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Avatar photoJohn Sherbourne

Lunch Club enjoy a great day out… only without any of the usual hassle!

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What would summer be like without a trip to the countryside or even the seaside. And that’s what our guests at Lunch Club enjoyed this last week courtesy of MBC’s Senior’s Lead Rachel Beedle and on this occasion her little helper Shelley. 

As this gallery of pictures shows there’s a lot to be said for not getting sand between your toes or for not being late back to the bus. So thank you to everyone who came, went or helped to organised it. 

As my old mother in law used to say “ee, and a good time was had by all.” 

A hectic week in near record temperatures make the Fodor family’s visit to the UK a time to remember.

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With temperatures hovering around the 30 degrees C mark it almost goes without saying that this last week MBC handed out an extra warm welcome to our friends from Cluj – Napoca… Dana, Florin and their daughter Irene Fodor. 

Hot on the heels of Florin’s most recent humanitarian trip into Ukraine the family were hosted by members of our Romania Support Group and from what I hear with hardly a minute to unwind their visit included just about everything from sharing some of their experiences in a Sunday service, a jaunt around the Yorkshire Dales, the now obligatory visit to York and of course popping into a certain well known local supermarket for gifts to take home. 

Here’s a little bit of what Phil Coates had to say about the Meanwood visit: “On Tuesday evening Irene Foder joined Eleanor, Philippa, Mary, Jess and Sam who together with Jane and myself had a ‘pizza plus’ picnic in Meanwood Park. As the sun sank slowly in the west the younger ones did games – including the ‘slack line’ that Philippa brought.  For over 3 hours they managed eating and chatting, badminton, tightrope walking, football, and frisbee – and of course, the children’s playground.”

An update from Shelley – 13th August

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Dear friends

Last Sunday we started a summer ‘3 part mini series’ looking at the ‘I am not’s’ that Jesus spoke in John 8.  Nathan shared on the topic of ‘I am not here for my own glory’.  This week we move onto our second ‘I am not’ when Jesus said ‘I am not alone, I stand with the father’ from John 8:14.  It’s a huge statement as it implied to the Pharisees that Jesus wasn’t making judgements on his own but he was in relationship; not only that but he was in relationship with God the father.  We’ll unpack this and its implications on Sunday and there’ll be linked activities including crafts for our younger friends.

Next week we move onto ‘I am not of this world’ and we’ll share communion together.  As usual you can catch both services on our YouTube channel if you are away.

This week we welcomed Florin and Dana and their daughter Irene to England from Rumania.  Thanks for helping them feel so welcome.  They have had a great week exploring Leeds and further afield and Florin wrote,

“We had a wonderful time with you and the members of Moortown Baptist Church. We were able to get to know many people, visit several interesting places but also get some rest. We want you to know that we appreciate very much the love you showed to us. As a church (Cluj, Manastur) we are grateful for our partnership with you. We will continue to send you updates, including about our work among the Ukrainian refugees.

As a family, please say a prayer for our time in Liverpool. I will be preaching on Sunday (this Sunday)  at a Persian/Iranian church. Most members are new believers, coming from a Muslim background. This is going to be an interesting experience! If you want to support our ministry in Romania, you can do it by sending your donation through Agape UK (https://give.agape.org.uk/fodor-florin-dana/).

Again, thank you very much. We will always treasure our memories of our wonderful time with you.”

Thanks to all those who helped with a Summer special lunchclub this week, it was wonderful to see so many sunhats!  Wednesday night house group had a special time in the building together exploring colour and drawing as part of their series on the holy spirit.  If you are interested in popping into a house group for a time then do get in touch.

Beacon café continues 10am-12midday in the building on Monday, if you’ve never been it would be lovely to see you.  Craft group continues on Thursday at 2pm.

See you on Sunday

In Christ

Shelley

7th August. Cafe Church, a cream tea and lots lots more – a message from Shelley

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Dear friends

Last Sunday we welcomed Andy and Norma Hobbs to MBC and he shared thoughts about blind Bartimaeus from Matthew Chapter 20 and asked the question that Jesus asked of Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bartimaeus replied “I want to see”.  I wonder what we might reply, as an individual or as a community? What do we see? What is God showing us now in August 2022?

I have been sharing a lot about the water of life, the river flowing from the throne (Revelation 22) and its been good to hear some of your thoughts on this, thankyou.  I mentioned ‘daylighting’, the process of uncovering waters and literally all this week Rod has been opening up a physical water in the sanctuary by doing some initial work to sort out the baptistry ready for anyone who feel they want to be baptised.  Opening up waters is a messy task, hard work, often you need to clear out the rubbish before the fresh water can go in…but its worth it.

Woven into all this are the ‘I am’ statements of Jesus that we focused on over the last few weeks from John’s gospel.  Maybe less well known are some statements of Jesus where he says ‘I am not’… So from this Sunday we take the next 3 weeks to look at 3 things in John’s gospel that Jesus said he wasn’t…

Sunday 7th August – ‘ I am not seeking glory for myself’ (John 8: 50).  Sunday 14th August – ‘I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent me’ (John 8:16) and Sunday 21st August – ‘I am not of this world’ (John 8:23)

This Sunday it’s café church, 11-12midday with drinks, breakfast pastries and fruit. There will be an area where you can be creative with a linked activity. We also welcome Florin and family from Romania who will update us on their recent visit to Ukraine.

Then 3-5pm we have the strawberry cream tea at church, raising money for Romania.  All welcome, if you want to bring your sandwiches in between both events then you are welcome.

Thanks for all your help with chair moving last week. We continue on Monday 8th August with Beacon café, 10-12midday.  Do look at the website for latest news and like us on Facebook.

Keep in touch. For those on holiday, have a restful time. For those who aren’t (and those who are) we pray you know God’s life giving presence and hope in the everyday and in the new…

“…and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.” Isaiah 60:19-20

Shelley

A reminder! Are you in the loop? We’re currently updating our online data base, make sure you are on it – we would hate you to miss out

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As you know, over the last couple of years lots of things have changed here at MBC and one of those is the details we have of who does and who doesn’t want to receive our newsletters, our LT emails, Shelley’s message or for that matter anything else we send out. 

Besides what might be described as many private WhatsApp, text groups etc, we currently we have almost 200 email addresses on our E-Newsletter list, 120 or so on the members register and as for Facebook, where stats vary depending on the subject matter our posts often reach well over 1.000 people. 

So, if you are uncertain as to which of our more “official” lists you may or may not be on can we ask you to drop an email to mbcnewspics@gmail.com telling us what you already receive. That way we can double check at our end.

Thank you in advance. We have some wonderful stories to share about what God is doing here at Moortown and we would hate you to miss out on any of them.

Ukraine relief – Florin and Dana provide urgent help

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Dear friends and supporters, thank you very much for your prayers for our missions trip to Ukraine. We had three main objectives before going there:
 

1. To contribute to the humanitarian relief efforts supporting the refugees fleeing the war

2. To cooperate with, help schools and encourage the teachers in Ukraine

3. To deepen our cooperation and relationships with Romanian evangelical churches in Ukraine

We praise the Lord for His protection over our trip. We had some challenges, but He was faithful in guiding and using us, according to His purposes. 

First, we delivered about 1.5 tons of food, medicines, Christian books and hygiene products in Chernivtsi. They will be distributed in packages to families of refugees. Some of them will also be transported to cities near the war areas, where needs are greater. While we were unpacking, we heard the air raid sirens in the city. The Ukrainians told us a rocket was launched by the Russians. Because they do not know where the rocket will hit, sirens in several cities are ringing. That rocket did not hit Chernivtsi while we were there, but I realized how frightening it can be to live under a continuous threat like this.

Then we drove to the north of Ukraine, near Ternopil. The teachers had asked us to bring printing paper, coloured cardboards, crayons, pens, whiteboards, but also food, vitamins, paracetamol or sanitizers.

We met with Svitlana (the School Principal) and the English teacher. They shared with us how the war affected their lives and school. They received almost 80 new refugee students since the war started. At the entrance of the school, they placed a board with the names of all the cities the refugees came from.

Then they showed us a basement which is going to be transformed into a bomb shelter (we offered them mattresses, pillows, blankets). Also, the kitchen was used for sewing clothing material for the army.

Svitlana is a devoted Christian. We were able to give them Bibles for kids and other Christian materials.

While driving through the country, we encountered several military checkpoints. I did not know until recently that most of Ukraine is a flat area. This is why Ukraine is a very important global exporter of wheat. The price of food is increasing globally, one reason being the war (Russians are burning the fields and have also occupied the Ukrainian sea ports).

While in Ukraine, we cooperated closely with representatives of the ethnic Romanian local churches. On Sunday, we visited a Baptist church, where I preached a message from the Word of God.

