Living Out the Vision. Magazine. a missional community takes its tentative first steps. Living and Leading within a Community.

Transcription

1 Magazine Issue 04 Autumn 2011 a missional community takes its tentative first steps Living Out the Vision Living and Leading within a Community Focus on the Peachey Family John & Anne Coles 30 years of ministry at St Barnabas Volunteerism Liz Randall and Chris Doré on the joy of serving News in Brief Catch up on what s on

2 Guest speakers AT ST BARNABAS From the Vicar B Mag Issue 04: Contents Living Out the Vision A missional community takes its first steps Page 04 Living and Leading within a Community St Barnabas transforming lives changing the world Book Shop Visit the St Bs Book Shop for: Books Children s Books CDs Cards An Agenda for Change A Global Call for Spiritual and Social Transformation By: Joel Edwards > How to advertise If we don t have what you want, you can place an order. Speak to John Auton at the Book Shop or you can send an to: bookshop@stbarnabas.co.uk The Book Shop is open every Sunday, at the end of all our main services. You can find the Book Shop in The Arch at the back of church, next to the PA desk. As well as our regular team of preachers this term, we are very pleased to be welcoming a number of guest speakers on Sundays in the coming months Jane Morris Vicar, St Gabriel s Church, Cricklewood 9.30am and 11.30am, Sunday 25 September Steve Melluish Vicar, St Michael s & St Stephen s Church, Southfields 7pm, Sunday 25 September Rt Revd Richard Chartres Bishop of London 9.30am and 11.30am, Sunday 16 October Joel Edwards International Director, Micah Challenge 9.30am and 11.30am, Sunday 30 October Stef Liston Leader, Revelation Church, London 7pm, Sunday 30 October Kim Swithinbank Vicar, St James Church, Muswell Hill 9.30am and 11.30am, Sunday 27 November George Verwer World Missions Advocate & Founder, Operation Mobilisation 7pm, Sunday 11 December An Extraordinary Cricket Match Earlier this year the English cricket team pulled off a remarkable win against Sri Lanka at Cardiff. England bowled out one of the world s best batting sides in a mere 25 overs for just 82 runs to snatch victory at the last minute. A dumbfounded Andrew Strauss (the English cricket captain) said it beggars belief. It will go down as one of the most extraordinary cricket matches, the result of which no one could have predicted. Also earlier this year we at St Bs faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge, but in our case we were being tested financially. Whilst the ministry of the church had continued to flourish, we had not been immune to the effects of the credit crunch. Giving was down, our deficit was growing and our bank balance was evaporating at an alarming rate. Emergency finance meetings were called, contingency plans were drawn up, and drastic cut-backs were contemplated (including multiple staff redundancies) amounting to a massive downsizing of the entire church s ministry. Depend on it, God s work done in God s way will never lack God s supply Hudson Taylor As soon as the situation became clear I informed the church, asked everyone to reconsider their own giving and called the church to prayer. The response has been astonishing, as what I can only describe as a dynamic of the Spirit was triggered in our corporate life. Large numbers of people looked again not only at their financial giving, but into their hearts to ask the question has my commitment grown lax? Soon people were digging deep and the giving started to come back up. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who responded in such a wonderful way. We ve never intended to be flush with money, and we re still very much on the edge, but we have turned a corner. What seemed impossible has been achieved, and the downsizing has been cancelled. My faith has been restored in the famous Hudson Taylor quote: Depend on it, God s work done in God s way will never lack God s supply. I am overwhelmed with joy and praise to God for being a participant in such a remarkable set of events within a remarkable church. If I weren t a Christian I d say it beggars belief. Henry Kendal The Peachey family Page 06 Volunteerism: Interview Interview with Liz Randall Page 08 Programme & Directory Centre pull-out guide Volunteerism: Leading by Service Article by Chris Doré Page 09 I saw God at Work Real life stories Page 10 John and Anne Coles 30 years of ministry at St Barnabas Page 12 News in Brief Catch up on what s on Page 14 To advertise in B Magazine please contact: katewong70@googl .com B Magazine Issue 04 Editorial Team: Kate Wong: katewong70@googl .com, Henry Kendal & Margaret Peach Art Direction: Hannah Knight: hannah@branddelivered.co.uk 02 03

3 Living Out the Vision Living Out the Vision: a missional community takes its tentative first steps By Clare Rogers Do you know Palmers Green? It sits on a corner of the North Circular, just north of Wood Green. It boasts the largest Greek and Turkish Cypriot population outside of Cyprus, which gives it a wonderfully Mediterranean feel, mouth-watering restaurants, and the nickname Palmers Greek. Every other shop is a nail-bar for some reason, and it s a bit shabby in places, but it s been our home for the last 15 years and we love it. Now we re very excited that one of St Bs first pilot missional communities is to be based in Palmers Green and Southgate, led by Brian and Val Shearer and myself and my husband Phil. Phil and I have been in a local housegroup in one form or other here since we moved here, but we ve always wondered how we could reach out to our community, when it s so far from our church. Then the evangelist Phil Kingham and his family moved into the area, and it felt like the plot was thickening Last year, our Barnabas group responded to Phil s invitation to help run a local monthly event, Space@Starbucks, which now sees a steady trickle of our unchurched friends discussing life s deep and meaningfuls over coffee. When talk of missional communities began at St Bs, we realised that, totally by accident, we already looked a little bit like one. Mission I don t know if I can describe to you a clear vision for our missional community. But, to start with, I like the word missional! I believe God wants us to picture how our neighbourhoods might look in the age to come - when heaven and earth will be at peace and full of God s glory then work out what we can do to make some of that picture real now. So when I heard of an initiative called playing out (see playingout.net) which involves closing the street to traffic so children can play freely, I wanted that to happen on our road. It sounded like a small step towards a better world. The idea was taken up enthusiastically by a team of residents and by the missional community, who helped to make it all happen. On Saturday 25 June, Devonshire Road was overrun with both adults and children for an afternoon of fun, playing tug of war, painting faces, and drawing on the pavements with chalk in the sunshine. Neighbours met each other for the first time, and ever since we can t walk down the street without