Stukeley Calling

Stukeley Update

2008-04-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile but the blog is being updated. Thank you Diane Jernigan for walking me through the login.

Great News! Stukeley Baptist has undergone a name change. They are now called “Grace Fellowship". This has been a very positive and exciting change. Paul and Jepye say they are having more visitors which is great. In addition to the name change they are doing work inside and outside the building and it looks so much better.

Grace Fellowship, Alconbury Chapel, Alconbury Baptist Church, and Emmanuel Baptist are once again teaming up to run Vacation Bible School. This year we will be doing "Game Day Central." Our team from Emmanuel consists of Chris and JoSue Nash, Diane Jernigan, and Diane Phillips. We are extremely excited that God is able to use us to help spread his word in England.

You too can be a part of this exciting experience. How you ask? Pray! Pray for the EBC team (travel, funding, learning the material); Grace Fellowship (More visitors and for them to keep coming, the start of another small group, for the children who attend to come to faith in Christ, for the parents of the children who attend to express some interest in spiritual matters, and health for their members); UK (that people will come to know God, to develop a passion for his word, and that they will commit to leading their lives for him).

God bless you all

Stukeley Update October 31, 2007

2007-10-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is Stukeley Calling . . .
Well the date has been set again for Paul’s knee surgery, November 13th. Please pray nothing stops it this time, Paul is more than anxious to get some relief. We do appreciate your prayers and thank you!
Jepye has a room reserved at the guest house on base, so she will be there while Paul is in the hospital. She had begun driving the car, but with petrol prices the way they are we decided that it would be about the same cost for her to stay on base as it would be to drive 2hrs round trip each day. After Paul gets back home he will send out another email.

We will be doing some special things in December.

We will have a “Carols and Lessons” service December 15th, featuring the Bottisham Bells, Members of Handbell Ringers of Great Britain.

Julia Whitham, Peter’s wife, has written a Christmas play and music and has around 10 girls preparing to present it on December the 23rd.

It has always been interesting to me how our faithfulness to the gospel has a ripple effect on all of us. Because you support us in our ministry in England our church has been supporting the work in Iraq. We have been sending money to the Indigenous Mission Project program of the EBF. They are planting two churches out of an existing church in Baghdad. I have enclosed a picture of the mother church in Baghdad. Here is an update on what is going on there.

Indigenous church planter Aws that is supported by EBF is planting new church in Baghdad, Karkh (Iraq) that is inhabited by Shiite and not stable politically. The mother church is in Baghdad, Rosafa (Pastor Nabil Sarah) that is inhabited by Sunnis and more stable.

Karkh is Aws's second church plant. He began with only one family last year (2006) and now has 8 families. They meet in a private building. They are glad for having transportation to bring people from the neighborhood but have to borrow technical equipment from the Rosafa Church. Aws and his team discovered that prayer has great power.

The irony of war is that the distribution of Bible is now possible. There are ca. 3000 evangelical believers in 12 churches of Baghdad. Also Seminary extension from JETS of Jordan. They started 5 new church plants in Kurdistan.

Aws is engaged and will be married soon.

It is exciting for our small group to0 be a part of the work in Iraq. All of you should also be excited because your continuous prayers and support make you a part of the work also.

Please pray”
· For both events in December to be an outreach/contact to the community and parents.
· Paul’s surgery and recovery.
· For the church to grow to a state of self-support.
· For the work in Iraq.

Serving Together,
Paul and Jepye of the Stukeleys

PICTURES FROM VBS

2007-08-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

AUGUST UPDATE

2007-08-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is Stukeley calling.

On Friday the 3rd of August we finished our “Four Church” VBS. We had a VBS team of 7 adults from Florida to come and lead VBS. The Alconbury Independent Baptist Church, the RAF Alconbury Chapel and Stukeley Baptist Church joined together to complete the team for VBS. Again we saw a miracle work of God as the three groups plus the Florida team worked great together and the VBS was a great success. Our numbers were not as large as we had expected but we averaged 62 kids and 45+ adults ever night and on the last night we had the parents come for a cook out and closing service. We had 100+ parents, children, and workers in attendance. It was a quality VBS and all the parents and kids were thrilled with what went on. The Installation Chaplain (Roman Catholic Priest) was impressed and liked the upbeat music the kids sang. The Wing Chaplain (Nazarene) has already announced to the Chapel that it was such a success that the three groups and the team from Florida would do VBS in 08. The Independent Baptist preacher and Stukeley Baptist had already said we would like to do it again next year and all 7 of the Florida team are planning to come back.

