Streets on Shankill

Mark McFerran covered the following streets:

 

Basically all houses/flats in the streets behind the church from Northumberland Street to Townsend Street are done. 

• Greenland Street
• Boundary Street
• Louden Street
• Dover Walk
• Dover Street
• Dover Place
• Percy Place
• Percy Street
• Cumberland Street
• Carlow Street
• Beverly Street
• Tyne Street
• Morpeth Street
• Crosby Street
• St. Lukes Walk
• New Apartments on the corner of Northumberland Street and Shankill Road (above the tattoo parlour place)

 

Mark says: This next section starts at the houses facing the Diamond Jubilee Bar / Bookmakers and moves up the shankill towards the church on the side of the shankill estate. Maybe someone can do these!

 

• California Close
• Upper Townsend Terrace
• North Boundary Street
• Sherbrook Street
• Boundary Walk
• Boundary Way

 
 
Hope this helps.
 
Mark

This did me good

This girl lives in Michigan USA. She is legally blind and suffers with MS. Doctors said she would never walk again, but she continues to walk and pursues her dream to reach others for Christ. This is her latest message to me: 

 

Hi Jack: I have been thinking about you and praying on a daily basis that your impact for Christ exceeds your wildest dreams. Thank you for your updates as I am encouraged and challenged by them.

I am going to spotlight your work with an article the end of this week as I will be out of town for a few days. I have been and am in much physical pain and need to get away from my computer and phone for a bit and focus on my relationship with the LORD and send up some prayers for the upcoming virgil as well for the LORD to prepare your way and direct your steps as you are His voice.

It is a joy to be connected with you and your ministry through prayer which is mighty in pulling down strongholds. May we always remember the ONE Who paid it all for us with His Precious Blood. May His Holy Spirit continue to rise up within you, empower you and give you wisdom and grace to do the Great Commission.

I will send you the article for my blog about you and your ministry before I post it, if you like to see it before I post?? My blog is getting a lot of hits as a friend is doing SEO -site engine optimization - stats show 19,000 hits in 2 weeks so you will get some exposure in the States, Canada and Sweden ...is where most the hits are coming from. Any way I hope the article will be a blessing to you. I will be working on it Thursday when I return. 

Thanks for your wonderful updates.

 

Lord bless you---I'll be writing again soon. No matter how many naysayers there are...you are in the BEST COMPANY with ALMIGHTY GOD and the cloud of witnesses (Hebrews) that are cheering you on; and so am I from Muskegon, MI.

Brenda

http://tiny.cc/HG0Cx

Streets on Falls

Streets covered by Johnny & James:

 

OFF Falls Road

St Peters Close

Welcome Centre

St Peters Place

Milford Place

Lisfadden Cresent

Lisfadden Drive

Lisfadden Place

Clonfadden Cresent

Clonfadden Street

Ardmoulin Place

Ardmoulin Street

 

OFF Springfield Road

Violet Street

Cavendish Square

Crocus Street

Cavendish Street

Hawthorn Street

Report on Meeting

Thanks to those who came to meet with me tonight regarding the Cross Vigil. Those present were: Gareth Murphy, Terry and Colleen Hunter, Mary Warden, Willie McCalmont, Paul Kyle, Sonia McClements, John Cartmill, Jim McAuley and Colin Morrison.

 

A few had contacted me saying they had other things arranged, so I said I would send a report on the meeting.

 

Prayer: This is the first thing we talked about as prayer is so important. If you have not already done so, please consider signing up to pray for this event.

 

Leaflets: Most of these have been taken, although there are still some left at Top House. If you took some, please make sure these are given out as I would not want any lying in someone's home. If they are not given out by Sunday you should bring them back to church so that others can take them.

 

If you have given out leaflets can you email me with the street names or the general area so I can let others know. This will reduce doing the same areas twice. Mark McFerran has done the streets from KFC up to Northumberland Street. Johnny Simms and James Scott have done the streets off Albert Street, which is across the Falls Road from Northumberland Street.

