Hello everyone,
As three more weeks of lock down begins let us continue to pray for those we know who are keyworkers in health, education, care work and beyond. We have a number of people in our church family doing amazing work in increasingly difficult circumstances. We are praying for you and are here for you if you need support. Let us also continue to pray for those who are sick at this time some with COVID19 and others undergoing treatment in strange and difficult circumstances, you are in our prayers. Along with those who are unwell we have a number of people who are isolating and living alone. We love you and are with you in every way we can be. Can I encourage each of you as members of this amazing church family to continue to contact each other, to step up and look out for those who are vulnerable at this time and to find new and creative ways of loving and connecting with each other.
I would also like to personally thank you for the way you are conducting yourselves and the love you are showing to each other and to us as we lead in unprecedented circumstances. I am so grateful to be part of this amazing church family and increasingly proud of each one of you and of our church.
May Services:
Due to the continuing lockdown We have had to postpone our visitors and events into May; however in the spirit of unity and pressing on, that won’t stop us celebrating together and hearing from our guests. On 17th May Tim Alford our National leader from Limitless Elim’s youth ministry will be bringing our word, we will celebrate our youth and have them involved in our online service. Then on May 31st our online service will be a Joint town wide service in unity across the town. This is to replace our Church in the square joint service that has been postponed until next year.
Could you please continue send us some family greetings and testimonies so we can see more of you in our services in May. Communion will continue to be a vital way for us to remember and partake in the fulness of Christ and to celebrate our family relationship. Please prepare bread and juice for yourselves to partake in your home.
Generosity & Hardship:
Thank you so much for being such a generous family. We continue to see gifts coming in for our hardship fund and have been able to bless people within the church family and also give into the local authority’s appeal to help those in need. We have also seen many more people sign up to giving online whilst our weekly offering isn’t available. Again we thank you for your continued support and for stepping up at this time. To transfer your giving or to continue to give into our hardship fund. Here are the bank details:
Name: St Helens CLC Sort Code: 60-05-16 Account Number: 18536778
If you are being impacted financially by the current situation and you would like to have some assistance from our hardship fund please contact one of the pastors or email office@sthelensclc.com
Mark Greenwood – Evangelism training
Part 2 this Thursday (with 8pm clapping break for NHS) Sign up for your training resources here: https://sthelensclc.com/training
Stay in touch:
To help you stay connected please ensure you have signed up to our whattsapp, text service, or email. Follow, like, and share our online activity as we aim to stay in touch with one another and reach out to those that are yet to know the fulness of a relationship with Christ.
Jim Lucas:
I couldn’t complete this update without including a comment on the passing and funeral of our much loved brother and friend Jim. We had Jim’s funeral on Friday in strange circumstances at St Helens Crematorium with just 10 people present. Yet the family were fantastic and the service was Spirit filled and the Gospel was shared. How could the gospel not be shared in memory of Jim? A man who loved Jesus and shared Jesus with everyone he met. We love and miss Jim but Know he is now with Jesus and without pain or sickness. We remember the family and in particular Jim’s wife Jean in our prayers. As Jim’s church family the greatest tribute we can give to Jim is to passionately love Jesus and share Jesus with others.
A prophetic perspective
I believe we are in a season were eyes are being turned, a “look up” season. The world is on pause and people are looking for answers. Eyes are being opened spiritually, questions are being asked and we have the answer. Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus as He is the answer, let us point every question and every person towards Jesus. Let us also use this look up season to re-focus our eyes on Jesus the one who pioneers and perfects our faith. This look up season is an opportunity for increase in our faith as we pause and look to Jesus.
The most encouraging thing to note is that while we are going through this season God has His eyes on us. “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9. I would like my heart strengthened during this time, I would like the hearts of each one of you to be strengthened during this time. Let us turn our Eyes to Jesus be fully committed to Him, and under the loving gaze of His eyes we will receive the strengthening of our hearts.
Love and blessings
Craig
#Separated but not Isolated