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Avatar photoJohn Sherbourne

Shelley’s update

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Dear friends

Well its been nearly a week since the London Marathon and my legs are feeling are a bit more like my own.  I want to thank you all for your support in words of encouragement, pictures, prayers, high five’s and of course donations to the Roy Castle lung Cancer Foundation.  At the moment over £2000 have been raised.  I know that this isn’t a great time for some people financially so it is very much appreciated.  God loves a cheerful giver and you have been full of cheer! (2 Cor 9;6) If you would like to know more about the charity then you can find them here. Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – The UK’s only charity solely dedicated to supporting everyone affected by lung cancer

No wonder Paul in the bible said the Christian life is like a race.  There are fast bits, slow bits, ups and downs, the landscape changes along with those who are running alongside you. At times we all run together happily, at other times we notice someone struggling and we shout words of encouragement, we may even pick them up and get them help, or walk alongside.  Some people may break away, running with us for a time.  Those who run have diverse backgrounds and experiences and the training they have undertaken is also varied in content and amount.  Some have moments of sprinting and for others it’s a slow and painful crawl.  No one can run your race for you, ultimately it’s your responsibility for the steps you put one in front of the other.  The track may seem wide and clear at times whilst at others its narrow, unclear.  Two elite runner’s on Sunday’s marathon actually ran the wrong way and had to come back again with help. I’ll be sharing  a little bit more in church on Sunday.  I have been in touch with some of you this week and I am looking forward to seeing many more soon.  A year ago I had a couple of Sundays booked away and last week and this week are two of those Sundays so my involvement on Sunday has been more behind the scenes in planning and praying but also I will be on video.  Then I am back in the flesh on Sundays for a while!  We do look forward to hearing more on Paul’s letter to the Philippians this week.  If you haven’t read it through you may find it useful to do this in your bible as we journey with the church in Philippi each week and see what God has to say to us.  Also check out the bible project link here.. Overview: Philippians – Bing video

Here’s some dates to remember…

Sunday 9th October – Church service 11-12midday.  Church with children’s activities on Philippians 4. Also on YouTube.

Tuesday 11th October – Tech team (and those in worship team who are also interested in tech) get together to talk about where we are and what we want to do.  At the Lord Darcy, 7.45 for 8 (come earlier for your tea if you fancy!)

Sunday 16th October – Harvest celebration café – 11-12midday.  Bring your gifts of food and toiletries to be given to the North Leeds Foodbank and Caring for Life. Please don’t bring things that will deteriorate over night like fresh fruit.  We’ll have breakfast and hot drinks and activities for all ages to explore the harvest theme as well as prayers and songs. Bring your friends!  Also includes news of an exciting Harvest project at MBC that you may want to help with supporting our local communities.

Thursday 20th October – Space – come and be, pray, chill, play an instrument, sing, draw…a space to be and worship.  From 6.30pm in the sanctuary, all ages welcome and feel free to bring your friends.

Sunday 23rd October – Service in church and online 11-12midday on more of Philippians 4.  With activities for children

After that…

It is with sadness but also a great privilege to celebrate the life of two people who have been part of the family at MBC over the years. Please pray for their families at this difficult time. 

Wednesday 26th October 12.45pm, the funeral of Joan Baker, Kate Slater’s mum.  Kate has said that you are welcome to come to the service in church if you knew her mum and also you would be welcome to refreshments in church but could you let her know if you are coming, for catering purposes.

Friday 28th October 1pm The funeral of Michael Losits

Also…

Tuesday November 1st is our church meeting in the evening.

It’s Beacon as usual on Monday 10-12, do come and chat, meet someone new or old and have a pastry and a drink.  Lunchclub continues as usual on Wednesday and Rock Solid is on Sunday nights 7-8pm for our young people.

Do keep an eye out on facebook, twitter and the website or ask myself, a deacon or anyone you trust in the church if you need anything.

Keep dreaming big then take one step at a time.

“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever  is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things…”(Phil 4:8)

In Christ

Shelley

Keep on running – Shelley’s message from London

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Dear friends 

We look forward to cafe church tomorrow 11-12midday in the church building. There’ll be tea/coffee, breakfast pastries, fruit and a message from Philippians continuing our theme of the race in a creative way. 

As many of you will know we have had a few issues with our technology including the livestream. However, our tech team have been working over the last few weeks to find the problems and work out how to solve them. We plan to have visuals back tomorrow as well as a livefeed on YouTube after the work that has been done. Thanks to all who have taken time to investigate, have conversations and obtain new parts. The conversation continues and we look forward to discussing this important area of ministry on the evening of 11th October at The Lord Darcy pub with those in the team or those wanting to help. Let me know if you need more information. 

Beacon cafe is back on at 10-12 on Monday and you are really welcome to drop in and bring people to a relaxed space with a hot drink. If you want to help with the running of the cafe I’d love to hear from you. There are of course other groups through the week, check the website at www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk 
 
Next Sunday we continue with Philippians in the service at 11-12 and then on the 16th October we are having a special harvest festival cafe church. We may have food as part of this so do put the date in your diary. More info soon. Also bring donations for Caring for life https://www.craghousefarm.com/charity and The North Leeds Food Bank. 
 
Things that are needed for Caring for Life are: tinned meat, tuna, pasta, rice, jars, pasta sauce, tinned toms, tomatoe purée, noodles, pot noodles, tin potatoes and tinned veg, tinned fruit, rice pudding, biscuits, chocolate, sweet and savoury spreads/jam, sugar, fruit juice, squash, tea, coffee, uht milk, cereals, hot choc, washing powder.  In addition to the above the foodbank are also asking for toilet rolls. 
 
Communion will be on the 23rd October finishing the Philippians series. 
 
Rock Solid has restarted for high school age young people on Sunday evenings, 7-8 in the building. Do pray for them in this new term. 
 
Other dates.  Pastoral team get together after church on 30th October with food. 
 
Church meeting on 1st November in the evening 
 
Finally. Thankyou for all your support for the London Marathon. As I am reminded, life is a marathon not a sprint, there are ups and downs, changes of landscape, changes of those who run alongside us but always God is with us. Our cafe church tomorrow links in with this in a special way. Tracksuits optional. 
 
Psalm 18:32-36
 

“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He  trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.”

In Christ 

Shelley,

Fore! stand clear as Lunch Club takes to the fairway

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Last week’s Lunch Club had a slightly different look about it. Why? Well it’s because those who fancied their chances as the next captain of the Ryder Cup team got a chance to show their skills.

OK it wasn’t 18 holes around St Andrews but it was nevertheless as close to the real thing you can get with the materials to hand. 

I’m far too much of a gentleman to ask who won – when I played (badly) it was always more a case of the taking part rather than the winning that mattered.

So well done to you all. 

And now… all set for the main event!

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I’m sure Shelley will be as fed up with me going on about it as you are reading about it but this Sunday, October 2nd, Shelley takes on one of the biggest physical challenges she has ever faced up to  – and that’s running the London Marathon. 

Shortly after 11am, the exact time we begin our morning Service she crosses the start line and then all that lies between her and a finishers medal are just over 26 miles of unforgiving London streets. 

As with the Great North Run, which Shelley completed just three weeks ago she is once again seeking sponsorship for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – a link to which you can see below. 

Shelley Dring is fundraising for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation (justgiving.com)

I’m not telling you Shelley’s target figure – you will need to visit her Just Giving page to find that out but wouldn’t it be wonderful if that were not only reached but surpassed. 

Good luck Shelley.

Terefe heads up a Mission Trip to Europe

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As you can see from the flyer above Terefe Tadesse is leading a Mission trip to Europe between the 6th and the 12th of November. 

We ask that if you have anything at all that would help or be of benefit to a refugee or an asylum seeker that you being it to church and drop it off with the words Mission or Terefe clearly marked on it.

Many thanks.

September 18th – informal church meeting, all welcome 12noon.

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This coming Sunday, September 18th, after our Service at aroundabout 12 noon we are holding an informal church meeting.

