We are joining with a couple of other churches for an evangelistic men’s breakfast on Saturday 28th March 8:30am at Lynnsport. Tickets are £10 each – do let Andy/ Cameron know if you are coming and if you will have guests with you and we will collect payment nearer the time.

Guest Speaker

Graham Daniels (director of Cambridge United Football, Christians in Sport, author and conference speaker) will be speaking and explaining how he has found life’s biggest questions answered in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  All are welcome! 

This where the gospel of grace comes in. Real change isn’t about trying harder. God isn’t impressed by how many pounds you lose or how many miles you run. He’s after your heart. The Lord invites you to allow Him to transform you from the inside out. And it’s not instant either, because spiritual growth is more like planting seeds than flipping a switch. But with God’s power, real change is possible.

One of the best things you can do is reading the Bible everyday. This year’s Bible reading plan from the Gateway Church is using Murray McCheynes Bible reading plan. He was a church leader in the 19th Century in Dundee. He died young, but one of his legacies is a plan for Bible reading to take readers through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and through the rest of the Bible once each year. It’s about four chapters of the Bible a day and will be 20 mins well spent! Grab a drink and a pencil to underline what jumps out at you each day! It starts on Thursday 1st January.

Every day, the readings can drop in your email inbox at 6am – log in and set your privacy settings to receive Bible readings or install our church app and set notifications. Or you can just remember to head to thegatewaychurch.info/bible-readings every day.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, in recent months they were able  to: 

• House 7-12 refugee families in hotels. 

• Serve hot meals to 60-70 people at a time. 

• Deliver hundreds of food parcels and aid boxes. 

But as Edik and Liana told us: 

Edik handing out food parcels 

“We try to cover the most basic needs and avoid upsetting people who are refused while others receive  help. With increased bombing in large cities, more refugees are arriving in Uzhhorod, and they also come  to the church because they hear there is help here. Ideally, €3,500–€4,000 per month would allow us to  meet the needs.” Right now, funds have dropped to around €2,000/month. That means cutting back meals and housing  support, at the very moment more refugees are arriving and winter is approaching.

Your gift will provide: • A safe place to stay for families with nowhere else to go. 

• Hot meals for children and adults who have gone hungry. 
• Food parcels for those arriving with nothing but a bag.

In UK pounds, we have worked out…

£4 pays for a hot meal for 1

£52 pays for a family room for 1 month

At our carol service this year, you can donate to this appeal with cash, or the card reader, or this link.

Here’s a photo of me interviewing them at the recent European Church Planting conference in Malaga

This is what he sent back this week. Denis is his son…

Thank you for your concern, Andy. We are fine, thanks God. Drone or drone wreckage fell about hundred meters from Denis’ appartment.
We had may be the toughest night for the last couple years. There were over 30 missiles and up to 600 drones. One of the most successful defence ( up to 90% was shot down) Still there were a number damaged buildings, 2 people killed and over 30 injured.

In the last picture the red square is Denis’ apartment – so very close. Please do pray for them and their safety as they continue to serve the Lord in Kiev.

Denis is also an incredible coffee roaster. For a few months now I have been enjoying his coffees as Pastor Nick sends them over. They are so good, we are starting a small venture to distribute them in the UK. So if you like artisan coffees and brew from beans and would like to support ministry in and around Kiev- please check out kievcoffee.uk. I’ll bring some bags to our service tomorrow.

So…

1. Come early – before 10:30am or
2. Come from the town direction and turn right onto Queen Mary Road

At the end of the service, those turning 16yrs old, graduated with a lovely presentation and commendation by Tobi. They are getting involved with different aspects of church life and we will be starting a post 16 gathering soon too!

The youth team are looking for some more team members to help on Sundays and other occasions. Do get in touch with Tobi & Kate Odediran if you are interested in getting involved.

To help us do that, I produced an infographic of key prophecies over the church, which you can also download as a PDF.

How do we steward prophecy well?