chatting to someone we know. I hope it s the start of something bigger that God wants to do in our community. At the time of writing, we re planning to be involved in a community Week of Action in August which pulls together several churches to serve Palmers Green. As part of the Go Festival, several young people will join us in prayer for the area, doing decorating work and gardening for elderly neighbours, holding a community tea party, and inviting the public to an Alpha launch at Starbucks. Community Secondly, I love the word community. In a sermon on hospitality last year, Henry read out an from a Jewish woman who was invited to eat with a large Muslim family. As she described their welcome and the feast of love, as well as food, that they offered her, I felt broken-hearted. Who doesn t need family? When it comes to community, we English are poverty-stricken, especially in London s fickle, transient neighbourhoods. I felt the Spirit impress on me that we need to know and love one another as family, and unless we do this, we have no feast to invite others to. I yearn for real, authentic church community, where people can come and truly belong. I felt the Spirit impress on me that we need to know and love one another as family, and unless we do this, we have no feast to invite others to. As a group, there s already a deep level of concern for one another it feels like we ve all been through the mill at various times. Between us, our list of troubles has included long-term illness, employment problems and sudden bereavement. Now the challenge is widening our comfortable circle to embrace more people, with no doubt more problems, and to make time to love them, too. So, I like the sound of missional and of community, but of course none of us have any idea what this will look like in practice I suppose that s the nature of being a pilot. We have many questions that probably can t be answered until we get going. God gave us this verse from John 12:24 Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds with the sense that there will be a certain amount of dying to self and our own plans as we embark on this adventure, but that God will provide for us and bring direction - and life if we step out. I m expecting to have my heart changed, and I hope we will see others hearts turned towards Jesus, too. Please pray for us, and if you think that God is prompting you to join in, we d love to hear from you

4 Living and Leading within a Community Living and Leading within a Community: Focus on the Peachey Family By Kate Wong In September 1985, Suzi arrived from Jersey to take up a teaching job in Enfield. Some months later she was introduced to St Bs by some students and quickly made St Bs her spiritual home. Suzi s heart was stirred with a passion to reach the lost, and this culminated in St Bs sending Suzi as their first missionary (even before there was a Mission Task Force!), to attend a Youth With a Mission (YWAM) Discipleship Training School (DTS) in West Sussex. She returned to St Bs as the first children s and youth worker. While at YWAM, she met and later married John (from the US), and they now live in Harpenden, together with their four children, Seth (17), Joel (16), Naomi (14) and Lily (12). John and Suzi are responsible for leading YWAM Harpenden, an international missionary training centre consisting of 120 staff with a vision for providing training, outreach and mercy ministries including relief and development. In 2005, the Peacheys founded the charity, Orphans Know More (OKM), with a vision for supporting, through financial and other means, the fostering and adoption of African orphans (especially those afflicted by HIV/ AIDS) by families, in response to the call, that He sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6). One of the goals of OKM is to ensure that those participating families are enabled to provide for the needs of the orphan(s) through an increase in living standards and access to education and health care. The background to founding OKM is inspirational. In 2005,... our eight year old daughter leaned over and whispered, Daddy, I think God just spoke to me! He said that I will care for orphans and the poor... As John explains, In 2005, while sitting next to me in a crowded room, our eight year old daughter leaned over and whispered, Daddy, I think God just spoke to me! He said that I will care for orphans and the poor, and write children s books and illustrate them. We had no idea that OKM would grow from that conversation. Our children started taking small fundraising steps such as making salad dressing and selling it to our neighbours. The family agreed in prayer that if the Lord wanted them to help any orphans in the world, wherever it was, they would do it. Such is the success of OKM, that they have had requests to enlarge their work in Uganda and even expand to other African countries. YWAM is involved in DTSs in the Mediterranean through its 48-berth ship based in the Mediterranean aptly called The Next Wave. As John explains, the vision for The Next Wave is to raise up, train, disciple and release the next wave of missionaries. There has been fruit from this vision including salvation through simple hospitality and outreach in Sicily. From September 2011 to February 2012, John and Suzi will lead the residential Wilberforce Discipleship Training School (Wilberforce DTS) with the aim of identifying gifting which can then be effectively utilised in outreach to reform spheres of society and impact the nations. As Suzi states, Although Wilberforce and the abolition of the slave trade have received much of the attention, it was more than one man and much more than one issue. It was a community of people who took seriously the Gospel and its application to all of society. It was through this collective effort, that they witnessed a nation reformed and a world impacted. Clearly leading and living in a community is challenging, and John and Suzi try to ensure that they do not trust in their own strength to accomplish God s plans; they are always challenged to spend more time in prayer discerning God s will, with John setting aside time daily to seek God, and Suzi trying to ensure that she starts the day in tune with God, counting her blessings. They acknowledge the need to be open to God in all that they are and do, and are only too aware of the spiritual authority and responsibility which they exercise in their roles. John and Suzi have both prayed for and witnessed the miraculous in their ministry; but seek to keep rejoicing and remembering what Jesus has already done for us, and not focus on the fruit of our ministry. In conversation with John and Suzi it is very clear that their family all function as part of a team in their ministry to others, and their openness and obedience to God s call on their lives is inspirational to watch. If you would like to know more, or to support John and Suzi, pick up a prayer postcard from the MTF noticeboard at St Bs

