Evening Service Time

A number of people have asked what is happening following the survey earlier this autumn.  The survey results were clear that most people at the 7pm service would prefer an earlier start time, although some particularly those with young people in Life did not want to change, as the existing time dovetails with Life and Fusion.  The service time is not a decision for the CLT.  The PCC with the clergy team have that responsibility.

In many ways the survey timing was unhelpful, as the new Youth Pastor Grant Everson had just arrived.  He wants to take some time to discern what the future for Life may look like.  The intention is then to go to the PCC with a plan for both evening congregations on a long term basis.  The survey results will be one input into those considerations. The 7pm CLT have been asked to defer any change until a broader picture emerges. 

We are sorry to have raised expectations of short term change.  When we committed to carry out the survey, our working assumption was that nothing else would be changing.  Thank you for your understanding.  We will keep the congregation informed when the next steps become clearer.  Please continue to pray for direction for the 7pm Congregation and for the CLT which currently comprises, Bob Kiteley, Grant Everson, Rosemary Bull, Ian Thain, Joyce Huxter, David Hodson, Chris Tyllyer-Veal and myself Peter Levinsohn.

God bless

Peter

God inhabits everything he has made

On September 4 one of our members received this picture, which a number of people felt was important:

'I could see a ball of white.  Then I noticed that someone was holding it and moving around with it very much like a basketball player.  The ball was almost part of him as he moved it around.  He seemed comfortable with it and pleased.  As I looked closer I could see that the ball was the world and the white seemed to be the Holy Spirit hovering over the surface.

The white was then peeled back to reveal the surface of the earth.  Everything seemed to go much quicker then and I was shown the Spirit moving over mountains, rivers, waterfalls, dry parched land and then lush grass.  Eventually I could see our church, then inside it.   There were hands opened up side by side and I could see names appearing one after the other written on the hands.

I felt God saying "I inhabit everything that I have made" '

Peter

God's Direction for St George's at 7

Bob has challenged us to look for a renewed vision for the 7pm service.  God is a God of life and creativity.  When things become hard work, sometimes it is a sign that we have missed God's plan for this time.  We have particularly struggled with the issue of worship leadership and had to rely on leaders from other services to support us. 

Thanks to all those who have already shared what they sense God is saying.  There have been a lot of pictures talking of renewal and words talking of the need to rediscover our passion for Jesus, to come to God in humility and to earnestly seek Him in prayer for His direction.  I was particularly struck by the passage given from Haggai 2 verses 2-9 speaking of restoration.

We know that God is at work among His people at the evening service.  Lots of people request and receive prayer ministry.  We know that God reveals His Presence to us as we come and worship.  We know that we need to pray for the Holy Spirit to bring yet deeper unity amongst His people.  We know we have some practical struggles as a mid-sized congregation of 80-100.

We know that God has promised to restore us and lead us to pastures new where the grass is deep and lush.

We need to continue to listen to God, to share what we believe He is saying and to pray God's plans into reality in our lives and in our congregation.  God's people are at their most powerful when they are on their knees in prayer seeking God's face and His hand at work in their lives.

God bless

Peter

A blessing for the spiritually poor

On June 5 at the evening service Mary Start shared that she had been studying the beatitudes and been struck that Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."  That sounded like being poor in spirit was something we should be.  That led Mary to think and pray more about whether she realised that she was poor in spirit and what did that mean.

She was led to Revelation 3 and the message to the church in Laodicea Rev 3:17 'You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Rev 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.'

Jesus challenge to us is do we see ourselves as rich in need of nothing, or do we recognise that no matter what our experience of God, we are poor, blind and naked in terms of the Kingdom of God.  What little we have in the Kingdom is a gift from God.  When we realise that,  we will seek with all our heart to receive more of God's riches that will last, and to clothe ourselves in the robes of righteousness that only Jesus can give.

Peter

When God Speaks

It is great to have Edward Wata with us.  It is clearly God's plan that he is here.

On Sunday June 5, Edward's visa was blocked and James asked us during the service to pray for it to be unblocked.  I prayed and then waited for my wife to pray.

She simply said it has already been sorted and explained how earlier she had been given a clear picture of big doors opening wide to show a mountain with an African landscape.  She was clear that the message from God was that the issue was already sorted and the visa was on its way.

She shared the picture and message with James, and we waited in expectation for Edward to arrive.

Edward's message to us on Sunday night was that he was sure that he was in Ashtead according to God's will to give God's message. 

He reminded us powerfully that the only way to true happiness is through a relationship with the Living God through his Son Jesus.

Praise our God who speaks.

Peter 

God calls us to step boldy into His Presence 

During the Evening Service on December 11 God gave a number of people pictures and words.

A picture of God's throne room with God's people bathed in light, but us coming quietly into His Presence in the shadows.  A call from God to come close and step into the light.

Another picture of struggling to break through, like we were in a bubble and unable to receive all that God wanted to give to us.

A word reminding us that we are made worthy to come boldly into the Presence of the Living God by the Blood of Jesus that has washed us clean.

The words of 1 John verses 5 to 7:  This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and we do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.  A reminder that we are to be people of the light who walk in the light.

