Home Services
Church Groups Methodism
Message Churches
Together Ashbourne
Circuit News
Ashbourne Methodist Church
Magazine
"Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?"
February 2006
From The Manse
Dear Friends,
Soul Food. "You are what you eat" the slogan says. Many of us will have over indulged over Christmas, eaten more of those rich foods that simply pile on the weight. It takes quite a few workouts in January and February to cast off the pounds again.
The media are full of stories about junk food. The problems it causes with ill health, too much salt, too much sugar, too much fat..... and so it goes on.
My sister-in-law went through my freezer and warned me I was eating too much of the wrong stuff - hydrogenated vegetable oil was her target. She's right of course. And I will have to do more "proper" cooking and eat less "gumpf" as she calls it.
So to my topic, "Soul Food". Jesus taught us "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". So I ask you, are you eating a healthy diet of soul food?
The staple diet is the Bible. If you are not reading your Bible at all then you risk serious spiritual ill health. Most find some simple Bible reading notes helpful. For example "Word for Today" or "Every Day with Jesus". These give you a text to read and a reflection, a comment on how to apply the text to our everyday life.
Some notes, eg. "Daily Light", then offer more "Soul Food" reading. Here you read sections of the Bible for yourself and simply allow God to speak to you through it. If you have questions - jot them down - and seek the answers. Jot down or underline the verses that are important for you.
For those who prefer listening to reading, or have long car journeys to do, there are Bible Study tapes. We keep a set in the church vestibule.
Alongside the Bible there is a wealth of Christian literature to read and feast on. Autobiographies - the life stories of Christians who have faced their own difficulties and have come through with their faith strengthened and deepened. These can provide inspiration and encouragement for us in our own walk with God.
Then there is a range of material dealing with particular issues. These can be personal issues like marriage, sickness, family life, facing death, coping with bereavement. They can be world issues like War and Peace, Poverty, Rich and Poor, Use of money.
With all this material, where do you begin? We say thank you to Chris Morris for re-organising our church library. That is a good place to start. Many of the Christian classics are there. If you want to buy your own - Helen keeps the bookstall in the Cornerstone well stocked and up-to-date. If you want to step into wonderland, visit a Christian bookshop. Our nearest is "Wesley Owen" in Derby just opposite the Cathedral.
Check your own bookshelves at home. Think about what you have read over the past year. How much of it was "junk" in spiritual terms? What do you have to change in your reading habits to get your diet of healthy "Soul Food"?
I wish you all happy reading! Find the diet that will sustain you and help you to grow "in the Lord".
God Bless, Chris
VOYAGER ONE.
My cover picture is of the unmanned spacecraft Voyager One, It was launched
from Cape Kennedy on the 5th September 1977, to explore and photograph the
giant planets of Jupiter and Saturn and, where possible, the moons of those
planets. It is now by far the most distantly travelled man made object, far
beyond the boundaries of our Solar System. It has in fact recently left the
area of space that is influenced by our Sun.
On the 1st January 2004 a signal was sent to Voyager One using the radio
telescope at Goldstone in the Californian desert. It was sent to see if the
spacecraft was still working and if it would respond to commands. It did,
even after the signal had travelled through space at the speed of light, approximately
186,000 miles per second. (At that speed a similar signal would reach the
moon in 1.50 seconds, the sun in 8 minutes, Mars in 15 to 20 minutes.) It
took 18hrs 30mins to reach Earth. At the speed it travels every year a signal
would take another 30 minutes for each year passed to reach Voyager. So on
the 1st January 2006 a signal sent would take 21 hours, (one way). At its
present speed and course it will reach the next nearest star on its present
track in 20,000 years!
At the beginning of this New Year I read of plans to cease the tracking of
Voyager by the U.S. Space Administration, NASA. I thought of what it had done,
where it had gone, where it was and where it would end up in 20,000 years.
Yet into my thoughts came some of those words that are on the cover of this
magazine, from Psalm 139.
"Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
And it continues,
"if I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me", Even the
night shall be light about me. Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from you,
But the night shines as the day.
