News – Page 33 – Moortown Baptist Church

T minus 7 – the fourth Sunday in Advent sees our Nativity bring out a very rare WOW moment

December 21, 2022December 20, 2022 by John Sherbourne

OK so maybe the scripts were handed out a tad late, but to a seasoned bunch of pro’s like us what’s the difference between the fifteen minutes our director gave us and the week or so we normally get. And perhaps, yes, kitting out Mary, Joseph, Kings, sheep, shepherds etc. etc. in just over twenty minutes was ever so slightly challenging but hey-ho let’s not forget it is Christmas.

I say all this because this of course is a church website, it’s certainly not the place for a polished review, a piece that dissects each and every nuance of the production. However, one person is going to be singled out for praise and that’s little Freddie who as he crashed the set and lowered a little woolly lamb into Jesus’ crib, stared at the face of a tiny baby and simply said WOW!

And that ladies and gentlemen, as Geoff Fennell pointed out to us at the close of our Service is what Freddie felt and what Freddie saw. So let us, urged Geoff, see Jesus’ birth as Freddie did, let us grasp the sheer wow of such a unique and amazing event.

For some our wreath making workshop proved a very prickly business, for others it was like falling off a log

January 6, 2023December 17, 2022 by John Sherbourne

For some people making Christmas wreaths from holly, ivy, mistletoe and the like comes as naturally as breathing; for others it is shall we say a bit more of a challenge. Some just breeze up with their own baubles, bangles and beads whilst others scratch around in a dozen or so prop boxes looking for anything they might get away with by hiding it behind a king sized pine cone.

Either way, whether you are Kirstie Allsopp mark 2 or a rank amateur there’s no denying that after two hours (much less in some cases) the satisfaction gained by hanging your finished product up, standing back and admiring it must be – I can’t say is because I didn’t do one – one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Almost forty contestants (wrong word I know but that’s how it felt to me) lined up at 1pm and following a short pep talk off they went. Two hours later, and it was to the untrained eye difficult to tell the difference between one that might cost you £100 plus from Harrods and one you can pick up for a tenner at Lidl.

So as something of an outsider I don’t think I need to explain that through my lens I considered it a great if somewhat confusing afternoon. And particular thanks for making it so go to Shelley to Sarah and to everyone else who organised both it and us.

Countdown to Christmas

December 16, 2022 by John Sherbourne

Dear friends

It’s been great to read the Advent verses on our facebook page as we move towards Christmas, many evoking feelings of waiting… ”are we nearly there yet?” The promise of God’s son after so many years…

This week our waiting overlapped with celebration and together time as we celebrated Christmas with some of our local communities. Last Saturday we took part in Carnival Christmas, then on Tuesday we enjoyed the Stepping Stones Christmas party and sung Happy Birthday to Jesus and on Wednesday Lunch club had their Christmas dinner, quiz and live music. Some of the house groups have celebrated too and there’s news and pictures of many of these events on the website thanks to John Sherbourne swiftly capturing the stories at www.moortownbaptistchurch.org.uk

Here’s what we have happening over the week…

Saturday 17^th December – 1-3pm Christmas Wreath workshop, no experience needed £8 per wreath, book a place with Lesley (administrator) or Shelley. This is now almost fully booked. If you were planning on coming and haven’t yet booked in can you email or message me by end of today and we’ll see if we have any spare wreaths. Thank you.

Sunday 18^th December – 11-12 All age Nativity! – feel free to dress ‘with a nod to’ your favourite Nativity character (part 4 Sky full of stars) – it would be great to welcome angels, shepherds, stars, kings etc and we have some costumes at church. For those who said they would help in advance I’ll be in touch today.

Monday 19^th December – 10-12 Christmas Holiday Warm space at Beacon with free refreshments and Christmas crafts – all ages welcome

Saturday 24^th December – 4.30-5.15. All age Christmas Eve Christingle and Carols

Sunday 25^th December – 10-30-11.30 Christmas Day all age service (part 5 Sky full of stars)

Wednesday 28^th December – 10-12 Christmas Holiday Warm space at Beacon with free refreshments

Sunday 1^st January – 11-12 New Year’s Day café church (Part 6 Sky full of Stars) … bring a takeout cup, have a coffee and breakfast

Finally, if you live near church and have some fresh greenery that we could use for our wreath workshop could you bring it to church and leave it by the door on Saturday morning? Thank you!

We have more lights on the building and Christmas cards on the bushes! “You are the light of the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14)

There maybe a few extra jobs to do next week to help prepare for Christmas. I know it’s a busy time for some and not for others. If you would like to help with making Christingles, with our warm space sessions or welcoming those coming to the building at Christmas, do get in touch. Our Nativity and Christingle services often bring people who wouldn’t usually come on a Sunday so it would be great to have many of you to welcome others as you enjoy worshipping together.

In Christ

Shelley

And PS. Don’t forget our Christmas Appeal which runs right through until Christmas Day and this year is in support of the Lingfield’s Living Local project and Martin House.

From babes in arms to some of our oldest friends Santa’s cheery smile bridges the generations

December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 by John Sherbourne

Last Tuesday morning some of those present will never even remember their first meeting with Santa; just 24 hours later another part of Moortown’s wonderful family would no doubt have been looking back fondly over scores and scores of such encounters.

However, there’s one thing for sure and that’s when it comes to Santa few people conjure up the magic to span such an age gap. Furthermore whether Santa’s gift was a book about the very first Christmas or maybe something a little more age appropriate there’s no doubt that he and his smile go hand in hand.

Such events – the Stepping Stones and the Lunch Club Christmas parties would never take place if it weren’t for great leadership and dedicated teamwork. And that’s why Diane and Rachel plus a combined team of well over thirty: fairies, helpers, elves, washer uppers, cooks, servers, drivers etc. etc. need to step forward and take a bow for without them Christmas 2022 would for many be a struggle.

And that of course is why these two events, sandwhiched as they were between last Saturday’s Carnival Christmas Fair and this coming weekend’s Wreath Making and Nativity are so important.

And that’s because to many people all they think of when they see MBC is a building. However, to us what being a Christian is really all about, as Shelley keeps reminding us is far more than attending church, it’s “living in the light of Christ” – being a living community so that through such as these hopefully attractive “specials” we can spread our message of love, joy, hope and salvation as far and as wide as we can.

If that involves sharing round the one size fits all Santa suit then so be it!

A Christmas message from John and Sue Wilson

December 16, 2022December 14, 2022 by John Sherbourne

A particularly seasonal message from John and Sue Wilson in France.

MBC’s Carnival Christmas Fair raises almost £300 – from the first ho, ho ho to the last a wonderful event

December 12, 2022December 12, 2022 by John Sherbourne

A packed church, a mountain of mince pies and Christmas cake and even a his and hers bran tub. And that’s not to mention handmade gifts from Romania, cards, home made buns, face painting etc. etc.

The highlight, however, has to have been a 12 or was it 13 piece band who go by the briliant name Steel Crazy. They played two forty five minute sets of songs and tunes which although not exclusively Christmasy did contain more ho, ho, ho’s that you could shake a stick at, and all under our very own Strictly Come Dancing glitter ball.

Although the event was free to enter, in total almost £300 was raised which will be split between our own Romania support group and Beacon Cafe’s Warm Spaces.

There are too many names to mention here but extra special thanks need to go to Rachel Beedle (herself a nifty drummer) for getting the band over to MBC and presumably getting it back to it’s home in Garforth. I was in church last Tuesday evening when the first lot of pans arrived and it looked more like a Pickford’s removal job than anything else.

Jesus and Jellied eels by Bishop Laurie Green… an “exciting and challenging read”.

December 5, 2022 by John Sherbourne

I have just finished reading this amazing autobiography. It starts in the East End of London – Call the Midwife country – and ends in Bexhill as a retired Bishop where he wrote this . story of his colourful life.

He held several bishoprics. The strand throughout, however, is the sharing of the presence of Jesus in places designated ‘areas of deprivation’. His engagement within the community resulted in both lively congregations and many creative projects which uncovered so much talent…

It is an exciting and challenging read!

Hilary Willmer

It’s all getting a bit busy – Shelley runs us through the Christmas programme

December 16, 2022December 4, 2022 by John Sherbourne

Dear friends

Here’s a little reminder about what is happening over the next few weeks. We now have our Christmas postcards available so do pick some up when you are in church to give out to others.

TODAY! Saturday 10^th December – 2-4pm Carnival Christmas with free Christmas refreshments, crafts, steel pan band ‘Steel crazy’, carols, cakes and more

Sunday 11^th December – 11-12 Advent Service (Part 3 of Sky full of stars – Isaiah) with creative activities and communion

Monday 12^th December – 10-12 Warm space at Beacon with free refreshments

Tuesday 13^th December – 10-11.30am Stepping Stones Christmas Party for under 5’s and their parents and carers

Thursday 15^th December – 2pm make some crafts, refreshments and chat

Saturday 17^th December – 1-3pm Christmas Wreath workshop, no experience needed £8 per wreath, book a place with Lesley (administrator) or Shelley

Sunday 18^th December – 11-12 All age Nativity! – feel free to dress ‘with a nod to’ your favourite Nativity character (part 4 Sky full of stars)

Monday 19^th December – 10-12 Christmas Holiday Warm space at Beacon with free refreshments and Christmas crafts – all ages welcome

Saturday 24^th December – 4.30-5.15 Christmas Eve Christingle and Carols

Sunday 25^th December – 10-30-11.30 Christmas Day all age service (part 5 Sky full of stars)

Wednesday 28^th December – 10-12 Christmas Holiday Warm space at Beacon with free refreshments

Sunday 1^st January – 11-12 New Year’s Day café church (Part 6 Sky full of Stars) …bring a takeout cup, have a coffee and breakfast

On Wednesday 14^th December Lunch club meet for the last time this year. Thanks to all who have faithfully served over the months and we look forward to more fun and food next year. If you regularly support lunchclub you may want to keep in touch over Christmas with those who attend and we have a ‘Beacon special’ on Wednesday 28^th that may be a good place for some to meet up.

There will be some house groups and bible studies meeting this week so do ask me or someone on the leadership team or look at the church diary in the corridor outside Lesley’s office.

A reminder that there is a decorated box in church (to the right in the Sanctuary as you come in) for giving to our MBC Christmas appeal towards two local charities, Living Local and Martin House Hospice. If you want to transfer money online do ask one of the leadership team.

Please add a Christmas card with a greeting or prayer to the board in church (to the right in the sanctuary). Feel free to leave Christmas cards in the boxes there too.

Next week it’s our Sky full of Stars nativity and carols! A great chance to retell the amazing story of Jesus coming as a baby. If you would like to take part can you let me know by Wednesday please? We look forward to this all-age service and to welcoming our local community.

If you have a spare pair of secateurs we could borrow for next Saturday’s wreath making workshop could you let me know? Thankyou.

Thanks to all those who have made Christmas cards for the trees in the car park and for the decorating of outside and inside the building. It looks brilliant.

Below is a link for a little bit of creativity for those who want to make stars inspired by the artist Matisse’ stained glass window with an online workshop. It’s this afternoon but the recording of the session lasts until 9^th January.. (click the link below)

HENRI MATISSE ONLINE: Scissors and Starry Nights Tickets, Sat 10 Dec 2022 at 14:00 | Eventbrite

Lift up your eyes on high

And see who has created these stars,

The One who leads forth their host by number,

He calls them all by name;

Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,

Not one of them is missing (Isaiah 40:26)

See you soon

In Christ

Shelley

In the lead up to Christmas, Shelley walks you through Advent 2022

December 3, 2022 by John Sherbourne

Dear friends

A little update about some of the things going on over the next few weeks. Its not intended to be an exhaustive list of things to do but a collection of different ‘spaces’ that we are providing so that God can move in our conversations, songs, readings, actions and services. God moves everywhere of course, but it’s good to be intentional about why we do what we do. If there is anything you’d like to know more about or get involved in, then do get in touch, Jesus had a team and we need one too! You can come on your own or bring others. We are blessed to have such a great building and I am thankful for all those who work to look after it, especially as the weather gets cold but we recognise that the church is the people, you and me, so do pray for each other, for the community, that over the next few weeks we will see His hope and love in tangible and new ways.

Saturday 3^rd December – 1.30pm Meet in church to put up Christmas decorations!

Sunday 4^th December – 11-12 Café Church (Advent part 2 of sky full of Stars)

Monday 5^th December – 10-12 Warm space at Beacon with free refreshments

Tuesday 6^th December – 10-11.30am Stepping Stones for under 5’s and their parents and carers

Thursday 8^th December – 2pm make some crafts, refreshments and chat

Saturday 10^th December – 2-4pm Carnival Christmas with free Christmas refreshments, crafts, steel pan band ‘Steel crazy’, carols, cakes and more

Sunday 11^th December – 11-12 Advent Service (Part 3 of Sky full of stars) with creative activities and communion