Events and activities
November 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 and so on.
The Greenock Healing Room Directors are husband and wife Andy and Joanna Lunn who can be contacted by telephone on 01475 791282.
Street Pastors
Street Pastors operate in many towns and cities in the UK and the Initiative has already had discussions with the local police force and Inverclyde Council to introduce Street Pastors in Inverclyde in early 2010. If you are a Christian and churchgoer and would like more information about becoming a Street Pastor in Inverclyde, please telephone 01475 783000 or contact us through this site. Street Pastors receive training about their role prior to becoming a Street Pastor.
Street Pastors are from 18 to over 80 and the majority are women. This could be you!
Oak Mall chaplaincy
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.
Local evangelistic outreaches
The Initiative has in the past and continues to undertake regular outreaches in Inverclyde. Click here for details of future outreaches already in place.