Prayer Diary
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Encountering the Spirit Prayer Diary I've been going to church my entire life, but just because I've been going, doesn't necessarily mean I've been listening! When our church, St Mary’s, Atherstone, decided to do an Alpha course, I didn't know what to expect but I went along and January 2015 enjoyed the fellowship of getting to know the congregation I'd been sitting with all these years. Week on week the course delved deeper and before we knew it, it was time for the away day with a focus of the Holy Spirit....Eeek! I wasn’t sure what to ‘Seek the Lord, while he may be found, think about that! But I went along with open eyes and hoped for the best. call upon him while he is near.’ Isaiah 55:6 After the first DVD we were invited to sit and talk in small groups and I said quite R.S.V.P. openly that I wasn't sure what the Holy Spirit was or what the Holy Spirit was all about. I'd never experienced the Spirit working in me before. As soon as I said this, I Both the shepherds and the Magi responded to God’s immediately felt compelled to cry and I felt a warm feeling growing over me. 'That’s invitation or their intimations of God’s call. They did it, he's showing you!' said one group member. Immediately, I didn't feel scared or something about it. The Magi persevered on their worried about what to expect from the rest of the day. journey following a star. They were seeking. The shepherds hurried from their fields – probably up that The day continued; more DVD talks, a lovely lunch and then time to worship. We steep hill in Bethlehem – to see what had happened. were invited to pray with those around us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Chris, my Without their responding to the promptings of God they Alpha group leader, prayed with me and again I felt compelled to cry. My feet grew would never have encountered the glory of God in the hot and I felt a sensation of heat filling my entire body until I felt like I was glowing. I Christ child. Having done so, their lives would be was sure I would be burning red but I wasn't! I felt at peace, and yet also filled with a changed for ever; an altogether new dimension opened renewed energy. up to them. The Magi became, in the words of T.S Eliot, ‘no longer at ease in the old dispensation, with an alien The day finished and for about 4 days afterwards, I felt completely invincible. I felt I people, clutching their gods.’ The ending of one journey is the beginning of another. could take on the world! The feeling of hotness subsided but I am still left with the inner peace of knowing that the Holy Spirit left something behind in me that day and In a culture which encourages a largely passive consumerism, are we in danger of that gives me the strength I need to go forward in Christ. losing both our alertness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and our responsiveness to them? As Christians, we are not called to stay as we are, or to be spiritual couch Life is tough with so much to potatoes. God invites us, beckons us into a continual seeking of Himself, or as St balance in the modern world, but Paul puts it ‘a reaching out for that which is ahead’. Philippians 3:13 with the support and love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy As we begin 2015, let us pray for a deeper and truer seeking and reaching out for Spirit, we are able to achieve God. ‘When the people seek me with their whole heart, then I will be found by them.’ anything. Jeremiah 29:13. And whenever we truly seek God, we know that it is God in us, God who has already found us. Libby Hall Page 8 Page 1 Nuneaton Deanery Being an Apprentice Disciple Nuneaton Deanery is blessed with a wide variety of parishes. 2009 was the year God entered my life – I didn’t realise it at the time but that is One thing which unites us is a commitment to transforming our definitely when it happened. communities. Not too long ago we spent a Deanery Synod covering a map of the area with coloured post-it notes listing all the projects My Godmother, who I was very close to, we were involved in – from food banks to toddler groups, street died suddenly with no illness or pre- pastoring to school assemblies. warning. The shock was immense and Here is the story of just one of them, told by Peter Allan, Vicar of several weeks later I still felt as though Ansley and Arley. there was something else about to happen Richard Hare—Area Dean – but couldn’t say what. The funeral came “Ten years ago St.Michael’s, the district church of the ex-mining village of New and went and the feeling was still there. Arley, had two excellent church groups – a parent and toddler group called Minimikes and a youth club, Megamikes, which included Christian teaching. I had two friends who were Christians and they always seemed to be able to comfort Minimikes inspired a visitor from the Big Lottery Fund to say “I find hope here” and me with words of kindness – even when I asked them how they could believe in God to urge the church to put in a bid to that fund for a community centre. This was when he takes away the good people, people like my Godmother. Both friends said opened by Bishop Christopher in 2009. Megamikes had a waiting list and welcomed that perhaps I should talk to someone to help with the grief and the questions it one new child at a time. For many local children going to something without their raised – and to cut a long story short that’s how I found St Nicolas Church Small mates, especially if it involved reading or writing, was a frightening prospect. Instead Group. they gathered outside, sometimes throwing stones through the windows during the sessions. That was the start of my Christian journey. After a phone conversation with Kelly Betteridge, the Vicar, we agreed to meet (it was Pancake Day so it’s easy to Church members remained committed to serving all our young people. When the remember!) and my husband Dave and I joined a START group to explore the open youth club lost its premises we invited the young people to hold their club Christian faith. The group were fun and open – there were emotions and tears at inside the church. Coventry Diocese gave a grant to help fund a full-time youth many sessions – but we worked through the pain and joy together. worker for Arley and adjoining parishes. It was not easy but we have stood by the young people and eight years later the club continues to meet in the community Following START there was other house groups and we are still part of a bi-weekly centre. small group and have just finished studying a Stephen Travis book – now we are moving onto Alpha, which I am helping to lead so that will be fun and exciting too I Through youth club and community centre, we have broken down the barriers am sure. It’s still an exciting journey for Dave and me – we are still hungry to know between church and community. The message we have sought to get across is: “All the story of Jesus and want to be better Christians every day . It’s hard but we work are welcome, all are valued.” Being respected for our commitment to all proved vital hard at it too – not everything comes naturally – especially for me after 40+ years! when we opened Messy Church in 2011. The programme includes a hot dinner, varied crafts and interactive worship. Numbers average 70. It is the best attended We are active in our Church and enjoy being part of a local and worldwide Christian regular event at the Centre. We reach across the social spectrum in a way no secular family with all the challenges that brings. My life is so much richer now that I am an agency can match. The worship is increasingly appreciated, but how can we offer the Apprentice Disciple and we are looking forward to a time when we can say we are depth of Christian teaching given by Megamikes, 10 years ago? Now that is our next definitely disciples... but I seem to think that constant learning is the way of challenge!” discipleship so that time may never come. Alison Handley Page 2 Page 7 All Saints Primary School and Nursery. Headteacher: Sally Kaminski-Gaze. Sat 24 All Saints Infant School and Nursery. Headteacher: Tina Keeling. Cycle of Prayer - January 2015 Abbey Infants School. Headteacher: Sharon Thorpe. We pray for God's blessing upon all the children, teachers, staff, governors and communities. With a focus on parishes and schools in Nuneaton Deanery *Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, Teacher of the Faith, 1622 Mancetter. Clergy: Anthony Tooby. Reader: Brenda Moss. We pray for God's Sun 25 Bedworth Team. Clergy: Richard Hare, Martin Hammond, Pamela Hamilton. Thu 1 Readers: Kath Farmer, Geoff Popejoy. Church Army: Celia Hare. Please pray blessing upon the church members and the local community.