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Shelley’s news for week commencing March 1st

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Dear friends

Last Sunday we started to look at who God is in the book of John.  We see some of this in the miracles, or as John called them, ‘signs’.  We will be exploring some of these over the next few weeks as we journey towards Easter.  The signs are not merely about power but about God’s identity.  What do the signs and the circumstances around them tell us about Jesus and what does that say about our identity too?  How can that speak into our lives and our world today?  Last week we looked at Jesus turning water into wine and this week we look at the raising of Lazarus as Jesus brought him back to life.  It’s a reminder of what John says right at the end of his gospel..

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples…But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)

We start at 11am for all age café church with pastries, fruit and drinks.  There will be things for our younger friends to join in with.

We also welcome artists Rev David Hawkins and Pippa Hale who are leading on an arts project called Blanket in collaboration with Leeds Art Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and St George’s Crypt.  It’s described as a ‘bold compassionate sculpture sending a message of hope in a fractured world.’ 

After church will be the women self defence class starting at 1.30pm to 4.30pm in partnership with our local community and Blossom self-defence.  More info about what they do here Instagram

In the evening Rock Solid youth groups meet in church building. All youth welcome! Talk to Martyn, Ruth, Val, Nathan 7-8pm

Monday 2nd March 10-12 Beacon warm welcome café for all.  Food pantry available.  A reminder that a police community support officer is often present to listen to any concerns you may have, offering support, advice and crime prevention information.

Tuesday 3rd March Stepping Stones for under-fives and their parents and carers.

Tuesday 3rd March in the afternoon, house group in church.  See Howard D or Lesley for more information.

Tuesday 3rd March Mission Group meet at 2.45-4pm in the church building.  Do get in touch with Phil C or myself for more information.

Wednesday 4th March Lunch Club for those booked on and the volunteer team.  Talk to Rachel B for more information.  This week Rachel also welcomes members of the Yorkshire air ambulance team to share.

Wednesday 4th March PACT meeting open to all.  PACT stands for Policing and Communities together and its a chance to hear about and feed into crime prevention and what’s happening in the ward. Come to the music room.

Wednesday 4th March House Group in the Music Room at 7.30pm carrying on with Zechariah.  Speak to Andy or Ruth or Shelley/Lesley for more information.

Thursday 5th March Craft group warm welcome space.  All welcome to come along and chat or to make something or learn a new skill. 

Thursday 5th March Bible Study in the Music Room 7.00pm – 9.00pm Speak to Gareth, John C or Lesley

Friday 6th March Bible Study in the Music Room 10.00 – 11.00am exploring Ephesians. Speak to Shelley for more information.

Friday 6th March Parkinson’s Exercise Class in the church building 6.30 – 7.30pm Speak to Phil Commons or Lesley for more information

Friday 6th March House group at 8pm in Adel. See Jonathan, Hilary, Steve or Helen.

The ‘Create your own psalm group’ met last Wednesday in the music room at 7pm.  They meet again on the last Wednesday of the month on March 25th and all are welcome, materials provided, come and have a go in a relaxing space.  You will be guided with ideas and then have freedom to explore.  No experience needed. Speak to Krys or Cas.

Every Sunday a small group meet together to pray for Sunday morning and all that is involved.  They meet about 10.40 in the music room. It includes the musicians and often those who pray or lead but it is open to anyone who would like to support in prayer.

If you would like to know more about any of the groups, getting involved, giving resource/money to support the work at MBC and in its community, about membership or baptisms then do get in touch with myself, a deacon or Lesley, who will pass on a message and arrange a time to get together. 

Around the city…

North Church are hosting ‘Care for the Family’ on Wednesday 18th March called ‘Tweens and Teens: what every parent needs to know’ Book a ticket at the link here Tweens and Teens: What every parent needs to know – Leeds Tickets, Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite

There will be a Day of Prayer for the City of Leeds on Saturday 21st March with provisional times being between 9:30am and 6pm. This will be hosted by/held at Bridge Community Church. More information coming soon.

Looking ahead…

Thanks to everyone who came to the church meeting in the room or on zoom.  The minutes will be out shortly.  We made some important decisions regarding the future in terms of budgets as well as hearing and sharing some encouraging and informative updates from other areas of the church.  The minutes will be out shortly.  We keep thanking God for his faithfulness and look for His continued guidance.    

Sunday 8th March at 11am service with a Sunday school to explore the main theme creatively, we continue to explore God in John: Healing by the Pool (John 5:1-15)

Sunday 15th March at 11am service with a Sunday school to explore the main theme creatively, we continue to explore God in John: Feeding the five thousand.  We’ll also share communion together.  All welcome.

Please put the date of 28th March in your diary for now as we look to offer a creative workshop as we begin Holy week.

We’ll be having a service on the morning of Good Friday and then at 2.30pm we’ll be joining with other local churches on Alwoodley Green for a short service to share worship and readings. More information to come.  Some other ideas for holy week are being explored as we speak so I we’ll be able to firm this up by next week.  On Easter Sunday we will come together for all-age Easter café church starting at 11am.  After Easter we will be welcoming some of the leaders of the churches in Romania who have relationship with us here in Moortown and hearing some of their stories.

On Sunday 19th April we welcome Helen Harris, Director of Fundraising and Communications for the Baptist Missionary Society to share stories of God at work worldwide, in our service.

Do check out the website for all the latest news and stories.

In Christ

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

LMFS adds another string to its bow

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When say a loved one moves into a care home, or sadly dies and it falls upon you to clear their home you may find yourself not knowing which way to turn.

To keep things simple, can we suggest that if you do ever find yourself in that situation you contact the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store, a registered charity with forty years experience of fighting furniture poverty. 

That’s because the way LMFS operate is when someone asks for their help they send out not just one van but two; one to bring anything that their clients might be in need of back to the Store’s Seacroft hub – the other van to take away and responsibly dispose of the rest.

As you can see on the image above this isn’t a completely free service, no even the most well meaning charity has to cover its costs. But what this new initiative does provide is a). a value for money job that not only relieves you of a problem but b). allows the Store to keep up with the never ending demand for the everyday things so many of us take for granted, things such as tables, chairs, wardrobes and beds.

You can contact LMFS by filling in a donations form on their website www.leedsandmoortown.org.uk by emailing info@leedsandmoortown.org.uk or by phone by calling 0113 2739727

 

Cafe Church, Sunday March 1st. Meet the artists behind a very different urban sculpture that is simply called Blanket

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This coming Sunday, that’s March the 1st we welcome to Moortown artists Rev David Hawkins and Pippa Hale. David and Pippa are leading on an arts project called Blanket in collaboration with Leeds Art Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and St George’s Crypt. It’s described as a ‘bold compassionate sculpture sending a message of hope in a fractured world.’  

Here’s what St George’s Crypt say about it.

Designed for a central city spot, it shows a colourful knitted blanket draped over a bench, as if someone has just stood up. It offers a place to sit, reflect, and feel its symbolic warmth. The work brings colour and meaning to the city while sharing the voices of marginalised people.

We shall of course be continuing on our theme of God in John – this week the sign of Lazarus. So with creative activities for all ages everyone is welcome. 

Who, what, where and when? A guide to all that’s happening here at MBC in 2026

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www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk 

Following Jesus and serving the community

Lasting for just over an hour our Sunday Service starts in church and on YouTube at 11am. The first Sunday of each month is Café Church and on the third Sunday we celebrate Communion.

An important part of our weekly worship is Sunday School. Here a small group of young children learn all about Jesus and the love of God.

Rounding off Sunday we have Rock Solid. Meeting between 7 & 8pm and majoring around having fun, Rock Solid regularly sets our teenagers some serious and not so serious challenges and tasks.

Monday…    Our free Warm Space Beacon Café, 10am to 12noon.

Tuesday…    Stepping Stones, a toddler group 10 to 11.30am.

Tuesday…   The first of our Housegroups, only this one is in church between 12noon and 2pm.

Wednesday… 10.30am – 2pm. Lunch Club, games, quizzes and always a hearty lunch for our seniors.

Wednesday… 7.30 to 9.30pm. Our hybrid Housegroup. With half the group meeting at church and the other half online.

Wednesday…  7.30pm – 9.30ish. Ladies Housegroup in the comfort of someone’s home.

Wednesday…  7.30 to 9pm. Country Dancing.

Thursday…      2pm to 4. Open Door Craft Group. Our second Warm Space of the week. No experience needed, Free refreshments and always lots of chat.

Thursday…      7pm to 9pm. Bible Study, in church.

Friday…           10am to 11am. A second Bible Study, again in church.

Friday…           And finally, between 8pm – 10pm, another Housegroup, again in someone’s home.

In addition to all this we also host or provide a Pastoral Team, which without overstepping the mark provides confidential support to anyone who needs it, we host a Parkinson’s Exercise Class, two Extend Exercise Classes (ideal for our older friends), Pilates, Pathways, a Christian Counselling team, Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store, PACT (Neighbourhood Policing Teams) and local councillor surgeries. In addition, and particularly at certain times of the year we host special Services such as those associated with Easter, Nativities, Christingles, Baptisms, Mission weekends etc. etc.

For more information about Moortown Baptist Church please email

 admin@moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

Moortown Baptist Church. 204 King Lane, Leeds LS17 7AA

www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

MERF – what it stands for, and what it does

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One of the projects mentioned in a recent Church Meeting was MERF. It’s name came up when we were discussing how best to allocate the MBC tithe, and in particular the small amount of ‘unallocated funds’. And it struck me that unlike some of our major beneficiaries such as BMS, Home Mission, LMFS, MAF etc. when it comes to choosing who should benefit from a small number of equally worthy causes MERF is perhaps the least know of them all.

MERF stands for the Moortown Emergency Relief Fund, a registered charity steered by three trustees: Phil Commons, Martyn Gray and Rod Russell. And MERF does exactly what it says on the tin… it sends out emergency funding, often at very short notice in response to particular health and/or housing issues. 

Currently MERF’s main area of concern is in Jhum Para, a small village in the Chitagong region of  Bangladesh where the charity’s agent is a senior staff nurse in a local hospital. 

But instead of me explaining it to you let me quote directly from a flyer I picked up recently in church, it explains far better than I can how MERF actually works.

“Many, many people particularly in Developing Nations are extremely poor but manage to ‘get by’ until an emergency happens particularly in health or housing. In some instances people may be able to obtain a loan but at extortionate interest rates which decimate their lives for years. 

MERF can provide support and transform life and also help people to help themselves. 

Because of modern technology/communication it is possible both to hear of an emergency and also provide funds for that emergency at very short notice. Emergency details/information is provided by a trusted local agent on the ground and requests for funds are considered.  With modern banking facilities it is possible to provide the funds at short notice, 24/48 hours.”

If you would like to know more about MERF, or as an individual you would like to offer your support speak with Phil, Martyn or Rod. I’m sure they would be delighted to talk with you. 

Blossom, self defence courses for women and girls

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As part of grant funding from the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund and Leeds City Council’s Inner North Community Committee, LJHA are working with Blossom Training and Development to offer free confidence and self-defence training for women and girls of all ages.

The next session will take place on Sunday 1st March from 1.30pm-4.30pm at Moortown Baptist Church.

The half-day course is a 50/50 split of theory and physical skills. By end of the course, participants will understand the world in which we live more clearly, and be a whole lot better equipped to deal with its challenges.

  • Is it fun?Absolutely
  • Is it serious?Sometimes
  • Is it physical?Only as much as you want
  • Is it empowering?We guarantee it!
  • Is it for everyone?Yes, all ages and abilities welcome!

Watch this video for more information on what to expect! https://www.instagram.com/reels/DTpqQxJjeQt/

For more information, please contact Simon Phillips at simon.phillips@ljha.co.uk or enquiries@blossom-uk.co.uk

Jean Hiley, a Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration

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Last Thursday afternoon MBC held a Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for the Life of Jean Hiley. Jean who was 99 when she passed away on January 9th was the widow of Norman who for many years worshipped and served here at Moortown as well as helping to lead MRSG – our Moortown Romania Support Group.

One particularly poignant part of the Service was when Jean’s 6 year old great grandson Tayn read what in the Order of Service was headed Reading of Jean’s Words – a response to her family’s recent request to share with them “something you want us to know about you.”

Standing on a chair, and in a loud clear voice little Tayn said this:

I praise the Lord continually for the life he has given me.

From my upbringing in a lovely home with loving parents.

For a loving husband of so many years.

For 2 good sons gone too soon.

For those I enjoy now. Grandchildren and even lovely Great Grandchildren.

My biggest hope for the future is?

Well, To get to Heaven!

News from Krys, Bela and friends in Sri Lanka

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Half way through their visit to Sri Lanka, Krys, Bela and their three friends have sent us an update on how their visit to the Women’s Development Centre in Kandy is going. 

The pictures we have received so far show lots of activity in the vocational learning centre for adults with special needs, a school for children with learning disabilities and the Centre’s weaving area. However, don’t get the impression that the trip is all work and no play; on the contrary says Krys “we’ve also had some fun” which included elephant watching, getting up close to two animals which to me look like some type of monkey and even a visit to watch the Sri Lanka cricket team lose to England.  

Above and below there are a couple of galleries showing all the pictures we’ve so far received. 

Clowning around. Lunch Club tries out a spot of juggling

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Whenever professional juggler Matthew Tiffany turns up at Lunch Club there’s never any shortage of volunteers wanting to get in on his act. 

Whether that act be juggling, plate spinning or for that matter anything else designed to mesmerize you can bet your bottom dollar that before long there’ll be no end of people – all old enough to know better – wanting to join in. 

And that’s precisely what happened at this week’s Lunch Club when Matthew paid a return visit. 

Well done Rachel for arranging this special treat. Just occasionally being able to act your shoe size rather than your age is something that I’m sure most of us would benefit from. 

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