Prayer News, April 2008

I recently sent out a family newsletter which had a little bit of information about the church (if you did not receive this letter, and wish to receive it, please let me know). I was very touched by the number of people who replied and said that they pray for us and for the church every day. This has prompted me to write a fuller letter giving more news about the church. I know that some of you will be receiving hundreds of such letters a year, so if you do not have time to read this, feel free to delete it unread, and let me know that you do not wish to receive further copies.

Changes

Overall in the church we continue to be encouraged with visitors coming to the church, with some showing signs of the rebirth. We normally have between 40 and 50 people, including children, meeting with us on Sunday mornings. However, we are missing two families and a couple who moved away in the last couple of years, and others who have moved away for other reasons. We are also concerned for a few members of the church who have become very irregular in their attendance.

Four of our young people are overseas at the moment on short term placements. My daughter Abigail and her husband David are doing an elective in Madagascar at the Good News Hospital in Mandritsara. Please let me know if you would like to receive their newsletters. Nathanael Evans is away in Sicily for a couple of months helping the church which is pastored by Ed Ball’s brother-in-law. Pray that he would be effective in his service, and that the Lord would lead him for the future. His brother Nahum is in Malaysia helping with a Christian project for disabled people.

Three of our young adults are due to get married this summer. One couple is expecting to stay in the church, and two of them are expecting to move away. This comes on the back of two weddings last autumn. So a significant “demographic shift” is taking place in the congregation.

Main meetings

On Sunday mornings during the last year I was preaching through Romans 12 – 15. This series has now come to an end and I am looking to start a new series for the summer term. I am considering doing a series on the letter of James. On Sunday evenings my co-pastor, Ed Ball, usually preaches, although sometimes I preach. Please do pray for the Word to be effective and to bring about changes in people’s lives.

Midweek we hold a central meeting at the church building three weeks out of four, and home groups on the fourth week. In the Bible study part of the midweek meeting we have been looking at the Psalms. I am concerned that fewer people have been coming to midweek meetings than at some points in the past. Pray that God will move more to come, and that together we will hear his Word and seek his face in prayer.

Outreach

A group of people from our church goes up to Leicester Square in Central London to conduct an open air service, usually each Saturday or Sunday, led by Ed. Every time they go they are very encouraged with the large number of people who listen, and with good conversations with people from all over the world. Pray for people to be converted and go on to serve God in the places from which they have come.

A few of our members take a book table to one of the local markets each week. Many pieces of literature have been distributed, often to Moslems, and many conversations have taken place. A Chinese family that was contacted through this ministry came to our church for a number of weeks, prior to moving away. Pray that there will be fruit from this ministry.

This term we want to resume visiting in the neighbourhood. A small team is expecting to go out weekly. Pray that we might be led to those who are ripe for the Gospel.

Going public

We are seeking to make ourselves and our message more public. We have finally worked out how to record sermons digitally, so we are now able to produce sermons on CD in audio and MP3 format. (If you would like to receive copies, let me know). The next thing we want to do is to get a web site constructed. As well as giving information about the church, this would provide a place to make available the sermon booklets and articles that I have written, as well as sermons in MP3 format. Please pray that we would learn the skills that are necessary and have the time to get this up and running, and that it would be really effective.

Another thing we are doing to try to be more public is to put up a large sign on the church building. Our building is very prominent, facing directly onto the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road, with what must be millions of vehicles passing by every year. We have obtained planning permission, and we are seeking to settle on text and design which will be really effective. Please pray that God will help us to settle on a text which will strike home to many people.

We have also drafted a brochure giving information about the church. We hope to finalise, print, and distribute this to 5,000 homes in the neighbourhood.

Classes

During the last two terms we ran classes on a summary of the 1689 Confession of Faith. About six adults came to the classes, three of whom have not as yet been baptised. Please pray that if they are converted God will move them to be baptised and become fully involved in the life of the church.

This term, we are planning go to hold a class to teach the essentials of Christianity to those who have little previous knowledge of the Gospel. We call this “Christian Essentials”. It is a bit like Alpha or Christianity Explored, but covering subjects like the Scriptures, the Creation, and sin and judgement, as well as some other subjects covered by those courses.

During the last two years I have been running an after-school class for children of primary school age. Up to a dozen children have been coming. Each week I give them a little quiz on the previous week’s lesson (no prizes for correct answers!), test their memory verse, give them a talk and answer their questions. Some of the children have shown a strong level of understanding. This term I hope to resume the classes, with stories from Daniel. Pray that I might be effective, and that the children might come to faith.

Also we are going to be running a class on marriage this term, which I hope will be a help to those planning to get married, and also for those already married and for those who are single.

Building

We are grateful for our building, which serves us well. For some time now we have wanted to put in a disabled toilet, but have not been able to for the lack of the time and money to do it. Someone has offered to do the work for us in a voluntary capacity, so we are hoping to get this done this term.

Conclusion

Please do pray for us if you have the opportunity. We are surrounded by thousands of people, the vast majority of whom have very little knowledge of the Gospel. Pray that the Word of God would bear fruit in our own lives, and that it would come with saving power to many in our neighbourhood.

Yours,

Henry Dixon