We are thrilled to finally pull back the curtain on something we’ve been working on behind the scenes for months. This month, Open Door Church Kettering is officially launching its brand-new website!
Open Door has always valued giving a warm welcome, so we wanted our digital home to reflect the same warmth you feel when you walk through the doors of the Eden Centre. Whether you’ve been part of our family for years or you’re just checking out the church for the first time – we hope you’ll find the new site helpful.
What’s New?
A Smoother Experience: We’ve modernised the design to make it easier for people to find what theyre you’re looking for—whether that’s the church calendar, service times or our latest sermon series.
Easier Connections: Integration with ChurchSuite means you can see what’s coming up in church life and also see available life groups to sign up to.
Mobile-Friendly: Whether you’re on the bus or at home, the new site should work perfectly on your phone, tablet or PC.
Why the Change? As a church, we believe in moving forward with what God is doing. Our old site served us well, but was looking a little tired with some very outdated information on it! As we move into the new season which God has for us, we needed a platform that could grow with us.
Ruth Writes: Over the last twelve months, I have seen the destruction that the enemy wreaks all around me in the lives of some of those closest to me… relationships that have broken down, fear, lies, anxiety, depression, loss of trust, lack of hope. The list could go on and on.
I’ve prayed for those situations, not as consistently as I could have but still, I have prayed (and God doesn’t keep a list of how many times I’ve prayed before he’ll answer!)
I believe that what the Bible says is true: that God is faithful, that he saves, that he heals and restores, that he makes dead things come to life.
So why haven’t I seen answers to so many prayers I have prayed over the last 12 months? Some would say that the evidence goes against faith. You’ve prayed… you haven’t seen God change these situations… so God must not exist.
Yet that answer doesn’t ring true. I’ve seen him do all the things I listed above. I’ve seen bodies physically healed, I’ve seen people set free from oppression, I’ve known his provision, I’ve seen him transform people and I know, without a doubt, that I wouldn’t be who I am now without Him.
So… why?
I don’t have any answers for that question. I write this in the middle of the unknown and the mystery; where it is hard and my heart hurts and breaks for those around me, where all I have to stand on is what has gone before and the truth of God’s word.
Will I doubt in the dark what I’ve known with certainty in the light?
The Bible frequently talks about persevering under trial because this actually strengthens faith and builds character. It’s sounds counter intuitive, surely seeing the trials end would build faith because we could see God working so much more clearly? I’ve definitely thought and prayed this, particularly over the last few days but what I’m finding is that the harder the situations get, the more entrenched they seem, the more my faith is being strengthened. Inexplicably, I am more certain than ever that God is who he says he is, that I can trust his word and trust his character and though I may not see or understand what is happening, I don’t have to because He does. He is a good Father, a safe pair of hands and He WILL bring those I love through these trials. He is not a magician; there is no magic formula that we can say which will cause him to act in the way I think he should. All of this is forcing to my knees in a way that I haven’t known for years which shouldn’t surprise me as, in all these things, he is after our hearts and our devotion more than our comfort.
My prayer for you is that if you are in similar situations, that your faith will be strengthened despite your circumstances. That you will know without a doubt, that God is for you even if everything else is going against you and that He will bring you through, closer to Him than you were before.
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Funnily enough, as I was writing this, the song that came on in the background was ‘Don’t you give up on me’ by Brandon Lake. Listen to this song and hear the Father speaking these truths over you:
I injured myself at work in September 2014 and have been unable to work, drive and lots of other things since then. The diagnosis from the Chiropractor and GP was a disc protrusion in my lower back (slipped disc), causing sciatica and neck pain going into my head, shoulders and arms.
I spent the first couple of months lying down with ice packs for half an hour every hour, then the other half an hour walking around trying to warm up.
I was prayed for at every opportunity I could by various people over this period of time and was trusting God in the situation completely.
In January two weeks running I went out for prayer and it got worse, but I was still trusting God. On January 25th 2015 I started a just water fast. On the 7th day of the fast at the Sunday morning meeting I was prayed for by a group of people and the pain seemed to ease a little, I woke up on Monday morning with no pain. Praise God
On 4th February 2015 at the wider leaders meeting, I had a pain in my neck going into my head and shoulders, Simon Holley spoke about someone with a sore neck so I was prayed for and the pain immediately left.
I have been pain free since then and am able to return to work when my sick note is up 23rd February 2015. I am returning in a new position in the office on a temporary basis and am praying for a permanent position in that role.
I had been experiencing terrible pain around my left knee for about a week and was really worried, but didn’t tell anyone. Then, on Saturday 24th January, I came into Eden Centre for the church prayer day. It got to a point where I became very uncomfortable and had to kneel down, supporting myself with one of the stools all through the rest of the prayer session as my knee hurt so much.
After the prayer session, I left Eden Centre and realised the pain around my knee had vanished as I walked out of the main door. I ‘trotted’ all the way to the town centre to do some shopping, but wondering if it was really true!
I desired to be healed, but somehow wasn’t too sure if the pain was gone for good. Back at home, I kept musing over the whole scenario. My main issue was the fact that I did not at any time [knowingly or wilfully] pray about it. At one point, I wanted to share the testimony, but held back; I wanted to be sure it was REAL.
However, on Sunday my heart got pricked. Towards the end of the service, I could no longer hold back and went to meet Mark where he was and briefly shared the story with him.
It’s been an AMAZING story of full RECOVERY. And God did it without me even asking!
