CCK Life blog

Monday 1st February

- Men’s Prayer for Brighton @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30-8.15am)

- Friends First with Cocaine Anonymous @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

Tuesday 2nd February

- Beta Course @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7pm)

- Netball Training @ Crew Club, Coolham Drive, Whitehawk (8pm)

Wednesday 3rd February

- Mum’s Prayer @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am)

- Small groups meeting in your area

Thursday 4th February

- Small groups meeting in your area

Friday 5th February

- New Horizons @ 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (2pm)

Saturday 6th February

- Prayer Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (8-9am)

- New England Arts Orchestra @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am-12.30pm)

Sunday 7th February

- Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (9.15am, 11.30am and 6.30pm). Guest speaker Phil Moore will be preaching at all three services. Martin Cooper will be leading worship at 9.15am and 11.30am, and Jules Burt will be leading worship at 6.30pm.

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Monday 25th January

- Men’s Prayer for Brighton @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30-8.15am)

- Friends First with Cocaine Anonymous @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

Tuesday 26th January

- Beta Course @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7pm)

- Netball Training @ Crew Club, Coolham Drive, Whitehawk (8pm)

Wednesday 27th January

- Mum’s Prayer @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am)

- Zone Life Equipping Evening @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

- Small groups meeting in your area

Thursday 28th January

- Small groups meeting in your area

Friday 29th January

- New Horizons @ 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (2pm)

- Engage @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

- CCKY (11-14 year olds) @ 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (7pm)

Saturday 30th January

- Prayer Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (8-9am)

Sunday 31st January

- Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (9.15am, 11.30am and 6.30pm). Joel Virgo will be preaching at all three services, continuing his Alternative City series. Stuart Townend will be leading worship at 9.15am and 11.30am, and Phatfish will be leading worship at 6.30pm.

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Monday 11th January

- Men’s Prayer for Brighton @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30-8.15am)

- Friends First with Cocaine Anonymous @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

Tuesday 12th January

- Beta Course @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7pm)

- Netball match @ St Paul’s School, Burgess Hill (8.15pm)

Wednesday 13th January

- Mum’s Prayer @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am)

- Small groups meeting in your area

Thursday 14th January

- Small groups meeting in your area

Friday 15th January

- New Horizons @ 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (2.15pm)

- Engage @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

- CCKY (11-14 year olds) @ 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (7pm)

Saturday 16th January

- Prayer Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (8-9am)

Sunday 17th January

- Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (9.15am, 11.30am and 6.30pm). Joel Virgo will be preaching at all three services, continuing his Alternative City series. Simon Brading and Pete Coggan will be leading worship at 9.15am and 11.30am, and Simon Brading will be leading worship at 6.30pm.

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Monday 11th January

- Men’s Prayer for Brighton @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30-8.15am)

- Friends First with Cocaine Anonymous @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

Tuesday 12th January

Wednesday 13th January

- Mum’s Prayer @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am)

- Small groups meeting in your area

Thursday 14th January

- Small groups meeting in your area

Friday 15th January

- New Horizons @ 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (2.15pm)

- Engage @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

- CCKY (11-14 year olds) @ 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (7pm)

- Half night of prayer @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (8-12 midnight)

Saturday 16th January

- Prayer Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (8-9am)

- New England Orchestra @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am-12.30pm)

- Creatives Network Morning @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am-12.30pm)

Sunday 17th January

- Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (9.15am, 11.30am and 6.30pm). Joel Virgo will be preaching at all three services, continuing his Alternative City series. Stuart Townend will be leading worship at 9.15am and 11.30am, and Jules Burt will be leading worship at 6.30pm.

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Amy Loizides arrived in Brighton 2 years ago to serve on CCK’s Impact team for a year. She then worked as part of the Administrative team, led by Annie Waller.  She has just left Brighton to return to South Africa before moving to America to be involved with a church there. Amy shares with Yohaan Philip about her relationship with Jesus along with some of her memories of life in Brighton.

YP: Tell me about how you came to know Jesus.

AL: Well….! I grew up in a Christian home but as happens with a lot of people, the older I got the less important Jesus was to me and things like popularity, boys, image, parties etc got more and more important. In Cape Town, South Africa (where I grew up) every year Newfrontiers ran a Summer Camp (sort of like Newday but on a smaller scale) for the youth of the churches in our area. I went every single year and every time I went I’d get all fired up for God again; I’d be really excited about the whole thing, but then two weeks later when I went back to school, I’d go straight back into my old habits - partying, gossiping, drinking and all that. Then I arranged to come to England to find a job after I finished school when I was 18 but nothing opened up! So I emailed Joel Virgo and asked if I could come to Brighton (because that was one of the few places in England I actually remembered!) and volunteer at CCK for a little bit while I looked for a job. He said no to my idea because he had a better one - he said I should do Impact for six months at CCK instead! Then on the plane on the way over I was thinking about how messy everything had gotten in my life and how much it had hurt me and I just said “Right God, I swore I’d never go to England yet I’m on a plane to England and I swore I’d never work for the church yet I’m on my way to do six months at CCK, so it seems you’ve got me right where you want me.” There was no point fighting it anymore and pursuing other things so right then and there I just surrendered my life once again to whatever God had in store for me and honestly there wasn’t anything better that I could have done or will ever do.

