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Shelley’s update for W/C December 14

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Dear friends

It’s been a week since we hosted our café church and community Christmas café.  Thanks to all those who came and supported, planned and prayed for the whole weekend. Here are a couple of thankyou’s…

“On behalf of the MND association, I wanted to send heartfelt thanks to everyone at the church for hosting us last Sunday. We were very grateful for the warm welcome and I know Kev and his team really appreciated all your efforts. It was a very special day ending what was no doubt a tough week for them all.

Thank you for showing up for our MND community! We would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Take great care”

Stacey Kirkpatrick, Relationship Fundraiser for Lancs, Manchester and S and W Yorkshire

“…a huge thank you for your involvement in Kevin Sinfield’s 7in7: Together Challenge, you literally went above and beyond for us and it was so gratefully received.  We are now around £1.3 million in fundraising taking our total to around £11.5-12 million raised across the 6 challenges so far!  You played a really important part in making the week very special for many people and we couldn’t have done it without your support, so thank you, we are greatly appreciative of your support and hospitality”

Tristan Batley-Kyle, Operations Director, Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All

On Tuesday, the Stepping Stones Christmas party took place and you can see some of what went on at the link here! Now it’s definitely looking a lot like Christmas. Santa visits Stepping Stones – Moortown Baptist Church

We hosted the PACT meeting on Wednesday too, Policing and Communities together.  Mainly focusing on what is going on in Moortown.  Anyone is welcome to come, and we’ll let you know when the new year dates are.

The week looks like this…

Sunday 14th December 11 o clock service with communion Advent 3: Joy with group for our younger friends to creatively explore the theme. 

Carol singing in a local home for the elderly after the service (please bring your lunch if you want to eat in between the service and carol singing to keep your energy up!) Speak to Rachel B or Claire for more information. 

Wreath Making workshop 3-5pm in the Sanctuary.  It’s £10 per wreath and everything is provided including natural and non-natural materials, Christmas refreshments, and music.  Younger children need to be accompanied by an adult.  Last couple of places left.  Booking is essential so if you would like to be there, let me know in the morning.  All welcome.

Rock Solid Christmas parties 7-8pm in the building with food provided.

Monday 15th December 10-12 Beacon warm welcome space and café in the building

(Making up the hampers after beacon café)

Tuesday 16th December afternoon bible study in church. See Howard or check with Lesley

Wednesday 17th December Lunch club Christmas lunch for those who attend and volunteers.  Speak to Lesley/Rachel for more information.

Thursday 18th December 2.00 -4.00pm Christmas Craft group with Christmas refreshments and warm welcome space in church building.  Come to some or all of it.  Speak to Karen, Lesley or myself for more information or if it’s something you might be able to join or support as we are looking for helpers.

Thursday 19th December Bible study at 7pm, see Gareth G, John C or ask Lesley.

Friday 20th December Bible Study at 10.00am – 11.15 in church.  See Shelley for more information.

Friday 20th December House Group 8.00pm – 10.00 with Jonathan and Hilary D and Steve and Helen O.  Do speak to them or ask Lesley or I for more information.

Sunday 21st December All Age nativity, Advent 4: Love 11-12 midday.  Feel free to dress as your favourite nativity character.  If you would be happy to have  a little part in this can you let me know please.

Monday 22nd December Christmas Beacon and warm welcome space with Christmas crafts for all ages and Christmas snacks from 10-12midday.  

A funeral will take place in the afternoon in the Sanctuary.

Wednesday 24th December at 4.30-5.15pm All Age Christingle Service

Thursday 25th December 10.30-11.30am All Age Christmas Day Service  (note the slightly earlier start!)  Bring a present to open or show!

Sunday 28th December 11-11.45 All age service

Pick up a ‘wonder’ card in church to keep and one to give out.  The card is also available online at www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk Please come and support us as we open the doors to many who don’t usually come to the church building.  Do bring people along!

A thought for the day goes out along with the latest happenings around the church community, on our Facebook page each day and the website is updated with all the new stories of the week. 

Do pray for all the Christians alongside us who are sharing the story of Christmas with their neighbours and communities as part of the Shine your light weekend (12th -14th December although there are many things going on all across December).  Find out more here Shine Your Light – Shine Your Light

We know that relationships are important all year round so thankyou to you all for praying, reaching out and building relationships with those around you.  Let’s be creative and recognise and thank God for opportunities to bring God’s light into dark places.

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor 4:6

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

Christmas 2025 at MBC

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Besides Kevin Sinfield and his 7 in 7 Together team dropping in on us on Sunday December 7th, here, from wreath making right the way through to an all age nativity is a full run down of everything that’s taking place at MBC this Christmas.

Shelley and Karen drum Kevin Sinfield on his way as he leaves MBC on the final leg of his 7 in 7 Together challenge

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When it comes to top billing, it can’t be every day that Kevin Sinfield, rugby legend and MND fundraiser extraordinaire finds himself sandwiched between a jazzy saxophone quartet and a contemporary dance troupe based in Mabgate. But that’s exactly what happened today (Sunday the 7th) when Kevin and his team, on the final leg of their gruelling 7 in 7 Together, dropped into Moortown Baptist Church, which for one day only had been designated an official challenge checkpoint.

Some weeks ago, and once the totally unexpected ask was confirmed, MBC minister Shelley Dring immediately set about using Kevin’s visit as the catalyst for  organising a one-off Christmas Café. However, typically, this was to be no ordinary Christmas Café – no this was to be special. In fact it was so special that after ringing round her friends and contacts it wasn’t long before Shelley had secured the services of  contemporary Dance Tribe and the Leeds Saxophone Quartet.

Of course, in the middle of all this it was important that Kevin Sinfield and his entourage were being fed, watered and for those who needed it massaged in our Music Room.

We’re delighted to say that everything went off well and following a 20-minute stop over Kevin jogged off towards the finish line at Headingley. We meanwhile simply put our umbrellas down, went back inside for more tea, more coffee, more mince pies and more of our excellent in house entertainment. 

In addition to all this excitement, for those of us who call MBC home, there were a couple of extra surprises. Firstly a spontaneous invitation to Shelley and Karen to beat the starting drum for this the final stretch of the weeklong challenge. And secondly, as Nathan’s company ND+A had signed up to sponsor Kevin and the MND charities it was his “pleasure” to join the team plus Leeds boxer Josh Warrington and triathlete Jonny Brownlee on something called the Extra Mile, a much less demanding fun run which saw them alongside more than two thousand Santas negotiate four laps of the Leeds Beckett sports ground’s running track. 

Now it’s definitely looking a lot like Christmas as Santa visits Stepping Stones

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Last Tuesday and at the start of what for Father Christmas has to be the busiest part of the year, one thing he made sure he didn’t miss was his annual visit to MBC’s Stepping Stones.

For the thirty or so toddlers that were there – some nearly bursting with excitement, others not quite so sure the arrival of Santa meant that all those stories they’d heard of a man with a big white beard, a red suit and lots and lots of gifts weren’t nonsense after all. 

After a story from Diane which told all about the first Christmas and some lovely singing it was time for Santa to give our the presents. It would be lovely to think that everyone who was there will remember this special day for the rest of their lives. Sadly, however, I doubt that will be the case; but never mind there’s always some pictures to jog the memory.

Many thanks to all the Stepping Stones team, week in and week out you are all doing a fantastic job. Long may this very special ministry continue.       

  

Who, what, where and when? MBC’s weekly calendar

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www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk 

Following Jesus and serving the community

Lasting for just over an hour our Sunday Service starts in church and on YouTube at 11am. The first Sunday of each month is Café Church and on the third Sunday we celebrate Communion.

An important part of our weekly worship is Sunday School. Here a small group of young children learn all about Jesus and the love of God.

Rounding off Sunday we have Rock Solid. Meeting between 7 & 8pm and majoring around having fun, Rock Solid regularly sets our teenagers some serious and not so serious challenges and tasks.

Monday…    Our free Warm Space Beacon Café, 10am to 12noon.

Tuesday…    Stepping Stones, a toddler group 10 to 11.30am.

Tuesday…   The first of our Housegroups, only this one is in church between 12noon and 2pm.

Wednesday… 10.30am – 2pm. Lunch Club, games, quizzes and always a hearty lunch for our seniors.

Wednesday… 7.30 to 9.30pm. Our hybrid Housegroup. With half the group meeting at church and the other half online.

Wednesday…  7.30pm – 9.30ish. Ladies Housegroup in the comfort of someone’s home.

Wednesday…  7.30 to 9pm. Country Dancing.

Thursday…      2pm to 4. Open Door Craft Group. Our second Warm Space of the week. No experience needed, Free refreshments and always lots of chat.

Thursday…      7pm to 9pm. Bible Study, in church.

Friday…           10am to 11am. A second Bible Study, again in church.

Friday…           And finally, between 8pm – 10pm, another Housegroup, again in someone’s home.

In addition to all this we also host or provide a Pastoral Team, which without overstepping the mark provides confidential support to anyone who needs it, we host a Parkinson’s Exercise Class, two Extend Exercise Classes (ideal for our older friends), Pilates, Pathways, a Christian Counselling team, Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store, PACT (Neighbourhood Policing Teams) and local councillor surgeries. In addition, and particularly at certain times of the year we host special Services such as those associated with Easter, Nativities, Christingles, Baptisms, Mission weekends etc. etc.

For more information about Moortown Baptist Church please email

 admin@moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

Moortown Baptist Church. 204 King Lane, Leeds LS17 7AA

www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

You’re chance to ENGAGE with BMS

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From Myanmar to Ukraine and from Afghanistan to Chad the latest BMS magazine ENGAGE is out now. And once again it really does show the length, breath, height and depth of this wonderful organisation’s work. 

Like every other ENGAGE mag that you have delivered by post this one, the 64th issue comes complete with a Prayer Guide which on page 8 (that’s W/C Sunday February 1st to Saturday the 7th) relates to our Chad based BMS Mission Partners Andrea and Mark Hotchkin. 

You can find out all about Baptist World Mission, and the other ways you can support it by either visiting www.bmsworldmission.org or by speaking to Roger Robson. 

MBC’s new website – we’re getting there, albeit rather slowly

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For the last six months I have been out and about taking photographs of many of MBC’s projects, services and activities. These range from Stepping Stones, our Tuesday morning toddler group to Wednesday’s Seniors Lunch Club. The main reason being that when we do finally get the go-ahead to update our current website we will have some bright, up to date images on which to base it. 

The exercise, that I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed showed me that even after my fifty or so years of being associated with MBC the range of issues we embrace is as wide as the sky.

Rather, however, than have you wait to see these pictures on line, this last week Martyn Gray has done a wonderful job in not only blowing the dust off and resurrecting the two monitors we have (one in the foyer, the other in the meeting area) but he’s also managed to load more than thirty of my images on to them.

If anyone has any comments about the pictures, or if you simply want to know more about any of the subjects they illustrate please get in touch with me at mbcnewspics@gmail.com   

Shelley’s friendly update for Sunday 7th December

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Dear friends

It’s all about the number 7 tomorrow as we continue our advent theme of Wonder! We meet on the 7th day of December for our all-age Advent café church with songs, word, prayer, crafts and breakfast snacks at 11am.  It’s also the day Kevin Sinfield completes his 7th ultra marathon in 7 days to raise money for the Motor Neuron Disease Association and in memory of his friend and former rugby colleague Rob Burrows.  The money will also contribute towards the Leeds Motor Neuron Disease research centre at Seacroft. Rob wore the number 7 on his rugby top when he played for Leeds Rugby League. 

In the bible, the number seven is connected to themes of completion, fulfilment of promises and healing.  Some examples include the number seven in relation to the creation story in Genesis, also the seven statements given by Jesus on the cross, the seven metaphors Jesus used to describe himself such as ‘light of the world’, the cancelling of debts every seven years by the people of Israel and the discussion on forgiveness that Jesus had with his friends.  There are more!  As we continue in our advent journey may these themes help us pray and open our eyes to God’s healing, forgiveness and fulfilment of promises in our communities and those further afield in a broken world.

The week ahead..

Sunday 7th December ‘Christmas café church’ Advent 2: Peace, 11-12midday followed by a Christmas community café with live music, dance and refreshments 12.45-2.45pm.  Kevin Sinfield will be stopping at MBC at about 1.15/1.30pm on his final day of the 7 in 7 in 7 Challenge 2025 raising money for those affected by Motor Neuron Disease. Please stay to cheer him in, join the Christmas café, invite some people along, then wave Kevin off as he runs onto Beckett Park University Campus to begin the Leeds Santa Dash.  More information here by clicking this link Run For All launches Leeds Santa Dash as final leg of Kevin Sinfield’s 7in7: Together Challenge.  There will be extra parking over the road at the nursery, look out for our volunteers in high vis jackets who are here to help and have a plan!