Weigh it – In 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 we are exhorted to weigh prophecy and hold onto the good. The questions I ask

Does the speaker have a track record of hearing God well?

Does it line up with what God says in the Bible?

Does it line up with other things that Lord has been speaking about?

Does it bring peace?

Do something! Then I will be looking at what the Lord wants us to do in the light of the what has been prophecied. Do we need to do something differently? Do we need to exercise faith? Pray it in? Some prophets see a long way ahead and others are more for the moment. Many of the prophetic people see what the Lord wants to do far in the future.

There’s plenty of fuel for your prayers here, why not print it out and stick it on the fridge to pray everytime you open the door?

I’m going to do one for the building too, so watch this space.

Pioneer Europe is a conference that Relational Mission, our family of churches, runs for pioneers in Europe. Each year we gather pioneers, planters and people who help send for equipping and encouragement. It helps us showcase our values and culture too.

This year we gathered over a hundred people from 15 nations, with half of the attendees coming for the first time. Many of those were looking to build relationship with Relational Mission and explore connection for our shared mission.

It was a great week! the feedback has been that it was the best yet. It was lovely for us to host and sponsor flights for Nick and Myla from Kiev to come. They are a superb couple doing an amazing work in the Ukraine.

I arrived a day early to help setup (I am on the organising team) and do some pickups from the airport for people like Nick and Myla and a young family from Helsinki.

The theme of the conference was “So That Your Joy May Be Full: Enjoying God, Reaching the Nations”, exploring John 15:11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”. We dug into this theme in three main parts, focusing on these topics each evening;

• His Joy In Us: Delighting in God
• His Joy Amongst Us: Our Relationships with each other
• His Joy Through Us: Reaching others

In the mornings I ran a training track on “Intercultural Churches” with Simon & Kate Walker, who incidentally will be with us at Gateway at the end of November. We taught on churches really becoming “one new man in Christ”, learning how every culture plays a part in church life and avoiding dominance by one culture. It was a great seminar track with people hungry to learn and apply in their settings.

The evening meetings were unhurried times of worship, teaching and prophetic ministry, that were outstanding!

After hours I encouraged people to wander down to the local ice cream parlour. Those “out of hours” times are key moments of culture setting that mission is relational – good chats, lots of laughs and nice ice cream!

For me, Maurice Nightingale’s talk on the last day was standout. He spoke like an apostolic father, commenting on the ending of Paul’s letter to the Romans, exhorting Relational Mission in essence.

Romans 16:1-2 The Power of Sincere Commendation

Words of commendation from mothers and fathers can have a huge impact

Do not underestimate the power of your words

Romans 16:3-4 The Attitude of Heartfelt Gratitude

Fellow workers who risked things, they weren’t just ‘useful’

For people who spend their lives in obscure places

Romans 16:5 The Warmth of Genuine Affection

Proud of Epaenetus

Don’t see their fruitfulness as a threat to you!

No indication that Mary had a profile role but Paul noticed her

Remember special honour to the modest parts of the body

Romans 16:13-15 Warm Greetings

Rufus, his mother who is my mother

Personal affection, strong relationships

Tell people – don’t let them guess

We don’t celebretise people

Another key for me was the deepening friendship with Nick & Myla from Kiev and connecting them with others.

All in all a very powerful and upbuilding conference. Pioneers across Europe have gone home with hearts refilled with joy for the task before us.

Next year’s conference will be 22 – 25 September 2026 • Málaga, Spain – maybe you can come too?

How many of you are in a situation where you don’t know what to do?

Facing a spiritual battle?

Coming up against persistent difficulties?

Could be in a spiritual attack!

