This past year has been a time of transition for our church family. New things have begun like Youth Alpha, Saturday grappling & prayers at Joe’s Gym, and the Flourish prayer lunch at George Carey School, while others, like Family Hub on Sundays, have paused or shifted. These changes haven’t always been easy, but they reflect our desire to follow God’s lead and grow with Him.

We’ve also seen how Church at Barking Riverside is connecting with and blessing other local churches. Joe’s Gym attendees are joining Christ Church Thames View, and Youth Hub is thriving with people from St Erkenwalds, JDS, Triangoals Youth FC, House of Bread, and us at CBR. It’s a beautiful picture of the body of Christ working together in Barking.

Starting in September, we’ll embrace this unity more fully by renaming and realigning our efforts under a new banner: Solomon’s House. To hear more on this, see the below video where Sam explains further:

Whether you feel at the centre or on the edges of all this…if you’re reading this, then you’re part of what God is doing here. I invite you to embrace the gift of the Summer as a time to prepare for what’s to come and ask God for His vision for you in the coming year. This is a time for passion and vision to be Renewed as we take time to Rest and to Reconnect with God and one another.

I have given two specific challenges for us:

Challenge 1! To take time on RETREAT with Jesus

Challenge 2! To make space to RECONNECT with God & one another

How do we do that?

Read on!

Retreat: time alone with Jesus

In any relationship we know we need frequent time to talk and connect, but we also need special times when we withdraw from everything else and make that relationship our only focus. Our relationship with Jesus is no different. Retreat time, where we withdraw from every other concern and make space simply to be with Jesus one-on-one is one of our greatest needs and our greatest privilege. But how do we do it?

• Be intentional: book time in your diary: a day or ½ a day.
• Help each other: as Life Groups or friends can we offer to babysit or support each other in some way
• Find a place where you can be uninterrupted or alone, like a park, retreat center, church or someone else’s house

What do I do when I get there? (ideas from John Ortberg…)

1. Spend a brief time the night before to get ready, ask God to bless the day and tell Him you want to devote the day to Him. What do you need from the Lord: a sense of healing and forgiveness? A renewed sense of mission? Ask him for this.
2. Arrange the day around listening to God. Below is an example plan:
   8.00-9.00 Prepare your mind and heart, take a walk, or do whatever will help you set aside concerns over tasks and responsibilities – like writing down any jobs in your mind so you know they won’t be forgotten. Try to arrange your morning so you can remain in silence from the time you awaken.
   9.00-11.00 Read and meditate on Scripture, taking time to stop and reflect on what God seems to be speaking to you through the text.
   11.00-12.00 Write down responses to what you have read. Speak to God about them.
   12.00-1.00 Eat lunch and take a walk, reflecting on the morning.
   1.00-2.00 Take a nap.
   2.00-3.00 Set goals that emerge from the day’s reflection.
   3.00-4.00 Write down these goals and other thoughts in a journal.

…also try:

• Simply lying down as worship music plays and resting in the presence of God
• Writing questions to God, waiting to listen, and writing His response. Using different pens can help.

Don’t take lots of extra input like books or videos: make space to listen and for God to speak.

Reconnect…

…with God

If we’re honest, some of us may feel we’ve lost connection or the daily awareness of God near and close.  This might be partly why we want to go on retreat, or be discovered when we do!

Here’s one more tool that could help in our daily rhythm…it’s a prayer for REVIEWING THE DAY WITH GOD either last thing at night or first thing in the morning, again from John Ortberg:

1. Be still for a moment and quiet your mind
2. Acknowledge that Jesus is present. Invite Him to teach you
3. Go back in your mind to when you first woke up. Watch that scene, as if on video. This may lead you to pray for patience, greater love, courage, forgiveness or other virtues
4. Continue through the day, going from scene to scene. As you reflect on them, some scenes may fill you with gratitude, others with regret. Speak directly to the Lord about this. You may also be led to pray for some of the people you were interacting with during the day
5. End with a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s mercy and love. Ask him to refresh you as you sleep

…with others

We have purposefully made the summer a quieter time, it’s a time to BE WITH OTHERS…

Look through our WhatsApp group or think of people you’ve met in a hub or activity: are there people you don’t know well, people you haven’t seen for a while – could you spend some time with them this summer?

A few ideas:

• Could you invite someone round for lunch or a coffee?
• Are you going to the cinema, the park or out shopping etc? Could you invite other people to join?  Maybe even use the CBR WhatsApp group to let people know and see who wants to come?
• Could you arrange a play date with someone in this church community? Let’s be honest, we’ll need something for our kids to do!
• Why not ask God to point out just one person/family to connect with – why not see if you can meet up?

How will I find the time?

Often our biggest hindrance to Resting and Reconnecting is time and the church diary is not exempt!

So we’ve done some work on the diary for August…

…we’ve reduced the number of activities and events happening through August…
…keeping things that will help us to remain connected whilst having more space…

Allow me to invite you to…

• We will have one YOUTH HUB gathering on 9th August at the Rivergate Centre 4-5.30pm
• Prayer and Wrestling will continue at JOE’S FIGHT GYM on Saturday at 1pm
• Morning Prayer will be happening on Tuesday 9am at Rivergate Centre
• And a number of us will be connecting with Christ Church Thames View at 11am on Sunday mornings.

As a Hub or any group you spend time with
Can you meet up for something social over the summer?
Could you invite partners or friends of members who don’t regularly come?

Summer prayer

Lastly we hope every has a wonderful summer and with everything that’s been happening in our borough with the youth, we wanted to stand together to pray intentionally for their safety during this time. We trust God to be their protector in every situation, to help them make wise decisions and to enjoy being out and about without fear. Please see below a prayer we will be saying as a church family for all the youths in the borough, but most especially those connected to Youth Hub:

Heavenly Father,
As we enter this holiday season, we ask for your divine protection to surround everyone connected to Youth Hub & Youth Alpha.
Watch over those who travel, keep them safe from harm, and guide them with your wisdom.
May your peace and love reign in their homes and hearts, and may they experience the joy and blessings you have prepared for them, this summer and always.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen