Welcome to Bethesda Methodist Church www.bethesda-church.org.uk Minister: Rev d Naomi Cooke Lay Worker: Rachel Simpson & Church Office tel: 269803 We welcome all friends and visitors to our Services and invite you to join us for coffee after the Morning Service. Sunday, 23rd September 10:30 am Morning Worship Rev d John Sampson Lectionary Readings: Proverbs 31: 10-31; Psalm 1; James 3: 13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9: 30-37 6:00 pm Bethesda At Six, music evening Rev d Naomi Cooke The Steward today is Catherine Gibb Brian Gibb and Liz Symes welcome us to church. Sunday, 30th September 9.00 am Pick and Mix, Rev d Naomi Cooke Harvest Festival and Parade Service Lectionary Readings: Esther 7: 1-6, 9-10, 9: 20-22; Psalm 124; James 5: 13 20; Mark 9: 38-50 Mid week Communion This quiet informal service of communion will now be held every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 12.15pm in the Ark. Take some time out of your busy day for prayer and nourishment. All are welcome. This church has an induction loop system. Please set your hearing aid to the T, telephone or loop setting. We ask you to remember in your prayers this week the worship, work and witness of the congregation at Dursley.
Monday, 24th September 10:00 am Toddlers Group 7.30 pm Monday Housegroup Tuesday, 25 th September 12:30 pm Luncheon Club 2:30 pm Welcome Club Wednesday, 26 th September 9:30 am Backpackers 10:30 am Bible Study 12:15 pm Mid-week Communion Thursday, 27 th September 9:30 am Toddlers Group 2:00 pm V.I.P.s group 7:30 pm Bethesda Singers Friday, 28th September Saturday, 29th September 10:30 am 12 noon Coffee Shop (Liz Symes, Celia Kidd) Next Sunday Rota: 30 th Sept Communion: (Morning) next on 14 Oct Welcome: Stephen & Doddy Marlow Music: Alasdair Anderson PA: Keith Norman Screen: Arian Pawley Stewards: Andy Sparkes, Bridget Nye Vestry: Elaine Bailey Coffee: Uniformed Organisations Fairtrade: N A Flower dist: Suzanne McCarthy Church flower group appeal We would be grateful for some red and green apples to help decorate the church for Harvest Festival. Please could you bring the apples to the church on Friday 28 th September at 2pm. Thank you, Margaret Davies. TONIGHT 6.00pm Bethesda at Six music A welcome return of Hannah Davey, Soprano, and friends for an evening of Jazz and Blues on the theme of a journey through love in all its forms. Monday Housegroup Will meet on 24th September at 7.3pm at the home of Ian & Celia Kidd.
THANK YOU A very big thank you to everyone who made delicious cakes for the Circuit Assembly Tea and also to those who came to help. We were able to provide a wonderful spread that was very much appreciated by everyone. Backpackers The Backpackers walk on Wednesday 26th will start at 9.30am from the Butchers Arms in Sheepscombe. The walk is 4½ miles following the valley up to Foston s Ash and then across the top above Cranham and back down to Sheepscombe. Please let Elaine know by 6.30pm on Tuesday if you would like to walk. Cheltenham Gideons Invite you to come on Saturday 29th of September at 3 p.m. and enjoy an informal afternoon tea and hear about our work in this area. Venue: C3 Church Cheltenham, The Pavilion, Hatherley Lane Cheltenham GL53 6PN. Further details from Bob Parkin. HARVEST CELEBRATIONS NEXT SUNDAY: Pick and Mix at 9am and Parade at 10.30am This year's Harvest Festival is a 'Pick and Mix' service with lots of activities at 9am inspired by All We Can's harvest theme 'Let your Light Shine!' followed, of course, by bacon butties! At 10.30am, as we continue exploring themes of harvesting light and sun, we look forward to welcoming our friends from the uniformed organisations. Please come and join the harvest fun, bringing your harvest gifts, both perishable and non-perishable, to be distributed to the Food Bank, Gardners Lane Children and Family Centre and Open Door. We will also be supporting the All We Can Harvest 2018 Appeal. Please allow extra time to get to church as there will be some road closures due to the Cheltenham Half Marathon. Details of alternative routes can be found at: https://www.cheltenhamhalf.co.uk/roadclosures-information. Please ask a steward if you would like a printed copy. Creative Age Our dementia-friendly group starts again on the 4th Oct for ten weeks. If you know anyone who might be interested in joining this group, or if you wish to find out more information, please contact Rachel on 269803. Booking is essential. Thank you. Thank you so much for all the kind messages, cards and gifts we received for our Golden Wedding Anniversary love Ian & Celia.
Catering Co-ordinators We urgently need two or three people who are willing to coordinate catering teams for special events at church. Please have a word with one of the stewards (Bridget, Catherine, Andy and Keith) if this is something you can do. Many thanks in anticipation. Naomi Our Church Family If you have any news that you would like to see in the Our Church Family pages of the next issue of Outlook, please let Doddy Marlow know by 6th October. Doddy will check that you are happy with the wording of anything that is included. It is possible for disappointment to be caused when items of information are left out, but Doddy can only include news of which she is made aware. The Great Austerity Debate We are delighted to be hosting a night of theatre at Bethesda on Friday 12th October at 7pm. More details will follow shortly but for now, please save the date. Suitable for age 14+. Pay by donation. Please call Rachel to reserve a ticket (269803). Menagerie Theatre Company present The Great Austerity Debate: an interactive forum theatre play. Follow the story of Megan K. as she juggles low-paid work, ever-deeper debt, two kids and that fancy new red handbag. Welcome to a world where the phrase, We are all in this together, rings hollow, a world where austerity is the new normal. But there is a way out. After watching the performance, you are invited to imagine different outcomes for the characters and see your ideas played out by the actors. You can give your views or simply sit and enjoy the play being re-told on the spot. Every audience brings new responses, new interventions and new endings, making each performance unique. Entertaining, inspiring and always surprising, The Great Austerity Debate brings burning real-life questions to the stage, and you get to bring the answers. Katelyn s bicycle ride Grandad and I did our bicycle ride in aid of Acorn s Children s Hospice. I d just like to say thank you to everyone who supported me. I m very grateful. Katelyn Items for Notices 7pm, Thursday. Items for Sunday notices should be sent to David Terry by Telephone numbers are Cheltenham area (01242-) unless otherwise indicated. These notices are also available from the church website at
bethesda-church.org.uk, via the congregation email list or via the church twitter account.