DON'T RETREAT FROM JOY 

When unpleasant things come along, when our dream seems hindered or blocked there is the very real temptation to anticipate the threat upon our future and retreat from joy and embrace anxiety.
 
When difficulty, set-back, hurdles and disappointment impacts our life we need to remember not to retreat from our joy, happiness, pleasure, satisfaction, elation, ecstatic delight in God.
 
We mustn't treat joy as something we can lay aside and forget. Rather guard joy in God as the most precious thing in our life. Do not allow anxiety to distract from Holy Spirit the source of delight. Instead translate threat, need, hurdles, worry into prayerful worship. Be glad, rejoice, be full of gratitude before God. Anticipate His goodness and redemptive power breaking in.
 
“Being joyful is not a matter of personality. It’s a godly mindset. We need to establish a stronghold of joy in our lives in order to be victorious in trying times. Where there’s no hope for the future there is no power for the present. When we have abounding hope, it propels us into the things that God has for us.” (Steve Backlund- Abounding Hope)
 
When a we lose hope about a situation and conclude a position cannot be sustained that is the beginning of defeat. Defeat doesn’t start in the circumstances but in the mind and the conclusions we come to. If we are at a level in our life or ministry where we can’t serve with joy then we are stuck. If we can’t be glad serving now, we certainly won’t be glad serving then. To guard joy we need to resist 'destination disease', not saying I will be thankful and joyful when this or that happens. Practicing gratitude for what we have is a powerful means of cultivating joy.
 
Joy comes to us in moments-ordinary moments. We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary. Daring Greatly, Brené Brown, 2015 

Jamie Lee, 25/11/2018
Hello
Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

New to Church?


Welcome! Whether you've just moved to the area, or have lived here all your life, we hope our website helps you to find out everything you want to know about our Church.

 

Some key information about the church...

 

Where & when does the church meet?

The church meets every Sunday at 11:00 am for our Sunday Service. There is plenty of free parking around the CCK building. We are walking distance from Plumstead Train station and local buses. It’s good to get to the meeting 15 minutes early to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee before the service starts.

We meet at the church building in the middle of Plumstead

The address is:

46 Lakedale Road
Plumstead
London
SE18 1PS

You can see a map on our contact us page.

 

What should I expect when I visit the church?

You will receive a very warm welcome particularly from our Welcome Team who will be able to answer your questions and direct you to where you need to go.

Sunday is special because it’s the main opportunity in the week for the whole church family to gather, worship God, enjoy his manifest presence together, minister to one-another, receive encouragement and exhortation from God’s word and be refreshed by God’s Spirit and one-another’s friendship and support.

There will be approximately 45 mins of singing with opportunity for church members to pray, prophesy or read a passage from the bible. After the notices there will be a preach, we take time to understand the bible’s message and how this can teach us about God, about ourselves, about the world that we live in and about what authentic Christian lifestyle looks like in practice. At the end of the preach there is always a chance to respond.

Tea, coffee and biscuits are served after the service where there is plenty of time to meet new people and ask more questions.

 

What happens to the kids at church?

As a family church we are thrilled to have people of all ages involved in our Sunday morning meetings. Typically, after worshiping together for 30 minutes or so, the children and young people will leave for their own activities.

We have a fantastic programme for the kids at the Church for ages 0–14. Children stay with their parents at the start of the service as we worship (sing songs!) together for the first part of the morning. Someone will announce when the children need to go to their programme.

For more information about what happens in the children's work please visit the relevant age groups for you under church life.

Is there a dress code?

No! Please just be yourself and come dressed in your 'normal' clothes.

 

Will I have to join in?

Not at all!
You are free to simply observe or participate as much as feels comfortable for you.

 

Useful Links...

We have more information for you specifically if you…

 

I have more questions, how can I get in touch and ask them.

Please feel free to contact us.