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NovemberNewsletter
Mustard SeedEvangelical Church
The
For the people of Callington and the greater glory of God
www.msec.org.uk
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Welcome!I write this with the rain and wind beating on the windows, the colours of the leaves on the trees opposite are yellowing and Fiona and I are looking forward to the time when those leaves are gone and we can enjoy the view a little more!
We have lived in Callington for only five months, but we feel increasingly at home . T he r e h a ve been many encouragements for me as Pastor: the joy of getting to know you all more and to witness your love and care for each other. Last Sunday, the 24th October, highlighted the unity of our fellowship as we celebrated Jenny Jane’s 90th birthday in church in the morning and many of us were able to celebrate again with Jenny’s friends, family and neighbours in the Hall in the afternoon.
I am reminded that the early church, as recorded by Luke in ‘the Acts of the Apostles’, showed such love for each other and unity as a body, that many were attracted to join their group, despite all the difficulties that being a new convert faced in first century occupied Judea. We are called as Chr i s t ians to reach out to our neighbours, but we have to be sure that, if they make the effort to come to church with us, that there they will find warmth, friendliness and a caring love and acceptance which are immensely attractive.
We are challenged to give an equal welcome to children, single parents and those who are struggling with life and to be flexible enough to enjoy the presence of those who have not been regular churchgoers, who may not know ‘how to behave’ in a service, but are hungry to find something or someone who will fill that ‘God-‐shaped space’ in their hearts.
As we look forward to visits from missionary speakers from London City Mission, Faith Mission and, early next year, from Release International, we know that there will be testimonies to the mighty and surprising work of God in people’s lives, many coming to know Him out of the most unpromising lifestyles. He is the same God at work here in Callington as in London and elsewhere. We can be certain that He is moving in the hearts and lives of many and what is it that He requires from us? To love our God with every fibre of our being, to love all whom He has sent to this fel lowship and to love our neighbour, those whose paths we cross from day to day.
My prayer is that we continue to support and care for each other this autumn and that, as the celebrations of Christmas draw near, our vision grows to comprehend more fu l l y the transforming, redeeming power of God in the lives of those around us.
– David
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Monthly ActivitiesDate Time Event Location
Sunday 31/10 10:45 London City Mission The Mustard Seed
Sunday 31/10 17:00 Light Party The Mustard Seed
Sunday 24/10 18:00 Café Church The Mustard Seed
Sunday 7/11 18:30 Prayer Meeting The Mustard Seed
Sunday 21/11 10:45Faith Mission leading our morning service The Mustard Seed
Sunday 21/11 No Evening Service –
Sunday 28/11 10:45Tim Cadoux is leading our morning service The Mustard Seed
Sunday 28/11 18:00 Café Church The Mustard Seed
Sunday 28/11 CTiC Advent Praise Methodist Church
Some Special Services:31st October – London City Mission
7th November – International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.11th November – Remembrance Sunday
21st November – Faith Mission21st Nov. (Evening) – Tim Cadoux preaching at St. Mary’s (Revive).21st Nov. (Evening) – David Cole preaching at the Methodist Church.
If you have anything which you think might be appropriate to go in the newsletter, such as a joke, an event which is happening in the future, or a report about something which has already taken place;
please pass it on to Tim.
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From a sermon recently preached:
The Jewish Rabbis had determined that God had decreed that God’s forgiveness extended to three and that punishment came with the fourth transgression (Amos 2). Peter had thus felt that an offer to forgive seven times was exemplary, but Jesus stated that we should forgive seventy
times seven, reversing Lamech’s boast of Genesis 4 v24.
The debt written off by the king at the servant’s request was the modern equivalent of billions of pounds: one talent was worth fifteen years wages and he owed 10,000! The province of Galilee’s total yearly revenue was only 300 talents! The servant had asked for
Forgiveness
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-‐seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him.
‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart.”
The Parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 v21-‐35
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time to repay this enormous debt, but the King exceeded his pleas by writing the debt off. He should have been ecstatic and determined to live in this spirit of grace, but No, he attacks a fellow servant who owes him the equivalent of six months wages and throws him into a debtor’s prison until he repays his creditor. The sheer insolence of the man must have astonished the first century Jewish listener as it shocks us today! The King reacts by reclaiming the debts of the first servant and throwing him into prison, which I am sure, warmed the sense of justice in the hearts of the listeners. However, Jesus turns the focus on His listeners and us when he declares, ‘That is how my Father in Heaven will treat everyone unless you forgive your brother from your heart’. Divine and human forgiveness go hand-‐in-‐hand.
He declares, then, that no sin that can be committed against us can be considered too great for us to forgive, because God has already forgiven us far more-‐that cost Him the death of His Son-‐and our continued state of forgiveness in His eyes is dependent on our forgiving those who trespass against us.
It is not easy to forgive, but it will cost us so much more if we do not! We will be locked up in our own prison if we harbour grudges. The church is called to be a community of the forgiven and the forgiving, all our
relationships marked with this quality. I think Jesus always recognised that this may prove an immense challenge, but He forgave His killers whilst He was dying on the cross.
