Turning the Corner

The new year is upon us; and with new beginnings come changes. Here a 3 that will happen for Chapel in January

Service Length: We have been trying to set the length of our service to 2 hrs 30 mins, in line with a desire expressed for a longer time of worship and a more relaxed service. As we look at the last 2 months of services it seems wise that we shorten the service down to 1 hr and 30 mins (give or take a few minutes). We plan to begin this in January (though our Christmas day service will also be short).

Sunday School: Because of this, the children will in future report to Sunday school immedietly the service begins, as opposed to joining the adults for worship first. We have noticed that more and more children are doing this right now wanting to go straight to their program (it's that much fun).

Martha Lee, and Pastor Anthony Goundon have completed their internship year with us. Both have been a tremendous blessing to us and we wish them well as they take the next step in life. Martha wants to train in physiotherapy to enable her to work with disadvantaged physically challenged children. Pastor Anthony will be starting up a new church with his denomination in Liberia. Please pray for them as they look to God to open up the necessary doors.

Coming to a theatre near you: C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia (originally written under the title of “The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe”. This is a solid Christian movie worth taking your children to this Christmas. C. S. Lewis was a lecturer at Cambridge University, and a Christian apologist, when he wrote the book as a children's fantasy. The name of the book (and the subtitle of the movie) is deceptive ( . . .the Witch . . .), but the story is actually about God's battle to reach mankind, and has a solid Christian message. For those who are looking for a solid (stout hearted men's film) to watch this Christmas season how about “To End All Wars”.

Foundations Class: Have you recently made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ as your Savior? Or did you receive Christ as your savior some time back but didn't receive help in how to grow as a Christian? Maybe you've even been a Born Again believer for years, but aren't growing. Well, good news! Our Foundations Class I begins in mid January. This class is tailor made to enable you to understand your salvation, grow in faith, and plug into the life of the Church using your spiritual gift. Please do not let this opportunity to get a solid foundation to your faith pass you by. Register for the class at the Information Tent.

Tree of Joy: Thank you all for so generously seeking to bless the orphans at Cheryl children's home this Christmas. All 40 tokens for shoes and 36 for groceries were taken up by members of the church. If you had taken one, please remember to drop your 'Gift' at the Christmas Tree desk after the service, or bring it to the Nairobi Chapel Offices at Mamlaka Rd before next Sunday.

Christmas Eve Cantata: Our daughter church, Covenant Church, that meets at Hospital Hill Primary School is holding a Christmas Musical Cantata on Fri Dec 22nd at 6 pm; and on Sat 24th and Sun 25th at 5 pm. All are welcome. Entry free.

Christmas Day Service: Our Christmas day service on Dec 25th will take place at the usual service time 10:30 am, but will be a shorter service than usual seeing many want to go join family on this special day. The children will be with us in the service as they are leading it. Remember to give a generous tithe that day. The collection on 25th will be given to a children's home. Note : we will not hold our usual 9:30 am prayer service on that day.

Sunday 1st January, 2006 Service: Our service on 1st Jan will be a “Testimony Service”. This is different from the usual service. It's a service where YOU have opportunity to give a testimony and thanks to God for what he has done in your life over the past year. Please plan on sharing the Bible commands it. To give as many people as possible a chance follow these 3 little keys;
Be Brief : not more than 5 mins each
Be Biblical : take us back to God's word
Be transparent : tell us enough details that we can understand. Simply saying 'God really blessed me this year' doesn't say anything.

Banns of Marriage: We wish to announce banns of marriage between Lee Kimani and Florence Mwangamilo who are planning to wed on 31st Dec at Safari Park at 11 am. If you know any valid reason why this couple should not proceed with their plans please let our pastors know.

Praise the Lord for the 43 people who have accepted Christ as their Savior during our services over the last 2 months. What a great start for this new church plant 43 lives changed for eternity!

The parents of the children being dedicated 2 weeks ago gave a cash gift of 60,000/= on top of all the fruit they brought for the Children's home. Give thanks to God for their generosity. The gift will be given to a small Children's home here in Dagoretti, called “Sons of King Jesus”.

Praise the Lord we now have offices on Ngong Rd. We located offices at Parasia Hse just opposite Uchumi Supermarket. We will be set up by the 2nd week of January, and will advertise our new landline numbers thereafter. Thank you all for praying.

Praise the Lord for the ROPES boys who completed their transition rite from childhood into manhood, this week. Both the girls (last week), and the boys (this week) spent a week in the bundu climbing Mt Kenya. Both camps went fabulously well, and were very well received by the families involved. Parents of next years candidates (std 8 or 13 yr olds), please remember to collect your letter from the Info Table after the service.