NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GOD COLLEGE STREET, NORTHAMPTON, NN1 2QP

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

College Street Comms

Easter Edition April 2015

WHAT IS

EASTER ALL

ABOUT?

Tim Hughes:

“Here I Am To Worship”

The story behind the Song

Once For All

2

Pastor’s Heart

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

03 FREEDOM IN CHRIST

04 MUSIC / WORSHIP

Song story: ‘Here I Am To Worship’

UK Top 10 Christian Music Charts

05 MEN’S MINISTRY

Easter Message

Headway

06 SOUL STIRRING

Street Pastors

Prayer Watch

07 THE 7 KEY PRINCIPLES

(NATIONAL VISION)

08 WOMEN’S MINISTRY

09 CELL GROUPS

10 SENIORS

Book Review: The Shack

11 EDUCATION

The Heritage Centre at LTC

12 SOCIAL ACTION

13 CHILDREN’S PAGE

14 COMPETITION TIME

15 EVENTS

16 FAMILY TRAINING HOUR

CONTENTS

Once For All

Easter Greetings

May I take this opportunity to thank the Communications Team for all their efforts in putting together our first newsletter. Congratulations for getting things off the ground with this new venture.

As it is Easter, let me encourage every reader, especially those who are feeling the pressures of everyday life, that we are now in a season of Hope. Easter is a reminder to the believer that we are more than conquerors since Jesus conquered death and Hades in three days.

Can I also encourage every believer, and those seeking to know God, to make this Easter a time to have the right beliefs about Him. It will change your life. Jesus’ belief system in God saved him (John 2:24-25).

“The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which at the most cannot con-cern him for very long; but even if the multiple burdens of time may be lifted from him, the one mighty single burden of eternity begins to press down upon him with a weight more crushing than all the woes of the world piled one upon an-other. That mighty burden is his obligation to God. It includes an instant and lifelong duty to love God with every power of mind and soul, to obey Him perfectly, and to worship Him

When I think of what we sometimes do both in church and out, I am convinced we miss the mark in our beliefs about God and don’t really have a full understanding of what the resurrected Christ has done for us. Take a faith journey and our hearts might just start burning (Luke 24:32).

I challenge every believer to take another look at the cross and don’t leave the foot of the cross until the reality

of what happened there for YOU gets into your soul!

Bishop Donnovan Allen

3

Freedom In Christ For Young People

is a powerful resource designed to set young people firmly on the way to becoming fruitful disciples who are sold out for God and who will make a radical difference. It is based on the main Freedom In Christ Discipleship Course and can be run alongside it in your church (the sessions correspond exactly).

Watch young people change as they connect with the truth about who they are in Christ, become free from pressures that hold them

back and learn to renew their thinking – no matter what their circumstances or background.

Whilst the world may

bombard them with many

non-truths, this course will

help them discover the truth

through the power of God’s

Word leading to a powerful,

life-changing experience.

Finding true freedom is like

nothing else! We are so

excited about seeing young

people enter into their

freedom in Christ!

“Every young disciple is looking to engage with Jesus in a way that will

change lives. This innovative, exciting course

helps young people discover the truth of who they are in Christ and be set free to be all that God

has made them as a result.”

Mike Pilavachi, Founder & Director of Soul Survivor

“Freedom in Christ is a creative and relevant course

for teenagers with the potential to produce a

generation of fruitful young

disciples.”

Martin Saunders, Editor of Youthwork Magazine

The FIC Programme runs 2nd Sunday through to 4th Sunday at 11.00am

at NTCG College Street. Please see Martin Cole for further information

YOUTH - Martin Cole

4

PRAISE & WORSHIP - Edris Buchanan-Edwards

#1 FOOL FOR YOU – Jake Isaac

#2 RIVERSIDE – Scripture Says

#3 SOLD OUT – Bexsongstress

#4 GET OUT THE WAY – A Star feat. Amasiah

#5 ALL THAT I NEED – Fiona Yorke

#6 GRAVITY – Tom Read

#7 WORTHY TO BE PRAISED - Donald Okpekpe ft. Evans Ogboi

& A.Godwin

#8 SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL – emaé

#9 BORDERLINE – Ms Martha J

#10 HERE I AM – Vassie

Step FWD UK Top 10 Christian Chart

If songs are like children to their

writers, then 25 year-old Englishman

Tim Hughes carried "Here I Am To

Worship" to full term, letting the

reverent tune take perfect shape over

a nine-month period. Back in 1999

while still in college, he first sat down

to craft a musical response to his

reading of Philippians 2:5, which says,

"Make your own attitude that of Christ

Jesus." And from the start, he had the

humility part mastered.

