INSIGHT

Christmas Blessings to all our

Readers

Dec 2019 - Jan 2020

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Sunday 1st 10.30am Rev John Henry - Holy Communion 6.15pm Rev Betty Bell Sunday 8th 10.30am Rev Trevor Haigh 10.30am Hinton Court - Jenny Haigh 3.30pm Chippy Church - Rev John Henry 6.15pm Trevor Hume Sunday 15th 10.30am Nativity - Sunday Club 6.15pm Pam Stenson Sunday 22nd 10.30am Rev John Henry - Baptism 10.30am Hinton Court - Rev Bill Middlemiss 6.15pm Candlelight Monday 24th 11.15pm Christmas Eve Holy Communion Tuesday 25th 10.30am Christmas Day Family Service Sunday 29th 10.30am No preacher arranged & no eve service

Sunday 5th 10.30am Rev John Henry - Covenant Service/Holy Com-munion 6.15pm Graham Cottam Sunday 12th 10.30am Ann Anderson - Café service 10.30am Hinton Court - Ken Harris - Holy Communion 3.30pm Chippy Church - Rev John Henry 6.15pm Rev Isabel Stuart Sunday 19th 10.30am Bob Rogers 6.15pm Jim Carrolle Sunday 26th 10.30am Jason Griffiths 10.30am Hinton Court - Jim Carrolle 6.15pm Rev John Henry - Holy Communion

Hi folks, thank you to everyone for the offers of mince pies and helpers with the refreshments on our Christmas Fayre Late Night Shopping event on Tues 3rd Dec. Do come along and support our event. Jenny

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Musical Evening planned for 23rd Novem-

ber has been postponed. We hope to hold this event sometime in the New Year.

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From the

Minister

As I sit here this afternoon preparing to write for In-sight, I am reminded that this is a double issue cover-ing both Christmas and the New Year. Both times are important seasons. Christmas is that time of year when we think about ‘God with us’ in the form of Jesus, that within the Christian Church we proclaim that God took on flesh. I know I've shared this story before, probably in a Christmas Carol service but it is worthy of telling again, and of course as so often is the case there are different versions of the same story. This version is the story of a little boy who was frightened one night during a big thunderstorm. Terrified, he called out from his room, "Daddy, I am scared!" His father, not wanting to get out of bed, called back, "Don't worry, son. God loves you and will take care of you." There was a moment of silence. The little boy said, "I know God loves me, but right now, I need somebody who has skin on." Sometimes, our great and awesome God seems almost untouchable. That is where Jesus comes in. He was God with skin on, walking among us and showing us what God is like. I think C. S. Lewis put it well: "The Son of God became a man that men might become sons – and of course daughters - of God." How wonderful that in Jesus and the incarnation God stooped down to us so we might know his love within our lives. The second part of this double addition of course covers the period of New Year A time when we often think about making new starts with new resolve; and of course, the Methodist church gives us an opportunity to do that within one of its traditions. The covenant service is an annual opportunity for us to dedicate our lives to God once more. What will that mean in our relationships, our time and our re-sources? Of course, it is a deep question to ask when you will be reading this just before Christmas but will we be willing to covenant to walk with God more closely? May the Henry family take this opportunity to thank you once again for your love, your fellowship and your support; and may we wish you a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Love in Christ, Your friend and minister, John

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My book of the month is “Surprised by Scripture” by Tom Wright. I decided to read this book because the chapter headings show that it tackles some im-portant issues for modern times. Here are some examples:

The Biblical Case for Ordaining Women 9/11 Sunamis, and the New Problem of Evil How to Engage Tomorrow’s World

I like Tom Wright’s style of writing. Like Joyce Meyer, he doesn’t present his work as the definitive piece on a particular issue. Instead he “…offer[s his argu-ments] for what they may be worth, not as dogmatic pronouncements but as explorations into vast and exciting topics”. The aim of the book is to “explore contemporary issues from a Biblical perspective”. I did find the book to be quite “highbrow” in places; there were some words/sections/language I didn’t fully understand. The chapter on “Healing the divide between Science and Religion” was very difficult to follow. I didn’t think the chapter showed how the divide was healed today [I prefer Lee Strobel’s “The Case for a Creator” on this topic. His views are easier to access and more con-vincing]. On the other hand, the chapters on the “Biblical Case for Ordaining Women”; “Jesus’s Return”; the “New Problem of Evil” and “Apocalypse and the Beauty of God” presented particularly interesting and compelling views. Tom Wright certainly tackles head on, issues that confront us today. He chal-lenges Christians today to “get out there into the public. Embark again on the Great Mission. Christianity in public not just private, led by the spirit, alive and active!” I think as the Bishop of Durham Tom Wright must have delivered some very powerful sermons! I think the book is well worth reading. A copy can be found on the Church bookshelf for others to read and share.

