Catch the Fire:Glenrothes

Catch the Fire - July 2010

2010-06-09T21:31:00+01:00

Catch the Fire returns on Thursday 1 July with a special evening to ease you into the holiday period. On the eve of the schools breaking up here in Scotland, we will take the theme "...and I will give you rest" with a focus on taking time out especially to spend with God. The words of the theme are taken from Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

For this evening, our worship will be led by George Carratt, from Glenrothes Kings Covenant Fellowship and the Word will be brought by our own Dan Rous. There will also be plenty of time for prayer and, as the theme suggests, rest.

So, join us if you can in person or in prayer, on Thursday 1 July from 7pm at Glenrothes Salvation Army, Caskieberran Road, Glenrothes.

Gethsemane - additional video resource

2010-04-02T20:37:00+01:00

An extra bonus for you this time round. As part of Glenrothes Salvation Army's Holy Week events, we prepared a video using a brand new song from Stuart Townend called "Gethsemane Hymn". This was used tonight to start our Good Friday worship and to set the scene for the journey we would take. This video mainly uses images from the BBC's interpretation of the Passion, with Jesus battling in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Plus the Bible narrative is used throughout the song. Be aware that as the scenes are set in a night time garden scene, it is quite a dark video so you'll need good projection and a pretty dark room to show it. I know we struggle sometimes with too much light in the hall (not something we normally complain about!) so we wanted to flag this up for you to aid your use of this video resource.

As usual we didn't want to just keep this video for ourselves but wanted to make it available for anyone to use. Its given to you free of charge but if you would like to contribute to our ministry, you can do so from the link on this page. In the meantime, thanks again for following the ministry of Catch the Fire:Glenrothes. Here's the link for the video.

Holy Week Launch night - the review

2010-03-29T22:13:00+01:00

What a night. Yes I know I've probably started a CtF review with that kind of phrase before but it is totally valid tonight. Our decision to drop down from monthly to quarterly gatherings felt totally justified tonight because we came to the evening a lot fresher and without it feeling like a routine programme night. So here's a quick resume of what went on tonight.

After the initial chat over cups of tea etc, we used with the video to the song "When I was lost" just to bring us into worship. We set the scene by reading the Bible passage that would be our focus for the night, Mark 11:15-18 (Jesus clearing the Temple). We then used the songs "Your mercy taught us (Dancing Generation)", "How great is our God" and "The Servant King". It was then time for our new feature video, using Andrew Lloyd Webbers theme song of his latest musical, "Love never dies". Then, for a prayer focus, we used the song "King of Kings, majesty".

We were then pleased to hand over to Major Graham Mizon from our Divisional Headquarters, who would share the Bible message with us. After a brief intro, we watched the clip from Jesus Christ Superstar of Jesus clearing the temple. Graham then took us through the historical background of the event, pointing out that this story was classed by many scholars as one of the harder passages to get to grips with because it was a kind of non-Jesus act. (Sorry about that Graham!) But the point of the passage was needed to be shared this evening - that being as Jesus cleared the rubbish out of the Temple, so we need to allow Him to clear the rubbish out of our lives too. As we entered into Holy Week and relooked at the journey Jesus took through this week, it was a perfect time to relook at our lives and rededicate them afresh to Him.

Some of Graham's thoughts sparked the need for an unplanned song - "Great is the darkness" - which we duly sung spending time praying out the chorus: "Come, Lord Jesus, pour out Your Spirit on us today". After further pause for prayer, we returned to sing "King of Kings" again, then finished with a rousing sing of "In Christ alone".

God was totally in control tonight and to Him be the glory for that. Once again, this was a pleasure to be a part of.

As usual, click any of the links above to download the videos we used tonight. They are all created for you by the Catch the Fire team and available free of charge. If however, you would like to make a donation to our ministry in Glenrothes, please follow the links from this page and we will be forever grateful to you.

Time for a break. We'll be back in July.

Holy Week Launch night

2010-03-07T21:19:00+00:00

Catch the Fire returns to launch Glenrothes Salvation Army's Holy Week events on Monday 29 March. With worship from resident band, g:praise, a Bible Message from Major Graham Mizon (from our regional headquarters) and the usual mix of videos, readings, and unplanned informal worship, we look forward to a great night as always. We will be focusing on the time when Jesus cleared the temple of all the activities not conducive to a "House of Prayer", which history tells us happened the day after His triumphant entry to Jerusalem - the day we'll be meeting. Our focus will aid us to rid our lives and our churches of all that is not of God, and allow us to focus purely on Jesus.

As mentioned, this will also serve as the launch night of a week of activities at Glenrothes Salvation Army, aimed at providing something for everyone throughout the week, so that everyone can access the details surrounding the greatest saving act ever in this world. For more details of all the weeks events, go to our main Salvation Army website or call our office on 01592 757909.

So please join us if you can in person or in prayer.

January Review - New Year New start

2010-01-16T08:05:00+00:00

Its over a week ago we met and about time I told the rest of you what went on!

We gathered for the first time this year and went for an almost un-plugged feel to the evening. Instead of the full worship band we just used the piano, and we didnt even use the projectors but had songsheets - I know!! But it was all to help us simply come before God with our hopes/dreams/visions/prayers for 2010 and give thanks for everything he blessed us with or pulled us through in 2009.

We started by singing "Rejoice, Rejoice", Doris Rendell's "We have caught the vision splendid" (using Blaenwern), and "In my life Lord be glorified". Then using this verse from Habakkuk 2:3 "This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." we took some time to reflect on what God had done last year and also to look at any disappointments we had felt. We looked at this verse to help us be reminded that God's timing is perfect and if he has ordained something, it will surely happen - in His time.

After some prayer time, and a few Bible thoughts, a few people shared their prayers/dreams/visions for 2010 and after singing "Jesus, all for Jesus", we spent some more time in prayer over these things. We then finished with "In Christ Alone" declaring together that "No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand; til He returns and calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand".

And that was our first evening for 2010. A blessed time of sharing and revelation.

During the evening, we shared the changes we felt necessary for Catch the Fire for 2010. This involved sharing the fact that CtF will only meet every 3 months now. It was emphasised that this is not to lessen the importance and impact of these evenings, but to develop strengthen and enhance them, and to ensure their future is long and powerful.

As always, the evening ended with further informal chat and sharing with drinks and nibbles.

Next time we meet, will be on Monday 29 March to launch Glenrothes Salvation Army's Easter 2010 campaign week.

New Year - New Start

2010-01-01T21:27:00+00:00

Catch the Fire returns for 2010 with a slightly different look. For various reasons, Catch the Fire will be happening every 3 months instead of monthly. The main result is that whilst CtF will be there for you less often, we have the chance to make it bigger and better. So please don't be disappointed and please don't think that this is a downgrading of these important and special evenings. This is a chance to guarantee that CtF brings you the best possible opportunity to relax in Gods presence and learn from Him.

To start this off, we meet first this year on Thursday 7 January from 7pm with the theme "New Year - New Start". This is a very open theme and that is intentional. It marks the start of a different vibe for CtF. The start of a new year, a new decade. The chance to start afresh with God. The chance to set out our dreams/visions/hopes for 2010 and beyond.

So please join us in person or from a distance in prayer. We'll share in a few songs but mainly spend time sharing prayer and Scripture with one another. Take this chance to affirm your relationship with God at the start of this new year.

Give Christmas Away - reminder

2009-11-26T18:29:00+00:00

Here's a wee reminder that Catch the Fire returns next Thursday, 3 December. In a change to the last two years where we met on Christmas Eve, this year we meet on our normal first Thursday, with the theme "Give Christmas Away". In this world there is so much emphasis on getting the best/most games, gifts or gadgets possible. The pressure to conform and spend loads of money is intense. And the pressure is felt greater by those who have nothing. The choice then is to either disappoint the family and friends, or to get themselves into debt just so as to not lose face. But there is so much more choice than that. The choices include spending time with loved ones. Refreshing relationships with family and friends. Remembering why we have this celebration - because of the greatest gift ever given to the world - Jesus Christ - Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, God is with us.

And it is that gift that we will celebrate at the start of the Christmas season. And there is more than that. Every year at this time, The Salvation Army holds a Toy Appeal in which we ask for new toys or gifts for a child aged 0-16. As usual, there will be local collection points for these but the team at Catch the Fire would like to invite you to bring your unwrapped gift with you on Thursday 3 December and we will collect these gifts as part of our worship.

(As a bit of guidance, we need everything, from soft and educational toys for the very youngest, to CDs, games, toys and accessories for older children. Please don't forget the teenagers, particularly the boys, who sometimes get left out of such appeals.)

These gifts are then distributed amongst families referred to us by local Social Service agencies.

Catch the Fire will have its usual mix of sung worship, videos, Bible readings and Inspirational thoughts. Plus, this chance to make someone's Christmas better with a gift. But more than that, there is the chance to be reminded about what Christmas really means, and be encouraged to share that further, hence not only making someone's Christmas better, but changing their whole life for the better.

Join us in person or from a distance in prayer, from 7pm on Thursday 3 December.

CtF December - give Christmas away

2009-10-25T14:47:00+00:00

Due to a regional Salvation Army event including the installation of our new Regional leaders, Catch the Fire will not be happening in November. Apologies for anyone who may be disappointed by this.

But, we will return bigger and better in December, with this......

So, on Thursday 3 December we gather to "Give Christmas Away". In this world there is so much emphasis on getting the best/most games, gifts or gadgets possible. The pressure to conform and spend loads of money is intense. And the pressure is felt greater by those who have nothing. The choice then is to either disappoint the family and friends, or to get themselves into debt just so as to not lose face. But there is so much more choice than that. The choices include spending time with loved ones. Refreshing relationships with family and friends. Remembering why we have this celebration - because of the greatest gift ever given to the world - Jesus Christ - Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, God is with us.

And it is that gift that we will celebrate at the start of the Christmas season. And there is more than that. Every year at this time, The Salvation Army holds a Toy Appeal in which we ask for new toys or gifts for a child aged 0-16. As usual, there will be local collection points for these but the team at Catch the Fire would like to invite you to bring your unwrapped gift with you on Thursday 3 December and we will collect these gifts as part of our worship.

These gifts are then distributed amongst families referred to us by local Social Service agencies.

Join us in person or from a distance in prayer, from 7pm on Thursday 3 December.

Back to Church Thursday - Review

2009-10-04T21:31:00+01:00

In many ways, this is a tough review to write. On one level, the evening did not go well at all. But on another level, it was a fantastic evening. Confused? Yeah, so am I!! Let me explain.

You may remember that our theme this month was "Back to Church Thursday - because Church is about more than just Sunday." As we gathered, it was clear our numbers were going to be down - way down. Demoralisation started to set in I'm ashamed to say. Some had said they couldnt come and illness had kept some key people away. I felt worse for our guest speaker, Captain Ian Emery, who had travelled over from Easterhouse (Glasgow) to speak. But it was the youth members of the band who were pushing us on and so we got going eventually.

We had a great time of worship, watched a couple of videos, then listened to Ian telling us about his 7 day a week ministry that is so far outside the standard 'safe church' model. It was during this talk, which was meant to be the first of two from Ian, that I realised what was happening. God was really blessing us by the stories that Ian was telling us about life in the frontline of Easterhouse. How ministry is achieved through very practical and tough ways. How personal feelings have to be left outside in order to deal with some shocking situations. Ian brought a real challenge to us just in describing the ministry of Easterhouse Salvation Army. When Ian finished, it was clear that enough had been said. Strangely, Ian had admitted beforehand that he was still struggling to get a grip with the Bible message he had prepared. So I decided there and then that we just needed to spend time in prayer and no more talks were necessary. We watched a new video (which I'll tell you about in a mo) then just spent time being still before God - hearing from Him, pouring out ourselves to Him, learning from Him. After an extended time of prayer, we sung a couple more songs then I got stuck! I didnt know what to do next - finish or sing one rousing praise song to finish. Being the democratic kind of person that I am, I let the people decide! So we had a great praise song to finish with then shared more over drinks.

So, quite a night really. And once again, God turned up and did His stuff despite the weaknesses within us. Still, h0w often do we preach that God needs us to be broken in order to work in us freely? Yeah, i know - lots! Thanks be to God for sticking with us and trusting us with His Spirit's power. Whilst we didn't have anyone 'new' in who came 'back to church', we were all challenged as to how we can do more for God and I guess thats what its all about really.

