INTERNATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR TO VISIT

It is with great anticipation that we are preparing for the visit to Golden Valley Church by Dan & Gwen Slade, International Coordinators of ‘Partners in Harvest’, the family of churches relating to ‘Catch the Fire, Toronto’ (formerly ‘Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship’).

Dan & Gwen were missionaries and church-planters in Ukraine and Eastern Europe for twelve years where they carried the fires of revival from Canada. They carry a rich Anointing of the Holy Spirit.

There is a special ‘More Lord’ revival meeting at Innsworth Community Hall on Saturday evening 29th October at 7:30pm, and they will also be speaking at the GVC morning service on Sunday 30th October.

Come along expecting much from God. He is not the disappointer of those who truly seek after Him.

GREAT WEEKEND

Last weekend was a momentous time in Golden Valley Church, at Innsworth Community Centre. Saturday was AGM time. NOT a boring set of reports, but a great time of reflecting on what God has done over the past year, and giving thanks, as each of the pastors shared. After refreshments, it was time to look forward at the year ahead and position ourselves for what God wants to do with us. Exciting time!!

Sunday was Father’s Day, and the focus was on our Heavenly Father’s love for us, and on our ability to honour our earthly fathers. The Holy Spirit moved awesomely among us.

PENTECOST SUNDAY

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, a celebration carried from the Jewish feast of Shavuot, and for us remembering the time when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church after Jesus returned to the Father. How precious is the person of Holy Spirit!! How He continues to pour out on, and among, us! What a faithful comforter and friend, still guiding us into all truth.

In our Sunday morning service this week Ian will be sharing on “My Friend the Holy Spirit”. Don’t miss it!

We will also be taking up a special offering for Partners in Harvest, the fantastic international family of churches to which we belong.

See you then!

GOD SEES POTENTIAL

by Jean Packer

Sunday 6th February

Pam O’Leary had been unable to attend the meeting but had sent a note encouraging us to “do something beautiful for God today – do something that you have never done before.”

Ian shared that God wants us to be in a place of grace and not bondage. He wants us to know that His finger is not pointing at us in any way. He is not judging us. We are encouraged to accept His grace and give Him praise and worship and to enter into His presence with joy. To taste and see that God is good.

Later in worship Wes continued to read the word from Pam O’Leary, ‘“God always leads us in triumph; we are in His train. Those who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.  Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, but keep pushing though until the very sand becomes holy ground. We sing but do not understand the words – but listen to the sound. Sharron had a picture from ‘The Railway Children’. The girl was waiting at the train station at the end of wartime. The steam from the train hid a person coming onto the platform but as he walked towards the girl she recognised her father and ran to him shouting “My Daddy. My Daddy”. This is how God wants us to run to Him.

Another prophesy came from Penny that this was a time of surrender of things we use for self comfort. We must lay them down. A vision that as the River in Ezekiel 47 got deeper it was flowing and releasing a multitude of fish as we were allowing the river to flow into our lives as we open our eyes to it. We were exhorted to let go of control and let go of ourselves. A call to surrender and yield to the deep flow of The Holy Spirit, that would sweep through this place, community, and out into the nations.

Pastor Bill O’Leary from Tewkesbury Baptist Church was our visiting speaker and spoke from the word about finding God in the desert. Moses was looking for food for his sheep. God told Moses to take off his shoes because he was on holy ground and stay there. We are to stay where we are until God moves us. Our place of strength and blessing is to stay in the arms of Jesus.

Colossians 3:3 For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. This is our place of strength and blessing. He loves us.
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Stop making yourself secure. If we open the ‘big gates’ of our lives it can be a vulnerable thing, but our security is in the King (Jesus) coming through. Nothing is more secure than being in His arms. Step out. How vulnerable are you to allowing God to have His way in your life?  Be willing to step out into the unknown.

Bill continued by sharing with us the story of the woman at the well John 4: 1-6 27-33 She was amazed at what Jesus told her and ran to tell others to ‘come and see’. People need to hear our testimony because they don’t know that God is good. First, the men believed because of what she said. Then they believed because of what Jesus Himself said.

