The Saltmine Theatre Production Company (based in Dudley) always provide an absolutely fantastic evening of entertainment for the whole family. If you saw them perform ‘The Three Musketeers’ at The Coton Centre in December, you’ll appreciate the well oiled production quality they provide.

They’re coming back soon to perform another favourite: ‘The Pilgrims Progress’. Set in the Industrial Revolution, this new play is a modern adaptation of John Bunyan’s classic novel. The Pilgrim’s Progress has been heralded as a literary masterpiece and is the world’s second most read book.

Follow Christian as he sets out on an adventure, but with challenges great and small along his path, will he ever reach the Heavenly City? This remarkable retelling brings this timeless story to life for a whole new generation of people.

Suitable for everyone aged 12+. Ideal for a family night out!

25th May 2012.

Update: please register your name and number of tickets you would like by sending an email to Dave Bailey at daveb@cotongreenchurch.com

My Mom died when I was 20 she was always a very poorly lady BUT worked when she could to keep us children, as my father was a miner who was always drinking and smoking and Mom had to go to work when she was able or bartered to keep her children clothed and fed but I can never really remember going without, as my siblings were older and were working whilst I was still at school and they, my sisters, helped to buy things that I needed to help Mom out and they contributed to help me stay on at school as the Headmaster wanted me to, as I was good at some things, so I have always been so grateful to them. Of course we have had words over the years, mainly because of the age difference but as I matured, then all 3 of us became very close and have remained so.

However, until the age of 54 I was always told that I wasn’t wanted and had been told that the Local Dr and also a friend of the family wanted to adopt me, this did not happen but it remained in my mind that I wasn’t wanted but of course I was, then in 2002 I was on a power boat and their was a “freak wave” when coming out of Portsmouth Harbour and unfortunately I ended up with 2 fractured vertebrae, although we didn’t know this at the time. As a result of this accident, I had to give up work and my sisters took it in turns to stay with me all day and night, leaving their husbands for 3 weeks and after that period they just came during the day. It was during one of these days, when I was in such a lot of pain and on lots of medication, I said to my sister Josie “I am going to jump out of the window”, she couldn’t say anything for laughing, when she had calmed down she said “I don’t know how you are going to do that , you can’t even get out of bed” which was true and we both laughed and it was at this time that I said “why wasn’t I wanted as a baby, she said I was and I said but I was always told I wasn’t, she said I was stupid, I was always wanted but it was too much for Mom, as she was always poorly. I said but you have all let me believe I wasn’t wanted all these years, she said she didn’t realize it had affected me all this time and so I started to look at things differently.

In my time at home,as a result of this accident, my Dr.( Keith Pascoe) kept asking me go to Church, it wasn’t that I didn’t believe, as my Mom had brought us all up to believe and I regularly went to Church as a youngster, however, I felt that I couldn’t go but he convinced me that whatever I felt, God would always forgive me and love me, so in May 2003 I ventured to Coton Green, taken by Keith for many months, as I couldn’t drive. I had had to put my house on the market as I couldn’t afford the mortgage for more than 12 months and it was during this time that I had shingles in my ear and eye and this is why I am still totally deaf today in one ear, I also had bells palsy BUT I was prayed with by Bruce and Judith Ackers and the very next day the bells palsy had disappeared, what a miracle. I still have health problems today but I have tried to overcome them and I do enjoy life as much as I possibly can.

I had not been at Church long, when I received the Holy Spirit and wanted to be baptized but, as with a lot of things I didn’t realise I wasn’t ready and it has taken me a long time to get to this stage and the Lord has been so wonderful to me and now I have been really blessed and when Pastor David told me I could be baptized, HALLELUJAH, so today is going to be the start of my new life, where I repent all my sins and am blessed with the Holy Spirit and baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

I have lived by myself for about 23 years and along the way have had a lot of ups and downs but have always survived but didn’t realize at the time that it was God who always knew when I needed help of any kind and he always provided and pointed me in the right direction.

Just a short(ish) story but people who don’t know me personally will now have a better idea of who I am. I can only thank Coton Green Church for being such a welcoming Church and I am grateful for my Church brothers and sisters.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Impact is next scheduled for August 2011.

