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Interesting morning today.
We had a good turn out for our Sunday morning meeting and enjoyed the Spirit as we worshipped. I spoke about Jesus' Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12 and explored how we see ourselves and others (listen to the sermon on the talks page or subscribe to the podcast). It seemed to be popular and I didn't see a drooping eye in the house which is encouraging.
The highlight though has got to have been Peter's demonstration of the principles of a bore hole. In an effort to show what we are hoping to fund in Malawi Pete set up a kind of scientific experiment to give people an idea of how a bore hole works. By using the windscreen washer pump on his Landrover Pete pumped water into a bedrock of stone and gravel and the saw it extracted through a small tube using the pressure in the container used to hold the gravel and water. Look at the Gallery page for an idea of how it went. Kev T. 29.06.08
Thoroughly enjoyed the Metropolitan Regional Day today at the Emmanuel Centre in Marsham Street, London. Seven from the Bewbush church went up to hear Ken Gott preach on the Holy Spirit. We also listened and danced to Joel Pridmore and his worship band (with Paul norx from Langley Green) which, as always, was refreshing and inspired.
It was great to meet with so many Christians on a Saturday afternoon and spend more time in His presence.
There was a offering taken for Dave Bett's church planting mission (and he really is on a mission from God) and hopefully we will see loads more of Elim Bewbushs set up around the country with the help of that fund.
We also got back in time for Doctor Who as several of the guys did not want to miss the first part of the session's finale! How spiritual are we?
God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 28.06.08.
Just got back this morning from Elim's conference in Prestatyn. Sam and I had an amazing time of enjoying truth being spoken and hope being discussed. You know the good news of Jesus is really the most wonderful thing on this planet. Check out the following speakers who really did encourage and inspire those listening:
Sy Rogers (whose testimony on God's best for sexual relations is mind blowing) Dr James McConnell Neil Hudson Apostle Michael Ntomy
The singing was also pretty good and both body and soul are feeling thoroughly refreshed. I look forward to sharing some of what we experienced tomorrow in our Sunday public meeting.
God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 07.06.08
Wa Hay!
Three years of Elim Bewbush!
God has been so good to us over the last three years. He has seen us through the bad times and given us good times as well.
Today we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with a whole range of activities.
The children played out the story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16. The earthquake was a particular highlight whene everyone made a whole ton of noise.
Four people came up and said what effect a Christian community in Bewbush had had on their lives. Barry's account of his baptism was particularly moving.
I tried a more interactive sermon. Didn't go exactly according to plan, especially when someone called Julius Caesar a "she". However most kept with me to the end and heard how God can provide a joy that transcends any circumstance or situation.
After the meeting we had a barbeque. bouncy castle and a game of rounders. Why don't you head to the Gallery to see for yourself? God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 25.05.08
Interesting time yesterday.
The men-folk headed over to Kev's "caravan in the forest" for a barbeque and the Champion's League final. Tilgate was a great setting for men feasting and enjoying footie and we had an impressive turn out. Unfortunately food was a little scarce (everyone thought everyone else would bring the flesh and so bought salad and fizzy pop) and I burnt the first six burgers left over from the burger van. People joked about hunting some rabbit or deer down but no one actually bothered (even though I had a great recipe for badger).
We even squeezed Barry in his wheelchair into the mobile home and we all sat to watch the battle 'tween Chelski and Man U. The Chelsea fans dominated our numbers and were all finally disappointed by the outcome (obviously). I predicted a 1-0 victory for Man U in extra time but that was laughed down and then proved wrong. Apparently one of the guys lost £50 that night on a bet on the game (now there is real commitment to a result).
We almost failed to get out as the place was pitch black when we left and couldn't see our hands in front of our faces. When I suggested we stay the night Kev put the "sleeper" move on us and dragged our unconscious bodies outside and then locked his place up (seemed slightly rude at the time when I eventually came to). Made it home finally though.... good times.... Kev Taylor. 22/05/08.
Some dates to look forward to:
21st May - BBQ and Champion's League final in the woods. 25th May - Third anniversary of Elim Bewbush - including BBQ, bouncy castle and a drama. 13th July - Church trip to Climping Beach. 2nd - 9th August - Beswbush Summer Festival 22nd - 25th - River Camp.
God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 13.05.08
Last night the lads headed to the Big Smoke to listen to a modern hero of ours: Shane Claiborne. The guy has set up a Christian based community in “Claiborne's outlook on ministry to the poor is often compared to Mother Teresa, whom he worked alongside with during a 10-week term in We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Hub Café with Church.co.uk and listened intently to Shane’s experiences of loving in a really practical way. He had a great story of how he was arrested for sleeping in a local park, taken to a judge to be sentenced but then seeing the case thrown out because his arrest was unconstitutional. Apparently the judge saw him as a modern day freedom fighter! Oh to make such an obvious impact on those around us in Crawley….We learnt a whole bunch of stuff (it really helps seeing what a life based uncompromisingly on Jesus looks like) and look forward to seeing this emerge as we try and interact with the oppressed in Bewbush. God’s Peace, Kev Taylor
Last night we had two great events at the Bewbush Children's Centre. The first aspect of the evening was a cartoon trilogy featuring battling supernatural beings! We showed "Angel Wars" with a projector for the children and encouraged them to bring their friends. They sat enraptured by the depiction of the graphic fight between good and evil and thoroughly enjoyed themselves (they talked all about it on the way home in our car at least). Some of the kids will miss the final instalment on Sunday and so have already asked to borrow the final The other event we "planned" was "coffee with a missionary". Vesna, whose work in a Christian youth centre in Sam and I were invited back over to Probistip again and after Vesna's words I really would like to go back and see God's Spirit achieving so much. As usual see the photos in the Gallery. God's Peace and Grace, Kev 16.04.08
Just had a great Easter holiday so far. It kicked off with a meeting with all the other churches in Crawley in Queens Square. There was singing, dancing, preaching and reading (by my great wife). It all went very well and some guys from footie caught it going on by accident and said they had enjoyed it.
