All Things Taylor

Cardboard Testimonies

2012-02-03T14:39:00.000Z

We did these at our 10th anniversary I know Sean has blogged this already but I don't think we can see it enough to inspire us to believe that we are not finished growing yet. There are still many cardboard testimonies to believe for over the next 10 years and you and I have the privilege to be involved!

Cardboard Testimonies from Reading Family Church on Vimeo.

Serving Teams: SUPA

2012-02-02T14:26:00.002Z

Matt Blake

This is a picture of Matt Blake and he has just taken over from Andy in leading into our SUPA team. The SUPA team is one of those teams in church life that goes unnoticed as a people but not as a function. I remember when we started to meet in Reading Girls School, getting there early each morning and setting out chairs quickly became one of the highlights of the week. It was an integral area of church life to serve in and it all went on behind the scenes and I loved it, the banter, the reality of seeing growth in the number of chairs that were required, setting up paddling pools for baptisms, fabulous!

Beautifully laid out chairs

10 years have passed and we now have a much larger church, more chairs, boxes to be moved around to other ministries, flags to be set, banners put up. It can feel such a thankless task but is one of those that is highly valued and highly appreciated after all, who wants to sit on the floor.

The reality is that it is the ministry that starts the earliest at 8:30am and they are the last to leave the building at about 1pm for the morning meeting and 5pm - 8:30pm at the evening meeting.

We have had great heroes serve in this area over a long period of time such as Tino Villa, Tim Jablonski, Dan Chard, Andy Twine (sorry if I have forgotten anyone) and more recently, Matt Blake, all ably assisted by others.

Getting it right is an art!

So now we are once again inviting people to serve in this valuable area of church life. It is a matter of committing and then following through on that commitment. It's a matter of putting the proverbial towel over your arm and serving, knowing that God is delighted in what you are doing. There are quite a few opportunities to serve on the team with Matt looking to build at least three teams for the morning meeting meaning that there is less regularity in being on.

Could you be there at 8:30am/5pm on a Sunday morning/evening ready to put out chairs and lug boxes? Are you available after the meetings to help put things along. if you are and you want to get involved then please let Matt Blake (morning) or Ian Anderson (evening) know on Sunday, or of course you can contact me at churchoffice@readingfamilychurch.org.uk

Turning intentions to reality

2012-01-21T12:00:00.065Z

We will soon be heading into the 4th week of the new year and already 1/12th of the year is nearly through. Good intentions have stayed just that, intentions and the things we thought we might do haven't quite got into swing yet! You know what I mean!

Here at RFC one of the things that we are aware of is that we have grown significantly and the people that we are growing with are taking a bit of time to get involved in the joy of serving. The main reason for this is that there is no means of knowing what areas of church life need help at any given time. Other reasons are, however, that our good intentions to get involved do not materialize into reality and months can go past before we have decided what we will do.

I will therefore periodically, be putting a post up that showcases an area of church life and what there is to do in it, so our good intentions can be made reality.

For now though, why don't you decide today to be someone who will get stuck in to a serving area. The various areas are listed below and you can leave a comment to tell me that you would like to get involved or go via the 'getting involved' page on the website.

Creche (morning only)
Kids Church (morning only)
The Edge (Youth)
Student Team
SUPA (Set Up & Pack Away)
Welcome Team
Host Team
Music
PA / Audio Visual
HOPE (ministry for adults with learning difficulties)
Teas and Coffees (morning only)

What is Foundations and Who is it for?

2012-01-20T11:48:00.001Z

It's the start of a new year and Christmas is way behind us. The resolutions have already started to be broken. However, one of those resolutions might have been to come back to Jesus, or give your life to Him for the first time, or even just to come back to the basics so that the Christian life doesn't feel quite so complex and hard theologically. If that is you then this is for you.

On the last Tuesday of this month, Rachel Green and I will be hosting the first evening of our Foundations. These evenings are called foundations for 2 reasons.

#1 The name of the book we use to stimulate discussion is called Foundations and is written by John Groves
#2 Because these evenings are to build grow and strengthen our foundations in Christ.

The evenings are designed to be open for all, meaning they are an ideal next step after Alpha, they are ideal if you are new in your faith and they are ideal as a refresher of why you believe and do all that you do in teh name of Jesus!

Foundations is a great way to get to know a new bunch of people, and a great place to get to understand why we do certain things as a church.

