Highwoods Prayer Room 18 - 20 Jan 2008

There will be a 24-2 Prayer Room at The Ark, Highwoods Methodist Church, Jack Andrews Drive, Highwoods, Colchester

from 7pm Friday 18 January 2008 to 7pm Sunday 20 January 2008.

We need people to book slots to pray in the prayer room. Please book your one hour or longer slot by contacting Daphne Digweed on 01206 523744 or daphne.peter@ntlworld.com

Lakes Hospital Carol Concert

Sarah Steigman and friends sang carols, read accounts of the Christmas story in the Bible and then she shared personal thoughts on what the light of Christmas means to her. Afterwards we were served mince pies and hot drinks. We offered prayers and continued to share personal testimonies with patients.

One woman told us of her spiritual experiences and hearing God through dreams. She told us of a recurring dream in which she is falling, without fear, looking down upon a large hand. Unfortunately she is never able to reach the hand. Both Sarah and I suggested the the 'hand' is of the Father God. The woman agreed and we continued to talk. We ended up praying that she would make a decision to allow herself to fall into the hand.

This all took place on the Friday before Christmas (sorry can't remember the date - every day has become such a blur you know!) I strongly felt there are many people in the Lakes mental health hospital who are hungry for the presence of God and healing of Jesus Christ.

Sarah is continuing to seek God for the future of this developing ministry amongst the community of people there. Please pray for her and if you would like to know more about how you could be involved, get in touch with us at Colchester Boiler Room and we could pass your details on to Sarah.

Many blessings for 2008!!

The Gift at Mersea

I've just come back from Mersea Island where I've visited The Gift at West Mersea Free Church.

It's a really good creative journey into the Christmas story.

I particularly liked (although was moved by!) the part that looked at our brokeness.

I also liked the part that reflected on Jesus being born into a refugee family. And then gave information on the many refugees and Internally Displaced People in the world today.

The Gift really broke open and shed light on the Christmas story for me.

Nice one, Joe and friends at West Mersea Free Church for putting it together and opening it up.

Street Pastors First Night Out

Here are my friends, Norman and Jennie. There were two of 18 Street Pastors who were out on Friday night 11pm - 4am.

And we were backed by many friends in the church who were praying for us.

Thank God He gave us a spirit of boldness to go out. I did feel nervous, because it was the first night out in our Street Pastor uniforms. But I was also really excited and buoyed by having so many friends around me.

During the night we were able to help many different people; we reported a girl who was missing, we stopped a girl getting bullied by her friends, we treated an injured woman and called an ambulance, we encouraged a group who were looking after a distressed woman...

There was one incident of threatened aggression against us. However, that amounted to nothing.

Please continue to pray for the Street Pastors who are out to help people 10pm - 4am on Fridays, and also on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Contact admin@colchesterprayernet.co.uk if you would like to be part of the prayer support.

Richard

Street Pastors launched at Mayors Parlour!!

We had an amazing evening on Saturday night. It was the comissioning service for the Colchester Street Pastors. These are Christians who are being sent out on Friday nights to help people and bring the love of Jesus to the streets.

There was prayer and worship in the Mayors parlour, Colchester Town Hall.

And the Mayor (alongside the Police and local church leaders) commissioned the Street Pastors with these words.

"Will you undertake your work as Street Pastors faithfully and to the best of your ability? Will you pray for the work you undertake and for the people with whom you come into contact?"

To which we replied. "With God's help. We will."

Street Pastors go out for their first night on uniformed patrol on Friday 10pm - 4am. And will be out evey Friday night.

If you are interested in being part of prayer support, please contact info@colchesterprayernet.co.uk

West Mersea news and request for help

Here's news from Joe on West Mersea.

I am running an evangelistic event on Mersea for Christmas. It is a Christmas Journey. The church will be laid out in 5 different stations and will be like a maze with dividing walls for each station.

The theme of each station is:
Brokenness - Reflecting on a broken world and us as broken people
Promise - God's promise to fix it all
Gift - God's way of fixing it through the giving of a Gift
Birth - The Gift is His only Son
Hope - The future is bright because of the Birth, death and resurrection of Jesus

Each station will have meditations and hands on practical things to do. People will come and go as they please with hot drinks and cakes being served. It is my hope that people will come and discover the meaning of Christmas in a new, fresh and relevant way.

We are running it on Sunday 16th December from 6.30pm onwards and Monday 17th December from 9am onwards.

When people leave they will get a bag of to take away things they have made during their experience and a DVD. The DVD is called More To Life and has 11 testimonies of people who's lives have been transformed by Jesus. It was made by Viz-A-Viz.

the favours:Could you circulate this for prayer please? I need prayer that practically it will all work. Presentation - that it will look really good. Fruit - That through it many will be drawn closer to Jesus.Also circulate for people to come and experience it for themselves.

I also need to find loads of purple, red and white material to dress the church with. I won't cut it or anything and the people can have it back after the event. Do you know anyone who has anything like that?

God BlessJoe

contact mail@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk if you can help.

Prayer for the Lakes Ministry

The Lakes Ministry will hold a Christmas service at The Lakes psychiatric hospital on Friday 21 December. The Lakes Ministry will be offering prayer to patients and staff at this event.

In preparation people will be praying and fasting for the Lakes Ministry on Thursday 13 and Thursday 20 December.

Support is also needed praying for the Lakes Ministry during the Christmas service, from 2pm to 4pm at the Colchester General Hospital chapel on Friday 21 December.

If you would like to join the prayer support please contact Richard Smith on mail@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk

Colchester at 24-7 UK Network Day

On Saturday Jean, Mike, Katy and I got up too early.

But we were full of excitement because we went to Reading to meet up with other people who do 24-7 Prayer from around the UK. (here's some picture of them...)

It was inspiring to hear stories of how God is leading people to pray and live out their prayers across the UK.

I especially remember stories from Matt and Ali from Cornwall who have an amazing calling to pray and do Chritian community amongst surfer people. And we had an amazing time standing alongside and praying for the pioneers from Reading who are once again stepping forward into 24-7 prayer.

I was very encouraged, again, to share and pray with James. He heads up Boiler Room Community in Egham.

Jean reflected that the most important message she carried away from the day was about community. The need for community. The fact that we are all part of community in some way. And also some trepidation for the young 24-7 communities that are starting.

Mike was again please to be amongst the 24-7 "family" and was encouraged by it. He was also excited to hear of the vision for mission to be led by each local 24-7 prayer community, rather than a central office. And to see this happening already....even in his own life!

There was a time of prayer for the different locations represented, and during this a time of prayer for Colchester. I remember two words being given in particular;

One was a picture of a town surrounded by a wall. And out of gaps in the wall came arrows. And these arrows were very directed and very effective.

Another was a prayer for Essex Men. And a prayer for redemption of Essex Men. That their talents for entrepreneurism, energy, doing new things and telling others would be redeemed and used for God's kingdom.

with excitement,

Richard