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In this issue:
Worship in April.
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Mornings (11 am) |
Evenings (6.30 pm) |
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April 2nd. |
Rev John Evans |
Margatet Thomson |
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April 9th. |
Palm Sunday |
Objects of the Cross |
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April 16th. |
Easter Day |
Easter Songs of Praise |
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April 23rd. |
Dedication of Zion Loxley |
Youth Service. |
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April 30th. |
Jon Raxster. |
Jon Raxster. |
The Youth Club.
April dates for your diary.
1st |
Spring Cleaning Day. |
3rd | Deacons' Meeting. |
10th | Women's Own - Speaker Fiona Collins. |
10-12th | Easter Meditations - see below for more details. |
12th | Pastoral Ministry Team meeting. |
16th | Easter Sunday - see below for more details. |
24th | Women's Own - Speaker Sylvia Whalley. |
24th | Administry Team meeting. |
28-30th | Baptist Assembly. |
Holy Week and Easter in more detail.
All at Harborne Baptist Church, except Good Friday's United Walk of Witness.
Palm Sunday (April 9th)
11.00am Morning Service - The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
Matthew 21: 1 - 11, Mark 11: 1 - 10, Luke 19: 29 - 44, John 12: 12 - 19.
6.30pm Object of the Cross and Communion.
We meditate on:
the cross,
the accusation,
the mallet and nails,
the purple robe,
the crown of thorns
the sponge and bowl of vinegar,
the spear and finally
the bread and wine.
Monday (April 10th)
7.30pm. Meditation (30 mins).
Peter
Matthew 26: 14 - 16, 47 - 56.
Tuesday (April 11th)
7.30pm. Meditation (30 mins).
Pilate
Matthew 27: 27 - 44.
Wednesday (April 12th)
7.30pm. Meditation (30 mins).
Barrabas
Mark 15: 1 - 15.
Maundy Thursday
7.30pm. Communion and Tenebrae Meditation.
We will extinguish a candle afte each meditation. The Last Supper, Gethsemane, Betrayal and Trial.
Matthew 26: 26 - 30, Mark 14: 22 - 26, Luke 22: 19 - 20, 1 Corinthians 11: 23 - 26.
Good Friday
7.30pm. Crucifixion and Burial.
Matthew 26: 14 - 16, 47 - 56.
United Walk of Witness
This takes place around Harborne. We pause for 5 minutes to sing, pray and read:
9.00am Opening prayer and song at St John's
9.15am Princes Corner
9.35am Moor Pool Hall on the Circle
9.50am Frensham Way
10.10am Green area by Nursery Road
10.20am Songs of worship followed by service at
10.30am Open Air Service - High Street outside Boots.
Come and join us at any point along the way!
Saturday (April 15th)
8.30am. Prayer and Meditation
Joseph of Arimathea
Mark 15: 42 - 47, Luke 23: 50 - 56.
Easter day
The Resurrection
Matthew 28: 1 -p 10, Mark 16: 1 - 14, Luke 24: 1 - 49, John 20: 1 - 23.
8.30am Communion
... followed by breakfast
11.00am All Age Easter Celebration
6.30pm Easter Praise and Testimony.
Our Minister, Rev John Evans writes:
Celebrating Easter in a Good Friday World
My dear friends,
This year winter has been cold and cruel for so many people and, for some, their lives have suffered. On the global scene there have been floods, war and killings, while many have to go hungry and starve. We limp from one tragedy to another.
Yes, our world, at times, seems to be a Good Friday world with suffering, hardship, tragedy and bereavement. What has the message of Easter to say to those who are suffering? To say, �Everything will be all right in the end� cuts no ice with those who suffer.
If we were able to interview the disciples on the subject, I guess they would say something like, �On Friday our lives were shattered and the last three years have come nothing. But three days it all changed because we found that our friend Jesus had been raised to life. This took time for us to work out, but the astonishing thing was that we wanted to use us in his future plans, but we were not alone because he said that he would always be with us. We had a message to proclaim�.