Each week we will journey through subjects in an easy and open environment:

Week 1: Personal Foundations - looking at faith and baptism in water and the Spirit
Week 2: A New Creation - a fresh reminder of who we are in Christ and all He achieved for us (you can never know this enough!)
Week 3: Kingdom Life - what does it mean to live as a Christian in all areas of our lives?
Week 4: Kingdom Warfare - we have a real enemy, how does he work and how do we live in the victory Christ won?
Week 5: Jesus is Building His Church - What is church and what does it mean to participate?
Week 6: Belonging to Church - As it says on the tin, but aimed at what it means to belong to RFC (you may already be a member but always good to be reminded)
Week 7: Sharing your Faith - These foundations could be the foundations for your friends and family as they come to know Jesus, we are called to invite them to meet Him!

You can book in by leaving a comment on here or by contacting me via the foundations page of the website found on this link.

The year ahead and why

2012-01-04T12:08:00.000Z

A new year has ensued and it's probably time that I started updating this blog a little more often than I do. I find that at times I have much to say and at other times I cannot even face looking at the icon on the computer screen that taunts me and tells me that i have not written for ages. I decided before Christmas that I would start again in the new year and so here I am. Anyway on with the post!

I am currently looking at a few events that the community of RFC can enjoy together. The idea of the events is to provide an environment where people can socialize together, get to know new people and feel free to invite others in. They are not outright evangelistic but do provide a chance to showcase the talent that is in the church and further afield. We are looking at another acoustic night, a choirs evening and a comedy night, spread throughout the year.

There will be two Alpha courses this year; one starting in April off the back of Easter Sunday and one at the end of September. Alpha has always been the prominent way in which God has moved amongst us in salvation power. Being in a place where people can feel free to ask questions and disagree, knowing that no one is going to judge them, is a wonderful thing in our culture. When we stop seeing fruit we will stop doing Alpha, but for now we continue.

We are inviting a couple of guest evangelists to some and be with us this year one in either half of the year. They are yet to confirm availability but I will of course let you know when I do.

This year sees the diamond jubilee of the queens coronation. The council have asked if the churches of South Reading can put on some sort of event to feed the local community. We would like to put on a street party down Northumberland Avenue if the council agree the road closures. We will be working with the other churches of South Reading to cater for some 4000 people over a 3 hour window. This is such a great opportunity to serve and get to know the people in whose community we meet.

We will also be looking to put on a couple of Saturday mornings this year to do some training in evangelism. We will look at some basics on why and some practical things that we can do. Dates for this are to be confirmed.

Why do we do all of these things? Why do we want to help others know this Jesus that we love and follow? Because he told us to, well yes he did, but who ever did anything because they were told to and did it with a good heart? We do it because we know that it is only in Jesus that we found true acceptance, significance and love. We do it because we, like God, should want none to perish. We do it because someone once loved us enough to introduce us to Jesus. We do it because we are loved and we love.

None of these things save anyone, Jesus does, but we need to bring them to places where they can first have their presuppositions of Christianity eroded and then introduce them to Jesus through Alpha, visiting speakers, baptism meetings, father's day and mother's day, Easter and Christmas meetings and of course our Sunday gatherings.

I am looking forward to a year where we see salvation and I am praying we will see it like we have never seen it before. When the carol singing season starts again this year, i am trusting that many more will be singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing not because it is a twee song to sing at that time of year, but because they firmly believe in the one the song is about. My prayer is simple - LORD, USE ME! Is yours the same?

Acoustic night and houses

2011-11-15T11:46:00.001Z

The acoustic night on Saturday evening was a great event. There was an eclectic mix of musical forms on show, each contributing to a diverse feel to the evening. It is so good to be able to put on quality events like this to help build community and also giving us an opportunity to invite friends along. I think the guys at South Street think it's amazing that a church would do this sort of thing!

On another note, last Friday we viewed a house and subsequently put in the asking price. They have of course accepted the offer - however we now have the small matter of selling our lovely two bed semi in South Reading before anything else can change. Please pray that we would be able to sell quickly and if you are indeed looking for a property like this please let me know.

These are exciting times, people are turning to Jesus, there are healings taking place among us, we are looking for a new Church building and we are now in the process of finding a buyer for our house. There is so much to thank God for and so we will!

