Living by the Spirit in today's world |April 2 0 1 1

The Call Of The HeartMAGAZINE

Northbrook New Community Church

NorthbrookNew Community

ChurchMeet every Sunday 11 am- 3.30 pm

Welcome to Northbrook New Community Church

Part of reality-christianity registered charity: 1120219

…a fresh-expression church meeting people where they are.No set attendance times — we are open Sundays 10.30—3:00…

come when you like, stay as long as you like.No pews or rows of chairs — just around coffee—tables.Food all day … time to share, get to know one another.

No long “sermons” — only short informative “real-life” talks.We sing, contemporary songs — and you can just listen if you’d prefer

We’re set in the community of Northbrook & West Durringtonto serve that community, through sharing God’s love for all.

For our church love is an action, not just words.Our passionate vision for our community includes:

helping those in need; befriending the lonely;strengthening families; supporting people of all ages.

Our church is not a building, or a club … it is a family.We aim to envision, empower, and encourage our members

in their own faith-journey and in serving their community:being set “free-in-Christ”; being a loving family;

growing and sharing their faith; finding and using their gifts;leading fulfilled and fruitful lives.

In all of this we are equal!In "servant leadership" the leadership team serve you.

Whoever you are, whatever you’ve done — you are welcome.You are equally loved, your opinions respected and valued.

Our Vision at reality-Christianityseeks to help real people in the real world:

to reach out with God's love to our community:to love and support one another as God's family:

and to know and follow Christ better.

We believe a great commitment to the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-39)and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) grows a great church!

Respect …

I’m struck when I meet young people I know by the greeting I receive “Respect” or “Respect Man” … actually Ireally like it, I like it’s dual meaning: I respect you; please respect me.But respect is not just words: it’s actions. It’s how you actually treat people - not just how you say you will, orpromise to … but how you live that out.

Here’s a memory verse for you:1 Peter 2:17 Show respect for everyone and love your Christian brothers and sisters.A test: do you think people feel better or worse after being with you? do they feel inspired, valued, respected? ordiscouraged, diminished, unappreciated?Here are four tips that I try to follow - it may help you to see them as road-signs!

1.STOP – stop talking and listenYou see how well Jesus listened.Would people say you’re a really good listener? Do they get your full attention?Or are they silently thinking: “stop talking, stop advising, stop pontificating!

2.NO U-TURNWhen you tell people you’ll do such and such – then do it!! Jesus keeps all his promises. When people don’thonour their words – does that make you feel honoured and respected, or discounted and disrespected?!Prov 25:14 Like clouds and wind without rain, is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. Matt 5:37 Just letyour yes be yes, and your no be no.A lot of the time, when we break promises it’s because we didn’t think them through … So Prov 25:14 Goodplanning and insight fill you with life and bring you honour and respect.

3.GIVE WAYWhen other people want to be first, to get all the attention – what does that say about how they feel about thosearound them? But if somebody puts aside their own rights and puts you first – gives­way for you – you feel likeyou really matter, that they respect you.2 Cor 12:15 So I will gladly spend for you everything I have, and expend myself as well.(As a church we don’t have a collection … we feel that, if you really want to honour and respect God, and His workhere, then you’ll want to give without being asked).

4.SCENIC ROUTEOften the sign is on the high-speed main route, and you’re going so fast you almost miss it!It’s saying: “Why not slow down and take a look – you’ll be seeing much more if only you’ll take the time!” To showrespect, we need to slow down – to see what otherwise we might miss – to not be too busy for people: they aremore important than our schedule!!

Why not start each morning with the prayer “Lord help me to see and treat every person I meet today as you seeand treat them.!” Wow – what a difference that will make!

Steve and Karen Clayton

April 2011

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3Service

10Service

AttendersMeeting

17Service

24

Easter SundayBaptisms

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4Day time Reality

Group

11Day time

Reality Group

18Day time

Reality Group

25Day time Reality

Group

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5Reality Cafe

Exercise Class

12Reality Cafe

Exercise Class

19Reality Cafe

Exercise Class

26Reality Cafe

Exercise Class

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6Day Time Alpha

13Day Time Alpha

20Alpha

CelebrationLunch

27

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7Reality Cafe

Reality Group

14Reality Cafe

Reality Group

21Reality Cafe

Whole ChurchCelebration

28Reality Cafe

Reality Group

F1 8 15 22

Good Friday29

S2

PrayerEngine

9SHAPE

Refreshers day

16

Prayer Engine

23 30

Fit For LifeEvery Tuesday

7 pm - 9pm

Northbrook BarnSquadron Drive

Fit 4 Life Course 7-9 pmGet Fit with Amanda 8-9 pm

Dates for Your Diary

DAY EVENT

SUNDAY Fellowship and worship 10.30 -3.30 at Oak Grove College

MONDAY Daytime Reality Group - see Cala for details

TUESDAY Reality Cafe - 12.30 pm - 3pm, then Amanada's Exercise Class- (7 pm- 8pm) at the Northbrook Barn Squadron Drive.

WEDNESDAY Daytime Alpha - at 2 Rye Close 11.45 - 2 pm

THURSDAY Reality Cafe - 1pm - 3 pm at the Northbrook Barn also RealityGroups meetings in homes 7 pm

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

S H A P E day - Saturday 9th April 10.15-2.30 pmThis is a refresher day, for those who have attended the course previously - to update their spiritual giftassessment - or for those who have never attempted their spiritual assessment. Please see Karen for furtherdetails or put your name down.

Attenders Meeting Sunday 10th April - 1.30 pmThese are usually held on Thursday Evenings, but as we don’t have many opportunities to meet together onThursday’s we thought we would try holding the meeting on Sunday afternoon instead. Anyone whoattends any of our activities is welcome to come. Please let Steve or Karen have a note of anything you’dlike to see on the agenda.

Whole Church Celebration Thursday 21st April 7 pm

At Oak Grove this month will include a special dramatised version of the Easter Story - not to be missed.Everyone welcome

If you have any DVD’s, books or bowls(!) that belong to the church, that you haveFinished with, could you please return them. Thanks so much

With the benefit of grant funding and in collaboration with the AlternativeLearning Company (Shirley Steel) and Northbrook College, we have restartedthe Forward Club in the sp lendid premises of theFarmhouse Restaurant opposite the NorthbrookBarn Community Centre in Titnore Way.

Help is provided for your personal assessment andgoals, job searching via papers and the internet,motivational and training videos, invited speakersfrom local specialist agencies, and teambuilding allin a welcoming friendly and informal atmosphere.

The Forward Club is linked with the Cooperative development and will providea ‘preparation for work’ programme for all Cooperative members

You are very warmly invited to come along and try the Forward Club

Contact Mike Tyler for more information: Tel: 01903 242499Email: miketyler@aidfortrade.org.uk

Our tea m building a wa y day a tShoreham Outdoor Activ ity Centre

It's the blueprint for the church to be effectivein the world and to each other.

Acts 2:41-43

AuthenticFellowship

What is fellowship?In the New Testament it's described as

Koinonia

Meaning of Fellowship

The word has such a multitude of meanings that no single English word isadequate to express its depth and richness. It is a derivative of koinos, the wordfor common. Koinonia is a complex, rich, and thoroughly fascinating Greekapproach to building community or teamwork.

Koinonia embraced a strong commitment to Kalos k'agathos meaning "good andgood", an inner goodness toward virtue, and an outer goodness toward socialrelationships. In the context of outer goodness, translated into English, themeaning of koinonia holds the idea of joint participation in something withsomeone, such as in a community, or team or an alliance or joint venture. Thosewho have studied the word find there is always an implication of action includedin its meaning. The word is meaning-rich too, since it is used in a variety ofrelated contexts.

Sharing

Koinonos means a sharer' as in to share with one another in a possession heldin common. It implies the spirit of generous sharing or the act of giving ascontrasted with selfish getting. When koinonia is present, the spirit of sharingand giving becomes tangible. In most contexts, generosity is not an abstractideal, but a demonstrable action resulting in a tangible and realistic expression ofgiving.

In classical Greek, koinonein means "to have a share in a thing," as when two ormore people hold something, or even all things, in common. It can mean "goingshares" with others, thereby having "business dealings,” such as joint ownershipof a ship. It can also imply "sharing an opinion" with someone, and thereforeagreeing with him, or disagreeing in a congenial way. Only participation as acontributive member allows one to share in what others have. What is shared,received or given becomes the common ground through which Koinoniabecomes real.[Relationships

To create a bond between each other is the meaning of koinonia when peopleare recognized, share their joy and pains together, and are united because oftheir common experiences, interests and goals. Fellowship creates a mutualbond which overrides each individual’s pride, vanity, and individualism, fulfillingthe human yearning with fraternity, belonging, and companionship. This meaningof koinonia accounts for the ease by which sharing and generosity flow. Whencombined with the spiritual implications of koinonia, fellowship provides a jointparticipation in God’s graces and denotes that common possession of spiritualvalues

Like all things fellowship takes time to develop. Its about what you build thefoundation of relationships upon. If you start trying to build on a picture ofperfection or what you see is the right way to do it, you will never get to see thevery best in fellowship. Many times it gets swallowed up by everyone trying tobuild what they want out of it. But like any building project you need goodfoundations to start it off. And the best place to look for those foundations is in thescriptures, especially in Acts as we see the template of true fellowship as we readthe book of Acts 2 verses 41-43.

