Uniting in prayer to show that we care

In the wake of the tragic deaths of two police officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) this week, Redeeming our Communities (ROC) is calling on churches across the UK to unite in prayer for police officers across the UK.

ROC is asking churches to commit to a one-minute silence at 11am on either Sunday, September 23, or on Sunday, September 30. This will represent solidarity with GMP, which held its own minute of silence on Wednesday, September 19, in honour of its fallen colleagues.

ROC has been working with GMP since 1998 and powerful partnerships between the charity and police forces across the UK have been forged as a result. 

Founder Debra Green became increasingly convinced of the importance of supporting the UK’s frontline public services following the sad death of DC Stephen Robin Oake, who was murdered in 2003.

Debra says: “The tragic loss of two young police women, Nicola [Hughes] and Fiona [Bone], in Manchester this week has been heart breaking. Our thoughts are with the families and with Greater Manchester Police.

“Chief Constable Peter Fahy described GMP as a family and spoke of the sadness experienced across the force. I cannot praise GMP highly enough and would ask that we do all that we can to uphold them at this time.

“I have just signed the book of condolence and feel more committed than ever before to continue our work. This loss is a stark reminder of the risks policemen and women take every day for our safety and the greater good of our communities.”

Chief Constable Fahy said: “Greater Manchester Police has been overwhelmed by the huge degree of public support following the sad deaths of two of our officers yesterday.

“Our main priority at the moment is to do everything we can to support the families of Nicola and Fiona, who have an incredible amount to come to terms with. Our thoughts remain with them.

“The whole force is devastated by the deaths of Nicola and Fiona, but to know at this difficult time that the public supports what the police do and feel so strongly about the sacrifice of these two officers, is hugely important to us.”

You can register your church here so that ROC can keep track of the vast support across the UK of those standing in prayer with members of the police service.

Read more about Debra and her team’s valuable work in the next issue of Liberti magazine… coming very soon.

Why women and football really do mix

Yesterday I went to football training for the first time ever. I haven’t kicked a ball since I was about ten; back in the good old days when my brother and his friends stuck me in goal between their crumpled school jumpers and kicked balls at my face.

After letting in two million goals I normally ended up walking away with a nose bleed for my troubles.

Anyway, my initiation into women’s football didn’t start particularly well. I didn’t own a pair of suitable shorts or socks long enough to fit shin pads in… if I’d even owned a pair. I donned my best running leggings, a neutral green top and a pair of battered training from the less lazy, hazy days of my past. I hoped I wouldn’t be turning up to face a militant bunch of uniformed female football fanatics.

A friend of mine was picking me up, so at least we’d be going together, and she had only been to one training session (with a rival team, shhhh!) the week before, so we were both a bit nervous. Unfortunately, the “bear lefts” and “at the next junction turn left, right, a bit to the side and then completely back on yourself” of her sat nav took her almost to Weston Super Mare. Not only was this far from my house, it was a destination no sane person wishes to end up in at 7pm on a Wednesday night.

We made it to the training session half an hour late, which I was secretly pleased about. ‘At least there’s only half an hour left to make a fool of myself,’ I thought cheerfully to myself, before being told the session was actually an hour and a half and that as we’d missed the warm-up we were getting chucked in at the deep end.

My stomach lurched as we were separated into different groups and watched the first two girls go head-to-head while everyone watched. We were the last two up and we sprinted to the centre.

My friend got the ball and my legs (and brain) instantly turned to jelly. She almost walked the ball into the net like an absolute pro as I looked on helplessly. Her team scored and mine looked at me with a generous portion of pity and a large dollop of disappointment.

The rest of the session was intense but good. I’m still a bit scared of the ball, and of some of the other players (the very vocal ones you want to run away from as they come towards you), but it really got my heart racing and gave me a fresh appreciation of professional footballers’ work rates.

I even produced one kick I was quite proud of… even though the whistle immediately went for a free kick as it was indoor five-a-side and no overhead kicks are allowed, apparently.

Anyway, the point is that sometimes it’s beneficial to face your fears and do something you’re not actually that good at. If you always live in your comfort zone, you never feel that sense of achievement that comes from pushing yourself in a new direction, getting some decent exercise, working as part of a team and meeting some pretty cool people in the process. And I didn’t get a ball in the face all evening.

Best of all, there was free pizza and chips in the pub afterwards. Suffice to say I’ll probably be returning next week… for the pub bit at least!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7).

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.

Sing like you mean it

The Dunamis Gospel Choir came to my church last Sunday night.

As I walked into the building – slightly on the late side – my ears were embraced by the sound of young, tender voices.

That didn’t last long, because the chorus suddenly kicked in and the volume skyrocketed. The stage was filled with young, smiling faces; faces that were singing their hearts out.

Song after song graced the place, with completely different vocal arrangements for each. There were solos and a cappella harmonies galore. These kids could sing and they weren’t afraid to show it. There were African drum beats, scintillating saxophone notes and delicate flute twiddles (sorry, I don’t know the technical term).

Then all of a sudden, the choir members filed off the stage and sat down! I was gutted…

But it wasn’t over – they were just clearing the stage for a dance performance. Now I already knew these kids could sing, but I had no idea they were about to wow us with their moves too. Suffice to say they pulled it off.

Another musical selection followed, with a powerful sketch and some great poems thrown in for good measure.

But it was the final section that really blew my mind. Several of the songs literally gave me shivers up my spine; not only were they talented, these kids’ voices (and instruments) were powerfully anointed.

I should add that throughout the performance, members of the choir took it in turns to share a bit about their past and the difference the choir, its founder Daniel (‘Pastor D’) and getting to know Jesus had made in their lives.

Among them were ex-gang members, kids who had been badly treated by parents, and young people who had had substance abuse problems – some of them were as young as 12.

At the beginning I assumed they were all from Christian homes, or had at least become Christians before they joined the choir. But as the evening wore on (or glided by, more accurately), it became clear that this was an ongoing work.

These kids didn’t give polished ‘testimonies’; their stories were raw and from the heart. They were genuine, and they made me cry. In fact, they made most of the audience cry… and they even made each other cry. It was beautiful to see how much they rejoiced in each other’s victories and turnarounds.

Pastor D had clearly selected a group of kids who had basic musical talent and who needed to be part of something that was bigger than their own lives; to give them something to work towards and develop into; a family where older guys lovingly embraced younger guys and girls stood hand in hand rather than backbiting and tearing each other down.

The genius of his vision is that by including them regardless of their beliefs, this choir is transforming people’s hearts from the inside out. Indeed two of the choir members had come to Christ in the two or three days leading up to the event and another that very night. (I actually heard since writing this from Pastor D that this figure is closer to seven!)

I’ve never, and I mean never, seen kids who were happier and more fulfilled than these rough-around-the-edges teens from East London.

I’m not going to say every note was perfect, that each changeover was absolutely seamless or that the words spoken were breathtakingly eloquent. I will say, though, that I was moved beyond all expectation by the work that was being done in their lives, and by the way it was spilling over into the lives of others.

As they spoke out what God had done in their lives, they reaffirmed to themselves what they believed. They encouraged their friends and fellow choir members. And they blessed everyone in the building’s socks off. I just wish all Christians were as beautifully honest and open to the Holy Spirit as they were.

Mark my words, these kids will be at the helm of a new generation of great preachers, singers and performers. The legacy Pastor D is creating will be far-reaching and impossible to quench.

Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.