There's always hope! - Guest Blogger Phil Varley

Wondering what to write about for this little slot, I thought rather than tell you about things I'm doing, I'd tell you about what I'm reading.

In the mornings I try to sneak downstairs before anyone else and read my Bible. This plan doesn't always work out as often I'm joined by Ben (2 years old) who has other views on what Daddy should be doing! When I have made it to my Bible I'm reading Romans.

The other day I was happily reading chapter 5 when I came across these words:

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Now I've read these words quite a few times before, but I decided to really slow myself down and think about what I was reading. Here are some of the things I noticed.

Paul talks about "rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God" - and I wrote in my note book - "there is hope." Hope is such an important thing. Even when you walk through a tough season, if something offers hope, it sustains you. If all hope is gone, then that's when things get really bad. But this passage is saying that there is always hope - that as a believer, hope is never extinguished. Things will never get to that point. Even in suffering there is still hope, is Paul's conviction.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of suffering - I much prefer it when things are going well! I'm more of a ‘tranquillity junkie'. But this passage says that even in difficult times God can produce something good - there is hope. And here's the phrase I really love - that this hope "does not disappoint us." That's an amazing claim!

We live in a world when lots of people are trying to sell us stuff - and often they do it by telling us their product will change our lives. We will be thinner, look younger, taller, be more popular, successful and generally much, much happier... Truth is, whatever the product, it pretty much always disappoints. This passage tells us that life with God is very different. That there is always hope and this hope always always, always, always, delivers as advertised... I'm just getting my head around it, but I love it!

Newday 2010 - Guest Blogger Nicholas Ferguson

After spells of torrential rain and ferocious winds we can all say 'we made it through' and enjoyed what was an awesome week at the Norfolk Show ground that hosted Newday 2010.

With over 100 people on the King's Church site, it's fair to say it was buzzing! Our young people enjoyed the various cafes during the day before letting their hair down in the evening with a variety of skanks* at the popular Rhythm Factory.

The main meetings were superb and full of moments where the Spirit of God moved in power to work in the hearts of thousands gathered in the big marquee.

Each day, young people were moved by powerful talks by speakers including Stef Liston, Joel Virgo, Stu Gibbs, Scott Marques and Julian Adams. The 12-14s were well served by Andrew Wilson throughout the week whose wit and sharp mind kept them on the edge of their seats (although they were sitting on the floor!).

Some classic highlights included the near riot in response to the 'unfair' distribution of jollof rice during an evening meal - you had to have been there!

But the main highlight had to have been when Adrian Holloway preached the Gospel and we saw 334 make first time commitments, 305 make re-commitments, and 374 healed - awesome!

And with 7 of our youth making first time commitments and several others being filled with the Spirit, Newday 2010 was a really fruitful time for King's.

The youth team again showed their commitment to serving our youth - they were brilliant! Special thanks to Matt Wills, Luke Catley, Lesray Cameron and Sandra Sonola. And also to Kevin and Valerie Catley and Barry and Ciska Stowell who served us so well with the catering - YUM!

Another eventful week where God proved once again that He is at work in the lives of an emerging generation.

Bring on 2011!

(*skanks - popular urban dance routines. Search You Tube for migraine skank, kingdom skank and tribal man skank for some examples. Enjoy...)

In Celebration of Christian Marriage - Guest Blogger Hilary Dalziel

This month my mum and dad celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary (by the way, it's the ‘blue sapphire anniversary' if you're curious!), but you can't buy cards in the shops for 65th anniversaries - I guess no one expects people to be married that long! I can see their faithfulness and love demonstrated everyday in the care and patience they show each other within the frustrations of being elderly and less independent. What an example!

Summer is the season for weddings - there are a number of weddings coming up soon within the King's family and we send our ‘Congratulations!' to those making this wonderful commitment. It's interesting that Jesus' first miracle was to enhance the celebrations of a couple getting married in Cana (John 2). Jesus, who never married and lived a life fulfilled to the extreme as a single man, also honoured marriage and the covenant commitment required. These days it can feels like making a marriage last takes a miracle, but at King's we really value marriage and try to help couples lay a strong foundation for a lifelong relationship.

Last year King's started a Marriage Mentoring ministry headed up by Peregrine and Denise Storrs-Fox, my husband William and myself. We've trained a number of excellent couples to prepare couples for marriage and walk with people going through tough times in relationships. This naturally follows on from the Marriage Course that Steve and Debs lead every year.