Bill then brought out a ram’s horn that someone had given him and shared how he had seen the potential to make the handle of a shepherd’s crook with it. He then showed us one that he had made earlier out of the other horn. The rod was made out of what he called “a grotty stick that had been lovingly soaked, shaped and smoothed to make it straight and useful.

Proverbs: 29:18 Where there is no vision the people perish, but he who keeps the law, happy is he.

God sees potential in us. He wants us to be compliant so that he can straighten us out mould us, smooth us and make us useful. We might sometimes feel ‘rubbish’.but we need to know that God’s got a vision and purpose for our lives. Bill then showed us a cracked and warped block of wood and we saw drawings on it that marked out two shepherd crooks. We may also have cracks and warps but God sees the potential in us. He can get more out of us that we can see for ourselves. He can see things in us. There are people who only you can reach.

If you don’t have a vision, then other people perish. Where you live and work is no accident. When you have done what he has called you to do, he will then move you on. You are here to live for Jesus, everywhere, wherever you may be. Move from your place of safety and make yourself vulnerable.

Bill then showed us another shepherds crook that was very fancy and smart to use, but it wasn’t really functional. It would break easily and was more of a show rod. He exhorted us not to be ‘show’ christians but to see that the fields are white for harvest – pray to the Lord of the harvest for workers – us!

PARTNERS IN HARVEST CONFERENCE

Last week several of the leaders of Golden Valley Church attended the bi-annual European Partners in Harvest conference in Hemel Hempstead.

The conference was a momentous few days of Holy Spirit impartation, teaching, testimony, and friendship; making us aware again of how much we appreciate this family of churches, to which we are affiliated. Stories of what God is doing in the nations abounded, as well as testimonies of God’s love and healing.

The main speakers were John & Carol Arnott, Rolland & Heidi Baker, Dan Slade, and Jerry Anderson (LaRed). Between them they addressed a variety of pertinent issues, and exhorted all who attended in their relationship with God. Worship, led by teams from Northern Ireland and Sunderland was truly first class and an awesome experience to be part of.

The conference was well oversubscribed, with several who attempted to book places late, having to be turned away. How fantastic is it when there is so much demand to be in God’s Presence and to go to ‘church’?!

God is very much alive and well in Europe, and we are thankful to be a part of what He is doing.

THE LIVING BREATH OF GOD

10.10.10

By Jean Packer

There has been much prayer sent forth. The word of God has been spoken over our community through our faithful prayer teams that have gone out walking, cycling and driving around the area. Decrees have been spoken and  are reaping fruit!  Penny gave us testimony of the wonderful response from clients that she has received recently in her work at the salon. She testified that during one week  clients were very receptive to the gospel message and responded warmly and positively to these truths. It turned out that this particular week was when prayers were being prayed for her salon and the surrounding area!

Bex has invaluable roles in church and it was her turn to speak out a very clear word that God had put on her heart through Acts 17:16.  Paul was provoked to speak to the people in Athens when he saw that the city was given over to idols. He was moved by God’s compassion and spoke to them whenever he could. He saw the statue with the inscription ‘ to the unknown God’, and used this illustration in order to speak Gods truth and proclaim Gods word to them; which is sharp and His word never falls to the ground! As a result of hearing these wonderful truths, some of the people believed and were saved.  Praise God!

We were then taken to Genesis 2:7 where we saw that God breathed His life into man. His breath of life was given to us! This was a moment of intimacy between God and man, when Heaven touched earth! This makes us different from other creatures on earth. God calls us sons and daughters. He spoke and all things came into being and He breathed His very own breath into us and gave us life. Isn’t that awesome! We were then taken to Ezekiel 37. This chapter illustrates the valley of dry bones. When Ezekiel prophesied over them bone came to bone, sinews and the flesh came upon them and the breath of God came into them and gave them life! How amazing is that?

