Christmas Eve 2009

The Christingle Service

Making Christingles

In preparation for the Christingle Service - Christmas Eve - 4pm

To find out more about Christingles click here

http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what_you_can_do/fundraising_appeals/christingle/what_is_christingle/7656.html

This service raises money for the Children's Society - to find out more about the Society and it's work click here

http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/all_about_us/All_about_us_1038.html

Christmas Unwrapped

It's a busy week, but take time to visit the Bible Society's Christmas Unwrapped site to hear the Christmas Story.

http://www.christmasunwrapped.org.uk/

Christmas Love

Love - I Corinthians 13
by Sharon Jaynes

If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family - I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I’m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - It profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir’s contada but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn’t envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of your way.
Love doesn’t give, only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

Nativity 2009

The children performed the Nativity - "Jesus Birthday Party"

Mary and Joeseph

The Innkeeper and his wife

The Kings

The Shepherds

The animals in the stable

Lots of glittery Angels

Christmas Services 2009

There are lots of different services over the Christmas Period - come along and join our celebrations of Christ's birth.

Sunday 2oth December
10.30am - the family Nativity Service. The children from Shell Group and Sunday School will present Jesus Birthday Party.
6.00pm - Candlelight Carol Service

Monday 21st December
7.00pm - Candlelight Carol Service

Christmas Eve
4.00pm - Christingle Service
11.00pm - Holy Communion

Christmas Day
11am - Christmas Day Service

Sunday 27th December
10.30am - Morning Worship

Sing-a-long-a-Santa

The Beavers, Cubs and Scouts showed off their talents and raised money for the Church Project in their Sing-a-long-a-Santa evening.

The Christmas Fair

The Christmas Fair was very successful and raised over £3800. There were lots of stalls, Santa's Grotto and wonderful lunches in the Lower Hall.








Huge thanks to all who worked so hard - on stalls, preparing and serving lunches, setting out or tidying away.

Origins and Lemons preview

Origins and Lemons - have you got your tickets?

Riding Lights will be presenting Origins and Lemons at Farnworth Methodist Church on Tuesday 24th Novemeber.

If you want to find out more follow the link below.

http://ridinglights.org/sub_sites/o&l/o&labout.html

The show has been created by Paul Burbridge and Nigel Forde, two of the founder members of Riding lights, and uses songs, stories and sketches to examine the issues raised in the book of Genesis.

The production promises to follow in the great tradition of Riding Lights by using humour and drama to both entertain and throw light on our relationships with one another and with God. The company are currently on tour in the UK and are receiving good reviews for their performance. To read the opinion of the reviewer from the York evening press follow this link

http://ridinglights.org/sub_sites/o&l/o&lvideo.html

Tickets are priced £11 and £8 concessions and can be purchased direct from Riding Lights or by emailing

richard.taylor203a@ntlworld.com

Order now so you don't miss out on a great night of theatre.

Bible Sunday

This Sunday coming (25th October) is Bible Sunday.

This week, please pray for the work of the Bible Society.

You can find out more about the Bible Society by following the link below.

http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/

Cubs @ Forest Camp

The Cubs went to Forest Camp for the day...

The first activity was archery

Then they did map reading and orienteering
The branding is always an exctiting activity - lots of smoke and flames!

The first step in pioneering is learning to tie a knot...

... so that you can build a tent!

Practicing folding the flag

Backwoods cooking!

The last activity was the low ropes...

... a really fun way to end a busy day.

Church Project 2009

This years Church project was launched during our Harvest Service. Money donated during the Harvest services will be used to support the work of The Kings Cross Project, based at Trinity Church in Widnes.

http://www.kingscrossproject.org.uk/

Over the next few months we will continue to raise money for Kings Cross, and hopefully we will at least match the total of £2003 raised for last years project 'Nijera Shikhi'.

If you have any good fundraising ideas - please share them with the Stewards.

Harvest 2009

We celebrated our Harvest Festival on 11th October. The church had been beautifully decorated - thanks to all who donated produce, and to those who gave up their time to arrange it.

The morning service was a parade, and the church was full. The children brought offerings of fruit and vegetable baskets, bunches of flowers and boxes of cereals. Rev Neil Drayton led the service which involved lots of measuring (of leeks) and counting (of apples), and the children from the Shell Group, Beavers and Cubs sang "Always Remember, Never Forget to Say Thank You" with great gusto.

In the evening service, the theme of Measuring our Faith was further developed, as we thought of Christians who we measure ourselves against.

The choir sang the John Rutter anthem "Look at the World", which you can hear on the video file below.

Jesus Folk

On Friday, 16th October we are giving a repeat performance of the musical 'Jesus Folk' in our Church Hall at 7.30pm.
The musical tells the story of the Jesus Folk - mixing figures from the Bible with contemporary characters. It shows how Jesus changed the lives of those he met and challenges us to invite Jesus into our lives today.
It lasts about 1 hour 40 minutes with a 20 minute interval when tea and biscuits will be served.
Admission is free but there will be a plate for donations towards The Kings Cross Project and Overseas Medical Missions.
If you want to see pictures from our last performance, go to the blog posted on 11th of May.
Look forward to seeing you on Friday!

Summer Break Workload!

Not so slow during the Summer Break

Our regular weekday activities have been muted during the summer break, but not altogether absent, and we are ready to start on our new programme. Each Monday afternoon there is a working party of volunteers to attend to any jobs that need doing – changing light bulbs, plaster repairs, decorating, garden maintenance, boundary fence repairs, clearing gullies and drains, repairs to equipment – all the usual maintenance work.

Over summer we have arranged for external redecoration, painting and pointing, electrical and gas inspections, portable appliance testing (nearly 150 devices!) and conducted our Health and Safety Assessment and Fire Safety Assessment. We have arranged for fitted cupboards in the Lower Hall Store Room to replace free-standing cabinets – you can actually move around in there now – and we have had a thorough clear-out of two storerooms and under the stage, all of this done by our volunteer group, known affectionately as “Last of the Summer Wine”!

During and After

At the AGM several new proposals were accepted, one being this blog. Another is the Lending Library of faith related books that members have found helpful and are prepared to pass on. This is now established and a suitable display cabinet purchased. A further suggestion was a Prayer Garden, sited in an area currently unused and rather overgrown. It is a pity we have no photographs before work was started, but the undergrowth is now cleared and much effort has gone into removing significant sized tree stumps. Discussions have taken place on the proposal and we are working towards its completion. It should provide a space for quiet contemplation, and provide additional witness, as its situation is clearly visible from the road and the nearby bus stop.

New Library

Prayer Garden Proposal

Work has started

Heavy Work Underway

Mark shows us how!

They also serve, who only stand and wait!

The Mary Jones Walk 21st-23rd August

On the weekend of Friday, 21st August, the Church Rambling Group enjoyed (well, most of the time anyway!) a 26 mile sponsored walk from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to Bala, re-tracing the steps of Mary Jones, the 15 year old Welsh girl who, 200 years earlier had walked that same route in order to buy a bible in her own language, having saved up for six years! Mary's story was part of the inspiration of the Bible Society for which we were collecting. So far we have raised £482 - a big thankyou to all our sponsors for your generosity.

The Happy Band Before The Ordeal

The Best Side Of Graham Smith

Rambo Potts Leading Us On The March

Women's Group Having A Meeting With Magnificent Scenery

Half Way Round. Have We Only Done 13 Miles?

Beautiful Scenery As Far As The Eye Could See

Who Said We Are Lost?

Weary Bodies, But the End Is Nigh (We Hope)

Made It At Last Without Losing Anybody