from the super s desk
TRANSCRIPT
Dear friends,
It has been some time since we have been able to produce a quarterly preaching plan. Sometimes, we could not issue a preach- ing plan because we were not able to gather together in church for worship and sometimes the uncertainty about what would be possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant that we could only plan a month ahead. The situation in England at this time gives us more hope of being able to gather again for worship in June, July and August, so we have once again felt able to pro- duce a quarterly plan.
As you look at this quarter’s preaching plan, you will see that much has changed since we produced the quarterly preaching plan for March to May 2020: some of our churches have permanently closed; some of our churches have not yet reopened for wor- ship; some of our churches have adopted different patterns for worship including online services; a number of the preachers who were taking services are not doing so.
The changes that we have lived through during the pandemic have affected the health and wellbeing of many millions of people around the world and have limited our freedoms, our opportunities to meet together and the things that we have been able to do together. Even as we are hopeful that the worst is over for our country, other countries are experiencing great numbers of cases, with many people becoming seriously ill and dying. Covid-19 may be with us for many years to come and we will need the continuing dedication of scientists, healthcare professionals and a whole host of other people, along with political will and international co-operation, to enable this threat to be overcome.
When he wrote his letter to the Philippians to thank them for the gift that they had sent to him when they heard about his de- tention in Rome, Paul took the opportunity to encourage them to stand firm in the face of persecution and to rejoice, regardless of the circumstances in which they found themselves. Paul’s faith in Jesus was clearly very important to him in all that he was going through since, in the final chapter of his letter, Paul wrote: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances … I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13, NIV) Whether you are able to attend one of the ser- vices on this preaching plan, or whether you will be worshipping in other ways, may Christ give you contentment in whatever circumstances you may find yourself in the coming months and may Christ give you the strength that you need.
God bless,
Rev. Robert
Matlock Moor Methodist Church
We DID have our Christmas Eve ‘Carols and Cake’ after all – albeit with all the cake wrapped up well in advance, the organ
playing but no singing, and with people socially distanced. But the decorated and candlelit church gave all our visitors a feel that
the real Christmas had arrived and the Rev’d Helen Penfold and I were able to talk to people who were simply pleased to be
there.
We have had only three services by zoom just for Matlock Moor since Christmas with another two before Easter. However, the
January one was a treat – in all respects because we had a Methodist Love Feast with Helen and everyone was sent the
traditional recipe for Love Feast Cake beforehand so there was much cake as well as prayers and a sharing of our faith stories in
lockdown.
Before the Mothering Sunday zoom service a small team distributed 35 small pots of primulas with
invitations to the service led by the Rev’d Helen. It was good to use the opportunity to make connections
with the families who before lockdown attended the children’s Friday Club and the Toddlers’ group as well
as with other older members.
We had a funeral for a local resident recently and were interested to hear the family remembering previous
occasions when they were here – and what the chapel was like many years ago.
On Maundy Thursday the Rev’d Colin Smith will be holding a very special service for us and the other
Matlock churches. It will be a Christian Passover service with the traditional Jewish wording up to the point at which the Seder
meal would be served. Then we will read and pray about that first Maundy Thursday. Your contact person was sent the zoom
details.
The numbers ‘attending’ Matlock Moor’s zoom coffee chats have increased and people have tackled various techie problems to
be there: one of our oldest members was determined to work out how to do it – and succeeded!
We very much hope that we will soon be able to interview the candidates for a family worker to be shared with Tansley and we
also look forward to a ‘real’ service again in May when lots of people will have had both jabs and will feel a bit safer.
We are delighted that the Rev Colin Smith will be our pastoral minister during Helen’s much- delayed sabbatical and wish them
both well (in all senses) for the 3 months beginning on Easter Monday.
Christine Piper
Following on from the positive response the Church received
from our display of spring flowers, all 500 made from wood in
2019, we decided to feature them once again this year.
