I'm an Englishman in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa

It was a huge privilege to spend a few days in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia recently. I travelled there with Edward and Fridah Buria and stayed with a beautiful family who live in this vast capital city. We spent time with the leadership team of Eden Genet (Garden of Eden) church on the Saturday morning; I had met some of them before so it was excellent to see them again. They are a humble, faith filled and courageous team who are leading a great church in a hard place.

It was wonderful to preach in this church on the Sunday and speak about the values that connect our church in Mid-Sussex to their church in Addis; grace, apostolic ministry, welcoming the Spirit, making Jesus famous.

Dukem

On the Saturday afternoon we travelled for about an hour outside of the city to a town called Dukem. Dukem has a population of about 40,000 and is on the main road into Addis Ababa.

In this city, prostitution is rife and as a result there is an HIV/AIDS crisis. In this town there is also a church, planted by Eden Genet in Addis Ababa, that gathers about 30 people. As far as we know there are no other evangelical churches in this town.

They are a shining light in a dark place and it was a joy to visit them. Their building is simple; their vision is huge. When we were there a team came with us from Kenya to do some work on this basic structure to make it more robust.

Kenyans, Ethiopians, Brits all working together to see the Kingdom of God advance - I love it!

In the New Testament we see a precedent for churches in one city and nation serving and supporting other churches in different cities and nations. Paul wrote to the church in Rome about the generosity of the church in Macedonia who supported the church in Jerusalem.

I find this so inspiring as the local church was never meant to have a small vision, I believe God's intention was that local churches cared about and were committed to God's Kingdom advancing to the ends of the earth.

I shared some of my stories from my recent travels to Kenya and Ethiopia last Sunday at The King's Church Mid-Sussex and spoke about ways that we can get involved in serving these churches. To hear that message click on this link:

http://www.tkc.org.uk/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=116433&file_id=126879

This coming Sunday 10 November and the week after, Sunday 17 November, we have Gift Days at The King's Church Mid-Sussex. We have an amazing opportunity to serve and support this church in Dukem, Ethiopia. We also have an opportunity to serve and support the church in Kambakia, Kenya as well as invest into what God is doing here in Mid-Sussex.

We have so many resources in the west and have an amazing opportunity to bless others as we give. Every £1 makes a difference. Let me encourage you to pray and to plan for the gift days coming up. Paul says this about the church in Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 8:

"And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people."

Let's follow this inspirational example and see what God might do over the next couple of weeks.

Eldership Appointment at TKC

Thursday 21 November 2013

This is just a quick post to draw people's attention to an important and exciting date in the life of The King's Church Mid-Sussex.

Earlier at the start of September, when Dave Holden was with us for the evening, I announced that we were planning to bring Tim Goodenough into Eldership at TKC. At the moment Steve Cornford and I are Elders and it has been on our heart for some time to grow this Eldership Team.

It is evident that the grace of God is on Tim and Rachel and we believe it is the right time for Tim to become part of the Eldership Team.

So...we plan to bring Tim into Eldership on Thursday 21 November, at 7.45pm at The King's Centre. 

Please get this date in your diary as I'd like as many people as possible to be there to pray for and show our support for Tim and Rachel.

The evening will include worship and prayer and I am delighted to say that Dave Holden will be with us and will take a key role in the evening, praying for Tim and Rachel and releasing Tim in Eldership.

Dave leads the New Ground network of churches that we are part of and you can find out more about New Ground by clicking here http://newgroundchurches.org

It's an important and exciting step for us all. If you have any comments or questions about this please don't hesitate to email me at jim.partridge@tkc.org.uk

The Barnabas Conference - Seminars

The Barnabas Conference

We are busy making the final plans for 'The Barnabas Conference' which is taking place on 05 October. We believe it is going to be really significant event for our church, and for other churches who are booking delegates in. I want to let you know some more information regarding the seminars that are taking place on the day. There will be four options as follows: Social Justice and Politics – Natalie Williams Christians are more likely to vote and join political parties than average, but should we be involved in politics? And, if so, how do we get involved and how involved should we get? In this seminar we'll explore the why, when and how of churches and Christians engaging in politics, influencing decision-makers and standing up for justice.   Social Enterprise – Geoff Knott Rethinking the business/charity divide. How can we create innovative ways of achieving social impact whilst creating economic value and effective businesses? Some of these will be social enterprises - a growing, worldwide movement of businesses that exist to change the world for the better. Businesses that trade to tackle social problems, improve communities, people’s life chances, or the environment. Businesses need business people. These are not grant maintained social initiatives. How can the Church encourage such entrepreneurship? Geoff will be taking a deeper look.   Local Partnerships – Martin Charlesworth Effective social action and community engagement often requires partnerships – with other churches, with other agencies, with local authorities, with Christian national charities. How do we best approach such partnerships? What can we learn from examples in other parts of the country?   Evangelism and social action – Miles Jarvis How do these two vital parts of the Christian life interact? What would the early church have said if this question was even raised?! This seminar will discuss the role evangelism has within social action and why this should even be an issue. The Gospel of the Kingdom, holistic mission and other key issues will be explored in this interactive seminar. As well as these superb seminars the day will include main sessions, worship, networking groups and interviews. It is going to be great day. If you have not yet booked your place go to... http://www.tkc.org.uk/Articles/365013/The_Kings_Church/Events/Barnabas_Conference.aspx There is special rate for TKC members. I really hope you can make this day; God has called us to be a church known as having a heart for the poor that will extend out amongst our community.  I believe this day is a key stepping stone in us moving forward in this area.

