NET News September 09 2

Posted by Chris on 28 September 2009 | 0 Comments

-sept '09(2)

In this issue:

1. Tim's ramblings     
2. GENnet news (including Kids' worker training and Kids weekend away 2010)  
3. Transform Work UK Conference in November
4. Mark Ritchie in Sedgley
5. Ladies day at ACC
6. wolves street pastors news
7. Dudley Focus For Men - early October
8. The Stand
9. WINGS
10. The Presence
11. Birchills Youth Praise – Walsall
12. Stronger Conference
13. JOBS 
14. Good news for Job-seekers/education
15. And finally.......AMUSING?

Dearest Black Countryites,

Hi guys,

A friend in The US sent me these thoughts below recently as he is aware that The Lord has taken us through a season of great challenge this year, in line with Hebrews 12.

 

If you FEEL like you're having a rough week, ponder on this.......

On December 5, 1914, Sir Ernest H. Shackleton and 27 men under his command sailed from South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic aboard the barque Endurance. Their goal was to land on the Antarctic continent and become the first to cross it.

The North Pole had been reached in 1909; the South Pole, in 1911. Shackleton, a veteran of Antarctic exploration who had been knighted for his earlier expeditions, felt that crossing Antarctica was “the last great Polar journey that can be made.” He named his endeavor the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

Shackleton and his men failed utterly at the expedition’s stated goal; they never even set foot on Antarctica. Yet the courage and determination they displayed have become legendary.

In January 1915, before they could reach the Antarctic coast, their ship became trapped in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea. For nine months, they and their ship drifted helplessly with the ice. Then, in October 1915, currents and wind drove massive plates of ice in on the Endurance,crushing it.

Members of the expedition were forced onto the ice floes surrounding the ship.They salvaged three lifeboats and whatever equipment and provisions they could extract from the tangled wreckage of the ship before it sank.

The ice became their home for the next six months. Attempts to move their provisions and gear dozens of miles over the ice to land were frustrated by gaps between floes and impassible ridges of ice blocks pushed up against each other by currents and winds.

As their food supplies dwindled, they were forced to hunt whatever penguins and other sea life they could  find. Although the men initially hoped that the drifting of the ice would carry them toward land, in time it became clear that they were drifting northward toward the open ocean. 

 In late March,1916, cracks began splitting the floe into ever-smaller pieces. On April 9, they were forced to take to their boats in an attempt to reach one of a few small islands off the Antarctic coast. For seven sleepless days and nights, they battled the sea ice and the ferocious weather of the Southern Ocean, finally landing on remote, uninhabited Elephant Island.

Shackleton and five others left that island eight days later in the most seaworthy of the boats, the James Caird, to get help at South Georgia Island, a staggering 650 miles away.

Battling towering waves and weather that made navigational sightings almost impossible, they reached South Georgia 16 days later, only to come ashore on the uninhabited side of the island, opposite from the whaling stations they sought, and with the Caird’s rudder gone.

With no choice but to travel on foot, Shackleton and two of the other men set out to cross the mountainous, glaciated, and uncharted interior of the island. On May 20, 1916, they walked into the whaling station at Stromness Bay. Although the three men on the other side of the island were rescued the next day with help from the whalers, it would be four months and three attempts before a Shackleton-led rescue party succeeded in making its way through the sea ice to reach the remainder of the men at Elephant Island on August 30, 1916.

Amazingly, after almost two years of danger and privation, not one of the expedition’s 28 members had been lost.

So, what does this say to you in your situation today? This is what my mate wrote;

"Sometimes I feel we are only enduring because we are Christians, we don’t have any options; getting drunk, screwing around, taking off around the world, leaving all responsibility, suicide, but it is our faith that stops us from doing theses things………that’s what separates us, we choose to walk through these trials, and the endurance that it takes to do that produces great inner strength………and conquers !!!!!!

It is another level of foundation that we are laying down in our lives, it hurts because we are having to disrupt everything else to go back and put down that foundation,

The wise man builds his house on the rock,

I always wondered why the foolish man built on the sand, its obvious it s going to fall down…but I think it was because the sand was ontop of the rock and he would have to move all the sand first before he got to the rock, and that was going to be painful......are you still moving sand ? if so, your getting close to that Rock  I promise !!!!!".