Saturday saw the men-folk play football in almost every weather condition. There was sun, rain, high winds, snow and hail. Despite all this the game was excellent and benefitted from a good number of adults who were baying for their opponents' blood. Sunday morning saw our lodger Chris and I head down to Tilgate park for the 6:30am Sunrise Easter meeting. It was great to stand by the lake and watch the sun come up as we sang about and prayed to Jesus. We also had communion which was a superb idea on such an ocassion.
We had our normal Sunday morning meeting with a twist. The kids stayed in for the talk and got involved in shouting and some illustrations. Many thanks to Ash, Brendan, Aidan, Mic, Kev, Charles, Az, Angela, Rotimi and Gail for all your help. It was the most interactive sermon yet. I think the pizza feast is best retold in the Gallery as the pictures are certainly worth a thousand words.
Off to an international feast at Langley Green tonight at 5pm... God's Peace and Joy, Kev Taylor. 23rd March 2008.
Gave away 96 burgers yesterday. Met some new faces from Bewbush and recognised some very old friends (Hi Ritchie!). Quite a few people turned down the offer as "too good to be true" which was very telling. Anyway all a great successs, my wife did an amazing job cooking all that up without the slightiest worry. the Reggea Reggea sauce got increasingly popular and the new addition of cheese slices was also loved... Thanks to Kev B for all the help. God's Peace. Kev. 09.03.08
Just finished preparing for the burger van. Aidan cut out 96 free burger vouchers and Brendan sliced a million onions (give or take a few). Looking forward to tomorrow. This time we have cheese!!!! Kev Taylor. 07.03.08
As well as celebrating our mothers and exploring Jesus' take on talking truth we also got involved in Shockwave. Shockwave is an initiative driven by the charity Open Doors and seeks to raise the profile of persecuted Christians around the world and pray for them. Aidan, Brendan, Jordan and Amy all got involved by praying for children around the globe and for their teachers. They read out prayers in front of our community and we agreed with what they said before the Almighty. We prayed for their protection and that God would be glorified through their example. Go to www.odshockwave.org for more information. God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 2nd March 2008
Have a look at the gallery for pictures dated 3rd February 2008. You will see evidence of the great burger give-away we did in Dorsten square on the day before. It was enormously popular. Bewbush's youth flocked to the van to get themselves a prime beef burger. Both young and old also came and it was great to say hello to many new faces and familiar friends. Amongst the conversations struck up there were some really sad stories. One gentleman said, because of a benefits confusion he had not eaten in a week! Another woman told us that some of the teenagers that we fed had terrible home lives and that burger was probably their only food for the day (next time we'll have to give out some healthy as well). If we can afford it I really hope we can show God's love to Bewbush again in March. Many thanks to everyone that helped make it such a success. Particular thanks to Fab for his van, Stuart for his car and especially to Pete and Kev for all their time and strength in manhandling the van around. God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 03.02.08 Trying as hard as we can to get a burger van to accompany our leaflet give away on the first Saturday of each month. Seem to have the thumbs up from the police and the property guys which is a start. Only Environmental health to go. If all goes according to our master plan there should be around 50-100 free burgers on offer on Saturday, 2nd February at 2-3pm. Apologies to the dieters and weightwatchers out there but we probably won't be able to give out an alternative though we'll ensure the bun is as nice as possible! Kev Taylor. 16/01/08.
Just started a series on Jesus' sermon the mount (you can download the talks from the appropriately named page on this website). Here is D.A. Carson's warning on the Beatitudes which we have plunged into: “Diligent readers often cherish writers and speakers who can capture a complex position in a single, polished gem of a statement. Such aphorisms (as they are called) are especially telling when they first become public. Unfortunately, once an aphorism has been widely disseminated, it is in danger of being domesticated – a trained poodle that is dragged out when the circumstances require it. For many Christians, that is what has become of the Beatitudes. . . . We are so familiar with them that the words can glide piously off our tongues without disturbing us. Yet each of these beatitudes is a revolutionary aphorism and together they can, when properly understood, utterly overthrow secularism and radically transform insipid Christianity” Kev Taylor. 10/01/08.
Thank you to Sue and Sharon (and Charles and Barry) for hosting our New Year events. They both were really great and I am already looking forward to repeating them next year. For New Year’s Eve we headed out to Barry and Sue’s for a huge buffet. I think we were supposed to spend our time playing twister and musical statues however the evening was dominated by boxing on the Nintendo Wii. Everyone had a good bout. Children and mothers, sisters and fathers were all persuaded to don the fighting gloves. It was all accompanied by a very loud soundtrack off shouting. When Tuesday afternoon saw us head to Charles and Sharon’s for some “prayer soaking” or “waiting on God” as I prefer to call it (it seems more self-explanatory). I pray you’ll know God’s Peace in the year to come, Kev Taylor.