The darkness and the light are both alike to you".
The Light of God far outshines the blackness of deep space where Voyager
One is at the time you may read this. If its' not too late, "Happy New
Year".
Tom Parkinson.
News from the House Groups
The Tuesday Morning House Group
We started as an Alpha Group led by Heather Broadbent, progressed to "A
Life Worth Living" and various related studies. Then filled with enthusiasm
we started to study St. John's Gospel. It took nearly a year but we finished
it! Since then we have studied Hebrews, Acts, Romans and the Ten Commandments
as well as some shorter courses on general Christian issues. When Heather
left the group to pursue her Local Preacher's course we were left without
an experienced leader. Val Howse and John and Elizabeth Hurfurt take it in
turns to lead a particular week's study. A few months ago we decided to do
our Bible study on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. On the second
Tuesday and sometimes the fourth we meet for coffee and prayer. Intercessory
prayer is an important part of our time together every week. News is exchanged
as we drink coffee and then we compile our list, remembering to include the
weekly topic published in the notices.
On the last Tuesday of the month we prepare the Church lunch. We shall have been running this for 6 years in May 2006. It started at the request of a group of mainly elderly ladies who had enjoyed the fellowship of the ACT Lent lunches and who hoped it would be possible to continue this throughout the year. The number of people attending has increased, especially over the last year. At the December 2005 lunch we served 63 people, including the helpers.
There have been frustrations. As the numbers have grown we have bought more equipment and sadly some of this has disappeared. Despite request for items to be returned, some have completely disappeared and have had to be replaced. We do not mind things being used for other meals but we do hope that they will always be replaced in time for the last Tuesday of the month and we do ask that the equipment is not used for unsuitable purposes.
Preparing the lunch is a great source of fellowship for the House group. We feel that we have grown closer as we share potato peeling, table setting etc. Once the vegetables have been prepared we have a prayer time before completing other aspects of the work. We see providing the lunch as an act of collective service.
The fact that we meet on Tuesday mornings means that most of us are retired.
The group has changed since the Alpha days. People have come and people have
gone. Some have moved away and sadly we lost two members by death.We all look
forward to our time together on Tuesday morning, a time of
serious study, of prayer and of friendship so often with laughter.
Elizabeth Hurfurt
SHOE BOX REPORT 2005.
Thank you to all who helped in any way with the 2005 Shoe Box appeal. We checked and sealed 235 at Church, and altogether dealt with 670 boxes in Ashbourne, a small but important contribution to the total of 40,000 sent from Derbyshire. These boxes went to Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Romania and the Ukraine. As well as filled boxes we received gifts of money, literally hundreds of knitted items, extra filler items, and empty covered boxes which were very useful when we had to re-pack boxes which were much too large or too small. Everything contributed was used, either by us in Ashbourne, or at one of the larger warehouses. As usual, the majority of the boxes were for 5 - 9 year olds, but special thanks go to those of you who made sure we had a good quantity of boxes for teenagers and toddlers as well. Look on the church notice boards for more details.
If you feel you can help over the coming year I have a list of suggestions
which you may find useful. If you can help by making drawstring bags which
we try to include in each box, this would be very helpful. It has also been
suggested that we arrange a craft workshop morning when we can share ideas
about things to make for little or no cost. This will take place in Cornerstone
on Wednesday 22 February from 10 - 12 noon. Everyone welcome, male or female,
any age. We already have several ideas but would welcome others. There will
be lots of materials available for you to let your imagination take flight!
We will be cutting, folding, glittering, sticking and sewing. You can also
bring your knitting and sit and chat. Refreshments provided. If you want to
know more, have a word with Sheila Cook, Marianne Matthews or me, Betty Hadley.
ASHBOURNE PATNA PARTNERSHIP
The first magazine of 2006 seems a good time to update the information about the Partnership. Our Child Sponsorship scheme is going well and we hope to be able to tell Bishop Philip that he can start to educate about 50 girls as soon as possible. It is important that we can maintain the girls for the length of their education so we do need to be careful about how money is allocated. We are registered with Inland Revenue so we can ask tax payers to Gift Aid their sponsorship money.
