Mottram Evangelical Church Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2

Transcription

1 Mottram Evangelical Church Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2 May 2011 Hattersley Community Church Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you. Joshua 1:

2 Mottram Evangelical Church and Hattersley Community Church are interdependent churches who seek to be evangelical in their understanding and charismatic in their experience. Together we live to glorify God, serve his church and reach his world. Insight is the monthly newsletter, prepared by Margaret and Stephen Winfield and published in print and online by Mottram Evangelical Church, Stalybridge Road, Mottram, Hyde, Cheshire. SK14 6NF. Tel Articles for inclusion should be submitted before the deadline indicated on the diary dates page. Contributions can be deposited in the church office, sent to 4, Hall Drive, Mottram, or by to We do ask that contributors submit their name for inclusion with submissions, as personal contributions are accepted on the understanding that they are not necessarily the opinions of the Editors or the Church Elders. Church Child Protection Policy All church children s and young people s work is carried out by personnel who have undergone CRB disclosures and in accordance with the Church s Child Protection Policy. To view this policy please call Jim on The 2 nd May 2011 marks the 400 th anniversary of the publication of the Authorised version of the Bible, better known as the King James Bible. In 1603 King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England. Partly to secure his new position, he commissioned a new translation of the Bible in 1604 and saw it published 7 years later. Although, it was not the first translation of the Bible into English (the first complete English Bible (Coverdale's Bible) was published in 1535) it has had an enormous influence on the development of the English language. There was something about its accuracy to the original texts and its readability that made the translation so popular that no-one even proposed revising it for 270 years. There are many ways that the King James Bible shaped our language and culture. Here are just a few examples of common phrases still used today that we owe to the King James Bible: A law unto themselves (Rom. 2:14) A leopard cannot change its spots (Jer. 13:23) Baptism of fire (Matt. 3:11) Holier than thou (Is. 65:5) Letter of the law (2 Corin. 3:6) There's nothing new under the sun (Ecc. 1:9) OK we may have got a few interesting phrases to add to our language but is that so important that we should celebrate 400 years later? Well, probably not but that s not really what we are celebrating. What we re really celebrating is that God speaks English. The wonderful truth is that the Bible contains the very words of God. If we want to know about who God is and what He is like then there is no better way than to read the Bible. Celebrating the Fact that God speaks English The wonder of the King James Bible is that for the first time in our nation God s words were clearly presented in a way that was accessible to everyone. We now have numerous English versions of the Bible which can be read or listened to in an increasing number of ways. But (using another phrase from the King James Bible) the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). We all know the importance of reading the Bible but in a recent survey conducted amongst Evangelical Christians only half of us read or listen to the Bible everyday (52%, Evangelical Alliance). We all act to sustain physical life (I m pretty sure that 100% of us eat and drink everyday) but somehow we have lost the art of cultivating our spiritual life. We need to recapture something of the awe and wonder of the Bible and like Simon Peter declare on a daily basis: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:68-69) It s important to choose a good Bible translation and to read it. The diagram below may help you to choose. Translators make the choice between a literal translation of every word (this is accurate but the meaning of what is said may be confused and it may not be very readable) and a translation of the thought expressed in the original texts (this may be more readable but involves more interpretation and may therefore be less accurate). The point is that there is no perfect translation of the Bible. As we have seen the KJV hit the balance well but as it was written in 17 th century English it can be difficult to understand (although some people still love it!). (Chart source Zondervan.com) If you re interested in my walk, I was saved through reading the NIV, I bought a KJV but never got on with it and so continued with the NIV. In recent years I ve switched almost entirely to using the ESV for devotion and study (although for any serious study I try to read a number of translations), I still tend to preach from the NIV and would recommend the NLT to people reading the Bible for the first time. Pray about it and read up about it (I found John Piper useful on this to find the best translation to read but don t waste too much time as the most important thing is to read it! Happy reading!, Jim mon Gareth Lloyd-Jones Jim Solomon Gareth Lloyd-Jones Jim Solomon Gareth Ll d-jones Jim Solomon Gareth Lloyd-Jones Jim Solomon Gareth Lloyd-Jones Jim S

3 For Prayer ""So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 Yes, pray that we will not give up doing good: we will be the salt and light to our family, neighbours and community, whatever trials and opposition we go through. Jesus is so beautiful. Praise God that Jesus went through death at Easter time, so that we might have life. Spend time remembering the immensity of this for us. We would be lost without Jesus. Pray for those who have recently had a death in their family - last month Alan & Jenny's mum Doris died and is now with Jesus. Pray for them and for others who may either be feeling lonely or do not know whether their loved one died as a believer or not. Pray for the team of 8 who are in Tanzania this month, in partnership with Samson and Zeph's church. Pray that they will obey and trust God and His will for the visit will achieved with great rejoicing and great blessing. Pray for our elders and pastors, that they will lead the Motram and Hattersley churches with love, humility and God's wisdom and power. Ruth Chorley The Message Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life-no longer at sin s every beck and call! I we get included in Christ s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. Never again will death have the last word. Romans 6 v6,7 & 9 The Message Gwen Taylor God gives himself to us shall not we give ourselves to Him? Shall we not give ourselves to eachother whom He loves? George MacDonald, writer Gwen Taylor

4 New Word Alive Alison and I have just come back from Pwhelli in North Wales, having spent 5 days at a Christian conference sponsored by Keswick Ministries and the UCCF. There were 5000 attendees, including 1000 children and lots of students and youngsters and some even more mature than Alison and me. The great marquee held about 1500 and was packed for both sittings each morning for the Bible Reading. David Cook who is the Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College spoke each morning from Acts. His sermon on Philip s encounter with the Ethiopian was a powerful reminder that God is the chief evangelist in Acts and He brings about Divine Intersections of people which were laid down in eternity. Your new neighbours may think they have moved because they like the garden, but it s all in God s plan for them to hear the gospel via a Divine Intersection. He also encouraged us to put aside our British reserve and initiate conversations with people we meet. G day, my name is David, what s yours? What sort of day have you had? can lead to profitable opportunities to witness (we don t have to use the Australian greeting, g day!). There were also two packed sittings in the great marquee for the Evening Celebrations when different speakers spoke from Hebrews 11. Archbishop Ben Kwashi who is from Jos in Nigeria was at the conference with his wife Gloria. He was interviewed in one of the Evening Celebrations. He spoke about how a great number of churches had been planted in Jos and about the recent brutal violence and killing of Christians. On one occasion his wife had been seriously injured when persecutors came to his house when he was away. He said that when he was a young man he never dreamt that there would be persecution of Christians in Jos and he went on to say that we in the UK are not far away from Jos. The morning singing was lead by Lewis Green who serves the music ministry at Christ Church Fulwood in Sheffield and the evening singing was lead by Bob Kauflin, who oversees Sovereign Grace Music in the USA. Quite a number of the songs were new to us, but the words were very good. In addition to the Bible Readings and Evening Celebrations there were a large number of seminars or workshops on a wide range of subjects. There were three seminars in parallel with both the morning Bible Readings and seven parallel seminars at 2pm and a further six at 3.45pm. If that was not enough we could go to the prayer meeting at 8pm, a lunchtime meeting and then either a live performance, a film or a speaker question time at 10.15pm. So we could have gone to eight events each day, starting at 8am and finishing at 11.30pm. It was quite a challenge to decide which meetings to go to and when to take a break. This is the fourth year we have been to New Word Alive. It is a wonderful experience to share the week with all these believers from different parts of the country and from overseas and from different church backgrounds. The teaching has always been instructive, challenging and heart warming. It is great to see so many youngsters eager for serious Christian teaching. Alison and I were challenged that although we are not all Bible preachers, we can all be Bible sharers. It is the task of every believer to evangelise, we shouldn t leave it all to the church leaders. Shepherds don t give birth to sheep, sheep do. Jonathon Fewster Tucker News Dear friends, This is a brief update on news from our side. First the good news the office has moved out of our house for the first time in several years. We have new offices and it s great to have more space for the family. What was being used as office space is now the school area for the kids and it s really helping them get into a good routine with the home schooling. On the tougher news Laura has to go in for an operation on Monday as there s been a return of her endometrioses and cysts. This has caused her quite a bit of pain recently and low energy levels. The procedure is once again quite involved with a long recovery time. We re thankful that her parents are coming on the weekend to help at home. Please keep Laura in your thoughts and prayers. It s been a busy time with AIS. We ve held a number of coaching courses, hosted a team from Nigeria, continued to work on the new field in Soweto (it s looking amazing), moved offices, and held orientation for our Soweto Hope Academy staff. So we re looking forward to a quieter period over Easter. Catch up with more AIS news on the website I m now using Twitter and Facebook a lot more so feel free to follow me there for more regular updates and I ll post some photos of the kids up soon. Also, we re changing our data base system soon which will help us communicate more effectively with you. More on that in due course. We pray you have a wonderful Easter period and experience God s blessings on you and your families. The place to meet, the place to eat, Come and join us at Café Church. Delicious food, delightful company, The only place to be of a Tuesday lunchtime, To meet up, catch up and fill up! May 10th from onwards. (café from 10.30) Just like a normal Tuesday Café but with an extra-special side order. For more details, see Geoff. (the Tuesday Café will operate as normal on other days) With our love, Tim and Laura

5 Wetton Walkies! What better way to spend a sunny Saturday in April than on a 10 mile walk. A party of eleven set off on a circular walk from Wetton in glorious sunshine. On the way we investigated Thors Cave which was probably carved out by sea water some years ago. We had a picnic lunch in Ilam Hall which is a popular National Trust destination and well worth a visit with tea-rooms, shop and visitor centre. We arrived back in Wetton some 5 hours after we set out, tired but thankful for such a great day. Thanks go to Martyn Catterall for suggesting such a lovely walk. Margaret W

6 Full Speed Recently a small, but highly enthusiastic band of Scalextric drivers, took to the track in aid of the Tanzanian (UK) Trust. The hospitality was top notch, as we were well fed by Martyn and then raced full of Tanzanian curry. My thanks go to all who made the effort to turn out on a busy day and for parting with dosh for the trust. Stephen W

7 Let go of the wheel Over the last few years life has been very difficult in many ways. I got my family in to debt; I was forced to change my career from social work after thirty years to go back into my original career as an electrician. This involved taking exams and doing work I had not done for thirty years. I was employed at a local firm for three years whilst trying to start up my own business. This involved working away and then working in the evenings and at weekends. This was very difficult in a number of ways. From the work, to the people I worked with, to being very tired because of the work. In the process of all this happening I lost all my confidence, became very unhappy and at times was so far away from God all I could pray was I know you created the earth, thank you for Jesus Amen. I just had to trust God was there. I did not have a real relationship with him I had lost this. Whilst all this was going on I became depressed, had anxiety and panic attacks, was under the doctor who gave me tablets (my happy pills I called them). After a while I became too unwell to work. this would mean we would become bankrupt and loose our house. Whilst I was in the middle of all this I made the great decision to start up my own business full time at the start of the worst recession we have seen in years. I have given a background not so people will feel sorry for me but so you can understand where I was at and why I am writing this testimony. All through this time God has been really good even though I did not realise what he was doing and how he was directing me. Recently God has worked amazingly in my life in so many ways, he has brought me back to him, gave me my pray life back and answered prayers I did not think were possible. Sorry for going on! The reason I am writing this is to tell you of an experience I had with God recently. I do not know if God gave me a picture or what, I can only describe what happened. As I was praying it was suddenly as if I was some where else. I was driving a car really struggling keeping it on the road swerving one way then the next, over correcting using my handbrake, getting nowhere, feeling really afraid and anxious. God suddenly took my hands off the steering wheel and said do not struggle leave it to me. After this the car travelled in a straight line with no problems. Immediately I felt a comfort and a peace. I know this was for me. I do not know if it was for anyone else or not. This has been very difficult writing this testimony because God has been so good, but the last few years have been so difficult. My wife Jackie has been a rock, my family has been great, my friends superb I am a very fortunate person. To conclude I am not writing this to gain sympathy but to glorify God He really is great, keeps His promises and does carry us when we need it. I am not quite out of my struggles but non of us are. I just thank God he is with us and will never let go Amen, Chris K

8 What, Where, When and Who Sundays What happens in and around our Churches, When it happens, Where it takes place and Who to contact for more details and to volunteer. (see Diary Dates for full details) am Mottram Morning Worship MEC, Stalybridge Road Gareth Lloyd-Jones am Hattersley Morning Worship Pinfold Primary School, Hattersley Jim Solomon am HCC Prayer To 8.00 am 4 Worthington Close, Hattersley. Michael Garry Monday to Friday 9.15 am Little Gems Pre-School to pm MEC School term Tracey Lloyd-Jones or Mondays 5.00 pm Football Outreach (under 16 s) to 6.00 pm The Ken Ward Centre, Hattersley. Simon Davidson or Dave Kendrick pm The Girlee Crew To 7.00 pm MEC School Term Louise Lee pm Tearfund Prayer Meeting (2nd Mon Venue varies. of Month) Shirley Brierley Tuesdays am Tuesday Café to pm MEC School term Janet Loader pm Lads "Just looking group" (12-16's) to 6.00 pm Meeting Point, Hattersley Simon Davidson or Dave Kendrick :30 pm UTD Girls Cell (13 to 17's) to 8.00 pm MEC Louise Britton Debs Fidler pm Football Outreach (over 16 s) to pm Ken Ward Centre, Hattersley. Dave Kendrick Wednesdays 9.30 am HCC Prayer to am 4 Worthington Close, Hattersley. Sylvia Garry pm MEC/HCC Lads Cell (13 to 17 s) to 7.30 pm MEC Simon Davidson or Dave Kendrick pm Small Groups to pm Various locations. HCC Jim Solomon , MEC Gareth Lloyd-Jones or pm HCC Worship Group MEC Steve Percy Thursdays 9.30 am HCC Women s Group to am 2 Albany Way, Hattersley. Gemma Solomon am MEC Womans Prayer & Bible Grp. to 12 noon The Fewsters House School term Alison Fewster pm Kidz Klub (Primary school age) to 6.30 pm Meeting Point, Hattersley. School term Michelle Depass pm Kids 4 Christ (Junior school age) to 8.00 pm MEC School term Jim Towell jim@towells.info 8.00 pm MEC Worship Group MEC Alan Kendrick Fridays 4.00 pm Youth Adventure Club Meet at Hattersley Precint Simon Davidson or Paul Hobbs pm Young People s Group to 9.30 pm MEC (Secondary Age) School term YPG Team (Church) Bits and Bobs These are the words of my mum and dads ex minister who's died recently, I thought they were lovely words from a man who became very well known in broadcasting and as an author. Sue Martin When I started I thought that I would be a great lighthouse of truth proclaiming the certainties far and wide to a naughty and noisy world. But I found I wasn t good at that. So I settled for being one of God s cat s eyes, down at ground level, out in all the muck and wet, and hammered into the ground by all the passing traffic. But if, after being run over, I can faithfully pop up again with my eyes newly wiped and ready to guide pilgrims safely a few feet further on their life s journey, then I am happy with that. Words of Frank Pagden, Methodist Minister and Head of Religious Broadcasting Radio Leeds. I am the new link for Trinity School and there is a job advertisement that I would like Insight readers to know about. Trinity Christian School, a caring, friendly independent school (Foundation to Year 11) in Stalybridge, is currently advertising 2 teaching posts: ICT at KS3 & KS4: 2 days per week Child Development at KS4: 1 day per week Please contact Jo Fisher for more details or call the school office on Thank you, Jo. David Tyler spotted our own Peter Copestake s mug in his Glossop Chronicle, as he was being featured in his new role with Samaritan s Purse International. If you missed it, you will find it on April 7th, page 10. I m sorry that I can t reproduce the whole article here, see David or Insight Editor for a full copy of the report of this dedicated man. Articles for Insight Sorry! We can t be everywhere! If you have photos or reports on Mottram or Hattersley church events, please send them to us for including in Insight stephen_winfield@btopenworld.com 4 Hall Drive, Mottram, SK14 6LH See the Diary Dates for the copy deadline. Stephen & Margaret Winfield

9 May Diary Dates Sun 1st MEC am Mottram Morning Worship HCC am Hattersley Morning Worship Wed 4th MEC 8.00 pm MEC Annual General Meeting Sun 8th MEC am Mottram Morning Worship and Lord s Supper HCC am Hattersley Morning Worship MEC 7.00 pm Prayer Action Broadbottom (Magdelene Centre) Tues 10th MEC am Café Church (café from am) Sun 15th MEC am Mottram Morning Worship HCC am Hattersley Morning Worship and Lord s Supper Sun 22nd June Insight Deadline MEC am Mottram Morning Worship and Lord s Supper HCC am Church Family and Vision Day (page 5) Sun 29th June Insight MEC am Mottram Morning Worship HCC am Hattersley Morning Worship MEC = Mottram Evangelical Church. HCC = Hattersley Community Church UTD = United Meetings (at MEC unless stated)