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

Keep Listening!

Good afternoon! Thankyou for clicking on that link and reading my blog, it is very much appreciated! I hear snow is on the way? I am not happy about that whatsoever, I bet I sound like a right old man but I don't like snow. I do hope the forecast is wrong...

Well I think this week in particular there have been individual specific moments that have spoke to me. Sometimes it has been God shouting at me and really obviously blessing me and then there has been times where it's been a very small whisper of God working but yet it has been so powerful.

We were out on Friday night going round the pubs and working men's clubs when we arrived at our fourth working men's club and to meet us outside was three girls around the age of 12-14, we stopped and we had a chat with them. What an incredible experience, even though we began just chatting about trivial things like school and Doctor Who, of all things. But then the youngest girl asked what is the Salvation Army and it was an utter priviledge to talk to this girl about the Salvation Army. I explained that we are a church and that we are christians and we do a lot of work all over the country and all over the world, working with the poor and the homeless. We gave them all a Kids Alive and one of them, bless her heart, said in a way only a young child of that age can. "Nah, the Salvation Army is sound." I thank God for that experience, he put us right where he needed us to talk to these girls. To tell them about who we are and maybe just plant that first seed of, I so hope and pray, the beginning of a a relationship with Jesus Christ. Although as we walked into the club, one of the girls shouted at us telling us to enjoy our pints (we didn't get round to the Army's principle of abstinence from alcohol), we were able to tell her who we are, what we do and who we stand for. Praise God!

So that was a real obvious moment where God used us and really did His work. But a particular time this week I couldn't really see where God was untill I took a step back, looked at the programme and thought this is incredible! Eston Corps offer a programme called the CAP money course designed by the Christians Against Poverty organisation. I took part in the course and it basically goes through your finances and helps you build a budget and it helps you understand what is going on with your finances. Now because I am on this programme with the Salvation Army, there is little going on with my personal finances and so trying to work out what is going to happen for the whole year was a bit difficult and I got caught up on all the figures and the numbers. I went home and remembered that Lorraine told us some facts about finances around the country some like that every 5mins someone is declared bankrupt, it costs £28 a day to raise a child til the age of 21 and that every 17 minutes a home is repossessed. These are very real facts and they are effecting real people and actually these facts may effect us all one way or the other. But it is incredible that the Salvation Army is doing something to combat this, we are trying to make a difference in this world. There are so many references to money in scripture but the thing that really stood out to me was that we know and believe that "God is Love", He loves us and wants us to be happy and when this awful thing of finance causes us trouble and pain, I think He hurts too. He doesn't want to see us suffer! So as God's people it is amazing that Eston corps have seen this need and are really doing something about it. Although it took it's time God really spoke to me about the relevance of the CAP money course, albeit a quiet whisper of how incredible this work is and how it is all done in His name.

I think it is important that as Christians we keep our ears open. God has shown throughout scripture his willingness to talk to his servants and I don't think that has changed, He still wants to speak to us. Are you listening?

So there we are, I'm going home this friday for the weekend and I am really excited for it. It is Wellingborough Salvation Army's 140th anniversary, what a celebration of God's faithfulness. So I wish you a good week and untill next monday, goodbye!

God Bless.

@peggo36
pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk

"Your Church in Your Community"

Good Afternoon, hope you've had a good week this week and that you're ready for another one. Bonfire night has come and gone so that basically means Christmas is around the corner... scary stuff.

I've called this blog 'Your Church in Your Community'. It is one of Eston Corp's slogans so to speak and now I've been here for coming close to two months, I can really see why. It was so apparent to me last monday when we went to a school to pick up some food donated by the children, there was tonnes of it. So much food it was an incredible sight! But this was the community, giving food to the Salvation Army who then in turn gives that food back to the community through food parcels, although it maybe unseen, which helps build the community up and bring those struggling people a little bit of comfort and support. We are a vital role in that cycle of serving the community. People around this area know who the Salvation Army are, I had a conversation with a woman at the local shop, she knew exactly what the Salvation Army is and where it is located. Eston Corps is in the community of Eston and surrounding areas, serving the community of Eston and surrounding areas. The pub ministry we have hits right at the centre of the community. I am learning that the North-East has a strong Working Men's club and pub culture and that it has been a tradition of these people to gather and have a good time in these buildings. Eston Salvation Army is a known presence in these pubs and clubs, the men and women know who we are. We bring Jesus right into the very hub of this community on a friday night, even if it is only through a listening ear and the offer of a War Cry.

