Belfairs Methodist Church Where old friends meet and strangers feel at home. Newsletter

Transcription

1 Sunday Services for September 2012 Belfairs Methodist Church Where old friends meet and strangers feel at home Newsletter Issue 135 December 2015/January 2016 Minister: Rev. Julia Monaghan 1 Oakview Close Leigh on Sea Essex. SS9 4JN Tel: E mail: revjuliamonaghan@gmail.com Ministerial Co worker: Miss Anne Lane 14 Muirway Benfleet Essex. SS7 4LS Tel: E mail: annelane8@binternet.com Editor: Mrs. Sue Spaull Tel: E mail: sue.spaull@hotmail.co.uk Ministers letter Sunday Services December/ January Other dates for December/ January Letters Page Future events Inside this issue: Regular weekly meetings Thought for the month Jesus was God s gift to the world, not just for Christmas, but for every single day your whole life through and even beyond for all eternity. Our mission is to provide an open, welcoming and accepting, living place of Christian worship in our community, in which we seek to serve and follow Jesus Christ.

2 Leave the rest to God The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. Those who once lived in gloom, now have light shining upon them. A child is born to us! He is called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9: 2, 6 I write this letter with snow promised on Sunday and the shops now full of mince pies, Christmas cake and tinsel, and my attention is drawn once more to carol services and Christingle making. At this time of year, Christians celebrate Jesus as the child born to us, who is our light. Yet, I reflect that Jesus born as a baby could do nothing by himself. He needed to be fed, clothed, and protected. As a baby, he was simply a child of God. During Advent it is our practice to contemplate our spiritual temperature and to think upon what it means to live a moral and giving lifestyle. When we are challenged with our own shortcomings and character flaws, our discipleship calls us to hand these things to God, who we trust will transform them into glory. You see, our call in not to be the light, but to be God s glory. We are to allow the light of God to shine through us, without blocking this glory though anxiety and preoccupation. In a way, with Jesus, we are to be at peace with our helplessness and insignificance and make ourselves available to let the light shine through us. This is something, which I think Rev Hannah has been embracing in her town center ministry; and reflecting on at the Chaplaincy Course, recently held at Highlands. A form of spirituality and mission, that makes ones self available to God for conversation with others, but then leaves the deep spiritual work to God, confident that Jesus is the light and not ourselves. There is a life giving, reprioritising truth here to be embraced, as we busy ourselves in our preparations for Christmas and within our churches. We are not the light, what a relief; we are merely to reflect it, being the glory of God and then leave the rest to Him.../2

3 - 2 - Spiritual Exercise. In your preparations for Christmas, consider and be at peace with both your insignificance and glory as a child of God. Then ask yourself the following questions. Where do you experience the light or energy of God in your life? How might you try to multiply your God given opportunities to allow the light of God to shine through you and reach others? In prayer, imagine yourself as a shepherd before Jesus at the manger. Allow the light of God s glory shining around and through the child Jesus, to penetrate your soul. Silently sit, warmed by the light and energy of God s overflowing love and leave the rest to him. Amen Prayers for Christmas God of gold, we seek to reflect your glory: the richness that transforms our drabness into colour, and brightens our dullness with vibrant light; your wonder and joy at the heart of all life. God of incense, we offer you our prayer: our spoken and unspeakable longings, our questioning of truth, our search for your mystery deep within. God of myrrh, we cry out to you in our suffering: the pain of all our rejections and bereavements, our baffled despair at undeserved suffering, our rage at continuing injustice; and we embrace you, God with us, in our wealth, in our yearning, in our anger and loss that your light might shine through us. Amen Prayer by Jan Berry: Bread of Tomorrow Welcome Christ, welcome baby Jesus, We are ready for you now. Here are our hearts make us your manger Here are our lives make us your Bethlehem Here is your church make us your Body. Welcome Jesus Christ. Prayer by Michaela Youngson: Making the Colours Sing Rev Julia

