YCC - Latest News

Colombia 09 - Friday 6th November

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND PRAYERS. ALL VERY ENCOURAGING FOR US.

In a few hours we´ll be leaving Medellin and flying back to Bogota. The stay here has been far to short, and there is so much more we have been invited to do. Day two of our mission in Medellin saw salvation, two on the Metro (or I should say the Metro-Cable Car - an amazing journey) and then others in the evening meeting. Thanks for your prayers, it is so good to be supported in this way by the prayers of the saints. Dora Maria preached Wednesday night the same sermon she used in Osbaldwick in October, La Casa de Mas Gloria (Haggai 2:9). Salvation came and much Holy Spirit ministry, the meeting started at 7pm ended around 11pm, followed by a meal (!!!).

I preached Thursday night, with the help of a very able translator. Again the ministry that followed lasted twice as long as the sermon. The message was about resurrection life and removing the grave clothes (using texts from Eph 1:17-22 and John 11, for the accurate among you). God cleansed and anointed in the midst of tears and laughter. Then after .... real REAL Jesus stuff ... we were invited to go into a particular area of Medellin and minister to into a ghetto community of the homeless, rejected, addicts and mentally disturbed street people. I can´t describe here the events that followed, but this morning Dora Maria and I are still impacted by the worship, prayer and food that was part of this midnight mercy mission. We´ll share more on our return.

The pastors here - all four of them are great guys all under the age of 30..!!! God is raising up a very new and fresh visionary generation of church leaders here, with no restraints linked to past traditions ... these guys are just full of radical passion and a dynamic desire to reach people with the transforming message of Jesus. 

Today (Friday) back to Bogota, then next Thursday we fly to Pereira (Dora Maria´s home town and region).  

WITH EVERY BLESSING TO YOU ALL,

much love, Simon y Dora Maria  

Diary - 8th November

To download this week's diary click here Download 8th November BLOG

Diary - 1st November

To download this week's diary please click hereDownload Ist November(BLOG)

Colombia 09 Wednesday 4th

We thought this first posting would be about how smooth the journey was ... apart from some fun & games sorting out our domestic flights..!! But after our first day of ministry, all that fades away. Yesterday (Tuesday) we got into a car that arrived for us .... per-normal, not knowing what we`re doing. We ended up after an hour or more of driving through some poor areas of Medellin to the HOUSE OF RESTORATION --- a ten year old charity working with street kids of 15+, ex-gang members, addicts and ex-offenders. After a brief history (5 minutes) from the founder (an ex-everything, now passionate for Jesus) we were introduced to the boys and men in the house, and told to minister. Dora Maria and I both shared a short word, then I asked if we could pray for them all. The Holy Spirit was invited to minister powerfully, and lives were blessed. Some demons manifested, but not as many as I had expected. There was far more crying and weeping, broken hearts being made whole. Praise God. Wow.  

They told us they had no meeting in the evening, so back in the car, I thought we`re going back to the hotel, it was now about 8pm. But we stopped at another building. A church and spontaneous orphanage come refuge for kids of violence, neglect... the under 15s were here, being looked after by a pastor and his wife and their family. We prayed and then walked through the streets up a hill, a big hill!! and up to a point where we could see all of Medellin below us. We prayed for the city, all of us ... adults and kids alike, singing, crying and dancing in the total darkness. You end up doing the most amazing things during a day when you had know clue what was going to happen...

We need to go... another full day ahead. Dora Maria is apeaking tonight (Wed.) and me tomorrow (Thurs.) but where we are speaking and to whom... God knows!

Pray for our continued protection and anointing to minister. THANK YOU 

Diary - 25th October

To download this week's diary please click hereDownload 25th OctoberBLOG

YCC Together (downloads)

As promised the two handouts in regards to the YCC presentation.

Download YCC Together handout

Download Feedback

Please do send us your feedback, via the form, or through an email, or why not meet up and chat through your thinking with one (or two or three...) of us.

Thank you for the positive feedback we have already received tonight in regards to the actual presentation. Let's keep communicating.  

More Than Conquerors

I've heard just a LITTLE of this weekend, but what I've heard has been wonderful... Praise God for His faithfulness, kindness and restoration.

Bulletin 27

Bulletin 27 is out. It is distributed by e-mail, but you can download it here as well. Download Bulletin27

PRAYER WEEK OCT 3-11

October 2009 will see YCC engaged in a NIne Day Week of Prayer. A separate page (see the menu oppoiste Prayer Week) is being set up on this site that will include downloads of the various Prayer aids and booklets, ... PLUS opportunity to comment and exchange insights on your 9 DAY prayer journey including: the inter-active 9 DAY prayer booklets and the special 'prayer-applied' TASKS (... Oooooh!). 

   

Diary - 6th September

To download this week's diary please click here: Download 6th SeptemberBLOG

IN CHRIST

As requested the PowerPoint notes from Last Sunday's (Osbaldwick) talk: Download In Christ 

Thanks from Ostrava

Milan Michalko has been in touch to say thanks again for the weekend they had in York, they had "a truly fantastic time". He posted a few photos on his Facebook page.

Click here to see them.

Mark wore his best shirt on the Saturday evening (see the first photo), which is worthy of an archival record.

