John Sherbourne 
This autumn New Wine are holding two very special events. The first is on Saturday 13th October at Liverpool Cathedral and that’s a Men’s Day. The second, a Women’s Day takes place two weeks later that’s on October the 27th at Cathedral House in Huddersfield.
For more details speak with Richard Thompson or visit https://www.new-wine.org/events
It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Norman Hiley. Norman who was 91 passed away on Tuesday August 7th.
Our thoughts and our prayers are with Jean and with all Norman’s relatives and friends at this sad time.
Norman’s funeral will take place at MBC at 1pm on Thursday 30th August with refreshments to follow.
Gifts in memory of Norman are for MBC Romanian Aid Fund, the account number is 56170607, sort code 05-01-26 with Yorkshire Bank. Norman was involved in the support a number of mission initiatives in Romania and visited on many occasions.
Although her official starting date is in early September Carole has already been familiarising herself with MBC’s Lunch Club programme initially as a volunteer and then working alongside the regular team on a sessional basis for several weeks.
‘Lunch club is wonderful,” says Carole, “particularly so as its members are drawn from both here at Moortown Baptist Church and from our wider community. It provides a valuable opportunity for people to spend time together, and to take part in activities and conversations of interest to them – as well as enjoying a delicious lunch of course! I hope to build on the fantastic work which MBC does in valuing the roles of seniors and appreciating them for who they are’.
Over recent years Diane Towns and Pauline Bridle have built up something of a reputation for their end of term parties. Indeed, few who saw them will ever forget productions starring Woopsie Daisy the hapless angel or Scruffy the rag-tag dog.
Their latest blockbuster, however, reached new heights when they brought together Flash, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man and a whole load of other super heroes in a play which (eventually) brought us round to the notion that for all their incredible powers it wasn’t someone thrust upon us by Hollywood but Jesus who should really be our hero.
On Diane’s behalf may I thank all the volunteers who make up the Moortots teams and of course all the mums, dads, grannies, granddads, carers plus uncle Tom Cobbly and all who join them week by week.
Below is a gallery of pictures taken at the Thursday morning party (simply click on the image to see a larger version) and if you think your’e strong enough there’s also a link HERE that you can click on to watch our Youtube video.
At our recent Church Meeting we shared that with the growth of our Sunday morning congregation we are considering running two morning services. Obviously this entails all of us: ministers and staff, our Leadership Team and of course you our members and attenders looking at many options and practical details ahead of piloting something between October and December.
The importance of everyone having the opportunity to have their say is why our Leadership Team have prepared some questions for us to consider together in informal groups.
We would like to hear your comments by mid September.
The question form is printed below but paper copies are available from the church office, from our ministers or from any member of our Leadership Team.
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Moortown Baptist Church is growing in numbers, diversity and experience of God together. With so many people in our building we know that services can feel packed and busy. So we are looking at how we can make more space to grow and flourish whilst cherishing our diversity and community.
The Bible is clear that the church is nothing short of being the body of Christ, the people of God gathering to be equipped and sent, a community experiencing and sharing God through the Spirit.
People have many reasons for coming to church, to find and deepen faith, to enjoy community and friendships, to encounter God and be caught up in hope, to equipped to love daily and be capable of love.
Gathering on a Sunday is only one part of our wider Christian lives.
So we want to hear from one another as we consider doing things differently on Sundays.
Our intention is for these questions to stimulate discussion in small groups of friends, families, home groups, teams that play a part in church life etc virtually or in person, rather than to receive individual responses.
Responses should be sent to moortown.baptist@btconnect.com or handed to a minister or member of the Leadership Team, by Wednesday 12th September.
Some Bible references that might aid your discussion are:
Matthew 28.16-20, Acts 2, Hebrews 10.19-25, 1 Corinthians 12,13,
MBC Co-Ministers and Leadership Team , July 2018
Just two days after a buffet lunch marked the end of Autumn Leaves it was MBC’s privilege to say thank you to Norman Hiley who after almost twenty years is stepping down from hosting his regular Friday morning bible study course – Explore the Word.
Norman has led an amazing life, a flavour of which you can read about in From Pit to Pulpit, a series of articles which four years ago we shared on line and which you can access by clicking HERE.
Here’s an extract from one of those posts in which Norman tells us a little bit about how Explore the Word started and the effect it has had… world wide.
During the time I was serving as the Superintendent’s ‘trouble-shooter’ a group of believers in the Moortown Baptist Church asked the then Pastor for more expository Bible Study, which was not provided at the Sunday services. His reply was that sadly he was too busy with other aspects of the church’s work and they should have to find someone-else to do it. Subsequently they found me which is why for the past 15 years I have led a weekly, hour long study group that has not only worked its way through the whole Bible book by book, but has also looked at special series of teaching concerning the Work and Person of the Holy Spirit, The Life of Jesus and the Life of Paul.
