Kings Internship Log

Kings Internship Log The life and times of the Kings interns. http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/ Summer Project and Goodbyes http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#34 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jeanna_shalkowski.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jeanna Shalkowski" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Well, what an amazing week we had down in London on the Ichthus Summer Project! We had a brilliant time making new friends and getting to know some of the people in the community. We were split across the three teams for the week (Forest Hill, New Life and North London) and were engaged in lots of different activities, ranging from first-contact evangelism, giving away free water, coffee and tea, to running kids clubs and putting on free BBQs and fun days. It was great to meet more Ichthus friends and get to know people from all over the country (and beyond – there were delegates from Germany, Switzerland and Norway among us!) and to get alongside each other to worship God every day, and serve each other as we sought to engage in the communities where we were on patch. There are so many stories I could tell here but don't have time or room to tell them all! The team Becky and I were on in Forest Hill saw 9 people come to faith in one day and one person was healed in Jesus' name! The following day we went back to follow up and ended up talking to even more people in the community and saw another 3 people give their lives to Jesus and another healing! God is SO good and SO faithful. On the final day before we left we all went to visit the congregations where we had been serving all week and joined in with their celebration services. I did the children's sermon (looking at Jesus' second coming) and we used a gospel choir arrangement that Becky had put together with the whole team earlier in the week to illustrate the joy we have to look forward to in heaven when Jesus returns! Before we left we went to see Jay Smith at Speaker's Corner and shout for JESUS, which was very interesting and inspired many of us to engage in conversations of our own with others there. It was sad to say goodbye to the friends we'd made, especially those who were staying on for the second week, but it's been great to stay updated as people tell us how things have been progressing in the last week. We saw God move in some amazing ways and were amazed at the fruit we saw as people made definite commitments to Christ and also how receptive people were to talk about God –some seeds have definitely been sown for others to reap the harvest in future! The last week has involved recovering from Summer Project, and we've begun the redecorating of the Appleby Rooms in St. Oswald's Institute with Paul. It's been hard work but the place is mid-transformation and it's brilliant to see the changes. I can't wait to see it when it's done and we can compare before/after photos! It was our last coffee morning at both McNally and Cunningham Place, and sad to say goodbye to so many friendly and familiar faces we've grown to know and love over the year. At Cunningham a couple that we met through the June Project came along for the first time, so that was a real encouragement from all the hard work that was invested last month. It's hard to believe that we are just a week away from the end of the internship. In so many ways it feels like it began only a few months ago, but as we begin the de-briefing process we can see how far we've all come, both as a team and how God's changed us and individuals and helped us to grow over the last 10 months. We have so much to be thankful for! Thank you so much for your prayers when we were down in London. It was a great way to go back to our roots at the beginning of the internship when we were on mission in Chiselhurst, and we were so thankful for God's protection and provision. Thank you for your support and grace with us, and for reading these logs and praying for us, we can't thank you enough. God bless, Jeanna :-) - Jeanna Shalkowski Jeanna Shalkowski Hello from London http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#33 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/ben_ward.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Ben Ward" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Hello from London! Last Sunday the interns made their way south by train, bus and car to the capital for a week of mission with the Ichthus Christian Fellowship. Each morning we receive teaching before heading out in our teams to one of three locations across London. We've been involved in a kid's club, BBQs on council estates and lots of street evangelism. A lot of us have been able to use the teaching we have received as we talk to people on the streets. On Wednesday, one woman gave her life to Jesus in Holloway following a prophetic picture of her being given. Yesterday 9 people came to faith and one re-dedicated themselves at a BBQ in Forest Hill - Praise God! Please pray for: <ul> <li>More people to step from darkness to light</li> <li>Good sleep for delegates</li> <li>Relationships between the churches we are working with and the communities we are working in.</li> </ul> Got to go now - need to go back to teaching session! - Ben Ward Ben Ward The Home Straight http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#32 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jason_piper.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jason Piper" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Hello all! Well, the interns are about to enter the home straight of the internship! This week began with a somewhat emotional service where the graduating students were prayed for as they move on into their different walks of life. Similarly for the interns, this week has been the final week of (the majority of our) placements. This has been a time of beginning to say goodbye and sharing what’s next with those we’ve been working with over the past 9 or so months. Both of the teaching sessions this week have been contemporary issues sessions with Ruth and were on the highly topical and current themes of racism and war. I think the other interns would agree that both sessions were both incredibly emotive and thought-provoking! What is the root of the prejudices we bear? How far does the myth of redemptive violence pervade our society, or yet further? How has the bible been used to justify racism? Is peace lack of war or more than that? Are our only options when faced with aggression passivity or violence, or is there another way…? This weekend sees the interns gear up for mission yet again, and for the final time as the Ichthus Summer Project kicks off in London on Sunday! There is a mixture of excitement, expectation and some anticipation of the unknown (for all of us except Becky, who’s done it before!) We’ll spend a week getting teaching from Roger and Faith Forster and being sent out into the streets of London to engage in mission in various forms. The exciting aspect in comparison to the June Project will be the premise of the engagement that comes with not having to plan so much of it! Thanks so much for your prayer and support! Things to pray for in the coming week are: <ul><li>God’s strength to carry us – we’re all at different places and for some of us, circumstances are really hard. Please pray that God would strengthen and comfort us at this time.</li> <li>Health – to different extents, some of us are still (medically) recovering from the exertion of the June Project. Please pray for healing and recovery from illness.</li> <li>Expectation – for this coming week but generally for God to move in and through our lives to those we’re being sent to, this week and always.</li> </ul> God bless and keep you all, Jason - Jason Piper Jason Piper We'll miss you! http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#31 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/naomi_aves.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Naomi Aves" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> This last week everyone has been trying to recover from the busy (but brilliant) June project. It was a jam-packed week of community projects, teaching, outreach, and fun. God was utterly faithful to us as we faithfully served him. One lad became a Christian and we had a fantastic response on Sunday. (For more information see the <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/community/projects/june-project-2008'>June Project report</a>). Please continue to pray for all those involved. Please also pray for health and energy for the delegates, staff and interns following June Project. It has been a fairly normal week as far as the interns are concerned. Placements have continued as normal, and we are all preparing to say goodbye this week as they come to an end. To spice up our week however, we had two long sessions of teaching from Richard Briggs on Daniel. We laughed at the political satire and quirky narration, puzzled at the historical anomalies and characters identities, and chewed over the question of the existence of gods. It was incredibly insightful and interesting. And, because it is 'always a joy and never a chore', we had more laughs on Saturday at SBS when Richard took us through the tale of Jonah and the ENORMOUS fish. Have you ever noticed the special mention that the animals get? Mark Bonnington also concluded our teaching on 1 Corinthians with the resurrection of the dead. Sunday was a sad day for many reasons, but particularly because we were saying farewell to many students/ finalists who have been worshipping with us for several years and have contributed so much to the life of the church. We will miss you! - Naomi Aves Naomi Aves Onwards and Upwards http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#30 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/ben_ward.