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www.stivesmethodistchurch.org.uk
January 2010 Newsletter
Sunday Services
3
rd
January 10:30am
Matt Finch
Covenant Service
10th
January 10:30am Ruth Horton
17th
January 10:30am Simon Oliver
24th January 10:30am Colin Webber
31st
January 10:30amMatt Finch
All Age Worship
7th
February 10:30am Simon Oliver
A loop system is in use in this church.In order to use this please put your
hearing aid to the ‘T’ position
.
St Ives Methodist Church
27, The Waits,
St Ives,
Cambridgeshire.
PE27 5BY
Minister: Rev Matt FinchTel: 01480 462293
Mobile: 07968 692390Email: [email protected]
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A warm welcome to anyone who is visiting
St Ives Methodist Church for the first time. Please stay for
a free cup of tea or coffee in the church after the service.
Children’s corner Activities are available at the back of church. Please
feel free to join us at any time during the service.
Church MeetingsSt Ives Methodist Church (SIMC) run various groups that meet on
different days of the week. For more details of a specific group’sevents, please pick up a leaflet from the leaflet rack in the
corridor opposite the kitchen.
Day Time Meeting
Mondays(alternate weeks)
2-4 pm House GroupFellowship and Bible
Study
Tuesdays 9:30 – 10am
Morning Prayers /Communion
A special time of reflection
Tuesdays10-
11:30amToddlers Group
Meet other parents,
have a chat
Tuesdays10 -12
noonOpen Door
Drop in for a cup of
tea and a chat
Tuesdays 2 pmAfternoon
Fellowship
Hymns, prayer,
various speakers.
Thursdays(1
stand 3
rd)
7:30 pm Open CircleVarious speakers on
topics of interest
Sundays 7:30 pm Phos Young Adult group
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A letter from the Minister...
So here we are 2010! The trees, tinsel and
turkey seem to be gone so quickly and we
are back to work, school or the everydaypatterns of life. Let’s hope however that
we do not pack away the good news of
Jesus with the Christmas decorations for
another year.
I love the phrase in the Iona communion service, ‘God comes to
us, so that we might come to God’. In the Christmas just past wehave celebrated that God becomes one of us, is within our grasp
and all can know his love. The Christmas story tells us that God
breaks down every barrier so that we might come to him. The
challenge of Christmas will always be to encounter that love for
ourselves and not be a bystander to the hope born in a stable.
With a new year comes a fresh challenge which is to believe in
Christ’s words and become his follower.
The Christian faith, like no other faith, has a low mark for
believing. God takes the initiative to be made known. However,
the challenge to become a disciple is both costly and demanding.
There are very few who would reject the love of God, in the past
we have got carried away with making ‘converts’ to Christianity.The difficult part is making disciples (that’s you and me) who live
Godly lives every hour of everyday.
The folk called Methodists are a funny lot. If you were to ask
someone what we bring to the worldwide church, in amongst
mainly blank faces, one answer would be ‘the covenant service’.
For those of you who find the Methodist church a mystery let meexplain. It is a service which the Methodist church has always
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held. In it, the church and individuals pledge themselves to follow
God for another year wherever their path may lead. It recognises
that when life is good we must follow, when life is hard we must
still follow. It is also a time to remember that we are God’s and
this may lead us to unexpected horizons. The other importanthalf of the covenant is the one which God makes with his people
as he has done for every generation from Abraham to today. The
creator of the heavens and the earth says to us, ‘I am yours’.
As this year begins we do not know what lies ahead, as a church
we have the challenge of the foyer project, the need to continue
responding to the needs of our community, to strive for a richand varied worship life and importantly to continue being and
making disciples of Jesus.
Have a wonderful New Year,
Matt Finch
Church Events
Afternoon Fellowship
The Tuesday Afternoon Fellowship welcomes everyone to their
meetings each week. Meetings resume on Tuesday 5th
January
with a New Year Lunch. You can pick up the new programme
(which runs from now through to Easter) from the leaflet racks in
the corridor, or visit www.simc.co.uk/fellowship For further
information, contact the President, Pat Wass, on (01480) 351462.
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Circle of Light
The monthly Music Therapy sessions provided by Peter Shearer
will continue this year on the third Tuesday of each month in
2010 (moved from the second Tuesday). Drop in between
3:30pm and 5:00pm to the Small Meeting Room on Tuesday 19th
January. For further information, contact Peter on 07879 637607
Monday Housegroup
The Monday Housegroup will reconvene at 2pm on Monday 18th
January at 3, Clare Court. There will also be an informal meeting
at 2pm on Jan.11th at the home of Marion Rutherford (7, Langley
Way, Hemingford Grey) for those who wanted to see the openingT.V. episode of 'The History of Christianity'. Please advise
Marion if you are planning to be there.
Good News Library Van
The Good News Library Van will be visiting the church on Tuesday
26th
January from 10:30am to 11:45am. Enjoy a cup of tea whilst
browsing through the Christian books and resources available toborrow, free of charge.
Church Family NewsWe would like to extend a warm welcome to those who haverecently joined us. It is good to see new faces in our midst and we
look forward to getting to know you more in the coming weeks.
Do speak to Matt, or one of our Stewards, if you would like more
information about any of our Church activities. If you have news or announcements that you would like to share
with the church family in a future Newsletter please contact Stuart Wilkinson or email [email protected] .
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Please Pray...As a church we believe that prayer makes a difference because
God listens and answers.
Your prayers are asked for those of our Church family concerned
about their loved ones-particularly we think of Sheila Birkert and
Stuart Wilkinson, both whom have their fathers in hospital. We
also remember David Turner, Bill Purvis, John Crawley, Mary
Hindley, Bob Ketley, and others of our congregation unwell at the
present time.
We give thanks that Nan Duplessis and Margaret Harris are both
making satisfactory progress now they are back home again.
As we begin a new year, with new challenges, we pray that God
may be at the heart of all that we do. We pray to seek His will for
our lives over what He wants for us in 2010.
May we be challenged to understand how each one of us can
share God’s love with each other, with our families and amongst
our community in this new year.
Please also pray for our Leadership Team, the Church Council and
all those involved in decision making for the Foyer Project.
If there is anything that you would like to be prayed for please
write it in the Prayer Book at the back of the church, let the
Leadership Team know or contact [email protected] .
If you’d like to receive a weekly free prayer from The Methodist
Church to your mobile, text PRAYNOW to 82088 and join with
hundreds of others praying for topical and personal issues.
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Notices
Foyer Project Update...
Thank you to everyone who has taken a Foyer Project booklet
and filled in the blue feedback form. All the comments are
gratefully received and show a willingness to express honest
opinions about the project and an openness to find God’s will for
us in this next step as a church.
The leadership team have been advised that members of theTuesday Afternoon Fellowship have committed themselves to
praying that the right decisions will be made and that God’s will
be done. It is indeed essential that prayer is at the heart of this
process. Please pray for all those involved in this process.
There is still time to reflect back to us; either by returning your
blue form or coming to the meeting on the 20th January at7.30pm at the church. This meeting is open to all to pray and
discuss the plans further.
If you want information about the progress of the Foyer
redevelopment then please approach a member of the
leadership team. Also, the feedback and entire project will be
discussed at the church council on the 25th January so please ask
church council members to report back or raise a question for
you. Or if you are interested in what goes on the meeting is open
to all so you could come and listen for yourself.
Christmas Tree Festival
The Christmas Tree Festival at Huntingdon Methodist Churchraised just over £2,000 for local charities. Many visitors came to
look at the 45 trees on display. Many thanks to all involved.
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The Black Bin
Thank you for the overwhelming support shown for The Black Bin
appeal in the run up to Christmas, supporting local families
struggling this Christmas. These gifts have made a real difference
to many lives in our locality. This current appeal as now ended,but we will continue to seek to be creative in our future giving.
You are welcome to contact the Leadership Team with feedback
about The Black Bin appeal to assist us going forward.
Action for Children
Thank you to all of you who signed the card at the back of church
last month. It has been lovely to read your Christmas messages. If you haven’t seen the card, please feel free to have a look over
the next couple of weeks.
Together, the Christmas Card and the Afternoon Fellowship
Service on 1st
December raised a total of £136 raided for Action
for Children. Thank you for your kind donations. Your generosity
enables Action for Children to continue their valuable work with
over 155,000 vulnerable children and their families. Thank you!
Open Circle
The Open Circle group would like to invite you to come along.
Open Circle meet on the first and third Thursdays of the month,
are open to both men and women. They would be delighted towelcome new members. For more information please pick up a
new programme from church or contact the President, Audrey
Hedger on 01954 200418.
Craig Alden
Christmas Greetings to the Church have been received from
Maureen Alden, Craig's mother. She says " With grateful thanksfor your continued support and prayers. Sadly there has been no
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progress in Criag's case but he is well and getting some
translating work ". Mary Gatehouse sent a Christmas Card to
Craig on behalf of the Church to show that he is not forgotten.
Newer members to the church may wish to speak to Mary or visit
www.freecraigalden.co.uk for further information..
Christmas Thanks
A few people worked very hard to make our Christmas services
meaningful and special :- the Remembering Service, the 'Cats'
carol service, the service for Action for Children, our Church Carol
service, and especially mentioning the spectacular Nativity for
Children on Christmas Eve which brought around 50 children andtheir parents to our straw-filled church and a very special stable.
Thank you to Matt and all who helped in the organisation of
these events, not forgetting those who took care of practical
concerns; putting up the Advent star and the Christmas tree,
serving the refreshments, and vacuuming up straw!
Church Council Meeting
The Church Council, the governing body of the church, will be
meeting on Monday 25th
January at 7:30pm at the church. The
meeting is open to all. Brief feedback from the meeting will
appear in the February newsletter, and minutes will become
available on the noticeboard in the corridor.
Christian Aid’s Response to Copenhagen
Christian Aid believe that the world’s poorest countries have
been let down by the Copenhagen Climate Change summit and
have called it a “tradegy for millions.” You can watch a video
response to Copenhagen and read more about what can be done
next at simc.co.uk/climate.
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January :feature
Each month the newsletter will include a special feature about one
particular part of our church. This month, our Steward with
responsibility for communications, Stuart Wilkinson, updates us on twonew church publications heading our way soon.
There are very many people that make up our church. We know some
people better than others. Over 250 people are in some way connected
to our church family! Would you recognise them all?
This year, the launch of cafe-style services and family services may
provide a chance to get to know some people that we otherwise might
not, and build up fellowship with one another.
But sometimes we may need to try to find someone from church –
perhaps to ask about a church event, or to find out when something is
happening – and we might not know who that person is or how tocontact them. There have been several requests for contact information
recently and the Leadership Team have decided to address this matter.
One new leaflet, called Getting In Touch has already been produced and
will be available this month from the leaflet racks in the corridor. This
includes contact information for the Minister, the Leadership Team and
certain named contacts within the church. This leaflet designed to bepublicly available to all, and therefore includes contacts that may be of
interest to visitors or newcomers to the church.
Later this year, we also hope to publish a Church Directory. This will not
be designed to be a publicly available publication in the way the Getting
In Touch leaflet is. The directory will include contact details for everyone
who is part of the church in some way and wishes to be included within
it. This publication will provide names, addresses, phone numbers and
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email contacts of those who wish to appear. Certain pieces of information
can be omitted (such as phone numbers) or some people may prefer their
privacy and not wish to appear at all.
This new document will aim to be data-protection compliant, so aconsent form will need to be signed by everyone who wishes to be
included in the new directory. This will also be a chance to make sure
your details are correct – and choose what you would like to be included.
In order to follow Safeguarding best practice, the directory will not
include information relating to anyone under the age of 18.
In order to be fully data protection compliant, we need explicitpermission to give out so much as just a name or telephone number, so
signed consent forms from those who wish to take part will ensure the
church is handling personal data in a legal manner.
Once produced, named copies of the directory will be available to those
who are involved in the life of the church.
If you have any questions about the creation of the new Church
Directory, please let your Leadership Team know.
Printed on non-bleached 100% Recycled Paper
Forthcoming notices:
If you would like a notice to go into the next monthly
Newsletter, please contact Stuart Wilkinson.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01480 389623
Write in the purple notice book at the back of the church.
Deadline for the next issue: 11am Tuesday 2nd
February.
Next issue available Sunday 7 th February.
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Sun 3rd 7:30pm Phos
Tues 5th
9:30am Morning Prayers / Communion
Tues 5th
10 – 11:30am Parents and Toddlers
Tues 5th
10 – 12 noon Open DoorTues 5
th2:00pm Afternoon Fellowship: New Year Lunch
Sun 10th 7:30pm Phos
Mon 11th
2pm Watch The History of Christianity programme
(7 Langley Way, Hemingford Grey)
Tues 12th
9:30am Morning Prayers / Communion
Tues 12th
10 – 11:30am Parents and Toddlers
Tues 12th 10 – 12 noon Open Door
Tues 12th
2:00pm Afternoon Fellowship: Deaconess Sue Roberts
Sun 17th
7:30pm Phos
Mon 18th 2pm House Group (3 Clare Court)
Tues 19th
9:30am Morning Prayers / Communion
Tues 19th
10 – 11:30am Parents and Toddlers
Tues 19
th
10 – 12 noon Open DoorTues 19
th2:00pm Afternoon Fellowship: Marion Rutherford
Tues 19th
3:30pm-5pm Circle of Light (drop in session)
Wed 20th
7:30pm Foyer Project Prayer and Discussion meeting
Sun 24th
7:30pm Phos
Tues 26th
9:30am Morning Prayers / Communion
Tues 26th
10 – 11:30am Parents and Toddlers
Tues 26th 10 – 12 noon Open Door
Tues 26th
10:30-11:45am Good News Library Van visit
Tues 26th
2:00pm Afternoon Fellowship: Own arrangements
Sun 31st
7:30pm Phos
Mon 1st 2pm House Group (3 Clare Court)
Tues 2nd
9:30am Morning Prayers / Communion
Tues 2nd
10 – 11:30am Parents and ToddlersTues 2
nd10 – 12 noon Open Door
Tues 2nd
2:00pm Afternoon Fellowship: Derek Newton