IN THE HOT SEAT - Jakki Keenan

Jakki, thank you for agreeing to be In The Hot Seat – so would you like to share with us about some of the areas in your life?

AT HOME?

I am what you may call middle aged !!!!! (although I don't like to think so!) I have a husband called Dave and we have been married 20 years. We have two children, both girls, Charlotte aged 12 and Georgina aged 8. Charlotte attends Trinity School, which can be quite interesting, and is in Year 7. Georgina attends Bedonwell Juniors and is in Year 3. The girls have lots of interests including Trampolining, Swimming, Dancing and Gymnastics. They both enter competitions in Trampolining and generally do well. We live in a three bedroom house behind the Splash Park in Belvedere: when Dave and I first got married we lived in a one bedroom flat in South Norwood near Croydon and whilst growing up I lived with my dad and sister in a three bedroom house in Sidcup. (My mother died when I was 15 and my sister 13)

AT WORK?

I have worked at Trinity School since September 2005. I started there as a Teaching Assistant helping children with special needs in various different lessons and whilst trying to complete my degree. My aim was to see if I really would like to become a teacher in a Secondary school or to work with the younger age groups and become a teacher in a Primary school. I soon realised that I enjoyed working with this age group and gradually I was asked to help those children who struggled in PE. I started with just one child but it didn't stay like that for long and now I work within the PE department for about 80% of my school day, the rest of the time since I completed my degree is dedicated to “Cover Teaching” not only within PE but any where I maybe required. I have a very interesting and fulfilling job.

SPORTS CENTRE WORK:
In 1993 I qualified as a Trampoline Coach and soon afterwards became a coach at The Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, where I still work. But now I don't only coach Trampolining but have since qualified as a Gymnastics, Basketball, Rugby, Tag Rugby and Tennis

Coach which I invariably coach as and when required at the Sports Centre. I coach every Tuesday evening at the Pavilion Leisure Centre in Bromley, which is part of the same company as the Walnuts.

AT PLAY?

I find that my relaxing time is very limited but, when I do, I like to read. I enjoy various different books and at the moment am reading “Lovely Bones” recommended or shall we say pushed at me last week and told I would enjoy so I should read it!!!! Since then everyone I have spoken to about it seems to have read it!!!!! Have you??? I do enjoy swimming and trampolining and, when I have time, I like to work on my swimming stroke or improving my trampolining as I feel I was much better when I was younger as I was not so scared to execute various moves.

How long have you known Jesus as your Lord, Saviour and Friend?

I feel he has always been part of my life! When I was 2, I was taken to church every Sunday by a teenager called Carol who lived down the road from us. Every week she would take me and I would go into Sunday School, then when my sister turned 2 she would take both of us. Not long after I was six a new pastor and his wife joined our church with three children. Sarah the oldest who is the same age as me, Suzie, the same age as my sister, and Jonathan who was much younger. We all became best friends, we went to school together, we went to church together and then we always played together! We spent so much time together and one day when I was about 10 Sarah and I had a conversation about who loved Jesus the most and from that I knew I loved Jesus and needed him to be part of my life, so I spoke to her dad and became a Christian.

What difference do you find being a Christian makes in your life?

God is always with me and even when I am on my own he is with me!!!! I pray about things all the time and Charlotte has now started to say: “We should pray about that!” The first time she said it a few months ago it threw me cos she always seems to have a hard shell and is a tough nut to crack. God is in my life not only at home but all my extended family; work is a church school and many of my friends are Christians and even those that are not respect my beliefs and I think they expect different standards from me compared to others. I sometimes think people see that God is working in me by my bubbly and lively personality and I am always ready to help or to volunteer or be volunteered to do things. I think it’s like I bounce into places especially if I feel confident in my environment! I find myself talking to God in nearly every situation even when I don't realise it! I think many people know I have something that not everyone else has!!

Have you a favourite Bible verse?

My favourite bible verse is a verse from when I first started going to church; it was on an arch at the back of the church and we always read it as we walked out:

1 Peter Chapter 5 verse 7 “He Careth For You.” which has an extension at the beginning of it which is “Cast all your anxiety on Him because “He cares for You.” (NIV version) It is short and straight to the point and was the first Bible verse I ever learnt!!!!

Around the Church

Sandra and Luke Jacobs

Sandra Jacobs and her son, Luke, kindly agreed to be the first to share with us a bit about their lives at BBC. Thank you so much both of you!

Sandra writes: I have been attending Belvedere Baptist Church for about 8 years now. I was brought up in a Catholic Church - St Thomas Moore, Long Lane, Bexleyheath - but stopped when I was in my mid teens. Since then I have visited friends’ churches periodically, in particular one of my good friends who is a Seven Day Adventist and worships in Chiswick. When I had Luke I felt he should have a religious background but did not do much about it until he was seven. I visited about four churches in the area, including St Thomas Moore's, before coming to Belvedere Baptist Church. I felt it was the church for Luke and I almost immediately; I had a good feeling and we were welcomed at the door by Katherine Stollery, who introduced us to other members and this made me feel comfortable. Being quite a shy person I am encouraged by the fellowship. I enjoy the Sunday sermons as they apply to real life and it gives me something to think about and to take away with me. I am a qualified nursery nurse and work in a private pre school in Orpington where I am the Special Needs Co-Ordinator. I love working with children and the hours fit in well with Luke as I am home by 4pm and only work term time.

Luke writes: A couple of years ago I was a sheep in the big Christmas production. I have no interest in acting what so ever but I always loved the puppet shows Beryl and Doug put on, and when I showed an interest they were only too happy to explain how they worked and let me have a go. It was Beryl who approached me and asked if I would like to be a part of the production and I said “yes” without hesitation. I really enjoyed the whole experience.

Heather got to know I was interested in electrics and approached me to see if I would like to learn and help out with the P.A system. I have always been interested in electronics. My first project, at the age of four was building a robot out of a cardboard box with lights for eyes. I built a simple circuit with a switch to make it work. At school my favourite subject is science, and most of my hobbies revolve around scientific topics! I would like to be a pyrotechnician when I leave school.

My Calling to Street Pastorhood

Matt Harris writes ……….

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a full-time languages teacher in a local grammar school and also a keen sportsman and musician. Three years ago we resurrected the Christian Fellowship within the school, now called the Christian Union, and since then we have been growing, albeit slowly, both in numbers and in spiritual maturity – supported by visits from Andrew White, amongst others. This year, following their request, the CU is being led by two of the sixth formers and I really felt that this was God’s way of opening an opportunity for me to branch into another area of his ministry.

I had heard of the street pastors a couple of years before, and knew a couple of people from St John’s in Welling who patrolled in Bexleyheath, as well as others who stayed and prayed, and whilst I had been interested in this, I didn’t feel that I had the ability to commit to more. With my reduced workload for the CU (which began to take effect at Easter last year!) I really felt that this academic year I could put my hand to another field and be counted! At an 18-30s group meeting last spring, I met a lovely young lady who already patrolled with the street pastors in Bexleyheath, and she fired up my interest in them again. We met for coffee (and here starts a true love story!) but the important element being that she invited me to join the team to stay and pray. Praying for 4 hours seemed like a difficult task, and whilst it certainly did require stamina, I found it thoroughly rewarding – especially with the team returning in the middle for an update and refreshments – with the names and events they could recall to us, we were able to be more specific in our prayers.

If anyone would like to help support the street pastor team then please stay and pray! It’s warm, there’s tea and coffee and you get to hang out with the creator of the universe!!!

Three Fridays (and three months) later, I asked SP Coordinator Cathy if I could come out with the team and observe what they did. Unfortunately it did mean wearing high-visibility yellow for the night, but it did help spark some very interesting conversations with people on the street out for the evening. I was hooked! I could tangibly see the footsteps of the street pastors, I could feel the presence of God on the Broadway and I could see the recognition in the public of what the street pastors are and who they represent. During prayer with the pastors I’ve seen visions of the Broadway lighting up (like in Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean video!).

I began the training course over in Brixton in September and have found it really interesting – and have learnt a great deal more about the role the SPs have, which has done nothing except further fuel my excitement for joining them. I’m due to graduate from the course at the end of the year (as I have to complete a couple of modules I missed) and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone with a heart for “being” church and meeting God’s people out on the street. If anyone needs to complete a missed course – the dates for the March course are on the notice board.

How The Lord Uses Us!

Sylvia Barrell shares the following:

I would like to start my story when I was in my early thirties. I had health problems and my health was getting worse. I knew I was dying. I asked the Lord to let me live and that I would work for Him. The next day my health started to improve!

A few years later I went into hospital for a hysterectomy. The night before the operation I asked God if I was doing the right thing as I hadn’t any children. This voice answered me and said that I was going to have all the children I needed. This was repeated three times. This puzzled me!

When I went home Richard went to the chippy for something to eat. He brought home a boy called Danny, who was 16. His dad had died and he had travelled up to Devon to find his mum. He slept in a van around the corner (I didn’t feel well enough to have strangers in the house.) He had some meals with us. He thought his mum was in Bromley and he went to find her; we never heard from him again!

About a year later Rich and I started to go to All Saints Church. One day I went up for a blessing and laying on of hands when I had an experience of a vision of Christ on the Cross. I felt tingly, heavy sorrow so painful I was about to scream, but the Bishop took his hand off my head. I also felt I was on a pair of scales being weighed! The Bishop’s hand felt so heavy I felt I would go through the floor! When I went back to my seat, tears ran down my cheeks for the rest of the service.

A few weeks later Richard came back from a Friday evening service with Tom, who was looking for a bed for the night. I made up a bed and gave Tom a sandwich. Early in the morning Tom was about to leave. I was still in bed. Tom said “Your wife isn’t happy that I’m here.” I don’t know how he knew as I was still in bed! Tom was 70ish, sparkling eyes, beautiful clean complexion and clean finger nails and no luggage! Tom left; I said “Where’s Tom?” as Rich closed the door. I said “Get him back so we can help him.” As he left Rich said Tom was singing beautiful hymns. Rich opened the door – there was no sign of Tom anywhere! Rich went out to look around; Tom had just disappeared! We believe Tom was an angel who came to test us!

Not long after, we met a boy called Jason who wanted help and he stayed for seven years seven days. He met a girl called Sarah who wouldn’t go home. Her step-brother, who was about nine, wanted to live with us, but I said he was too young to stay, and told him to come back when he was older!

Joe never forgot, he got in touch with us when he was 18. He came to live with us. He found a young girl who needed shelter – Kerry. She has shared our home a few times. We also had a young woman, with a young child, who stayed for just a few days.

Freda was talking to me recently about this article and said “Your home is a sanctuary and a haven.” I haven’t thought about it in that way – but she’s right!