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Ben Ward" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> A lot has happened over the last week or so: half term is now over, so we have been back in our school placements; students have finished exams (well done to them); and the June Project is rapidly approaching! We finished our series on church history last week with a café-style discussion of the 'emerging church', looking at where and why it has arisen and how it might develop in the future. I've found this 'module' to be really helpful in providing a broader picture of the church, providing useful information about where we have come from spiritually and theologically as well as where the church is heading. This week's teaching engaged with the 'contemporary issues' of sexuality, especially homosexuality. On Sunday, we will be celebrating with two students who are getting baptised. What a great way to lead in to the week of mission that follows. June Project is fast approaching - hoorah! Now with over 100 people, this is a huge organisational feat, but also a wonderful opportunity to partner with God in mission and have an impact across the city. We'll be doing everything from gardening to face painting, providing water after clubs have closed on Friday night to afternoon tea for more elderly residents as well as a host of other exciting things. See the <a href="http://www.kcd.org.uk/juneproject">June Project</a> page for more details of what will be going on. During our prayer meeting on Tuesday, God was clearly encouraging us to open our eyes to the spiritual dimension of this world: to not just look at all these activities that will be going on, but to see the spiritual significance of them as well. This is quite a challenge when it is so easy to see the world through purely naturalistic lenses. Francis Schaeffer writes in his book True Spirituality, 'The "supernatural" is really no more unusual in the universe, from the biblical viewpoint, than what we normally call the natural'. Here are some things we would really appreciate prayer for over the coming week: <ul> <li>Protection, especially for those involved in the June Project</li> <li>An openness to God and seeing things from his perspective.</li> <li>All the planning that has and is going into the June Project.</li> <li>That people will hear and see the good news of Jesus and be set free.</li> </ul> - Ben Ward Ben Ward Hello and Amen! http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#29 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jeanna_shalkowski.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jeanna Shalkowski" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Hello and welcome to another instalment of the Kings Internlog! It’s been a quiet(ish) week for the interns as we had a reading week and so had a bit more personal time off. Placements have been continuing as normal, and how half term is upon us some of our loads are a bit lighter without schoolswork. It’s hard to believe that we will have finished the Internship in about 7 weeks! There’s so much to do until then, and so much we’ve learned over the year to be reflecting on before we go on to do whatever God has in store for each of us in the time ahead! Just10 has been carrying on well as J. John has continued his series on the Ten Commandments and their relevance for life today. I’ve been really encouraged and learned a lot from the teaching, and it’s also a great opportunity to meet other Christians in the Northeast, whether they’re sitting next to you, waiting in the queue for the toilets or as you’re queuing to get in/out of the car park! It’s been so fantastic to hear the good news of people responding to the gospel and the messages J. John’s been delivering and to see lives transformed each week! A few weeks ago we found out that we are going to the Ichthus Summer Project in London in July! Although a new experience for all of us but Becky, we’ve had raring reports from those who were part of the Summer Project in 2007 and are really looking forward to it, especially off the back of June Project! We really enjoyed the first induction mission week with Ichthus in Chiselhurst, so this will be a new, but definitely exciting experience that I’m sure we won’t forget! Teaching over the last week or so has been continuing Church History with Melody and exploring the Pentecostal movement and our own church backgrounds. It was really interesting to see the similarities and differences between different experiences of church. Mark’s teaching on Revelation has continued to grow in fascinating-ness(?!) as we looked at the Pale Rider and apocalyptic imagery. Faith Forster was here last weekend and continued our morning series on Isaiah and spoke on Spiritual Gifts in the evening. It was a great opportunity for people to come forward for prayer and to be encouraged. Tonight Jase, Becky, Dave and I helped host a Superhero-themed party and game night in Crook at the youth group we assist with each week. It was a great time and really good to get to know some of the kids a bit better. We just couldn’t get enough of the superhero costumes in Bosnia! Apart from that, we’re beginning to get ready for the JUNE PROJECT 2008! We’re all in charge of delegates and various aspects of the outreach over the week, which is incredibly exciting and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in! We really appreciate your prayer for the whole June Project – that God would work powerfully in peoples’ lives and that we would see the city of Durham transformed with His love and His heart. A worship song we sang in our team meeting today has the following lyrics: <blockquote>There is no-one like our God…For greater things have yet to come…And greater things are still to be done in this city</blockquote> Please keep praying for our preparation and as we face the beginning of the end of the Internship, that the time we have together as a team would be really valuable, full of encouragement and building each other up, and creating memories that will draw us together and last for a long time! Thank you so much for your continued support – God bless you! Jeanna - Jeanna Shalkowski Jeanna Shalkowski Bookworms http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#28 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jason_piper.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jason Piper" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> This week, the interns have had their heads ploughed thoroughly buried in the books as our teaching series on Revelation, church history and contemporary issues continue! Last Saturday saw the 'May We Have Hope' sports day at the Laurel Avenue Community Centre. Upon arrival we were greeted with glorious sunshine and the perfect conditions persisted throughout the day! Sports and activities included a 5-a-side football, mini-olympic games, frisbee, basketball, circus skills and face-painting. A rough head count on the day yielded more than 200 people which was a huge encouragement! This week, in our study on Revelation with Mark we explored the central character of the book – God! This involved looking at the titles God has through the course of the book and how they change. Similarly the persons of Trinity and the influences of prophecy in other books of the bible bring loomed large on the radar. Genuinely fascinating! Church history marches on as we continued to wade through the steep tides of the reformation! Our journey took us through Luther’s gargantuan contributions to the movement (such as the translation of the NT into German), the theological principles behind the reformation and an in depth discussion into the role of the sacraments. Theology 101 looked at the challenge of postmodernity and Jeanna and Naomi provided rich sustenance in the form of garlic and nettle soup and (slightly more traditionally, tomato soup.) The responses to postmodernism detailed in our packs provided fuel for stimulating discussion. This week, placements have continued as normal, Just 10 continues, as does planning for the June Project. Please be praying for us as we continue to work with students and in our placements. Pray for wisdom as we plan the June Project and for volunteers to sign up. God bless, Jason. - Jason Piper Jason Piper Monk-ey Business http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#27 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/dave_fisher.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Dave Fisher" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Aside from punning badly, this week the interns have been acting the part of Medieval Monks, considering the four horsemen of the apocalypse and eating pea soup. We are also starting to plot plan for the June Project 2008! In our series on church history we have been looking at monasticism and the beginnings of the Reformation. We discussed the strengths and weaknesses of missionary monks, taking the Gospel to the nations and meeting people on their level may involve creating the Cyrillic alphabet although Cyril and Methodius may have already done that. Hitting the King of Ireland with your staff while baptising him may not be a good idea. With Mark we are continuing to look at John’s Revelation, this week examining the book’s structure, in particular the parallels, and also differences between Babylon and Jerusalem, and the judgement of God. Part of this is the four horsemen of the apocalypse, which have proved very popular in culture. Clint Eastwood’s film <cite>Pale Rider</cite> is one such example of this, so of course we had to watch part of this to finish the session. Theology 101 moved to a new venue this week, which presented new challenges before we even got to the theology of cessationism. Jason and Ben, who made pea soup, met the challenge of soup without a nearby kitchen admirably and I am sure we can step up to the added challenge of remembering an extension cable to power the projector next week. The June Project sign-up was launched last Sunday, which is exciting news and preparations are coming along nicely. Please pray for us, that we would be reminded of God’s faithfulness and that we would go in his strength not out own, especially as this term gets busier. Please also pray for outreach in Durham and the North East, the June Project is coming, J John is into his fourth week and this Saturday some us are also supporting the HOPE08 sports day in Gilesgate. God Bless Dave - Dave Fisher Dave Fisher Catching up http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#26 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/rachel_farish.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Rachel Farish" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Having been back from Bosnia a couple of weeks, our placements have now all kicked in, the students have returned and our own personal teaching has begun. It’s like we’ve never been away – well almost! Saturday morning took us to SBS with Mark teaching us on 1 Corinthians 11 and a guest speaker, Bob Fyall, enlightening us on the Song of Songs. It was excellent and a great thing to finally understand (at least a little bit) what the Song of Songs is about. It’s great to catch up with people that we haven’t seen for weeks (mainly the students who have been away for 5 weeks) and to be back serving the community and church at all our various placements. I think everyone has enjoyed getting back into the swing of things and there have been some really encouraging stories. This week at Interact we welcomed the Japanese students who have come to study English at Teikyo University. Eighteen of us went on a tour/walk around Durham which concluded by having a relaxing drink in a local pub - their first experience of a British pub. We look forward to this week as they said they would bring friends to our chocolate fondue party! Yum Yum! As well as Interact, Cu’s have started up, coffee at the station is back on, the work at Aquilla continues, as does the youth club at Crook – and now it’s nice weather the team there assure me that it’s hard work to play football in the sunshine! ; ) Our teaching began this week, with Mark introducing us to the fascinating book (and I’m not being sarcastic) that is Revelation. I can’t wait to get stuck into this with all it’s amazing imagery and symbolism. We also have started the long anticipated teaching with Melody Briggs on Thursday who for 6 weeks will give us a taste (quite literally) of the church through History. This week we began with the Early Church, sharing in their style of worship, the readings, prayers and meal that their services would have contained when they met together. It was a lot of fun and quite insightful! As well as all this, Just 10 (an event which occurs every Tuesday evening in Gateshead with J. John who talks through one commandment a week for ten weeks) has begun. It’s really exciting to see a tent full of 6000 people coming to hear J John speak on the 10th commandment. Please pray for this event, that people would begin to get a glimpse of who God is and come to know him. So it’s the end of the Intern log for this week, please pray for continued energy and enthusiasm as we continue in all the things we do. Tune in next week to hear this weeks up and coming adventures. Xxx : ) - Rachel Farish Rachel Farish The start of our final term http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#25 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/naomi_aves.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Naomi Aves" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Well here we are at the start of our final term of the internship! It seems strange that we have already been back a week. Bosnia seems ages ago, and Sunday only seemed like yesterday. All of us have been resting up and preparing for the weeks ahead, and hopefully the others have done all their laundry, unlike me. Some of our placements have started up again too. The transition from Bosnia to Durham has been fine. I think we’re all grateful for hot running water. Please pray that we would not forget what we saw and learnt in Bosnia, and that we would know how to apply it here too. This Thursday – Friday just gone we (along with a bunch of student leaders) went on a student leader training retreat. We looked at the life of a leader; public, private, and devotional, led by Ruth, Kathryn and Seymour Jacklin, and Phil. We experienced God moving among us and were released to worship Jesus with our whole bodies. It was fantastic to see so many young people engaging in heart-felt worship to Jesus. We concluded the sessions by praying and prophesying over each other, and again God was really speaking into the hearts of his children. Once again, please pray that we would not forget what we learnt and experienced, and are able to be effective instruments for God in Durham and beyond. Many thanks and blessings. - Naomi Aves Naomi Aves Final Report from Bosnia http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#24 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/ben_ward.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Ben Ward" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Thank you for your prayers whilst we were in Bosnia Herzegovina. You'll be glad to hear that we made it back safely to Durham on Tuesday night. The journey home was long with some tense moments: nine foreigners travelling together seemed quite interesting to the guards at each of the three border checkpoints we had to pass through. The journey passed smoothly however and we made all our connections with good time, praise God! Our last few days in Mostar were taken at a somewhat more relaxed pace to the rest of the week. Seeing the children of Mostar acheiving, even in small ways, was a blessing. On Saturday, the Klub is open for most of the day so that kids can drop in when they like: Dave and I learnt that children have a greater sense of satisfaction if they beat you on the fourth or fifth game of table football than if you let them win immediately! During the week Becky, Naomi & Rachel had been teaching a dance to a group of Klub members with the aim of filming it to keep a record of what they'd done. The dancers were incredibly excited about filming something that they had worked hard to get right, and it was great to see their satisfaction at having achieved something. Even learning how glitter works brought looks of amazement to the faces of children from Karašebeš, a semi-permanent refugee shack town, and had a brilliant time. Experiences like this made us reflect on how privileged we are. We had a picnic and went swimming at the country's largest waterfall, at Kravice, during our day off. It is easy to see why the tourist industry is picking up and good to see that this is helping the economy to recover. God was so good – we had beautiful weather pretty much all week despite there being large snowfalls the week before we arrived. On Sunday we worshipped with the two evangelical churches in Mostar. As part of the group that joined with the church on the west side of the city, I listened to a visiting missionary speaking of how God had worked in his life from Nazi-occupied Amsterdam to the jungle of New Guinea. This reminded me yet again of just how faithful God is, even when things seem utterly hopeless; how the church is God's agent of transformation on earth. <img src='http://www.kingschurchdurham.com/images/content/news/080411-bosnia-2008-1.jpg' width="400" height="300" alt="Mostar" /> It was such a privilege to join in with what Novi Most are doing, bringing extra hands and energy in order to bless and encourage them. We returned to the UK confident that God will continue to work through the church to transform both Mostar and Bosnia Herzegovina. Please pray that we will be able to wisely use the few days we have to recuperate. The transition from Mostar to Durham is quite a jar so please pray that we would cope well with the reverse culture shock. Read the other reports from the team: <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/?entry=23'>1st</a> & <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/news/archive/item/91'>2nd</a>. - Ben Ward Ben Ward Internlog from Bosnia! http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#23 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/becky_rolls.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Becky Rolls" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> We made it to Newcastle and then had a flight out of London to Croatia - during this time we had to pray for our baggage to arrive so that we could get our connecting flight out of London. God answered our prayers and made it possible for our baggage to be checked in straight away by passing a long queue. This photo is us all before we left Newcastle <img src='http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/news/2008-04-bosnia-1.jpg' alt="The team in London" width="400" height="300"> After a 3 hour flight we arrived in Croatia to meet the team - here we are! <img src='http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/news/2008-04-bosnia-3.jpg' alt="The team in Croatia" width="400" height="300"> The team here are great and God is really bonding us together to be effective for His work - we have already taken time to pray for the Novi Most team and to listen to what God is telling us about Mostar. All of us, in our own way, have realize that an horrific war has taken place here - the contrast between the new developed buildings and the ruins is shocking to see when there is a community living amongst the effects of this daily. Please pray that we would see Mostar as God does - there have been words about God’s renewal already. Day 1 - We have been helping out with Klub and last night was the first of this term-there was a great turn out. Young people from 14-21 years old joined in with games that we had prepared. Fun was had by all! (see photo) <img src='http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/news/2008-04-bosnia-4.jpg' alt="Fun being had by all!" width="400" height="300"> Becky did a talk about how God loved them all and each person was different and unique because this is the way that God had made them. This is a huge message to hear because of the division within this city. Many of the children are bound by the location of their homes. However Klub Novi Most, situated on the border between East and West Mostar, is the place where these two sides have begun to come together and form relationships. Tonight Jason is talking about Friendships - this is with the younger kids. Pray for his clarity, tuning into the spirit and for the translation to communicate God’s message. There will be more games and opportunities for crafts which encourages them to find their own creative ways of expressing themselves.This afternoon half of the team have gone to Bišce Polje, a Roma community outside of Mostar. The other half of us will go later this week. Pray for the relationships that Novi Most have built to strengthen and that God's love for them is communicated through our actions, as language is a problem.Tomorrow we are going to explore Islamic and Catholic shrines of pilgrimage at Blagaj &amp; Medugorje. Pray for spiritual protection, discernment and breakthrough of God’s truth. Other prayer requests - Health- Sleep has been a problem - many of us have had restless nights. Pray for deep restful sleep. Becky’s back is doing well - so far so good! Ben’s ankle is uncomfortable so pray for this to be strengthened as Mostar is hillier than Durham! Spiritual - Protection through the full armour of God. Prophetic gifting to be used effectively to enhance our understanding of Mostar and its people. (God is already speaking a lot) Team - Good communication between us all - English and Bosnian. We will update you with more information throughout the week. THANK YOU for your prayers. God bless The interns, Ruth and Phil - Becky Rolls Becky Rolls Roundup http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#22 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jeanna_shalkowski.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jeanna Shalkowski" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> So, the second of our third term of the Internship has come to an end. It's rather strange to know that we're now past the halfway mark! It's been a short but busy term because of Easter's unusual place in the calendar. We finished up Ruth's teaching on the Theology of Work and looking at the Passion narratives with Mark. Theologically, the term was rounded up with Saturday Bible School – looking at Idolatry in 1 Corinthians with Mark and the Canon with Dr Richard Briggs. One of the media projects is now finished, so watch this space for YouTube previews of the Easter Reflection (if you weren't there on Sunday to see the finished product!) We've been finishing up placements and work with students as the academic term comes to an end. Youthwork in Crook is changing slightly as we combine both age groups on Tuesdays, with two hours for both younger and older groups. Please pray that this transition would go smoothly and we would ease back into things after a longer break between Easter, school holidays and our time after Bosnia. The Interns are now on a bit of a break for Easter, hoping to catch up with friends, family and supporters, and rest and relaxation before heading back to Durham and preparing for our mission trip to Bosnia. Please be praying for the whole team, along with Ruth and Phil as we try to learn some of the language, prepare activities, crafts, games and a joint youth service. Pray especially that we would be growing together as a team and learning more about God and each other. Also pray for protection – emotionally, physically and spiritually as we find ourselves in an unfamiliar environment, and that we would be effective as we seek to help Novi Most as they work with the children and young people in Mostar to overcome the effects of the past, equip them to face their futures with hope and empower them to become instruments of transformation and good news in their communities. We really need the Holy Spirit with us to empower us – we are just vessels for God's work! Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers – they are so valuable and we appreciate them so much! God bless you! Jeanna :) - Jeanna Shalkowski Jeanna Shalkowski Weekly News http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#21 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/becky_rolls.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Becky Rolls" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Hello-It's great to be able to report to about the weekly news from the interns. As you know I haven't been around due to a broken coccyx-but praise God-this week I've been back. So What have we been up to? Well we found out more information about the In's and outs of our mission trip to Bosnia. Things to pray for are-ideas of fun activities to do with kids and teenagers in Mostar-that this time in preparation God can be preparing our hearts and equipping us ready to do His glorious work. The God would go before us and prepare-with out God there's no point going. Pray for joy and energy for the trip and that as a team we can be the most effective that we can be. Other news- Theology with Mark is working through different thematics within John's Gospel and with Ruth we have been looking at how to be in the world but not of it! Challenging but awesome that there is a way to glorify God with our lives. Filming and editing is still going on-so watch this space. Placements are going well also-pray for an increase of sensitivity to the prompting of the spirit in order to get in line with God's planning and timing, to make every opportunity the best that we can. Training for international mission in Jesmond took place today-this was beneficial for all who were there-interns and residents as well as students from Kings. We look at different ways of crossing cultures for God's commission-after all Jesus came for the world...not just for one part of it. We have baptisms tomorrow which we are all looking forward to-7am set up for the pool-but well worth it as people public ally following Jesus's command. So exciting things all round-thank you for you faithful prayers-as you can see fruit is coming for God's glory! Till next time Becky - Becky Rolls Becky Rolls Half way through http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#20 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/dave_fisher.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Dave Fisher" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> This week marks the half way point of the internship, and with a lighter timetable this week, it’s a good chance to look back over the last few months and see what God has been doing. The answer is a lot! All seven of us are different to when we first started way back in September. Its been great to see the Holy Spirit working in each of us, building us into the people God wants us to be for his kingdom. We have all realised and grown in our giftings, and gotten to know God a bit better. We have also laughed a lot, and cried a little. Please pray for the second half of the internship, that God would continue to amazing things and that we would see more of his glory! We had no teaching this week, as we are also half way through this term. This meant a couple of extra lie-ins and a chance to catch up all the bits of admin that pile up during normal weeks. Shooting for both of our media projects started this week, you might see some of us out and about with cameras over the next couple of weeks as we work our way through what we want to shoot. We had some exciting news on Tuesday, we found out that we are going to Mostar, Bosnia for our mission trip at the beginning of next term. Mostar is a city in the south of the country, with a population about 130,000. It’s going to really exciting and we are all looking forward to it. Please start praying now, that God would be at the very centre of everything we do leading up, during and after the mission. Please also pray for the journey and for something of the kingdom to come when we go to Bosnia. God bless. - Dave Fisher Dave Fisher Praising God for His faithfulness http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#19 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jason_piper.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jason Piper" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> We’re already a month into the New Year! As we approach the half-way point of the internship, we are in the process of looking back and praising God for His faithfulness throughout the past four-and-a-bit months and looking forward to what God is going to do in the following months. In the attitude of thanksgiving, we praise God for an awesome night on Sunday’s “Light for Life” guest service, which hosted what can only be described as a multitude! After the tireless efforts of those setting up was the revelation of a beautifully lit Riverside café! Amidst the goings on, it was a huge encouragement to see so many bringing friends along! This week, we have had two teaching sessions with Dr. Richard Briggs on Genesis, which have been both intriguing and fascinating. Covering aspects such as the names of God used, repetition and details of the Hebrew itself provided a host of questions, answers and more questions! In a similar vein, Theology 101 looked at Satan, demons and the powers in what was a challenging and interesting lesson. Again, on behalf of all of the interns, your support is genuinely priceless! Thank you! Please continue to pray for each of us as we engage with our placements in the community, our media project with Andrew Whiteley and our roles in church life as a whole. Please pray also for a speedy recovery for Becky, who is beginning to be more involved in placements as her condition allows. God bless, Jason - Jason Piper Jason Piper Innovative Title http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#18 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jeanna_shalkowski.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jeanna Shalkowski" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> So, fully back into the swing of things! Term is underway, as are our placements, and we are once again a Complete Intern Team as Ms Rolls is once again residing in Durham! Happy interns :):):):):)! We're really glad to have her back with us and would ask you to pray for the continued healing of her back as she eases back into Durham life. Ben, Naomi and Rachel gave their film presentations this week, and it was great to see how the work they had put into them really showed us how each of their films could be used to insightfully convey the contrasts between God's kingdom values and those of the world. Great work! We've had an influx of people joining Pastorate and Cell groups – praise God for their growth! It's such an encouragement to see people wanting to get involved and serve God together! The prayer evening on Wednesday night in St. Nic's in the Market Place was a huge encouragement. It was fantastic to see so many Christians uniting to pray for the North East and the work of Hope '08 and Just 10 throughout the year. The guest service 'Light for Life' is almost upon us, and it's great to hear that we're expecting lots of guests! Please pray that God would work really powerfully and that he would honour the efforts we've contributed. Evening services this term have been packed, almost to capacity with well over 100 people each meeting. Ruth's talk on 'Living in Purity' last Sunday was really challenging – for the link please contact <a href="mailto:office@kcd.org.uk">office@kcd.org.uk</a>. Thanks so much for your ongoing prayers and for keeping up to date with what we're doing through this 'feed. Please be praying for each of us as we approach the mid-point of the internship and for continued energy as we power on through the term in God's strength! - Jeanna Shalkowski Jeanna Shalkowski Roll on Saturday! OR Roll(s) on Monday! http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#17 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/naomi_aves.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Naomi Aves" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Currently, I am sitting on the sofa trying to gather my thoughts for this week’s internlog, as well as enjoying the quiet rest while it lasts. Soooo much has been happening…I’d simply have to write an essay to fit it all in ;-) At SBS last Saturday, Mark taught us about what Paul says about singleness in 1 Corinthians. Melody Briggs then gave us a whirlwind tour through the history of the church and how all the various denominations came to be. Sunday was incredible. It was great to see so many faces with all the students back, as well as our residents who had been down in London for Chris and Hannah’s wedding the previous week! We’re all still guessing where they went for their honeymoon. Will you tell us now?! We had well over 100 people at the evening service, and it was great to see several new faces. It was totally packed, and truly amazing. With Becky away we’ve had to share some of her placements between us, but we have just received some fantastic news. Becky Rolls will hopefully be back in Durham by Monday! Unfortunately she is still in a lot of pain and is unable to move around too much, so please keep praying for a quick recovery. It will be great to have her with us again. We’ve missed you hun! Jase, Jeanna, and Dave gave their film presentations to the group on Thursday. They all spoke really well and said some really insightful things about the ethics and world views within their chosen film. Well done guys! All the Pastorates have met now, and all have gone swimmingly. Student cells are now back in the swing of things, and it’s great to see so many more students wanting to be involved. Lastly, Coffee mornings in Gilesgate are going really well. We united McNally with Cunningham this morning, as building work is going on in McNally. It was great to see so many people fight the wind to be there, and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. God is blessing everything we do, and I’m so excited about this term. Next week we’ll be holding our Guest service, so please pray for that. God is good! - Naomi Aves Naomi Aves Never a 'normal' day http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#16 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/ben_ward.