Alpha so far

2011-11-09T10:18:00.000Z

The Alpha course has been going really well. A great team of cake bakers, coffee servers, and table leaders have served brilliantly and with great skill. Edd has done a great job in hosting each of the evenings and we have known God's presence each team we have met. Each persons personal story that we have each week has been powerful and has been about real life personal encounters and change.

Most of the guests have been able to be there each week with only a slight drop off from the first week, and they all seem to be enjoying it. In fact 2 have already made a first time response to following Jesus - BRILLIANT!!!

One of those was on his way home from the 10th anniversary and gave his life on that walk back to his house. The other one made her response at the day away. The day away will always be extremely significant to her. However it was also significant for others as they met with God and even those who would say that nothing happened, saw the power of God at work in people lives.

Last night was week 7 and that means we were talking about resisting evil. As the discussion time came around, one of the guys on the course put his glasses on to read the bible. However he found that putting his glasses on blurred his vision. He took them back off again and found that he could read tiny print in dim lighting perfectly fine without them. I have contacted him today and he says that this is still the case. he cannot use the glasses because they blur his vision. This is amazing considering we were not discussing healing, we were not praying for healing, he just healed him!

I for one still need my glasses, but Ben does not! Now that is amazing and that is our God!

So that's just a quick update as to what has been going on. Please continue to pray for the course and be considering who you can invite next time around.

Reading Post Article

2011-10-22T09:00:00.000+01:00

The Reading Post were at our 10th anniversary celebrations at the town hall and have written a brief article. It's good to see this sort of coverage in the local news.

Click here to see the article

Acoustic night

2011-10-21T10:54:00.000+01:00

On Saturday November 12th, we will once again be at South Street Arts Centre, to enjoy an evening of meeting with friends and hearing quality live music from three talented acts (read bios below).

Lozi Boulton: A local girl from Wokingham, Lozi has a beautiful voice that accompanies her guitar with wonderful clarity. She sings songs that she has penned herself which tell something of her life's journey. Her gentle tones leave audiences spell bound and wanting more.

Mimi and Friends: Mimi hails from the African nation of Zimbabwe and with her friends bring that musical culture here to the UK. She is an accomplished musician on native Zim instruments as well as guitar and vocals. However Mimi is also great at getting the audience involved in complex clapping rhythms. Be prepared to embrace a whole new musical genre.

Forerunner: After forming in the summer of 2009, Forerunner began playing the venues and clubs of the Brighton circuit, immediately winning fans with their energetic live shows and catchy melodies. From then on, they spread further afield into the South of England, building momentum with a strong internet presence. In Spring 2010 they were voted one of the top 10 live acts in Brighton, receiving the opportunity to play on the Heart radio stage at the Brighton marathon.

It's now only 4 weeks until the event and tickets are now on sale by clicking on the photo or here. book now for you and your friends to avoid disappointment.

Taking the opportunities when they arise

2011-10-05T15:48:00.002+01:00

Are we missing opportunities to help people in view of our faith because we think that they are not interested? Do we stop short of saying the thing that may help them the most because we are afraid that they'll misunderstand us?

These last three evenings I have had an opportunity to make that call and each time I swallowed hard and went with it. The strange thing is, instead of it being awkward it felt so natural. I felt the Holy Spirit open the opportunity and then help me with what to say. He helped me remember scriptures that were of note in the situations which I was then able to paraphrase and make it accessible.

When you feel it rising up and know that God wants you to say something I recommend going for. Don't miss those divine opportunities to both help someone and also bring them that little closer to Jesus.

Great feedback from Alpha

2011-09-29T15:41:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday evening we gathered in the church offices for the first night of Alpha. 31 of us heard about who Jesus is, ate homemade cake and drank tea, coffee and hot chocolate. It was a great night with outstanding people serving tirelessly until 10:45 packing everything away.

Here is some of the feedback that has been received:

"It was such a good evening - I was on such a high when I got home it took a while to come down to earth! It was so exciting to be there with my friends who don't know Jesus yet & listen to you speak so clearly & sincerely about Jesus & who He is."

"Both my guests really enjoyed the evening, so much that I had to prompt us to leave the Slug and Lettuce at half 11 last night! One of my friends was asking so many questions, but before I could give an answer, the other was butting in coming out with all this truth! This is amazing and an answer to prayer"

"I really really enjoyed tonight, everything I hoped it would be a more. So much I want to say and ask and discover but it's trying to get it all into words. Furiously making notes now so i can get it altogether."

