Hockley Pentecostal Church

Some people think that Halloween is just a bit of harmless fun. However, it only takes a couple of minutes thought to realise that we’re joking about some pretty serious stuff. Some Christians respond to this by moaning and complaining but we’re going to have some fun of our own.

The Hallelujah Party is on October 31st from 6-7.30pm. It’s going to be a fantastic evening of fun, games, music and prizes.

Our cosmically fantastic 3-day playscheme is back again!  Activities include bouncy castle, crafts, computer games, songs and much much more.  To get some idea of what it’s like, visit our YouTube channel for video of a previous year.  At only £1 per child per day you will not find better value anywhere.  To book, bring your completed forms and payment to the church.  You do need to book in advance, places are filling up fast and it’s first-come, first-served.  You can get a booking form by clicking here Flyer & booking form for Above & Beyond Activity Days 2009.  This year children also need to bring their own packed lunch. 

• 10am – 3pm Thursday 23rd July 
• 10am – 3pm Friday 24th July
• 10am – 2pm Saturday 25th July

The 5th July was a really exciting day for Treasure Kids as the West Midlands Police came to tell us about their work and how we can stay safe. There were talks about traffic police including the demonstration of a stinger and a breathalyser test (don’t worry, Pastor John passed) . The children had the chance to have their finger prints taken and dress up with various pieces of equipment. We also learned the right way to cross roads and how to stay safe on the internet. One of the highlights was the visit of a police dog who showed his ability to hunt for property and stop offenders from running away. He was also happy to sit still while the children stroked him. Everyone had a great day and the time flashed by as we were having so much fun.

We would like to say a huge thank you to the West Midlands police for taking the time to visit us and make it such a special day. As well as the photos below you can also see more about what happened by watching the video on YouTube.

This year’s family funday was the best ever! Around seven hundred people came to enjoy the fun including songs, puppets, games, music, bouncy castle and face painting. There were bargains galore at our charity shop and a new attraction was the very popular glitter tattoo. Children and adults alike were delighted by TK the dog, who took part in everything and helped to teach the youngsters about the right people to listen to.

Our annual family funday continues to be a highlight for the local community and once again everything, including a packed lunch for everyone, was completely free.

Loads of things are happening at HPC over the next few weeks as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!  Some special events and some changes to our usual programme to make way for Christmas.  More details are on the Special Events page, but here’s a run-down:

Thursday welcome evenings are closed until 8th January.

Tuesday 2nd December at 7pm sees the return of the ever popular Esther Generation BEad Creative Jewellery Party.

Wednesday 10th December - Bright Hour Christmas meal out.

Tuesday 16th December from 11am-2pm - Friendship Plus Christmas Meal

Wednesday 17th December from 1-2.45pm – Bright Hour Carol service

Saturday 20th December at 7pm & Sunday 21st December at 5.30pm is our Christmas Musical - Jesus the light & Soul of Christmas – the whole family will love this theatrical nativity.

Tuesday 23rd December at 11am – Queen Elizabeth Court Carol Service 

Tuesday 23rd December – Friendship Plus is closed

Wednesday 24th December – Bright Hour & the prayer meeting are closed 

Thursday 25th December from 11am-12noon – Christmas Day Service

Sunday 28th December – Treasure Kids is closed & there will be no evening service

30th December - Friendship Plus is closed

31st December – Bright Hour & the prayer meeting are closed 

Come down on New Year’s Eve at 7.30pm for party games & food as we see out 2008 together & then welcome in 2009 with a Watchnight Service from 11pm-midnight.

Sunday 4th January – Lunch after the morning service, followed by our vision afternoon (Treasure Kids is closed and there will be no evening service)

Thursday 8th January – Welcome Evenings start again, yippee!

Sunday 11th January – Treasure Kids is closed.  Those workers need a rest now & then!

Sunday 18th January – Treasure Kids re-opens for 2009, hurray!

Friday 30th (evening) & Saturday 31st January – our annual Prayer Conference

We always like to do something a bit special at Christmas and this year is no exception. We’ve written our own musical and rehearsals are in full swing ready to provide you with a great evening’s entertainment. The show’s entitled “Jesus the light and soul of Christmas” and there are two performances; Saturday 20th December at 7pm and Sunday 21st December at 5.30pm. Come and be reminded what Christmas is all about. Admission is free.

On Saturday 5th July we’re taking a bus loads of kids to the Go Wild event at Twin lakes Park. It ’s going to be a fantastic day out with spiritual input as well as all the attractions at the park. Children must be aged 11 or under, and those under 7 must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is £16 but we’re reducing that to £9 for HPC families by providing free transport. To book see Janice or Elizabeth. Alternatively contact the church office.

On the 22nd and 23rd January we hosted these remarkable children. Everyone was delighted by their infectious smiles, bubbling happiness,  joyous dancing and obvious musical ability.  We were also touched by their moving stories as all of them are orphans.

The Choir tours the world helping to publicise and finance the work of ‘Watoto’, a charity that works with orphans in Uganda.  Watoto have developed a pattern where groups of 8 children are placed in a newly built house with their ‘mother’. Houses are grouped into clusters of 9, and several clusters make a Watoto village.  Each village has a school and medical centre.  So far nearly 1700 children have been rescued from terrible situations and become part of the Watoto family. We fully support their work and would encourage you to help them spiritually and financially. For more information see their website.

Their performances are a riot of sound and colour with a distinct African flavour. It’s hard to get a clear photo because they’re constantly dancing, but you can see some of our best pictures below.  For a better idea of what it was like take a look at the video on youtube which will be available from later today.

All of us here at Hockley Pentecostal Church would like to wish you every joy and blessing during this festive season. We celebrate the life of Jesus all year round but there’s still something special about Christmas.

As you’d exect we’ve got a packed program of events at this time of year. Most of the regular meetings run as normal but there are some changes during the main holiday week.

The treasure kids party is on Sunday 9th December at 3pm.  The following two Sundays we have Carol services. The Children’s Carol service is at 5.30pm on Sunday 16th December and is particularly suitable for families with children of primary school age.  The main Carol Service is at 6.30 pm on 23rd December.  Both the services will be followed by hot and cold drinks with mince pies.

On Christmas day we have a one hour service starting at 11am.  There will be no midweek meetings after this and the next service will be Sunday 30th December at the usual time of 11am. There is NO EVENING MEETING on this day.

On 31st December at 11pm we have a special service to see in the new year.

On Saturday 6th October some nationally recognised children’s workers will be in Birmingham at Hockley Pentecostal Church to share their wealth of experience.  The day starts at 9.30am and runs through until 4pm.  For a look at the programme click on this link training.pdf. Booking is essential and should be done by Tuesday 2nd October at the latest. Cost £15.