One on one with Graham Brombley

Graham and Jane Brombley


Graham and Jane Brombley have been attending Kings Community Church for the past 17 years. It was great catching up with them this past weekend in Southampton. This is what Graham said:

M.M: Tell me briefly about your background?
G.B: I was born in Bath and lived there until I was 11. We then moved to Kent and went to the local grammar school until I was 16. We moved to Trowbridge where I did my 6th form and it was then that I met Jane. We knew each other for 2 years. We both went to Southampton University in 1974 – 1977. We got married and moved to Manchester. We have 4 children: Jonathan 28, Matthew 25, Timothy 24 and Katharine who is 20.

M.M: What ministry are you involved you with at the moment?
G.B: I’m a financial director and oversee the financial aspects at KCC, cook for ALPHA, teach in Sparkers (pre-school), practical maintenance work and I’m involved with the International Ministry.

M.M: What do you do to relax?
G.B: I play computer puzzles – it’s mentally challenging

M.M: Who has influenced you recently?
G.B: Martyn Dunsford

M.M: What sort of books do you read?
G.B: John Grisham novels – stories around the law.

M.M: What is your favourite quote?
G.B: “You can please some of the people all of the time. You can please all of the people some of the time. But you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Bob Dylan quoting Abraham Lincoln.

M.M: Very true. Thanks so much Graham.

By Molly Manhanga

Catching up with Marlene Poe

Sam and Marlene Poe

The last interview done with Marlene Poe was when she first arrived in Zimbabwe in March 2010 for the Prophetic Summit and Easter Camp. As Sam and Marlene have been in Zimbabwe for just over 3 months now and are preparing for the Annual Brighton Conference in the U.K, it was great to chat to them about their time in Zimbabwe. This is what Marlene says:

M.M: Generally, how has your stay in Zimbabwe been so far?
M.P: A very positive life-changing experience

M.M: What has been the most memorable occasion so far?
M.P: The baking sessions with the girls. It was a fun challenge and fun for everyone.

M.M: How best would you describe your experience at Crossroads?
M.P: Something to look forward to each week. The language barrier was the down side as I had a desire to communicate with the people.

M.M: Has God spoken to you personally about your time here that you feel confident enough to share with us?
M.P: We’re both pretty confident that God’s plan for us to come back to Zimbabwe although we need to work out a few things.

M.M: Amazing! We are truly honoured and blessed! Have you made as much progress on Chronological Bible Storying as you hoped?
M.P: We have and are making progress although there is still much more to do on the pilot work that we are doing.

M.M: Thanks so much Marlene. We’ve really LOVED having you at Crossroads and look forward to the next season together.

By Molly Manhanga

Hannah Terry at Crossroads

Hannah being introduced at Crossroads

It was really great having Hannah visit with us at Crossroads Community Church. She just got stuck in there and said it was what she expected. In short, Hannah said the service was good: She didn’t understand the songs as they are mostly sung in Ndebele – the local language spoken in Matabeleland and the preach/story shared by Stephen Manhanga was great. He shared on "Choosing Seven to Serve the Church" found in Acts 6:1 - 7. She also enjoyed seeing the boys and girls getting involved in the dancing.

“The beat goes on and on” Dancing for God!

A service with a difference!


By Molly Manhanga

What is LOVE?

People have got many different definitions of love. The most common one is LOVE is a feeling....... but feelings change. Others say it's a comittment. First thoughts head straight to 1 Corinthians 13, particularly v 4 - 8a & 13. This says it all....

Love is patient

Love is kind

it does not boast

it is not proud

it is not rude

it is not self-seeking

it is not easily angered

it keeps no record of wrongs

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth

It always protects

always trusts

always hopes

always perseveres.

Love never fails..........

And now these three remain

faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

"If that isn't LOVE"......

Tell me

If you’re torn by doubts and fears
TELL MEWeighted down with many cares
TELL MEIf emptiness you find is on your heart and on your mind
All you need to do is
TELL ME
For I am your Saviour True
TELL MEAnd my gift is life to you so
TELL MEPrecious soul I’m here to lead
And to meet your heart’s need
All you have to do is
TELL ME – TELL ME
If life has lost it’s spark
TELL MEI will chase away the dark
TELL MEPrecious soul I’m here to lead
And to meet your heart’s need
All you have to do isTELL ME – TELL Me.

