October 2023 – Moortown Baptist Church

Shelley – 28th October

October 28, 2023 by John Sherbourne

Dear friends

As we continue to ponder and pray and act on the theme ‘Hope in the ruins’ and think what it might look like I am reminded of the words from the U2 song ‘Beautiful Day’.

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light and
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood, all the colours came out

It was a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
Beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I’m not a hopeless case

We live in the tension of beautiful and painful, united and divided. We see it as we walk through the ruins…and yet we see the possibilities of what is and can be built if we only look…

I was sent a picture of Whitby Abbey (see below) by one of you this week (thank you)… the drones complete the rest of the building. We know we aren’t building something purely physical but you see the idea… the light makes up the rest…it’s a good week to talk about light..

As we were reminded last week in Ezra’s prayer, he had his eyes ‘enlightened’ and said “He has granted us new life to rebuild the House of our God and repair it’s ruins” (Ezra 9:8)

This week we move onto Nehemiah’s prayer at the start of the book of Nehemiah and find some similarities… we start at 11am tomorrow and there will be a group for our younger members. You can also join in on our youtube channel.

Here are a few more things coming up…

Wednesday Worship on Wednesday 22^nd November at 1.30 and Wednesday 13^th December at 1.30pm. Come at 1pm for a coffee or tea.

Please be aware that the creche can’t be used at the moment due to the building work.

Sunday 29^th October 7pm-8pm Rock Solid for youth

Monday 30^th October 10-12midday Beacon café. All welcome.

Tuesday 31^st October – No Stepping Stones as its half term and the windows project has started in the creche

Wednesday 1^st November – No lunchclub

House group at 7.30pm in church and on zoom

Thursday 2nd November – funeral of Raymond Newton at midday followed by food and drink in the church. You are all invited by the family to come along.

2-4pm craft group and welcome space in the building

Friday 3^rd November 10-11.30am bible study in church (please note an electrician will be working in the building on this day on the heating)

House group at 8pm in Adel. Talk to Hilary or Jonathan Darling or Steve or Helen Olijnyk

Sunday 5^th November 11-12 Café church, do come along as welcome three new members.

Thursday 9^th November we’ll be hosting a musical evening with Michael Tinker and friends at 7,30pm (doors open at 7pm). Click on the link here About the Live Show on Vimeo. Michael will be focusing on hope and grief in this creative musical evening designed to give a space to think about loss and grief as a journey and what might hope look like in this…through live original songs, music and video. For those with faith or none. Do come along and bring others. Tickets are available online at this link here .Moortown Baptist Church event tickets from TicketSource. Paper tickets are available from Lesley in the office from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning or ask Shelley or Nathan. £10 each. There are more details here on our website…When there are no words…. – Moortown Baptist Church There will be a table out this Sunday selling tickets if you want to buy them tomorrow and bring your £10 in cash

On the 11^th November we are holding a table top sale.. see link below (and talk to Krys Gadd if you have any questions)

Table Top Sale – to help a Women’s Development Centre in Sri Lanka – Moortown Baptist Church

Sunday 12^th November – 11am in the building and online – Remembrance Sunday and continuing with Nehemiah

4pm in church I’ll be leading a short quiet service to remember those people we have lost and allow some time to thank God for them. All welcome

Church meeting and AGM 21^st of November

Other things in Leeds you may be interested in..

Open Doors Standing Strong Event on November 4th. The conference is for the whole of the North East of England to come together to learn and pray for the worldwide persecuted church. Anyone is encouraged to attend who is a supporter of Open Doors or the persecuted church. Its held at Bridge Community Church. Sign up to attend, its free

Standing Strong Northern England Tickets, Sat 4 Nov 2023 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

Sunday 26^th November ‘ An evening hosted by Cruciform, to explore together what it means to follow Jesus in a world of climate breakdown. The event will include prayer, discussion and a talk by Rev John Swales. St James Church Horsforth, 6.30-8pm. All welcome

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcomeit.” (John 1:5)

In Christ

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

All change… clocks back an hour

October 28, 2023 by John Sherbourne

Don’t forget that in the wee small hours of Sunday 29th October we should all put our clocks back by one hour.

