Latest News & Prayer Points – Feb 2020

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”

 

Summary Prayer Points

·         Give thanks for the successful completion of Phase 1 of the church restoration.

·         Give thanks for the appointment of a Contractor for the Phase 2 finishing of the interior.

·         Pray for the money to fund the oak flooring, heating panels, AV system and cooker.

·         Give thanks for all those who volunteer their time and skills.

·         Pray for increased monthly giving and more guests.

·         Pray for our work with Arran Churches Together over the coming years.

·         Pray for the Directors as we meet on 29 February 2020.

·         Pray for the coming events in 2020 that people may come and be rested, restored and revived. Pray for the planning and for those who will take part. Pray for guidance as we plan future events.

·         Pray for the building of Christian community on the island supporting local communities, churches and SCC.

 

Further details for those who may want to pray for specific things

 

1. Prayer Gatherings

We come together in prayer, as a community, on Monday 2 March 2020 at 8 pm. Although we are dispersed it is great to know that people on Arran and across Scotland and beyond will be praying at the same time. In Edinburgh we will gather on Monday 2 March 2020 at the home of George and Fiona Hazel from 8 pm to 9.30 pm. Join with us in prayer and thanksgiving for what God is doing at SCC.

 

2. Restoration of the church and manse

·         Discussions have been finalized with our main Contractor for Phase 1 of the church and manse restoration. The Contractor has been paid in full.

·         Phase 2 – We received a price for Phase 2 of the church restoration from a Contractor, ie finishing the interior. This price is very near the money we have left which is an answer to prayer. We asked our QS to check the tender against the work needing done and he confirmed that the price was very good value. We have now appointed this Contractor to do the work and this is scheduled to start on the 9th March and finish in the first week of May 2020. Once we know when the work will be finished, we will set a date for the re-opening of the church and Open Day.

There are four items that are not included in the price submitted as these were still being discussed:

·         Finished oak flooring. The Contractor will lay the floor with chipboard and insulation within his price but it would be great to be able to have the finished oak flooring done as well. The Contractor has offered to lay it free of charge if we can supply the flooring. This is a wonderful offer and represents significant cost saving for us. Cost of the flooring is £3000.

·         Audio-visual System for the church. We will need an AV system in the church for presentations, words of songs, etc. Cost – £1000

·         Heating Panels for the church. Our architect and technical advisor have decided on four infra-red glass panels fixed to the ceiling of the church. Cost 4 panels @£250 each – £1000

·         Cooker for the new kitchen to service the church. To complete the new kitchen to service the church we need a hob and oven. Cost – £1000

Pray for the resources to be provided to completely finish the church. The work to finish the new kitchen and toilets will be done by volunteers and we already have two people coming at the beginning of March to skim the plasterboard ready for painting. We will need volunteers for the painting but will give details of dates later!

 

3. Finances

·         Please continue to pray for an increase in monthly giving to cover the loan repayments of £1100.00 per month. At the moment we are still about £1000 per month under. Our regular giving has increased but some others have had to stop their contributions.

·         One way to increase our giving is through more people staying at SCC. February was busier than last year but we need more so please continue to spread the word and encourage more people to come to SCC and/or join as Friends of Sannox.

 

4. Arran Churches Together

We are delighted to say that Sannox Christian Centre is now a member of Arran Churches Together (ACT), so thank you for your prayers. It will be great to work with the churches, especially when we can offer the church for ACT events.

 

5. Directors Meeting 29 February 2020

Please pray for the Directors as we meet following the Hosting Day in Troon at 4 pm.

 

6. Events

 

Hosting Open Day – Saturday 29 February 2020

REMINDER

We are so blessed by the hosts we have and want to thank and honour them and build on their foundation. So, we are holding another Hosting Open Day at the end of February. This is for existing hosts to come and give us feedback, to pass on their experiences and expertise and for those who are interested in hosting. Our aim is to have hosts on site all year round, maintaining a rhythm of prayer throughout the year, so please come to the event, share your experience and learn more about hosting. Heidi has sent out reminders for the day that begins at 10 am and end at 4 pm in the Lighthouse Church, Troon. We have had some hosts and new people booking but we need more!

Please come and respond to Heidi at admin@sannox.org. We want as many current hosts as possible to attend to listen to their experiences and lots of new hosts. It will be a time of celebration, thanksgiving and information. The event last year was a great day.

 

Easter Lamlash Holiday Club – 6 to 9 April 2020

Note it is now for 4 days to avoid Good Friday.

The holiday club is being organized by SU in partnership with Lamlash Church of Scotland. George attended a meeting in Lamlash Church of Scotland with the organizing team and will circulate more details about the week separately. So, come and be part of the Holiday Club on behalf of SCC, working with SU and the local church.

