“Would you like to come to Church with me?”

“Would you like to come to Church with me?” Christmas is a great opportunity to invite people to church, and it maybe that people would be more open to your invitation than you imagine.

This week I asked Chris Fields how he became a Christian, and a key part of his story was, “someone invited me to Church”. He was in his 30s and at that time thought of himself as pretty successful; God used that invitation and Chris came to Christ and now heads up the Crypt. My journey began when my Maths teacher invited me to a Christian Union meeting with David Watson when I was 18. We would love to hear about how you know Jesus, so please get in touch with us if you would like to share your story in St George’s LIFE.

Why not pray, “Lord, show me who I can invite to Church this term?” Not only do we have guest speakers including Mike Pilavachi and Nick Baines, but Contemporary Carols and other Christmas services coming up. Use our Christmas invitation cards and our Christmas website to invite your friends and family. Your simple invitation might start people on a brand new journey; the adventure of a life time!

Another way to play your part here at St George’s would be to volunteer on a team.  This term we have a story from Ewan Jones sharing about serving as a steward and you’ll also find information about how to volunteer on one of our teams this Christmas.  Welcome is so important to us here at St George’s so please sign up to help out so we can offer a warm welcome to all the new people we are going to invite!

Jonathan

Autumn/14: Pray for

Points to pray for this month…

Our Networks to reach out and find people to invite to church this term.

The stewards and welcome team to be able to sign post people well and give a warm welcome to everyone at this busy time of year.

Pray for Christmas events to go well and for people to find new life with Jesus Christ this season. Also pray for clergy, staff, the choir and contemporary carols team as the pressure builds to the Christmas events; especially Chris Sayburn who will be preaching at Contemporary Carols for the first time this year and leading worship on Christmas Day.

Roots are leading an 1830 Service, pray for confidence in the young people, for young leaders to grow and for the spirit to be at work in the service.

Pray for our Baptism service in December and for those who decide to make this public declaration of their faith.

Autumn/14: Thank you

Point to give thanks for this month…

Our Gatherings
Give thanks for growth at both of our Sunday gatherings including; the children and youth groups, Lighthouse Network and Wrangthorn congregation. God is on the move!

Alpha Course
Give thanks for those serving as table leaders and that the course is a success so far.

Welcome to St George’s this Christmas

This Christmas there are exciting celebratory events at St George’s: Contemporary Carols, Carols by Candlelight, Nativity and Christmas Day broadcast on BBC One.

There will be music rehearsals and preparations to make sure these Christmas services are ‘show stoppers’ to which we love to bring our friends and colleagues! Send a link to our Christmas website to invite them along: stgeorgesleeds.org.uk/christmas

The importance of a friendly welcome is never forgotten at St George’s. We know that God loves everyone who comes and we want to show as much of His love to them as we can this Christmas.  Everyone plays a part in that and especially the Welcome Team

We are looking for welcomers who want to show his love to everyone who steps in through the doors!

If you want to make people feel at home through saying hello, giving a friendly smile or helping someone to their seat so that they can hear the Gospel message this Christmas, then join our Christmas team!

Please get in touch with the office: reception@stgeorgesleeds.org.uk

Mind the Gap: Stewarding

“Our job is to fill the gaps and make sure there are no gaps.”

That’s how Ewan Jones sums up stewarding at St George’s. But of course there’s a lot more to it than that, and very rewarding it is too.

What does the role involve? In practical terms a steward helps prepare for Sunday services; unlocks the doors, checks that service leaders and the welcome team have arrived, helps people use the lift.  And during the service they are in the foyer on hand for anything that crops up.  They organise the collection and count the congregation.  In other words, they’re the eyes and ears of the church during services.

“Being at the heart of the team is very rewarding.  We get to know everyone’s interests and talents because we might have to call on someone to help us if the unexpected happens, to make it all run smoothly.  I’ve been a steward for six years and my wife Izzi for four.  Being organised is important but also ready for anything unusual that might crop up. It does happen and that’s what makes it an interesting job.”

If you’d like to find out more about stewarding or play your part and sign up, please contact reception@stgeorgesleeds.org.uk

Our Global Passion: Romania

Lindsey Pallant, Assistant Church Warden, shares her story on community work in Romania this summer.

“You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world”

“This was the challenge for a group of 24 people from churches in West Yorkshire as we sought to put words into action.  We linked up with an amazing team of Romanian Christians in Hunedoara and worked with them in a week of mission (July 25^th to August 3^rd) to their local community around the Bethlehem Centre.  This is a Christian centre and church combined, run by staff and volunteers all year. It runs Bible clubs for children of all ages, services on Sundays and community events.”

“We ran holiday clubs for local children, helped enliven the charity shop, engaged with staff and children at a local orphanage, and picked up litter and visited local residents. Together we put our ideas and plans into practice, shared each other’s stories and experiences, saw people grow in faith and confidence.  There was much praying and worshipping, sharing mealtimes and washing up together! Football, table tennis and late night card games with much laughter and snacks (!) kept it all real.”

