • Making new friends – there are so many great people at college and getting to know them has been fantastic.
  • God’s provision. Despite the fact we are now surviving on one income we haven’t lacked anything we have needed. Those things we have had to sacrifice haven’t been a problem. Also, thanks to the church and other supporters I have paid the fees for the first year and have started saving for the second year.
  • Good grades – all the results I have had back have been very good.
  • Settling into South Norwood Baptist Church. It is a very friendly church, not that dissimilar from Perry Rise in style and congregation although a little smaller. They have been very supportive through a few nervously delivered services and a sprained ankle. Pete, the minister, is also a great mentor.

It’s not always been easy. There has been a lot of work, much of which needs to be done on my own. At first I seemed to do nothing but studying and I had to learn to prioritise and study more efficiently in order to have time to do the other responsibilities of life (e.g. housework). Having to be alone is also difficult for me; I’m quite susceptible to ‘cabin fever’. But, I try to use the library on study days so I don’t get stuck inside alone all day. God is also helping me to cope better with it. Prayer for continued adjustment would be appreciated.

But as you can see the good far outweighs the challenges. I feel really blessed to be able to study theology and fall more in love with God the more I do it. God is also developing me as a person and as a minister. I’m excited to see where I am going to be in 3 year’s time.

I am still praying for you all at Perry Rise. I occasionally attend some of the evening services and have had opportunities to meet with a few of you at social occasions. It has been great to see those of you I have and I hope I will get an opportunity to see others of you soon.

Rachel.

Update from Jamiko (December 2015)

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The Interview

“Oceans” by Hillsong

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever you would call me

This was the song that really spoke true to the 2014- 2015 Action Teamers and it spoke again to me in this new area of my Christian life as I officially commenced this journey into training for full time ministry. Upon returning from the United Kingdom I was interviewed by the Jamaica Baptist Union Ministerial Training Committee who from my understanding of it would discern if the call to full time pastoral ministry was the will of God. They would also take into account information about my call to faith, my own call to ministry experience, my pastors recommendation and comments and various other documents. The interview I thought would determine if I would enter the United Theological College. The United Theological College is a multi-denominational College where most Baptist pastors are trained from the Caribbean region. I met with the committee along with another potential student for the College. Interviews are usually held earlier in the year but because I was away I would have missed that interview time hence they did my interview separate from the other potential students. I was interviewed with a panel consisting of about 12 ministers. I was nervous at first but I trusted that the Lord’s will would be done. We got called back in and our nerves were finally settled as we heard their decision; we were informed that we would be a part of the Pre Collegiate program. The Ministerial training entails one year in pre colligate, after the year we will appear before the committee again to be accessed based upon our activities in the year and what God has said to us and our supervisor about moving forward. If all parties see it as the will of God I will have four years study and two years’ probation in all its’ seven years. In the pre colligate program we would be under the supervision of the representative for Baptist students at the college Rev. Dr. Glenroy Lalor for the year. The program consisted of church placement; serving under a senor minster for a year, we would also go to the capital Kingston at least two weekends out of each month for classes and return home on the Saturday afternoon for Church Sunday while still working for those who worked; so the aim was to manage our time wisely. We are assessed in various areas of our studies. The main focus I believe for this year is reflection on the call that God has on my life.