4 Sunday Services for December th a.m. Ms. Margaret Chipandambira 13th a.m. Rev. Julia Monaghan Holy Communion 4.00 p.m. Baptism (see letters page/church family news) 20th 9.00 a.m. Early Morning Communion followed by breakfast Rev. Julia Monaghan a.m. Nativity Service/Parade 6.00 p.m. Carols by Candlelight Rev. Julia Monaghan 27th a.m. Section Service at Wesley Mrs. Jane Fulford Other December dates for your diary 3rd 5th 9th Men s Supper Club at 7.30 p.m. Coffee Morning Mike & Sue Spaull Midweek Communion at 9.00 a.m. 10th 12th 13th 16th 19th 19th 24th 24th 26th Thirsty For? at 7.00 p.m. Coffee Morning Phil Gladman & Mike Spaull Sunday Lunch please make sure your name is on the list in the foyer by end of service on 6th December if you wish to attend. Seekers Discussion Group Coffee Morning Energize Energize Christmas Show at 6.30 p.m. What happened to Christmas? (please see poster in the newsletter for more details.) Christingle Service at 4.00 p.m. Communion Service at Wesley at p.m. NO Coffee Morning

5 Christmas Services Sunday 20th December at a.m. Young peoples Nativity Service Sunday 20th December at 6.00 p.m. Carols by Candlelight service Christmas Eve at 4.00 p.m. Christingle Service (followed by refreshments) Christmas Eve at p.m. Holy Communion at Wesley Methodist Christmas Day at a.m. Family Service

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7 Sunday Services for January rd a.m. Local Arrangement 10th a.m. Mrs. Eileen Simmons 17th 9.00 a.m. Early Morning Communion followed by breakfast Rev. Julia Monaghan a.m. Mr. Jonathon Logan Parade 24th a.m. Rev. Chris Reeve 6.30 p.m. Prayer & Praise 31st a.m. Rev. Julia Monaghan Holy Communion Other January dates for your diary 2nd 7th 9th 13th Coffee Morning Men s Supper Club at 7.30 p.m. Coffee Morning Midweek Communion at 9.00 a.m. 14th 16th 10th 20th 23rd 28th 30th Thirsty For? at 7.00 p.m. Coffee Morning Sunday Lunch please make sure your name is on the list in the foyer by end of service on 3rd January if you wish to attend. Seekers Discussion Group at 2.00 p.m. Coffee Morning A.C.T.I.O.N. at 2.00 p.m. Coffee Morning

8 Letters Page/Church family news We celebrate the baptism of Charlie Andrew Pullen Son of Natalie & Andrew Grandson of Geoff and Jane Box and Great Grandson of Joyce and Bert Box on Sunday 13th December at 4.00 p.m. Our prayers and every blessing are with the family. As we shall be leaving the area in a week's time we would like to take the opportunity of expressing our fond farewells and grateful thanks to all at Belfairs for the friendship and help received since we returned from Spain some years ago. Our intention at the time was to stay a short while looking for somewhere more permanent but having found the Church, a few months turned into nearly 8 years! Whenever problems arose, there was always someone from Belfairs offering help and it has been a pleasure to have known you all and Worship under the guidance of Rev. Keith and now of course Rev. Julia. We also experienced a warm relationship with Rev. Teresa and the 'Seekers'. The Church is indeed fortunate to have such dedicated followers with the Pastoral visitors and of course its neighbours, the Spaull family who are so close in every sense of the word. Thank you one and all. Love & God Bless. Melvin & Ida Swann

9 Letters Page/Church family news continued The joys of Technology!! I am pleased to know that many of you as regular worshippers at Belfairs enjoy the contribution that we are able to bring using our access through the church laptop and using a wonderful piece of software called SongPro. Currently myself, Phil Gladman and Steve Spaull are the main operators on Sunday services and other events and we are also now training up some of our young people with this software. I thought I would just write this article to let you all know that not everything goes smoothly when setting the services during the week and just a few weeks ago I experienced what could have been a major setback for Belfairs if it had not been for the skill and time applied by Steve Spaull. Whilst accessing the Internet to copy across a you-tube video, I also managed to download a very nasty virus on the laptop which basically was described as a ransom virus. This virus encrypted all our files on the laptop and denied us entry to any of the songs, readings pictures etc which we use in SongPro. The problem with this virus is that, in essence, you pay a ransom to recover your files (which can be very expensive) and then they release your files to you which have basically been cleared of all data, so therefore useless and a fraud. The good news is that I let Steve know what was happening and for the next 48 hours or so he was constantly working on the laptop finding ways to recover our programs and a majority of the data. I won t go into all the technical details but without this skill and expertise, the church would have been looking to purchase a new laptop and software and we would have been starting again having lost some 5 years of songs, pictures etc. I want to take this opportunity to thank Steve in writing for his skill, time and patience in recovering and updating our laptop and software. I am so grateful that due to a regular backup of data we were able to recover most of our previous work to enable Belfairs to continue enjoying the technology which enhances our worship. Thank you Steve. Mike Spaull

