Had a great day today, from the moment I walked in there was a real Buzz! Tim, Daisy and the worship team did really well and there was a real sense of the presence of God.
I gave a message from 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 on the body of Christ/ the Church.
Sunday 19 October 2008
Friday 17 October 2008
The Christian Faith Under Attack!
Today I am thinking about all those Christians who love the Lord around the world that suffer torture and death rather then deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ who is the the way, the truth and the life.
Despite all the lies and attacks we have suffered in Hastings it is nothing compared with what our brothers and sisters through out the world suffer every day.
Jesus never promised an easy time while we live on the earth, infact he promised perscution. In Hebrews 12:3 it reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus
"For Consider Him who endured such hostility from Sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."
I pray for those who attack us that they will find the peace of God in their own hearts. That they will know the Joy we have in knowing the risen Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Despite all the lies and attacks we have suffered in Hastings it is nothing compared with what our brothers and sisters through out the world suffer every day.
Jesus never promised an easy time while we live on the earth, infact he promised perscution. In Hebrews 12:3 it reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus
"For Consider Him who endured such hostility from Sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."
I pray for those who attack us that they will find the peace of God in their own hearts. That they will know the Joy we have in knowing the risen Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Thursday 16 October 2008
These are two of the letters appearing in the Hastings Observer over the last two weeks yet giving out false claims and attackings us as Pastors:
All very hard to believe
IF Pastor Greg and Catherine Khan have been receiving threats and have been subject to faith hate campaigns then I am sorry to hear it and I most certainly would not condone such behaviour. I do however have great difficulty in believing that any of this is true.
I attended the council meeting in January 2007 and, yes, artists who were present did react angrily (and justifiably) when the lease of St Mary in the Castle was undemocratically handed over to Sonrise Church by a narrow minded Tory Council.
I do not however, recall artists personally threatening them nor attacking their faith. How would Sonrise Church have liked it if they had been unfairly evicted from their premises?
Was it not bad enough that the artists (who play a pivotal role in representing Hastings and keeping it on the map) lost their venue unfairly? Let alone Sonrise Church accuse artists of threatening them and their children. Such allegations are spiteful and wicked in the extreme. Talk of 'kicking someone when they are already down'.
Artists may hold points of view and - even practise another faith which does not tally with Sonrise Church's narrow minded and extreme religious views. Is that what they see as threatening? If the answer to that question is yes, then I am very sorry, Mr and Mrs Khan, but art is about challenging and questioning and sometimes it hurts.
As a member of the artists' community I do not attack people's religious faiths and I'm sure that I speak for the other Hastings artists. I would defend people's rights to attend their places of worship and practice their faith.
I must point out that there are devout Christians among the Hastings artists. I would also add that members of my family and friends are practising Christians and yet not a single one of them has mentioned having received threats and being subject to faith hate campaigns.
If Sonrise Church do not like the contents of my letter then please, by all means, feel welcome to come and stone me but before you do, go back to your bibles first, because you might find that there a couple of things that you have missed out and they are "Judge not lest ye be judged" Matthew 7:1-5 and "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
I rest my case.
NICK ROWLAND
Tillington Terrace, Hastings
Manipulative behaviour
MAY I make a few points about your reports on Sonrise Church's decision to quit St Mary in the Castle?
1. You ask us to vote for or against condemning "the harassment experienced by Sonrise Church", as if this was a proven fact. Not "alleged death threats", nor "death threats" in quotation marks. Yet no-one has been charged, brought to court or found guilty. This sort of crying foul and finger-pointing by Sonrise is classic manipulative behaviour, which any parent would recognise and any serious journalist should question.
2. I was one of the founders of both SoCo and the Arts Forum. Speaking as a self-confessed "arts activist", I never heard talk of any threats. Yes, people were angered by the Council's procedures which many saw as covert, unfair, undemocratic and irresponsible, but they blamed the one-party cabinet and the council officers who were driving this controversial decision.
3. The divisive "Christians versus artists" presentation ignores two things. Sonrise would be disowned by many Christians, while the arts community includes many passionate Christians. Many across the spectrum were anxious about the influence on vulnerable people of untrained, unsupervised and self-appointed "pastors", and feared Sonrise's tenure of SMIC would magnify its credibility. In the event, they had clearly bitten off more than they could chew.
4. The real issue now is the town's need for a high quality flagship arts centre. Arts and culture are not a minority middle class pursuit but a life-enhancing essential found throughout the world, in rich and poor communities. From early childhood we all draw and paint, sing and dance, make up stories and act out dramas. Arts are also an effective antidote to mindless violence and criminality.
5. For Hastings, the arts are a powerful earner of income and prestige. Supposedly elitist artists make a major contribution to popular mass events such as the Carnival, Old Town Week and the Bonfire. St. Mary in the Castle, though not the easiest building, could be again a fully-functioning, financially solvent multi-arts venue for everyone to enjoy and be proud of.
6. The Observer often celebrates the achievements of our talented youngsters. Wouldn't it be more consistent if you also supported the establishment of an arts centre that can inspire and support them? So I hope the Observer will now play fair and support the sort of open bidding process for St. Mary's future use that we should have had two years ago.
RACHEL LEVER (Member of SoCo and Arts Forum)
Boscobel Road North, St. Leonards
All very hard to believe
IF Pastor Greg and Catherine Khan have been receiving threats and have been subject to faith hate campaigns then I am sorry to hear it and I most certainly would not condone such behaviour. I do however have great difficulty in believing that any of this is true.
I attended the council meeting in January 2007 and, yes, artists who were present did react angrily (and justifiably) when the lease of St Mary in the Castle was undemocratically handed over to Sonrise Church by a narrow minded Tory Council.
I do not however, recall artists personally threatening them nor attacking their faith. How would Sonrise Church have liked it if they had been unfairly evicted from their premises?
Was it not bad enough that the artists (who play a pivotal role in representing Hastings and keeping it on the map) lost their venue unfairly? Let alone Sonrise Church accuse artists of threatening them and their children. Such allegations are spiteful and wicked in the extreme. Talk of 'kicking someone when they are already down'.
Artists may hold points of view and - even practise another faith which does not tally with Sonrise Church's narrow minded and extreme religious views. Is that what they see as threatening? If the answer to that question is yes, then I am very sorry, Mr and Mrs Khan, but art is about challenging and questioning and sometimes it hurts.
As a member of the artists' community I do not attack people's religious faiths and I'm sure that I speak for the other Hastings artists. I would defend people's rights to attend their places of worship and practice their faith.
I must point out that there are devout Christians among the Hastings artists. I would also add that members of my family and friends are practising Christians and yet not a single one of them has mentioned having received threats and being subject to faith hate campaigns.
If Sonrise Church do not like the contents of my letter then please, by all means, feel welcome to come and stone me but before you do, go back to your bibles first, because you might find that there a couple of things that you have missed out and they are "Judge not lest ye be judged" Matthew 7:1-5 and "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"
I rest my case.
NICK ROWLAND
Tillington Terrace, Hastings
Manipulative behaviour
MAY I make a few points about your reports on Sonrise Church's decision to quit St Mary in the Castle?
1. You ask us to vote for or against condemning "the harassment experienced by Sonrise Church", as if this was a proven fact. Not "alleged death threats", nor "death threats" in quotation marks. Yet no-one has been charged, brought to court or found guilty. This sort of crying foul and finger-pointing by Sonrise is classic manipulative behaviour, which any parent would recognise and any serious journalist should question.
2. I was one of the founders of both SoCo and the Arts Forum. Speaking as a self-confessed "arts activist", I never heard talk of any threats. Yes, people were angered by the Council's procedures which many saw as covert, unfair, undemocratic and irresponsible, but they blamed the one-party cabinet and the council officers who were driving this controversial decision.
3. The divisive "Christians versus artists" presentation ignores two things. Sonrise would be disowned by many Christians, while the arts community includes many passionate Christians. Many across the spectrum were anxious about the influence on vulnerable people of untrained, unsupervised and self-appointed "pastors", and feared Sonrise's tenure of SMIC would magnify its credibility. In the event, they had clearly bitten off more than they could chew.
4. The real issue now is the town's need for a high quality flagship arts centre. Arts and culture are not a minority middle class pursuit but a life-enhancing essential found throughout the world, in rich and poor communities. From early childhood we all draw and paint, sing and dance, make up stories and act out dramas. Arts are also an effective antidote to mindless violence and criminality.
5. For Hastings, the arts are a powerful earner of income and prestige. Supposedly elitist artists make a major contribution to popular mass events such as the Carnival, Old Town Week and the Bonfire. St. Mary in the Castle, though not the easiest building, could be again a fully-functioning, financially solvent multi-arts venue for everyone to enjoy and be proud of.
6. The Observer often celebrates the achievements of our talented youngsters. Wouldn't it be more consistent if you also supported the establishment of an arts centre that can inspire and support them? So I hope the Observer will now play fair and support the sort of open bidding process for St. Mary's future use that we should have had two years ago.
RACHEL LEVER (Member of SoCo and Arts Forum)
Boscobel Road North, St. Leonards
Smear Campaign Against Church
The following is a message I have left on the Hastings Observer Message Board in regard to the slanderous attacks now being directed against us.
"I feel I have to yet again respond to this new attack on us a church and ask you to please, please, please stop and leave us alone.
For all those involved in this new smear campaign all you need to do is call Hastings Police who will confirm they are in contact with us at this time in regard to the harassment we have had.
Anyone reading this message board now will understand why we have suffered so much in the last 18 months as this is a drop in the ocean to the emails and letter we have received slandering us and showing intolerance towards us and our Christian faith.
The question maybe has to be raised now, is it right for an Individual or group who receive local or national government funding when evidence can clearly be shown by email or letter that they choose to make false claims and defamatory statements about a small minority group within their community without providing proof of their claims against that small minority group?
It can not be right that local or national government would fund and support directly or indirectly anyone involved in such acts which clearly designed to bring disunity and friction among local community and build hatred towards one group".
Glenn Khan
"I feel I have to yet again respond to this new attack on us a church and ask you to please, please, please stop and leave us alone.
For all those involved in this new smear campaign all you need to do is call Hastings Police who will confirm they are in contact with us at this time in regard to the harassment we have had.
Anyone reading this message board now will understand why we have suffered so much in the last 18 months as this is a drop in the ocean to the emails and letter we have received slandering us and showing intolerance towards us and our Christian faith.
The question maybe has to be raised now, is it right for an Individual or group who receive local or national government funding when evidence can clearly be shown by email or letter that they choose to make false claims and defamatory statements about a small minority group within their community without providing proof of their claims against that small minority group?
It can not be right that local or national government would fund and support directly or indirectly anyone involved in such acts which clearly designed to bring disunity and friction among local community and build hatred towards one group".
Glenn Khan
Monday 13 October 2008
A new smear campaign begins?
It appears that us leaving SMIC is not enough! We are now being accused of not telling the truth in regard to the police being involved. The other smear campaign that seems to have started is that the real reason we are leaving SMIC is that we cannot afford to run the building. On this post we will update you as more accusations come to light.
Can we please assure everyone that neither claim is true but is another example of the sought of things we have suffered for the last 18 months.
If anyone else is aware of any other things being said about us please let us know, we then consider if we need to pass that information onto the Police.
.
Can we please assure everyone that neither claim is true but is another example of the sought of things we have suffered for the last 18 months.
If anyone else is aware of any other things being said about us please let us know, we then consider if we need to pass that information onto the Police.
.
Letter of Support from SMICF
Friends of St Mary in the Castle 'disappointed' over Sonrise decision to end lease.
By Richard Gladstone - Hastings Observer
The Friends of St Mary in the Castle have said they are 'disappointed' over Sonrise Church's decision to end its lease of the building.
The move comes after the latter announced its decision last week because of allegations of harassment from people.
Ron Sollars, secretary of the Friends of St Mary in the Castle, said: "Originally there was opposition to the way the lease was granted by Hastings Borough Council without consultation even with the Friends group themselves, formed by former Friends members who restored and administered the building from 1993.
"However we feel that Sonrise have done a great job in maintaining the building with many improvements.
"The Friends feel it is important for a new leaseholder to be appointed quickly and not for the building to be closed and left to deteriorate.
Owing to its unique construction the building is set into the rock under Hastings Castle and continual maintenance is essential.
"The Friends urge anybody interested in this remarkable piece of Hastings history to contact councillors to urge speedy tendering for a new lessee."
