As MBC heads into the autumn we shall continue to offer Church at Home and Family at Moortown alongside all our programmes for children, families, young people, adults and seniors outside the building. We are grateful for all who have and continue to lead these programmes.

We are reflecting on how things have been going over recent months and will be listening to individuals and groups across church in the coming weeks to learn what you value, need and want to take part in. So look out for this coming your way. In this way we will refresh all that we are doing in the coming months.

This is still our Moortown Baptist Church – it hasn’t stopped, but has been reset in many ways.

Home Groups and informal groups are a big part of this. In all, it is our aim for church to be open, accessible and vibrant as we focus on Jesus together.

In our planning we are being guided by asking what is meaningful, sustainable, safe and of course legal. We know church is being reset and is different in many ways and will continue to be so.

Now we are planning to open the church building to accompany all that is going on. As we consider the prayer, bible study, teaching and activities that we can offer we will be asking you what you want to come to into the building to do. That’s why last Sunday Margaret outlined how things will work and then Shona invited responses from you.

So MBC is focused now on what we are virtually, and in community and what we do in the building will simply be an accompaniment to this.

Our aim is to strengthen what we offer virtually (or online) with ideas for what you can do on your own or in your household and how you can connect with others in church even if you don’t come to the church building.

We know many of us are missing things like: meeting together, sharing in a church service for all, singing etc. However, things are quite different now. Church is being reset.

We also want to offer worthwhile activities in the church building that you would want to come to and help out with.

What to expect when you come to the building

When coming into the building things will be quite different as we follow advice and guidance which is constantly changing.

The first thing is to maintain 2 metre distance around each family group or household.  2 metres in our church is equivalent to 4 of our church chairs.

It will also be necessary to book in advance to come to a service, that’s why we are requesting that people book in with Kate Slater by the Thursday prior to the Sunday.  In booking in, Kate will require the names of all those attending in your family group, an email address and a telephone number. She will also need you to confirm that you are free of any Covid symptoms. We cannot accept block bookings as this will not be fair to ensure as many people as possible can attend over the weeks and booking in does not automatically mean you will have a place, again it will depend on numbers and ensuring the 2m distance is adhered to. Kate will let you know whether you will be able to attend on the Sunday or not.

When the church building does open we are requiring those who are attending to:

• Wear a face mask. A face mask must be worn by anyone over 11 years old prior to entering the church building, unless you are exempt from wearing one.
• Use the hand sanitiser provided
• Not shake hands with the welcome team, the welcomer will show you to your seats in the sanctuary
• Not to wander around the sanctuary
• If possible to have been to the toilet prior to coming to church as the main toilet on the back corridor are not in use
• Bring their own bible as the church Bibles are not available for use
• At the end of the service wait for a member of the welcome team to invite you leave through the door beside the church organ safely and at a safe distance

The services are at present will include only prayer, readings and a sermon as at present there is no congregational singing is permitted.

What we do depends upon you

Other events may be run in the building, such as space for prayer, bible study or evening family activities. These will all have limited numbers and may require advance booking too. The 7 points above have a Sunday service in mind, but there will be similar requirements of other groups or activities.

Coming back is going to be so different, we will miss some things but we are looking forward to seeing you again in the building

We want to put on meaningful things in the building, whether on a Sunday or any day in the week.

What we put on depends on hearing from you. We need to know:

What would you like to come into the building to do? What things could we put on in the building that might be of benefit to the wider community?

What part are you willing to play in what happens in the building?

Please get in touch with us by phone or email

We would love to know how you would like to take part and what you would like to come into the church to do.

moortown.baptist@btconnect.com

0113 269 3750

Please be aware that Kate Slater (our Church Administrator) works part time, so you may need to leave a phone message.

As well are these questions for everyone, you will asked questions and ideas will be shared in the group you belong to.

As church is being reset our main focus continues to be on what we put on virtually, what we put on in groups (whether for children, young people, seniors or home groups) and how we equip the Christian lives of individuals and households.

Being in the church building is not just about Sundays, but any day. What we offer in the building depends on us hearing your ideas.

When you come to the building we want you to come to something meaningful, accessible and worthwhile. We want you to feel safe when you come.

Once we have the information we will share a summary of what we have learnt and details of what is being planned.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Graham, Shona, Shelley, Carole, Kate; MBC Leadership Team and MBC Health & Safety Team

Over the Summer we jumped into Exodus and discovered how God led Moses and what we might discover about our own journeys. Our new theme ‘By faith’ continues that journey by looking at others who were picked out for their faith in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11.  In Hebrews, we are reminded that each of us has a race of life to run (Heb 12 v 1) and the faith and life of those who have gone before us is there to encourage us on our race too.  We are actively looking for God to equip us as Moortown Baptist Church along with all who tune in.

