With Such a good end at HCC to 2018 we can look forward to 2019. For those who hadn’t heard, although hard not to as those of us who regularly attend HCC have been praising God constantly, we received a record-breaking congregation for our Carol Service. Putting it into perspective, in December 2017, eight attended the carol service and 12 months later in 2018, 32 attended including visitors, but that was even without 11 of our regulars who at the last minute couldn’t make it. So we quadrupled our numbers, and had the potential in fact to have increased by five-fold. God is growing the church. It shows life and is heading in the right direction. We have only small resources, but that’s okay as that means in our weakness we have to trust God.
I came to lead HCC, for the second time, in September 2017 to relaunch a re-purposed church with an afternoon service. Many said it would not work and some walked away from the church. I felt we needed to make a definite clear intention to see things differently and change how we do things as what the old church was doing, albeit good in its time was clearly not bringing life into the church. It wasn’t about the time of service as we could meet in the morning; in fact we meet for prayer in the morning instead. But aligning ourselves to the will of God and clearly indicating no matter how crazy it sounds, we will trust Him to guide us. Like Naaman told by Elisha the prophet to wash himself in unclean water of the River Jordan seven times. He didn’t want to as it didn’t make sense to him. This is how walking the Christian life is. Many things won’t make sense, but if God’s telling you to do it, you need to be obedient. So moving into 2019 we are excited as we see growth. We will continue to pray for it and for those whom have faithfully come to us and are serving, not just spectating. Little steps forward. We pray for the main church to be repaired to a point of being able to use it again in time for the Christmas Carol Service as we are going to need it! My hopes and prayers for this year:
Keep praying and God Bless you in 2019 Pastor Karen
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AuthorReverend Karen Bassett first led the church from August 2005 until 2009, before taking a break, to return again in 2017. Karen holds a BA in Theology from the University of Wales. Karen has served in the Royal Naval Reserve for many years, and having been ‘called-up’ for War Duty was decorated for her front-line service during the Gulf War. She successfully passed-out of Britannia Royal Naval College as an officer, a Sub-Lieutenant, and has since been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Karen volunteers as the Squadron Chaplain to Portsmouth Air Cadets and as the Southern Area Chaplain for the Sea Cadets. Karen lives with her husband Nicholas (an ex-Royal Navy Weapon Engineer, Radar), at their home in Southsea. Karen is a keen runner, cyclist, kayaker and mountaineer, and relaxes by practicing trumpet, saxophone, guitar and drums. Karen completed her first London Marathon, in aid of The Sailors Society, in April this year. Archives
April 2022
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