Townhead Christian Fellowship – December 2004

A New Beginning
The decision for two assemblies to unite as one new assembly was momentous and exciting. Over the last twenty years, both assemblies have declined in numbers and in our impact on the local community. It became apparent that we would need to unite and have a fresh start if we were going to halt this decline and begin to become an effective witness once again in Stevenston and the surrounding area. At the same time, the area has declined not only economically and industrially, but more importantly it has witnessed a dramatic spiritual decline. Not only has there been a considerable drop in attendance at churches in general, there has been a decline in respect for Christianity and Christian values and a corresponding increase in promiscuity, drug abuse, alcoholism, crime, vandalism, teenage pregnancy, under-age drinking, divorce and materialism.

When the elders from Loan Hall and Bethany Hall came together to talk about this merger, it was agreed that this was not the closure of one assembly with the members joining the larger assembly. Instead, all the elders were unanimous that there was a need to start again and build a new church for the town of Stevenston. The choice of a new name was symbolic of this new beginning. We believe firmly that God has guided us to this point where we have taken this step of faith by breaking with our tradition and making a fresh start. We will need to look to God to continue to guide us in the future as we discuss the future direction of our worship and our service. We need to start by giving God His rightful place in our fellowship. The text prominently displayed in our hall provides a very good starting point – That in All Things He might have Preeminence. (Colossians 1 :18) Diotrephes had failed to grasp this important lesson and he sought the pre-eminence for himself with disastrous consequences. [3 John 1:9] Our prayer is that the Lord will preserve us from this sort of spirit in any of us. John the Baptist had a commendable attitude. He wanted the Lord to ‘increase’ while he ‘decreased.’ [John 3 :30] The New Living Translation is as follows - He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. We need this sort of attitude if we are going to see God’s blessing on our new church fellowship.

We also need to consider how we will act towards each other. There is a lovely chorus that sums up the way God expects us to treat each other:

It is easy to talk about this brotherly love (which incidentally applies to sisters as well as brothers); it is much more difficult to put this into practice. Do we really love each other? Do we love everyone in our fellowship or only the ones who are easy to get on with? If we claim to be a Christian Fellowship, we should demonstrate Christian love in a way that is not known by the people of Stevenston. They should start talking about the way we really love and care for each other. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he describes the fruit of the Spirit which should be seen in us as believers.

One of the elders suggested that we should have three key principles as our guide for our conduct as we come together as an assembly. They are HOLINESS, HAPPINESS and HARMONY. These principles do not so much relate to our dealings with our neighbours or our friends in the community. This is not saying that this aspect of our Christian life is of no importance. However, the principles relate first and foremost to our dealings with God and secondly to our relationship with each other. We must live lives which are holy and blameless in a world which is becoming more and more polluted and corrupt. We should be happy and joyful, not miserable and bad-tempered. We need to have harmony in our fellowship. Harmony does not mean that we will all be identical and all agree on everything. Harmony does not mean that one or two strongly minded individuals will impose their views on the rest of the fellowship. Harmony means that all the variety of individuals with their respective gifts and talents will blend together like beautiful multi-coloured threads in a tapestry. Harmony in music is not produced by a loud instrument being played loudly to drown all the other instruments out. Harmony is the blend of different notes and different instruments played together in beautiful resonant chords which produce lovely music. This is what God is looking for from a local church.

Prayer Points
Please pray for those who are unable to attend the meetings due to ill health. Please pray for the children and young people who are associated with our fellowship. It is not easy to live for God at school now and there are many temptations facing young people in today’s society.

Practical Matters
We are currently meeting in the former Bethany Hall while the hall in Townhead Street is being renovated to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. The toilets are being converted to provide disabled access and a new ramp is being constructed to provide wheelchair access to the hall. We are also looking into the possibility of moving the sound equipment and the multimedia projector and large screen from Bethany Hall to Loan Hall in Townhead Street. This was recently installed and is state of the art equipment which will be of great benefit to the new fellowship. Alterations are planned to the platform to increase its depth and to remove the balustrade. In the longer term, God Willing, there are plans to install gas-fired central heating and to build an extension to the rear to provide better facilities for work with young people and with the community in general. We are also going to be compiling our own customised hymnbook for worship and prayer meetings.

Becoming an Effective Witness in our Community
The elders have been discussing many matters relating to our fellowship and the statement which was read out to both assemblies prior to the merger provides a clear statement of the principles of our church. These will be expanded as we continue to look to the Lord for guidance. There will probably be changes in the way we have conducted our meetings but we will not be making change just for the sake of it. We will only make changes after we have prayed about the matters and discussed them thoroughly together. Here is a statement of our basic principles

• A need to go back to the Scriptures to re-discover the true functioning of a local church rather than continuing with sterile tradition.
• If we don’t make a fresh start, our strength as an assembly will continue to decline.
• There is a vision of one assembly in the town of Stevenston.
• Our witness and effectiveness will be much greater if we are totally united in purpose and in our love for the Lord.
• The importance of an attitude of Christian love for all believers.
• We must avoid at all costs any attitude of superiority to other Christians.
• The error of anything sectarian was emphasised.
• No change will be effective unless there is a change in us – our attitude to the Lord, our attitude to each other and our attitude to unbelievers.
• Less emphasis on external conformity and more emphasis on inner holiness.