Well we’ve certainly hit 2012 full on the nose! I’m filled with anticipation as we look at what is possible and follow the plans of God. Several locations have become major centres for us now and it feels like we are really working with apostolic purpose enabling us to go beyond delivering events, towards working with leaders and training churches to reproduce what we do.

 The Christmas events were such a success in 2011. One of many highlights was the open-air Carols event with our close friends Nick and Linda Castle who run the Baraka Coffee shop in Leeds. Nick emailed me last week and I wanted to share with you some of what he said:

“Thanks for your hard work at the Carols event it complimented the work we are doing. Many of those on this Alpha course were there that evening and I am sure many others, for whom it is still too hard to take the step, were touched and brought closer to Jesus that night”

Dave and I have just returned from a great trip down to Cornwall. I ran my InsideOut training programme to over seventy of the folks from the Light & Life network of 5 churches on Saturday, this was a great faith-filled day and lots of fun. On the Sunday morning I spoke at the St Austell congregation, before we had a strategy day with leaders across the network on the Monday. We are scheduled to make many visits to Cornwall this year, I am involved with the regional Light and Life leaders and we have 6-8 Miracle Street events happening in towns throughout Cornwall. Last year we really pushed through to the next level, with ever deepening partnerships and more opportunities to share the message of Jesus, 2012 is set to be another faith journey.

Throughout February we are running our annual appeal, looking to God for increased funding as we carry out essential maintenance on all the vehicles and equipment. We are also undertaking a modification to the Mainstage canopy. Many events we are planning in Europe are on hard standing, so we need a structure that comes off the super-structure of the Mainstage rather than pitched into the ground. All of this will require raising around £7,500.

We’re hoping that many more of our friends will consider starting to support us on a monthly basis as we push forward this year. The links to the left of this page will take you to the relevant places if you would like to help us. Thanks so much!

 We've had a fantastic time travelling the UK these last few weeks with the Mobilestage and have reached hundreds of people with the Good News of Jesus. The openness, fun and excitement of Christmas is clear to see on the faces of those in the crowds as you watch the video clip.

We kicked off in Molesey in Surrey where we have a lot of friends and many years of shared history. It was then onto Hook in North Hampshire where the road was closed for the event and a couple of thousand gathered for the wider event. Our next stop was Tiptoe in the New Forest, which was in a very quiet rural setting but loads of fun and a real openness to the message of Jesus. Our next stop was St Austell in Cornwall. It was a long way to travel but we wanted to stand with John and Becky Townley who we are really building with now across Cornwall. We love those guys so much.

Our final stop was up in Garforth near Leeds this weekend just gone. The event was outside the Baraka Coffee Shop that is run by our mates Nick and Linda Castle. We must have had 300 crammed onto the pavement by the shop frontage and the atmosphere as I shared the Gospel was amazing. I stayed over to speak at the Carol Service at the church in Leeds on Sunday morning before Dave drove us down the M1 to get back to Southampton so I could speak at the New Community Christmas event in Central Hall in the evening. I think there was around 600 there and it was an awesome night.

Thanks so much for standing with us this year. Over the weekend of 18th and 19th February we are hosting a partnership event with gatherings in both Molesey near London and here in Southampton. Put the dates in your diary and there will be more information in the New Year. The key leaders we are working alongside in France, Spain and the UK will all be around, it will be great!

Love and Blessings to you this Christmas time!

I've just returned from an action packed trip to South west Spain! Over the course of three days Martin Stringer and I met a number of leaders and I also spoke in the church in Rota. I got up to speak at 8:15pm and finished praying for people about midnight! The main reason for the visit this time was to connect with Hector Escobar and the church in Rota. Hector has become a good friend and a strategic partner into Spain. I’ve been asked to speak again at the National Youth Congress, which will take place next year on the south coast near Cadiz. The plan is to take the Mainstage over in July for that event and then use it facilitate a major evangelsitic initiative in the region throughout August 2012. The likelihood is that it will then be stored over the winter in Spain ahead of a national tour in the summer of 2013.

Closer to home we are gearing up for the Mobilestage Christmas tour into 5 separate towns in the UK from Cornwall to Leeds. It’s going to be fantastic to be out on the streets with the people and to take the opportunity that Christmas provides to bring Jesus into the hearts of people of all ages.

Thanks to so many of you who prayed for the Tom, Dick & Harry events in the Plaza Theatre in Romsey in October. We almost filled the place on two consecutive evenings and many who came that were not Christians were deeply affected by the message of Jesus that we were able to bring out of the show. Neil Maddock, Phil Le Cheminant and I are now in some interesting conversations about presenting the evening in other locations and settings throughout next year.

I’m so aware of what God is doing at the moment within the heart of the work of Miracle Street. We are focusing strongly on several hubs of activity with the desire to deepen the connections into those areas with events, training and partnership. At the moment they are Normandy in France, Andalucía in Spain and Cornwall, Solent and the area around north Hampshire and South west London in the UK. In each region the sense of apostolic partnership is very dynamic. Please pray for us!