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Ben Ward" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> It's all go as students once again fill the streets of Durham. We've all felt the slight jolt of transition as term starts. Not only has student ministry kicked off with the first Sunday evening service and pastorates of term, but we've also had assignments, reading and preparation to do. We're praying that Becky will be able to join us soon as she's still recovering at home. It's quite odd being one member down. It seems that there is never a 'normal' day on the internship. On Tuesday we did a reflective painting together as a staff and intern team; today I was dressed as a pirate. There was a reason for this, of course: primary school assemblies have to have some element of fun in them after all! Today we started a media project with a technical wiz, which should help us to gain more insight into how film is made and manipulated, complimenting the teaching we are receiving on culture and communication. With so many things starting afresh, it's my prayer that God would use all these things over the coming term and that we would make the most of each new start. - Ben Ward Ben Ward Beginning http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#15 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/rachel_farish.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Rachel Farish" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> It was with anticipation that we (the interns) returned from our 2 week holiday (I know you missed not having an intern log for two weeks, but it’s ok we’re back now and ready for lots more adventures)! Having left 2007 being very busy caught up in all the fun activities that Christmas brings and on a bit of a high, we have all had an enjoyable 2 week holiday and are looking forward to what this term brings! Unfortunately Becky has not yet returned as she fractured her coccyx whilst skiing with her family. Please pray for a quick recovery. So we’ve been back ten days and we’ve been straight into teaching, finishing off Mark’s gospel, beginning John’s gospel, and looking at understanding and influencing society particularly through media. On Sunday it was great to get back to church with the residents and a few students. In the evening we visited Stockton Baptist Tabernacle church, it’s great to worship with other members of our family in the North East and we were warmly welcomed. Most of the placements began again this week so we are straight back into the swing of things and having lots of fun. We’re looking forward to the students return this weekend, beginning our evening series on the sermon on the mount and congratulating Chris and Hannah on their wedding day! Whoop! - Rachel Farish Rachel Farish Christmas is Nearly here! http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#14 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/becky_rolls.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Becky Rolls" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> There has been much JOY in the camp of Kings as adventure has been our agenda! First half of the week was the end of all the placements until next year, that is! This has been a great opportunity to be able to 'take stock' and to reflect on the amazing things God has done over the last 4 months. Personally I've been struck by the amount of relationships that have been started and the fruit that has, and that will inevitably come from showing other people God's love. House party is a fine example of this! I'm happy to report that there was fellowship, fun, and Mafia galour-the Interns were generally all killed during this game! One the first night Mark Bonnington constructed the background information on the Lords Prayer for us. Then Karl Martin taught us about the different sections included in the Lords Prayer- Starting with calling 'God our Father' and ending with 'forgivness.' This was an awesome time with student, leaders and God coming together. Friday night- The Church Christmas party took place-there are too many great acts to mention in this years variety show-but much laughter was heard at the sight of an array of animals and children's characters playing-the song 'little donkey', mainly on recorder, with our very own Chris Juby conducting them. We are still amused. Everybody enjoyed themselves and got into the Christmas spirit. And to 'Wrap up with' Yes- Christmas present wrapping was a great joy to all who took part- Thank you so much for everybody who helped! This is where we say, from all the interns- THANK YOU for your support and your prayers over 2007. We really do appreciate it. We wish to give God all the Glory for everything that has happened this year-and we will be praying for the year to come. Peace, love and joy to you all this Christmas. - Becky Rolls Becky Rolls Christmas is coming! http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#13 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/dave_fisher.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Dave Fisher" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> This week Christmas was very much in evidence. On Monday night the Interact group has their Christmas party to round off the term in style. Some of our placements finished for Christmas this week, Becky and myself won’t be going to Crook until next year now, which feels a little strange because its only the first week of December. At the CU in Durham High School we had a Christmas party, which was a lot of fun and involved plenty of sweets and chocolate. On Friday we hosted a Christmas lunch for the residents of Gilesgate, which was well attended and lots of food was eaten. Credits to Jason because he organised the whole venture. To everyone who helped out, with cooking, lending us cutlery, plates, serving dishes etc, thank you! But most importantly, praise to God, without him it would not have happened. Looking forward, there is more Christmas stuff happening. Present wrapping in the Gates is this Saturday and next Saturday, where we are blessing the shoppers by wrapping their presents for free. The student house party is next week in Wensleydale, where there will be fellowship, teaching and Mafia. There is also the small matter of the carol service on Sunday. Prayer requests: Giving thanks to God, he has been so good to us and we still need him. There is a line in a song that goes “By the grace of God we will carry on” and its true, it’s only by God’s grace that we can keep going, so we need lots of grace. Please pray for the carol service, there are a lot of things happening for it so please pray that God would bless it. [Ed - it went well!] - Dave Fisher Dave Fisher Lots to report on http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#12 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/naomi_aves.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Naomi Aves" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Lots to report on this week. Sunday evening was packed out as guests and students filled every chair in the room to listen to Ruth teach us about 'spiritual gifts'. It was great to look at what the bible says about them, and to have a comprehensive list of all the gifts God gives us in order to bless others. God is so gracious! Monday morning a few of us went into the market place to film clips for our carol service reading. It was fantastic to see the locals enthusiastically getting involved and shouting out 'glory to God in the highest!' in the middle of the market square. Through it we were able to have some great conversations and invite people along to church. Hallelujah! We looked at what 'community' means in out team meeting this week. It was a good opportunity to test out our artistic abilities (or lack of!) and discuss what it means to be a part of God's family (the church as Jesus' body) and how we can love one another. Furthermore, the month of December is a time when we can really put 'community' into practice. There is so much going on, and we're busy preparing for lots of christmas parties, meals, and outreach events, so please pray for energy. It's really exciting! Coffee mornings in Gilesgate, with the older residents of the community, are going really well. Numbers are still growing, and we were able to invite many more along to our carol service. It's great to see so many coming along and share fellowship with one another. Our individual placements are going well, but next week will be the last session for most of us as we get ready for the student houseparty and for the christmas holidays. Please pray for opportunities to continue building good relationships, for energy and organisation, and thank God for all that he has done so far. Praise be to God! Amen! - Naomi Aves Naomi Aves Stories of God's goodness http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#11 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/ben_ward.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Ben Ward" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> <blockquote> 'O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; His steadfast love endures forever!' </blockquote> The past week has been marked by hilarity and stories of God's goodness. Our usual placements, from Christian Unions in schools to Aquila Way in Gateshead, have been encouraging. Student ministry is gaining momentum, with lots getting involved in student cells and <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/students/pastorates/'>pastorates</a>, where they have the opportunity to form community and develop giftings. Interact made us ponder just how glitter gets everywhere as we made Christmas cards and advent fun: glue-tastic! I've started a placement in Gilesgate Primary School helping with school assemblies: a truly delightful experience. It was really encouraging to see new faces and lots of international students at Sunday's <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/sundays/evenings/'>evening service</a> (Connecting with God when it costs). Mark spoke on the familiar story of Daniel in the lions' den (Daniel 6) and challenged us to cultivate our fear of and relationship with God, develop our character and devotional life. God has been working in people's lives during these times and it was encouraging that the prayer ministry team was able to pray with lots of people at the end of the service. Friday's coffee mornings in Gilesgate were brilliant: a great opportunity to build relationships with the older generation. One of the two had so many people show up that they ran out of cups! I'm sure that we'd all really appreciate your prayer for a Christmas dinner that we're organising for these people. Our theology study this week has been very stimulating. From Satan, Angels and Demons in Scripture with Roger Forster as part of the <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/bibleschool/'>Saturday</a><a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/bibleschool/'> Bible School</a> to a mind-bending session on interpreting scripture (looking at the rather difficult parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16); from the theology of healing and its pastoral implications to how the atonement works (<a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/theology101/'>Theology 101</a>). All this sounds pretty heavy, but it's been most enjoyable and seasoned with laughter. Dave's birthday brought with it a brilliant 'birthday balloon bombardment' and bowling (alliteration central!) - fun times! Prayer points: <ul> <li>Praise God for his goodness.