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Showing posts from February, 2016

Mission Update for February 2016

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Graduated! February 2016 Hello to all of our wonderful friends and family! We hope this update finds you well! I am typing this from my brand new (and fast) laptop! For those of you that don't know, I was able to purchase a new laptop because of many generous gifts. It has already been such a huge help! You can find my laptop update  here . Anyway, here's what we have been up to recently. Tohoku Outreach After the students arrived back from their outreaches to the Philippines and Thailand, we took a group of 10 people to the northern region of Tohoku. Thank you for praying for us! We got back on the 12th of February after a great 4 weeks! The team was really unified and joyful the whole time and many of the people we worked with would mention how much of an encouragement we were. The team also really enjoyed the area, with a few of them saying they would like to visit it again in the future! For the first week, we stayed in Yamagata at Naoko's grandma's church

Sunday 21st February

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This Sunday saw Dot preach for us on John 16 v 16-33   click here   It was a welcome return for us from Dot a long standing friend of the church. She spoke of the Holy Spirit and how he helps us overcome in hard situations. As Jesus says in verse 33 of our reading.  33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Dot is a great example to us of how we can apply this in our lives as she has overcome situations in her life that without God would make most of us crumble. But Praise God she has overcome and was a welcome site preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, may we face the adversities in our life with the same power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Weekend Away

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St Cleopas’, St Gabriel’s and St Philemon’s are going away for a weekend together.  All ages are welcome. We will enjoy:   -            Home-cooked meals made by a dedicated team of chefs   -            A variety of games, activities & evening entertainments -            Bible talks by Ste Casey, pastor of Speke Baptist Church -            Plenty of space and free time to relax in a comfy country house When?  Fri 27 th  May (dinner served at 6.30pm) to Mon 30 th  May (leaving after lunch).   Where?  Quinta Christian Conference Centre, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7LR ( www.quinta.org ). We can organize a lift for you if that helps.   How much? Camping (with use of bathrooms) - £40 per person (£20 for under 16s) Dormitories/family suites - £70 per person (£35 for under 16s) Twin rooms - £100 per person (£50 for under 16s) Day visitor - £15 per person (£7.50 for under 16s)   All prices fully inclusive. Those in cots go free. Bursaries are available

This Sunday 21st February

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This Sunday we have two services, Our morning service at 1030am, which is primarily an adult service as there will be no children's ministry happening, but don't let that stop you coming if you can't make the afternoon Messy Church, children are still welcome. Our afternoon service 4.30pm, Messy Church, if you have children then this is definitely for them (and you), there will be crafts, games, singing and a Bible story, then food, what more could you ask for? Come and join us.

Alpha

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Alpha is coming to St Gabriel's , if you have never done Alpha or if you have done Alpha and would like to join in and be part of this course contact Jean or Alan, (07527172334) and be part of this exciting journey where we look to find out what life is all about. Visit our Alpha page on this website for more info on when, where and how it all runs and also for a link to the Alpha website.

Sunday 14th February

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Sunday 14th February Last Sunday saw our Vicar David Gavin bring the word from John 16 : 5-16 click here  and learned of the promise of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus has now sent as our comforter and teacher. The Holy Spirit comes to teach us the truth, Jesus said 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' John 14 : 6 click here , that is why when we become Christians it is important that we are Baptised in the Holy Spirit, Jesus himself promised to send the Spirit therefore we need to receive the gift that comes from Him,     ' when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.'       At the end of the service all the ladies received a copy of 'the Fathers Love letter'  click here . Written in the form of a letter it takes scriptures from the Bible and brings the message of God's love for each and everyone of us. (Not just the ladies.)

Ash Wednesday

There will be a service for Ash Wednesday in St Gabriel's church on Wednesday 10th February at 7.30pm. Hope you can join us for this. What is Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday , a day of   fasting , is the first day of   Lent   in   Western Christianity . It occurs 46 days (40 fasting days, if the 6 Sundays, which are not days of fast, are excluded) before   Easter   and can fall as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March. Ash Wednesday is   observed   by many   Western Christians , including   Anglicans ,   Lutherans ,   Methodists ,   Presbyterians , and   Roman Catholics . [note 1] [1] According to the   canonical gospels   of   Matthew ,   Mark   and   Luke ,   Jesus Christ   spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation   by   Satan . [2]   Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter. Every Sunday was seen as a commemoration of the Sunday of Christ's resurrection and so as a feast day on which fasting was inapp

Sunday 7th February

The text for this Sunday was John 15 v 18 - 16 v 4.  (Click here) Today we had Dave preaching on this text and pointing out that in contrast to most of John's Gospel (sometimes referred to as the Gospel of love.) Jesus here is talking about hate. Not God's hate as the very essence of God is love, but the hate of the world for God, His ways and His people, those who choose to follow Jesus and His ways. So how are we to behave in the light of this hatred from the world? By loving them and serving them with the love of Christ. How will this be possible? Through the power of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to send us. (John 15 v 26) (click here) ************************ In the evening we had a time of reflection and prayer lead by Paula and Sarah (the curate from All Saints church, who had been visiting the last two weeks). This culminated in the breaking of bread and the sharing of wine as we remembered Christ who died for all of us and rose again to sit at th

This weekend at St Gabriel's

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We have our usual Sunday Service this Sunday at 1030am with Dave Griffith-Jones preaching, hope to see as many there as possible, last two Sundays we have had new faces, who we look forward to welcoming back, and we are believing for more new people to come and hear about the God who loves each and every one of us, so much so that He sent His son Jesus Christ to come and die for us and to pay the price for our sins that we may be set free. 16  For God so loved  the world that he gave  his one and only Son,  that whoever believes  in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3v16,  click here )     36  So if the Son sets you free,  you will be free indeed.  John 8v36 Click here. also on  Sunday at 6.00pm we have a Celtic Service  where we will have a time of reflecting on God's word, prayer and Holy Communion. And don't forget on Saturday afternoons 1 - 3pm we have Celebrate Recovery   a new group which started successfully last week and is a plac

Last Sunday

Last Sunday the three churches in our team St. Gabriel's, St. Cleopas and St. Philemon's (Toxteth Team Ministry) met at St. Philemons for our APCM. As churches we come under the one banner and share a common goal to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our community. Our mission statement is  "Together, working with God to see ourselves, our neighbours and our community transformed by Jesus"   We saw how each church is working to make this a reality in and around the community where God has called us. We thanked God for all the opportunities each congregation is being given and prayed for more and more workers for the harvest field. 37  Then he said to his disciples,  “The harvest  is plentiful but the workers are few.   38  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”   Matthew 9v37-38.  Click here Why not come along and join us one Sunday, be transformed yourself and help transform our community by serving an

Celtic Service

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Sunday 7 th February 6 pm  @ St.  Gabriel's Celtic Service. A time of reflection and prayer   with Holy Communion. All Welcome.