24

The Diary For April PLEASE NOTE: REV. TIM MULLINGS IS ON SABBATICAL

Sunday 7th 9.00am Early Worship - Mr. David Nash

10.30am Mid-AM Worship - Mr Mick Atkins

Sunday 14th 10.30am Mid-AM Worship - Dr. Ken Scott

(Please bring an Easter Egg for the children at The Haven)

Friday 19th GOOD FRIDAY

19.00pm Good Friday Service - Robert Snaith

Sunday 21st EASTER DAY

10.30am Worship and Communion - Pastor

Alan Penduck

(Please remember your “Jars of Change” for WaterAid )

Saturday 27th 19.00pm New Start Group (see page 15)

Sunday 28th 09.00am Early Worship and Communion - Mr. Les

Wallis

10.30am Mid-AM Worship - Miss Su Bailey

For enquiries about Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals and Pastoral

Care Support, please contact Reverend Tim Mullings

E-mail:- revtim@blueyonder.co.uk Mobile 07734305940

Minister: Rev’d Tim Mullings revtim@blueyonder.co.uk 07734305940 Secretary: Mrs Jean Herrington jean.hrrngtn@gmail.com 07816444130 Contact: Mrs. Catie Boulton catieboulton@gmail.com 01902 744928 Hall Bookings Mrs. Sandra Morris 01902 741096

Printed by HEATHCOTES PRINT / 01902 408 900 / enquiries@heathcotesprint.co.uk / www.heathcotesprint.co.uk

Tettenhall Wood United

Reformed Church tettenhallwood.2day.uk

CONTACT

APRIL 2019 Reaching out and loving others in

the name of Christ our Saviour

2 23 KEEP FIT through EXERCISE,

MOVEMENT and DANCE

UNITED REFORMED CHURCH HALL

WEDNESDAY

2.15 - 3.15pm (term time only)

Keep your mind and body fit with exercises designed to improve your

Flexibility, Strength, Stamina, Co-ordination and Balance.

The exercises can be adapted to suit the range of ages and abilities in

the class. You are welcome to work sitting on a chair if that suits you.

Enjoy the company of a friendly group of people while you exercise to

a wide variety of music - with a cup of tea and a biscuit at the end!

Cost: £19.50 for 6 weeks, paid in advance or £3.50 per session paid

weekly. For seated exercise: £1.00 per session.

Come along and have a FREE TRIAL SESSION to see if it is for you.

For more details contact: Mary, 01902 762584, mobile 07790547410,

email mary@wetton.com

22 SERVICES IN CHURCH

09.00am Early Worship - 1st Sunday & 4th Sunday

Communion celebrated on 4th Sunday monthly

10.30am Mid - AM Worship every Sunday

Communion celebrated on 3rd Sunday monthly

HALL AND BAMPFIELD ROOM REGULAR BOOKINGS

Monday 09.15 - 12.00 Tettenhall Green Kindergarten Pre School Hall 09.30 - 10.30 Bible Study Bampfield Room 15.30 - 17.00 After School Group Bampfield Room 18.30pm Slimming World Hall

Tuesday 09.15 - 12.00 Tettenhall Green Kindergarten Pre School Hall 10.00 - 14.00 Day Centre Bampfield Room 15.30 - 17.00 After School Group Bampfield Room

Wednesday 09.15 - 12.00 Tettenhall Green Kindergarten Pre School Hall 14.15 - 15.15 Keep Fit Hall 15.30 - 17.00 After School Group Bampfield Room 18.15 - 20.30 Belly Dancing Classes Hall Thursday 09.15 - 12.00 Tettenhall Green Kindergarten Pre School Hall 15.30 - 17.00 After School Group Bampfield Room

Friday 09.15 - 11.45 Tettenhall Green Kindergarten Pre School Hall 15.30 - 17.00 After School Group Bampfield Room

Belly Dancing classes take place in the Church Hall on Wednesdays.

There are classes for all levels.

Beginners at 6.15pm to 7pm. & More advanced 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

The cost is £5.00 per lesson, if you decide to go for both it will be £8.00

Please telephone Nadia on 07411427509 for more information.

