“United we stand, divided we fall”. Certainly is a common phrase used today in many areas of life: football, rugby to name just two. Many of our well-loved sports are team events made up of individuals coming and working together for the sake of the team (most of the time!).

The longer we live on Planet Earth the more opportunities we have of looking back. My childhood and my first day at school, dad getting our first car after a time with motorbikes and sidecars, starting work at Currys in 1970 and seeing the first colour TVs delivered to each shop. Our three girls being born and now having six grandchildren. Wow! Time seems to move on so quickly now!

If you had to describe yourself as a flavour what would it be? Juicy steak! Chicken madras! Peaches and cream! Or a slice of lemon!

It’s true! Speak to any parents and they will tell you, “I want better for my kids.” We want our kids to excel in those first words, ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’! Taking those first steps, right through to school, college and university, we want them to be the best that they can be.

We go through life reserving these words – “You’re beautiful” – for just a handful of people which are our nearest and dearest. I’m sure this would include wives, husbands, children, girlfriends and boyfriends

Imagine for a moment that you’ve gone to see your team play football: the final whistle is about to blow and the score is 0-0.

If I asked you, “Why is that kettle boiling?” you could answer any number of ways.

Let’s think for a minute – would your ideal worship experience be ‘Rock of Ages’ or heavy rock?

I don’t know about you, but if all I focus on is what I see in front of my eyes then it doesn’t take long to feel negative or discouraged. However, there is good news. By placing our attention onto God, He lifts us up and enables us to see things from His perspective. One of the keys to that higher living is in praise and worship.

As parents we want to see our children making good choices for now and for their future. We try to guide them so they don’t make the same mistakes as we made.

We would like you to forget Sunday School as you may have known or experienced it – KidzChurch is different.

Exciting! Great! Loud! Fun! Cool! Just some of the words used to describe the fantastic time we have in KidzChurch.

The pressure on our young people has increased, especially where relationships are involved. The need to have a boyfriend or girlfriend to give them identity, and then the pressure for that relationship to be sexual, has increased greatly.

Since the last edition of *LivingIt* a number of things have changed at Youth Base. Those of you still going along to Red Gables on a Friday night will have noticed we’re no longer there. We’re now at Hillside Community Centre in Combs Ford, where Youth Base is bigger and better.

It has been great to see Youth Base grow over the years, and become what it is today.

Young people – are you bored with the norm – thinking that there has to be more to life or that life shouldn’t be like this? If that’s the case, then it’s time to join the revolution!

When Disneyland was opened someone told the widow of Walt Disney that it was a shame that he didn’t live to see the park completed. Her reply was, “He did”! This was a bit of a strange reply, considering her husband was dead, but what she meant was that he had seen the vision of the park every day in his mind. He had lived with the vision of that park for years. He knew what the park was going to be like and his wife knew that.

At the end of 2004 the Youth Base team were looking to increase the gospel input into their evenings. So we stared doing a five minute talk at the end of each session and were looking for more ways to help the youth discover God.

It’s hard to believe that it has been two years since a team of eager people went out into the October night to start meeting with youth on the streets.

At the time of writing Rhyme Time has been running for three and a half years. They say time goes quickly when you’re having fun and Rhyme Time has definitely been good fun!

What is New Life Care?

The 2009 Fun Day, located at Hillside Community Centre on the August Bank Holiday weekend, was another huge success.

Miracle Mission is an event hosted by Family Church to provide a place for people to come and connect with God, particularly if they are wrestling with sickness and disease.

August Bank Holiday weekend at the Hillside Centre saw the biggest and best Fun Day we have hosted, with approximately 400 people having fun in the sun.

New Life Care was set up as a means to demonstrate the love of God to our community in a practical way, to meet needs and have a positive influence on people’s lives. Where we are able, we try to help people get things done that they themselves cannot do.

Arms were waving and bodies were thrown to the ground in all directions during the August Bank Holiday Saturday of 2006, as the riding of the “Rodeo Bull” caused much hilarity (and a few screams) at the first Fun Day event hosted by Family Church.

Sunday 10th September 2006 was a great day for those of us who were being baptised. We have been Christians for many years, so why have a full immersion baptism?

What is New Life Care? That’s a question many have asked over the last five years. Most people thought it’s to do with babies. Well, let me introduce you to what New Life Care is about!

On Sunday 14th February a team of four of us from Family Church left the cold of the UK to head to Uganda for a week.

Mike and I left Stowmarket on the 5th June at 12 noon. We had a great flight to Kenya, but a big wait at their airport for the next connecting flight! At last we arrived in Rwanda, at Kigali Airport, at 7 pm on the 6th, tired but happy to be there. It was dark and we just wanted to get to the hotel room for a shower and a good night’s sleep!

Pastor Mike Smith and Youth Pastor Adrian Davies recently spent two weeks in Rwanda, Africa. Here are some snippets from the diary Adrian kept during the trip . . .