What's New?

Vision for Hailsham Gospel Mission

Joint leaders Dave Sweetman and Martin Brown are developing a clear vision for Hailsham Gospel Mission (HGM) in an exciting stage of transition. 

HGM has a reputation for making visitors feel at home, welcoming all ages (and a few dogs!) to come together for informal Sunday services, prayer meetings and community activities. Under the shared leadership of Dave and Martin, they seek to be to be Attractive, Accessible and Active as a community of worship, a house of prayer and a people of hope and compassion.  

Dave Sweetman

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Dave joined the Connexion church at Turners Hill in 1981, serving as a leader both there and at other Connexion churches.  He came to HGM from 2019, at a time when the fellowship was looking for help. A key part of Dave's training was attending the Cornhill Course, overseen by The Proclamation Trust.

Dave's wife, Phyl Sweetman, is HGM’s Treasurer.

Martin Brown

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Martin came to HGM with his wife, Gudrun, in 2021 after completing a degree at All Nations in Ware. Martin has gained experience as a missionary in Uganda and held a medical role attached to the British Army in Germany. Currently he splits his time 50/50 between devoting time to the church and working for the NHS as a Health Visitor.

Martin's wife, Gudrun, works for a charity in Eastbourne.

HGM's Five Pillars

In the role of Outreach and Development Worker, Martin has established HGM's Five Pillars to help to navigate the necessary changes and processes involved that will lead the church to grow and respond to God's calling. 

1. Encounter God and to know Jesus

We want to know and love Jesus more and more. To Grow in and through our times of worship, teaching, prayer, fellowship and discipleship.

2. Engage with the community and to witness for Jesus

For more people in Hailsham to come to know Jesus. For HGM to be mission minded and welcoming to others.

3. Get organised and be 'Fit 4 Purpose'

HGM to be well organised and structured, in ways that build up and strengthen the fellowship.

4. Be a community and family

We get to know each other better, to grow, to mature and are equipped as Christians.

5. Provide pastoral care and prayer ministry

We develop effective ways to provide pastoral care, practical help and prayer.

Spiritual development at HGM is also accompanied by planned structural improvements, with some key renovations to both the church building and its infrastructures.The plan is to take a non-rushed approach with small projects that may build up over time. Remembering they are embarking on a period of  'Evolution, not a Revolution' will help the church move forward together to support God's work and His Kingdom.  

If you'd like to find out more about Hailsham Gospel Mission, visit their brand new website - or maybe drop in! Sunday services start at 11am, with a prayer meeting before from 10am.

Under the Bonnet

Simon Allaby's new book Under the Bonnet is a great manual for helping us to find answers to life's malfunctions!

The book includes 14 stories exploring what makes us tick and where to turn when things go wrong. Priced at just £1 Under the Bonnet could be the perfect giveaway for Father's Day - with the added bonus that it can be used all year round, and it's not restricted to blokes!

Simon's introduction to the book

We all remember our first car. Mine was a Datsun Sunny 120Y. The only problem was I had no idea what was going on under the bonnet or what to do when something went wrong. Fortunately, I discovered the Haynes Manual which told me all I would ever need to know.

Life is rather similar. We take it for granted when all is going well, but where to we turn when something breaks down? There is no Haynes Manual for life then. Or is there?

Many years ago, I discovered that the Bible has something to say about every aspect of what's going on under the bonnet of my life. I hope this book may help you to discover the same.

To order copies of Under the Bonnet at £1 each, contact Simon Allaby by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Olivia's Testimony

Olivia is a member of Bolney Village Chapel where she serves as the leader of our Mini Connect Group (a Friday afternoon club for 5-6 year olds) and our Kids Club, which takes place on Sunday mornings. This is her testimony of coming to faith.

One detail that Olivia doesn’t mention, is that the original plan for the first church visit with her sister was to head to one of the bigger churches in Haywards Heath or Burgess Hill. But when they set out, the car wouldn’t start, so they had to walk instead. Bolney Village Chapel was the first church they found!

When did Jesus come into my life?

It was not till I was in my mid-forties that I came to acknowledge Jesus as my Saviour.

How did it all happen?

There were days when it was a struggle waking up and having to put on a false 'I am good!' face in front of others, but my sister had great faith and trust in Jesus, which eventually brought me to the Lord. Even though at times, she felt discouraged in sharing Jesus with me, due to my repeated dismissal of Him, the Lord never let her give up.