Sonrise Church, which took over the running of St Mary in the Castle in January last year, said it has endured a campaign of hatred from a small group of people for almost two years and plans to vacant the premises in January.
Glenn and Cathy Khan, senior pastors, said they have had to put up with constant harassment from a minority of 'nameless, faceless people'.
On one occasion eggs were thrown at their front door at their home and their car vandalised, the couple told the Observer.
Mr and Mrs Khan said: "We would like to thank all those who have given us their support and encouragement over the past year.
"As many in the community will be aware, since January 2007 we have been the subjects of a faith hate campaign. So extreme has this campaign against us as a family been that on several occasions we have had to involve the police.
"We are no longer willing to put our family, our home and congregation at risk due to a small minority of people who have opposed our tenancy from the outset."
Sonrise Church was given a five-year lease to run St Mary in the Castle by the council which caused uproar within the arts community.
Deputy mayor Peter Armstrong likened the animosity towards the church as 'some of the worst excesses of the French Revolution'.
He said: "Since Sonrise Church took over it has had more than 100 events at St Mary in the Castle and more than 2,500 people through the doors so it has done what it promised to do.
"The church has been slandered and libelled against and received very unpleasant threats."
Hastings Arts Forum said it did not believe any of its members had been responsible for the alleged harassment of Sonrise Church.
The Friends will also be contacting other agencies who may be interested in running St Mary in the Castle in future.
By Richard Gladstone - Hastings Observer
The Friends of St Mary in the Castle have said they are 'disappointed' over Sonrise Church's decision to end its lease of the building.
The move comes after the latter announced its decision last week because of allegations of harassment from people.
Ron Sollars, secretary of the Friends of St Mary in the Castle, said: "Originally there was opposition to the way the lease was granted by Hastings Borough Council without consultation even with the Friends group themselves, formed by former Friends members who restored and administered the building from 1993.
"However we feel that Sonrise have done a great job in maintaining the building with many improvements.
"The Friends feel it is important for a new leaseholder to be appointed quickly and not for the building to be closed and left to deteriorate.
Owing to its unique construction the building is set into the rock under Hastings Castle and continual maintenance is essential.
"The Friends urge anybody interested in this remarkable piece of Hastings history to contact councillors to urge speedy tendering for a new lessee."
Sonrise Church, which took over the running of St Mary in the Castle in January last year, said it has endured a campaign of hatred from a small group of people for almost two years and plans to vacant the premises in January.
Glenn and Cathy Khan, senior pastors, said they have had to put up with constant harassment from a minority of 'nameless, faceless people'.
On one occasion eggs were thrown at their front door at their home and their car vandalised, the couple told the Observer.
Mr and Mrs Khan said: "We would like to thank all those who have given us their support and encouragement over the past year.
"As many in the community will be aware, since January 2007 we have been the subjects of a faith hate campaign. So extreme has this campaign against us as a family been that on several occasions we have had to involve the police.
"We are no longer willing to put our family, our home and congregation at risk due to a small minority of people who have opposed our tenancy from the outset."
Sonrise Church was given a five-year lease to run St Mary in the Castle by the council which caused uproar within the arts community.
Deputy mayor Peter Armstrong likened the animosity towards the church as 'some of the worst excesses of the French Revolution'.
He said: "Since Sonrise Church took over it has had more than 100 events at St Mary in the Castle and more than 2,500 people through the doors so it has done what it promised to do.
"The church has been slandered and libelled against and received very unpleasant threats."
Hastings Arts Forum said it did not believe any of its members had been responsible for the alleged harassment of Sonrise Church.
The Friends will also be contacting other agencies who may be interested in running St Mary in the Castle in future.
Sunday 12 October 2008
Your wrong!
We wish to make it clear and stop all the gossip now. We are not putting an offer in for:
1/ The Ice Rink
2/ The Pier
3/ The White Rock Theatre
We are looking at five buildings now as a possible option to St Mary in the Castle.
1/ The Ice Rink
2/ The Pier
3/ The White Rock Theatre
We are looking at five buildings now as a possible option to St Mary in the Castle.
It hits the press!
Our decision to leave St Mary in the Castle has now been in the press for 3 weeks. Our main focus is to now find a new home for the Church.
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