Monthly Archives: November 2008

Wellies!

Gaz Simmonds | November 14, 2008

This week has been quite cool! Lead worship at ACT last night, wednesday we went out for a curry, just with a few guys from the house, and Isaac, who was an intern last year and is now the Schools Worker here at St Aldates. So that was cool!

Tomorrow i am off on the alpha away day, where i am leading worship. Quite looking forward to it actually. I have really enjoyed being a part of alpha so far so it should be a good day!

I am about to go buy some Wellies, both because i may need them tomorrow as we are off to a priory i think for the away day. But then also on monday we are off on an intern retreat day, where we are going to a convent i think. And having a day of peace and rest, so that will be cool, but i need wellies to cope with the mud!!

It’s all exciting!

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Mcfly

Gaz Simmonds | November 12, 2008

Last friday, i trekked up north to my good old home. Me Katie and My Brother then went to see mcfly play in sheffield. Which was soo good!

They played mostly songs off their new album, which was really cool. Also on stage with them was a percussionist, a pianist, and 4 backing vocalists. Which really enhanced the sound. So musically it was all so good!

Then there came abit about halfway through where suddenly all went dark, and something started coming down from the roof near the stage, while a video was played with lots of sound FX!! This thing turned out to be another smaller stage, kitted with another drum kit and mics. The band then got on to this stage, and as it lifted up they started playing star girl. Durign this song the stage flew right over the crowd. And right at the end of the song, the stage landed on a platform, already placed right in the centre of the arena! where they then proceeded to play some more songs on this stage… Fab!

After a few songs all went dark again, and the band went down a side door back to the main stage. But when the music started again, danny was still on the centre stage, so he sang the first couple of verses from there while the band played from the main stage. Then he jumped down, jogged casually to the side door. And cos we were right opposite we could see, as soon as he got to the door, he started sprinting like full on! Because then he turned up on the main stage halfway round the arena a verse later!

The flying stage…

Mcfly n the flying stage :)) by Gaz Simmonds.

The main stage

Mcfly! The stage! by Gaz Simmonds.

After Mcfly on friday night, Katie then came back down to Oxford with me on saturday morning, and we had a really good weekend together Saturday night we went to some fireworks, followed by a pizza hut! hmmm. And then sunday, we went to church, followed by High School Musical 3! So it was all good!

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Risky Living…

Gaz Simmonds | November 7, 2008

Hey!

Well today, i filmed breaking news again this morning! Which was good! And then this afternoon i was just sorting out a set for tonight, where i co-lead at Risky living, the students thing! Which was cool! Slightly quieter night tonight i think, about 100 people there. But was cool!

I was quite nervous before hand, cos the band were all new, from the recruitment night, and obviously it was the first night i had lead kinda with a full band in church! But i think it went Ok!

I was using in-ears, which was a bizarre experience! (for all you non musicians (i say that as if people actually read this haha) in ears are basically when you have a radio pack on your belt, with headphones, with your own fold back mix in them!) Which was cool, but took some getting used to, because basically you can only hear what is in your ears, so for example the drums weren’t in it to start with, and because of the drum tank and these things blocking my ears i had no idea where i was or anything! ha! But when that was sorted it was good.

Only thing is you can’t hear the congregation with them in, so its quite isolated, but it does mean you can stay in time well and hear your own voice and guitar really well so you know you are playing/singing the right notes!! So yeh. its good.

One song we did tonight, i thought i would share with you, this is another one of the new ones we have been introducing, called You’ll Come… awesome… Enjoy

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Prayer room

Gaz Simmonds | November 6, 2008

I thought i would post a couple of photos of the 24/7 prayer room we have here ! Each day the theme is focossing on a different part of Gods Character. This first was Jesus is a door, from the verse ‘I am the door, who ever enters through me will be saved’ And they painted a couple of old doors, how cool is that?!

And this, was based around like how God freed us from our chains n’ stuff, can’t actually remember the very verse used…

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What a day!

Gaz Simmonds | November 4, 2008

Yesterday was probably the longest day i have had for a while! Waking up at just gone 6, for the 7am prayer meeting/ I then proceeded to wake myself up by a swift visit to Starbucks.

We were then taught in the day by a guy about ‘Salvation’. Which was 2 hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, with a department meeting sandwiched in the middle!

This evening then we went to School of theology, which is a programme over the yearrun by Simon Ponsonby, which was awesome actually, even after an already full days teaching!

That finished at 9:30, then at 10 i was down to lead worship in the 24/7 prayer room which is awesome! For a week we have a constant prayer room in the basement of the parish centre where you can just go and get some space and just pray. Each night between 10 and 11 someone leads some worship. This week then leads up to saturday which is the new wine prayer day here.

When i was first asked to lead an hour of worship, my initial reaction was man thats a long time! But man its amazing what happens when you just let the holy spirit guide you. By the end though i just wanted to go on all night! The holy spirit was just so present in the room and it was just a really worshipful atmosphere

I did draw up a rough setlist for the hour, but that pretty much got thrown out the window straight away! It was weird, i discovered i actually have more songs saved in my head than perhaps i usually think!

I can’t wait to get back into the prayer room actually! And in march the church will have a permanant prayer room when the new building is finished down the road

I am just off to the prayer room now again actually i lead worship at alpha tonight which was cool! Co leading at Risky Living on thursday and then home on friday, Katie, Family and Mcfly Sorted.

In Christ.

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