Mickleton in Bloom
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Mickleton in Bloom
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Keeping in Touch | ||||||||||||||
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MICKLETON
METHODIST CHURCH March 2011 The
day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended, March
Reflection One
of the milestones of the Christian year is the annual Women’s World Day
of Prayer, a tradition that began in a small way in the nineteenth century
in the United States and soon became both interdenominational and
international. British women became involved in the nineteen thirties and
now the movement encircles the world. Each year, a different country is
responsible for preparing the worship. This
year the service has been compiled by women from Chile, that narrow strip
of country running down the west coast of South America, 2,640 miles long
and 110 miles wide, a country of diverse geography, weather, culture and
traditions. In February 2010 Chile suffered the most destructive
earthquake since 1960, affecting over two million people. The
women of Chile have chosen for their theme, ‘How many loaves have
you?’ This question was
posed by Jesus to the disciples who were concerned by the hunger of the
huge crowd who had gathered to listen to his teaching. Perhaps the
disciples were hoping that Jesus would ‘wave a magic wand’ and solve
their problem without any effort by them, but instead, they were
challenged to assess their available resources. In that situation, people
shared what they had, five loaves and two fish. A
book I am currently reading, A Spirituality Named Compassion, by Matthew
Fox, challenges the ‘ladder’ image of both the church and society,
where most people strive to ‘go up in the world’, a sentiment repeated
recently by Nick Clegg as he remarked that children these days expect to
‘do better’ than their parents’, an expectation that has been around
now for many years. Matthew
Fox considers that rather than striving upwards, individually, we should
interact in a circle, more like a dance than climbing a ladder. Maybe the
answers to ‘How many loaves have you?’ will be affected by our image
of a desirable life, ladder climbing or circle dancing, depending on how
much we are prepared to share of the good things of life which we are
fortunate enough to possess. Each
year, our WWDP service ends with the hymn, The day Thou gavest,
Lord, is ended, very apt words
for the great wave of prayer which encircles the earth, no ladder
climbing, just sharing what we have with love and compassion. Much of the
money offered at our services is given to charities listed in the order of
service. Please support our service and share the ‘loaves’ which you
have. Ros Murphy Methodist
Preachers
HC
Holy Communion, MW —
Morning Worship Bible Celebrations Not
long ago it was agreed that Keeping in Touch would focus on future
events rather than reporting what has already happened. This month
though, I want to encourage readers to join in future events by
reporting a past one! The
year’s programme of celebration of the publication of the King James
Bible began with a non-stop reading
of nineteen chapters of Genesis in the Methodist chapel on
January 29th. About thirty five people gathered to read or to
listen. Coffee was available as we listened. Who were we?
People from various denominations or none. Some stayed for the
whole session; others came and went. What we shared was a feeling that
the decision to make the contents of the Bible more accessible to
ordinary people was and still is an important aspect of building a good
society, encouraging and deepening faith. ‘Homework’ was to finish
reading Genesis, perhaps to embark on a Bible- Fresh programme of
reading a hundred suggested passages throughout the year and to book the
dates for the next sessions. By
the time you read this we shall have read some of Exodus at. St.
Peter’s in Willersey and will be planning to meet at Aston sub Edge on
March 26th. Advance Notice Mickleton Methodist Church One Hundred
and Twentieth Anniversary 6 pm on Sunday 17th April 2011 You
are invited to join us to celebrate this anniversary with an evening of
music, including favourite hymns. Our
leader will be the Rev’d Helen Bell from Stratford and we plan to have
a guest singer. We
hope that our friends and neighbours, those who are in any way connected
with the chapel, or who use the Joseph Webb Hall or anyone else who
enjoys music, will come and help us to celebrate. Further details next
month. Mickleton Thursday
Fellowship. The Joseph Webb Hall on Thursdays at
2.30 This is a
weekly meeting for people from different denominations, or none, to meet together to enjoy a varied programme of
events with time for a cup of tea and a chat. March 3 rd
No
meeting March 4th
Women’s World Day of Prayer March
10th Caroline Homan Devotional March
17th Jo Parr and friend Liz – slides March
24th Ros Murphy Making Prayer Posters March
31st Members Favourite Poems Please
note - at the AGM it was agreed
that this meeting will cease to be just for ladies and will become the
Thursday Fellowship, where both men and women will be welcome. The
diary for the year will be available at the meetings Come
along any Thursday You
will be most welcome as a new or returning member. OPEN HOUSE A time to share Conversation and Questions A mix of
people from different denominations or none, searching for truth and
seeking to deepen their faith We meet
on the second Wednesday of
each month. 10.30 for coffee or tea
and biscuits 11.00 - 12.00. Bible Discussion March 9th 4 Bearcroft Gardens Colin Ware and
Freda Slingsby LENT STUDY MEETINGS This
year’s weekly Lent groups begin on Wednesday 16th March, at
10.30 in the Joseph Webb Hall, using the York Course entitled Rich Heritage, Jesus’ Legacy of Love. The session will end on
Maundy Thursday, April 21st with a soup lunch followed by
a short service. Both regular and occasional visitors welcome. Please come and join us. |
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