We are made in his image! We have the living breath of God in us! and what we speak out has cause and effect as the power of life and death is in the tongue! Because we have His life we can bring His life! Just like Paul in Athens, when we line up with the Holy Spirit we can prophesy into the situations that we are in and see them change for the better. We can prophesy over our loved ones, our family, friends, neighbors and colleagues and see God work in their hearts. Also, we can prophesy over our communities and see changes for the better happen – there are no limits to God’s power if only we believe, trust and act in obedience.

We shared communion together this week and it felt very special.  Muriel shared about a powerful time when she felt the breath of God move through a meeting in Toronto, touching the hearts and lives of the congregation that was present.To conclude the service we were invited to soak in God’s presence and experience His intimacy and love. It is out of our relationship with our loving Father that we live and work and bring His bidding into the world.

It’s significant that this Sunday fell on 10.10.10. What an amazing date! It only happens once a century. It means completion and new beginnings! So full of Gods promises for us to take hold of and run with! Are we ready? Praise changes the atmosphere! Lets see the power of God increasingly released amongst us!

FILM STIRS FAITH

The venue didn’t work out like it had been hoped as it was difficult darkening the many windows and the sound tended to echo… but it didn’t stop the message of ‘Faith Like Potatoes’ getting through to people’s hearts. And the fantastic shared lunch together part-way through the film, turned out to be a real feast and important church-family ocassion, as we sought God together.

Angus Buchan’s testimony of how his life was changed and given new purpose and direction by his encounter with Jesus Christ is faithfully told throughout the film. As we watched him experience miracles, and tragedy which God brought him through, and as we saw his willingness to step in obedience to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit, we were challenged again to leave unbelief and complacency behind… and prove God in new ways.

Thank God for this great man and his wonderful story. For those who missed it, or want to watch it again, we’ll be arranging other opportunities.

ANOTHER SWEET TIME OF WORSHIP

Sunday was another precious time in worshipping God. What a sweet presence it was from the very beginning.

Even though many were away on holidays or visiting ‘River Camp’ there was a ‘hungry remnant’ gathering in GVC for worship. Becks and Colin led the worship with great sensitivity for almost an hour; the sounds of heaven permeating the room. Wes preached from the story of Lazarus, likening Jesus’s deliberate delayed response to times when God doesn’t answer our prayers in the timing or way we would sometimes demand. Sometimes we can blame Him for situations which we perceive have gone wrong, but He desires to set things up for His glory to be known.

Most of the congregation took ‘soaking’ time at the end of the meeting, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to them in areas of disappointment in prayer. How wonderful that God continues to reveal Himself to us in such gentle and sweet ways. How good He is in every way. How much He truly loves us.

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

by Jean Packer

Sunday 22nd August

God released a new sound of worship at Golden Valley Church this Sunday! As I listened to the sound of Colin’s prophetic call of the drums I was caught up with something that I can barely define …

We seemed to enter into realms of the Holy Spirit where a new dimension lay before us. Our Father’s love rained down on us in waves of His glorious presence! We entered into new heights! We broke through into new realms! As I write I hear God say ‘this is the drumbeat of my heart. The throb of rhythmic contraction and expansion. Hear the throb of my voice. My breath. My very thoughts’. We were all caught up into the powerful rhythm and melded together as one as we responded to the call to ‘come up here’. Ian prophesied that there were huge waves of Gods love pouring into our land, overwhelming us with His Glory. Only those of us who are committed to Him will stand! Wes prayed for the clouds of rain to come and asked ‘are we really ready for the downpour of what God is about to do’? ‘Are we ready to receive God’s outpouring of love’? ‘His intimate presence’? ‘The closeness of His glory’?

Ian carried a powerful message that God had put on his heart. “Humanly speaking it is impossible but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). He stated that we all have assignments from Heaven to fulfil, yet sometimes we struggle, lose heart and give up. We were reminded of the church of Laodicea where lukewarm Christians did not fulfil God’s call. Yet, we are in a battle! God can intervene at any time! Don’t give up! In a lighthearted manner, Ian told us that this is what we have signed up for! And if we stress, panic and give up, we then look stupid when God comes through and fulfils His purpose!