Join the journey on the Church at Home YouTube channel on a Sunday and check out the Facebook page for Moortots and Moortown Baptist church, MBC website, newsletters and Family at Moortown YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu1CPwAaahNoX3sjDXNdzbA for extra activities and news. 

Our first session of ‘By faith’ starts on Sunday 6th September and will be on Facebook live on the Moortown Baptist Facebook page with a prerecorded playlist on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoWpfG51baXnRz0Szh_VRRg

       How to get involved…

• Read the story in your bible on your own or with others safely. We’ll start with Hebrews 11 and 12 and then discover people including Abel (Gen 4), Enoch (Gen 5), Noah (Gen 6, 7, 8 and 9), Joseph (Gen 37-50), Abraham (Gen 12-21), Sarah (Gen 18), Joshua (Joshua 1-5) and Rahab (Joshua 2)
• Is there one other household you could do church at home with safely? Or watch the playlist at the same time as someone you know and share your thoughts on the phone/online afterwards or on the facebook page.
• Got a home group, someone you are connected to? Why not follow the story with them through the week?
• Go on a socially distant walk to talk, listen, chat to God about what God is able to do here ‘by faith’.
• Print this sheet out for someone who isn’t online and think of way to involve them.
• Got an idea or want to contribute something to worship/teaching/prayers etc contact Shelley on shelley.dring.mbc@btconnect.com, Graham on graham.Brownlee@moortownbaptistchurch.onmicrosoft.com, Shona on shona.shaw@moortownbaptistchurch.onmicrosoft.com or give any of us a call/message.

This week at Church at Home we have the last in the series of Moses, Moortown and me. As well as hearing about the life of Moses we’ve sung about it, made puppets, created meals, watched baby Moses in a paddling pool, seen the story painted and some of have gone ‘the ‘long way round’.

In the last part this Sunday, we focus on the life of Moses in Hebrews 11 and that he was a man of faith. To link in with this Shelley has created this map to follow so that you can go on a local trail in north Leeds, reflect on the life of Moses and discover God in the great outdoors. 

The map is available here as a pdf which you can download and there will be copies to pick up in a box outside the church from Sunday 30^th August.  The walk is approximately 40 minutes long depending on fitness and mostly flat although you might need your wellies if its been raining.

We’d love to see what you have discovered on your trail so we are encouraging you to share your drawings, pictures, discoveries with us by emailing them to mbcnewspics@gmail.com

When two of Harehills Lane Baptist Church’s congregation asked to be baptised the fact that their church building was closed could have raised all sorts of complications… step forward MBC member Rod Russell (who by chance has a hot tub in his back garden) and his near neighbour, our old friend Rev’d Andy Hobbs.

“Yes” recalls Andy, “in terms of a traditional baptism service bringing the two of us together certainly made for a  very unusual day.”

The baptism candidates were two men: Gerberen who is Dutch and married to a lovely Kenyan lady was eager to publicly renew his faith, and had been keen to be baptised for quite some time. David on the other hand has only been a Christian for a month or so so it was lovely to bring the two together, albeit in a hot tub in a neighbour’s garden.”

Andy isn’t sure if what they did last Sunday will qualify Harehills Lane Baptist Church for a place in the Guinness Book of Records but it was certainly a first for him. “It was a wonderful occasion, in fact the water was so nice none of us wanted to get out. We’re so grateful to Rod who when I first mentioned the idea jumped at the chance to help out.  After the baptism we had a lovely, socially distanced BBQ for which even the weather stayed fine.” 

Richard Thompson has been in touch telling us about New Wine 2021. Here’s what he wrote. 

We have just booked our place for New Wine next August (got to live in hope that it will take place!) All the information you need about prices and booking is here www.new-wine.org

We have booked into Week B and have listed ourselves as Moortown Baptist Church so if people do go they should state that if they want us all to be together (and not if they don’t!)

There’s also an opportunity to attend all the events but actually stay off site for which of course there is a discount.

https://youtu.be/_KzaBpHtSnY

Issue 48 of the BMS World Mission magazine ENGAGE comes complete with three supplements. There’s a daily prayer guide that runs from September to December, a Christmas catalogue displaying cards, money wallets, notelets and wrapping paper and a DVD called Operation Chad which tells the story of the workbeing done at Guinebor II hospital, the organisations “beacon of hope in the hostile Sahel desert.”

The magazine itself quite literally covers the globe with stories and features about BMS staff and supporters from as far apart as Nottingham and Nepal. 

ENGAGE is free either online or through the post. To receive it simply go to  www.bmsworlmission.org and follow the links. 

Something else that arrived this weeks was John and Sue Wilson’s summer newsletter. In it John and Sue, two of MBC’s Mission partners who run a church in Paris tell us how the reopening of their building has gone, about the progress made on their “welcome Space” and about the preparations they are making to welcome Nadine and Dorcas, two young women who between them will run the church’s women’s hostel. 

There is a taster of the newsletter above but to catch up on all their news click HERE