What Is a True Calvinist? (Basics of the Reformed Faith) by Philip Graham Ryken
Not according to the author, one who holds five particular doctrines. Ryken says the true Calvinist has a God centered mind, a penitent spirit, a grateful heart, a submissive will, a holy life and a glorious purpose. A warm, easy to read booklet.
What Is the Christian Worldview? (Basics of the Reformed Faith) by Philip Graham Ryken
The author tells us a worldview is the way we look at all of life to make sense of the world. His Christian perspective is centered on the God who is there and is not silent. Crearion tells us the way we were. The fall tells us we live in paradise lost. Grace is a work in progress from God. There is glory to come, paradise consummated Gospel good tidings are no matter of mere religion but all of life is lived under God's rule.
What Is a Reformed Church? (Basics of the Reformed Faith) by Stephen Smallman
This booklet gives the historic reformation roots of Protestant churches of the Calvinist tradition. he gives six themes. Scripture, the sovereignty of God, the covenant, the law of God, church government and sacraments and the kingdom of God. It is unashamedly Presbyterian in its understanding of what it means to be reformed so would serve as a good introductory booklet for any such church.
What Is Biblical Preaching? ( Basics of the Reformed Faith) by Eric J. Alexander
The writer sees no more urgent priority than to summon the church to a restoration of the place biblical expository preaching should hold. He teaches that biblical preaching is fundamental in importance, spiritual in essence, didactic in nature, expository, systematic, pastoral, clear in structure and with relevant contemporary application. It was taught at a conference of ministers but is suitable for all Christians to understand what id true preaching.
Thursday 26 March 2009
Pot Luck lunch
Pot luck lunch for April is this Sunday - MARCH 29!!!
Please bring enough food for yourself and for others
Please bring enough food for yourself and for others
Listen to this
David Robertson who is the minister of St Peter's Dundee and editor of the Monthly Record which is a very good Christian magazine was on Premier Radio recently talking about Challenging Atheist Myths and his stuff is well worth listening to hereIt would be great to leave some comments so we can get more good stuff on Premier!!
Saturday 21 March 2009
ELT - Ealing Lunchtime Talks
Ealing Lunchtime Talks - We are hoping to launch a lunchtime service (25 minutes on Tuesdays from 1.10-1.35) later this year. It will have a bible reading, short prayer and 20 minute talk. The aim is to reach out to workers in Ealing Broadway and be an encouragement to Christian workers in Ealing to bring along their friends. The aim is to launch possibly in June but there is a meeting for prayer each Monday lunchtime (1.10 - 1.40) at the moment in Christ the Saviour Church - opposite HMV. If you'd like more info or know someone who might be interested in supporting this please get in touch.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning we're in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, in the evening Mark 11:27-33
Exciting news is that there's a church trip to see TVU after the morning service.
Exciting news is that there's a church trip to see TVU after the morning service.
Thursday 12 March 2009
This Sunday
This Sunday Iain will be preaching at both morning and evening services on Micah 4. At our mornign service we will celebrate the Lord's Supper.
In the afternoon David Barnes will be speaking at the Downhurst home and Alan Hosier will be speaking at the Sahftsbury home.
FAQ's about IPC @ TVU
F.A.Q. ABOUT THE MOVE TO T.V.U FOR MORNING WORSHIP
Is this decision simply a reaction to needing more space or is their a greater purpose behind this decision
It is not a decision based simply on the need for extra space – it is a decision taken because we want more people to hear the gospel. At present in the Drayton Green building there is no room for newcomers in the morning service.
The move to TVU in the mornings will both give us extra room for new people, a location with good public transport, as well as enabling us to reach out to a new area of Ealing with the gospel. It also makes our morning service easier for people to find – as it is in an obvious and well known building, and nearer to Ealing Broadway station. It is very accessible for those who already come as a result of the hospitality scheme.
How will newcomers know that we meet at TVU on Sunday mornings?
We will be flyering the local area around our existing building and TVU with details of our new location for the morning service. It will also be clearly stated on the front page of the website.
The move will be announced at every service leading up to our first service at TVU, and we will also be contacting infrequent attendees for whom we have contact details.
For the first month at least there will be a notice outside the church building on Sunday mornings, and one or two people there to direct or take those who turn up at Drayton Green by accident.
What about the local children who have been coming?
We are very pleased that God is bringing local children to all we are doing as a church. We want to make it as easy as possible for them to come - we will still have Sunday evening worship at the Drayton Green building, as well as Club 16 and 24:7. If our regular local children cannot make their own way to TVU on Sunday mornings then we will transport them (with the consent of their parents), and we are exploring possibilities for this.
Will there be a provision for people to be transported from West Ealing to TVU?
There will be at least one car outside the Drayton Green building to transport newcomers who come to the wrong location, for at least the first month.
If anyone knows that they will have a problem in getting to TVU, please speak to one of the elders.
Is there car parking at TVU?
Yes. We have access to a free, large car park outside the building, which includes bike racks.