We had several children express a desire to know more about Jesus and a few who made decisions to accept Jesus in their hearts. All of them and the parents have been contacted and talked to. This VBS was definitely a God thing and we are expectantly waiting to see what God will do over the next few months.

After the close of VBS the leadership met to discuss the direction for the church. We came to the conclusion we would covenant together to work and pray hard for the next year and at the end of the 08 VBS we would decide what we should do as a church. The options we are praying about are 1) close the church and turn all the assets over to the IBC. 2) Sell the property and relocate to a different location (in Huntingdon). Or 3) sell the assets, close the church and plant another church somewhere in the Huntingdon area.

Paul saw the orthopedic surgeon on the 10th of August and we made the decision to do a total knee replacement rather that arthroscopic surgery. The surgery will be done sometime in October.

Please pray:
That the children and parents from the VBS will begin to attend church.
That those expressing the need to know more about Jesus will hear and respond.
That all will go well with Paul’s surgery.

Serving together,
Paul and Jepye of the Stukeleys

Pictures from Day One

2007-07-31T04:08:00.001-07:00

Prep and VBS Day One

2007-07-31T01:51:00.000-07:00

The England Team arrived and along with the numerous volunteers from Little Stukely, Alconbury Baptist, and RAF Alconbury Chapel the church was decorated and readied for Artic Edge.

The first day of Artic Edge arrived and approximately 60 preschool to 6th grade children came.
It was a flurry of activity and the night went extremely well. This is a great group of kids and volunteers, adults and well as lots of teenagers. The kids are eager to learn and have fun. The adults/teen leaders were having as much fun as the children. There is such a cooperative spirit and unity among everyone. God has definitely blessed this joint effort to get to know Jesus and renew our spirits.

Last night the presence of Jesus was so real drawing the children to the truth of him, igniting their their spirit and passion. It was so amazing and humbling that we are a part of this effort.

Pictures will follow

PRAYER SUPPORT

2007-07-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

Stukeley Update July 21, 2007

This is Stukeley calling. Just a quick update for your prayer support.

We have a terrific spirit of cooperation with the Independent Baptist Church and the Air Force Chapel as we prepare to do VBS. It is truly encouraging to see the willingness to work and the helpful attitude as we iron out the last minute details. We are all really pumped about the prospect and we will be handing out information at 4 local schools as they dismiss from classes this week,

A while back I told you that we were praying about what to do with my bum knee. We were praying that the surgery could be done at the Lakenheath AF Hospital and that the surgery could just do a repair type job instead of a total knee replacement and that the problem could be fixed. Well that pray has been answered in the positive. I will have arthroscopic surgery on the 23rd of August to remove the tears in the cartilage and flush out any derby. The surgery will be done at the Lakenheath AF Hospital. It will be an outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia and will require only two weeks of rehab.

For the next 6 weeks make theses items a priority in your prayers:
That we will have many unchurched kids in the VBS/Holiday Bible Club even 29 July- 3 August
That we will see life changes in the children
That parents will show an interest in spiritual things.
That the surgery on Paul’s knee will go well and solve the problem.

Serving together,
Paul and Jepye of the Stukeleys

STUKELEY HERE WE COME

2007-07-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

This is the team from EBC going to Stukeley to help with the VBS there.

Please keep Carrie, Jo Sue, Brenda, Rick, Diane, Sara, and John in your prayers as they prepare to go.

Also pray for their families that they will leave behind for 12 days.

Stukeley Update June 2007

2007-06-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well where do we begin?

God has been doing some amazing things.

1. We mentioned last update about VBS. Let me up date you on that. We had our first meeting with the UK Team (Stukeley Baptist, Alconbury Ind Baptist and RAF Alconbury Chapel). The meeting was great we had 9 people in attendance and all groups represented. This VBS is a God thing because we had no idea that the Ind. Baptist Church would agree to join with the chapel but they did. The pastor is very enthusiastic about the VBS and even told us that they had budgeted for VBS and those funds would be available to us for VBS. We are just praising the Lord over this because there is no way in our own strength we could have pulled these three groups together to reach the children. There is a real possibility that we could have 125+ kids in attendance.

