Dear friends
Sending you all greetings at the start of the New Year!
It has been great to journey with so many of you through Advent and Christmas in some way. Thank you for welcoming so many people to the building during this season whether that be in a service, a café, a youth group, a communion or somewhere else. I know we have missed some of you due to ill health, travel to see family and friends or other commitments and we do send love to you from the leadership team, staff, and myself. We have an active pastoral and prayer team so do stay connected with others and look out for those who may need some encouragement.
Next week many of the regular activities begin again. Tomorrow, we meet in the building and online at 11am for café church when we look at another aspect of the journey of the stargazers as they travel to find Jesus. Last Sunday we looked in the book of Matthew, Chapter 2 at the word ‘after’, a question and a sign. There was an ‘after’ to the nativity story and that ‘after’ includes all of us. This week we find the visitors from the East choose to follow the star, as was their rhythm and vision, despite the possible dangers. What do we choose to follow? What is our rhythm? Where will that rhythm take us as individuals and as a church?
Other days to make a note of (maybe in a new diary?)…
Sunday 7-8pm Rock solid for youth in the building
Monday 10-12midday Beacon warm welcome café
Tuesday 10-11.30am Stepping Stones for under 5’s and their parents and carers
Tuesday 7.30pm Deacons and Shelley new year prayer and planning meeting in the building.. dates for next few church meetings to be set.
Wednesday Lunch club for all those who are booked to go and for the team of volunteers. Talk to Rachel Beedle for more information.
Wednesday 7.30pm House group in church. See Ruth and Andy Berry or Shelley for more information.
Thursday 2-4pm craft group and warm welcome space in the building. Talk to Karen Ross or Diane Sunter for more information.
There are also housegroups on Tuesday afternoon (talk to Rod Russell), fortnightly on a Wednesday (see Diane Sunter), Friday morning (see Robert and Carol Owen) and Friday evening (talk to Hilary and Jonathan Darling or Steve or Helen Olijnyk). Do check with them or with Lesley Murphy, who works in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesday mornings for confirmation on when these groups start this weekNext Sunday, 14th January, we welcome friends from Caring for Life www.caringforlife.co.uk who will be leading our service. The service will start at 11am as usual. There will be a group for our younger friends during part of the service.
On Sunday 21st January we will share communion together as part of our service.
Lesley sent an email out this week about whether you would like to read or lead prayer on a Sunday. If you feel you’d like to be involved then do let Lesley, a deacon or I know. We are all different and bring something unique when God speaks through us so do have a chat if its something you feel God is saying to you. There will be opportunities for training and support in the new year in different aspects of ministry so if you do have something in your mind, even if it’s not clear, then let’s start a conversation. The key thing to start with is the heart behind what we do (1 Corinthians 13).
As we meet again, you’ll see the building has already started to be tidied after Christmas. Thanks to those who took down the decorations this week. I love the decorations but when they go down it makes you look afresh at the space; there seems to be more space again. Sometimes taking the decorations down highlights some of the areas that need attention. I pray that we look at the spaces that God has given us with our physical and spiritual eyes. Who are we making room for? What spaces need to be tidied or fixed? Which spaces do we need to pray over? Who and what do we need to thank God for in those spaces? You may have more questions..
As we approach a Sabbath day, lets encourage each other to have space just to be and to wonder…
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:1
See you soon
In Christ
Shelley
Minister
Moortown Baptist Church