Pastor's update - Jan 2011 

At the beginning of 2010 I presented a vision of growth for the church with three specific targets. We praise God for all that He has done amongst us in the past year. The church has grown and developed in exciting ways. Since the beginning of 2010 the congregation has grown numerically and we have had to increase the numbers of chairs we put out each Sunday. It was only last January that the Building Fund was launched with the target of reaching £25,000 by the end of the year. We give thanks to God that the current total exceeds £33,000. New Growth Groups have been formed during 2010 and numbers attending the groups have grown overall. Street Pastor’s were launched onto the streets of Burngreave in March and their impact has exceeded all expectations with the prospect of a City Centre team launching in 2011. Perhaps most strategic has been the appointment of an 'Assistant Minister'; a developement that we had not forseen at the beginning of the year. Whilst we praise God for all these developments, we are aware that not all our targets were achieved in 2010. In particular we still long to see more people being saved and baptised through the ministry of the church.

As we head into 2011 we are looking forward to some new developments that we believe will be crucial in the further growth and development of the church. On the notice board you will see a year planner for 2011; our intention is to develop a more structured programme of events during the year including; training courses; special events; men’s, ladies & youth events; evangelistic events; newcomer’s lunches etc. In March we will be starting a 6 week ‘Discovering your purpose' training course on Sunday evenings led by Alex Phiri. Our hope is that this will be a springboard for further training and discipleship courses later in the year.

We do not know what 2011 will bring for us individually or as a church, but we do know the Lord who holds the future in His hands, and we are confident that He will be with us in every circumstance of life. Some churches have a scripture verse for the year; I believe God would have us take Ephesians 6:10-18 with us into 2011.

‘Be strong in the Lord and in HIS mighty power ......Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand.’

In 2011 we will need to be strong in the Lord; rely on His power; be fully equipped with God’s armour; so that we may stand strong for the Lord whatever circumstances we may face.

Our prayer for 2011 is that we may stand strongly together as a church in love and unity as we give ourselves sacrificially in worship and service for the honour and glory of the name of Jesus, our precious Lord and Saviour. - ‘Strong to Stand; Strong to Serve; Strong to Save’.

UPDATE 

LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE – during the autumn the Elders developed a Leadership Structure in recognition of the growth of the church. As a result individual elders have taken on specific responsibilities. Graham Leckey is now responsible for Governance, Finance and Policies and therefore has been appointed as chair of the ‘Church on the Rock’ charity trustees. Stan Dawson is currently the elder responsible for Prayer Ministry and also Buildings and Maintenance (with Mark Beyer taking on the role of Buildings Coordinator). Robert Chisabingo is overseeing all aspects of Welcoming and Allocation to Growth Groups. Hilary Sibanda is now responsible for Breakthrough Prayer. We have released John Beyer to the role of ‘Spiritual Father’ to the church. A role we recognise God has given him within the church. Jon Watts will take overall responsibility for all remaining areas of church life until God raises up others to coordinate specific ministries.

ADMINISTRATION – John Clarke continues to serve as our part time administrator (15 hours a week). John now produces the weekly notice sheet – items and prayer requests for the notice sheet need to be given to John by Thursday evening. Later this month we hope to produce a new ‘Church Directory’.

FINANCE – We thank God for His wonderful provision for the church’s needs throughout 2010 and thank you for your generous giving. The church will also be affected by the 2.5% increase in VAT. From April 2011, in common with all charities, we will suffer an 11% reduction in the amount of money the government returns to us as Gift Aid. On last year’s figures this loss will cost us around £2,000 per annum. Our desire is to continue to expand and develop the ministry of the church and not to be unduly limited by finance. We believe God will supply all our needs through His glorious riches, but we encourage you to review your giving to the church and increase it if you are able to.

CHURCH BUILDING AND BUILDING FUND – From Jan 1st 2011 we have 3 years left on the lease of our current building. We believe that within those 3 years God will give us the opportunity to buy our building or a suitable alternative.  On the 11th anniversary of the start of the church, Sunday March 27th 2011, we will be having a special gift day for the Building Fund.

WEBSITE – We have been amazed to discover a substantial increase in the number of hits our church website is receiving from all over the world. The average number of visits for 2010 was 16,945 a month! As a result Toks Agosu (our website administrator) is working on a new format to include more targeted resources for those who may be searching for a relationship with God.