NEWSLETTER November 2014
Transcription
NEWSLETTER November 2014
NEWSLETTER November 2014 A Note from the Minister… This year November’s remembrance day marks starkly 100 years since the beginning of Britain's involvement in the First World War. The major art installa on Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, created by ceramic ar st Paul Cummins, with se ng by stage designer Tom Piper, marks the anniversary with 888,246 ceramic poppies which have been progressively filling the Tower's moat over the summer, each poppy represen ng a Bri sh and Colonial military fatality during the war. Those who have seen the installa on say how drama c and moving it is as a reminder of the numbers who fell - many only part of the story because they were so determined to serve their country that they lied about their age and were s ll only children when they fell on the bloody ba lefield. A er November 11th the poppies will be gradually removed over the following two weeks and the moat at the tower will be empty again. If only the memories, the truth, the reality of the pain and heartaches cascading though genera ons could so easily be swept away. In Rushmere village we will remember the dead of all wars at St Andrews Church at 10.45 on November 11th when I will be leading the tributes there and prior to that on remembrance Sunday, at our own service on November 9th. Looking back and remembering is important; it is essen al. We must never forget or stop giving thanks for those brave men and women who served their country and paid the ul mate price. But looking back without looking forward is immeasurably bleak. We look back into darkness filled with sorrow and in faith we look forward into light. Ahead we see a me when there will be no more wars, no more crying, no more pain. Psalm 46:9-11 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and sha ers the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be s ll, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the na ons, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. In the mean me, let us pray for peace across the world, that love may overcome wherever hatred rears its ugly head and that we would be agents of light in this dark world, un l He comes again. Every blessing, eacons’ Snippets Welcome to November and my last Deacons Snippets! We con nue to pray for Heather as she has now returned to our full me Ministry. Please remember her and her family as we start thinking about the lead-up to Christmas and her increased workload. Please pray for the upcoming Church Mee ng when those who have been nominated and prayerfully considered standing will come forward for the elec on. This an important mee ng in the running of our Church and we encourage all members to a end to pray and have your say on all of the things going on in our Church at the moment. A large number of our Worship Band are heading south to Eastbourne between 21st and 23rd November for this years Mission Worship. Please pray for safe travelling and that each one of the people a ending will learn how to get closer to God when leading our worship at Rushmere. Con nue to pray for our ongoing Space issues as our Space group meet again to discuss ideas and thoughts on ways that we can help facilitate a be er style of worship for everyone at Rushmere. The Shoeboxes will start making their way back to the Church over the next couple of weeks before being delivered to the depot for checking and being readied for the start of their journey to put a big smile on a child’s face this Christmas. Please support this fantas c ini a ve as we look forward to smashing Janet’s target of completed boxes; also pray for everybody who is involved in the whole process, and for the children who will receive them. Finally I would like to wish everybody a fantas c November as we all con nue to get closer to God this month. Yours in Christ Neil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gift Service Sunday December 7th morning service will be our Gift Service taken this year by Cat Adams from CYM. We will again be giving gifts to FIND. FIND provides Food Hampers, Festive Foods and Gifts for families and individuals in need, in Ipswich and surrounding areas. A Christmas tree will be in the lounge from 23rd November. Hanging on this will be gift tags with suggested gifts written on them . Please choose a tag and buy a present (new only please) and place with the tag in a gift bag. Bring it to Church on December 7th in the morning for our Gift Service. Thank you in advance! YOUTH @ RUSHMERE SPACE (Youth Café) Friday 7th November 7-9 pm at the CYM centre 6 Great Colman Street Ipswich for 11-16s entrance £1 which includes 1st drink @ space bar. PAUSE Friday 21st November 7-8.30 pm at the CYM centre 6 Great Colman Street Ipswich for 11-16s. Free entry More informa on for both of these events on the lounge no ce board, and on the CYM website www.c-y-m.org.uk Valerie EVENING REFRESHMENTS Once a month refreshments, such as tea, coffee &, biscuits, are enjoyed by those a ending the evening service. If you feel you could serve in this way then please contact Hazel asap, as the rota for 2015 is now being compiled! Thank you. If you're not sure what this entails then come and have a chat :-) Hazel News Our world is a tough place for many millions of people, so it is good to hear a positive story of our Christian brothers and sisters, helping to change the lives of some of the very poorest and despairing. Here is the story of a teenager from Tanzania whose life was transformed by the love, support and practical help of Tearfund’s partner. Of the hundreds of vulnerable children helped by the Tunza Watoto* Project in Tanzania, Zamir stands out as an extreme case. Zamir had heard the rumours – the local children had been teasing him since he was six. But he didn’t know for sure until he was 16, when his mother told him about his HIV status minutes before she died. His dad had passed away years before, so Zamir was now an orphan. Shunned by his extended family and most of his neighbours, he was in a bad way. Zamir was terrified by the concept of HIV and devastated by the loss of his mother, and he fell into a deep depression. His physical health deteriorated too. ‘I was preparing to die,’ he says. Supported by Tearfund, the Tunza team rallied. They took Zamir to the hospital, where doctors found him to be suffering from skin cancer. They ensured Zamir received treatment, and helped him access the healthy foods vital for his health. As Zamir’s health improved, Tunza inspired him to consider school, covering his fees and providing him with the books he couldn’t afford. This was a huge turning point for Zamir. ‘I thank God that we are still alive and we get support from the Tunza Watoto Project,’ says Zamir, now 17. He is still in school, and is even strong and confident enough to join in with local football activities. ‘I pray for those who support me, for God to bless them.’ Praise God that Zamir is on the road to recovery and is learning to live a full life with HIV. Pray that this will continue. Pray for the staff from the Tunza Watoto Project as they continue to reach out with love and hope to some of Tanzania’s most vulnerable children. Pray for peace and against violent riots in the country as there is political tension. Pray that government and opposition parties will co-operate for the good of the people. *Tunza Watoto (Swahili for 'Caring for Children' ) is one of Tearfund’s partners working to support and strengthen the Christian church to help those living with HIV, subsistence farmers, orphans and other vulnerable children. I praise God for this Church and other churches like it and all the individual Christians who support Tearfund’s work regularly through prayer and financial giving. It is so appreciated by our Christian brothers and sisters working for Tearfund’s partners. Prayer is vital but regular financial support means that Tearfund’s partners are able to plan their work over the long-term enabling them to achieve much more. Thank you. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Val Dufour ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Staff and Service Users at Leading Lives (formerly The Hub) Humber Doucy Lane, are planning a Winter Fayre later this month and would love your attendance to help them with funds, and some cakes made for the cake stall. Watch the Notice Board for the date. We have also been asked to 'do' The Nativity as in previous years. If you are willing to help please see Val Dufour. The folk at the centre really enjoy singing and you can all manage carols! It is a wonderful opportunity to show you care for them. Myrna Welsh Flower Ministry Nov 2 Pat Prime distributed by Nov 9 Cicely Hitchcock distributed by Cicely Hitchcock Nov 16 Doreen Broom distributed by Doreen Broom Nov 23 Sue Roberts Sue Roberts Nov 30 Susanne Tripp distributed by distributed by Yvonne Cross Val Dufour ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Birthday Corner We take this opportunity to offer Birthday Greetings to the following members of the BMS Birthday Scheme who celebrate birthdays during the month of November …... Doreen Broom Georgie Wade Robert Foster Marg Dearsley Shelia Stokes Susanne Tripp 6th 10th 11th 14th 17th 22nd Why not see Peter or Sue Laycock and find out how you can help the BMS by giving a thank offering gift on your birthday! CHURCH DIARY Where an entry is marked with an asterisk (*) it means that you should be able to find additional information about the event on another page in this newsletter, or on the Notice Board. Sun 2nd 10 .45am Mon 3 2.15pm Morning Worship led by Rev Heather Marsden. SHOE BOXES should be brought in today. ARISE Service led by the young people. Refreshments follow hosted by Hazel Hun ng. Banner Group Tues 4 6.15pm 7.30pm FFaf Home Group meets in the Lounge Wed 5 Thur 6 7.30pm 7.00pm 12.30pm ‘Space’ Commi ee in The A c Art and Cra Club Lunch Club 7.45pm 8.00pm Band Prac ce Prayer Mee ng 10.45am Alpha Away Day- Kesgrave Community Centre. REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY Morning Worship led by Rev Heather Marsden and Bob Molton Last day for return of Shoe Boxes. 6.30pm Fri 7 Sat 8 Sun 9 1.00pm 6.30pm Mon 10 6.15pm Tues 11 2.30– 4.30 pm 2.15pm Wed 12 Home Alone Lunch Tony Burton leads Evening Service which will include Communion Ffaf Private booking in Lounge - Animal Welfare Mee ng 7.00pm Friendship Hour: “Christmas Flower Arranging” with Sylvia Wicks Art and Cra Club 7.30pm Deacons’ Mee ng Thur 13 12.30 pm 7.00pm 7.45pm Luncheon Club. Alpha course Week 7.”How can I resist evil?” Band prac ce 8.00pm Prayer Mee ng in the A c Sun 16 10.45.am 6.30pm Morning Worship led by Rev Heather Marsden Evening Worship led by Heather. Mon 17 2.15pm 6.15pm Banner Group Ffaf Tues 18 Wed 19 7.30pm 7.00pm Home Group Art and Cra Club. Thurs 20 12.30pm 7.00pm 7.45pm Lunch Club Alpha Course Week 8 “Why and how should I tell others?” Band Prac ce Fri 21 Sat 22 8.00pm 10.30am Prayer Mee ng MEETING POINT COFFEE MORNING Sun 23 10.45am Morning Worship led by Rev John Davis which will include Communion Mon 24 Tues 25 3.00pm 6.30pm 6.15pm 7.30pm Wed 26 7.00pm Service at Sidegate Lane Residen al Home Evening Worship led by Mike Ginn Ffaf CHURCH MEMBERS MEETING including Elec on of Deacons and Church Officers. Art and Cra Club Thurs 27 12.30pm 7.00pm Lunch Club Alpha Course Week 9 “Does God heal today?” Fri 28 7.45pm 8.00pm Band Prac ce Prayer Mee ng in The A c. Sat 29 All day WORSHIP GROUP TRAINING DAY Fri 14 Sun 30 10.45am Morning Worship led by Rev Heather Marsden 6.30pm Evening Worship led by Tony Burton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other Significant Dates On Tuesday 11 November Gladys and Tom Barton will be celebra ng 70 years of marriage. We send our love and congratula ons to them. On Saturday 22 November some of the Leadership Team will be a ending a Training Seminar in Colchester on the role of being a Church Trustee. Other members will be a ending the Worship Leaders Conference from 21 – 23 November at Eastbourne. CYM Sizewell House Party will be help Friday 28 – Sunday 30 November Please remember to pray for the young people who will be a ending. Our next newsletter is the joint December / January 2015 edition. The deadline for items for inclusion is 23rd November. (The publication date is November 30th) Friendship Hour…. What an interes ng a ernoon we had from Patrick Thompson last month learning some of the tradi ons in the household management of ‘Buck House’ as Buckingham Palace is affec onately called. On November 12th our friend Sylvia Wicks will be demonstra ng Christmas Flower Arrangements and there will be opportunity to 'have a go'. We will also have a card stall which will give you a chance to purchase cards to support Chris an Youth Ministries (CYM). We congratulate one of our friends, Gladys Barton who, with Tom, celebrates 70 years of marriage this month, a marvellous achievement. As usual the doors are open at 1.30 and our session begins at 2.30pm finishing with a cuppa and chat. We hope to see you then and you know any of your friends are welcome. Myrna Welsh and Pat Wright Home Alone Lunch…. … is planned for November 9th. This is for anyone who is at the morning service and has to return home to an empty house and would like a change. Visitors are welcome should it be helpful, and it helps if you all let me know you will be present. It is a family meal so anyone can help with washing –up! We are self funding and the meal costs £3. Thank you. Myrna Welsh Alpha @ RBC 2014 It seems hard to believe but this year’s Alpha course is now past the half way mark and as I write this we just have completed week 6 – How Does God Guide Us? Where has that me gone? The Alpha team and guests have been enjoying lovely meals prepared by our excellent supper hosts, and good fellowship and discussions following the Alpha TV talks, which are certainly proving s mula ng and thought provoking. The team have been greatly encouraged by the guests regularly coming back each week – which is always a good sign that we are doing something right! We will be taking a break on Thurs 6th November . Our Alpha Holy Spirit “Away Day” on 8th November 2014 takes place at the KWMCC, Twelve Acre Approach, Kesgrave where we will be joined by Alpha teams and guests from St Augus ne’s Ipswich, and St Johns Church, Woodbridge. The course will resume at RBC on Thurs 13th November 2014 with week 7 – ‘How Can I Resist Evil?’ Please pray for our guests that they will con nue to be encouraged and grow in their faith and knowledge to possibly build a closer rela onship with God to reveal his purposes for each one of them in his me. Please con nue to pray for Heather and the Alpha team too as we prepare and help guide the guests through the Away Day and the rest of the course and ask for the Lord's strength and wisdom to answer challenging ques ons raised. Thanks everyone for your prayers and your con nued support. God is listening to your prayers for Alpha and is answering them – Praise God! The RBC Alpha Team 2014 Ipswich Winter Night Shelter The shelter for the homeless of Ipswich will be running again this year from 3rd Dec 2014 until 15th March 2015. It will run on the same basis as previous years with seven town centre churches providing accommodation and food. The host churches are: Sunday Monday Hope Church, Fore Hamlet The Salvation Army, Bramford Road (with the support of St Augustine’s) Tuesday St Mary’s at Stoke, Stoke Street Wednesday Ipswich Community Church, Clarkson Street Thursday Christ Church / St Pancras, Tacket Street / Orwell Place Friday Saturday Burlington Baptist, London Road St Margaret’s, Bolton Lane Currently, they are seeking volunteers (you can volunteer to help at any of the churches) especially for the night and morning shifts. Details of this and of how to volunteer can be found on the web-site www.iwns.org.uk or ring 07900 073 721. Do consider volunteering for this vital outreach of showing Jesus’ love and acceptance to some of the most vulnerable people in our town. Talk to Judith & David Coley, Marg Dearsley or myself to find out what it is like. Training for new volunteers will take place on Sat 22nd Nov 9.00am 12.30pm at St. Peter’s, Stoke Park Drive. Those who have volunteered before have a shorter training session (also at St. Peter’s) on Thurs 6th Nov. Prayer is vital for the shelter. Once again, I will be co-ordinating prayer volunteers. Some of you volunteered to be on the prayer list last year – and I will assume you are willing to do it again unless you let me know otherwise - but more prayer volunteers are needed as we want to surround the shelter with 24/7 prayer. I will put prayer points in our church newsletter but it would be good to have more Rushmere people signed up to pray regularly each week. Do let me know if this is something you feel called to do, so I can let you have more regular – or urgent – prayer points. Thank you. Please pray for the management team and the co-ordinators of the host churches as they prepare for December – for smooth organization, harmony, wise decisions and health and energy. Pray for the project manager Wendy Claydon as she recovers from severe bronchitis – may God bless her relationship with guests who will come to the shelter and give her wisdom and discernment – may she stay well throughout the duration of the shelter. Pray that sufficient volunteers will come forward for each of the shifts. Most of all, pray for God ‘s spirit to be over all of the shelter and that lives will be changed – as they were last year. “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:17-18 Thank you. Val Dufour Mission Avia on Fellowship in Ac on -Stop Press I have just heard that MAF, who do not receive any funding from government, have been asked to go to Liberia and help with the Ebola crisis . MAF started work in Liberia last year and wondered where God was leading them. Now we know . Praise Him David Coley MAF Rep CHURCH ROTAS for 2015 2015 is coming up quickly and now is the me for you all to offer your service to the Church. Perhaps there are some du es in the list below that you would be willing to help with during the coming year. You don’t have to do something every week. In fact, if enough people offer then it will probably be only a few mes a year. I am in the early stages of preparing the rotas for next year but it would be helpful if you could come to me and offer as soon as possible. I am looking for people to offer their service in the following ways: 1. Church Duty Rota To unlock and lock the church before and a er the Sunday services and to welcome people as they come in and give them the no ce sheet etc. (You will be given a checklist to make sure you know what you have to do in order to have everything ready.) 2. PA/Recording To operate the PA/recording equipment for the evening services. (Training can be provided if needed.) 3. Communion Prepara on To prepare and wash up before and a er the morning or evening Communion services. 4. Flower Rota To provide the flowers for Sunday services and/or distribute them a erwards. All these tasks are very important to the smooth running of our church so I am taking the liberty of including all those who were on the rotas for last year on the 2015 rotas unless you let me know differently. But extra people would be more than welcome as last year I was unable to fill every Sunday. If you would be willing to serve in any or all of these areas, even if you can only offer for 2 or 3 mes a year, please see me by Sunday 23 November at the latest. I really do need you to offer as it is always very difficult to fill all the posi ons for the year. To those of you who have faithfully undertaken these tasks over the past year I say a very big THANK YOU.. Looking forward to a rush of volunteers! IMPORTANT NOTICE THE LIST for 2015 Each year our Church compiles a list of all church members and regular church worshippers with their names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses. A copy is then distributed to all the people whose names are in the List. This List should be treated as confiden al by all recipients. During the year people move house, change their telephone number and o en change their email address. I try to make a note of these as they come in but I’m likely to have missed some details. If during this past year you have moved house or changed your telephone number or email address then please will you check with me that I have your details correct. For those of you who have started worshipping with us during the past year we would like to include your details in the Church List, if you are willing. Please come and tell me your details, so that you can be included in the 2015 List Please let me have all this informa on by the end of November, so that the new List can be compiled and be correct ready for prin ng before the end of this year. Thank you Cicely Hitchcock ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CARE FOR THE FAMILY PARENTING EVENT for those with children up to the early teens. Colchester Road Baptist Church Thurs 20 November 7.30 – 10.00pm. Speaker Rob Parsons. Need to book - tel 02920 810800. Sharing God’s love in Timor-Leste MAF has been serving people’s needs in Timor-Leste since 2007 – enabling NGOs to teach English, show Gospel films and help combat malnutri on MAF Pilot and Programme Manager Jonathan Lowe, his wife Angela, and Pilot Mike Bottrell and his wife Jenni, MAF’s Development and Safety Manager, share God’s love in a country where surface transport is slow and dangerous, and 37% of people live below the international poverty line. Good timing. A few hours after the reopening of a disused runway on Atauro Island, the renovated airstrip enabled MAF to fly an 18-year-old woman suffering from a stroke and severe anaemia to Dili, where she received urgent medical attention. The 14-minute flight spared the patient a lengthy boat trip to the mainland – a two-hour journey that only occurs once a week, weather permitting! According to local businessman Barry Hinton who lobbied for the strip’s reopening, not so long ago a pregnant woman died in labour because ‘there were no medevac capabilities at the time. She needed a Caesarean, and you couldn’t do that here.’ Mr Hinton, who puts MAF’s life-saving medevac down to ‘good timing’, says that having the aviation charity carry out medical emergency airlifts for Atauro’s isolated community is essential. Saving sight. Following the restoration of the Atauro airstrip, Dr Sérgio Gama da Costa Lobo, Timor-Leste’s Minister of Health, and representatives from the country’s ambulance service and civil aviation personnel flew with MAF to investigate future sites. Once developed, the strips will help increase the number of life-saving flights MAF makes on behalf of the country’s 1.2 million people. The organisation currently carries out 100 medevacs a year, flying patients from poor and inaccessible rural areas to receive treatment in Dili. Another MAF flight, this time to Suai, enabled a team of doctors, nurses and optometrists to restore patients’ sight by providing vital surgery. Team member Andrew Koch thanked Jonathan, saying, ‘Your light aircraft is the only plane available in the country to get humanitarian programmes like ours to remote areas. It saved four days in total. We helped 200 people – 46 of them were blind in one or both eyes, and now they can see! Thanks for being there for us.’ Another medic, Dili-based surgeon Dr Manoj Sharma, added, ‘You are great! Non-stop serving Timor-Leste’s needy people – reaching the unreached through your plane!’ Thanks to MAF eye safaris, people are receiving their sight again – the charity’s pastor-pilots praying that, like Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52, patients in impoverished Timor-Leste will also see with spiritual eyes. Saving lives. Another medevac, this time for a two -week-old boy suffering from a bowel obstruction and swollen abdomen, saved little Alberto and his carers a difficult 12-hour ferry ride from isolated Oecusse to Dili. Thanks to MAF, the stress-free 45minute flight enabled Alberto to receive the urgent medical treatment he so desperately needed. The missionary organisation also helped fourmonth-old Arni, who was suffering from dehydration and diarrhoea on Atauro Island, to reach hospital in time. Serving nationals. Apart from working in partnership with Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health to save time and lives in a country with the highest level of malnutrition in south-eastern Asia, MAF has started running a flight experience programme for national pilots. It’s yet another way the Christian charity serves the people of Timor-Leste. A GOOD READ? plus CHURCH LIBRARY UPDATE I hadn’t heard of the author Francine Rivers un l a few weeks ago, although I now know that she is famous as a writer of both main stream novels and also Chris an fic on. I read a magazine ar cle about her and thought that her books might be good for our Church library. By way of research I got a copy of her most famous book – ‘Redeeming Love’ and I’ve just finished reading it. It was a pleasure as well as a research project! It is a powerful story that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Angel is le on her own a er her mother dies when she is s ll a young child. She is trafficked and terribly abused. The fist part of the story is very hard emo onally to read, but it is well worth persevering. I think it is probably a glimpse into the life of girls who are s ll trafficked in many parts of the world, even though this book is set in California in the 1850s gold rush, but based loosely on the book of Hosea in the Old Testament. As you probably know Hosea was asked by God to marry a pros tute who kept leaving him and going back to her old life. Israel is likened to a pros tute who keeps leaving the one true God who loves her, to go back to false gods. Michael Hosea is led by God to rescue Angel from the brothel where she lives and works, to marry her and take her home to share his life as a farmer, and above all to love her uncondi onally for ever. Angel can’t accept that anyone would love her for herself, rather than want to use her. Gradually she changes her mind but she also runs away several mes. There are moments in the story which remind me of Talitha Koum. I hoped desperately that the book would have a happy ending. I won’t tell you any more as it will spoil the story for you. If you have read this novel or any other books by Francine Rivers I would love to know what you think. Would you like the Church library to include some of her books? Please let me know. I know it seems as though this library is taking a long me to appear. I have received lots of good quality up to date second hand books for the library and some very welcome money has been made available to buy some new books for the library. I appreciate everyone who has come to either coffee morning where a display of CLC’s best sellers has been on display for sale. The books have lead to some really interes ng conversa ons about the books you like. I hope to buy some new ones soon so that we can get this library set up and into use before too long. Thank you, Judith SUFFOLK PRAYER LETTER NOV 2ND IPSWICH – HOLLY LODGE No submission received, but check out their web site at http://hollylodge.btck.co.uk/ NOV 9TH REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY 2014 Remembrance Day has a special resonance with it being the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the 70th anniversary of D-Day in the Second World War. As I write this, the Invictus Games are being held in London, reminding us that people are still making the supreme sacrifice in service of their country and others have life-changing experiences which affect them physically and/or mentally for the rest of their lives. Pray for those who have had loved ones