YP: Lovely story! So why are you leaving Brighton then?!

AL: Haha the million dollar question… In short I feel like Brighton has been sort of a stepping stone, a ‘launch pad’ if you like in the time that I’ve been here. CCK is a great place to come, get stuck in, be a part of, be trained up and move on to advance the gospel further in other parts of the world. So I’m going to North Carolina, USA for a few months…as you do. After that, who knows!

YP: What have been some of the key things you’ve learnt whilst at CCK?

AL: Man this is hard because literally my whole life has changed! Umm…

To try and do everything with your best effort - because ultimately even if you aren’t working for the church, you are working for God and so it’s worth it to get stuck in wholeheartedly and get involved wherever you can.

To trust God completely with everything no matter how big or little it seems. God’s faithfulness shouldn’t surprise me, but it always does. He might not answer or provide in the way you expect him to, but it will always be the way that’s best for you and He will never ignore you.

YP: What are some of the things you’re going to miss?

AL: I sometimes grumble about Brighton but to be absolutely honest there is not a place in the world like it. I will miss walking down the road and seeing a man with blue hair, a tie dye dress, piercings everywhere walking barefoot in the pouring rain. I will miss the Red Roaster coffee house (just by the Old Steine - visit if you haven’t already!). I will really miss the amazing friends I’ve made and the ladies (plus a few boys) who work on the admin team at CCK - they do so much that goes unnoticed, true gems!

YP: Yes they are stars! All the best then and hopefully we’ll see you soon!

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Monday 21st December

- Men’s Prayer for Brighton @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30-8.15am)

- Friends First with Cocaine Anonymous @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

Tuesday 22nd December

Wednesday 23rd December

Thursday 24th December

- CCK Office closes @ 12noon. Re-opens on Monday 4th January.

Friday 25th December

- Christmas Day Service, 10am in the Lounge. Phil Turner will be speaking and  Dave Fellingham will be leading worship.

- Christmas Lunch in the Whitefield room, after the service. Book @ the Connect Point

Saturday 26th December

Sunday 27th December

- 9.15 & 11.30 services only (No 6.30pm service). Stephen Dawson will be speaking and Simon Brading will be leading worship.

Sunday 3rd January

- Meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (9.15am, 11.30am and 6.30pm). Terry Virgo will be speaking, Jules Burt will be leading worship @ 9.15 & 11.30, Simon Brading will be leading worship @ 6.30pm.

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Monday 14th December

- Men’s Prayer for Brighton @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30-8.15am)

- Friends First with Cocaine Anonymous @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

- Choir Practice @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (8pm)

Tuesday 15th December

- Netball match at St. Peter’s School, Burgess Hill (7pm)

Wednesday 16th December

- Mum’s Prayer @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (10am) - anyone welcome!

- Small Groups meeting in your area

Thursday 17th December

- Lighthouse Plus @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (7.30pm)

- Small Groups meeting meeting in your area

Friday 18th December

- New Horizons @ Clarendon Villas, 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (2pm)

- Engage (15-18 year olds) restarts Jan 2010

- CCKY (11-14 year olds) @ Clarendon Villas, 21-23 Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE (7pm)

Saturday 19th December

- Prayer meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (8-9am)

Sunday 20th December

- We will be meeting @ Clarendon Centre, 47 New England Street, BN1 4GQ (9.15am, 11.30am and 6.30pm) for our christmas carol event “Christmas Alive”. Joel Virgo will be preaching at all three services, CCK Choir & Phatfish will be leading worship with traditional carols and contemporary songs.

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Nigel Ring has lived in Brighton and Hove for over 25 years now. He heads up the newfrontiers administration team and serves as Terry Virgo’s Administrator. Nigel served as one of the leaders of CCK for over 25 years. Nigel writes..

The recent Gift Day has included the needs of Kenya as they face severe drought. Let me give you a bit of background about our involvement there.

We first met Edward and Fridah Buria at the Downs Bible Week in 1985. This Bible week, hosted by newfrontiers on the Plumpton Racecourse near Lewes, then had about 7000 people attending. A few years later they brought their 100 or so churches into the family of newfrontiers.

Edward and Fridah are a remarkable couple. He is a visionary, evangelist, and entrepreneur who also has an apostolic ministry. Fridah is a very able business woman and wonderful support to Edward. He grew up in very poor circumstances (little better than slum life); she came from a well-to-do farming family. They met when he preached about Jesus in her school as a young adult (having been healed from a terminal illness). Several months after he first saw her he prayed for a wife for a considerable period and God told him she was the one.

After their wedding and first child they moved to Meru, a sizable town at the foot of Mount Kenya. They lived in a very rough area where there was high crime. After much prayer, they were able to start a church ‘Miracle in the Village’, now numbering nearly 1000 people. It is now the most peaceful area of Meru.

