OpenHeart 2008 Bognor Regis

OpenHeart, the arts in your heart - gathering took place at Open Gate Church ( Bognor Baptist Church) the first week-end in November. Young people from nations Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Lebanon, Italy and UK, to name a few, came to participate with drama, dance, mime, painting, sketching, music all with a purpose to celebrate Jesus Christ.

The meeting was a result of building friendships with young people in churches in these countries and holding Open Heart conferences in these nations. The aim has been to bring release and re-ignite passion for Jesus in churches in Europe, and to raise up the next generation.

The arts are a way many people of all ages can use in worship to God and need not be restricted to the more traditional approach. OpenHeart encourages anyone to explore their gift and help them find a way to express this is service to The Lord. In the process evangelism takes place and the Holy Spirit, the initiator of the project, can have freedom to touch lives and minister the grace of God to bring a fresh revelation of Jesus to peoples hearts.

OpenHeart is the vision of Missionary Pastor Marcello Guimaraes. The first OpenHeart was held in Bognor Regis in 2005 with a few friends from abroad. This week-end saw the church family and other members of different congregations across Bognor Regis host in their homes over 150 delegates from abroad alone! Over 2000 meals were prepared and eaten at the Open Gate Church.

OpenHeart is blessed with the participation of accomplished Christian musicians and anointed worship leaders. Songs of worship have been written over the years by them and this was a superb opportunity for the songs to be brought together on a live recorded CD, which will be available to purchase.

“I have just attended open hearts in Bognor Regis and in a day when you hear so much about church declining, it is fantastic to see so many young people expressing their faith with passion through the media of dance, mime, music and drama. A truly alive and growing modern church! Pastor Tony Hickman - thehub church, Bishops Stortford.”

The vision to build relationships with Churches in Europe and the UK is expanding with many more contacts in many nations. Teams from Bognor, Bishop Stortford, Edinburgh, Manchester and Belfast travel regularly to build lasting relationships, where people can begin to open their heart more to one another and the Holy Spirit. This way the relationships in the family of God are deepend and transformed.

Peter Wilks in his new book “Blood up to Your Ankles' explores this phenomenom and finds that such relationships are best expressed and expanded with a Blood Covenant perspective. This basic Biblical foundation has been largely 'civilised' out of our western way of thinking, however it is the language God speaks and therefore to hear Him, it is preferable to understand blood covenant.

webmaster, 10/11/2008