What will happen to the evening service?
We will continue to meet in the church building at Drayton Green.
Will we still use the West Ealing IPC building for anything? Are we abandoning West Ealing?
We are not abandoning West Ealing! We will still use the building for everything apart from the Sunday morning service. We will still meet to worship there on Sunday evenings, and all the clubs/English classes etc will be held there, as will the church office. We remain committed to the local community around the church.
Is this a permanent move?
We will be at TVU for Sunday morning worship for a minimum of one year, and during this time all other church activities are planned to continue in the West Ealing Building. We are continuing to explore options regarding the building in West Ealing (which includes rebuilding).
What will the new plans be for Sunday School and where will it be held?
We will have Sunday School at the same time as usual, but at TVU. There is a suitable room that can be used. This will also be clearly posted on the Website in time for the move.
What provision will there be for Creche or for parents of young children to take their children out of the service?
We will have Creche facilities at TVU just as we have in our building in West Ealing. There is a suitable room that we can use, and we will transport toys etc over to make the room child friendly.
Can we see the venue in advance?
Yes. On Sunday 22nd March there will be a trip over there after the morning service for any who are interested.
Have we compared TVU against other venues and if 'yes' why did we choose TVU?
Yes. The elders asked a group from the church to do research into possible locations. They looked into and visited a number of different possibilities. TVU was the best option, taking into account all our needs (which included size, cost, and an accessible location).
Why not just knock out a wall and extend the Chapel to create more room, or how about a balcony?
It is not as simple as that! Building a balcony is a lot of work and is costly, as is knocking out a wall. In addition, order for this idea to work you, would need to add to the general infrastructure (ie increase the number of toilets, storage etc) of the building in order to accommodate the increased size.
The bigger problem is that the building we have is becoming less and less suitable to all we do as a church, so if we are to do some work on the building we want to do it right, rather than in a piecemeal and potentially very costly way.
Why not just plant a church now? Are we preparing to plant?
Planting a church involves much prayer, planning, and resources. It is something we are prayerfully considering and planning towards, however the worst thing we can do is plant a church quickly and badly. The elders do not feel we are yet ready however we are prayerfully and actively discussing this. We will share our plans with the church in the mid to near future.
Why not meet at South Ealing Mission centre?
A number of reasons
- While it is marginally bigger than our existing chapel, there would not be an enormous amount of room for growth. There is an existing church meeting at South Ealing Mission and amalgamating two churches would not be straightforward.
- Parking would be very difficult.
- TVU is well known in Ealing, and so easier to direct people to.
Is it right to spend money on renting a building that could go to more worthy causes?
We will be spending money on renting a building so that more people can come and hear the preaching of the gospel – there are not many more worthy causes than that! In addition it would only require a few more people to come who are committed to tithing for us to recover our costs
What effect will this have on the redevelopment plans?
The redevelopment plans will continue. The move to TVU is not an answer to our needs for redevelopment.
What will we do about Pot Luck lunch?
We are exploring a number of possibilities for this. It will continue.
The next Pot Luck lunch will be Sunday 29th March – the last Sunday morning in the Drayton Green building. This will be the Pot Luck lunch for April, so it enables us to move to TVU on 5th April (one Sunday before Easter Sunday). The Pot Luck lunches for the summer months of May, June and July hopefully can take place as picnics in a local park (if it rains we will have an alternative solution and a team are looking into this). From September we will have plans for continuing the lunches indoors. Watch this space!
Will we be able to store items at TVU and if 'yes' how much storage room will there be? Will we need to transport a lot of stuff?
We have a large storage area at TVU for what we need, so there will not be a great deal of transporting stuff Sunday by Sunday.
We will not be able to store hundreds of bibles there though, so please get into the habit of bringing your own. There will be some available for visitors.
Will there be extra work involved in worshiping in a hired venue ?
Yes there will be more work involved – setting up, stewarding, tea and coffee etc. A team is already identifying tasks that need to be done and organising the logistics of the move.
Please be prayerfully considering how you can serve in this way.
Is this decision simply a reaction to needing more space or is their a greater purpose behind this decision
It is not a decision based simply on the need for extra space – it is a decision taken because we want more people to hear the gospel. At present in the Drayton Green building there is no room for newcomers in the morning service.
The move to TVU in the mornings will both give us extra room for new people, a location with good public transport, as well as enabling us to reach out to a new area of Ealing with the gospel. It also makes our morning service easier for people to find – as it is in an obvious and well known building, and nearer to Ealing Broadway station. It is very accessible for those who already come as a result of the hospitality scheme.
How will newcomers know that we meet at TVU on Sunday mornings?
We will be flyering the local area around our existing building and TVU with details of our new location for the morning service. It will also be clearly stated on the front page of the website.
The move will be announced at every service leading up to our first service at TVU, and we will also be contacting infrequent attendees for whom we have contact details.
For the first month at least there will be a notice outside the church building on Sunday mornings, and one or two people there to direct or take those who turn up at Drayton Green by accident.
What about the local children who have been coming?
We are very pleased that God is bringing local children to all we are doing as a church. We want to make it as easy as possible for them to come - we will still have Sunday evening worship at the Drayton Green building, as well as Club 16 and 24:7. If our regular local children cannot make their own way to TVU on Sunday mornings then we will transport them (with the consent of their parents), and we are exploring possibilities for this.
Will there be a provision for people to be transported from West Ealing to TVU?
There will be at least one car outside the Drayton Green building to transport newcomers who come to the wrong location, for at least the first month.
If anyone knows that they will have a problem in getting to TVU, please speak to one of the elders.
Is there car parking at TVU?
Yes. We have access to a free, large car park outside the building, which includes bike racks.
What will happen to the evening service?
We will continue to meet in the church building at Drayton Green.
Will we still use the West Ealing IPC building for anything? Are we abandoning West Ealing?
We are not abandoning West Ealing! We will still use the building for everything apart from the Sunday morning service. We will still meet to worship there on Sunday evenings, and all the clubs/English classes etc will be held there, as will the church office. We remain committed to the local community around the church.
Is this a permanent move?
We will be at TVU for Sunday morning worship for a minimum of one year, and during this time all other church activities are planned to continue in the West Ealing Building. We are continuing to explore options regarding the building in West Ealing (which includes rebuilding).
What will the new plans be for Sunday School and where will it be held?
We will have Sunday School at the same time as usual, but at TVU. There is a suitable room that can be used. This will also be clearly posted on the Website in time for the move.
What provision will there be for Creche or for parents of young children to take their children out of the service?
We will have Creche facilities at TVU just as we have in our building in West Ealing. There is a suitable room that we can use, and we will transport toys etc over to make the room child friendly.
Can we see the venue in advance?
Yes. On Sunday 22nd March there will be a trip over there after the morning service for any who are interested.
Have we compared TVU against other venues and if 'yes' why did we choose TVU?
Yes. The elders asked a group from the church to do research into possible locations. They looked into and visited a number of different possibilities. TVU was the best option, taking into account all our needs (which included size, cost, and an accessible location).
Why not just knock out a wall and extend the Chapel to create more room, or how about a balcony?
It is not as simple as that! Building a balcony is a lot of work and is costly, as is knocking out a wall. In addition, order for this idea to work you, would need to add to the general infrastructure (ie increase the number of toilets, storage etc) of the building in order to accommodate the increased size.
The bigger problem is that the building we have is becoming less and less suitable to all we do as a church, so if we are to do some work on the building we want to do it right, rather than in a piecemeal and potentially very costly way.
Why not just plant a church now? Are we preparing to plant?
Planting a church involves much prayer, planning, and resources. It is something we are prayerfully considering and planning towards, however the worst thing we can do is plant a church quickly and badly. The elders do not feel we are yet ready however we are prayerfully and actively discussing this. We will share our plans with the church in the mid to near future.
Why not meet at South Ealing Mission centre?
A number of reasons
- While it is marginally bigger than our existing chapel, there would not be an enormous amount of room for growth. There is an existing church meeting at South Ealing Mission and amalgamating two churches would not be straightforward.
- Parking would be very difficult.
- TVU is well known in Ealing, and so easier to direct people to.
Is it right to spend money on renting a building that could go to more worthy causes?
We will be spending money on renting a building so that more people can come and hear the preaching of the gospel – there are not many more worthy causes than that! In addition it would only require a few more people to come who are committed to tithing for us to recover our costs
What effect will this have on the redevelopment plans?
The redevelopment plans will continue. The move to TVU is not an answer to our needs for redevelopment.
What will we do about Pot Luck lunch?
We are exploring a number of possibilities for this. It will continue.
The next Pot Luck lunch will be Sunday 29th March – the last Sunday morning in the Drayton Green building. This will be the Pot Luck lunch for April, so it enables us to move to TVU on 5th April (one Sunday before Easter Sunday). The Pot Luck lunches for the summer months of May, June and July hopefully can take place as picnics in a local park (if it rains we will have an alternative solution and a team are looking into this). From September we will have plans for continuing the lunches indoors. Watch this space!
Will we be able to store items at TVU and if 'yes' how much storage room will there be? Will we need to transport a lot of stuff?
We have a large storage area at TVU for what we need, so there will not be a great deal of transporting stuff Sunday by Sunday.
We will not be able to store hundreds of bibles there though, so please get into the habit of bringing your own. There will be some available for visitors.
Will there be extra work involved in worshiping in a hired venue ?
Yes there will be more work involved – setting up, stewarding, tea and coffee etc. A team is already identifying tasks that need to be done and organising the logistics of the move.
Please be prayerfully considering how you can serve in this way.
April's pot luck in March!!!
April's pot luck lunch will be on March 29th because of the move to TVU
IPC @ TVU
As has been announced IPC's morning service will be moving to Thames Valley University Students union off St Mary's Road in Ealing. Our first Sunday there will be Sunday April 5th.
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