23 November 2013 The Inn Crowd in Alsager

While Roger, Helen and Mary were in Cyprus, Annie took a team with her and travelled to Alsager for the Inn Crowd in a day.  She had a great team with her - Richard played the part of Sam, Ann the part of Debbie, Simon the part of Joe, and Amy was Mary.  The team were also joined by Carol and Graham who are often on team, but this time just came along for fun.  

It was lovely to spend a day with Bernard and Sheila Moss, as CMM has a very special relationship with them that has built up over the years.  Bernard and Sheila provided an amazing lunch for the team of Staffordshire oatcakes!

There were a lot of really good singers at the day, including a lot of men, which always helps!

This is what Annie had to say in an email afterwards:

Hi, folks. Had a lovely email from Bernard Moss, the organiser of the Alsager 'Inn Crowd' musical-in-a-day on Saturday. An extract from his email this morning says "Thank you so much to you and your team for a great day yesterday - prayers were answered in so many ways, and yes, people are asking for you to come back ... Lots of great feedback from church this morning, including lots of people who hadn't been able to come realising what they had missed! What struck members of the choir most was your lovely ability to work with us as we are, not as we might be, and being able to take our musical imperfections and weave them into an enjoyable moment ... that surely is also what the gospel is all about!

Cyprus part 3

St Barnabas' Limassol

Update 3:

So... my last Cyprus update for you all.

Early on Friday morning we travelled to St Barnabas' Church in Limassol ready for a worship workshop. The chaplain (vicar) at St Barnabas is one of the people that first invited us to Cyprus. His name is Derek, and his wife's name is Sue, and they are both absolutely lovely and have been doing amazing work in a tough situation.

The choir at Limassol

The workshop was interesting... Derek had to go and take a funeral, so besides Sue there was one other lady there, Nora. And then Nora had to leave half way through. This was actually a blessing, because we took the opportunity to pray and sing around the church and to spend some time ministering to Sue particularly. It was actually a wonderfully refreshing time for us all.

Angella and Tim at Limassol

In the afternoon the choir arrived to rehearse for the musical. They were a great choir, pulled together on just two rehearsals, but you would never have guessed. They really got in to it and sang amazingly well. We had the soloists from Larnaca join us, and the performance in the evening was really special in front of a packed church.

Mary with Sue and Clive at Paphos

After the performance we travelled to Paphos, arriving at about 11pm. Mick and Devon stayed with Mick's friends in Mandria, and I understand Devon brought the house down at a local karaoke bar. Roger and Mary stayed with their friends from Sutton Coldfield Sue and Clive, and Yvette and I stayed with Judith and Dex in Tala, way outside of Paphos.

The church in Paphos

After spending a little bit of time in the morning exploring Paphos harbour, we led a worship workshop at a community church. It was a brilliant session - there were about 30 there, and they were so enthusiastic. We were able to really go into depth in the creative prophetic workshop, and at least 50% of the people there had a go at singing out (or rapping) a prophecy.

An evening with Devon

The evening with Devon was amazing. There were about 50 there, but it was a small space so felt really intimate. We know that some of the things Devon shared really touched people, and there were a few crying as Devon ministered with one of the songs he had written.

The American Academy, Nicosia

Yesterday we had our 'massed choir finale' at the American Academy in Nicosia. 4 of the 5 choirs were able to come and join in, and we had a choir of over 60 singers. It was great to see all of the choirs mixing together, from both sides of the border. I had wondered where the audience would come from, but in the end we had over 150 people there, including a group of children who were completely engrossed at the front.

A celebration Nandos!

We finished with a nice meal together with Simon and Pauline (who have organised everything) and Beth and Graham (the key contacts in Larnaca).

Today we had a little debrief, and now we're tidying the flat and unloading the van ready to drive to Paphos airport tonight.

Thanks


Helen
xxx

The CMM visit to Cyprus really was an amazing event, blessed by God.  Massive thanks go to so many people, particularly Simon and Pauline, Richard, Sue and Tim, Graham and Beth, Derek and Sue, and all of the choir trainers and organisers from across the Island.

Annas and George in full performance mode at Limassol

The stone where Paul was possibly beaten in Paphos

Paul was here...

Devon hard at work in Paphos

The massed choir in Nicosia

The massed choir in action

Prayer time before the final performance

Cyprus part 2

Update 2:

Hi Everyone,

Finally back in Larnaca after a few days away from my laptop and from wifi in Northern Cyprus. We've had a busy few days.

The Filipino dancers

Sunday went well in Ayia Napa. It is an interesting Anglican church - mostly ex-pats and Filipino women who are domestic servants. There was quite a moving moment when Simon (the vicar) got everyone to pray for the women because of the Typhoon in the Philippines. I wasn't entirely happy with what I had prepared, but when I started speaking it seemed to flow, and Devon sang over people afterwards, which was great.

Roger, Mary and Yvette also got on well in Larnaca. The church was very full and people were very receptive.

