Scott Jackson Update September 2024

Well, the summer holidays are over and we're moving slowly towards the autumn. I hope this season has been a restful one for you, and that as things are restarting you have a renewed sense of what the Lord is saying and how He is leading.

As we move further into September, the Word of the Lord from Habakkuk 2:2 has been on my heart. The sense that we should remain focussed, and even revisit the vision the Lord has given us if it's slipped out of focus a bit.

"Then the Lord replied:
"Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it."

May this bring a renewed sense of expectation and encouragement, that what the Lord has spoken, He is faithful to carry it out in His good timing.

This summer has been a very busy season for me, with multiple things happening.

Young Life....

The start of the camping season began with me expecting to volunteer and take part in two Young Life camps. But I ended up doing three, Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria. One of the things that is truly wonderful is that Macedonia is now at the stage where it is sending larger teams to volunteer on the camps of the other Balkan nations. It is no longer just receiving international volunteers, it is now sending them as well. This is something most definitely to give thanks to God for.

Each camp had a slightly different feel to it, with some activities that were different from each other. But all with the same general structure, and the Gospel at the heart of it. Between the three camps, we had just over 200 kids in attendance, and 164 of them said that they would like to follow Jesus. We thank God for this, and also that the kids who at this stage have not taken up the offer to follow Jesus have heard the Gospel, and that friendships are developing.

One particular testimony from the Bulgarian camp happened during the 20 minutes solo time. This is on the last night of camp where all of the kids are sent out to spend 20 minutes on their own to process the messages and their experiences on camp. This is where many of the campers engage with and encounter God for the first time. During the Bulgaria camp, I was a member of the Summer Crew, and as a team, we prepared ourselves in the Club room to introduce ourselves to the kids when they were coming back in from the solo time. During this time, there was such a sense of the love of God over the camp. And as the kids were coming back into the Club room, there were between 15-20 of them crying. Many encountering the love of God. One kid told a team leader afterwards that during the solo time, he had a picture of angels going up and down over the camp. It was so special and very moving.

Between the campers and the volunteers we had 14 ethnicities represented. We had Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Albanian, American, Australian, British, Serbian, Greek, Romanian, Czech, Polish and Hungarian. What a wonderful mini picture of Revelation 7:9 of people coming together in Christ from around the nations.

The camps are just a part of the Young Life ministry. The clubs, the Bible studies and small groups, the discipleship retreats and more make up the rest of the year, and these are amazing discipleship opportunities, as well as encouraging the kids to connect in to local churches where they can.

Below are photos from the Macedonia and Bulgaria camps, and also a link to a video from one of the Albania camp days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLNear_qvNQ

Moving Apartments...

The start of August brought a slight shock. The owners of our apartment had sold it. We knew that was their intention, but it had been on the market for about 16 months, so our expectation of a sale had slipped, especially when we considered how many new apartments are being built all the time in Skopje. This news came about 2 days before I was due to go on the Bulgarian YL camp, and my room-mate serving on a camp for kids with special needs. We were given a month to find somewhere new, so the timing was less than ideal.

So once the camps were over, finding a new apartment and the move became our priority. After much searching, we found a new home that from a ministry perspective is fantastic, and with a very friendly and open owner. This new apartment ticks every box. It is in an area called Novo Lisiche. It is much closer to the Moore family, about a 2 minute walk in fact. So living in the community and being much closer to other team members means that I'm able to help much more build a missional community. The potential is huge also in terms of missional work among the youth, so conversations will be taking place on potential options for that.

The move was quite stressful in different ways, but God is good and His grace was upon us. We completed the move over the last couple of days in August.

A New Relationship...

I'm very pleased to be able to tell you that over the last few months I have been in a relationship with a local Macedonian. Her name is Hristina, and she is a member of the local Methodist Church here in Skopje. She is passionate about Jesus, about His Word and wants Him to be at the centre of all that she does, and so is involved in ministry in numerous ways in the Lord's body. She is also a team member of the local 'Living Free Ministries', which is headquartered in the United States and with connections to Teen Challenge. In this, she helps to lead a number of small groups across Macedonia, helping people to walk in a great level of freedom in the Lord and in their identity in Him.

Thanksgiving:

The deepening faith of those attending the Bible studies, both in Young Life and in Novo Lisiche.
The growth in the Young Life outreach over the last season and in the run-up to the camp.
The opportunities the Lord has provided to share the faith and build relationships with people who are not yet believers.

Prayer Requests:

For the Young Life camps, that as the kids hear the message of the Gospel over the course of the weeks, that they would be stirred in their hearts, and would start to seek God for themselves. Please pray also for the follow ups after the camps finish.
For the continued growth in hunger for more of God in the lives of those we are connecting with.
Even more opportunities to share the message of Jesus and build relationships with people in the community.
For my relationship with Hristina.

Thank you for reading my latest newsletter and being a part of this journey. I greatly appreciate your partnership and care, in prayer and financially. May you be blessed with ever more revelation of the love and calling of Jesus in your life, and in all that you do.

With much love and every blessing in Christ,
Scott

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday.

Where and When

We meet at Kent Street Community Church, Latchford, Warrington, WA4 1BT, for our Sunday Services, starting at 10:30am and 6pm. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by one of our Door Stewards who can assist with any queries and show you where to sit.

Parking: This is in the streets adjacent to the church building. We ask people to be considerate of our neighbours and not obstruct access to property. We request that visitors do not park in the road outside the main entrance.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. There is a disabled toilet (with baby changer) in the reception area.

Our Service

The service begins at 10:30am and 6pm with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, We typically have 3-4 songs lasting approximately 20 - 30 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of the church members or an invited speaker will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service. The service lasts approximately 1hour and 15 minutes in the morning and 1 hour 30 minutes in the evening.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after our evening service. It is a great way to meet people. All refreshments are free.

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What about my kids?

During the morning service several of our volunteers run the Kids Church.

The children meet at 10.30am in the small hall. On occasions they will come into the service to participate for a short time, or listen to a presentation specifically for them.

The Kids Church activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.