Channel 5 has screened the much publicised first episode of the new “hit” TV series.

The programme starts with everyone in the world going about their normal daily routines. Doctors have operations to do, babysitters have to be booked, road journeys have to be made. Then suddenly, everyone in the world blacks out for 2 minutes 17 seconds, approximately! The results are devastating. Get this – everyone in the world has blacked out at the same time. Surfers enjoying riding the waves are left lying as corpses in the sea. On the roads there are multiple road traffic accidents, a helicopter crashes into a building and all that you could imagine going wrong if everyone blacked out at the same time happens.

The 2 minutes 17 seconds blackout isn’t bad news for everyone. One man who was about to commit suicide by shooting himself on a pier comes to the end of his blackout and is called into helping rescue some of the surfers in the shallows who still have some breath left in them.

The intriguing part of the story is that while they were blacked out everyone who survived saw their future flash before their eyes. Good things and bad things passed before their eyes in a quasi-prophetic statement about what was to come. The question left hanging in the air after the first episode is, “Can I change my future?”

The Good News is that there are millions of people across the world who have experienced a radical change of direction in their lives. At one point their future might have seemed to be going in a certain direction; then suddenly something happened that caused their future to be changed. It might have taken days or weeks, or it might have been less than 2 minutes 17 seconds.

There are many who claim to have experienced the love of God and would say that no matter how good or bad things seemed to be before, suddenly something happened that changed the whole course of their lives. Just like the man on the pier, they had an experience that brought them hope and a better and more meaningful future to immediately enter into. You might know one of them at work, or they might be living next door to you.

Such people claim to have had a future-changing encounter with Jesus. Funnily enough, they really believe that they know him and that he’s real and alive and good and they know him by his Spirit. People trying to change the direction of their lives in Flashforward is total fiction and really intriguing – you want to know what happens next. However, ordinary people you know who claim “Jesus changed my life” – that’s real intrigue and worth discovering more.

Dave Emmett

Last Friday evening was a great opportunity to hang out with awesome people over games and a cup of tea. I met some new friends and caught up with old ones. We brainstormed over poster proposals, acted out “embarrassing moments” and carried each other across Seminar Room 1 on bits of newspaper (don’t ask!).

It’s just so important for us to remember that our church family is not a group of people we see for two hours on a Sunday, but true brothers and sisters who share the same Father. We have something amazing in common, and so we can support and encourage each other in a powerful way.

Come ready to get to know each other. I am excited about the new faces I met yesterday, excited about spending more time with them over a meal, a movie or evangelising on the streets. I am excited to see what God does through our lives as His people this year.

P/S: There will be no Amplify this Fri 25th Sept as we are going to Worldwatch Conference in Cardiff. The next meeting is The Gathering on Fri 2nd Oct 7.30pm with other churches in Manchester, here in King’s House. See you there!

Shin Tiong

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God. – Proverbs 14:31 (NIV)

What are VIP nights?
VIP nights are evenings during the year when we invite men and women from hostels and homeless shelters to King’s house. They are opportunities for the church to demonstrate the love of God by providing a delicious meal, wonderful entertainment, testimonies about how Jesus changes lives, an opportunity to receive pampering (including haircuts and manicures) and clothes and toiletries for the VIPs to take away.

Why do VIP nights?
We want to practically demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to those who desperately need it. We want to see the hungry fed and the naked clothed (Isaiah 58v6-9). We want to see lives transformed through God’s awesome power. We want to see people healed and we want to see salvation!

How can I get involved? – SERVE!!

S – Share. Share your time; help on the night by washing dishes, helping in the kitchen, spending time with our guests, stewarding and many more ways. Share your possessions; we need good quality clothes both men, women and children’s clothes. We need unused toiletries like deodorant, razors, shower gel and make up.

E – Encourage. We need table hosts who will sit with the guests and encourage them by spending time listening and talking to them.

R – Relationship. We want to develop long lasting relationships with our VIPS so that we can consistently show them God’s love and share the gospel with them. We want to see more VIPS added to the church and becoming active members.

V – Value. We want to show each VIP how highly valued they are by God. That they have a hope and a future and that God loves them!

E – Expect! We are expecting big things from our big God! We have seen people healed, saved and baptised on VIP nights and we are expecting many wonderful testimonies of how God has touched people’s lives on the upcoming nights and beyond.

Please prayerfully consider how you can contribute to VIP and see God’s Kingdom advance in Manchester and the rest of the world.

