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EditorEditor in Chief 


Sunday September 15th 2024 (week 79)
 
 
John 15: 1-17   
 
Despite working in the media for many years and editing other people`s work from time to time I've often wondered what exactly an “editor in chief” is.
 
I've spent many hours editing my own work and I confess to quite enjoying the process. I've also edited other people's writing, even that of well-qualified academics and teachers, who despite their knowledge and experience seem to have real difficulty when it comes to communicating through the written word.
 
I remember one very pleasing example (yes, that's a smug look you can see on my face right now!) when a friend and former English teacher came to me in despair, needing to edit a piece of work down from about twelve hundred words to a required six hundred. She had tried but couldn't get it below one thousand words. Believe me when I say I have never reached for a red pen quite so quickly! I then delivered her six hundred words and she couldn't quite see what I'd edited out.
 
It is much harder when it comes to my own work. Writers all have purple patches, those moments when the words and story seem to flow across the page with ease, so much so that you simply can't stop, can't wait to see how it's all going to end, whether in fact, the hero will overcome….a bit like right now really. Then that process of sifting what's good and not so good begins. The problem then is, we struggle to cut out the purple patches, convinced that they are the very best bits of the writing. Sometimes it's what we think are the best bits that we really must prune in order to make the whole complete.
 
Life's a bit like that too. It needs editing and pruning to produce the very best fruit. And that's where we need our editor-in-chief, God, to do the work. He is ready and able to edit out of our lives everything that hinders us. I confess that often when my own work has been edited by others I've been left thinking that they edited the best bits out and the final work wasn't as good as what I'd delivered. But we can be certain that God will edit out the unhelpful stuff of our lives and that the end result when published in heaven will be a magnum opus, the best work our lives could have produced, and we won`t even see the joins – but only if we submit to the red pen of our Heavenly editor in chief.
 
 
 
Prayer: Father, thank you that you prune what isn`t needed in our lives and that we can trust completely in your perfect editing skills.

Neil Bromage, 15/09/2024
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Glenys
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.
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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 team. We typically have two songs followed by a children's slot. The Limitless Kids and Limitless 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.

New to church

 

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.  The Limitless Youth group 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 Limitless 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 Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader.

Serving and volunteering

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

Other ministries

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

Toddlers & Co 

Food bag provision

Open Doors Team

Church in the Café

Youth Community Outreach

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at the church. You can connect with us using the form below.

Best Wishes
The Gatehouse Leadership Team

 

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