September 2022 – Page 2 – Moortown Baptist Church

Shelley, back home from a week away in Wales welcomes you to Cafe Church

September 3, 2022September 3, 2022 by John Sherbourne

Dear friends

Just a reminder that we are back in the church building tomorrow at 11-12midday for café church where breakfast, drinks, fruit will be available alongside an informal style of service around tables and chairs. There will be an art area in the main hall (known as the Sanctuary) for those who want to be creative through art and explore the themes they are hearing in the service.

Tomorrow the theme will be ‘Unfinished masterpiece’ from the first chapter of Philippians and we’ll be finding out how God sees us, how this affects how we see the world and how we are all amazing works in progress whether we feel like it or not.

The service will be online on our YouTube channel at 11am although you’ll need to provide your own breakfast if you are watching on your own screen!

Other things to look out for…

Beacon café is back on Monday 10-12midday in the church building. All welcome!

‘Space’ takes place on Thursday 8^th September in the building at 6.30pm. Bring an instrument or feel free to sing if you want to join with others to play music, sing songs or draw/dance to what you can hear. All are welcome, just join in with what you want to do. More questions then talk to Andy or Ruth Berry or myself.

Craft group is back at 2pm on Thursday in the building

Mini catch up/meeting after church on 18^th September for all to share with and hear from Leadership Team and staff

News about an excellent online course from Parenting for Faith. Parenting for faith were great supporting me during the pandemic as the Family and Childrens lead and as a mum/aunty. They support anyone who is a role model to children whether they are your own children or children you look after/teach/encourage. The aim of the course is for anyone who wants to help children/young people with their two way relationship with God. (I think the five keys they share help adults too!). They are hosting the course online on zoom in September starting Monday 26 Sept, 3^rd Oct 10th, Oct 17^th,7 Nov, 14 Nov, 21^st and 28^th Nov 7.45-9pm (no sessions in half term)

Parenting for Faith Course Online 2022 – BRFonline You can sign up as an individual or if there are a few people interested we can book in as a church. Do chat with me if sign up as we get a discount if there’s a few of us.

We’ll be putting together some ideas for the services over the next few weeks so we’ll keep in touch about this but if you want to read or pray or help with children’s teaching or sing or share from God’s word then do get in touch with me. I’d love to hear from you.

Pray for…

Those we know who are ill or struggling with life

All those going back to school this week and their teachers

Those in Pakistan affected by the floods

Those who are daring to try new things or new ways of thinking in the Autumn

The shortlisting and interviews for the church administrator taking place over the next few weeks

Thanks for those who have received refreshment and support over the school summer holidays

See you tomorrow

In Christ

Shelley

More news and pictures from Romania – these from Pastor Rei Abrudan of VIA church in Cluj, plus a word of thanks to all who supported our cream tea

September 3, 2022 by John Sherbourne

Thanks from Howard and the rest of the Romania Support Group to all who attended the Cream Tea a couple of weeks ago. As well as being a good social occasion with our visitors from Romania, Florin Dana and Irene Fodor, £323 was raised towards the support we send to churches in Romania for young people’s camps held during the summer months.

We’ve just off some more money given for the Romanian churches we are linked with to help Ukrainian refugees – £12,000 in total. As well as supporting refugees who have gone to Romania the money will be used to send aid into Ukraine for people who are internally displaced.

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And here’s a message and some pictures just in from Rei Abrudan, from Via Church, Cluj-Napoca,

If Christian nations were nations of Christians, there would be no wars. After this war, I’m afraid, there will be no victors, only losers.

After a huge refugee wave during the first two months of war, things kind of calmed down. As a result, our ministry is focusing on those who chose to stay (650 Ukrainians in our area) trying to grow their community stronger by offering social care (finding jobs, meeting basic needs for people with disabilities, integrating children in kindergarten and schools), judicial assistance (legal paperwork, political asylum, immigration status), medical assistance (surgeries, treatment for chronic conditions, etc.), community care (recreation, support groups) and spiritual care.

Also, we are offering support to other communities across Romania, where the number of refugees is larger.

Many of the refugees moved further west, others went back home. Larger and more stable communities have formed near the eastern border.

In Iași, for example, right next to the Ukrainian border, there was a Kids Festival held in June, which we sponsored. It was organised by a local church over there and other partners. Right in front of the mall, they had 1 workshop for parents, 4 workshops for kids and all kinds of fun activities for one day. Out of 3.000 participants, 400 were Ukrainians. The event ended with an evangelistic message from an Ukrainian pastor.

Another way of helping other communities across Romania, was helping a kindergarten in Arad by buying some beds, as they turned into a refugee cen

English courses

At their request, understanding the need, we are offering ESL courses bringing in English teachers. This month they are taking a short summer break, but they will resume starting on September.

Leonid and his family are doing fine. He is travelling more often to UA to visit the shop he is owning there, so that the business doesn’t die, but he is struggling thinking that things are not improving there and they can’t see a future back in UA. They are considering the idea of moving to Cluj permanently, especially for their children.

He is constantly searching for ways to help and care the Ukrainians in Cluj…and he doesn’t seem to get tired or weary of doing this for so many months now.

So this is a modest part of our joyful serving of people in need.

This war will not determine who is right, only who is left. So, we want to be there for those left.

Doing what we can, with what we have, where we are! Thank you for your support!

Rei Abrudan,

Via Church, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

MBC plays its part in making Leeds a more compassionate city

September 2, 2022 by John Sherbourne

It may be that up to now your diary is empty for November 22, but for our Jewish neighbours that’s a very important day; it’s the date of Mitzvah 2022 – a special day when they host a community event that seeks to make Leeds and its surrounding area a better place to live, work and play.

Drawing on the city’s rich and diverse traditions, the idea behind Mitzvah 2022 is the notion of selfless giving, giving of yourself and not just your money; a notion which of course isn’t exclusive to Jews but is a central pillar to many other traditions such as Hinduism, Sikhism and of course Christianity.

And that’s why Shelley Dring was invited to join with representatives of all these faiths, plus local councillors and Mitzvah Chief Exec Stuart Diamond at a recent get-together.

No douby Shelley will be sharing some of what was discussed nearer the time but with MBC’s links going back more than half a century isn’t it wonderful to see and hear that despite differences when it comes to selfless service we can all come together to make Leeds a more compassionate, more caring and more tolerant city.

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