These are three different stories from three different people. I know that God will work amazingly again on this course - please pray for his kingdom to come, for lives to be transformed, for grace to abound and for guests to return.

What a God we have, let's thank Him and give Him the glory for all he has done, is doing and will do!

A provocative statement that I am working through!

2011-09-23T14:23:00.001+01:00

I read this sentence earlier this week and it has been living with me since:

"A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument."

This was written in the context of a book about the Holy Spirit called 'Good Morning Holy Spirit' by Benny Hinn. Now I know that that name puts different thoughts in different minds. There is such a mixed opinion of Mr Hinn and this blog is not a statement endorsing or attacking the man. I just thought this statement was provocative.

In one sense I fully agree with him. When sharing my personal story, no one can say it didn't happen without any integrity (as long as I'm not making it up!) My personal walk with Jesus and the way that I live that out and communicate it will be the rebuttal to any great argument against Him existing or being God. People will not always see it that way, but my experience will be my experience.

I think the danger of the statement is that our experiences can become the bench mark that we live by. The person who experiences the baptism of the Spirit will point to that and say of course it is as it is written in the book of Acts. Likewise the person who is healed. However the person who has not been healed or who has prayed for but never experienced the baptism can rightly say to anyone trying to present a case that their experience is of no healing and of no Holy Spirit power. Who is right?

This can only be settled I believe when we take our experience and line it up against what scripture says. If my experience does not line up with the flow and body of scripture then my experience cannot be the bench mark. We cannot bring the bible down to our level of experience or we cannot add to the bible because of our experience. The Bible must interpret our experiences and be the high water mark of what we expect God to do in our lives.

As you can see this has exercised my mind and will continue to do so as I think about the way I pastor and teach and counsel and live and love and be the follower of Jesus that I long to be. I love the gist of the statement for evangelism purposes and as long as the experience is always measured against the great plumb line of God's word.

These are just initial thoughts and I'm sure they will continue to stew!

The two week countdown to Alpha has begun

2011-09-14T12:06:00.000+01:00

With only two weeks left to go until the next Alpha course starts, it's time to start inviting people. We've got 9 people signed up already, will you or your friend be the next person to sign up.

I found this story on the Alpha website and found that it gave me a fresh desire to invite someone because you don't know what God will do if they say yes, regardless of how reluctant they might be:

Alpha Testimony Sophie from Holy Trinity Brompton on Vimeo.

Back after the Summer Break

2011-09-13T16:39:00.000+01:00

It's good to be back after the Summer break; a Summer that was inspiring and wet! It was great to be back among the church family again and as always a privilege to be able to preach.

I'm so looking forward to this term and over the next couple of days I shall headline a couple of things coming up that will enable us to invite friends to an event that will be what they need. As always it would be great to have your suggestions as to what sort of events we can be running in 2012 as we start to plan for the coming year.

A rework of part of Sunday's preach

2011-07-22T15:07:00.001+01:00

On Sunday I preached the last message in the series We Know and We Love, looking at he 1st letter John wrote to the churches in modern day Turkey (you can listen to each of the messages by clicking here). We looked at chapter 5v13-21and found that there were some troublesome verses in the passage (16 and 17). After preaching in the morning and after receiving feedback, I reworked this section in the afternoon and preached the following in the evening, it's a long post but here goes:

"Paul now enters the middle of the race – he is now commentating on what he sees and what he hears and he moves on to talk about sin. In particular he talks of something that has been a little tricky to understand throughout the ages. Theologians have debated its meaning and have come up with differing opinions all based on the text and the context! To think that I in the time we have would be able to unpick it so that it satisfies every question would be futile to say the least. However I do think it’s important to have a way of navigating these hard passages and coming to an understanding of how they fit together for yourselves, so if my understanding does not quite cut it for you this is well worth investigating and looking into a little more with study.

So here goes - He talks about a sin that leads to death and a sin that does not lead to death.

To help us here we must remember that he is talking to those who are believers and he is speaking to those who are not yet believing the heresy that is flying around. He is regrounding them in their faith to give them assurance.

