Here is an article I wrote for ‘the loop’, the bi-monthly magazine of King’s Community Church (Norwich).

Have you ever felt a sense of disappointment as the credits start to roll on an epic adventure film that you’ve been watching? For an agonisingly short period of time everything within you has been captivated by a great adventure! Suddenly a lifeless story has ‘got under your skin’ and moved not only your imagination but also your desires and longings. However, by the time you’ve unloaded the DVD, scooped the stray popcorn off the carpet and removed the empty beer bottles, you’ve managed to persuade yourself that those adventurous feelings are just childish dreams with no place in our modern and sophisticated world. Or are they?

I believe that God has invited you and me to join Him on this great and thrilling adventure! In many ways the book of Acts is the start of God’s great adventure of creating for himself a glorious church! Not the sedate, cautious, inward looking church that is so often portrayed in the media, but rather one that is: a city set on a hill (Matt 5:14); a glorious mountain of the Lord where all the nations shall flow to it (Is 2:1-2) ; a mission focused church; a city and region transforming church! Or as Charles W. Colson states “The church is not incidental to the great cosmic struggle for the hearts and souls of modern men and women.  It is the instrument God has chosen for that battle – a battle we are called to by virtue of being members of His body.” (‘The Body’, 1992).

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, in the middle of December 2009, whilst most other people where madly getting ready for Christmas, my family and I were moving from Attleborough where we had been planting Christ Community Church (www.christcommunitychurch.co.uk). We were relocating to Peterborough to enable me to lead the team at Nene Family Church (www.nenefamilychurchchurch.org.uk). We are praying that many other people will also hear the call to join this great adventure in Peterborough!

Peterborough is a great city! There are approximately 180,000 people from a wonderfully rich and diverse ethnic and cultural background. It is a growing and developing city and an ideal place to bring up a family. However, although Peterborough is a great city, it has tremendous need of the transforming power of the gospel!

My dream is to see a significant gospel-centred, mission-focused church in Peterborough that will play its part in seeing this great city transformed through both demonstrations of the Kingdom, such as ministry to the poor and declarations of the life transforming message of the gospel.

However, this type of dream will only be fulfilled by many, many people coming together to humbly and sacrificially ‘sow’ their lives into seeing the city and region transformed. I’m unashamed in saying that we in Nene Family Church cannot fulfill this dream on our own. We are praying that God will send many people who have a heart for the city and surrounding villages and towns. Maybe God is calling you? If so, please do get in touch to find out more