'Real Lives' makes an impact

The week, organised by St John’s Church in the Dorset town, was months in preparation: booking a variety of guest speakers, having 24 hours of prayer, organising the refreshments, inviting friends and family.

But Assistant Curate the Revd Matt Lee says it was worth it:

“Speaking personally, it was such a privilege to be involved in the Real Lives week. I am so proud to be part of a church family that put on these events and worked so hard at inviting friends. Our mission as God’s people is to ‘declare the praises’ of the God who saved us. And we did it!

“We got off to a great start with Richard Mannouch and the launch event. The church was packed with both Christians and non-Christians and we were challenged by a faith that could deal with death. A flame was lit that would inspire us as a Church to invite many more guests for the October week of events.

“We were joined for the week by Glen Scrivener and two apprentices who were kept very busy! Chris Adams organised an intense programme in the middle schools of assemblies and lessons and lunch clubs, all feeding into a special youth club on Thursday evening. The work paid off, and 3 times the usual number attended and heard the amazing testimony of Andrew Turnbull. Andrew also shared his dramatic rescue story at an afternoon tea attended by almost a hundred people from Compass, Lunch Club and other guests.

“At the evening events, guests were greeted with a lovely relaxed atmosphere and high-quality refreshments – thanks to the amazing team! Lots of the feedback cards commented on how welcome people felt. Glen Scrivener then did a remarkable job of drawing out each guest during the interview, so that every event had a different feel. He ended each evening by drawing the threads together so that people could really grasp the gospel and have the opportunity to respond.

“On Wednesday evening, the topic was leadership with guest Major General Tim Cross. You could hear a pin drop as Tim gave us an insider’s view on many of the major world events of the past 30 years. Tim’s straight-talking about the realities of life led into an exploration of why Jesus is the sort of leader worth following.

“On Thursday evening, Stuart Burgess combined technical knowledge with compelling passion as he spoke about the beauty and intricacy of God’s creation. Glen used the powerful image of a rose to illustrate how we shouldn’t let science make us miss the significance of a God who gave us this world in love.

“The young people were out in force on Friday evening to hear Andy Kind’s comedy set. After an hour of top quality comedy, Andy then spoke engagingly with Glen about why Christianity makes the best sense of our lives. Saturday had a very different feel as Sian Baker spoke movingly about how she has had to trust God in her life.

“The week finished fittingly on the Sunday morning, with a packed church hearing the incredible testimony of Yvonne Edwards. Hearing how the love of Jesus had transformed her life of addiction gave hope to many in difficult situations.

“I hope you’ll join me in praying for the ongoing impact of Real Lives, through individual conversations, people coming to more Church events, and particularly the Real Life course which has now started. We know that God can change lives!”