5 Volunteerism: Interview with Liz Randall Tell us about your background and your journey to Christ Although I grew up in a Christian home, I made the decision to become a Christian when I was 15. Prior to that, I had been struggling with some family issues but came to a point where on hearing a sermon about bitterness and its constricting effect on a person s life, I knew that I was standing at the crossroads. By God s grace, I chose to accept Christ s forgiveness, love and hope. I was born in Australia and grew up in Queensland and am a trained medical research scientist, although I have left my science career behind and am currently temping in London - I am waiting to see what God brings! I have always volunteered in the churches of which I have become a part. In Sydney, I was initially part of the cleaning team, and then progressed onto the worship and kids team, leading the team for ages 1-5, ultimately taking responsibility for the entire kids church for ages 1-12! How did you end up coming to St Bs? Interview by Kate Wong I first started coming to St Bs in February 2011, after moving from Australia. My Grandmother is British and grew up in London. When I first arrived, I didn t have any idea where I should live but responded to a Christian flatshare advertisement for a flat in Finchley. My flatmates introduced me to St Bs which I later found out, through my mother, was where my grandmother had married my Australian grandfather before they left for Sydney 60 years ago! I can hardly believe that I have moved halfway around the world to live in the area my grandmother grew up in, and to attend the church that she was married in, all without meaning to! God moves in very mysterious ways. Serving leads to being part of an extended family... This is just one of the benefits of serving in church for Australian Liz Randall, who started coming to St Bs in February We asked Liz to explain her ministry and why she was so keen to get involved in volunteering her skills at St Bs so quickly. What ministries are you involved in at the moment? I am involved in working with the youth, in particular Friday Night Chill, which is a youth club for youth in Years 7-9. The focus of this ministry is on forming relationships with the kids, both churched and unchurched, and giving them a safe place to hang out. It is so exciting to see this group growing rapidly. In early June, there were about kids, in the second week in July there were 62! I am also involved in the Sunday afternoon youth congregation for year olds called The Five, which is led by young people. They lead worship, open up the Bible for each other and look at what that means for their life now. Its aim is to be a community for these young people to support each other as they go through this stage of their life. I am on the Enabling Team which supports the young people and is led by Liz Bewley. The youth have amazing times of worship and it is wonderful to see the young people take ownership of their faith. I have seen the importance of giving the youth the opportunity to come together in a safe non-judgmental place to wrestle with their issues and see how their faith makes a difference. Tell us about the highlights of your role and the challenges that you have faced The best thing about my ministry, is seeing God move in the lives of young people. I have also become aware that I cannot do everything in my own strength and need other people to help me. Recently we had a talent night at Friday Night Chill, where one of the quieter boys did a gymnastic routine that rocked the house! Everyone really got behind and supported him which was awesome. What would you say to anyone else thinking of volunteering to help? Serving is a huge part of my life. I have made several big moves in my life, where I didn t know anyone and have found church and the people there become my family. While this doesn t happen right away, serving helps me get to know people in ways that can only happen if you are involved. I also want to help others. Church is a place where I can do this. Church is somewhere where people come to be healed, to join a family, to ask questions, to love and to grieve - basically to meet Jesus. I want to be able to help people out along the way, by showing them some of God s love. Serving is not easy, but neither is life. Making God a priority is not easy, but it is absolutely worth it. DIRECTORY CHILDREN Hannah Feery Children s Pastor hannahfeery@stbarnabas.co.uk Susie Yeates Children s Ministry Skills Mentor susieyeates@stbarnabas.co.uk Becki Williamson Trainee Children s Pastor beckiwilliamson@stbarnabas.co.uk Jessica McLeod Trainee Children s Pastor jessicamcleod@stbarnabas.co.uk Marcus Hockley Children s Ministry Intern marcushockley@stbarnabas.co.uk Siming Hill, Under 5s Leader siminghill@stbarnabas.co.uk See Weekly Activities overleaf for times and ages of all the following groups: Sunday Ministries including Tots Church, Mini Church and Kids Church Hannah Feery (see contact details above) Midweek Groups including Kids Barnabas Group, Mini GAP Kids Club and GAP Kids Club Hannah Feery (see contact details above) MTF Jessica Mariano MTF Coordinator on maternity leave until January Ros Pateman MTF Coordinator (until January) rospateman@stbarnabas.co.uk YOUTH Liz Bewley Youth Pastor lizbewley@stbarnabas.co.uk Jason Kirk Trainee Youth Pastor jasonkirk@stbarnabas.co.uk Tristan Warr Trainee Youth Pastor tristanwarr@stbarnabas.co.uk Grace McPhee Trainee Youth Pastor gracemcphee@stbarnabas.co.uk James Brown Youth Ministry Intern jamesb715@hotmail.com See Weekly Activities overleaf for times and ages of all the following groups: Sunday Ministries including The Sunday Session, Y66 and The Five Liz Bewley (see contact details above) Midweek Groups including Ignition and Friday Night Chill Liz Bewley (see contact details above) CHURCHWARDENS Sally Dryden sallydryden@stbarnabas.co.uk Peter Boreham peterboreham@stbarnabas.co.uk SUPPORT The office team support and resource the church and deal with enquiries about weddings, funerals, baptisms, church diary, website, bulletin, classified ads, finance and giving Mike Vamvadelis Church Manager mike@stbarnabas.co.uk Gail Beckett Office Administrator gailbeckett@stbarnabas.co.uk Trevlyn Yeates Office Administrator trevlynyeates@stbarnabas.co.uk Siming Hill Finance and HR Administrator siminghill@stbarnabas.co.uk Dave Harvey Facilities Coordinator daveharvey@stbarnabas.co.uk GIVING For information about how to give financially, Gift Aid and other tax-efficient giving schemes, contact: Siming Hill Finance Administrator siminghill@stbarnabas.co.uk Directory 08

