CHEAM METHODIST CHURCH

Transcription

1 CHEAM METHODIST CHURCH Cnr Church Hill Road and Chatsworth Road, Cheam, Sutton SM3 8LJ NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2014 Minister: Rev Nik Wooller Hall Bookings: Audrey Saunderson Church Charity Number: SI 2655/2007 OCTOBER SERVICES AT CHEAM METHODIST CHURCH Date Time Preacher Service 5 October 10.30am Rev Anne Rusbridge 40 Ordinary Sunday Holy Communion 12 October 10.30am Rev Nik Wooller 41 Ordinary Sunday 19 October 10.30am Rev Mark Wakelin 42 Ordinary Sunday 26 October 10.30am Mr Richard Smith 43 Ordinary Sunday DATES FOR YOUR DIARY OCTOBER Wednesday 1 st 8.00pm House Group at Audrey Saunderson s home 105 Abbotts Road Tuesday 7 th am Cheam Tots group for parents/carers and toddlers Tuesday 7 th 2.30pm Women s Friendly Hour Members Afternoon Tuesday 14 th am Cheam Tots group for parents/carers and toddlers Tuesday 14 th 2.30pm Women s Friendly Hour Margaret McAllister - Chair Exercises

2 Wednesday 15 th 8.00pm Church Council Meeting Friday 17 th Last date for contributions for November Newsletter Sunday 19 th 9.45am Prayer Meeting Tuesday 21 st am Cheam Tots group for parents/carers and toddlers Tuesday 21 st 2.30pm Women s Friendly Hour Derek Heaton Monday 27 th 10.30am 12 noon; 2.00pm 3.30 pm Family Fun Day Tuesday 28 th 2.30pm Women s Friendly Hour Mr Tony Brett Young, illustrated talk: Women in Dickens s Life Friday 31 st 8.00pm House Group at Mary Freeman s home, 14 Priory Avenue NOVEMBER Tuesday 4 th am Cheam Tots group for parents/carers and toddlers Tuesday 4 th 2.30pm Women s Friendly Hour Colin Blake, Music Saturday 9 th 11am 1pm Autumn Fair Saturday 15 th 2pm 4pm Ryelands Christmas Fair All events at Cheam Methodist Church, unless otherwise stated. A MESSAGE FROM REV NIK WOOLLER The summer holidays already seem a long time ago, amongst other things, for me, it s been another summer of watching sport on the television. Getting caught up in the family excitement as we watched England winning 58 gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, some in our favourite sports of diving, cycling and gymnastics and sometimes in more obscure sports when at least one of us should have been doing something else. When I was watching the Commonwealth games coverage with my family we got talking about previous Games and athletes. Before long, we were talking about Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards. Do you remember him? My children are too young to remember so I explained. For those of you not familiar with him (or too young to remember!) Eddie Edwards was the first-ever competitor to represent Great Britain in ski-jumping, at the Winter Olympics, in He didn't win any medals, at one point he was a complete laughing stock and the subject of many jokes, but eventually he was warmly embraced as a 'national treasure. Eddie Edwards trained tirelessly even to gain a place to compete in the Olympics. I wonder how many of us would have such determination and whether we would be willing to make the necessary sacrifices? Eddie Edwards story reminds me of the gospel story of the followers of Jesus in a boat which was caught up in a storm. When they see Jesus walking on the water towards them, they are frightened. But one of them has a different attitude. Peter boldly says to Jesus, 'Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water' (Matthew 14:28). Jesus encourages Peter and Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking. It's only when he looks down at the windswept waves beneath him that Peter panics and he starts to sink. Jesus immediately responds by taking hold of Peter and helping him back into the boat. Peter is often criticised for his fear and doubt, and yet he was the only one who had the courage to try and do what Jesus was miraculously able to do. The other followers remained in the boat! Both Eddie Edwards and Peter offer challenges for us. Are we prepared to step out of our comfort zone? Are we willing to follow where God is leading us and try something different