We have had a great Christmas so far. Hopefully the pictures (see the Gallery) and mp3 files (See Talks page) go someway to conveying the fun and challenges we faced as we looked at the Christmas story and what it means to us today. Normal meeting and services we resume after the new year. However we'll still be meeting in the pub on Thursday and playing footie on Saturday during the holiday Christmas. I hope that you now know more of Jesus because of Christmas. God's Peace, Kev Taylor, 26.12.07.
Join us for two special events to be held at Bewbush Community Primary School: 10:30am on 23rd December: Family Gathering (includes a children's Nativity play and free turkey feast for everyone at 12:30pm) 10:30am on 25th December: Christmas Day Celebration God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 20.12.07
Just got back from a meal with the Bewbush Leaders, Paul and Jo from LG and Verena. Had a great time this morning as Verena shared about her time and challenges in Sudan. She talked of her struggles in hearing clearly from God about her calling and how her calling has thrown up many difficulties that has helped her depend on God. See below for the PowerPoint presentations that accompany the mp3 file on the talks page: The last presentation is of the talk that she decided not to give.
God's Peace, Kev Taylor.
Back from Egypt. Had an amazing time. Look at my Facebook account if you want to see the pictures and videos as proof.
Had David Eaton preach while I was away. His sermon is now on the website but needs tolerance as it is poor quality. Many thanks to David and Loreen for their encouragement.
On Sunday Verena (a missionary in Sudan) will visit us and explore God's work in Africa. This promises to be amazing and I urge everyone to try and make it. I really hope she will help God broaden our horizons and ambitions for the great news about Jesus. God's Peace, Kev Taylor, 13.12.07.
Off to Egypt for a week tomorrow morning. I have put Pete's concise history of Sudan on the talks page for your edification. On Sunday, with me absent, David Eaton will be speaking. He is a great teacher and has helped very many people in Asia and Africa know more of Jesus. Enjoy! Kev Taylor, 2nd December 2007.
Well, only three Sundays untill a missionary from the Sudan comes to visit us in Bewbush. Today one of the leaders began a series on the background story in Sudan. Hopefully this means we'll not be ignorant of the issues Verena addresses when she talks to us on 16th December. Summary of Issues in Sudan from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (16.11.07): Sudan is both a least developed and low-income food-deficit country. Conflict in the south and western parts of the country compounded by climatic problems such as drought and floods have caused severe food deficits, loss of livelihoods and major population displacements. Moreover, seasonal food shortage often evolves into chronic food insecurity. At the beginning of 2004, WFP and FAO estimated that 3.6 million inhabitants were in need of food assistance, with internally displaced people, refugees and returnees particularly exposed to food insecurity, health problems and insecurity. Malaria and diarrhoea lead the list of endemic diseases along with pneumonia and tuberculosis. Guinea worm infestation is a major health problem across the southern part of the country, where 70% of world cases have been reported. Prevalence of HIV/AIDS is increasing. Populations affected by civil strife are deprived of access to health services and are consequently more vulnerable to diseases and malnutrition. Kev Taylor. 25.11.07.
"Melting Pot"A word for Bewbush from Sue Blundell I feel Jesus is saying that he wants to anoint Bewbush! The melting pot is Bewbush. His oil is golden and he wants to melt people's hearts so that they would soften. His oil is going to come to the surface and overflow, seeping into people's hearts. The oil would be ever-flowing, bringing about change, adding people to his church. Kev Taylor, 18.11.07
Because Halowe'en is not the best for our kids we thought we would have a Jesus Party. Only pictures can show how much fun we had.... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20080&l=4455c&id=668570769 Kev Taylor, 31/10/07
Just washed up the final plate and piece of cutlery. Had a great chinese and DVD night at the Bewbush Children's Centre. Over 40 people turned up for good grub and some thought-provoking DVDs. We watched a clip about how God only wants the best for us, another on grieving and how Jesus wept. The final of our trilogy talked about Jesus disciples and the transformation they bought to their community. Thanks Rob Bell again for making our minds race again.
Tomorrow is our "Jesus Party", a kind of Hallowe'en alternative with much fun. Kev Taylor, 30/10/07.
Thanks to Graeme of Technical Media Ministries over at LG Elim Bewbush now have podcasting. Thus if you have something like iTunes you can download the talks each week automatically. Remember: 30th October - 7pm - "Chinese and DVD" night at Bewbush Children's Centre. 31st October - 6pm - "Jesus Party" at an exclusive venue. Kev, 23.10.07.
Our church meeting went well this morning. Everyone seemed to make an appearance and the adults were in good voice (as were the children when it came to fun, games and laughter). We announced a "Chinese and DVD" event for 7pm on 30th October and a "Jesus Party" the next day at our house. These were very well received and people are already thinking of ways to make them go off with a bang. Perhaps you fancy coming? If so let us know and we'll sort something out. God's Peace, Kev. 14-10-07.
Had an awesome time discussing early Christianity last night at men's group. Downloaded the first talk from here and thoroughly enjoyed hearing about believers standing up to Roman oppression and immorality. I think everyone fancies doing the second talk next week. K. Taylor, 20th Sept 2007.
Look at the Gallery for photos... We filled the minibus with one too many people and headed to a church festival in Burgess Hill. I took my juggling stuff to wow the audiences and others brought their stomachs to indulge in the regular festival nourishment of doughnuts and ice cream. Like last year there were a good few thousand in attendance and the skate competition was especially popular. The live band "The Puritans" went down well and sung old classics as well as their own compositions. i did some juggling to kick start a "bite-size" family meeting and the fire juggling was enthusiastically received. A number of us spent an interesting time making book marks. My worm in the mud was obviously the best though Peter's Bengali tiger wasn't half bad either. Ben from Langley Green spent most time playing footie in "The Cage". It was two on two and there was some real show-boating going on. A real football spectacular kept the masses amused. I hope one day Elim Bewbush will be able to bring the same sort of impact on Bewbush for Jesus! K. Taylor. 16-09-07.
In the Independent today in James Daley's cycling column: "My personal favourite group of unlikely cycling enthusiasts, however, is the congregation of a church in Wellington, New Zealand, who have started heading out for godly rides after their Sunday morning service – giving new meaning to the name "Critical Mass". According to Reverend Margaret Mayman, the cycle rides are about engaging with the natural world, while parishioner Helena Beaumont told the Dominion Post newspaper: "The cycling church is really all about raising people's awareness on environmental issues and building that into the context of what we do in everyday life, which includes what we do in our church." It turns out that God really does move in mysterious ways." K. Taylor 04.09.07
Took around 20 guys to see Mike Disanza at Burgess Hill last night. He was very gripping as he spoke of the trauma encountered as a New York cop, surrounded by violence and crime. His plea to know Jesus was taken up by around 4 visitors and all of us were challenged by his story. The Mid-Sussex Christian Centre also celebrated quite a few baptisms and some children were dedicated. It was quite the celebration. We packed out their church and there was a real good family spirit. We look forward to their festival on 15th September. Kev Taylor 03-09-07.
I spoke on the huge problem of Goliath this morning. We had a bag that weighed the same as half of Goliath's armour and this really conveyed the problem he presented. It was good to see that some problems we are called to endure while others we have the opportunity to overcome. To know Jesus is to have all that we need to not know fear and intimidation in this grief-soaked life of ours. After I spoke we spent some time quietly in God's presence. After River Camp I think we'll name these times "prayer soaking" as it is a very apt description.
Off to see Mikey again tonight at the Mid-Sussex Christian Centre. K. Taylor 02-09-07
Saw Mikey of "Cops for Christ" fame last night at Langley Green. Invited all the Bewbush guys and gals and had a great time listening to adventures of a cop around the world. I particularly enjoyed Mikey's recollection of divine coincidence that led him to meet a Turkish governer and speak in an Ephesian amphitheatre. Perhaps one day he'll visit Bewbush? Go read his book "A Cop For Christ" by the way
God's Peace, Kev Taylor.
Got back from River Camp at 1am this morning. Had an awesome time with lots to think about
When we arrived on the Friday afternoon one guy at the reception asked us if we were the "big group". Now because the event is open to all churches I was sure there would be bigger groups. However I was wrong. Our little church plant in Bewbush had the biggest single booking at River Camp where around 1500 Christians would meet together. All credit goes to my wife for being so well organised and enthusiastic. Apparently they called our booking "The Envelope". While everyone else had a nicely sized manilla evelope our was two bursting envelopes gaffer taped together to stop the contents bursting out.
Unfortunately we made an immediate impression. There was an announcement the following day in the main meeting that people should not get up at the crack of dawn and make lots of noise. The problem was that that very morning all the children that came with us were so excited that they got up around 5:30am and ran round the camp shouting. I understand this was not very popular. Especially as we were also the last to go to bed. Next year we will be a little more civilised?
We saw John and Carol Arnott from the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship come and speak and demonstrate signs and wonders. There were a lot of alleged healings but I didn't encounter anyone personally who was healed so make of that what you will. We also saw a lot of people experience the Holy Spirit in unusual ways. Just search the net for John Arnott and you will see the huge reactions their ministry has provoked. The children with us were concerned when their parents fell down because of God's presence. However I think they got used to it by the forth day!
Kevin and Margaret Peat and David Campbell also spoke. When the excesses of the Spirit are explained like they did you get a little more comfortable with events that just seem plain odd! Paul and Peter were part of the main worship team and really led us into a wonderful place before God.
Kevin Peat gave a couple of excellent talks and really became vulnerable in what he said. His personal struggles with various issues really spoke to me and I believ I've learnt some valuable lessons from what he had to say.
The last thing we did at River Camp was to create "Fire Tunnels" whereby people raised their hands into arches (like the children's game Oranges and Lemons) and prayed for those that passed under them. Now I wasn't too happy with some of the manifestations and felt little myself however after praying for a few hundred people with John and Carol Arnott next to me I got perfectly content with the strangeness.
I wonder if this Holy Spirit would come and see us on a Sunday morning in Bewbush?
I cannot possibly do the weekend justice with words so go to the Facebook gallery for more info.
Everbody said they were looking forward to next year already
God's Peace, Kev Taylor.