It is hoped to give Bishop Philip the good news when the group visiting the
Diocese reaches there in February. Six people make up the group - Revd. Dr
Jo White and her husband, Hilton, Sheena Bryden from the Parwich Benefice,
Janet Hall from St. John's Church and John and Elizabeth Hurfurt. We shall
be staying in the Diocese for between 2 and 3 weeks. We don't know what we
shall be doing - the programme will be arranged for us - but as a result of
our visit we hope to compile a booklet giving opportunities for volunteers
to go to work there. Two volunteers are travelling out with us to work at
St. Luke's Hospital. Karen Neal, from Mercaston, is a health visitor and she
hopes to be able to work in the outreach clinics attached to St. Luke's.
Travelling with her is a friend's son, an American citizen who is a trained
fireman. They are staying for 3 months. The whole group will be giving a presentation
about our visit. It will take place in our Church on 1 April, with some Indian
food.
A new prayer cycle has been devised. A different subject will appear each
month in the magazine and on the notices on the first Sunday of each month.
If anyone would like a copy of the whole cycle we can provide one. We shall
be taking a prayer cycle to Patna with us but this one will ask the people
there to pray for the Churches in the Ashbourne area.
Although the organisation of the Partnership activities is undertaken by the steering group, the Partnership is between the people of the Ashbourne Churches and the people of the Patna Diocese. Please join in with the prayer and other activities and if you have ideas about how we can develop the Partnership, please talk to anyone on the group - in our Church - Clare Sales, John and Elizabeth Hurfurt.
Wednesday Windmill House Group
The Wednesday House Group usually meets fortnightly at 53 Windmill Lane
from 7.30pm - 9.30pm and there is a friendly and welcoming spirit among the
members. The group started from an Alpha course about three years ago and
some of the original members still attend. Currently we have a reasonably
wide age range of people about half of either sex. Over the years we have
tackled specific subjects, such as sin, forgiveness, healing, anger, relationships,
the Holy Spirit, Bible reading, work and witness. At other times we have studied
a book from the Bible. More recently we have done a series of on the "I
am" sayings of Jesus in John's Gospel and this quarter we are to look
at some Bible characters.
We are finding the value of asking visiting speakers to lead alternate studies and plan to continue on that basis. Each quarter we commence with a social evening including a testimony spot, it is an opportunity for friends and spouses to join us to get a feel for the group.
So how does a typical evening go? We start with tea / coffee and then get down to the subject for the evening. After it we have a prayer time for each other and for wider concerns, finally we disperse after some more chat!
If you are not currently in a house group and would be interested in coming
to see how we operate, why not speak to Sigrid or Stuart Mustow.
Stuart Mustow
MISSION MATTERS
A reflection received from the Phakamisa project in S.Africa:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial
relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of
people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain,
rejection, starvation and war, so that you may work for justice, freedom and
peace.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference
in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
May God bless you with awe and wonder as you gaze upon the new born baby in
the manger so you too can live and love as He did.
Prosperity with a purpose
A day conference was held at Methodist Church House in 2005 to mark the publication
of the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland document "Prosperity
with a Purpose". One of the speakers said we need to rediscover Wesley's
maxim: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. The speaker said
a modern paraphrase would be "Work to the capacity God gave you; live
within what you need, not what you want; and be generous with what is left."
Publications are available from Methodist Publishing House: "Prosperity
with a Purpose - Christians & the Ethics of Affluence" £3.99
and a volume of supporting essays looking at the issues in more depth is £11.99.
Pakistan Earthquake
The Fund for World Mission awarded an immediate grant of £5000 to the
Diocese of Peshawar and will assist further long-term development. MRDF (Methodist
Relief and Development Fund) has given a grant of £10,000 to ecumenical
aid bodies working in the region, and will continue to appeal for help as
aid is still needed in the short term for emergency relief, medical supplies
and construction material.
