Message from Pastor David Corke 

What an honour it is to pastor this lovely fellowship, filled with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Carol and I feel that we are surrounded by a wonderful company of friends and immersed in the love that you display. Thank you for the privilege of allowing us to serve you in this place for so long. Now in our 29th year.
We are as passionate about providing dynamic preaching/teaching with a focus on Evangelism; as the day we came. I am grateful for the help I receive in the area of administration skills, and the ability to engage the community of the church. We are passionate about discipleship within our church, reaching our local community, and
worldwide missions.

The purpose of a pastor is:

a) to lead the church, provide pastoral care, provide a high degree of organisation, and to work towards achieving the Church’s mission. This includes leading others; learning from others; pastoral care of others; developing and leading programmes of work; taking responsibility for the spiritual health and wellbeing of Hebron and its people; and

b) to develop, implement and review a vision for the Church, communicate it effectively, and lead people in working towards its achievement. To develop where necessary, specific Ministry teams with team leaders, as part of the fulfilment of the vision and 10 other points that I will share with you in the near future.

We are a Blessed church because:

• The Nepalese church have decided to be part of Hebron giving us much encouragement
• Blessed with those who clean Hebron church keeping it spick and span
• Blessed by good speakers who make the Bible easy to understand, by explaining its meaning in ways that we can understand
• Blessed with good home group leaders who shepherd and care for the flock
• Blessed with good youth leaders who tirelessly serve with passion the youth of our community and church
• Blessed with faithful saints hidden sometimes unnoticed but noticed by heaven
• Blessed with good Sunday school teachers and leaders who perhaps are engaged in the most important work we do
• Blessed with Power Pack leaders and workers who not only lead the children’s meeting but faithfully visit the homes of the children to connect with their families
• Blessed with skillful musicians and singers who lead us in the songs of the Lord. We often forget they have attended practices and come early each week. A massive thanks for the contribution Chad and Natasha have made having built a ‘platform’ for the new leaders to take the team forward
• Blessed with Café chefs, cooks and workers “best café in town”
• Blessed with good elders and deacons who enthusiastically oversee the flock, always going that ‘extra mile’
• Blessed with ‘mercy people’ who minister to the poor of our town tirelessly in all kinds of weather
• Blessed with a good finance team who, with integrity, keep the books up to date
• Blessed with generous people who keep sowing into the kingdom with their finance, time and abilities
• Blessed with an Eden team who are engaging with the local community with the good news in words and deeds
• Blessed with an amazing opportunity to bring salt and light to the youth of Whitworth where doors keep opening for the extension of the Kingdom
• Blessed with stewards who always give us a big smile and warm welcome.

Mostly, we are grateful to God for those who have gone to their reward before us; this year our precious and
most faithful member Sheila Taylor who gave 70 years of outstanding commitment. We also remember Jason,
being thankful for his help in the Café and in other areas of the Church.

Thank God for our prayer warriors and those who pray without ceasing. Blessed with ‘visitors’ who care for the
hospitalised and the lonely. Only Jesus can build His church, but amazingly, he always includes us, His people,
in the plan and the most important thing for us to do is pray and witness, then pray for those we witnessed to,
and then pray that those we have witnessed to will pray and lead others in to prayer and witness.

Chris Hodges put it this way - We want to see:

“The Lost Saved, the Saved Pastored, the Pastored Discipled & the Discipled Sent!”

Our twenty/twenty vision rolls on and we are excited about the plans God has for us as local church. My prayer
is that over the next few years people will get saved every week and then every day as the momentum gathers. I
believe a key word for 2019 is CONNECT; this will take a tremendous effort from God’s people and an increased
involvement in the life of the church.

Our vision to see a renewed community as people who are saved, healed, set free, discipled, equipped, empowered and then:

 "Love & serve God, love and serve people, share God with people"

Finally, there is a real expectancy in the air in the town after last year’s joint mission. Evangelism is very much at
the fore of leaders’ meetings. Rochdale Training Initiative Bible school in the town is about to be fully launched,
Town centre Chaplaincy is fulfilling a vital role along with, Schools ministry, prison ministry etc.

David and Carol Corke