Jesus said, “Go you into all the world and preach the gospel” He also said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” With such statements from our Saviour, how can any church or person be left without a vision? Research over the past ten years has shown a steady decline in Sunday attendance particularly in the 25-45 age bracket, yet figures also show that churches using courses such as Alpha, Christianity Explored, Emmaus, etc have seen significant growth especially when such courses are part of the regular life of the church. With the continuing challenge from our Lord to reach out into our communities, I trust that through this news-sheet you might be informed and encouraged and perhaps even challenged to look again at what could happen in your church and community.

Our annual meal for leaders and their spouses was once again a most enjoyable as well as inspiring evening which this year was held at New Prestwick Church where Arlene McInnes and the ladies from the church did an excellent job and put on a superb meal. Our special guest was Alec Muir who heads out a remarkable ministry called `Broken Chains` which focuses on those with various addiction problems. Alec shared a little of his own story of God’s grace in releasing him from serious addiction and then opening up this ministry where he is able to assist churches to become involved with such outreach in their communities. Ayr has become the most recent venture for `Broken Chains` where both Southside and Ayr Baptist are vitally involved each week on Sunday evenings. During the evening we were also challenged to think again about youth and children’s work as we heard from Danella Strachan (Southside) regarding using puppets as a ministry in our outreach.

The church continues to rejoice in God’s blessings with a further baptism service last Sunday when two people witnessed to their faith in Christ and a number of others have indicated their intention of baptism in the near future. A new prayer ministry team has been set up and is functioning very well especially on Sundays following the services as people come forward or wait behind and find great comfort and help through such a ministry. Prayer has been asked for both the Church and Vince the pastor as they give themselves to a time of prayerful reflection on what the Lord would have them focus on as they look to future ministry and mission in the area. As part of sabbatical leave which never happened, Vince and Elaine are currently on three weeks leave for reading and reflection and we pray for blessing on both of them and the church while they are away.

The church is in good heart is currently asking for prayer as they seek God’s direction for future ministry and mission opportunities. The Lord’s guidance is particularly sought for the Elder’s election which is so important and will take place over coming weeks. I had the privilege of working with the church over recent months on a church assessment project which was both enjoyable and challenging as we looked at the whole range of ministries in the church. Pray for wisdom and vision for the leadership and the church as they prayerfully consider the outcome of this assessment. The summer evening of praise is always a big event in the church, please remember it in prayer as this year it will be on May 24th.

David and Janice in the church and Jed in the café need our prayer support as they faithfully work for God in Bourtreehill. The church though small is in good heart but David would love more people to come and commit themselves to be part of the church so they can reach out even further into a challenging area. They had a good time of witness over Easter and on Good Friday David and Janice had the additional joy of becoming grandparents when their daughter Nicola had a baby son. Other prayer points include: More volunteers committed to the work at the Oasis cafe. That the community would see the love of God at Oasis and that clear guidance from God would be given to the `Noon Day` committee for future plans. The vision to develop a `Keep Fit Centre` is stronger than ever but requires the proper resources of a qualified person to run this as well as funding. Pray also for Jed the manager of Oasis who struggles greatly with many health issues. There is an urgent need for a youth and community projects manager to join their team and expand this challenging vision.

The Friday café continues to be blessed and is undoubtedly the means used by God to reach into the community. With over 20 complete outsiders coming this offers a great bridge into many lives and already the church has seen a number coming along to the services. Louy is one such person who comes to the services and in whose life the Lord is definitely working. He also enjoys singing and now accompanies the teams from the church when they visit the Victoria hostel for the homeless where he entertains the residents with a mixture of spiritual songs and ballads. Another café contact was John who was a regular at church and who in March of last year gave his heart to the Lord through simply observing Betty Martin and how she was coping with her health problems! Earlier this year John indicated that he wished to be baptised and this was set for 9th March but on February 22nd he passed away suddenly in his own home. Praise God for this outreach and pray for more fruit to God’s glory. Pray also for the pastor Colin and his wife Anne both of whom have really struggled with their health.