</li> <li>Christmas preparations &ndash; a guest carol service, student '<a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/students/houseparty/'>houseparty</a>' or retreat, Christmas meal and a church Christmas party all have to be organised on top of the regular stuff. Please pray that God would sustain us through this busy period.</li> <li>That we'd make the most of the last three weeks of term and use challenges as opportunities to learn.</li> </ul> - Ben Ward Ben Ward News and excitement http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#10 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jeanna_shalkowski.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jeanna Shalkowski" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Hello and welcome to the bonus edition of Internlog! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, today you get not just one, but two weeks' worth of news and excitement! The Kings Bonfire Party was a huge, (one might say 'roaring') success, and a fun time was had, with music, refreshments, marshmallow-roasting and most of all, a warm, crackling bonfire at the Bonningtons' house. It was great to see so many people there! We are all settling into our placements, with some of us now beginning to establish ourselves volunteering with Aquila Way in Gateshead. The prayer evening at Waddington Street was a great time to feed back some of the things God has been doing in the areas we'd been praying for last month, and to focus on the work that is going on with international students. We also prayed for peoples' mission fields in their places of work and that God might give opportunities for them to witness to colleagues and the people they come into contact with. Last Friday we went out and did some outreach in the city centre and around the Market Square. We took questionnaires and engaged people in conversations about spiritual beliefs, God and church. We had some amazing conversations with people and are praying that those we've talked to would be challenged about how they view God and Christianity, as we are challenged about the way we come across to others and the ways we represent God to them. Last weekend's 'Saturday Project' involved painting the inside of the house of one of the older members of the Kings congregation up in Gilesgate. We're really excited about the ways that we can be reaching out to people and sharing the gospel through serving them in the community. This week was a 'reading week' which meant that everyone had a week off from the Internship teaching programme. It's about half-way through for us on the Internship so it was great to get a bit more time to chill out, lie in and be more flexible when meeting up with people. We took a (10 mile) walk out to Finkle Priory on Thursday, which was really lovely and beautiful (pictures on Facebook and hopefully *here* later). It was brilliant to be able to simply chill out and spend some social time together. We've been missing that since our induction weeks! Unfortunately we *slightly* misjudged how much time it would take to get back and were rather appallingly late returning for Theology 101. Thanks to everyone who had to put up with that - your patience and graciousness with us when we were so exhausted was much appreciated! Sunday's *TASTE AND SEE* Guest Service in the evening was a great success! We had about 25-30 new people turn up and the Riverside Cafe was packed out! I think that we'd all like to say a massive thank you to everyone who was part of that, for all your help, energy, encouragement and effort on the night, with the planning and with the pack-down! It was really great to see so many people there to hear Caz speak on John 21 and Jesus appearing to seven disciples and sharing breakfast with them. The whole evening looked and sounded amazing, and we got some really positive feedback and some people who wanted to discuss Christianity and the talk. Praise God, he's so good!! Please be praying for: <ul> <li>Our placements - that we would be able to work well alongside others on the teams and get to know the people we're working with</li> <li>Our energy levels as we hit the middle of term The response we've had to the guest service - that people would be challenged and that God would open their hearts!</li> </ul> Thanks for reading, and tune in next week! Jeanna :) - Jeanna Shalkowski Jeanna Shalkowski An epic week http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#9 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jason_piper.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jason Piper" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> This has been an epic week. Fact. God has been doing some incredible things over the past few days and this week has been yet another fascinating chronicle in our year long saga! The week began with the baptisms of previous intern Gareth Owen and resident Simon McConway, a real encouragement to the whole church! Sunday evening saw Seymour Jacklin speak on “Connecting with God when we’ve blown it”, a challenging talk on Psalm 51 which affirms God’s heart for our salvation being the receipt of a new heart from Him and His desire to restore our relationship with Him. Each intern has a story to tell, week by week. Here is a section of the patchwork of our tale through the week: Monday involved preparation and placements in schools within Durham. Tuesday and Wednesday bore the action of the community placements at Crook which were enjoyed by all (as far as I’m aware!) Furthermore the briefing for Aquila at their Gateshead office was hugely informative, insightful and encouraging. The Light Party at the Light’s House was a runaway success with many kids coming along and getting involved in the games, food, carving of pumpkins and learning about the Light of the World. Respect. After teaching on Thursday morning, there was a wealth of activities for us to undertake, including clearing up of the garden for tonight’s bonfire (if you can, come along!) and collecting wood for the same! Manly. Theology 101 this week provided a first fascinating look at the doctrine of the Trinity, which has left everyone who was present with much to ponder! Last, but by no means least came this morning’s teas and coffee’s at the station and Gilesgate coffee mornings which were both a roaring success with gorgeous weather accompanied by healthy subscription to all! Each of us interns are feeling stretched this week with our commitments and responsibilities, but remain encouraged by God’s faithfulness in all circumstances, to carry us when we need it and to hold us always. Please pray for strength and rejuvenation over this coming week, which brings the excitement of our placements and a guest service! God bless, and peace always, Jason. - Jason Piper Jason Piper A couple of new things! http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#8 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/rachel_farish.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Rachel Farish" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> So this week began with the first ever Saturday morning bible school in the United Reformed Church, and it was exactly what it said it would be, a bible school on Saturday morning! Teaching from both Mark Bonnington and Richard Briggs means that all those who attended are now fluent in both Hebrew and Greek! –well almost?! :) We also looked at 1 Corinthians and the cross as human foolishness and divine power. Great stuff! So Saturday was followed by Sunday, because every Saturday usually is! No student lunches this week, but still plenty of students to chat to. It’s great to see familiar faces now and to be building those relationships! The evening service was the first of two services with a particular emphasis on a deeper understanding of God’s word and its application to our relationship with Him. It was great to see the room so full, with a mixture of students and residents and to begin to grasp an understanding of God’s ultimate purpose, which was a real high point for most of us interns.</op> With it being half term this week, there were no CU’s, but none the less it has continued to be a fun and packed week. Interact happened as normal on Monday evening. We met at Ustinov bar, and had great fun just chatting as a group, and drawing maps of the UK on serviettes, to illustrate where the best places to visit in the UK are. Very accurate of course! :) Crook this week has been detached youth work, which has been good for building and strengthening relationships with the young people and I’m sure they are all looking forward to their parties next week. Aquilla is beginning to come together as we sort out our individual placements, which is exciting. And of course pastorates and cells continued to meet. Like Dave said last week “Its inspiring how many people want to come together in the name of Christ to praise and grow closer to God”. Finally, in our teaching this week we looked at how to begin reading the gospels for what they are and why there are some similarities and differences between Matthew, Mark and Luke. We also looked at the gifts that God has graciously given to us, having filled in a spectacularly long questionnaire! It’s great to see how God has uniquely given us all our individual gifts and how we can begin to utilise those as a team. In summary, I think God has been stretching all of us this week. Pray for continued strength and energy. The relationships that are being formed. And praise God for the faithfulness, goodness and love that he continues to pour out. - Rachel Farish Rachel Farish Getting stuck in http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#7 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/dave_fisher.