TKC this weekend (8 September)

The beginning of September is always a bit crazy!  We, as a family, have just landed back from holiday, have one daughter starting secondary school, one in primary school, one child in play group and one still in nappies - we have walked into a very full but exciting couple of weeks.

September is also a very important month in the life of our church. It always feels like a new chapter beginning as we gather back from summer holidays and look at the year ahead. And this Sunday is a really important part of laying out what the next few months are going to be all about.

Morning meeting - 10.30am

In our morning meeting, I will be preaching and casting vision for the next season in the life of TKC. Bill Hybels, a church leader from the states, said that casting vision in the local church was saying:

"Hey gang, there is a better future out there. We’re here. The future God has for us is out there, and I believe that in His power and by His strength, we can move there!” 

Hybels talks about "painting a picture of the future that creates passion in people." 

As we come into this term there is so much happening and so much to get excited about: 

• our growing relationship with Dave Holden and the New Ground group of churches
• our SeeKenya team travelling to Kenya next week
• the launch of our largest ever Alpha campaign 
• the development by YMCA of our property in Mill Road and potential partnership opportunities 
• the Barnabas Conference seeking to help churches engage with their communities 
• a new teaching series on God'sheart for the poor
• and much more

I would love you to be there on Sunday morning to hear more about it including prophetic words, interviews, video and prayer - I am so excited to cast vision for the next chapter in our life together.

Evening meeting - 7.30pm

Then in the evening at 7.30pm, Dave Holden will be with us. We will worship, share some important TKC news and then will we hand over to Dave to share about the New Ground group of churches that we are joining. 

Dave will be accompanied by a French leader called Nathan and we'll hear some of what is happening with church planting in mainland Europe. 

Dave will also share his heart about new Ground and how we, as a church, can engage with all that is going on and there will be time to pray together too. 

Important, exciting, strategic stuff!  I hope you can be there.

  

Sense & Sexuality: One Sunday Left

This coming Sunday (28 July) will be the last in our current 'Sense and Sexuality' series. I have been so encouraged by the feedback of lives changed and the impact it seems that this series has had.

As well as our Sunday meetings, it was brilliant to see over 40 guys last Saturday morning at the Men's Seminar and, the previous weekend, 45 married couples crowded into the cafe for the evening about 'Sex and Marriage'.

Last Sunday I preached about 'Loving the LGBT community'. If you have not yet heard the message you can download it from here:

http://www.tkc.org.uk/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=111695&file_id=121818




During that message I regularly quoted from a helpful little book written by a guy called Sam Allberry called 'Is God Anti-Gay?'.  Sam is an evangelical vicar who has same-sex attraction and has written this excellent resource.






Another book I mentioned was 'Washed and Waiting' by an American called Wesley Hill. Again I found this to be a really helpful insight and if you want to read further then this would be a good book to get.

This coming Sunday (28 July) is the final message in this 'Sense and Sexuality' series. I am excited to be concluding these messages with a big focus on Jesus and the cross, please do join us at The King's Centre at 10.30am if you can. 

Also, a quick reminder, please remember that we have a women's seminar this Sunday evening that will be really worth while attending - 7.30pm at The King's Centre, Burgess Hill.  

Sense and Sexuality: The Meaning of Marriage

Last Sunday was Part 3 of our 'Sense and Sexuality' series at The King's Church Mid-Sussex.  If you were not around you can download the message - 'A High View of Marriage' - from here:

http://www.tkc.org.uk/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=111055&file_id=121172

During the message I read from Tim and Kathy Keller's magnficent book 'The Meaning of Marriage'. This is, by far, the best book on marriage I have read. I can't recommend it highly enough whether you are married or single.

I guess many of you will be anticipating a break during the summer and are thinking through what you could read. Let me encourage you to read this. Here is the link to the book on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Meaning-Marriage-Complexities-Commitment/dp/1444702157/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373481140&sr=8-1&keywords=meaning+of+marriage

Sense & Sexuality: signposting us to a bigger picture

It has been so good to hear some of the feedback from our current 'Sense and Sexuality' series. Many people are saying that they have never heard this stuff talked about in church, others are getting fresh revelation from God, still others are enjoying freedom from some wrong ideas or past experiences. 

If you have not had chance to hear last week's message you can download it here:

http://www.tkc.org.uk/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=110755&file_id=120851 

As you can probably imagine, I have been doing a lot of reading for this current teaching series. In one of the books I read I came across this quote from TIME magazine.

‘Of all the splendidly ridiculous, transcendently fulfilling things humans do, it is sex … that most confounds understanding. What in the world are we doing?  Why in the world are we so consumed by it?  The impulse to procreate may lie at the heart of sex, but … bursting from our sexual centre is a whole spangle of other things – art, song, romance, obsession, rapture, sorrow, companionship, love, even violence and criminality – all playing an enormous role in everything from our physical health to our emotional health to our politics, our communities, our very life spans.

Why should this be so?  Did nature simply overload us in the mating department…?  Or is there something smarter and subtler at work, some large interplay among sexuality, life and what it means to be human?

Time Magazine, Jan 19 2004

Why in the world is our culture so consumed by sex? Is there something smarter and subtler at work regarding what it means to be human? 

This link between what it means to be human, our sexuality and there being something smarter and subtler at work is exactly the message of the Bible. We are created by a loving God to reflect his image. Our sexuality is given as a gift by God - he, contrary to popular opinion, is for sex not against it. Yet because it is so good, and because of the nature of this gift, it needs to be cared for within the faithful covenant of marriage.

However, our sexuality, expressed within marriage is meant to signpost us to something else; something beyond us, something eternal, something glorious.

What is it pointing us to? Come along to TKC this Sunday to find out more - 10.30am at the King's Centre, Burgess Hill.