Sunday 31st May

What do Steve & Joce Grisman, Julia & James Bennett, Niamh Erwin, Val Weaver, Marion Roberts and Tom Sheppard all have in common? Well done if you remembered that they (amongst others) all had to celebrate their birthdays without the highlight of Challenge singing to them! So, to make up for this loss, please watch this short video!

But why I am I talking about birthdays? Because today we celebrate Pentecost, often referred to as the Birthday of the Church. It’s the day when we remember God sending his Holy Spirit in a mighty way. Here is what happened as recorded in Acts 2:1-4:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Jesus has ascended to be with his Father in heaven – His earthly mission accomplished. But the disciples faced Mission Impossible – to establish and build the Church! God knew they could not do this in their own power; they needed help so he sent His Holy Spirit. And, as we read in Acts, they were totally transformed and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now I know you really just want to get on to Faye’s preach so I’ll be brief!

Lockdown has seen a huge increase in people accessing online prayer rooms and services. If we want that momentum to continue beyond lockdown, we need the Holy Spirit to move in a way we haven’t seen in years. If we want to impact Hunderton, we will need to see the Holy Spirit move in a dramatic way. So, before you worship by listening to and maybe singing these songs, take some time to pray. Thank God for his gift of the Holy Spirit, pray for a fresh outpouring on you personally, on Challenge, on Hereford and on this nation.

Once you have prayed, listen to the songs below. Let’s make the first song our prayer for ourselves as well.

Just before we listen to Faye, take a moment to thank God that although our church buildings are closed, the light of His love still shines in our city through food deliveries, support for the homeless, Vennture providing a caring city centre presence every morning and afternoon and in many other ways.

Steve S

Last week, we enjoyed Faye bringing us the first message in our Mission Impossible series – You Got The Wrong Man! Today, we are going to listen to part two – Mission Confirmed. The mission Gideon was given seemed impossible to him so he needed reassurance from God. Sit back, click the link and enjoy. And, just in case you were wondering, one child was injured in the making of this video but, don’t worry … she’s fine!