DECEMBER 2019
ISSUE 24
K I NGFI S H E R FAMILY Harvest - bringing hope to Zimbabwe Zimbabwe - a country decimated by decades of struggling under a cruel and corrupt regime. An economy in tatters, with hyper inflation a common occurrence. Children denied schooling and dying through lack of nourishment. An overwhelming, all-too-familiar picture of a country in Africa. But there is hope! This year, our Harvest Appeal focussed on bringing some hope to that struggling, suffering country. Although we don’t have the resources to change the whole country, with its population of 16.5 million, we can do something indeed, we must do something. Kingfisher’s Harvest Appeal 2019 is our response to the urgent call to do something. In conjunction with Pastor Joseph Maravanyika, a pastor in Zimbabwe who has become associated with the international Kingfisher Family, we have focussed this year on raising money to buy chickens. Chickens? How does that help? With an economy in ruins and with the government failing to provide help, local families have been turning to poultry farming in increasing numbers, both to feed themselves and to earn an income by selling
Although we don’t have the resources to change the whole country, with its population of 16.5 million, we can do something indeed, we must do something. chickens that they have raised. A chick costs $1 US to purchase, and we have had as our goal the purchase of 500 chicks, together with feed, chicken coops and
everything else that is required to successfully launch a poultry business among local families in that country. To date, due to the incredible generosity of the Kingfisher Family, both in the UK and in Spain (the Fellowship of the King), we have raised £2,500, which is around $4,400. Pastor Joseph has begun purchasing and distributing chickens - 600 to date - together with bags of chicken feed. The money raised will also go to help children with their schooling and pastors to get hold of bibles so that people can be fed spiritually as well as physically. Thank you so much for your sacrificial participation in this amazing project. Don’t forget - even five loaves and two fish, when given to Jesus to bless, can achieve amazing results, as we will see in the coming months and years with this Harvest Project.
News from Kingfisher Church An update from Kingfisher Westgate Kingfisher Westgate is approaching its second anniversary - incredibly, two years have gone by since we launched this church in Chuckaboos, the Victorian-style tea room at the Treasure Seekers Hub in Westgate Street. Since that time, the church has grown from the original 18 people in the planting team to around 40 people, many of whom also access the services that Treasure Seekers provide. Our services are as far away from the formal, scripted services of the established church as you could imagine: there is a very ‘upper room’ feel about this church, with questions and comments being encouraged, with people’s needs being addressed, with a lot of food being provided, and with a really informal atmosphere.
Over the past few months, Bev Williams has taken over the running of Action pack, which is what our children’s ministry is called, and the children are participating more and more in the services, with several having given their lives to Jesus already. Our worship life is currently in transition as Bean Baker moves on to Elim church, Cheltenham, where he has recently been appointed as a full-time staff member. We will really miss his worship-leading gifts, but we are confident that the Lord will continue to be Jehovah Jireh - God our Provider! We have now got to the point where we need more space, and so on Sunday, November 24th, we are moving into the new Cavern, which will give everyone a better, less crowded experience of coming together. The entrance to the church is now on Westgate Street and we believe that this is all part of the
Lord adding to our number and continuing to grow the church numerically and spiritually. Over these two years we have been privileged to see people commit their lives to Christ, find hope and healing in community and a new sense of purpose in life. We have regular ‘Testimony mornings’ where people stand up and give a short testimony of what God has done and is doing in their lives. It has been amazing to hear from so many people the life-changing and, often, life-saving impact of Jesus Christ and His church on their lives. We are looking forward to our third year and to all that God is going to be doing as He continues to grow this amazing church. We truly are seeing the gates of Hell crumbling as He builds His church!
Dedications Over the last couple of months we have officially welcomed Poppy Blake and Ezra Taylor into our church with dedication services at Kingfisher Tredworth. Poppy’s parents, Joe and Rosie and Ezra’s mum, Morwenna have been coming to Kingfisher church since they were children/youth, so it’s lovely to be welcoming a whole new generation of children into our church!
* The new entrance to Kingfisher Westgate
Kingfisher Westgate Christmas Services Sunday 22nd December
Nativity Service
11am
Wednesday 25th December
Christmas day family service
10am
Sunday 29th December
Christingle service
11am
News from Kingfisher Church On the road to Emmaus Thoughts from my journey with Jesus - by Sandra Ashenford Sandra Ashenford is a member of the Kingfisher Church family at Tredworth. She was introduced to Jesus at primary school but has spent most of her adult life in the company of sceptics and nonbelievers. This is a series of lighthearted blogs in which she reflects on the challenges of growing in faith and sharing the Good News amidst the pressures of a modern life.
I recently attended a Christian Women’s Conference at which the keynote speaker, Christy Wimber, urged her listeners to ‘embrace the season’ in which we find ourselves. And if, she argued, we are struggling in circumstances we are not enjoying, then we should perhaps look for the lesson that God wants us to learn. It was a timely message for me as I have been growing increasingly unhappy in my current work situation. I run a pre-school childcare setting, which I established two years ago
with the help of a friend, who planned to work as my assistant. But once the children arrived, she decided that the job was not for her, and left almost as soon as we were up and running. I have since been working 10 hour days on my own on a regular basis, leaving almost no time for family and friends, let alone other projects that I want to pursue. I am always exhausted, and had started to dread each day, although at the time I set up the business I felt a real calling to do so. After the conference I began to think about the positives that my work entails: there is challenge in planning activities and opportunities that encourage the children to grow their love of learning, and joy in watching them develop as people. Perhaps God wants me to increase my own patience, and to remember what it felt like to be a small child when everything was new and wonderful, and nothing was impossible. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus refuses to let his disciples turn away the children who have been brought to him to be blessed.
Kingfisher Tredworth Christmas Services and Events Thu 5th Dec
TSPA Christmas Show
6.30pm
At Police HQ, Waterwells All welcome, free entrance.
Fri 6th Dec
TSPA Christmas Show
11am
At Police HQ, Waterwells All welcome, free entrance.
Sat 14th Dec
Church prayer meeting
9-10am
In 180
Sun 22nd Dec
Interactive Nativity Service
10am
Children welcome to join in with the nativity story.
Sun 22nd Dec
Nativity Service aimed at adults with Learning Disabilities
11.30am
All welcome to come and join in
Sun 22nd Dec
Carol and Christingle Service
6pm
All welcome, invite your friends and family
Wed 25th Dec
Christmas day family service
10am
Come and celebrate Christmas with us!
Sun 29th Dec
Sunday morning services NO EVENING SERVICE
10am 11.30am
All welcome
Tue 31st Dec
Thanksgiving service
6pm
All welcome
He says: “Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” I have felt much better about work since reminding myself of this particular Bible passage. It did make me smile, though, when I was talking about it to my youngest daughter because I quoted it as I remembered it from my own childhood, beginning “Suffer little children”. As someone about to sit GCSEs, my daughter feels that she is certainly suffering, and a conversation with a teacher this week brought home that not everyone has faith in God. The teacher was scathing about my daughter’s plans to pursue a career in musical theatre. “That’s a notoriously unpredictable profession! What’s your Plan B?” the teacher demanded. Apparently the acceptable answer is not “I’ll pray”; rather it’s a thousand word mission statement about where you see yourself being in 20 years. Well, we all know how well that works out.
Kingfisher Tredworth Group start back dates
News from Kingfisher Treasure Seekers The Cavern has moved to it’s new home in Westgate Street The new Cavern has opened! Our opening day in our new location was brilliant. We saw lots of familiar faces and some new ones too. The atmosphere was great and really felt like people were coming back home, which is what the Cavern is to so many: a place of community, home, respect and support. People were playing board games, using the arcade machines, playing on the games consoles, and listening to live music. It was a brilliant atmosphere and it ran right up to close at 11pm! Since it’s re-launch The Cavern has continued to be busy with more young people, professionals, and the general public coming in. We have had people donating financially to the Cavern because they love what we do, and we have also had over 20 volunteer applications in the last few weeks. People are invested and excited about the Cavern which is so encouraging!
News from Kingfisher Treasure Seekers Treasure Seekers Hub - pebble art and christmas stock Did you know that we sell Pebble Art pictures at the Treasure Seekers Hub? We have a great range of pebble art and other artwork that would make a fantastic gift for that special person in your life. We also have lots of Christmassy projects to choose from that would make a great gift for your children to give to Nanny/Grampy/Daddy etc., including some beautiful tea-lights and Christmas tree decorations.Visit our website, kftseekers.org.uk to book your Make and Take session just £5 for any project (the tree decorations and small angel tea-lights are two for £5).
Gift Shop Christmas opening hours and winter stock During November and December the Gift Shop have extended their opening hours to give you more opportunities to shop for that perfect Christmas gift. We are now open from 10am until 6pm from Monday to Saturday and from 11am until 4pm on Sunday. Our Christmas stock is now in! If you’re looking for a gift, or a Christmas decoration that’s a bit different come and take a look. We also have a big range of wooden children’s toys which would make a lovely Christmas present. Our new range of beautiful woollen jumpers, hats, scarfs and gloves have been handmade using traditional skills by a Fairtrade supplier in Nepal. There are lots of colours to choose from and they are all so soft and warm - pop in and have a look!
