UPDATE 15.01.20

The Holy Pause has been really encouraging. The sense of God’s peace and presence as we’ve gathered for corporate prayer and worship has been tangible and sweet. When in the building at other times – either for personal prayer or to use the prayer stations – there’s been a noticeable sense of devotion and reverence. During those times when we’ve gathered as Staff and Standing Committee members to seek God’s face and discern His purpose we have felt God speaking clearly. The testimonies we’ve received have spoken of people relishing the change of pace and the time and space to reflect as the new year begins.

When we met as a Staff to reflect and pray on Tuesday morning we discussed whether or not it was right to continue the Holy Pause. We’ve seen so much of people encountering God, growing in their faith and being empowered that we were wary of getting back to ‘business as usual’ on Monday morning and the whole machine of church life and ministry cranking back quickly into high gear. We then sought the Lord together, and feel that it is right to continue the Holy Pause until 9pm on Thursday 23 January. The timetable will remain the same. This will give us more time and space to start to process everything that people feel the Lord has said.

In this extra time, we want to shift the focus from our individual response to God to our corporate response. We’d like to challenge all group and ministry leaders to come with their teams and group members and pray in church during this next week. Come to pray, if it works, when your group would normally meet, and seek the Lord prayerfully about your group or ministry as to whether it should restart, change its focus or direction, or cease. Pray the Gethsemane prayer together – yet not our will but yours – and seek God’s purpose for the future without any preconditions. On a number of occasions we’ve found coming to the place of genuinely holding things before the Lord hard. So ask for the grace not to prejudge the whole discernment process, otherwise it will be of little value to you, your group or ministry, and the church.

Some groups and ministries have already done this – such as Vintage Adventure, Tiddlywinks and Youth teams – and we’ve thus got real confidence in seeing them restart having spent time discerning the way forward together. But we want to challenge everyone to pray things through before everything just simply resumes. Once you’ve been through that process and have had a dialogue with us we will accept whatever decision to which the Lord has led you. We would also love to sit down and talk with you if God has given you a new or renewed sense of personal calling.

Whether you come with your group, ministry or individually, please do commit to a prayer slot(s) for this third week using the form found here. A paper copy of the form is also available at the back of church. The church is open to everyone throughout the day so even if you only have half an hour do come in!

If you would like to share anything that God has been saying to you there are a couple of ways to do this: towards the back of the church is a prayer station with cards for you to write down any words, pictures or scriptures that God has given you, and these can be left in the box there; alternatively, email them to holypause@highfield.church

So there is still time to be part of the Holy Pause! Please come along and be part of the journey.

Mike Archer, Pete Hutchings and Kelly Worthington

Listen Again: Holy Pause Sermons