Dear friends,
February is an interesting month! Will it be February fill dyke I wonder? We have been short of water so far this year and perhaps we shall have rain again this month to fill the reservoirs. The 14 th St Valentine's day, when, if you're young, you hope that the postman will deliver a card ( or two!!) Then there is the fact of an extra day this year, the 29 th, which gives an opportunity for those women who would like to, to propose to someone they love !
Then on 21 st there is SHROVE TUESDAY before which date the shops will hope to sell bags and bags of lemons and packets of pancake mix, and expert frying pan handlers will show off their skill and some may even race while doing it!
Finally our school children (and their teachers) will not let us forget half term which begins on Friday 10 th . So a busy month, in which we hope that the days will lengthen and the mornings and evenings will get lighter and we shall feel that soon it will be spring.
The recurring seasons and the rhythm of life is something I appreciate. It speaks of stability and order. I was quite glad to get back to routine after the Christmas festivities- how about you?
We began the New Year with a Covenant service at the chapel. This is an order of service arranged by Methodism's founder John Wesley because he saw a need for the people called Methodists to renew their resolve to offer their lives back to God at the start of a new year. To recognise that our lives are a gift from God and that the purpose of our lives is to love Him and to do His will , following the example of Jesus and enabled by the Holy Spirit which can control, direct and energise us to do what is right and generous and loving.
One important discipline of the Christian life is prayer and so on Saturday afternoon January 14th, after a lunch together, a group of us from different churches in the area, spent three hours quietly praying and thinking and waiting on God. Some would say we were retreating from this world but in actual fact prayer enables us to enter another world which has the power to transform both the pray-er and the world we seem to be leaving. Of course prayer is a struggle sometimes, but so is loving our neighbour, or forgiving someone who has hurt us but it's benefits are many. When asked by His disciples Lord teach us to pray' Jesus replied not IF you pray but WHEN'. And most of us do pray especially when we are in trouble of any kind. That is what God longs for - to be in touch with those whom He has created and loves. Sometimes we shall not seem to get an answer or at least not the one we want, when we want it. But in the Bible we can see through Jesus how God responds to those who suffer or are anxious or sad - with sympathy, love, compassion and care. So why not make prayer part of the rhythm of your life, and if you care to, come to church and join us in praying for those in need ,our community, our nation and our world. Prayer is easier done together.
Your friend and minister Sheila Bishop
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COFFEE MORNING DATES AND DETAILS
FEB 2 ND arranged by Audrey to support Cancer Research U.K.
FEB 9 TH Proceeds for Manchester Methodist International house which helps to welcome and house people from abroad studying in Manchester
FEB 16 TH LUNCH CLUB with QUIET SPACE at 12 noon for those who wish to come and worship with bible reading, hymns and prayers prior to lunch
FEB 23 RD arranged by the Rotary club to raise money to their fund for POLIO PLUS
Last month's coffee morning raised £80 and £113 respectively for The Bible Society and the Famine Appeal for victims in North Africa .
MARCH 8 TH is still available and then dates in JUNE AND AUGUST and beyond. Please contact Sheila Bishop if you would like to hold a coffee morning at the Methodist Community hall.
We are very grateful to the John Upton Charity for another year's grant to enable us to offer the hall free of charge to those arranging a coffee morning for charitable causes.
A HOLIDAY AT HOME this was the plan to give people the opportunity to come and enjoy a day out' at the Methodist Community Hall and so it was that on December 22 nd thirty guests came and enjoyed coffee and a Christmas Lunch and then in the afternoon plenty of fun with games, jokes and entertainment involving monologues and musical interludes. It is hoped to arrange another such day (or even two consecutively) in the early summer so watch this space for details.
PASTIMES meets on the first WED of each month at 2.00p.m. FEB 1 ST IS THE DATE and the speaker is from AGE U.K. The March date is 7 th when Betty Williams reflects on life in Gawsworth over the years.
FEBRUARY 21 ST SHROVE TUESDAY we shall mark the beginning of Lent with a family night for GB and anyone else who would like to come we shall meet at 6.00p.m. in the church to learn about what Lent can mean for us then there will be fun and games and we shall enjoy pancakes together.
MARCH 2 ND marks the WORLD DAY OF PRAYER. In GAWSWORTH we shall join together in the Methodist church at 2.00p.m. This is a service for everyone and it lasts less than an hour, so why not come and be part of this amazing chain of prayer for the world and it's peoples, and enjoy a hot drink and friendly conversation afterwards.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- PAST TIMES' PROGRAMME
Methodist Community Hall 2 pm, 1 st Wednesday of each month
1 st February Victoria Age UK CES
7 th March Betty Williams Life in Gawsworth
4 th April Erica James. Award Winning Novelist
2 nd May Ian Storer Slides of Biddulph Grange, National Arboretum Memorial, etc
6 th June Anne Woods History of Adlington Hall
4 th July Canon Paul Moulton
August no meeting
Admission, minimum donation of £1. We look forward to seeing you |