Mission in a troubled land
After the waves of the tsunami receded from the shores of Sri Lanka, leaving
death and devastation in their wake; after the cameras of the media and the
eyes of the world have turned away from its shores, the Methodist Church still
continues to be present to those whose lives have been devastated by the waves.
Through its work, in conjunction with its partner churches throughout the
globe, he Fund for World Mission continues to supply the help these countries
seriously need after their initial time of crisis has passed. In
September 05 two new Mission Partners from the UK, Revd Rosemary Fletcher
and James Rowley, went out to Sri Lanka to be in solidarity with a country
after it has suffered crisis after crisis (the tsunami following close on
the heels of the devastation caused by civil war) and do what they can to
help both practically and spiritually.
Travelling Companions - A prayer by Kevin Jones, MAYC President.
God our companion, we are together on a journey.
You are always there guiding us towards the right path.
Help us not to stray onto meandering roads of misconceptions, even when it
feels as if we are on a ring road going round in unending circles…
Help us to choose the right way:
The pathway of love and caring for others:
The way of helping those less fortunate than ourselves;
The way of Christ which refused to take others for granted.
God our creator, on this journey you call us to" tread softly"
on your earth.
Give us hope and gentleness that we may learn to live in peace and harmony
within your beautiful creation, which our greed has spoiled.
Lord in this time of silence let us reflect on our journey of life and maybe
reconsider the paths we are taking.
Be our companion as we journey on. Amen.
A Pacific islander's prayer
O Jesus,
Be the canoe that holds me up in the sea of life;
Be the rudder that keeps me on the straight road;
Be the outrigger that supports me in times of temptation.
Let your Spirit be my sail that carries me through each day.
Keep my body strong, so I can paddle steadfastly on in the voyage of life.
Ruth Mallard
CHURCH LIBRARY
"Man cannot live by bread alone" so we hope the following will whet the appetite of our church family.
Snacks:- daily devotions, meditations, prayers
Vitamins:- memory verses, God's promises
Main meal: - systematic Bible Study (guides to suit different styles
and tastes)
Pudding: - Real life stories of faith and answered prayer
Tapes:- We need tapes of short devotions and scripture being read - for non
readers.
Orders: - Please leave an order with me if you are unable to get to a Chris-
tian bookshop.
Sale or return: - I could arrange this if there is sufficient demand from
folk.
From February onwards I will be available to help with your requests after morning service by the library, (except 1st Sunday each month - Parwich).
(Mrs) Chris Morris
___________________________
BOOK REVIEWS
"If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" by John Ortberg
I read this book with nervous reservation. I wanted to step out of my comfortable, predictable boat and walk with Jesus. The idea was so scary! By the end of the book I was convinced that Jesus beckons with an open, guiding hand. An easy book to read but with a challenge that could change your life.
"Everybody's Normal 'Til You Get to Know Them" by John Ortberg
A light-hearted look at community and why we need each other. Ortberg zooms into things that make community tick. With humour, insight and storytelling he shows how community can bring happiness, health, support and growth. A challenging read which focuses on the heart of God in the context of community - being loved accepted and valued just the way we are.
(Mrs) Chris Morris
"Aftershock" by Adrian Holloway - (Youth read)
Wouldn't it be good if someone could come back to life and tell us what really
happens after death? "Aftershock" is a brilliantly presented, fictional
account of a teenager, (Dan) who does just this. Adrian Holloway shows how
difficult sharing the Christian message is by describing how Dan shares it
with his friends. This book is an excellent resource for today's teenagers
to share the gospel with their peers.
Ezra Morris
"Kemi's Journal" Abidemi Sanusi
"Kemi's Journal" is about a teenage girl who keeps a journal. This
book is mainly based on Kemi having a hard time but she turns to God and everything
gets better. I have read some of it and I think this book is mainly aimed
at teenage girls.
Natasha Allen
"The Case for a Creator"- Lee Strobel (Zondervan. £10)
I am very glad to have discovered this book recently. I have enjoyed it, and
benefitted from it. It is written by an award-winning journalist in a very
readable style, and it never loses the personal touch. During his student
days Strobel became convinced there is no God. This coloured his career as
legal affairs editor of the Chicago Tribune. He was, however, honest enough
to explore facts when they were presented to him. He was amazed and discomfitted
to find that today, science is pointing in a different direction. In recent
years a diverse and impressive body of research has increasingly supported
the conclusion that the universe was intelligently designed. At the same time,
Darwinism, which is of necessity atheistic, has faltered in the face of facts
and reason. Science is giving faith a great boost as new findings emerge about
the incredible complexity of our universe. In his highly readable style Strobel
opens up the mind-stretching discoveries which range from cosmology, through
cellular biology, DNA, astronomy, physics and human consciousness. The evidence
is truly astonishing, and strengtheningto the faith of Christians in this
atheistic age. This book is obtainable on the bookstand in the Cornerstone
Coffee Shop. Trevor Staniforth
WOMEN'S NETWORK
Willersley Week - 3-7 April I know April seems a long way off but we do have
to get booked in for this event!! For those who haven't heard of it before
'Willersley Week' is five days - virtually the same - of fellowship with a
very good leader. (Five days are necessary to accommodate all who wish to
go - it's quite a unique event in the Connexion!) This year the Leader is
Deacon Myrtle Poxon. She was Vice-President of Conference last year and as
such came to Ashbourne last January. Her address then was lively and encouraging
and I'm sure she will give us a day to remember at Willersley. The day starts
with coffee from 10 am and actually commences at 10.45 am and continues until
3.45 pm with a break for lunch. The fee for the day is £11.00 (this
includes coffee, lunch and conference fees). I have booked places for Monday
3 April and if you would like to go, please let me know. If you would like
to go on another day, please contact me and I will make the necessary arrangements.
District Day - Tuesday 7 March The next District Day will be held at St Andrew's
Church, Langley Mill. Elaine Turner, last year's Connexional President and
Margaret Sawyer, Connexional Secretary, are coming to lead our thoughts and
answer our questions on 'Where are we going with Network?' The day commences
with coffee at 10 am, business from 10.30 am - 12.30 pm, lunch (packed lunch
needed) and service at 2 pm, finishing at approximately 3.30 pm.
Workshops and Worship - Tuesday 21 March
This will be our next Circuit Event. Please make a note of the date and look
out for the Booking Forms which will be coming soon!
If you are interested in all or any of the above events, please contact Alma
.
ASHBOURNE CHURCH ACTIVITIES
CHURCH COUNCIL
Summary of a meeting held on Monday 8 December 2005.
Week of Prayer - The stewards will explore the idea of having the church open
during the day time on other
occasions.
House Groups - A proposal was approved that all leaders of house groups should
be endorsed by the Church Council. Approval was then given for the current
House Group Leaders.
Sainsbury's Parking - a parking fee now applies on Sunday mornings however
people using the car park whilst attending church will be able to recoup the
cost of the parking ticket, when they shop in Sainsbury's on the following
Monday or Tuesday, as well as the cost of any ticket which they may also buy
then. As church attendance on a Sunday morning may involve leaving the car
for more than two hours Sainsbury's have kindly agreed that people attending
church on a Sunday will not be fined if they overrun the allotted two hours
because of their church activities.
District Fortnight of Prayer - from Good Friday 14 April until 28 April 2006.
The district is asking for each circuit to be involved - the stewards will
investigate one period of prayer for 24 hours.
Pastoral - The new edition of the Prayer Diary has been issued. A new Circuit
Directory and Church Directory have also been produced, listing all the offices
that people hold.
Accounts 2004-05 - the consolidated accounts were presented and Schedule B
was duly signed. Our current external examiner is retiring and a replacement
is required.
Charitable Giving - This group gave its recommendations which were approved
by the Church Council.
Ecumenical Youth Worker - This person will concentrate on youth work within
the Ashbourne Circuit and Deanery. We are being asked to commit in principle
to a contribution of £10,000 towards this post. The deanery is also
being asked for £10,000 and a further £8,000 from grants. (Currently
we spend £22,000 towards our Youth and Community worker.) In principle
the Church Council agrees but would like to see a job description. Approval
was given for our representatives on the Trustees to be Chris Eddy, Elizabeth
Hurfurt, David Bale and Robert Sales.