Later members of the group ‘complained’ that now they were getting more than they could take in just by listening and I was asked if I could write out the teaching so that they could study it later at home. The result of that request is that now I have all my expository preaching notes in the form of a personal Bible Commentary of the entire Bible Message of Old and New Testaments. At present (2014) we are studying the whole Bible again, but this time concentrating on the Message of Salvation through faith in Christ alone.
I’m pleased to say that over the years these ‘notes’ have been requested by others and now each week they are sent in full by email to 30 different preachers and churches in Australia where they are transposed for use in Fiji, in the USA, Belgium and Bangladesh and of course England. In Romania the notes are published on the church website in both English and Romanian.
However, Sunday’s service wasn’t simply a time to say thank you for just one thing, no, it was also an occasion on which we could congratulate Jean on her ninety second birthday and both of them together on their seventieth wedding anniversary.
It was early in 1996 that the then minister of Moortown Baptist Church, Stephen Ibbotson, suggested to Wilfred Wyatt that maybe they should think about starting a bible study cum prayer group especially aimed at catering for the needs of the elderly people in the congregation.
Today after 22 years of continuous ministry that group, which soon adopted the title Autumn Leaves marked its final meeting with a special buffet lunch.
Originally run by Wilfred, Margaret Barr and Rosemary Glover Autumn Leaves first began meeting on a Thursday afternoon. However, it wasn’t long before Thursday afternoon became Friday morning and such was its success that within just a few weeks up to 30 regulars were attending.
The name Autumn Leaves was chosen by Irene who as a keen botanist drew on the analogy of the wisdom and maturity of those it was designed to serve being like the mature, established leaves of a tree… a notion that Irene was equally keen to reiterate again at today’s lunch.
Presenting Wilfred with a photograph frame, which will soon be filled with a montage of pictures taken at the event, Graham paid tribute to Wilfred and Irene, to Margaret who unfortunately couldn’t be there and to Rosemary for giving so much of their time and energy to run such an important programme.
As Wilfred and Rosemary cut into a suitably decorated cake the warmth and love that those present felt for one another was tangible. So much so that one can’t help thinking that Autumn Leaves II or something similar might be with us sooner than we think.
Seniors Worker
Loving God, Living Generously, Following Christ
Within the life and diversity of Moortown Baptist Church an exciting opportunity has arisen to work with and develop our work among senior people.
The church is looking for a part-time Seniors Worker to co-ordinate and lead our existing programme alongside the well-established team, to develop the new ways of service of the church among senior people in the wider community.
If you are passionate about Jesus Christ and about the lives of senior people we would love to hear from you.
12 hours a week, £9.32 per hour, salary review pending, terms and conditions negotiable
Application Deadline: 9 July 2018
Interviews: 10 or 12 July 2018
For an application pack visit www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk or ring 07979 343 857 or e-mail: graham.brownlee.mbc@btconnect.com
There is an occupational requirement that the post holder is a practicing Christian.
Download an application form here: https://www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/MBC-Seniors-Worker-application-form-2018.doc
You can view the Terms and Conditions documents in the papers below. 
On September 24th 2012 under the headline “Impromptu coffee morning to become a regular feature” MBC News reported that what had began as nothing other than an ad hoc gathering in the church foyer was set to change.
Today that same, simple idea of people coming together to socialise, drink coffee and chat is called Beacon. However, unlike the old days when maybe eight or ten people would pop in today five or six times that number turn up to what has become one of MBC’s most successful community projects.
That’s because under the Beacon banner, and in addition of course to there being lots of coffee and cake on offer these days are opportunities to join in craft and sewing groups, to get stuck in to some serious physical work at the allotment it manages in Meanwood, to get to know our Police Community Support Officers who use the Monday morning session as a hub but most importantly to build and develop deep and supportive relationships.
From today, though, Beacon’s focus on Wellbeing takes on yet another dimension with the appointment of a Programme coordinator. Her name is Laura King (pictured above). However, besides being on hand for everyone Laura’s brief is to extend her work beyond Monday mornings and concentrate on one seemingly neglected aspect of wellbeing… young adults, i.e. 16 to 25 year olds. The post which is funded partly by donations the scheme attracts but mainly by a grant from confectionery makers Haribo, a funding stream which Tabia sourced, will run until at least the end of March 2019.
During a recent morning service members of the Beacon group shared with us their story: Kate, Sue, Linsey and Janice (all pictured below) each approached the topic from a different perspective – something that really did spell out the width and breadth of the mutual support the group provides.
Beacon café which closes each of its sessions with a short time of prayer and reflection runs every Monday morning here at Moortown Baptist Church and everyone is welcome.
Many thanks to Karen Ross for forwarding this lovely picture from Romania of Szuszi and Andor’s children… Bence and new arrival Abigail Anna.