 

Posters: I forgot to mention I have 100 posters. I would need some volunteers to put some in shops on the Shankill and the Falls and to paste some around at the gates. If you can do some of these, please let me know.

 

Other Churches: Jim and Willie have agreed to visit the churches on the Shankill to speak with the ministers about the Cross Vigil and also about the Human Peace Wall as we would want them to be involved.

 

Other Groups: Each person has been asked to use their contacts to promote the 7 Weeks and the Human Peace Wall. We need to make sure we have local people from both sides of the wall at this event. More details later.

 

Falls Community: Tommy Latimer and I will continue to make contact with community groups, including chapels, within the Falls. We will also be encouraging our friends from the Falls to be involved and to help us promote these and other events.

 

Higher Force Challenge: Will plan to do a joint event involving young men from Shankill, Ardoyne, Ligoniel and hopefully Falls.

 

Cross Community Concert: Saturday 24 October. Please make sure you keep this date clear and plan to attend. It would be great if you could all promote this among your friends and family etc.

 

Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.

 

Pastor Jack     

 

Wekly Contact 31 August 2009

Why was I at church yesterday? Was it because I am Pastor of the church, or was it because I wanted to be there? Well, the answer is simple; it's both! If I was not the Pastor of the church I would still be there, because that's where I want to be on Sunday. I think David and me would have been good company for each other. To be in such company would have been an amazing honour, but I would not have minded giving David that honour! Anyway, all that to say this, church was great yesterday!

 

Sunday morning: I continued with the series Accepting God's Agenda (message #2). We got into Hosea Chapt.2, but never got to the end of my prepared message. V.2-5 Highlights the spiritual adultery of Israel in running after other gods; V.6-13 Highlights the judgement of God on Israel for its adulterous behaviour; V.14-23 Highlights God's intention to ultimately restore the relationship of Israel to himself.

 

The following were main points in the message:

 

The greatest wrong in any relationship is unfaithfulness.

God is grieved and His heart is broken by the unfaithfulness of his people.

Gomer's sin was based on her pursuit of money; Israel's sin was based on its pursuit of prosperity.

It is not possible to know God without being prosperous, but it is possible to be prosperous without knowing God

Israel attributed its wealth to the gods of Canaan; so God was about to take away its wealth & also his protection!

I wonder can the above be applied to any nation or nations today?

 

Sunday night: What a night! To see the expressions on peoples faces was priceless as they came in to take their "normal seats", but they were all around tables, because we had decided to do church differently, and without letting it be known! As people sat down at tables they immediately began "to talk" to each other. Then when starting time came, rather than starting with praise and worship the tables were approached by waiters and waitresses taking orders for coffee, latte, cappuccino or other drinks etc. Then 20 minutes later we went into our praise and worship with people standing around the tables. The place was well filled and the atmosphere was excellent.

 

Thanks to Davy Nesbitt and to Sonia McClements for sharing up to date testimonies of what God has been doing in their lives. I know they were nervous, but they did well and were much appreciate by those present.

 

I brought a simple and quite short message entitled Making Jesus Lord, which was based on 1 Peter 3:12-15. At the end of the message two women responded to the appeal. One had previously done so some time ago, but pray that this will be a major turning point in her life and that both she and her friend will fully commit themselves to following Christ.

 

After this we were further blessed when Elaine McAlister sang and then with the worship team led into a time of worship before the service concluded.

 

Thanks to everyone who helps to make Sundays as effective as they are. We appreciate all of the work that might in someway be unseen, but is nonetheless seen in the working out and the presentation of each service. Thanks also to those who set things up for last night and helped serve tables etc.

 

Prayer for Cross Vigil: Raymond John gave a talk on this at both services. Thanks Raymond. If you have not yet signed up to pray for this event, please consider doing so. You can email me back and I will add your name to the World Prayer Map.

 

Don't forget, I am looking to meet with anyone who would like to help with the Cross Vigil and with events during the 7 weeks. If you would like to be involved, please meet with me at Top House tonight (Mon) at 6.30 pm for about 1 hour.