"I was playing around with my guitar

when the verse just came out," he

modestly recalls. "However, I couldn't

get a chorus that I was happy

with. The original one was

embarrassingly bad!"

Thankfully, Tim recorded the verse

into his Dictaphone, and months later

during a quiet creative time, he

patched it together with another strong

melody idea and brought "Here I Am

To Worship" to fruition.

"I'd been reading about the cross and

thinking through Jesus' amazing

sacrifice," Tim says of the lyrical

theme. "Sometimes when God meets

with us we don't quite know how to

respond properly. It's often too much

for us to take in. Hopefully in a small

way the chorus captures that: 'Here I

am to worship. Here I am to bow

down. Here I am to say that you're

my God. You're altogether lovely,

worthy, wonderful.'"

Although the song had been

completed, the writer was still not

convinced of its potential. Leading

worship at his Soul Survivor home

church one day, Tim sang "Here I Am

To Worship" for his fellow members

and was duly advised by his pastor

Mike Pilavachi to start using it more

often. Since then, Hughes - who built

his own chops leading Delirious and

Matt Redman favourites - has seen

the song take on a life of its own.

It must be a God thing.... People have

seemed to really connect with it, and

we've had some special times in

worship using the song," he admits.

"I remember one time at the end of a

Worship Together conference in San

Diego when we'd been performing the

song. The band stopped, and then

the congregation just kept singing the

chorus for about 15 minutes."

Road tested and pastor approved,

"Here I Am To Worship" was soon

ready to be recorded as the title track

for Hughes' debut album, released in

late 2001.

Song Story: “Here I Am To Worship”

"Sometimes when God meets with us we don't

quite know how to respond properly. It's often too

much for us to take in.” Here I Am To Worship

Light of the world, You step down into darkness. Opened my eyes let me see. Beauty that made this heart adore you hope of a life spent with you. [Chorus] And here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that you're my God, You're altogether lovely, Altogether worthy, Altogether wonderful to me. King of all days, Oh so highly exalted Glorious in heaven above. Humbly you came to the earth you created. All for love's sake became poor. I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. And I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. No I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

5

MEN’S MINISTRY - Wilbur Jeffers

If asked what the spiritual

highlight of the year is, most

people would probably say

Christmas. However, when we

think about it, the answer has

to be Easter.

At Easter we remember the

sacrifice our Lord made on

the cross, when he laid

down his life for our own.

Jesus was crucified and buried

and on the third day he rose

from the grave. This means all

doors are open for us.

Philippians 4:13 says ‘I can do

all things through Christ who

strengthens me.’ All of his

promises are true because he

lives.

This Easter I pray people in

Northampton and the rest of

the world will come to know

Jesus as their personal Lord

and Saviour.

“For God so loved the world

that he gave his only

b e g o t t e n s o n t h a t

whosoever believeth in him

should not perish but have

everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Have a wonderful Easter.

May God continue to bless us.

SERIOUS HEAD INJURY VICTIM SAYS THANK YOU Tony Beirnes fell 10ft from the back of a lorry in an accident at work back in February 2003. He was taken to Northampton General Hospital before being transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and later to Kettering General Hospital. Headway East Northants was recommended as somewhere to go for rehabilitation and Tony says he owes much of his recovery since then to the support he received there. He said “Headway was recommended as a rehabilitation centre for me to get myself back into reality” Last year the Men’s ministry decided to raise money for Headway. Tony suggested a guess the weight of the cake competition which raised £210 for the charity. As well as Headway, Tony said his wife Charmaine has been his rock and support from the church has also

Easter message

6

SOUL STIRRING

...Well it was reasonably warm but with a cold chill factor for most of the evening.

The first half was very quiet with usual greetings of support from revellers, a few glad of flip flops, water or lollies. The session f inished with a Paramedic asking us to go and look after a guy near All Saints steps whom he had checked over. We made contact with D who was keen to stay on the ground and not get detached from his take-away curry and the water we offered. He said he was fine and we agreed to check on him after the break and sure enough after our break only his empty curry container remained of our previous

e n c o u n t e r ! After a slow start the second half proved to be "more lively"....

We found M on the floor with an injured shoulder. His friend had already called an ambulance. We talked to Z in Bridge Street. We bought her a take-away as she claimed she had not eaten all day.

We stayed with H who said she had been hit by a random guy. We waited with her whilst her mother arrived to take her home.

We saw many of the usual homeless guys in their chosen sites and chatted to them.

There continued to be good banter and further greetings of support from more revellers, more recipients of flip flops and lollies and some wanted "selfies" with Street Pastors.

We saw A dressed like "Noddy Holder" (for those too young to remember "Slade"... ask your parents!) on a retro evening out. So overall a positive night with God being in the midst and us doing a bit of serving and loving folk.

P l e a s e c o n t i n u e to pray for T h e S t r e e t P a s t o r Team

Street Pastors Report: A Typical Friday night in town

Prayer Watch at Easter - Audrey Browne Special greetings to our church family and our visitors at this blessed Easter season from the Prayer Ministry Team.

Easter time is a great time to reflect on our personal understanding of the central message:

God’s love for mankind and offer of reconciliation with mankind shown by the sacrificial and finished work of his son Jesus Christ through his personal crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

Watching in prayer and spiritual reflection for even one hour of our time over the Easter holidays will provide us with the opportunity to get into God’s presence. In such prayerful, intimate, fellowship and connection, our minds can become greatly enlightened and our spiritual being uplifted by God’s revelation of the meaning and purpose of the sacrificial work done by Jesus Christ on the cross for our individual lives

and for all people of all colour and ethnic backgrounds.

We encourage you to choose to spend quality time in prayer this Easter time. Spending such quiet time in solitude with God can provide the opportunity for God to reveal some of

the mysteries of the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross, as He cried out in pain on that crucifixion

day, ‘It is finished.’

Let us encourage and discipline ourselves to watch in prayer this Easter season for ourselves, families, communities, and the world. Most importantly let us watch in fervent, persistent prayer for the salvation of lives as people hear about and understand the true message and meaning of Easter.

As Jesus asked His disciples that night in the garden of Gethsemane, before his crucifixion, about watching for an hour with him, we ask you to watch this Easter time even for one hour with the Prayer Team and all other disciples of Jesus who are watching and praying at this time.

Please watch with us for an hour in our Saturday Morning Watch Prayers (7:00-8:00am) and our Wednesday two-hour Prayer &

Fasting watch (11:00- 1:00pm)

May you also continue to watch in

The model Lord’s Prayer taught by Jesus to His disciples, supports our Christian practice of praying continually. The prayer instructs us to ask God to give us our daily bread. As physical and spiritual beings we need a daily intake of:

Physical food for our physical body

Spiritual food which is the ‘bread of heaven’ or the word of God

7

from INACTION to ACTION

from SILENCE to PRESENCE

from HIRELING to SHEPHERD

from SELF to SUPPORT

from BABE to MATURITY

from MEDIOCROTY to EXCELLENCE

from STATIC to MOVEMENT

8

Things you always wanted to know about Easter

# 1 E a s t e r E g g s The custom of giving eggs at Easter celebrates new life. Christians remember that Jesus, after dying on the cross, rose from the dead. This miracle showed that life could win over death.

For Christians the egg is a symbol of Jesus' resurrection, as when they are cracked open they stand for the empty tomb. No-one actually knows when eggs were first used as symbols at festival times but it was long before Jesus' time. Eggs were always thought to be special because although they do not seem alive, they have life within them especially at springtime when chicks hatch out.

Long ago people gave gifts of eggs carved from wood or precious stones. The first sweet eggs that were eaten were made in the last 100 years from sugar or marzipan.

Since then chocolate eggs have become popular and these are given on Easter Sunday.

In some countries parents tell their children the Easter Hare or Bunny has hidden chocolate eggs and they race to find them round the house or garden. Children in other countries decorate hard-boiled eggs at Easter time by painting or dyeing them.

In some countries such as the United States egg rolling is a popular Easter game. This is usually done with coloured eggs. One of the most well known events is held in America on the White House lawn. Children and parents push the eggs along through the grass with wooden spoons.

On behalf of the Women’s Board we would like to say a very big thank you for your ongoing support and prayers.

Behind every good man there is a good woman. Women make up the community we are mothers, wives, daughters, sisters and & aunts who help to influence and shape society.