Amplify last week was an amazing time, which saw over 40 of us gather on a Friday night to worship God and hear from Him. God spoke to us through Reuben and He called us to press on and draw close to Him because He was there and ready to meet us. At that point I got really excited and just could not help but give Him praise.

Cathryn led us in a medley of worship songs, with Heather on the drums. We were encouraged to shout our praises out loud to Him and thank Him for everything He’s done in our lives – food on our table, roof above our heads, being our Father … (can we count them all?)

Later, Ant shared about what Richard talked about the previous Sunday, on how we are created by God to do good works. One of the ways of worshipping God is to do good works, as it says in James 2:17: “… faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” (NLT)

As a response to that, Amplify has begun an evangelism/outreach team called First Contact, where we will be spreading the Gospel by taking to the streets of Manchester and telling people about Jesus. We have some events lined up like the Amp Café, which are all part of the aim to spread the Gospel to strangers, acquaintances and friends alike.

That night’s message was recorded and we will soon post them up so you can listen to it on the website here. Don’t miss out on what God’s doing in your generation and in this city. Come and be blessed so you can bless others.

Wan Phing Lim

People met again at King’s House and conversed with one another over drinks and snacks. We then gathered together and began our series on the book of Acts. (Acts is a wonderful book and records for us the acts of the early church as they began to spread the good news of God’s Kingdom to the ends of the earth.)

The session began by everyone reading through the first chapter of Acts. Matthew Harkness then shared with us some of the key themes that are highlighted throughout the chapter. We learned how Jesus prepared his disciples to be his witnesses by teaching them about the Kingdom of God.

After an interval we continued the session by considering the first part of the second chapter – the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. People were asked to read the passage and then feedback to the group anything they wanted to share. As we considered the story together we learned about God’s intention for His Spirit to be poured out upon all people and how this would ultimately result in a glory-filled earth.

It was a great time together – a time of being equipped and encouraged by the word of God and allowing His word to be more amplified in our lives.

Reuben Cole

On Sunday the 23rd of August, King’s Church met in Phillips Park in east Manchester for a great time of worship, fellowship and fun. Church in the Park replaced the regular Sunday meetings in King’s House and saw members from both the 9.30am and 11.30am services meet together to worship God in the open park. There were even free coaches to take those without their own transport.

Upon arrival, most were quick to find their spot and settle down, pulling out their camping chairs (which brought back memories of Bible Week) and laying out their picnic mats.

There was plenty of time to mingle about before the worship started at 11.30am. Everyone gathered round the main marquee which housed the musicians to worship God in a new and exciting way, free of concrete buildings and rows of chairs.

Singing praises to God, with hands lifted up into the open sky and my dancing feet on the grass made me feel close to God by being close to nature. I wish every Sunday was like this!

Gavin reminded us that the church is not a building but God’s people, and I felt that Church in the Park was indeed a good way to demonstrate this.

It was good to meet people I would not otherwise see due to attending two different meetings. There was plenty of time to fellowship as most brought their lunch to share.

The playground, bouncy castles, face painting and games followed soon after. It was good to see members of all ages take part in the tug of love (not war), egg and spoon race, three-legged race and sack race.

The weather was amazing although it rained briefly. Eventually it just had to get in line with our high spirits to praise God and have a good time with His people.

(L-R) Church in the Homes tug of love and three-legged race

Wan Phing Lim

UPDATE: More photos are now available in the photo gallery of Church in the Park.

Amplify is back! The meeting got off to a great start last night with over 30 young adults meeting together to share a meal in Seminar Room 1 right here in King’s House. People started arriving at about half seven, mingled about and got to know one another. There were many new faces in the crowd, but nonetheless old and new were all made to feel very welcome at the meeting.

The Meal and Vision Evening was a chilled-out, introductory night where we all shared a meal (loads and loads of pizza and chips!) and our vision of what Amplify is to be. Ant Myers, who leads it this year with Reuben Cole, gave a short introductory about what Amplify is all about, its four main structure (meetings, seminars, outreach and weekend away), the events we have lined up etc.

Everyone present was also given the chance to have their say on what Amplify means to them, what they want from Amplify in the future, what was good and bad about last year’s and how we can improve in meeting the needs of the 18-30s in King’s Church.

If you missed out on last night’s meeting, don’t fret! Come along and join us this Friday 4th Sept at 7.30pm right here in King’s House. You can still tell us your opinions and what you really want out of Amplify. This Friday will be a teaching night on the book of Acts by Reuben and Matthew Harkness, so it will be a great time digging into God’s word and the powerful Acts of the apostles. Bring your friends and see you there!

Wan Phing Lim