The Baby Jesus Among Neighbors in Need

This article by Will Willimon may have been written for Methodists in Alabama but I think it captures pretty well what Soul Purpose Christmas was all about

SP Christmas dinner

SP Christmas dinner
Originally uploaded by Sundornvic

A little bit of live action for you - all pics and videos courtesy of the Rev Salmon. Thanks Mark!

Even enjoying the washing up!

Even enjoying the washing up!
Originally uploaded by Sundornvic

I love the fact that we all can be servants

Christmas dinner for 100+

Christmas dinner for 100+
Originally uploaded by Sundornvic

Some pics of Soul Purpose Christmas

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (25th)

For everything on the day to be fun and for those staying till the end clearing up that even that will be done well and with good humour!

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (24th)

Ask God that everyone who intends to come will be able to make it on the day and not be worried

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (23rd)

Today a team will be decorating the hall, ask God that this will be fun for all

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (22nd)

Please pray that the event speaks to people about the love of Jesus

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (21st)

We will give going home bags to each guest, please ask God that they will speak to our guests about the real meaning of Christmas

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (20th)

Please pray for the cooking teams, especially Steve Clarkson and Angela Robinson

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (19th)

Please pray that on the day guests and delegates will mix and mingle well from the start and good relationships built

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (18th)

There will be early preparation of food and vegetables, ask God to be with those serving in this way

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (17th)

There will be lots of equipment in use, please pray that everything works - all the time!

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (16th)

Please pray for the older children that this will be a special Christmas day and for the team who will be serving them

Good news spreads

So today I get a call from a lady called Sam who works at the hospital and gets business to give gifts to her patients who are in hospital over Christmas (good stuff), and anyway somehow she heard about us and wants to give the surplus to Soul Purpose Christmas. Fantastic.

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (15th)

There will also be a toddler team, please pray that this will be lots of fun and for energy for the team

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (14th)

We will be providing a creche, please pray that all the little ones will settle and for those looking after them

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (13th)

Pray for safety for everyone involved

This is Christmas

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (12th)

Thanks God for all the delegates and families taking part on Christmas Day

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (11th)

Please ask God for any publicity of the event to be positive and honouring to Jesus

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (10th)

Please pray for the steering group (Si, Fi, Mark, Martin, Verity and Phil) to maintain energy and get everything organised

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (9th)

There are decorations to make and presents to wrap, pray that this will be a fun time for those taking part

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (8th)

People will be preparing food in advance, ask God that they will be blessed in their work

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (7th)

Thank God for all those involved in whatever way, large and small and pray that being involved would be a great blessing to each one

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (6th)

Thank God for the provision of finances so far and that the whole event would be funded

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (5th)

We're asking supermarkets for donations and support. Please pray for favour and a generous response from them

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (4th)

It would be great to have a good age range of guests - children to seniors. Please pray for this

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (3rd)

Ask God for good contacts and favour with Social Services and other organisations

Prayer for Soul Purpose Christmas (2nd)

2nd Please pray that those guests would reply in good time

Soul Purpose Christmas Launch

So the launch was great, and the interest shown has been amazing. Really encouraged by the way so many people are backing our crazy ideas. We're on the hunt now for a massive turkey...or perhaps just one pig like this would be enough...

Ed and Becky, what stars

I found this video from a while ago...

Soul Purpose Christmas

I get the feeling God is speaking to me about Soul Purpose Christmas. I'm reading a book from Lent 2006, so not Christmas at all. Here's what I've read:

"Let's return for a moment to Christmas giving. I described it earlier as a feast of mutual delight in exchange of gifts within the circle of family or friends. But there is something very one-sided about celebrating Christmas only by ritually enacting a community of joyous giving and receiving. Though such a loving community is an earthly good on par with any other, in a world of massive and unrelenting need, it's positively sinful for such communities to remain turned inward. The gifts should not just circulate within the community to delight its members. They should also flow to outsiders to alleviate their needs...

