MBC Blog
5QN Advent Adventures
December 19th, 2011 at 11:11am
Katie Backler reports back after a hugely successful afternoon of advent craft
A few weeks ago the large hall was transformed into a buzzing mass of adults and children making the most incredible array of advent crafts. There was something to suit everyone… nativity mobiles, crackers, candles, fimo jewellery, biscuit decorating to mention a few. There was the chance for adults to have a yarn over a cuppa and mince pie or sing along to their favourite Christmas song!
Loads of friends came and joined us which was hugely encouraging – they loved it and had a blast.
5QN is all about building community with those around us and introducing people to Jesus….we came a bit closer to that vision in doing this.
If you would like to find out more about 5QN please visit the mbc website or email Katie at katie@mbc.org.uk.
Katie
MBC Christmas Market 2011
November 29th, 2011 at 9:51am
Last Saturday Restore held our first ever Christmas market at Central Hall. We had a fantastic day with a great buzz in the church for the 4 hours as both church and community members browsed on the various stalls from local traders selling jewellery and artwork to our bric-a-brac, cake and bookstalls provided by donations from church members so thank you very much as well as for everyone who came on the day. The pile in the crush hall grew massively in the week running up to the market for which all funds raised went towards Just Christmas. This combined with donations from traders and members of the public helped us to raise over £500. This is enough provide a Dalit family with economic security for life and help fund the Pass the Baton scheme with the Bethany Christian Trust on top of that. For more information on these projects visit www.justchristmas.org.uk!
At Restore we are focusing on working with and in the community of Tollcross. This market proved a great opportunity to meet people, whether off the street shopping or traders who came to sell their wares. Many people were excited to see inside our church and hopefully this will lead to further partnerships with the community into the future.
The Tollcross Christmas lights are being turned on this Tuesday at 6pm outside 2 Thin Laddies across the road from Central Hall so if you’re in the area and feel like some mulled wine and carol singing please pop by. The event includes performances from Tollcross Primary School Choir as well as both a brass band and a samba band and the lights are being turned on by Alexander McCall-Smith.
Simon
(If you are interested in joining Restore and our work with the community of Tollcross please drop me an email at simon.steele@hotmail.co.uk)
November 24-7. Brilliant.
November 11th, 2011 at 4:22pm
Well last week marked our first venture back into 24-7 prayer since relocating to Central Hall. Participation throughout the week was brilliant and by the end precious few slots went unfilled (even the silly o’clock ones!). Well done church!
The room itself was amazing thanks to the creativity of a committed team who did a wonderful job of transforming what was once a graveyard for office furniture into an inspiring prayer space. In case you couldn’t make it along, see for yourself, check out some of the photos!
Coming off the back of what’s been a hugely blessed week of prayer for us, here’s an encouragement from Eddie:
I wonder what your experience has been in the 24-7 prayer room this week? For many the prayer room has been just the catalyst to stop “doing” for a while and instead to practice just “being”, being in the presence of God.
Remember, when we pray it doesn’t change who God is but it does enable Him to change who we are. We understand a little more of what it means to glorify Him in all aspects of life. We allow the balance to shift from our tendency to depend on ourselves to having an increased dependency on Him. We glimpse some more of Father’s love for those He has created but who don’t yet know who He is. Let’s keep encouraging and enthusing each other on this trajectory of dependence on God. After all He has an infinite, unending store of grace, joy, hope, purpose, love, direction and power to lavish on us. Do you know all we have to do to receive it?
Just ask, that’s it, just ask.
Another week of 24-7 may have ended but lets keep praying and seeking His face! COME ON!
Eddie
24/7 Prayer Week
October 27th, 2011 at 2:45pm
The 24/7 prayer week commences at midnight on this coming Sunday 30 October.
This is a great opportunity for coming together to worship God, to listen to Him and cry out to Him for those we are seeking to love and introduce to Jesus through our lives and in our MEs. Now that we have a larger space, as well as enabling individual use, it is much more possible to have groups together in the room, whether small groups or entire MEs.
The room has been creatively set up to inspire prayer and to enable responses in many different ways.
In the past we have all been so encouraged too at having children in the room and seeing their innocent and yet profound worship as the Holy Spirit speaks through them. Please do take this opportunity to pray together. There is something special about the togetherness of a commitment to pray for our city.
Sign up is easy, just go to www.mbc.org.uk/247/login and follow the instructions. The week starts off with a corporate time of prayer on the evening of Sunday 30 October from 9pm-midnight, again please think about spending some time there. I love Epaphras’ example of ‘wrestling in prayer’ for others (Colossians 3) which signifies real effort on his part. It is a reminder too that prayer is very much for our benefit as it enables us to grow in our dependence on Father God and experience more of the fullness of life He has for us.
So … is it a sacrifice to spend time in the prayer room? Yes
Is it worth it? Absolutely!
Looking forward to hearing your stories from the week.