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If you are in the 20’s – 30’s age range, please join the small group for an away day on 14th September at Widcombe Baptist Church, Bath. It will be a time of fellowship and learning. Price is tentatively set at £3. Any queries can be directed through the Church Office or directly to Sarah Barnes, Alan Neely, Lee & Helen Willcox or Jeff and Kelly Leary.

Cambray Kickabout is a fun centred football match without any training sessions, just for people to enjoy having a kick about!

Resuming on September 10th, it is held each Tuesday at Dean Close School Sports Centre 6.45-7.45pm.

Furhter details are available from andrew@cambray.org, or the church office 01242 584672.

‘True friends of Christ do not flirt with his Bride; they point her to him.’

This was tweeted by Mike Reeves (Theological Advisor for the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship) some time back, and I’m not sure whether it was his original thought, but I have found it to be a powerful phrase, and a helpful one to think through.

John the Baptist gives the inspiration for this attitude in John 3 when he says: ‘The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.’

Working for a church can have many pitfalls, and one of them is pride. (And that’s true, whether you’re a volunteer or a member of the staff team!) As I teach people about the gospel, it can easily and gradually become too much about me, and so this is a wonderfully reorienting piece of wisdom!

I share it because I think it’s a helpful thing for every Christian to remember as we seek to point people to Jesus.

Whatever the opportunities that God gives us – in our place of work, time amongst friends, or as we serve at church, our role is never to obscure the one whom we follow and speak about. In fact it’s as inappropriate as a bridegroom’s best man flirting with the bride-to-be!

How faithful God is… how exclusive we must be

The Bible often describes the church of God as the bride of Christ. (Check out Isaiah 62.4-6 and Revelation 19.6-8.) It’s a wonderful picture that captures how loved we are by God, how faithful he is in his commitment to us, and how exclusive we must be in response. As we anticipate the glorious future, we are being prepared as we wait for our bridegroom to return.

Now you may be thinking, ‘I would never try to obscure Jesus!’ But I think we do it all the time in small ways. It’s why the coveted roles in church are the visible ones, and why we envy the ‘exciting’ testimonies of some Christians, and perhaps one of the reasons we are so keen to appear to each other, and to our non-Christian friends as perfect Christians, worthy of our salvation.

We begin to forget that this story is not really about us, but about him!

No Christian should seek after ‘guru’ status when it comes to serving and following Jesus Christ! I must never ‘flirt’ with God’s church, seeking to draw people to myself. My role is simply to proudly and excitedly present the bridegroom to the bride and vice versa. This is not about me; my job is to be at work in the background, a friend of the bridegroom, doing all I can to praise him, while greatly looking forward to the wedding!

As keen to clean the church toilets as to have an upfront role

Knowing this should free us from the numbers game, and from needing people’s approval too much. It should mean that as we teach and serve in various ways in God’s church as we are all called to do, it’s not about us!

I always pray that God would preserve in me a willingness to serve him however he should ask, so that I would be as keen to clean the church toilets for the gospel, as I would to have an upfront role! (I still have some way to go on this one!)

I want nothing that I do in the name of Jesus to detract from him and the love that his bride feels for him. All my efforts contribute to showing him in a true light, to speaking of his wonderful attributes, and reminding his bride of his words and promises.

In the words of the Charles Wesley hymn we sometimes sing at church:

Happy, if with my latest breath
I may but gasp His Name,
Preach Him to all and cry in death,
‘Behold, behold the Lamb!’

Naomi Clemo
April 2013

It was a great source of encouragement to me and the leadership team to receive a clear mandate from the recent Cambray Church members’ meeting that we should start the recruitment process for a new Associate/Assistant Pastor. As that discussion showed (and many future debates will confirm!), the task of finding the ‘right’ pastor would be impossible if left to our own human devices – we are all looking for different things!

There is the hope that any prospective pastor will have decades of life experience, while still being youthful; a great preacher; spiritually mature; adept at administration; able to coordinate the childrens’/youth work; have the business acumen to restructure church organisations, while bringing the best out of a largely volunteer workforce. It is an intriguing and amusing thought that the Apostle Paul would probably not get shortlisted (let alone appointed) for most church vacancies – being around 60 years of age, with 25 years Christian leadership experience … some would say he preached too long and was not impressive; he was considered forceful, at times accused of being a trouble-maker; he often supported ministry with his paid secular work; fairly transient, typically taking charge of smaller churches; his CV indicated spells in prison; and no details were forthcoming about his wife!

So how are we to go about exploring God’s appointed minister for Cambray?

Well, first to affirm that God has someone in mind. Nothing takes the Lord by surprise, and as we pray and seek God on these matters, the promise our Heavenly Father makes is that we will be led to the person of His choice. But what if God’s ideal candidate is different to our own personal convictions? Thankfully, we have been given each other to test and weigh such things before the Lord and one another. Therefore, we must pray for unity and discernment, while we listen to the Holy Spirit and to each other.

Secondly, in the Pastoral Letters (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus) we have a helpful checklist of the qualities required of any church leader. These traits delve beneath the words on a CV and illuminate the truth behind any public ministry, evidenced by a deep love for Jesus, honesty, integrity, purity, courage, compassion, loyalty, love and respect for all ages, etc.

Thirdly, we are able to gain a sense from the direction in which the Lord is already leading us as a church. Specific aspects about Cambray’s direction and future challenges are pertinent to the profile of any new minister. A key question I would pose is: do we want to remain in maintenance mode, or to become a missional movement?
I hope the latter!

The present shape of ministry at Cambray

We are quite centralised with a leadership team of 12 plus Pastor and other staff members, with various ministries delegated to key personnel. One of the biggest challenges I think we face is how we become more flexible in our organisational life, to increase the relevancy of discipleship to everyday life contexts, while deepening the relational life of the church community that makes up Cambray. And all of this, while holding to some of our convictions that the local Church of Jesus Christ is supposed to model a genuine unity that crosses age, ethnic, social, and theological boundaries… to truly be one in Christ as part of vibrant transformative and missional communities serving our risen Lord Jesus together.

Perhaps in our search for a new pastor, we will need to be looking for someone equipped with more entrepreneurial skills in helping to expand our missional impact, which in turn would call us personally to greater investment in terms of time, effort, money and self-sacrifice; and the prospect of greater Kingdom rewards! (Mark 10:29-31). It is all very counter-cultural!

Cheltenham has a population of 110,000+, and some of us live/work in other communities. Given our aim to reach people with the love of Jesus, let’s pray by faith that the new pastor (who God is already preparing) will come equipped to help us meet these urgent challenges as a team-player… aware that one person cannot do everything. We are intended to be co-workers. Thankfully, God designed a body for both independence and interdependence. We will certainly need each other in this process and beyond.

With appreciation for your care, prayer and support as we journey together – eyes on Jesus! HE IS ABLE.

Tim Welch
March 2013

Recently a friend of mine, a Fitness Professional, posted two photos online. They were ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots of a client she had been working with.

It was impressive. The person had clearly lost a lot of weight, and there had been a complete and startling transformation which was clear to see as I looked from one photo to the next.

So it was this that came to mind as I read Ephesians chapter two.

An even greater transformation

Paul introduces the Ephesians (and us) to an even greater transformation, and certainly a more improbable one.

The transformation of a lifeless corpse into a living person:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

It’s a hard description. What hope is there for a dead person? What help is there for someone facing and deserving the just and righteous wrath of the God of the universe?!

But thank God that the story doesn’t end there! We breathe a sigh of relief as Paul continues:

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

And what are the reasons for this incredible rescue? A dead person has no hope, no powers of persuasion, and nothing to bargain with.

Because of his great love! Because of his rich mercy!

But what happens next?

God has resurrected us with Christ. We are raised to new life as surely as Jesus rose from the grave three days after dying by crucifixion.

But what happens next? Why is this rescue and transformation put into action?

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

In fact, Paul shows us that God is not satisfied simply to rescue, transforming the dead into the living. He is committed to the future life of those he has restored.

He has determined to show immeasurable grace and kindness to us, in Christ Jesus, for the rest of eternity! We worship a God who can and does resurrect the dead, and he loves to do so.

We have done nothing to deserve anything except his anger. All our best deeds pale into insignificance when compared to his eternal sinless perfection.

And yet God makes clear to us his mind and motives in the rescue that Jesus has carried out: Love, mercy, grace, and kindness.

I need this reminder frequently, because my gaze is often on my failings as a Christian. I begin to think that I live to earn God’s favour, that I cannot be certain of it, or that I might irreparably lose it.

These verses cause me to rejoice, to relax, and to praise God for his wonderful grace and kindness to us in and through Jesus Christ.

I hope they do the same for you.

Naomi Clemo
(Pastoral Assistant)

Why is the Christian life so tough at times? I admit asking that question frequently regarding myself and others. Whether sensing the ominous pressures of an increasingly secular society confronting Christian beliefs and believers, or the major life circumstances and disappointments that many are going through, or simply the personal battles to live for Jesus and to know God’s will and purposes for us. We must be honest – it can be extremely tough and debilitating.

So how can I best encourage you, in a way that encourages me also? We don’t want or appreciate platitudes; we need to know the secret of encouragement with a framework of liberating truths which will impact our thinking and lives for the New Year ahead.

Jesus said: ‘In this world you will have trouble [trials/problems/pressures]. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ (John 16.33). It is that word ‘overcome’ which is especially significant for us at Cambray in these difficult days. The Greek word Jesus used is ‘nikao’, meaning overcomer or victor. The word contained the connotations of the Greek goddess for success – in sport, war and even over death, as the personification of victory. So, not surprisingly, a certain sports company recognised this and utilised the image depicting the ‘swoosh’ of the goddess Nike’s wing, as the emblem of victory!

Dear friends at Cambray, in that sense we are to be Nike Christian men and women! Overcomers !
Let’s grab hold of the fact that Jesus personified this victory to himself. HE HAS overcome the world, and conquered every enemy or obstacle which would hold us back from a full experience of God’s peace and purposes. Jesus is our overcomer.

Therefore, it is with a sense of excited anticipation that as a staff team we have sensed the Lord leading us towards a specific focus for the New Year. The verse for the year (which is available on cards or digitally if you would like to use this as a screen saver!) points us to the fact that ‘The LORD is the everlasting God ! He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no-one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’ (Isaiah 40. 28-31)

Think of many people in the Bible, who found themselves in difficulty and in trouble against all odds, these two for example:

1) Nehemiah springs to mind as one whose face was sad, his heart broken by the situation all around (Nehemiah 1&2), and as he sat down, wept, mourned, confessed, fasted and prayed ! and then, in amid all the angst, Nehemiah regained a new vision of God, and out of that renewal emerged new work, projects and God’s blessing on His people.

2) David had celebrated great victories, God’s Spirit was upon him, and he was walking with the Lord. Yet by 1 Samuel 30, David faced a desperate set of circumstances, which broke him and his men ‘until they had no strength left to weep’ (1 Sam. 30.4). Those around him were ‘bitter in spirit’, but we read ‘David found strength in the LORD his God’ (v6). David did not seek this bad run of situations, but they became the means of him becoming a Nike man of God, as he shifted reliance from himself, to His God who helped him overcome.

Living this side of the Cross of Christ, how we need a new vision of Jesus as our overcomer! Therefore, our Sunday morning series will work through Isaiah chapters 40 – 55, which has been described as the Old Testament equivalent of Romans in the New. God’s promise of deliverance in the form of an Overcoming Servant provides so much comfort, hope and the prospect of renewal.

On Sunday evenings we will work through the letter of Hebrews, hopefully gaining a renewed vision of the superiority and excellence of Jesus: ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure’ (Hebrews 6.19). Exciting and liberating truths from God’s Word helping us to hold on to Jesus.

One last matter, we must not give up the habit of praying together either. So to follow up the impact of our recent Day of Prayer, we are proposing a Day each month to be set aside to pray and seek the Lord for all He wants to do with us personally, as a local church family, and in the wider world. Tuesday 15 January 2013 is the first of these, (8am – 9am; 8pm – 9pm; or any other prayer group /time/ place to suit you and others).

With love in our Lord Jesus, in the assurance of HIS overcoming power,
Tim