What we've been up to!
Taking a look back over May…
We have had some fab Sunday gatherings together – thankyou to all those who serve and bless the church by helping run these precious times. It was great to have a Sunday in May where we took a longer extended time to Worship led by the Devoted band and then came a powerful testimony given by Pip Ridgeway followed by space for ministry.
We held our Annual Budget Powerhouse at the beginning of the month where Esther shared about the church finance which was an encouragement as we now have a surplus budget for the first time in five years! Praise God and thankyou to all those who give so generously and faithfully.
It is so good to have KLG (Kids Lifegroup) back for our children in school years 5 & 6 – Thank you so much to Lizzy Bird and Esther Jesunayagam for leading these fun and faith filled times giving the group chance to discover their identity in God, build friendships and know God deeper.
Karen Hill from Creation Call came to School of Leadership to see how SOL is doing with working in an environmentally sustainable way. She also picked up a lot on what Gateway is doing in that area and affirmed us for how much we’re doing. And Hannah Clark visited Euangelion event in Cumbria to encourage Cumbrian churches in their evangelism. She was then guest speaking at the Christ Central church in Keswick and had some encouraging feedback from people in the room.
On Saturday the 9th May we celebrated 200 years of St Mark’s Church by holding a special event attended by the Deputy Lord Mayor, local MP and councillor. It was a great time for us as a church and the local community to thank God for all the years of worship, mission and community service at St Mark's. On the day there was a good turnout of around 140 people who enjoyed a choir performance led by Lesley, an Art exhibition curated by Natalie as well as poetry, historical displays, memories shared and a short talk. Our special guests spoke really encouragingly, thanking us for our ongoing work in local community.
This is a place where we hope to share what we have been up to in Gateway, to let the whole church know of activities and aspects of church life including wider outreach and initiatives that you may not always get to witness or hear about. We want to encourage everyone with all the good and exciting projects we are part of and give space to look back, reflect on and thank God and others in our church community who serve in the local area, the city or further afield.
If you have something to share please email it in to sarah.woodger@gatewayleeds.net