... prepare your minds for action ... 1 Pet 1:13

It's always a challenge to encapsulate a year in the life of GFEC in a few sentences. So much has happened and I can only provide a brief summary in this report. I have my thoughts. Doubtless you have your perspective, but only God knows the full picture.

As Elders, we have sought to provide a balanced diet of practical and relevant Biblical teaching for everyone. We began in April with the 'One month to live' series, where we asked the question 'How would we change our lives if we only had 30 days to live?' We followed this with a series from Haggai, 'Building a house for God'. In July we began a new series entitled 'Church matters' when we focused on the role of the Pastor, Elders, Deacons and Members. This provided a launch-pad for discussion in the Home Groups as we reviewed our roles in church life. After a series on 'Wise up to Proverbs', we entered 2011 and began our 'E100' journey as we read passages from the Old Testament during the week and followed up on successive Sundays with teaching under the theme 'The Big Picture'. I believe this series has already proved to be a great help with Home Groups following up on the Sunday message.

As 2011 is the 400th anniversary of the KJV printing, we are currently planning a 'Walk thru the Bible' seminar in June which we hope will reinforce our understanding of an Old Testament overview.

Although we are a smaller group on Sunday evenings, these times have continued to provide an opportunity for us to hear some exciting reports from the missionaries we support and receive teaching on a wide range of subjects. The 'Why I believe' series arranged by Gerald has continued to be an encouragement as different members have shared their journey to faith in Christ and the difference He has made in their Christian walk.

In November our Away day at Clanfield proved to be a marvellous time of fellowship and teaching as David Earl brought us messages on the theme 'The greatest of these is love' followed by an evening of fun, food and fireworks at Ray & Fiona's home.

Later that month, we had the joy of celebrating with Alice & Mike as they were baptised at Wantage Baptist church.

The Elders are particularly grateful to the Deacons for their continued hard work and the immense contribution they make to the leadership and smooth running of church life. The Elders & Deacons have met several times to pray and plan together. I have really appreciated their support to me as Pastor. Andy has now re-joined the Eldership team after a well-deserved break from leadership responsibilities. In July, Gerald steps down from the Eldership and Margaret from the Diaconate. We are immensely grateful to God for their wisdom and dedication in serving Him and us over many years.

Debbie has recently been appointed as our P/T administrator in addition to being elected as a Deacon. She is also responsible for leading the Sunday Club while Ruth Haynes is concentrating on outreach among families. The First Friday Funday Club times have been well attended and the aim is to develop a 'Café style' church in the future. The first Friday evening of each month continues to be a busy time at Cornerstone as Noel & Elaine lead the IG-NITE evenings with opportunity for the YP to have fun together followed by a short Bible talk. The Elders are grateful to God for the time and dedication these people bring to these valuable ministries.

On a sadder note, to say that we were all shocked at the death of Maureen at the end of October is an understatement. While we have the assurance that she is with the Lord, our hearts go out to Ken and the family as they continue their journey of grief. Maureen was a gracious woman of God who touched each of our lives and we miss her so much.

Although progress on our aspirations for a 'Christian Centre' on the Grove development has again been slow, we still need to 'prepare our minds for action' by seeking God's direction. We need to be in a state of preparedness to move ahead when God gives us the green light. Our bi-monthly 'Building Vision' Prayer breakfasts at Cornerstone are a major part of this preparation.

The 'Community Outreach Group' has again proved to be an exciting forum as, under Barbie's leadership, we have continued to look at ways in which we can build bridges into our community. The COG Fayre in November provided an opportunity to celebrate how Christian and non-faith groups are currently engaging with the community and gave us an opportunity to network with a number of key people from these groups.

None of the varied ministries at GFEC would exist if it weren't for the selfless dedication of people giving their time and energy to serve God. We thank God for you and trust that you will be fulfilled and fruitful in your particular sphere of service. Some ministries are more public, while others take place in the background. All are vital as we seek to build a balanced church under the 5 purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism.

As a church we want to grow – 'in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ'. We also look to God for numerical growth. In a message I recently preached from Acts on the theme 'The hallmarks of a healthy church', I mentioned that growth in numbers comes from two 2 main sources – transfer growth and conversion growth. Over the last couple of years or so, we have been grateful to God as He has brought several Christians and their families to us who have been eager to serve in different areas of church life. As we refocus on evangelism, we intend to run a seeker's course, probably 'Christianity Explored' which has recently been updated and revised. It's been some time since we held a seeker course and I personally sense that God will bless this step of faith with conversions as we share the good news of Jesus in a Biblical and relevant way.

Please continue to pray that we will know God's wisdom in all areas of church life as we move forward.

Paul John

(on behalf of the Elders: Gerald Belcher, Andy Hooker & Chris Margetts)