2. We had another joint service with the Stukeley Meadows Group and we have 37 people in attendance (6 who were first time visitors). We (Paul and Jepye) met with this group and Paul taught a class "On developing a Vision Statement." At the end He asked them what their vision as a church was. They answered "survival." We asked them to pray about joining us and working with us to reach the local community. The response was positive but we agreed to pray for a while and see where the Lord will lead us.

3. 1st Baptist Church Cherokee Village found out that our church didn't have a computer, except Paul's lap top. They have a man in their church who builds computers so they sent us a desk top computer. Paul is now able to move to the church and set up an office. Most every thing has been moved and the office will be completed soon. This gives Paul much more room and a quiet place to study and prepare. THANK YOU FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CHEROKEE VILLAGE!!!

4. Jepye and I are praying about starting more Life Groups. We believe that we can reach more people if we split our current small group and start two more out of that group.
5. We have the repairs on the church completed and we hope to have all the painting done by the time VBS starts late July.

6. On the down side Paul's knee is causing him constant pain and it is time to explore the possibility of surgery. He has two appointments the last of June for an MRI and PT to determine the extent of the damage and what can be done to help his mobility. We have found out that they do knee replacement surgery at RAF Lakenheath so we are praying that if surgery is necessary that they can do it there so that we will not have to come to the US to get it done. This way we will not have to be away for the rehab time (6 weeks to two months).

7. Jepye and Paul will attend the European Baptist Federation's Mission Conference next week. The theme is "Jesus in the Cities" We are looking forward to gaining some insights on how to reach people in the cities.

8. The US VBS Team will bring several members of their church praise team with them and we are hoping that we can get them into the community to do some concerts.

Please pray for the following:

* The VBS preparation especially that the US Team will get their passports in time to come.

* Pray for the UK Team as we deal with all the administrative details for VBS

* For wisdom in dealing with the Stukeley Meadows Group.

* That we will profit from the EBF Missions Conference.

* That it will work out that Paul can have knee surgery done at RAF Lakenheath.

Serving together,

Paul and Jepye of the Stukeleys

2007-04-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

This is Stukeley Calling

The joint service with the group in Stukeley Meadows went well. We had 29 adults and 10 children in attendance. It was interesting because we were all in one room and it was interesting to be preaching and have small kids coming to the front where I was and bang on the piano. We had a great time with those folks and I will soon meet with them again to try and find out if they have a vision for the work there or if they are just a group that is gathering every Sunday to fellowship together. Please pray that I can cast a vision for a vibrant church in Stukeley Meadows. This is important because there are plans to build a 1000 home estate between Great Stukeley and Stukeley Meadows. If we have a viable church going we can make an impact in the new estate.

Since our last up date we have started a men’s small group that meets once a week. We have had a couple of meetings and then vacation time came, I am hopeful that this small group will move forward the later part of this month or the first of May. We will be doing discipleship study together.

We also have the prospects of starting a small group in Stukeley Meadows with the new family that has joined our church. At the moment the husband is recovering from an auto accident that has left him with back and neck injuries. They both seem to be keen on starting a group but because of the husbands injuries we haven’t started. I am hopeful that we can start the first part of May.

We are excited about the team that is coming from Emmanuel Baptist in Crestview, Florida. Since we have started planning the Baptist Church across the street from us and the chapel on base has asked if they might join with us this year to do VBS (Holiday Bible Club if you are a Brit). If all works out we should have about 100 in the VBS. We are working hard to get our building ready because it will be an opportunity to show cases our church to the community. It is exciting to us that these two groups want to join in because it will give us extra people to help us advertise the event to the community. It is also exciting because now the American kids can invite their British friends and not have the hassle of trying to get them on base. Pray that we will be able to draw in the local kids.

We have had Jepye’s sister, Jorene, and brother-in-law, Terry, for a two week visit. We had a lovely time traveling and spending time together.

Here are some things you can pray about:
· That we will be able to finish the work on the church soon.
· Pray for the team that will come from Emmanuel Baptist Church Crestview in July/August to do VBS. Pray specifically that it will be a time of outreach to the community.
· Pray that the men’s small group will grow.
· Pray that we can get the second small group up and running in May.
· Continue to pray for our health issues.
· Pray for God’s direction as we talk to the Stukeley Meadows Group.

Serving Together
Paul and Jepye

NEW ROOF

2007-03-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is Stukeley calling!

Well we have been back in the UK for a month and for most of that time we have been sick. We arrived back in the UK on 16 February and Paul left on the 19th of February to attend a meeting in Germany. When he got back he was sick and went to the Dr and found out he had strep throat. Jepye went to the doctor and found out she also had strep. Jepye thinks we brought the strep back from the US, Paul thinks he caught it while sitting on the taxi way for 45 min in a very hot airplane with lots of kid. What ever we started taking the meds. Then on the 2nd of March both Paul and Jepye traveled to Germany to attend the Leadership Conference and the meeting of the Executive Council of the IBC. Jepye came home with a sinus infection. Air travel is not fun anymore!! Both of us are feeling much better now.

Our trip to the US was wonderful! We had great visits with our family and friends, safe travel by car, good weather, etc (PTL). We believe it was the best trip home we’ve ever had. In Crestview we were able to speak to 8 different groups on a Saturday and Sunday about Stukeley and the work here. In Arkansas we spoke to our son’s church on a Sunday evening. It was a great time of sharing and we hope it will generate interest in the work in Stukeley.

When we got back to Stukeley we were pleasantly surprised to find that the roof was almost complete (finished the week we got back). I have attached two pictures, one shows the extent of damage and one shows the final touches to the new roof. In addition to the roof there had been several jobs completed around the church, i.e. new radiator cover installed in the nursery, mirrors put in bath rooms, shelves installed in class rooms, and redistribution of bulletin boards. One of our greatest surprises was that all the carpets had been cleaned, oh what a difference that has made, a new fresh smelling and clean looking church! Peter replaced all the damage ceiling tiles this week and the church is really beginning to look like a place where you would want to invite people. Now our next project, as soon as we get the money, is to paint. Peter and his friend Tony have said they believe that God will provide, so they said they will paint the church and wait on their money, so we just have to find money for the paint and we will do the work in faith that the Lord will provide.

Tomorrow is “Mother’s Day” in the UK and we will meet with the small group from Stukeley Meadows, a housing estate just 2 ½ miles down the road. We will do our bible study early and join them in a school for a worship service. The group from Stukeley Meadows is a small ecumenical group that is currently without a pastor. Paul will preach at the worship service and our worship team will lead the music and worship.

Here are some things you can pray about:
· That we will be able to finish the work on the church soon.
· Pray for the team that will come from Emmanuel Baptist Church Crestview in July/August 07 to do VBS. Pray specifically that it will be a time of outreach to the community

Serving together,
Paul and Jepye of the Stukeleys

Sunday Afternoon tea

2007-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

What a joy it was to have Paul and Jepye with us last weekend. All that attended the tea enjoyed listening to them tell us about the church at Stukeley. We loved the pictures of the children having fun and playing games. I especially loved seeing the pictures of the daffodils on the hill by the church. It reminded me of how faithful God is to bring each season. Many members of EBC have expressed interest in going to England this summer. Continue to pray for God to put His team together to bring an awesome "Holiday Bible Camp" to the children in Stukeley.

2007-01-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

Dear friends of Stukeley Baptist Church.

Just couldn’t wait to share this news. Today January 7, 2007 we had a young couple of 4 join the church. They had been members before all the trouble had started and thought the church was closed. They were going to another church and on this past Christmas Eve they went to their church only to find it closed and no service so they came to see if we were having a service. They decided to come back.

Keep praying the mighty Amazon River begins as a trickle at its head.

Serving together,

Paul of the Stukeleys

New Year's Day message from Paul

2007-01-01T06:03:00.000-08:00

Jepye and I would like to wish you all a Great New Year and hope that your Christmas was filled with all the things you love.

We had a great time with Carla and our granddaughters, Carissa and Caroline. It was fun renewing our relationship with Carissa and getting to know Caroline for the first time.

December has been a good time attendance wise we have averaged about 19 or 20 each Sunday. On Christmas Eve we had a very simple service and the children’s class sang two songs and were the back up for another, they did a super job. We had gotten word that some of the parents may come to be a part of the service. I thought I should print a few extra bulletins, we normally do 10, so I printed 20. I should have had more faith. We had 63+ in attendance. We have several parents. One couple we had been praying for because they had separated in a bitten fight were there together and seemed to be happy to be together. We had been praying for them for several months. And a house group from Stukeley Meadows were in attendance and seemed to enjoy the service. I will preach for them on the 18th of March as we have a combined service with them in the school in Stukeley Meadows. Jepye and I are praying that perhaps we can combine the two groups and have a church restart.

