c o n t a c t The Diary For April Tettenhall Wood United Reformed Church April 2016, Issue 49

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1 Tettenhall Wood United Reformed Church The Diary For Sunday 03 rd 9.00am Early Worship - Mrs Brenda Shuttleworth 11.00am Mid-AM worship - Mr John Howell Sunday 10 th 9.00am Early Worship - Rev d James Makepeace Minister: Secretary: Contact: 10.00am Hall Mo Knight Bookings Prayer Meeting, Bampfield Room 11.00am Mid-AM Worship - Sunday 17 th 9.00am Early Worship - Mr Phil Shuttleworth 11.00am Mid-AM Worship and Communion - Sunday 24 th 9.00am Early Worship and Communion am Mid-AM Worship - Mr Andy Vail revtim@blueyonder.co.uk / Mrs Jean Herrington jean.hrrngtn@gmail.com Mrs Lesley Jones andylesanddan@btinternet.com For enquiries about Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals and Pastoral Care Support, please contact 12 c o n t a c t 2016, Issue 49 From the Minister The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalm 84:11) Currently in our weekly Bible study we re reading Deuteronomy. One thing we are seeing time and again in this book is emphasis on God s people receiving blessings or curses. The Covenant is conditional: If you do this then this will happen so follow the Lord s instructions/principles in order to receive His blessings. What s your perspective on God s blessings? I believe that He may sometimes withhold blessings because of our attitudes and actions and that disobedience results in God bringing us to repentance by suppressing blessings. The flow of His blessings in my life is rather like the flow of water through a pipe. My attitude and actions affect whether I experience God s blessings flowing freely or as a trickle. I have found that when I am patient, loving, and kind it s the former. However, when I have a bad attitude, use harsh words, act inconsiderately, or fail to treat people with respect, it s the latter. Now I regularly ask myself, are my attitudes and actions keeping clear or blocking up the pipes for God s blessings? Holy One, we are grateful for your living Word that shines through every age. May your truth find a home in our hearts. This we pray in Jesus name. Amen. In Christ. Tim Reaching out and loving others in the name of Christ our Saviour 1

2 'Our monthly Prayer Meeting will be held on Sunday 10 th, at 10.00am, in the Bampfield Room. Please support this meeting, as we pray for our church, our world and ourselves. If you don't feel able to pray aloud, please come to this meeting and pray silently. The New Start Group will meet on Saturday 22 nd at 6.30pm at 32 Fir Tree Road, Finchfield (the home of Kathleen Herrmann) For more details, please ring on Kathleen on or Jean on Your support is important. Thank you. Jean.' Many thanks for all the letters, cards and telephone calls following my hip replacement. It helps so much to know you are held in so many people s prayers. God Bless Olive Ferrier x Christchurch are holding a Family Skittles evening on the 23 rd in our hall, we are all invited to join them. The price of 5.00 per Adult and 4.00 per child includes a fish and chip supper. If you would just like a social evening, there is no need to take part in the skittles games, you would however have to pay for your food. Anyone who is interested would need be at the Church by 6.00pm as they will start promptly at 6.30pm. I have a few tickets, if you are interested please contact me on Mareen Knight (Mo) 2 Sunday United Reformed Church Worship and Organisations Early Worship Church Mid - AM Worship Church Monday Communion is celebrated: 11 Monthly Bible Study Bampfield Room Woman s Own Bampfield Room Women's Institute (2nd Mon in month) Tuesday Day Centre Bampfield Room Brownies Hall Wednesday Day Centre - Age Concern Bampfield Room Keep Fit Hall Belly Dancing Hall Thursday Prayer Breakfast (alternate with Christchurch) Bampfield Room Friday Tettenhall Green Kindergarten Pre School Hall Day Centre Bampfield Room Saturday Children s Dancing Hall

