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Shelley’s update for w/c 25 May

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Dear friends

Tomorrow, we meet again at 11am and continue our journey from Easter to Pentecost, when the promised Holy Spirit came.  There will be a group for our younger friends too as we look more at who the person of the Holy Spirit is and why Jesus said it will be good for the Holy Spirit to come (John 16:7). 

Coming up over the next 2 weeks..

Sunday 25th May 11am Service with group for our younger friends Looking at Genesis 1:1-2 and John 20:19-23

Sunday 25th May Rock solid youth group has a break this week

Monday 26th May Beacon café has a break this week due to the bank holiday

Tuesday 27th May Stepping Stones group for under 5’s and their parents and carers has a break this week due to half term

Tuesday 27th May afternoon house group in church, see Howard Dews

Wednesday 28th May No lunch club this week

Wednesday 28th May 7.30 Bible study in church See Ruth or Andy B or Shelley

Thursday 29th May 2-4pm Warm welcome craft group in church See Karen

Thursday 29th May Bible study with Gareth in church building at 7pm

Friday 30th May Bible study in church building at 10am See Shelley for details

Friday 30th May House group at 8pm See Jonathan or Hilary or Steve or Helen

Sunday 1st June All age café church with pastries, fruit and drinks 11-12midday Continuing with Hope in the Holy Spirit

Sunday 1st June 7-8pm Rock Solid youth group in church building

Monday 2nd June Beacon café warm welcome café 10-12

Tuesday 3rd June Stepping Stones group for under 5’s and their parents and carers 10-11.30am  See Diane S or Lesley

Tuesday 3rd June afternoon house group in church, see Howard Dews

Wednesday 4th June lunch club See Rachel B or Lesley for more information

Wednesday 4th June 7.30 Bible study in church See Ruth or Andy B or Shelley

Thursday 5th June 2-4pm Warm welcome craft group in church See Karen

Thursday 5th June Bible study with Gareth in church building at 7pm

Thursday 5th June ‘The Send’ Worship and prayer for younger generations at North Church (See details below)

Friday 6th June Bible study in church building at 10am See Shelley for details

Friday 6th June House group at 8pm See Jonathan or Hilary or Steve or Helen

Saturday 7th June Prayer, worship, art and dance in church.. 2.30-5.30pm This will involve a movement workshop for all ages, giving you some confidence and ideas on how to move in prayer on your own and with others.  It will include a bit of time with props including flags and ribbons. There will also be an art prayer activity that everyone can have a go at.  If you want to bring an instrument do mention it to Andy Berry.  We will send a separate message about it this week.  All ages welcome.   

Sunday 8th June 11am Pentecost Celebration and prayer for the nations

Sunday 8th June after church Beginning of the prayer course part 2, ‘Unanswered prayer’ written by Pete Grieg of 24/7 prayer Home – 24-7 Prayer International see Krys Gadd.  More details below.

Sunday 8th June 7-8pm Rock Solid youth group in church building

More information about The Send…If you are aged around 11 to 35, are a parent/grandparent/carer who want to encourage young people you know in their walk with Jesus, you are a young person’s group leader, or simply want to pray for young people to be encouraged to live a life for Jesus then come along with us to the Send worship night at North church 7-9.30pm on 5th June.  Get Tickets – SEND Experience Night Leeds – North Church  You can book your tickets here.  If you are a young person who would like a lift or have a young person who would like a lift, then let your youth group leader know or myself.  We will have a group going from MBC and will have a meet up point at moortown and then at North Church.  Following this gathering, there will be a larger gathering and worship night at Leeds Arena on November 22nd 2025. 

 A deacons meeting will take place at the beginning of June.  Date to be confirmed next week.

Prayer course part 2 by Pete Greig called “Unanswered Prayer”. There are 5 sessions altogether and everyone is welcome. Especially those who are struggling with the reality of unanswered prayers.   Meet after church (please bring your lunch) and finish just after 2pm in the music room.  Dates to be confirmed but we are looking at 5 sessions, every 2nd Sunday starting in July.   Group facilitated by Krys. This is open to anyone, even if you haven’t been part of a group before.

I wanted to say a heartfelt thankyou to all those who came to the Thanksgiving Service of Jane Coates and for the many who contributed in all sorts of ways including practical and prayer support, readings, tech, worship, sharing personal stories and prayers, catering, carpark, welcoming, tidying.  Phil has also written an initial thankyou and update and you can see it here on the website Jane Coates 15 July 1950 – 28 April 2025. Thanksgiving Service on 22 May 2025 – Moortown Baptist Church  Let us continue to hold the family in our prayers. 

Thankyou also to the team that made the lunchclub trip to Murgatroyd’s for fish and chips last Wednesday happen!  Lunchclub have a break this week but are back the first week in June.  

“The Spirit shows what is true and will guide you into the full truth.  The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own.  He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.” John 16:3

In Christ

Shelley

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

Jane Coates 15 July 1950 – 28 April 2025. Thanksgiving Service on 22 May 2025

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On behalf of my family, my heartfelt thanks to the many who contributed to making the Thanksgiving service for my dear wife Jane, led by Shelley, such a special event. Laura and Lucy, John and Ricki, Sam and I felt this greatly honoured Jane and as she wished, it pointed so clearly to Jesus who she had followed faithfully from the age of 17. The funeral director said that in all of the many funerals she had been in, this showed the most love and faith, and was beautiful to behold. The service was brilliantly streamed, in high resolution, around the world.

Before the event we had overwhelming responses from hundreds of people, many with very full appreciations of how Jane touched their lives, ministered to and with them, and helped so many in so many ways, as the appreciations in the service also showed.

We will bring much of this together in ways which can be shared, along of course with aiming to have Jane’s second book available soon.

We are on a mission to honour Jane: her impact will continue to grow.

Donations can be made to Wheatfields Hospice, Leeds – Jane’s Special Memories Tribute enables family and friends the opportunity to donate online by going to https://jane-coates.muchloved.com/

The Committal service also led by Shelley at Rawdon
Crematorium was also videod, and included Faure’s
Pavanne as requested by Jane, with a live flute performance by Ruth Berry to an arrangement by our daughter Laura, which also included clips of Charlotte playing this piece with Laura in 2000!

Links to the recording of the thanksgiving service at MBC and the Crematorium will be made available soon.

Love
Phil

What Caterpillars can teach us. A personal reflection from Gareth Gadd

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This reflection came to Gareth Gadd during Jane Coates’ Thanksgiving Service on Thursday.

Caterpillars and butterflies are, quite literally, worlds apart; so different that it’s astonishing that they are the same creature at different stages of life. 

The caterpillar is a stubby, terrestrial eating machine, with tiny eyes, short antennae, and a singular focus on consuming leaves. In contrast, the butterfly emerges as a delicate winged marvel, long-legged, with large, compound eyes and the ability to soar through the air. Their bodies, habits, and even diets are utterly different; it’s hard to believe one becomes the other.

This dramatic change, called metamorphosis, is a powerful illustration. In the chrysalis, the caterpillar’s old body breaks down almost completely, and a new creature forms from the inside out; a process so radical that biologists describe the adult butterfly as essentially a new organism, emerging from where the first one lived and died.

For Christians, this remarkable transformation mirrors the hope found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Just as the caterpillar becomes something entirely new, the Bible promises that those in Christ will be raised with glorified, incorruptible bodies; transformed beyond recognition, yet still themselves (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). 

This is not just a spiritual idea but a real, bodily resurrection, guaranteeing forgiveness, eternal life, and victory over death through faith in the risen Christ.

While the Bible doesn’t use butterflies as a symbol, the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly is a vivid way to picture the believer’s transformation. The change is not superficial but total; a new existence, just as profound as a crawling caterpillar becoming a flying butterfly.

Ultimately, the caterpillar’s journey reminds us that God’s promise is not for mere improvement, but for a miraculous new life; eternal, holy, and in perfect fellowship with Him. The analogy helps us grasp just how complete and astonishing this transformation will be. 

Once again MBC’s plant sale raises more than £1,000

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On what could easily have passed as mid-summer’s day MBC’s annual plant sale once again proved to be a great event.  

This year our two chosen charities: Caring for Life, a Leeds based project which provides “hurting, at risk and homeless” people with long term support, and the Women’s Development Centre in Kandy, Sri Lanka a centre that cares for girls who have suffered gender based violence, will each benefit from the £1,000 + raised here at Moortown.

This magnificent sum is a combination of money raised through the sale of plants and donations made for refreshments. 

Led again by Jenny Dixon the entire Plant Sale team deserve a huge round of applause. 

Jane Coates Thanksgiving Service

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Dear family and friends

We would like you to feel that you are able to come along and join us in the thanksgiving service – no matter which faith or no faith group you belong to. We are on a mission to honour Jane, and
the service will aim to be a celebration of Jane’s very full life, and will be inclusive of the many people she helped, connected with and loved – her family, work, pastoral care and international roles.

There will be plenty of time afterwards to share together for those who wish to stay. Moortown Baptist Church has a very informal building, congregation and ethos – it is very inviting! We promise you that you will not feel at all uncomfortable. You are so welcome to join us.

We are so grateful for the loving responses and depth of care which has been shown to us at such a difficult time, from family, church family, international family and community, reflecting
the many people at home and worldwide who were touched by Jane.

We have had an overwhelming number of heartfelt responses, reflecting the love for Jane and esteem for her. Some of these will be included in the service. This is not the end! 

I can’t express how precious Jane is to me (to us), how much I love her and how greatly I respect her, and I will do all in my power to honour her – as I said, we are on a mission to honour her!

She is at rest now after a very difficult year, but a year where she continued to be as focussed as ever on family and others in our church and community. I could not stop her – and would not want to, it was her life. Jane continued every day to follow Jesus, her Lord, and to give herself away to others, being kind to all she met often despite her own pain. I am humbled by such devotion, which I hope encourages all of us to do the same.

Her journey here is finished – but the impact of her life will most certainly continue, and grow. We encourage any donations, including those in lieu of flowers, to be made to Wheatfields Hospice in Leeds (one of the Sue Ryder hospices) where Jane and Phil’s daughter Charlotte worked as a palliative care nurse until her early death in 2014.

Charlotte and her husband Richard both died too young, leaving their son Samuel in the loving care of Jane and Phil, who donated the funds to install a memory tree at Wheatfields giving loved ones one way of remembering and honouring those they had lost.

Jane’s first book, Encounters and Journeys a devotional collection of her weekly encouragements to those undertaking pastoral care, was given away, but donations were requested for Wheatfields. Copies of this book will be available at the Thanksgiving service for Jane. Her sequel book is finished and being prepared for printing. Donation details will be available at the service.

With love,
Phil Coates & family

Keeping it in the family: MBC and the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store – closer than ever

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It’s almost forty years since Hilary Willmer and some friends here at MBC began collecting and giving away unwanted items of furniture as a Christian response to helping people in need. Last year, whilst the core principle hasn’t changed that faith driven kindness has seen the Store grow into one of Leeds’s most respected charities, which in and out handled a total of 8,478 sperate items: from three piece suites, wardrobes and beds to cups and saucers.

Back in 1986 such was the demand that it soon became clear that what had begun as an ad-hoc initiative to support individuals and families who were socially or economically challenged needed to be run in a much more structured way. This in turn led to the founding of the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store. 

That link between L&MFS and MBC has rarely if ever been broken. Whether that be by members volunteering to work on the vans, in the office or on its board of trustees. And today I’m delighted to report that this relationship is as strong as ever for as the picture above shows, five MBC members (that’s Nick, Steve, Gareth, Rod and Mike) now make up it’s entire board of directors, with a number of other MBC regulars helping out as and when they can. 

Recently, as part of a restructure the Store has sold its 10,000 square foot warehouse at Seacroft and moved into a smaller but much more efficient rental space little more than a stone’s throw away. It also recruited a new General Manager, a lady with vast knowledge of both the commercial and the charitable sector. 

So, at least for the foreseeable future, and provided the local authority continue to provide support, this home grown and still much needed facility looks to be in a far healthier state than it has for a long time.

One final thought, however. For all its new found (if somewhat guarded) optimism, the Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store still needs your support. In fact it needs your support in a number of ways: firstly by donating any furniture you may have, secondly by encouraging Nick, Steve, Gareth, Rod and Mike whenever you see them and thirdly in your prayers. 

You can contact L&MFS by telephone on 0113 2739727, by emailing info@leedsandmoortown.org.uk Or of course you can visit their website which you will find at www.leedsandmoortown.org.uk 

The blessing of the honeycomb – some thoughts from Gareth Gadd

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A couple of weeks ago our Sunday morning Bible reading was an account of Jesus appearing to the disciples. I was particularly drawn to Luke 24:42
 

THE BLESSING OF THE HONEYCOMB

Reading two versions of the Bible together, while following the reading I wondered why the honeycomb was missing from today’s reading. 

Luke 24:42  GNB  They gave him a piece of cooked fish, 

Luke 24:42  KJV  And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 

This is a message inspired by the Holy Spirit for Moortown Baptist Church on the blessing we may have missed.

The honeycomb is a beautiful symbol in Scripture – representing the sweetness, wisdom, and abundant provision found in God’s Word and presence (Psalm 19:10 and Proverbs 16:24). Just as honeycomb nourishes the body with its rich sweetness, God’s truth nourishes our souls, bringing healing, joy, and spiritual vitality. The honeycomb is also associated with enlightenment and renewed strength (1 Samuel 14:27).

Even when it seems like the honeycomb is missing from our daily experience, we can trust that God’s goodness and blessings remain ever-present.

Sometimes, life invites us to seek deeper, to appreciate the richness of His wisdom and love beyond what is immediately visible.

Let us embrace the sweetness of God’s promises, the wisdom that enlightens our path, and the abundant provision that sustains us. 

In every moment, God offers a spiritual feast-full of delight, renewal, and strength-to nourish our hearts and guide us toward a life of harmony and growth.

Remember, the true honeycomb of life is found in God’s enduring presence and the richness of His Word, always available to uplift and inspire us. (Proverbs 5:3 and Song of Solomon 4:11)

Gareth Gadd 

“Share and share a like.” Via email, WhatsApp, Facebook etc. help MBC expand its outreach

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Share and share a like

Did you know that each week, with your help Shelley’s Message, the MBC Newsletter, our live YouTube broadcasts and the numerous Facebook feeds we use, have the wherewithal to reach  literally thousands more people than they currently do.

For example, take for instance the image you see above. Were it not  for us “sharing” a Facebook post and then supplying the YBA (The Yorkshire Baptist Association) with the raw material the wonderful Easter Day service we had here in church would have remained, even locally, our little secret. Then there’s the stories that we’ve recently begun to post on the Alwoodley Ward Residents Facebook page: almost 300 extra likes and/or shares for our Good Friday and Easter Day services.  

So, no matter what you think about social media – whether you  love it or loath it – the one thing you cannot deny is that it neither should not nor cannot be ignored.

You see unlike 2000 years ago when word of mouth and story telling were the order of the day, I believe that today it’s our responsibility to fully embrace today’s technology, and by that I mean that by what ever means possible promote the good news of Jesus.

And that’s why when the News Letter drops into your inbox, or you spot one of our posts on Facebook I urge you not simply to “like” it, but to share it. That way, if enough of us respond not only will MBC’s outreach agenda grow and grow but that old saying… “share and share a like” will take on a whole new meaning.  

  

He is risen! Easter Day at MBC celebrates two baptisms and welcomes a host of new members

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For Anne and Wei Wei (who you see above) April the 20th, 2025 will be a date they remember for the rest of their lives; for that was the day that in front of family, friends and a packed church they were baptised.

There’s a gallery of pictures below taken during the service which we thought you would appreciate seeing, oh and you can also watch it again, in full, on out YouTube channel.

But for everyone who was actually in the room, on the day, no end of still images or “action replays” will ever replace that wonderful feeling that Anne, Wei Wei and indeed the rest of us had knowing that on Resurrection Day 2025 the message of goodness, sacrifice, forgiveness and love that Jesus shared remains as vibrant and as relevant as it was all those years ago.

 

 
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