John Wilson drops in to Beacon

October 24, 2023October 23, 2023 by John Sherbourne

Keeping up with old friends and sharing news is something Moortown Baptist Church has always enjoyed doing, and for a couple of hours Monday morning’s Beacon Cafe proved no exception.

Visiting us from Paris was Baptist Missionary Society’s John Wilson, MBC’s first Youth Pastor, the son of David and Robina Wilson who took up the job here way back in 1981. Having left his wife Sue in the south John was busy scurrying around the rest of the country doing I suspect the same at every stop.

The visit to Beacon proved excellent as unfortunately although we couldn’t secure a Sunday slot as John himself commented a chat over coffee and cake proves equally rewarding.

As John headed off to lunch with Roger and Christine Robson and our Minister Shelley it was great to be able to wish him, Sue and the rest of the Wilson family well.

When there are no words…. tickets available now

October 28, 2023October 23, 2023 by John Sherbourne

What is it?

Everyone is touched by grief at some point in their lives, but as a culture, we often find it difficult to express. In light of the loss of his Dad, Melvin Tinker, Michael has written a collection of songs that takes an honest look at the heartbreak of loss but also traces the rays of hope we see through Jesus. Performing the songs alongside artwork and readings, Michael will take us on a very personal journey, yet one shared by us all. A special evening for those of faith or no faith at all.

This is what one church said about the show:
‘An engaging and moving evening of live music. Highly professional, very impressive, and much enjoyed. The first thing someone said was ‘Can we book them again for next year’. I felt the same. Michael’s songs encourage and strengthen the faith while engaging the hearts of those who have yet to turn to Christ. Many were moved and profoundly thankful for his ministry.’ (St Mary’s Wollaton, Nottingham)

And another:
‘We weren’t sure what to expect with this event, we loved the idea, but songs on the theme of grief, sounded tough as well as helpful! But persist we did, and what followed was an evening richly knit together with sensitivity, deep theology and hope. I came away from the evening with words of appreciation from across our church family. Strongly recommended.’ (Grace Church, Ryde)

This is a short video of Michael explaining it https://vimeo.com/768167360

When is it? 9th November 2023 at 7.30pm (doors open at 7.00) – running time approx. 60 minutes

Who is it for? This event is not suitable for anyone under the age of 10, and there will be no crèche facilities available. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets are available now from Lesley in the Admin Office during her usual working hours or if you make a late call just turn up on the night.

Table Top Sale – to help a Women’s Development Centre in Sri Lanka

October 28, 2023October 22, 2023 by John Sherbourne

One of our Deacons, Krystina Gadd, is a keen supporter of a Women’s Development Centre in Sri Lanka and on November 11th she is organising a Table Top Sale here at MBC.

There are only 15 tables in total and each cost £10 to hire so if you want to get some early Christmas shopping done or you want to sell some of the stuff you have been lovingly crafting over the year here’s the opportunity.

If you yourself are crafty, however and making things has been your life long ambition you can of course also buy some bits and bobs at the sale to set yourself on the road to a brand new hobby.

Please contact Krys or Lesley Murphy in the Admin Office to buy a ticket.

John & Sue Wilson… a story of blessings

October 10, 2023 by John Sherbourne

Visit of John Wilson – Beacon Café Monday 23rd October

October 10, 2023 by John Sherbourne

Our BMS Mission Partner in France, John Wilson, will be attending Beacon on October 23^rd.

John and his wife Sue have a long association with MBC and their work in France as pastors and youth leaders has proved fruitful for over 30 years.

Even if you don’t regularly attend Beacon come along on the 23^rd have a chat with John and hear something of the story of their church and the growing work of Baptist churches in France.

Table Top Sale – to help a Women’s Development Centre in Sri Lanka

October 7, 2023 by John Sherbourne

One of our Deacons, Krystina Gadd, is a keen supporter of a Women’s Development Centre in Sri Lanka and just before Christmas (November 11th) she is organising a Table Top Sale here at MBC.

Please contact Krys or Lesley Murphy in the Admin Office to either book your table or to buy a ticket.