I do not believe here that John is at all saying that people who genuinely have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour can lose their salvation! Rather He is talking about a sin that shows that these people were not even following Jesus in the first place. Maybe they liked the moral code or the buzz of the people. Maybe they liked the doctrine of grace but didn’t want to back that up with the works that followed, or maybe they liked the works and didn’t get the grace. Maybe they just liked charismatic leaders and followed after men who seemed to have more answers!

So what is John saying?

Let’s break this into two sections. Firstly let’s look at the sin that does not lead to death.

This is the sin that we all experience. As followers of Jesus we know that we mess up that we give into temptation. We get caught out and make mistakes, but let’s remember 1 John 2:2

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin – But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence – Jesus Christ the Righteous one” YES!!!

So as followers of Christ we can see forgiveness of our sins. Once any sin becomes evident to our brothers or sisters then we are to pray for each other. Whatever that sin might be we are to pray. Maybe it’s lustfulness or inappropriateness with the opposite sex. Maybe it’s drinking too much alcohol, maybe it’s gossiping. We can pray for their reconciliation. We can pray that the Holy Spirit will convict them and that they will repent. We may even do as Paul says in Galatians 6:1 and go and talk to them and restore them gently.

If someone has sinned against us let’s do as Jesus says and go to talk to them about it so that we can seek reconciliation. We can pray together and sort it out. As true followers of Christ we should want to repent as hard as we might find it to turn away from that which we have been doing, we should not want to live with sinfulness in our lives, it is alien to us.

This is the sin that does not lead to death, because it is forgiven. When we repent, sin is forgiven and that repentance leads to life and not death.

So what is the sin that leads to death and why is John indifferent about whether you should pray for it or not?

One commentator writes: “If John’s major emphasis as the letter concludes is that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God have eternal life, then the sin that leads to death, the death that excludes the sinner from the life of God, must surely be the denial of that saving truth. If this is right then the sin that leads to death does so because, by nature, it rejects the only means by which sin can be forgiven – the atoning death of the incarnate Son of God. This underlines the important truth that it is not that this sin is unpardonable, but that it remains unpardoned. We need to preserve this distinction because so much of the rest of the letter has carefully established it.” (The Message of John's Letters, David Jackman, page 164)

Therefore this sin that leads to death is actually a rejection of Jesus, his deity and his death on the cross to forgive sin. The sin that leads to death is the sin that does not appropriate forgiveness because it rejects the one, the way and the means by which forgiveness comes.

When we are stubborn and hard hearted and don’t repent of sin then we are rejecting the grace of God; we are saying again that we know best we are acting as if we are unbelievers and John says that this is a sin that leads to death. One that leads to hardness of heart and one that leads to a rejection of Jesus, because in our pride we don’t want to own up to what we have done or see that it is indeed wrong.

If this becomes a persistent, ongoing rejection of Jesus and his grace then we need to act accordingly. It’s at this point that we as believers, when we see this happening, when we have done all we can to plead with our brother or sister, need not pray for their restoration or reconciliation through forgiveness of any particular sin they may be involved in. Rather that it’s time to start treating them like an unbeliever as Jesus teaches in Matthew 18 meaning we turn our attention to praying for their salvation! This would be church discipline or as Paul put it – giving over the immoral unrepentant believer to Satan or over to their unrepentant wishes.

Now just a note here, I also know that we can hold on to sin because we don’t think that we can be forgiven of it. We might have thought that it is the unforgivable sin or the sin that cannot be pardoned. We therefore store it up and let it condemn us and it causes us to lose joy and brings distance between us and God and also between us and our brothers and sisters. We don’t want anyone to mention that particular part of our lives in

case anything comes out about it and people really find out who you are!

Brothers and sisters let me say to you today if that is you – do not be hamstrung by the lie of the devil. If you are worried that you have committed some unforgivable sin, then let me say you haven’t – if you had you wouldn’t care about it!!! Whatever you have done come to Jesus, repent and you will be forgiven. He knows about it anyway and he is just waiting for you to acknowledge it is sin, turn to him and lay it at the foot of the cross and leave it there. His death was sufficient to take even your sin. His death has completed the work of destroying the hold that sin can have on us. Come out from condemnation and live in the freedom of your new life."

The weekend that was

2011-07-20T10:34:00.000+01:00

Last week saw the last Newfrontiers leaders conference at Brighton. It was a great time of hearing from God worshiping with thousands and getting an understanding of how Newfrontiers will move forward as a movement. More details and highlights can be found on Sean's blog here. This was then followed by a very busy weekend.