We spent Christmas in London, its tough work but somebody has to do it, with a friend from our Germany days that Jepye and I have been praying for for over 20 years. We were able to share with her and we attended a Christmas Eve service at the American Church of London. They have a excellent choir and the music was great. At the end of the service we lit a candle and went outside on the street and sang carols. It was a good experience.

We have received word that our friend, John Merritt, passed away last Friday AM. He will be missed and remembered by many who loved him.

The next two weeks will be spent in preparation for our month long trip to the US. We are looking forward to seeing our family and friends in January and February. David Stokes, a man in our church, will fill in while we are gone. Pray for David because he is the sole care-giver for his 85 year old mother.

I would like to say a personnel word of thanks for all of you who have supported us with your prayers, they have helped. The last two months have been especially trying as we have dealt with some fairly significant issues, and a special thanks to a number of you who have not only prayed but have made substantial contributions to our work here, thank you! thank you!

Please continue to pray for these items:
Our children’s program to reach more children and the parents of the ones now attending.
That families will be strengthened.
That we can be a influence in the community for the Kingdom.
For David Stokes as he leads while we are away.
Continued good health for Jepye and me.
Safe travel as we traverse the US to see family and friends.

Serving together,

Paul and Jepye

December Update

2006-12-05T05:21:00.000-08:00

Stukeley Update December 2006

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Time has flown by so fast that we don’t remember the last up date. Here is a summary:

October: Paul , Jepye, and Bob Murff traveled to Paris for the Annual IBC Convention. It was the best one in my recent memory. The Bible Study by Ian Coffey was great, the music by Scott Sontag was very good and worshipful, the business sessions were out standing and the great thing was the spirit of partnership that we felt. We got to see a lot of old friends and we made some new ones. It makes me feel old when I realize that I own ties that are older than some of the pastors. It is great to see so many young men leading IBC Churches. Jepye and I have taken on some responsibilities in the convention. Jepye is the Missions Ministry Team Leader and I am the Church Development Ministry Team Leader. Our leadership will touch almost every aspect of convention life so pray for us.
November: We had Jepye’s sister and her husband; Ann and Calvin Cloud, from the Atlanta area come for a three week visit. We had a great time with them. It was their first visit to Europe, and we got to show them a great deal in the three weeks. Julia, Peter’s wife, started a women’s exercise class on Fridays. It has been slow but she has several ladies that are unchurched attending the class. We are hopeful that the class will grow and we will be able to reach some of the families and get them involved in the church. We are averaging about 16 on Sunday morning and the all age bible study time is still in full swing. We have a small group that meets Sunday and Thursday nights with 5 and 6 each night. Peter has been suffering with a bout of depression and had to spend a week in the hospital. He is now out of the hospital and seems to be on the mend but he still has a long way to go. Please pray for Peter and his family as they try to come to grips with Peters problem. His wife told me that there are only two men in all of England that Peter respects and would listen too, his general practice doctor and me. If you think about that too much it can get scary. Pray for me as I continue to deal with Peter and his family. One great thing about November was that on the last Sunday we had 10 visitors. The “Together We Build” offering netted about $6500. With what we have already collected and money sent by friends in the US and given to us at the convention we have enough to repair the roof.
December: We have started our advent services as we look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord on Christmas Day. We plan to have a Christmas dinner at the church on the 17th of December, pray that it will be a success. We are planning to have a monthly outreach lunch at the Church starting some time in February. Jepye and I still plan to come to the US in January and we hope to see as many of our friends as we can. Carla Breeding, a young lady that was a member of our Giessen congregation, and her two daughters, Carissa and Caroline, are planning a trip to see us the week before Christmas. We consider her a part of the family and we are excited not only that we will see Carla but we will see Carissa and Caroline. It will be our first visit with Caroline. .

Please pray for:
· Peter and his family
· Inexpensive tickets(less than $500) for our trip in January
· The Exercise class
· Paul and Jepye as they work in the convention
· That the people visiting will decide to become a part of the church
· That we will spend the funds that we have wisely so we can begin to use the building for outreach
· Our “Stukeley Kids” who come on Sunday Morning
· The outreach lunch

Serving together,
Paul and Jepye of the Stukeleies

2006-11-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

Why?

After being asked would I consider being interviewed about EBC’s connection / commitment to Stukeley, I starting thinking about the WHY. Why do I desire to continue to go back to Stukeley, England, United Kingdom?

