As the first term comes to an end and we look to Christmas I wanted to give you a quick update of what the Lord is doing here in The Tees Valley! We have had a great first term. Our GapYear team has done an amazing job of building relationships in their Youth and Kids clubs and getting to know folks in their churches and assigned schools. It is exciting to see them so engaged in the community! This is a great team and I believe that we will see a great harvest in the coming year! We hold on to this passage of scripture in 2 Corinthians 2:1-5: "And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." We are praying that we will see God move powerfully!

St. John’s of Egglescliffe and Northern Ireland:

Egglescliffe is a quaint village that overlooks Yarm. St John’s is an 11th Century church nestled right in the middle of this village. For over 1000 years it has served as a beacon for the Gospel. It now finds itself struggling to engage the community. Its greatest struggle is to reach out to the children and young people in the village in a relevant way with the Gospel. It is in many ways a microcosm of the challenge of all the churches in the UK. How do you reach this generation of kids and young people? I believe the only way is through relationships. Building intentional relationships that lead to a conversation about the living Lord Jesus. In September, Alexa Spence joined the Gap Year team. She is living and serving in Egglescliffe alongside Sylvia Wilson the “Priest in Charge” at St John’s. Together they are bringing the Gospel relevantly to this community! Pray for them as they try to make Him known!

Northern Ireland—We are still hearing good reports from our time serving there in October and they are open to us having a team from the USA come serve and support them in the summer of 2015. It is really exciting to see UK-USA Ministries expanding to other areas outside of the Tees Valley!

Café Church:

Café Church continues to grow across the Tees Valley. Each Tuesday somewhere in Teesside there is a group of young people gathering to connect with each other and experience church in a new and relevant setting. We are seeing more and more young people attending as well as leading in each of the Café Churches we help support. Check out this quick video for Yarm Café Church! It meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Please remember to pray for them this week!

December Schedule:

We will be in the USA for the month of December for Christmas and Grammer's 80th Birthday! During the first two weeks I will be speaking and casting the vision of UK-USA Ministries. Please pray for each of these gatherings.