Serve one another with love

It was great to be encouraged by Sam on Sunday to be involved in serving one another at the Crown.

The greatest command given to us by God is to love Him and love one another. Galatians 5 v 13 encourages us to serve one another with love.

In September we started 'Serve13' at the Crown Church... a new way in which people can sign up to serving on Sunday mornings. We have teams that serve in many areas: kids work, youth work, PA team, Songpro team, worship team, tea and coffee team, set up/set down team, offering team.

Serve13 involves serving on 13 Sundays per year. You choose to serve on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th Sunday of every month. (If you're quickly doing maths in your head you wondering where the 13th Sunday appears... well there are 4 months in the year with 5 Sundays so each team takes a turn in the year to serve twice in a month, hence 13!).

The best thing about Serve13 is there are no rotas... amen, hallelujah, praise the lord! That's because you serve on a monthly pattern so you known a whole year in advance when its your turn to serve. Better still, if you are new to the church you can jump on board and serve straight away... no more waiting for the new rota to appear with your name on!!!

Last night I met up with a new family who have joined the church recently. They were so excited to have been able to get involved in our Set up team and Worship team... being able to serve has been the number one factor in helping them make new friends and feel at home in the church.

What about you? Why not get involved in serving on one of our teams? Simply check out http://www.serve13.org.uk/ to spot where vacancies are and then email office@crown-church.org.uk with your details and we'll get you involved.

Sing Out is now into its 5th year. Its a fantastic event with local school choirs coming to sing at the Crown Church for a very special Christmas celebration.

This year we had 6 schools - 1 from Ruislip, 1 x Ickenham, 1 x Uxbridge, 1 x West Drayton & 2 x Hayes. The quality of their performances was the best ever with some great tunes, melodies and even a few solos.

I also thought the Deputy Mayor Cllr Mary O'Conner was outstanding - with a fantastic little speech thanking everyone at the end. She also gave out gifts for all the teachers who helped organise the school choirs. Prince and Laura were their usual star performers too

This year's Sing Out was the Crown's biggest attended event of the year with 520 people in attendance. We used every spare chair in the school and there were even people sat in the PA booth on the balcony. Lots of people had to stand at the back.

The question is how do we top it next year? I already have a waiting list of 3 extra schools.

Christmas is here...

I think last night was the first time decorations have gone up in November in our house. We are already building fun traditions with the kids... Reindeer hide and seek, Naomi (our only girl) gets to place the star on the tree each year and of course stockings hang by the chimney.

Last night we played our first Christmas songs and this morning we had a snowball fight... well Jake rushed out this morning into 2mm of snow in his pyjamas and lobbed snowballs at the rest of us stood at the window!!! (not sure if that counts)

Christmas trees, Christmas songs and snow... The Crown Christmas events must be just around the corner!!! www.crown-church.org.uk

Potty training update

So the boy has done it. I am proud of him and grateful that he now knows where and when he can do his business.

So four kids through nappies... this is a momentous moment in the Hunting household and one to be celebrated for two main reasons...

1. Never again having to empty a weeks supply of used nappies into a bin bag on bin day! Yeeeesssss!
2. Never having to spend money on disposable pants ever again (well at least until I reach my 90's eh)

I estimate that my children have got through approximately 14,000 nappies between them. Thats based on four nappies per day for 2 1/2 years each. The reality is that the first months you get through 100 a day and towards the end maybe just 2 or 3 so I think 4 is a fair average! And at 12p per nappy that is £1680 worth of nappies.

What would you do with £1680?

Reasons to let your son sleep with a sword

My youngest son Ethan (2 yrs) has become attached to his toy sword. It goes everywhere with him and he even sleeps with it. Yesterday morning I went in to wake the boys and he was sat up in bed pretending to sharpen his sword ready for any action the day may throw at him. With two older brothers I don't blame him for arming himself throughout the day, afterall he could get jumped at any time, he is the smallest so its good to see him think strategically about how to get the upper hand. He is the family's military tactician!

Here are some reasons why I love to see Ethan arming himself for battle:

• In Genesis 2 we see that Adam was formed in a wilderness and then later placed into the garden of Eden. He was formed in the untamed part of creation. The core of a man's heart is undomesticated. Ethan doesn't come alive when he's having to tidy up toys or learning to count... but put a sword in his hand and his whole persona changes... He's the man!
• Ex 15 v3 describes the Lord as a warrior. He is also the 'Lion of Judah'. Ethan is made in God's image.
• He is not a girl
• My favourite line from Braveheart is 'All men die, few men ever really live." Albert Schweitzer said "The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives." Soon Ethan will start 'taming lessons' - sorry I meant school- where the classroom can sometimes emasculate boys with quietness, stillness, niceness and making flowers being the order of the day.*  
• Owning a sword comes with great responsibility: He is learning that he can't just go and attack an unsuspecting sibling; he is learning how to honour and respect his sister... and defend her; he is learning how to defend himself. 
• He nearly lost his finger playing with my saw- so its good to start with a blunt instrument first and work your way up. One day he will have his own swiss army knife!!!
• Every boy and man is a warrior inside. But the choice to fight is his own. Every man must have a cause to which he is devoted to (even to death) for this is written into his very being. God has created Ethan to be his intimate ally, to join him on His great mission.    

*Please note I am not against education... in fact I am for it. Just wanting a little more competitive PE and Bull Fighting on the currciculum!!!!

Lex Loizides and Billboards

Well its been a whirlwind week in the life of the Crown Church. We have been out on the streets inviting the people of Hillingdon to come to church... we've even had a billboard in Uxbridge advertising the Sunday just past.

Some highlights have included...

• Frontier Project students joining us for the week and leafleting many homes in the borough. Thanks to Clare (Crown), Sam (Bromley), Emma (X1 Watford), Amanda (Kings, Catford), Abigail (Kingston), Louisa & Annabelle (Christchurch, London) and Jo (QRC, Wimbledon).
• Gathering to pray each morning
• Distributing 28000 leaflets
• Out with the Cell Groups leafleting - we got soaked Wednesday night!
• Getting to know Lex- inspiring to see a guy giving out personal testimony tracts wherever he went
• Hearing Lex speak on Supernatural Apologetics on the Friday morning
• Flooding Uxbridge on the Saturday with 60 Crown folk out on the streets

It was great to gather together on the Sunday morning. We had around 60-70 more people with us than a normal Sunday. Many came forward for prayer for healing and it was exciting to hear some testimonies of people who were healed that morning... in particular it was great to see one guys face as he realised he could no longer feel pain in his neck.

It has been a wonderful week that stops us looking inwards and helps us realise the church exists for those not yet in it - Its been a week of sowing many seeds into the community- let's pray for God to continue to work into the lives of many people in West London.

The Mac is back

Or should it be the Mc is back! I'm so looking forward to Andy McCullough preaching at the Crown Church this Sunday. Andy is a great friend and one of the most radical Christians I have ever met.

Andy's wife Jess and my wife Lucy gave birth to our respective 8 (4 each) kids within days of each other. Gossip would say we planned it this way but it was honestly a nice God given coincidence (a contradiction I know!).

Anyway I've not seen Andy for over a year because he has moved to start a church in the middle east. I'm really looking forward to catching up with a great friend!