 

Virtuous Women: They're Back!!! This coming Thursday night at 7.45 pm. This is your opportunity ladies to get out to fellowship with and to encourage each other at your own event. Why not plan right now to be there?

 

Prayer: Please take an opportunity to encourage one another and to pray for one another. You don't know who just might need it, but I know that several people do.

 

Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.

 

Pastor Jack     

 

Weekly Contact 24 August 2009

It was good to see everyone at church yesterday, and especially to see some who have not been there for a while. There is always something to encourage and something to discourage. It all depends what you focus on. But then sometimes you've got to do what David did, and that's to encourage yourself in the Lord. So be encouraged.

 

Sunday morning: I started a series looking at the book of Hosea. I have called the series "Accepting God's Agenda". Our agenda is what we want, whereas God's agenda is what he wants. But God's agenda is often hard to accept, because it often involves doing things that are hard to do' like walking through fire; sailing through storms, and facing giants etc. For Hosea it was to take a wife who was an adulteress; a prostitute. He married Gomer.

 

God's message to Israel regarding its spiritual adultery, running after other Gods, was being dramatically played out in the life of Hosea. His name means salvation and is the same as Joshua and Yeshua. It was God's intention that Hosea would be the means of Gomer's salvation, thus showing that God's desires to restore rather than judge.

 

They had three children together. Each portrayed a message to Israel: 1. Jezreel - meaning sown or scattered; showing that God would scatter the people among the nations; 2. Lo Ruhammah - meaning "Not Loved" - that God had withdrawn his love and compassion from Israel; 3. Lo Ammi - meaning "Not My People" - that those who were at one time God's people, were no longer his people. But the day would come when they would again be the people of God.

 

Sunday night: I spoke on "No Longer Guilty". Abdel Baset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison and returned to Libya, but though he is no longer in prison he is still guilty of his crime. According to God's law, we stand condemned before the highest court in the universe because of sin, yet God, who is the judge of all the earth and who's law condemns us, declares us to be "No Longer Guilty".

 

Romans 3:23-24 shows 3 Things: 1) We have all sinned; 2) We all fall short of God's glory; 3) We are justified freely by his grace. 

 

There's an ancient Egyptian proverb that says, "If there were no wrong doing, there would be no need for forgiveness". Well, there has been wrong doing; the Bible calls it sin, but thank God there is also forgiveness.

 

Planning permission: I announced yesterday morning that planning permission for the new building was finally approved. There had been major complications, but with the help of The Minister of Finance, Sammy Wilson, we finally passed the hurdles. It's all systems go now. We will make further announcements in the coming weeks. We need you all to stay focused and to keep supporting what we are doing, and to especially help in the area of fund raising.

 

Cross Vigil: This is something I will be doing from 12 noon until 3 pm each day, except Sundays, from 9 September until 24 October. For further details check out our web site www.newlifecitychurch.co.uk where I have set up a CROSS VIGIL page and a World Prayer Map. Please let me know if you would commit to pray for this event. I will not add anyone's name unless they request it and I will assume that once you have signed up that you will take time to pray at some point during the 7 weeks. Send me an email or sign up on the events page on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000014852427#/event.php?eid=130664489812

 

Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.

 

Pastor Jack     

Weekly Contact 17 August 2009

Good Monday morning to you; or whenever it is you read this!

 

I trust all is well and that you enjoyed your day at church yesterday as much as I did. Yesterday morning I made some very important announcements. However, I would not even begin to put these announcements to print at this moment, because often the sentiment behind those things that are communicated verbally gets lost when we try to put it in black and white, but I do want to thank those who made some very positive comments concerning developments and future plans for New Life City Church.

 

Sunday morning: I brought the forth and final message in the short series entitled "I've Started, so I'll Finish". The main points I made were focused on Moses, Joshua, and Samson.