In the evening Rock Solid youth meet 7-8pm in the building

Monday 8th December 10-12 Beacon warm welcome space and café in the building

Tuesday 9th December Stepping Stones Christmas party for under 5’s and their parents, grandparents, and carers.  See Diane, Hilary, or Lesley for more information.

Tuesday 9th December afternoon bible study in church. See Howard or check with Lesley

Wednesday 10th December Lunch club for those who attend and volunteers.  Speak to Lesley for more information.

Wednesday 10th December 1.30-2pm Christmas Wednesday Worship

Wednesday 10th December House group with Dianne.  Speak to Diane or ask Lesley or Shelley for more information.

Thursday 11th December 2.00 -4.00pm Craft group and warm welcome space in church building.  Do pop in and say hello.  Speak to Karen, Lesley or myself for more information or if it’s something you might be able to join or support as we are looking for helpers.

Thursday 11th December Bible study at 7pm, see Gareth G or ask Lesley.

Friday 12th December Bible Study at 10.00am – 11.15 in church.  See Shelley for more information.

Friday 12th December House Group 8.00pm – 10.00 with Jonathan and Hilary D and Steve and Helen O.  Do speak to them or ask Lesley or I for more information.

Sunday 14th December 11 o clock service with communion, Advent 3:Joy with group for our younger friends to creatively explore the theme.  There will be an opportunity to sing carols in a local home for the elderly after the service (please bring your lunch if you want to eat in between the service and carol singing to keep your energy up!) Speak to Rachel B or Claire for more information. 

3-5pm we’ll host a Wreath Making workshop in the Sanctuary.  It’s £10 per wreath and everything is provided including natural and non-natural materials, Christmas refreshments and music.  Younger children need to be accompanied by an adult.  Booking is essential.  Please contact Lesley in the office admin@moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk Places are now limited so do check with Lesley to book a place.  All welcome so do invite people and get them booked in.

A big thank you to all those who came to decorate the church building over the last few days ready for Christmas. We have working information screens now too in the foyer and meeting room showing many aspects of church life, so a big thankyou to all who have worked on this for a while.  There has been many other things going on behind the scenes that contribute to our physical and online presence together as a community and further afield.  Thank you all.  A thought for the day throughout advent goes out on our facebook page and the website is updated with all the new stories of the week. 

Do pick up a ‘wonder’ card in church to keep and one to give out.  It’s also available here www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

In December..

Monday 15th December after beacon, the hampers are being packed in the music room.  Please make sure you have brought in contributions by then.  Thanks to all who have brought things in.

Sunday 21st December is our All Age nativity (Advent 4) 11-12 midday.

Monday 22nd December Christmas Beacon and warm welcome space with Christmas crafts and snacks for all ages from 10-12midday.

Wednesday 24th December at 4.30-5.15pm it’s the All Age Christingle Service

Thursday 25th December 10.30-11.30am All Age Christmas Day Service

Sunday 28th December 11-12 Service together

In Christ

Shelley

Shelley Dring

Minister

Moortown Baptist Church

How kind. A really generous gift boosts our Beacon wellbeing hampers

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Responding to an enquiry that Sophie made, The Little Bookshop which you’ll find in Chapel Allerton has kindly donated two boxes of books which we will give out along with food and toiletries in our Beacon Christmas hampers. 

From everyone here at MBC we say a huge thank you to everyone at the bookshop, and wish you all a very happy Christmas. 

Here’s how The Little Bookshop‘s website describes itself… 

Opening our doors to our first location in October 2017, The Little Bookshop is a place to explore literature and illustration with the whole family. We are dedicated to sourcing a diverse range of inclusive books and bringing them together at both our locations, the second of which we opened November 2023. We deliver special books all over the UK, from our shop at 47 Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton and in Craven Court, Skipton.

The picture above shows Shelley and Sophie picking up the books. 

Wishing uke a very happy Christmas

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If over the next few weeks you get stuck remembering the words to The Twelve Days of Christmas, worry not, just ask one of our Lunch Club Seniors. The reason I suggest this is because last Wednesday Rachel and the gang welcomed The Meanwood Institukes… a ukulele band from just down the road who featured this traditional and much loved song in their repertoire. 

All dressed up in their festive best the band led a singalong of carols and songs which went down a treat. 

Well done Rachel, well done our Seniors but a special well done to our musicians.   

 

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