Prayer on the Square - Update

Hello friends,

As it's been a while since we uploaded any content or testimonies I thought I would upload our new flyer that we will be taking out with us on our next POTS which is on Saturday, 4th June 2011.

I'm really expectant for all that God will do as the team head out onto Chatham High Street to reveal the love of God to those that pass by.

Hope for the hopeless, rest for the restless, healing for the sick and love for those that have been rejected - God is awesome!

Will post up testimonies as the come in!

Gordon Watson

Medway Family Church

An update of where we are at at MFC

Hello Hunters!

Sorry that there haven't been many updates over the last season.

During the last few months we've come into a season as a local church where we felt that God had told us to do the following:

Isaiah 54:2-3
‘Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities’


Part of this we felt was in not spreading ourselves too thinly as a church but prioritising ourselves in particular areas, making them our main focus for the coming season and doing those things well rather than doing lots of things but not effectively.

Obviously there is of course the God factor! - It's not about the effort we put in but there are underlying principles relating to practical stewardship of resources, both with people and time.

With this all taken into account we felt that as we had 2 street outreach ministries in operation (Treasure Hunts & Prayer on the Square) and that both had the same means to an end (praying for people) that we would be best served to really put our weight behind one for the next season, to develop a team and do it effectively.

We decided to emphasise the Prayer on the Square model. It is much like the Healing on the Streets model that the Vineyard churches are using, but with a few adjustments.

We felt it was both visible and targeted, also allowing for use of the prophetic in the same way as a treasure hunt, so as to get clues for people you may meet in the morning.

We've found in previous times we are seeing the same people walk past week after week and are starting to build up some relationships with local people through the regularity and location of it.

I am happy that for this season we have made a good decision and that in the future we will be able to re-engage with the treasure hunt model in some shape or form, but the tools and skills we have learnt as a church, the confidence in moving in the prophetic and approaching strangers has been invaluable.

I long for myself and others not just in our own church but in others to really grasp the fact that God wants to speak to us, to have us living supernaturally, not just on church organised outreach vehicles but in the day to day of everyday life, at the school gates, in the supermarket, at work, in the home, in the park, the tennis courts, gym, wherever - God wants you to reach out and impact the world around you with His mighty power displayed through your compassion and obedience.

I will try and keep the blog updated with testimonies over this coming season and can only apologise for my rather long delay in posting anything up here!

Happy hunting!

Gordon Watson
Medway Family Church

Team B - Feedback

We went to Chatham this morning, hunting treasure in the highstreet. One of my clues was CRUTCHES, and it didn’t take long when we saw a lady walking on a pair of CRUTCHES. She just went into a shop, so we waited outside till she came out again and then approached her explaining what we were doing. She thought it was all a bit ‘freaky’ but she was quite interested. Her ailment (arthritis) was not on our treasure map, but she let us pray for her. She thanked us sincerely, she seemed to have felt quite honoured by this encounter. Encouraged, we continued and a minute later we saw a man sitting, with a CRUTCH in his hand. I had expected that he would quickly dismiss us, but instead we got into an open and friendly conversation about his life and God. Jenny and Mape gently provoked him to think about God and Jesus, and although he kept saying he dealt with his life in his own way, he also understood what we were saying. We left him in faith that he will remember this encounter and will start to ask himself questions about his beliefs and God.

We continued to the BAKERY, and waited there for a short while but we didn’t see any potential treasure. We continued to BLOCKBUSTERS; for some strange reason I was convinced that this was a clue of one of the others, and they followed me graciously. It turned out later that this had never been a clue on our treasure maps, but we did find treasure... Jenny and I went inside to see if anyone matched our clue, while Mape started chatting with a young mother with BLUE JEANS. She was waiting outside with her children while her husband was inside. When we came out we went through the clues with her. Again, she didn’t find any other clue on our maps that she recognised, but she did say that we could pray for her as she had recently found out that she has brain tumour! So we prayed for her while her husband came back. She said to him ‘Isn’t this amazing, these three ladies just came here looking for someone they could pray for, while I wanted prayer!’ She told us that some of her family were Christians, and others were Muslims, and they were all praying for her healing.

After this amazing encounter, we finally went towards FORT PIT HILL in a hurry as we were running out of time. We had just passed some GATES, and went up into the park when we past a man with BLUE JEANS WALKING DOGS. He didn’t have jeans, but he did wear blue trousers and the dogs convinced us that he was our treasure so we went up to him. He was very friendly and went through our treasure maps. It appeared that he had BACKPAIN and he was quite happy for us to pray for him. He couldn’t feel anything different after our prayer, but he was still very friendly and interested. He also told us that his wife goes to church sometimes, so hopefully this encounter will encourage them both.

We felt quite encouraged; we didn’t find many of our clues, and even went into ‘wrong’ directions, but we did find God’s treasures. We didn’t see any dramatic instant healings or salvations, but the people we approached were really friendly and interested. We went back confident that God had used us to sow seeds into their hearts which He will continue to cultivate.

Helena Posthumus

Treasure Hunt @ MFC

Hello Hunters,

We had 8 people this morning stepping out in faith to share the Kingdom with those that God led them to.

We worshipped, prayed with one another, got our clues and then split into 3 teams:

Team A - Natalie, Laura, Aurelie

Team B - Helena, Mape, Jenny

Team C - Andrew & Gordon

Myself and Andrew approached several people that matched several clues but the highlight was definitely when we approached a young lady because she had a TAN RUCKSACK, she was in the PARK, near the PLAYGROUND - When we spoke to her we asked her name and it was ELLIE!!! - We encouraged her, she went to a local SCHOOL, her parents are Christians, we told her that God knows her and loves her and encouraged her that He wanted a personal relationship with her - She was really moved that God had led us to her - Praise God!

More to follow...

Treasure Hunt Training at Bedford (Kings Arms)

Hi Hunters!

On Saturday, 11th September the team over at Kings Arms in Bedford will be hosting another of their excellent Treasure Hunt Training Days.

Click on this link for more information...

http://www.kingsarms.org/cm/component/option,com_events/task,view_detail/agid,538/year,2010/month,9/day,11/

Happy Hunting!

Gordon Watson

Medway Family Church

A Party in Heaven - Hunt @ MFC

Hello Hunters,

This morning we had Laura, Jenny M, Aurelie and myself together to bless the people God revealed to us.

We headed off to BLUEBELL HILL, as we had this clue and also HILL.

In the carpark we spoke to some guys in a 59 plate BMW, but nothing really came from that.

On the way there we were joking that because I had BEREAVEMENT and also a clue about FIRE/SMOKE that perhaps we should pop into the crematorium next to BLUEBELL HILL.

Personally I didn't have faith for that but Laura pressed me with a bit of gentle ribbing so we thought we'd give it a go and really step out in faith!

We parked up, walked around the grounds a bit and then Laura approached a lady who had a BLUE JACKET and DARK HAIR.

At the same time Jenny and Aurelie went after a lady on a MOBILITY SCOOTER, again I bottled it so backed up Laura (I had more faith for that then the scooter lady!).

It turned out our ladies name was JULIE and she was wearing GLASSES. We had a chat with her and her sister, encouraged them and then offered to pray for them - It was great to leave them as they drove off with beaming smiles on their faces - God's always in a good mood!

Meanwhile Jenny and Aurelie had spoken to the MOBILITY SCOOTER lady - Her daughters name was SALLY and they got to speak briefly with her.

They then approached an elderly lady and got talking to her - She had been going to church but wasn't a Christian yet. She basically struggled with not being able to be good enough and feeling completely disqualified to come into Gods presence/family.

Jenny explained that to have a relationship with God depends solely on the effort of Jesus, not on our own works or performance (thats legalism!) and that all she need do was move into the grace and mercy of God, accept Jesus free gift of salvation by repenting (changing her thinking) and offering her life to God - Jenny asked if she understood this, she said she did, so Jenny then gently offered her an opportunity to lead her through a prayer of commitment - The lady responded to the essential gospel and heaven had a party!!! - COME ON!!!

God is so amazingly good and gracious - The way He had already primed this lady for Jenny to come along and invite her into the Kingdom was a real inspirational moment.

But the most humbling thing was the way that Jenny just took it all in her stride and loved the lady like Jesus would without even entertaining the fear of man that could have quite easily prevented her from stepping out into the conversation when the time came to act in faith - Praise God!

I love the way that God moves in spite of me, not because of me - It was such a blessing to see Laura, Jenny & Aurelie just doing what they felt the Father was telling them and giving the angels a good cause to have a knees up - Life don't get much better than this! haha - God you're awesome!!!

Be encouraged - Happy Hunting!

Gordon Watson

Medway Family Church

Treasure Hunt - MFC - May 22nd

Hello Hunters,

We went out again this morning as one team of 4 people. There was Helena, Mape, Natalie and myself.

We started off at the PARK at the bottom of ROCHESTER CASTLE. We strolled around for a fair while but God didn't open anything up, although Helena was really taken with the idea of starting an outdoor gym (there were people exercising on the grass area).

We eventually headed onto Rochester High St. passed the ARCHES, the COFFEE SHOP and the TREE WITH BENCHES AROUND IT and then Helena noticed a young girl with BRAIDED HAIR who was walking with her mum. Helena & Natalie approached the lady and asked if she had ALLERGIES, which her daughter did! They chatted for a while, talking baout the families faith and questions surrounding it and then the opportunity came to pray for the daughters asthma (ALLERGY!) - It was a really encouraging first encounter of the morning and set the 4 of us up for what was to come!

Helena & Mape approached a guy who was sitting on the wall selling the Big Issue. Usually there is a woman there (she has been prayed for on previous Hunts) - It turned out that the woman is the guys sister. They prayed for him, for him to get a job and encouraged him - More Lord!

As we walked down the street we noticed a temporary ONE WAY SIGN in the middle of the High St.

Mape then saw a guy wearing an ARSENAL top. I originally thought it would be a red on but it was a BLUE one. We chatted with him briefly but he wasn't the treasure but he held us up just long enough for our next encounter...

...as we walked on down the street a woman fell out of a shop, down the step and crashed into Natalie, grabbing her to stop herself falling over. Amazingly the woman had a WALKING STICK. We asked how the lady was, if she was she ok? Then I asked if the reason she had a walking stick was because of her KNEE - It was!!! We then asked her name got to know a bit about her and then commanded healing upon her knee and gave thanks for the lady and her new baby granddaughter.

While we were praying with the lady Helena & Mape were talking with a STREET CLEANER, encouraging him and laughing with him - We were in a real hotspot in that High St.

It was such an encouraging morning, starting off seemingly slow with little happening and the all of a sudden God opened it right up and brought us person after person with impeccable timing.

Our next hunt is sometime in June - Really looking forward to it. God seems to have really changed our outlook and expectancy as a team now and we seem to have a real understanding coming that it's all about what God is wanting to do rather than what we feel we should do.

Be glorified God, you are amazing!

Happy Hunting!!!

Gordon Watson

Medway Family Church