They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added [unto them]in that day about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the

apostles` teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. Andfear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the

apostles.

Once a believer accepts Christ it is very important to then move on and to be partof the body of Christ. By moving on we learn by the apostles teachings. Getting toknow His word and living a life led by the spirit is key to fulfilling our individualscalling on life. And key to that is fellowship, without fellowship it is hard to getthe encouragement and the support to learn about how amazing the new live inChrist will be. By meeting with others in fellowship it brings something veryspecial into your relationship with Christ. True fellowship is a place where you canfeel completely free and secure amongst others that have only your best interests atheart.

It’s when we are in this environment we begin to see the true relationship that Godwants us to be. By being in this relationship we begin to build our lives on firmfoundations. Then we can be ready to go deeper with God and with each other. Iam so often amazed at people think that something is going to work first timewhen they have not even surveyed the ground on which they are building. Thesame is true of groups at the early stages of growth. The key thing to remember isthat there has to be trust and honesty. And early on there has to be a commitmentto not sharing about others outside of that meeting group, or else there will only befoundations that are built on sand and that is a recipe for disaster. So it good to getall to agree on this and to move on to building on foundation that are sure andsteadfast. There where the building blocks come into being. Those blocks are thegifts amongst the room and to find out them only comes from relationship.

Every successful group exists because of the gifting's in the group and how theyoperate in a team. I have found that as a individual feel there feet in a group theyuse there gifts to benefit others. So just imagine your group operating this waywhat would it look like?

Here is a suggestion to how a group operates in such a manner,

1. Leads 2. Facilitates 3. Hosts 4. Prayer Journalist 4. Worship

5. Events Coordinator 6. Interceder 7. Communicator.

Leaders set the programme, Facilitators set the scene and pace, Hosts welcome theguests. Prayer journalist records the prayer needs. Worship Leader prepares theworship style and time. Events Coordinator sets the calendar of events. Intercessorkeeps the prayer needs flowing in the group. Communicator does the newsletter.

This is only a suggestion and you may find one or two may do more than onegift at the same time. If each group could operate in such a manner just

imagine how powerful that group would be in witnessing to the world theKingdom of God.

It’s About BuildingThe Right Foundations

Written By Kevin Hussey

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Some of us have started playing badminton on a Wednesdayevening at the Worthing Sports Centre in Shaftesbury Avenue -

usually at 8.00pm

It s good fun and can help you keep fit!

Why not give it a go - men and women welcome!

Contact for timing: Mike Tyler on 01903 242499

A key part of our mission is to be salt and light in our community. With high and rising unemployment inWorthing, we believe now is a very good time to start an initiative to provide affordable local work for localpeople.Cala Varga, has been appointed Administrator for the Cooperative and is busy recruiting people interestedin part time paid or voluntary work.

We are planning to recruit and start three teams:

Housework Team , Gardening Team and a Catering Team

Work has started to explore possible service contracts with local housing and other agencies and theCooperative will also offer an affordable workforce for residents. A great way to meet and chat to newpeople, which will open opportunities to share your faith- to gossip the Gospel!

Work preparation for those interested in the Cooperative will be provided by the Forward Club, which meetsThursdays 10.30am to 12.30pm in the Farmhouse Restaurant, Titnore Way

So, you are very warmly invited to:

Contact: Cala on 0785503566 Email: cala5000@hotmail.co.uk

PRAYER ENGINE

April’s5th and 19th

Ed’s & Di’s12 Melvile Way

9.30 - 10.30PRAYERWALL

CHURCH

A free co urs e is b ein g p la nn ed for an yon e inter ested to ga in an o fficia l Foo dS a fety and Hy gien e C ert ificate, to add to y our cv and enab le you to work in th eC om m u n ity ca fé or in o th er cater in g w ork .

