New Year Message

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Lindsey and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year for 2024!  We pray that during this season and into the New Year we will all see God move in the most extraordinary, transformative and powerful ways in each of our lives and in our fellowship.

New Year always serves as a reminder that we are in a brand-new season. For many the winter season can be a season of darkness, cold, bugs and for many, loneliness. New Year always brings with it a new hope and a freshness of spirit, in that we are reminded that God is making all things new through Christ Jesus.  That should always make us feel grateful and thankful.  Whenever we come out of hard times, it can be helpful to focus on the newness of the day, month, season or even New Year.  So let us look to God’s Word as we soak in the newness of this New Year.

Isaiah 43:19 says “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Many scriptures can be easily quoted out of context, but this scripture is pretty poignant and can be quoted for many times or seasons of our lives.  For Lindsey and I, this has been a challenging couple of years, as we walked through grief, change of roles, disappointments, health issues, family problems and many other of life’s problems, and it is the same for many who are reading this, however we have also experienced many wonderful things such as the birth of our two latest grandchildren in the last month. But we all need to be continually reminded that whatever the season we are in, this Scripture tells us that we are not forging ahead blindly, but that God has already ordered our steps and He knows everything that we go through, understands our weaknesses, and that all we have to do is to trust in Him in ALL things and He will guide us through. 

We all need to be reminded that in Christ Jesus we have everything we need or could ever want.  But what about the fellowship of the Word of Life Church?  Are we giving God the glory for everything we do?  Are we living out God-honouring lives?  Is the Ekklesia/Church really edifying one another first and thereby impacting the community in which we serve?

When we look at the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Church was and is meant to function. The Church was born in power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and from there the disciples DEVOTED themselves to the Apostles teaching, the breaking of bread and to prayer.  They committed themselves to the Word of God and edifying one another, encouraging, building up one another and empowering one another, before we even consider how we outreach.

The power of God was a hallmark of the Church because they met to devote themselves to seeking God in His Word, in Prayer, in Worship and in the breaking of bread, Holy Communion.  They met in one accord, in other words in agreement and unity and love.  And in this we see how the Church was meant to operate, in the power of God. 

Agreement is a very powerful issue.  When we agree and believe that God is Sovereign, that He hears and answers our prayers, that is where we see the Church operating in God’s power.  This still can happen today.  We need to move into a new season of believing in God that He wants the very best for His body, (Ekklesia/Church), that we can meet together in unity and love, which means agreement, and then pray like never before.

Prayer with this in mind is the power that we as an Ekklesia/Church can operate in and it is the power that God wants us to function in and not in our own!  Matthew 18:19-20 says “Again I say to you that if two of you AGREE on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or there are gathered together in MY name, I am there in the midst of them.” (My emphasis added)

Prayer has been our focus and will continue to be the focus of everything we write, record or speak about in the coming months.  Why?  Because God wants us to operate in His power, so that His Ekklesia/Church can be that extraordinary, edifying, encouraging, empowering transformative body that functions on His behalf on earth, transforming our fellowship and community, taking back the ground the enemy has stolen, and tearing down strongholds in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.  So let this year, 2024, be a year of a call to unifying agreeing prayer. Let us pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” like never before and watch God work His power through us.

Have a Happy, Peaceful, Blessed, Prayerful New Year.

Lots of Love In Christ, Pastors Rev Michael & Lindsey Hedley 

The Word of Life Church North East was founded in 2010 in Ashington, by Pastor Michael and Lindsey Hedley along with 4 other founding members.  We meet every Sunday in our church building at 69 - 71 North Seaton Road, Ashington, Northumberland NE63 0AG; from 10:30am till 12:30.  

On July 1st 2022 Senior Pastors Michael and Lindsey Hedley took up a new role as the National Spiritual Coordinators of the Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches Denomination.  This involves them travelling around the 62 Churches of the Union, bringing encouragement and spiritual help to Churches.  Because of this new role we now have a leadership team and  Senior Pastors Michael and Lindsey, who still oversee the work, will also fellowship here. 