I hope this has touched your heart, and I really hope that as you grasp the context of where you are, and who you are IN HIM, it will encourage you to keep going, endure and persevere.

As Paul wrote, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope". (Rom 5:3-4)

And Mr James also says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".

Did you catch that? Not lacking anything! Psalm 23 comes to mind immediately. "Mature". My idea of what a mature Christian looks like today has changed quite a lot over the years.......it still is!

May The Lord open your eyes so that you may really see who it is that is with you, wherever you are.

Much love,

Tim.
 

On behalf of The Net.

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THE PRESENCE

Hopefully you will be aware that the next national day of prayer is happening on Saturday 17 October 2009, at the newly refurbished NEC LG Arena in Birmingham. We have sent thousands of fliers out, and will be sending more out in September, but we would really appreciate you putting it on your website, either on the home page (preferable) or under events. We realise that once September kicks in there is realistically only just over a month to fill the new Arena, so we would really appreciate your help in standing with us in this.

I have attached three icons for you to use..... obviously if you can use the big version that would be great, but realise that space can be limited on web pages, so wherever you can fit it in is much appreciated.

The hyperlink is http://worldprayer.org.uk/events/the-presence/

If you do need any more paper copies of the flier, please get in touch and we can send you some by return........ in the mean time, just a word to say that we look forward to seeing you in October, and THANK YOU in advance for standing with us and helping us to advertise this very significant day in the life of the nations of The Bristish Isles.

Laurence Sharman

Tel: 0121 633 7393 çFax: 0121 643 5645 çMob: 07712 238252

skype: laurence.sharman

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Youth Praise in Walsall

Dear friends,
 
Birchills Youth Praise will be at Green Lane Baptist Church, in Burrowes Street, Walsall, on Saturday October 17th 2009 from 7pm to 9pm.
 
Many of you will know me from my local media work when I'm known as Deborah Stewart and you may also be aware that I'm a member of Green Lane. Last year we launched an ecumenical Youth Praise to encourage not just our teenagers, but those attending the neighbouring churches in the area. We came to realise that while some of the young people were from small congregations with few other teenagers they attended senior schools where there are significant numbers of church going pupils, but were unaware of it. So this event is to encourage our young Christians and to let them know they are not on their own at school, or college or in the community and there are others their own age walking around in Walsall and beyond who share their faith.
 
It is being organised by Top Score, of which I'm a member. Some years ago we performed Christian street theatre in Park Street and we hold community activity days at the church as well as lead services. As well as the Youth Praise events in January and July 2008 we also hosted a visit by Rob Lacey Theatre Company in November 2008.
 
Our guest speaker on October 17th will be Dave Newton, of Youth For Christ, who is based in the Wirral, and who has previously visited the Walsall Schools Joint Christian Union (JCU). There will be a lively band, guests from JCU and a dance group all added in to make it an interactive worship night with some fun and refreshments thrown in the mix. If you have young people please bring them along we would love to meet them.
 
We are putting updates on our website www.glbc.org.uk  and the venue postcode is WS2 8NX. Flyers are available from debbie.hardiman@hotmail.co.uk for you to print off. I'm rolling out the publicity this week and thought this is the best way to reach as many of you as possible.
 
If you need any more information don't hesitate to contact me. I'm also available on 07929 907368.
 
Yours in Christ,
 
Deborah.

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Stronger 09 Conference.  Be strengthened and receive prophetic perspective for the days ahead!  Stronger 09,  8^th-11^th October.  I am really excited to have Pastors Robert Maasbach from Life Church, Folkestone and Roberts Liardon from Kensington Temple, London.  Both these men are outstanding in their gift and ability to impart strength and have a prophetic perspective for the days in which we live.  The event is free.  Thursday evening 7.30pm, Friday 9am & 7.30pm, Saturday 10am & 7.30pm.

Stronger 09 Leaders Morning - Friday 9^th 9-12.30pm

Ministry for those in Leadership.  This morning will be both teaching and ministry impartation.  There will also be refreshments.  If you could book in by return email that would be helpful.  The event is free but an offering will be taken. Thanks Steve Uppal

All Nations Christian Centre, Temple Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4AQ.  01902 714469, info@allnations.org.uk  www.allnations.org.uk 

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