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21 January – an update from Shelley

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Dear friends 

Last week some of our church family made a banner showing the different names of Jesus. Each week we’ve looked at ‘epiphany’ moments, a realisation moment when something is revealed. The banner linked well with this theme as the names reveal something about Jesus. The banner will be shown in church this Sunday. My daughter was rightly questioned about the name she wanted to write on the banner, when she asked how to spell ‘baguette’. She wanted to write ‘baguette of life’. She was told that one name of Jesus is the bread of life. If you know my daughter, she hates bread, but the one bread she will eat is a French baguette. It could be silly, or could it be that she recognised Jesus as the bread that she liked, the only bread she’d eat? 

This Sunday we read from John 1:43-50 about how Philip and Nathaniel recognise Jesus. We meet at 11-12 midday in the building and online. Pray that God will reveal more of Himself to us as we journey together. 

We’ve had a number of new people over the week coming in for a cup of tea/company thanks to our warm space big sign in the car park (they said they saw it and came in) Do pray for all those who come into the building and for those who welcome them. If you don’t know much about warm spaces and you are interested in finding out or coming along, setting up a new session, helping with getting food, then do get in touch.

Other dates… 

Sunday night 7-8pm Rock solid group for young people 

Beacon cafe meets 9.30-12

Drop in craft group happens on Thursday 2-4pm (bring something or join in with something) or just have a drink/snack. This week someone came to play chess. If you can play and want to play with others come along. 

Stepping stones (toddler group) takes place on Tuesday 10-11.30. We are now at capacity so do talk to Diane Sunter, Hilary Darling or myself if you know someone who wants to come or if you can help. 

Bibles studies and House Groups continue through the week so check out the website, pick up a flyer from the entrance hall or get in touch if you want to find out when they are. 

On Thursday myself and the deacons meet to pray and plan (including budgets). There will soon be a church meeting, date to be confirmed. 

9th February ‘Space’ from 6.30pm in church. Bring your instrument and play along, sing, draw, pray, read, dance, creative worship.. drink tea. 

23rd February, new Bible study in the evening (time to be decided but probably about 7/7.30) the first of 24 sessions giving an overview of the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation and seeing what that big story means now in our lives and our world, meeting at church fortnightly with Gareth Gadd see https://moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk/learn-the-bible-in-24-hours-an-exciting-new-course-starts-here-at-mbc-in-february/ 

It’s been a busy time over the advent/Christmas period in church but I’ll be in touch after the weekend with some more updates and catch ups. If you have anything you want to chat about then do get in touch with me or a deacon or contact Lesley on (0113) 2693750 or admin@moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and she’ll let me know or sort a suitable time. 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.(Psalm 34:18) 

In Christ 

Shelley 

Christmas Appeal tops £1,200

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With the final amount now counted and the money transfered MBC’s Christmas Appeal this year reached £1,234. Which means that Martin House and Lingfield’s Living Local each received £617 .

Again many many thanks to you all for your generous donations. 

Sign in to Facebook, follow MBC and share and share a like

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I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the two monitors that we have on display in the foyer and the meeting area are once again working, and we’re delighted to confirm that very soon the images they show will be regularly updated or changed. You can see the first one above, and I defy anyone to deny that it’s eye catching.

Our aim is that from here on in we need to get our message, our vision if you like out of our building and into our community into the likes of Sainsburys, Lidl, our estates and our local schools etc. etc. And as we have been thinking about this one thing that has struck your leadership team is the small number of visits we (that’s our members) make to our own website. To be honest it’s a bit the same with Facebook with the same half dozen or so regulars liking more or less every post.  Wondering how best to reverse this trend we have decided to put far more emphasise on social media, Facebook in particular and urge anyone in church who visits the Facebook page not just to read a particular MBC post but to share, share and share alike. 

Obviously we have no way of telling if this will work but looking at the peaks we reach immediately after the publication of one of our electronic newsletters we certainly think it’s worth giving it a try. 

We know this because stats don’t lie and the information we  reep from Mailchimp (our distribution facility) shows not only the total number of subscribers we currently have but how many people actually open the newsletter and where they are living. 

So  If anyone wants any information about Facebook, about setting it up on a phone, a tablet or a laptop just have a word with John Sherbourne or with Shelley and we will do our very best to get you up, running and sharing. 

We know full well that some are still very wary of using Facebook and the like and that of course is a matter of personal choice but the way we look at it is nothing ventured – nothing gained. This way at least if it all comes to nothing we can’t be accused of refussing to engage with one of the best, free communication tools we have at our finger tips.  

Of the 2.96 billion users Facebook has (as of Nov 2022) here are just some of the religions,  traditions and institutions that you may be familiar with. Worldwide the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. The Baptist Union. More locally the Baptist Missionary Society and BMS World Mission, MAF, Caring For Life, Left Bank, the Royal Family, HM Government, Leeds City Council,  Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store, St Georges, St Gemmas, Martin House Hospice, the BBC, ITV and many other broadcasting organisations etc. etc. etc. 

Our love and best wishes to Barbara Dews – 100 not out!

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Between Christmas and the New Year Barbara Dews celebrated her 100th birthday. She thanks everyone for their good wishes and cards. 

She said that being 100 hadn’t sunk in until she received the card from King Charles and Queen Camilla and thought “I really must be 100!”.

Thanks to Howard for passing this on.  

Fresh Streams – Deeper in, further out

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At the start of the week Shelley, Rachel and Karen took three days out of their busy schedules to go the Fresh Streams Conference which this year was one again held at the Hayes Centre in Derbyshire. 

The theme was Deeper in, further out and this Sunday they will be sharing more about it when Nathan takes on the role of question master to unearth a little bit more about exactly what this chosen theme was all about.

Tomorrow, in church and on YouTube Shelley shares her Fresh Streams experience

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Dear friends

Last week it was great to see many of our groups starting again although I know some have continued over Christmas.  The Christmas decorations have been taken down, thanks to all who helped with this, and under all the glitter we realise we have a fantastic resource in our building, a building that has people in most days.  We know that the church is the people not the building, but we thank God for the building He has given us, and we pray that God will keep guiding us, as He is, on how we use it and look after it. It’s a real blessing! Prayer and practical go hand in hand so if you feel you want to pray in the spaces or do something to help the fabric then that would be great.  We recognise that some areas are looking a bit tired after the last few years, and it’s maintained by a small group of people so I’m looking at some days and some exciting ways in which we can get involved.   Some of you have given money to help with this specifically so thanks in advance.  Conversations are ongoing with those who help on a regular basis too.

Last week Karen Ross, Rachel Beadle and I attended the Fresh Streams Baptist leadership conference in Derbyshire for three days.  We will fill you in on some of this tomorrow.  Thanks for your support.

We will be continuing our theme of Epiphany moments over the next few weeks in our Sunday gatherings.  Tomorrow it’s a communion service with linked activities around the story of Jesus baptism in Matthew 3.  We’ll look at how this revealed more about who Jesus is and what that says to us today.  Next week there will be an opportunity for those who want to, to share some of our own epiphany moments as we look at John 1: 43-51 where Nathanial and Philip have an epiphany moment of their own!  It can be a big moment or a small moment of realisation, but it may just help someone else.  On the 29th January we’ll ponder on the story in Luke 2:25-40, Simeon’s epiphany moment, then at café church on the 5th February we’ll look at Luke 4:14-21 when there is an epiphany moment in the Synagogue.

Thankyou for my birthday greetings!

In Christ

Shelley

   

Daily prayer and bible study, download Lectio 365 here

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This week, here at MBC we are starting to trial something which to many of us is quite new. It’s the Lectio 365, a 24/7 daily prayer/Bible app which is incredibly easy to use. There’s a link below in the post and all we ask is that when prompted you download it onto your phone, tablet etc. It’s totally free to use, and for the thousands of people already signed in we’re sure you’ll find it a great tool on your Spiritual journey.

So how is this going to work? We’ll be posting a link here on Facebook each morning or evening (we may alternate) and then once you have downloaded the app all you do is simply click on the link and listen to the reading or the message – either there and then or whenever you like.

To start with it is going to be trialled for a month; new year, new start. After that we will invite you to get in touch with us and share your thoughts.  

Here’s the link to the Lectio site, download it now.

https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/.

A New Year dawns – Shelley’s look ahead to 2023

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Dear friends

It was great to share Christmas with many of you last week whether it be at Beacon, Christingle, Christmas Day or in small conversations around the bigger gatherings.  I know many of you saw family, friends and neighbours and some had some time out.  Although many in the world may have finished celebrating Christmas, for many Christians, the season continues into a time of reflecting, resting in or acting on (or all three) what Jesus coming as ‘Immanuel’ means to them. 

This week we continue the story in the church building with our final part of the ‘sky full of stars’ series as we think about the visit of the wise men.  Some know this time as ‘Epiphany’ and it is traditionally celebrated on the 6th January.  A lovely Ukranian lady who stays with my sister reminded me on Christmas Day that in Ukraine, the main day of celebration is the 6th.

I love these descriptions of the word Epiphany… ‘an appearance especially of a divine being.’ ‘An intuitive grasp of reality through something usually simple and striking.’ ‘A sudden perception of the essential nature of something”  

I thank God that although we will never see everything this side of heaven (1 Cor 13:12) He gives us moments, glimpses, revelations, grasps, dreams, pictures of who He is.  The encouragement again is that he is here and whatever has happened to us in the year he says ‘follow me’ again, get out of the boat, walk on the waves with me.  For some this will mean saying yes to Jesus for the first time.  Pete Greig recently shared a song by Nightbirde called ‘The story I’ll tell’ about God being with us through the years despite not understanding it all. You can hear it here on Nightbirde- The Story I’ll Tell (Prod. By Ryland Talamo) – YouTube

Tomorrow (Sunday) we meet for a New Year café church 11-12 in the church building and we are hoping to go online too.  If you have a takeout cup then do bring it as we don’t know who we have helping with refreshments.

Thanks again to all of you for being the church in Moortown and beyond.

More new year thoughts to come… but for now, I look forward to adventuring with you into the new year

“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts…” (Matthew 2: 11)

In Christ

Shelley

 

 

Sharing and caring – putting Jesus front and centre.

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For MBC, even more so than usual Advent has been a season fuelled with sharing, reconnecting and outreach. For the first time in what seems like a long while the connections Shelley, our staff, your deacons and of course all of you have and continue to make all seem to be coming together. 

Right through from our wreath making workshop and our Stepping Stones party to our Christmas Day Celebration we have found ourselves scrambling round bringing out extra chairs that for month after month have been skulking in cupbaords, and believe it or nor even running out of Christingles! 

Perhaps, however, the best part of MBC’s Christmas was seeing so much of what we used to take for granted being played out before our very eyes. For instance those we used to think of as our young people running (yes running) to claim first dibs on banging a tamourine, waving a flag, or hanging a festive bauble on a tree. This really was a joy. 

Running this a close second was the pleasure we all felt to see so many “old” or should that be familiar faces returning to what for many of them, deep down, they still think of as their real spiritual home. 

Elsewhere on this website you will see reports and pictures of umpteen of our Advent projects, and if I get my finger out you soon you might even catch a montage of some of them on MBC’s Facebook page. But to all who have contributed in any way shape or form to Christmas at Moortown 2022 from all of us to all of you we say a very heart felt thank you.  

And a very happy new year; in grace and truth let’s not only keep on showing Jesus to our community, to our friends and to our neighbours but welcoming them to join us whenever and wherever we can.

Oh and one final, final thought – please remember Shelley, each of your project leaders and all your deacons are available to speak with you whenever you need us. 

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