...It [Christmas] should be a feast of giving to those outside the circle, a small contribution helping to align the world of sin and need with the coming world of love...Gifts should therefore chiefly flow out to the needy; they shouldn't largely circulate among friends." (emphasis mine)

From Miroslav Volf's 'Free of Charge' p 73-75

More pictures

Updated the photo album - see links to the right. Thanks to the Rev Salmon for those!

Soul Purpose Monday Worship

This was the recording from BBC Radio Shropshire's recording of our Monday morning worship. It's well edited from over an hour to 23 minutes. It's first up, listen here (you'll need the BBC iPlayer)

How Christians live....

"It is the Christians, O Emperor, who have sought and found the truth, for they acknowledge God. They do not keep for themselves the goods entrusted to them. They do not covet what belongs to others. They show love to their neighbours. They do not do to another what they would not wish to have done to themselves. They speak gently to those who oppress them, and in this way they make them their friends. It has become their passion to do good to their enemies. They live in the awareness of their smallness. Every one of them who has anything gives ungrudgingly to the one who has nothing. If they see a travelling stranger, they bring him under their roof. They rejoice over him as over a real brother, for they do not call one another brothers after the flesh, but they know they are brothers in the Spirit and in God. If they hear that one of them is imprisoned or oppressed for the sake of Christ, they take care of all his needs. If possible they set him free. If anyone among them is poor or comes into want while they themselves have nothing to spare, they fast two or three days for him. In this way they can supply any poor man with the food he needs. This, O Emperor, is the rule of life of the Christians, and this is their manner of life."

- Aristides 137 AD, taken from Jesus for President, by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haws, p232

Soul Purpose Christmas

During Soul Purpose Sunday, we floated an idea to host a big Christmas Day bash and invite people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day to come along. So far the idea has met with positive response. Today in the book I'm reading, I read this:

"Every culture has particular ways of eating. Some folks eat with chopsticks: others sit on the floor. In India we ate with our right hands. How do Christians eat? Christians eat with poor folks, with the outcast, the marginalized, and the excluded - all who were never invited to anyone else's party."

From 'Jesus for President' by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haws, p241

Soul Purpose: Day 3

Confession: This is written the afternoon following the morning after the night before....

Soul Purpose has finished for a...I was about to write another year, but as Soul Purpose Christmas may yet happen I should be careful. The morning worship was recorded by BBC Radio Shropshire (I'll add the link when it's on the net) and led by Verity Lowe and Fi Iddon. Maggie Kelly spoke clearly and thoughtfully on sharing hope with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

The weather was much better than on Day2 and the afternoon projects went down a storm, more gardens cleared, more rubbish removed, more fun days and drop ins held, and the gross things discovered was 'only' a fridge full of mouldy chips and some mossy girls pants.

The evening was incredible, including the 110 delegates and the 50 or so helpers and leaders, there were over 400 people at the Church of the Holy Spirit! It was packed with so many families having a really good time, the atmosphere was great and there were 50-60 young people outside having a crazy game of football and hanging around chatting and chilling out.

It was spoilt somewhat at the end by a group of young people refusing to move on from the church grounds and then going to a near car pack and vandalising the car of one our helpers. Windscreen smashed and damaged. It was great to then 'pray for those who persecute you'.

It was humbling to receive along with the rest of the steering group a standing ovation from 100+ young people who we admire and respect SO highly. We were speechless.

So, there were some challenges and there are some things to think about it and learn and improve on for next year, as I guess there always will be. But so far the verdict seems clear: This was the best Soul Purpose ever!

Soul Purpose: Day 2

Perhaps 11.21pm is not the best time to write a brief account of the day, but what a day. I've already posted Joel Preston's outstanding talk from this morning on this blog, the service was great. Gareth LeLong-McKean and band led us in worship well, Joel spoke compellingly, we were ready for the afternoon.

The weather was pretty poor all day, with constant rain but every team was impeccable in their attitude and approach. They worked hard, made great progress in their projects and continued to have an impact on a watching community. Conversations with old school friends, thank you cards, another great teenage drop in, gross things found (and kissed Mick Claes!). It never ceases to amaze me how resilient the spirit is when you know you're doing the right thing.