 

I encouraged listeners to at least do your part and do it well, whatever that might be; whether it's being on the welcome team or driving the mini bus etc; do your part and do it well. Moses might not have finished what he started in terms of getting the people from Egypt and right into Canaan, but he at least did his part by getting them to the Jordan.

 

Beyond doing your part, I stated that it is much better to finish what you've started. Joshua not only did his part, but he finished what he started. He took a wilderness wandering people and turned them into an army that finally took the land of Canaan.

 

We then looked at Samson who did his part for God and for Israel, but somewhere along the way he messed up. Yet God did not give up on Samson, but God restored something in Samson that enabled him to finish what he started.

 

Sunday night: Jonathan brought another good word that challenged us to have "Convictions of Steel" as follows:

 

1. A Work of Faith: A strong belief in what we do that is displayed in our actions, because faith without works is dead, but faith that is real will be seen in our work; sometimes it's hard work, but it's often just simply doing the things that need to be done.

 

2. A Labour of Love: To do what we do because we are motivated by love rather than financial gain. We do what we do because we are motivated by our love for God; for each other and for others.

 

3. A Steadfast Hope: To possess a feeling of optimism; to hold on to, and to not let go of hope for earthly things and for spiritual things, but ultimately to be steadfast in holding on to our Heavenly Hope.

 

A question I asked in the morning service, and I ask it again now: Why is it that we attend the same church; we sing the same songs and we hear the same word, yet some grow while others never seem to grow? Even as I write this I feel as sermon coming on, so I'll leave you to consider the question and for you to answer it as it relates to you. Maybe next week I will bring a message that looks more fully at the answer! I wonder will you be there?

 

Cross Vigil: This is something I will be doing from 12 noon until 3 pm each day, except Sundays, from 9 September until 24 October. I will stand between the gates in Northumberland Street with the Cross and will again lift the cross as a symbol of peace in the midst of gates that are a symbol of division, and to highlight the ongoing community work of New Life City Church on both sides of the dividing wall. For further details check out our web site www.newlifecitychurch.co.uk where I have set up a CROSS VIGIL page and a World Prayer Map. Please let me know if you would commit to pray for this event. I will not add anyone's name unless they request it and I will assume that once you have signed up that you will take time to pray at some point during the 7 weeks. Send me an email or sign up on the events page on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000014852427#/event.php?eid=130664489812

 

Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.

 

Pastor Jack       

Prayer for Cross Vigil

Sorry to bother you again. Between Facebook and emails you might be getting this more than once, but this is such an important event: I want to highlight one more time the 7 Week Cross Vigil that I will be doing in Belfast and to ask you to be willing to pray for this event wherever you are in the world.

If you have already signed up, your name is on the list. You do not need to do so again. Thanks

 

Prayer Objectives

 

1. To have at least 1,000 individuals signed up to pray at some point during the 7 Week Cross Vigil

 

2. To have at least 100 churches, representing 1,000's more who will pray together at some point for this event

 

3. To connect believers from nations across the world in prayer for this event while it is taking place.

 

However, I will not assume anything and will not add your name or the name of your church unless you submit your details and commit to pray at some point during the 7 Weeks.

 

Keep in mind that 12 noon - 3 pm is 7 am - 10 am NY/Eastern Time

 

Please feel free to past this on to your mailing list.

 

You can also sign on using Facebook http://www.facebook.com/events.php?ref=sb#/event.php?eid=130664489812

 

Keep up to date with all of the Cross Vigil event at http://www.newlifeministriesireland.co.uk/cross_vigil.html

 

Jack

Weekly Contact 11 August 2009

Sunday 9 August was a landmark day for New Life City Church. It was the day when we established what we're about as a church. This was helped with David's Wilkerson's cry of Anguish that deeply impacted all of us who were present and that led so naturally into the message I brought. The core of what David Wilkerson said and of the message I brought (no comparison between me and David Wilkerson) was that the church is impacting the church more than it is impacting the world. This is evidenced in statistics that show that 95% of what goes on in most churches is organised for the Christians, and the other 5% for those who are outside the church. I would recommend you order the DVD for £3 or wait for the series of 4 for £10. But last Sunday mornings is a must.

