Resonate 09

Wednesday 29th – Friday 31st July 2009

We’re in for the hottest summer in history here in Stoke on Trent. There’s no need to check the weather forecast for this one because the sun is sure to be shining down on this awesome city. It’s time to apply that sun block, dig out those sunglasses and flip flops, and roll up those sleeves once again for what is set to be the biggest three day hug the city of Stoke on Trent has ever had.

Building upon the success that was Resonate08, Resonate09 will be working in partnership with other churches in the city and of course with our very own www.lovestoke.org, to host what is tipped to be the biggest event of the whole summer.

With the support of local media, City Council and local residents, the sound of Resonate09 will resonate right across the City as hundreds of passionate people join together and work tirelessly to make a difference and bring about change to the lives of the people in Stoke on Trent.

There will be numerous projects running over the course of this three day event in locations all over the city, each intentionally designed to make a loud and proud statement that we love this city. More than that, Resonate09 will not only say something to this city but will pro-actively demonstrate just how much we care, just how much the church cares, and just how much God cares for this city.

The schedule will be packed with great opportunities to get your hands dirty and do something positive. One thing’s for sure, the work will be long and hard yet incredibly rewarding and hilariously fun.

On the Friday night, we’re in for a special summer treat as City Nights will be hosting a phenomenal event with an awesome line-up. We’ll gather together to celebrate our God and rejoice in the sure success of Resonate09, whilst looking ahead to 2010.

If this event resonates with you, then please complete the attached application form and get ready to give this city the biggest hug it has ever had.

This is a great opportunity for students to get involved not only in the house, but also within the city.  Please consider your involvement.

Ben@bethelcitychurch.com

Week Beginning Monday 18th May

Monday 18th May

 CLP Staffs (pod)

6:45pm, Second floor, Students’ Union (above the Ember Lounge)

Watch an inspiring DVD, engage in some in-depth discussion and finish with a refreshing beverage and some quality time with some quality people.

Wednesday 20th May

David Shearman

7:30pm, BCC

A phenomenal opportunity for those on BCC ministry teams and those interested in leadership development. David Shearman is the author of ‘Born to Win’ and ‘the Unstoppable Church.’ He’s also a excellent communicator and a leader of the highest calibre. This will be one of those evenings that will change your life. He is that good.

Friday 22nd May

MAN ALIVE!

9pm – midnight, BCC

PLC: Prayer, Laughs and Curry

Saturday 23rd May

www.lovestoke.org

Time & Venue TBC

Roll up your sleeves for this month’s www.lovestoke.org project.

Sunday 24th May

City Gathering 10:30am, BCC

Keele, 9:30am, Students’ Union car park; Newcastle-Under-Lyme Bus Station, 9:45am; Staffs, 10am, Leek Road, Ashley Building car park.

£1 return ticket.

Student Lunch

1:30pm, Details to follow…

Student Lunch this Sunday…

Monday 11th May

CLP Keele & Staffs (city)

7pm, The ‘When…’ Distribution Centre

[Ogden Road, Joiners Square, Hanley]

An awesome opportunity for you to be generous with your time by sorting and packing goods to be distributed to those in need. In a joint CLP Staffs and CLP Keele venture, let’s seek to bless this awesome ministry with as much man power as physically possible.

Tuesday 12th May

Prayer and Fasting

BCC Main Campus open 6 – 8am | 12 – 2pm | 6 – 8pm for prayer.

www.ei168.com

Wednesday 13th May

Prayer and Fasting

BCC Main Campus open 6 – 8am | 12 – 2pm | 6 – 8pm for prayer.

www.ei168.com

Thursday 14th May

Accelerate

7:3opm, BCC

Today AND everyday!

www.ei168.com

Register NOW, join this phenomenal online prayer revolution and become a new breed of prayer warrior.

Sign up online for hourly prayer slots, log on and post your prayers on the ei168 message board.

021 She

Nooma Rob Bell 021 She

Question

What images do you conjure up when you think of a mother?

Do these images help with your understanding and perception of God?

Read

“Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?” (Job 38:29 NLT)

Question

Do you think of God as male or female? Why do you think of God in that way?