The theme is “Wonder Zone” with 5 daily themes:

·         We have a great world to wonder about

·         An amazing God who created the world

·         Jesus the light of the world

·         We are created and special

·         We are not robots and have a choice to make

Please consider helping, it would be great to send a team from SCC. If you can help email Heidi at admin@sannox.org and she will liaise with George with respect to the organizing and sending you details.​

 

Easter Weekend – 10 to 12 April 2020

Given the delay in starting the interior of the church it will not be ready for Easter. However, there will still be events to take part in over the weekend:

·         ACT Walk of Witness along Brodick Esplanade on Good Friday afternoon and after that our prayer walk based on the Stations of the Cross at Sannox as devised by our Farsi Christian friends.

·         Sunrise service on the beach at Sannox.

·         Afternoon service at 3 pm in Sannox Church, whatever state it is in!

·         We are also praying about organizing an informal time of worship on Saturday sometime.

Three of the bedrooms are already booked in Dundarroch but the three bed room is still available. Please consider coming for the weekend or the day. Contact Heidi on admin@sannox.org. A more detailed programme will be sent out soon.

 

Midweek Retreat led by Roy Searle

Theme – “Celtic Treasures – Light from the past to inspire and illumine our lives today

Dates – Monday 29 June to Thursday 2 July 2020

Content – Roy, of the Northumbria Community and an advisor to SCC, will explore the riches to be found in the stories of the Celtic Saints and their relevance to life and faith today. The retreat will run from mid-afternoon on Monday through to after lunch on Thursday. A monastic rhythm of prayer will frame each day with Daily Offices, teaching sessions and lots of time to relax, reflect and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Arran and the Sannox Christian Centre

Costs – Details will follow shortly.

Accommodation – The retreat is open to all but if you need accommodation places are limited at the centre so book soon. This time of year is very busy on the island therefore our recommendation is to either book places at the centre or book B&B on the island as soon as you can. Also book the ferry early as that gets very busy. The local tourist office can help with accommodation.

 

Directors Meeting, Board Meeting and AGM – Saturday 23 May 2020

The AGM begins around lunchtime but details will follow – note the change of date.

 

Bible Study Weekend – Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August 2020

Advance Notice:

Andy Hall will lead 5 Bible studies from the book of Ephesians on the Holy Spirit. More details to follow but if you want to reserve a place on the weekend and accommodation in Dundarroch Cottage then email Heidi at admin@sannox.orgDetails to follow.

 

Future Events

At our last Directors’ Meeting on 21 December 2019, we discussed future events at SCC in 2020:

·         As the local community base grows, we believe SCC should be working with the local community and offering events for the island, especially in winter. A number of ideas are being discussed and we are praying about these before deciding what to offer. Barbara, who is one of our Directors and lives on Arran, is our lead in this area.

·         Alpha weekends, hosted by SCC or self-hosted.

·         Christian leaders and workers retreats, offered 3 or 4 times a year as mid-week events. We have been approached by a couple of Christian organisations interested in these retreats.

·         “Blessing Weeks” – teaching on blessing, as this is part of SCC values – we are still discussing this.

·         Weekend events of worship, rest and restoration.

 

7. Building a Sannox Community on Arran

We continue to spend time with those on Arran who are committed to SCC and as mentioned above Barbara will liaise with local people. Others from SCC will support her. It is exciting to see God building community on the island. Barbara is also working with CAP and other community services and working with Moira in creative arts through Arran Open Studios and the local Art and Mind Group. We are keen to support other forms of worship like creative writing and music.

 

8. Spreading the word

Please continue to spread the word about SCC to your networks and friends. It is so encouraging to see new Friends of Sannox signing up to our network. You are our ambassadors. We want to strengthen links with other organisations, such as SU and Pray for Scotland. George spoke at a 24/7 Scotland conference on 22 February in Dundee and so many people were encouraged and interested in SCC. Many didn’t know of our existence but do now! 24/7 Scotland are very keen to work with us. We also want to forge links with churches, so if you are interested in a link with SCC and/or want one of the team to come to your church to tell the story of Sannox, then please email Heidi on admin@sannox.org.

 

9. IT Group

Our IT Group continues to do fantastic work in the background making sure our systems are fit for purpose. Give thanks to God for them – they are a God given asset. We continue to improve the web site and have added testimonials. We are also looking at adding comments received from guests in our visitors’ book and feedback forms to a comments/reviews page. If you would like to add a testimonial/comment or know someone who would like to do this, contact Heidi at admin@sannox.org.
We still need someone to look after our social media plans and policies. If you can help, or know someone who can help, please email Heidi at admin@sannox.org.

We bless you, in the name of Jesus, to receive all that the Father has for you and thank you for your continuing support of His work at SCC. May we see more and more people being rested, restored and revived at Sannox in 2020.