Over the past years we have been going from strength to strength and as we continue to seek God's guidance to go forward; we pray that we will continue to move in unity and in love and that Gods’ will be done in all our lives as it is in heaven.

"May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us & establish the work of our hands -yes, establish the work of our hands."

Psalm 90:17. Kerri-Ann Pradere-Johnson

NTCG Women’s Board member

WOMEN’S MINISTRY - Pauline Allen

NTCG Women's Ministry singing and handing out hot cross buns in Northampton Bus Station during Easter

9

CELL GROUPS - Audrey Browne

Norma Moss

(Kingsley)

Barbara Harrison

(Duston)

Colleen Coates

(Lings)

Vacant

(NN4)

Vacant

(Abington & Town)

Charmaine Beirnes

(Kettering)

Fiona Edwards

(Wellingborough)

Vacant

(Weston Favell)

10

Easter Greetings from the Over 50's. At this precious time we encourage everyone to turn their eyes to Jesus, look into his face and see the One who was wounded for our transgressions. We are encouraged to draw closer to him.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53: 4-5 NIV

Have a blessed Easter. The price has been paid at Calvary!

by Sis Una Johnson

The Over Fifties Group meets every other Thursday at 11am at NTCG College St

SENIORS - Gloria Bartley

Things you always wanted to know about Easter

#2 Why does the date of Easter change every year? Have you ever wondered why Easter Sunday can fall anywhere between March and April 25?

At the heart of the matter lies a very simple explanation. The earliest believers in the church of Asia Minor wished to keep the observance of Easter in correlation to the Jewish Passover.

Because the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ happened after the Passover, they wanted Easter to always be celebrated subsequent to the Passover. And, since the Jewish holiday calendar is

based on solar and lunar cycles, each feast day is movable, with dates shifting from year to year. Now, from here the explanation grows more complicated.

The Long Answer

In actuality, the date of the Paschal Full Moon is determined from historical tables. As astronomers were able to approximate the dates of all the full moons in future years, the Western Christian Church used these calculations to establish a table of Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates. These dates would determine the Holy Days

on the Ecclesiastical calendar. By 1583 A.D. the table for determining the Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates was permanently established and has been used ever since to determine the date of Easter. Thus, according to the Ecclesiastical tables, the Paschal Full Moon is the first Ecclesiastical Full Moon date after March 20th So, in Western Christianity, Easter is always c e l e b r a t e d o n t h e S u n d a y immediately following the Paschal Full Moon. The Paschal Full Moon can vary as much as two days from the date of the actual full moon, with dates ranging from March 21 to April 18. As

At the centre of the book is

the most difficult of all

theological dilemmas: the

goodness of God and the

problem of evil. Where is

God in the midst of pain

and suffering? How can a

good God allow the kinds

of horrific evil that humans

and other creatures

experience? Why doesn’t

He do something to stop

it? Why does God seem so

unconcerned about

suffering and injustice?

Intense and complex,

these questions have

almost universal appeal.

The Shack was written by

a Christian father for his

children, to help them

understand his relationship

with God. William P. Young

explains that he never

intended to write a book,

but that this story became

the means of

communicating the real

conversations he had with

God and with friends and

family over several years.

Though the story is

fictional, it seems pretty

clear that Young’s claim

that the conversations

were “all real, all true”1 is a

claim that the words of

God found in this book are

true. Now, any work which

claims to record divine

speech needs to be read

carefully and critically.

Claims to speak for God

must be treated with

utmost seriousness.

A Review of The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity BOOK REVIEW

11

EDUCATION

A session at the Heritage Centre

The Heritage Centre presents the story of the New Testament Church of

God in England and Wales with reference to our global history. We collect,

preserve, catalogue, research and make accessible material produced by,

for and about our church mission and ministry in the UK for our corporate

learning, enhancement and celebration. We are committed to making these

resources accessible to our leaders and members and the wider community

in the interest of inter-generational learning and the value of learning from

history.

We are open to visitors by appointment on Thursdays 11am -7pm

New Testament Church of God

Leadership Training Centre

12

This area of ministry seeks to look after the physical and emotional needs of our church community and this last year has seen a few new initiatives like:

We Partnered with Premier Radio to" Feed the Hungry". Through The Storehouse ministry

we collected over 57 bags of food.

These parcels will be distributed throughout the year to families in need.

We are strengthening partnership relationships with other agencies working in the community and this will bring new opportunities for the church to become more outward facing.