It is the people that work at the corner store (one young woman that I got to know well after four years of picking up the newspaper her store every day).

It is the people that live next door. It is the children that play next door.

It is the people that walk past your house each day walking their dog.

It is the people that work at the local gas station.

It is the people that work at the local coffee shop.

It is the people that work at the charity shops.

It is the young mothers that you see daily out at the shops struggling with children and packages.

It is the plumber that comes to your house to repair the leaking faucets.

It is the homeless that you see in the underground train (the tube) stations.

It is the elderly couple who love to stop and talk.

It is the people that Jesus loves; HE has called me to show His love to them.

Jesus has drawn me to this country and the people that live there. He has given me a love for the country and the people. Most people living in the UK today feel no need for God or Jesus in their lives. He wants to give them a life of joy and peace and FREEDOM.

Paul and Jepye are over in Stukeley serving our Jesus and telling others about this free gift He has for them. I want to support and encourage them as they continue to build relationships with all the above mentioned people. If you want to help in anyway, please let someone at EBC know. We are planning a trip next summer (end of July or first part of August). We plan to do a week long VBS for the local children. Please pray and ask God if you are to be a part of this ministry.

In Exodus chapter seven Moses told the Lord that he couldn’t speak…why should God send him? I feel the same; I have never considered myself articulate. But God can use all of us. He will give you the words, the talent, the money, whatever it is that you feel is holding you back. I would love to have fellow laborers in this journey. Matthew 9:37

2006-10-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Stukeley Update September 06

Dear Family and Friends

We are still busy trying to reach the people in our area. It is hard because most of the people we come into contact with have little or no interest in spiritual matters. Keep praying that we will find the key that unlocks the door.

At the last writing I told you about how the children had written a musical about the life of Joseph, well they performed it for us this month and it was really great. We had expected that the parents would come but we only had two in attendance. But God was at work in it all. One of the parents, a man in his 40s, had tried to commit suicide on Friday night because his wife had left him for a younger man she met on the internet. Peter, you remember Peter, had met this couple a year before while he was working at the “Citizens Advice Bureau.” Peter and his wife invited him to come and they picked him up and he not only attended worship but he came to Bible Study. It just so happened that the Bible Study was out of Galatians and it was about Christian relationships. The sermon was “Victorious Living” taken from the scripture about Josephs’ life. When I heard the circumstances about this man, Paul S., I was afraid that he would think we all knew his circumstances and had prepared accordingly. He was impressed with what he heard and we have made arrangements to meet once a week so he can learn more about Christian relationships and he is working hard to save his marriage. We have met and he is still coming to church on Sunday. Pray for Paul S. that he will receive the gospel and that he will be able to get his marriage back on track.

The back to school party was a great success with 19 adults and children in attendance. Our next door neighbor came with her three children and she felt comfortable enough to share with us that she was going in hospital to have a heart catherization. The day before she was to have the procedure she shared with Jepye and me that she was very frightened about the procedure and I was able to share with her since I had had the same procedure and that seemed to help her. She came through the procedure in good shape and the tests showed that the problem is not with her heart. The doctors told her that it may be gall bladder trouble. Pray for Tracey that we have had might get her to talk to us about spiritual matters and that her children might begin to attend our children’s program.

We now have two ladies and their children from the Airbase visiting our worship services. Pray that we will be able to meet their needs and that others will come.

We averaged 15 children and adults in our Sunday Morning Bible Study in September. We thank God for small victories.

The roof on the church is getting worse. We now have leaks in several areas. We have managed to collect about £1100 toward the repairs. We have a roof expert coming this week to give us an estimate. The convention is taking up a “Together We Build Offering” and we are the single recipient this year, which in itself is a PTL, we are hoping that we will get an additional £5000 toward repairs. Pray that the money we have collected will and the TWB offering will cover the cost of the roof repairs.

Please continue to pray for:
· For Tracey and Paul S. as we witness to them.
· For the TWB offering to reach its goal of € 12,000
· Our children’s program to begin to reach the parents and more children.
· That we will get more workers so we can expand our ministry.
· For the team from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Crestview that is planning to do VBS here in 2007.
· That God will show us how to penetrate the community with the Gospel.
· That God will continue to guard our health.

