Wednesday 25 September 2024

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I know that many of you are away for the Autumn holiday break. I hope you have an enjoyable and refreshing time.

Prayers for Hope and Healing
From time to time, we offer prayers for hope and healing during the service. We will do this this coming Sunday, 29th September. During the service, those who wish to will be able to come up to the front to receive anointing of oil on the forehead, laying on of hands, and a simple prayer for God's strength and healing, hope, forgiveness and peace. The ministry of healing is part of the wider ministry of the church. Anointing and laying on of hands by the leaders of the church is recommended in the letter of James, and many churches still do this today.

Harvest Festival
Our harvest festival will be on Sunday 13th October. This will also be an All Age Eucharist. Please do bring flowers, fruit and vegetables and other produce to decorate the church. After the service we will have an Auction when the produce will be auctioned off to raise money for the Kigezi Water Project in Uganda, supported by ena! (formally known as TearFund Schweiz)

Gardening Day
Our next Gardening Day will be on Saturday 19th October, 9.30am - 1pm. It would be great to have a good number to help with this. We especially encourage families to come with their children. We will have some little jobs for children and also hope to make a hedgehog house!
If you want to know more please do ask Sue.

Volunteers Needed
If you are able to help in any of the following areas, please let us know:

• helping run the technical desk (sound system and beamer) in church during services
• those with technical skills to help with IT and phone system
• those who can operate and supervise the heating system
• those who can help with building maintenance (church, halls and church house)

On Prayer

I love these words below about prayer. I find them very inspiring and encouraging and I hope you do too.

Your prayer is not so much a duty as a privilege;
a gift rather than a problem
or the result of your own efforts.
So don't tire yourself out
looking for beautiful thoughts or words,
but stay attentive before God
in humility and purity of heart,
full of joy and hope.
Your prayer will take countless forms
because it is the echo of your life,
and a reflection of the inexhaustible light
in which God dwells.

Sometimes you will taste and see how good the Lord is.
Be glad then, and give Him all honour,
because His goodness to you has no measure.
Sometimes you will be dry and joyless
like parched land or an empty well.
But your thirst and helplessness
will be your best prayer
if you accept them with patience
and embrace them lovingly.

Sometimes you will be able to pray
only with your body and hands and eyes;
sometimes your prayer will move beyond
words and images;
sometimes you will be able to leave
everything behind you
to concentrate on God and His Word.
Sometimes you will be able to do nothing else
but take your whole life and everything in you
and bring them before God.
Every hour has its own possibilities
of genuine prayer.

(Rule for a New Brother)

With love in Christ,
Helen