Today the sun is blazing here in Chippenham, which may be short-lived, but is much appreciated.  It has been a while since we posted as we were away for several weeks after Easter on a family holiday/vacation.  Melanie has the pictures lined up and will post soon with some highlights for you to enjoy.

Since we got back from our road trip there has been a lot going on.  Here are some highlights:

European Leadership Forum – I was in Poland for a week at the end of May.  I spoke multiple times and both networks of Bible teachers and preachers went really well.  It was a full week, but a really good one.  Next year I have a different teaching responsibilty at the ELF, so I have already started working on that.  Right after returning it was time for:

Trinity Chippenham Church Weekend Away – We had a beautiful weekend away as a church, filling our venue and enjoying great fellowship together. The theme of heaven really stirred all our hearts and we are thankful for how God worked in us during those days.

Mark Drama – This past weekend we had the Mark Drama (we did this before in 2015 and 2016).  It felt like a real spiritual battle in the lead up with lots of challenges, but in the end we were blessed to see lots of guests present at both performances this past weekend.  Everyone involved was drained but thankful for the privilege of experiencing the whole Gospel of Mark in dramatic form.  Hannah and Aliyah enjoyed being James, and Andrew, I got to be Pharisee and chief antagonist again.  Even in a “negative” role it is still amazing to watch Jesus in action responding to both the proud and the needy.

Salvation Army – Earlier this week I was teaching a preaching course for the Salvation Army. This is the fourth time I have done this course and it was a joy to spend time with ministers I would normally have no connection with.  It is a joy to get around God’s Word with God’s people!

Thank you for praying for us as we head into July.

Ben, Aliyah, David, Hannah … the four disciples John, Andrew, Peter & James!

The last few weeks have been busy with Cor Deo, Trinity, Union and ELF all at once.  Here’s a quick summary:

Cor Deo – We held another women’s intensive as we do every year at this time.  Again it was a special week for the women involved.  Peter taught in the mornings, but left at lunchtime as the afternoon was led by our friends Gretchen and Anniina.  Then after a week off, Peter and Mike led the first ever John Feast . all 21 chapters of John in four full days.  It was wonderful and everyone involved had a great time.  We are planning to repeat this programme before too long!

Trinity – We are preaching through Mark at the moment.  Last week we had a dedication service for one of the newest little members of the TC family and were joined by over 20 guests.  Every Sunday is busy with lots of setting up and packing away, but every Sunday is a special time.  The community during the week is really encouraging too.  We love being part of this church.

Union School of Theology – Peter has driven over to South Wales to teach on campus for three days so far this semester.  There is one more to go and then the school year will be over for him.

ELF – The European Leadership Forum is in May, but mid-March is the deadline for speakers to submit their teaching notes.  It was a big relief to get these sent in earlier this week.  The Advanced Bible Teachers network that Peter leads will be focusing on Galatians this year, and preparing the notes started to build my anticipation for that.

The family is generally doing well, although the last week has been really tough for Melanie with difficulty sleeping at night.  This happens periodically, but thankfully it doesn’t seem to go on forever.  We pray that this won’t last too long for her.  We have a family holiday planned in a few weeks and hopefully that can be a refreshing break for us all.

Hannah is now 18 and will soon be heading off to university.  Her plan is to go to Corban University in Oregon.  She has a place already and so we are now in the financial aid conversation with the university to see if we can reach a level where the cost is not too uncomfortable.  Please pray for this to be figured out soon so she can know what she is doing.