Events and activities
Further Times Square team comes to Greenock
The second of three small teams from Times Square Church in New York will be with us from Thursday 12th August to Saturday 21st August, concentrating on outreach work in local care homes, helping in the Healing Rooms in the Oak Mall which will be open each day week commencing Monday 16th August and being part of the evening Teen Challenge bus ministry. The team of six ladies are looking forward to being with us and we pray that they time here will be very fruitful.
Youth work
We now have the use of large premises at 25 West Stewart Street for the development of youth work undr a charitable lease but we require change of use approval from the Council and the necessary health and safety approvals and documentation. Please pray these will be forthcoming soon.
A possible internship from Times Square church
We are discussing with Times Square church the possibilty of an internship in Inverclyde whereby a member of Times Square church comes and spends up to 12 months with us developing the work. Please pray these discussions will prove fruitful and the necessary financial and other arrangements can be made.
Street Pastors
Plans are advanced for the introduction of Street Pastors in Inverclyde in October 2010 and initial training has been undertaken. For further information on this valuable initiative see www.streetpastors.org.uk
November 2009 outreach an outstanding success
Virtually a full house with over 500 people attending the final outreach meeting in Port Glasgow Town Hall brought the week long November 2009 outreach visit of over 230 members of Times Square church in New York to a close.
The visit was organised by a steering group with representatives from Inverclyde Christian Initiative involving people from every Christian denomination represented in Inverclyde, Teen Challenge and the Haven. Chris Jewell of the Initiative said, ‘At every level this outreach has been an outstanding success. Members of the New York team visited several prisons, virtually all the local nursing and care homes, helped in the Healing Rooms in the Mall and visited several schools both within Inverclyde and beyond. They also took part in the Teen Challenge bus ministry across the West of Scotland and at the Haven drug rehabilitation centre on the upper Kilmacolm to Greenock road. The Times Square church choir enthused listeners as they performed in the Gamble Halls in Gourock and the McLean Museum in Greenock as well in the Oak Mall shopping centre and nightly in the Greenock and Port Glasgow Town Halls, including a special youth event attended by some 500 young people.
‘We have been so impressed by the vitality and engaging nature of the Times Square church members, their desire to help, their love for the people here and the quality of all they have done. We have received many comments from the local people they came in contact with as to their impeccable conduct and helpfulness. They are a shining example of the Christian faith in action.
‘This outreach has been full of ‘nevers’ …
- I understand that never before has the Port Glasgow Town Hall been as full as it was for a Christian gathering
- Never before has some 300 people been actively engaged in Christian outreach in Inverclyde over a week long period.
- Never before has every household in Inverclyde received some Christian literature through their doors.
- Never before in Inverclyde has such a financial boost, we reckon some £200,000, been received in this way in terms of hotel accommodation, meals, the hire of local buses and minibuses and promotional costs, as well as other items purchased by our friends from New York.
- Never before have so many people visited our healing rooms in the course of a week seeking prayer for physical healing as well as other needs.
The steering group is committed to maintaining and developing the considerable momentum caused by this special outreach and are looking at developing regular youth outreaches and gatherings as many young people have shown an eagerness to hear the gospel and have responded to it and young people are the key to the future. In addition the group is running an Inverclyde wide Alpha course each Wednesday evening at 7pm in the Port Glasgow Town Hall which answers many of the basic questions of Christianity in an informal way, plus they are examining ways of continuing and enhancing work with care homes and the in prisons, amongst young people and also to the business community so affected by the worldwide economic downturn.
‘We cannot thank the Times Square church enough for coming and serving with us’, added Chris, ‘and we are also so very grateful to the number of local Christians who put themselves out and about to ensure the smooth running of all the activities and the considerable prayer support behind it. I believe we have a number of the seeds of Christian revival in Inverclyde already with us. We would encourage every Inverclyde church to get behind and involved in the future activities and discussions.’
More detailed accounts of the various events as well as videos of the evening outreaches can be viewed on the Times Square website www.tscnyc.org
Healing Rooms
In association with Healing Rooms Scotland the Initiative operates a Healing Room in the Oak Mall shopping centre in Greenock. The healing rooms operate with a group of trained Christians from various Christian denominations and are presently open from 11am to 1pm every Wednesday. Anyone is free to come along to the Healing Room and seek prayer for all kind of situations, for example physical healing, relationships, the needs of others.
The Greenock Healing Room Directors are husband and wife Andy and Joanna Lunn who can be contacted by telephone on 01475 791282.
Chaplain to the Oak Mall shopping centre
The Initiative provides the Oak Mall with a chaplain who is available to employers and employees on a regular basis for any spiritual needs they may have. The current Chaplain is Fraser Donaldson of the Initiative; Fraser is also the Minister of the Greenock Elim church in Kelly Street in Greenock.
To get in touch with Fraser in his position of Chaplain, please click here.