Author: andymoyle

What Church?

Churches Together links people who express the God given treasure within them. Over the past year Churches Together in King’s Lynn has been an umbrella organisation for works and meetings which highlight Christian activities. Anyone can join in. In October 2014 a talk by Rebecca Meyrick about end of life care in Norfolk highlighted the patients and workers in the new hospice building at Hillington and the Hospice at Home services. The Foodbank has moved into bigger premises at the Red Cross building, appointed a new full time manager and extended services to include Food in School Holidays.

Chris Lindley did some research into the levels of poverty in the King’s Lynn area and his report was subsequently published. Up to 38% of children in North Lynn are living in poverty. In January the week of prayer for Christian unity theme was ‘The Well is Deep’. Services of worship were held at 8 separate venues on 8 separate days and were well attended. On 11th February Revd Riaz Mubarak gave a talk entitled ‘Called to serve; Ministry from Pakistan to the UK’.

Annemarie and Mark Willetts continued to work towards the setting up of a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Debt Centre in King’s Lynn. In March Rev Zoe Ferguson organised a quiz night for supporters of the Christian Aid collection which in May raised £5507.26. Bishop Jonathan Meyrick was the quiz master. The Good Friday Walk of Witness ended at the Minster with about 100 participants. Teams from the Open the Book project continued to go into schools to inspire the children with readings and stories from the Bible. Andy Moyle maintained the website at www.churchestogetherkingslynn.com and organised authors who contributed the ‘Thought for the Week’ in the newspaper.

In June Keith Morris and John Betts gave a talk about Network Norwich, a church media organisation, and Celebrate Norwich and Norfolk which is an annual event in the centre of Norwich showcasing what’s on offer in churches. Alison Hill, David Blacklock and Olivia O’Neil are organising a ‘Celebrate King’s Lynn’ event in the Walks on 11th June 2016. A group called Klimate Concern plans to raise awareness of climate change in the run-up to the climate summit on 30th November in Paris. In September Bob Wilson talked about prison chaplaincy.
Jesus said; ‘the kingdom of God is among you’; Luke 17:21.

Peter Coates, secretary of Churches Together in King’s Lynn.

Recent surveys reveal that most people worry about certain day-to-day matters in their lives. High up on the lists of common worries are: money & debt;
worries about employment, housing, ageing, health, appearance and relationships, while being separated from a mobile phone is a growing worry for
many. When it comes to worrying, we are no different from those who lived generations ago, even though our lifestyles now are vastly different from those of
our forebears.
2000 years ago, the people of Galilee had worries of their own. The region of Galilee was the place where God chose to intervene in a sinful world that had
lost its direction. Towards the end of his discourse recorded in Matthew 6, Jesus told the large crowds of people not to worry about the things that were
dominating their thoughts. He said: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes – your heavenly Father knows what you need”. Jesus went on to say “Seek first the
Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.

So when Jesus told them not to worry about day-to-day matters, He wanted them to lift their eyes away from their worrying circumstances, and to see the much bigger picture of God’s Kingdom; to seek after it, to find it and to enter into the righteousness of God, as a first priority. The message Jesus gave to the Galilean population was just the start of an earth shattering intervention by God when many miraculous signs were seen. This authenticated the deity of Jesus and culminated in His death at the hands of his enemies on the first ‘Good Friday’. After three days God demonstrated his resurrection power when He raised Jesus from the dead; an event that changed history because it means that with Jesus there is life after physical death.

Since that time many millions of people throughout the world have responded to the words of Jesus and have entered into God’s amazing Kingdom. Why not take a break from your worries; seek and find the Kingdom of God, where you will find hope for today and for eternity.

Geoff Duncombe
The Gateway Church, King’s Lynn
19 October 2015

I’m on holiday, and my bedside table reading is a bit of a tear-jerker, I’ll admit. “The Life You Never Expected” by Andrew and Rachel Wilson is a intelligent, thoughtfully-written book about raising children with special needs. I’ve just finished a particular helpful chapter… about the Dung Gate.

In the book of Nehemiah, we read about the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The book lists different people assigned different tasks: some prestigious, others less so. Malchijah – not a name you may remember, not a David or a Joshua or a Simon Peter – was assigned the role of rebuilding the Dung Gate. Now, I’m no historian, but I can imagine what happened at the Dung Gate. This wasn’t the entrance of the city that welcomed kings and princes; this was altogether more earthy.

However, as Andrew Wilson points out, a city is only as strong as its weakest wall. Make a mess of the Dung Gate and Jerusalem will be as vulnerable as before. This repair job is as important as any.

So it follows that God’s plan for our life may be high-profile or low-profile, but our part is of equal value. Raising a child with special needs, caring for an elderly relative, carrying out any number of mundane tasks on a factory line or in a call centre… God values each of us and sees the work we do, regardless of who else does.

And just as Malchijah’s name is written in the book of Nehemiah, in The Bible, to be remembered for generations, so our part in God’s work (however menial or frustrating or back-breaking) will be remembered by our Father for eternity.

