In 2010, If My People will be hosting an exciting Bible teaching programme designed to train and equip God's people for active service.

This programme will launch If My People's Training Centre and be the foundation of a continuing commitment to build God's people into a temple in which he will live by his Spirit.

Through the prophet Haggai, we see God's desire for the building of a house that is his own, and in Ephesians we see a clearer picture of this house as God's people being built together, becoming a holy temple with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. In this dwelling, God will live by his Spirit.

Later in Ephesians, we read that God has given different people into different works of service so that 'the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God an become mature.'

Split into three ministry-based streams, If My People's training programme for 2010 will focus on building up God's people for works of service, providing instruction both for those already ministering in their churches and those seeking God's purpose for their lives.

Read on to discover more about the programme for 2010.

 

In order to provide specific teaching to build up students in their ministries, we have divided the programme into three distinct streams:

Designed for those who are leading worship, or involved in worship ministries as musicians or singers, 'LIFT' will focus on practical skills and a Bible-based approach to worship in our Christian community.

If you have a heart for the lost in your family, community or the wider world, our 'PLANT' stream will offer mission and evangelism training, including planned opportunities to put the theory into practice.

'NOURISH' will provide a series of sessions designed to nurture and strengthen the gift of teaching in a variety of contexts.

We would encourage all those who are interested in the Training Centre to prayerfully consider which of the three streams would be most appropriate. Once you have booked your place on the course and registered with a specific stream, it will not normally be possible to transfer.

In May, June and July 2010 there will be a series of Saturday morning sessions focusing on foundational training based on Ephesians 4:11-13. These sessions will be for all streams together. The Ephesians Programme will feature Fidele Bolton (Hebron), Trevor Howells (Kirkholt), Prem Joseph (Champness Hall), Keith Mason (Creative Word Ministries), Andy McCulloch (Newbold) and Dave Percy (Newbold).

Sessions will take place on the following Saturday mornings: 8th May, 12th June and 10th July, at Champness Hall, 10am-12.15pm, two sessions each Saturday.

The fee for the series will be £30 per person (£10 per half day) or £45 for a couple, payable in full, in advance.

In addition to the Ephesians Programme, the 'PLANT' stream will also begin a separate programme during the summer months, to take advantage of the (hopefully) better weather for practical outdoors evangelism opportunities. Those who are signed up to 'PLANT' will be invited to three practical sessions on 'One-to-one Evangelism' which will take place on the same days as the Ephesians Programme, in the afternoons, 1-2pm. The total fee for these three sessions will be £10 per person, payable in advance.

September 2010 will see the return of the Rochdale Bible Week. This year's theme will be 'The Call of God', and will be complementary to the teaching offered by the Training Centre. Sessions will be every evening from Tuesday 21st September to Friday 24th September, and will be free of charge, although a collection will be taken to cover essential costs.

Then from October to December we will be running a training programme specifically tailored to each of our three streams. This extensive programme will offer two routes of study:

Route A: Three Saturday mornings covering the essential teaching programme for your chosen stream (LIFT, PLANT or NOURISH. These will take place on the 2nd Saturdays in October, November and December 2010. The fee will be £30 per person (£10 per half day) or £45 per couple, payable in full, in advance.

Route B: This will provide a more intensive course of study, including the essential stream-based teaching from Route A, plus six additional sessions for all streams together which will be aimed at building each student up through the Word towards effective ministry and service. Study sessions for Route B will be on 2nd and 4th Saturdays in October and November, and the 2nd Saturday in December. The sessions will last all day. The fee will be £100 per person (£10 per half day) or £150 per couple, payable in full, in advance.