Krys recently announced that if you would like to buy some crafter tools or donate some money to enable the team to actually buy some themselves that’s another way of supporting the effort.

Shelley – 7th October

October 7, 2023October 7, 2023 by John Sherbourne

Dear friends

Hope you don’t get put off by the length of this email and feel free to take it in small chunks. I just wanted to make sure I pass on what I know about the next few weeks.

We meet again on Sunday at 11am to continue the story in Ezra Nehemiah and we get to Chapter 7 where Ezra arrives!*

We will be live on our youtube channel, look up Moortown Baptist Church, and there will be a group for our younger friends during the talk. We’ll have a pause from Ezra next Sunday 15^th October when we welcome Mark Grant at 11am to share some of his story about being a Jew who found faith in Jesus. He’ll be looking at Abraham and Sarah and I am sure there will be links to all we are discovering in Ezra Nehemiah. Then on the 22^{nd of} October I will be sharing from the end of the Ezra story, wondering what we have discovered so far and looking forward to what that might mean.

NOTE… *The events in Ezra 7 take place years later than the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel and the Jews during the reign of King Darius of Persia in 515BC. Ezra 7 is in the reign of King Artaxerxes, when Ezra led a second wave of Jews back to Jerusalem. During the sixty year interval between Zerubbabel and Ezra, the events of the book of Esther took place in Persia…

Although I am around in the week, Sunday 8^th October is the second of two Sunday’s I am away, so I look forward to catching up with you when I am back on Monday.

Church news!

Saturday 7^th October 10-1.30pm Loss, grief, and bereavement course in the church building led by Care for the family www.careforthefamily.org.uk for all those who would like help to support others going through loss. Includes lunch. This is a pre booked course for MBC, supported by the Deacons. It would be great to pray for all those involved tomorrow. There will be an optional follow up session for 30/45 minutes for any who come on the course, led by myself, to share what you have felt, thought at 12.45 on Sunday 15^th October in the music room.

Sunday 8^th October, Rock Solid for youth at 7-8pm in the building. This week we start a second group for our older youth at the same time as the younger group. Please pray for our young people and their leaders on a Sunday night and if you want to find out how you can be involved chat to me, Val, Martyn, Nathan or Adam.

Monday 9^th October is Beacon café at 10am until 12 in the building

Tuesday 10^th October 10-11.30 Stepping Stones for under 5’s and their carers. If you would like to help with this group on any of the Tuesday this term then can you let me or Diane Sunter know as we’d love to hear from you.

Tuesday 10^th October Deacons meeting with Shelley in the building at 7.30pm

Wednesday 11^th October – lunch club for all involved – see Rachel Beedle

Wednesday 11^th October House group at 7.30 in the building and on zoom

Thursday 12^th October 2-4pm drop in welcome space/craft group in the building. We had quite a few new people last week from our local community, including more men so if you wanted to pop along to chat to people or find out more about what is going on then chat with Karen or myself.

Thursday 12^th October at 7-9pm bible in a year in the building

Friday 13^th October 10am house group in the building

Friday 13^th October – house group in Adel – see Jonathan/Hilary Darling or Helen/Steve Olyjnyk

Sunday 15^th October – service in church and online with activities for our younger friends.

Sunday 15^th October – Rock Solid 7-8pm

Sunday 22nd^th October Service at 11am and online looking at the end of the Ezra story and what it might have meant then, now and in the future.

Monday October 23^rd Beacon café at 10am until 12 in the building. John Wilson from BMS is coming into Beacon to chat informally and then after the usual prayers at midday there will be the opportunity for those who want to hear a short update/presentation about John and Sue’s work in Paris.

Looking ahead…

Wednesday 25^th October Wednesday Worship at 1.30 (arrive at 1pm if you fancy a drink first) and the theme is ‘Our Stories of God’s Goodness’. See Rachel Beedle for more details.

