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In this issue:
A recent membership service.
Worship in September.
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Mornings (11 am) |
Evenings (6.30 pm) |
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October 2nd. |
Rev John Evans |
Margaret Thompson |
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October 9th. |
All-age seaker service |
United Service |
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October 16th. |
Rev John Evans |
Rev John Evans. |
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October 23rd. |
Rev Sue Jackson |
Youth Service |
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October 30th. |
Rev John Evans |
Rev John Evans |
The Youth Club.
October dates for your diary.
3rd |
Youth & Children's Ministry team meeting. |
4th | Evangelism Ministry Team meeting |
9th | 7.00pm. United Service at St. Mary's Church. |
10th | Women's Own. Speaker - Myra Grantham. |
12th | Pastoral Ministry Team meeting |
15th | 10.30am - 2pm. Silent Auction. |
17th | 7.30pm. Training session on how to use the church's video equipment. |
18th | Deacons meeting with Barrie Smith. |
24th | Women's Own. Speaker - Margaret Hopkinson. |
... and other dates:
November 12th |
2.00pm. Concert. |
From our Minister, Rev John Evans:
My dear friends,
Is God saying something to us?
In recent times we have experienced a number of disasters in a comparatively short time. The tsunami was an unprecedented disaster which will remain in our memory for a long time; and recently the hurricanes on the south coast of America have destroyed homes in an area bigger than Great Britain. There are also many other disasters which have happened around the world to which very little publicity is given, but they are never the less real disasters. What is happening?
In times past, especially in biblical times, the prophets would say that God was speaking through the earthquakes and floods and it was God�s judgement on society. Today we take them to be natural disasters.
Is God pleased with all he sees in the events of this planet, especially with the way we are treating one another in his world? Iraq, 9/11, the bombings in Bali, Spain and London are among the atrocities we are witnessing.
There have always been wars and disasters, and sadly we have grown used to hearing about them. What has God to say about them to us? He might want us to give some practical help and to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
War and killings have no place in God�s purpose for people. I believe that the church as a whole should act together. There are said to be over 600 million Christians in the world and we should be acting together through the various agencies to do all we can to make the voice of God heard. He calls us to be peacemakers and to live in harmony with one another. We are called to pray for all the leaders of the world and of all nationalities and religions.
I leave you with this scripture from 1 Timothy 1: 1, 2. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone�for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Your friend and minister,
John
Our Alpha Course.
After a summer of evangelism and taking the JESUS video to our community, we launched our Alpha initiate at the beginning of September.
Following a concerted effort to send out Alpha Invitations and a testimony from Sammy, we had 16 people put their names down to take part in the course. The sessions started on September 15th with eight people.
Every Alpha is different and quite unique and this year is no exception. It is always encouraging and exciting to see how the Holy Spirit works over the weeks of the course and enriches not only those on the course but also the group leaders, the speakers, all those working in the kitchen and those organising it.
Barbara Allen.
Traidcraft Christmas Cards
If anyone wants to order Traidcraft Christmas cards, or any other specific item, then you need to see�Ruth Whitworth within the next two weeks.
The JESUS Video
Our plans to offer the JESUS video to the homes around our church started in July.
Over an eleven week period, we have delivered introductory letters and visited 152 homes, sometimes returning for a second and third time where there was no response to previous calls.
Of the 84 houses where we were able to talk to the residents 22 accepted a copy of the JESUS video to watch. This is an amazing response; a quarter of all the occupiers who came to the door, agreed to watch the video.
Our visitors returned a week later, so that the householders could answer a questionnaire. This also enabled our visitors to answer any questions raised by the life of Christ. Anyone who wanted to know more about Jesus was encouraged to attend our Alpha course, and as a result, two people have come along so far.
Prayer has been an essential part of these weeks. A prayer group has met at the church while the visitors have been on the streets, and we have all joined together in prayer before and after the visiting.
We have now come to a temporary pause in our visiting as the nights have drawn in, but we will be starting again next spring.
This has all been a very positive experience. Some of our visitors who expected conflicts on the doorsteps have returned, talking about encouraging conversations with residents. We thank God for smoothing our way.
We now look forward to the next phase of visiting in the spring.
Jenny Smith works for the BMS World Missions teaching theology students in Budapest. It is the seventh year that Jenny has lived in Hungary's capital after spending three years there in the 1990s, returning as a BMS volunteer in 1998 and then training as a full-term BMS mission worker over the last year.
News from Jenny Smith in Budapest.
Term has started! I am sitting in the English office at college, while Christa sorts out some pictures for our teaching materials, and occasionally a student comes in to register for English or German. I think offering cakes to students who registered on the first day was a good idea, as it brought a huge crowd to the office, and aided our administration this week. Lessons begin on 26th September, and we hope to have at least eight classes between us. �
Relationships in my house are going well, too. I had an afternoon tea party to which I invited anyone in the house who spoke English, and met a Hungarian from upstairs who I hadn't seen before, although she's lived in the house for twenty years and I've been there for three. My immediate neighbour also came, and Christa joined us, for a good chat. �
Our Wednesday night Bible study has changed to Thursday nights, as Wednesday became difficult for several people. This means I can now go to the midweek Bible teaching meetings at Calvary Chapel (in English with Hungarian translation), a great opportunity to receive, and not always to be giving. I appreciate the rather more lively worship than in my own church, too! �
I have been asked to speak at my church at our regular Agape (after a communion and shared lunch) about BMS, and thereafter to lead a prayer time for world mission, maybe once a month during the prayer meeting on a Sunday morning. I am excited about the increased interest in world mission among Hungarian Baptists. Several people have indicated they want to go overseas as mission workers, and our theology college is now planning a specialization in their mission (up till now mostly evangelism) course to focus on world mission. Please pray - these are exciting opportunities, and need to be used wisely.
Christa is a great asset to have around. She is always very positive and cheerful, and seems to be settling in very well. She loves her flat, and is gradually getting to grips with finding her way around, and will be beginning part-time language study in October. It is a joy to begin the working week with a time of prayer in the office, and to be able to simply share our experiences together.
Yours,
Jenny �
Pete and Lizz Maycock were members of Harborne Baptist Church, and are now working for BMS World Missions. They are in Thailand, in language study this year before starting work with the youth department of the Karen Baptist Convention.
News from Pete & Lizz in Thailand.
Lost in Translation?
Did you know... Chiang Mai recently experienced its worst flooding in 40 years?� Just when the city was getting cleaned up again, the river Ping has once more burst its banks and areas near the river are back under water. We have put this update with some pictures on the web:
http://maycocks.whereareyou.net
Login: maycocks
Password: bms
The last 4 weeks have included 2 eventful trips north for Pete and several new challenges for Lizz (like trying to reach her feet!)� At the beginning of September Lizz decided it was time to put away the rucksack for a while - and to stay in Bangkok where resting is a bit easier than on night trains or on wooden floors.� Pete however had a very productive meeting with the Karen youth leadership in Chiang Mai, and met many of our future co-workers.� He was also able to start househunting, although we haven�t found the right spot yet.� After a weekend in Bangkok, which included a visit from our BMS Regional Secretary, Liz Russell, and our first antenatal class, Pete went back up north to a Karen school for refugees with a small group from Christ Church.
After such a different month, we are now both back home and in our old language school routine, taking the preparation course for the December government language exam... but not for long!� It's less than 6 weeks till the baby is due, so Lizz is only planning to attend the first 4 weeks of the 3-month course.� Actually, whether she will last that long has yet to be seen, she came home and needed a long nap after the first two days of classes!
Praise God for:
1) Exciting future plans
We now have a clearer understanding of what our work will involve next year - from both the Karen meeting and time spent with Liz R.� Please pray that we will be both realistic and enthusiastic about the challenges ahead.
2) Bow & Yuy Tuun hasn't been back to see us yet, but we were delighted that Bow & Yuy came along to our Sathorn cell group and have accepted John's gospels in Thai to read.� Pray that God will open the hearts of these three young Thai women.
Please pray for:
1) This final stretch of formal language study
This is our last course - the end is in sight!� Looking back it is so encouraging to see how God has helped us grapple with spoken and written Thai, and yet we know there is still a long way to go (someone told us about 15 years!) before we are completely comfortable in using the language.
2) Wisdom We're both extremely excited and daunted by our approaching parenthood! Pray that we will make good decisions as we prepare for the baby and that we'll keep close to God throughout the coming months.
Thank you all for your emails, letters, and essentially, for remembering us in prayer! With our love & prayers, Pete, Lizz & Bump xxx
PS - Did you know our American friends had never heard of 'a Bump' and our Japanese friends didn't know why Lizz put a 'x' on their birthday card! Sometimes cross-cultural relationships are challenging!
Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." Matthew 19:26
Chartres Cathederal Labyrinth.
An On-line Prayer Labyrinth
This On-line Prayer Labyrinth is a translation of the Cathedral Labyrinth created by London alternative worship groups Grace, LOPE, and Epicentre.
The Labyrinth symbolizes the Christian Life as we strive to grow closer to God.
Here you can walk the labyrinth as a way of praying. As the path winds, it can become a mirror for where you are in your own life, and a metaphor for your journey with God. The labyrinth can be used as a path of prayer, a time of renewal, to quiet the mind, to evoke images, dreams, memories, to ask important questions during times of transition and personal change, and more.