A new Christian Bookshop for Chichester

St Olav Christian Bookshop plans to open in North Street at 10:00 am on Saturday 12 December.  You'll find more details here: http://www.stolavchristianbookshop.org/

The Roof is finished! Update from Tanzania

'Tunawasalimia wote, waambieni karibuni tena' (we greet them all, tell them they are welcome again)

That’s what everybody said at the opening of the new Uhambingeto Church on Sunday 8th November 2009.

Yes, it happened!
Yes, the roof is finished!
Yes, it was on time!
No, it doesn't leak!
Yes, it rained A LOT

Here's the pictures to prove it!












So despite the last minute nature of the organisation (the truck that went to collect the visiting choir from Nyanzwa village broke down and another choir from pastor Musa's church was roped in at the last minute) - the weekend of evangelistic events went ahead. They built a stage outside the church for the open air events and visiting pastors led afternoon Bible teaching seminars and evening gospel meetings. They also showed the Jesus film in the evening (in Swahili), which was very popular. You might feel dissapointed to hear that the open air evangelistic event was interupted by the start of the rainy season - but everybody there saw it as a definite sign of God's blessing! The meeting carried on under the shelter of the lovely new church roof!

7 people from the village made a 1st time commitment to follow Jesus at the event, so please pray especially for them.

Thanks so much for your prayers, please continue to pray for the church and for Peter, the new pastor, that God will sustain his heart and enthusiasm for reaching the lost and building up the church.


God bless

Andrew and Miriam

Very generous but not very new

Heard on the radio today an Oxford academic has created a society for giving 10% of income away to charity

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8360098.stm

He himself is giving away more than that

He said he wanted his beliefs to be more than words.

Sound familiar?

New Year feel

Prayers appreciated for the deacons meeting tonight and for the coming weeks, so many things are starting up again, Alpha, Back to Church Sunday, New Sunday evenings with the next lot of young people now eligible, CAP public launch meeting, Discipleship groups, people off to Bible colleges, Oasis event, Trip to London, people off to serve God in new ways and many many more things...

An exciting time.

More Tanzania pics and a bigger one of the group shot

Tanzania Team update

Great to see the team back yesterday - I asked Tom if he could give me something to post here on the blog - here it is.

The short term mission team spilled out into the CBC car park around midday yesterday (Monday 18^th Aug) having been en-route since boarding the bus in Iringa in Tanzania about 9 in the morning on Saturday. Richard and Debbie are still in Tanzania for a late honeymoon. We had also said goodbye to Katy and to Mairi, our excellent team leader and fluent Swahili speaker, at the airport. So we are all accounted for and full of joy and thankfulness to God for an amazing 19 days.

There were so many positives and a few (but very real) negatives:

The travelling was a bit tedious in places but you could mostly look out of the window and observe a ‘different world’, sleep or talk. It is not everywhere you can look out of a cross country bus and see elephant and giraffe!

The welcome we got in the little Anglican congregation in the Village of Uhambingeto was warm and heartfelt. We had gone to encourage them by kick-starting the building of their new church building (which we did) but have come back with a sense of loss from having to leave them. They live in great simplicity because they can not generate enough income to live in any other way. But their love for Jesus and their firm faith in a gracious God are deeply humbling. They love to worship in song and all that is required is a few voices and some clapping to sound amazing. Give them a guitar (which we did) a drum and some plastic tambourines and they are a delight. And they pray. We prayed with them every day on the building site, they prayed for our sick (see below) and joined with us in prayer whenever we were together in the evenings. A faithful few turned up every day at the building site to supply the constant need for mortar, bricks and water.

The weekday pattern was like this:

Three excellent cooked meals a day, always with fresh fruit, menu different to here but not so different as to be difficult.

Mornings on the building site (with Debbie and another volunteer for the day teaching at the preschool). We found the site with one course of bricks on a newly laid foundation and the corners about waist high. The three builders employed by EI were great guys and amazingly patient instructors: 7 working days later three walls were chest high, two corners were full height (to the ring-beam) and the 4^th wall was a few courses above the base of the windows. By the end, we were building from the scaffolding (same function as ours but otherwise rather different!).

Afternoons, most days a few went back to the building site while the others spent 2 hours with preschool children telling a bible story, doing a craft activity, singing songs and playing games. After a low turnout the first day, we prayed that the Lord would send along as many as we could handle. So on the second day, the word having got around, we had 200 or so children, which was, well, memorable. But the combined gifts of the team came into play and order was restored after only one spectacular moment of utter chaos. So our prayer was answered. It turned out that a lot of children had bunked off school to check us out; it got sorted out the next day. From then on, 40 to 50 turned up and went away joyfully clutching their Noah’s Ark, lost sheep or wearing a crown.