Powersource (Young People's Group) - Problems had arisen when a christening
and communion were planned for the same morning - efforts will be made to
avoid this happening in future. There is still a shortage of leaders.
Approval was given by the Church Council for the young people to put on an
exhibition of photos (probably during May half term). Thanks were expressed
for the mural that the young people had produced for Christmas, for the front
of church.
Cornerstone - Prices have been increased slightly. Christmas booklets were
given out and Christmas cards were on sale along with olive wood gifts. The
sale of Traidcraft goods had gone well.
Helen stated that she was thinking of closing the coffeeshop from 22-24 December
due to lack of volunteers. Church Council realised that at this important
time of year it would send out the wrong message. After an appeal in church,
volunteers came forward to enable the coffeeshop to be opened.
Ashbourne Churches Together - Elizabeth and John Hurfurt will be visiting
Patna in February. There is a commissioning service on 25 January at All Saints'
Church for the party of visitors with an evening planned on 1 April for them
to report back on their findings.
The next Quiet Day will be in Lent on Saturday 11th March.
Worship Development Group - After much discussion about whether we need another
type of service, it was decided to arrange a meeting to discuss this topic
at 7:30pm on Thursday 16 February 2006. All are welcome to attend.
There is a day of "Family Friendly Church" at Littleover Methodist
Church on Saturday 11 February.
Basement - More volunteers are needed and they do not need to be church people.
Glynn Bevan, Section Inspector at Ashbourne Police Station is willing to talk
to any community group whether young or old. Contact him at 0845 123 3333.
Magazine Editor - Arthur and Joy Watts will edit the monthly newsletter but
2 or 3 others are required who could copy, fold, staple and name the magazines.
Date of next meeting will be on Monday 06 March 2006 at 7:30 pm in the Century
Hall.
Future dates - Church Council - Thursday 15 June 2006
Annual Church Meeting - Monday 24 April 2006
Calling Fairtrade Tea & Coffee Drinkers
Fairtrade Fortnight is only just over a month away (6th-19th March) and we have some exciting plans for events , look out for details in the notices and next month's magazine. Fairtrade Fortnight is really important because it raises awareness of Fairtrade - and every extra person who buys Fairtrade means a better deal for more third world producers. And don't forget, Fairtrade also helps the producers and the environment by discouraging the use of chemicals.
One thing we'd really like all tea and coffee drinkers to help with during Fairtrade Fortnight is introducing your friends, relatives and colleagues to the great taste of Fairtrade. You know that there are great tasting Fairtrade teas and coffees out there, but there are still a lot of people who haven't tried Fairtrade. So, we'll be helping you out by providing you with information, leaflets and samples , making it easy for you to spread the word about Fairtrade.
Hope you can help us continue to make the world a fairer place in 2006.
Stuart Green
Ashbourne Fairtrade Town Initiative
We continue to ask for you to especially remember the following in your
prayers this month:
30th Jan All those who help prepare for services at church
31st Jan For the Fairtrade movement
1st Feb People with Alzheimers and their carers
2nd Feb The Ashbourne Patna Partnership & the group visit
3rd Feb Young people and helpers at The Basement
4th Feb Preachers preparing to lead services tomorrow
5th Feb Essence (Young People's Group)
6th Feb For those involved in the Prayer Triplets
7th Feb For those working to eradicate world poverty
8th Feb For the congregation of St Oswald's Church
9th Feb The leaders of this country and the world
10th Feb Those who serve on committees for the Church and Circuit
11th Feb The House Groups
12th Feb Those attending Powersource groups
13th Feb The congregation of St John's Church
14th Feb Those who feel unloved
15th Feb Walk and Talk group
16th Feb The government and people of Zimbabwe
17th Feb Members of the choir practicing for Sunday
18th Feb Those serving at Cornerstone
19th Feb The Elim Pentecostal Church family
20th Feb Farmers who are not paid a fair price for their produce
21st Feb Those who go to All Saints Catholic Church
22nd Feb Youth Club members and staff
23rd Feb The work of Methodist Homes
24th Feb Mission Partners - especially Richard & Katherine Jackson
in the Solomon Islands
25th Feb The work of NCH
26th Feb For families as half - term begins
CHURCH FAMILY NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS!
To Andrew Lewer and Gabriela Ciacia-Lobo who recently celebrated their Wedding
in Venezuela. We wish them well and assure them of our prayers as they embark
on their life together. There will be a service of blessing at 12noon on Saturday
4th February.
To Jonathan Webb who has recently received a British Accreditation Bureau Gold Award. Jonathan received the award in recognition of the outstanding client ratings he has achieved in the fields of personal, team development and customer service, over the last 12 years.
Please continue to pray for:-
Mary Hatch - now in Highlands Nursing Home
Dougie Hulme - who remains a patient in the City Hospital
Elizabeth Spencer - who continues to face difficult issues
Diocese of Patna as they prepare for the visit of the group from Ashbourne.
( If you know of someone who should be included in this feature for any
reason please let me have the details. Editor)
Hole for one
A golfing priest, after having been beaten by an elderly parishioner, returned
to the clubhouse somewhat depressed. "Cheer up," said the layman.
Remember, you'll eventually be burying me some day." "Yes,"
said the priest. "But even then it will be your hole!"
When children write to their minister...
"Dear Vicar...
I know God loves everybody but then He never met my sister.
Yours sincerely, Arnold. Age 8.
I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished.
Ralph, Age 11
From Fiona and Russell Davidson
A passenger in a taxi leaned over to ask the driver a question and tapped
him on the shoulder. The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly
hit a bus, drove up over the curb and stopped just inches from a plate glass
window. For a few moments
There was silence in the cab, and then the still shaking driver said,
"I'm sorry but you scared the daylights out of me".
The frightened passenger apologised to the driver, and said he didn't realise
a mere tap on the shoulder would frighten him so much.
The driver replied,"No, no, I'm sorry, it's entirely my fault. Today is my first day driving a cab… I've been driving a hearse for the last 25 years".
WORSHIP IN THE CHURCH
There will be a meeting on Thursday 16th February at 7.30 pm in the Century
Hall, to discuss new ideas for worship in our church.
We will be thinking about different styles of worship, days, times, formats, etc.
This meeting is open to everybody, so if you want to bring forward any ideas
you may have, or just listen and discuss, please come along.
Gareth Rutledge
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tuesday 31st January 12.30pm Church Lunch Century Hall
Wednesday 1st February 10.0am Alzeimer's Café Cornerstone
Friday 3rd February 7.30pm Fish & Chip Supper - Southwell Meth- odist
Church see vestibule for details
Tuesday 16th February 7.30pm "Worship in the Church" Century Hall
Saturday 18th February 7.00pm Praise - Century Hall
Tuesday 21st February 12.30pm Church Lunch Century Hall
Thanks to Stuart and Catherine Green for their work as Editors over the last
few years - they have set a high standard to follow! Thanks also to Arthur
Cook for now co-ordinating the production side of the magazine. This is your
magazine so we need your ideas and contributions. Feedback welcome. Deadline
for March, (Circuit) edition 9.00pm Wednesday 15th February.
Please place items in the "Newsletter" pigeon hole at church, phone 01335 342542 or E-mail ashbournemethodistmagazine@supanet.com
Arthur Watts
A member of the youth group at St John's, Tunbridge Wells, reports a very
English gaffe at a recent communion service. As the church's curate read the
moving words about Jesus at the Last Supper, he said... "And after a
cuppa."..
Could you fill this space or more?
Contributions for The Magazine can be brief or even a page or two. Reviews
of books you have read or things you have seen on the large or small screen.
Experiences you want to share with others, people you have met who helped
you on your Christian journey. Jokes, puzzles and quizzes also welcome.
How about a title for the Magazine?