Building Up

Good evening. As I am writing this, I am actually at a priory. Aylesford Friary in Kent for another lot of training. But I haven't got Internet access here so if I have posted this on a different night then I promise I've wrote it on Monday. Promise!

So it's been another good week at Eston Corps and a good weekend back home at Wellingborough Corps for their 140th anniversary celebrations. The thing that has really stood out to me this week has been Eston Corps ministry to the schools around the area. Gary and Lorraine have spent so much time building that relationship with the schools around the Eston area. We go into Bankfields school, Normanby primary, Grangetown primary, whalehill school, southbank primary and to be honest I am sure there are more but I can't quite remember them. We do the reading support and we deliver assemblies and classes on what we believe. But I think it is the relationship the school has with the schools is most important. How can we expect to lead to people into a relationship with Christ if we don't build that bridge from those who don't know Him and those who do? We can't. So it is vital that the Salvation Army is a visible presence in the school community and that we are offering them a way to come into an understanding of who Jesus is to them. I really hope and pray that this ministry will grow and be a really powerful tool to win souls for Jesus.

It was Wellingborough's 140th anniversary weekend. 140 years, just a sign of God's faithfulness. I wad excitee already about the weekend as I get to see my family and Sophie for the weekend and the anniversary just heightened that excitement. It was a really significant time for me this weekend, God really spoke to me. Colonels David and Sylvia Hinton led our weekend and the Colonel's message really spoke to me, he preached on Joshua and the obscure story I suppose of when Joshua built a stone monument within the Jordan river as a sign of God's faithfulness of when the army crossed the river safely. No one knew where those stones were but it was between God and Joshua. It was an everlasting sign between God and Joshua that God's presence followed him and delivered him and that if we are to be a Salvation Army going forth into a community confident and ready to win people for Christ then we must have the presence of God with us and through that he will empower and send us in to anything according to his will. What a message and a challenge it was, in Exodus it says 'How will anyone know we are your people unless your presence goes with us?'. This has to be a challenge to every Christian and for me I will take this challenge and use it for my ministry in Eston, in Wellingborough and wherever else I may be in the future.

So I do hope you have a good week. It's advent next week! Exciting stuff. Thankyou for reading my blog and if you have any questions do get in touch.

God bless.

@peggo36
pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk