July 2018: What is so special about July?

‘There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.’
– Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Methodist Church has certain Sundays throughout the year designated as ‘Special Sundays‘, and in July so far we have had Action for Children Sunday and Conference Sunday. I have also come across a website that tells us about the many other special days we have – something for almost every day of the year. Some of these days are at bit whacky and bizarre: the month of July does have ‘Compliment your Mirror Day’, ‘Chicken Wing Day’, ‘National Milk Chocolate Day’ and ‘Take your houseplant for a walk Day’.

But equally it has –

‘International Friendship Day’ (30 July) encouraging peace between people and countries.

‘Aunt and Uncle Day’ (26 July), ‘Father in Law Day’ (30 July) and ‘Cousins Day’ (24 July) all encouraging an appreciation of the wider family.

And my favourite…

‘Cheer up the Lonely Day’ (11 July) which is much needed as we hear about the epidemic that loneliness has become across all ages in our world.

Action for Children are encouraging us to think about ‘two by two’ this year. How Jesus did not send his disciples out alone or to be alone, but with support and company. So, may we make a special effort this month to watch out for one another and our neighbours, especially as we reach this season of holidays and people’s normal support structures not being there.

Our verse from Ecclesiastes above says that ‘everything has a time and special season’ and indicates that every day is special and that we need to celebrate each day, whatever is happening. So, every day this month may you find something you can celebrate, however strange or trivial it may seem. We can be thankful for houseplants and chocolate, for a breeze or a bird, for jigsaws or TV programmes, for hospital staff or even for pain, that can be a sign of our bodies needing rest or mending. May we look for the special and God in the ordinariness of life each day.

And something that is not special this particular mont, but is special every month, is the Bible Study. We meet every fourth Thursday of the month at 2.30pm at Forest Hill Church. We have been studying the book of Ecclesiastes. If you would like to come along please let me or Sandra know if you need a lift. And keep looking out for the reverse of our notice sheet each week which will tell you of the special things that are happening in our church and circuit and community this month.

May we all have a special month in July knowing that, in the context of Ecclesiastes 3, it does not depend on our circumstances but on our faith in God.

‘Christ gave each one of us the special gift of grace’
– Ephesians 4:7

May God be especially close to you this month.

Blessings,

Rev Dee

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June 2018: GPDR – God Please Don’t Read

The story is told of a woman who had a long password for her laptop…. EveMosesDavidJosephRuthJudasMaryJesusJerusalem

When asked why it was so long and complicated she responded, “Well it said it had to be eight characters long and include one capital!”

As I write this, we have reached the day when the new General Data Protection rules come into force. The thoughts behind them are that we need to be careful about how we hold and use the personal information we have about others. For some, the numerous emails they have had asking if they want to remain on someone’s contact list have been annoying… but also helpful in getting them to realise just how many people have their details and then being able to decide if they want that person or organisation to keep them. As a church and Christians sometimes we act as if we have a God given right to have people’s contact details and pass them on to whoever we want, but we do not. We need to respect others’ privacy as we would want them to respect ours. In this world where data can easily be used to abuse people, we need to recognise this important part of our safeguarding ourselves and others.

And it may be helpful at this time to imagine God sending us that email or letter, asking if we still want him to hold our details, if we still want to be known and loved by him. A time for recommitment to what is important to us.

But also, what if we sent that email or letter to God, asking if we can still hold his details and proclaim his name in how we live our lives? Please spend some time this month thinking about how much you know about God and how much God knows about you and how you can respectfully pass those details on to others.

And thankfully the Bible is not covered under data protection in this country so feel free to look up the details of the eight characters listed above in that password and see what they have to tell you about God and life. And that city which is still very much in the news today.

Thankfully we have a God whose name is known and universal, who does not have an address but is everywhere, who does not need a phone number but is available through prayer, and does not have a date of birth but is ageless.

God does not need our addresses, phone numbers or dates of birth, but knows us – who we are, not how we are labelled.

Maybe we ought to be more like our God and hold personal details more lightly but make personal contact more important.

You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me.
You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts

(Psalm 139: 1-2. Contemporary English Version)

Please read all of Psalm 139 if you can.

Blessings,

Rev Dee

Dates for your diary

The Wesley Hall Sunday Service details for June to August 2018 have now been added to the online calendar.

The calendar also includes other events, such as Theatre Club, Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade meetings, Church Council etc., plus relevant circuit-wide events, such as the Circuit Missions Garden Party on 23 June.

Take a look at the calendar and if there’s something you expect to see but don’t, or if there’s anything you’d like to find out more about, do leave a reply and we’ll get back to you.

Christian Aid Week – Coffee Morning 19 May 2018

Coffee Morning

for Christian Aid Week 2018

Saturday 19 May
10.30am – 12.30pm

There will be tea, coffee, soft drinks and cakes for sale.

Help us to raise funds for Christian Aid and awareness of this year’s Christian Aid Week  campaign standing up for displaced people: Uprooted and Overlooked.

You can find out more about what Christian Aid is doing and why by visiting the Christian Aid Week website, playing the ‘Escape the Storm‘ interactive game and learning how you can help.

We look forward to seeing you at the coffee morning!

May 2018: What goes up must come down

Our title is that famous quote by Isaac Newton that refers to gravity, but there is also the famous riddle that plays around with that idea and asks…

‘What goes up and never comes down?’

There are various answers people like to give to this question, to make a point about the issues in life that they object to, like taxes or fuel prices. The answer really being ‘your age’.

As we move into May we are still in Easter Season but will also celebrate two special events this month, that of Ascension Day (10 May) and then Pentecost (20 May). Ascension Day is when we have the story of how Jesus did go up and some might say did not come back down. He disappeared from their sight and we enter that nine day period where the disciples were left bereft.

We read in Acts 1: 9  how Jesus was taken up from their sight into the cloud and they are left looking up to heaven. Jesus went up and did not come back down and Ascension is about celebrating Jesus going back to being seated with God in heaven, wherever that might be. At times we may feel like the disciples that day, that we are left looking into clouds and unable to see or feel God’s presence. Faith is about having such times in our lives and they are to be seen as a natural part of discipleship, not a failure as we sometimes perceive it. Times of waiting for God.

The disciples are told to stop just staring into heaven but to go and anticipate God coming to them in some new way. And so they return to Jerusalem and give themselves to prayer.  We are being invited to join in the national initiative of ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ between Ascension and Pentecost this year: to dedicate ourselves to prayer in those nine days. A booklet has been produced by the Methodist Church called ‘Waiting in Wonder’ and are available at church or can be viewed online. A wonderful resource of images, bible readings and prayers to inspire us at this time. Please look out for them and use them.

Because Isaac Newton was right – what goes up does come down.  As our prayers go up we will see them answered and blessings coming down in the form of strength to continue, hope to trust in, love to warm us, peace to comfort us, challenges to move us. And we will be ready for Pentecost where we discover that Jesus did not go up and not come back down but went up and came back down in another form that means God is with us and in us always.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes into your life. You will tell about Me in the city of Jerusalem and over all the countries of Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8 New Life Version)

May we know God’s blessing in all the ups and downs of our lives.

Rev Dee

Spring Fair 2018

Spring Fair
Saturday 5 May, 10.30am – 2.30pm

• Plants
• Greetings cards
• Bric-a-brac
• Jewellery
• Refreshments
• Homemade cakes
• Lunches

Any items to be added to the stalls will be gratefully received in advance. Cakes can be received on the evening of Friday 4 May between 6.30 and 10pm, or on the morning of Saturday 5 May.

And do come along to the fair!

Welcome back to Theatre Club!

New members and old are welcomed for the start of Theatre Club rehearsals on Monday 30 April – we’re starting on our 2018 show. Here are a few pictures from previous productions to whet your appetite…

Rehearsals are generally on a Monday evening from 7.30pm and are always a lot of fun – just turn up and join in! To check details of the next rehearsal, contact us.