Evenings, we did a bible study together in groups or had fellowship (singing and prayer) with Christians from the village. When the moon was not ‘up’ we looked at the amazing night sky before going to bed.

The middle Saturday there was a wedding and we were invited. It should be said that the Emmanuel International (EI) Reps in Tanzania, Andrew and Miriam, did an outstanding job managing our transport, food, accommodation, contacts and providing hygiene procedures as well as answering endless questions and translating back and forth from Swahili to English. But the wedding was a problem: a great experience not to be missed, an invitation not easily turned down but the catering (and associated hygiene) went out of their control. The outcome was that first Debbie and Katy, later Richard, became ill. After a few days Andrew insisted on taking Debbie (with Richard) into town to get tested and she was found to be genuinely ill and spent a night on a drip in hospital and taking some strong medication. That test showed that Katy might be infected with the same nasty bug (though she had not been so unwell) so she was taken to town for tests (which proved negative). All through this Richard had not been 100% and eventually, as the rest of us were travelling home, he was tested and found to have the same as Debbie. All being well the medication should do the job. Keep praying.

The day after the wedding (Sunday) there was a baptism (christening) in the morning and in the afternoon the Bishop came to confirm around 10 people, to visit us and inspect the progress of the building. So in the ‘hatch, match and dispatch’ line of things we scored 2 out of 3 and sang as a choir at each.

Other activities were climbing the local mountain and spending a night and a morning at the end winding down at a national park where the landscapes, trees, animals large and small are so spectacularly different to ours that it is breathtaking. Oh and did I mention the dark clear night sky where the sky is filled with stars and the Milky Way is as clear as can be? Awesome.

Any questions? Ask one of us. It would be great to lay on an event where we can report in more depth. There are loads of photographs, some interesting (if rough) video and some great stories to tell.

Thanks, CBC, for your generous support and prayers.

Bwana asifiwe sana! (The Lord is greatly to be praised!)

The Tanzania Team are Back!

The Team arrived safely back in the UK today!

Tanzania Team Depart!

The Tanzania Team left the UK on Thursday bound for Uhambingeto!

On route to Heathrow, they had to collect their T Shirts from a van on the hard shoulder! (there's nothing quite like a last minute panic!)




Arriving at the Airport!



Ready for Departure!





Please continue to pray for the Team, for safe travel, good health whilst in Uhambingeto, opportunities to demonstrate God's love in practical action and to witness in words despite the language barrier...

Isaiah Chapter 39

“The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime”. v8

Throughout his life Hezekiah had valued the power of prayer, (see Is 38 v 3) and had seen favourable answers to them. Earlier in the chapter Isaiah does not rebuke Hezekiah for his actions but foretells the future. Verse 8 shows it is a future which the king accepts, maybe because he feels he has done all he can. He is living in the present and feels there will be peace in his lifetime. He leaves the future to God.

How often do we worry about things outside of our control? Seek God to find out what he wants you to do, and what you should leave for others to do.

Rachel Charnick

Isaiah Chapter 38

I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down. - v8

The laws of nature would declare that such an event is impossible, as it would cause the death of every living thing, and indeed the destruction of the earth.
2 Kings 20 v 9-11 and 2 Chronicles 32 v 24 would seem to confirm the above verse as an historical fact.

How great is our God? He is the God of the impossible. If God is not the God of the impossible, He is no God at all.

Truly the Creator is greater than His Creation

Dennis Mason

Isaiah Chapter 37

“Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them?” v10-12

Has anyone ever told you that you were naive or stupid for believing in God? This is also what is going on in this passage of Isaiah; probably not too dissimilar to what we experience today as Christians. People often say that the intelligent belief is that there isn’t a God- after all there have been many times throughout history where God doesn’t seem to have stepped in and has “let” people suffer.
But, as shown by the outcome of this chapter, God is seeing and planning the bigger picture. He says in verse 26 that "Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass” By the end of this chapter, God shows that he is always in control –an angel of the Lord was sent in and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

This gave us a really positive message that our God of all days (who achieved massive things beyond our comprehension in the bible) is still the powerful God acting in chapter 37 of Isaiah and indeed is still relevant and powerful today, seeing the bigger picture and able to do amazing things!

Joanne Hawker & Vicky Greening

Isaiah Chapter 36

Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, “The Lord will deliver us”. Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? - v18

The commander here sought to undermine the faith of the ordinary people in a vain attempt to use these people against Hezekiah. He could not perceive or understand the power of God, the real, the one and only God. As others had put their faith in false Gods and been defeated he believed, much to his own detriment, that the True God whom Hezekiah believed in was no different, even today many people still hold this view and are prepared to verbalise, using a language which we as Christians understand and they too suffer the consequences of their own lack of understanding.

