Direction: A Simple Revelation

April 14^th 2024 (Week 65)

John 14: 1-13

I don’t know about you but I’ve always had a pretty good sense of direction, unlike my wife who can easily get lost in her hometown! So, I’ve rarely if ever been really lost on a journey. I have driven to both ends of Great Britain and down to the southernmost tip of Spain and can’t recall (though my wife probably will!) any occasion when I’ve been well and truly lost.

I do remember, however, driving around the Arc de Triumph in Paris at about midnight and being unable to get off the roundabout circling the huge monument due to six or eight lanes of considerable traffic doing its best to make me a resident Parisian. I can’t think how many times I drove around that roundabout trying to exit the merry-go-round.

Unfortunately, at times life can be a bit like that. Before becoming a Christian I spent many years going around in circles, never really sure of what I was doing or where I was heading. The only identifiable goal I had was to accumulate wealth. I never achieved it and after years of trying I was beginning to feel like a dog chasing its tail, round and round and round. It’s an all too familiar picture that we see so often in people’s aimless lives today.

Despite having one of those life-changing conversions that it was impossible to ignore (no, I didn’t see flashing lights or anything else like that, I just heard God very clearly saying that He was now in charge of the life which I’d so spectacularly messed up) I still suffered - and occasionally still do – the anxiety of not quite knowing what it was that God wanted me to do with my life. Bearing in mind that He has given me precisely what I have always wanted – to be a writer – I’ve still agonised over the sort of work I should be doing and where I’m going with it all. My prayer life for quite some time seemed to focus on my life and work and where God was taking me with it. What did He want me to do?

Now I know I’m not alone in this. Seeking God’s will and direction is, after all, a major Christian pastime. Ignoring it when offered is probably another. I confess I’m guilty of that too. After all, why would God want me to proclaim his word?

I’m sure God was reaching the point of total despair with me when again I asked, one morning, Lord, where are you taking me with all this? I didn’t quite hear an audible sigh, but I certainly sensed him saying, “I’m taking you to heaven, and nothing else matters”.

And if that doesn’t liberate I can’t imagine what will.

Prayer: Father, thank you that you have already prepared a place in heaven for us. Help us to remember that each day.

Neil Bromage, 14/04/2024

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and when

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our worship leader. We typically have two songs followed by a children's slot. The children and youth will then normally go off to their respective groups. If you have children you will be able to spot and speak to one of the leaders - they will be wearing a bright yellow t-shirt! There will usually be a time of prayer and communion. We normally have another time of sung worship followed by a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

When our team is available we serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 12pm, after the service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

sunday services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids/teens:

Creche - from approx. 6 months to 5 years (decided on a child by child basis)
Limitless Kids (4/5 - 11/12 years)
Limitless Youth (school years 7-11)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for two worship songs and the “Kids slot” and then go to creche or Limitless Kids. Limitless Youth may go out at the same time as the children but sometimes stay in the service to take communion before going to their class. Children can be picked up by parents after the service ends (but not before 12pm).

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a couple of groups that meet every week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to Join a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries and regularly support various missionaries who are part of the Elim Missions work:

Toddlers & Co weekly group
Foodbag provision
Open Doors Team
Church in the Cafe
Youth Community Outreach

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at the church.

Best Wishes
The Gatehouse Church Team

About us

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you. (*Mandatory Fields)

*Name:

Telephone:

*Email Address:
*Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.