Welcome to the third prayer letter for Freedom Church Mereside. You are receiving this email because we thought you might be interested in knowing what is going on with our church but you can unsubscribe from this list at any time and you won't receive any more.
I know it's been quite some time since our last newsletter but things got busy!
However, it's particularly important to send out our latest edition of the newsletter today because this is the first anniversary of our licensing to the Mereside estate and it's a good time to look back over the last 12 months to see what God has done through us in this time.
Here's what we've been up to
|
|
|
On Thursday 22nd September we held our first church baptism. 14 year old Holly has a strong faith and wanted to be a witness to her friends so she shared her testimony and was baptised in the chapel at St George's School in front of her friends and family, her church family, the Christian Union, the chaplain Rev Helen, the headteacher and others from the school. What a great witness!
|
|
|
Pete has started his training with Church Army and passed his first module with flying colours. He is currently working on his second module. He is using what he is learning in practical ways and has spoken at a number of events about his faith, encouraging others to explore a real relationship with Jesus. Pete is applying for funding to go into ministry full-time so please pray for this application.
|
|
|
|
Our church congregation had been continuing to meet in our living room but space was getting tight. We knew we needed to move soon. So, on Advent Sunday we took our congregation to Whalley Abbey for an away day to reflect on our journey so far and our future ministry on the estate. We had a great day of reflection, food and laughter. And we were very grateful that Bishop Philip came and held a Q&A session (the congregation members asked the questions, not him!) and then he led communion for us.
|
|
|
And the following week we moved into Tarnside Community Centre where we now meet every Sunday at 4.30pm. Since moving our congregation has grown so much that there were 17 there last Sunday! Praise God that He gives growth!
|
|
|
|
Mereside Community Gospel Choir continues to do well. We had 5 events befor Christmas - including singing at the Mereside Christmas Lights Switch-On, singing for the manager, players and staff of Blackpool Football Club, and singing carols at the Harbour - the local Mental Health Unit. We were received so well in Harbour that we are planning a return visit already.
|
|
|
|
At 5am, on the last day of school before the Christmas break, we sneaked around the estate hanging up over 320 knitted angels for people to take away with messages of peace and blessing on them from Freedom Church Mereside. The effect was far greater than we expected as people sent us pictures of their angels on their Christmas trees and they called it the Mereside Christmas Miracle! Work has already started on next year's project!
|
|
|
|
|
Our Christmas Eve Service lasted three hours and consisted of a 3 course Christmas Dinner, singing carols, and reading parts from a nativity play with no rehearsal. There was a lot of laughter and this was a very special evening for all those who came.
|
|
|
Singing the last chorus of 'O Come all Ye Faithful' was particularly raucous with table banging, glasses swaying in the air and a real sense of the celebration of the Christmas miracle of the baby Jesus' arrival.
|
|
|
Now before you get concerned about the fact that we have both joined the MAFIA, please know that it stands for Mereside and Friends in Action. This is new community group of which Pete is vice-chair. The group are doing amazing work on the estate, improving the play areas, planting an orchard and wildflower meadow and much more. It's been great to be part of this group who love this estate so much
|
|
|
As we get to know more people on the estate, we are frequently encountering those who are grieving. We wanted to do something to give them space to talk to others who are going through similar circumstances.
We have started a bereavement support group which meets every month in the Toby Carvery on Preston New Road. We had 5 people at our first meeting and all who attended said it helped. Please pray for this group as it seeks to support all who are grieving, from a recent loss, or from long ago.
|
|
|
|
The Blackpool Ministry Experience is set to be launched in September 2017 whereby three young people can come and live on Mereside and each one is assigned to work in a different church as they explore if they have a call to ministry - lay or ordained. Read more about it on their facebook page.
|
|
|
|
Next week sees the start of our Start Course. It is a six week course which offers those attending the chance to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed and friendly setting. We are running this jointly with St Paul's with sessions both in the daytime and the evening. Please pray for those leading and those attending.
|
|
|
|
Pray for our Church
- for the Start course - for it's leaders Pete, Beverley and Dorothy, and for those attending, that they may have a real encounter with the God who loves them.
- for the choir as it continues to bring people together and as it goes out ministering to others through performances.
- for our church congregation - as it continues to grow both in numbers and in maturity of faith
- for Candlelight as it seeks to support the bereaved
- for the future mission of our church, that we would seek God's guidance and know His direction for us
- we are also expecting the car boot sale to restart again soon and we are looking forward to re-starting Car Boot Prayer Tent - please pray for this ministry
|
|
|
|
Pray for us
If you also want to pray for us then these are our personal prayer requests
- Please pray for Pete as he applies for a grant to be in ministry full-time.
- Please pray for protection for us - both physically and spiritually, as individuals and as a couple.
- Please pray that we would know what invitations to accept and what to decline as we are frequently invited to be part of things, but we know we can't do everything.
- And please pray that we would continue to seek God's heart in all we do in His name on this wonderful estate.
Thank you
|
|
Thank you for taking the time to read this prayer letter.
With blessings from
Rev Linda & Pete Tomkinson
For more information on our work you can email
revlindat@hotmail.co.uk
or phone
07784 325537
or come visit us at
Freedom House, 8 Langdale Road, Mereside, Blackpool, FY4 4RT
or come to church at 4.30pm on Sundays in Tarnside Community Centre
or follow us on Facebook using the link below
|
|
|
|
|
|