6 Autumn 2011 programme & directory Events diary SEPTEMBER 04 Family Worship Gathering 9.30am & 11.30am 05 Revival Prayer Meeting 8pm 10 Equip School of Theology 9am-1pm 17 Family Craft Morning 10.30am 21 Welcome Supper 8pm 26 PCC Meeting 7.30pm 27 Alpha course starts 7.30pm OCTOBER 01 Parenting Young Kids Day 9.30am-3.30pm 02 Strawberry Vale Prayer Brunch 11.30am 03 Revival Prayer Meeting 8pm 08 Equip School of Theology 9am-1pm 08 Hope House Comedy Night 8pm 12 Welcome to St Bs course starts 8pm 15 Family Craft Morning 10.30am 19 Synergy Young Adults Gathering 8pm 29 Gladiator Tournament Men s Event 6.30pm NOVEMBER 05 Confession and Forgiveness Women s Event 9.30am-1pm 06 Strawberry Vale Prayer Brunch 11.30am 07 Revival Prayer Meeting 8pm 09 Restore Becoming Free in Christ course starts 8pm 12 Equip School of Theology 9am-1pm 17 Welcome Supper 8pm 19 Family Craft Morning 10.30am 21 PCC Meeting 7.30pm 24 God Questions for Men 8pm 26 Winterfest 2-4pm DECEMBER 03 Hope 2011 Community Day 04 Strawberry Vale Prayer Brunch 11.30am 05 Revival Prayer Meeting 8pm 07 Synergy Young Adults Christmas Social 8pm 10 Senior Citizens Christmas Tea 3pm 11 Community Carols at Tally Ho 11.30am 17 Family Craft Morning 10.30am 18 Under 5s Christmas Party 10am 18 Nativity and Carols 11.30am 18 Carols by Candlelight 5.30pm & 8pm PROGRAMME Sunday Services Morning 8am Holy Communion A traditional prayer book service in the Side Chapel 9.30am & 11.30am Morning Worship with Communion on 18 September, 23 October and 13 November SEPTEMBER SERMON SERIES: WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO 04 Why Church? 11 Vision Sunday 18 Stewardship Sunday 25 Guest Speaker: Jane Morris, Vicar, St Gabriel s Church, Cricklewood OCTOBER 02 Why Every Member Ministry? 09 Why Prophecy? 16 Guest Speaker: The Rt Revd Richard Chartres, Bishop of London 23 Why Missional Communities? 30 Guest Speaker: Joel Edwards, International Director, Micah Challenge NOVEMBER SERMON SERIES: JOEL S TRAJECTORY 06 The Locust Invasion Joel 1:1-2:11 13 Torn Hearts Joel 2: Judged, then Blessed Joel 3 27 Guest Speaker: Kim Swithinbank, Vicar, St James Church, Muswell Hill DECEMBER 04 A New Day has Dawned Acts 2: Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord Romans 9:30-10:21 Weekly Activities During term-time SUNDAY Kids Church (5s-11s) 9.30am & 11.30am Mini Church (3s-4s) 9.30am & 11.30am Tots Church (0s-2s) 9.50am & 11.50am The Sunday Session (11s-14s) 11.30am Y66 (11s-14s) 5pm The Five (14s-18s youth congregation) 5pm TUESDAY English Conversation Classes for Japanese Women 10am-12noon Alpha 7.30pm Ignition Cell (14s-18s) 7.30pm Evening 5pm church@five at Strawberry Vale An informal service at the Green Man Community Centre 7pm Evening Worship with Communion on 18 September, 23 October and 13 November 04 Why Church? 11 Vision Sunday 18 Stewardship Sunday 25 Guest Speaker: Steve Melluish, Vicar, St Michael s & St Stephen s, Southfields 02 Why Every Member Ministry? 09 Why Prophecy? 16 Evening Worship 23 Why Missional Communities? 30 Guest Speaker: Stef Liston, Leader, Revelation Church, London 06 The Locust Invasion Joel 1:1-2:11 13 Torn Hearts Joel 2: Judged, then Blessed Joel 3 27 Evening Worship 04 A New Day has Dawned Acts 2: Guest Speaker: George Verwer, World Missions Advocate & Founder, Operation Mobilisation WEDNESDAY Barney s Toddler Group am Wednesday Club for Senior Citizens pm Kids Barnabas Groups (7s-11s) 4pm THURSDAY Thursday Women s Group 9.30am-12noon FRIDAY Barney s Toddler Group am TLC (Toddler Lunch Club) 12noon-2pm Mini GAP Kids Club (5s-7s) & Mini GAP Café (for parents & carers) pm GAP Kids Club (7s-11s) pm Friday Night Chill (11s-14s) pm PROGRAMME THE BESOM IN BARNET sweep away suffering Want to make a difference but don t know where to start? The Besom provides a bridge between those who want to give time, money, things or skills, and those in need. Just one of the ways you can give, is to come out on our van trips which are on alternate Saturday mornings, delivering donated household items to people in need. The autumn/winter van dates are: 10th September 24th September 8th October Hope House North London is a partner charity of St Bs, working particularly closely with St Bs Estates Ministry. Helen Shannon, Projects Director helenshannon@stbarnabas.co.uk CAP M ney 22nd October 5th November 19th November 3rd December 17th December besominbarnet@yahoo.co.uk, call on Tel: or speak to Sean and Hannah Knight An exciting money management course, devised by Christians Against Poverty, and run regularly here at St Bs. The course can help you manage your money better, clear any debts or simply deal with your money in a more godly way. To find out more including the dates of the next course, contact: Peter Sutton Tel: peter.sutton@ucl.ac.uk Wednesday Club A friendly social club for senior citizens Wednesdays, 2.15pm-4pm in the Parish Hall at St Bs. With tea, cakes and entertainment it s free and it s fun! Contact Chris Sykes: St Barnabas, Holden Road, Woodside Park London, N12 7DN Tel: theoffice@stbarnabas.co.uk

7 Directory CHURCH Henry Kendal, Vicar Colin Brookes, Associate Vicar Margaret Peach Henry s Assistant margaretpeach@stbarnabas.co.uk Chris Hassell Ordinand on Placement chrishassell@stbarnabas.co.uk Worship Team Luke Tebb Worship Pastor luketebb@stbarnabas.co.uk Jo Doré Worship Team Pastor jodore@stbarnabas.co.uk Elaine Rupasinha, Worship Team Administrator elainerupasinha@hotmail.com Service Host Teams Service host teams led by: 9.30am: David Brown 11.30am: Henry Kendal 7pm: Colin Brookes Technical Team Paul Roberts social_paul@hotmail.com Prayer Ministry Team Anne Brown annebrown46@googl .com Healing on the Streets Dave and Bridget Harvey daveharvey@stbarnabas.co.uk Deaf Signing Ministry Anne Hawes anne.hawes@tiscali.co.uk DISCIPLESHIP AND TRAINING David Brown Discipleship Pastor davidbrown@stbarnabas.co.uk Sam Whittington Pastoral Worker samwhittington@stbarnabas.co.uk Georgie McMinn David Brown s PA georgiemcminn@stbarnabas.co.uk Don Skinner Discipleship Administrator donskinner@stbarnabas.co.uk Young Adults Ministry Ryan Venn-Dunn Young Adults Worker ryanvenndunn@stbarnabas.co.uk Missional Communities David Brown or Sam Whittington (contact details above) Equip Internship Programme Georgie McMinn (as above) or equip@stbarnabas.co.uk Oasis Ruth Copping and Liz Kovar oasis@stbarnabas.co.uk Women s and Men s Ministry Georgie McMinn Women s Ministry Facilitator: contact details above Angus McMinn, Men s Ministry Facilitator: Hospitality Team Ann-Marie Wilson annmarie@28toomany.org John Auton (details as below) Shop Team John Auton: bookshop@stbarnabas.co.uk NEIGHBOURHOOD Helen Shannon Neighbourhood Pastor helenshannon@stbarnabas.co.uk Sally Dryden Assistant Neighbourhood Pastor sallydryden@stbarnabas.co.uk Ash Chafe, Trainee Neighbourhood Pastor ashchafe@stbarnabas.co.uk Cat Overend Trainee Estates Worker, Children & Families catoverend@stbarnabas.co.uk Anna Bryan Neighbourhood Intern annabryan@stbarnabas.co.uk Elizabeth Burgon Neighbourhood Administrator elizabethburgon@stbarnabas.co.uk Estates Ministry including church@five, The Place, Only Girls Allowed, Only Boys Allowed, Coffee and Kids Helen Shannon (as above) Family Ministry Barney s Toddlers, Toddler Lunch Club, Mini GAP Café, Family Craft Mornings Sally Dryden (as above) Japanese Ministry Heajin Slater: phjslater@hotmail.com Senior Citizens Ministry Chris Sykes: Homeless Ministry Peter Sutton peter.sutton@ucl.ac.uk DIRECTORY Volunteerism - Volunteerism Leading by Service leading by service By Chris Doré Worship I studied piano to grade 6, and taught myself the guitar. I loved to sing from an early age and enjoy most musical genres. I took up leading worship at services (guitar-led) and a