The Lord has been at work in this parish well before 1864 but below you’ll discover an overview of scriptures and words that have been siginifcant to St Thomas’ for the past 20+ years…
2000 – Vision Day
“I will build Zion”
2001 – The River of God
Ezekiel 47:1-12
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.
3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. 4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. 5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. 6 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.
7 When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other. 8 Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. 9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. 10 It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. 12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.
As 2002 was ending and 2003 beginning, that we believed that we had been taken “upstream” – meaning the River of God had started at the source the Lord had chosen on the land, in New Century Park (NCP) – with Steve Lee, and teh miracel street bandwagons.
We understood from the above scripture that the river flowed from Zion, so it became known as “The Zion Vision”.
What then followed over the next 7 years:
The PCC commissioned a church building refurbishment project for both flooring and roof in 2004 – 1000 cubits away from NCP.
Discussions began for Sunnybank in 2004 – a further 1000 cubits away from the Church Building.
“LifeOutside: The Festival” was launched in 2005 – a further 1000 cubits on.
The Luv Esther production staged by the NGM Trust was held in the new Sports Hall in 2008.
The partnership of Kings School and Life Outside: the festival (1000 cubits away again!)
“Heal Our Land Event” under a Big Top in 2010 on Wyvern playing fields.
Annual Vision Day of 2006.
Isaiah 37:30-32
30 “This shall be a sign to you:
You shall eat this year such as grows of itself,
And the second year what springs from the same;
Also in the third year sow and reap,
Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
And those who escape from Mount Zion.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
2012
Following the “1000 cubit” outworking of Ezekiel 47:1-12 during 2003-11, further revelation was given in June 2012. Ezekiel 47:1-12 was shared again with the river of God flowing out of the temple. A vision was shared of St Toms Church Building. The river of God was flowing from the altar to the back of the church and out into the surrounding streets. The water was ankle-deep and she made a call to the people that were there as an invitation from the Lord to go deeper into the river of God, as described in the Ezekiel passage.
There foloowed a picture of an ark – like Noah’s – on the river. It was believed to symbolise a place of refuge and safety; and that God was building an “ark of refuge”, that would go with the flow of the river.
In addition it was discerned that “the ark” was made up of:
– planks joined together and these planks were people; individuals linked together in community, that provided the refuge.
– Individually, planks are buffered by the river, but together they flow as a unit and he referred to the logs that are transported down rivers in Canada, as an example.
June 2021
Genesis 26:18
18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names, which his father had called them.
2022
Twenty years after recognising the first “well” at NCP it was announced that The Fountain would be located at NCP!! Also, that a splash pad (fountain!) was to be installed!
March 2024
On 21 March this year, the first day of “spring”, The Fountain is opened with the River of God motif on the walls for all to see!!
We now understand the second part of the 3-Year prophecy…..
31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
And those who escape from Mount Zion.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
PCC April 2024 Directon of Travel – What has the Lord said?
I’ve enjoyed reflecting on a question someone asked this week; what God might be saying to us at this time? It’s a great question to be asking, but right now, rather asking what God is saying now I beleive we should lean into what he’s already said.
Jono
2024 – The Tidal Bore
Following an expostion of Tabernacles we received an insight that river waves are not like the sea, they are a tidal bore!
We then discovered that the Severn Tidal Bore was moving as we were meeting!!
