“ He who
began a good work in you
will carry
it on to completion
until the
day of Christ Jesus”
Philippians 1:6 [NIV]
Don't just believe
it,
LIVE LIKE IT!
Many will have gone on
journeys of varying distances over the summer holidays. Some will have
taken longer than anticipated whether due to an accident, roadworks or just
shear volume of traffic. There would have been some uphill climbs some
downhill runs, but I trust that all were worth while! and that the destination
was worth the travel.
In our lives, we are all
invited on a spiritual journey to know and grow in God. There will be ups
and downs in our lives some roadworks, accidents and times where we find
ourselves taking some wrong turns.
But God wants to finish what
he has started in your life and mine.
And so wherever we are in our
walk with God, let's continue the journey!
Over the next few months, we
are going to be working through some of the "Discipleship Explored" material on
Sunday afternoons. It will start the first Sunday in September.
Don't miss it!
Let's give God opportunity to
nurture us into all that he has planned. He knows the way and the
destination will be worth every twist and turn, up, down and bump in the road.
Let's walk with
him!!!
Taxes for Caesar - Matthew
22:15-22.
*give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,
and give to God what belongs to God.*
Matthew 22:21. [NLT]
Once again Jesus is one step ahead of
those trying to trap him into saying something that would get him in
trouble. Jesus sees it coming and says "give to Caesar what belongs to
Caesar and give to God what belongs to God". We are to pay what is
required of us by those in authority over us. In fact in 1 Tim 2:2, we are also
encouraged to pray for those in authority over us, rather than complain about
them. But more importantly, Jesus tells us to give to God what belongs to
God. What belongs to God? Everything! Our Tithes, our Offerings, Our
Lives and everything we own! It all comes from
Him! In Colossians 3:17 we are told that "whatever you do or say, do it as a
representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the
Father. Ponder what that would look like in your life, to give to God what
belongs to Him? and then seek to live it out and just wait and see the joy that
it brings!
Street Pastors are Christian volunteers
who care for, listen to and help other people in the night-time environment, in
busy areas where people are drinking, partying and moving between pubs and
clubs. The team in Swansea was set up five years ago and the team members are
all committed Christians from more than 20 churches across the City. Each
Friday and Saturday night a team heads out and walks around the city streets,
watching out for people in distress and giving help and support to those who
need it.
Street Pastors are Christ*s ambassadors,
"salt and light" in the local community, the church working alongside the Police
and the Local Authority. Street Pastors respond to situations where a
night out has not gone as planned, where people have become separated from their
friends, perhaps suffered an injury, where emotions may be running high due to
the influence of drink or drugs, and they bring practical, emotional and
spiritual help to those who need it.
A typical shift starts at 10pm in St
David*s Church and generally finishes by 4am. Street Pastors provide a
listening ear; ensure that vulnerable people make it to their taxi home, or that
a friend or family member collects them; they hand out bottles of water,
administer first aid, and give out flip-flops to girls no longer able to walk in
their fashion shoes. They also pick up bottles and sweep up broken glass,
as well as disposing of broken umbrella shanks * anything that could be used as
a weapon or cause an injury.
Street Pastors are an accepted part of
the night economy here in Swansea and their presence on the streets is
appreciated by the police, the emergency services and the door staff of the pubs
and clubs as well as the revellers themselves. The teams are covered by
prayer, from a team of Prayer Partners who remain in St David*s, as well as by
individuals at home.
The Swansea co-ordinators: Simon and
Helen Moores will be at our 3.30 service on 21st September. Join us then
to learn more about this challenging and rewarding work.
CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by means of practical and
moral support and to serve the Church in teaching about God’s purposes for
Israel and the Hebraic roots of our faith. At this critical time for Israel
their prime minister needs to know that he does not stand alone. HAMAS which
literally means ‘violence’ is the root of the problem in Gaza. Despite more than
12,000 rockets over the past 14 years, Israel continues to provide life saving
medical care, even to the residents of the Gaza Strip.
PLEASE PRAY FOR :-
1. Call
out to God for Israel to make the right decisions at all
times.
2. Pray that the glorification of
martyrdom to Arab children might come to an end.
3. Pray that Arab leaders who are very
concerned about Iran and the nuclear bomb will prepare a united front with
Israel.
4. Ask the Lord to raise up peacemakers
on both sides of the conflict and bring an end to the violence.
If you
would like to give to Missions just place your Missions gift in an envelope
marked Missions and drop it in collection any time along with your Tithes and
Offerings. Each month, you can read a little more about Christian Mission
organisations and what they do!
SEPTEMBER SPECIAL EVENTS
SWANSEA MEN’S BEACH
NIGHT
Organised by CVM Swansea (Christian
Vision for Men)
6pm Thursday 4th September at Caswell
Beach
Volleyball, football and bacon rolls (£1
per person)
MacMillan Coffee
Morning
9:30-11:30 Fri 26th September at Lifewell
Church
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS
8th Vicki Williams
11th Nathaniel Parker
14th Linda Willis
15th Joshua Ellens
18th Courtney Taylor
18th Chris
Screen
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
23rd Sue & Mark Williams
Congratulations!!!
Sunday
10:30am -
Morning Service
3:30pm -
The O-Zone Family Service
Monday
7pm -
15/09/14 - Life Lounge
Wednesday
7:00pm -
Prayer Meeting
(03/09/14 - Kids/Youth Focus)
(10/09/14 - Mission Focus)
Thursday
9:15am-11:15am - Coffee Morning/Parent & Toddler
Friday
7pm-8pm Youth Club & Service
8pm-9pm Afterhours
Biblestudy.
