Elim Summit - Ireland

Northern Ireland was the venue for the last of six leadership summits that, over the past few months, have been held in Scotland, the North West, the Midlands, the South West and London.

It has been a pleasure to have travelled with such a great team that included Gary Gibbs, Darren Johnson, Chris Jones, Mark Pugh and Nigel Tween.

Over 200 ministers and lay leaders gathered in Hillsborough for the day subsequent to the invitation of Irish Superintendent, Edwin Michael.  The venue, the hospitality and the atmosphere made the final summit one of the best on the tour.

Newquay Christian Centre

The first time I preached at Newquay many years ago there were just 35 people present.  On the last occasion there were two morning services to accommodate the burgeoning congregation.

On this occasion there was one service but it was in the newly acquired premises - the third complex in the centre of the town and only a short walk from the seafront.

NCC is a great success story that is the product of excellent leadership from Mike Robins (pictured here  with his wife Shelagh) his team and a dedicated congregation.

Whether you speak to the Newquay surfer set that are part of the church, or the most senior people in age, the comments are the same - the pleasure of being a part of a church relevant to every age group.

Following the service the congregation gathered on the beach as six young people were baptised

The Bridge, Erskine, Scotland

The church in Erskine was originally pioneered by Derek and Anne Chittick. On their retirement their son Gavin (pictured here with his wife Louise) already an ordained Elim minister, moved from another part of Scotland to take over the leadership.

The congregation currently worship in a local community centre.  They did have a building fund but when they heard of the devastation in Haiti, emptied the bank account and gave it towards the rebuilding of broken communities.  How can God fail to bless a church with a heart like that?

Gavin and Louise are typical of a whole breed of young leaders within Elim whose character continually reinforces my belief in a great future for our Movement.

Hope Chapel

Sally Livingstone founded the rehabilitation centre for those wanting to be free from controlling addictions and is shortly to set up the fifth house for this purpose.  Hundreds of people have been helped since its inception.

Now Sally is has planted and pioneered a church in the Birmingham area and it was my pleasure to be the speaker at the opening celebration.

Livingstone House and Hope Chapel is a tribute to tenacity, dedication, spiritual principles and the highest standards of clinical excellence.

Ealing Christian Centre

My previous visit to Ealing Christian Centre had witnessed a church packed from floor to ceiling (ECC has a huge gallery).  Since then however this great church has moved to two Sunday services - 9am and 11:15am.  I preached on both occasions and the combined congregations would have been in excess of a thousand people.  

As soon as the second service concluded two more services would take place.  One in Polish and the other in Japanese.  Yet a further service would take place for the whole church in the evening.

One of the significant hallmarks of ECC is its emphasis on praying for Revival and, if ever there was a church in the UK that has 'earned the right to speak' on such a subject, it is this Elim church.  Richard and Rajinder Buxton (pictured) lead a great pastoral team and Richard is shortly to launch a book on revival which I believe should be recommended reading for every church in the country.

Alloa, Scotland

The church in Alloa has throughout its history been one of the smaller churches within Elim.  Subsequent to my recent visit, I feel that that could be about to change.  I have spoken at the church on a number of occasions over the years - mostly when I was the Regional leader for Scotland.  On this visit, I sensed immediately an attitude of expectancy and was aware of a clear culture-shift that often heralds a new season - apart from being essential to growth.

Paul and Isla Martin (pictured) came to Alloa to pastor the church from their native Glasgow two years ago and, working together with the people in their congregation, are injecting fresh vision into this small picturesque town.

Things like this never occur without some sacrifice and I came away impressed with two young people who are committed to serve God faithfully in their locality.

Elim, Burton on Trent

It is not unusual on my travels around Elim churches to encounter packed churches or multiple meetings on a Sunday morning.  What is unusual is to experience the same thing on a Sunday night

Robert and Julie Styles have been in Burton for twelve years and during that time have seen steady and consistent growth due, in my opinion, to the strong pastoral heart that both of them have, a fine eldership and a faithful congregation.

Apart from numerical growth, the church has been completely refurbished and additional space made possible via en enlarged ground floor and two balconies.  Regular readers of Direction may remember the item two years ago of the church opening a conference centre on the opposite side of the road.