killed in conflicts around the world and for those living with the consequences of their, or a member of their family’s, service. NOV 16TH IPSWICH – NANSEN ROAD We are now a year into the ministry of our Pastor Rev’d Peterson Anand and we have seen new faces come and worship with us. At the beginning of this year we prayed for five new families to come and join us, two of them to be Christian families. We haven’t yet seen Christian families come to join us but we have had individuals come in who are able to help with the work. We are still praying for families to come and join us. In March we held a day of prayer for the church and community and we have another day planned for October. We go out on visitation around the church on a regular basis with help and guidance from our previous Moderator Rev Gordon Tubbs. We thank Gordon for his continued help in this work. We have few workers able to do the physical outreach at the church, so we are grateful for the continued support from The Noisy Group. Through them we have used the hall at Nansen Road for children’s sessions during the summer holidays and taken two coaches full of people to Yarmouth in August. Again through the NG, we have an alternative Halloween party and a Onesie Party on 5th November planned. Our annual carol singing at the local shops will be on Saturday 20th Dec at lunchtime, followed by a Christmas Party for the local children from 5 to 6pm, followed by carol singing in the Church grounds for the community followed by soup and hot dogs! We are also starting a lunch club with a launch in September, and starting fully in October Please pray as we go forward with the Lord to reach out even more into the community around Nansen Road. NOV 23RD IPSWICH – STOKE GREEN 1. Open The Book : We have a team of 12 church members who go into three local primary schools every other Monday. That means that we are reaching almost 900 children and staff regularly with stories from the Bible. 2. Five times per year we put on Messy Church for the families on the Maidenhall Estate. Our average attendance from those outside of the church is 60 children and 40 adults. We are about to introduce a MiniMessy Church to cover the months that we don’t do a full Messy church. 3. During the Christmas period we hold a ‘Christmas Experience’ for a whole week. Children from the local schools where we do Open the Book come to the church to learn, through various activities, the meaning of Christmas. Please pray that God will bless these outreach activities. NOVEMBER 30TH IPSWICH – WHITEHOUSE We thank God for encouragements that come out of the blue, e.g. the youngster who has recently joined us for “prayer in the vestry” prior to the morning service – and who prays! We thank God for the encouragement that comes from dedicated people who make up the core of leadership across the different church activities and who demonstrate commitment to the Lord, a passion for His people and who bring love, hard work, openness and prayer to all they do. Please pray for this group as they often go beyond the extra mile. Please pray for our on-going alternative Tuesday mornings Open the Book in the school next door – what a unique privilege to tell Bible stories to upwards of 300 children regularly! As Christmas approaches please pray for wisdom that we might not only celebrate joyfully but will use well the mission opportunity that Christmas brings. Please pray for us as we seek to make community mission roads through programmes such as Messy Church. We do need discernment in what we can and cannot do. Thanks for your prayers – we really do appreciate them! REGULAR ACTIVITIES Sunday at 10.45 am: Morning Service. Wednesday of each month. Art & Craft Club at 7.00pm Crèche for the very young. FoG: aged 3 to school year 2. Mustard Seeds: school years 3 - 6. Thursday: Luncheon Club at 12.30pm. The Tribe: school years 7 and above. Friday: Prayer Meeting at 8pm. Sunday at 6.30 pm: Evening Service. Saturday: Meeting Point Coffee Morning on the fourth Saturday of each month, from 10.30 ‘til noon. Monday: Banner Group at 2.15 on the first and third Monday in each month. FFaF Children’s Club for school years 2-6 from 6.15 ‘til 7.30pm. Wednesday: Senior Citizens’ Friendship Hour at 2.30pm on the second In addition….. There are regular home-groups at different times on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays at a number of venues! You are sure to find one that fits your personal schedule! Contacts Minister: Rev Heather Marsden Church telephone: (01473) 721455 Secretary: Jean Cutting, E-mail: [email protected] Editor: Peter Dearsley, Church web site: www.rushmerebaptist.org.uk/