Login

Avatar photoJohn Sherbourne

MBC’s Plant Sale raises £1,300 . On behalf of the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store may we say a big thank you to all who came.

by

Once more takings from MBC’s Plant Sale have crashed through the thousand pound mark which means that in these difficult times this year’s beneficiary, the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store, is in line to receive a much needed donation of give or take £1,300.

Many thanks to everyone who donated both plants and cakes and of course many thanks to you; the people who came to support us. 

We’ll update you on a final total just as soon as we can. That all depends on how many of the surplus plants we manage to sell tomorrow. However, once again this hardy annual proves beyond doubt that the link that has existed since 1986 between L&MFS and MBC is as strong as ever. 

Special thanks to Jenny Dixon and her team who never cease to amaze us with their planning and their expertise. 

To find out more about the work of the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store please click here to visit their website.

 

Shelley – 21 April

by

Dear friends

It’s been great to be back with you over the last week or so.  Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers for our time off and the Paris marathon.  I did think of you all as I went into the last section of the marathon through the woods!  Also, when I saw the cheering, I was reminded again of the verse from Hebrews 12:1

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”  There is a focus and a commitment here to keep going, in times of difficulty and joy on the way and the promise of joy to come.. as the verse goes on to say.. “for the joy set before Him”, one step, then another step.  Of course, Jesus was going to the cross, but it’s a reminder of the place of joy.  It suggests that there will be times on the way when we may have to adjust our pace, reassess whether we are carrying things that we don’t need.  At 9km I threw my family in the crowd an awkward shaped bottle of juice I thought I needed at the start as it was just an extra thing I didn’t want to carry, worse still the sloshing of the juice just kept making me think I needed the toilet!  Maybe I needed it to start with but I definitely didn’t need it as I ran on.  There are things in our lives too that we carry for a time, maybe they give us confidence, help us to feel safer, maybe everyone else is carrying it so we think we need it in our race as well? Regular moments to check what we are carrying and our running direction are needed on our life journey so we can reassess too.  What am I carrying that I don’t need anymore? Is there anything that I have got used to carrying that God is asking me to do something about because it’s affecting my run negatively? Maybe God will bring some of this to mind for us as the 44th London Marathon takes place tomorrow…

 

Tomorrow we meet at 11am for a service with communion and a separate group for our younger friends during part of the service.  We will be online on youtube too on the channel @moortownbaptistchurch. We’ll be continuing a theme of Resurrection.. what did Jesus do post resurrection?  What does his journey post resurrection tell us nowadays? Tomorrow we will look at Luke 24:13-35.  Its something we’ll be exploring over the next few weeks.

 

Dates for this week and beyond…

Sunday 21st April – 11am service

Sunday 21st April – 7-8pm rock solid youth group (see Val Boyd, Martyn Grey, Adam Argyle or Nathan Dring for more info)

Monday 22nd April – Beacon warm welcome café 10-12 midday

Tuesday 23rd April – Stepping stones for under 5’s and parents and carers 10-11.30

Tuesday 23rd April – housegroup in church in afternoon.

Tuesday 23rd April – Deacons meeting 7.30pm – 9.30pm in church

Wednesday 24th April – lunchgroup – see Rachel Beadle for more information

Wednesday 24th April – housegroup in church and online at 7.30pm (see Ruth/Andy Berry)                                                                                                                

Thursday 25th April – Warm welcome craft group in church 2-4pm (See Karen Ross/Diane Argyle)

Friday 26th April – Bible study at 10am.  Please see Shelley Dring or Robert/Carol Owen for more information.

Sunday 28th April – 11am service in church and online with a group for our younger friends

 

Local elections will be using one of the rooms in church all day and evening on the 2nd May.  Do ask Lesley Murphy of you have any questions.  All groups should be going ahead as planned even though the room may be slightly different!

 

Sunday 5th May – café church 11-12midday

 

Saturday 18th May – 1-3pm plant sale in church (See Jenny Dixon for information).  Any cuttings or plants that can be donated then do let Jenny know.   There’ll be tea, coffee and cake on the day.  Do come along and tell your friends!

 

What a joy it was to be part of the baptisms at Moortown on Easter Sunday!  We have some more baptisms planned from our community at MBC on 9th June so if you would be interested in being baptised on this day or another then do have a chat with me. 

 

Thank you to those who helped with the funeral and thanksgiving of Barbara Dews after Easter,  Do continue to pray for Howard, his family and all those who grieve the loss of a loved one.

 

Thank you to all those who continue to pray for our community, our city and our wider world. 

 

And something to ponder… (click on the link below)

 

All the Prophets Were Artists: A Free Extract from “Reframing the Prophetic” – 24-7 Prayer International

 

See you tomorrow

In Christ

 

Shelley

 

 

 

Update from Romania

by


MBC’s links with Romania go back 33 years to Easter 1991 when following the fall of communism six people travelled overland with aid to some churches there. Over the years many people from MBC have visited Romania and been blessed by fellowship with the Christians there and a number of people from the Romanian churches there have visited us in Leeds. More recently Florin Fodor and family visited us in summer 2022 and Rod Russell was in Romania in earlier this year.

God is at work in Romania. The churches there are very dedicated to sharing the Gospel and over the years the churches have seen considerable growth. We are pleased to have been able to be part of this by sharing in the mission of the churches there. In April last year we provided financial support for the projects listed below and we will be sending further support shortly. Our friends in Romania extend their thanks to all who have made this possible. Further donations can be made via Howard Dews from the Romania Group, Geoff Fennell as church treasurer or in a marked envelope in the church collections.

Manastur Baptist Church is a large church in the major city of Cluj-Napoca in northern Romania. We provide help for the youth work including enabling young people from poorer families to attend summer camps and we supplement the support provided by the Manastur church to people in need.

We also contribute to a bursary scheme for Christian students from poor families in more remote parts of Romania who are studying in Cluj.

We also support an outreach from Manastur Church to a very deprived gypsy community which exists separately to the other communities around it and the practical needs that enable this church to function. Florin Fodor is a deacon at Manastur Church and is in full time Christian work for Campus Crusade. A recent initiative has been to establish a network of Christian teachers.

Another church in Cluj which we have links with is called VIA (The Way) and was formed by people from Manastur church. Although they do not need our material support, firm friendships have been established with a number of families there. They keep in regular contact and pray for us often.

They too have visited Leeds and stayed with members of MBC and we hope to continue these links. When visiting Cluj anyone from MBC would be welcomed and hosted by our friends at these churches.

We also have links with two Hungarian speaking churches in Romania. The village church in Cserefalva serves a very rural community. Zsuzsi and Andor Ferko are both pastors at the Hungarian Reformed Church in the provincial town of Udvarhely. We have provided support for young people’s work and for people in need. We are hoping that Andor, Zsuszi and their worship band will be coming to visit us in the near future and to play for us at MBC.

Our links with Romania took a new and unexpected turn with the wave of refugees from Ukraine.

With our help Manastur Church was able to provide support for people en route to western Europe (as did VIA church). Manastur Church still has nine Ukrainian families as part of their congregation and has taken aid into Ukraine.

Thank you notes from students at Manastur Church:

Peace of the Lord Jesus! My name is Ana-Maria, I am 20 years old and I am involved in the work with the youth of the church and I am passionate about confessing Jesus to other people. Thank you for your gift and God bless you!

My name is Samuel DELPHIN, I’m from Haiti, and I’m 28 years old. I am in my 2nd year of study for my master’s degree in ecological agriculture at USAMV Cluj-Napoca. Since I arrived in Romania, the Lord has prepared for me a church where I can grow in His Word and where I feel well received. So from 2022 I became a member of the 1 st Baptist Church in Manastur and I try to get involved as much as possible in the Lord’s work to glorify Him for everything He has done in my life.

I would like to express my gratitude to you for the way you have thought of the young people of the Church through this scholarship. Thank you very much for this generous financial support which is crucial for me and which helped me understand how well the Lord takes care of me and never fails to respond to my needs. I Know that the word thank you will never be enough to express my gratitude to you! May the Lord bless you abundantly and accompany you in all that you do.
Thank you very much!
Samuel

Hello, my name is Sebastian, I’m from Baia Mare, I’m a student at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, in physiotherapy, in the 2nd year of my bachelor’s degree, since I was little I liked things about God but I started to study seriously in the first year college and I decided to come to the Baptist Church Mănăsturi No. 1 . I wanted to thank you very much for the financial support you gave me that I will use in my spiritual growth.

