Business as usual … unusually!

There is change afoot here at Hatfield, and as of this very Sunday, the evening service will be done differently.

Most importantly, it will now start at 18:00 (as opposed to 18:30) to allow more time for meaningful connection among the young adults. We’ll be looking for new rhythms and patterns as we allow Him to establish His will in our midst.

The pre-service prayer meeting will also take on a new dynamic as it moves to the ministry area. It will start at 17:30 and be a powerful time of connecting with God.

We hope you’re as excited as we are and look forward to your enthusiastic support as we foster a culture of community and belonging.

See you on Sunday at six!

Prayer and fasting is nearly upon us

Monday sees the start of our annual Week of Prayer and Fasting. From 06:00, we’ll be engaging in a time of focusing on the Lord – 24 hours a day, for one week. Our theme for the week is ‘For the King and His Kingdom’ and the key scripture is Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV):  ‘Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”’

Each day will have a different topic and there will be corporate prayer sessions focusing on these in the mornings and evenings.  Morning sessions will take place from 06:00-07:00 in the Function Hall. Evening sessions will be from 19:30-20:30 (Monday to Thursday in the Minor Auditorium; Friday and Saturday in the Function Hall).

Beyond that, we encourage all members of our Hatfield family to get involved on a personal level. The Function Hall and Prayer Chapel will be set up to facilitate personal prayer and meditation. There will be a pastor available at all times if you have any questions or need a bit of help.

As the name suggests, fasting is a big part of this week and we encourage you to fast at least one meal or activity. The emphasis of fasting is not primarily to give up things, but rather on focusing ourselves fully on God.

Fasting can take many forms so find something that you are comfortable with if it’s the first time you’re doing something like this. For example, you can fast one meal during the week, one meal every day, all meals on one day from dawn to dusk or all meals, all week. You can also consider a partial fast where you eliminate certain foods from your regular diet such as meat, dairy products or wheat. Or you may decide not to eat luxury items such as chocolate, sweets, cakes or biscuits. Just remember to fast safely and break your fast if you start to feel ill. If you don’t want to give up food at all, you can choose to fast an activity such as watching your favourite TV programme or playing your favourite sport.

However you chose to go about it, use whatever extra time you have to focus on the Lord. If you earnestly seek Him, you will find Him. We are looking forward to praying with you!

PS For those who can’t come to the corporate prayer sessions, the daily prayer topics are:

• Monday | Crowns Down
• Tuesday | Hosanna
• Wednesday | Kingdom Life
• Thursday | Kingdom Business
• Friday | Youth
• Saturday | Young Adults

Stars for Smiles 2011

Our Stars for Smiles project (our annual gifts drive for orphaned and underprivileged children) is nearly complete for this year. Thank you so much to the generous members of Hatfield Christian Church – 2394 stars were taken this year each representing a child who’ll be getting a gift this Christmas. 

Christmas 2011

Christmas is nearly upon us once again, which means we are hard at work on our annual Christmas production. This year, it’s called Hope has hands and promises to be a production of excellence once again. The curtain goes up at 19:30 on Friday 25 November and Saturday 26 November. Tickets cost R50 for adults and R25 for children (no charge for children under 8). You can get these at Impact Bookshop, or at the door on the day. We look forward to launching into this joyful time of year with you!

It’s officially official!

We are thrilled to announce (albeit a bit belatedly) that the big blanket which our ladies (and a few men) put together for the Knitting for the Needy project has broken the record! It has officially been granted the title of the world’s largest hand knitted blanket by the Guiness Book of World Records. The final stats for this blanket are:

• Size – 557.34 square metres
• Weight – 332.12 kg
• 12 635 squares (20cm x20 cm each)
• Number of balls of wool – 3610 x 100g each, and
• Total time – 15 weeks.

Once again, a huge ‘Well done’ to all involved!

(If this is the first you’ve heard about this project, then read more about it on: http://wp.me/p1rsD0-s)

The harvest is in

In previous years, we’ve had a Mobiliser Conference in the last term of the year, which gives us the opportunity to give feedback on our missions endeavours. This year we’ve changed that and in Term 4, we will be focusing on the Fruit of the harvest, all that’s been achieved through Faith Promise for 2010.

Faith Promise is a voluntary commitment to give a fixed amount of money, which is used to support the outward focus of the church. Last year over 100% of the money pledged came in, and we have used the R5.3 million that this amounted to exclusively for missions, evangelism, community development, orphan care and outreaches. To find out more about Faith Promise, or to pledge for 2011, visit the Impact Mobilisation Department’s website: www.imd.co.za.

Other Sunday services not to be missed in October and November include:

• 23 October – It’s International Day so dress up in a cultural style (09:30 service only).
• 30 October – Find out all about the community ministries that we support.
• 6 November – We’ll be celebrating our impact on the next generation.
• 13 November – Our focus will be on volunteering and all the ways you can get involved.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information.

 

Global Leadership Summit

As we mentioned previously on our blog in Local is lekker, global is great, we hosted a local event of the Global Leadership Summit this past weekend (7-8 October). Over 1200 delegates attended and received inspiration and wisdom from world-renowned speakers.

Impactive media and drama pieces added a local flavour to the Summit, in which the sessions were presented via videocast. Ed Ramsami, affiliated with Liberty Church in Randburg, facilitated the two days, and Hatfield’s own Michael Neumann was the Master of Ceremonies. Bill Price coached delegates after some sessions to help them identify the information most relevant to them.

But praise must really be levelled at the volunteers, without whom such an event is not possible. Just under 200 people gave up their time to support the delegates, greeting them cheerfully each morning, distributing snack packs, being on hand for assistance, and even wishing them goodbye with handmade signs on the last afternoon!

To borrow a phrase from Steven Furtick (Lead Pastor, Elevation Church, and one of the speakers) the 2011 local GLS at Hatfield Christian Church was just dripping with ‘awesome sauce’!

The Global Leadership Summit will be presented at other locations in South Africa during October and November. Visit the Willow Creek SA website for all the information. http://www.willowcreeksa.co.za

Spring is in the air

A visual on our vision

Two weeks ago we launched our freshly revised vision statement: God’s Kingdom in hearts, homes and beyond. The playful design for this initiative n can be seen all over our church campus, and now we are giving you the chance to enjoy it in your workspace. Just pick the one you like the most and download the size you need!

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Our freshly revised slogan