Angus Heron

Isaiah Chapter 35

"Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Waters will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert". - v6

This is a wonderful promise for those who are bound by some infirmity whether physical, emotional or spiritual. For those who put their trust in the Lord, all that restricts them will be done away with and they will know such a shout of freedom flowing from them that will make them leap with joy.
Where there was once barrenness and times of doubt, when all seemed fruitless, and hope and faith had grown dim, there will be life again.

This is such an encouraging verse for those who are facing a time in that place of darkness and loneliness where hope and faith have abandoned them, the river of life will flow again . Hallelujah!

Christine Mason

Isaiah Chapter 34

Having read and reread this chapter, I still find it very hard to comment on it as it is so dark.
What keeps coming back into my thoughts is that our loving faithful God will not be mocked. He will have His way. Given the state of the world we live in with increasing rumours of wars and lack of individual and corporate responsibility or community spirit, it is a comfort that He has His plan. My responsibility is to stay faithful to Him and follow His plan for me.

Sandi Webb

Isaiah Chapter 33

"He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure." Verse 6

The reason why I chose this verse is because it speaks of God's love and his faithfulness. It is all the more significant in light of the context in which it is written. To me, 'sure foundation' emphasizes and reassures me that this foundation is the real and best thing.


The next line then encourages me to continually strive towards fearing the Lord, as it reiterates that fearing the Lord is the key to wisdom, knowledge and more importantly salvation. The knowledge of the store being ‘rich’ emphasises further, the depths of God’s love for His people which includes me.’

Katie Stephen

Isaiah Chapter 32

A delightful picture of the future Kingdom of Righteousness! Verses 1-2 surely belong together since v2 follows v1 picturing a reign of true justice which the whole world awaits eagerly. Here each person is seen as providing shelter – referring to faithful Christians who will refresh others, giving refuge from storm and offering water in desert conditions. Just picture yourself walking through a desert in searing heat and blistering sun and suddenly finding shade under an enormous rock. What a relief to find respite with clear fresh water! The passage is Messianic when Christ will reign as the King of Righteousness and portrays the privilege of serving our Lord Jesus Christ.

Audrey Hum

Isaiah Chapter 31

This chapter speaks about where our dependence lies. When we are really in need of help in our lives where or who do we go to for help? Do we rely on ourselves, our families, friends or our material wealth and possessions? Israel looked to the strength and power of Egypt but God points out here that they are ‘only men’. The chapter warned Israel, and warns us today, about relying on ‘earthly things’ and exhorts us to ‘look only to the Lord God of Israel’. He also promises in these verses to fight for us, shield, deliver and rescue us – what more do we need in times of trouble? (See also Hebrews ch12 v 2)

Dot Poulsom

Prayer & Donuts

Next Saturday (4th July) there will be a special session of prayer for revival. We will start at 8am, break at 9am for coffee, and then resume at 9:30, finishing at 10:30. Do come for the first hour, the second hour, or both.

Mark is buying shed-loads of donuts for the coffee break. If there aren't enough people at the prayer meeting, he may have to take some home! Out of consideration for Mark's health then ...

Killing God

Six out of ten teenagers believe religion ‘has a negative influence on the world’ and 55 per cent say family, friends, money and entertainment are more important. The findings came in a survey of 1,000 teenagers for Penguin Books. Half of teenagers claim they have never prayed and 16 per cent have never been to church, even for a wedding or a christening. Three in ten believe in an afterlife but one in ten believes in reincarnation. The survey marked the publication of a novel about a 15-year-old girl who questions God’s existence. Kevin Brooks, author of Killing God, said he ‘wanted to explore the personal attitudes of young people today, especially those with troubled lives’ towards religion. ‘Why do some people turn to God for help while others take comfort in drugs and alcohol?’

Source: Daily Telegraph (22/6)

I don't suppose anyone's read the book (it only came out yesterday!) but it looks like one that it's worth keeping an eye on.

Laughing at God

Hi all

As there are no Isaiah blog thoughst this week because we don't look at the next section of Isaiah this Sunday - let post this ...

This song by Regina Spektor is released this month. Some quite interesting lyrics

What do you think?

Look for them being quoted in a sermon near you..

No one laughs at God in a hospital

No one laughs at God in a war

No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God when the doctor calls after some routine tests

No one's laughing at God when it's gotten real late and their kid's not back

from that party yet

No one laughs at God when their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake

No one's laughing at God when they see the one they love hand in hand

with someone else and they hope that they're mistaken

No one laughs at God when the cops knock on their door and

they say "We've got some bad new, sir,"

No one's laughing at God when there's a famine, fire or flood

But God can be funny

At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or

Or when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red

in the head you think that they're about to choke

God can be funny

When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way

And when presented like a genie

Who does magic like Houdini

Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus