Daniel Jeffrey Taylor

 

My son was born at 5:12pm on Friday 15th June.  I am so grateful to our God for his safe arrival and the wonderful staff at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.  As you can see from the picture we have a thrilled big sister; she is doing really well and is incredibly helpful.  B is also doing well and is doing remarkably well in the midst of difficult sleeping patterns, having a son who eats as much and as regularly as his daddy and the fact that our house is still only partially sorted.

I for one am a very happy and content husband and father who is looking forward to nurturing his family in this new house that will become our home and all to the glory of God.

Non Cheesy Christian Dance - Quality!

Picked this up off of Josh's Blog which is well worth a follow so you get these little gems!

A Celebration of Choir Song

Friday 13 July, doors 7.30pm (8pm start)

Reading Family Church & South Street are proud to present an evening of amazing vocal music from four locally based choirs. Join us for a whistle-stop tour of different vocal styles and genres from around the world, celebrated with style & verve.

Blessed: A blend of male and female voices bringing a taste of Africa, recognizong their roots and heritage. Full of joy, as they sway with the rhythm, they provide a great sense of occasion!

Quire Voices: Performing songs of different genres, and not being afraid of a challenge, means that these semi-pro chamber choir singers based in Windsor, are always willing to push the envelope and deliver high quality performance pieces wherever they go.

RFC voices:  A choir that represents different cultures, backgrounds and traditions, celebrate their diversity through a range of song from English Gospel to traditional African.  Power and energy accompanies each performance which reflects their passion and zeal for their art.

The Retreat Singers bring a host of different vocal and cultural experiences together. They create a sound that not only blends but purposely retains the individual vocal traditions that each singer brings to the group. They are a celebration of unity and individuality; of harmony and dissonance; a raw interpretation drawing from African music, rich gospel, jazz and folk.

Tickets £5 available from Karen at the church office or from the South Street Box Office

Have we forgotten about the salvation bell?

You may remember that a while ago we were hot on RFC campanology.  The idea that we would become familiar with ringing the salvation bell to celebrate when someone turns to Christ. I remember the morning and evening meetings last year when we rang the bell for those who had committed their lives to Jesus.  The overwhelming feeling of joy that it brought up in me was amazing.   It was also something that spurred us on in prayer and in courage.

This year it can seem like we have forgotten about the bell.  I haven't gone on about it quite as much as I used to and it hasn't yet been rung for dear Jess who committed her life to following Jesus a couple of weeks ago.  We are missing something here.  The celebration of souls being won is like nothing else.  Let's get this right, this isn't about ringing a bell, it's about individuals coming to know the love of God, being freed from guilt, sin and shame.  This is a matter of eternity not just a loud moment of rejoicing.

Who are you currently praying for?  Who are you sharing your stories of Jesus with?  Who do you care enough about to risk being thought of as confrontational and weird because you want to turn the conversation to Jesus?

Working with South Street Arts Centre

On July 13th we are co-hosting a choirs night with South Street Arts Centre.  An evening of great song with the a chilled relaxed atmosphere with access to a bar means this is an ideal event to invite someone who you haven't spoken much to about your faith.  an easy invite if you like.

Tom Elliott, Saturday 22nd September

On Saturday 22nd September, a comic illusionist, Tom Elliott, will be with us again at South Street, and he will be making us laugh as well as sharing the gospel of God's love through some funny stories. This is going to be a brilliant evening and I ask now, who will you invite along?  Tickets will be limited to 120 due to the capacity in the venue and I anticipate they will sell fast so watch this space and the website for more details in a months time.

Following the Alpha launch night on the Saturday we will be starting the Alpha course on Tuesday 25th September.  What five people can you pray for in the hopes that you will invite three and that one will say yes.  It could be that you feel that you have exhausted your pool of friends already.  Please pray and ask God who is he asking you to invite!

Just so we are clear - I need to hear this as much as anyone else, sat here at my desk in the church office surrounded by Christians.  I need to consider the questions I have posed as much as anyone else.  People are generally introduced to Christ, are me and you ready to do that?  Let's get back to RFC campanology and let's choose to be those who get to ring the bell next for one of our work colleagues, friends or even family members!

Diamond Jubilee Street Party - Whitley Style

Saturday 2nd of June seems like ages ago now but it was a day to remember for ever for the residents of Whitley and Whitley Wood who were involved in the largest street party in Reading.  Approximately 5000 people turned up to what was an amazing event. The video below was taken by GetReading, the local newspaper (there's also one on Meridian website but can't embed it!) and the guy speaking is Vernon Orr who is the local Anglican church vicar.  He has an incredible heart for the community in South Reading and has become some what of a figure head for the churches in the area with the council.

Although a great joint effort between the churches, I must put out a massive thank you to all at Reading Family Church who got involved, whether making or buying cakes, serving in the afternoon or taking days off on the Friday to be available to lug tables and chairs from all manner of places.  It is hard to see how well the event could have been done without the dedicated, tireless serving of you guys.  

There was also an amazing team behind the scenes with some significant roles going to RFCers.  Tim Rooke masterminded the whole thing with his unique brand of diligence and unwavering commitment to the spreadsheet.  Chris Poston somehow managed to convince bouncy castle companies that their precious commodities would be fine on road surfaces and then headed the team for activities.  Alison Grieg ably supported everything with her administrative prowess, contacting the media and the dignitaries as well as making sure budgets were adhered to and money to cover those budgets was acquired.  Then we have Peter Harley who managed the site which involved the road closures, set up and of course the stewarding of the event.  This was an epic six months for each of them and each should be commended.

As for the day itself - every prayer was answered and more.  The weather was perfect, there was no trouble, the local community joined the church community in set up and pack down.  there was an atmosphere of love and respect over the place with old rubbing shoulders with young, neighbours reconnecting, old school friends bumping into each other.  Sir John Madjeski made his appearance and then stayed for the best part of the afternoon, despite the fact I made him an awful cup of tea!  The local MP's Alok Sharma and Rob Wilson, Readings Mayor and the towns press were out in force and BBC Radio Berkshire had a live reporter right from 8:30am when we started set up through to 6pm after she had helped pack some things away.  Even I went out live on the radio!

In all this was a day of community, a day of serving, a day of connecting, a day to remember and a day to savour.  Whatever anyone says about Whitley the prayer that has gone in to that place is working and the church is respected and supported in a way none of us can really understand.  God is good and he is working in the lives of many who attended that day.  It's great top be a church that meets in that community and has links in with it.