This is designed to give you a chance to ask any  questions you may have and to hear from your leadership team about whats going on at MBC right now and in the future.

All welcome.

Transformation – Jane Coates explains what lays behind our beautiful new dragonfly banner

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One of the series of ‘I Am’ studies at church was ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’ and as I was working with the children on that Sunday, I chose to link the story of Lazarus with the fictional story of Water Bugs and Dragonflies, a book written by Doris Stickney. Water Bugs and Dragonflies is a beautiful modern parable about transformation, that explores the challenging topic of death and loss that even young children can access and may find helpful.

The story begins with a colony of water bugs who spend their lives at the bottom of the pond, although occasionally one of the colony of these strange looking creatures, would climb out of the pond, up the stalk of a water lily, disappear, and never come back. The water bugs are curious to know what happens to each friend, why they leave and where they go. So, the water bugs promise each other that the next water bug that climbs out of the pond must return and tell the others what happens to them above the surface of the pond.

The next water bug to leave the pond, discovers that a startling change has occurred to his body, that he has grown four beautiful wings and a tail, and that he is able to fly freely in the air and the sunshine. He has become a dragonfly. Moving his beautiful silver wings, he finds himself flying above the pond where his friends the water bugs live. Then he remembers the promise that he made while he was still a water bug at the bottom of the pond.

The dragonfly attempts to return through the water surface of the pond but realises that with his changed body he cannot return to the pond, the water, and his friends. The beautiful dragonfly also realizes that even if he could go back, not one of the water bugs would recognize him and know him in this new, changed body. He would have to wait until they become dragonflies too and join him beyond the water of the pond.

After listening to the story on that first Sunday morning, the children and young people prepared their cut outs of leaves using real leaves, and their drawings of dragonflies, that were to be transferred to a piece of silk, ready for them to add the silk paint into their shapes on the silk fabric.

The dragonfly and leaves banner, with Jesus’s statement, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” is the result.

Shelley’s message for 11th September and MBC’s plans for the week ahead

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Dear friends

In the light of the last few days I wanted to keep in touch.  I knew when I was writing my last message on Thursday that things were not good in relation to the Queen’s health.  As I sat in church amongst the bustle of craft group and set up for Space that evening we knew that there was something happening that would affect the nation.  Everyone is different so will have reacted to the news in different ways.  We do know that for many in our country and across the world, the news will have brought sadness and uncertainty, especially with all the other changes that seem to be happening.  It may have brought up feelings of loss in our own lives from people we miss who have died.  I know I have been talking to my children a lot more over the last few days about death and heaven as they link the death of the Queen to the loss of their two Grandads last year. It reminds me again that however we feel, there is an opportunity to acknowledge those things but also to stand with others in their loss and confusion as well as speak about the hope we have in the storm.  We have an opportunity to pray for our nation, our leaders, our neighbours, our families and friends.

Tomorrow the service will reflect some of the things that have been going on this week as well as looking forward in hope.  It’s designed for all and I want to thank all who are leading.  There will be an opportunity for people to share tomorrow too if you have a prayer or thought.  We have a book that people can write in with their thoughts about the Queen and prayers for others. It will be available in the foyer all week.  The church building was open on Thursday evening and Friday evening last week and we have met some of our community who wanted a space to think.  Next week the building will be open Monday 10-12, Tuesday 10-12 and Wednesday 6.30-7.30 for anyone to come and be and pray. If you want to come yourself, come with others or be around for any of our local community who may want to come in then it would be great to see you. We want to be a church without walls and this is one way we can be there for people at this time.

“The Christmas message shows us that this love is for everyone.  There is no one beyond its reach.”  (Queen Elizabeth II, 2013).

Keep in touch

Shelley, Rachel and the Leadership Team

Stepping Stones returns Tuesday 13th September

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Stepping Stones, our fun session for 0’s to under 5’s is back next Tuesday the 13th September from 10am till 11.30.

No need to book. If you’re a mum, dad, grandparent, child minder, carer just turn up.

You’ll be most welcome. 

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