However that spirit was tested in the evening, it was disruptive - but we ploughed on. It was a learning experience but the amazing thing was, that God moved and we'll see what happens tomorrow as the dust settles and we hear all that has happened, but it seems some lives were impacted by what was heard and that was what it was all about.

Roll on Day 3...

Overflowing with hope

This is a great talk by Joel Preston at this morning's Soul Purpose Sunday

Soul Purpose - Day 1

Well Day 1 of Soul Purpose is quite literally over. There are always things, you think you can do better but on the whole it was a great day. We had the largest number of delegates (110 young people), and a team of over 50 leaders and helpers. The fun day was possibly our biggest ever with around 250 members of the local community coming - plus an RAF helicopter (I'll add images as soon as I can) and owls and pet shows. 30 teenagers at the first drop in and loads (hard to count) at the family disco. As an annual event it just keeps growing.

We were the best organised we'd ever been and the worship this morning was passionate and the teaching serious and clear.

Down at Ditherington and at Harlescott Grange the teams continued to amaze with their hard work as garden after garden was transformed. People were continually coming to ask me if we could help with those. It seems that in one small area of life, (sorting gardens) people are turning to the Church first. One day that will not be the extent of it - but in relationships, parenting, debt and most importantly direction of life now and eternally. Just great.

Tomorrow is gathered worship at NSCC, projects, the Try the Polish gig and I'm giving a short Gospel talk. Should be exciting.

SP08

Seeing lives changed

Last Sunday, across 21 churches in the West Midlands over 80 people made the decision to get right with God and follow Jesus. 80. Not in China, or Africa or America but here. In my own church, a guy who'd only been to our church for the first time the previous week gave His life to Christ. I asked him, 'how do you feel?' - 'I feel new!' That's exciting. So exciting that the angels started celebrating and haven't stopped yet. Just think, this coming Sunday night - it could be your friend that gives the angels a reason to party. It could be your friend who has their eternal destiny changed, who will never be the same again, who could be made new. Don't be afraid, instead be bold, (if you're looking for inspiration read the prayer of the believers in Acts 4:23-31) and see what God will do.

Do good works...

I don't believe you get to heaven by doing good works, but I also don't believe we can know how to live on earth without them. God saves us by His grace and then calls us to work for His kingdom.

Soul Purpose is a brilliant, God given opportunity to put our faith into action. This afternoon I was out assessing some of the core projects and so this year we get to:

• Create a better garden for 2 year old Melissa who has Downs Syndrome, who feeds through a tube into a stomach and has to see a heart specialist regularly but who is a real bundle of mischief and joy
• Help an elderly couple (Mr & Mrs Glover) return their garden to the 'English country garden' you can see it used to be. Mr Glover is recovering from a stroke and Mrs Glover just can't manage the work
• Give Julie (in a wheelchair) a new looking hallway, full of light and freshly painted
• Help Tom, who has Parkinsons, and his wife Pam sort out their back yard and get rid of the stuff he can no longer use or lift
• Help Margaret, who suffers with arthritis, recover the jungle of her garden from the invading waist high army of nettles
• Help a small church redecorate their hall for the children and young people they serve
• Create afternoons of laughter and fun for families that need a bright spot in their bank holiday weekend
• Remove litter that degrades the community and insults the Creator
• Turn wilderness into places of beauty

That's not simply a great weekend, that's hope bringing, that's action that is filled with the potential of being eternally significant. That's a God glorifying mix of worship, prayer, mission and action that for a short while demonstrates the beauty and power and hope that is only found in the church. Can't wait, can you?

Teenage affluenza is spreading fast.

Don't become a victim! Save yourself now...

Letter to the SPers

Greetings Potential SPers
I have been unbelievably bad at getting these Soul Purpose emails out so apologies. However everyone else has been unbelievably bad at getting signed up so I'm owed like, you know like, a thousand apologies from you all.

It's slightly shocking to realise that Soul Purpose starts in just 30 days time!! So get signed up, like YESTERDAY! Seriously now, in case you haven't quite caught on to my point and some of you are a little bit slower on the uptake than Simon Iddon is to do any real work, but really GET SIGNED UP. The capitals is like shouting, just to make my point.

