Monthly Archives: June 2015

Pay it Forward Appeal

To Donate online please visit the below link:

https://www.givey.com/payitforward

 

St Martin in the Bull Ring

Pay it Forward:  Building St Martin’s

The Church community of St Martin’s has over the years witnessed to the love of Christ in many different ways. There have been many people helped in practical and spiritual ways through the community of faith in this place.

For some people this has been a one off visit; while for many others it has been a blessing over many years.

We have been fortunate to have a church building that is open to all and can provide such help.

Of course a building like St Martin’s doesn’t stay open without investment in its fabric. It is a working church community that needs upkeep, maintenance, repair and innovation. Thankfully there have been very few major building needs over the past 10 years.

However we do need to spend money on many smaller items which when taken together do cost us around £12,000 each year. We have been fortunate to be able to draw on budgeted income and a specific reserve fund for these essential costs. But we have some extra costs arising in 2015-16 which will need us to consider supplementing this income. For example a recent electrical inspection (a legal requirement) will mean work costing at least £10,000 will need to be carried out.

Hence the ‘Pay it Forward’ appeal.

 

Pay it Forward

This appeal is a very simple one.

All of us who consider St Martin’s to be our church are being asked to give a one off gift to help invest in the building. By spending this money now we are helping to ensure this place will remain open for future generations and enable the mission of the church to continue.

We pay it forward to help others discover the love of God in Jesus Christ.

Please pray and give as generously as you can. Place your donation in the envelope provided and return it to church as soon as possible (We would like to tell the whole community what we have raised at our services on 26th July so please return your gift by Tuesday 21st July. This will give us time to count the total amount raised).

If you are a UK tax payer please do gift aid your contribution. This means we can claim 25% tax back on your donation at no extra cost to you. (A £20 gift from a UK tax payer becomes £25! This can make a huge difference to what we can raise. To do this simply completed the details on the front of the envelope. Thank you)

Many of us can testify to God’s amazing blessings in our lives through the ministry of St Martin’s. Please give generously to this appeal to ensure many others are blessed. We are the stewards of this place at this time. It is our responsibility to build for future generations.

Pay it forward and let us glorify God through our sacrificial giving.

Thank you and may God continue to fill you with his grace.

Stewart Jones

Rector

 

Pay it Forward Stewardship 2015 Leaflet

Healing on the Streets (HOTS) – June 2015 update

We started our prayer meeting with two of our team members, Sue and Maggie, giving their testimony on how God is working in this land and abroad.

Sue wrote this

“God is doing some extraordinary things with the many asylum seekers who attend a local church in Birmingham.  We are seeing people being transformed by the love of God. Many from a different religious background are coming to faith as they discover the wonder of the Gospel of Jesus and encounter His grace and healing power through prayer. 

I run an allotment project, and we often pray for one another there, or even other tenants, and have seen the power of God released there, bringing instant healing on several occasions.  This not only encourages those being healed, but also increases our faith as we put simple trust in Jesus and His word.  God wants to do far more than we can imagine – so we are encouraged to ask for more!”

This is from Maggie

A team of 6 ladies were invited to take part in a ladies conference in May at a remote outpost not far from the Congo and Angolan borders.  The last part of the journey was by M.A.F 6 seater plane (including the pilot!)

The conference was attended by 1,250 ladies who were very excited to be there for 5 days having travelled many miles by lorry or bus.  The presence of God was very tangible and the African speaker was very touched by the spontaneous hug received by our leader on the platform and confessed she did not really like white people and asked God’s forgiveness and ours.  This was followed by black and white people having a massive hug- in session which was truly awesome and broke down a lot of barriers. 

Many people received prayers for healing and deliverance. A significant healing took place as the conference prayed for a lady on oxygen in hospital who later joined us to testify of her amazing healing

On the last weblink we ended with an outbreak. God’s joy which was very contagious and even some rather frosty looking older ladies that came with their care assistance’s were noticeably released.

The last but one evening which had been very powerful ended with an incident in which we saw God’s hand overruling as when we got back to our accommodation we noticed a small cobra sliding into a bedroom.  It could have had serious consequences as even babies carry the same strength of venom as the adults.  The snake was killed by a night watchman and 7 other boys and we all agreed God’s timing is perfect. 

I wonder if Maggie’s testimony on God’s joy which was very contagious reached out to us on that Saturday session. Read this account about one of the prayers on that day.

A lady who comes regularly and has seen significant improvement in her condition was prayed for again. The team prays not only for her physical condition but also for her to increase her knowledge of God as Father. I said knowledge because this lady is a matter of fact kind of person. This time, however, we prayed that this knowledge would extend to her deepest feelings and would realty to God as Father in that way.

We prayed for the Holy Spirit to come and minister to her. Nothing appeared to be happening. We eventually ended our prayers and said good bye. After a few minutes I saw her talking to another member of the group she knows and I went to join in with them. I looked at her. Her face was radiant and she could not stop laughing! (honestly we never told her any joke). I wish you could see the joy this lady expressed with sounds of laughter and radiance on her face. God’s joy indeed releases us to have a deep relationship with Him.

Here are other prayers our team offered to God

  1. A young lady in the army who had a torn ligament in her ankle was prayed for. She was also open to the Gospel. The team prayed for healing and for revelation of Jesus in her life
  2. Someone fearful of their marriage situation said they felt more in peace after being prayed for.
  3. Someone else with marriage issues to be sorted out. Prayed for the right decision to be made.
  4. A man also with relationship difficulties wanted prayer to make the right decisions
  5. A lady grieving for her mother who died 2 years ago needed prayer for her and her family who were finding difficult to adjust to the situation.
  6. A young lady with kidney and bladder problems and suffering with depression. She received prayer for healing and the ‘why Jesus’ booklet. She said she felt better and would read it.
  7. A pastor of a church in Birmingham wanted prayer for God’s perfect rest and peace in his heart after some problems he had recently. Also asked for a spirit of forgiveness for those who hurt and upset him.
  8. A lady with various health problems was prayed for. She was impressed and appreciated the compassion and willingness of the group to be there and pray for people and take time to be with them.

Many more prayers were said on that day. We left with the assurance as Sue said ‘God wants to do far more than we can imagine – so we are encouraged to ask for more!”

Blessings

Revd Elsie Blair-Chappell