At Burchell Baptist Church

In the program there are six of us, all from various parts of the country but majority of us are from the Western part of Jamaica. I live in Montego Bay and was placed at Burchell Baptist Church Circuit. In this Circuit there are three Churches the Burchell Memorial, Tower Hill and Spot Valley Baptist with Rev. Dr. Davewin Thomas as the pastor. I have been with Rev. Thomas for about two months now and I can say I have experienced so many wonderful things in God serving in all three Churches. I was introduced to the church the 4th of October 2015 and they have embraced me ever since as bro. Yapp although I knew a few of them before but it is a large church with 500 – 600  members so I still have a lot of names to learn. In the program we get to see behind the scenes of a pastor’s work from the administrative aspects, home visits for sick and homebound members, weddings, funerals, devotions at schools, church meetings, counselling, preaching, Bible studies, etc. I have been able to shadow Rev. Thomas in most of these areas and looking forward to what else I will learn about God and the relationships waiting to be built with people. The life of a pastor is rich not with earthly riches but riches in joy and satisfaction of serving God and His people while leading the church as well. This is one of many lessons I have learnt from my time so far but this one is my favourite as I find it to ring true day by day. Now we are moving into Christmas season where there are many weddings so it will be busy but looking forward to it as I have only been to one wedding in Jamaica so far. I have been serving in some way for all three Churches in the Circuit I’ve noticed that each church has its own culture but all three filled with life and passion for God. I get to visit my home Church at least once a month. I’ve also noticed that the pre collegiate program is structured to balance the practical aspects of ministry along with the theory.

United Theological College

In terms of theory, when we go to classes on Fridays we meet our seniors, people studying theology from other denominations (There are seven denominations at the College) and other persons who rent rooms from the College. The last time we went it was their annual Caribbean Cultural night where different aspects of the Caribbean cultures were highlighted. It was great to be a part of the festivities as it gives us a prelude as to what to expect from campus life, hard work but fun in the Lord. In classes we are studying about the Old Testament, Baptist history which is rich and another class known as Spiritual formation which is about us being shaped by God. I have enjoyed all three because they feed me both mentally and spiritually. Classes are grounded in prayer and our supervisor and lecturers are always so mindful that classes are intriguing but it’s a three and a half hour trip back home so we rap up in the afternoon. In our classes we have reading assignments from various denominational backgrounds. Our supervisor chose a book for each of us to do a presentation on, I was given a biography about Mother Teresa which has shed a lot of light on her and her work but brought with it a new range of questions. I will present on another book which speaks about devotion to God, so that will definitely be a prayer point. There will be various assignments as time progresses. So far I have been enjoying the work both theory and practical while still having a mode of reflection of God’s call on my life. I know in this year there will be difficulties and triumphs but I remember it’s all a part of the journey.

I thank you for all your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for not only me but the other students as well, pray that I stay diligent in my studies, continued strength and guidance as I serve in Burchell Baptist, that I will be focused on God. I am also praying and thanking God for the members of Perry Rise Baptist Church, may He continue to Bless you.

 

Settling in

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Hello Everyone

I’ve now been at Spurgeon’s College for 4 weeks and I’m starting to understand what I am doing. So I thought it was time I gave you an update.

College started with an orientation week which helped us to get to know each other. Spurgeon’s has a number of different types of theology course so not everyone there is training to be a minister and not everyone who is training is training the same way I am. Neither is everyone there Baptist. There are a number of Pentecostal students and some Anglicans too. However, everyone is friendly, christian and enthusiastic about theology. That makes it a very nice environment to be in.

At the moment I’m studying: Biblical Greek; the history of the Bible; mission; worship and preaching skills; practical ministry; and christian doctrine. They are all interesting but I am particularly enjoying learning about worship. There is a lot to think about in planning worship and I’m looking forward to putting what I’ve learnt into practice. In all the subjects its great to hear and read the range of different views on the topics. Due to the diversity of the students it means we can have some really good discussions. The lecturers are all really knowledgeable so they’re guiding us to think from many different view points. The library is also full of good books. We are learning Greek very fast and intensively; we’re already translating the introduction to John’s Gospel! It’s fascinating how much meaning it pulls out to study the scriptures in their original language and I’m looking forward to when I can actually read them properly.

The college has worship time in the chapel every day and all our lectures begin with prayer and a bible reading. So God is really kept at the centre. This is great because it has been a bit confusing and being reminded to reconnect to God is important. It is remarkably easy to study Theology and not think about God. Apparently there are many non-christians who study christian theology just out of interest. But at Spurgeon’s the emphasis is on studying theology out of a love for God; We are trying to understand more about the God we love.

