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It's too long since I've posted and what better way to return than to be positive!I just felt the need to place on record (before as many people as possible) my sincere thanks to John Gowans for his contribution to the song book. Since the end of January we have been out of our hall (due to planned maintenance) and are not due to return until the end of April. All of the songs we normally use, apart from the songbook, are only available via projection and our projector is ceiling mounted not portable. We've been worshipping in a lovely URC church hall and have only been able to use SA songbooks for worship. (I didn't want to waste paper printing off songsheets every week). We have three new converts in our corps family, two are recovering alcoholics, one of whom has only been out of detox for two weeks, in looking for songs I have constantly found myself returning to those penned by retired General JG! He came to give us life - someone cares - kneeling in penitence - if you want it it's yours - there is a message - there's no other name - knowing my failings - how much more - who is it tells me what to do... and so I could go on. Some poets take simple things and make them complicated whilst others, like John Gowans, take complicated things and make them simple! Thank God for John! Grace and peace, A
It’s a long time since I’ve had the time to blog.
If there is another vocation out there that crams as much into one month as Salvation Army Officership crams into December I’ll eat my cap!
Incredible things have been happening at Dartford – God has been picking off individuals like a sniper. We have seen no conversions to date but God is definitely preparing the ground. We have seen the power of holiness transform lives and it is indeed an amazing thing to behold.
On a practical front we‘ve got building works starting on Friday – all funded from within the Corps. We also have a new sound system and AV rig going in before our carol service at the end of the month. We’ve also got a quote coming in for a new fitted kitchen. We haven’t applied for any external grants or funding - this is all being paid for out of existing funds and money generated by new fund-raising started up in the last 3 months.
Our sale of work this year raised £2481 (our Corps budget anticipated £400) this incredible total included one single cash donation of £1000 – this came not from a Salvationist but from a lady who simply ‘admires the work of the Army in Dartford’ (an admiration that began long before we arrived!)
Last week our band played in the High Street for the first time in 16 years! Later on the same day we carolled at Bluewater shopping centre – unable to get any help from surrounding Corps - we followed the lead of Gideon and went in the strength we had! Nobody at the Corps could believe that Dartford band had carolled – let alone at Bluewater!
We took our Corps flag to the High Street and also to Bluewater – I noticed it’s got a few moth holes in it – should we get another one or should we let the old one enjoy a new season of outreach and open-airs before we promote it to glory? Booth Tucker visited Dartford (where his daughter was the CO) back in 1920’s – it’s quite possible he marched behind the moth-eaten flag – I think we’ll give it another season of warfare first!
On Sunday a family of political asylum seekers from Sri Lanka who we had given a food parcel to earlier in the week came to the meetings. They didn’t understand a word that was said or sung but they understood (and responded to) the love that was shown to them.
God’s hand of blessing is quite clearly upon us and I am certain that 2008 will bring even greater blessings including the onset of revival!
Watch this space.
It's too long since I've posted and what better way to return than to be positive!