Songs we sung

Rejoice, Rejoice; Let everything that has breath; Light of the World; How great is our God; King of kings; Wonderful so wonderful (Beautiful One).

Videos we watched

(Previously issued videos) When I was lost; Better get to living

(New video) Jesus will still be there.

As usual, feel free to download the videos and use them for your purposes. If you feel led, there is a donation button on the resources home page but please do not feel under any pressure to give. These videos are prepared for use by anyone and so, by anyone they can be used! Just download, enjoy, and use them to bring glory to God.

October CtF advance notice

2009-09-17T20:45:00+01:00

On Thursday 1 October, Catch the Fire returns with a special invitation. As part of the national "Back to Church Sunday" initiative, we invite you to Back to Church Thursday! Why? Because, as the flyer says, Church is about more than just Sunday. Church is not a building you got to. Church is a group of God's people. Being Church is a lifestyle. So this is the perfect opportunity to come if you're not totally convinced by what "church" has to offer, and if you are, to invite a friend, family member, work colleague, neighbour or anyone else, who you think would really benefit from coming "Back to Church". We will have our usual mix of sung worship, music/teaching videos, Bible thoughts, testimonies and much much more. And as an extra special element, we will be welcoming Captain Ian Emery into our midst. Ian is the Corps Officer (Minister) at Easterhouse Salvation Army and is daily experiencing Church in many and varied ways. We'll hear something of Ian's experiences and he will also share with us from God's Word.

So join us, bring a friend, and lets celebrate together. Thursday 1 October from 7pm at Glenrothes Salvation Army, Caskieberran Road.

What is Catch the Fire?

2009-09-14T21:25:00+01:00

Was going through some old files on the computer the other day and found the original proposal for an informal worship evening. This is what was put to our Church council:

Basic Idea: To have a couple of hours of worship and fellowship in an informal setting in a variety of styles on a regular basis – perhaps monthly.

Detail: At Glenrothes Salvation Army, we have the privilege of having a very relaxed and informal feeling to our normal morning worship already. This has been generated by the good family feeling amongst the congregation, together with good interaction with the ministers. So, to suggest an evening of worship in an informal setting may seem a duplication. But it must be stated first and foremost that this suggestion is as a supplement to the existing morning worship, not a substitute. The two should compliment each other not push against. The difference with this kind of worship is that it will not follow any kind of style or programme. Apart from a small number of musicians, there will be no sectional involvement. There may not always be a sermon. Sometimes, there may not even be any singing. The one constant will be God. He must be allowed to be central to the whole evening. The leadership team that should be put together, must be completely open to God’s guidance and prompting both in the preparation before the evening, and in the leadership of it. And although they should take a lead role, the leadership team must be prepared and willing to allow members of the congregation to share insights from God again both before and during these evenings.

Suggested content: A selection each time from the following: Sung worship – music from piano or guitar; Visuals – Video and/or CD with still images using Christian and secular (cross-over) music; Prayer – both sung, spoken and silent; Readings – Bible and other books (Christian and other literature as appropriate); Personal Insight and Testimony; Bible Thoughts.

Title: This evening should take on some kind of identity. A name must aid its introduction into the corps programme and not detract or cause confusion. But, time must not be wasted on finding a name. Time must be invested in discovering God’s will for these evenings. Suggestion: “Catch the Fire"

It was really interesting looking back on this original vision that was written in December 2006 prior to our first meeting in April 2007. I'm not one for looking back just for the sake of it, but just as I enjoy reading and learning from the early days of The Salvation Army, looking at what was the vision for CtF, was a great opportunity. And to be honest, we've stuck pretty tight to the original vision in terms of the evenings themselves. We've had guest speakers/worship leaders; we've covered a wide range of themes including Bible based, and lifestyle; we've had evenings with no singing; we've had evenings with just prayer and no message. We've had evenings that have been a struggle and conversly, we've had evenings where God has evidently been in control.

The one thing that I do often think about, and that has come back to my mind in writing this, is who we are trying to reach through CtF. And there again, I do stick with the original vision in saying that CtF is and always will be for everyone and anyone. You dont have to be a member of Glenrothes Salvation or any other Salvation Army for that matter. You don't have to be a certain age. You don't even have to attend a church. And I know a lot of people have struggle with this. Some have come to one evening and decided it is not for them. Thats fine, but then again, CtF is never really the same twice. Some have presumed that because we have a youth worship band providing the music, that this is a youth event. Wrong - there are many older people who regularly attend and enjoy what CtF has to offer. Some have taken the stance that because we dont focus on wearing uniform that CtF is "not Army". Again, very wrong. Adaptation and willingness to listen to God and relate to current culture is as much in the "Salvation Army" mould as anything.

So whilst we are sticking to the vision and seem to be running with what God wants, we seem to have some work to do on our image with some people. Or do we? We have a good number of people who attend regularly from within and without Glenrothes Salvation Army. We have a number of people around the world who utilise CtF resources and regularly pray for the ministry. Is this about numbers or is this about the faithful few?

To be honest, I dont have any answers at the moment. This blog post is as much a searching process as it is anything else. Of course, if anyone has any insights, encouragement, wisdom or anything else to share, please comment on this post - we welcome the chance to engage. As the CtF team start to look to 2010, now is as good a time as any to make sure we are being faithful to God and to His vision for His church.

Prayer Night Review

2009-09-07T19:32:00+01:00

Having shared the pictures with you the other day, its time for a quick review of what went on at the prayer night last week. We wanted to give as many options as possible for people to engage in prayer for as long or as short a time as they felt comfortable.

So, in our main hall we had the following zones:

Pray for your church

Using a video with pictures of various churches in Glenrothes, together with other pictures and texts on a display board, the opportunity was given to pray for individual churches, and the combined 'church' in and around Glenrothes.

Pray for your town

For this slot, we had contacted all local councillors, MSPs and our MP to find out what concerns their constituents were bringing to them. We had a great response from them which was brilliant and incredibly encouraging. The themes they suggested were used to create a focus video using images from around Glenrothes. This, together with the printouts of the politicians letters, other pictures/texts, and local newspapers, made for a very helpful prayer zone.

Pray for the world

With the help of a few images/texts and some national newspapers, this chance to pray for so many world situations was well received.

Reading/Reflection Area

Various books were on offer for people to dip into as much or as little as they wanted. Also, people could sit here and read the quotes that were rolling on the big screens, or watch the next area....

Artist

Adam Howie (artist and designer of the Catch the Fire logo - amongst many other things!) was here to paint as he felt led. Here's Adam's twitpic of the end result. It was a real privilege to watch Adam in full creative flow.

Then, through in our community hall, we set up a 10 station Prayer Labyrinth which took users on a journey of faith. What was great was that whilst the stations did have a natural progression, it didn't matter if you did them in a different order. Some just went round to the nearest station, some followed strictly in order, some dotted about depending on which one was free at the time. It was so powerful and refreshing. This is what the 10 stations were:

1) Inward Journey - The chance to light a candle to signify Christ's presence with us on the journey.

2) Letting Go - writing down things in our life which may be hindering us from getting close to God, then after a prayer, screwing up the piece of paper and throwing it in a bin.

3) Forgiveness - Looking at ourselves in a mirror, we took the chance to see what God sees, and ensure we left all our sin at His feet, right there.

4) Hurts - using stones, nails, and salt water as prayer aids, we could project our pain outward and allow God to remove it.

5) Distractions - the chance to focus on our breathing for a while, and breathe in good things while breathing out the bad.

6) Sacred Space - a chill out zone basically. Bibles, song books, texts, pictures, all set up to allow chance to come away from everything else and listen solely to God.

7) Self - What mark can we make on the world? By putting our name on a footprint to stick onto the wall, we could reflect on our uniqueness in the world and our resolve to put God's words into action.

8) Fellowship - How will what God said to us tonight affect our ministry? By planting a seed in soil, we could signify the growing relationship between us and God and also the closeness of the church fellowship.

9) Community - Listening to the dreams God had given us for the community, we could blow bubbles to signify those dreams and watch them develop as God develops our imagination.

10) Outward Journey - With the help of a prayer card, this was the chance to reflect on the journey we had taken tonight, and the chance to pledge ourselves to God to continue to follow his leading.

So thats what was on offer. And it was well received and well used. If you haven't done so already, check out the pictures from the evening here. Thanks to God for giving us the time here to spend with Him and learning from Him.

Prayer Night Photos

2009-09-05T22:16:00+01:00

A full review of our fantastic prayer night will be here as soon as possible, but in the meantime, please enjoy the photos from the night. Click the photo below to be taken to the photo group over at Flickr

Prayer Night

2009-08-03T22:11:00+01:00

Advance word of our September gathering.

On Thursday 3 September, Catch the Fire returns with a special prayer night. Totally different to our normal gatherings, there will be absolutely no structure at all to this evening, save for a few prayer zones each with a different focus. This is your chance to pray for your Church, your town, the world, and of course, yourself.

Our main worship hall, the usual venue for Catch the Fire, will have gentle background music and prayer quotes on the main screens. There will then be 4 areas - for prayers for your Church, your town, the world, and a general zone for reading and contemplation. There will also be drinks and snacks freely available.

In our community hall, we will be creating a prayer labyrinth. This will be a contemporary version of an idea used in many medieval Cathedrals, with the idea being to take a journey of contemplative prayer and reflection on a specific route with 9 points along the way. This will be a very special place for you to journey at your own pace.

So from 7pm the choice is yours what you do, where you sit, stand or lie. You can just spend time on your own, or with others. Pray for yourself, or for others, or get others to pray for you. There is no end time. We will wrap up when we think it is appropriate and realistic to do so. God will be in total control of the evening.

So, if you can join us in person, please do so. If not, please join us in prayer. We hope and pray that God will use this evening to bless, guide, heal, restore, revive....etc. Please spread the word and join us if you can.

July Review

2009-07-03T18:45:00+01:00

So which point are you at? That was the question asked of everyone at Catch the Fire last night. Thanks to the team at www.the4points.com, we had some great material to help us understand the journey we've either been on, are going through, or just beginning.

So we started at the first point - the heart - and the reminder of God's amazing Love for every one of us. After a brief introduction, we watched a new video, using the song "God loves you". You can download this video, which uses a live recording at The Salvation Army's 2001 London South East Divisional Music School. Here's the link. After this, we sung "Your love is amazing" and "Joyful, joyful we adore Thee". We looked at God's Word in relation to His Love for us, then we moved to the second point.

Point two - the X - we have sinned. We looked briefly at Scripture then sung "Great is the darkness", reminding us of how sin has come into the world. Further Scriptural thoughts followed before we watched another video - Louise Fellingham's "When I was lost". This one has been shared before and is our highest viewed video over at www.youtube.com/catchthefiregsa! For those who haven't seen it before, here's the link.

And so we came to point three - the cross - and we were reminded of the greatest act of love ever shown to us when Jesus died on the cross. To aid this section, g:praise, our resident worship band, played the song "I am saved" as arranged by American Salvation Army group "The Singing Company". This was the first time the band had played this song with the addition of a flugel horn part and this really added to the impact of the song. After a period of prayer, we all joined in singing "When I survey the wondrous cross".

And so we came to point four - the decision that we need to make, to live for Christ. At this point, wallet size cards were handed out which gave a summary of the four points and their meanings. These cards also contained this prayer:

Dear God, Thankyou that You died for me and want the best for me in every situation. I'm sorry for ignoring You and doing things my way. I realise now that my sin has hurt You and the people around me and for this, I am truly sorry. Thankyou Jesus that You came and took the punishment for my sin. Thankyou that you gave your life for me. Please forgive me and help me now as I decide to live only for You. Amen

As we put on the video of Adele's song "to make you feel my love" (used before but here's the link anyway!), the invitation was given for people to read the card and the prayer for themselves. Many gathered had said a similar prayer before but it never hurts to remind ourselves of the journey we have been going on. So during the video, and in the prayertime that followed, a great sense of God's presence was felt in the room. We followed this time with the song "I have decided to follow Jesus" but in a relaxed worshipful style. We also made it clear that people were only to sing the words of this song if they actually meant them. So often we sing songs because thats what the minister tells us to do. The words are in the book or on the screen and we just sing them out because everyone else is. That was not the choice on this occasion. The words are simple yet so deep at the same time. Again, the power of Gods Holy Spirit was overwhelming and led one band member to kneel at our place of prayer.

In closing, we sung "In Christ Alone" with renewed power and strength.

Here are the notes we used during the evening, which in the main are lifted straight from the4points.com with a few additions. Thanks are due to the team there for their inspired work.

As always, please feel free to use the resources shared here in your setting. They are given free of charge in the hope that more people will be exposed to Gods saving grace. And please visit the4points website and check out the resources there too. We are not on commission with them but would encourage you to utilise the resources there too.

Which point are you at?

2009-06-13T20:45:00+01:00

Join us on Thursday 2 July at Glenrothes Salvation Army for what could be one of the most important nights of your life. And that is not overstating it at all. Our friends over at the4points.com have put together an amazing evangelistic package that summarises the journey and/or struggle of the journey to a Christian life. This is what they have to say about the idea:

"First and foremost we believe it's not a good idea, it's a God idea! All the aspects that make it so powerful were not engineered, they were discovered. It has been more like opening a present than designing something. The symbol is cryptic and difficult to understand until you know it's meaning. This helps create the intended response & opportunities to share your faith as people ask you the meaning. The logo looks like an equation i.e. heart times cross is what? This also helps to generate intrigue and provoke that all important question. Once explained, the meaning is so simple that it is easily remembered making it an ideal way of helping people remember this balanced representation of the gospel of Jesus. It is particularly effective with new Christians & youth where images communicate so much better than words! The four points are a full and balanced overview of the gospel helping prevent communication of a limited or incomplete message. It begins, and is founded on, the need to know God's love. It tackles the need to accept our own sin and it's consequences. It reveals the solution, God's plan for salvation through the cross, and all importantly, it does not compromise on the need for every individual to make a personal choice to follow Jesus as Lord & Saviour."

When we came across this material, we thought it was so great that we had to dedicate a whole evening to it. Infact, our senior ministers at Glenrothes Salvation Army are also going to incorporate the thoughts into Sunday worship around the same time.

So if you can, please join us on Thursday 2 July from 7pm for the usual mix of videos, songs and Bible thoughts as we focus on these 4 points. g:praise, our resident worship band, will once again be leading worship and bringing a couple of items to us. If you can't join us in person, then please pray for us as we share this immensely important night of worship and study together.

June Review

2009-06-05T20:06:00+01:00

We met last evening to explore a little more about Pentecost - as recorded in Acts 2 - and to understand a little more about what the Holy Spirit is trying to achieve in and through us today.

After some carefully selected audio tracks, we watched the pre-released video "Fire". It is so encouraging to know that having released this video early so Churches could use it, it has been downloaded a great number of times in a short timescale, and we know from feedback that it has been used around the world. This is so humbling to know that materials prepared from our small corner of Fife, are being so widely used - and to God we give the glory for that.

Anyway, back to last night specifically! We entered into a time of sung worship using the songs: "Your mercy taught us how to dance"; "Send the Fire"; "Rejoice, Rejoice"; "We're looking to your promise...". We spent some time in prayer then introduced the theme a little more by watching a video version of Acts 2. Can't share this video with you, but it can be purchased from our friends at Worship House Media. After this great video, we sung "Beautiful One" before looking at what Pentecost actually means to us. Some people shared their personal experiences of Pentecost, then we listened to thoughts and comments on Pentecost as in part contributed by readers of this website, and our other web presences. One ringing comment was this:

"At the first Pentecost there was 1 sermon and 3000 souls saved. Thousands more sermons at this Pentecost and how many saved?"

We acknowledged that in part, we have become complacent, and sat back on historical events, rather than continuing to desire a fresh daily infilling of the Holy Spirit's power - a fresh Pentecost. We also concluded that whilst we do not teach about the Holy Spirit enough in our Churches, we must not do so to the detriment of God the Father and God the Son. We believe in the co-equal natures of Father Son and Spirit and should give equal ministry teaching time to each.

After the teaching, we watched a new video to an arrangement of the Gowans and Larsson song "Burning, Burning" by Transmission. As usual, you can get this video for free here.

This video led us to a prayertime that actually turned out to be a time of prophetic sharing. The Holy Spirit was really making His presence known with us and we gave time for Him to do His work. We then ended singing "When the music fades" just with guitar backing. It was refreshing to just finish in this way, and we simply continued sharing and encouraging each other over drinks and biscuits.