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Dave Fisher" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> This week was more of a normal week for the interns, whatever normal might mean, with more placements starting and things becoming more regular. Sunday saw the second and final student lunch after church, and it was great to see so many students to help us eat all the potatoes. :) During both the morning and evening services God was busy sending many people to encourage and build up His church with pictures, words and testimonies, drawing us closer to Him. All the youth groups in Crook have been planning for their Halloween parties after half term, the older group created a fantastic collage of a night scene on Wednesday. Both the Tuesday and Wednesday youth groups have been a success in the first half term of the year. God has also been answering our prayers in Crook, He has spread a peace over the hall we use and has started to mend relations with other people in the area. Over the past couple of weeks student pastorates and cells have been starting, both the Claypath and Hill pastorates met for the first time this week, and cells started in the Viaduct. Its inspiring how many people want to come together in the name of Christ to praise and grow closer to God. Teaching this week was slightly different to usual, we looked at prophecy on Wednesday in Applied Theology with Ruth. We looked at how the people Israel communicated with God in the Temple, where a 30 foot curtain protected them from the glory of God in the Holy of Holies. Only once a year could the High Priest enter the presence of God to present a sacrifice, and even then he could be struck down if Israel has not repented her sins. Now through the blood of Jesus, the way has been opened for everyone, the curtain ripped from top to bottom and we can each encounter God and hear from him. Praise Him! Theology 101, formerly know and Soup and Theology, started on this week, the 7 interns and 13 other people enjoyed pumpkin and pepper, and broccoli and stilton soup before starting this term’s series, Encountering the God Who Really Is, with a look at the authority of scripture. Its great to see God moving, really moving, this week, in the teaching, in outreach and in the life of the church and its an awesome privilege to be part of what our God is doing in Durham! I just have space for some prayer requests: <ul> <li>Energy to keep going</li> <li>Healing for the colds and coughs going around the church staff</li> <li>For new students, as now is the time when it can all become overwhelming.</li> <li>And just thanksgiving to our always faithful God!</li> </ul> - Dave Fisher Dave Fisher Week four on the Intern adventure http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#6 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/becky_rolls.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Becky Rolls" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> As you have perhaps previously read, the internship has been full of adventure, and this week was no different. The first week of our timetables allowed us to gain insight into all of the contexts we will be working in. This was tiring but worth it! Our week... To begin with we were able to meet new freshers at church on Sunday and converse over jacket potatoes and beans. It was a brilliant sight to see them arrive on Sunday which boosted our congregation from 120 to 350 members. It was a pleasure to meet everyone as well as an encouragement to see so many students wanting to meet with God. Take two -the Sunday evening service was a time for students (mainly) to respond to God and meet him in a personal and vulnerable way which was inspired by Ruth's teaching on the invitation to partake in Gods plan. What an amazing chance we have and how gracious is our God to even ask. The placements -have been all over the place this week! Some of us are working with Aquila Way and we were able to visit the houses we can choice to volunteer to work in. Others were continuing to run the Christian Union meetings - at one school the children were asked 'Who is God?' Rachel was amazed by the deep insight the children had into who God actually is -the trinity was even mentioned. Some of us helped with the youth work in Crook-this week they were taking the initiative to plan a Halloween party-Pumpkins and bats were made! However this week was a challenge with the older group due to their relationship with the older generation in this area- Please Pray for reconciliation within this town... it's desperately needed! <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/interact/'>Interact</a> - Calling all International Students! - This was a chance for international students to socially mix with UK students. Monday night was the first one: loaded with tea, cakes and our custom-made Interact t-shirts… Interact began! We, meaning 30 of us or more, played games from different countries which allowed friendships to begin as well as laughter! Prayer Please- Pray for God to bless these friendships , contacts and meetings where we have opportunity to talk about Jesus and our faith to people who have never heard. Pray for our hearts and minds to be active in these conversations in order to engage effectively with everyone we meet. Also that we would have a God-given compassion for the work ahead, but mostly for the people involved. We all need to continue to commit these plans to the Lord and to find his heart and purpose amongst these contexts. Thank you so much for your prayers... it means a lot to know that we are being supported. Amen. Blessings Becky and the team - Becky Rolls Becky Rolls You won’t find a Fresher Kings Intern http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#5 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jeanna_shalkowski.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jeanna Shalkowski" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Normality has begun! Well, not quite, though having been given our individual timetables we are starting to feel like we’re getting familiar with a bit of a weekly routine. FRESHERS HAVE ARRIVED! Freshers and returning students alike have descended upon Durham after 3 weeks of nervous anticipation (on both parts!), so we’ve been busy getting to know them, welcoming them (back) into the Kings community and beginning our student ministry. It’s been great fun! This began with Student Leader Training on Friday and Saturday, and it was great to meet other <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/students/pastorates/'>Pastorate</a> team leaders, Cell group leaders and the <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/interact/'>Interact</a> (international student ministry) team and start planning for the term. Sunday was our first week of full morning and evening service setup and takedown, and we’re still learning the ropes, but it’s good to see how everything happens ‘behind the scenes’! The Kings <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/prayer/'>Prayer Evening</a> was a good way for us to come together and listen to God, and focus on how the shape of the term looks from the perspective of the whole church, and to connect and pray with other members of the church family. Tuesday and Wednesday involved some time down at the Freshers’ Fair alongside student societies, giving information to students, talking to those looking for a church in the area and signing them up for our email list. We had some great responses, and also talked with and gave information to many non-students advertising businesses, and are praying that some of them take up the invitation to join us on Sundays! The Interact team had some stalls at the International Freshers’ Fair and had 70 students sign up for Interact and 20 for the Ustinov Bible Study!!! Praise God for their enthusiasm, and for his continued faithfulness in raising up more people who want to be involved in international student work. We began Biblical Studies and looking at Christian leadership dynamics in teaching this week, which has been challenging us to look at how we read the Bible and opening our eyes about how we interact with each other as leaders and in leadership positions! Youth work in Crook has really taken off and there has been very enthusiastic, consistent attendance and we’re enjoying starting to get to know the kids. Induction for those working with Aquila Way in Gateshead was very interesting and informative, and we can’t wait to start on the projects! The Christian Union meetings some of us have helped lead in the local schools have been really encouraging and it’s great to start building relationships with the young people there. Early morning <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/community/'>outreach</a> kicked off BRIGHT and early this morning with a great response to free tea and coffee at the station (water apparently ran out at 8.15am) and the residents in Gilesgate were very receptive at the coffee morning up at the community centre. We had 8 residents this morning and are praying that those who were unable to attend will come along next time. We’ve certainly been learning to lean on God to help us with all the new stuff we’ve been doing and in adjusting to our new activities. Thank you for your prayers and continued support. Prayers for continued strength and enthusiasm as we settle into a more definite routine for the term and continue to build relationships with students would be most appreciated. <blockquote> …I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to you; You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. <cite>Psalm 59v16-17</cite> </blockquote> - Jeanna Shalkowski Jeanna Shalkowski Things begin to fit together http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#4 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/naomi_aves.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Naomi Aves" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Hello there! To balance last week's essay (necessary as so much happened in Chislehurst!) I'll try to keep this short and sweet. We've had some fantastic news from Martin, the leader of Ichthus Chislehurst, saying that they had six visitors last Sunday and they are also beginning to form an evangelism team. Praise God! All the interns had Monday as their day of rest (which some managed better than others). Even though the weather has turned, I was totally in awe of God's promise to us as I looked out my window and caught sight of a beautiful double rainbow. On Tuesday we all received our personal timetables. Bring it on! We're all really excited about things now, not that we weren't before, but now we can see how things fit together and have some direction. Personally, I'm thrilled with the opportunities to use and develop the skills and theory that I have gained from my degree, and be able to bless others through the gifts that God has given me. We were all really challenged yesterday when Ruth took us through the chronological overview of the Bible. Not only did it test our knowledge but it also put things into perspective really well. God is such a holy, just and faithful God. - Naomi Aves Naomi Aves Chislehurst 2: Beautiful Feet http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#3 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/ben_ward.