3 The Beauty of Good Friday Some of the most beautiful things in the world have an ugly side. What about the emperor penguin chick, nestling in a feathery pouch above its parent’s feet? There’s a lovely moment when mum and dad greet each other over the gaping beak of their fuzz-ball offspring. Heads bent together, making a heart shape in the air, we can’t help seeing a reflection of our own ideals of love in the pair. But the reality of what those birds are going through is even more gruelling than human parenthood. Father penguin has spent all winter sheltering the egg from freezing hurricane-force winds, while mother penguin was feeding at sea. When the chick hatched its parents started an exhausting game of tag, taking it in turns to walk across the ice and risk being eaten by leopard seals or killer whales in order to catch fish for their new offspring. The living world is truly wonderful in so many ways, but the darker side of the picture is never far away. Creation is groaning (Romans 8:22), and waiting to be rescued. Enter Jesus, through whom all of creation was made. The king of the universe came to live with us, bringing His great love and wisdom to the human population of first-century Israel. The Creator was relating to His creation in a very personal way, and this could have been a totally beautiful picture. But there is a horrifically ugly side of Jesus’ story that threatens to obscure the beauty of what He did on Good Friday. It was a brutal and terrifying day when human sinfulness resulted in the Son of God being executed by His enemies, but thankfully there was much more to it than that. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ set off a seismic wave of spiritual events whose effects are still rippling out across the world. So that ugly day nearly 2,000 years ago is called ‘good’ because of what it achieved. Those who follow Jesus find their lives are changed for the better, even if their day-to-day existence may still be incredibly tough. When people come to understand what creation is for and who it belongs to, they can begin to serve and preserve the earth as they should. These things are only whispers of what is to come, but they give me hope for the future redemption of all Creation. I can choose to dwell on the beauty of Jesus’ death because it was not the end of the story – the future beckons. This article is extracted (with permission) from New Life: Reflections for Lent, edited by Amy Robinson and Wendy H Jones (£7.99).

4 Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

(John 20:1-18)

How do you talk matter-of-factly about an event so mind-

boggling as the raising of a person from the dead, the

Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Scripture just tells the story

of the disciples, both male and female, as they discover

this unexpected and life-jolting joy. And the Scripture tells

it simply, clearly, and convincingly.

What are we as Christians to learn from this passage?

Several things:

1. Jesus dies, is buried, and is raised from the dead in history, in real-time. This is not portrayed as a myth but as an historical event.

2. The neatness and position of the graveclothes attest that his body was not stolen, nor that he unwrapped himself (20:4)

3. Mary Magdalene, before any man, is given the privilege of seeing the risen Christ. That should tell us some-thing about the place of women in Jesus' kingdom.

4. The discovery of the empty tomb is not a case of mistaken identity, since the women were witnesses to Jesus' burial.

5. The fact of the empty tomb and the presence of the graveclothes are attested by Peter -- and John -- before they are convinced that Jesus has actually been raised from the dead.

21

BIBLE READERS FOR APRIL

7th April 09.00am Sheila Henio

11.00am Catie Boulton

Covenanting Prayers led by Rosemary Hariri

14th April 11.00am Rosemary Hariri

Easter Day

21st April 11.00am Doris Margetts

28th April 09.00am Anne Humphrey -Jones

11.00am Ken Scott

CHURCH FLOWERS

Our thanks to the following who will donate the flowers this month. Please ring Sylvia Chatwin (743349) the week you are due to do the flowers. 7th April Vinnie George 14th April 21st April Joyce Ellis 28th April

(Please, if you would like to donate towards the flowers,

choose a date and add your name to the flower rota on the wall in the Church

vestibule.)

The SINGING GROUP will be

meeting sometime in April. Please

see the weekly Notices for the date

and venue.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

20

Our monthly Prayer Meeting will be held on Sunday 14th April at 9.45am in the Choir Room.

Please support this meeting, as we pray for our church, our world and ourselves. If you don't feel able to pray aloud, please come to

this meeting and pray silently. Your support is important. Thank you. Jean.

12.30pm - 1.30pm In the Meeting Room at

Christchurch.

Monday 1st April Wednesday 10th April Wednesday 17th April Thursday 25th April Monday 29th April

This is an opportunity to share lunch

time with friends, to spend time listening to God and to pray

accordingly. Please bring your own lunch.

The first Tuesday of each month will concentrate on the mission and

outreach of our churches. For more information contact

Joy Dipple Tel. 750680

PRAYER BREAKFAST EACH THURSDAY

7:30am

4th April Christ Church 11th April TWURC 18th April Christ Church 25th April TWURC

ALL WELCOME

PRAYER LUNCHES

5

John's testimony -- and the testimony of each of the Gospel writers -- is that Jesus is not dead. He is risen. The historical fact of the resurrection is the foundation stone of the Christian faith. Years later, the Apostle Paul declares the same truth:

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Prayer

Father, thank you for the fact that Christ is risen! It is wonderful news! Help us to put each and every aspect in our lives in that perspective. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Easter faith Three years after the Russian Revolution of 1917, a great anti-God rally was arranged in Kiev. The powerful orator Bukharin was sent from Moscow, and for an hour he demolished the Christian faith with argument, abuse and ridicule. At the end there was silence. Then a man rose and asked to speak. He was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. He went and stood next to Bukharin. Facing the people, he raised his arms and spoke just three triumphant words: ‘Christ is risen!’ At once the entire assembly rose to their feet and gave the joyful response, ‘He is

risen indeed!’ It was a devastating moment for an atheist politician, who had no

answer to give to this ancient Easter liturgy. He had not realised he was simply

too late: how can you convince people who have already experienced God, that He

does not exist

6

JIM’S

birthday

celebration

at

Sunrise

Sunday

17th

February

2019 (Photos by Fred Hobbs)

19

Here lies

Ezekial Aikle,

aged 102.

The good die

young.

Here

lies

Johnny

Yeast.

Pardon

me for

not

rising.

Here lies the

body of

Jonathan Blake,

stepped on the

gas instead of

the brake

GRAVESTONE HUMOUR

Dog for sale: Eats anything and is especially fond of children.

Vacancy in a dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel.

At our dry cleaners we don't damage your clothing with machinery. We do it by hand.

We raised £240.00, down from last year’s £270 and £410 in 2017. 42 people attended plus helpers: 57 last year and 85 in 2017 plus helpers. We should thank all the ladies who made the delicious soups and all the helpers, but the waiters are not quite as quick on their feet as they used to be!

Keith.

18 LENT LUNCH AT TETTENHALL WOOD URC

7 Jim and Dorothy wish to THANK

everyone at Church for their support in

celebrating Jim’s 90th birthday, We were

delighted to welcome so many friends for

coffee at Sunrise after Sunday morning

service. Also to receive so many good

wishes, cards and gifts. On the actual

birthday we were surrounded by friends

and family so were again very blessed.

T H A N K S B E T O G O D !

It is with great sorrow that we are no longer able to attend Church

Services but we shall be very pleased to see anyone here at any

time. (Just telephone 01902 774225 any evening after 6.20pm to

confirm times etc.)

Monday 15th April 2019 at 7:30 pm Easter Reflections

Holy Trinity Church, Halesowen Road, Old Hill. B64 6JA

Why not join us for an evening of Easter music (sacred and secular, new and old) at the start of Holy Week.

Featured will be items from The Messiah, Stainer’s Crucifixion, The Armed Man, Jesus Christ Superstar

as well as favourite Easter Hymns.

This will be followed by an optional sharing of Holy Communion together.

(more details from Robert Snaith)

8

...a request to appoint a King, was made by the Elders of Israel to Sam-

Lent Lunches

The last two lunches for this Lent will be held at 12.00 noon on the

following dates and venues:-

April 6th St Columba’s URC, Castlecroft Road, Finchfield

April 13th Good Shepherd / Christ Church at The Good Shepherd,

21 Windmill Ln, Castlecroft

Well-known Easter hymns, but they have had their words jumbled up.

1. lla oyrlg audl and orouhn 2. lla nveaeh arlsdcee 3. nda acn ti eb 4. eb lstli nda nkwo hatt i ma ogd 5. eb tllsi fro teh erscnepe fo eht rdol 6. earebht no em tabahr fo gdo 7. hrsict het rlod si eisnr ydaot 8. ofmr anehev ouy ocme 9. eh si rdol 10. i ecandd ni eht grnnimo 11. i oknw taht ym rdemreee eilsv 12. amke wya, amek awy 13. onrmnig ahs eonkrb 14. deri no, ider no ni mateysj 15. Kroc fo gsae 16. eth dol rgdeug srcos 17. heter si a negre illh raf awya 18. tnihe eb teh lgoyr 19. eerw ouy heter 20. enwh i rsevuy the dunroswo ocsrs (answers on

page 11)

17

God’s love and message of hope to as many people as possible. We put up no barriers of class or culture and strive to offer love and friendship to all. We are committed members of Eco Church and having earned our Bronze Award in 2018 are striving toward Silver. This includes considering the environment in worship, everyday life, in the management of the Church building, and within the community. St.Columba’s Day Centre Our Day Centre for elderly and lonely people was purposely built and opened in April 1983 originally for 2 days a week; it proved very popular and was soon operating five days a week. The Company Chairman, Company Secretary and all other directors are church members and they oversee the running of the Day Centre. The Manager and all the staff employed at the centre are fully qualified to cope with the physical needs of elderly people, their training constantly being updated to include Dementia and other issues. The staff all help to create a happy cheerful atmosphere for those who attend each day. The Day Centre and its staff are very well regarded in the local community and by the local council. Times & Details of Services Our Sunday morning worship starts at 10:45am with Sunday School meeting during this time. We extend a warm welcome to all ages. Our Minister leads worship on one Sunday each month and we are fortunate to have many visiting preachers who provide us with interesting and varied worship on the other Sundays. Members of our congregation also lead Sunday services, sometimes with the help of our Girlguiding groups. Worship is followed by coffee and fellowship, a chance for our church family and visitors to join together and chat. Contact details... Minister – Revd. Tim Mullings – 07734 305940 Website: www.stcolumbasurc.com Facebook: @StColumbasWolverhampton Twitter: @stcolumbasurc Instagram: st_columbas_wolverhampton

16

St Columba’s United Reformed Church

St Columba’s Church serves the communities of Castlecroft and Finchfield. St.Columba’s Church is the successor to the Merridale Road Presbyterian Church in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, which had to be demolished due to road widening. At that time there was a lively Methodist House Group in Finchfield and in 1957 they purchased the Castlecroft Road site with the intention of building a Methodist church. Due to financial difficulties they had to abandon these plans in 1962 and the land returned to Wolverhampton Council. In due course the Mer-ridale Road Presbyterians negotiated the purchase of this land from the Council, and after further discussion between the Presbyterians and Finchfield Methodists, many of the Methodists agreed to join the new church as members or adherents. The last service held in the Merridale Road Church was on 24th January 1965 and ended with the Bible being carried out from the church. On the following Sunday, 31st January, the first joint service of the Presbyterians and Methodists was held at Westacre School, Finchfield and they continued to worship there until the new church was built. The new church, located on Castlecroft Road, Finchfield, Wolverhampton opened for worship in 1966 and, with the later additions of a hall and Day Centre, offers facilities for the community and other groups. Why St. Columba’s? You may wonder why a Church in Wolverhampton should be named after a Scottish Saint. Undoubtedly it was largely due to the fact that the Presbyterian Church had many Scottish members who were now worshipping at Finchfield and were anxious to retain something of the Scottish tradition What does our Church do? Our goal is to worship the living God, growing closer to Him, serving Him by helping in our community where we share the Good News of

The Covenanting Churches

-a group of 9 local churches pledged to journey together in faith. To help us

learn about each other, each church, over time, will tell something of its story....

9

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2019

Our local World Day of

Prayer service was held at St Columba’s

URC on Friday 1st March at 7.30pm.

The service was prepared by the women of

Slovenia under the heading of “Come,

Everything is Ready” based on Luke 14

verses 15 - 24 - The Parable of the Great

Banquet

The picture on the front of the order of

service was used to reflect on elements of

the reading. It is an invitation to All to

come to the Feast at God’s table.

Everyone received a red carnation during

the service to signify celebration .

10

Don't judge a book by its cover,

Or people at first glance,

You must read the pages of a book, Give people a second chance.

You've got to get to know them

Like the characters in a book,

So don't judge them by their covers, Take a longer, closer look.

Phyllis Ellison

A HYMN especially associated with

Palm Sunday is and it is sung in many of

our churches on that day.

There is a nice story about its origin. On Palm

Sunday A.D. 821, a crowd had gathered in the ancient French city of Angers to see the annual procession of dignitaries headed by the king, pass through the streets.

Their route went by the cloisters where Theodulph, Bishop of Orleans, had been imprisoned and deprived of his bishopric for supposedly plotting. As the procession drew level with his cell it came to a halt, for a voice could be heard singing something that they had never heard before, "All glory, laud and honour ! "

The king listened, deeply moved, and when he discovered that the singer was the imprisoned Theodulph, he ordered his immediate release, and restoration as Bishop. Further, he commanded that the lovely hymn should be sung every year during the Palm Sunday processions.

From John and Barbara Francis

To all our friends at TWURC:- Thank you for the greeting card and all the

individual ones we have received. We have had many phone calls too and gifts. All of you

sympathise with our problems following John’s fall resulting in a broken leg on the 2nd March.

As well as constant support from our family, several of you have offered to help. We are

blessed in our friends.

15

GOOD FRIDAY

If you would be happy to do a reading (scripture or poem) or a

prayer on Good Friday evening (15th April at 7pm) please see

Robert. Snaith. Thanks.