God bless and Happy reading, Sally Wardell

Some Christmas wit and wisdom from J.John: One night Freda went carol singing. She knocked on the door of a house and began to sing. A man with a violin in his hand came to the door. Within half a minute tears were streaming down his face. Fre-da went on singing for half an hour, every carol she knew - and some she didn’t. At last she stopped. “I understand,” she said softly. “You are remembering your happy childhood Christmas days. You’re a sentimentalist!” “No,” he sniffed. “I’m a musician!”

“The hinge of history is to be found on the door of a Bethlehem stable.”

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Heating is going on, cakes are being baked, cards are being writ-ten, lofts and garages will be searched for those precious decora-tions and carols are playing on the radio – it can only mean it is the time of year when our thoughts turn to Christmas!! We will soon be having our Christmas Meal planning meeting [Nov 26th] to start preparing for that special day. Please let us know if you or anyone you know would:

prefer not to be on their own at Christmas and would to love to share things with a big friendly ‘family’ community;

be struggling to provide the meal their family deserves and would enjoy the treat of a three course meal followed by coffee, mince pies and choco-lates.

It is always a very special event and we want people to feel a warm welcome at this festive occasion. We always like to give the guests a gift bag at the end of the meal and would welcome donations of small toiletries, food gifts or other little trinkets. If you can offer help on the day please let us know – the key area where extra help is needed is the ‘clear up’ team that comes in about 2.30pm so the hosts and kitchen team can leave to enjoy family time. This year we are hosting at St Nicholas Church Hall but we aim to be back at GMC in 2020 and a big thanks to GMC for hosting over many years. Just a few reminders of events in the coming months:

• Prayer breakfast on Dec 7th hosted by GCF [venue to be confirmed] and the next one will be Feb 1st at GMC

• Our new Music & Memories project starts on Nov 29th and we will be run-ning regularly from January 2020 [Jan 17th] on the third Friday of the month from 1.30pm at St Paulinus Church

• We will be singing carols at the supermarkets in the run up to Christmas – dates will be on our newsletter (inc 19th Dec outside Morrisons) and look out for more information in Pews News

On Sunday the 1st December we have our Christmas/Advent themed Get Set Go from 3-5pm. We will be making decorations, cards, nativity scenes and much more as we explore the Christmas story plus we will have stories and other activities followed by a party tea.

God bless and may you have a wonderful Advent preparing to celebrate the

birth of Jesus, Shona, Joanna, Juanita and Sam <><

Charity No. 1086425

Bridge contact: 07890 228851 (Shona); 07436 110283 (Joanna); 01287 638771 office; E: staff@guisborough-bridge.org.uk

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The Donkey The donkey was regarded as the lowliest of animals in biblical times: camels were for travelling and transporting merchandise, - oh, and wise men! horses were for soldiers of rank , probably Roman; cattle were for meat and dairy needs, sheep for wool and meat, - and as for pigs, - well they were scorned as unclean. But if you were poor, then the donkey, or ass, as it was often called, was the only means of carrying goods, or for working. The donkey was still derided in the New Testament, though it is perfectly possible that the donkey did feature in the story of Jesus’ birth: it is often used by painters to illustrate how Joseph managed to get Mary to Bethlehem..... she would appreciate a gentle ride ! Imagine: .......... this is her first pregnancy,- she is already about 38 weeks ; moreover, she is quite young, and she has to travel with Joseph to Bethlehem to register in the census, because that was his home town, about 80 miles distance: for us, that is from Guisborough , say roughly to Jedburgh in the Scottish borders, across moors and 3 rivers,...... or to Carlisle across the rocky Pennines,........ or to Sheffield, across rugged Yorkshire moors and rivers. You wouldn’t want to walk that far, in that condition, or at that time of year.... Winter: for Palestine it was the rainy season, with cold nights.

Those shepherds had gathered the flocks together for warmth, as well as safety; the sky was clear and starlit, so it was a cold night for them. No wonder they ‘hurried down to Bethlehem’ ! And it would be equally cold for Mary, even in that stable. So let’s allow that she did at least have a donkey to carry her !

The donkey has long been derided. ‘The creature’s no use to us’ those wise men said, And so for their long desert journey they chose a train of strong camels instead. But the brave little donkey out there in the cold Would be bearing a burden more precious than gold. The long journey to Bethlehem city he led And there he stood guard by a manger bed....... As the winter grew warmer to welcome the Spring, King Herod sent soldiers to search for a King; But those soldiers of Herod went searching in vain,

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For the donkey had been put to use once again. They had fled into Egypt a haven to find, and there was kept safely the Hope of Mankind. But the brave little donkey, so derided by some, would have his moment of glory in the future to come.

With thanks to Jenny Bolton

Guisborough Choral Society Christmas Concert Guisborough Methodist Church on Saturday, December 14th at 7.30 PM. Get in the festive spirit and come along with friends and family to celebrate Christmas with us and of course, feel free to sing along! We are sure you’ll be delighted with our orchestral ensemble and guest artists Ben Noble and Alice Dix. Alice and Ben have performed on professional and amateur stages together in Gou-nod’s Faust, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Rossini’s Le comte Ory, Gilbert & Sulli-van’s The Gondoliers and have performed many choral works. In the first half the choir will perform classical works and in the second half we will present our usual festive mix of choir and audience carol favourites accompanied by our ensemble orches-tra. The classical works are Fantasia on Christmas Carols by R. Vaughan Williams, On Christmas Night by Bob Chillcott and Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noël (Four Motets for the season of Christmas) by Francis Poulenc. Fantasia on Christmas Carols is a gen-tle work which focuses on four traditional carols with fragments of other familiar carol tunes. On Christmas Night is a musical celebration in which Bob Chilcott combines tradition and invention - comforting and reflective, also jubilant, swinging, and a little folksy. Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noël depicts four scenes from the Nativity story, containing moments of haunting beauty. Enjoy your choice of hot or cold drinks and a selection of Christmas goodies served during the interval by the Guisborough St. Vincent de Paul Society. Please be generous with your donations and support their work to relieve pov-erty and isolation in our community. Tickets available now online at wegottickets.com/event/487864 and from choir members and from Guisborough Bookshop on Chaloner Street, Guisborough. Tickets at the door will be subject to availability. General admission tickets cost £8. Admission is FREE to those under 19 years of age.

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Important details from the 2019 Guide to the Persecution of Christians 1. Over 245 million around the world are persecuted - up from 215 million in

2018. 2. Over 4305 have been killed for their faith. 3. For the 18th year North Korea is No.1 - but only 3 points separate the top

3 - N.Korea, Afghanistan and Somalia. However Open Doors workers are able to keep 60,000 believers alive by smuggling in food and other aid.

4. Persecution is more severe - 11 countries are now ranked as “extreme” compared to 5 years ago when it was just one country.

5. Nigeria saw the highest number killed for their faith - 3731 people. Radi-cal Islam is spreading in Africa - Boko Haram has spread to Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

6. Russia has entered the list for the first time since 2011, but all the former Soviet countries are suffering persecution - some severe - see list.

7. Morocco is back on the list for the first time since 2014 - at no.35. Countries causing special concern India continues to cause great concern—now no.10. Levels of violence continue to rise, false accusations and arrests of church leaders have multiplied. Hindu extremists have declared that they will rid India of all other religions by 31st Dec 2021. Somalia - anyone discovered to be a Christian is likely to be executed on the spot. Libya can be lethal to the few Christians w ho l ive there; many live in hiding and suffer from deep loneliness. China - over 1000 Christians have been either detained without trial or unfairly arrested; no-one under 18 is allowed in state churches. Algeria is seeing a crackdow n on churches and Christian activities from the government. BUT Signs of Hope 1. In spite of persecution, in some of these countries

converts to Christianity are increasing rapidly and are standing strong.

2. In Iran, where Christianity is considered a threat to the Islamic republic and punished harshly, it is known that Iranians are coming to Christ in vast numbers and meeting in underground churches de-spite the cost.

3. Iraq has slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2010: some Christians have returned to their homes which have been rebuilt; job opportunities have been provided by Open Doors etc and churches

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The devastating consequences of the climate crisis are hitting southern Africa hard – and it’s set to get worse in the next few months. Some parts of the region have had their

lowest rainfall since 1981, while others have endured cyclones, crop-eating pests and diseases. Today, more than 9.2 million people don’t have enough food. This figure is ex-pected to grow to 12 million, at the peak of the lean season (October 2019 to March 2020). Pregnant women, new mothers and children, as well as the elderly and those with disabilities are most vulnerable. Not enough to survive The number of acutely malnourished children in parts of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Angola is growing. Some parts of the region have had their lowest rainfall since 1981.In Mozambique, two cyclones, drought and violence in the north are expected to leave nearly 2 million people without enough food to sur-vive. Across the region, the risk of gender-based violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect, particularly against women and children, has risen. This has been exac-erbated by the disasters and the lack of food. Immediate needs ‘The situation on the ground is dire and could become catastrophic,’ says Eliza-beth Myendo who leads Tearfund’s Disaster Management Team for Southern and East Africa. ‘Our local church partners on the ground in Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique are saying the immediate needs are food and water for the people. In some rural areas, more than 60 per cent of the population are living on a single meal a day.’

PLEASE PRAY Father God, May your presence and provision be in abundance for people in southern Africa who face an acute lack of food. Please guide Tearfund staff and partners, as well as other humanitarian groups, in how to best respond to this crisis. And please give wisdom to leaders and politicians in the region. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

have reopened. 4. A small number of churches in Egypt have been given government per-

mits to function normally, but there is still a long way to go. 5. And still the Church is growing—what a wonderful example they are to

each of us. And their one request to us is “Please keep praying for us.”

