Monday, 3 September 2007
What is our church like?
If you are wondering what our church is like, then here goes. You might find it a little different from this - this is how I see it, but everyone can see things differently
Perspectives
A while ago, I reflected on the growth of grassroots initiatives and the importance of prayer combined with action in the city of Sheffield. An article based on my thoughts appeared in a local Christian Magazine called "CrossWord". I have added some edited highlights from that article here on my blog.
In the thirteen years since I came to Meadowhead Christian Fellowship, I've seen many changes and developments in the way Christians across the city are co-operating. When I first arrived in Sheffield, it seemed as if most inter-church events in the city were initiated through the strong networks of church leaders that had a real history of co-operation. Although there are still local area and city-wide groups of church leaders, many of the trans-denominational initiatives we now see in the city have developed outside of the traditional leaders' groupings.
Now there are real signs of co-operation at the grass-roots of our Christian community.
One obvious spiritual discipline that unites all Christians is a belief that we are called to pray. Jesus' pattern for His disciples teaches us to pray: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". Praying for change in our society is an important aspect of what/who we are, and praying with one another for the greater good of our city breaks down our barriers and unites us in our one faith and hope.
Prayer often becomes a motivation for action! There are now many small groups transcending denominational barriers praying and working for change in particular aspects of our city life. We need to be encouraged by what the Lord is doing, even though it isn't always as visible as the 'big' event.
So what of the future? A group of Sheffield church leaders will be travelling to the National Day of Prayer on May 13th (at the NEC, Birmingham) where we shall learn more about the project 'Redeeming Our Communities'. This project has seen real change in communities in the North West of England, with significant reductions in crime and drug abuse, as Christians have combined prayer with action. In the following months, we are hoping to encourage and create opportunities for corporate prayer and action for our city. One future goal is to link in with the Global Day of Prayer at Pentecost 2007, a call to believers world-wide to pray.
This is the time to co-operate with what God is doing; to keep our eyes, ears, hearts and minds open to His Spirit, and to respond to the opportunities that are open to us to welcome the growth of God's kingdom here in the city of Sheffield!
Please note that a longer version of this article was published in CrossWord - Issue 36, Spring 2006 - by Christian Resource & Information Sevice in Sheffield (Reg Charity no 1042130.
In the thirteen years since I came to Meadowhead Christian Fellowship, I've seen many changes and developments in the way Christians across the city are co-operating. When I first arrived in Sheffield, it seemed as if most inter-church events in the city were initiated through the strong networks of church leaders that had a real history of co-operation. Although there are still local area and city-wide groups of church leaders, many of the trans-denominational initiatives we now see in the city have developed outside of the traditional leaders' groupings.
Now there are real signs of co-operation at the grass-roots of our Christian community.
One obvious spiritual discipline that unites all Christians is a belief that we are called to pray. Jesus' pattern for His disciples teaches us to pray: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". Praying for change in our society is an important aspect of what/who we are, and praying with one another for the greater good of our city breaks down our barriers and unites us in our one faith and hope.
Prayer often becomes a motivation for action! There are now many small groups transcending denominational barriers praying and working for change in particular aspects of our city life. We need to be encouraged by what the Lord is doing, even though it isn't always as visible as the 'big' event.
So what of the future? A group of Sheffield church leaders will be travelling to the National Day of Prayer on May 13th (at the NEC, Birmingham) where we shall learn more about the project 'Redeeming Our Communities'. This project has seen real change in communities in the North West of England, with significant reductions in crime and drug abuse, as Christians have combined prayer with action. In the following months, we are hoping to encourage and create opportunities for corporate prayer and action for our city. One future goal is to link in with the Global Day of Prayer at Pentecost 2007, a call to believers world-wide to pray.
This is the time to co-operate with what God is doing; to keep our eyes, ears, hearts and minds open to His Spirit, and to respond to the opportunities that are open to us to welcome the growth of God's kingdom here in the city of Sheffield!
Please note that a longer version of this article was published in CrossWord - Issue 36, Spring 2006 - by Christian Resource & Information Sevice in Sheffield (Reg Charity no 1042130.
Our Past
To help us understand who we are today, it is helpful to look at where we've come from. With that in mind, I have added here a brief history of MCF written by my good friend Tony Hill, who has been part of the church from its early days.
Tony writes:
"Meadowhead Christian Fellowship has its roots in the Sheffield House Church movement. Initially one of five churches planted out in 1983, MCF, which then stood for Millhouses Christian Fellowship, met in Abbeydale Grange School, Millhouses. It had a vision to see local people won for Christ.
In 1985 Billy Graham came to Sheffield. MCF organised buses to take local residents to Bramall Lane for the meetings and many people from the Batemoor and Jordanthorpe estates became Christians. Although a number of these travelled to Millhouses for the Sunday meeting, the Eldership at that time decided to move the church to Batemoor, where it worshipped in Meadowhead School.
Over time, more folk came to the church and we saw God do great things for a time. However, people came and went; the church went through some difficult times and was whittled down to a congregation of 30. Geoff Williams preached his now famous 'Gideon 300 Sermon', with the result that those who stayed and 'lapped' have seen the church grow in maturity and numbers since then.
A significant and God-ordained move was the appointment of Jonathan Dunning as leader of the church, ably supported by his wife Karen, in 1993. Over the following years, the church continued to grow both in numbers and areas of service, and has sent many people out to serve God in the mission field, both in this country and overseas. The church has also developed strong relationships with many other churches and ministries, within Sheffield and the north of England but also across the world.
More recently, MCF decided that a building was required to develop the church vision further. Various properties were looked at and eventually the old Spar supermarket on the Jordanthorpe precinct became available. Following a period of refurbishment, this has become Unit 3, at the Jordanthorpe shops. MCF has worshipped at Unit 3 since February 2004, when the building was blessed by the Bishop of Sheffield."
Tony writes:
"Meadowhead Christian Fellowship has its roots in the Sheffield House Church movement. Initially one of five churches planted out in 1983, MCF, which then stood for Millhouses Christian Fellowship, met in Abbeydale Grange School, Millhouses. It had a vision to see local people won for Christ.
In 1985 Billy Graham came to Sheffield. MCF organised buses to take local residents to Bramall Lane for the meetings and many people from the Batemoor and Jordanthorpe estates became Christians. Although a number of these travelled to Millhouses for the Sunday meeting, the Eldership at that time decided to move the church to Batemoor, where it worshipped in Meadowhead School.
Over time, more folk came to the church and we saw God do great things for a time. However, people came and went; the church went through some difficult times and was whittled down to a congregation of 30. Geoff Williams preached his now famous 'Gideon 300 Sermon', with the result that those who stayed and 'lapped' have seen the church grow in maturity and numbers since then.
A significant and God-ordained move was the appointment of Jonathan Dunning as leader of the church, ably supported by his wife Karen, in 1993. Over the following years, the church continued to grow both in numbers and areas of service, and has sent many people out to serve God in the mission field, both in this country and overseas. The church has also developed strong relationships with many other churches and ministries, within Sheffield and the north of England but also across the world.
More recently, MCF decided that a building was required to develop the church vision further. Various properties were looked at and eventually the old Spar supermarket on the Jordanthorpe precinct became available. Following a period of refurbishment, this has become Unit 3, at the Jordanthorpe shops. MCF has worshipped at Unit 3 since February 2004, when the building was blessed by the Bishop of Sheffield."
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