Between your birth and salvation and the end of your life here on earth, what story has God written for your life?

What is God's purpose for you in this time? And how does this interlink with that of our Southsea congregation? Indeed, God has you here for such a time as this. What is your response? What more could you be experiencing and growing in with us, and blessing and building the church with at the same time?

It was wonderful to hear Ps Steve's own testimony, from praying for his mum's healing from cancer to an unknown God in his candle-lit bright orange bedroom and REM CD, to his Gideon struggle of accepting God's calling for his life, to what the Lord has done with Steve's eventual 'yes', as he now helps lead the church.

Steve described how he later walked into a church service that many people would have faithfully served to make happen, and ended up rededicating his life to Jesus. And then following up a few years later with him doing the same on a Friday night in Family Church, which resulted in a very broken Sean Finch - now Portsmouth's Pastor Sean - stepping in for the very first time. So encouraging.

Whether you're serving coffee, putting out the banners, welcoming people, showing the slides or playing in the band, or anything else on a Sunday morning or in the week, imagine what God is about to do with your 'yes' with his plans for you, to transform lives in Southsea and beyond.

Do you find yourself standing in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing? Can you stand up and stand out despite the cost? Whose shoulders are you really standing on? Can you stand humble, letting God do the work?

We dive into the dramatic book of Esther as a way to understand what the Bible calls 'people pleasing'. We are by design social beings. But are we prioritising other people to the extent that all we are doing is covering up pot holes in our own lives and causing more damage in the long run? Or are we allowing Jesus to cause true transformation in our lives, exposing our broken surfaces to reveal the foundations and give us a whole new fresh surface?

Today was a momentous occasion in Family Church....Ps Andy & Gina Elmes passed the Family Church Baton of Leadership to Ps Steu & Carla Payne. The following words were written by Ps Andy & Gina...

There are moments in life when you realise you are standing on holy ground - not because something is ending, but because something has been faithfully completed.

After 28 years of founding, leading, pastoring, and building this church and ministry, the time has come for us to step aside and step forward. To release what has been entrusted to us, and to trust God for what He has entrusted to others.

Ecclesiastes reminds us, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Seasons change, not because something has failed, but because God is faithful to finish what He starts - and bold enough to begin something new. When we first said 'yes' to God all those years ago, we had little more than obedience, faith, and a burning conviction that Jesus deserved a church alive with His presence and His power. We dreamed of a people who would love God deeply, love one another fiercely, and reach the lost relentlessly. What God has done since then has exceeded anything we could have planned or imagined.

We have seen lives transformed, families restored, leaders raised, nations touched, and Jesus glorified. This house has been built on prayer, faith, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to the Gospel. It has been the honour of our lives to carry that responsibility. And while this chapter closes, let me say this clearly: our voice is not stopping - it is simply shifting. The message God has placed in us, the convictions we carry, and the call to equip, awaken, and send will continue. It will simply be expressed in new spaces, new contexts, and new assignments. For those who still want that voice in their lives, it will be there - faithful to the same Jesus, shaped by the same fire.

This church was never built to rest on one person - it was built to run on mission and vision. Paul wrote, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God gave the increase.” I may have planted, others have watered, but it has always been God who makes things grow. And He is not finished - not even close.

To those now stepping into leadership: you carry this house with heaven’s backing. God trusts you. We trust you. Lead with courage. Guard the culture. Keep Jesus at the centre. Stay hungry for His presence and bold in your faith. The best chapters are not behind you - they are ahead. To every member, volunteer, giver, intercessor, and faithful servant: thank you. Thank you for believing, for standing, for serving, for loving, and for never giving up. You are the living stones of this house, and the future is strong because you are strong.

As for us, we now step into the next adventure with the same heart that started this one - faith-filled, surrendered, and expectant. Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, but knowing who was leading him. That is enough.

This is not goodbye as in separation - it is goodbye as in sending. And sending is always filled with hope.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God has been faithful. He is faithful. And He will be faithful still.

Thank you for the journey. Thank you for the trust. Thank you for the love.

The story continues...

Andy & Gina

Why is 'First Born' so significant in the Bible? This was the question that stuck with Andy after sharing on 'Hagar Not Hate' a few weeks ago. We are the Church of the First Born. The First Born - Jesus - was there at the beginning and was the first to be resurrected into new life here on earth. As with Jacob and his father Isaac, we have received the birthright and the blessing. And just as with Jacob, we did't deserve it. So what do we do with this? We began to uncover how this redemption that we have been talking about in this 'First Things First' series is all about reconciliation, with one another and with God and us.

We start by asking, 'what mountain are you looking at today?'

It started in the Rose Garden and involved a donkey. What sounds like a romantic story was, in reality, not. Or at least, it didn't feel like it at the time. And yet, looking back as Pastor Andy & Xel share their own testimony of how the Lord brought them together, it is clear to see how God authored their steps.

Following from last week's 'First Love'; this is a story of a redeeming Jesus continuing to work across and through generations of a single family.

Take a listen, as we continue on our 'First Things First' theme, to an open and honest story of how our perfect God can work through our imperfections, and work all things together for our good when we give him - eventually - the First Fruit of our lives.

We are all imperfect people. But when we make that decision to have God as our first love, it all changes.

The above quote was the advice given by Arnel to the congregation, as Philippa rounded up a difficult but important conversation with him and Natalie from the sofa this Sunday. We continued in our 'First Things First' series by talking about our 'First Love'. Our Assistant Pastor Philippa sensitively led our congregation through a story of a challenging history which became a beautiful picture of God's redemption in a marriage that turned to Him. What started as a childhood friendship and teenage romance, became a very broken early marriage and parent life, before leaving to work in the Middle East and then the UK, with three children left behind in the Philippines. Have a listen and get ready to be in awe and encouraged about what God's redemptive power did next, and how making Jesus your First Love can impact marriages and lives across generations.

This Sunday markes the first anniversary of the Family Church Southsea congregation. Also, its the start of a new series of messages titled First Things First. Ps Andy Bullock invites memeberts of the congregation to share testimonies as words of encouragement for everyone. He follows this with his own testimony and message.

Hagar not Hate; this was the message that concluded FC Southsea's 4 week 'Incubator' series. The culture of our congregation - as intimate and innovative - as living as a 'church without walls', has now been set. The final invaluable message encourages the church to 'Let's Talk About It'. We explored together what the Bible points at with regards to the religion of Islam in relation to us as Christians, and ultimately, what it means to live a life of freedom and promise through the saving grace of Jesus Christ - and how we must approach our neighbours as a result. We have been called to live a life fully in the church, yet functioning well in the world - to know how to get comfortable with the uncomfortable - through grace and truth.