Those who suffer may not find a transformation in three days but they could find a new purpose through faith in Jesus. However, just like the disciples found that they had a commission to proclaim that Christ is alive, so do we. If those whose lives have been devastated are to find a New Hope, then the Church today has to proclaim the Easter message in a relevant and meaningful way.
May each of us find for ourselves that the events of Holy Week and Easter strengthens our faith and gives us hope in this present generation.
Your friend and minister,
John
Church Report.
So much in twelve months!
You will know when you read the individual Ministry Team Reports that there has been a lot going on at Harborne Baptist over the last twelve months. This has been thanks to the tireless work of already busy people, juggling work, family and church�not always an easy task.
A major event in 2005 was the Baptist World Alliance Centenary Congress held in Birmingham city centre. We offered our church buildings as accommodation for overseas visitors. Several people worked hard to provide bedding and food, and to make our visitors feel welcome�thank you.
It has been sad to say a final farewell to one church member and three friends of the fellowship. HBC has received 5 new members, one through baptism, four through transfer of membership. Two babies have been dedicated � always a joy to welcome other family members for the special occasion.
Several in the fellowship have new grandchildren, have celebrated special birthdays or anniversaries�a special time for them all.
We are pleased to still be able to provide a �home� for the Korean Church who worship at HBC on Sunday afternoons and also meet for prayer on Friday evenings. We also enjoy a good relationship with those who use the South Link Charter Centre.
We are grateful to the Deacons and all those who take on the various responsibilities within the church. Please support all of these people, particularly as we enter the period of a Pastoral Vacancy. We all need to pull together and support each other.
We are grateful to Revd. Si�r Coleman for leading us through the early stages associated with a Pastoral Vacancy prior to a Moderator being appointed. His experience has been very valuable and much appreciated.
We have continued to be blessed with John Evans as our Minister and Linda Evans too (�very much a joint ministry). BUT sadly, not for much longer. John retires in May and we will have to let them go. Another landmark in the history of HBC, and also for John and Linda as they retire to rural Herefordshire. We wish them well.
Brenda Green, Church Administrator - From the Annual Report presented at the AGM
News from our Young People
Well done to Nicola Pritchard, Tim Gordon, Jenine Forde, and Kim Byrd � all church young people � and two other young people from youth club, who attended an NCB (National Children's Bureau) conference in London with Ben and I a couple of weekends ago. They were able to speak to 3 Government ministers about issues on drug rehabilitation in Birmingham for young people. Since then, as a direct result of their research, film-making and hard work, Tom Aldridge (Government Minister) has contacted Birmingham NHS drug treatment agency to challenge some issues that have been raised. Our young people have made a difference! All expenses were covered by the Government Drug Strategy Research Programme, which our young people were selected to attend to represent Birmingham.
The young people were really excited by the passage John 15, studied recently, and how it should impact on our/their daily lives. They all agreed that they would read and pray on it every day during the following week, to ask God to make it a reality in their lives so that others could see Christ through them. Amen!
Caroline Ryan - Youth Cordinator
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.