We have some great projects coming on board for everyone to tackle including all the usual fun stuff of fun days, street cafes, litter picking, BBQs, gardening, teenage drop ins, and transforming our urban landscape (that's painting murals)! Oh yes plus pumping your bows, painting your faces, dancing till your legs fall off, eating a lot, walking around in the prized possession that is the SP08 T-shirt, making new mates from other churches. And there's more - awesome worship, inspiring teaching and life changing prayer. Why would you be anywhere else?

Here are some key things you need to know and some things you need to do:

SIGN up. (I'm a bit shouty today, sorry)
May 2nd there's prayer for Soul Purpose and the Noise in Bayston Hill at HTMB - get along to it on the Friday night. Find Corinne Ashton on Facebook and ask her for more info. So Pray. Please. Lots.

Here's another thing to pray about - on the Sunday night by popular demand TTP are doing another gig since the awesome night last year. We're also going to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. So if you have a friend you'd like to hear this amazing news, that is an amazing opportunity. We'd really love it if there was loads of non-Christian young people there from all over Shrewsbury because we believe there will fewer by the end of the night. That's not because we're going to do anything nasty to them but because we believe they'll want to follow Jesus by the time they leave. How awesome would that be?!
So be bold, take your fear in both hands and shove it in a bag , then go out and invite your mates. Here's the deal, free food, great music, two different but equally relevant stories of the difference Jesus makes and then a short talk on 'why you're a fool not to follow Jesus' or some other catchy title that I haven't thought of yet. In my own church we're seeing people give their lives to Christ this year more than ever and it's so great. Do not miss this chance - invite your friends.

Sign UP. (Say it with me now, quiet 'sign' really loud 'UP'. Oh yeah.)

Pass this email on to everyone you know, plaster it all over the place. Hassle your church leaders to pray for it and support it.

We want this year to be bigger, bolder, brighter (well not the T-shirts they're still Black, White or Grey) and better than ever. It quite honestly won't be the same without you. Let's bust a 100 and make it a weekend with effects that will last eternity.

See you there
Phil

Small steps to a different life

Just wanted to update people - in my last post I mentioned Julie and how much meeting her impacted me. Well last night, our church had a Bingo and chips night (brilliantly attended with over 100 there) and Julie was among them, with her daughter and grandson. One of the members of our church volunteered to be put on her car insurance and came, picked them up and took them to the event. It was just good for her to be out and doing something normal. It wasn't a huge thing, no miracles, just ordinary people doing ordinary things and including those who for whatever reason would otherwise have been excluded. Who knows where it will end? I hope it will lead to changed lives...

The need for hope bringers is still there

On Tuesday I went down to Ditherington to take part in the Council organised Pride in Shrewsbury initiative. They had organised a litter pick and rubbish removal day and I decided to tag along and see how the families we had helped during the last Soul Purpose were getting on. Some are doing, some gardens are still clear and show signs of being cared for, others are back to the state they were in - that's quite depressing.

But I had my heart-broken, as I met Julie again. For the last two years we have Julie by doing some work in her garden. We'll definitely make it three in a row. Julie is in a wheelchair having had both legs and one arm amputated. Before I say anything else, that is more suffering and pain than I can comprehend. Her husband Mike made appearances on the last two Soul Purpose DVDs saying how much he appreciated our help. Mike was diagnosed with cancer last May just before the last Soul Purpose. Mike died in October. Julie has a car outside which can take her wheelchair but she has no-one to drive it. The only place she gets to go out to, is the hospital. Think about that.

So, I'm going to give Julie a copy of the Soul Purpose DVD because her husband is on it and it's a good memory. We're going to help Julie, decorate her hall, tidy up her garden and we're going to drive her to the evening events (if she feels able to come) so she can be out.

I don't know of any organisation on earth other than the church of Jesus Christ that can offer hope to Julie and others like her, but if we do nothing nothing will change. Jesus said the banquet of the kingdom of God is open to the crippled and the lame, they are not excluded they are invited but it is the task of the disciples of Jesus to go out into the highways and byways and find those who are excluded and invite them to the banquet of the King.