 

Sunday night: Craig Seawright brought a message on the heels of the morning message. He talked about being driven and motivated by zeal. A Godly zeal that ensures you will not be content with where you are, but will not be frustrated with where you are, because where you are is leading you to your next level.

 

Craig talked about the importance of "wearing Jesus" so that Jesus is seen in our lives, in our marriages and in our finances etc. People need to see God in us, but this means being willing to change. But why are we not changing? Because what we hear with our ears does not penetrate our thinking. It's not sinking in. We can agree with what we hear; we can say "Amen", but where's the fruit? It comes down to our thinking and how we feel. If we want to change how we feel, we need to change the way we think. We can change how we think by:

 

1. Sow to the spirit and not to the flesh

2. Talk positively to yourself

3. Be a doer of the Word

 

Let's thank God for this day and let's respond to it individually and as a church by applying the teaching and the experience to our lives.  

 

Fundraising: Great news on Sunday that we raised almost £1,500 last Saturday and almost £3,500 from the abseil. Let's stay focused and let's keep the effort going. Thanks to everyone who organised, participated and donated. Soon we will see the fruit of our efforts.

 

Prayer Time: Thursday night at 7.45 pm at City LIFE Centre

 

Friday Night Home Group: West Belfast. Please pray for this and for those who attend. The last time we met we prayed about a situation that looked quite bleak, but God answered prayer on the following Monday night!

 

Cross Vigil: Check out the details of this on the Home Page "Cross Vigil" of our web site www.newlifecitychurch.co.uk I have set up a World Prayer Map. I will not add anyone's name unless they request it and I will assume that once you have signed up that you will take time to pray at some point during the 7 weeks. Send me an email or sign up on the events page on Facebook.

 

Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.

 

Pastor Jack    

 

Well Done

Just want to say "Well Done" to Coleen and to everyone who helped to make today such a successful event. It looks like just over £1,300 was raised. This was a great effort not only for the funds that were raised, but for the good fellowship and for the strangers who came along. This shows what can be done when we work together. THANKS.

 

My battery only allowed me to take a few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross Vigil

40 Day Cross Vigil at the Dividing Wall in Belfast (= 7 Weeks, excluding Sundays)

 

Starting Wednesday 9 September until Saturday 24 October

 

In December 2006 Pastor Jack's New Life City Church purchased a warehouse on the dividing line between the Protestant Shankill and the Catholic Falls communities, with half of the building on one side of the dividing line and half on the other side, but although the New Life Church and Stadium Youth Projects paid out £1.1 million to purchase the building they have been refused funding from the European Peace III Fund, and from the Department of Social Development (DSD) for the refurbishment of the warehouse into a major community facility called City LIFE Centre.

 

Pastor Jack feels he has no other option but to raise the profile of his work to the people of Northern Ireland, Ireland and beyond. Several years ago he walked with a cross for 40 days around the Shankill and the Falls communities. He even stopped off at the Sinn Fein office on the Falls Road and left them the gift of a mirror. On the mirror was a Celtic Cross along with the words of a Bible verse printed in Gaelic, which was John 3:16. 

 

Pastor Jack now plans to stand for 40 days on the dividing line between the Protestant Shankill and the Catholic Falls. This will be between the dividing gates in Northumberland Street, which are attached to the warehouse he plans to turn into City LIFE Centre. He will be there every day from 12 noon until 3 pm for 40 days (except Sundays = 7 weeks) from Wednesday 9 September until Saturday 24 October. During this 40 Day/7 Week Cross Vigil Pastor Jack intends to hold high the same cross he had carried for 40 days and to do so again as a symbol of peace, but this time while standing alone in the centre of the wall that represents division.

 

The 40 days will conclude with a special concert in the warehouse/City LIFE Centre. Special guests will be the Waterford and Omagh Peace Choir. The event will be attended by Political Dignitaries and will be open to the general public. The event will be free, but an opportunity during the event will be given to enable those present to make donations towards the refurbishment of the warehouse. 