"World's Best Cookies" with Marlene Poe

Marlene Poe all ready to go!!!!! (bake)

Marlene Poe has been doing an excellent job teaching the girls at Ebenezer Training Centre how to make a variety of cookies – and they have LOVED every minute of it. The girls are so enthusiastic to learn new things. The exciting thing is that all these girls are involved with different ministries at Crossroads Community Church. The church folk can also look forward to treats in the near future.

Today they made the World’s best Sugar Cookies:

Cream together
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter

Girls mixing the ingredients

Add
1 cup vegetable oil or corn oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream and mix

Add
4½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the other mixture

Roll into small balls and press down with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 180 degrees centigrade for 10 – 12 minutes.

The biscuits came out beautifully. The girls, Marlene and myself enjoyed a cup of tea/coffee afterwards.

Nice!

By Molly Manhanga

The Apostles Persecuted

Molly Manhanga

I had an excellent time recapping last weeks story and telling this story of "The Apostles persecuted" to the children.......


The apostles continued to see God answering their prayers as they performed miraculous signs and wonders among the people. All the believers continued to meet publically. Those that had heard about Ananias and Sapphira feared God but in spite of those fears, more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peters shadow might fall on some of them. Crowds gathered from towns around Jerusalem.

Not everyone was happy. The Jewish high priests were jealous and in their desire to protect the truth of God, they arrested the apostles and put them in jail. In the evening, an angel opened the doors of the jail and brought the apostles out. The angel told the apostles to continue sharing the truth about Jesus. At daybreak, the apostles went to the temple and continued sharing about Jesus.

When the Jewish leaders and some experts came in the morning, they sent some officials to the prison to get the apostles. Upon arriving at the jail, the officers did not find the apostles there. They went back and reported that the jail was securely locked with the guards standing at the doors but when they opened the doors, the apostles were not inside. Then someone came and told them that the apostles were at the temple courts teaching the people. The commander went with his officials and brought the apostles back without using force as they feared that the people would stone them.

The High Priest questioned them and said they were given strict instructions not to teach in the name of Jesus and yet Jerusalem has been filled with their teachings, making the Jewish leaders appear guilty of Jesus blood. The apostle Peter told them that they obey God rather than man and Jesus, whom they had killed by hanging him on a tree, has been exalted to God’s right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. When the Jewish leaders heard this they were furious and wanted to put the apostles to death.

Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up amongst the Jewish leaders and asked for the apostles to be put outside for a while. He told the Jewish leaders that 2 men, Theudas and Judas the Galilean had also led people but when they died, their followers were scattered and their work failed. He said that if the apostles work was of man, it would fail but if it was of God, then they - the Jewish leaders would be fighting against God. Gamaliel’s speech persuaded the Jewish experts of the law. They called the apostles in and beat them, ordering them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles counted it all joy to be persecuted for Christ’s sake and they went door to door sharing about Jesus and continued to meet with people in the Temple.

Not only do we see from Today’s story that the believers faced external hardships from those outside the Christian community, but next week, we’ll see how they also faced internal problems from within the Christian community.

By Molly Manhanga

Thought for the day.....

2 Corinthians 4:16 -18

"Therefore we do not lose heart.......
For our light affliction, which is but for
a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
while we do not look at the things
which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporary, but the things which are
not seen are eternal."

Book Review - "Beauty for Ashes" by Joyce Meyer

“Many people seem to have it altogether outwardly, but inside they are a wreck. Their past has broken, crushed, and wounded them inwardly. They can be healed. God has a plan, and Isaiah 61 reveals that the Lord came to heal the brokenhearted. He wants to heal victims of abuse and emotional wounding.”

I really enjoy Joyce Meyer because she deals with practical, relevant issues and she points people to God. He alone can set us free by the truth of His word and He alone is our ultimate healer. Reading “Beauty for Ashes - Receiving Emotional Healing” reminds me of the loving God we serve and how He cares & takes care of every detail in our lives, if we let Him. I couldn’t put the book down as Joyce shares about her physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse. As painful as it was, God has exchanged her ashes for beauty. She speaks about pretending, rejection, letting go of the past, forgiveness, allowing God to fill our hearts, trusting God and so on.

It’s an excellent book and worth the read.

By Molly Manhanga

You will learn:

1. How to deal with the emotional pain of abuse

2. How to understand your responsibility to God for overcoming abuse

3. Why victims of abuse often suffer from other addictive behaviours

How to grab hold of God's unconditional love

The importance of God's timing in working through painful memories.

Ananias and Sapphira

Simangaliso Ndlovu translating the story for Marlene Poe

Recap: Jesus had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem. The gospel was to be preached in Jerusalem, Judea and to the rest of the world.