17th March – communion and bring and share lunch

by

Just a reminder that tomorrow we meet at 11am for worship together and communion.  There will be a group for our younger friends during the service.  After the service we will have our bring and share lunch, a time to relax a bit together over food and drink. If you are bringing things, then we’d be grateful if it was pretty much ready to serve rather than needing lots of prep in the kitchen.  We have helpers in the entrance hall at the beginning of the service to take any food that needs to go into a fridge.

We look forward to seeing you

Rock solid meet in the evening for youth at 7-8pm

Our weekly activities continue as usual so it will be great to see you then

I will send an updated email tomorrow evening with all the information on for the next few weeks including Easter but just a reminder that we have a 10.30am short Easter service on good Friday, there’s a walk in the afternoon and we have an Easter Celebration with baptisms on Easter Sunday starting at 11am

In Christ

Shelley

Build up to Easter…

by

Today we welcome Andy Kind to lead a workshop on delivering a message and preaching.  It’s great to welcome those who are currently in the music room leaning in for the day.. thanks for giving your time to be open to God and learn. 

Tomorrow we meet at 11am for our service and there will be a group for our younger friends on the same theme.  We’ll be following on from last week with Matthew 14 vs 22-36

Rock Solid for youth meet 7-8pm in the church building in the evening.

Next Sunday our 11am service (with communion) will be followed by a bring and share lunch, time to just be, eat and relax together. If you bring something to share, please make sure it is prepared before you get here as there won’t be space to make things up in the kitchen.  If things need to go in the fridge, we’ll get as much as we can in there.  As we talk about God providing food in the wilderness it’s good to be able to thank God for all he gives and trust Him with what comes in.   All welcome!

Some other things to let you know about…

I want to let you know that the funeral of Judith Murray, who attended MBC for about 35 years and did the Cubs for about 25 years will be on Thursday 14th March @ 10.00 at St Matthew’s Church.   In her later years she attended St Matthew’s church so they will be hosting the funeral.  Her husband and daughter invite all those who knew her to go along.  Do pray for her family and friends as we thank God for her life on this earth and trust her to Jesus.

You may also be interested in this event in Leeds on 14th March.. click the link here.. Leeds Lives: Celebrating the Lives of Black People in Leeds Tickets, Thu 14 Mar 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite at New Testament Church of God Leeds, 3 Easterly Road Roundhay LS8 2TN at 7pm

Monday 11th March 10-12midday beacon warm welcome space

Tuesday 12th March 10 – 11.30pm  under 5’s group for children and their parents and carers

Tuesday afternoon – housegroup in the building

Wednesday 13th March – lunchclub for those booked in and the volunteer team (see Rachel Beedle or Lesley for more information)

Wednesday 13th March 7.30pm evening housegroup in church

Thursday  14th March Warm welcome space craft group 2-4pm

Thursday 14th March bible study on Daniel – see Gareth Gadd, at 7pm in the church building.

Friday 15th March – 10am bible study with Carol and Robert Owen, please see them or myself if you are interested

Wednesday 20th March – Easter Wednesday worship with communion at 1.30pm

Tuesday 26th March – 7.30pm Church meeting with updates, prayer and election of deacons

Friday 29th March – Good Friday worship and activities in the morning.. time tba, probably between 10 and 10.30am

Afternoon of Good Friday… Krys Gadd has organised a walk..

Meeting Point: White Wells Car Park, Ilkley https://maps.app.goo.gl/gW4wfiJfv7TmmWJB8

Time of Meeting: 2pm

Length of walk: 1.5 hours in total (maximum)

“I would love to share this wonderful view with you on Good Friday. It is just a stones throw from where we live and it’s where I walk probably 2 or 3 times a week. From the car park is the steepest part of the walk, for around 10 minutes and after that it levels off for a while. The inclines are not too steep and the path is a gravel one with very few muddy bits. I would recommend walking boots or sturdy trainers if you have them, just for your comfort. 

The view at the top (near the Swastika stone) is amazing. You can see out to the Dales on a clear day. When we get there I would love it if we could pause, pray and read out a scripture. You can walk further along the top after that or simply come back down the way we came. I would suggest bringing a warm drink and a snack as well as suitable outerwear as it can be a little windy at the top!

If you would like to come and can offer a lift to someone then please add your name to the sign up sheet I will bring to the church over the next few weeks. If you would like to come and need a lift then also please add your name to the sign up sheet with details of where you live.  Or send a message to Lesley in the office and she will pass it on.  You can of course just turn up and walk with us at 2pm without signing up. Praying for sunshine and clear views.” Krys Gadd.

Sunday 31st March – Easter Sunday 11am all together worship with Easter egg Hunt and baptisms

If you would like to talk about baptism then do get in touch with me or contact to Lesley to pass on a message and I’ll get back to you.

Thanks to those getting back about welcome team and the creche, we’ll be in touch this week.  Deacons statements will also go out next week.  Thank you for your prayers and discernment.

Shelley

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

Saturday 9th March – Andy Kind “live” at Moortown

by

Andy Kind… 

If you have a spare minute take time out to google the guy above. It’s a direct link to a brilliant comedian who is with us tomorrow, 

Andy Kind describes himself as a  Promedium  (Preacher + Comedian) and he will be here tomorrow between 10am and 4pm to lead a workshop for anyone interested in putting together a message – talk. 

It sounds like a long day so all you need to bring with you is some lunch, a notebook and a pen. 

See you there. You can follow Andy on facebook, X or Instagram 

Shelley – 3rd March

by

As I left the church building the other day, I noticed how bumpy the road currently is due to resurfacing work to improve the roundabout.  The roundabout is closed between 9 and 2.30pm on weekdays for another week after today but when it’s done, the road should be a lot smoother and the potholes will have gone. On Tuesday night at the church meeting, I mentioned that the picture of the resurfacing plans had stuck in my mind and reminded me of the Israelites in the wilderness. In Deuteronomy  2:3 God says to them, you have gone round in circles long enough; turn northward.  The Israelites could have made the journey they were on in 11 days but it took them much longer for all sorts of reasons.  However sometimes the road is rough and the path not clear and there are potholes.  I shared that I felt God say not to just fill in the potholes but engage with a full resurfacing of the road.  It means for a time the road is bumpier and messier and it takes longer to make journeys, the regular exits and entrances may alter so people’s directions may change for a time, but in the long run, the road will be better, not just for those who journey on it now but also in the future.  Lets keep praying for God to show what He wants us to be and do.  Tomorrow the road is open, but you may feel the bumps.

Its café church at 11am tomorrow so hot drinks and pastries and fruit are available as you come in.  We look forward to continuing our lent series on Increase and Decrease in the wilderness…as we look at Matthew 14:13-21 with all ages together.

Rock Solid groups are on in the evening for youth 7-8pm.  Do ask Martyn, Val, Adam, Nathan or myself if you want more information on attending or helping.

On the 9th March, Andy Kind (click on this link if you want to find out more)  Andy Kind – Promedian (Preacher + Comedian… if you had to ask) will be coming to lead a workshop for those interested in how to put a message/talk together.  Its 10-4pm in the building and its kindly being paid for by church, we just ask that you bring some lunch.  If you want to book on please email admin@moortown.baptist.church.org.uk or call church on (0113) 2693750.  For more information speak to Nathan or Shelley.

On Easter Sunday we are opening up the baptism pool for Easter baptisms.  If you have been thinking about this or you want to talk about it then do get in touch with me for a chat and we’ll be pleased to journey with you.   

Next Sunday we meet again at 11am in church and there will be a small group during the talk for children to explore the theme.  We’ll be looking at Matthew 14:22-36.

Other things going on over the next few weeks…

Monday 4th March 10-12midday beacon warm welcome space

Tuesday 5th March 10 – 11.30pm  under 5’s group for children and their parents and carers

Tuesday afternoon – housegroup in the building

Wednesday 6th March – lunchclub for those booked in and the volunteer team (see Rachel Beedle or Lesley for more information)

Wednesday 6th March 7.30pm evening housegroup in church

Thursday  7th March Warm welcome space craft group 2-4pm

Thursday 7th March bible study on Daniel – see Gareth Gadd, at 7pm in the church building.