band was formulated. Jo played keys and sang with me, and my son Adam played drums from the age of 12 and has continued to do so. Our younger son Mike has been playing bass, and has also led worship a couple of times. Since those early days, as a family or as a couple, we have thoroughly enjoyed opportunities to lead sung-worship on Sundays, at Christmas and Easter services, at Alpha meetings and at weddings and funerals; we have also led the occasional ceilidh and played and sung for the senior citizens tea dances. Barnabas Group Leader In the last few years our roles have changed since I took up the role of Barnabas Group leader, and Jo that of Worship Team Pastor. Part of my role as a Barnabas Group leader is to pastor people, and this has happened both inside and outside the group; Jo and I have also taken on a mentoring role. Our son Adam has also become a Barnabas Group Leader. My love and devotion to Scripture, and the whole Gospel including church history, has enabled me to lead studies within the Barnabas Group. Recently I attended the London School of Theology and graduated with a diploma in Theology and Counselling and this has helped to equip me in the roles of pastor and Barnabas Group leader. I have been a member of St Barnabas since 1987, a grand total of 24 years. One of the things that attracted my wife, Jo, and me to St Bs was its philosophy of leadership, modelled through humble service - the model shown by Jesus in John 13, through the washing of the disciples feet. And over the years, I have had the joy of serving as a volunteer at St Bs in a variety of different activities, including: PCC and Churchwarden In 2004, I was appointed churchwarden, and served for four years. My responsibilities included being on the PCC (Parochial Church Council) and the great privilege, together with the other churchwarden, of meeting with Henry on a regular basis to support him in prayer. I believe that God has been providing us with certain talents and a desire to serve Him, and being used by Him is indeed a privilege. We acknowledge the need to be completely dependent on Him in order to serve Him, and our relationship with God has been strengthened and deepened in the whole process of preparation for service and action together. I would strongly encourage others to get stuck in and take up volunteering. I now see that our children have been encouraged to serve in church because they have seen us doing so. I would challenge anyone not doing anything - why not? Hasn t the Lord done everything for us? The act of serving others is exciting and I view it as a blessing and a privilege to serve God and others in His church. As Jesus commanded us, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). If you want to find out about the different activities at St Bs in which you can get involved as a volunteer, take a look at the Directory (the pull-out section in the centre of this magazine) for information about what is going on and who to contact. 09

8 God at Work I saw God at Work God is doing amazing things all the time, with many people s lives being hugely impacted by divine encounters. Here are some stories: BAPTISMS@FIVE Helen Shannon GOD WHO SPEAKS Julia Connick THE GOD OF HOPE Paul Towers Stew Bewley BEING OPEN TO THE PROMPTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Recently, I had the privilege of baptising five of my neighbours from Strawberry Vale at church@five (the community congregation which meets at Strawberry Vale on Sunday afternoons). Of the five baptisms, two were affirming their re-found faith and the other three were declaring their newly-discovered faith in Jesus. Two of them were lads in their early twenties who hadn t come into much contact with the church before, but whose lives were now starting to be transformed. Their journey to faith began when they started attending church@five. For the first few weeks they would just join us for food at the end, then little by little they ended up joining us for longer, until they were staying for the whole thing. Recently, I had the privilege of baptising five of my neighbours They soon became a permanent fixture at church@five, involved in the life of the congregation in praying, worshipping, serving, building community and bringing their friends and family along. One of the most exciting things is that these lads have started to help out at the boys group. They have become role models to young boys on the estate. It s great to watch what God is doing in people s lives. Look up church@five on facebook for some more great stories. One of the things I have struggled with since returning to full-time work is finding the time to spend with God on a daily basis. Recently someone accused me of something which really questioned my professionalism both as a teacher and as a pastoral leader. It came completely out of the blue and I was utterly broken and ran out of school crying. I was amazed at the power of the truth that I read... Over the weekend I found myself confronted by a whole range of emotions and a sense of confusion, not knowing how to react and move forward with God. On Monday morning I opened my s and prayed for help. In the next five days as I opened my Thought for the Day (sent out each day from St Bs) I was amazed at the power of the truth that I read in under five minutes. God spoke to me so personally and prophetically, knowing exactly what I was feeling and battling with, with words that guided me on a path that led me through the difficult conversations and ultimately to a place of forgiveness and reconciliation. By Friday I was desperate to know who had written the week s Thoughts and to ask them how they knew about my situation. I thank God for the wisdom and the servant hearts of our church leaders, and that in the busyness of our working day, God s voice can still be heard loud and clear. About three years ago, I started to attend St Bs on a regular basis. During that time I was receiving regular prayer as my wife, Ann, and I were on the verge of divorce and I had to move out. The divorce was being processed and the papers were partially complete. I asked for prayer for a reconciliation with my wife. My solicitor advised me to get on with the process as there was no way that a reconciliation would be possible. I continued to pray that God would make a way in a hopeless situation. And God answered. One of the cats God answered my prayers and Ann and I were reconciled that my wife and I had, became ill and I was informed by the solicitor that I could speak to Ann about it during a 20 minute visit to her home. I had not spoken to her for a year. Over the next 9 months, God answered my prayers and Ann and I were reconciled and we both appeared before the District Judge on 14 February 2011 to have the decree nisi rescinded. The judge commented that in all his years of being a judge, he had never seen this happen before. I was also healed of a hernia at St Bs. Without our great and ever-loving God none of this would have been possible. I am convinced that God will always find a way where there seems to be no way. Anyone who knows me