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Ben Ward" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> <blockquote> How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' <cite>Isaiah 52:7</cite> </blockquote> Hello there! We've all returned from our time in the leafy Kentish suburb of Chislehurst safely, praise God. Thank you for your prayers whilst we were away. The past week consisted of reaching out to the residents of Chislehurst with the love of God in a variety of ways: free BBQs, offering prayer for people on the street (giving them a cuppa too); walking the streets to meet residents and pray for the area; and giving out free bottles of water to commuters at the train station. I found that it takes a certain knack to catch the eye of a besuited gentleman as he hurtles towards you in the dash for his train to the City. It takes an even greater skill to hand over a bottle at no charge, let alone engage him in conversation: many could not understand why we were giving away things for free! Far too much happened during the week to detail it all here, so I'm going to offer three short stories of how God proved faithful, guided us and worked in unexpected ways. God has done some amazing stuff through and in us as a group over the last week. Before we left, we met to pray and wait on God for his guidance. He graciously gave us quite a few words of scripture, images and names. Stephen Light and Martin (the pastor of the church we were working with) left quite a lot of space in our timetable to allow us to pray and adapt our plans as we felt God guide. Before we left Durham, we had an image of one of us having to give our shoes away. Being keen interns, we all packed an extra set just in case. Little did we expect that God had something other than obedience to teach us. Whilst out delivering fliers for a free BBQ on the Edgebury estate and talking to people, Anna stepped on a shard of glass. Much pain and hopping ensued until we managed to get her sat down on a bollard so that we could go in search of a first aid kit. Two lovely women answered the door of the first house we knocked at. They instructed us to bring Anna over to the house so that they could help. We were invited in to their living room, but didn't want to get blood over the carpet, so Anna sat on the bottom stair. Quick as a flash, they returned with antiseptic, warm water, plasters, a towel and all manner of useful implements. They started to wash Anna's feet, although I made sure that they were not burdened with having to dry them as well as we were there to serve their community. Once Anna was patched up, the women offered her a brand new pair of shoes and socks. Of course, Anna politely refused and it wasn't until we had said our thank yous and left that we realised that a situation akin to when Jesus washed his disciples' feet [John 13.1-11] had arisen unexpectedly. We had been set on serving whilst in Chislehurst, yet God was reminding us that we also need to be humble enough to be served if the Body is to work. We met up with the rest of the team outside, discovered that there was still glass lodged in Anna's sandals, and Rachel gave her trainers to cover Anna's feet. It was at this point that it dawned on us that we had been offered shoes, but had refused to be served; but God had provided anyway. During an evening prayer walk (Ronseal™: praying for an area whilst walking round it) one of the groups got a bit peckish and so headed into the fish shop. They got talking to the assistant whilst waiting for their chips and asked if they could pray for her. She was pretty open to this and told them the things she would appreciate their prayer for. Notes of the names etc. were taken along with the chips, and the shop emptied. Driving back to 'base', Stephen realised that he'd only gone and left his Bible in the shop. So, as they drove back to pick this up the car-full started to pray for this woman's requests. Anna felt God prompting her to pray for the woman in the shop. Scary stuff, as Anna had never really done anything like that before. They arrived, Stephen & Anna popped in and were greeted by the same woman as before, waving Stephen's Bible in the air. She placed it on the counter, saying, 'Pray for me.' There was a bit of a queue, so Stephen & Anna said that they would, thanked her for the Bible and left the shop having failed to complete their task. They were greeted with a withering look from Rachel! So, Stephen & Anna headed back in to the shop, waited for the queue to dissipate then Anna prayed for the woman. God graciously gave them a second chance to obey him. They prayed with her right there and then. Just one of the other quite amazing things that happened occurred on Friday – the last night of our time in Chislehurst. We had set up a free BBQ on the high street, giving away burgers and hot dogs to people on the street, mainly people out for a night on the town. We got into a lot of good conversations, explaining to slightly tipsy people why the church was doing this. Lots of them were stunned that church could look like this. We were able to pray with each of the police officers out on the beat that night. People were very open with us whilst offering tea, coffee & prayer out on the high street. So much so that we had almost 200 requests for prayer! Please continue to pray for us to be sensitive to God's Spirit & Word as he guides us over the coming week of training in student ministry and over the year. - Ben Ward Ben Ward Chislehurst 1: Christ Taking Us, Taking Christ With Us http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#2 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/jason_piper.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Jason Piper" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Early on Saturday morning, the interns and Stephen Light set off for a week of mission working with Ichthus in Chislehurst. This is their story: Hey everyone, this log has been written in a variety of places over the course of the weekend, and we're currently at Martin and Rachel's (our hosts for the mission this week) for a session on listening prayer! On Saturday we set off in two cars and headed south. After a stop at a petrol station to stock up on provisions and to re-commit the trip and mission to God, we set off. Coming from the south, I can appreciate the epic scale of the journey we undertook. Respect to Stephen and Rachel for their invaluable effort in driving all that way (and more!) Activities on the road (either side of the lunchtime pit-stop) included: Listening to funk, listening to Greg Boyd sermons (twice), talking to people in traffic, prayer, worship (NOTE: Attempting to sing a 4-part harmony on the motorway may inhibit your ability to perceive the location of junction 3 on the M25. You have been warned! Ha ha!) Upon our (eventual) arrival in Chislehurst, we were warmly welcomed into the community of the church with both love and food! Even then the 5 interns present all felt that a part of ourselves was missing without Ben and Jeanna. [Ben and Jeanna will be joining the rest of the team shortly! - Ed.] Romans 12:5 is still ringing in our ears no less! Later in the evening, we headed to the homes of our houseparents in pairs, following an inspirational time of prayer full of words, pictures and most importantly, the Holy Spirit. We've all been hugely encouraged by the number of people that have been praying for us, and we all want to thank those of you who are and urge to to continue to do so! Furthermore, the prospect of hearing from God in advance of and throughout the course of this mission excites us greatly! On Sunday morning, we were greeted both by a glorious sunrise and a vibrant congregation at the Chislehurst Icthus Fellowship. Stepping out of our usual comfort zones, Becky and I were involved in worship, (we both sang). Stephen preached with his ever-present tenacity on the importance of going out to people in mission in the power of the Spirit. Present in the congregation at the time was a young man from Chile named Gonzalo. He gave a testimony on how God has used him both in his country of birth and here in the UK. In the short time he has spent with us, he has been a huge encouragement to our faith - it is so obvious that Jesus is his life and we're all excited at the prospect of him joining us this week! All of the interns would concur that to sum this guy up in two words would leave us no option but to use, "absolute legend!" Lunch at Martin and Rachel's followed promptly and was a real experience of fellowship within the body of Christ. Dave put it this way: "Fun was had by all." Enough said really! Finally, on Sunday night, the whole posse headed on up to South Street Baptist Church in Greenwich for the Ichthus celebration service. The gathering encompassed people from a variety of churches, again highlighting the scope of Christ's body and the coming of the kingdom. Many of the interns got stuck into stewarding for the event - chatting to people and welcoming them in. The service itself featured vibrant worship and challenging teaching from Roger Forster on James 3 which left all present significantly quieter than when we arrived! Anyway, I'd best be off - we're giving out water at Chislehurst station from 7:30 tomorrow morning! God bless and keep you all! - Jason Piper Jason Piper New Internship Year, New Internlog http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/log/#1 <img src="http://www.kcd.org.uk/images/content/people/100/rachel_farish.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="Rachel Farish" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 3px 0;" /> Hi, welcome to this years brand spanking new internlog, (!) which will hopefully be full of the interesting things that we get up to this year as <a href='http://www.kcd.org.uk/internship/'>Kings Interns</a>. It was with curiosity, excitement, anticipation and probably a few nerves that we started this week - our first official week of being interns! Whoop Whoop!!! This week we have spent time getting to know each other, staff members and ourselves a bit better. And for Becky (whose first time it is in Durham) it has been a week of being introduced to all the weird and wonderful things in the city of Durham. So it has been an interesting, eye opening and fun week! Our teaching has included a brief overview of: church history in Durham, discipling and discipleship, and church community work. We finished the week by preparing with Stephen Light for Chislehurst, a week of mission in London, beginning tomorrow (Saturday 15th). We are all enthusiastic, if a little scared maybe, about what God is going to do there and the people that we are going to meet. So I'll leave it there for now, awaiting next weeks log which will be full of the things God has done In Chistlehurst! - Rachel Farish Rachel Farish