Serving together,
Paul and Jepye of the Stukeleys

New roof needed

2006-09-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Please pray with us for God to provide the funds to replace the roof on Stukeley Baptist Church. The roof is leaking in several places including the nursery and fellowship hall. "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray." (Psalms 5:1-2)

There are several repairs that need attention in the building. One of the things that they are working to correct now is getting new fire extinguishers and reframing the fire door at the back of the building. I will keep you updated and please keep Stukeley in your prayers.

Let the children come....

2006-08-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here we were last March working to get some of the rooms ready for the children. And the children have been coming! We will continue to pray for more children and more families.

Some facts from the May/June 2006 issue of Baptist Union of Great Britain:

96% of children in Britain don't go to church.

87% of children perceive church as boring.

80% of children in our churches go with their parents.

We need to see the church and the world from a child's perspective.

Jesus said "Let the children come to me" (Mark 10:14).

Pictures and dates

2006-08-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are considering going with us to England next summer, I wanted to give you the dates. The VBS will be either the last week of July starting on July 29th or 30th or it will be the first week of August starting August 5th or 6th. Please mark your 2007 calendars with these dates. As you can see I finally posted a couple of pictues. This is a side view of the church. The other picture is Sara and myself.

More Paul Notes

2006-08-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

In July Jepye and I attended our 20th Interlaken. It was great but when I saw the numbers that attended I wept like the old men who saw the new temple and cried because they remembered the temple Solomon built.
I forgot to take my cane to Interlaken but managed to walk all over town without it, that is a PTL since just over a year ago I went home in a wheel chair.
Jepye and I volunteer for a British Charity called Hospice at Home. We provide palliative care for patients and care givers. We both have a client that we visit once a week.

Not long ago our church adopted a vision statement and core values. I don’t believe we have shared those with you so here they are.

Vision statement: The vision of Stukeley Baptist Church is to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ and membership in His family, to help them develop to Christ-like maturity, and to equip them to find their ministry in the church and life mission in the world, in order to magnify God’s name.
This vision statement states the 5 purposes of the church found in the Great Commandment Matthew 22:37, 39 and the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20.

Our core values are:

We will make you Welcome and be Family Friendly.

We will be Practical and Relevant – recognizing and embracing the real problems and concerns that affect your everyday living.

We will help you Explore Answers to Spiritual Questions - and provide the place and time for calm reflection amidst the bustle of a busy life.

We will ensure that your visits will be challenging and we help you to make sense of the Biblical Message of Jesus.

We will help you to discover for yourself God’s Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness.

We will offer you an opportunity to make a New Start.

The notes above were from Paul's update this month. I am having trouble uploading pictures but promise to post some soon. I want to show you some pictures of the church. Keep checking back.

2006-08-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Update August 2006. Some highlights from Paul's lastest update: they now have 12 to 14 children who attend bible study and worship on Sundays. They are in the process of raising funds to repair the building so that they can use it to minister to the community. The children are studying about Joseph in bible study and have decided to write a musical about Joseph's life. It is completed and they will perform it sometime in September for the parents. (Wish I could be there to see the performance!) They are having one or two visitors on most Sundays, continue to pray for more.

Please join us in pray for the following:

The children's program to reach the parents.

That they will get more workers so that the ministry can be expanded.

That the children's musical will reach the parents.

For funding to repair the building especially to replace the roof which has several major leaks.

For the team from Emmanuel Baptist Church that is planning a VBS in 2007.

That they can penetrate the community.

For Paul and Jepye, that God will guard their health.

In my next posting, I'll share with you the vision statement that their church has recently adopted. They have a vision to penetrate the community where they live to meet the social and spiritual needs of the people who live near them. They long to repair the building and then use it as an outreach tool to the community by partnering with the local Parish Counsels. They could use it for debt relief counseling, after school programs for children and teens, a recovery program for people who are addicted and any other physical or social need that can be identified.

Thank you so much for joining us in prayer for this ministry. I'm so excited by what God is doing already!!

2006-08-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce to Paul and Jepye Hendrix. Most of you already know them from their service here at EBC. I was priviledged to get to know them this past spring when myself, Bonnie McMinn and Sara Phillips went to England. Paul and Jepye are pastoring a church in Great Stukeley in the eastern part of England. It is located about two and half hours drive north of London. We are already planning to return to Stukeley next summer to lead a week long Vacation Bible School. I will post prayer requests, details of our plans, ways that you can be involved, etc. Please check back every few days. I have lots of pictures and updates to post.