But you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus

12 signs

1. Sudden changes for the worst – health, finances, relationships
2. Temptation to sin beyond the normal (1 Cor 10:13)
3. Pattern of recurring negative events
4. Atmosphere of pressure or oppression
5. Severe discouragement
6. Crippling condemnation
7. Intimidation / Fear
8. Confusion / Cloudiness
9. Anything that brings pressure to bear against God’s revealed will for your life
10. Pressure beyond the normal of important relationships
11. Battle for the mind -ve tapes playing
12. There’s a distinct time of onset  (beginning, middle and end)

You can view the whole sermon here

Sunday evening was a glorious celebration of new and reinvigored life in Christ. I love how baptism symbolises our old self dying with Christ and being raised in newness of resurrection life. I still remember my baptism forty years ago. It’s a precious moment in time, where the Lord seals our faith in many ways.

The New Living Translation puts Galatians 3:27 well, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.” It encapasulates the new nature we have!

Theologically I would say the born again changes happen as we first put our faith in Jesus – as we repent and believe we are born again and 2 Cor 5:17 is activated – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation the old has gone and the new has come.” Baptism by faith symbolises the old dying and being buried and the new life we now have. In Acts, some were baptised within minutes of coming to faith and for others it took a while!

Straight after the baptisms, we prayed for a younger sister of one of the baptisees who was poorly with sickness form a food intolerance. She stopped bing sick and I got sent a video of her on the fairground rides 30 mins later. God is good!

On Tuesday, some of us went to Ruth Elves’ funeral over in March. It was a glorious celebration of a life well lived for Jesus. It was lovely to hear testimonies from the many of the churches she had been a blessing in, with memories shared of her welcoming people, prophecying regularly and seeking ever more of the presence of the Lord. She is now in the presence of her Lord for ever more, Hallelujah!

Yesterday, we spent the day at Kezia and Bafe’s wedding, which was a wonderfully international occasion and celebration of love. Kezia has been part of our life group since starting work at the QEH, and we look forward to them both getting stuck into church life!

It was a joy meeting so many people from different nations and celebrating a British wedding service and Nigerian and Brazilian style reception. One of the things I love about weddings is getting to meet new people and chatting. When asked what my job is, I had an amazing conversation about faith with a bridesmaid and later quietly prayed for someone else to be healed. Makes me think of Jesus at the wedding of Cana – although no water into wine miracles yesterday. That would have been amazing to see!

Here’s the happy couple with some of the past and present Gateway crew!

On Sunday night we had perfect conditions for five baptisms at Hunstanton. A calm sea, high tide and sun setting as we finish. So it was with great delight that we baptised Julie, Bafe, Rosemary, Chantelle and Nayshe.

Baptism symbolises what Jesus does when we turn to him – we are intimately identified with Christ’s death and resurrection. Going down into the water symbolises our old self has died in Christ and is buried. And coming up the new resurrection life we have.

We have a great route we use for London sightseeing – Train to London, then tube to Green Park to walk down to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. Then on to Big Ben, although we missed the noon chimes!

After that we walk up Whitehall, past Downing Street and to see the horse guards. We arrived this time, just in time, for the changeover of horses. Then we headed to Trafalgar Square to see Nelson’s Column. Then we wandered over to Covent Garden for a lunch break, which for some was packed lunches and others had delicious street food.

Then we headed back to the National Gallery, where I got to see the Fighting Temeraire (which has been moved since the Bond film!) and a few other favourites. Then we headed back home.

It was a great day for all and a real treat during the summer break. We will be back with the iCaf every Tuesday morning in September. We also run classroom English classes on Saturday mornings.

This is the moment of gut-wrenching exposure for a husband with two children and one of his employees, caught on the “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert in the USA. The camera zoomed in on the man who had his arms wrapped around a woman. They ducked and turned in embarrassment caught in the camera. The lead singer joked from the stage, “Oh look at these two, all right you’re okay. Either they are having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

The clip has gone viral all over the internet and the man who was a CEO of a tech company has had to resign (BBC news). The image has sparked a lot of mockery, with pubs, IKEA and even lego fans creating memes. But as Ed Stetzer notes “It’s not funny, it’s generational devastation.” One can’t help but grieve for the consequences and shock and devastation for the families. They were caught red-handed and their families’ worlds have collapsed.