We have combined the display with a planter containing
purple crocuses in support of the Rotary Club’s “Purple4Polio”
initiative and to provide a continuation, approximately 75
purple tulips have been planted into the same container to
follow on.
We are using the same display to depict our take on the scene
of Calvary where the three crosses have been put in place
with the middle cross to feature many stems of daffodils
being put in place on Easter Sunday.
Gordon Lamb
in Wirksworth Derbyshire is not closed to comply
with Covid restrictions, but because the building has
become a building site. Our Annex, planned,
discussed, prayed over, fund-raised for, during the
last 3 years, is finally becoming a reality. I was going
to say ‘is getting off the ground’ but in fact the
opposite is true! The first phase of the work, now
completed, was to excavate and dig down to the
lower level of the original building, to where the
foundations will be laid. In a ceremony at the
beginning of March, witnessed by several socially
distanced members, a Time Capsule was buried in
the foundations. Minister Rev Kevin Price marked
this historic moment for Wellspring, a Baptist/
Methodist LEP formed in 2014, with a scripture
reading and a prayer, giving thanks for the life and
witness of the church in the past, the vision which brought Wellspring into being, and for the church in the future when the
annex will be as old as the present building!
Items in the metal cylinder acknowledge the distinct phases of
the church’s history – photographs and documents from the pre
-Wellspring years of the Methodist building, opened in 1886.
There were also plans and documents giving a snapshot of
Wellspring’s life since 2014 – eg the 2016 Church Profile, a copy
of the Ecumenical Vision Statement, script of a sermon
preached by Kevin, words of a song written for the inauguration
of the LEP, and photographs of church events. Craft items from
the Girls and Boys Brigade and from Wellies, (Sunday School)
were also included together with documents showing
Wellspring’s Eco-church commitment. Plans of the Annex are
there together with a typical application form for funding. There
was also a set of the UK’s current coins, a Christian Aid
envelope, and a palm cross. And to mark the strange
circumstances in which the Annex is being built, a face mask, and the church’s instructions for the congregation for the brief
time the building was open in 2020. It will be a very interesting ‘find’ if it’s ever dug up!
It is hoped that the Annex will be completed by the end of August. Plans are being made for a
grand opening with no restrictions on numbers. In fact we hope the whole community will
come and have a tour of this exciting new building which is being offered as a community
resource and place of worship. Meanwhile as we watch the progress on the building it is a
sign of hope and above all of the faithfulness of God in these challenging times.
Jenny Few, Wellspring Trustee
The photos show Rev Kevin Price, Trustees David Hughes and Sue Watts (with time capsule)
and Treasurer Rob Few and some of the items crammed into the capsule
People and Churches
Matlock Moor Methodist Church
In Lent I very much enjoyed, with our Methodist and Anglican friends in Matlock, the USPG course For Such a Time - though
perhaps ‘enjoyed’ isn’t the right word for a course that really faced difficult questions about climate change with biblical
passages which challenged us.
Some of us here have also been quite busy planning Christian Aid ‘Week’ for Matlock and Matlock Moor. Gill and I have done/
are doing two of the challenges suggested on the Christian Aid website. I have learnt 100 words in Dutch - which should help
when we can eventually see our grandchildren in the Netherlands again. Zania van Schalkwyk– who was recently admitted as a
local preacher in a lovely service - very kindly tested me at the end. Gill is walking 300,000 steps during May despite welcoming
another great-grandchild last week. To see more look at our page: https://www.justgiving.com/team/MatlockMoor
There are also Matlock and Tansley people walking the Limestone Way from Castleton to Rocester at the end of the month. We
all hope we make a lot of money for Christian Aid as they now have to cope with the effects of Covid-19 as well as the climate
crisis.
We also hosted the Matlock Christian Aid service by zoom with thanks to a group of speakers and
readers from Matlock Moor. With much help from family and friends we managed the technology
using the new zoom account negotiated by the Connexion and using the Christian Aid Service,
Climate Justice: Song of the Prophets, as the basis. The short film about Florence in Kenya (see
picture) and the Global Lord’s Prayer film were very moving.