Mambo number 5

After contrasting lunches (Roger, Mary and Yvette had a posh English roast, while the rest of us went to a rather random but fun church lunch at which some of the Filipino ladies danced to Mambo no.5) we met up at Simon and Pauline's house "near" Ayia Napa before travelling to the town hall for the evening with Devon. It was a strange evening - we had major problems with the keyboard, so things didn't buzz and flow as well as they could have. Devon did well though, and the feedback from the audience was good.

Yvette and Mick at the Cultural centre

On Monday morning we left for Famagusta in the 'occupied north' of the island, crossing a military checkpoint on the way. Unfortunately they didn't immediately let the van with all the equipment through, so most of us travelled on to the town, while Simon Holloway sorted out the visa/insurance/technical issues with the van. We took the opportunity to go and look around Salamis, which was amazing. In the afternoon we gathered at the cultural centre ready for our performance of Two Sisters, but we had to wait a very long time for the hall staff to set up the sound equipment. They wouldn't let our technician Richard touch anything, despite him knowing far more about it than them. It was a frustrating time, and ultimately meant that we only had about a 50 minute rehearsal with the choir and soloists.

Immanuel playing... Immanuel

The choir were amazing - there were about 25 of them, all students from Nigeria. The soloists they provided were great, particularly Immanuel who played the part of Jesus (!). We've certainly never had a choir like that before, and the performance was full of life and movement. The audience were strange - very noisy and constantly walking in and out. But apparently that is normal. After the performance we drove over an hour to Kyrenia in the north - we were absolutely shattered.  Praise God that Mick was with us to do the driving.

The Kyrenia choirmaster

Tuesday was a lot more chilled out - we had a lazy morning exploring Kyrenia town centre, which is beautiful, and then had a good long rehearsal with the choir from 3pm. The choir couldn't be more different to the one in Famagusta - much more formal, with all of their music in posh folders. It was good to have plenty of time with them to get to know them. They took us out for dinner, and then we had a performance at 8pm. The church was packed (it only holds 100), and there was a brilliant atmosphere. We all had wonderful hosts in Kyrenia, and were amazingly well looked after.

The church in Nicosia

Yesterday we did a bit of sightseeing in Kyrenia and then travelled over the checkpoint in Nicosia, before going to a church in south Nicosia for an evening of worship and prayer. We took some of the evening and then handed over to them. It was a great evening - they were very charismatic, and really blessed us. It was an interesting experience - they only did 3 very simple songs in 40 minutes very loudly, but it was passionate and we were blessed. On the downside Roger managed to leave his laptop in Kyrenia. We managed to cobble together a powerpoint for the evening, but it means that on our day off today Mick and Roger will have to travel all the way back to the checkpoint in Nicosia to meet Roger's host who is bringing it.

Prayers would be appreciated for tomorrow - we have an incredibly long day in Limassol with a worship works seminar and a performance. Also, we're a bit worried that we may not have accommodation in Paphos at the weekend. Do pray that it all gets sorted out.

Helen

The ruins at Salamis

The choir at Famagusta

In rehearsal at Famagusta

The Famagusta 'baddies'

Helen with the choir in Kyrenia

The Kyrenia 'baddies'

The Kyrenia choir in rehearsal

Bellapaix Abbey

Devon, Mick and Simon at Bellapaix

The whole team outside the church at Kyrenia

November 2013 Two Sisters in Cyprus

Lazarus' Church and grave in Larnaca

During his sabbatical in December 2011, Roger felt God leading him to travel to Cyprus.  Since then an amazing combination of events led to the first ever CMM official visit to Cyprus, for an island-wide mission.  The whole tour was spearheaded by the amazing Simon and Pauline Holloway who were the vision behind it, and they were supported by a network of others, not least Richard Fairhead, who let the team stay in his flat.

The team was made up of Roger, Mary, Devon, Helen, Yvette and Mick.  Yvette was not originally intending to come to Cyprus - the soloist was Kathleen, but her daughter sadly had a horseriding accident, so Yvette stepped in at the last moment - an amazing answer to prayer.

Here is the story of the visit, told in emails by Helen!

Sorting the bookstall over breakfast

Update 1:

Hi Everyone,

A quick email to update you on how we're all getting on in Cyprus (also will form a helpful reminder when I come to write my blog in a couple of months time!).

Richard loading the van

The flights were good, and we were met at the airport by Mick and Richard. Mick has come with us from the UK, and Richard lives here in Larnaca. He's a former BBC sound technician, and he's doing all of the sound for our tour. He has a holiday let flat below his house that four of us are in, and Mick and Devon are staying elsewhere.

Larnaca Community Church

After lots of rehearsals yesterday, today we had a very full day beginning with a worship seminar at Larnaca Community Church. There were about 40 there, many of whom were also in the choir, and they were really receptive. Roger's seminar about creative and prophetic worship went down a storm, and really paved the way for the prophetic time in the performance tonight.

