‘Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.’
1 Corinthians 15: 1
As we approach Easter, it is both a sobering remembrance and a thrilling joy to think again about the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Everything we are and do as followers of Jesus hinges on these significant events which have secured our salvation but also set in place the foundation of our life and mission as we take his message to the nations.
At Sannox we take our stand on Christ and the gospel whatever way the cultural wind blows and live to proclaim him as Saviour and Lord, as well as being our rest, our peace, and our refuge. We know him as someone to sing about aloud from the rooftops, as well as someone we encounter in the stillness of the prayer closet. He is ‘altogether lovely, altogether wonderful’ to us, as the worship song reminds us.
We seek him as the foundation of all we do at Sannox. We hope we will see you soon as you participate in all that is planned in the months to come!
Staff Update – Andrew Clark
We rejoice in the good news of growth at Arran Baptist Church, where our Centre and Ministry Team Leader, Andrew Clark, is also the pastor. With growth of over 100% attendance in the last year, the church is moving towards needing Andrew’s ministry full time and that transition will happen in coming months. He will not be disappearing from Sannox Christian Centre, however. We are currently exploring how Andrew’s ministry at Sannox will adapt around new ministry and mission needs on the island.
April Prayer Gathering
Our next Friends of Sannox prayer gathering is at 8.00pm on Monday 1st April. We look forward to praying and worshipping together with as many of you as possible. Prayer underpins all we seek to do for the advancement of God’s Kingdom – please join us if you can.
Prayer Points:
Give thanks for:
Another successful Sannox Stitches Retreat, with a retreatant joining us from Australia! Bookings are coming in from participants from the US and Canada for September.
• Bookings coming in for our retreat programme and for personal retreats.
• Preparatory work on site and continued work on designing the Beehive Chapel. (We plan to show an excellent short video of what the design and construction will look like, which has been prepared by our Architect. So we encourage you to join this prayer time, even if you have not been for a while, and invite others to join us.)
• Our housekeeper, Michelle, now back at work and settling back in after compassionate leave.
• For the return of Fran and her team to Corrie Tea Room and for the support this will be to catering at Sannox.
Please pray for:
• wisdom as we adapt to Andrew’s new working pattern and his ongoing ministry with us at Sannox.
• continuing favour on fundraising for ongoing running costs.
• plans and preparation for this year’s Arran Open Studios with potential work with primary schools.
• our upcoming Creative Writing Retreat, our Songwriting Retreat, and our ‘Sacred Harp’ Shapenote Singing Weekend.
• a time of blessing at Sannox over Easter.
• our ferry service and increased stabilisation, and for the businesses affected by recent challenges, that they would prosper once again.
Sannox Saturday
Our next Sannox Saturday takes place on Saturday 6th April. As usual we will start at 2pm with coffee, then a time of worship, prayer and a message following. We look forward to seeing all who are able to gather with us! Our speaker this month is Andrew Clark.
Upcoming Events and Retreats
Easter at Sannox
29th – 31st March
We will be joining with the ecumenical walk of witness in Brodick on Good Friday. On Easter Sunday we will have our sunrise service on Sannox beach, and then a worship celebration at 2.30pm in the Church. Do come and celebrate with the Christian community on the island and here at Sannox.
Please note: The Saturday prayer stations time advertised last month will no longer go ahead.
‘Going Deeper’ – Creative Writing Retreat
16th April – 19th April
Join us for a few days set apart to explore creativity and spirituality through creative writing. The retreat will be led by Andrea Mill, a Christian Counsellor, lay preacher and writer, living in Kinghorn in Fife. Visit our Facebook events page or website for more information. Closing date for booking: 1st April.
Sannox Songwriting Retreat
14th May – 17th May
Join our worship leader, Jim Farrell, for a few days together in collaboration on a new retreat for this year, focussed on songwriting that helps express worship, faith and scriptural truth. For more details, see our Facebook events page or the Sannox Christian Centre website.
Sacred Harp Shapenote Singing Weekend
24th – 26th May
Join us for a great weekend singing from the ‘Sacred Harp’ – a primitive American four-part a cappella singing tradition. Strong melodies, beautiful harmonies, firm beats and a full voiced sound! On the Friday evening will have a ‘singing school’ to teach the basics, and Saturday will contain opportunities to sing a traditional ‘All Day Sing’ with lovely ‘dinner on the grounds’. We are pleased to be joined by seasoned Sacred Harp singers from around the country for this event! For more details, see our Facebook events page or the Sannox Christian Centre website. Booking required for accommodation – filling up fast! No booking needed to turn up for the singing.
The Sannox Prayer
“Today I choose to stand in this place you have called me to,
And I declare that You are a Mighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Your Kingdom shall endure and will never be shaken.
Open the windows of Heaven and pour out Your promised blessings in this generation.
Revive us, restore us and heal our land.
Thank you for going before us to open the way and remove all obstacles.
Increase our Faith, stir up Hope and keep us grounded and walking in Love.
Thank you that You are creating a dwelling place for God and man here – in Sannox, on Arran, for the nations.
Amen”
We bless you in the name of Jesus, to receive all that the Father has for you, and we thank you for your continuing support of His work at SCC. Be blessed and protected in all you do for the Kingdom, in the mighty and beautiful name of Jesus.
The Trustees and staff of Sannox Christian Centre