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When we look at the Lord’s prayer, Jesus inspires us to intercede that God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. While we can take the long view of Christ’s return, there are also the implications for us today, to be actively seeking God’s kingdom to come. We celebrate this in lives that are transformed as they encounter Jesus. In our services and Church ministries, we seek to lift up Jesus that people will be drawn to Him. I believe God is calling us to lift our vision beyond the confines of buildings to seek kingdom transformation in our town. He has uniquely placed us in Huddersfield not only to share the love of Jesus within the body of believers and with other churches but to be His salt and light to the community around us. A community that is lacking hope, full of people with fears of the future and troubles of today. We are called to be the bearers of the good news of Jesus Christ, bread to the hungry, forgiveness and healing to communities, and deliverance from evil.

This is what kingdom transformation looks like.

As a people of God in Huddersfield, looking at the vastness of the challenge can seem overwhelming. It is like when Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Jesus broke this down into stages, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, places on their doorstep. While the whole of Huddersfield needs transforming for Jesus, we also need to be led by the Spirit as to where to begin. Already we have amazing kingdom-transforming ministries that go beyond us, be it the Living Well bus on the streets or the world coming to us in the 611 Asylum Support work. However, there is a call to go further as kingdom intercessors and changers.

We are to seek kingdom transformation for Jesus. Before talking about wider opportunities, we need to be a people, a community of kingdom transformation ourselves. We are all called to be salt and light in Huddersfield and beyond.

I believe that God has called all followers of Jesus to unique places that only you can go for Him.

This is maintaining and developing a transforming vision for current activities. Training and equipping people to be transformers for God‘s kingdom as well as seeing God’s kingdom come in our current work; Youth & Children’s ministries, Tiddlers, Alpha, 611 Asylum Work, Living Well, 18-30’s, EPIC, Men & Women’s ministries, Farsi and Eritrean Fellowship groups as well as the many intercessory prayer groups.

Often there is no one else placed to shine for Jesus in your workplace or home space than you. We need to be people who are being transformed ourselves as we seek to be the people of kingdom transformation in these places. Sundays are great, however, as we read in Acts 2 the early church shone out of the community of believers meeting in homes, praying, praising, learning, and sharing. This led to having the favour of people and the Lord adding to their number.

Now is the time to move out and seek to transform Huddersfield for Jesus.

Mike Reid, Senior Pastor