Let us approach God's throne boldly for we know that He will welcome us there. 

Peter Levinsohn                                                                                                              December 11 2010

God Reminds us that He is Our Provider

One of our members felt God gave them a picture on December 5:

They saw a large skeleton of a cow lying on the ground.  The cow had big horns as if it had been powerful, but the bones were now very dry.  God said, 'This skeleton is made up of the people who have brought their skills here to serve me.'

As they watched people came and put their hands inside the dried out skeleton and brought out choice pieces of meat to eat.  The meat was inside the skeleton but not visible from outside and not attached to the skeleton.

God said 'I provide the food for my people. It is me and not anything that you do.'

There was no sense of criticism.  God was simply reminding us that he is the sovereign God.  We can provide a helpful place for His people to come and meet with Him, but it is God who provides the spiritual food His people need.

We need to continue to seek the face and the favour of our loving Heavenly Father who knows all of our needs.

Peter Levinsohn                                                                                                              December 9, 2010

Holy Spirit Day

We have been learning more week by week this autumn about the Holy Spirit and what he can and will do in our lives if we invite him to work in us and direct our lives.  It has been an exciting journery with many people seeing the Holy Spirit at work in their lives in a new way.

Isn't it great when we are able to tell stories of what God has done not in the lives of some person in some far off place, but in our lives right here in Ashtead?  Many of us have been given new stories to tell over these weeks to bring glory to God.

Over a hundred people drawn from across all the congregations spent yesterday looking to learn more and to see even more of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.  God promises if we seek after him he will be found, and he proved himself faithful yet again yesterday.

Charles Nelson did a great job of teaching through the day, showing how the Holy Spirit has been at work from the first moment of creation.  How he worked in individuals in the Old Testament, but how since Pentecost he has come to live in all believers and followers of Jesus.  If you have given your life to Jesus the Holy Spirit lives in you.  The only question is how full you have asked him to make you, how much of your life have you opened up to him.

We finished by asking the Holy Spirit to work afresh in our lives and he did.  Many received a fresh touch of God, a fresh blessing and in some cases a fresh challenge.  Funny how God always loves to answer the prayer, more please God. 

Fusion Services

It's great when we can come together, St George's at 7 with the young people's congregation at Life to celebrate God's goodness together.  We do that every 4 to 6 weeks and try to bring elements of both services together.

Why do we think it is important.  It provides a bridge between the two services, which is important when it is time for our young people to move on from Life into another congregation.  It enables us to support each other and minister to each other.  It provides an opportunity to grow young leaders in music and in leading the service.  It enables us to learn from each other. 

Listening - Abundant Life

I felt God was saying:

Keep seeking after my abundant life. So I said what does that look like.

He said when my abundant life is present it is present in every part bubbling up all over the place. (That came with a picture of a pudding shaped lump bubbling all over, which felt sort of out of control). It is in every person. It is overflowing in all directions; and when that happens then everybody is stirred up to make their own special contribution, to make their particular music.

I said but how does that all fit together and work; and he said I am the conductor of course it all fits together.

Then I felt he said if one piece of the music is missing you will feel the lack even though there may be huge number of parts.

Word from Peter

Not sure at all how it fits but thought I should write it down as I keep being reminded.  It may be a particular word for me.
 
I believe God says:
 
'I have made each of you a unique instrument, beautifully and perfectly made.  You are designed to play a particular tune that I need.  Your task is to be available to allow me to play that tune when I need it.'
 
The challenge is are we available or are we using our instrument to play some other tune most of the time and not there when God needs us to play our part in making the music of heaven that he wants to create.

Hungry?

A picture give at the 7pm on Sunday 14th June 2009:

I saw a picture of God (just His head, chest and arms), as if He
was part of, and yet separate and emerging from this huge bank
of swirling powerful clouds, full of incredibly powerful winds.
The winds were trying to force past Him to blow onto St.
George’s and the surrounding area. Some were being allowed
through in small measure, but the fullness of their power was
being held back by God’s outstretched arms. There was a sense
that they were waiting for His command to be released. There
was nothing evil about the clouds — they were God’s spiritual
power — but they were not all white — more like a huge bank of
building cumulus clouds so intense that there were dark in
places.

I asked God why He was holding them back and He replied that
we were not ready and to release them now would be a waste.
Again I asked why and He said we were not hungry enough. I
had a sense that if He released them now we would only accept
the bits we liked (like choosing from a box of chocolates), and
not receive everything that He has for us.



Mary Start
Sunday 14th June 2009

God is good - all the time

Sometimes we lose sight of God, but he is always there. This verse jumped right out at Meg and then me this morning and I thought it was a great prayer for us as a service.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

From pictures from the Houseparty

Recent Picture from 7pm

Words and pictures give at 7pm on 15th March

These picture where given out at the 7pm service and Sue Turner has very kindly painted the for us.

Feedback from our New Year Week of Prayer and Fasting

There were five themes

St George's at 7

Opportunities for Service

Stepping out in Faith

7update

Hi friends the objective of this page is supply a feed of news for the 7pm service. Hope its helpful.

If there is anything you think should be up here, let me know.

Peter Levinsohn