The event was attended by delegates from forces throughout the UK and, thanks to a very generous grant by
Snellings of Blofield Heath in Norfolk, officers and staff were able to be joined by their families for a weekend of rest, refreshment and fellowship with the theme of the conference - ‘Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him’ (Psalm 37:7). Anyone who has visited Belsey Bridge will be aware that the venue is a place of tranquillity and peace and the surroundings certainly created the atmosphere needed for such a theme.
www.cct.org.uk
The Friday evening session opened with a welcome from
Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Hamlin and got off to a very lively start with the wonderful music of
Fakenham Baptist Community Church worship band led by
Ian Mizen. Meanwhile, the children and young people spent time putting together visual aids to decorate the 24/7 prayer room which was run throughout the whole event.
Saturday,
Richard and Gipsy Stephens attended from
Kairos Prison Ministries and Richard gave a passionate and sometimes humorous talk about the work they are involved in with prison inmates in the UK, showing them the love of Christ, and the amazing outcomes of the work that is now well established in USA.
www.kairosprisonministry.org.uk
Richard was followed by
Val Dodsworth from
House of Genesis. Val’s sacrificial work that has helped to establish this most important ministry in
Norwich is an inspiration and her very humble presentation of her immense ministry could leave no one in doubt of the amazing power that is present in all of us who follow Christ if we will only allow Him to make use of us and those resources He has given to us.
www.thehouseofgenesis.org
Of course all things need to be underpinned by prayer and
Jill Gower from
Call to Prayer gave a very challenging and informative talk about her work and then went on the lead prayer workshops to encourage and inform in an area that so many Christians find hard. Jill’s gentle style and her depth of knowledge and experience encourage and inspire and it is hoped that the prayer life of many will have been greatly enhanced by her ministry over the whole weekend.
www.call2prayer.co.uk
There was a full programme of children’s ministry throughout the weekend and Norfolk CPA are grateful for the time and energy given by
Amy Walters of
Norwich Central Baptist Church and CPA associate member,
Pauline Hill from
Aldborough, near Cromer. Pauline also brought along the Australian designed
BackPack Bed by
Swags for Homeless. A lot of interest has been shown in this and details taken back to various parts of the UK.
www.swags.org.au
St Paul’s church, Hellesdon, provided the music ministry for the Saturday programme. Also from St Paul’s,
Roy Forder - CPA associate member, provided all the technical support and backup needed for the weekend.
Saturday evening Belsey Bridge staff provided an excellent BBQ and the weather was kind enough to allow this to take place outside. The meal was followed by fete games outside and a large scale quiz designed to take teams around the whole inside of the venue on a treasure hunt of categories ranging from Bible knowledge to driver theory questions and anagrams. The picture quizzes proved to be very popular.
The evening rounded off with live music provided by various CPA musical delegates holding a ‘jamming’ session in the bar and the highlight of this session had to be the amazing talent of a gospel singer from City of London, including his impromptu hilarious rendition of ‘A weekend at Belsey Bridge’.
Sunday morning was a time of sharing what God had been saying to delegates over the weekend and some powerful testimonies were heard.
Richard Whall, one of the Norfolk police chaplains, led a communion service during which a very generous offering was collected to share between the three ministries represented on Saturday.
Again, Ian Mizen and his very talented musicians from Fakenham, joined by one of the young delegates at the event, provided another round of inspiring and uplifting songs which created a backdrop to personal ministry to a number of delegates before the final meal at lunchtime.
Norfolk CPA are indebted to
Peter and
Erica and their dedicated staff at
Belsey Bridge for providing such a wonderful service, enabling so many people to come and rest, relax and spend time with the Lord and in each others’ company.
The support of
Network Norfolk over the years to Norfolk CPA has enabled the support of churches around the county to uphold their local police in prayer and practical support. We value that love and support and would encourage others who wish to support their local police anywhere in the UK to visit
www.coact.org.uk to find out more.
www.cpauk.net
Pictured above is worship at the CPA Conference in the main hall at Belsey Bridge.