But I am not just doing a Theology degree; I am training to be a minister. Therefore there is a practical side to my training. I am now starting my placement with South Norwood (‘Holmesdale’) Baptist Church. It seems to be a nice church and Peter Leveson (The minister) is supportive. It’s smaller than Perry Rise but that is helpful for my training. It also seems to have a family/community feel to it so I’m hoping to settle in well. As I will mainly be there, you won’t see me much at Perry Rise. But I will try to come from time to time and I’ll be asking Andrew for regular updates. I also keep you in my prayers.
Thank you for all your prayers and support for me. Some of my fellow students had to face difficulties to get here. I have had nothing but support and I thank you and God for this.

Rachel Jeffreys

Min-y-don wonderful, wet, wilderness

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So I last left you when I was told to grab my stuff and meet my leaders outside, they led us into the wilderness and stopped at our camping site and told us simply to ‘make a shelter’.

Well thank-you God, kathy did a crash course the day before on outdoors survival! We had only rope, tarpool, matches, a contraption to make fire with, cups, spoons, a can opener, a big bottle of water.

And with only these items kathy was able to create a wonderfully cosy shelter!

After completing making our shelter we were taken to an opening in the forest, over looking a cold Welsh beach .

We were quickly informed of the task at hand, good news is we get dinner, bad news is two people are gunna have to get into the water swim to a far(ish) boat ( in said super cold Welsh sea water) and then swim back to shore without once dropping the food…

I looked around at other groups debating on who should go, basing their decisions on sensible things like who has the most ability who is fastest ect ect.

As we were about to begin our group analysis our leader Josh enlightened us to his decision to pick the two girls… Much to my horror.

Thus me and kathy begrudgingly made our way to a makeshift tarp oil changing room and resurfaced in old clothes kindly provided by min-y-don.

Thankfully we were allowed to wear life jackets. As predicted the sea was ice cold and as we approached the boat it became increasingly harder to keep a steady pace with the cold biting at you. Kathy made it ahead of me and retrieved the food then she encouraged me as we swam back to shore!

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Last 3 photos credit to Ben Drabble.

We retrieved our food which was dry pasta and some rice pudding and we brought some tomato soup from a task we’d done previously.

we went back shared it and ate it, then chilled with our leaders. This was when we realised they were human too and not just the meanies trying to push us over edge! When most groups had fallen asleep we were still up, our leaders had left for a while and came back to collect us for an unknown surprise task. Thank goodness we didn’t fall asleep!

We then had to sit in the tennis court and complete a puzzle (some groups were made to do this many times) and the we embarked on a walk. We walked with just a map with simple instructions like ‘when you see a gate turn left’.

Everything was pitch black and we could only use one torch, our leaders pointed out the sky, and it was absolutely majestical. The sky was littered with stars, I’d never seen a sky so unpolluted with light that I could see the stars so bright and so clear.

After the walk we headed back (some leaders made their team do it more than once ) but we were lucky ours were tired!!

We slept the night peacefully under our little twilight shelter and that concluded our little adventure.

Here are some other pics of things we did after that in min-y-don!

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This last picture represents the re patching of Richards relationship with Josh (one of our leaders). You see Josh in an attempt (which he was almost successful, but Richard held it in) to annoy Richard ate Richards crisps.

Now we know never come between a man and his crisps!!

Lots of love  *•.!.•*~Nikki~*•.!.•*

Min-Y-Don ~> A Pleasant Place For Everyone….Except Action Teamers

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Hello Everyone this is another cheeky late update number 2!!

Action Team Rite-Of-Passage!

Every action teamer will tell you the same thing….if your question was what is the action team rite-of-passage they will tell you, Min-Y-Don! Then strangely to you their face change and twist and a shudder might crawl down their back…

You see all action teamers have this shared traumatic experience of this place Min-Y-Don.

I suppose I better tell you what it is now….

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What is Min-Y-Don? And why do we go?

Min-Y-Don is a Christian Adventure Centre, infact it was one of the first to appear and now their are many! It’s usual everyday target audiences are schools (primary and secondary, even international pupils!) and families. Finally another target audience is BMS and they have been sending action teamers there since the dawn of time!

