is the theme for the next Manchester Maranatha Gathering at Brunswick Parish Church this coming Saturday 5th December 10:30am – 4:00pm. Do come and join us for the whole day, or any part of this day of praise, worship and sharing as we encounter the Living Word!. For more details see this email which contains a link to the location on google-maps.
The brochure detailing all the Maranatha Christian Weekends and Retreats for 2010 has now been published here, and the weekends pages of the web-site will be updated in line with this over the coming month. This brochure has all the details of our forthcoming Weekends, Teaching Retreats, Prayer Retreats and contemplative Retreats, and bookings are now being taken.
Available here is the booking form for the first weekend in March at Beechwood Court in Conwy, and for booking forms for the other individual retreats please contact the Maranatha Office.
There is also a separate leaflet with more details of our Five Day Retreats.
The Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Spotlight – News and Views for Local Groups, by Local Groups, has been issued today and can be downloaded here.
In this issue, news from: Eastleigh Trumpet Call, South Midlands and Yorkshire Regional Gatherings, the men’s weeked at Llandudno, Brigg local group and reflections on Christmas.
This is the first edition with Matthew Doherty as editor, and we thank him for taking this on. If you are a member of a Maranatha Local Group then perhaps you might like to contribute to the next issue – just email Matthew. You can also give us your thoughts via the comments facility here.
Earlier this year members of the Maranatha Community, from different church backgrounds and with much Theological training and knowledge between them, produced the very significant document Christians Standing Together which outlines the non-negotiable truths of the Gospel proclaimed by Christians of all traditions, referring to scripture, and outlines twelve prime truths based on the Constantinople-Nicene Creed.
The doctrines described in Christians Standing Together have now been further expanded in Our Christian Faith which is free to download here.
We arrived on Friday 23rd October at the Loretto Convent in Llandudno in a mood of expectancy; it was a privilege to be there and the Holy Spirit was everywhere to be experienced. As so often is the case, when Christian men get together to worship, something very special happens (Phil 4: 4-9). The atmosphere was electric.
One day into the Retreat, the nun looking after us was told to leave us to go on an errand; her reply was “Its not very often we get a bunch of men together praising God and listening to the Holy Spirit. This lot are great and I’m not leaving them.” AMEN.
The Role of Men (Proverbs 24) Is it the Lamb or the Lion ?
We are ‘comfy’ projecting the Lamb – He seems to make little demand on us and the Church.
But what is needed today is Jesus the Lion – the one who speaks with Authority and whose Name is above all others Lord and Saviour (Rev 5)
Thoughts: An army in waiting and prepared for war (Psalm 16) (1 Peter 5: 8 -11)
Words: Urgency, Scattered, Salt, Sealing, Solidarity, Number three, Concluding Prayers of the Methodist Covenant.
LUTHER: “Sola Fides, Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura”
Saturday afternoon – huge storm – team work – so important in danger
Great Orme rescue operation – we prayed into the danger
Invited Christ to be with us as Light and the Living Word
We were invited to to lay our burdens down and to come and sit at His feet.
Proverbs 24 – Keep yourself pure
Psalm 16 – Wrong priorities and boundaries
Joshua 1:6-9 – Commissioning
1 Peter 5:8 – Guarding your back
Ephesians 6 – The full armour of God
The weekend drew to a close with us renewing our covenant and promising to continue to pray and meet soon.
God Bless,
George (from Lincolnshire).
Maranatha Community (Archive News) 