Dear Partners and Friends of Welcome Network,
Once again it’s that time of year to look back and be thankful for all that God has been doing in us and through us as Welcome Network!
This Autumn, Bob brought a teaching word about Breaking up the fallow ground, when speaking at a local church in Alnwick. After questioning a farming friend about the ins and outs of ploughing nowadays, Bob ended up on a tractor with the farmer later that week!! In the farming calendar, it is certain that the better the ground is prepared, the better the harvest you can expect to reap! Our prayer for each one of us, is that our hearts will be open and receptive to God’s preparing work, so that we can all be fruitful in our lives and work in 2020!
Prayer and Worship have been so important in fuelling our united hunger for God to move across Northumberland! We have hosted two gatherings of Open Wells, in Alnwick this Autumn, together with others in the local area. Both meetings were encouraging as we welcomed new people, and were able to build up one another, during worship, prayer and small group sharing.
We have had good feedback from the Northumberland Prayer Net event held in September. Eighteen pop-up prayer groups took part, and we are hoping to do it again in 2020. As a result of this event, we are now working with several church groups along the Northumberland coastline with a vision to hold outdoor prayer meetings at the beacons on the evening of Pentecost Sunday next year. We are picking up on the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ vision – that many would come to know Jesus Christ personally in our nation.
People continue to come and use our home as a place to take a break – a quiet space to pray and seek God. Recently we hosted an Alpha away day for one of the local churches with whom we relate. If you would like to visit our Prayer Garden (Albafarne) yourself (see https://quietgarden.org/gardens/albafarne/).
In Northern Europe, we made our first visit to Finland in October. We connected with the Evangelical Alliance there, and with some of the church leaders in Helsinki. We met and chatted with one gentleman who has been organising prayer across the whole city of Helsinki for many years. We are returning at the end of January to attend a National Day of Prayer for Finland and to teach and share about Prayer Walking, with a group of church leaders.
Please pray for good things to come out of the bits of media work we do! This year we have contributed to local radio programmes on Spark FM in Sunderland and Lion heart radio in Alnwick.
Locally, Mary is enjoying being part of the Open the Book Team, going into schools in our area to tell and act out Bible stories.
We are appreciating being part of local village life in Shilbottle! This November we co-ordinated the civic Remembrance Day service, and over the Christmas period we hope to deliver a prayer card and HOPE magazine through every door in our village.
A BIG thank you to all of YOU for your encouragement, support and prayers for us! We would not be able to do it without you!
Please keep in touch, and let us know how we can pray for you!
Much Love and a very Happy Christmas!
Bob and Mary Bain XXX
Welcome Network, 29 Grange Road, Shilbottle, Alnwick NE66 2XN; Mob: 07988564299
e-mail: bobbain@hotmail.co.uk; See our website blog for ministry news. To support our work, please send gifts to Welcome Network, HSBC sort code 40-16-11 A/C no. 22141965 or use our giving link ,https://www.give.net/welcomenetwork/oneoff
