I got an email today from John B asking me if I was the person in the picture. Probably in the light of a post on my blog entitled Scientologists Threw Me Out.

No it wasn’t me John, I haven’t worn that anorak for ages!

The article was in the York Press and entitled ‘Protesters Target Controversial Church’. It can be seen at this link.

Wish I’d been there, it must have been quite a sight!

Our planned church outing to Kiplin Hall on Easter Monday will be postponed due to the awful weather forecast. We will put it in the diary for a later date.

What a shame, the Kiplin Hall website have been advertising their ‘Easter Eggsperience’ for families in the Hall and grounds. Treasure hunt, colouring activities and more!

Last night saw congregations from Elim, St Laurences and St Hildas worship as one. The occasion was a sponsored hymn/song singing marathon, of 50 songs/hymns in a row, for the Anthony Nolan Trust. People gave generously of their time and money. Early indications put the figure raised by the event at more than £150!

An odd sect seems to be trying to recruit in York. They had been active in the autumn and I thought they had gone. According to reports I have been receiving they have now returned at the beginning of 2008.

The group has been trying to infiltrate churches and has been at work in the York Uni CU. A number of people have reported details to me.

The group displays cultic features that will be familiar to many of us:

• Avoiding revealing, or being evasive about their true identity
• Claiming superiority over other Christian groups
• Claiming to have special revelation that other groups do not have
• A legalistic and joy-less faith which is contrary to the message of grace and the truth we know as “Justification by Faith”.
• Their predatory behaviour

The group members are reluctant to give information as to their real identity. We now think they may be part of ICC (International Church of Christ).

The group seems to be turning up at various events/places and, “Looking for like minded Christians” as they say. A young women had been approaching Christian students on the York Uni campus after they came out of the CU meeting one Saturday evening. An older woman attended our church one Sunday morning, spending a lot of time talking with one of our young female students. I had it reported to me afterwards by the same student that the woman had been trying to recruit.

Sadly it is reported that some zealous, but vulnerable believers in York churches have joined the group already.

These people seem to hold the view that a Christian should not have friendships with non-Christians. They say that dialogue, if not about Jesus/ God, should be limited to practical matters. No wonder then that a loss of joy results. They go on to say that Christians should give all their time to God and should avoid being involved in leisure activities, sports or supporting sports unless it is for the express purpose of evangelism. This teaching is of course contrary to the teaching of Jesus that a believer is to be “in the world” but not part of it.

Christians “should meet together everyday” they say. It is recorded that the early believers met together everyday in defiance of the command of Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples. The believers were eventually thrust out of Jerusalem, into mission, as a result of persecution following the martyrdom of Stephen. If meeting were the magic formula there are many churches who offer such an opportunity such as York Minster - perhaps that is the one true church!?

They also claim that there should be no denominations other than theirs. They believe that ICC is the Kingdom of God.

According to CultWatch the founder of ICC Kip Mckeen has resigned, and repents over misleading believers.

More information can be found about the ICC if you Google “ICC cult“.

Lord, may we see Your protection over Your people in this matter. May Your peace and revelation be a saving grace upon these people in York. Amen

We prayed blessing upon Alex Appiah when he and his family went out from us to start a new pentecostal church in Market Weighton last year.

The young church there is still very small and Alex would welcome any from our fellowship who would like to visit from time to time to help them. You can talk to Graham to find out more details.

Their meetings on Sundays are from 10:30 to 12:30 at the address below.

It’s been a while since I’ve worshiped in a service where I didn’t feel like I was “on duty”. I had an opportunity to do that last night at Refresh. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stay very long, Refresh starts at 9.30pm and has no advertised finishing time. Someone suggested that it wasn’t unusual for it to finish at 2am. Now that I’m not a full time student I don’t have the luxury of sleeping in for very long. Refresh takes place ad hoc about once per term, currently at Heslington Church, it’s an open format worship service. To get in touch with the students who run it please contact the church office mail@REMOVEyork-epc.org.uk (Spamming programmes don’t know to delete the word “REMOVE”).

Never have I been so pleased to worship in a building so cold!

23/12/2007 was an important day for our church. It was the first occasion that York Elim worshipped in St Laurence’s church.

We were there to be part of a joint carol service, Elim and St Laurence’s CofE. There was no heating so the event had been publicised as a ‘wrap-up-warm carol service’.

The building has had much work done to it including being made watertight and the peeling walls have been treated and whitewashed. There is much still to be done. Heating needs to be installed, the lighting needs to be modernised and toilets and a kitchen need to be added.

Tim Jones (the Anglican minister) and I are keen that friendship will grow between what are now two separate congregations.

On Sunday it was great to see so many people from both congregations bringing life back into that old building as the two fellowships worshipped together and celebrated the birth of Jesus.

The future looks good.

3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon 23rd Dec 2007 at St Laurence’s Church, Lawrence Street, York, YO10 3BN.

For those wanting to join the carol service we are having with our CofE friends at St Laurence’s but don’t know where to go, here are the details.

It will be in the old church. Go to our meetings & contact page to see a photo of the hall where we have our office. Go up the drive by the side of the hall and you will see the big old church ahead.

See our locations map for more help finding it.

I chose to do my four day silence from 10am Thursday to 1.30pm Sunday 31st
November to raise funds for the Big Dress festival in Sheffield…

I didn’t SPEAK on behalf of others who have no voice - namely:

• The many who are trapped in horrendous working conditions making clothes

and other produce for the Western world

• The children forced into work instead of having the education

they ought to receive

• The multitude of victims of injustice as a direct

consequence of the lack of accountability of multi-national companies in

• our world today

“The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields arecrying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the
ears of the Lord Almighty” James 5:4

The Big Dress Campaign is seeking to make a difference in this area, by
hosting a 5 day festival in Sheffield in May 2008, highlighting these
issues, lobbying UK Government and exploring the relationship between the
creative arts, Christianity and social justice. Please support me however
you can by sponsoring me to raise essential funds that will make the next
leg of the Big Dress Tour possible in Sheffield.

http://www.speak.org.uk/thebigdress

Silence is great when it’s chosen, but hellish when it is forced.

This morning we presented two of the three baptised last Sunday with their certificates.

Samir (pictured on the right) who was baptised during an Easter open air service in the city centre was also presented with a certificate.

Samir’s certificate also bears the signature of the Archbishop of York as he had agreed to baptise candidates from all the churches which took part in the event with their own leaders. This was to be the first time in known history that the primate of England was to conduct baptisms with leaders of other churches.