T h is tr a in in g w ill b e p rov id ed by th e Forward C lu b(W h ich m eets Th ursd ays 1 0.30 to 1 2.30 Thu rsda ys in th eF arm hou s e R estau ran t ), Th e s hort t ra in in g cours e w ill b eco nd u cted ’on lin e’ - don’t worry it’s n ot d ifficu lt a nd h elpis p rov id ed

S o, com e a lon g to th e F orw ard C lub ify ou ar e inter ested to tak e th is cours e orco nta ct M ik e Ty ler (Tel: 019 03 2 424 99 )fo r furth er in form at ion

VERSE OF THE DAYwww.ktcoth.com

HIDDEN RAIN

Karen would also like to see current cafe stafftaking part if they need to.

Many of you have attended day courses held at Micklepage. So will have an idea of the place. It’s anold farmhouse and barn, owned by a Christian charitable trust, and let out mainly to church groups.It can accommodate a maximum of 26 people - although this would sometimes mean people sharingso there may actually be fewer able to stay. However, Micklepage is only a half hour drive away sosome may wish to come up during the day instead of sleeping over.

An estate agent would probably describe the property as ‘Rustic but homely and the price reflectsthis!! There would be a charge of £25 per adult and £10 per child staying over and £10 per day forDay Visitors.

The theme of our visit will be ‘Living in the flow of the Holy Spirit’ Please see Steve or Karen forfurther details, and Karen to put your name down. A deposit of £10 per adult will be required toensure your place, and full advance payment by 30th April will be needed.

We all know, don't we, that weight loss depends on what we eat and how much exercise we take! Thedifficulty about losing weight is that most diets and weight loss programmes do not lead to sustained weightloss. The challenge for us all if we want to lose weight, is that we must really want toand be willing to make the effort to change our lifestyle a bit, which will be tough!

God asks us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20...

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whois in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

In other words, as Christians we owe it to God to make the Temple He gave us a healthy and holy place for HisSpirit to dwell!

A group of men are getting together Sunday from time to time, to encourage each other to lose weight. Theneed is pretty evident for most of us and individual needs, some with doctors advice is to lose between 7lbsand 3 stone! Goals are being set and a prize anticipated for the winner!

A larger group of our ladies are meeting weekly to tackle weight loss through the excellent ChristianFit for Life course, followed by a work out sessions led by Amanda.

So perhaps this whole weight loss thing has a number oflinked steps:

So, how are you doing in our battle against the flab?MCT

When we got baptised last year I thought that I had made it as a Christian. A few months ago Roddyand I got told we had to leave our flat. We both thought we were going to be there forever, at first Ithought it would not be a problem as God would help us to find somewhere else

As the weeks went on I really started doubting the Lord thinking he wasn't going to help us. Then Istarted to do things under my own strength. Because I let the devil get to me, everything started togo very wrong. I got very uptight and angry I thought God had abandoned me.

We looked at a few flats one in particular we liked, but being stubborn I wanted something which Ithought would be better than anything we had yet seen. We kept looking with no joy but all the timeGod was trying to tell me where to go but until my home group pointed this out to me I did notrealise what God was showing me, so after looking and getting more stressed we went back to thefirst one checking that it was still available. So we excepted this one. What I am trying to tell you allis that God leaves you, he is always there in good times and bad times. God never fails us so trustin him always.

Article shared by June

Easter SundayWe are thrilled to announce two baptisms to take place on the afternoon ofEaster Sunday - if you wpuld like to come forward for baptism too, thenplease speak to Steve

Marriage Course Friday evenings 13th May - 1st June

This is a course designed for all married couples, wishing to build a strong andlasting relationship, covering topic such as the art of communication, resolvingconflict, the power of forgiveness etc. Each couples privacy is respected asthere is no group discussion. This is an excellent course - even Steve learn’tsomething!!!!!! See Karen for Further details and put your name down.

2 Rye Close

Sunday ChurchCelebration’s

Sundays at reality

Let’s face it, modern life is full and complicated …. Sowe want to provide a time and a space and a feel thatis flexible… Come when you like, as you are, stay as

long as you like

Above all you will be made welcome and at home…regardless of what you do or don’t believe about faith.

For much of the day we are able just to sit, talk andeat together … it’s about getting to know, then care

about, each other. We aim to grow … and to have fun!

There are some structured sessions: a few songs, ashort talk …. addressing practical “real—life” issues.

There are also interactive self—development “seminars”… on subjects such as self—esteem, anger, debt … And

you get to help decide future programmes!

11.30 -15.30 pm

We Meet At Oak Grove CollegeIn the grounds of Durrington High School

The Boulevard

Northbrook New Community Church