Archive for the ‘General News’ Category

What a great night at ‘The Net’ (event for men), we started with a Fish & Chip Supper and then 30 men listened intently to guest speaker Nick Ruffle talk about his life and faith.

Nick has an amazing story – he began drinking alcohol whilst still at school and as time went on this led to a downward spiral of hospitals, police cells, half way houses, rubbish skips and doorways. There were many attempts to dry out, successful for only a few weeks and as the alcohol began to lose its effect he started to take drugs. He made life a misery for everyone with whom he came into contact. Filthy, shaking and hallucinating, he visited an old friend whom he kept avoiding because he was ‘religious’ – but he was desperate! That night Nick experienced a Christian conversion and a modern day miracle happened as the usual withdrawal symptoms did not kick in. Over 25 years later Nick is now happily married, with two children and spends his time working with those who do not feel they fit into society and encouraging those who have lost hope.
Our God is an amazing God and although our lives may be very different from Nick’s, we too can experience his power to forgive the past and change us in the present! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (The Bible: 2 Corinthians 5:17)
Want to know more? Email and request a FREE copy of the booklet ‘The Real Jesus’.

‘Who made God?’ ‘How do you know the Bible is true?’ ‘What is a Christian?’ ‘What makes Jesus special?’ ‘Why are you a Christian?’
These are just a few of the questions asked by pupils during three ‘Grill A Christian’ sessions in a school in Southampton.

The pupils had prepared a wide range of questions during their 45 minute lesson.
What a great opportunity to share something of what Christians believe and help these pupils to a clearer understanding of the Christian faith!

A new series of ‘The Net’ (monthly outreach to men) started on Tuesday night (8/11/11) with a Quiz Night. This is the first in a series of events that will include a Fish & Chip Supper & Face to Face with Nick Ruffle. Snooker Evening. The Ultimate Challenge. Pub Meal followed by a lecture on “Science, Christianity & Ethics” with Dr Simon Kolstoe . Men’s Breakfast. B-B-Q in the woods.

It is the responsibility of local men to reach local men and ‘The Net’ is a resource that local men can tap in to and bring their friends, work colleagues or family members along to.
Please pray that (1). the events will go well. (2). the guest speakers will share God’s word clearly. (3). the follow up conversations that take place afterwards at the bar or in the car on the journey home.

FirstServe is a gap year programme designed to give young adults (18-25) a taste of service in the UK and overseas. Not only will they have the chance to help, support and encourage others but ‘FirstServe’ (www.first-serve.org.uk ) also includes a discipleship and missions training programme.
Gordon is part of the steering group and believes it is a valuable investment of his time to be involved in this project.
You can get the latest news from those on the project via Facebook – just type in ‘Firstserve’.

The preacher stands, as John Stott has said, “between two worlds;” the world of the Bible and the world in which his hearers live. He must understand both and bridge the divide so that the contemporary hearer really hears in his circumstances and experience the timeless, infallible, completed, and sufficient written Word. Preaching is the means by which the objective written Word becomes, without changing its message one bit, the Word of God spoken to us. This means that the sermon is a “crisis moment” in which the listener hears and responds to God speaking to him.

It was great on Saturday to have twenty people attend a day’s seminar on preaching. Seven Churches were represented with a good mixture of people, some just starting their preaching ministry and others more experienced but wanting to ‘sharpen up’ and remind themselves of the important principles involved in preaching. Ivor Cooper and myself led the four interactive sessions:

•The Preacher – preparation & tools.
•The Message – sermon construction.
•The Presentation – before the people.
•The Visualisation – using visual aids & other media

We trust that those who attended the seminar will be better equipped in their preaching ministry.

What? Good News Camp 2012
Where? Lockerly Water Farm Hampshire
When? Sunday August 19th to Thursday August 23rd 2012
Who? ‘Good News’ Camps are for anyone between the ages of 8 to 15 years
How much? The cost to attend Camp is £65 per camper.
Want to know more? Contact Gordon – phone: 07889 798636 email: gcurley@gcurley.info

STOP PRESS:
GSUS Live trailer will be returning to schools in Hampshire for the 1st half of the autumn term 2014 (Sep/Oct).

The Alresford Show is described as ‘The jewel in the crown of Hampshire agricultural shows’.
This year thousands of people attended the show which takes pride in being traditional and quintessentially English.
It was great to join with the fellowship from New Farm Chapel, Alresford who each year provide a Christian witness to the visitors and stall holders.

New Farm Chapel provided a small marquee and tea area, where Penny & Naomi Burden were able to offer face painting to the children (and teenagers!) while I was able to provide a second hand bookstall selling a mixture of Christian and secular books.
Good conversations were had, lots of literature was taken and hundreds of books were purchased including a number of Bibles. It is always hard to evaluate how effective outreach like this has been, but please pray that the tracts taken, the books sold or conversations enjoyed will prompt the start of many people’s journey of faith!

‘GOOD NEWS’ CAMP was full to overflowing, and it was always sad to have to turn children away.
So many prayers were answered in the run up to Camp, and we could fill many paragraphs with stories of how God not only provided a team of forty helpers, but the right helpers, best suited to fill the many rolls. It was great to be a part of and lead a team of enthusiastic volunteers whose hard work and commitment helped camp run so well!
Despite the mixed weather there was a very positive spirit among the 55 Campers and attention during the sessions was excellent. It is good to report that a number of Campers made commitments or re-commitments to Jesus Christ and others have testified to how Camp has helped them!

‘THE 2:42 EXPERIENCE’ is our self-catering, all-age Camp run over the August bank holiday weekend. This year we enjoyed having Andy Hodson (www.growingshoots.co.uk) as our guest speaker and many have testified to the weekend being a real blessing. It was a great thrill when one man told me, “Last night I became a Christian”. This makes all the hard work of Camp and the months of preparation worthwhile!

‘Boomerang’ Holiday Club is an inter-Church event run by Churches in the Fareham Western Wards during the first week of the school summer holidays. Five hundred children attended the three venues this year.

Gordon & Richard Cole (Decade Ministries – www.decadeministries.co.uk ) led the programme for school years 3 & 4 (7 to 9 yr olds). Known as ‘Surfers’. One hundred enthusiastic children attended their ‘Surfers’ venue each day and during the week a number of children came to ‘Quiet Row’ with a variety of questions.