3 KEEP FIT through EXERCISE, MOVEMENT and DANCE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH WEDNESDAY pm Keep your mind and body fit with exercises designed to improve your Flexibility, Strength, Stamina, Co-ordination and Balance. The exercises can be adapted to suit the range of ages and abilities in the class. You are welcome to work sitting on a chair if that suits you. Enjoy the company of a friendly group of people while you exercise to a wide variety of music - with a cup of tea and a biscuit at the end! Cost: for 6 weeks, paid in advance ( 3.50 per session), or 4.00 per session paid weekly. For seated exercise: 1.00 per session. Come along and have a FREE TRIAL SESSION to see if is for you. For more details contact: Mary, , mobile , mary@wetton.com THE FUSCO ACADEMY OF DANCE offer classes in ballet, tap, disco, acrobatics and contemporary dance on Saturdays from 10.15am at Tettenhall Wood United Reformed Church Hall. Charitable organisations benefit from the shows that the Academy present. Please contact Hazel Fusco on or Anna Fusco on for further information the Puritans called for greater reform of the Church from 1600 onwards. They called for less centralised government and less state involvement. They also wanted a Bible in every home not just in every church. What we now see is conflict arising between Christian sects. The Church of England bishops did not wish for further reform and called for Puritans to conform. The English Civil War ended in 1645, by which time Church lands had been sold off and bishops stripped of their authority. The outcome for English religion was uncertain. Eventually the bishops agreed to make over 600 changes to Cranmer s Book of Common Prayer, laid down a century earlier. This pleased the Puritans and the remaining Catholic minority resulting in republication of the Book of Common Prayer in The 17th, 18th and 19th centuries saw greater expansion of the Anglican Church, through the work of missionaries abroad and the Oxford Movement at home which resulted in the foundation of Anglican monasteries and convents. Further reform came with the Methodists, led by John and Charles Wesley. Indeed we sing many of the fine hymns written by Charles Wesley in worship today. The Industrial Revolution inspired William Booth to bring the Gospel to thousands living in poverty. Today the Salvation Army is renowned for its social action amongst the homeless and others in desperate need. The 20th century saw the rise of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches. 3 Learning about the past can help us as Christians today and in the future to possess a unity of spirit and purpose. Christians have a mission on God s earth to, Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3), and unless we understand past events we cannot achieve this. Though troubles beset us, though darkness surrounds Though doubts overwhelm us, and fear; Though friends may desert us, and terror confound Call on Him, He is near We are sure that our Saviour is near! For He knew before us betrayal and loss He shed, on bereavement, a tear. Who knows what He suffered on Calvary s cross? In the darkest of times, He is near. Call His name, He is near We are sure that our Saviour is near! Though you walked before us the valley of death You rose, and you live, and you re here! And so we can say with our last earthly breath Thank you Lord! Thank you Lord! You are near! Praise his name, He is near Praise the Lord O my soul, He is near!

4 19 th - 26 th August 2016 for those aged At Dovedale House (Diocesan Youth Centre) There is an opportunity for a group of up to 15 teenagers from our diocese to spend a week with a similar group from the Church in North Germany. Lots of visits, main language will be English but a great opportunity to improve your German language skills while having fun and exploring what it means for a young person to be a disciple of Christ in Europe today. Full board accommodation. If anyone is interested, please could they call Maureen Hobbs Tel: / for more information. Whenever I see a little church, I always pay a visit. So when at last I m carried in, the Lord won t say Who is it? Next Sunday the choir will give a recital, after which the church will be closed for repairs. Our vicar s sermons always have a happy ending. The moment they ve ended, everyone feels happy. We shall be meeting on Wednesday when the subject will be Heaven - how do we get there? Transport by bus is available at 6.45pm opposite the King s Arms. A Lichfield Diocese and North German Church Pilgrimage 29 th October - 4 th November. Visit Leipzig, Eisenach, Erfurt, Wittenburg and other places significant in the story of Luther and that of JS Bach - steeped in the Lutheran tradition, 200 years later. On 31 st October 2017 it will be the 500 th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his "95 Theses" on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg - seen as the start of the Reformation from which both the Lutheran and Church of England trace their beginnings. Pilgrimage led by Revd. Robert Parsons from our Diocese and Katharina Reinke from Mecklenberg. Knowledge of German not essential. Flights from Birmingham. Places limited to around 20. Again talk to Maureen Hobbs Tel: / for more information and prices Copy Date for the edition of Contact is Friday 15th 4 Some children were asked: What do you think of Jesus? Jesus, said one little boy, is the best selfie that God has ever taken. And lastly a little joke! Two television aerials met one day and fell madly in love with each other. Eventually they decided to get married and booked the local Church. Apparently the service was not up to much but the reception was excellent! Answers to It s All In The Game! 1. Snakes and ladders 10. Solo Patience 19. Bridge 2. Monopoly 11. Backgammon 20. I Spy 3. Snap 12. Ludo 21. Noughts and crosses 4. Chess 13. Pontoon 22. Scrabble 5. Chinese Checkers 14. Hangman 23. Draughts 6. Cluedo 15. Poker 24. Dominoes 7. Hopscotch 16. Trivial Pursuits 25. Roulette 8. Bingo 17. Crib 9. Whist 18. Charades 9