They began starting churches all over Kenya. Edward now oversees about 160 churches.

The drought they now face is the 3^rd this millennium, and by far the worst. I have visited during the previous two droughts (we have raised funds to help) and have been greatly impressed by their protocols and the highly effective and efficient ways in which they get help to the places of greatest need.

I have now just received (Nov 27^th) the following email about the current situation (only extracts reproduced here):

We have just returned back from Samburu (tribal area) where we have been for a few days carrying out relief andmedical operations … From what we have seen and heard … the situation on the ground and deep interior is so grave and not even captured on the National radar. It has emerged that we have whole ‘manyattas’ (i.e. Samburu homesteads) where on top of everyone being in dire need of relief food and other humanitarian supports, they have lost all their animals that succumbed to the drought … their only source of livelihood has been cut off.  In other areas, tension remains so high as communities fight and kill each other over cattle rustling and / or over the scarce either available vegetation and water. These intertribal skirmishes are so bad as they create a state of insecurity even on the roads in the affected areas.  It is also very clear that many people are dying as a result of the famine and through bandit-related incidents, and that such deaths go un-noticed or not recorded with the authorities.

The situation has even been complicated further by the continued failure of the much awaited rains … the weather people had predicted would be El-Nino Rains (i.e. torrential rains).

To our friends outside of Kenya, keep on praying for and with us and where it is possible to help in giving a smile and hope to a family in Samburu over this Christmas, please do so!

Like all other times in the past years, I and my able team remain so committed to standing and supporting our friends in Samburu and areas that have been affected by the on-going famine.

With every blessing.

Edward Buria

Thank you for giving sacrificially through the Gift Day. Please pray for them as the situation comes to mind.

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November, apart from the excitement of sparklers, fireworks and toffee apples, was the month in which the attention turned towards what is one of the classiest events in the CCK calendar; The CCK Leaders party.

The Clarendon Centre was transformed in order to host this annual celebration, in which we honour those individuals who have worked especially diligently in their church roles over the past year. With awards going to nominees from every level of church leadership, it was an excellent opportunity to applaud the people that have really given their all, those that have sacrificially and wholeheartedly served to ensure the smooth and productive running of the church…

The evening had a very apt ‘Cluedo’ theme, as the Church was likened to ‘a great house’ with many rooms. The main hall was decorated to look like a dinner room in an old mansion,with stain glass (projected!) windows and dinner candles…An old leather chair, lamp-stand and table intriguingly sat on a curtained stage as we waited patiently to see what it all meant. With a fantastically decadent photo booth area set up on one of the balconies, guests could ensure their glitzy outfits could be forever immortalised by photographer Steve Rowland (photos are available for viewing here) as everyone waited for the ceremony to begin.

As the lights dimmed and conversation hushed, our host, an eccentric aristocratic man by the name of Colonel Algernon Mustard, bundled into the side door as if from a storm, carrying a lantern and proceeded towards the leather chair where he introduced himself and replaced his raincoat with a well-appointed dressing gown. He then introduced the tour he would take us on through the floors of ‘the grand house’ (graphically represented brilliantly, in the classic Cluedo style on the big screens) Each floor was essentially a layer of church leadership, containing several rooms. Each room represented a team, and ultimately a set of nominees; ‘The Music Room’ for instance of course implied the worship team, while ‘The Nursery’ represented the Children’s ministry workers. As we journeyed through each floor and it’s rooms, the nominees were announced (on Cluedo cards!) and the winners presented with trophies. In true Oscar night style, the orchestral music, spotlight and huge applause accompanied each announcement, and here is a list of categories and their winners-Remember to pat them on the back next time you see them hard at work!

ZONES

South Hove Zone - Matt Fookes

Students - Chris Sivers

East Zone - Tal Fahy

Brighton Central Zone - Anneke Finer

North Hove Zone - Paul & Phillipa Williams

North Brighton Zone - Tom & Barbara Chong

West Zone - Steve & Lorrie Bell

International Zone - Edward Rhodes

Fiveways Zone - Paul & Becky Flannagan

YOUTHWORK

COGS weekly team leaders - Andrew Knight

COGS leadership award - Clare Andrews

Youth Work - Rich & Lisa Miles

UTILITIES

Duty Managers - Ken Stevens

Connect - Nick Vaughan

Lounge - Will Drury

Coffee area - Jo Rooke

Deaf - Mitra Hajebi

Looking after the Elderly - Beryl Lawton

Poor of the City - Danny Cassidy

Women of the City - Kate Martin

Family Life - Tal & Jo Fahy

MUSIC AND PRODUCTION

Sunday Production - Ryan Worsley

Worship - Jules Burt

Website/Communication - Yohaan Philip

SPECIAL AWARDS

Outstanding contribution - Keith & Irene Brooks

Winner of Winners - Matt Davis

After the announcement of the winners, our host announced that the dinner room doubled as a ballroom, and with that the on-stage curtains drew back to reveal a band, led by Hannah Silvester who set the excitable crowd dancing for the remainder of the party. A fantastic and fun end to this spectacularly posh party!

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