This was another fantastic night for us at Catch the Fire. It was especially great to know that we were being supported from around the world, and it is only fair that we return the compliment. So, if you have been blessed by something from Catch the Fire, then please get in touch and let us know.

New video for Pentecost

2009-05-26T18:08:00+01:00

The Catch the Fire team are pleased to release a new video to you. Because our next meeting focuses on Pentecost but happens after the event, we are taking the unusual step of releasing our latest video to you before we've even used it! This will give you the chance, if you wish, to download and use it at your church event for Pentecost. It uses the song "Fire" by the young American Christian Rockstar Krystal Meyers. Its a lively rock song but with a great message about how God has set us on fire by His Holy Spirit.

So, please feel free to download and use this video free of charge. You can get it here. And revel in the fact that you will be using this before we get the chance!

As a little reminder, CtF meets on Thursday 4 June and you can be involved even if you can't get along in person. We want to know, as briefly as possible, what Pentecost means to you. You can either respond to this blog post, email us at catchthefiregsa@gmail.com or tweet us over at www.twitter.com/catchthefiregsa. Your comments on Pentecost will be shared anonymously on the night.

Thanks again for your support. Enjoy the video!

**UPDATE** - This Video is now on our You Tube Channel. Preview it here:

June CtF - Pentecost

2009-05-21T20:36:00+01:00

In 2 weeks time, we will regroup for the next Catch the Fire. This month, we will be asking: "On Fire? What does Pentecost mean to you?". This is such an important time for the Church and for us as Christians - marking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit's power on the first disciples. Have we lost the excitement of really meeting with God? Have we forgotten what it is like to truly be filled with the Holy Spirit? Or do we daily know God's infilling power? Perhaps we do know the Holy Spirit's power but never shout about it or share it. So many questions...! And in the time available to us on Thursday 4 June from 7pm, we will hopefully address some of these questions. As usual, there will be sung worship, multimedia worship aids, bible thoughts and times for prayer. Also, we will have some time for personal testimony and sharing about what the power of the Holy Spirit means to each of us.

So if you can, please join us at Glenrothes Salvation Army's Worship and Community Centre in Caskieberran Road, Glenrothes and share in this time of informal worship and sharing. If you're not in the area, then please join us in prayer and celebration wherever you are. Also, if you can't come, perhaps you would like to share with us by telling us exactly what Pentecost means to you. You can do so by commenting on this blog post, or if you prefer anonymity, then please email us at ctfglenrothes@gmail.com.

As usual, we'll report back after the event with details of what went on, and hopefully some new free resources for you.

May Review

2009-05-07T22:12:00+01:00

What a great night we had tonight under the leadership of George Carratt from Glenrothes' Kings Covenant Fellowship. George and a few others from Kings Covenant have long been attending Catch the Fire and it is great to share with the in worship and fellowship. As such, we asked George to take the lead and tonight was the night. George chose the theme "Enter His Courts with praise" with a plan to use 7 Hebrew words that guide us through a progression of worship.

So George introduced the theme and gave a brief explanation of the words:

Todah: Choose to worship; Give thanks to God

Yadah: Public worship; declare acts of salvation

Shabach and Halal: loud praise; glory and triumph; loss of dignity

Zamar: Strings; melody

Tehillah: praiseworthy; songs from the heart

Barak: kneel and adore; waiting; presence of the Holy Spirit

Using these words as a guide, we used the songs: "Give thanks to the Lord (Forever)"; "There is power in the Name of Jesus"; "Your mercy taught us how to dance"; "Jesus be the centre"; "To be in Your Presence"; and "We bow down". George led these from his keyboard helped by a recently expanded g:praise.

This then led us into an extended time of worship in silence as we focused on the call of the Psamist: "Our God in Zion, we wait before you in silent praise" (Psalm 65:1). Prayer, visions, readings and healing were shared and experienced through this time where we truly met with our Saviour God.

This was a great 'different' expression of worship and follows the desire of the Catch the Fire team to allow our worship to be free and informal, and therefore not pigeonholed into any one style. Our official thanks go to George for leading us in this evening. Thanks more though are due, of course, to God, for filling us with the power of His Holy Spirit. As we entered into His Courts with Praise, He entered into our hearts with Power.