It is located in the south west of Wales in a place called Arthog, Gwynedd, right next to snowdonia national park.

And now the science behind why we went so when forming a new team a researcher named Bruce Tuckman named four main stages that a team travels through in order to obtain the desired last stage of the four.

The first stage is forming…

Forming is when you have just been dropped into this team and you want everything to go well so everyone steps on eggshells around eachother as a way to avoid any kind of conflict.

This moves onto the second stage storming and this stage essentially is when you get fed up of skitting around eachother and you argue or conflict arises and clashes appear!

The third stage norming is when your beginning  to find a equilibrium within the team you work through the conflict and bond over the problem solving.

Finally the last stage performing is pretty self explanatory it’s the stage where the group performs well and aren’t hiding behind polite personas but know eachothers weakness and strengths as a whole and as a individual. Aww!

So Min-Y-Don is essentially the place where all the masks come off and you must start dealing with the conflict rather than avoiding it! So they challenge us in all kinds of ways so we can storm norm and perform!

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Team Thailand’s Experience!

We took a coach to Wales and some used it as an excuse to catch up on sleep!

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We arrived and completed a low ropes activity we had to collect water in a bucket with containers that have holes in them, team work was needed to collect slot of water! We learnt in this activity our leaders were NOT our friends!

If you fell off and touched the ground they would spill some water out of our bucket like a lot!!

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Credit for last 4 photos go to Ben Drabble!

Here are some miscellaneous pictures of some of the activities.

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The last 3 pictures credit goes to Ben Drabble.

The most trying day had to have been right after this very long walk!

After spending the day walking we finally arrived back at min-y-don! We’d been previously tempted in the idea of spaghetti Bolognese, by our leaders.

We had our usual announcements before beginning, however I knew something didn’t sit right with me!

Of course my hunch was right they announced that not only were not getting spaghetti bolognese but we were also told to go to our rooms as we only had 10 mins to pack our sleeping bag and a change of underwear…

I’ll leave you hear in suspense please read on!!

•*~Nikki~*•

‘Thai’me To Meet My Training Church (Belated Post 1)

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Hello everybody!

After a period of silence I’d just like to add, it was for dramatic effect!! And not because I fell into extreme business!

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Training Churches, Min – Y – Don Feasts, Tears and Super Powers!!

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Training church : First Encounter!

Our Training church was Evesham Baptist and what a joy it was to go there! We were welcomed in to the home of some church members. Our hosts introduced us to an amazingly fun Dutch game called slojen!

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You have to slide discs down the board into some holes which are worth different points! I’d love to say I was a pro and won…but I’d be telling a lie! Jamaiko took the lead and had a natural talent for it…I placed last but I still thoroughly enjoyed it!

We had a wonderful dinner there and then were dropped to the youth group ‘JAM’d in’. We had great fun playing games and competing in brain teasers, which the teens were confessingly a lot better at than us!

The next day we enjoyed a lie in while the boys went to a men’s breakfast. Which they enjoyed far too much! (They bragged about how good it was all day!)

We then embarked on a historical walk around Evesham where we walked on the many footpaths and learnt about a brave man called Simon De Montfort! We had a really fantastic time and a brilliant guide!!

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Later that day we were given the opportunity to spend more chilled and relaxed time with the youth at a movie and pizza night! It was great and I’m quite ashamed to say it was my first time watching Disney’s Up! The movie captivated me and it’s definitely a movie is recommend!

On our last day, a lovely Sunday morning we awoke appropriately to get to church on time, as it was only our first weekend with our training church they didn’t expect a lot from us, which helped us to relax alot.

We were given a slot in the service to introduce ourselves to the church and say a little bit about what we were doing and why we are doing action teams! However we did this with a bit of a twist! The pastor Ed, realised that we knew eachother quite well and infact well enough to introduce eachother!! So that’s just what we did! It was a good success and we met and bonded with a lot of the church members!

From a late Nicola!!