There are often Newspaper accounts of Christians who have forgiven their attackers. Jill Saward, who was attacked and abused as an innocent teenage by thieves who broke into her father’s vicarage, came to accept that she had to forgive her assailants. She told one of her attackers who came pleading for her forgiveness: ‘You have it and you have had it for a long time’. It had been a long and painful journey for Jill and had cost her friends and marriage, but she states, ‘Sometimes I thought it might be quite nice to be full of hatred and revenge, but I think it creates a barrier and you are the one who gets damaged in the end. So, although it makes you vulnerable, forgiving is actually a release. I don’t think I would be here today without my Christian faith. That is what has got me through’.
The Bible calls us to forgive in our mind, by an act of will and trust that God will do His work in our hearts to make the forgiveness complete. Colossians 3 v13 says: ‘As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive’.
– David.
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Sunday 28/11: 1 Samuel 16 v1-‐13 ‘The Jesse tree’. A thousand years later, Jesus was born of the Royal line of David in Bethlehem.
Monday 29/11: Genesis 1 v24-‐28‘The birth of life’. ‘When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established, what are human beings that you are mindful of them?’
Tuesday 30/11: Genesis 3 v1-‐24 ‘Adam and Eve’. Sin makes us more beast-‐like than God-‐like. It binds us to earth when we are capable of heaven’.
Wed. 1/12: Genesis 6 v11-‐22; 8 v6-‐12 ‘Noah and the Flood’. ‘Noah did everything just as God commanded him’.
Thursday 2/12: Genesis 12 v1-‐7; 13 v2-‐18‘Father Abraham’. Read also Hebrews 11 v8.
Friday 3/12: Genesis 22 v1-‐14‘Isaac and the ram’. Faith is the conviction that the Lord will provide.
Saturday 4/12: Genesis 27 v41-‐28 v22‘Jacob and his dream’.
Sunday 5/12: Isaiah 9 v2-‐7‘Symbol of prophecy’. We believe that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy of Isaiah
from hundreds of years before He was born.
Monday 6/12: Genesis 37 v1-‐36‘Joseph and his coat’.
Tuesday 7/12: Exodus 20 v1-‐17‘Moses and the Law’ . Wh i ch commandment do you count most essential and why?
Wednesday 8/12: Numbers 6 v22-‐27‘The blessing of Aaron’. Aaron, brother of Moses, was High Priest of Israel and responsible for developing new patterns of religious practice among the people.
Thursday 9/12: 1 Samuel 3 v1-‐21‘Samuel and the Word of the Lord’. Samuel is considered Israel’s first prophet.
Friday 10/12: 1 Samuel 16 v14-‐23‘David’.
Saturday 11/12: Psalm 23‘Symbol of shepherds’. Our Creator cares for us individually.
Sunday 12/12: 1 Kings 3 v3-‐28‘The wisdom of Solomon’.
Monday 13/12: 1 Kings 17 v1-‐16‘Elijah and the raven’. ‘Help us to remember, O God, that you love not only people, but also all other creatures. Amen.’
Daily Readings For AdventDuring the period of Advent, which begins on Sunday November 28th, I would like to encourage you to read these passages daily. It will enable you to grasp the 'bigger picture' of Christmas.
– David.
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Tuesday 14/12: 2 Kings 5 v1-‐27‘Elisha and healing’. ‘Part of the heritage of Jesus is Elisha’s concern for the health of people’.
Wednesday 15/12: Isaiah 6 v1-‐8‘Isaiah’. The calling of the prophet who would prophesy so clearly of the coming of the suffering Servant.
Thursday 16/12: Jeremiah 31 v31-‐34‘Jeremiah’. The prophecy that was fulfilled by Christ.
Friday 17/12: Nehemiah 13 v10-‐22‘Nehemiah the builder’. ‘O Lord our God, help us to realize that we do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from you.’
Saturday 18/12: Hebrews 1 v1-‐14‘Angels’. ‘Grant me faith with which to see, Thy Spirit, Lord, at work in me’.
Sunday 19/12: Luke 1 v5-‐25‘Zechariah and Elizabeth’. The father of John the Baptist was a priest, conscientious and sincere. Yet he found it difficult, as we often do, to accept the ‘inner voice’ that had promised something so hard to believe.’
Monday 20/12: Luke 1 v26-‐38‘Virgin Mary’. The time has come for the prophecies of old to be fulfilled.
Tuesday 21/12: Luke 1 v39-‐56‘Magnificat’. Mary’s song is akin to the one sung by Hannah when she presented her child, Samuel, to serve the Lord.
Wednesday 22/12: Luke 1 v 57-‐80‘Birth of John the Baptizer’. ‘Make us more grateful for homes and families and for the opportunities we have to serve you, O God.’
Thursday 23/12: Matthew 1 v18-‐25‘Joseph of Nazareth’. ‘For a child has been born for us, a Son given to us; authority rests upon His shoulders’,
Friday 24/12: Matthew 2 v1-‐12‘Symbol of Bethlehem’. ‘Dawn upon our hearts and minds, Lord Jesus, that we may see more clearly the road that leads to a new day’.
Christmas Day: Luke 2 v1-‐20‘The birth of Jesus’
Contributions for December newsletter:
Deadline: 25th NovemberSpeak to: Tim CadouxEmail: [email protected]
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Youth Work UpdateThese past two months have been an exciting time. On Friday 22nd October, I helped at the Friday Night Project at the Town Hall.
The Friday Night Project is for secondary school aged young people, and will have a varied programme of events. This first night had a couple of bands and the Karma street dance group from Callington Community College. The next event is on the 11th December, and will be the Callington X-‐Factor.
I have also been invited to help at the Community Action Personal Encouragement Programme which is run at Callington Community College on Friday afternoons. This w i l l g i ve me a r ea l l y good opportunity to get to know young peop l e , s uppo r t t hem , and hopefully encourage young people to come along to some of the events we run.
I am also in contact with the head of Religious Studies at the school, and I
hope to be able to help out with lessons there soon.
On Friday 29th October, we are starting a guy’s night for the guys in the various groups we run. This will be a time for us to get together and hopefully be able to form greater relationships between us all, and be able to think more about God, and his relationship with us and the world.
Café Church is going well each month, and we had a good time on Sunday 24th October, even through there were only a few of us (because it was half term).
Thanks to all those who have helped with Soul Space through the term so far.
Please continue to pray for us at Café Church, and on Monday Evenings, as well as our new opportunities with the school.
– Tim
Please pray on for all our missionaries that they will know God strength and help in there work.We look forward to a visit from Malcom & Kirestin in the new year before they go back to the mission field.
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The Back PewA preacher was complet ing a temperance sermon; with great expression he said,
“If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and throw it intothe river.”
With even greater emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river.”
And then finally, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river.”
He sat down.
The worship leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, “For our closing song, let us sing Hymn # 365: Shall We Gather at the River.”
Two brothers are terrible trouble makers. They are always breaking things, stealing things, lying, and making all kinds of general trouble. The parents have tried everything to get the boys to change, to no avail. Finally, out of options, they ask their pastor if he can help. He says he will talk to the boys, but only one at a time. The parents drop off the youngest and go home, promising to return to get him soon. The boy sits in a chair across from the pastor's desk and they just look at each other.
Finally, the Pastor says, "Where is God?"
The boy just sits there and doesn't answer.
The pastor begins to look stern and loudly says, "Where is God?"
The little boy shifts in his seat, but still doesn't answer.
The pastor is starting to get angry at the boy's refusal to converse and practically shouts "Where is God?"
To the pastor's surprise, the little boy jumps up out of his chair and runs out of the office.
The boy leaves the church and runs all the way home, up the stairs and into his brother's room. He shuts the door and pants, "We're in BIG TROUBLE. God's missing and they think we did it!"
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Weekly ActivitiesMondaysMondays
19:30 Home Group at Iris Wilson’s Led by John Cole
19:30 Youth Group in the Hall. A chance for all the young people aged 13-‐18 to get together and have fun playing games, pool and table-‐tennis.
TuesdaysTuesdays
14:30 Home Group at Jenny Jane’s led by David Jewell
WednesdaysWednesdays
09:15 Seedlings in the Hall. For pre-‐schoolers and parents/carers.
15:00 Splash at Callington Primary School. An after-‐school club for pupils at the school.
19:45 Home Group at David Jewell’s led by David Jewell
ThursdaysThursdays
10:00 Ladies Bible Study in the Parlour.
SundaysSundays
10:45 Morning Worship at the Mustard Seed. Join us for a time of prayer, worship and teaching. There are groups for children and young people, through which they will learn more about God and enjoy finding out more about Him.
18:30 Evening Praise with worship, sharing and praying together before an interactive study focusing on what God is saying though the passage, not just trying to gain more knowledge.
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ContactsLeadershipLeadership
David Jewell(Pastor)
Peter Coombe(Elder)
(01579) [email protected]
John Cole (Elder)
01752 [email protected]
Youth and Children’s WorkYouth and Children’s Work
Tim Cadoux (Youth Worker)
Geraldine Parkyn(Splash)
(01579) [email protected]
OutreachOutreach
Kathy Cole (Seedlings)
01752 [email protected]
Geraldine Parkyn(Residential Homes)
(01579) [email protected]
Other ActivitiesOther Activities
John Cole(Monday Home Group)
01752 [email protected]
David Jewell(Tue/Wed Home Groups)
Maureen Lloyd (Women’s Ministry)
(01579) 351853
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Who We Are:
The Mustard Seed is a fellowship of Christians committed to discovering God’s love and truth for today. During our worship and study times, in our family and social events, and through our caring and Outreach Ministries we explore and share God’s grace and guidance as He helps us become and grow as His followers.
What We Believe:
•God is real.•Jesus is Lord.•The Holy Spirit gives life.•God speaks through the Bible.•God forgives us.•Jesus cares for us.•Jesus is coming back.
Mustard SeedEvangelical Church
The
For the people of Callington and the greater glory of God
www.msec.org.uk
We warmly welcome you, or anyone else to meet with us!