10 Sunday Lunch Our next Sunday Lunch is on Sunday 13th December. This will be our Christmas meal and consists of a 3 course meal with soup, roll and butter for starters, followed by turkey with all the trimmings and then a choice of desserts, followed by tea or coffee. If you wish to attend please make sure you add your name to the list in the foyer no later than 8th December. The cost for this meal is The dates of the lunches for this session are shown below together with details of the charities being supported. 13th December All we Can (previously MRDF) 10th January Church Funds 14th February NSPCC 13th March Church Funds 10th April Missions 8th May Church Funds 12th June British Heart Foundation All the above are subject to change in the event of a world disaster/ emergency. Thanking you in advance for your support. Sue Spaull Christmas Cards Once again the Christmas Post Box will be available in the foyer from 6th December for you to send cards to members and friends who attend Belfairs. It will be sorted on Saturday 19th December and finally again after the morning service on Sunday 20th December. Please make sure that you only send cards to people who attend Belfairs, as we regret we cannot deliver cards for you. The cards, when sorted, can be collected from the tables in the foyer and we would ask you to check this to ensure that your cards are collected. Per haps you could make a donation in the offertory bag of a percentage of the savings made by sending your cards this way. There will also be a board in the foyer where you can place one greeting card for ALL your friends at the church. You will find envelopes provided for your donation to All We Can (formerly MRDF, Methodist Relief and Development Fund) which will enable you to not only remember your friends but all the less fortunate who will benefit from your generosity. Please put your envelopes in the Sunday collection. Thank you.

11 Please remember you are free to put your prayer concerns on the board at the back of the church. They will be printed on the weekly notice sheet for two months and then removed though you may put them back if the need continues. Please add your name and date to the request on the white cards which are by the board. The church is always open on Saturday Mornings during a.m. to 12 noon while the coffee mornings are in progress and you are invited to spend time there in quiet prayer or reflection. An up to date list of the family and friends of Belfairs who need our prayers will appear on the weekly Notice sheet., Christmas Choir Choir Rehearsals started on Friday 27th November at 7.00 p.m. for our Christmas Carol by Candlelight Service. Its not too late to join us for a good sing to celebrate this joyous season. Further rehearsals will be on Friday 4th December at 7.00 p.m. Friday 11th December at 7.00 p.m. Friday 18th December at 7.00 p.m. Mike Spaull

12 Obituary brilliant! So sad but so true An Obituary printed in the LondonTimes...Absolutely Dead Brilliant!! Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; And maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.../2

13 - 2 - Common Sense was preceded in death. -by his parents, Truth and Trust, -by his wife, Discretion, -by his daughter, Responsibility, -and by his son, Reason. He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers; - I Know My Rights - I Want It Now - Someone Else Is To Blame - I'm A Victim - Pay me for Doing Nothing Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing. Supplied via from Neeltje Charles Christmas Prayers Let us remember Mary this Christmas And may God bless our mothers. Let us remember Joseph this Christmas And may God bless our fathers. Let us remember Elizabeth and Zechariah and John this Christmas And may God bless our relatives. Let us remember the shepherds this Christmas And may God bless all those who will be working. Let us remember this wise men this Christmas And may God bless all those who will be travelling. Let us remember Jesus this Christmas and may God bless us all and make us his children. This Christmas there will be lights in the sky And the shepherds will cower in fear When they see the anti aircraft fire and know the enemy planes are near. The light and the fire will tell out the news of ill will and war on earth and bombs will rain down near the humble room where a mother has just given birth. And so, let us pray for a miracle Of one holy, silent night and ask God to give us the wisdom we need to help put the world to right. AMEN.

14 Belfairs Relationship and Marriage Course 23 rd February 22 nd March 2016 Regular check ups help a car run smoothly and reduce the risk of breakdown and it s the same with our committed relationships and marriages; a strong loving relationship doesn t just happen by chance, it requires some effort and care to keep the communication, warmth and fun alive. So if you have been in a relationship for 1 year or 61 years, book in for an MOT and sign up for our 6 week Relationships Course. There is never any group work and you will never be asked to share anything about your relationship, with anyone other than your partner. The course will be held at Belfairs Methodist Church on a Tuesday evening for 5 weeks, beginning on 23 rd February 2016, starting at 7.30pm. For further information contact Rev. Julia Monaghan revjuliamonaghan@gmail.com Relationship Prayers May our relationship last Even when we are forgetful. May our relationship last Even when we are busy. May our relationship last Even when we are tired. May our relationship last. Dear God, Guard our relationships: Encourage us, that we may encourage one another. Inspire us, That we may inspire one another. Strengthen us, That we may strengthen one another. Remember us, That we may remember one another.

15 A call to generous living: reviewing your financial giving to the church. How much does it cost to worship in church? Well, it doesn t cost a penny to worship God but, if you worship in a church or other building, then there are costs involved. Besides the obvious costs of heating, lighting, insurance, repairs and maintenance etc. at a local church level, there are costs for employed staff and maintaining property at Circuit, District, Connexional and over seas level. These costs are facilitated through the church s Circuit Assessment, paid yearly and calculated using our annual offertory donations and gift aid, and our annual membership figure. If Belfairs relied on offertory donations only to cover our circuit assessment then we fall short. For instance, in this last year (to 31st August 2015) our total offerings came to a total of 27,004 but our circuit assessment for the coming year is 29,536, a shortfall of There are several ways to give to the church s circuit costs, the most effective is through bank standing order. A set amount is donated to the church on a monthly basis. This means that you don t have to worry about trying to find some loose change in your pocket or purse for the Sunday offertory bag. The second effective way is via the envelope scheme. Ideally a set amount is given via the envelope into the offertory bags. This is ideal for people who feel a little guilty passing the bag along without putting anything in (as I do). Although a regular amount in the envelopes is ideal, any amount is acceptable. If you are a tax payer then either of these options are particularly appealing as, after completing a Gift Aid form, the church can claim an extra 25% on top of your donation from the Tax man something we can all be happy about! If your annual giving comes to then the church can also claim a further back. If you wish to start regular giving via these methods then please speak to me (for bank standing orders) or Len Johnson (for the envelope scheme). If you are already on these schemes, or you prefer to continue putting loose cash into the offertory bag, please look at how much you are able to give and increase if you are able to. I am very aware that there are some VERY generous givers at Belfairs and I am extremely grateful for this. I am also aware that Belfairs has some members on very low incomes and am grateful for anything they can offer. Mark 12:41 44 (NIV) The Widow s Offering 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything all she had to live on. I m certainly not suggesting that you give all you have but, if you could re assess your finances and see if you are able to spare anymore, especially in view of the weekly costs per person, I would be very grateful. Tina Gowers, Barry Clarke & the Property & Finance Committee

16 ESCORTS WANTED! Due to safeguarding regulations, ideally, we need 2 people to travel on the mini bus when picking up and dropping off passengers on a Sunday. We are always after additional drivers but we NEED some escorts to ride with the drivers. You need to be physically able to climb in and out of the front of the mini bus a number of times and able to assist the passengers getting in and out of the back of the bus. The times required would be 10am 11am (pick ups) and 12.15pm 1.15pm (drop offs). You do not need to be available for both pick ups and drop offs and there is no requirement to stay to the church service, although you would be most welcome. If we can get enough volunteers then a rota can be set up and, obviously, you only need volunteer for those dates / times that you are able to do. If you are able to volunteer to be an escort, please see me, Tony Gowers or Neeltje Charles. I can also be ed on TinaGowers@sky.com or phone me on Drivers Wanted! We are still seeking additional drivers for the mini bus on a Sunday. The times would be the same as the escorts and, again, you need to be physically able to get in and out of the mini bus and be able to assist the passengers. The following is taken from the Government website You might be able to drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats using your current car driving licence as long as there s no payment from or on behalf of the passengers (it s not for hire or reward ). You can drive a minibus within the UK as long as the following conditions apply: you re 21 or older you ve had your driving licence for at least 2 years you meet the Group 2 medical standards if you re over 70 check with your GP if you re not sure you meet the standards you re driving on a voluntary basis and the minibus is used for social purposes by a noncommercial body the maximum weight of the minibus is not more than 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes including specialist equipment for disabled passengers, eg a wheelchair ramp you re not towing a trailer For our insurance purposes, you have to be over the age of 25. The weight of our mini bus is 3250KG and does not tow a trailer therefore, anyone who meets the above criteria could volunteer to drive the bus. If you feel that this is something you could do, and spare an hour or 2 on a Sunday, then please contact me. Many thanks Tina Gowers