5 Have you ever sat and watched the clouds drift by? Some of them are vast, towering up and up into the sky. There can be clouds of discouragement and suffering in our lives as well, circumstances that temporarily blot out the sunlight of God s love for us. You may have such a cloud hanging over your life right now. You may be in a hospital bed, or suffering discouragement, fear, despair or bereavement. Clouds cut off our light and warmth, and leave us feeling penned in. But they can also bring unexpected good in our lives; in nature clouds bring life-giving water. The long-term result of their visit can be growth. Have you ever noticed that sometimes, when you board a plane, the sky is like a thick grey ceiling? It looks impenetrable. But the plane does not hesitate - it climbs steadily onward and upward straight into the cloud. And what happens? Nothing! The cloud cannot block your progress, it must give way before you. The simple truth is, you may not be able to see through clouds, but you can go through them. The plane uses navigational aids for guidance, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through the darkest times. And finally, we emerge through the cloudbank, and there before us is a sun-drenched sky of blue and golden glory, far above the dismal and disappointing things far below. Whatever cloud is hanging over you at present, whether suffering, discouragement, fear, there IS something you can do about it NOW. Pray pour out your heart to the Lord about it. He has promised that His grace will be sufficient for anything that we encounter in this life. And look up. Look towards heaven, think beyond those clouds, and remember His promise that the sufferings we may be undergoing here are nothing compared to the glory that God has prepared for us there. 8 The Bible assures us: The Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man that trusts in you. Psalm 84: All the answers are associated with games or pastimes 1. Can you reach a ton despite ups and downs on the way. 2. Exclusive provision of trade. 3. Goes with a crackle and pop at breakfast 4. The bishop and knights are mates here 5. Oriental gingham 6. Did Mrs Peacock meet Col Mustard here 7. Jump one legged across the tartan border 8. Eyes down, look in 9. Sound made through pursed lips without the French 10. Don t get worked up when you are alone with the cards 11. The bacon s not from the front of the pig 12. I play in ancient Rome 13. Gamble on a flat bottomed boat 14. Capital punishment for him if he gets the letters wrong 15. Useful for a roaring fire in the casino 16. A pretty unimportant pastime 17. Somewhere for the baby to sleep 18. It s all an act but you can work out the signs 19. Span the troubled waters 20. You ll need your little eye for this with the children 21. Nothing wrong 22. Clamber over the vowels and consonants 23. You might need to close the window to exclude them 24. Lots of spots but they need to match 25. Red or black, even or odds As I stated at the AGM it is now 10 years since I took over from Frank Jenkins as Pulpit Secretary and I have decided it is time to stand down from the post. Please give some thought as to whether you would be willing to take this on. It is not a very onerous job but is a vital one so please consider if you would like to do this and if so let Tim or me know. Thank you Les Wallis 5 Answers on page 9

6 BIBLE READERS FOR APRIL 03rd 10th 17th 24th 09.00am Lynne Perkins 11.00am Gloria Saunders Covenanting Prayers led by Mike Relph 09.00am Sheila Henio 11.00am Rosemary Hariri 09.00am David Swan 11.00am Ian Ferrier 09.00am Diana Swan 11.00am Keith Cattell PRAYER BREAKFAST PRAYER LUNCHES EACH THURSDAY 7:30am 12.30pm In the Meeting Room at Christchurch. This is an opportunity to share lunch time with friends, to spend time listening to God and to pray accordingly. Please bring your own lunch. 07th 14th 21st 28st TWURC Christchurch TWURC Christchurch The first Tuesday of each month will concentrate on the mission and outreach of our churches. APRIL BIRTHDAYS 02nd 04th 16th 28th 29th Jean Herrington Sylvia Chatwin Sheila Henio Tiffany Clark Sheila Jones Tuesday Wednesday Monday Thursday 05th 13th 18th 28th CHURCH FLOWERS Our thanks to the following who have donated the flowers this month. Please ring Sylvia Chatwin (743349) the week you are due to do the flowers. Happy Birthday to you To Jesus be true. May God's richest blessings Be yours the year through 6 03rd 10th 17th 24th 7 Joyce & Tom Morton Vinnie Joyce Ellis Still Available