I have just listened to the Indian-born apologist Ravi Zacharias demonstrate the compelling argument for God's existence. Have a listen and see what you think. There are some great illustrations, from the Russian general to the man needing a haircut: Flirting with the truth.mp3
Kevin T. 21-08-07.
Last night we continued with Arthur Wallis' "Living God's Way". We were on week 15 and the subject was "Amazing Grace". Now this is certainly a subject that can be treated a bit flippantly and at the start we causally talked about the undeserved favour of God. However as we warmed to our subject it became really impressive to us that God did everything to secure our salvation. Our life in this land and the next is solely based on God sending his Son to die for us and also inspiring faith in us so we could receive the benefits of Jesus' scarifice. Our faces kind of glowed as we discussed these wonderful truths. Someone even suggested this class alone should be given to everyone for it would surely convince the most adamant God-hater that he loves us. Kev, 16-08-07
Yesterday was a complete success despite my hideous and crippling sunburn. We had 6 teams enter our 5-a-side football competition: one adult team and five kid's teams. We handicapped the older ones by asking them to plat with four and allowing the kids to fields six against them. There was some terrific football on display and some young stars of the future really demonstrated some real promise. A big thank you to Paul Arthur for refereeing with me. Also Pete, Kev and Angela made the whole thing a veritable joy to organise. Congratulations to the Thomas Bennett Reds who won the winners' medals and to the Pretty Boys who secured the runner-up trophy. It was a hard-fought and enjoyable afternoon which we look forward to hosting next year. And the choir....Let me tell you about the choir. A bus load of incredibly beautiful people arrived from a huge church in Brixton to entertain and challenge the folks of Bewbush. A good number of people stayed behind after the festival to clap, dance and cheer them on. They sung about Jesus and explained who is important he is. the Ruach Ministries Gospel Choir also got a bit of audience participation as well. A number of the listeners got to sing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" into the microphone to the encouragement of the 30 strong choir. A number of locals also heard the singing and came out their houses to enjoy the music as it carried across our estate. During it I was asked about church and thanked for such a great event. I can't wait till next year when we'll hopefully do it all over again. God's Peace, Kev. 05-08-07
Well we held possibly the first ever Wii tournament in the world last night. A shed load of kids turned up to experience Nintendo's latest piece of game machinery. We split the contendors up into two categories: 1Kev year olds and under and the over 11s. Each round was fiercly fought and there were some unexpected results as it progressed. However at the end two winners emerged and each received a box of "Heroes". Many congratulations to Chris and Jordan for their success. We also had a multi-player game of Halo on some Xboxes at the back of the hall. Unfortunately i have no idea of how that worked so I don't know if there was a winner there or not.
Already we have plagued with questions about when the next tournament will be! Kev T. 03.08.07
I am dead on my feet. We had an exhausting couple of hours of barn dancing tonight in the community centre. As always it is shown in the Gallery. Eileen and David came from Burgess Hill to dance us off our feet. It was all very professional and we had a good turn out. Though the men were, as expected, under-represented there were more kids than you could shake a stick at. Food was devoured and much water consumed in a bid to regain the fluids lost through all that exercise. My wife was particular proficient and led us both in some pretty good little moves. Tomorrow the WII tournament... K. Taylor. 01.08.07
This morning we did our usual gardening in the Bewbush Water Gardens. Again we hacked down much and left destruction in our wake. Unfortunately we run out of steam by lunch time as it was not obvious what to do next. I hope to get further instructions so tomorrow is productive. The photos are poor as my camera phone has just been stolen. Oh well try and make out from the Gallery what we did.
Tonight is the Barn Dance!!! Kev Taylor. 01-08-07
Last night we arranged a film night for the Bewbush Summer Festival. We watched "Night in the Museum" starring Ben Stiller. It went down extremely well and that were a lot of laughs. Weirdly we had 28 adults and 27 children. Usually the kids outnumber the adults by far. Perhaps Bewbush is actually filled with budding fiilm critics? Anyway much thanks to The Base Project which publicised our film night at their children's event in the morning. Now I'm off to do so more gardening... K. Taylor. 01.08.07
This morning we blitzed some undergrowth in Bewbush. We obliterated much of it and left some trees and bushes. It doesn't look great but it leaves room for more artistic hands to start work. This was in co-operation with the Let's Face It campaign in Crawley. Go to the gallery to get a feeling for all the blood, sweat and tears shed.... K. Taylor, 31.07.07
Too much man, too much. Yesterday we had our first Elim Bewbush trip to Just before Eventually, when all the food was eaten and every last flat stone had been exhausted we returned to our vehicles and headed back for the baptism meeting. At Brendan was the first of the Bewbush lads to get dunked. He gave a great talk on why he wanted to be baptised and spoke about how he hoped to be a preacher one day. How exciting is that coming from a twelve year old?! Pete and I then proceeded to virtually drown him but him came up grinning and then we moved onto Pictures of this are imminent in the gallery...... Kev Taylor,
Pete and I went out armed with the "hands" leaflets today in the square in Bewbush. Seemed to meet a whole load of people. We enjoyed everything from some shouted abuse to an in-depth chat about personal lives. The need for God is glaringly obvious in this estate and I pray God will continue to give us the opportunity of seeing lives changed with Jesus. Substance abuse and failed relationships was certainly a theme. We visited Bewbush's scrap store where, for a nominal fee, you can get everything from material to Megadrive games and a panama hat. I believe it opens Thursday evenings and another day as well. A very innovative community project I think. Met what I believe is a local celebrity as well. Pepi Winder is an old school bmx master and seems to have represented England in the past on the bike. This certainly qualifies him for my admiration as I know how hard any trick is on two wheels. Check him out in the eighties on youtube HERE . Kev. 07/07/07
There exists an interesting correlation between the decrease in pirates and the increasing global average temperature. Is this significant? Perhaps someone should commission a more in-depth study of this phenomenon as it could mean I can continue driving my car to the shops which are barely a mile away.