Our visitation programme is building and this year we aim to focus on the particular needs of our seniors. Please let us know if you know of anyone who needs help.

You can also help by offering your time and

support in this area of ministry.

We offer emotional and sometimes financial support to people facing hardship. Naturally this area of support is not always visible but

necessary.

Continue to pray for this area of ministry and "get involved!”

SOCIAL ACTION - Paulette Peters

Things you always wanted to know about Easter

#3 Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns were traditionally served during the Lenten Season, especially on Good Friday. Their origins, however, like the Easter holiday, are a mix of pagan and Christian traditions. The Saxons worshipped Eostre, from which we get our word “Easter” as the goddess of dawn and spring. At the arrival of spring they celebrated a month-long festival in celebration of the transition from Winter to Spring. During this festival the Saxons made buns to offer the goddess. They marked the buns with a simple cross, to represent the four phases of the moon. When the Christians gained a firm foothold in Britain, their leaders banned the pagan Easter rites. But they soon discovered it was

more e f f ec t i ve t o g i ve t hem Christian symbolism rather than outright eliminate them. In 782 AD, they found a way to reinterpret some of the Pagan Easter rites into the Christian ones held at this same time of year. The meaning of the cross on the buns was reinterpreted to signify the Cross upon which Christ was crucified. Some historians date the origin of “Hot Cross Buns” as an Easter Tradition back to the 12th century. In 1361, an Anglican monk named Father Thomas Rocliffe, was recorded to have made small spiced cakes stamped with the sign of the cross, to be distributed to the poor visiting the monastery at St. Albans on Good Friday, known at that time as the “Day of the Cross.”. According to the scholar Harrowven,

the idea proved so popular that he made the buns every year, carefully keeping his bun recipe secret. Traditional hot cross buns contain flour, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, currants and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The cross on the top may be cut into the bun or made out of pastry strips. In America, the cross is often fashioned out of icing. According to tradition, “Hot Cross Buns” were the only food allowed to be eaten by the faithful on Good Friday. They were made from dough that had been kneaded for consecrated bread used at Mass or Holy Communion, and thus represented Christ’s body

13

CHILDREN’S PAGE

Children’s Ministries (ages 5 - 12) runs 2nd Sunday through to 4th Sunday at 11.00am

Please see Paulette Derby-Johnson for further information

14

To all you budding writers out there, it’s time to share your talents!

NTCG College Street is launching it’s first All Ages Writing Competition

We have chosen to make it interesting and relevant to everyone by presenting the following topic:

“If I could change one thing what would it be……..”

WANT TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE?

Please send all articles to Editorial Team via email: ntcgcollegest@btinternet.com

Editorial Team: Sandra Heath, Paulette Wright, Vivienne Welsh, Louis Wright

The Newsletter will be quarterly with the following deadlines:

Summer Edition - 25th June 2015 Autumn Edition - 25 September 2015

COMPETITION TIME

Simple Rules

Any age; no more than 500 words; can be an essay, a rap, a song, a poem, or

Prize

Registration at a National Event of your choice - or a choice of gift voucher.

Winning entry will be published in a future issue of ‘College Street Comms’

Email entries to ntcgcollegest@btinternet.com by deadline date of Sunday 10th

May 2015

15

EVENTS

Retired Pastors’ Retreat

Wed 20 - Thu 21 May 2015

52nd National Youth & CE Convention 2015

Fri 1 - Sun 3 May 2015

District Conference

Sat 29 - Sun 31 May 2015

Local Strategic Leadership Training

Sat 6 June 2015

An Audience with Delton Alford

Sat 13 June 2015

National Youth Leaders’ Seminar

Sat 20 June 2015

16

NTCG Northampton, College Street, Northampton, NN1 2QP

Pastor: Bishop Donnovan Allen

Treasurer: Susan Cuffy-Smith

Local Ministers Rev Ethline Henry, Rev Dennis Hines, Rev Virginia Thomas, Rev Phyllis Thompson

Members of the Church &

Pastor’s Council (CPC)

Gloria Bartley, Audrey Browne, Martin Cole, Courtney Johnson, Paulette Peters

CPC Secretary Annie Dzwaka

Church Administrator Mr Louis Wright

Sunday 19th April 2015 at 6pm NTCG College Street, Northampton

Divers kinds of Tongues &

Bishop Donnovan Allen