General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR for short is currently on the government’s agenda with lots of air time and web space being devoted to it. No doubt, like me, you’ve already been receiving post asking you to “opt-in” to mailing lists (both electronic and traditional). Although the new regulation is from the European Parliament, it has been enacted into UK legislation and effects all organisations that have business in Europe. This includes charities and churches.

I wanted to write a short note to let you know what we’ve done, how we are currently tackling it and what we still have yet to do in order to become legally compliant with this new piece of legislation.

What we’ve done

One area of the legislation is the appointment of a Data Protection Officer. I’m pleased to announce that Joe Connelly will be acting as our Data Protection Officer.

We’ve also undertaken a complete data audit (which I think was nearly 50 pages in length!!). This has allowed us to take stock of where we are and address areas that need to be tightened up so that we become compliant with the new legislation.

What we are currently working on

We’re currently writing a Data Protection Policy and a Retention Policy. We are also building new systems for our data management which we will tell you about on 20 May.

What we still yet plan to do

We plan to give our ministry leaders some data protection training. This will take place on 13 May. Then, on the 20 May, we will meet as a church to discuss the changes that our audit and subsequent matters that have arisen from that have revealed. We will need to seek your consent to continue sending you information and we plan to get your consent on at the meeting on 20 May.

What you can do to help

Pray. This is a big undertaking and we not only want to get it right, we also want to do it well. Prayer is appreciated.

Admin assistance. We have need of editors and proofreaders – if you can make yourselves available over the next two weeks please let us know. We also are in need of any “critical friends” out there who may be going through data compliance in their business or industry. If you have any insight into data protection please do chat with Joe C.

For you to discuss and engage in the spiritual life of your children here is what we looked at this week at Calvary Family Ministry.

Topic:

Paul’s first journey (Acts 13)

Synopsis:

Paul and Barnabas faced many people who rejected the good news about Jesus. But God had a plan for Paul to share the gospel with Gentiles, no matter what troubles Paul faced. Many believed in Jesus. The church grew and the gospel was shared so that people all over the world could be saved from their sin by trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Talking Point:

Jesus’ followers preached the gospel in Jerusalem, and the good news spread to places like Judea and Samaria. More and more people believed, and new churches began as both Jews and Gentiles began to follow Jesus.

Barnabas went to Antioch—a city about 300 miles north of Jerusalem—where he brought Paul to help teach the believers. The church in Antioch grew. It was here that the disciples first became known as Christians. (See Acts 11:26.)

The Holy Spirit told the believers at the church in Antioch to send out Paul and Barnabas to preach the gospel. The church obeyed, and Paul and Barnabas traveled to several cities and all over the island of Cyprus, telling both Jews and Gentiles about Jesus.

Consider Paul—once a devoted persecutor of Christians—now a Christian missionary, devoted to obeying God’s call to go and tell others the good news about Jesus. This was Paul’s first missionary journey, and it wasn’t easy. Paul and Barnabas faced rejection in every place that they traveled. Some of the people believed, but some of them were angry. Many people rejected the truth about Jesus. In some places, the Jews made plans to kill Paul.

In no place did Paul and Barnabas soften their message or abandon their mission. In Lystra, Paul healed a man, and when the witnesses to this miracle began to worship Paul and Barnabas, the two men emphatically gave credit to the one true God. When Paul’s enemies attacked him and left him for dead, Paul continued on. Paul and Barnabas shared the gospel in Derbe, and many people believed.

The Holy Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas to tell Jews and Gentiles about Jesus. If Paul had not taken the gospel to the Gentiles, many of us would probably not be believers today. God uses people to tell others about Jesus so that people all over the world can be saved from their sin by trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Questions to discuss with your child:

Q: How do people hear about Jesus?

A: God uses Christians to tell others about Jesus so they may repent and be saved.

Discuss: The Holy Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas to tell Jews and Gentiles about Jesus.

Key Unit Passage:

Philippians Acts 1:8

Next Week:

The message: ‘Christ alone’ (Acts 15)

For you to discuss and engage in the spiritual life of your children here is what we looked at this week at Calvary Family Ministry.

Topic:

Peter visited Cornelius (Acts 10)

Synopsis:

God showed Peter that just as there is no “clean” and “unclean” food, there are no “clean” and “unclean” people. God calls believers to tell everyone the good news about Jesus, no matter who they are or where they come from. Jesus is the Lord of all.

Talking Point:

The apostle Peter preached and taught boldly after Pentecost. Jesus had commanded His followers to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Acts 10 shows us how God made clear to Peter that the gospel is for everyone—not only the Jews but also the Gentiles.

The story begins in Caesarea, the capital city in the Roman province of Judea. Cornelius, a Roman centurion, lived in Caesarea. Like many of the people in Caesarea, Cornelius was a Gentile; however, he did not worship the Roman gods. Cornelius worshiped the one true God, and one day, God spoke to Cornelius in a vision. In the vision, an angel told Cornelius to send for Peter.

Now Peter was in Joppa (JAHP uh), about 30 miles south of Caesarea. As Cornelius’s men approached the city, Peter had a vision too. He was on a rooftop when God showed him a sheet of animals and commanded him to eat. The problem was that some of the animals were considered “unclean” by Jewish food laws. Three times, God said to Peter, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.”

Peter visited Cornelius and others who had gathered with him. Peter understood that God did not want a Jewish man to call anyone unclean just because he was a foreigner. (See Acts 10:28-29.) Peter preached the gospel to the Gentiles there, and they believed. The Holy Spirit filled them, and they were baptized.

The gospel is good news for everyone. God showed Peter that just as there is no “clean” and “unclean” food, there are no “clean” and “unclean” people. God calls believers to tell everyone the good news about Jesus, no matter who they are or where they come from. Jesus is the Lord of all!

Questions to discuss with your child:

Q: What does the Holy Spirit do?

A: The Holy Spirit helps Christians follow Jesus.

Discuss: The Holy Spirit told Peter to preach to Cornelius, a Gentile.

Key Unit Passage:

Philippians 2:13

Next Week:

Paul’s first journey (Acts 13)

For you to discuss and engage in the spiritual life of your children here is what we looked at this week at Calvary Family Ministry.

Topic:

Paul’s conversion and baptism (Acts 9)

Synopsis:

Saul was an enemy of Jesus and His followers, but then God changed him. Jesus came to earth to save sinners like Paul. (1 Timothy 1:15). When we trust in Jesus, He changes us from the inside out.

Talking Point:

Saul was no stranger to religion. He grew up in a religious household. He was a devout Jew who was born in Tarsus (Phil. 3:5) and inherited his Roman citizenship from his father. So when people began talking about this man named Jesus and claiming that He was the promised Messiah, Saul was defensive.

Saul believed strongly in the Jewish faith of his ancestors. He violently persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. (Gal. 1:13-14) He dragged believers from their houses and put them in prison. He approved of the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Saul thought he was doing the

right thing by defending Judaism, but God’s purposes could not be stopped.

As Saul was on his way to arrest believers in Damascus, the Lord stopped him in his tracks. Jesus revealed Himself to Saul, and Saul was never the same. He was struck blind and led into Damascus, where a believer named Ananias placed his hands on Saul. Suddenly, Saul could see again. Saul was convinced that Jesus is Lord. Saul later described the experience as being like dying and receiving a new life. (Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:17)

God had a purpose and a plan for Saul. He had set Saul apart before Saul was even born. (Gal. 1:15) God said, “This man is My chosen instrument to take My name to the Gentiles” (Acts 9:15).

Jesus changed Saul’s life. Conversion happens when a person recognizes his sin, repents, believes in Jesus, and confesses Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus changes a person’s heart, and as a result, his life is changed too.

Jesus appeared to Saul and changed him inside and out. Jesus called Saul, who was once an enemy of Christians, to spend the rest of his life telling people the gospel and leading them to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Questions to discuss with your child:

Q: How do people hear about Jesus?

A: God uses Christians to tell others about Jesus.

Discuss: Jesus saved Saul from his sins.

Key Unit Passage:

Acts 1:8

Next Week:

Peter visited Cornelius (Acts 10)

In this weeks talk we discussed the idea that in order to progress in our walk with the Lord and enter into this life-long process called “Sanctification” we must first know our condition. Knowing this changes everything. If we know we are forgiven, justified, adopted and sanctified we can start to live a life that isn’t seeking the approval of God to save us but seeks God’s delight BECAUSE He has already saved us.

Forgiven

Knowing that our past sins have been forgiven means that we no longer live in guilt or shame. The past, with all it’s baggage, has been forgiven completely because Jesus has paid the penalty for them. We don’t have to work from a place of shame in order to get to acceptance. We are already accepted because we are forgiven.

Justified

Forgiveness, as glorious as that is, is not enough. We need to be made right in God’s eyes. This is where justification comes in. It’s a legal term to mean that the debt has been paid and the debtor has been cleared. Now, because of what Jesus has done, we are innocent in the eyes of God.

Adopted

Even more wonderful that forgiveness or justification is the idea of adoption. We don’t approach God as a Judge (although He still does very much judge), we approach Him as a good Father. We don’t have to work from a place of insecurity, wondering if He will be good to us. He is our Father.

Sanctified

Lastly, being sanctified means to be set aside as holy. The incredible – unbelievable – truth is that God see as pure and holy and has set us aside for His own pleasure.

Now, knowing our condition. Believing our condition is true means that we seek the things that God seeks in us – namely conformation to His Son. We don’t do this is earn salvation – but to bring pleasure to the One who has already saved us.