We have also publicised the FixCareForAll campaign being run by MHA who ask us to look at https://
action.mha.org.uk/ and then, with their help, write to our MP. I have done that and it is easy so I am
sure MHA would value your support in this.
We have also of course been concerned to read, understand and discuss the Circuit staffing proposals and to formulate our
priorities. One priority at Matlock Moor is to develop our work with children and young families and so we look forward in the
next couple of weeks to the interviews for the post and the appointment of a lay worker.
Christine Piper
Ripley
Stay and Play Toddler Group - Throughout this year’s Lockdown Martin and I have presented weekly online Story Time videos on
FaceBook, which usually takes a full day of filming and editing. I have provided ongoing support to families with telephone calls,
gifts of cupcakes and ‘Light of the World’ cards promoting ‘Jesus is the Light of the world’ at Halloween.
Christmas cupcakes and handcrafted Mother’s Day gifts have been home delivered with the help of my chauffeur Martin.
On Easter Saturday we distributed 47 Easter Story books, booklets for parents, Palm crosses and 31 homemade Easter cakes and
chocolates. The parents were so grateful and appreciative..
We reached 32 families in total from the three Churches’ toddler groups.
We will continue to provide this very important support whilst looking forward to the near future when we can re-start the
groups again.
Thank you to Ripley Methodist Church for kindly donating the Easter Story books which were distributed.
Pauline Fretwell
West Hallam
Deaf Awareness week is celebrated in early May and to mark the week Embrace
the Middle East published information on its work in this sphere. Embrace works
with both the Deaf Unit in Cairo and the Learning Centre for the Deaf in Beirut,
Lebanon. Each of these organisations strives to help deaf and hearing-impaired
people access education and vocational training. Both aim to promote the rights and
needs of deaf and hearing-impaired people.
Part of the Anglican Church, the Deaf Unit in Cairo has a residential school for deaf and hearing-impaired children age 4-14, a
church, and a social club for deaf adults. Embrace supports the school to provide quality education and family support
(including sign language lessons) for children who would otherwise struggle to access education.
The Beirut Learning Centre for the Deaf provides early years’ intervention services and support for
deaf children and their families, as well as supporting continuing education for deaf teenagers and
young adults. The High School programme is the only one of its kind in Lebanon. The centre also
advocates at a national and regional level for rights, inclusion and equal opportunities for deaf
people.
Amir is eight and a beneficiary of the Deaf Unit. He told us that accessing the educational resources he needed through the
centre allowed him to realise his potential:
‘Before I joined the Deaf Unit, I felt that I was stupid and unsuccessful. I didn’t get along with my teachers and I didn’t like being
at school. I felt unwanted and unloved and just wanted to stay at home all the time.
‘When I joined the Deaf Unit, my teacher started using Montessori equipment to help me learn, and I saw that education could
be fun, not just difficult and boring. My teacher made me responsible for organising the classroom and helping the younger
students. This helped me understand that I’m not useless, and I could be responsible. She also helped my parents to
communicate with me via sign language.
'It’s really changed my outlook. Now, I hope to make lots more friends and continue to study hard in the future.'
In a region where disability is frequently misunderstood, providing access to appropriate education and training is
an essential part of helping those with disabilities to take their rightful place in society. We ask that you pray for
our partners and beneficiaries making strides to further the rights of deaf and hearing-impaired people in the
Middle East.
Embrace were formerly known as ‘BibleLands’. If you are online – they have an excellent website and online shop selling Cards
and Middle Eastern Crafts and Gifts. Visit https://embraceme.org or you can request a catalogue or information about their
work from:
John Moorley
Church Contact:
SERVICES
We are still not opening for Sunday Services while the current restrictions are in place. We are continuing with our Sermon Delivery Service each Sunday which our Minister, Revd John Malnutt, is writing each week for which we are very grateful, as are all those who receive them, by email, read out over the phone, or printed out. The request for them is increasing as time goes on. We are keeping in touch with our members in various ways.
THE COFFEE MORNING for Christian Aid, usually held in May, will not take place this year, under the circumstances. We are asking if anyone wishes to make a donation to Christian Aid – which would normally be spent at the Coffee Morning, or as a thankyou for our free Vaccinations - to get in touch with Barbara Moore by the 15th May to arrange it.
Strange Times
Strange Times is a Facebook page set up by Rev Kate Strange and Paul Strange at the beginning of the pandemic back in March
2020, to serve Kates 6 churches initially for Sunday services. This soon grew and on the platform Kate has used it to tell
children's stories, some singing, then breakfast at the Hollies started. This was Kate and Paul doing a bible study and reflection at
7am for 7 months of lockdown every day.
During second lockdown when Paul returned to work Kate continued with 'Cuppa with Kate' everyday at 2pm trying to keep
folks going with her mother-in-law Margaret Strange, a local preacher in the circuit, where they tried to recreate that friendly
feel of being together - apart round a kitchen table, chatting, looking at the bible, informally.
Sometimes a song, a shared recipe, always a prayer, for those who were lonely, struggling, and had the ability to connect to the
internet. Many have joined the numbers watching over the months. The most recent event is 'Thy Kingdom come' 10 days of
prayer where we have asked different people to share their stories of coping the pandemic and a message of hope as we pray
together. The Sunday morning services continue,
although the time has moved to 9am to allow for those
who still want to join but also want to go forward into a
church building again. It has grown to a far greater
number of people than the 6 church communities it was
set up for, many of those who listen may never wish to
enter a church building but they are exploring faith in
this new way and an online community has been born
without walls or a roof. We don't pretend to understand
it, or even make sense of it, but we do want to keep it
going as long as there is a need for it. We don't know
what the next project will be, we're completely spirit
led, but that is the most exciting part. If you haven't
found it yet may I encourage you to take a look.
Kate and Paul Strange
It has been some time since we have been able to produce a quarterly preaching plan. Sometimes, we could not issue a preach- ing plan because we were not able to gather together in church for worship and sometimes the uncertainty about what would be possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant that we could only plan a month ahead. The situation in England at this time gives us more hope of being able to gather again for worship in June, July and August, so we have once again felt able to pro- duce a quarterly plan.
As you look at this quarter’s preaching plan, you will see that much has changed since we produced the quarterly preaching plan for March to May 2020: some of our churches have permanently closed; some of our churches have not yet reopened for wor- ship; some of our churches have adopted different patterns for worship including online services; a number of the preachers who were taking services are not doing so.
The changes that we have lived through during the pandemic have affected the health and wellbeing of many millions of people around the world and have limited our freedoms, our opportunities to meet together and the things that we have been able to do together. Even as we are hopeful that the worst is over for our country, other countries are experiencing great numbers of cases, with many people becoming seriously ill and dying. Covid-19 may be with us for many years to come and we will need the continuing dedication of scientists, healthcare professionals and a whole host of other people, along with political will and international co-operation, to enable this threat to be overcome.
When he wrote his letter to the Philippians to thank them for the gift that they had sent to him when they heard about his de- tention in Rome, Paul took the opportunity to encourage them to stand firm in the face of persecution and to rejoice, regardless of the circumstances in which they found themselves. Paul’s faith in Jesus was clearly very important to him in all that he was going through since, in the final chapter of his letter, Paul wrote: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances … I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13, NIV) Whether you are able to attend one of the ser- vices on this preaching plan, or whether you will be worshipping in other ways, may Christ give you contentment in whatever circumstances you may find yourself in the coming months and may Christ give you the strength that you need.
God bless,
Rev. Robert
Matlock Moor Methodist Church
We DID have our Christmas Eve ‘Carols and Cake’ after all – albeit with all the cake wrapped up well in advance, the organ
playing but no singing, and with people socially distanced. But the decorated and candlelit church gave all our visitors a feel that
the real Christmas had arrived and the Rev’d Helen Penfold and I were able to talk to people who were simply pleased to be
there.