In my last update, I wondered if our singles party at the beginning of March might have fewer people, because of the custom of some of not going to parties during Lent. I needn't have worried; we had about seventy people there, more than the previous occasion. It was our fifth party, and the best yet, with the highlight being a treasure hunt/quiz on Scotland. Not that any of the organizers are Scots, but we meet in the building of the Church of Scotland in Budapest, and some of our regulars had been asking about its history, so that was included. I also felt my short Bible talk went far better this time, on the subject of freedom in Christ. I knew I had everyone's attention, and had spent some time beforehand asking the Lord what He wanted me to say, rather than just thinking of some of my own ideas. �I was back in the same building the following week for a ceilidh organized by the Scottish Church, to which some of our party crew also came, though they found it a challenge understanding the dance instructions in English! �
There are still not enough interested people for me to go ahead and run a Hungarian Bible study group, but the Home Group on Thursdays is still proving a valuable learning and fellowship resource, although for only a few people. Chikako is no longer able to come, but for a good reason - she attends a discipleship training course on the same evening. She may well be returning to Japan at the end of April, a challenge for her, as she has not lived with her family since she became a Christian a couple of years ago, and has no personal experience of Christian fellowship in Japan. Please remember her in your prayers. �
I wonder if, like me, you sometimes get a little discouraged when you see no immediate result of the work you have been putting all your effort into. But then it is wonderful when God sometimes lets you know, years down the line, a consequence of something you once did. Such are the emails I am now receiving from Andrew, a Russian former student of mine from the old days at IBLA here in Hungary. Having studied theology and English here, he went on to Cliff College in the UK to study mission, and returned to serve his own people. Now he and his wife, Nadia,�are serving in Krasnoyarsk in the far east of Russia, mainly running Home Builder groups for local married couples, using the Bible as their resource, even though many of the participants are not yet Christians. God is doing wonderful things in people's everyday lives through the sacrificial dedication of this couple. If you are interested in knowing more of their work, please get in touch with me. �
Many of my lessons recently, due to coursebook content, have been on the theme of food, and I have been surprised how few Hungarians have any concept of a curry, so I am intending to invite them all round for an Indian buffet one weekend. Though there are few Indian restaurants in Hungary, there are shops where the requisite spices, poppadoms, naan breads, etc., are sold, so I will be trying to recreate my culinary experiences from the balti houses of Birmingham! �
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and blessed Easter, celebrating that freedom from sin and death that we have because of Christ's loving sacrifice and wonderful resurrection. �
Jenny
Pete and Lizz Maycock were members of Harborne Baptist Church, and are now working for BMS World Missions. They are in Chiang Mai, Thailand, working with the youth department of the Karen Baptist Convention.
News from Pete & Lizz in Thailand.
Rolling around.
Did you know that: Since our last email, Pete has driven nearly 3000km, Lizz has changed over 300 nappies and Abigail has learned to giggle and roll over?!
Pete got back last night from taking part in a leadership training seminar at Tha Ta Fang village, which is the most remote village he has been to so far.� It is a 4 hour drive from Chiang Mai, and then on to a boat up the Salween River for about another hour.� The final part of the journey was a steep climb up the river bank and into the village - hard going in the summer heat!� The Salween River marks the Thai-Burmese border, and Pete did spot a group of armed soldiers on the Burmese bank - a disturbing reminder of the ongoing turmoil in Burma.� Many of the Karen villagers who now live at Tha Ta Fang were forced to flee their homes in Burma by the Burmese Army. This Sunday is the Global Prayer for Burma Day - for more information and prayer points please see www.prayforburma.org
Praise God for:
1) Safety in travel
Give thanks for safety while travelling to some of the more remote Karen villages.� At times our pickup truck becomes quite heavily loaded - at one point yesterday there were 14 people on board!� Please continue to pray for protection.
2) New friendships
We are starting to develop new relationships here in Chiang Mai - one young Karen couple we are getting to know have just found out that they are expecting a baby!� So soon Abigail will have a little friend to keep her company...
3) Our language tutor
Praise God for the opportunity to continue our Thai language study for 3-4 hours a week with Taay, a wonderful Christian lady.� She has introduced us to her family - her husband is a trainee pastor - and even baked us chocolate chip cookies last week!
Please pray for:
1) The political situation in Thailand
Following large-scale protests against the prime minister in Bangkok, the Parliament was dissolved two weeks ago and new elections are scheduled for April 2nd.� However, the main opposition parties are boycotting the election, and there are continued street protests in Bangkok.� Please pray for wisdom for leaders on both sides of the disagreement, and a peaceful resolution to the deadlock.
2) Seminar preparation
We are currently preparing to lead two seminars for Karen young people - one on the 28th-31st March, and the other (at the KBC's annual meeting) from the 5th-7th April.� Please pray for wisdom as we decide how to organise the meetings, and for guidance as we attempt to teach the Bible relevantly in a cross-cultural situation.
3) Finding a Church
We are still looking for the right church to join on a regular basis.
Thanks to everyone who has been writing to us recently, please accept our apologies for replying so slowly!
With our love and prayers,
Lizz, Pete & Abigail
�Come, be my disciple� Jesus said to him.� So Matthew got up and followed him. - Matthew 9:9