Assignments are not of our design yet we are included in His plan. God is working something through that we don’t see the full picture of, but we can be assured that He is watching over us every minute of the day. He can do ‘all things’. Ian showed us through the illustration of the slave girl in Acts 16, that a demon was using her as a distraction from Paul’s assignment, but she was speaking God’s truth. He pointed out that God has power over the devil and demons and that he can get the demons to dance to His tune if it means completing His assignment. Everything is under His feet! We were exhorted to get involved in God’s assignments for us even if  we don’t fully understand them, and we were reminded that we should be encouraged that God thinks we are worthy to be a part of the process!

King Saul dropped out of his assignment. Scripture tells us that God delights in obedience. ‘to obey is better than sacrifice’ (1 Samuel 15:22). Rebellion is like the sin of divination. Arrogance says the right words but there is no substance behind them. Saul did things his way. We need to abide by the core principle and make no deviation. No shortcut. No back route. Lets keep our eyes on eternity. Praise changes the atmosphere! Lets pray with joy for our partnership in God’s plan. Be confident that He who began a good work in us will complete it! Remember – All things are possible…

William Wilberforce was about to give up his assignment to end the slave trade when he was at John Wesley’s death-bed. John Wesley told him ‘unless God has raised you up, you will be worn out, but if your call is of God you will complete it’. After 42 years of work, and 3 days before his death William Wilberforce saw the act of parliament abolish the slave trade! All things are possible..!

‘MORE LORD’ AT THE REGENCY

by Jean Packer

There were around 100 people gathered at the Cheltenham Regency Hotel on Tuesday evening, for our ‘More Lord’ conference, with Pastor Steve Long from Toronto, Canada.

It was great to join together in worship and encounter the presence of the Holy Spirit within this comfortable venue. The staff were very welcoming too and some were interested to know and see what we were there for! We believe that a deposit of His glory has been left behind and that many people will be touched as they experience the presence of Jesus – Praise God! We have a great worship team! The worship was very potent and we rapidly became lost in His presence as we were drawn into the throne room of His Glory. This was enjoyed by all and our hearts were united as His presence was multiplied!

Steve began by building our faith with many healing testimonies given through ordinary people, speaking about how God uses whosoever will allow themselves to be His vessels. He shared Gods heart to touch us and heal us and explained that ‘Sozo’ means ‘complete healing and wholeness’. Yet God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect in order use us. He will take us as we are. Sometimes we don’t know how to pray but God uses us anyway because Its not about us doing it, but allowing Him to flow through us. Simple faith! Do we really believe God’s word! Steve empathised some keys to healing. Keys of forgiveness and confession. He highlighted the importance of not judging others or going to sleep with anger in our hearts. We were also shown how we need to deal with ungodly beliefs that prevent us from stepping out in childlike faith to give and receive our healing.

Pastor Steve continued by sharing the longing of God to activate in us three main areas of restoration: 1/ Relationships 2/ Finance and 3/Healing. Many people responded to these areas of need and we were encouraged to lay hands upon, and pray for one another. One young man said that he did not know what to do because he had just come along with a friend! Steve told him that he could say whatever he thought of and God would lead him in his prayer. When the young man prayed, the receiver testified to being healed! This was truly a demonstration of Gods power and we all laughed with pleasure and delight at what God had done!

The ministry time was quite long as many people had responded to prayer. There was a great deal of spiritual activity amongst us as the Holy Spirit worked and people were touched, healed and set free to a larger extent of wholeness. Around 15 people came forward to share their testimonies of healing. Half of them were healed completely and the others were 50% healed! I can personally testify that my crooked right leg and knee received a measure of straightening and healing – and pain was removed! Steve concluded the meeting by announcing that after ministry and prayer we needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit! We had great fun, joy and laughter as the Holy Spirit came upon us and filled us!

It was great to have Steve with us again. His clarity of thought enabled him to impart what he carried to us plainly. This means that we can receive and run with these truths ourselves! We can all be used by God to bring a healing touch to others. Simply step out and obey! ‘More Lord!