My good friend of some 12 years, Tim Rooke got married. I had the honour of being one of his best men on the day, which also meant a 7pm rehearsal on Friday evening. Tim has waited for this moment for so long and it was such a joyful occasion to see Sarah practice walking down the aisle and her tears as she went through the marriage vows one last time before the big day.

Saturday was somewhat of a whirlwind of getting the groom to the church building, ushering ushers, being the master of ceremonies, holding the details of the reception and of course making a speech! By 9pm I was ready to sleep!

Sunday was a wonderful day of meeting with RFC and having the pleasure of preaching the final sermon in our series 'we know and we love' looking at the first letter of John to the churches of what is now modern day Turkey.

As I reflect on this busy passage of time I can only see God's hand being worked out in the lives of his people. I am so thankful for friends of amassing years who I have had the joy and the pain of walking closely with. I am also full of wonder at the great gospel that we carry, the great Father who gives it through his wonderful Son Jesus made real to us by his Holy Spirit.

South Reading Churches Funday

2011-07-07T16:41:00.002+01:00

Fun Day Volunteers Promo 2011 from Reading Family Church on Vimeo.

This Saturday sees this fantastic free annual event take place again. With over 4000 people coming over the 4 hours there isn't anything else like it in the community of Whitley. This year we continue in the vain of climbing walls, BBQ's and different types of stalls, as well as offering a place to be prayed for. There will also be live music and 'Whitley's Got Talent' amongst other activities for children of all ages.

It's such a great day and it draws people of all ages together. We are praying for good weather (please do the same!) and trust that God has that in hand on our behalf. There is a prayer time this evening at 7:30pm to seek God for the event.

If you are available maybe you would like to help out on the day or just come down to check it out. If not please pray that the event will go off without hitches and that it will be an event that draws the community together.

'First Thursday' Prayer and Fasting

2011-07-06T11:14:00.005+01:00

Tomorrow night we gather together as a church to once again seek our God. We will worship Him with songs and prayers of praise. We shall wait on Him and see what he has to say to us. We will also pray for our church, our town, our nation and the nations as the Spirit guides and leads us.

I look forward to these nights and am in high expectation that we will meet with our God as we gather together - 2 congregations but 1 church.

This past weekend in the west...

2011-05-25T15:32:00.000+01:00

This past weekend En Rundell and I traveled to the west of England. On Saturday we found ourselves enjoying the teaching of Lex Loizides and Adrian Holloway in sunny Worcester. It's great to be inspired again and to believe God at his word when he says that he is in the business of saving people. It's also good to have a high expectation of our God and what he wants to do in the here and now of 21st century Britain, with regards to healings and miracles.

This set us up brilliantly to go along to Bridge Community Church, Bristol. Even before the meeting started, we encountered the power of the Holy Spirit and knew that we were in for a good time. I had the great privilege of preaching and 5 people responded to the salvation call at the end. As for healings - one girl spoke of the fact that she had arrived with a head ache and as this was prayed for it went instantaneously, another guy who responded to a word about a damaged right shoulder for years said that there was significant change in the movement he had in the shoulder.

We prayed for diabetics and heart defects, for legs and arms and backs, and I look forward, over the coming weeks and months to hearing the full extent of what God did there.

I am always amazed at how God takes normal people like Ed and I, throws us into this sort of situation and then choses to work though us. I love the fact that the only person who deserves any accolade is Him. I love the fact that the Christian faith is still growing, contrary to popular news items. i love the fact that Jesus is indeed building his church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

I look forward to being back at my beloved RFC this weekend and having the great joy of preaching there. I am in high expectation as to what God will do with us as we come prepared to meet with Him.

Foundations

2011-05-17T12:09:00.000+01:00

Tonight sees the start of Foundations. A group of us will be gathering to look at what it means to follow Jesus. It's open primarily to those who have recently accepted the invite to follow Jesus, but is open to anyone who would like to come and have a Christian MOT!

We have seen 9 people respond to the gospel so far this year which is fantastic. God is moving amongst us. However we are a church who don't just want to see converts, but we want to make disciples. 8 of those who have made a commitment are with us and the other is in Luxembourg walking in his new found freedom as a Jesus follower.