Thursday 9^th November we’ll be hosting a musical evening with Michael Tinker and friends at 7,30pm (doors open at 7pm). Click on the link here About the Live Show on Vimeo. Michael will be focusing on hope and grief in this creative musical evening designed to give a space to think about loss and grief as a journey and what might hope look like in this…through live original songs, music and video. For those with faith or none. Do come along and bring others. Tickets are now available online at this link here…It will last about an hour.Moortown Baptist Church event tickets from TicketSource. Paper tickets are available from Lesley in the office from Monday 9^th October 9-4pm (Mon, tue) and 9-1pm (wed) £10 each.There are more details here on our website…When there are no words…. – Moortown Baptist Church

On the 11^th November we are holding a table top sale.. see link below (and talk to Krys Gadd if you have any questions)

Table Top Sale – to help a Women’s Development Centre in Sri Lanka – Moortown Baptist Church

Finally, I wanted to let you know that Andy Kind, Christian ‘Promedian’ (Preacher and Comedian) is doing an online zoom course about preaching.

“If you are a preacher (or would like to be) and you’d be interested in gleaning some hints and tips on communicating your message, get in touch”

Have a look at his website www.andykind.co.uk and if you want to chat or pray about it do get in touch. These courses get booked up really quickly. You can contact Andy on his website. The next course is on Monday nights on zoom, 13^th, 20^th and 27^th November from 7.45-9.00pm.

“A voice cries : In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3)

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

Shelley – 1st October 2023

October 1, 2023 by John Sherbourne

Dear friends

We continue with our journey though Ezra Nehemiah today at café church starting at 11am in the building and online. We’ll be hearing from Karen and Robert through the service and Claire is leading our worship.

Next week we have all the usual things going on in and around MBC.

Sunday 1^st October, Rock Solid for younger youth at 7-8pm in the building.

Monday 2^nd October is Beacon café at 10am until 12 in the building

Tuesday 3^rd October 10-11.30 Stepping Stones for under 5’s and their carers. If you would like to help with this group on any of the Tuesday this term then can you let me or Diane Sunter know as we’d love to hear from you.

Wednesday 4^th October – lunch group for all involved – see Rachel Beedle

Wednesday 4^th October House group at 7.30 in the building

Thursday 5^th October 2-4pm drop in welcome space/craft group in the building

Thursday 5^th October at 7-9pm bible in a year

Friday 6^th October 10am house group in the building

Friday 6^th October – house group in Adel – see Jonathan/Hilary Darling or Helen/Steve Olyjnyk

On Saturday Saturday 7^th October 10-1.30pm in the church building and led by Care for the family www.careforthefamily.org.uk we have Loss, grief, and bereavement course for all those who would like help to support others going through loss. Includes lunch. This is a pre booked course for MBC, supported by the Deacons. If you have any questions and you are booked to go on the course do talk to Jane Coates or Shelley Dring this week. There will be an optional follow up session for any who come on the course, with myself to share what you have discovered, felt, thoughts. Date to be decided.

Sunday 8^th October – service in church looking at the end of the book of Ezra, starting at 11a., with activities for our younger friends.

Sunday 8^th October – Rock Solid 7-8pm

Sunday 15^th October –in the service at 11am we welcome Mark Grant in church, sharing a message and also something of his story of coming to the Christian faith as a Jew

Monday October 23^rd – visit from John Wilson from BMS, more details to come.

Just a reminder that on Thursday 9^th November we’ll be hosting a musical evening with Michael Tinker and friends. Click on the link here About the Live Show on Vimeo. Michael will be focusing on hope and grief in this creative musical evening designed to give a space for all ages to think about loss but also recognise the hope of Jesus through hearing original songs, music and video. Its designed for Christians and also for those who don’t profess to have faith so do come along and bring others. Tickets are now available online at this link here (please click on it below)

Moortown Baptist Church event tickets from TicketSource.

There will also be paper tickets available from Lesley in the office from Monday 9^th October. £10 each.

There are more details here on our website…

When there are no words…. – Moortown Baptist Church

On the 11^th November we are holding a table top sale.. see link below (and talk to Krys Gadd if you have any questions)

Table Top Sale – to help a Women’s Development Centre in Sri Lanka – Moortown Baptist Church

Thanks to those who helped to take the food to the foodbank last week following our harvest week! The food bank said they were running really low so thank you so much! Thanks Geoff for taking all the Caring for Life money too. Updates on amounts soon!

See you soon

Shelley

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