Recently, I was reminded of events 30 years ago. I lay, dying in an ITU bed at Good Hope Hospital. I had been diagnosed with a really bad case of pneumonia and wasn’t responding to any treatment. My parents were told that I was likely to die as things showed no improvement. I was experiencing terrible nightmares and hallucinations due to the lack of oxygen and a very high temperature.

Pastor David called the whole Church to pray and fasting. Thankfully, the Lord moved and I was miraculously healed, but I was left very weak physically and mentally traumatised, which allowed the enemy to have a field day with my mind.

When I eventually came home from hospital I was really struggling mentally and was convinced that I was still going to die. Every time I closed my eyes to sleep, the enemy would bring fear and say you are going to die. Once again, I went for prayer and the Lord gave me the Scripture John 8:32. Right then, I truly knew that God had a purpose and a plan for my life in him and that there is no fear in Christ Jesus!

I let this scripture sink right down into my spirit and began to believe the truth of God’s word and he brought healing to my mind. Every day each one of us faces fear in that battlefield of our minds and we have to make a daily choice to either believe the lies of the enemy or the truth of God’s word

Four years later the young people started a Friday night youth event at church called “Christian Endeavour”. It was primarily to encourage discipleship in us, and it did. Among other things I learnt how to give a testimony, open and close the meeting in prayer and give a little talk based on some Scripture. After about a year, one of the leaders spoke about ‘giving your heart and life to Jesus’.

All my life I was taught to be a “good girl” and do the right thing. Giving my heart and life to Him was the right thing to do…..but it was also a choice I wanted to make. So that night  kneeling beside my bed and praying a prayer of repentance I asked Jesus in to my heart. I started to pray regularly and to read the Bible. Reading scripture was a discipline that I found hard, which is odd because I devoured fiction books. It’s only in recent years that I have grown to truly love His Word, and I believe it’s changing me.

As a teenager I met and fell in love with a Christian; when I had finished University we got married. Twenty years and three children later, he left me for another woman. I was devastated. At that point all of our children were still at home; we cried and hugged each other a lot. Friends and family were an immense help too, especially in those early days.

At the school where I worked, my fellow teachers, teaching assistants, secretary, cooks . . . all of them were also a great help. They were, (and still are!), a wonderful group of people – more than just work colleagues. They are committed to their work and want to help the children find fulfilment in every area of their lives and because of this they are great encouragers. As teachers we try to move the children forward and give them self confidence. My colleagues do this with the adults around them too, so it was a good place to be when I felt so fragile inside. Where I work is a safe place too; many of us have laughed and cried together.

My relationship with Jesus deepened after my husband left. Jesus became closer and closer to me. He and I laughed and cried together. He helped me to live my every day life and then, from time to time, He brought something to the surface that He wanted to change or to heal, or both.

I personally believe that God put me at Anglesey Primary School. He has taken care of me both through the people there and through other friends and family. I am now happily married again with a large, growing family – it’s wonderful being a Grandma. It’s wonderful being in God’s family too – people to love, and people to love you – as God does.

Download the poster HERE

Impact is the name given to our holiday clubs that are led by our youth group, which run for a week during the spring and summer holidays. The holiday clubs themselves are aimed at 4-10 year olds and the leaders range from 11 to 80 something. We are an inclusive group and anyone is welcome to help whether it is running workshops or clearing up afterwards.

As well as running holiday clubs another aspect of this youth team is to impact notonly the church but the wider community. Therefore we have set up a programme of social action. Social action runs during the main school holidays each year. Our team of young people go out and carry out projects to make a difference to their communities. The jobs from past projects include tidying and clearing people’s gardens, litter picking, painting, graffiti removal and the revamp of the pre-school outdoor play area.

Here are a few of the sermons from the latest Impact, why not check them out:

Day 1 am Creation

Day 1 pm Personal mission

Day 2 am David and Goliath

Day 2 pm Living a life without compromise

Day 3 am Crucifixion and resurrection

Day 3 pm At the Cross

Alternatively, you can also subscribe to our Sermon Podcast in iTunes. You can find the link by clicking here.