The South England Conference (SEC) Area 4 Women's Emphasis Day on Sabbath 8 June, was a blessing to all who attended. The event was held at Nelson College London, Broadstairs, CT10 2RZ and was fully attended by Ashford, Folkstone, Maidstone, Canterbury and hosted by Margate.
The morning Sabbath School focused on the day's three key areas:
- The God Who Sees You in Your Desert
- God Sees You in Your Pain
- God Sees You in Your Storm
Each topic was covered by a woman who shared their experience and how God saw them and came through for them in each situation. 'God Sees You in Your Pain' was covered by Anastasia Ross, SEC Women's Ministries Director, where she broke down the different everyday encounters one could have experienced with physical pain and then brought it closer to home by sharing the encounters one could have in spiritual pain. For example, praying for a long time for an outcome or something but still no answer from the Lord, crying out in your pain, wondering if you are even being heard. This short message was well received; many shared that they could relate to and had experienced some of these situations.
The Divine Worship started with a bang, with the platform party being ushered in by the drum corps, a group of talented young Pathfinders from our church. This was a welcoming and vibrant procession with the college and the neighbours alerted to the call to worship. Pastor Emmanuel Acheampong welcomed all to the day, introduced Anastasia, and handed over to her to host the programme. The speaker for the sermon was Nicole Gooden, and there was a funny encounter when Pastor Emmanuel realised that he and Nicole had both studied in the same class at Newbold. Anastasia took the children's story, and a fun story was heard about 'Freddy and the Deep Hole of Water'. The children engaged and fully participated, with many answering questions and telling their encounters of what it was like to get wet in the rain.
Nicole Gooden's message was a powerful sermon on God seeing you through all of life's encounters, even when we don't think or feel God's presence. It was taken from Genesis and the story of Hagar in the desert. Her words resonated with many, as they shared their own experiences of feeling unseen or unheard. Overall, the morning worship experience was positive, with many expressing how much it meant to hear and share this topic at worship. One attendee shared, "This sermon really spoke to me. It reminded me that even in my darkest moments, God sees me and is with me." After church, there was a fellowship lunch, which all fully enjoyed.
Outreach in the Community
The afternoon's event was taken to the streets of Margate and out in the town square by the clock tower. The drum corps led out, and many passersby stopped and asked questions. They shared that they enjoyed seeing the young people partaking in such fun activities. Gift hampers were prepared to be given out and shared with the community. Pastor Acheampong and Anastasia Ross, led the way in speaking, sharing the hampers, and giving out books to the public. The day ended with most of the hampers being given out and many people in Margate being made aware of Margate church's presence in the area. God blessed – it was a successful day.
