2nd HOPE champions meeting

The next HOPE champions meeting is on Thursday 5th June at Orchard Baptist (8pm). If you would like to be a HOPE champion for your church, let us know. If you would like to be a volunteer for the HOPE Town event on Saturday 30th August contact your HOPE champion (listed to the right of this post)

We will need a lot of people for the day to be a success and would encourage you to get involved, in whatever way you can. HOPE T-shirts can be found on the CPO address listed below the champions list. We would like each volunteer to get one...so order yours now to beat the rush & wear it to promote HOPE 08 in Colchester.

Sharers in the Promise

A message from Howard Gardner:

Sharers in the Promise is a presentation for Advent, and takes place on Saturday 29 November at St Botolph's Church. It is part-sponsored by SGBC and has its own planning group. It is a major event (two presentations, actually, so up to 800 people could see it) and really leads people (Christians and their non-Christian friends) into the Christmas season. The following day, 30 November, is Advent Sunday.

HOPE prayer room a success

More than 200 people from 18 church congregations took slots in the prayer room. Together we sustained 220 hours of prayer over 10 days.

"There is a real sense of the presence of God." Prayer Room user.

"I feel much clearer in my head in the prayer room." Prayer Room visitor.

Excitingly, many passersby left prayer requests on the church railings, that could then be taken into the prayer room and offered to God in prayer.

"Many thanks for setting up the 24/10 at St Peter's, and for leaving it so clean and tidy.
I was very conscious of the Lord's presence the times I spent there, and St Peter's felt it a privilege to host it." Rev Fred Woods, vicar of St Peter's Church congregation.

A great reflection on Hope, that I found had been composed in the prayer room;

Helping Hands
Open Doors
People receiving God's love
Exploring God's hope and grace/ Excitement and joy throughout the nation
Because of what Jesus did for us brings Hope to our lives now in 2008 and forever more.

Love Richard Smith

HOPE is around us

A message from Steph Neill:

"I saw these words on a 10 foot high poster in Cambridge:

"Everything you know is about to change. Hope has a new face."

It's the advert for the new Narnia film!"

Prayer Room News:

From Richard Smith:

The prayer room has now been the site of 7 days of prayer room, with many church congregations taking slots.

Visitors have commented on the sense of peace in the prayer room. But Magic, a visitor from Poland, also commented on the life he saw.

Passers by have taken the chance to hang prayers on the church railings. (These prayers are then brought inside and prayed).

Free slots in the prayer room are still avaiable on Saturday 12noon - 8pm. Please sign up for slots in the prayer room, St Peter's Church, North Hill.

Also please consider asking your church leader to support the Global Day of Prayer on Sunday 11 May. The Hope 2008 Colchester organisers are asking church congregations to say the Prayer for the World together at 11am on Sunday. For more info visit www.globaldayofprayer.com It's an awesome prayer! And amazing to be part of a prayer being said across the world.If you intend to join with this global prayer, please let marie@colchesterprayernet.co.uk know.Richard

HOPE updates

Hi, the minutes from the 1st HOPE Champion's meeting are available and if you'd like a copy, please email James: james_collitt@hotmail.co.uk

Also, a fantastic number of 18 churches have signed up for the 24/10 prayer room! There are still a couple of slots free, so get on board and contact Richard Smith: richard@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk

Eld Lane are hosting their HOPE on the streets day on Saturday 3rd May if you'd like to go along and support them.

St John's are hosting their community fun day under the HOPE banner on Monday 5th May. If you know someone who lives in that area, encourage them to go along.

A Modern Day Creed

Lord God, we believe that you are present

In the darkness before dawn,

In the waiting and uncertainty

Where fear & courage join hands

Conflict & caring link arms

Lord God, we believe you are with us,

You sit down in our midst

To share our humanity

Lord, affirm our faith

That takes us beyond the safe place:

Into action, into vulnerability

And into the streets

Lord, help us to work for change

And put ourselves on the line;

To bear responsibility, take risks,

Live powerfully and face humiliation;

To stand with those on the edge;

To choose life

And be used by the Spirit

For God's new community of HOPE

-Amen-

Other HOPE events

If your church or group has organised another HOPE event for this year, please let us know and we will add it to this blog for everyone's reference. Not only will this encourage other churches but it will enable Christians in Colchester to pray for your event.

Please pass on details to: james_collitt@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks!

HOPE Champion Meeting

Thursday 24th April 2008

8pm at Eld Lane in town. If you are a HOPE champion or interested in being one for your church/group, please come along. We will be discussing what we want to do for the joint HOPE community action day in August and what each church can contribute in terms of time, resources and man power. Come full of ideas and suggestions.

For more information, contact James Collitt: james_collitt@hotmail.co.uk

24/10 Prayer in Colchester

1st -10th May - St Peter's Church

Many people across the church are coming to together with the dream of seeing people reached by the love of Jesus Christ. This is HOPE 2008. We believe prayer is crucial to enable us to be guided by God, and to see fruit for His kingdom. You and your congregation can be part of a special prayer time to fuel HOPE 2008 in Colchester, and inspire our work together for His kingdom.

The vision is for a 24 hour Prayer Room runnning continuously for 10 days at St Peters Church, North Hill 1 – 10 May 2008, in the run up to the Global Day of Prayer 2008 on May 11.

This vision involves more continuous prayer than has been seen before in Colchester. It is pioneering but possible, if we work together. We need 19 church congregations to each commit to filling a 12 hour block of one hour slots. Please contact Richard for more information: richard@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk

What will the prayer room be like?

The prayer room will be available for all types of prayer to Jesus. So, a group may come and pray during one hour slot, or people may want to come on their own. People may want to pray in silence, or play music.

There will also be creative prayer activities in the prayer room. The prayer room can be a place of mission, too. It will be open to the public during the day, so that any interested people can come in and find out about prayer and about Jesus.

Each person who is booked into a slot will have the responsibility for looking after the prayer room. People who are in the prayer room at night should find another person to accompany them so they are not alone at night. There will be prayer room supervisors on call at all times.