The grace of God was on the believers. Amazing things were happening and they continued to meet together. They determined in their hearts that they’ll speak boldly about Jesus. They knew it was important to obey God even though the religious leaders had told them not to. As the believers met in homes, they saw they had needs and shared everything they had with one another. Some sold their homes and brought the money to the apostles.

There was a man called Ananias and his wife was Sapphira. They had land and decided to sell it too. However, they came up with a plan among themselves that they would keep some of the money. Ananias brought the “full” amount of money to Peter and Peter asked him if that was all. Ananias said “yes”. Peter was full of the Holy Spirit and knew something was wrong. We can’t get away with lying to the Holy Spirit who knows everything. Peter asked him about his lie and when Ananias heard it, he fell down and died. People who were there couldn’t believe it and it put the fear of God into their hearts. The men carried Ananias body and buried it. In the meantime, Sapphira came along and she also lied. Peter told her that the men who have buried her husband were arriving to bury her as well. She dropped down and died and her body was carried out.

Everyone who heard about it had a healthy respect for God. They learnt that you don’t lie to God. Amazing things were happening at that time. From this story we learn that we need to be honest with one another because it reveals what is in our hearts. If we’ve done something wrong, we confess it to God and to one another.

This is GREAT stuff! Next week we look at "The Apostles Persecuted" from Acts 5:12 - 42

Summarised by Molly Manhanga

One on one with Ginger Marie Price

Ginger Marie Price at Crossroads

Ginger was on a Life Change Team from America that visited Sam and Marlene Poe in Kezi. Ginger attends Jubilee church, St Louis, City Location, Midwest in Missouri and she has been attending this church over 10 years. Jubilee Church is led by Bryon Mowrey.

M.M: Tell me more about your background?
G.P: I was born in Sacramento, California and as a toddler I lived in Japan. When I was 5 years old, my family moved back to Eastern Oregon where I grew up on a wheat ranch. So, agriculture is a big part of my background. I lived there until I was 26 years old before I moved to St Louis. I’ve been there ever since.

M.M: What work are you involved with?
G.P: Currently, I’m working in Marketing and Communication for a global animal feed Ingredient Company. I work with teams all over the world to market and sell products and I love it. It’s an opportunity where I’m able to work part time so I can serve the Church.

M.M: Is this your first time in Africa and particularly Zimbabwe?
G.P: Yes.

M.M: What are your impressions of Zimbabwe so far?
G.P: Beautiful, beautiful country. The people are amazing and I’m learning about the passion the people have for God and to see beyond Zimbabwe. I feel there is a lot I can learn from them.

M.M: What are your thoughts on Crossroads?
G.P: I really had a good time during worship. As much as it feels like things are different, they are the same. I sense God’s presence here as at home and I feel that connection. We are all part of God’s kingdom.

M.M: Any words of encouragement?
G.P: If there is anything in your heart to go to a Nation with a different culture, make it a priority to go. You will learn about yourself and it changes you forever. You will be better for it.

M.M: Excellent! It’s been GREAT having you out here in Kezi. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Zimbabwe.

By Molly Manhanga

Joyce Meyer in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

What a treat having an all time favourite lady right here in the City of Kings – Bulawayo. People swarmed in from Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Australia, United states of America, Victoria Falls, Gweru and areas in and around Bulawayo to listen to Joyce Meyer speak and be blown away by Darlene Zschech and Hillsong. About 7000 – 8000 people packed a huge hall at the Trade Fair Grounds in Bulawayo on Thursday 3 June.

Darlene was outstanding to say the least. People were just on a “high” for God. Joyce Meyer shared her testimony and spoke about encouragement. She shared about how easy it is to get discouraged and spurred folk on to keep on keeping on. A quotable quote she used was “Double for my trouble”….What the enemy has taken away like in the case of Job, God will give back double. It’s time to rise from the ashes. When everyone says you’re finished…..you say “watch me rise up…” and you’ll RISE UP!

The atmosphere was just magic, uplifting and truly awesome!

Joyce had her 67th birthday in Zimbabwe and her 10th grandchild was born while she and her husband Dave were in Zimbabwe. The blessings of the Lord shall overtake “them”.

By Molly Manhanga

Thought for the day: "Do Not Worry..."

Matthew 6:25 - 28a


"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life
what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food
and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air,
for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they?
Which of you by worrying can add
one cubit to his stature?
So why do you worry........."