Histon Methodist Church May 2015 NEWSLETTER REGULAR ACTIVITIES SUNDAY MONDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY Services Craft Club (alternate weeks, see Diary for dates) Community coffee shop Thursday Group (1st Thursday in month) Community coffee shop 10.30am and some evenings 2.00pm to 4.00pm 9.00am to 5.00pm 2.45pm to 4.00pm 10.30am to 11.30am MINISTER’S MESSAGE Dear Friends, We began the month of April by celebrating Easter, the Festival of the Resurrection. In May we celebrate Aldersgate Sunday, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. These are important days so I have adapted some reflections which I originally wrote for the forthcoming June to August Circuit Plan. Appropriately this year our celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit with power at Pentecost, falls on 24th May, which Methodists also observe as Aldersgate Sunday. On this day in 1738 John Wesley went somewhat reluctantly, to a religious meeting in Aldersgate Street in the City of London. There he found his life transformed by the liberating truth of the gospel. In his journal he tells how someone was reading from Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans‘ when, at ‘About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed.I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given to me that he had taken away my sins even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death’. After that meeting John rushed to see his brother Charles who, a few days before on Pentecost Sunday, had experienced something very similar. Thus began a mighty work of the Holy Spirit, which not only led to the worldwide Methodist movement but also greatly influenced Christians in many denominations. The magnificent hymns of Charles, and the dynamic theology of John have led many to discover Christ for themselves. They believed they were preaching New Testament Christianity and often spoke of the need for ‘knowledge and vital piety’. Doctrine and experience came together and so equipped people to live their discipleship and relate it to the whole of life. The Holy Spirit has often been described as ‘God in the present tense’, or ‘God in action now’. The Creator of the Universe reveals himself supremely in the life and work of Jesus and in his death and resurrection. These truths become real for us through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This threefold understanding of the nature and work of God is summed up in the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and celebrated on Trinity Sunday, one week after Pentecost. This year it falls on 31st May. It is the only Sunday in the year that celebrates a particular doctrine. But that doctrine is so important that we rightly call it ‘Sum up Sunday’. Its message is briefly expressed in the chorus of a modern hymn, There is a redeemer: ‘Thank you O my Father for giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit till the work on earth is done’. The great Theologian Karl Barth, described the Trinity as ‘God’s three ways of being God’ If we want to experience God in all his fullness we need to remember that he is our Creator, Redeemer, and the one who not only enables us to discover him, but also empowers us to live our discipleship. As we then move into the Sundays after Trinity, we will explore the relevance of our faith to every part of our lives. May God enrich our faith, enlarge our vision, and inspire us to serve him now and always. Your friend and minister, Peter C. Graves Editor: Jenny Phillipps, 57 Lone Tree Avenue, Impington, Cambridge, CB24 9PG. Phone: 01223 234835. Email: [email protected] Minister: Revd Dr Peter Graves. Old Ness Farm, Ness Road, Burwell CB25 0DB Phone: 01638 724928. Email: [email protected] Histon Methodist Church Newsletter May 2015 DIARY DATES FOR MAY Sun 3rd Preacher: Rev Dr Peter Graves Wed 6th Service at Bramley Court Thu 7th Thursday Group. Speaker: Martin Thompson on the Besom Project 2.45pm Sun 10th Holy Communion. Preacher: Revd Jean Simmonds 10.30am 2.45pm 10.30am Sun 10th – Sat 16th Christian Aid week Mon 11th Craft Group 2.00pm Science meets faith at Wesley church: Rev Dr Alasdair Coles 7.45pm Broken brains and God: what neurological disease teaches us about the religious human Thu 14th Housegroup at 13b West Rd Sat 16th Yard Sale (see notice) Wed 20th Service at Etheldred House 11.00am Sun 17th Preacher: Revd Dr Peter Graves 10.30am Sun 24th Preacher: Revd Simon Oliver Material for June Newsletter please 10.30am Thu 28th Housegroup at57 Lone Tree Ave 2.30pm Sun 31st Preacher: Revd Dr Peter Graves 10.30am 2.30pm Also please note: Sat 13th June, Garden party at Old Ness Farm, Ness Road, Burwell, by kind permission of Peter and Tricia Graves. Thurs 25th June 7.30pm, Planning meeting for Big Issues Sun 5th July 6.30pm, Circuit service of thanks to Peter Graves, Robert Dolman and John Barrett, at Wesley. th Sun 16 August Peter’s final service at Histon and farewell lunch. (Please note change of date). CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 10-16TH MAY 2015 YARD SALE 16TH MAY Christian Aid Week runs from 10-16 May this year. Most churches in Histon and Impington help with the house to house collection. Suitable items to be sold at our yard sale on Saturday morning 16th May, can be left in the church any time after morning service on Sunday If you can spare an