We can count on Him Someone has written a little verse that goes:- Said the robin to the sparrow, I should really like to know Why these anxious human beings Rush about and worry so. Said the sparrow to the robin, Friend, I think that it must be That they have no Heavenly Father Such as cares for you and me. Jesus used the carefree attitude of the birds to underscore the fact that worrying is unnatural. "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap..... yet your Heavenly Father feeds them" (Matt 6:26)

(Contributed by Robert Snaith)

The New Start Group will meet at 32 Fir Tree Road, Finchfield,

(Kathleen’s home), at 7.00p.m on Saturday 27th April. For more

information, please contact Jean 07816 444130 . Thank you. Jean.

14

Alison & Chris Kraushar would like to thank everyone who has sent

us cards, flowers & prayers. They have been a great help at this

tragic loss of my young sister Thelma. God Bless you all.

TO MAKE YOU SMILE:: THE INTERNET

An old, bearded shepherd with a crooked staff walked up to a stone pulpit and said, "And lo, it came to pass that the trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she had been called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why doth thou travel far, from town to town, with thy goods when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?" And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, Dear?" And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale and they will reply telling you which hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had, at the top price, without ever moving from his tent. But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secret himself inside Abraham's drum and was accused of insider trading. And the young man did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, or NERDS for short.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums, that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the land. And indeed did insist on making drums that would work only if you bought Brother Gates' drumsticks.

And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others." And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or as it came to be known "eBay," he said, "we need a name that reflects what we are." And Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." "Whoopee!" said Abraham. "No, YAHOO!" said Dot Com.........and that is how it all began.

Author Unkown

11 These lines were written by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who

travelled the country on horseback, preaching in the open air:

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

Not only did he write these thoughts, but he put them into practice. When

he was a young man, he decided to live on a very small amount of his

income so that he could give away the remainder. As his income increased

over the years, he still kept to the amount he had first allotted himself, and

with the rest he rejoiced in helping more and more people.

Answers to Easter Hymns Puzzle

1. All Glory Laud and Honour 2. All Heaven Declares 3. And can it be 4. Be still and know that I am God 5. Be still for the presence of the Lord 6. Breathe on me breath of God 7. Christ the Lord is risen today 8. From Heaven you came 9. He is Lord 10. I danced in the morning 11. I know that my redeemer lives 12. Make way, make way 13. Morning has broken 14. Ride on, ride on in majesty 15. Rock of ages 16. The old rugged cross 17. There is a green hill far away 18. Thine be the glory 19. Were you there

20. When I survey the wondrous cross

12

WATERAID — Lenten Appeal Please remember to bring your Jars of Change to Church on Easter Sunday (21st April) when the money will be received and blessed for the work of WaterAid in providing a safe water supply to the 650 million people in the world who lack this basic necessity. If you missed out on the jar sleeve to collect your change during the weeks of Lent a donation by cash or cheque (made payable to WaterAid ) is equally acceptable. If you are able to Gift Aid your donation (to increase its value by 25% ) there is a form on the back of the sleeve label to do so. Let us hope that we may again make a meaningful contribution to this deserving

MAY “CONTACT”

Please can Catie (catieboulton@gmail.com) have any information and articles for

the May “Contact” no later than Monday 15th April.

On Palm Sunday, 14th April, please will you bring an Easter Egg.

The collected eggs will be distributed to the children at the Haven.

The Mums at the Haven would appreciate toiletries so if you

would rather give some toiletries for the Mums that would be

lovely.

THANK YOU!

13

Isaiah 41 verses 10 & 13

10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

13 “For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,

Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’ (NASB)

The little girl who navigated the stairway one Sunday at church was cute,

spunky and independent. One by one the child—who appeared to be not much

older than two years—took the steps down to the lower level. Descending the

stairs was her mission and she accomplished it. I smiled to myself as I pondered

the daring independence of this courageous toddler. The child wasn't afraid

because she knew her caring mother's watchful eye was always on her and her

loving hand was extended to help her. This aptly pictures the Lord's readiness

to help His children as they make their way through life with its varied

uncertainties.

Isaiah 41 verses 10 & 13 include two "hand" references. After cautioning His

ancient people not to fear or be dismayed, the Lord told them, "I will uphold

you with my righteous right hand". Many anxious and fearful children have

been steadied by the strength of a parent. Here God's power comes into view.

In the second "hand" reference, once again it's the Lord who acted to secure

the safety of His own. "For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your

right hand" (v. 13). While life situations and times have changed, the Lord

hasn't. We need not despair (v. 10) because the Lord still assures us with the

promise of His support and with the words we desperately need to hear: "Do

not fear".

Father, thank You for always watching over me.

With God's hand holding my hand, I am safe! Arthur Jackson

(Adapted from Our Daily Bread Bible Reading Notes)