Read

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27 NLT)

Genesis 2:18-23

Question

How does your view of women affect your view of God?

How does your view of God affect your view of women?

Read

“In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ…” (Galatians 3:28.)

Think

In the past, have we confused equality with difference?

Have you ever viewed women as somehow less than men?

Read

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13.)

Question

When difficult times come, do you trust God to comfort you?

Have you ever considered God to be like a mother?

Quote

“When you see a mother doing her mother thing, when a mother’s heart breaks for her children, she is tapping into the very nature of who God is and what God is like and that is  a gift. That is grace, that is divine.” (Rob Bell.)

Think

“Her pain for your life.”

Do you see any similarities between the pain and suffering that a mother goes through in order to give birth to a new life, with the pain and suffering endured by God so that we could have life in all its fullness?

Just something to think about.

Pray

“May you embrace the God who’s bigger than any of our language. May you celebrate all of the images and pictures and metaphors that help us better understand who God is and what God is like. And may you be comforted as a mother comforts a child.” (Rob Bell)

www.ei168.com

Some things to look forward to…

Today AND everyday!

www.ei168.com

Register NOW, join this phenomenal online prayer revolution and become a new breed of prayer warrior.

Sign up online for hourly prayer slots, log on and post your prayers on the ei168 message board.

Sunday 3rd May

City Gathering 10:30am, BCC

Keele, 9:30am, Students’ Union car park; Newcastle-Under-Lyme Bus Station, 9:45am; Staffs, 10am, Leek Road, Ashley Building car park.

£1 return ticket.

Monday 4th May

CLP Keele

7pm, Shoby’s place (directions to follow)

 Enjoy Shoby’s hospitality and some tasty food for this City Life Pod special. Sit back, watch an inspiring DVD and get ready for some quality discussion.

Tuesday 5th May

MAN ALIVE!

7:30pm, Bengal Indian Restaurant, Trentham, ST4 4RF.
For the blokes! Bring a friend or two for a curry with the men of the Church.

Email Ben@bethelcitychurch.com to book your place.

Thursday 7th May

City Nights presents BLUETREE

7:30pm, BCC, Tickets £5

The band, made famous by their song ‘God of this City’ will be playing at Bethel City Church on Thursday 7th May, fresh off their tour of America.

Email Ben@bethelcitychurch.com to book your tickets.

Saturday 9th May

Carboot Sale

9am, BCC

Bring all of your unwanted items and raise some funds for City Students.

Sunday 10th May

City Gathering Bring a Friend!

10:30am, BCC

Keele, 9:30am, Students’ Union car park; Newcastle-Under-Lyme Bus Station, 9:45am; Staffs, 10am, Leek Road, Ashley Building car park.

£1 return ticket.

Student Lunch: Bring and share

1:30pm, Lindsay Social Space, Keele University

Following this morning’s City Gathering we’ll head over to Lindsay Hall, Keele,  for a bring and share lunch hosted by Vanessa. This will also be your chance to meet the NEW student team.

Bluetree

Church is often criticised for its lack of relevance in today’s changing world. Christians seem to find it very easy to separate their ‘church life’ from their ‘work life’ or their ‘social life’ or even their ‘home life.’ Very rarely do we like to cross ‘church’ with anything that we may consider to be ‘not church.’

 

Here at Bethel City Church in Stoke on Trent, we are committed to changing the church culture that says, “I won’t invite my friend to church because I don’t think they will enjoy it” or, “they’ve said ‘no’ in the past and they’ll probably say ‘no’ again.” We’re doing away with the excuses and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to see our friends, neighbours and family on a journey of discovering Jesus for themselves.

 

As a church we have been challenged to invest in other people; to love them, to inspire them, to serve them and to do life with them. The person we sit next to on the bus; the people we see everyday in lectures; the students that live next door and even those that spend most of their time at the bar.

 

Church shouldn’t be about us; it should always be about the people that haven’t yet come to one our Sunday morning services; the people who haven’t yet experienced the life-changing power of Jesus. We tailor our BCC events and programmes towards those who are not yet part of the church; those that have never even heard the Gospel. People on the outside of our church walls need church to relate to them, to meet them where they are.