17 Royal Albert Hall Saturday 2nd April 2016 at 7.30pm Earlier this year, in April, some of us attended Prom Praise at the Royal Albert Hall. This event is held each year and in 2016 is on Saturday 2nd April. The following is some information about Prom Praise concerts taken from the All Souls Orchestra website: What is Prom Praise? Prom Praise is a delightful blend of sacred and concert music, a unique and joyful fusion of performance with worship, combining the spirit of Songs of Praise with the enthusiasm of the world famous Last Night of the Proms. Presented by the All Souls Orchestra under the energetic and inimitable direction of Artistic Director, Noël Tredinnick, Prom Praise is a feast of orchestra, solo and, often, choral music. There is an element of celebration when Noël and the Orchestra invite the audience to stand and join in to sing some favourite hymns and worship songs. Then there is contemplation as they can sit back and ponder the words of a song or the brief 'Pause for Thought'. This year the cost including admission, coach and driver gratuities was 41. The details in respect of soloists and cost for 2016 are not yet known and so the cost may be a pound or so more. Tickets go on sale in December. If you are interested in attending Prom Praise please return the slip below. Please detach and return to Derek Matthews, 7 Weare Gifford, Shoeburyness, SS3 8AB Telephone: : derek.matthews@blueyonder.co.uk P R O M P R A I S E Saturday 2nd April 2016 at the Royal Albert Hall I am interested in attending Prom Praise and would like...tickets Name. Address Telephone address... Signed.. Date.... There are still 25 seats left, please contact Derek Matthews (details shown above)

18 BELFAIRS METHODIST CHURCH Eastwood Road North, Leigh on Sea, Essex. REGULAR WEEKLY MEETINGS SUNDAY SERVICES a.m. (6.30 p.m. as announced) 9.00 a.m. Early morning communion followed by breakfast (3rd Sunday as announced) 10 O clock Club a.m. (except 3rd Sunday Parade Service) MONDAY 5.30 p.m. Boys Brigade Anchor Boys 6.30 p.m. Boys Brigade Junior Section 7.30 p.m. Boys Brigade Company Section TUESDAY 2.00 p.m. Indoor Bowls Club 7.00 p.m. Junior Badminton Club 8.00 p.m. Badminton Club WEDNESDAY a.m. Parent & Toddlers 5.30 p.m. Girls Brigade Explorers 6.30 p.m. Girls Brigade Juniors 6.30 p.m. Girls Brigade Seniors & Brigaders THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY a.m. Open House Coffee Morning MONTHLY MEETINGS Mid Week Communion 9.00 a.m. 2nd Wednesday Sunday Monthly Lunch 1.00 p.m. 2nd Sunday (Oct June) Men s Supper Club 7.30 p.m. 1st Thursday (Oct May) Thirsty For?? 7.00 p.m. 2nd Thursday A.C.T.I.O.N 2.00 p.m. 4th Thursday House Groups 7.30 p.m. 2nd Tuesday ) Please speak to Seekers Discussion Group 2.00 p.m. 3rd Wednesday ) Stewards for ) more details. February Newsletter Deadline: Articles are welcomed at any time, but the deadline for last minute items is 24th January 2016 Articles can be placed in the box in the foyer or e mailed to sue.spaull@hotmail.co.uk Thank you.