We will continue to pray that we see lives transformed by the grace and love of Jesus and that in years to come, there will be an army of people that will be able to thank God that they know him.

Funday

2011-05-05T12:51:00.000+01:00

It's only a couple of months until the South Reading Churches Fun Day 2011. Here is a taster video done by our very own Joe Smith to advertise and help us to decide to sign up to volunteer this year.

Fun Day Volunteers Promo 2011 from Reading Family Church on Vimeo.

It will be another great day serving the local community where we meet on a Sunday morning.

Great news

2011-05-04T09:45:00.000+01:00

We really are in a season of grace to see people respond to the gospel. This Sunday just gone, two more guys put their hands up to accept Jesus' invite to follow him. They talked it through with couples from the church and these two would now say that Jesus is their Lord and Saviour. This is incredible. That makes 8 so far this year and all but two of those are on Sunday mornings!

As we gather together to worship Him and hear His word preached. As we talk about Jesus and introduce Him to friends or family, we are seeing that they will turn Him. Let's be those who continue to invite people along to either get them started on their journey or to see them cross over that line of faith to following Jesus. Some events coming up:

1) Saturday May 14th - this is a Quiz Night and meal and is a low key introduction to church for our friends. Booking is through Roy Avis as you need tickets for the event. These are £3 a ticket and that will cover the cost of the 2 course meal.

2) Sunday June 19th - to celebrate Father's Day we are once again going large. After the morning meeting we will be having a BBQ and sports on the field. There will also be some inflatables for kids and adults! This is an opportunity to invite people to church and then on to a fun family environment where our guests can relax in the sun (let's pray for that) and meet lot's of friendly people.

3) Any Sunday - we are seeing salvation on Sundays as people come along, encounter Jesus and turn to Him. It might be that your friend would say yes to coming this Sunday and they would then continue to come. One of the responses n Sunday was from someone who has been on Alpha's, Freedom in Christ and in church for years. The other was of a guy who has read a bit of the bible and was in church for the second time! At the end of the day, it is God who saves, it is the Spirit who enables us to have faith to receive him after several years or two weeks. The wages are the same - eternal life with Jesus, starting from the moment we turn to Him with all our hearts!

we have dreamed of being a church of campanologists (bell ringers) and we are starting to see something of that because of God's grace!

This Sunday

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In April we saw three people make a first time commitment to following Jesus and I am in anticipation as to what will happen in May. This Sunday we will be bringing people into membership, continuing our series 'We Know and We Love', looking at the 1st letter of John to the churches in Asia Minor and sharing communion together. As we look at 1 John 2v1-14 I am expecting God to meet with us and hearts and minds will be changed.

With all the attention this weekend on the Royal wedding with a prospective king marrying, let's not let that detract from coming to meet with THE King and the one who has invited us to THE wedding banquet of all wedding banquets. Why not invite some others along as well so they too can meet him!

Quiz night

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On Saturday 14th May there is going to be a team quiz and meal at the church office. It's a night aimed at building relationships and community. My friend Roy has come up with the quiz questions and will be hosting the evening. There is a cost of £3 to enter the quiz, which will cover the meal.

Just like the acoustic night, this is about being together and inviting our friends to something that is fun and light hearted - and in this case, has a competitive element.

In order to help with catering, tickets are going on sale this week. It'll be great to see who will be crowned RFC's very own Eggheads, as well as enjoying some good food together in a relaxed environment. Why not get together a team and book them all in together at the church office from Friday - speak to Josh Betts.

Alpha has come to an end

2011-03-31T09:33:00.000+01:00

Thank you so much for all the prayer that has gone into the Alpha course, it definitely had an impact. On Tuesday we had the last night and it went well, so well in fact that it was difficult to get people to leave at the end. There have been some great relationships built over the past ten weeks and most people who finished the course are now part of our church on a Sunday.

We didn't see everyone make a decision to follow Jesus on the course, and actually we cannot make that bit happen. All we can do is continue to pray for those who have now heard the gospel and need to make a response. My prayer would be they would all respond positively.

We will be baptizing 2 that have been on this Alpha course, on Easter Sunday. It will be inspiring to hear their stories as they step out in obedience to Jesus.

The next course will be in September so I ask you now to continue to build those relationships you have and nearer the time, gently and lovingly invite them along to meet Jesus.