Friday 8th March – 10am bible study with Carol and Robert Owen, please see them or myself if you are interested

Saturday 9th March – Workshop 10-4pm with Andy Kind in church

Sunday 10th March – Sunday church looking at Matthew 14: 22-36 with small group looking at the theme in a creative way for our younger friends

Sunday 10th March – 7-8pm Rock Solid for youth, two groups meet in the building at the same time, see Val Boyd, Adam Argyle, Nathan Dring or Martyn Grey

Sunday 17th March – we are having a bring and share lunch after the service so feel free to bring something to share.  Please make sure it is prepared as there won’t be space to make things up in the kitchen.  If things need to go in the fridge we’ll get as much as we can in there.  It will be an opportunity to just get together, share and be during this lent season.  As we talk about God providing food in the wilderness its good to be able to thank God for all he gives and trust Him with what comes in!

Wednesday 20th March – Easter Wednesday worship with communion at 1.30pm

Tuesday 26th March – 7.30pm Church meeting with updates, prayer and election of deacons

Friday 29th March – Good Friday worship and activities in the morning.. times tba.. there may be a walk in the afternoon.

Sunday 31st March – Easter Sunday 11am all together worship with Easter egg Hunt and baptisms

In Christ

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Shelley – 25 Feb

by

We come together again tomorrow at 11am in the building and online on our youtube channel.  We’ll be continuing our theme of Decrease and Increase that we began last week for lent, based on the words of John the Baptist “I must decrease, he must increase”  John 3:30-31 as we carry on with looking at Jesus and John.  There will be a group for our younger friends during the talk. We now have a rolling ‘slideshow’ on the screen starting 10 minutes before we start our worship so do look out for it.

Rock Solid youth groups start again 7-8pm in the building on Sunday evening.

Today sadly marks 2 years of Russia’s war on Ukraine.  We pray for all those in conflict and for peacemakers.  24/7 prayer have released a guide to pray if you are struggling that maybe useful  Pray for Peace and an End to War – 24-7 Prayer International. Or you may want to simply write a word, a colour, light a candle, draw a picture, make a collage, move, walk.  Ephesians 6:18 says ‘Pray in the spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition’. I often don’t know what to do but I must do something.  We continue to pray for the people in Gaza and for Israel and the surrounding areas too, for Lebanon, and all places where there is war. 

Tuesday is our church meeting at 7.30pm in the church building.  The agenda has already gone out.  Just to clarify this is NOT the meeting where we will vote on new deacons but there will be some updates. There will be a zoom link sent out for those who cannot attend in person. The church meeting after that IS Tuesday 26th March, this will be the meeting where we DO vote.  If you have any questions please do talk to any of your deacons or to myself.

On a local level, we have also just found out that some resurfacing is being done on the roundabout outside Moortown Baptist Church and some surrounding roads.  I am now in touch with the local councillor.  I will update you tomorrow on email with the latest but all our activities will go ahead as usual.  

Some further dates..

Monday 26th February 10-12midday beacon warm welcome space

Tuesday 27th February 10 – 11.30pm  under 5’s group for children and their parents and carers

Tuesday afternoon – housegroup in the building

Tuesday evening 7.30pm church meeting

Wednesday 28th February  – lunchclub for those booked in and the volunteer team (see Rachel Beedle or Lesley for more information)

Wednesday evening housegroup in church is postponed this week

Thursday  29th February Warm welcome space craft group 2-4pm

Thursday 29th February – bible study on Daniel – see Gareth Gadd, at 7pm in the church building

Friday 1st March, bible study with Carol and Robert Owen, please see them or myself if you are interested

Sunday 3rd March – café church for all with drinks and breakfast pastries and fruit, continuing our theme… looking at Matthew 14:13-21

Sunday 3rd March – 7-8pm Rock Solid for youth, two groups meet in the building at the same time, see Val Boyd, Adam Argyle, Nathan Dring or Martyn Grey

Sunday 10th March – service in the building and online with a group for our younger friends, continuing our theme…

Wednesday 20th March – Easter Wednesday worship with communion at 1.30pm

In Christ

Shelley

Subscribe to the MBC Newsletter

Weekly news and stories about everything that is happening at Moortown Baptist Church

PHP Code Snippets Powered By : XYZScripts.com