3 for His sake? Are we willing to try and try, even if we fail? I hope so. And I hope we'll hold onto the promise of Jesus too: 'I am with you always.' A MESSAGE FROM THE SENIOR STEWARD I hope you ve all had a lovely summer and are rested and refreshed. It s so wonderful to have the warm sunshine continuing through September. During our Harvest service on Sunday one of the hymns was For the fruits of His creation and it just struck me that whilst Sue and I were away in Cornwall, we saw much evidence of this in the fields and orchards. All in all it was very relaxing and inspiring. As we start a new Methodist year, before we know where we are Christmas will be upon us, as is very evident in the shops, and, at our recent Leadership Team meeting we set all the dates for the Christmas period. Before we get there though, on 8 th November we will be holding our Autumn Fair. There is a box at the back of the church for your donations. There will be the usual gift stalls, games and light lunches will be served. I know it seems a long way off, but in February each year, as many of you will be aware, Epsom Methodist Church holds a massive Book Fair. Next year we have been invited to participate in this event to raise funds for CMC. Initially this will take the form of sorting the books into fiction and non-fiction, etc. We have committed ourselves to a four hour session from 9.00am to 1.00pm on Thursday 12 th February. We will require a team of ten people to cover this, for which CMC will receive 1,000. There are also other sessions during that week and the following week where we can participate. If you would be interested in covering any of the sessions, please let me or a steward know as soon as possible. The more sessions or hours we can put in, the more money we will raise purely for sorting books. There is no selling attached at all. I would like to thank the wonderful team who decorated the church one Saturday in August, not forgetting those who provided constant refreshments and support. It really makes it look brighter and fresher and was noted by the preachers in the following weeks. The Painting Crew (Photo by Margaret)

4 A big thank you, too, to all those at the harvest lunch who took part in the auction of flowers and fresh produce and raised sufficient funds to buy three goats and more for All you Can (Methodist Relief and Development Fund) see below. Finally, some advance dates for your diary: Messy Christmas/Christingle will be on 30 November at 3.00pm. Christmas lunch will follow our Gift Service on 7 December when we will have a guest speaker from Action for Children. Street carol singing parties will be going out on 14 and 21 December. Mary and Bob have kindly offered refreshments at their house afterwards. Covenant service will be on 11 January Looking forward to receiving your donations and seeing you all at the autumn fair. As ever FAMILY CIRCLE Having returned from our summer break Bob and I realise the benefit of taking time off, and hope that others were able to do the same. Thanks to those who carried out pastoral visits or gave out flowers while we were away. On our return we heard the sad news that Jeanette Wallace's brother had died in America, but fortunately she had been able to visit him recently. Our prayers and thoughts are with Jeanette and the family. We also learned that Keith Wooller's mother had died and we think of the family, and Keith especially in his sad loss. I also wrote to the Cordery family on behalf of our Church to express our condolences following Ron's death. Ron, his wife Kathleen and the family left Cheam in 1983, but had played an active part in the Church life for many years and many of our members still remember them. A thanksgiving service for Ron s funeral is being held on Wednesday 1 Oct at 2-30pm at Alton Methodist Church in Hampshire. Any donations in Ron's memory can be sent to Wessex Cancer Trust or Alton Care, c/o Kemp and Stevens Funeral Directors, High Street, Alton GU34 1LG After a two and a half year brave battle with cancer, Elizabeth Baldwin's daughter Sue died peacefully on Monday evening September 15th at a Hospice in Pembury. Sue's husband and two sons and of course Elizabeth were at her bedside. Please lift Elizabeth and her family up in your prayers, for comfort strength and peace. Please also pray for Barbara Sloan who is still in Crossways where Mary and Jenny hope to visit her on 8 October. Mick Ball has not yet returned to work following an operation on his hand though he has been making a good recovery. Mary and Alan Bugden are now being looked after by a carer in the morning and evening, rather than round the clock. Alan is walking better so hopefully they will manage better now. Their son David is looking into the feasibility of a panic/alarm button for them to call for help if necessary. We ask for continued prayers for their situation. Joyce Mealing's health has improved and she has visited the doctor on her scooter, and has been able to go out to lunch with Bert. We pray that her health will continue to improve.

5 In connection with Women's Friendly Hour, Pam Ward's daughter Janet has told me that Pam is still poorly, and does not wish to remain at home on her own, so is currently staying with her son. Please pray for Pam who will be sadly missed from our meetings. Following the funeral of Joyce Cleator's son, Joyce went to stay with her other son in Scotland for a while. Finally, please let Nik or me know of anyone who is unwell or needs a pastoral visit. Mary Freeman CHURCHES TOGETHER IN SUTTON & CHEAM (CTSC) At the 9 September meeting of CTSC at The Church of Our Lady of The Rosary in Sutton, as well as the usual business items, there was a review of the WW1 Memorial events. Several local churches held vigils to commemorate the event and we, at Cheam, displayed a collection of memorabilia medals, photos, diaries and correspondence concerning family members who served in the Great War. A talk was given by Mrs Rhona Forzani, who was a founder member of the Street Pastors initiative in Sutton. She told us that a further Saturday afternoon session was being added to Friday and Saturday night patrols. Anyone interested in becoming a Street Pastor receives training. For more information, please see the leaflet on our notice board. On 7 June eighty people from various parts of the Borough took part in a Prayer Pilgrimage which culminated in Manor Park for communion and a picnic. Prayer for Sutton which was originally planned as a one-year initiative aiming to support and encourage Christians praying for God s Kingdom to increase in Sutton, has now been extended for a further year. There is also an online Prayer Wall for further details and information about this and Street Pastors, please visit the website info@suttoncommunityworks.org The date arranged for the service to be held during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is Sunday 25 January The venue has yet to be confirmed. After the meeting the Parish Priest, Father Jim McGillicuddy, invited us to visit the church which we found to be a beautiful building with an interesting history. We were all given a copy of an illustrated booklet giving a full history of the church. If you would like to see a copy, please let us know. Jenny Delafond and Jane Wasbrough SUTTON FOOD BANK Sutton Foodbank Volunteers Mark Tomlinson writes: We currently need more people to volunteer at our 4 sessions where we distribute food to clients. Clients are referred by front line agencies and are often vulnerable or at a time of crisis when they come to the Foodbank. Volunteers are expected to: commit to at least one session per month [ a session is approx 2.5-3hrs] be a committed Christian in good standing in their local church have good listening skills be non-judgemental be able to work in team be compassionate willing to offer prayer to clients Tony Brett Young met with Mark Tomlinson recently and he clarified the current situation

6 about Sutton Foodbank donations. Although the website has asked organisations not to donate food at the moment, we have agreed that our current donations, and any harvest food donations from Cheam Methodist Church, will be accepted. However, gifts of money would still be preferred for the moment, and church members might like to consider selling food donated on Harvest Sunday to raise funds for Sutton Foodbank. The following foods are requested: Long life milk, long life juice, sugar (500g packs), tinned sponge pudding, tinned custard pudding, jars of pasta sauce, biscuits and tinned meat. For your information, there is a notice on the Foodbank board at the back of the church. CIRCUIT NEWS From April 2015 Rev Dave Dickinson, minister of Trinity, Sutton, will become our Circuit Superintendent Minister. WOMEN S FRIENDLY HOUR At the Women s Friendly Hour Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 16 September, the Treasurer was very pleased to report that a total of 360 had been raised over the past 12 months for the Charity of the Year, Canine Partners. We would like to express our thanks to the members of Cheam Methodist Church who helped to raise this amount by filling up our penny jar and attending our Rally. We have decided to maintain Canine Partners as our Charity of the Year for the coming year. In all the members of the Women's Friendly Hour donated over 1,000 to various charities - an amazing result for a small group. Christine Rippon RYELANDS MHA Methodist Homes Sunday 8 th June 2014 A total of was sent to MHA in response to this appeal. Many thanks for your generous donations. Ryelands Christmas fair The annual Christmas fair at Ryelands this year will be held on Saturday 15 November from 2pm 4pm at 15 Beddington Gardens, Wallington SM6 0JF. Admission will be by programme ( 1 each), and will be available shortly. Jenny Delafond SEEABILITY The Wild Cats Drama Society based at the Millennium Centre in Leatherhead presented their latest production Hard Times during July and August. The performance told the story of a group of local villagers reacting to the news of the outbreak of the first World War. Thank you to the CMC members who came along to support the group and enjoy the performances. Another piece of news was celebrated when tandem cycling pair Colin Bean (volunteer) and Ivan (resident at the centre) completed the gruelling Prudential Ride London to Surrey, from the O2 arena in London and followed the Olympic cycle route through Surrey and finished at St James Park, London in 7 hours and 11 minutes! The slightly shortened course was due to the horrific weather conditions on the day but that didn t deter them. Ivan who, since 1958 when he first lived at the Royal School for the Blind and later as a resident at the Millennium Centre, has been a keen tandem cyclist for some time now and

7 he was thrilled to receive his medal. Jane Wasbrough SUTTON SCHOOLSWORK The Autumn 2014 News is now published for Sutton Schoolswork and copies are available at the back of the church. It contains a report of Kevin Lewis s gruelling Man versus Mountain challenge which he completed last month to raise funds for Sutton Schoolswork. Kevin is a Trust member and associate vicar at St Peter s church, St Helier. The new Primary Schools Team Leader, and newly married, Sarah Webb, has begun her work in earnest. She and Cat (Secondary Team Leader) are based in the offices upstairs together with the trust secretary, Lorna Hedges. If they are in, they always welcome visits for a cuppa and chat so pop upstairs if you can. BUY A GOAT AUCTION FOR ALL YOU CAN The new name for the Methodist Relief and Development Fund is All You Can taken from the inspirational words of John Wesley. At our Harvest Festival service we learned more about the work AYC particularly in Burundi, East Africa. Following the service appropriate goods were kept for sending to the Sutton Food Bank and during the Harvest lunch the rest of the produce and flowers were auctioned. We were originally hoping to raise enough for 1 goat ( 28) but we reached a total of 104 which enables us to buy 3 goats and training for a class of farmers on how to store and conserve produce effectively in Burundi. Well done everyone. CMC AUTUMN FAIR Our annual Autumn Fair is on 8 th November and we are already making preparations. There is a box for donations at the back of the church and there will soon be a list of stalls, leaflet deliveries and setting up arrangements, and we're looking for members who are prepared to volunteer. Please look out for any unwanted gift bags for our popular tombola. BOOK FAIR As David mentioned in his message and some of you may know, a charity Book Fair is held at Epsom Methodist Church every year. From the first time, raising a couple of thousand pounds to 13 years later when a 28,000 total was reached, the organisers have decided to offer churches in the circuit an opportunity to become involved. Volunteer hours will be allocated and a percentage of the final total will be worked out pro rata. The higher the hours offered, the higher the percentage. We, at Cheam would like to be able to offer as much time as we possibly can so that we can afford to reduce the Quinquennial requirements for the church. One requirement is the replacement of windows in our hall. Our involvement with the next Book Fair in February, could go towards covering the cost of new windows if enough people offer their time to help with the organisation. More information will follow and further details will be published soon. FLOWER CALENDAR 7 September, Flower Fund; 14 September, Alberta Brown in memory of her mother and Wendy Green in memory of her mother; 21 September, Glyn Alpe in memory of his wife Maureen; and 28 September, Jenny Delafond in memory of her parents.

8 Please put your name on the flower calendar if you wish to give a donation towards the flowers in the Church on a special Sunday. Give the donation money to Audrey. Jenny Delafond & Jane Wasbrough SUNDAY COLLECTIONS Contributions received for our recent Sunday morning collections were: 31 August, ; 7 September, ; 14 September, ; 21 September, (Harvest Festival). WHO'S WHO Minister Rev Nik Wooller. Telephone: ; revnik@live.co.uk Nik is available by appointment to anyone who wants to talk about pastoral or other matters, including baptisms, weddings and funerals. Church Leadership Team The church leadership team has been elected by church members to be responsible for the day-to-day running of the church and to help develop policy. Its members include our minister, Rev Nik Wooller, and the Senior Steward, David Worthington. The full team is: Rev Nik Wooller, David Worthington ( ), Mary Freeman ( ), Brian Kingswood ( ), Eric Randall ( ), Jane Wasbrough ( ), Audrey Saunderson ( ) and Tony Brett Young ( ). Hall Bookings Audrey Saunderson Safeguarding representative Tony Brett Young The Newsletter Editorial Team The Newsletter content is the responsibility of the Church Leadership Team. Articles, news, ideas and comments should be ed to Tony Brett Young at abrettyoung@hotmail.com The last date for information to be included in the November Newsletter is 17 October.