knows I love coffee shops, especially Starbucks, as being an actor on a budget there is nothing like a coffee at Muswell Hill s Starbucks. And that is where I found myself a few weeks ago, standing in a queue behind a regular customer who was talking to the coffee server about the support she had on her wrist. She said it was an injury that kept recurring, she couldn t get rid of it, and it was really frustrating not being able to pick up things (especially if you re in a coffee shop and you re serving drinks). I have recently been reading Jack Deere s book, Surprised by the Voice of God, in which he says that God is always speaking, to us, for other people. In one chapter he takes the reader through the book of Acts and shows just how much prophecy was a part of normal life. I love a bit of prophecy, but sometimes it is easy to get complacent, to make excuses; Lord I am tired, I m just going to be quiet and have a coffee, this is my time now. Gradually the book opened me up to, well, being more open, so even before the coffee server in Starbucks complained about her wrist I had already noticed the support, and something in me knew God wanted to do something. There was no flashing light, no slow motion opportunity to gather my thoughts, just an impression. When it was my turn to order coffee, I noticed there was no one behind me, so we got chatting about her wrist. I asked her if I could pray for it as I believed Jesus still heals (sometimes, well, most times actually you have to jump in there), to which she excitedly said Yes and her colleague said I always pray for you (it turns out she goes to Hillsong Church, London!). So I placed my fingers in the palm of her hand and told it to be healed in Jesus name and told the wrist to be restored. She started to say thank you, but I interrupted her and asked her to do something she couldn t normally do. It is far too easy to say try and walk, move your hand, arm, etc at home, but Jesus never did, so I figured in this instance it was better to copy Jesus. She said well I couldn t, and then trailed off as she was each person I spoke to was touched that we had taken time to pray for them suddenly able to flex her hand. She shouted Praise God!. The excitement in her face is something I will never forget - the shock and surprise, disbelief turning to belief. I then asked her to pick up something she couldn t normally, and she picked up a large china mug. It was amazing! I told her that Jesus was showing how He loved her and I encouraged her to read some stories in the gospel where Jesus heals more people. Then I sat down and had my coffee. I thought she had had enough of God to make her hungry, and I didn t want to Bible bash her. For some of us, this is what we live for and thrive on, for others, it may utterly terrify us. We may not feel like we have a strong gifting for miracles, and maybe we don t. I encourage you to read the book of Acts, like a history lesson, like an options course, see what instinctively excites you, before the fear kicks in, and then ask God for it. Maybe you have a passion for social justice, for Besom. Maybe God is making your heart beat for Strawberry Vale, or a certain group of people. Maybe it is prophecy, miracles, evangelism. I am a loud actor who loves people, so it makes sense for me that I am praying for people in Starbucks. What about you? Whatever it is, why not pursue it a bit, and see how Jesus works with you to reach people who he longs to touch, save and heal? If we are all living to the fullness of who we are, living life abundantly, like Jesus said in John 10:10, then what an exciting church we will be! I look forward to the day when I go to share a story at church and I am told that there isn t enough space because there are too many stories already. If you have any stories of God at work in your life, we d love to hear from you. Please Kate Wong katewong70@googl .com 10 11

9 John and Anne Coles 30 Years of Ministry at St Barnabas... I m saying this is going to be a place where there s going to be vibrant worship, there are going to be young people... and there are people who are going to bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, and it s going to be full. John & Anne Coles 30 Years of Ministry at St Barnabas John and Anne Coles, who led St Bs through a period of remarkable growth, said farewell to St Bs on 26 June. Here they share some of the joys and challenges they have faced over the last 30 years. What did you think when you first arrived at St Barnabas? John: To be honest, it was something of a shock to us. We had come from a church in Bristol of hundreds, and I had preached my last sermon to a congregation that included 300 adults under the age of 35. St Bs by comparison had an adult attendance of about 50 at a typical Sunday morning service, and the average age of those who came was way over 60. There were nearly as many in the robed choir as there were in the congregation, and Anne and I were about the youngest people in the church. How were the early days? John: In terms of Sundays the church was unused to Bible-based preaching; I wanted to preach for longer and be more applied than some were used to. I also wanted to make the music and hymns more up to date that was a long drawn-out and difficult business, and at one stage the choir-master resigned and the choir left. After a few years of turbulence Anne became Worship Director and steered us into calmer water. Many people in the area thought the building was only used on Sundays, because there was only a tiny footpath up to the front door. There were no regular home groups, no mothers and toddlers clubs or anything of the like. We had to start all those sorts of groups and outreach activities. Interview by Siming Hill Additionally, the PCC needed some new and younger blood, but there weren t any in the church; we had to lead people to Christ first and then get them elected onto the PCC. There was a lot that needed to change! In the Bishop s words I was to stay for 5 years to see if I could turn things around, and if not, I could leave! Anne: One day, in my daily Bible reading I read these words in Jeremiah: You say that in this place there s neither men nor animals, but in this place there will be the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord. And as I read those words it was as if God said to me you re saying this place has not got anything going for it, but I m saying this is going to be a place where there s going to be vibrant worship, there are going to be young people of marriageable age and there are people who are going to bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, and it s going to be full. And I said to John, this is going to be great here! Even though life was very difficult at the time for us we weren t really the flavour of the month it has to be said because we made a lot of mistakes and we didn t seem to be very successful, at the end of the day, it s all about God. And when God speaks, he ll do something. Which speakers and/or movements would you cite as your main influences? John: When I arrived I was firmly in the conservative evangelical wing of the church, and the churches that I admired and whose leaders I listened to were the likes of All Souls, Langham Place, with John Stott, and St Helen s, Bishopsgate with Dick Lucas. But as I sought to bring the gospel to ordinary North Londoners, rather than city workers or university-educated people I realised something more was needed. After being filled afresh with the Holy Spirit I began to listen to and look for guidance from people like David Pytches in Chorleywood, and John Wimber, who founded the Vineyard Church. Sandy Millar described him as the most significant Christian leader in the West since John Wesley; his values in ministry fashioned the foundations of the new St Barnabas in the 1980s, and are propagated through New Wine, and HTB, as well as the Vineyard today. What do you consider to have been the most significant moments or seasons during your time in leadership here? John: As I look back over nearly 29 years, it s almost as if there have been 4 cycles. The first 7 years were about laying foundations; the next 7 were about growth and diversification; the 7 after that were about resourcing others and spreading influence as we planted a couple of churches, sent members to serve the Lord abroad, and elsewhere in the UK; and the final years were really about transition to the next leader and further growth. In the midst of those cycles there were some wonderful special visitations from God, when we were caught up by his glory, grace and love, and saw signs and wonders accompanying the preaching of the gospel, with more than usual numbers being converted and healed. I think principally amongst those was the so-called Toronto Blessing in the mid 90s. What have you found to be most challenging? John: Knowing my priorities, and keeping to them. Busyness affects everyone, and the pace of life has increased so greatly, particularly with the internet meaning that we are involved in information overload most of the time. God and his people are a pastor s first priority. It s easy to let administration, oversight of buildings, or even running programmes take higher priority than ensuring we keep in step with the Spirit, able to give individuals the time they need and the word from God that gives them hope to sustain them. As the years went by I was increasingly being asked to help other churches and church leaders, and this created additional issues of time management if St Bs were not to be neglected. I am so grateful to St Barnabas people and staff for allowing me to grow into a wider ministry, and also proud of St Bs for becoming the resourcing church that it is. How about funniest moments? Anne: Vicarage life can be busy and funny at times for the whole family, with lots of people coming and going at any given time. One memorable day, about 25 years ago, a rather large woman from church was about to leave the house after a meeting, and said to our eldest daughter who was aged 5 at the time, Have you got a kiss for me? Quick as a flash, Abi replied sadly, I m sorry, I ve just run out! What have been the highlights? John: I think it s seeing God at work! It s always a highlight when someone gives their life to Jesus, or is filled with the Spirit, or is supernaturally healed or set free from some oppressive power. It s a highlight when someone gets married, or has a baby. It s a highlight when someone is included who is marginalised by the rest of society. And it s a highlight when a new ministry is birthed and becomes fruitful. I remember being especially thrilled when the work amongst the elderly took off. For 12 years we had concentrated on becoming a younger church, adopting new worship styles, working with young families and youth, etc. During the Toronto Blessing, however, God literally took hold of and shook Val Shearer for a number of months, after which she said she felt that God was calling her to start a work in the neighbourhood amongst the unchurched elderly. Within 18 months this had grown to about 100 people, many of whom in the latter years of their life became Christians, and have since gone on to glory! Anne: As I think of many of you at St Bs, I can really see the way God has transformed your lives, and that s one of the most encouraging things in life. It s a good thing sometimes to look and see what God has done in the lives of those around us. Speaking of highlights, John, I hear exciting news about you becoming a Prebendary what does that mean? John: I have been asked to be an honorary Canon (Prebendary) at St Paul s Cathedral. I am not sure entirely what my duties will be, but I think it will include occasionally preaching at Evensong. I am wondering whether to take a Prayer Ministry team from St Bs to shake it up! The Bishop said that it was an acknowledgement of what New Wine is doing in changing church life in London and around the country. I have only been able to lead New Wine because of what I have learnt and seen God doing at St Bs; so it s a sort of recognition of what God has done and is still doing in extending his Kingdom through St Bs over the last 30 years. St Bs has grown into an amazing church. What will you miss most? Anne: I ll miss so many things, and I ll probably only realise in the coming months and years, but they will be happy memories lodged there. I think one of the things that I really value and appreciate and find so precious is just being amongst you all because if we have personalities and characters as individuals, then it s true that a church has a personality, and there s a wonderful sense of God s love here. And finally, tell us about your plans for the future? John: My paid job continues to be leading New Wine, which is a role which keeps me very busy and involves a great deal of travel. But I still need to be part of a local worshipping and missional community when I am in London on Sunday (which is about twice a month). Anne and I, together with others started a church meeting in a home 20 months ago, and have seen God grow it significantly. We don t have the time and energy to be part of that, St Bs and New Wine. We have felt God calling us to invest in this new work locally, which is aimed at reaching and discipling people who don t fit into regular ways of doing church. It has obviously worked for some, and we are currently praying about and planning for the start of other similar home or coffee shop churches. We will continue to pray that God will increase St Bs influence, and we will actively look at how we can join together... Since we are still living in North London we will continue to be part of the North London Christian scene, and that will mean that we will never lose touch with St Bs. We will continue to pray that God will increase St Bs influence, and we will actively look at how we can join together on certain events and projects so that together we will see God bring new life and hope to ever increasing numbers of people in this part of London. Anne: I think we ve been really blessed by you at St Bs, releasing us and praying for us we re going to miss you all terribly. But we are really thrilled that we are leaving you with Henry and Jane because we ve seen God moving through them and we know their love for the people and their love for the Lord, and so we know that this place is going to go on from strength to strength as it has been. John: We want to say thank you for your generosity, your love for us over the years it really has been the time of our lives