 

On Thursday 7^th May, we have the privilege of hosting Bluetree for a City Nights event here in Stoke on Trent. Tickets are a bargain price at £5 and the event is set to be a real success. Bluetree kick off at 7:30pm, however doors will open at 7pm and food and drink can be purchased from our on-site City Café.

 

For your information, Bluetree are a phenomenal band with a very exciting future. They’re best known for their song, God of this City. Their music may well be loud, bold and energetic, however, they are also known for their softer, yet just as powerful worship songs.

 

This event is the perfect opportunity to introduce your friends and family to church and maybe even experience church for the very first time. Here at BCC we believe that first impressions are massively important. We place a high priority on ensuring that everyone gets a great ‘Welcome.’ That’s more than a handshake at the door; that’s a greeting in the car park, a smile and a kind word as you enter, a showing to your seat, a cup of the finest coffee, and even a smile and a, “have a great day” as you leave.

 

Here at BCC we believe that everything we do must be to an excellent standard. We’re passionate about church and we’re passionate about our God and that is reflected in our presentation of Church. We do everything in our power to ensure that people have a great time.

 

Don’t take my word for it. Come and see for yourself on Thursday 7^th May. Email ben@bethelcitychurch.com to book your tickets or phone our Box Office on 01782 537 079.  

Ambition

What’s your ambition in life?

What dreams are you chasing?

Paul speaks clearly about his ambition:

“My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, 

“Those who have never been told about him will see,and those who have never heard of him will understand.” (Romans 15:20-22.)

Paul’s ambition was to go to the places where the Gospel had never been preached. He desired nothing more than to go to the people and places that had not heard the life-transforming message of Jesus Christ.

To go where no man has gone before.

Wow. what an exciting ambition!

This city is full of people who have never even heard the message of Jesus Christ. There are so many homes, offices, classrooms, workplaces and lecture halls full of people who are yet to discover the awe-inspiring, life-changing, and world-transforming power of the Gospel.

Take a look around you.

Who do you spend much of your time with?

Who do you speak to on a regular basis?

When was the last time you took time out of your day to invest in someone else; to go out of your way to love someone; to stand up and tell your neighbour about a life following Jesus?

When was the last time you openly and honestly shared your faith and your experiences of a loving God with those who have perhaps never had the opportunity to hear it from anyone else?

Staffs and Keele Universites are two great universities; the pride of Stoke on Trent!

This is our city. Here at Bethel City Church, we believe in taking ownership of what is rightfully ours. We recognise that our university campuses are a significant part of Stoke on Trent and we also recognise that there is a need to communicate the message of Jesus Christ on these campuses in a relevant way.

Someone must take responsibility.

Thousands of students come and go in this city each year and we believe it is about time they had the opportunity to hear something of God that just might change their lives.

Bethel City Church is here to stay. We’re committed for the long-term and we believe that God can radically transform the lives of many thousands of University students in this city.

Previously, “Church” has simply not been BIG enough to meet the growing needs of our university campuses. Never before has the church in this city recognised its responsibilty to reach out to our university campuses.

Bethel City Church is breaking the mould of the past.

Like Paul, our ambition to take the Good News where it has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.

We’re doing a new thing here in Stoke on Trent. We’re building church for the future. We’re laying foundations for 20, 30 and even 40 years from now.

Here at BCC, we are committed to seeing our university campuses transformed. We’re committed to mobilizing and releasing students themselves to reach their university campus with the reality of the Gospel.

Because…

“…how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? (Romans 10:14-15)

Let’s go tell them.

www.ei168.com

ei168.com has been designed to radically transform your prayer life.

It has been designed with you in mind.

ever interceding 168 hours a week.

.com

Here at Bethel City Church, we believe in the power of prayer. We recognise that a church and a city that is mobilised to pray is unstoppable.

Imagine a city in which there is always somebody intentionally and strategically praying and in unity with everyone else.

A city where the prayer never stops.

 …pray without ceasing… (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

ei168.com can be accessed anywhere in the world at any time.

Register online right now and sign up for hourly slots to pray. It’s as easy as making friends on Facebook or conducting a google search.

ei168 exists to push prayer into the next generation, to make prayer accessible as well as training and equipping a new breed of prayer warrior!

ei168.com is a resource designed to bring prayer into our world; into the 21st century; into the google generation.

www.ei168.com

Do it now!

FUSION

Here at Bethel City Church, we just love Church!

We think Church is absolutely awesome.

It is the beautiful Bride of Christ.

“…a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world…” (1 Chronicles 22:5)

“…the talk of all the nations…” (MSG)

“The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.” (Ephesians 1:20)

Here at BCC, we like people who love Church.

We Champion those who Champion Church.

Fusion is a national organisation set up in 1997 with the vision of transforming the current student landscape and to impact a generation of students on University campuses across the UK. Students in Higher Education form one of the largest people groups in the UK still yet to be reached by the Church of Jesus Christ. With over 2.3 million students in the UK, Fusion’s mission is simply to reach every University and college student with the life-changing message of Jesus.

Their strategy to do this is through the local church.

Through supporting and resourcing church-based student work and student workers, Fusion aims to radically transform every university campus across the nation.

That includes Staffordshire University and Keele University.

Fusion is passionate about student mission, serving churches, working with students and developing student workers.

To find out more about Fusion, log on to their website:

www.fusion.uk.com

I’m very excited about working alongside Fusion to see the body of Christ mobilised into action on our University campuses.

I am passionate about seeing thousands of students in this city choosing to live a life of adventure and take up Jesus’ invitation to,

“Come follow me.” (Matthew 4:19)

Partnering with organisations such a Fusion, I believe, can only help us to acheive this vision.

Let’s continue to love those students for who they are and let’s inspire them to become all that they can be. Our university campuses will never be the same again!

Isn’t church just great?!

002 Flame

Nooma Rob Bell 002 Flame

Question?

What is love?

Why is love so complex?

Read

“…do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” (Song of Songs 2:7)

… It’s almost as if  she says, ‘You know whatever this is, it’s so good, it’s so beautiful. And, we can’t do anything to mess this up.” (Rob Bell)

Question

Do we generally, in today’s world, treat the concept of love the same way as the people in Song of Songs?

Do you think the word ‘love’ loses its meaning when we use it for so many things?

In the Hebrew language, there are at least three different words used for the English word ‘love.’

1. Raya. Translated literally as ‘friend’ or ‘companion.’

Read

Song of Songs 4:7

2. Ahava. “…this is way more than profound than fleeting romantic feelings. This is much more than temporary urges. Ahava is making a decision to join your life to the life of another. This is an emotion that leads to commitment.”  (Rob Bell)

Read

Song of Songs 8:7

3. Dod. Translated in English literally as to, ‘carouse,’ to ‘rock,’ or to ‘fondle.’ Dod is the physical, sexual element to a relationship.

Read

Song of Songs 1:2

Three flames of love. Raya. Ahava. Dod.

Quote

“One flame burning all by itself will never be as hot as all the flames burning together. I mean, we were created for all the flames to burn as one.” (Rob Bell)

Question

Do you know of any relationships where all the flames are burning as one?

Do you think it is possible to be completely satisfied without having all three flames burning?

Do you think it is possible to ‘love’ like this if you’re not even a Christian?

Read

“…love comes from God…Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love…” (1 John 4:7-8.)

“We love because he first loved us…”(1 John 4:19)

We were all designed to love. We were created to be like our creator. God is love. However, we need revelation of just how much God loves us before we can truly love like God loves.

It is also clear that there are some “Christians “who don’t know God’s love and this is reflected in their relationships with other people. We are not perfect.

We need revelation of God’s love for us before we can truly love like God does.

Read

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Quote

“True sexuality is vast and mysterious. It involves all of you. I mean you have a body, but you also have a soul and a spirit. And love is two people coming together and giving all of themselves to each other, forever.” (Rob Bell)

Question

What does it mean to give all of yourself to another person?

Are you giving everything you’ve got?

Read

1 John 4:9-10

Love involves sacrifice.

Sound familiar?