Couples getting married at King's have all sorts of backgrounds - some have been married before, have children or have a rich variety of cultural heritages - so we are constantly learning how to help people deal with their past, honour their families but also create a new strong family with Christ at the centre. Sometimes people come to know Jesus who are living together and want to remodel their relationship biblically, so we help them take those steps. It's great to have a group of volunteer Marriage Mentors who themselves have all kinds of life experience so we can pool our wisdom.

So if you have the joy of going to a wedding this summer, pray for the couple (and for yourselves if you are married!) that their love will never stop growing, fuelled by the love of Jesus. God is committed to marriage - it was His idea! - and He will make your marriage the best it can be for his glory if you give it back to him.

And who knows, maybe many more of us will reach Blue Sapphire anniversaries!

Christian friendship - Guest Blogger Robert Kwami

I've been thinking recently about all the good friends that I have in King's! I want to be like the apostle Paul and value them as they should be valued. In Philippians 2, Paul talks about two of his friends - Timothy and Epaphroditus. Timothy's father was Greek and a non-believer, his mother was Jewish by birth and had come to believe in Jesus. Timothy and Paul came from very different backgrounds.

Good friends have a genuine interest in each other. There is real acceptance of who the other is - even if they come from different backgrounds, as Paul and Timothy did - and as so may of us do within King's! Outside of church we might not naturally have come to know each other, but now our friendships are centred in Christ, who has broken down all the barriers between us. And further, we are on a mission together - we serve a higher cause than merely following our own wishes. I am so pleased to be part of a wonderful, growing, multi-cultural church where we represent so many countries and nationalities but have one mind and heart together!

Good friends support one another. I know that I have been very grateful for the concern, the prayer and the care shown to me during the time when my mother passed away and I was so far away from Ghana - I'm sure others of you have received similar support. Some of the trials and the battles that we experience will be similar, some will be very different - we will always need support from our friends! Friendship shown in such difficult times supports us and enables us to carry on. As we build genuine friendships we will come to know each other better, grow in our understanding of our friends  and be able to support them more effectively.

I read recently this statement, which I would really agree with! ‘Christian friendships are extraordinarily powerful - they are enriching, rewarding and emotionally restoring.'

First Impressions! - Guest Blogger Malcolm Kyte

They say you don't get a second chance to make a first impression! I started my new role as a pastor at King's at the beginning of April having led a fairly large Newfrontiers church in Wimbledon. There are many similarities in the way my previous church and this church operate - except that everything at King's is on a larger scale! Sometimes there is a feeling that the bigger a church becomes then the quality of church life decreases - nothing could be further from the truth at King's.

Apart from being on the leadership team of King's, I continue to oversee six churches in south-west London - most of them around 100 in size - so I understand the constant ‘resources challenge' that every church faces. Churches do the best they can with busy volunteers who have limited time and skills for the tasks that need doing week after week. So, it has been thrilling to discover just how well things are done here at King's!

I have visited Jumping Beans (1-2s), Promise Land (3-4s), King's Kids (5-9s), ignite (11-14s & 15-18s), Wednesday Welcome (over 60s), the Alpha course and the Freedom in Christ course. Without exception, every group and activity has been done to a high standard - thoroughly prepared and well delivered. I have also had the privilege of seeing how the pastoral care team works and sat in on a child protection team meeting. Again, the level of care that King's offers is of a higher quality than many other churches because those involved have lots of experience.

King's Church has many talented people who are utilizing their gifts to further the kingdom in south-east London - I'd like to congratulate those of you who are already serving - but there is always a need for more servers in any church. So if you have yet to get involved can I encourage you to step up and serve - and make sure that King's continues to offer the very best at every level of church life as we move to being a multi-site church!

The journey from Downham - Guest Blogger Martin Alley

I don't know when you last went to Downham. Maybe you drive through it on the A21 on the way to Bromley. You may have passed the Downham Way Family Church building at some time but not be aware that in the large estate between Bromley Road and Grove Park live around 25,000 people - 10% of the population of the borough of Lewisham!

Ruth and I have been based at Downham Way family Church since January, to be on the ground with them as they have been considering the possibility of becoming part of King's. We've found a church there full of great people who have made us feel very welcome right from the start. Some of them we've known for many years - others we're just getting to know.

The church has a real heart to reach out to people in Downham and beyond, and it is inspiring to begin to dream of how God could use the joining of our two churches to bring His blessing and salvation to this area of South East London - 25,000 people in Downham alone who need to hear the message of God's love and grace!

Since the first mention, about six months ago, of Downham joining with King's, the people of Downham church have made quite a journey! I want to commend their elders, Nigel and Ian, and also the extended leaders' group, who have led the way with courage and integrity. Change is never easy to embrace, and can be costly, but as we step forward in faith we know we have a great God and Shepherd who knows how to lead His people in the right paths.