We have had only three services by zoom just for Matlock Moor since Christmas with another two before Easter. However, the
January one was a treat – in all respects because we had a Methodist Love Feast with Helen and everyone was sent the
traditional recipe for Love Feast Cake beforehand so there was much cake as well as prayers and a sharing of our faith stories in
lockdown.
Before the Mothering Sunday zoom service a small team distributed 35 small pots of primulas with
invitations to the service led by the Rev’d Helen. It was good to use the opportunity to make connections
with the families who before lockdown attended the children’s Friday Club and the Toddlers’ group as well
as with other older members.
We had a funeral for a local resident recently and were interested to hear the family remembering previous
occasions when they were here – and what the chapel was like many years ago.
On Maundy Thursday the Rev’d Colin Smith will be holding a very special service for us and the other
Matlock churches. It will be a Christian Passover service with the traditional Jewish wording up to the point at which the Seder
meal would be served. Then we will read and pray about that first Maundy Thursday. Your contact person was sent the zoom
details.
The numbers ‘attending’ Matlock Moor’s zoom coffee chats have increased and people have tackled various techie problems to
be there: one of our oldest members was determined to work out how to do it – and succeeded!
We very much hope that we will soon be able to interview the candidates for a family worker to be shared with Tansley and we
also look forward to a ‘real’ service again in May when lots of people will have had both jabs and will feel a bit safer.
We are delighted that the Rev Colin Smith will be our pastoral minister during Helen’s much- delayed sabbatical and wish them
both well (in all senses) for the 3 months beginning on Easter Monday.
Christine Piper
Following on from the positive response the Church received
from our display of spring flowers, all 500 made from wood in
2019, we decided to feature them once again this year.
We have combined the display with a planter containing
purple crocuses in support of the Rotary Club’s “Purple4Polio”
initiative and to provide a continuation, approximately 75
purple tulips have been planted into the same container to
follow on.
We are using the same display to depict our take on the scene
of Calvary where the three crosses have been put in place
with the middle cross to feature many stems of daffodils
being put in place on Easter Sunday.
Gordon Lamb
in Wirksworth Derbyshire is not closed to comply
with Covid restrictions, but because the building has
become a building site. Our Annex, planned,
discussed, prayed over, fund-raised for, during the
last 3 years, is finally becoming a reality. I was going
to say ‘is getting off the ground’ but in fact the
opposite is true! The first phase of the work, now
completed, was to excavate and dig down to the
lower level of the original building, to where the
foundations will be laid. In a ceremony at the
beginning of March, witnessed by several socially
distanced members, a Time Capsule was buried in
the foundations. Minister Rev Kevin Price marked
this historic moment for Wellspring, a Baptist/
Methodist LEP formed in 2014, with a scripture
reading and a prayer, giving thanks for the life and
witness of the church in the past, the vision which brought Wellspring into being, and for the church in the future when the
annex will be as old as the present building!
Items in the metal cylinder acknowledge the distinct phases of
the church’s history – photographs and documents from the pre
-Wellspring years of the Methodist building, opened in 1886.
There were also plans and documents giving a snapshot of
Wellspring’s life since 2014 – eg the 2016 Church Profile, a copy
of the Ecumenical Vision Statement, script of a sermon
preached by Kevin, words of a song written for the inauguration
of the LEP, and photographs of church events. Craft items from
the Girls and Boys Brigade and from Wellies, (Sunday School)
were also included together with documents showing
Wellspring’s Eco-church commitment. Plans of the Annex are
there together with a typical application form for funding. There
was also a set of the UK’s current coins, a Christian Aid
envelope, and a palm cross. And to mark the strange
circumstances in which the Annex is being built, a face mask, and the church’s instructions for the congregation for the brief
time the building was open in 2020. It will be a very interesting ‘find’ if it’s ever dug up!