News from the Kingfisher Family Kingfisher church plants in Malawi Report from Charles Mithowa I am here very happy to report about the new Kingfisher churches which have been planted under Pastor Alex Steven Bango in the Chikkwawa district. I have been on a tour to visit the new churches. Pastor Alex (standing next to me in the top photo) is a very faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ who is doing great things in the unreached villages. The first church is known as Tabwa Kingfisher Church. People in this community are living in the hills on the boundary of Malawi and Mozambique. When I was visiting this place I was so amazed to see how God is keeping His people in this area. They are living a very difficult life where it is so hard to be visited by the Government and church organizations. I am expecting to continue training these leaders to catch the vision and ministry of Kingfisher International Family. They are very much blessed to be part of this Kingfisher network of churches. The second place I visited is Mkhwangwa Kingfisher Church planted last January. The people at this place are also very much pleased to be part of Kingfisher International Family of Churches and have given themselves to vision of reaching the lost with the gospel and making disciples. This community is located in the flat area of the Chikwawa district where a great number of people were affected by floods when cyclone and heavy rains affected this area. I am here also to share with you prayer requests as I have seen in both of these communities. Both churches are operating outside as cyclones destroyed their church buildings. Please, pray for God to help them to cover the cost as they are working hard to build a new building. They need the support of ÂŁ500 to buy poles, nails wires and iron sheets to put a good roofing for each of their
Wedding celebrations! On Saturday 9th November many of us at Kingfisher in the UK had the privilege of celebrating with Andy and Leah Davis as they got married at our church in Tredworth. Also, congratulations to Pastor Joseph Maravanyika and Agatha Fombo from Kingfisher Zimbabwe on their wedding ceremony on the 19th October. We wish both couples a very blessed and happy life together.
churches. Both communities are living in great hunger as cyclones made a great damage to their field and crops. There is nowhere to get food and the children are suffering greatly. Please, pray for God’s provision for His people in this area. Lastly, though they are in a terrible situation they are still working hard to prepare for the next planting. They are in great need of inputs like seeds, hoes, watering canes and fertilizers to be supported to have successful farming which will bring great harvest next year to come out from poverty and hunger. Please be praying for us as so that God should intervene in this situation.
News from the Kingfisher Family Prayer needs around the International Family Zimbabwe Calvary greetings from Zimbabwe! We would like to thank you brothers for praying for us as a nation, as we are going through life challenges due to political clampdown. Almost every company is closing down and civil servants are no longer able to go to work as their salaries can not afford them to go for work. People are dying in their homes. Everything is at standstill. Due to this situation we as a local church have set aside every Tuesday as a day of praying and fasting for the nation. Our major prayer requests are: • That we have a God fearing government that demonstrate heartfelt concern to it's people and that despite the economic hardships people are giving themselves to Christ. • On 16th-23rd of December we have a revival week to encourage and strengthen each other in the face of a polarised economical situation.The theme: Destined for Greatness - Genesis 26:1-4,12-14. As we trust and believe in THE GOD OF PROMISE. Pastor Joseph Maravanyika
The Philippines • We praise God for His protection in all calamities happened during rainy season and we are now excited for the coming summer, that we can go out again to preach the Gospel outside. Despite of the hardships and financial constraints the church continue serving and doing God given task mandated to us. Many members got sick in doing the ministry but thank God protection and healing always there. • Our Country prayer needs: The ellimination of African swine virus that kills livestock and the low price of rice that makes farmers poor that even their needs cannot meet. Please pray for our goverment to make this problem solve by the power of God almighty. • Churches prayer needs: please pray for Lordslight 13th anniversary celebration. We invited all goverment officials in our town and lots of people and youth as well will come. May the Lord touch their heart and they accept Jesus as Lord and saviour. We are also praying blessings for the construction of new church building in Pantay, that God sends blessings for this cause. • Faith targets forthe next 12 months: that a lot of people accept Jesus, especially the youth. The renovation of the Rio Chico building because its getting small. To start and finish the church building in Pantay so we can start a worship in that place. God bless you all, Pastor Noel Delfin
Malawi I am happy to report on the progress of our church building project. God is so faithful indeed to His servants. That's the testimony indeed. Today I am also happy to tell you, that the church has so far managed to raise money enough to buy 15 steel windows and three steel doors. We have managed to install all those windows and doors, and this is how the church looks like. See pictures below! Now we are praying, that Almighty God's hand should continually be upon our church gathering here at Kingfisher Center, so that we should have money that we can buy glasses for our windows and doors, also have money to buy electrical wires, and payment of installation fee to our Malawi electricity provider, to give us electricity. And also we are praying for our final phase of our church plan, to buy plastic chairs. God is always faithful to His servants, and we are so happy for everything we have achieved so far, and we believe that God will also be so faithful on the remainings. Thank you so much, and stay blessed, Pastor Andrew
GET INVOLVED WITH THE NEWSLETTER! In order for this newsletter to grow and develop, we need your help! If you go to any Kingfisher event and have taken a great photo, then please post it on our Facebook page or email it to Kirsty at kirstydalley@kingfisher.org.uk. The copy deadline for the next issue (due out in March 2020) is 20th February. If you would like to get involved in the production of the next newsletter then email us with your particular area of interest. Hope you enjoy hearing all that is happening across the Kingfisher Family!
Kingfisher Church Moor Street Tredworth Gloucester GL1 4NJ www.kingfisher.org.uk info@kingfisher.org.uk +441452 304339 Š Kingfisher Church, 2013