Summer Update

“In ALL thy ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths!” THANK YOU GOD for the work of Fresh Expressions and the guidance You continue to provide.

This has been a great Summer in the work of Fresh Expressions and God has really opened some doors for an even more impactful 2016! A strong, prayerful foundation has been laid in Southport and we are beginning to watch seeds grow!

Franky’s Pizza at St Francis, on the Kew estate has had a relaunch this summer and now opens the first and third Friday of the month from 4-6pm.

Even with the promotion we received on BBC Radio Merseyside’s Daybreak, we weren’t getting people in the doors. Opening 4-6 will now help us to reach out to young families on the Kew Estate and invite them to join us for an early Friday night meal together. Two weeks ago, Franky’s Pizza leaflets were hand-delivered to 340 homes on the Kew Estate and a number of conversations took place with great interest for Franky’s. As a result of one of the conversations, a lady joined us with her granddaughter who is in year 6 at Kew Woods and they had a wonderful time; they’re joining us again this Friday and bringing along friends! The vision for Franky’s is to create sustainable relationships on The Kew Estate that will develop into living relationships with Jesus Christ. I recognise the belonging before belief mentality and that’s exactly what we hope to achieve at Franky’s Pizza. A bit of fun, a bit of food, a lot of conversation and a lot more God!

The Living Room has had a great summer, too! We have been praying for an expansion of our volunteer team and last week, our newest member of the team, Elizabeth, joined us for her third observational session and will now be serving with us twice a month. Hoping to grow this ministry ecumenically, Elizabeth joins us from St Patrick’s on Marshside Road and heard about The Living Room when I spoke at a joint churches’ prayer meeting a couple of months ago. We are still seeing a steady attendance and the last few weeks, I’ve been having progressive conversations with one of our guests who is now seeking baptism!

About 10 days ago, we celebrated our second annual SonFest, held outdoors at Town Hall Gardens! It was a tremendous event that no doubt saw more seeds planted throughout Southport. Alongside five live bands who performed a blend of Christian music throughout the day, Messy Ministries was on-hand with edible crafts and teaching for the kids. More than 100 children participated in the crafts, each hearing the Good News of the gospel through a sheep cupcake and a string cheese shepherd!

We had a number of community tables set up presenting information to the public, from Christians Against Poverty to the Southport Bible Society Action Group. I received 200 New Testaments donated by the Christian Book Shop and Derrick Chamberlain distributed more than 50 at SonFest. Bernard Wallbank, representing CAP, considered it a very worthwhile event, as nine contact details were collected.

I'm already in the planning stages of SonFest 2016, 3rd September, as I'm very excited about future-proofing SonFest. I'm delighted to have secured partnerships and relationships during the last two years with businesses and individuals who are deeply committed to the ministry and growth of SonFest. Thanks to our main sponsor, Fill The Gap, I have already secured Phillipa Hanna as our headline act next year! Fill The Gap shares the vision for reaching hearts through music and are committed to stand behind me each year and grow this work. I'm so very thankful for the missional network that's been created; it is beginning to pay dividends and I'm keen to further explore collaborative ways forward inter-denominationally for 2016 and beyond!

I'm looking forward with great anticipation, as I've just begun talks at the new Costa Coffee that is due to open this month on the corner of Chapel St and Eastbank St. In December, we'll be launching Reflection Lounge Southport, a social opportunity for Christians and non-Christians set up to revive our community by bringing people together to witness the love of God in action. This comes from our friends at Reflection Lounge in Manchester.

It is set to be an incredible year and as always, your prayers are needed!