“It was a privilege and real blessing to be on the edge of my comfort zone at times but amongst friends old and new.”

Support our global passion this autumn by making a shoe box to donate to children in Romania this Christmas. Visit the link to find out more.

“Extra Time” in Lakeland

‘Extra Time’ Network, formerly known as 50+, enjoyed a wonderful weekend away.

“I enjoyed chatting with those I have known over many years.”

For five days at the beginning of September, forty members of the Extra Time Network stayed at Rydal Hall, the Diocesan conference centre near Ambleside.

“It fed my soul to be in such beautiful surroundings.”

“It was a joy to relax and chat with people in such beautiful surroundings”

Beautifully positioned for walking, sailing on the lake or just relaxing in nearby Grasmere, Windermere or Keswick, the centre offered a perfect place for our time together. With daily activities of different grades there was something for everyone.

“It was good to share our journeys, difficulties and differences with those of our own age group.”

We met together at the start of the day and after evening dinner to be given the challenge about using our time for God as we get older.  Bob Powley and Joanna Seabourne led these sessions.

 

“We were blessed with excellent weather and fellowship throughout the whole week.”

 

Find out more about Networks at St George’s here.

New Network! “Keen & Able”

“We want to, as a Network, be able to creatively reach out to our wider community and see how God can use us creatively.” Emily

Ben Lees and Emily Spademan launched “Keen and Able” in October, a new Network for people with a creative background.  The group will meet fortnightly on Thursday evenings in people’s homes. They will eat together, study the Bible together and pray.  There will be social events, creative worship and outward-looking events such as open mic nights at a pub.

Having moved to Leeds to be a worship intern at St George’s last year, Ben Lees is now the Worship and Youth Ministry Assistant at church. Emily recently graduated from Leeds College of Music and is back in Leeds after a busy summer working for Soul Survivor in Watford.

Emily adds, reassuringly: “We’re not going to make anyone paint our portrait or sing for us X-Factor style before they join.”

Find out more about Networks at St George’s here.

Oct/14: Mission Partners

Jonathan and Laura Beatham: Leeds

Please pray for Jonathan & Laura as they continue to help further God’s kingdom in the Farsi community in Leeds and beyond. They are thankful, after a rocky start that God has given them a new direction. They will be translating worship songs which are then posted onto an internet site which is widely used by the Farsi community around the world. Please pray for this coming year as they plan to continue with this work as well as record some hymns for use in worship as well as continue to support other churches in the Yorkshire area involved with Farsi ministries.

Hugh, Heather, Tomo and Jun Nelson: Japan

The Nelson family had a great time in UK back in the August. They are grateful of time to see family & friends and to have a holiday! They have now returned to Japan; please pray for them getting back into life there. Please pray for both Tomo & Jun as they start back at school, and also for Hugh, who will be attending a leadership development course in Turkey for 10 days. Pray too for Heather as she looks after things at home, teaches Happy Clubs and preaches while Hugh is away.

Find out more about our mission partners on our website.

Meet the Interns: Jake

I’m Jake. I come from a city in South China, which is next to Hong Kong. I did an exchange programme for my undergraduate studies in Bristol two years ago and came to Leeds for my postgraduate course. I am excited to be graduating this December.

How do you know Jesus?  Because my parents wanted to divorce when I was a child, I had been living with my uncle’s family for 7 years and the family are Christian, from HK. But I did not go to church and read the Bible until I was brought to a church in Bristol by my friend. I could see how God’s love and blessings transformed me and brought my parents and me closer. People in Leeds very encouraged me to grow my faith and follow Jesus.

What is your role now/what work do you do in which ministry? I am working for International Students Network in St George’s Church. The network has focused on providing the opportunities for international faith seekers to know more about the Bible, Jesus Christ and Christianity. Also, the network encouraged Christian international students to grow their faith here. We organise a bible study introduction course weekly. We have various gatherings to share life, retreats and festivals celebrations.

Where have you seen God working in your ministry? St G’s had a welcome morning service on 21^st September. I could see God has brought lots of international students to the church. Also, God has softened their hearts during the service. I remember one Japanese student cried after worship session and thought she felt good to Christ. At the same time, God has let many families in the church be involved after the service. Some of them invited students for lunch even though then were not under the host list.

Where have you seen God working in you and those around you?  God has brought m confident to reach out lots of International students during the Fresher’s Week. Also, He put me into challenges, which helped me to really think about how I could continue to growing my faith and be bold. This year, the existing network leaders and two new leaders (Andy and Linda) have been encouraged by God to start network gathering organising and Bible studying.

What are your hopes for the internship? I expect to strengthen the relationship between God and me during the internship. The skills of leading bible study and explaining the gospel to new believers are the important fields which I would like to develop.

How can St George’s pray for you? Through His grace and blessings, the network has witnessed that many students come to faith. Please pray that God will keep coming to the ministry and make the International students stand firm whether they are in Leeds or back at home. Also, please pray that I can always ask God where I and the network are going and trust in His answer.