Ruach Ministries Gospel Choir are appearing at the Bewbush Summer Festival at 5pm on 4thn August. It is going to be great. Check them out HERE! They have emreged out of a 5,000 strong church in Brixton where Bishop John Francis leads. Kev Taylor, 03/07/07.
From Wikipedia: Originally an enthusiast was a person possessed by a God....Thus Socrates speaks of the inspiration of poets as a form of enthusiasm....During the 18th century, popular Methodists such as John Wesley or George Whitefield were accused of blind enthusiasm. Apparently it is derived from the Greek where "en" means "in" and "theo" refers to God. Thus the term comes from an experience of God. Just thought you should know.... Kev Taylor, 03/07/07
I bought a Nintendo WII for the church a couple of weeks back for our WII tournament in the Bewbush Summer Festival. However with Pete helping out over at LG's youth group we decided to lend it to them for a while. The WII seems to have gone down a treat as it is a little different to the normal consoles. To make characters on the screen do stuff you have to wave a controller around rather than just press a button. Our Gallery shows some photos Paul took of the intense stares incited by the WII's gameplay. I thought gaming was supposed to be fun but it is obvious that things are too serious for that! Kev Taylor, 19/06/07
Go to the "talks" section to listen to a lecturer conjecture about sex in heaven. It makes some excellent points as well as answers the question "did Adam fart in the garden of Eden?"! Thanks to Mr Norcross for the two extra photos from Isabella's dedication K. Taylor, 18-06-07
Yesterday was one full day. We had our usual Sunday meeting but then followed it with a BBQ for everyone. I spoke on Titus 3 and challenged our guys to take some time off during the festival to get their hands dirty with the community's needs. Watch this space to see if we manage to actually do anything...... Invites were sent out and the pictures in the Gallery show how well it went. I never knew football and burgers could co-exist so peacefully. The older lads delighted in teaching the infants how to stop people taking the football away from you by dribbling. After a while there were some very frustrated, red-faced kids withour footballs. Loads of food and drink was spilt and various nices dresses and shirts were spoilt. But I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say it couldn't have gone better. We had a few guys with African heritage turn up in 'African time', one even turned up hoping for food over half an hour after it had all been packed away! We also had my neice's dedication over at Langley Green. The church building was full of familiar faces, old and new and there was a disproportionate number of 'younglings'. I spoke for a bit and had to concentrate extremely hard to avoid being overwhelmed by the cacophony of yells of laughter and rage from the various children. We finally all went back to my bro's house for a chinwag and nosh up. You couldn't swing a cat for all the pastors and we seem to have our own special language that we reserve for just talking to each other. I'm sure some of the conversations I had with other church leaders would have been incomprehensible to the uninitiated! God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 11-06-07
Just listened to a talk by Shane Claiborne (it is now on the Talks (MP3s) page as long as no one complains about copyright). A real challenge to make an impact as followers of Jesus on our community. Go listen to it and visit his website for more info.
Today's talk is now available in mp3 format on the Talks section of this website. God's Peace, Kev Taylor. 3rd June 2007.
Now today has been hot. My neck is nicely blistered from footie and shaking the square. Football was particularly good despite being in goal and headering in an own goal from a shot that was miles wide. All the guys that spent some time in the gym ran round half naked, while the more modest and portly gentlemen like myself kept our clothes on. Chris turned up to help me give out some leaflets in the Dorsten Square today. I said hi to a good number of people so feel, after 5 years, I am beginning to be part of the community. Chris participated in some urban guerilla leafleting and stuck a leaflet in the phone booth. Hopefully BT won't hunt him down with all the means at their disposal! God's Peace, Kev. 02-06-07
The barbeque went so well tonight. It was set up in celebration of two years of Elim Church Bewbush. We had a shed load of people turn up and the house creaked at the seams trying to accommodate them all. Some of those who came we certainly did not know from church on a Sunday. Have a look at the photos on the gallery! Some of the kids spontaneously started to act out the Good Samaritan which had a comical leaning and gave everyone a good laugh. The sexes mystically separated themselves so that women-folk were indoors and the men-folk outside. I'm not too sure what they talked about indoors but outside we discussed engine fuels, assasination methods and the Karate Kid. One highlight was when Muhesh (the premises manager from the school were we meet) turned up with lamb ribs and burgers. I cannot convey through this limited medium on the internet how wonderful they were. While burgers and sausages were left over the Limbachia burgers vanished in but a moment. Thanks be to God for carrying his church for two years in Bewbush! K. Taylor, 30/05/07
We are having a big Bewbush feast BBQ tomorrow. Everyone is invited and will surely be well fed as the flesh is being provided by the Norcross family. Come along and celebrate two years of Elim Church Bewbush. K. Taylor, 29/05/07
