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As MBC announces plans to pilot a new look for Sunday mornings here’s your chance to contribute to the debate

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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. 

                                                    ———————————————————————–

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,

  1. Why do we gather? What would we miss if we didn’t?
  2. Where does a Sunday service fit for you in your faith life: is it the main source of spiritual refreshment, or do you have other places that are the source for you?
  3. How many Sundays do you attend in a month? What other regular commitments do you have on a Sunday- leading in youth/ children’s church or play not in the band, stewarding. Or maybe commitments to work or children’s sport that happen on Sunday?
  4. How would you describe Sunday morning services to a prospective visitor with particular reference to our welcome, worship, engagement with the Bible, and witness?
  5. What kind of ideas would a visitor go away with about the kind of God we worship, our attitude to the wider world, what it means to be part of a church community?
  6. For you and yours what do you value most in Sunday gathering that prepares you for your coming week?
  7. As we seek to grow, what kind of welcome and invitation to join in at MBC do you experience or imagine new people experience, (especially if they’ve never been part of church)
  8. What do you see other churches doing well?
  9. If there were an earlier and a later morning service, what would you expect to be included in each service?
  10. What might we need to consider if we run two morning services.

          MBC Co-Ministers and Leadership Team , July 2018

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations and thanks to Norman and Jean

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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.

 

 

 

As Autumn Leaves draws to a close a special buffet lunch marks 22 years of dedicated service

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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.   

 

 

 

Boys in the Cave an article by Haddon Willmer

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Of course, we are concerned for the faraway boys in the cave in Thailand and pray for their full rescue.

We do not just feel for them, we feel with them. Though we are not in a cave under a mountain, is not our plight in life well pictured in theirs?

Lost in Darkness
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness….

….. on them has light shone

After nine days in the darkness, there was a shining beam, a face, a voice…

Then they know they are not forgotten,

They get a bit of their story back, finding out what day it is, for in the cave they could not know night from day.

Not lost, but found…

Found by people who come through dark waters and tight tunnels to be with them…

Found but still in the cave…

Found but not yet rescued and restored…

Waters of Death
Blocked by waters, held back till they learn to swim…and dive?…

Even then, could they get through the narrow stretches where each must go alone…? Expert cavers take five hours to do it. It’s a big test.

Black waters signal death. They are not yet safe. There is no easy euphoric way to life. There is a baptism to be baptised with.

There is waiting with Noah in the ark until the waters begin to go down.

Can the waters be drained enough for the boys to wade, waist high, not needing to scuba? Perhaps.

Will the monsoon be considerate, delaying itself? Unlikely.

Might another shorter drier way be found and opened up? Air is getting into their cave so there is a continuous crack in the mountain somewhere. Unlikely.

Courage, brother, do not stumble, though the way be dark as night
The boys might get out in the next few days or they might not…

If not soon, they must survive in the depths for months… an unthinkable time in such conditions? At least the darkness will be lighted, with lamps not the sun… at least they will be supplied with daily food and warm clothes and health care… at least they will have lines of communication with their families…

Yet they need extraordinary strength to wait patiently… to hold together… to begin to bear the trauma which may stay with them long after they come home.

Hope given in the moment
There is no slick easy uncompromised recovery for people caught in any cave comparable with this one. Scars will not quickly fade.

Hope with the One who comes into the cave bringing light, who leads out of darkness and death along the long hard way, always bearing on his hands the signs that he comes to us all in the dark night where death is in life.

MBC is looking to employ a Seniors Worker – job description, terms & conditions and application form here

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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. 

MBC’s Beacon shines even brighter with the appointment of Laura King

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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.  

Enjoying the glory of a Whitby sunset

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In terms of explanation some images need very little help. Here for example Rod, Cassie, Rod’s cousin Gerry, Sheila, Malcolm, Jenny, Brian and Malcolm are pictured soaking up the glories of Wednesday evening’s sunset in Whitby. 

Marvelous, thanks Rod

Sleepover Fun!

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Last Saturday was a long day for some of us!!

After a lovely church day out walking on the Otley Chevin, 8 from our Inters Group(9-11’s) that meet on a Sunday morning came together to sleep over in church.

The evening began with pizza making, the children were competing for best looking pizza and best tasting pizza.  Val Boyd took her time deliberating as she assessed and tasted each one.  She finally decided on giving Francesca Best Looking Pizza for her four season pizza with different toppings in each quarter. The taste test took yet more time but eventually Val declared Mary the winner.  After all that we all enjoyed eating the pizza and talking about our exciting weeks at school.

This was followed by some sweet games.  The chocolate game was my personal highlight, six was the number to roll and the elation at throwing a 6 was palpable.  The key was getting on the very difficult ski gloves as quickly as possible and trying to get as much chocolate in your mouth before someone else threw a 6.  Fun was had by all although some got more chocolate than others!!!

Finally, it was time to sit down and watch ‘Soul Surfer’, a real life film about a girl who struggles with a challenging life experience only to see how God uses the situation to give her a platform for sharing his love. 

This film has many different teaching points but this year I choose to follow it by reinforcing the prayer element.  Each child received a ‘Prayer Experiment Notebook’ to encourage them in their own prayer lives.

Eventually it was time for a game of ‘Sardines’ (hide and seek but one person hides and everyone else has to find them) in the dark.  Everyone had a turn at hiding, some finding very obscure places to cram into and then it was bedtime. The children were all eventually asleep by 12:15am.

The next morning we were up by 7am, eating our breakfast followed by a game of picture scavenger hunt. The morning finished with bacon butties and some chill time before church.

Thanks to Val, Ian and Claire for all their help, I hope they enjoyed it as much as the children and I did….  I guess when you get asked ‘can we do this again?’ you know the children have had a good time…  Maybe at Christmas?

 

The Judge is the Savior: Towards a Universalist Understanding of Salvation by Jean Wyatt… Haddon Willmer shares his thoughts

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Jean Wyatt, The Judge is the Savior: Towards a Universalist Understanding of Salvation

Resource Publications, Wipf and Stock, 2015 (xviii + 223 pp)

Here is a book that comes from decades of caring thought and spiritual wrestling. Jean Wyatt begins with a story from 1974 when she and her family were worshipping in a friendly Baptist Church. The worship and preaching were dynamic and the fellowship warm, but there was one drawback: the church had a formidable doctrinal basis to which all members should assent. It was the last statement that I found so difficult: We believe in the judgment by the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming again, of all men, of believers to eternal blessedness, of unbelievers to eternal condemnation.

That provoked years of study out of which this well informed, sensitive book, rich in story and quotation, comes to us now. It could help many kinds of people to think again. Some say there is no God, who calls us to a final accounting for ourselves, with possibly serious consequences.    Some are confident that, because God is love, God will not be hard on us so no one need worry. A few still believe God is holy and just and cannot tolerate any shortfall, which implies that sinners may deservedly be sent to eternal punishment. Other Christians hold that faith in Christ assures them of escape from deserved punishment, while those who don’t believe are excluded. And maybe that leaves a lot of people who are confused and don’t know what to think, although they have an uncomfortable feeling there might be something important here, if only they could get a grip on it. 

Jean Wyatt argues in a constructive way, from the Bible and theology, that God’s judgment is not condemnatory or destructive of God’s own creatures, but that it is disciplinary and restorative.  It consistently aims at what is good, however badly things have gone.     So God’s Judgment is God’s salvation – there is not a simple Either-Or.   And this salvation-judgment is revealed and worked out in the life, death, resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, God in human being, for human being – ‘Oh, generous love! That he who smote/ in man, for man, the foe….’   God does not leave the crucial task of achieving salvation to human beings in their self-deceiving sovereign apart-ness:  God takes the business in hand without emptying human action and responsibility of meaning.  

As I now understand the good news of Jesus Christ, it inescapably involves the quest for a ‘universalist understanding of salvation’ which is not careless about human sin and judgment.   It is good to say clearly, The Judge is the Saviour.  It is also foundationally good to say, The Saviour is the Judge. That means judgment is finally, decisively executed in the realisation of the salvation God is working at and will complete rather than in the dismissive condemnation of sinners.   Jesus, God in humanity, received sinners and outsiders into the fellowship of the kingdom of God.  He ate with them, concretely showing God did not exclude them according to some readings of the law.  And then he said to his critics, this is what the salvation of God is like:  the blind receive sight, the hungry are fed, the poor have good news given to them, the estranged and humiliated and fearful people come in.  Critics, insulated by in their own sense of goodness, were called to notice and understand what was going on in these feasts from which they excluded themselves. Jesus said, with the ultimate seriousness of final judgment,  there was no hope for such people unless they liked what God was making of, and for, the people they despised and feared. The well-off, who need no physician for themselves, are called to be glad that those they looked down upon were being included in God’s welcome. People with pride and confidence in any superior quality or achievement are not saved by virtue of what they are in themselves, but only by giving up self to find themselves with, in and through  the salvation God brings to the humble, by his own humility. 

That is how the father appealed to his older son, when the wayward younger brother returned, a broken and disgraced man.  Could the older son not see the goodness in his brother’s being found, coming to life out of death?  What does it reveal about him that he refuses to share in the joy of it, because he has ‘standards’ which prevent him seeing goodness in his brother’s recovery? Whatever his other qualities, he lacks love which rejoices in the good (I Cor.13. 6). The story in Lk 15 is left hanging at the end as the father tries to persuade his son to love generously and to have convincing reasons within his own mind for loving even this brother.  

Such a salvation enacted and displayed brings us into the place of searching and being judged.  So the Saviour is the Judge. 

As Jesus said, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him….This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light… (John 3.17-21). 

Haddon Willmer

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