 

 The Territorial Commander, Commissioner Clive Adams, preached on Transformational mission at the territorial congress a couple of weeks ago and he said "Transformation happens out there...", The TC then went onto say that Jesus transformed lives because he was out there, "Jesus, the very embodiment of Grace and Truth was made available to a desperate world because He was there with them." If the Salvation Army is going to make a difference in this community we need to be in it. I see this in Eston Corps, it has a real presence in this community. The schools know who we are, the pubs know who we are, the council knows who we are, the local shop knows who we are and people know who we are. There is a real need in Eston, just like there would be a real need wherever you are reading this and so if we are going to make a difference then we need to be in the community. The past few weeks have made this fact so apparent to me.

I hope you are still enjoying reading my blog. The tenth one! How time flies. If you have any questions or comments to make please get in touch.

God Bless

@peggo36

pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk

 





"Let the Morning bring... your unfailing Love."

Good afternoon! Yes I am awake and writing this blog after 24/7 prayer week and no I am not sleepy either! What a blessed time we had this week, just taking time to be quiet with God. What a privilege.

But before I talk about my experience in the prayer room, I just wanted to share with you the awesome time we had yesterday in the Grid. For those who don't know, The Grid is the group of young people aged 11-14 in our YP. We only have a couple but they are a great group and through them God is really blessing me. So we have been going through the Sermon on the Mount teachings and we spoke about how Jesus taught us to give. So first of all I asked them to make a trumpet! Yep a trumpet, okay it was only out of cardboard and tin foil but all the same, it made a noise. We then were treated to a very dramatic performance from come Pharisee/rich man, Captain Gary as he boasted and bragged about how wealthy he is and about how much he is giving to charity. This almost was met without any hesitation with a sound of blowing our trumpets at him, it was such a fun way to get the message of not blowing your own trumpet when you give but instead be humble and give all you can quietly. I really ask you who are reading this to pray for Eston's Grid, we have just started up and I know through your prayers great things can come through this group of youngsters.

When we think about prayer there are so many types of prayers or there are so many different aspects we include in our prayers. We pray for forgiveness, strength, wisdom. We pray for individual people or our church or for the Salvation Army. We pray for situations around the world and in all of this it is almost like we are asking God to give or replenish something that isn't there at the moment. Of course there is nothing wrong in that whatsoever but over this week I have been praying so many prayers of thanks and praise to our God. Whilst in the prayer room, I set the scene by putting some background music on and the CD I frequently picked was the International Staff Songsters; "Let the Morning Bring" and the title of the CD was taken from Psalm 143; "Let the Morning bring me word of your unfailing Love." What a truth that is, when I would wake up in the morning at a ridiculous hour to walk to the prayer room, God's love to me is evident. First of all he blesses me with the most wonderful people in my life, my wonderful family, my wonderful Girlfriend, my wondeful church family both in Wellingborough Salvation Army and Eston Salvation Army. I then think about his calling on my life to serve him and I think of all things he has provided me to do this task, my God is a God of Love and Grace and he doesn't enjoy watching me flounder in the deep end. He Loves me! Then I think of the greatest showing of Love of all, I think of Calvary where God sent his Son to die for an unworthy sinner such as me, that's Love. How wonderful it is. But it doesn't stop there, it is unfailing. He will always love me no matter what I do, He will continue to bless and Love me each new morning I wake.

Well another week is upon us, I hope you have a good one! Please get in touch if you have anything to say about the Blog or if you have any questions about Essential or the Salvation Army or whatever! Do get in contact. God Bless.

@peggo36
pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk

Prayer Week 2013

Good afternoon! I hope you are all well reading this and haven't been effected by the storm last night. I think we had a small breeze last night up in the North-East, either that or I slept right through the whole hurricane...

A question throughout this year that we have been directed to keep on reminding ourselves of has been "What is God doing?" and furthermore this can be developed to ask the question of Where is God at work? Something that has being shown to me numerous times this year already is that God is with his people. Although some may not realise it, He is there. I've said this before and I will say it again, our job is to build relationships with these people so we can show them who God is and where He is working. This is a goal of mine for this year and I have been making progress! The school's work we do in Eston is huge and every time we go round a school all the kids know Gary (or Captain Chaundy to be more official) and now they are beginning to know who I am. I would have kids walk past me and shout "Hi James!", I haven't a clue who they are but we are building that relationship with the schools and pupils in them. I just pray that I would get to know the schools more and that they will know what we stand for and believe and one day just one child (obviously we'd love there to be more) would remember us and that relationship the Salvation Army had with the school and they would want to know more and build a relationship with Jesus for themselves. But God is with his people and He is working through His people!

A big part of ministry I believe is to reflect. To take a step back from the business and just relax and pray on what has happened and what will continue to happen in the future. This week Eston Corps has a great oppurtunity to do that in our 24/7 prayer week. At least one person will be praying at the corps all week for one hour. I am really looking forward to this week because I believe it is so important to cover all that I do with prayer and through prayer be revitalised and ready to do God's work. I remind of Psalm 91 which says "He who dwells in the Shelter of the Most high, shall rest in the Shadow of the Almighty." And this is exactly what I am going to do this week, I am going to dwell in His presence and really listen to what he has to say to me. I am doing a lot of the night hours and so I will be on my own just listening and talking to God. If there are any prayer requests that you want me to bring before God then please let me know, I will incorporate them into my prayers tonight and for the rest of the week so please do get in touch. It is through prayer that we can really come closer to God, the song says:

 

"Prayer gently lifts me to highest Heaven, from Earth's confusion to Jesus' breast. My sin and weakness, my doubt and sorrow are lost forever in sweetest rest."

 

I know I am going to come closer to God this week as I just relax and rest in His presence under the Shadow of the Almighty.

 

So please get those prayer requests to me in any way possible. Through blogspot, twitter, Facebook, email... anyway you can! Please get in touch. Have a very blessed week.

 

God Bless

 

@peggo36

 

pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk



'Be Courageous'

Good evening all! Once again it is monday so as per usual it is time for my blog. It's becoming almost routine for me to write this some time on a monday, just to reflect what has gone on in the past week otherwise it's very easy for me to just allow the weeks to fly by without any recognition of where God is working.

The week has been jammed pack to say the least (all weeks have been really) and I can honestly say that I have never worked harder than I have done recently, yes it would explain my A-Level exam results. But I am enjoying what I am doing here, on a daily basis I am talking to God's people. Those who regularly attend the Salvation Army and those who find themselves in the hall for whatever reason. Two examples of this happened this week and the examples are of opposite ends of the spectrum...

Recently at Eston Salvation Army we have been visited by a homeless man and he goes by the name of Ray. I have spent a lot of time with Ray in the past week and actually while I was writing last week's blog I was at the hall with Ray while he was sleeping. We don't really know why Ray is homeless but all we know is that he is sleeping rough and we need to help him. So we do what we can for him and then leaves the hall. But on monday afternoon just as he was leaving the hall, I had a chat with him and I told him to come to the army on sunday for the morning meeting, he said he would but I wasn't so sure. But I obviously have very little faith, it was 10.15 and in walked Ray with his bike. Hallelujah! He sat in the meeting which focussed on Grace and afterwards I just asked if he understood all what has been said and this was his reply, "I know God loves me...". Grace, the undeserved gift just because God loves us. This man is having a huge impact on my life and I thank God I have been able to sit and talk with him, not just about his life and his circumstances but also about Jesus. I pray for Ray, I really pray that he will be able to turn his life around and furthermore accept Jesus as his friend and saviour. I ask you, the one reading this, to pray for Ray. He certainly needs them.

Now the total opposite to Ray's situation is that I have been given this exciting and fantastic oppurtunity to lead the 11-14 year olds group on a sunday morning. There are two girls in the group at the moment but I am so excited for the potential this small group has got. This sunday we talked about Jesus' teaching on Loving Everyone, including enemies. During this lesson, one of the group asked me how "Is God's love bigger than space?". It was an absolute priviledge then to answer that question and teach the young people that God's love is eternal, it is immeasurable! Again I ask you to pray for this small group. It's the start of the youth work in Eston and I am praying and I am ready for God to work in this group and do marvellous things.