One day, we will all be caught in the light of God’s blazing holiness on judgement day. All sin and shame of every sinner revealed and nowhere to hide. The consequences for all those sins is eternity in hell. It’s what we all deserve. But thank you Jesus who has paid the price for my sin (past present and future) on the cross. He took my place, taking my sin and exchanging it for his righteousness.(2 Cor 5:21) As believers we will not have to duck and hide on judgement day, not because we have been goody two shoes, but because of what Christ has done for us on the cross.

The Apostle Paul wrote to his young protege Timothy “If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonourable, he will be a vessel for honourable us, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So free youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with all those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” God’s grace and our repentance cleans up all our sin. We are cleansed from all unrighteousness and declared holy.

So what do we do?

1. 1) If you are not yet a believer, Trust in Jesus – before, as Greg Stier has written, the “spotlight of God’s holiness shines on your sin on Judgement Day, because then it will be too late to do anything about it.”
2. 2) If you are trapped in adultery, then stop and seek help to get out of its entrapment and have the possibility of rebuilding your life.
3. 3) Rehearse the consequences of adultery before you get caught in its trap. As Ed Stetzer has commented “Sin makes you stupid.” Think of the consequences to your partner, your children and generations to come. As the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy “Flee the evil desires of youth” – and middle and old age too!

I thought I was good at sharing, but I learned something on Sunday afternoon.

We had arrived for the picnic and settled down with our chairs and spread out the food we had brought around us. I offered round a tub of Branston pickle pork pies, many of which were glady taken and then the tub was passed back. Those pork pies are a great recipe and I was pleased people enjoyed them.

A while later some of the Africans arrived and put food in the middle – including a KFC bucket and everyone just dived in.

And there I learned in practice, what had been taught in a powerpoint presentation at an intercultural church leadership course during the week. The Western viewpoint on ownership is what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours, but we can share. The Global majority view is what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine.

My sharing retained ownership and it was obvious who was sharing. The tub went round and came back to me. The Africans just piled everything in the middle and just shared. No-one really knew who had brought a lot and who had brought a little. And there I learnt something more about being community, family and not so individualistic.

The Gateway Church is growing to be more intercultural – where we learn from each other’s cultures and backgrounds and get a better and more rounded understanding of God’s new culture – the one new man in Christ. The apostle Paul begins to express the concept in Eph 2:15 where Christ forms a new humanity from Jews and Gentiles. The concept of the “One New Man” does not imply that individual cultures or identities are erased. Instead, it emphasizes a spiritual unity that transcends those differences. The “One New Man” principle has significant implications for intercultural relationships, encouraging believers to learn from one another and recognise when aspects of someone else’s culture is more like Christ than one’s own,

At the picnic, a westerner like me, had something fantastic to learn from the Global South. A more communal attitude to food and sharing is a much better way than the typically western way. One new man in Christ, God’s new culture, simply becomes a little more real by putting the picnic food in the middle and everyone diving in!

Prayer of Many comes out of 2 Cor 1:11 where the Apostle Paul was asking the church in Corinth to pray for him so that many would be blessed. As we gather together our prayers will make a huge difference to what the Lord is doing and many will give thanks because their lives have been impacted.

This prayer event is for all members of churches in our Relational Mission Community and we are looking forward to being together to worship and pray.

We will persist in importuate prayer for Our Churches, those in Pioneering situations and for Our Broken World.

Refreshments will be served upon arrival.

Do join us and book in….

Simple steps like

Telling them about church last weekend

Saying how long you have been a Christian and what difference it has made in your life.

Sowing seeds, knowing that some will germinate and some will be rejected!

This is about asking the Lord to show you who he wants you to share your life with – many of you will have already done Operation Andrew – praying for 5 people in the lead up to the carol services last year. This video shows you how to take that a step further on the church app.