Thursday 20th October – Space – come and be, pray, chill, play an instrument, sing, draw…a space to be and worship. From 6.30pm in the sanctuary, all ages welcome and feel free to bring your friends.
Month: October 2022
Beautiful hand made bookmarks focus our minds on some terrible atrocities
Masooma Danesh, a young woman who attends Moortown Baptist Church, has brought to church these beautiful handmade bookmarks which were created by a group of Hazara women and girls in Kabul, Afghanistan. Masooma left her homeland of Afghanistan some years ago and has a heart for the women and girls in both her home country and in Iran.
We are currently witnessing an uprising by the young women of Iran against an oppressive regime. However, up to date reports from Afghanistan seems to have fallen from the news here. Masooma is particularly concerned for the ethnic Hazari women and girls who are persecuted in her homeland. Masooma does not seek payment for the bookmarks, but she has asked us to take a bookmark and to pray regularly for the Hazari women and girls of Afghanistan in particular, but also for the situation in Iran.
On Friday 30th September this year, a suicide bomber entered the Kaaj Higher Education Centre in the Dashti-Barchi neighbourhood, a mainly Shiite area of Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 23 people and wounding 36 others. 300 recent High School graduates had attended the centre on that morning to take their practice entry exams for university entrance. The dead and injured were mainly Hazaras and members of Afghanistan’s minority Shiite community. The minority Hazara community are historically one of the most severely persecuted groups in Afghanistan. The Islamic State group has carried out repeated, horrific attacks on schools, hospitals and mosques in this area and other Shiite areas in recent years. There have been many similar attacks such as an attack on a school in 2021 that killed more than 90 young people, mostly schoolgirls.
If you’re in our tech team or our worship band come and have a chat on Tuesday evening as we plan the way ahead
Tuesday 11th October – Tech team (and those in worship team who are also interested in tech) get together to talk about where we are and what we want to do in the future.
All welcome to meet at the Lord Darcy on Harrogate Road at 7.45 for 8 – or you could come a bit earlier and have some tea.
Shelley’s update
Dear friends
Well its been nearly a week since the London Marathon and my legs are feeling are a bit more like my own. I want to thank you all for your support in words of encouragement, pictures, prayers, high five’s and of course donations to the Roy Castle lung Cancer Foundation. At the moment over £2000 have been raised. I know that this isn’t a great time for some people financially so it is very much appreciated. God loves a cheerful giver and you have been full of cheer! (2 Cor 9;6) If you would like to know more about the charity then you can find them here. Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – The UK’s only charity solely dedicated to supporting everyone affected by lung cancer
No wonder Paul in the bible said the Christian life is like a race. There are fast bits, slow bits, ups and downs, the landscape changes along with those who are running alongside you. At times we all run together happily, at other times we notice someone struggling and we shout words of encouragement, we may even pick them up and get them help, or walk alongside. Some people may break away, running with us for a time. Those who run have diverse backgrounds and experiences and the training they have undertaken is also varied in content and amount. Some have moments of sprinting and for others it’s a slow and painful crawl. No one can run your race for you, ultimately it’s your responsibility for the steps you put one in front of the other. The track may seem wide and clear at times whilst at others its narrow, unclear. Two elite runner’s on Sunday’s marathon actually ran the wrong way and had to come back again with help. I’ll be sharing a little bit more in church on Sunday. I have been in touch with some of you this week and I am looking forward to seeing many more soon. A year ago I had a couple of Sundays booked away and last week and this week are two of those Sundays so my involvement on Sunday has been more behind the scenes in planning and praying but also I will be on video. Then I am back in the flesh on Sundays for a while! We do look forward to hearing more on Paul’s letter to the Philippians this week. If you haven’t read it through you may find it useful to do this in your bible as we journey with the church in Philippi each week and see what God has to say to us. Also check out the bible project link here.. Overview: Philippians – Bing video
Here’s some dates to remember…
Sunday 9th October – Church service 11-12midday. Church with children’s activities on Philippians 4. Also on YouTube.
Tuesday 11th October – Tech team (and those in worship team who are also interested in tech) get together to talk about where we are and what we want to do. At the Lord Darcy, 7.45 for 8 (come earlier for your tea if you fancy!)
Sunday 16th October – Harvest celebration café – 11-12midday. Bring your gifts of food and toiletries to be given to the North Leeds Foodbank and Caring for Life. Please don’t bring things that will deteriorate over night like fresh fruit. We’ll have breakfast and hot drinks and activities for all ages to explore the harvest theme as well as prayers and songs. Bring your friends! Also includes news of an exciting Harvest project at MBC that you may want to help with supporting our local communities.
Thursday 20th October – Space – come and be, pray, chill, play an instrument, sing, draw…a space to be and worship. From 6.30pm in the sanctuary, all ages welcome and feel free to bring your friends.
Sunday 23rd October – Service in church and online 11-12midday on more of Philippians 4. With activities for children
After that…
It is with sadness but also a great privilege to celebrate the life of two people who have been part of the family at MBC over the years. Please pray for their families at this difficult time.
Wednesday 26th October 12.45pm, the funeral of Joan Baker, Kate Slater’s mum. Kate has said that you are welcome to come to the service in church if you knew her mum and also you would be welcome to refreshments in church but could you let her know if you are coming, for catering purposes.
Friday 28th October 1pm The funeral of Michael Losits
Also…
Tuesday November 1st is our church meeting in the evening.
It’s Beacon as usual on Monday 10-12, do come and chat, meet someone new or old and have a pastry and a drink. Lunchclub continues as usual on Wednesday and Rock Solid is on Sunday nights 7-8pm for our young people.
Do keep an eye out on facebook, twitter and the website or ask myself, a deacon or anyone you trust in the church if you need anything.
Keep dreaming big then take one step at a time.
“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things…”(Phil 4:8)
In Christ
Shelley
Keep on running – Shelley’s message from London
Dear friends
We look forward to cafe church tomorrow 11-12midday in the church building. There’ll be tea/coffee, breakfast pastries, fruit and a message from Philippians continuing our theme of the race in a creative way.
As many of you will know we have had a few issues with our technology including the livestream. However, our tech team have been working over the last few weeks to find the problems and work out how to solve them. We plan to have visuals back tomorrow as well as a livefeed on YouTube after the work that has been done. Thanks to all who have taken time to investigate, have conversations and obtain new parts. The conversation continues and we look forward to discussing this important area of ministry on the evening of 11th October at The Lord Darcy pub with those in the team or those wanting to help. Let me know if you need more information.
Beacon cafe is back on at 10-12 on Monday and you are really welcome to drop in and bring people to a relaxed space with a hot drink. If you want to help with the running of the cafe I’d love to hear from you. There are of course other groups through the week, check the website at www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.
Next Sunday we continue with Philippians in the service at 11-12 and then on the 16th October we are having a special harvest festival cafe church. We may have food as part of this so do put the date in your diary. More info soon. Also bring donations for Caring for life https://www.
Things that are needed for Caring for Life are: tinned meat, tuna, pasta, rice, jars, pasta sauce, tinned toms, tomatoe purée, noodles, pot noodles, tin potatoes and tinned veg, tinned fruit, rice pudding, biscuits, chocolate, sweet and savoury spreads/jam, sugar, fruit juice, squash, tea, coffee, uht milk, cereals, hot choc, washing powder. In addition to the above the foodbank are also asking for toilet rolls.
Communion will be on the 23rd October finishing the Philippians series.
Rock Solid has restarted for high school age young people on Sunday evenings, 7-8 in the building. Do pray for them in this new term.
Other dates. Pastoral team get together after church on 30th October with food.
Church meeting on 1st November in the evening
Finally. Thankyou for all your support for the London Marathon. As I am reminded, life is a marathon not a sprint, there are ups and downs, changes of landscape, changes of those who run alongside us but always God is with us. Our cafe church tomorrow links in with this in a special way. Tracksuits optional.
Psalm 18:32-36
“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.”
In Christ
Shelley,
Fore! stand clear as Lunch Club takes to the fairway
Last week’s Lunch Club had a slightly different look about it. Why? Well it’s because those who fancied their chances as the next captain of the Ryder Cup team got a chance to show their skills.
OK it wasn’t 18 holes around St Andrews but it was nevertheless as close to the real thing you can get with the materials to hand.
I’m far too much of a gentleman to ask who won – when I played (badly) it was always more a case of the taking part rather than the winning that mattered.
So well done to you all.