But through both these humbling situations I have seen my faults. I have spoke to both these sets of people about the Love of God but I need to do it more. I need to be more courageous when it comes to speaking about what God has done for me. I have been commisioned to go and make disciples of all nations but for some reason I draw myself back from telling people about Jesus. I need to be more courageous. As I realised this, I truly believed God started to put things in place to help me. This year I am attempting to read the Bible in a year and one of this weeks readings was from Matthew 14 and verse 27 really stood out to me. It is the story of when Jesus was walking on the water and the disciples panicked thinking it was a ghost. But Jesus said "Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.". Jesus tells me and you to take courage for it is Him. For it is Jesus and that is all we need, we need to take this courage he gives and just go and tell all about him!

I hope you have a good week this week. Please get in contact if you have any questions and I'll do my very best to answer them. God bless you all!

pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk
@peggo36

'Your Grace still amazes me'

Hello! I hope you are all well and have had a happy and blessed week. It's Monday again! The weeks are coming round so quickly, dare I say it'll be Christmas before we know it.

So now I am well and truly involved with the corps programme here in Eston and something that I can see is vital to the corps here, and an important part of the ministry, is their Children's work. We minister to over 1000 school children a month, bringing the good news of the Gospel to assemblies and a couple of us also volunteer to read with 6 year olds at a local school. Also, on a Wednesday we have about 100 children ( not including the parents) come through the doors of the salvation army for Parents and toddlers. Now you may laugh but, if you were to ask me what I have found to be most challenging about my work in Eston so far, without a shadow of a doubt, it would be Wednesdays at Parents and toddlers. The usual type of people who come to Parents and Toddlers are women bringing there young child, usually around 2/3 years old. This group of people are the most difficult type of people to relate to, as a young man of 19, I have very little in common with them. Also, many mothers come to toddlers to meet other mums and they form friendships which is great! But they do like to talk. Now my mum and Sophie (my girlfriend) can talk and gossip till the cows come home and even with them I feel a little intimidated getting in on their conversation. But when there are women who I don't know and I'm trying to talk to them, it gets difficult. But God has brought them into the Army for a reason and it is my job to be there so I can talk to them and share my faith or just even reflect the Face of Christ. I pray, although I find it difficult, that God will still use me to do great things through this wonderful ministry.

Now again, if you were to ask me what part of the corps programme has had the most impact on me I would answer House Group on Tuesday nights. Every Tuesday evening we gather round as a small group of roughly 10 and we discuss and we study different aspects of the Christian faith. At the moment we are focusing on Grace through Phillip Yancey's book, 'What's so amazing about Grace?'. The book (along with a dvd) tackles so many issues as Christians we need to talk about. It talks about, receiving Grace, distributing Grace, forgiveness. But through all of this there has been a message that stays constant to me and it comes from 1 Corinthians Chapter 15: verse 10- " But by the Grace of God I am what I am...". It is by God's Grace that I was saved, this unearned, unwarranted free gift of Grace. What a great God have I! But what has challenged me more is the need for myself and my ministry and the places of Eston Salvation Army or Wellingborough Salvation Army or even the whole Salvation Army is to show Grace at all times, in every circumstance. We can not go preaching a message of hatred and damnation to all who do wrong but actually we must preach a message of Love and Grace to all who need to hear it. It says in Scripture in so many words that our war is not against the sinner but sin and we as a body of God's own people must take this message of God's Grace and open our arms to those who are broken. For if anyone needs God's Grace, it is those who are broken and are on their knees. We need to be Gracious and pick them up and show them this great, undeserved gift that we have received called Grace. I thank Gary and Lorraine and the house group for allowing us to focus on this teaching and I know that God is and will continue to do great works in my life and in others through his word and through the inspired words of others. I've titled this blog 'Your Grace still amazes me' because it is still amazing me, the more I learn about it the more I begin to realise how amazing it really is!

So I pray that you have been blessed.  Please get on contact with me if you want to discuss what I've said or if you want to know anything about Essential or anything to do with the Salvation Army's work. I hope you have a good week.

God Bless.

Twitter- @peggo36
Email- pegg.j@hotmail.co.uk