THE CHURCH, THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF THE TRUTH
In Paul's first letter to Timothy he said that the reason he was writing to him was to tell him how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God. So how should we conduct ourselves, how should we behave in the church?
In the old testament the temple was a place of God's presence. When the Jerusalem temple was first dedicated, we are told that God's glory filled the temple like a cloud, God's presence was real and obvious. The temple was that place that people could come to worship God, offer sacrifices and pray.
In Jesus' day the original temple had been replaced by a larger building, erected by King Herod the Great. The climax of Jesus ministry was his journey to this temple. We know from the gospel accounts about the teaching of Jesus regarding right worship.
We find that above everything else, Jesus regarded as a place where people could encounter God, He called it a 'house of prayer for all nations', and took radical action against it's use as a place for changing money and selling animals for sacrifice. Instead he used it as a place to teach and to heal. When the chief priests wanted him to rebuke the children for singing his praise he rebuked them instead. He had a right to do that because he was God come in human form, he was God's presence in the temple.
In all this there are appropriate lessons for us, in the way we use our church, it should be a place where people can encounter God's love and truth. Jesus, however brought about a profound change regarding places of worship. He said that the time had come when God was no longer so concerned about the places that people worshipped, but the attitude in which they worshipped, he called for people to worship in spirit and in truth.
Which brings us back to our original text. When Paul I wrote about 'the church of the living God' he was not referring to a building at all, because in Paul's day there were no such things as church buildings. The church that Paul was referring to was the community of christian believers, in this particular case the one at Ephesus, although he could have accurately have referred to any other church in that way.
The point is, that the church is not the building, It is the community of people, living by faith in Jesus, sharing his forgiveness and held together in his love. In earlier generations baptists and others called their places of worship meeting houses, or later, chapels, which was a helpful distinction. On our visit to Frimley, the sign on the wall proclaimed their building to be The home of Frimley Baptist Church
How we conduct ourselves in the church, therefore, is how we relate to each other as christian believers. Jesus came that through his help we might be the church of the living God, the source of his truth in his world. AUGUST 1998 - PROGRAMME
All services and meetings will be held on our new church premises unless another venue is indicated in the programme below. Rev Peter Neale will be preaching at all services unless an alternative speaker is indicated in the programme. PROPOSED ALPHA COURSES IN THE AUTUMN
The Alpha course is a course for any one who wants to know more about the christian faith. It is in the form of a teaching video followed by a period of discussion, and starts from basics, so no previous knowledge of the christian faith is necessary to make sense of the course. The course runs for 12 weeks.
Hundreds of Alpha courses are being run around the country, and a national publicity campaign is about to be run to encourage people to do Alpha this autumn. We held our first Alpha course last year, those who came to it found it helpful, and so we are offering to run further Alpha courses this autumn.
We are offering an Alpha course on Tuesday evenings at 8pm starting 29th September and on Wednesday mornings at 10.15 starting 30th September. Please fill in a form and place it in the box in the foyer if you would like to take part in either course. GIVING TO THE CHURCH
Offerings and donations during the month of July amounted to £1109.47. Our target for the month was £800. Our Anniversary donations for this year amount to £445 to date. Thanks to all who have given. ST JOHN'S METHODIST CHURCH - SUNDAY 30TH AUGUST
We have received an invitation from Rev Hazel Forecast and St John's Methodist Church to celebrate the completion of major refurbishment work on the interior of their church building. From 5pm onwards friends are invited to look round the premises and share in light refreshments followed by a service of thanksgiving at 6.3Opm. NEWS OF PAST MEMBERS
We have just received a letter from Andy and Rosie Slater. Their home is now in Texas, but they are involved in christian relief and development work in Nicaragua and Mexico. Do take a copy of their letter and remember them in your prayers. SUMMER CLUB
As I write our summer club which we have been able to run with the help of our Oasis Urban Exposure team is coming to a close. Below are some impressions of the week from Mums and a poem from an anonymous helper.
From a Mum:
This week my daughters Flossie (3) Ellenor (2) and baby Monty (8 weeks) have had amost enjoyable time at the East Hill Baptist Church Summer Club.
Activities here included cutting and sticking, singing, face painting and lots more with the brilliant help from the youths from Oasis who have always been on hand to help the children and amuse the babies. But the biggest hit has had to be the simple activity of painting the patio with large paint brushes and a bucket of water!! The simplest of ideas.
I would like to say a very big thank you to Jane and Peter and their team for their great organization to help alleviate one more week of the holidays!!
From a Mum:
Summer School was a huge success in our household. We attended all five days - my five year old daughter would not have let me miss one moment!
We went to the morning sessions where Mum stayed with the children. This ran from 10.30 until 12.30 which was perfect timing - not too early to make things a rush and finishing just in time for lunch and the baby's nap, bliss.
It was obvious from the start that an enormous amount of thought and planning had gone into setting things up. Each day was structered with a timetable of activities that were displayed up on the board so everyone knew what was happening on that particular day.
There were different crafts each day - a huge collage which children had to add to, paste pictures, mask and crown making and the highlight of the week Face Painting! Also there was very innovative play such as "painting" the flagstones in the garden with real paintbrushes and water. The younger members of the group loved that one.
There were five young people who were extremely enthusiastic helpers and whom my eldest child adored. They got down with the older children and joined in with their play and cuddled and played with the babies too. They managed to keep an eye on them all and didn't miss anyone out.
Song time was great fun and we even learned a couple of songs we didn't know! The frog that went Ooh Ooh Ahh was a particular favourite!
It was a very happy affair and the adults all chatted and got along with each other so it was quite a social event for the Mums too. Friday came all too quickly and the only cloud on the horizon was that it was only on for one week although I am sure Jane and Peter did not share that view!
Sun 2nd 10.30 am Family Service
6.30 pm Guest Service with Singers
from Streatham Baptist Church
Lord's Supper
Tues 4th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship - speaker - Donna Moore
Sat 8th 10.00 am Church Cleaning
Sun 9th 10.30 am David's Humiliation- 2 Sam 16
6.30 pm Power and Influence- 2 Sam 17
Sat 15th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 16th 10.30 am Cham Kaur Mann Lord's Supper
6.30 pm Dr Terence Crosby
Sat 22nd 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Church
Sun 23rd 10.30 am Cham Kaur Mann
6.30 pm Cham Kaur Mann
Tues 25th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship - speaker - Miss Boswell
Sat 29th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 30th 10.30 am The Death of a Son - 2 Sam 18
6.30 pm A Cycle of Violence - 2 Sam 19
SEPTEMBER
Tues 1st 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship - speaker to be announced
Thur 3rd 8.00 pm Prayer and Fellowship Group
Sat 5th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 6th 10.30 am A Cycle of Violence - 2 Sam 20
6.30 pm Old Testament Justice - 2 Sam 21
Lord's Supper
Laughing faces, busy hands
Children everywhere
Painted faces, crowns and bands
Summer club is there
The hall is full of crafts and toys
With babies all around
The singing of the girls and boys
Make a very pleasant sound
East Hill resounds with laughter
It is really good to hear
The hall alive with lovely kids
Give the Oasis Team a cheer. Anon