The Highfields Blog

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Second Birthday

This weekend marks the second birthday of our satellite congregation at Pontprennau.

Pete Evans | 20:43, 11th January 2014

null The vision was to start a congregation in the east of the city to impact our community and share the good news of Jesus with local people.

We first met on a cold January morning back in 2012 at Corpus Christi High School, 25 or so people not really sure what we were letting ourselves in for. To be fair, it’s probably a good job we didn’t know as it hasn’t always been easy!

Family

But 2 years on we have much to be thankful for, with approximately 70 adults and 20 children null now meeting together weekly on a Sunday morning. One of our core values has been to focus on family and our children’s ministry has boomed (and there are more on the way soon!) But it’s been about more than just kids’ ministry. Church is one big family that everyone is a part of, whether they are married or single, young or old. We encourage one another to build deep relationships, which can be hard sometimes, but this is slowly making a significant difference in people’s lives.

Community

null And of course, we’re still growing. Another of our core values is that we want to be a church that impacts our local and wider community and so we’ve sought to do that both informally by building relationships and formally through events that we’ve run. We’ve held different seminars and workshops like CV writing and cake-making, we’ve had stalls at community days and school fayres. We’ve run soccer schools and holiday clubs and we meet regularly with the local PCSO’s and other community organisations. We love Pontprennau. We love Pentwyn. We love the surrounding areas of Cardiff.

Jesus

And ultimately, we love Jesus. He is our greatest ‘core value’. It’s His love for us that unites us as His family and motivates us to care for our community. We want everybody, inside and outside our church, to know Him and to enjoy Him. Our motto verse for the year is Hebrews 12:1-2;

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus

So this weekend we celebrate two years of Highfields Church at Pontprennau. We celebrate our church family, we celebrate our local community, but most of all we celebrate Jesus. We want to continue to fix our eyes on him, being shaped by the reality of knowing Him, and we hope that in the coming years many, many others will also come to know Him through the witness of our church, for their joy and His glory.

If you’d like to hear our story in more detail, check out this short video.

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ALL the blog posts so far this year from the Highfields Contributors:

Broken Down House: We have been created and called by God for more than survival. We have been called to be actively involved in the restoration that is at the heart of God’s plan of redemption. This book that reminds us that while we live in a place damaged by sin, we don’t have to be discouraged or depressed; we can live productively in this broken world.
The Papa Prayer: If you are tired of a dull, routine, lifeless prayer life, if you are stirred by the idea of actually relating to God and being changed by Him in prayer, rather than presenting a shopping list, read The PAPA Prayer.
Second Birthday: This weekend marks the second birthday of our satellite congregation at Pontprennau.
God's Big Picture: Tracing the storyline of the Bible
Nativity, Historicity and Atheistic Simplification: Over the years, I grew to respect Christopher Hitchens, and was very much affected when he died.
When were you last in prison?: Not a question I get asked every day! But I was asked it last week when I visited Cardiff prison with Gillian Pegler one of our members who works in the prison with Time for Change ministry.
Santa - Ho, Ho, Ho or No, No, No?: As Christmas gets ever closer the one question I continually get asked as the family worker is: "Should Santa play a part in a Christian family's Christmas?"
Serving without Sinking: If you are feeling worn out, frustrated or bitter about ministry, take some time to read this and re-think your service in light of the gospel. It’s joy not duty which is the great fuel for service and we find it in Jesus, the one who serves us.
You Can Change: This book gently takes you through a biblical understanding of why we sin, why we should want to change and how that process of change is rooted in faith and a desire to glorify God above all else.
Bible Overview: Most evangelical Christians will agree that the Bible is all about Jesus but Levy takes that a little bit further and states that we actually see Jesus in the Old Testament more than you think.
Getting your kids through church without them ending up hating God: The problem Parsons sets out to deal with is the number of young people who leave church as soon as they can. He believes that in this they are not turning their back on God but rather what we have presented to them as church
Calm My Anxious Heart: a woman's guide to finding contentment: We struggle with anxiety so if you want to try to win that struggle in God’s strength by identifying and changing what’s at the heart of the problem then read this book!
Picnic Post: Under a grey sky last Sunday I found myself sitting in a chair, cold and alone, having sponges full of river water being thrown at my face.
Scandalous: Don Carson in his own dynamic way opens up the historic events, which took place over one weekend in Jerusalem about two thousand years ago and considers their significance.
Reviewing the Student Year: Andy mentioned to me the other day that as I've reached 26 weeks that means I've been pregnant for half a year.
Dysfunction in the workplace: I find myself preparing a talk on the Christian attitude towards work, to be given in a couple of weeks time at Highfields Church as part of our ‘Life on the Frontline’ series.
A Resilient Life: Behind all the story-telling the author brings out valuable lessons in preparing to finish well in the Christian life
Life on the Frontline: I'm sometimes asked: "What’s the highest calling God can place on my life?"
A Great Escape: There is so much to be encouraged about after the 526 Club's weekend away on Gower in April.
Growing up into Christ: Last Sunday evening (28th April 2013) will be memorable for everyone who was there for many reasons.
A Life's Journey: Written by our very own Adrian Evans!
That Distant Land: Collected Short Stories: A collection of short stories, written by a Christian. The author's gentle, reflective style of writing presents the idea that, in God's eternal present, all the best of these passing ages is preserved, valued and celebrated.
Trying to let go: This is my first and last post as the former Minister of Highfields Church
Les Misérables at last: And so, finally, we got to see the film – the 2012 blockbuster with Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe et al.
Hope has its Reasons: The Search to Satisfy Our Deepest Longings: A book that challenges the agnostic and the believer alike to acknowledge the truth of the human heart.
The God We Don't Expect: One would have to write off the Gospel narratives as any kind of historical record, to conclude that Jesus’ followers had expected some sort of miracle after the crucifixion.
Pause for Thought: One of the very recent highlights of my life was a trip to the Grand Canyon.
Seeking A Simpler Life: The Season of Lent ends soon. Good news!
The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict: An extremely helpful work that is a must-read for everyone involved in conflict resolution - and as you will soon discover when reading this book, that is not only something to be left for the 'experts', but is also the ministry of every disciple of Jesus.
Shepherd of Cactus Campus: One of the real highlights for me in Phoenix was our time with Rick Holman, the pastor of Scottsdale Bible Church's 'Cactus Campus', their satellite congregation.
Flying Home From Phoenix: Our trainee minsters Pete Evans and Jon Reeves are just back from a week spent at Scottsdale Bible Church in Arizona, the church with whom Highfields is hoping to partner in the coming year.
Does God believe in Atheists?: This book seeks to identify and address the problems of being an atheist.
A meal with Jesus: Food matters. Meals matter. Meals are full of significance – not just for us, but for God too.

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ALL the blog posts so far this year from the Highfields Contributors:

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