It is hoped that the Annex will be completed by the end of August. Plans are being made for a
grand opening with no restrictions on numbers. In fact we hope the whole community will
come and have a tour of this exciting new building which is being offered as a community
resource and place of worship. Meanwhile as we watch the progress on the building it is a
sign of hope and above all of the faithfulness of God in these challenging times.
Jenny Few, Wellspring Trustee
The photos show Rev Kevin Price, Trustees David Hughes and Sue Watts (with time capsule)
and Treasurer Rob Few and some of the items crammed into the capsule
People and Churches
Matlock Moor Methodist Church
In Lent I very much enjoyed, with our Methodist and Anglican friends in Matlock, the USPG course For Such a Time - though
perhaps ‘enjoyed’ isn’t the right word for a course that really faced difficult questions about climate change with biblical
passages which challenged us.
Some of us here have also been quite busy planning Christian Aid ‘Week’ for Matlock and Matlock Moor. Gill and I have done/
are doing two of the challenges suggested on the Christian Aid website. I have learnt 100 words in Dutch - which should help
when we can eventually see our grandchildren in the Netherlands again. Zania van Schalkwyk– who was recently admitted as a
local preacher in a lovely service - very kindly tested me at the end. Gill is walking 300,000 steps during May despite welcoming
another great-grandchild last week. To see more look at our page: https://www.justgiving.com/team/MatlockMoor
There are also Matlock and Tansley people walking the Limestone Way from Castleton to Rocester at the end of the month. We
all hope we make a lot of money for Christian Aid as they now have to cope with the effects of Covid-19 as well as the climate
crisis.
We also hosted the Matlock Christian Aid service by zoom with thanks to a group of speakers and
readers from Matlock Moor. With much help from family and friends we managed the technology
using the new zoom account negotiated by the Connexion and using the Christian Aid Service,
Climate Justice: Song of the Prophets, as the basis. The short film about Florence in Kenya (see
picture) and the Global Lord’s Prayer film were very moving.
We have also publicised the FixCareForAll campaign being run by MHA who ask us to look at https://
action.mha.org.uk/ and then, with their help, write to our MP. I have done that and it is easy so I am
sure MHA would value your support in this.
We have also of course been concerned to read, understand and discuss the Circuit staffing proposals and to formulate our
priorities. One priority at Matlock Moor is to develop our work with children and young families and so we look forward in the
next couple of weeks to the interviews for the post and the appointment of a lay worker.
Christine Piper
Ripley
Stay and Play Toddler Group - Throughout this year’s Lockdown Martin and I have presented weekly online Story Time videos on
FaceBook, which usually takes a full day of filming and editing. I have provided ongoing support to families with telephone calls,
gifts of cupcakes and ‘Light of the World’ cards promoting ‘Jesus is the Light of the world’ at Halloween.
Christmas cupcakes and handcrafted Mother’s Day gifts have been home delivered with the help of my chauffeur Martin.
On Easter Saturday we distributed 47 Easter Story books, booklets for parents, Palm crosses and 31 homemade Easter cakes and
chocolates. The parents were so grateful and appreciative..
We reached 32 families in total from the three Churches’ toddler groups.
We will continue to provide this very important support whilst looking forward to the near future when we can re-start the
groups again.
Thank you to Ripley Methodist Church for kindly donating the Easter Story books which were distributed.
Pauline Fretwell
West Hallam
Deaf Awareness week is celebrated in early May and to mark the week Embrace
the Middle East published information on its work in this sphere. Embrace works
with both the Deaf Unit in Cairo and the Learning Centre for the Deaf in Beirut,
Lebanon. Each of these organisations strives to help deaf and hearing-impaired
people access education and vocational training. Both aim to promote the rights and
needs of deaf and hearing-impaired people.
Part of the Anglican Church, the Deaf Unit in Cairo has a residential school for deaf and hearing-impaired children age 4-14, a
church, and a social club for deaf adults. Embrace supports the school to provide quality education and family support
(including sign language lessons) for children who would otherwise struggle to access education.
The Beirut Learning Centre for the Deaf provides early years’ intervention services and support for
deaf children and their families, as well as supporting continuing education for deaf teenagers and
young adults. The High School programme is the only one of its kind in Lebanon. The centre also
advocates at a national and regional level for rights, inclusion and equal opportunities for deaf
people.
Amir is eight and a beneficiary of the Deaf Unit. He told us that accessing the educational resources he needed through the
centre allowed him to realise his potential:
‘Before I joined the Deaf Unit, I felt that I was stupid and unsuccessful. I didn’t get along with my teachers and I didn’t like being
at school. I felt unwanted and unloved and just wanted to stay at home all the time.
‘When I joined the Deaf Unit, my teacher started using Montessori equipment to help me learn, and I saw that education could
be fun, not just difficult and boring. My teacher made me responsible for organising the classroom and helping the younger
students. This helped me understand that I’m not useless, and I could be responsible. She also helped my parents to
communicate with me via sign language.
'It’s really changed my outlook. Now, I hope to make lots more friends and continue to study hard in the future.'
In a region where disability is frequently misunderstood, providing access to appropriate education and training is
an essential part of helping those with disabilities to take their rightful place in society. We ask that you pray for
our partners and beneficiaries making strides to further the rights of deaf and hearing-impaired people in the
Middle East.
Embrace were formerly known as ‘BibleLands’. If you are online – they have an excellent website and online shop selling Cards
and Middle Eastern Crafts and Gifts. Visit https://embraceme.org or you can request a catalogue or information about their
work from:
John Moorley
Church Contact:
SERVICES
We are still not opening for Sunday Services while the current restrictions are in place. We are continuing with our Sermon Delivery Service each Sunday which our Minister, Revd John Malnutt, is writing each week for which we are very grateful, as are all those who receive them, by email, read out over the phone, or printed out. The request for them is increasing as time goes on. We are keeping in touch with our members in various ways.
THE COFFEE MORNING for Christian Aid, usually held in May, will not take place this year, under the circumstances. We are asking if anyone wishes to make a donation to Christian Aid – which would normally be spent at the Coffee Morning, or as a thankyou for our free Vaccinations - to get in touch with Barbara Moore by the 15th May to arrange it.
Strange Times
Strange Times is a Facebook page set up by Rev Kate Strange and Paul Strange at the beginning of the pandemic back in March
2020, to serve Kates 6 churches initially for Sunday services. This soon grew and on the platform Kate has used it to tell
children's stories, some singing, then breakfast at the Hollies started. This was Kate and Paul doing a bible study and reflection at
7am for 7 months of lockdown every day.
During second lockdown when Paul returned to work Kate continued with 'Cuppa with Kate' everyday at 2pm trying to keep
folks going with her mother-in-law Margaret Strange, a local preacher in the circuit, where they tried to recreate that friendly
feel of being together - apart round a kitchen table, chatting, looking at the bible, informally.
Sometimes a song, a shared recipe, always a prayer, for those who were lonely, struggling, and had the ability to connect to the
internet. Many have joined the numbers watching over the months. The most recent event is 'Thy Kingdom come' 10 days of
prayer where we have asked different people to share their stories of coping the pandemic and a message of hope as we pray
together. The Sunday morning services continue,
although the time has moved to 9am to allow for those
who still want to join but also want to go forward into a
church building again. It has grown to a far greater
number of people than the 6 church communities it was
set up for, many of those who listen may never wish to
enter a church building but they are exploring faith in
this new way and an online community has been born
without walls or a roof. We don't pretend to understand
it, or even make sense of it, but we do want to keep it
going as long as there is a need for it. We don't know
what the next project will be, we're completely spirit
led, but that is the most exciting part. If you haven't
found it yet may I encourage you to take a look.
Kate and Paul Strange