10 News in Brief Youth Weekend This year has seen two weekends away for our young people. Thirty of our 11s-14s had an incredible time on an Olympicsthemed weekend, spending time on adventure activities and also looking at the Bible with sessions led by Michael Franks (member of The 5 Youth Congregation). Earlier in the year, thirty of our 14s-18s went away for a weekend which included night-time wide games and tribal warfare as well as challenging and inspiring teaching from Nikki from the book of Daniel. Both weekends have gone down in youthwork history! Youth Cafés Watch out for two new youth cafés this term (one for 11s-14s and one for 14s-18s). These will run alongside Y66 and The 5 on Sunday afternoons; the aim is to provide an opportunity for the young people to bring their friends and introduce them to church. New Wine and Soul Survivor News in Brief A round-up of Who s doing What, Where, When and sometimes Why From China to London Swimming to Success Congratulations to 16 year old Joel Knight (son of Richard and Sharon) who recently won European Youth Olympics gold medal in 1500m freestyle estyle swimming in Trabzon, Turkey, setting a new British record. He is now on the shortlist for the Commonwealth Youth Games in September and is officially on the shortlist for selection for the 2012 Olympics we wish him well. St Bs may not be a traditional church, but we do have some traditions one of which is the annual exodus of a couple of hundred people to Somerset for the New Wine and Soul Survivor festivals. This year was no exception. With many people leading and serving on teams at New Wine and many others there as delegates, it was a great week of spending time with one another and with God. And 30 young people had a fantastic time at Soul Survivor in August again enjoying the chance ce to spend time together and encountering God. After 13 years living and working in China, Ros Pateman has returned to the UK permanently. She thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of working overseas, and is now looking forward to new challenges and opportunities back in Finchley. We are very pleased that she will be joining the St Bs staff team for 6 months as MTF Coordinator, covering Jess Mariano s maternity leave. Hatches, Matches and Moves Ros Pateman Another wedding and another baby for members of the St Bs Staff Team. In April Luke Tebb, our Worship Pastor, married Aimee North at a packed service here at St Bs. August saw the arrival of Dominic Mariano a first baby for Jess (our MTF Coordinator) and Marcel. In September, Colin and Natalie Brookes and family are moving from their home in Courthouse Road to Westbury Road (formerly the home of John and Anne Coles). Strawberry Vale Update The community at Strawberry Vale continues to go from strength to strength. The last few months have seen a group of men from church@five tackle Mount Snowdon; a large group on an overnight stay at New Wine; a number of adult baptisms; and several new believers plus a number who have rediscovered their faith. Watch out for details of the annual HOPE event to be held this year on Saturday 3 December. Equip School of Theology Congratulations to the 30 people who successfully completed the first year of the Equip School of Theology. Meeting in the Parish Hall on Saturday mornings once a month over the last year, and with teaching from David Brown, all of them enjoyed and benefited from learning more from the Bible. Another group are just starting on this year s course. Missional Communities Since it was first announced that we want to start up missional communities at St Bs, a number of people and groups have been talking, praying and planning. Two groups have now started see page 04 for a report about one of them. Another, Justice Matters, had its first meeting in July. We look forward to hearing news of these groups and others as they develop. Hope House Farewell to John and Anne Coles There are now four weekly Hope House groups running at the Green Man Community Centre on Strawberry Vale and all of them continue to grow and flourish. Over the summer the boys and girls groups had a great day out to Littlehampton. If you d like to support the work of Hope House, why not consider becoming a Friend contact helenshannon@stbarnabas.co.uk. Equip Trainees September always sees a few changes to our Equip Trainees team: Youth Team: Jason Kirk and Tristan Warr continue and are joined by Grace McPhee. Neighbourhood Team: Sally Dryden and Ash Chafe are joined by Cat Overend. Children s Team: Jessica McLeod and Becki Williamson continue and it is hoped to appoint a third intern. Discipleship Team: Sam Whittington continues for a second year. In June we celebrated John and Anne Coles 30 years of ministry at St Bs. The party, attended by about 200 people, including many familiar faces from the past, included photos, video messages, memories, tributes and the presentation of a gift (garden parasol and cheque) from the church to mark our gratitude to John and Anne for all that they have given to St Bs. See page 12 for an interview with John and Anne. Baptism Sunday Baptisms are a regular feature of our life at St Bs, but in July for the first time we had baptisms In the Round. With the baptism tank in the centre of the church and the chairs arranged around it, a great family atmosphere was created for all 3 main services - a total of 10 people, including babies, young people and adults were baptised or re-affirmed their baptismal vows. Summer Tea Dance The Seniors annual Summer Tea Dance was held in June. Once again the church was filled with about 80 senior citizens, who enjoyed an afternoon of dancing, to live music provided by Jo and Chris Doré, and a great spread of sandwiches, tea and cake. Look out for details of the Seniors next event the annual Christmas Tea on Saturday 10 December. Staff News Ryan Venn-Dunn is the latest recruit to the St Bs Staff Team he joins us in September as our Young Adults Worker. Ryan will be known to many as he has been a member of St Bs for about 6 years and spent 3 years as a trainee in the youth team. Andre and Zoe Radmall are moving on from St Bs after 22 years. After training at St Bs, Andre was ordained as our curate in 2007 whilst also being a lecturer at London School of Theology. They are staying in the area but will be serving at our recent house-churchplant The Space

11 STARTS 27 SEP 11 HERE AT ST BARNABAS PM FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT HELEN SHANNON ON OR find us on facebook stbarnabaschurch To Whetstone & Barnet HIGH ROAD NORTH FINCHLEY A1000 WOODSIDE PARK NORTHERN LINE WOODSIDE PARK RD TALLY HO To East Finchley To Finchley Central St Barnabas Holden Road Woodside Park London N12 7DN Tel: HOLDEN ROAD St Barnabas