Word of Life Church in the North East are a Bible Believing Church, who are seeking to make an active impact in our community in Ashington in the North East of England to the Glory of God, by fulfilling the great commission which Jesus gave us to preach the Gospel, make disciples and baptise new believers.  

Word of Life Church in the North East's purpose is to love, encourage and accept each other for who we are in Christ and to help each other on a daily basis, as well as reaching out to others to share the love of Christ with them.  

Word of Life Church's services are based on praising God through lively and contemplative worship, prayer, Sound Biblical Teaching and sharing fellowship.    We also meet during the week for prayer meetings, Bible study and informal fellowship.   

We work with a range of organisations including The Northumberland Sanctuary, (Refugee Service), Northumberland Social Services, Bridges Community Project and are active with Churches Together in Ashington as well as other churches in the North East and in particular the Northumberland area. 

Word of Life Church in the North East in Ashington now offers you the opportunity to get to know more about us and if you are searching for God look at the following section.

We are all sinners.  The Bible tells us that we are all sinners and have all fallen short of the Glory of God.  Whether we have told a lie, stolen anything, been angry with someone, or even thought about committing adultery, we have sinned.  When we stand before God as we all must do we will have to give an account of our sins. And we will have no excuse before Him.

Imagine if you were in court and had been accused and found guilty of a crime you had committed, and you were waiting for the sentence to be announced, then someone came and says to the judge, I will pay his or her fine, or spend the time in prison for them, how do you think you would feel?

Well thats what Jesus did for us.  God is a just judge and he has to punish sin, so what he did was to send Jesus to earth to pay our fine for our sins.  Jesus died on a cross 2000 years ago so that we could be forgiven for our sins, what an amazing deal!

That is called amazing grace.  If you want to be forgiven for your sins and really desire to live a new life on this earth as well as spending eternity with God, then we appeal to you to get right with God now! 

No matter how bad you think you are, there is no sin that God will not forgive.  We all have a past, we all need a friend and we all want to spend our future with the one who loves us the most and that is God.  He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins that we might have everlasting life.  Speak to God now and say the following prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ

I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life.  I ask you for forgiveness.  I repent of all my sins.  Thank you for dying on the cross for me to set me free from my sins.  Please come into my life and fill me with Your Holy Spirit today and be with me forever.

Dear Lord, We pray that anyone visiting this website will be blessed as they read of You in all that we do.  We pray that those seeking You will find you not just through this website but through Your Word and the testimonies they may have heard before arriving here.  We pray that those who visit here will experience Your love, joy and peace in Jesus Mighty Name.  Amen.

Please continue to pray for the conflict in Israel and Gaza to come to an end, that Israel will defend itself from all those who wish to obliterate it and its peoples, but that the conflict will come to an end withthe fewest casualties possible.  Pray that thos who seek to destroy Israel will find Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Please keep praying for Ukraine that the war there will end quickly and no more lives will be lost.  That peace will be restored and justice brought. Pray that those in power in Russia would put an end to the suffering of those in Ukraine and from losing any more of their own soldiers.

Pray for those who are suffering due to the economic climate, for those who have to choose between heating and eating, that the Church will rise up to meet the challenges within this nation.

Pray for our Government, that more Christian leaders would be raised up to lead with honour, integtrity and honesty.

Pray that God's will be done in our nation, that many people will come to the saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Please continue to pray for our church, that we might continue to grow spiritually and that we might find ways of increasing our capacity.

Pray for our Churches around the Wesleyan Reform Union that they may be a continual witness to the love of Christ in the communities in which they serve.

Please pray that a lost generation who have had no access to bibles in schools or Christian assemblies would come to know the real Gospel and real truthful Christianity.

Please pray for Church unity that love will conquer over all and let our divisions cease.

Please pray that child trafficking will be stopped all over the world

Please pray for the work of Open Doors and the work they do in helping our Christian brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith

Please pray for the prodigals to return to faith in Christ in the town of Ashington and all over the UK