Larnaca Community Church Choir

After a lovely lunch at the house of one of the choir members we returned to Larnaca Community Church for a choir rehearsal. The choir were brilliant - they were mostly new to choral singing, so were full of life and energy. The two priests particularly - Annas and George - were great fun and stole the show. For this performance, Richard's son Tim sang the role of Jesus, and a local girl, Angella, sang the part of Mary. She had worked so hard to fill in the role just in case we couldn't bring anyone to replace Kathleen we gave her the opportunity to sing tonight. She is a particularly fine actress (and gave me loads of ideas for future performances!).

Devon, Angella and Yvette with the choir

There was a lovely huge audience (apparently there was a waiting list for tickets) and they seemed to enjoy themselves. The church were really geared up to pray with people afterwards, and there was a lovely buzz in the church.

Richard in action

Please pray for tomorrow. Roger is having to take the whole service at Larnaca Community Church - they had originally asked the whole music team not to play, but Roger managed to get some of them back! He doesn't like to both lead worship and preach, so it will be hard work. He will have Mary and Yvette with him. I travel with Mick and Devon to Ayia Napa. Assuming we can find it (they don't seem to be good at giving directions here), I'm preaching and then we'll do a ministry song, as well as sing O the deep deep love of Jesus at communion. I don't have powerpoint, and there are a number of people in the congregation who don't have good English, so it will be tricky. There are also a lot of Filipinos there, so worship is poignant and challenging for them at the moment.

Then we have an evening with Devon, which should be good fun.

Helen

Tim singing the part of Jesus

Annas and George

09 November 2013 Worship Works Launch Day

In November 2013 an incredibly important event occurred.  We published our first ever book!  Roger, Annie and Helen had been working hard all year writing and formatting the book, and others had been contributing with artwork and proofing.  Finally the book arrived at the office (just before the Scargill week) and on 9th November it was officially launched at St Andrew's Barnt Green with a day of workshops and worship.

A wonderfully large crowd gathered and were presented with their books, and we began the day with worship led by Annie and a small CMM band of Tim on drums, Jonathan and Michael on guitar, and Helen and Amy on woodwind and vocals.

Roger then took over and spoke about God the worship-seeker.  This talk comes from chapters 1 and 2 in Worship Works and focuses on how all worship is initiated by God seeking us out for relationship and transforms us from the inside out.

Helen then took up the baton and led a session about fitting music into our Sunday morning worship, particularly focusing on why we sing in church, and the advantages and theology behind the 'flow of praise'.

After lunch we divided into three workshops.  Roger led the 'Creative and prophetic worship' workshop, where he taught the group to improvise.  Helen led a group focusing planning and leading a block of praise, and Annie led a workshop about running a music group.

The final afternoon session took the theme of 'Enter his gates', using the Tabernacle as a template for how we worship God by coming through the gates with thanksgiving, entering into his courts with praise, and then coming into the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.

Worship Works has been dedicated to our long-standing supporter and friend Barrie Renwick.  He was presented with the book at the music week at Scargill, but here's a photo specially composed for the book launch.

A massive thanks goes to all of our supporters who have helped us with this project over the years in many ways, and thanks also to those at Barnt Green and EBRG who helped with the practicalities of the day.

Barrie receiving his book

 

The bookstall getting busy (thanks Jonathan and Angie for stepping in!)

Helen leading plenary 2

October 2013 A week in the Yorkshire Dales

October 2013 saw a team from CMM travelling to Scargill House, near Kettlewell once again.  Scargill is one of our favourite venues, and it is great to see it flourishing again.  The CMM team for this week consisted of Roger, Mary, Annie, Helen, Jaime and Amy, and we were delighted to have Jaime's mum Val as one of a great pastoral pairing.

The theme for the week was the musical Simeon, and Roger took three different themes for his morning talks: "For my eyes have seen", "Be born in us today" and "Glory to God".  The great thing about music weeks is the opportunities they give for good conversation and prayer ministry.  

Helen trained the choir, who were a little short of men, but they did admirably, and Annie looked after the orchestra - transforming an interesting array of instruments and abilities into something quite special.  The brave few who auditioned for solo roles were also brilliant, and every part was covered well.  It was good to have Caroline and Dave among the guests - Dave did a great job narrating the role of Simeon, and Caroline sang the tricky descant in 'Why should I be so favoured'.  We were also blessed to have Mark looking after all things technical - two years ago he was on percussion, but now he's training as a sound engineer.

The performance on the Friday evening was really special, and as November had just arrived, didn't feel too out of season!  Well done to everyone who took part, and thanks to Scargill for hosting us so wonderfully.

Mary leading the morning worship

Helen working with the choir

 

Annie with the orchestra

Lunch at Scargill

Worship before the final rehearsal

Some of the choir

Roger with the choir and orchestra

The orchestra

Roger in action with the choir

Mark working at the sound desk