Dear friends
Last week at our harvest café church, we heard this quotation from Henri Nouwen
“Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy.”
I know some of us are still pondering what this means to us as we journey through the book of Ruth. Thank you for your generous donations last week towards Caring for Life and the North Leeds foodbank. Thanks for Geoff for sorting out the financial donations and to Mike and John who helped deliver the food donations to the right places.
Tomorrow we meet at 11am in the building and online as we continue through Ruth 2, specifically reading from 2:5-20. There is a group for our younger friends who will continuing with some bread activities linked to the story!
Rock Solid meet in the evening 7-8pm.
Next week we have all our usual activities, if in doubt do ask or email Lesley or pick up a leaflet at the back of church in the foyer. We also have our church meeting at 7.30pm in the building on Tuesday 15th October. Do pray for this meeting and for John who is nominated as deacon. If you are unable to join in person but you can join online, a link has already been sent out with an agenda for the evening. If you have missed this then do email Lesley on Monday or Tuesday.
Next week on Sunday 20th October we welcome Andrea and Mark Hotchkin, BMS link missionaries working in hospitals in Chad. Do come along and share in worship with them and hear about what God is doing there and what life is like. After the service we’ll be having a bring and share lunch. Everyone is welcome. For ease and health and safety purposes we ask on this occasion that you don’t bring anything with nuts in or anything that needs cooking or heating up. Food that can be placed out on a table is easier. Please bring it along next Sunday and you’ll be shown where to put it. We’ll have space in the fridge for some items if you arrive early and your food need refrigerating. Its always good to spend time together and catch up over food.
Next weeks service is also communion together. As we are thinking about hospitality and hearing from other countries, we thought it might be a good opportunity to share bread from different countries at communion. If you would like to bring some or make some, can you let me, or Lesley know by Wednesday please. Also, can you let us know the ingredients in the bread if it is homemade, for example if it has gluten in, so that we can support those with allergies? Thank you
On the same day, Terefe is travelling to Calais to take clothing supplies and share about Jesus with those who have left their countries and those who have no permanent home. If you have anything to give him, either a financial donation or clothing, shoes, then do leave them with Lesley or if Lesley is not there then they can be left with me. Do pray for Gods direction for Terefe as he continues to explore how he can serve in this way.
In other news, we are glad to see Bela, Jean, and Howard back from visiting churches in Romania. We look forward to hearing an update from them soon.
Bela has also brought many balls of wool into church. If you would like wool to make things with then you are welcome to take some. The box will be out on Sunday. If you can’t see it do ask. If you are in church in the middle of the week then Lesley can direct you towards the wool!
In Christ
Shelley