The church is enjoying a real season of blessing with another 2 people baptised recently and a number of others lining up for the near future. As was mentioned earlier the church has become closely involved with the Broken Chains ministry which is held in a separate hall in the town on Sunday nights. This affords an opportunity for members to get involved and use their giftedness in a great outreach ministry. The Monday drop-in time which includes a meal for the same group continues to run very successfully. Discipleship classes and small group work continues to grow in the church. Praise God for two Alpha groups currently running alongside a Christianity Explored course and for a number of discovery groups all geared to take the young Christian deeper into their new found faith. The church is also praising the Lord for the calibre of the young people they have in their youth work just now.

The church building continues to be shared on Sundays with the local Church of Scotland congregation who are waiting for their new building to be built. The Friday Café continues to attract people from the town as well as outsiders and can cater for over 50 on certain weeks which is an excellent means of contact. Seventeen teenagers from the Academy also regularly come along each week giving the Church a superb bridge-building opportunity to young people. Though the congregation are aging they are extremely faithful in their attendance at the services and the weekly women’s meeting is very strong and attracts many ladies from outside. Pray for Tom McVicar who is recording at Westsound this week for `Thought for the Day`

Praise God for the appointment of their new Youth Co-ordinator who is doing an excellent job. However prayer is requested for motivation and vision for the church and the youth department and all who are involved in this area of ministry. The Drop-in ministry which is located in the church building is going well and prayer is requested for wisdom on the part of the workers as they counsel and help. All sorts of problems are represented in the good number that turn up regularly each Wednesday from 12 to 3pm. Prayer is also needed for another great opportunity in the involvement of the church in the Kilmarnock Youth Project where 5 churches are working together in an effort to achieve a similar ministry to the Ark. Praise is also due for the recent election of a new diaconate and a fresh vision for the future.

God continues to bless the fellowship at Southside with many young families which calls for much wisdom and guidance and a lot of spiritual strength as the pastoral needs of the church are met. The following prayer points have been made: Please pray for us as we have now entered the process of electing a new Leadership Team for the Church. Pray that God will put His men and women in place. Pray for our move as a Church into the New Belmont Academy that this will be a smooth transition. We also want to thank God and give praise for last weekend when we had Bobby Ball with us. Over the space of the weekend 6 people that we know of gave their life to Christ and many people were challenged about their faith and their walk with God. Pray that all of these people will put their roots down into the good soil, where it will produce a crop of a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Paul Coventry the pastor was thrilled to baptise 7 people on the first Sunday of this year one of them being his mother! What an answer to prayer! A new Bible basics class has just started for these young believers in the faith. The church is also encouraged with the good spirit around the fellowship and with the attendance of some new people especially on Sunday mornings. Praise God for the good recovery that Paul’s wife Marie has made following her heart attack last November.

The church is enjoying a very encouraging time with a strong sense of vision and purpose. In May they celebrate their anniversary when Willie Wright will be with them. The Ladies Supper Club is also going well and attracting ladies from around the island. A couple of `Away Days` held recently have been very worthwhile in establishing a unified vision for future ministry. A most recent decision resulting from this has been the decision to actively look for a pastor probably on a part time basis. Plans are also afoot to explore the possibility of a group of students from the Ayr church who would come over for a few days in August to do some outreach work in the area.

God continues to bless and encourage us in the work here. The Tuesday evening group continues to grow with a number of new people having joined us since the turn of the year. We had a most successful Carol Service when the Girl Guides and Brownies took part and with parents and friends the hall was well filled. Pray with us as we look to the future and seek to establish further times for discipleship and worship. Cumnock During the past few months the church enthusiastically joined me in a time of church and community assessment when we looked at the challenge of becoming more relevant in communicating the gospel in our modern age. Many good things came out of this and a fresh commitment to God’s vision was quite discernable. We pray for both church and leadership as they prayerfully look to God for a new pastor who would join them as they seek to discern future ministry and outreach to their community.

The church are thrilled that the Prayer Breakfast which is held once a month attracts those who are unsaved and let us pray that these folk will soon come to faith in Christ. They also seek to reach out to the community once a month through their soup and sandwiches ministry which takes place at the church between 12:30 and 2pm on the last Monday. Another good witness is the involvement of the church through a representative on the community group for the regeneration of the village which ensures a focus on spiritual regeneration. They have also received an invitation from the community council to be involved in the organising of the village fun day in August – last year they sponsored a bouncy castle! All great ways of connecting with the community.

Pray for James Faddes as he heads out this great ministry to the youth in Ayr.