In her obedience, during the year when I received Jesus as my Saviour, my sister felt a prompting from the Lord, to visit us in the UK (at my most needed time). With courage, she asked the Lord if He really wanted her to come and HIS reply came with a special promotion on flight tickets the very next day! This enabled her to make the journey and, after many years of trying to share Jesus with me, my heart finally opened to Him! The experience felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me. I could breathe again!

Following that day, I found the strength and courage to visit a local church with my sister. I still attend that church, Bolney Village Chapel, and my faith and trust in Jesus has continued to grow each day. After nearly 10 years of receiving Him in my life, I do at times feel the fiery arrows coming towards me, but my faith in the one who created and loved me from the very beginning, gives me the strength I need to face them. My days now begin and end with Jesus, who never gave up on me!

 

Our President's Story

Following his retirement from Sheppey Evangelical Church, Joe Gregory was delighted and honoured to be appointed as The Connexion’s President. Below is an opportunity to read about his fascinating account of his journey from boyhood to Pastor.

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Firstly, I’d like to say that no one was more surprised than I at being asked to serve as President for the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion, especially at the 200th Annual Conference! Now working in this prestigious new role, I thought that it would be good to provide some autobiographical detail with my first ever article.

Early years

Growing up I was raised as a Catholic by my Irish parents in Harlow in Essex. It’s changed a lot now, but believe it or not Harlow was a good place to grow up in the 1960s. There were lots of green spaces and cycle paths linking different parts of the town. I remember growing up spending hours running around with my friends, and later spending the summer holidays playing football all day at the field which was only five minutes walk away.

Even as a youngster I always believed that there was a Creator God, that everyone is here for a purpose. I also believed that we had a soul which would continue after we died, I could not accept that everything about me would die along with my earthly body.

My best friend and I learned to read very quickly at Primary School and we found ourselves volunteering (or was that being conscripted!) to read the Scriptures at Mass each Sunday. It was quite a large church, a couple of hundred people or so, and Gerard and I would get dressed up in our cassock and surplice feeling special, having the best seat in the house, serving as altar boys each week.

Terrible Teens

I didn’t realise it at the time, but my father had a problem with alcohol, which was why my mum had to do several cleaning jobs to help put food on the table. My dad’s abuse of my mum got worse and I retreated into the world of rock music. I became introverted and in the early to mid-seventies lived for the next Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd or Bob Dylan album to come out. Needless to say, I stopped going to Mass each Sunday at that time. 

Unsurprisingly, I also struggled with Secondary School. At Primary School I was one of the top pupils, then at the Catholic Comprehensive I attended I found that there were loads of people with more ability than me. In addition to this I couldn’t concentrate on doing this newly introduced thing called homework. I considered it an affront and a waste of time, when I could be listening to Stairway to Heaven on the headphones. This would also help me to block out the noise of my father shouting at my mother downstairs.

Eventually my father left home, and I remember my mum and I celebrating with a bottle of sherry that night! I think we were most of the way through the bottle, when I persuaded her to pay for us to go to the Black Sabbath concert taking place at Hammersmith Odeon the next evening. It was great, and she loved it too!

Teacher Training College

Despite my failure at A-levels I was able to enrol at a Teacher Training College, just down the road from High Leigh Conference Centre, at Balls Park College in Hertford. Feeling euphoric from seeing two incredible Led Zeppelin concerts at Earl’s Court and then Pink Floyd at Knebworth, I was ready for a fresh start in my life. I was lucky, 1975 was the final year in which one could enrol at Teacher Training College without A-levels. Of course, I can see now that luck had nothing to do with it. Now I look back and see that Jesus was coming for me!

A New Beginning

I arrived at Balls Park Teacher Training College in September 1975 ready for a fresh start. It was a small college, with almost a family feel to the place, where everybody knew everybody else.

I remember being interviewed by the Principal, Paul Sangster, son of the great 20th Century Methodist, Dr W E Sangster, for a place at the college. I didn't know who he was at the time, but he immediately put me at ease, and although he was searching in his questioning, there was something Godly about him.

The social life at Balls Park was good, I grew in confidence and had a great circle of friends.

Salvation

My Irish-Catholic upbringing had left me with a sense of God as a being who was distant. He had created an amazing world and universe but was generally aloof from everything that went on.

In late October 1976 the Christian Union organised a visit from Youth With A Mission, YWAM. There was a promise of fireworks and hot drinks, so I went along. The fireworks were brilliant, but the words of the speaker lit a fire in my heart as well. She told us about Jesus, how He came to live on earth to provide us an example of how to live with compassion and justice. She told us how Jesus died in order to reconnect us with our Father in Heaven. Shockingly, God wasn't this distant figure who created the Universe, He was a good Father who wanted to be involved in a personal way in our daily lives. After Jesus conquered death on the Cross, He sent His Holy Spirit to be with all those who believed.

I remember crying in response to all this and I then prayed with someone, and my life was forever changed. I had a Father in Heaven who loved me with all my fears and imperfections.

A Second Chance and Renewal

I moved to the Isle of Sheppey in 1979 to take up a teaching post in a middle school and started attending a local Baptist church. There would be many challenges in the coming years. My first marriage came to an end and that was a particularly difficult time. I remember lonely hours spent in a cold damp bedsit in Sheerness questioning God's plan. 

Then He sent a student to Danley Middle School. Elizabeth Russell wanted to help out on an Activity Week. I was organising a week in France, and I duly snapped her up as an extra member of staff. We had an instant connection.

I remember Elizabeth's parents agreeing to let me tag along with them (and Elizabeth!) for the first ever New Wine week down in Somerset. It was an amazing time of worship and teaching and an opportunity to listen to God in a spirit-filled environment, it was as if He was saying, "See, trust in my plan. I am the God of the second chance".   

We were married a year later in July 1990, and I feel truly blessed having had her in my life for the last 34 years.

Elizabeth and I started attending Sheppey Evangelical Church in September 1990, and we have been there ever since.

Forgiveness

The Salvation Army got in touch with me asking if I knew a Thomas Gregory. Apparently he was my father and living on the Isle of Man. I really struggled about how to respond because of the way he had treated my mother while I was growing up. Whenever I thought about him, I would be filled with anger and bitterness.

However, Jesus taught us to forgive. If I was to be serious about my revived faith as a disciple of Jesus I should agree to be contacted by my father and see what happened.

I then discovered that he was being treated for liver cancer in Liverpool hospital. I went to visit in the school summer holiday and Elizabeth came with me to offer support.

A short while later my father was taken into a hospice on the Isle of Man. I travelled across the Irish Sea to visit him in the October half-term. I took along New Wine worship tapes, and I was able to pray with him. He came to accept that Jesus loved him and enjoyed the worship songs which gave him comfort at night in the weeks ahead. He died on Christmas Eve.

I truly believe that if I hadn't been able to forgive him, I would have been left bitter and resentful. Forgiveness is good for the mind and the soul. Jesus knew what he was talking about!

God's Plan

I spent nearly thirty years as a primary school teacher and then fifteen years in ministry at Sheppey Evangelical Church. I retired last September and as I reflect, I can see that God is sovereign and has a plan for our lives and a plan for His church.

In September 1979 in my very first teaching class, was an 11-year-old boy called Trevor Jones. Over the years we became good friends. He got to know Jesus in a powerful way as a teenager, and in the time since we have supported one another and prayed with one another. 

It's awesome that he has now taken on the role of Pastor at Sheppey. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Invitation

Retirement has been very busy so far. Elizabeth and I are looking forward to visiting churches around the Connexion during the next couple of years. My diary is filling up, so Church Secretaries or Ministers, please get in touch if you would like me to come and preach. You can email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

God bless!

Joe

 

The Voice - Spring

Welcome to the Spring edition of The Voice!

This issue contains plenty of news from our churches, including a Testimony of Coming to Faith by Olivia from Bolney Village Chapel, and a cheer-giving song from South Street Free Church, which brilliantly manages to include every one of our Connexion churches - quite the feat!

There's an inspiring Bible Study, God of the Here and Now, by Hannah Burrage, from Rosedale Community Church, as well as an account of Rosedale's Warm Welcome initiative, helping those who are struggling with rising energy costs.

Joe Gregory, our new President, brings us Part 2 of his enlightening article about his Christian journey, and Paul Woodbridge updates us with his article, Crying out to God with Psalms - Part 3.

As always, huge thanks go to The Voice editor, Esther Burrage, for bringing the edition together - and continuing to engage and entertain us!

To read, click on the link below - and enjoy!

The Voice - Spring 2023

Dads n Kidz!

The Countess Free Church in Ely is running a series of Dads n Kidz mornings throughout the year.

Dads have a chance to relax and spend time other dads, whilst the children are happily playing together - at the same time giving mums a well-earned break!

Dads n Kidz takes place from 9 to11am on Saturdays, approximately six times a year. 

It's a fun and friendly occasion for both the children and grown-ups. There are toys and games laid out for the children to play with, a selection of newspapers for the dads, and delicious bacon rolls served throughout the morning.

Last weekend dads and children enjoyed spending time together on Saturday 4 March.

 

 

Dads n Kidz - upcoming dates for 2023

Saturday 20 May: 9-11am

Saturday 22 July: 9-11am

Saturday 16 September: 9-11am

Saturday 18 November: 9-11am

The morning is free of charge to attend and everyone is welcome!

To find out more about what goes on at the Countess Free Church, visit their website https://www.countessely.co.uk/

King's Club 2023

The King’s Club team from Goring Free Church will be ready for action again this summer with a beach-themed holiday club Seaside Rock.

The club will be running from Monday 24 July to Friday 28 July from 10am to 12.30pm, and is open to all Primary-aged school children (5–11 year-olds) free of charge.

Seaside Rock is based around the story of Peter, Jesus’ disciple. Every morning, through fun, games, video-clips, stories, songs, drama and colourful crafts, the children will be introduced to Jesus through the stories and experiences of Peter.

Registration for King’s Club 2023 takes place on Sunday 5 March from 4 to 6pm in the Goring Free Church Hall.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

For further details visit the contact us page on Goring Free Church's website

 

Click on the YouTube clip below to see a slideshow of highlights from last year's King's Club event, God's big plan for the world!

Welcome to Rosedale!

Rosedale Community Church certainly lives up to its name! Welcoming people of all ages and catering for a wide variety of needs and interests. 

Led by Pastor, Bethany Burrage, Rosedale not only reaches out to the local communities in Cheshunt as a lively, family church, it goes far beyond in supporting national and overseas causes, including Tearfund, Open Doors and the Sierra Leone Mission.

Back at home, Sunday morning services are held each week at 10.30am, with an open style of praise and worship. Later on Sunday at 7pm, there's a zoom evening prayer service, and on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm, the church offers zoom Bible study sessions.

A Sunday School for children operates alongside the weekly morning services, enabling the young ones to have their own time of fun, whether that's taking part in activities, trying their hand at various crafts or listening to Bible stories.

(The image shows part of Rosedale's lovely community garden, completed last year)

 

Welcome to the warm

We are all aware that the current cost of living crisis and rapidly increasing costs of energy, are causing many people extreme financial difficulty. In response, Rosedale is opening its doors to welcome visitors into the warmth of the church every Wednesday from 10am to 3.30pm for hot drinks, a simple lunch and a chance to chat and make friends in a warm, cosy environment.

Group fun for all 

Rosedale has also invested in a variety of groups to accommodate different ages and interests as closely as possible - and they are always open to discuss new suggestions!

For the little ones, a Parent and Toddler group meets up every Monday morning at 9.30am. Parents are welcome to a cup of tea, children are welcome to enjoy a snack, and everyone is welcome to play and have fun!

For young people, the youth group, No Limits, congregate in the Youth Hut on alternate Sundays, and have a once-a-month Youth Club. Each year they go away on camp and have an incredible time. All of the content is Christian-based and free from pressure, allowing the young people to increase their understanding and encounter Jesus in their own way.

The not-quite-so-young are also catered for with a Young At Heart group, which meets every Wednesday from 2pm. The programme is varied, ranging from quizzes, guest speakers, craft sessions and day trips out, with tea, coffee and biscuits to round things off.  These meetings are open to anyone who'd like to come along to the church and enjoy an entertaining and friendly afternoon! 

Church gents too are not overlooked. On the first Saturday of each month, from 8 to 9:30am, the Men's Prayer Breakfast offers a chance for chaps to get together in a local cafe for an informal prayer meeting and a full English breakfast - or just a slice of toast for those with a smaller appetite!

As you may have gathered, Rosedale Community Church is quite the place! To find out more about what's going on, visit their website: www.rosedalechurch.org  

Sunday service sermons are uploaded each week onto YouTube, for people to dip into as and when they wish. To visit their YouTube page click here.

To watch Bethany's sermon on 'The Beatitudes' click on the link below.

 

Wormley and Churches Together

Wormley Free Church recently joined forces with Churches Together for a special evening service.

The aim of the service was to celebrate the unity of local churches from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne and Wormley, and explore the theme of caring for God's creation, praying also for unity amidst injustice.

 

Wormley is a growing and diverse community of people committed to exploring and living out the Christian life.

Questions they ask are, do you want to:

* Express your faith with others?
* Explore what it means to live a spiritual life in the 21st Century?
* Learn more about Jesus?
* Be part of a caring, open and honest community?
* Worship God with others?

If this sounds like you, check out the Wormley Free Church website to find out more about their services, meetings and activities: https://wormleyfreechurch.org.uk/

Everyone is welcome!

Matthew Mouse is Growing!

Matthew Mouse Bible stories began as an idea halfway through 2020 when the Lockdowns were in full swing. Cindy noticed that although her church had zoom church on Sundays to replace ‘actual’ Sunday services, the children were joining in less and less, and were definitely not as involved.

Starting out

Cindy’s husband, who taught at Sunday school, also noticed that the children didn't really know their basic Bible stories very well, which prompted the decision to start the Matthew Mouse project. 

Initially, the idea was to offer stories on a subscription basis, where children could sign up to receive a letter from Matthew Mouse once a month, telling them of an exciting adventure he’d had, whilst hopping through the pages of the Bible. Cindy wrote the stories and illustrated the letters, which attracted a few regular subscribers.

Building on this promising start led Cindy to decide to expand her service and send Matthew Mouse letters out to more children - in particular those who would not have easy access to children’s bibles. Cindy kept Matthew’s language easy to understand and deliberately steered clear of ‘church language’ to aid understanding for children, parents and carers who did not attend a church. Instead, the stories were told simply from a witness's point of view.

Being originally from South Africa, Cindy felt prompted to try sending the letters out to South African children first, but this proved to be extremely problematic due to postal difficulties. In light of this difficulty, she approached her Minister at the Countess Free Church, Ely, who suggested sending the letters out to children at The Connexion's Bethesda Orphanage, in Sierra Leone, where postal deliveries are more reliable.

‘This turned out to be the best thing I did,’ says Cindy, ‘I even received photos of letters they had written back to Matthew Mouse. It was just amazing!’ 

And following on from this success, Cindy began sending Matthew’s letters out by email to a children's orphanage in South Africa, together with a colouring page or a fun sheet, which could be printed off and shared with the children. 

New narrations

Up until this point, Matthew had been hopping around in the Bible, telling stories from both the New and Old Testaments. However, some useful feedback revealed that this was confusing for some of the little ones, because one moment Jesus was featured in a story and the next minute he wasn't there! In response, Cindy decided to produce a series that concentrates only on Jesus' life. So far, this includes a set of 13 stories, to which four more will be added. The next step has been to have the stories narrated, which has been blessed by help from Cindy’s church. One lady edits the stories for Cindy and another narrates them beautifully.

Matthew’s first Christmas letter included the Christmas story in the form of a poem, which based on the well-known classic, ‘The Night Before Christmas’. Cindy then decided to turn this into a colouring-in book, containing a link to the narrated poem and a video. This initiative has been hugely successful, and this Christmas, Matthew Mouse sold 400 copies in the UK and 100 in South Africa. In fact, the narrations are proving to be even more popular than the letters, as the children seem to love receiving the stories in this interactive format. 

Going forward

Looking forward to the coming year, Cindy has begun working on a new Easter book, and is planning to send the Christmas book out to churches, playgroups, ministries and as many organisations as possible, in readiness for Christmas 2023. She also has someone who is working alongside her in South Africa, to help to spread the colouring books to children there as well.

Selling more books means that more can be given away to charities that can reach children in the UK, Africa and hopefully across the world. 

'One book at a time!' says Cindy.

To visit the Matthew Mouse website click on the link https://matthewmousebiblestories.com/

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