Overall, it was a fruitful time. We were able to help many people who are currently in need, we extended our involvement with several schools and we showed God’s love to people facing life and death circumstances.

Thank you very much for your prayers and support. We plan to go again to Ukraine in September or October, depending on the funds that will be available. A project like this involving two minibuses (products, gasoline, housing, food) costs around $10,000.

Grateful for your love.

Florin and Dana

Last week – this week and a look to the future… a message from Shelley

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Dear Friends

“I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water” (Isaiah 41:18)

There is such a thing in relation to rivers called ‘daylighting’… a term for the process of removing obstructions (such as concrete or pavement) which cover rivers. Often, particularly in cities, waterways are covered or buried to create more building space or protect properties from flooding. Unfortunately, it can increase pollution, degrade habitats and actual increase floods downstream. By uncovering the river the waterway can be re-established and there are many benefits, including how it looks and environmental advantages.

Last Sunday we came together on the theme of ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’ and considered the river of life running through our lives. It seems that not only is God reminding us of that river that flows from Him, but encouraging us to recognise that God wants to uncover rivers and streams that have been long buried or covered.

Where are there streams of life in your world that have been covered or buried?Where are there streams of life in your church that have been blocked? Where are there streams of life in your community that have been hidden?

Also last week one of our deacons discovered a book in a cupboard in the church with no names on but including prayers and ‘words’ about what God might be saying to MBC from about 2012 to 2015. I have another book like this from two prayer days that took place in 2020. Are there words that God has given and prayers prayed over years that God is reminding us of?

But it takes courage, bravery, seeing in a new way. Lots of theories of change begin with a problem or a need. The environment around the river has probably changed since the stream was first buried.

I leave these things with you to ponder and pray…and hopefully do…

News…

This Sunday we welcome Andy Hobbs to share with us on the topic of Jesus asking the question  “What do you want me to do for you?” We start at 11am in church and on the Moortown Baptist YouTube channel. There will be a group during the talk for our younger members or those who want to explore it in a more hands on way. There will be prayer for the church and opportunity for individual prayer after the service.

Beacon café is back on Monday from 10-12midday. We need some help to set up the church for Beacon after the service this Sunday as Edward is away.

There will be craft group in church on Thursday at 2pm. 

Some of our house groups are having a break so do get in touch if you want to connect with a group.

Next Sunday (August 6th) it’s café church 10-12midday including breakfast pastries, coffee and an art area. Then 3-5pm we have a cream tea to raise money for our friends in Romania who are supporting those in Ukraine. All invited, bring friends, outside in the garden and carpark around tables and chairs. We also welcome Florin and Dana from the church in Romania on that day. They have written an update for us on what they are doing in supporting those fleeing Ukraine. Please go to the website to find out more at www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk or follow the link here Ahead of their visit to Leeds here’s a prayer request from our friends in Romania as they make yet another journey into Ukraine – Moortown Baptist Church

Pray for some of our young people returning from a Christian holiday week, for life changing encounters with Jesus.

Thanks to those who came to support Andrea and Mark, BMS missionaries from Chad at Beacon café last week.  We have a lot of new people from our local community coming to Beacon each week. If you have never been, or it’s been a while, can you consider popping along sometime to chat to people or gather cups and welcome people into the space?

In Christ

Shelley

An appeal for prayer from the BMS over the global cost of living crisis

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Roger Robson has asked us to publish this appeal and for us all to respond.

You’ll be all too aware from the news that the continuing conflict in Ukraine is destroying the supply of some of the globe’s most essential produce. Even as I write, out-of-control food and fuel prices are driving vulnerable people across the world to starvation and deprivation.

When the war in Ukraine broke out, you stood with us in faith that change and help were possible. Your prayers for the many people fleeing Ukraine, not to mention the unprecedented levels of giving, played an unquantifiable part in providing families and individuals with shelter and welcome in neighbouring countries.

We have launched a Global Cost of Living Crisis appeal to raise funds to support those most suffering as a result of this war’s ongoing collateral damage. More than that, we need the power of your prayers again as, through our mission workers and our partners, we witness how a war in Europe can have such a terrifying global impact.

You can watch or download a PowerPoint that explains more about this project by following the link below. 

https://www.bmsworldmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Global-cost-of-living-PowerPoint.pptx?bbeml=tp-EGkooP1gnE-sNKfUsUpzPQ.jLEv-n7tymUejZxECDduHpw.rElWPjHGgP0iPEF9nwbTYHQ.lPfsx4bfVIEyMrb4f-9MAiQ

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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