 

Pastor Jack says he does not have bonfires to sell, or murals to sell, or weapons to sell, but he has integrity and a passion, which are not for sale, to see this building used by people on both sides of the divide.

 

CT Studd said, "Some wish to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell".

 

City LIFE Centre is where dreams will become reality; where people will be encouraged to reach high; to seek to go far; to look beyond the shallow and to dream big dreams. For "Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be."  Karen Ravn

 

For further information please contact pastorjack@btinternet.com

Raymond John's mother

Just to let you all know that Raymond John's Mother passed away yesterday. She was 88 and suffered in recent years with dementia. Raymond managed to get some, what was for him, quality time with her just before she passed away. Raymond is dealing with this loss quite well, but is obviously still grieving. Please keep him in your prayers.

 

The funeral service will be at the Woodvale Funeral Home on Monday at 10 am.

 

If you want to drop Raymond an email of condolence, I am sure he would welcome it. r.john30@ntlworld.com

 

Remember, there does not need to be anything wrong to pray for each other. We just need to do it. Pray one for another. But also keep in mind that some people realy are going through things and would appreciate prayer. If you know of someone who is going through something or has been absent from church, why not just drop them an email and just let them know you are thinking about them and are saying a prayer for them. In fact, I am going to do that right now. So hopefully, if you need to be one of those to hear from me, you will receive a personal email soon. If you don't, just drop me an email saying "Hey Jack, it would be nice to hear from you!"

 

Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.

 

Pastor Jack     

 

Weekly Contact 3 August 2009

Goodbye rainy July and hello an equally rainy August. But here's hoping for a bit of Northern Ireland sunshine this month!

 

Who was it that said, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get"? Well, we might think we know what we're gonna get served up when we turn up at church, but then there might be a few surprises. But let's just keep looking to God together; let's keep praying for one another, and let's keep getting together as often as we can with an expectation to meet with God. 

 

Sunday morning: I have to say that I very much appreciate a good time of worship that helps to get us into the groove and prepares us for the presentation of the Word of God. I think we were ready for The Word when we got to it yesterday morning. I spoke on "I've Started, so I'll Finish" part two. In this message I went on to show that when Jesus said "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it", he was in fact saying "I've started, so I'll finish"; he was saying, "I've started to build the church and what I started I will finish and not even hell will stop me!"

 

We focused on the Book of Acts and saw that what Jesus started was being finished in partnership with the Holy Spirit. Yet sadly there are those in church and even in ministry who think they can make it without the Holy Spirit. I made the point that it's possible to preach without the Holy Spirit, but you'll never light a fire without him; it's possible to sing without the Holy Spirit, but you'll never fill the room with an atmosphere of worship without him; it's possible to play an instrument without the Holy Spirit, but you'll never tug at the heart strings of God without him. You can do what you do without the Holy Spirit, because you're good at what you do, but you will never do what God wants you to do without the Holy Spirit. 

 

I concluded by showing that Jesus is not coming back for the church that we're building, but he's coming back for the church that he is building. He will finish what he started.

 

Sunday night: I spoke on "It's not all Adam's fault" part two. We looked at Adam's action and choice that caused a break in his relationship with God, but that God was determined to heal and restore the relationship. We then looked at the breakdown in the relationship between Jacob and his twin brother Esau, but how this was finally healed and restored. We finished by looking at the story of the Prodigal son who broke relationship with his father, but again how this relationship was healed and restored. We saw that God is in the business of healing and restoring broken relationships and of pulling down walls, whether it's between us and him, or between us and each other.

 

Coming up: Don't forget there's a prayer time at City LIFE Centre on Thursday at 7.45 pm; and then there's the Fun Day on Saturday starting at 12 noon until 4 pm at City LIFE Centre.

 

Thanks to everyone for doing what you do within New Life to help us keep doing what we do as a church within the community. 

 

Have a great week.

 

Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.

 

Pastor Jack