My friend Calvin

Calvin Young

In my life I have been blessed with a number of people who I can call friends. One of them I met during my time at Mattersey Bible College, we were both 1st year students, we were very different but hit it off because I recognised in Calvin a passion for God that I coveted.

Calvin was an excellent cricket player, his footwork was immaculate and he brought fear to every batsman that faced his bowling. But when it came to football he really struggled – possibly something to do with being a Liverpool fan?!

Pauline Young

I left college after a year while Calvin stayed on for a second. I had taken the position as Pastor of the Assembly of God church in Scarborough. I was so encouraged when Calvin came up to the coast to visit me within a couple of months of moving there, it meant so much to me!

Recently, over 30 years since we first met, Calvin came up to Pocklington for the weekend and we had a brilliant time, Calvin ministered the word of God with power and Pauline blessed us with a song. What I saw in Calvin all those years ago is still there a passion for God that is so vital!

100,000 miles

As predicted, my car reached 100,000 miles on my way home from Melbourne school on Thursday, November 19th 2009. I was able to safely stop and photograph the mileometer three times! My next challenge will be to capture one hundred and one thousand miles, I’m expecting to miss that like I missed ten and a hundred.

I found it interesting that the numbers seemed to be trying to move on as the mileometer got closer to a hundred thousand miles but when it reached its goal it was a perfect line.

Beevers visit PCF

I had an unusual request the other day. A lady on the phone asked if the beavers could visit our church building. I said yes and asked when, expecting to be given a date, the reply was ‘at about 6:20 tonight!’

So very quickly we got the church ready and had a great time with the children. We gave them a tour of the building, showed them a PowerPoint presentation about what we do, taught them a song and answered their questions.

On the whole it was a wonderful, although last-minute opportunity to show a number of local children and adults around Pocklington Christian Fellowship.

Tomorrow is the day!

Way back in July I talked about an event I thought would arrive in a few weeks. The truth is, it has taken four months to come, but the day will be tomorrow; my car will clock up 100,000 miles. I will have my camera in my pocket and I hope to photograph all the nines and then all the zeros. There is always the danger that I may lose concentration and drive through the moment, but having waited for this day I expect to be able to bring you the pictures soon!

PS I’m not really as sad as this may sound! Honest

The Sun Rising

Earlier this week I was on my way to work. I was travelling from Pocklington to Melbourne Village School via Barmby Moor. As I drove along the A1079 there ahead of me was the bright red rising sun, it was a truly amazing sight. As I turned right to go down through the village of Allerthorpe I stopped the car and took the above picture, I thought you might enjoy it!

Dikili (cruise stop 5)

Dikili was perhaps the most amazing stop we had on the cruise, but for all the wrong reasons. There were no local attractions, apart from the beach and the sea, the town was run down and dirty and off the beaten track I felt more vulnerable there than in Istanbul.

We saw three vehicles that you would not expect at a seaside resort; a very old run down horse-drawn carriage, a rag & bone man and an old tractor pulling a trailer full of melons.

We did find a nice beach and paid for an umbrella, Marj had a swim in the sea and I just enjoyed the heat. Turkey is a muslim country and it was interesting to see some people in costumes; one lady went in for a paddle but kept herself well covered up.

National Leader visits PCF

We were delighted to have John Partington visiting Pocklington Christian Fellowship last week. His stay was slightly less than 24 hours but in a few short hours John was a source of encouragement to all he met. There was a quick visit to our Light Party just as it was starting, followed by a meal with the Elders of PCF at my home.

Sunday morning John preached the Word with anointing, ‘You need to have a giant on your side to defeat a giant’, several people responded to the word and we hope to see the fruit in their lives.

John is a good friend of ours and we pray that the Lord will bless him as he continues to lead and bring necessary change into the Assemblies of God.

Remembrance Day

On the Sunday closest to the 11th November there is a Remembrance Day Parade in Pocklington. Since moving here in 2006 it has been a personal honour to take part in the Parade. The Parade stops at the two memorials in the Town, one to commemorate the fallen in WW1 and one for WW2. This week the Anglican church All Saints inducted it’s new vicar Geoffrey Hollingsworth, he was asked to take responsibility for the second stop (WW1) and I was to do the first. It was a real ‘blessing’ to me when Geoffrey asked if I would stand by his side as it was his first time.

The Parade in Pocklington is very well supported, not just by those parading but by the public who both line the streets and crowd around the two memorials to watch and listen. As you would expect the whole Remembrance Day is organised to military precision. The local ministers take it in turns to lead the remembrance at the two memorials. The different individuals and groups in the parades present wreaths or crosses during the proceedings. There is a great sense of appreciation and unity which comes through each year, perhaps this year was more poignant because of the deaths of our soldiers overseas this year?

Halloween v Light Party

As a church we are not happy with the increasing influence of Halloween. Our objections would be based around its focus on witches and the devil, these are viewed as innocent fun but there is a sinister side as it can create an appetite for the dark side of supernatural activities. People are drawn into fringe occult practices and can quickly be drawn into bondage with real goodness taken from them.

Well, despite our views, rather than bang a drum just condemning Halloween, we choose to put on a good exciting alternative night based around the fact that Jesus is the Light of the World. Our desire is that children will find a Divine source of light and life which will transform their lives for good!

We had a huge number of helpers, some to set up all the lights and equipment, others to prepare and serve food, some to help supervise or take part by organising games, putting on a light show or just to enjoy the experience.

Over 30 children came along, they played games, had a treasure hunt and did various craft activities. The girls made picture frames, the boys made catapults to fire marshmallows and the little ones decorated gingerbread men.

Prizes were given for the best fancy dress costumes, and glow sticks were given out. Every child took home prizes, party bags and memories of a great night out. The local paper, the Pocklington Post did a large report (about a third of a page) on the Light Party.

My home (16) Chestnut Avenue, Liverpool

I lived at Chestnut Avenue longer than in any other home. Liverpool may have a poor reputation in some quarters, but to us, as a family it has been a huge blessing! We moved to Merseyside to help pioneer a new church; Liverpool Christian Life Centre (LCLC), led by John Partington who earlier this year became the National Leader of the Assemblies of God.

When we arrived in Merseyside, I worked in engineering for ten years, at two different companies; Winstanley’s in Birkenhead (now gone) and Kirkby Jig and Tool, Knowsley. In 1999, I was made redundant, I was given just a week’s notice, I left the factory the next day to go to the Job Centre. As I was leaving two of the older engineers said I would find nothing; I replied that I would not return empty handed because God would open a door for me! They laughed and said ‘We will see?’

There was nothing suitable at the Job Centre, so from there I went to the Careers Office and was interviewed by a lady called Maggie Hatcher. She suggested two new possible career paths that I could take. When I returned to the factory late in the afternoon, everyone was totally amazed as I told them that I would be starting a BA Degree the next week and would go on the take a PGCE, to become a Primary School Teacher! God certainly supplied my need in an amazing way – again!

So, from working machines to fine tolerances on day, I went into academic study the next. My degree was joint honours in Theology and European Studies, I worked hard and prayed hard and gained a 2:1 and the university Sweeting Prize for the best European Studies Project. I gained a place on the PGCE and graduated a year later. After twelve months doing supply teaching, I was accepted on a years contract at a school and passed my induction year.

As we arrived in Huyton in the August, we needed to find a school for the children, eventually they were both offered places at what is the local CE Primary school. It just happened to be the same school that a young Steven Gerrard also went to! With the children in school, it was time for Marjorie to find a new role. With a little encouragement she applied to go back into teaching – on her first day she nervously left home and has never looked back, (I think there’s a joke in there somewhere), her career has gone from strength to strength.

The children did well at High School and both went on to gain good degree’s, Joe’s in Computer Animation and Special Effects; he returned home and started his own business. Esther did a joint honours (like her dad) and went on to pass a PGCE and find a position teaching Maths.

During our time in Liverpool it was an honour and priviledge to be involved with LCLC, it was exciting to see peoples lives being transformed as they found the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour, the church grew to a congregation of around 400. We served the fellowship in various ways and it was a time when we learnt so many things and saw our faith and expectation rise. A year or so before we moved on, LCLC had declined and was ‘taken over’ by Hope City Church (Sheffield), to my knowledge they are still doing well.