Andy King, The Gateway Church

I love the growing numbers of events in West Norfolk that are putting us on the map. The Hanseatic water-ski racing is a great example. Thousands watched those men and women roar past on water-skis at speeds approaching 100mph. I snuck up to the end of the quay to watch them round the corner, perilously close to the jetty. Before a race commenced, the racers had to get out of the boat at the start line and be ready to be towed on their skis.
That reminds me of the great story of Peter walking on water in the gospels. Jesus had walked on the sea of Galilee to approach the boat the 12 disciples were in. Peter saw Him and asked if he could come to Jesus on the water. Jesus beckoned him and so Peter got out of the boat to walk to Jesus. While his gaze was on Jesus he was fine. As soon he looked at the waves, he started to sink. He cried out to Jesus who gentled chided his lack of faith and lifted him back up. It was a life changing moment!
It’s a great story – I believe in miracles, so I do believe it really happened. But I also believe the story makes some important points about life too!
Firstly God calls us. There’s always a call. God calls ordinary people like Peter, who at that stage was what you might call a proper wally.
Secondly there is always fear. God asks us to do impossible things that have an element of fear in them – usually the things God asks us to do have three stages – impossible, difficult and done. He does that because he wants us to rely on Him to do it in and through us. We have to overcome the fear in God’s strength. If you want to walk on water you have got to get out of the boat.
Thirdly there is assurance of God’s presence in the task and power to get it done.
Fourthly there is always a decision – 11 disciples stayed in the boat, only one got out!
Lastly there’s a changed life. When we do what God wants us to, we won’t get it all right, but we will learn, grow and have some adventures along the way! How does God want you to walk on water?

Andy Moyle, The Gateway Church

Compassion I have come to realise is the ingredient missing in many of the decisions and actions of those in authority – A lack of it leads to a blinkered and robotic implementations of rules, just because they are ‘the’ rules. So we have the situation where, whilst critical of China’s record on human rights, and at the same supporting Ai Wei Wei for his freedom to be able to express himself in art, his application for a 6 month visa to visit the UK for an exhibition of his work is refused because ‘the rules’ say that if you have a criminal record such an application is automatically refused. Luckily the Home Secretary saw through this ridiculous decision and has allowed the visa. Where is the compassion for this man, who has suffered, whose work some hail as art and whose persecution for it we abhor?
And we have the rule that if you bring illegal immigrants into the country you are fined. So, when lorry and coach drivers, having been cleared at Calais, arrive in England to discover they have been boarded unknowingly by illegal immigrants contact the authorities to report them and to hand them over, they are fined thousands of pounds because that is the rule! Where is the reward for honesty? Where is the compassion that says thank you and you are implementing the rule which is there to prevent illegal immigration.
Any rule, or any action, which prevents us seeing someone as someone – not just as a person – is the beginning of a slippery slope that allows de-humanised decisions to be applied to those most in need of compassion. Compassion is the first step in seeing the someone and doing what we can to help.
A society built on compassion is the society at peace with itself.

John Belfield
Kings Lynn Catholics

There is an age old saying that tells us never to talk about Religion and politics, unless the company we are with share the same persuasion.
Yet these two subjects along with sport, are probably the most talked about and argued over topics of discussion we have today. The word ‘religion’ includes many different and diverse faiths, beliefs, customs and cultures, each having very little in common with the others.
Because religion is a man-made concept, we have a whole spectrum of disparate beliefs that only brings confusion to a world seeking to find the truth.

So how can we tell the true from the false; the genuine from the counterfeit; How can we follow God’s perfect plan for sinful man? Christians believe that there is only one true God who has revealed himself through his only Son Jesus, and it is only through Jesus that sinful man can be reconciled to God.
So what is it about Jesus that is so compelling to many, yet so offensive to others? With Jesus everything is clear-cut, without ambiguity or
confusion; we are either with Him or against Him. His words enable us to know exactly where we stand in relation to God. Jesus told us many things, but He never told his disciples to be religious or to follow a religion, but Jesus just invited them to believe and to follow Him; and for those who do choose to follow Jesus, he gave this amazing promise.

“This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day”. What an amazing promise this is! Christians will never stop talking about Jesus, because they just want to share this amazing life-changing news with everybody.

Geoff Duncombe
The Gateway Church, King’s Lynn

I hit forty in 2000 decidedly unfit and just slightly overweight – a typically middle aged man story. So I did the couch potato to 5k programme – a simple plan to get you from walking to jogging 5k in 6 weeks. Before that I had always felt “fun run” was an oxymoron. As I progressed from walking to jogging I was hooked. I lost weight, had more energy and then made friends joining in the weekly parkrun in the Walks on Saturday mornings. Physical training is of value.
The apostle Paul wrote that last sentence in a letter to his young trainee Timothy. He followed it with “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.” Godliness is worth having as it has longer lasting effects than keeping fit. So how do we get godliness? Certainly not by working hard or doing good deeds. It’s a free gift because of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection for us. We’ve all broken laws in some way or other, felt shame for the way we have behaved, feared consequences of our actions or felt dirty through what we have done or had done to us. Jesus took the punishment, restores us to a place of honour with God, takes away fear and cleanses us on the inside.
Please get fit so you can live longer. But more importantly, accept God’s gift of godliness, which lasts forever.

Andy Moyle
The Gateway Church

I am sitting here looking out of a window watching the wind bend a tree with incredible force; the tree has to sway as it cannot withstand the force of the wind- it has no other option. We all know that when the wind is at full force, it can be frightening.

In Matthew’s gospel, we read that the disciples were in a terrifying situation; they were in a boat that was out of control because of the wind. They were being buffeted on all sides; they had no idea how they would escape the terror of the storm. Jesus knew this and he came to them, walking on the water. Then Peter decided to get out of the boat and walk towards Jesus. What amazing faith! But the wind was so fierce that fear gripped him and he began to sink; his eyes went off Jesus onto the storm that surrounded him for just one split second. Thankfully, Jesus was right there ready to grab him so he didn’t sink. In fact, we read that the situation changed radically; Jesus climbed aboard and the wind died down.

You may well be living through a ‘stormy’ patch in your life at the moment. Remember that Jesus is right there if you feel you are sinking; call out to him and he will answer. He will never leave you nor forsake you as that is his promise to you.

Rachel Osborne
King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship