CONCORD EAST DIDSBURY Methodist Church Minister: Rev. Krystyna Kwarciak It is necessary to stand on your own two feet, but the minute you start to waiver; to fall, don t worry, God is there to catch you in His loving arms. November 2017
Dear Friends, Rev. Krystyna Kwarciak Flat 75 Ballbrook Court Didsbury, M20 3QT Tel: 0161 445 6021 email: krykwar@gmail.com Everywhere November gets a bad name. People dislike this month because it s cold and dark. We know that God s love for us overflows abundantly (also in November), but so often instead of living aware of this abundance, we get sucked into the mentality promoted by the news, social media, advertising. We become painfully aware of what we don't have and then begin to cling to what we have that is not the life God wants to give us As an antidote to November gloom, I would like to invite you to practice GRATITUDE whenever you can. Here are some strategies to help you out: Make time during the day to keep a gratitude list. Write down 2-3 things you are grateful for even if (especially if) life is challenging right now. When someone asks you, How are you? instead of responding with an automatic I am fine try to think: What am I especially grateful for today? Go for a walk and see how many positive things you can find: the smell of freshly baked bread coming from the bakery, flowers growing on a window sill, a cloudless sky. Take it all in. Be aware of the nature, the colours of the trees, the sounds the birds make, and the smell of the plants. Notice how your feet feel when you step onto the ground. Imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything 1
that currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would for each and every one. Decide on a day during which you re going to be on the lookout for people you can thank. Actively watch for things that others do that are helpful, kind, and considerate. Be generous with your thank yous. Place an object somewhere in your house or workspace which will remind you to feel grateful each time that you look at it. It can be a little sign that says Thank You hanging in front of your desk, or a door mat with the word Welcome written on it to remind you to be grateful each time that you arrive at home. Have a beautiful November, Krystyna EAST DIDSBURY METHODIST CHURCH ANNIVERSARY Sunday 19th November at 10.45am and led by Rev. Ken Stokes followed by our Bring & Share Lunch to which all are invited. 2
It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Jeremiah 10: 12-13 In the other gardens and all up in the vale, From the autumn bonfires see the smoke trail! Pleasant summer over and all the summer flowers, The red fire blazes,the grey smoke towers. Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all! Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall! Robert Louis Stevenson 3
Ladies Circle 2.30pm 2nd Nov Alan Scott All ladies 16th Nov Liz Stuart welcome to 30th Nov Paula Rabone join us FELLOWSHIP GROUP The next meeting is on 7th November at 7.30pm at the home of Nick Palfreyman, Flat 1, Thorne House, M14 6DW. COMMUNITY LUNCH The lunch is on Thursday 9th November 12 for 12.30pm. Get your 6.50 ticket from Ken Whittaker or Jean Thickbroom. Tickets must be bought/ordered no later than Sunday 5th November please. COFFEE EXPERIENCE Why not pop along to the Coffee Experience in Room 3 on Saturday 25th November between 10am and 11.30am for coffee and a chat. BOOK CLUB The next Book Club is on Wednesday 29th November in the vestry at 7.30pm reviewing The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. You are invited to pop along on Monday afternoons at 1.00pm to a Knit and Natter session in the Vestry at East Didsbury - all welcome to learn new skills, strengthen old ones and chitter-chatter. 4
FILM CLUB AT DIDSBURY You are very welcome at Didsbury Methodist on Wednesday 22nd November at 1.45pm to see THE NOTEBOOK [15] The afternoon closes with tea and biscuits Synopsis: A whirlwind courtship comes to an end when teenagers Allie and Noah are separated by Allie s upper-class parents, but when they meet again several years later, Allie is forced to choose between her soulmate and class order. This beautiful tale has a particularly special meaning to an older gentleman who regularly reads the timeless love story to his aging companion. Billed as the most romantic movie since Titanic the film stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL at Didsbury Methodist Church Saturday 9th December 10am-4pm Sunday from 1pm concluding at 3.00pm with a Carol Service Admission is free and refreshments will be served throughout the events. There is a brunch on Saturday and coffee and mince pies following the Carol Service. All monies raised will be for charity. Please do pop along and take your family/friends. 5
Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strong defender, he is the one who has saved me. He is my God and I will praise him, my Father s God, and I will sing about his greatness. ADVENT LUNCHES: The lunches, at 12.30pm in Room 3, will start on Wednesday 29th November and continue each week until 20th December. All are invited to pop along for a light lunch and short time of reflection. BREAKFAST WITH SANTA 9.30am - 11.30am A phone call has been made and Santa has kindly agreed to pop over to East Didsbury on SATURDAY 16th DECEMBER Why not come for a lovely breakfast, crafts for the children, and our special visitor with a present in his sack for everybody, and a little carol singing. Tickets: Adults 6 - Child 5 - Under 2 s free. Tickets will go on sale from Sunday 19th November - please speak to Rosie Blayds or Mary Adamiak or email RosieBlayds@gmail.com or mary.adamiak@ntlworld.com 6
CAROL SERVICE at EAST DIDSBURY On Sunday 17th December at 10.45am CHURCH CHRISTMAS LUNCH THE ASH LEA CHEADLE SUNDAY 17th DECEMBER following service The menus are on the table at the back of church, and if you would like to go please pass on your choice to Mary Adamiak. All monies must be paid to Mary no later than 3rd December - please add 2 to the cost for the tip, thank you. Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him! 7
BEFRIENDERS You will see a display at the back of church of the wonderful things that are being achieved by the Befrienders organisation, and you, along with many others, are improving the lives of so many by kindly giving food to send to Central Hall for distribution; this is also where the Harvest food gifts that you all kindly donated have been sent. Please continue to hold Befrienders in your prayers and thank you for your generous, continued giving. Rosie x In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 We pray for our family and church family and members of our community who are unwell at this time and hold them in our hearts and prayers. 8
A CATHEDRAL WELCOME We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, confused, filthy rich, comfortable or dirt poor. We extend a special welcome to wailing babies and excited toddlers. We welcome you whether you can sing like Pavarotti or just growl quietly to yourself. You re welcome here if you re just browsing, just woken up, or just got out of prison. We don t care if you re more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury, or haven t been to church since Christmas ten years ago. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 and not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome keep-fit Mums, football Dads, starving artists,tree-huggers, Latte sippers, vegetarians, junk food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you are having problems, are down in the dumps or don t like organised religions [we re not than keen on it either!]. We offer a welcome to those who think that the earth is flat, work too hard, don t work, can t spell, or are here because Granny is visiting and wanted to come to the Cathedral. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both or neither. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids or got lost in the city centre and wound up here by mistake. We welcome pilgrims, tourists, seekers, doubters and YOU! With the kind permission of Coventry Cathedral and thanks to Angela Johnson for passing this on x 9
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY Sunday 12th November 2017 The Royal British Legion is asking the nation to rethink Remembrance by recognising the sacrifices made by the Armed Forces community, past and present. By wearing a poppy, you aren t just remembering the fallen: you re supporting a new generation of veterans and Service personnel that need our support. We have all experienced someone in our family who fought for our country (and those who fight for our country now) - my Granddad died at just 28 years of age in Gallipoli, Italy, where his name is displayed on a Memorial. My Father was just 5 and his sisters 4 and 2 - he had only signed up one week before his tragic passing. Many people will have sad memories and sad stories to tell, but we must remember that people all over the world, even those that we fought against, suffered tragic loss also, and continue to do so in many countries at this time as war still rages around our earth. When World War One ended, the poppy grew in the barren and shattered battlefields and this flower has since then been associated with Remembrance Day. So, wear your poppy with pride and remember the fallen and of course those who were left behind - and hold those at war now in your hearts. We talk all the time about loving others; loving with words of encouragement, loving by acts of service, loving by giving money, loving by spending time. All of these loves are right and good, and the greatest love of all comes from God. Rosie xxx 10
For the month of December, there will be a board at the back of church on which you can hang your Christmas cards to your friends in the congregation - if you would prefer to do this and pop a kind donation into the box provided for the Barnabus charity, that would be lovely - but please do give something if you can anyway. This year Barnabus has reached a landmark 25 years Anniversary of providing life-changing support to the homeless. Barnabus is a Christian Homeless Charity based in Manchester, which started with just one man walking the streets, giving out food and drink to the homeless. They offer a lifeline to 600 visiting homeless and vulnerable people each week, many of whom have severe addictions or mental health issues. They support their physical, emotional and spiritual needs and do all they can to help them get back into mainstream society. They have received the 'unsung heroes' Queens award for Voluntary Service, but DO NOT receive any government funding and rely entirely on donations so they need all the help that can be given for them to carry on. www.barnabus-manchester.org.uk 11
BIBLE TRIVIA QUIZ 1. Is the Epistle to the Colossians in the Old Testament or the New Testament? 2. What was Abraham and Sarah's son's name? 3. The parable of the Ten Virgins is mentioned only in one Gospel. Is it in Matthew or Luke? 4. How many soldiers were with Peter in his cell - 1,2 or 3? 5. How many angels were given trumpets when the seventh seal, in Revelation, was opened in heaven - 5, 7 or 12? 6. Which servant girl answered the door to Peter and left without opening the door? 7. When Peter was rescued by an angel from prison, whose house did he go to? 8. Were Jesus' disciples invited to the wedding where Jesus changed the water into wine? Yes or No. 9. What is the 5 th commandment? 10. Is the book of Ruth in the Old or New Testament? 11. Which captain came to slay Daniel Arioch, Armori or Azbuk? 12. How many wings on a Seraphim? Answers on the back page 12
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: 5th Nov 6th Nov 7th Nov 9th Nov 12th Nov 16th Nov 19th Nov 22nd Nov 25th Nov 26th Nov 29th Nov 30th Nov 9.00am Breakfast and Crafts 10.45am Worship: Keith Paver 11.30am Funeral of Bill Ovington 7.00pm Ecumenical Quiz at The Red Lion 7.30pm Fellowship Group 12.30pm Monthly Lunch 10.45am Worship: Anne Wilde Remembrance Sunday 2.30pm Ladies Circle 10.45am Worship: Rev. Ken Stokes Church Anniversary followed by a Bring & Share lunch 1.45pm Film Club at Didsbury 10.00am Coffee Experience 10.45am Worship: Rev. Krystyna Kwarciak Holy Communion 12.30pm Advent Lunch 7.30pm Book Club 2.30pm Ladies Circle 13
Pop the Christmas Eve Christingle in your diary - 3.00pm in the hall. All welcome CONCORD: Articles for the next edition, which will be our Christmas magazine, to be with me please NO LATER than 26th November. Pop items into the envelope in the fellowship area, phone 07758 011362 - you can email me on Rosieblayds@gmail.com or post to 13 Moor Park Road, East Didsbury, M20 5PF thank you., Much love as always Rosie xxx Come," said the Wind to the Leaves one day. "Come over the meadow and we will play. Put on your dresses of red and gold. For summer is gone and the days grow cold." 14
Trivia answers: 1 New Testament 2. Isaac 3. Matthew 4. Two 5. Seven 6. Rhoda 7. Mary's 8. Yes 9. Honour thy Father and thy Mother 10. Old 11. Arioch 12. Six LAST THOUGHT You are with me, Lord! Each step upon my way, Each moment of my day, My way you walk, With me you talk. Around me and within you shine Your love, and light divine, Always, you are with me, Lord. Thank you, Lord. 15