hour or so to help cover the roads we have been allocated please let me know. 10th May. Help will be needed to sort on Friday afternoon and to set up and serve on the stalls Saturday morning. We plan to sell a slice of cake along with coffee, contributions gratefully accepted. Please add your name to the list on the table in the church in front of the vestry if you can help in any way. All proceeds to our Development Fund. I am always short of collectors! Christine Pooley -2- Histon Methodist Church Newsletter May 2015 FUTURE DATES WHEN HELP WILL BE NEEDED EASTER OFFERING SERVICE 7TH JUNE We will be hosting the Easter Offering Circuit Service on Sunday 7th June at 6pm, which will be preceded by tea at 5pm. This is an annual event which dedicates money donated in the Easter Offering Envelopes, please come along and help us to make this a successful circuit get together. MUSIC GROUP FOR CIRCUIT SERVICE 6TH SEPTEMBER Do you play an instrument? Any kind, and at any level? Do you enjoy singing? Yes? Then in addition to the excellent circuit choir, we will be forming a group of “instrumentalists and singers” to lead any of the newer songs in Singing the Faith at the Circuit Welcome Service on 6th September. GARDEN PARTY 13TH JUNE We are most grateful to our minister Revd Dr Peter Graves and his wife Tricia for providing the venue for a Garden Party on 13th June. Lots of help will be required, setting up, baking cakes, providing transport etc. This is a fundraising event for our Development Fund, please book the date and help to make this a memorable occasion. There will be a rehearsal on 6th September and one during the preceding week. To register your interest, please let us know your contact details, instrument or voice (Soprano, Alto, Tenor or Bass) and a guide to your level. Musical parts will be written to suit everyone, from beginners to recitalists! FEAST SUNDAY 5TH JULY Contact Phil Howie on [email protected] or Robin Walker on 07956 338750 There will be a Feast Festival in the High Street again this year, an opportunity for us to be involved in the community by serving teas on Sunday afternoon. Please keep the date free if you can, cakes and help will be needed. Sheets to sign up to offer help for these events will be available a few weeks beforehand, please keep your eye on the table near the vestry. HOLIDAY CLUB 27TH – 31ST JULY We have been asked to provide lunches again this year, but we can only agree to do this with a firm commitment of help throughout the week Please let me know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you are able to help, we can then arrange a meeting to see if we have sufficient numbers to cover the week. Rosemary Watson -3- Histon Methodist Church Newsletter May 2015 be sure, she’s planning to enlarge her business once more and open another branch….well table, of ‘Miriam’s Best Veg’ in another part of the slum. 400 families have been helped through this scheme so they would join with us in saying ‘thank you for making it possible’. NEWS FROM THE TURNING POINT TRUST Like many of the people who live on Kibera, Miriam’s life story tells of some joy but also great tragedy and unspeakable poverty. After being happily married and having six healthy children – and that’s important if you live in a country where you probably don’t have a pension scheme – her husband was killed in an accident in 2009 and without his wages Kibera was the only place they could live. Life became very hard as Miriam had no skills to offer an employer. She found work as a house help but her wages were just 3,000 Kenyan shillings a month; equivalent to about £24. Her priorities after the rent for her shack were food and education for her children, she longed for them to be better equipped for life than she was but the money was not enough for both needs. A friendly neighbour told her about the Turning Point microfinance scheme and before long Miriam found herself part of a group of five women who had similar problems. Together they learned how to identify business opportunities and successfully run a small business and then, Miriam and the others were all given a loan of 2,000 Kenyan shillings. Here it would seem laughable to try to set up a business with £16 but Miriam got an old table and as many vegetables as her £16 would buy. She set her stall up in a busy part of the slum and in two days had sold them all and made 2,300 Kenyan shillings – not far short of a whole month’s pay as a house help. Her group of five met each week to encourage each other and paid back a very small amount each week with no interest charged. They knew that once all their debts were paid they could borrow more to enable their businesses to grow and there would still be no interest charged and plenty of time to repay. Jean and Michael Simmonds To cut a long story short, Miriam’s children became healthier because they were well fed and she is seeing her dream come true as they fulfil their potential. The eldest is about to qualify as an engineer and the next three are working their way through secondary school…..something many slum children are unable to experience. The two youngest are at primary school and, with her business flourishing Miriam is confident that they will go on to secondary school and be well equipped to live life beyond Kibera slum. Just to -4-
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