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CHURCHES TOGETHER IN GUISBOROUGH WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2020 At our meeting held on the 11th September we were reminded that this year’s CTIG Christmas card would give us the extra challenge of delivering to the new estates which are springing up. Please gird up your loins! The following dates and venues were agreed for the Week of Prayer of Chris-tian Unity which starts on Sunday 19th January with a 6.15pm service at St Pau-linus. All starts are 12.00 noon. Monday 20th Jan: Salvation Army Tues 21st: St Nicholas Wed 22nd: Methodist Thurs 23rd: URC Fri 24th: GCF to be held at GMC

Gordon Middlemiss

A MASSIVE THANK YOU – our recent Auction of Promises raised over £2,700 thanks to wonderful promises and generous bidders, sustained by the delicious refreshments on the night. Now we can look forward to trips out, tours, theatre and country house visits, shopping trips, puddings, jams, afternoon teas, buf-fets, big breakfasts/brunches, 7-course meals, Sunday lunches, cakes, scones,

baps and teacakes, commissioned paintings and jewellery, golf and fishing tuition, and guitar, ukulele and cake-making les-sons, to name but a few! See if you can spot those who won hairdressing vouchers or nail manicures, or have enjoyed re-laxing pamper sessions or head massages. Then there are those looking forward to a wine and cheese evening, and oth-ers who are sponsoring a musical evening for next year, not to mention a group of would-be thespians who will be participat-ing in a murder mystery event. What a talented church family we have. Thank you all so much.

THANK YOU also to all who w orked so hard on making the Talents Ba-zaar such a success on 9th Nov, creating a lovely atmosphere, welcoming lots of new people into our church and raising in excess of £1200 - magnificent.

MHA COFFEE MORNING SATURDAY DECEMBER 7th at church Our annual coffee morning at church in aid of funds for MHA nationally takes place on December 7th. If you can spare any of your time, we would welcome any offers of help on the morning and any donations of cakes etc. But we would also love to see you come along and relax and have a chat! For more details please speak to Sheila Crossman.

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Minister: Rev John Henry 632770 Layworker: Peter Barley 07561 582548 Senior Stewards: Ann Crabb 280630 Dorothy Brown 633495 Pews News: Pam Walton 637041 E: gmcpewsnews@gmail.com Sat Coffee Bookings: Ethel Hugill 637925 Church bookings E: enquir-ies@guisboroughmethodistchurch.org.uk W: www.guisboroughmethodistchurch.org.uk/booking/ Church telephone number: 610349 Insight Editors: Jenny Tyrie 610937 Peter Crabb 280630 Insight email: insightmag@gmail.com Church & Circuit Websites: www.guisboroughmethodistchurch.org.uk www.clevelandanddanbymethodists.co.uk

Good Neighbour Scheme Phone 610349 Between 10-noon Monday to Friday

PRAYER CHAIN Phone anytime on: 637492, 610456, 633316

The next issue of Insight is the February 2020 issue, to be edited by Peter Crabb. P lease ensure items are put in the folder in the church hall, or e-mailed to insightmag@gmail.com by the 2nd Sunday in January(12th). It will be available to deliverers by the 4th Sunday in January(26th) in the pigeon holes at the back of the church.

Other events and activities Sat 1st Dec 8.00am Bridge Prayer Breakfast - GCF Mon 2nd Dec 1.30pm Women’s Fellowship - either 1) MWiB Advent

service at Green Lane MC 10-30 Soup lunch to follow OR 2) St Nicholas Wives Advent service 1-30 Display of Christmas Wreaths

Mon 2nd Dec 6.45pm Church prayer meeting - Alcock Room Tues 3rd Dec 5.00pm MWiB - Christmas Fayre Mon 9th Dec 1.30pm Women’s Fellowship - Linda Lister & Jenny

Christmas celebrations Tues 10th Dec 7.30pm MWiB - New Marske carols Mon 16th Dec 12pm Women’s Fellowship - Christmas Lunch Tues 17th Dec 7.30pm MWiB - Members’ Christmas evening Mon 6th Jan 1.30pm Women’s Fellowship - Welcome back Mon 6th Jan 6.45pm Church prayer meeting - Alcock Room Tues 7th Jan MWiB Christmas Meal - afternoon Mon 13th Jan 1.30pm Women’s Fellowship - Ethel & Colin Hugill Mon 20th Jan 1.30pm Women’s Fellowship - Songs of Praise Tues 21st Jan 8.00pm MWiB - programme TBA Mon 27th Jan 1.30pm Women’s Fellowship - Sheila Crossman

At Christmas-time, when we receive presents we don’t really need, God offers us a gift we cannot do without.