Month: November 2018

As the youth work team we are enjoying our new surroundings! All of our youth activities are now in new venues, but we feel very blessed to have access to the facilities that we have. 

On a Sunday morning you’ll see Youth Time Out (Year 7-9) heading out at the beginning of the sermon. We meet for around 30mins in the staff room which is a lovely space. We’ve been exploring a whole range of different topics at the start of this year. Between now and Christmas we’ll be looking at a number of different aspects to do with following God at school.

“Seeing God move amongst our youth in many amazing ways is such a testimony of faith, love and healing. It blesses my soul to see our young people wrestle their way through life but trusting in God throughout each step.” – Brooke, Habitation Leader

Frequency (Year 10-13) are led by Ben J, Anna and Brooke and they meet on Friday nights at the Hub. They have been having some excellent evenings exploring the wonderful things that God is inviting us into as His children.

TNT (Year 7-9) are meeting over the road from Tree Tops at Christ Church. It is a perfect space for the fun filled evenings that we run and we are very grateful that we’ve been allowed to use it. TNT is currently meeting on a Friday night once a month.

We are really enjoying investing in these fantastic young people and we are on the lookout for a couple more leaders to join us. If you are interested and would like to find out more then come and find me on a Sunday or email me at ben.doggett@cotnjubilee.co.uk

At the heart of De Vere Beaumont Estate, just South of Windsor sits an 18th Century mansion house and hotel, and it was here that our joint Cluster weekend took place this October.

Jubilee Church are part of the ‘Acts Life’ Cluster, overseen by Dave and Carol Cape. This year we joined with some of the ‘Freedom Hill’ Cluster, overseen by Louis and Edna Els, for a combined time of fellowship, relationship building and inspiring impartation under the theme of ‘Show Me The Way’. It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends and begin to build and develop new friendships with leaders from other churches within the Church of the Nations family.

“The cluster weekend was a fantastic weekend away connecting and going deeper with old and new friends. It was a very powerful time pressing into God and one of the things God reminded us about was the power of communion. That we have a seat at the table but the enemy does not and we stand in victory in all He has done for us.”

– Ben & Anna Johnson

Spread over a full weekend we tasted a rich diet of teachings including sessions on The Five Pillars of the Church, by Louis du Piesane, ‘Acceleration From a Place of Pain’, by our very own Dan Maudhub, ‘Living with a Holy Discontent’, delivered by Neil Pattison, ‘Living in The Wide Open Spaces’ by Edna Els and ‘The Lords Table’, shared by Louis Els. Although the sessions were only 20 minutes long, each one contained enough meat to feast upon for a week and I have to say I am taking my time now to read through my notes and properly digest what was given!

These sessions are available for download (thanks so much to Lee Collier for making this possible) and I highly recommend them to you – you’re in for a real treat. To get access to the audio sessions, please email office@cotnjubilee.co.uk 

“It was a privilege to be at the cluster weekend. God’s presence was tangible from the moment we arrived. We were inspired by each speaker, particularly to guard our hearts and allow ourselves to enter the fullness of His presence. Dan M had a picture of a cracked egg that was made whole, and that summed up the weekend for me!”

– Josh & Rach Pattison

Alongside the sessions we had the opportunity to go on a tour of Windsor on the Saturday afternoon and learn a little more of our nations history from Neil-opeadia – fountain of all knowledge!

There was also plenty of time to sit and strengthen friendships over a coffee and hear what God is busy doing in other church families around the world. It was a wonderful privilege to be a part of something so much bigger, and so encouraging to be reminded again of how vast and diverse the Kingdom of God is.

– Article by Hazel Pattison

On Sunday 28th October School of the Word officially launched for the 2018/19 academic year and we as staff could not be more excited!

We welcomed three new students into the navy blue uniforms (and also into our hearts) – Emma Wilson from Maidstone, Ken Rich from Maidstone, and Joani Burger from South Africa.

After the Celebration we drove off to Cornwall in convoy, ready for a week away together full of activities, teachings and games and team challenges. The goal of this Orientation week away is to get to know one another, grow as a team, make memories and take some time out to listen to what God wants to do in our lives this year – a good foundation for the year ahead.

“Cornish Cream Tea, Pasties, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Berry Crumble, Lemon Meringue, Cheese Cake! Beautiful Cornish scenery, fellowship, new friendships and a NEW COUNTRY!

These are a few elements that could make for a great week. Yet, the Orientation with School of the Word included something even greater than these wonderful memories…

In both Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 we read that Jesus said that we do not live by bread alone, but every word of God. How true this is of my Orientation experience too.  Experiencing God through His Word will always be a highlight for me!” – Testimony from Joani Burger

One change to Orientation for this year was to begin our Inductive Study lectures whilst away. So our days were a combination of morning lectures, afternoon team challenges and activities, and then testimonies from each of our staff with a bit of fun thrown in to finish off the day. We learned over the week together that Ken is invincible, Emma exudes warmth and joy and Joani has a heart of gold – and we look forward to discovering so much more in the months ahead!

One thing I took away from this Orientation week is that you can make plans on paper and put together a schedule that you think will make for a great week, but at the end of the day it’s all about what God’s Spirit comes to do amongst His beloved children. And He did not disappoint. Through the teaching of the Word, solitude time, encouraging one another, vulnerability and prayer, we witnessed God on the move – speaking, giving vision, encouraging and challenging. And we all walked away from this week no longer as six individuals but as a team – a unit – ready to take hold of all this year has to offer and to do that side-by-side together.

Mel Lewis

Digging into the Word of God / Zeal for His Word.

I was really inspired by the way Mel shared so openly about how sometimes getting into the Word can be a real struggle, even as a leader. As she said #letsbereal! And many times it can be difficult to be real for fear of being judged or what others would think about you! But actually when you do share from a ‘being real’ point of view, you make yourself more accessible to others. I also like what Andy added at the end, how the enemy can come with one of his old lies; that you are the only one in the whole world that struggles with getting into the Word or whatever challenges you may be facing. When you hear someone else’s struggle, then you know that you are not the only one. We are human but God has made a way!!

“As Mel was sharing and giving us some home truths, you could see that the majority of us were in agreement with her.”

As Mel was sharing and giving us some home truths, you could see that the majority of us were in agreement with her. You could hear some ‘umm hmms’ from the body. I am a visual person and found Mel’s illustrations very useful and memorable. For example, her illustration using ‘cheese puffs’. We can sometimes reach out for things to fill the void that may seem tasty, cheap and easy to reach for, and provide quick satisfaction, but much like cheese puffs are actually empty of any nutrition.

Feasting on the Word of God instead, would provide nourishment to the heart, soul and spirit – with a plate of fruit, cheese and crackers to illustrate this. What a stark comparison! My personal food for thought was, what are the cheese puffs in my own life? Am I making sure that I am feasting on the nutritious Word of God first instead of reaching out for anything else?

Article by Eva