Bulletin 26

Bulletin 26 is out, giving information on the decisions taken by the Elders at their meeting last week. It is distributed by e-mail, but you can download it here as well. Download Bulletin26

Imagine Slides

A number of requests have been made for Simon's "IMAGINE Series" powerpoint slides to be made available. So here they are ... 

Download Imagine God's Church

Download Imagine God's Help

Download Imagine God's People (this is the one that includes the 12 month discipleship programme)

The messages that relate to these 'slides' can be heard by clicking on Talks.

Global Day of Prayer

It was great to see so many people from YCC up on the walls in 'our' section (between Peasholme Green and Monk Bar). A steward counted people as they came down from the wall at the Monk Bar end, and added with those who came down at the Peasholme Green end, we calculate there were 350 people just in our section (so I think there may well have been more than 2,000 altogether). It was an inspiring and exciting time of prayer to see so many flags being raised and waved, and to hear Andrew's trumpeting. Most people went on to The Minster, and with all seats taken and many people standing, we were initially led in praise and prayer by Dave Godfrey. Dave was ably assisted in a variety of ways by folks in YCC; praise resounded loudly with songs such as 'Raise the banner; fly the flag', and a riot of colourful flags waved in praise. 'Round the world' prayer tickets fluttering down onto the flags of many nations encouraged us to pray for our world. The more contemplative prayer stations, as we later walked around The Minster, focussed our intercessions, culminating with flaming torches carried in procession out of the main west doors, symbolically taking God's presence, through His Holy Spirit, out into the world. A wonderful and inspiring evening to encourage us all.

NEW! YCC Diary Page

For the latest "What's On" and to avoid CLASHES (!!) check out the new YCC Diary Page. It's still under contruction, ... in terms of the contents.

Access the Diary: either from this page: click on Diary in the left hand column, or direct from the YCC homepage, again just click on the word Diary in the left hand column.

Bulletin 25

Download Bulletin25

ARE YOU PART OF THE ANSWER?

Some of us have great 'unexpected' stories in regards to the Try Praying booklet, therefore YCC will seek to keep a regular stock of these really helpful books at the office - for whoever and whenever. 

Also we have a brand new piece of literature: ARE YOU PART OF THE ANSWER? This is NOT a traditional tract to be left with people or thrust in someone's hand - oh no, that wont do at all! This tract is activiated by means of a pen, and is an inter-active piece of literature. Again like the Try Praying booklet, it invites people to engage with God, believing that through prayer God can change situations. He is a loving God who desires to bless His children. 

This tract is available, but some training and explanation of how it should be used is needed. Thousands of these tracts have been used in London, with some believers reporting that NO ONE has ever refused prayer, and the fruitfulness of the literature is bringing people into the Kingdom and into regular local fellowship. Amen.  

Other helpful pieces of literature are also being examined, as many of us in our spontaneous conversations love to leave people with something in their hands that explains more of God and the contact details for YCC.  

Switzerland: multi-church relationship building

Ten YCC-ers will be travelling to Switzerland this May Bank Holiday weekend to join with a team of 12 from Kingsland Church (Colchester) for a WORSHIP WEEKEND in the Vallee de Joux. The main purpose of the weekend is to continue to establish and strengthen relationships with local churches: to share in fellowship and worship and to gain a broader vision of God's Heart for Europe.

The YCC-ers will be travelling on Thursday, to help with the set-up of the conference. The weekend sessions will include worship workshops for musicians, non-musicians, the prophetic and the indigenous 'sound of the land.' We will also be joining in with the local Prayer School and participating Sunday in the morning and evening celebrations. 

Do pray for safety in our travel arrangements, especially as the Colchester team are travelling overland in a recently refurbished minibus. Pray for the sessions, the broader fellowship over meals and in our host families - for mutual edification and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.  

Living the Life

A big THANK YOU to those who made the recent Living the Life weekend such a great event: both leaders and task-forcers..! And to those who covered us in prayer. It seems that all involved had a great and rewarding weekend of fun and fellowship, based around the theme of OUT through the IN door. Simon Rennie was the guest speaker, and his teaching helped us to see how our Christian walk of ministry and service had to be rooted in an ever developing personal walk with God. Don't forget you can keep up-to-date with RUup4it and the summer events through the YCYH website.

Twittering

Helpful..? Unhelpful..? Incarnational or just cyber distraction..? YCC are exploring twittering. The tweets are in the left hand column. There may be some tweaking before all the tweeting is as it should be. Thoughts..? 

Eggstravaganza! - Sunday 5 April

What a great community event. Thanks to everyone who made this happen: kitchen crew, registration, activities, egg contributors, leaflet distributers and all - THANK YOU.

I'm not sure of numbers, but the tables we put aside for parents, were always full, and I spoke to guy who lives in Liverpool..!! They came from far and wide.  

YCC & Latest News

Well the latest news is - "York Community Church has its own blog site": a place where various folk can post up latest news items,... but more specifically, where anyone can leave comments. I guess time will tell if this piece of technology proves helpful in communicating church activities and allowing for a 24/7 forum for feedback. We can also upload pictures and use the blog to download documents - ooow..! 

Let's see how it develops.    

Video used at Induction (February, 2009)