Christmas
Charl Harman
The Extraordinary in the Ordinary

This Christmas we celebrate a God who so loved us, he would come down to earth, to be with ordinary folk and, the Bible says, to bring us life in it’s fullness.

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Charl Harman
New Sunday Venue
New Sunday Venue
2024/25 Vision
Proximity Church
W: Witnesses and Disciple Makers
W: Witnesses and Disciple Makers
2024/25 Vision
Christie Harman
O: One Family, Many Homes
O: One Family, Many Homes
2024/25 Vision
Proximity Church
R: Rooted in The God Story
R: Rooted in The God Story

Prayer Focus

Joe Gisbey: Doors of Breakthrough

“This year, is the year of doors of breakthrough.”

At Learning in September, Joe Gisbey, CEO of Links International and leader of Arun Church, came to speak to us about Faithfulness.

At the beginning of his time with us, he shared this word for us as a church.

Listen in full below.

Prayer Week, February 2023

Photos from our Prayer Week in February 2023 praying for… breakthrough.

Prayer Room Launch

On 01 October 2023, we will be opening our latest Prayer Room!

We believe that a dedicated space for non-stop prayer creates the time and space for people to encounter God.

As a church, we have done our best over these Prayer-Room-less years, but we have suffered without the intentional, single-purpose, creative space that Prayer Rooms nurture.

Through partnership with Dry Street Memorial Church, we are transforming their Vestry into a 24-7 Prayer Room, for an initial 3-month trial. The Prayer Room will be available to book online: Monday-Sunday, 6am - 9pm.

Link: What is a 24-7 Prayer Room?

We are (strongly!) encouraging everyone in Proximity Church to look at their diaries and find one hour each week to pray in the Prayer Room until the end of 2023.

I’m sure you have questions, and all will be made clearer soon.

Notes on Accessibility

We believe everyone should be able to pray in the Prayer Room. So we wanted to address to two immediate potential barriers.

Travel

For some, One Tree Hill is too far, or too uphill, to walk.

We don’t want this to prevent your encounter with God in the Prayer Room.

You will be able to claim one return taxi/bus fare per week from Proximity Church.

There is a free car park at Dry Street Memorial Church.

Access

A Key Code will be given to Proximity Church and distributed carefully.

There are currently temporary ramps on site, and we are working with Dry Street Memorial Church to maintain and improve step free access to the Prayer Room.

Mary & Martha

Yemi brought this reflection brought after Jon had spoken at Encounter Sunday.

  • As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

    “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

There is something that God revealed to me some time ago on Mary & Martha, I feel very burdened to share it.

I was going to preach one day on the story of Mary and Martha. People say, “I’m not a Mary, I’m a Martha. Or, I’m not a Martha, I’m a Mary”, and I was asking God, what does this really mean? Because in the passage in Luke 10, Christ specifically said one thing matters, Mary has chosen it.

When I asked God what it means, what came to me was this: that Martha was very busy trying to love the Lord - trying to take care of him. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, letting the Lord love her. There is a complete difference in the two.

Martha was trying to love God, like we all do as Christians - “I want to love God more”. Mary just sat there, saying “I’m Yours, love me.” And that changes the whole thing.

We are going to have a meal soon [at Encounter Sunday] and at this meal we’re going to sit down and have something to eat. Somebody said that what was happening in that particular story was this: when you go to someone’s house the host says: “You are in my house, sit down I will take care of you” - and that is what Martha was doing.

But in the case of Mary, she had changed it by saying “Jesus you are in my house, but you are the host - you serve me.” And that’s why He says she has chosen the best dish, “she has chosen for me to serve her”.

What Martha was doing was not wrong. But what Mary was doing was better.

Mary had chosen to allow Jesus to be the host and to serve her.

It looks very simple, but for me, I find it so powerful that what I need to do is let Him love me. And in letting Him love me, I can now love Him, love myself, and love people.

A Prayer for Gable Hall School

Today we pray for Gable Hall School, and schools in our area.

For all that it takes to be a school

For young people, teachers, parents, administrators, staff, and volunteers.

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God of hope, build futures that shine and strives for the best. Builds homes-from-home in safe classrooms.

God of peace, settle minds with anxiety, knit together friendships that go the distance.

God of grace, plant desires for truth and justice; let us see the shoots of skills and the fruit of character. We pray for hearts of kindness, integrity, and humility.

God of love, we pray that the shared love and care for the youngest among us, will bind us together in unity. A unity that strengthens society.

God of wisdom, show us the way ahead.

+ For leadership and governance, bring clarity of vision in planning for the future.

+ For parents, build community that serves one another in the present.

Teach us all how to lead lives that fit our children for leadership.

We pray for the peace and prosperity of our schools; for if they prosper, so do we.

Amen.