Isca Church

Karena shares how Paul followed the Holy Spirit to meet Lydia - and challenges us to stay open to the Spirit’s leading today. Lydia opened her heart to God’s message and her home to others. Her story invites us to ask: Are we open, attentive, and willing to give our time to those around us?  

Welcome to this two-part podcast. Before we begin, we want to apologise for the poor sound quality due to technical issues. During this gathering we thanked and prayed for Andy and Karena, recognising their many years of faithful service to Isca. Sim then spoke on the rollercoaster story of Joseph, sharing some of his own struggles and reminding us that - even in our most difficult seasons - God has not forgotten us.  

Andy encourages and challenges us with the story of Ananias from Acts 9. He starts by reading extracts from Ananias's "autobiographical" diary. Do we make enough time to hear Jesus? 

Bob kicks off our new short series on inspiring characters in Acts with the story of Cornelius (Acts 10). In this episode, Bob encourages us to stay open and expectant for the special things God may want to do in us. Apologies for the sound quality -our tech setup is still settling in at our new location. Thanks for bearing with us!  

Chris tells us that God is commending Isca for decades of adapting, responding and carrying a rich heritage forward, even through the Great Beacon Flood! His main message is encouraging us to commit ourselves to pursuing the Kingdom of God through knowing Jesus and his message. 

This podcast is an exciting whirlwind of stories - hold on! Matt gives a word of encouragement, while Matthew tells how crafting sessions with a friend help him, Sim tells about his one eyed rat Rodney, Vanessa tells of her struggle with fasting and Heather tells of a long life of prayer and and seeking God's will. Enjoy!

Norman Alford, one of the founding members of Isca, gives an encouraging prophetic word before Rich speaks on Corinthians 12:12-27. Rich's reminds us that being a follower of Jesus means committing to and sharing life with other Jesus followers. The church is God's radical family. He sets out three themes: Show Up, Step In and Step Out.

Join us for an inspiring first gathering of the year! Together, we’ll reflect on our rich history, embrace the present, and look ahead with hope. Rich is joined by Bob and Muriel, Ellie, with prayers led by Kath and Dave, and prophetic words shared by Matt, Karl, and Richmond. And don’t miss the special treat at the end—a funky rendition of Be Thou My Vision, courtesy of Julian!    

Nick encourages us to remember the shepherds’ story with awe and wonder and thank God for the transformative message and the freedom they shared it with. 

Jenny Flannagan launches our Advent series by exploring how Mary might have felt as she waited for Jesus’s ministry to begin. She opens with a powerful monologue from Mary’s perspective. How do we remain faithful to God during those “in-between” times of waiting? Jenny offers three invitations for us to reflect on this Advent: Surrender our plans to God Reach out and connect deeply with others Ponder and pray over all that does not yet make sense  

Gaynor encourages us to find God in the season of advent by: preparing, slowing and waiting. Here are Gaynor's simple ways to “practice Advent” this year: Light a candle each evening and spend two minutes in silence Listen to a carol and allow the eternal truth to draw you out of the instant Make an Advent Spotify list Practice daily gratitude by asking where did I see God today? Share a meal slowly and be fully present to those around the table. Go somewhere different and find someone different from you Get an Advent guide and get into reading again Invites other in – do it in community Be creative!

Andy begins the first of two teaching sessions on the practice of fasting focusing on: Offering ourselves to God Growing in holiness Amplifying our prayers Standing with the poor

Cherryl and Rebecca delve deeper into the practice of generosity as we continue our Practising the Way series.

During this Thanksgiving Celebration we heard from 9 different speakers, all telling of God's goodness throughout the year: Bonnie, Exmouth, Kathy and Karen, Hatherleigh, Sim, Isca youth, Kristian, Isca children & families with testimonies from Isca members, John and Adrian. Matt Finn, chair of trustees gave the final word.

Cherryl Hunt introduces the first of two talks on generosity in our Practising the Way series. She reminds us that there is more joy in giving than receiving and we must watch out for greed. Cherryl's challenging talk encourages us to look at our lifestyles choices, holidays, clothes, food, investments - are they ethical?

Karl encourages us to enJOY the Sabbath. He suggests that on Saturday morning we ask God to help us rest, enjoy, worship and delight in Him this Sabbath.

Mark says God loves growth and he wants us to grow in our walk with Him.

Sim challenges us asking: "Do you find it hard to forgive? Do you find yourself keeping track of who wrongs you?" He reminds us that forgiveness isn't something we count - it's something we live.

Audrey reminds us of Jesus' call for us to be have trust and faith just like children. She uses a powerful personal story about her own father caring for her to remind us of how much more our heavenly father loves and cares for us.  

Join us for a summer special with Rich, who's included a wide variety of content, starting with the song Your Way is Better performed at the Satellites youth camp. We're focussing on the pearl and treasure parables, with a Bible reading from Isca Youth, a Bible Project film and a talk by Rich asking where we are giving our time and attention.