Look I realise this is the most boring format ever for a blog. But until someone who is actually good as this sort of stuff takes the design responsibility off my hands this is gonna be how it stays. Anyway yesterday was Pentecost Sunday when we celebrate that first baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Now it was hard to know how much to make of this as we know the Holy Spirit regularly in our meetings and it was difficult to envisage what more He could do amongst us. However, despite my doubts, the Spirit really descended on us as a group. The singing and shouting to God went on for ages and had a volume that any African congregation would have been proud of. I'm sure Mount Moriah next door would have heard our cries to the Almighty. It was wonderful to feel the Spirit quicken the hearts of everyone present so that we were doing what we can gain most pleasure from: enjoying and praising the Lord. The worship team did really well not to be phased by the expressive worship. In fact they did much to encourage us further to experience God's holy presence through Jesus' Spirit. I cannot wait until next Sunday when we'll all meet together again and join forces in singing to Him once again. K. Taylor 28.05.07
The invite when out during the week and so we all hundeled round the telly to see whether Liverpool could win their sixth Champion's League title. Our hearts sank when Milan scored just before half time and there seemed to be a frustrtaed note creeping in to the Red's play. It was a great game but Liverpool failed to capitalise on a number of chances. However the trivial nature of sport was exposed as we started talking about deeper matters. The imminence of death was discussed and howe injustice so often appears rampant in this world of ours. I'm not too sure that grief can be avoided but I believe talk of Jesus and God kind of put things in the right context. K. Taylor 24/05/07
I always experience a strange tension when I speak on a Sunday morning. Over the week I will have spent some time trying to listen to God and hear what he wants to say, through me, to the church (quite a grandiose claim I know). However, as a kind of counter weight to this enthusiasm is the fact that I know the longer I go on the more God’s original point could be lost. People start to fidget and look bored and even a few see their eye lids drop. Yesterday I spoke for almost 50 minutes. This exceeds most people’s attention span by some time, especially when the subject is not a multi-million So how long should you talk? Well I suppose I will continue to talk as long as I feel I have something God wants me to say. Until I am confident enough to condense and abridge God’s message to a tidy 20 minutes I will continue to see heads nod in both agreement and tiredness. K. Taylor.
Last night we used the gap in the Alpha schedule for a prayer meeting in Bewbush Children's Centre. After being bombarded with the church kids who had just finished a Brownie award ceremony we got down to praising and petitioning God. One of our guys, Edward, had a great time directing us. It was good to pray for those in authority and we also prayed for a Gurkha who was apparently elected into a local council in Folkstone. K. Taylor. 16/05/07
When we started this adventure in Bewbush we had hoped that God would quickly increase our numbers and influence in the borough. In reality the process has been very gradual. If we saw everyone who has visited the church meeting on a Sunday morning stay then we would be too big for the school hall. However this has not been the case. About 15 people have committed themselves and then moved away, about the same number again are casual visitors who we see when there is a problem in their life and they realise their need for God and his people. Despite this there is an increasing core of dedicated guys who really believe in God's church in Bewbush. This Sunday there were 12 of us kicking around before even ten o'clock. I found this really encouraging. Just look at the photo posted on 15 May for the "ever expanding worship team" which did a great job on Sunday. It looks like God subscribes to the Howies mantra of "Grow Slow, Grow Strong" (please don't tell Dave Betts this as he is for rapid world domination and Jesus will probably return before we even get across the road to Broadfield!). I preached on Esther in our last meeting. Now the response from the guys listening wasn't overwhelming but I thought it went very well. I either got very excited or God's Spirit quickened me. I spoke a bit on the eternal prospect of hell and how it should inspire us to weep for the lost. We always record the talks and if you want one on CD I'll post you one free of charge (if you live in the UK),
K. Taylor 15/05/07
Some friends from some nearby churches are heading out to Macedonia at the end of this month. We tried to inspire some of our guys to go but no-one was up for it. So instead of sending bodies to the mission field we asked what else we could do. Christy Smith from Mid-Sussex Christian Centre suggested that we donate some games consoles for the newly opened youth centre in Karatavo (where I went last year). So yesterday my wife and I headed to Crawley's Gamestation and bought an Xbox, a PS2 and some games. These will be sent over with the intrepid missionaries and hopefully bring some joy to a game starved Eastern European! K. Taylor 08/05/07
Sunday was a really good time as my brother preached and the worship seemed particularly great. Two people were interviewed by the leaders about their time at Elim's conference in Minehead. The talks by Jeff Lucas were mentioned as both funny and effective. His discussion on giving and making an impact as the redeemed people of God on this earth was obviously enjoyed. The report on the kids' activities suggested they were a lot of fun and it was agreed that everyone needs to go next year! David spoke on Amos chapter 6 and spoke about the responsibilities of the "haves" which most in the West are obviously part of. God touched a faIr few hearts with what he had to say and a good number came up for prayer afterwards. K. Taylor 23/04/07
Just got back from Elim's conference in Minehead. Check out the photos on our Gallery for a little inside view... K. Taylor 20/04/07
I never wash. Here are my reasons:
K. Taylor, 10/04/07
Well today we finished our Easter programme. On Saturday we headed out with 100 Cadbury's crème Eggs and our “Hands” leaflets. There were six of us handing them out a people were really pleased to receive an egg and an invite. A few conversations were struck up and everybody was in good spirits during this holiday time. I hope next time will be even more successful. Today we had the normal meeting plus Peter brought us the Lord's Supper was a good time to spend in quiet reflection before God and also in extreme gratitude for all that he had done. I'm now off to LG for James Glass' “Easter questions”! K. Taylor 08-04-07
Today has been a great Good Friday. This morning we joined with all the Crawley churches for a big celebration in the town centre in Queen's Square. The pictures in the Gallery show how many attended. St Mary's vicar Kevin spoke well and conveyed well the hope and light offered by Jesus. Afterwards my wife and I headed back to Bewbush to attend Mount Moriah's conference held in Bewbush Community Centre. The worship was loud and enthusiastic and we knew God was present. I spoke on Paul meeting King Agrippa and hopefully inspired people to be confident of the Gospel and its beauty. They also fed us and even as I write this I feel contented from the huge portion of chicken and rice I enjoyed. I pray that God will continue to bless Simon and Lidia as they lead their church into God's plans. See us out tomorrow for chocolate and leaflet give away from 2 to 3pm in Dorsten Square. K. Taylor 06/04/07
I know there is no such thing as Easter Wednesday really but I think we'll introduce it from now on! We decided to feast on some chinese food and watch three Rob Bell Nooma DVDs. The photos of this are in the gallery section on this website. About 30 odd people turned up in the end which was unexpected. We originally bought food for about 15 so we had to buy a load more food which was quite good really. There were a shed load of kids and they seemed to utterly enjoy themselves between the short films chasing each other round. Even Pete got involved at some point. The films were quite thought provoking. The first looked at God's Spirit and how we are all made in his image. There was even the suggestion that the name of God (the Tetragrammatron YHWH) is actually the breath we breathe. the second basically explored God's love for us and how our guilt needn't get in the way. The final film looked at love and sex which was a bit of a surprise. Rob Bell talked about how sexual love should occur within the framework of friendship and commitment. Though I wouldn't have chosen the last DVD if I had known what it was about I believe it had some great points and was worth showing. K. Taylor 05/04/07
Last night two Petes from LG came to Bewbush to lead us in a prayer walk. They have been going to each Crawley borough to cover the town completly in prayer. It was a really good time to seek the Lord about our own estate and ask that He do something decisive among those that live in Bewbush. We even held an impromptu prayer meeting in the five-a-side pens. I look forward to the next time we get to do this. K. Taylor 04/04/07
Martin turned up for our Sunday morning meeting and really enthuased us with his passion for singing God's praises. He was not afriad to challenge us and make sure no-one was coasting. We had quite a large proportion of children today and they certainly made their presence felt. Nevertheless Martin took to the battle for volume and ensured the worship was louder than the cries of infants! Despite it being Palm Sunday I spoke on the betrayal of Judas. It was quite a dark sermon as I considered Judas' actions and the character of betrayal and the modus operandi of the devil. I spoke on how the Devil likes to manipulate our weaknesses like he probably did with Judas background character of greed. However I did end with Jesus' wonderful healing of the High Priest's servant's ear and his undertsanding the blackness would be finite and only last an "hour". I hope those listening were inspired not to get overwhelmed by troubling events and bring love and compassion into whatever situation we discover ourselves in. K. Taylor 01/04/07
Well today we celebrated Alfie and Sandra getting married in St. Matthis church, Brighton. The weather proved wonderful and bright though a little gale-like. Both bride and groom looked great and they seem to be extreemly photogenic. Alf was even described by the preacher as beaming like "a cheshire cat". It was a real privilege to see Bewbush church involved. Sharon was a fantastic bridesmaid, Charles took some DVD footage, Sam and I were ushers while Pete was on transport and logistic duties and made everywhere in record time. Dave took some amazing phtos which can be found HERE. As you will see in the photos there was a great mix of people and the feast at Preston Park Hotel was sumptuous. There was a disco later where Uncle Apollo refused to get off the dance floor. He eventually persuaded most onto it eventually andreally got the party going. K. Taylor 31-03-07
We looked at Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8 on Sunday. Spoke about having an impressive faith that people are drawn to. The importance of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was emphasised and various people came forward for prayer so that they could be more effective for Jesus in their spheres of influence. We had an all female worship team this week who led us into the God's presence almost immediately. Thanks gals!
Future events: 28-03-07 We'll enjoy the Lord's supper at the housegroup meetings at the usual venues. 31-03-07 Alf and Sandra's wedding. 01-04-07 Joint meeting at West Green Baptist church at 7pm. 03-04-07 Prayer walk with LG starting from my house at 8pm. 04-04-07 Chinese and DVD at Bewbush Children's Centre at 7pm. 05-04-07 Prayer meeting at my house again 8pm-9pm. 06-04-07 Joint meeting in Queens Square at 11am 07-04-07 Chocolate and leaflet outreach in Dorsten Square at 2-3pm. 08-04-07 Easter Sunday meeting at 10:30am.
Also note that Lidia is running her wonderful conference over at the Bewbush Community Centre over Easter. I believe I will be speaking on the conference's theme of "Called to influence" at some point over the weekend. We pray they will experience every blessing of God! 06 to 08-04-07 Mount Moriah conference at Bewbush Community Centre. K. Taylor 26-03-07 | |
