What's on | Church notice sheets
Church notice sheet - 17 January 2010
Readings
9:00am - Psalm 51 and Mark 2:1-12
11:00am - Psalm 51 and Mark 2:1-12
Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti
The poor people of Haiti have been hit by the worst earthquake there for over 200 years.The Red Cross estimates that between 45,000 and 50,000 people have died, whilst countless others have been injured and rendered homeless. The international community has rallied round to bring aid and relief in this enormous humanitarian crisis. Today, and next Sunday, we will have a bowl available for retiring offerings for the Crisis Appeal. Cheques should be made payable to St. John's PCC.
A Thought for the New Year
This little poem was written by the 17th century monk Brother Lawrence, a man who celebrated the ordinary. This ties in very well with our current homegroup series:
Lord of pots and pans and things,
Since I've no time to be
A saint by doing lovely things,
Or watching late with thee,
Or dreaming in the dawnlight,
Or storming heaven's gates...
Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates.
ROCK Project
We are pleased to announce that the ROCK Project (Refurbishment Of the Church Kitchen) will start at 8:00am tomorrow (Monday).
There will be some disruption to the users of St. John's during this time. There will be no coffee facilities after the services until work is complete. Once the work is finished we will celebrate with refreshments using our new kitchen and room).
We are sorry for this inconvenience but it wouldn't be practical with the kitchen being out of use trying to struggle with limited sinks etc. It is estimated that this work could take around 6 weeks so we do ask for your patience.
It will also necessitate the closing of the creche area and committee room during the work. The creche from today will be located in the old vestry, the scramblers will be in the Quiet Room, climbers and explorers are in the usual place and investigators will be upstairs in the Upper Room.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Pauline Davis or Andrew Carpenter. Hopefully, next week we will be able to report in this bulletin the commencement. Watch this space.
St John's House Party at Lindors 26-28 February
It is now time to pay the balance of the money for those going on the Church House at Lindors Country House Hotel, less the deposit of £25.00 per adult. Could you please let Rod Mortimer have a cheque made out to St Johns PCC, no later than 21 January 2010. Once the cheques have been received details of how to get there plus your room number will be sent/handed to you. The amounts for any child will need to be paid in full, where applicable.
Jars of Grace
Keep bringing them in! So far we have received 76 Jars/gifts and the total is £2,277 including the Christmas Offerings and tax refunds to come on Gift-Aided Jars and donations. This means we still have some way to go to beat last year's record total of £2,591.
If you didn't use a Jar of Grace at mealtimes, you can still give to the appeal! Cheques should be made payable to St. John's PCC.
A new way to give to God's work at St. John's
Do you complete a Self-Assessment tax return? If so, here's a new way you can contribute to God's work at St. John's. On the tax return form you are given the opportunity to nominate a charity to receive all or part of any tax repayment due to you. The repayment donation will then be paid directly into the St. John's bank account with Gift Aid added even when the donor wishes to remain anonymous. All you have to do is enter our special identification code (GAU27DG) on your Self-Assessment tax return. It's as easy as that! If you would like more information about this, or other, ways to give to God's work at St. John's, please speak to our Treasurer, Andrew.
Take a break from that post-Christmas diet
Next Sunday is the beginning of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity". St John's members are invited to share with all the other churches in the area in a service entitled "Prayer, Praise & Pudding".
What’s it all about?
At this time of year, churches up and down the country share together in an act of worship. It serves to remind us that our own congregation is not all there is, and that our own denomination is not all there is. Most of us believe that in theory, but it is easy to forget it in practice. Coming together once a year affirms the fact that we are all partners together in the gospel.
What will happen?
We will worship together at Emmanuel URC in Haydon Wick next Sunday at 6:00pm and pray for one another. (Emmanuel is at the end of the High Street, and, despite all the barriers, you can still drive there.)
What will happen if we stay away?
We haven't really got involved with this at all over the last couple of years. If all the other churches come together and St John's is absent, it can easily send a message that the other churches in the area don't really matter very much to us - which, I know, is not true. A number of churches, including Emmanuel, have been without a minister for quite some time, so they would really appreciate our support.
What about the pudding?
Instead of just offering tea and coffee at the end of the service, Emmanuel members have gone to the trouble of making home-made desserts. Which, says a lot about how much they'd like us to be there. I am looking for one representative from St John's to lead us in prayer for this church during that service. If you would like to do that, please have a word with Raymond.
Praying for others
At St. John's we have two Prayer Circles which come into operation when anyone in our congregation needs prayer or finds themselves in a distressing or anxious situation. Anyone can ask for prayer at any time by contacting the Prayer Circle Co-ordinator, Jean Dean. If you would like to pray for others by being part of the Prayer Circle, please contact Jean who will be happy to tell you how it works and to answer your questions.
Help! I need somebody
Well - I might do. There is a small group of children (babies and a couple of young primary school) who will need looking after during the houseparty at Lindors. Rachel Cook and her daughter were hoping to be free, but are now not available.
I do have another couple, but there is just a possibility they will not be able to be there.
If you can recommend some friends or relatives, who would like to come and join the church for an all-expenses paid weekend with St John's in Wales, then Raymond would be delighted to hear from you. There would be lots of free time for them.
Parish Office
The Parish Office is open on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9am to 1pm. Please provide all items for the bulletin in writing first thing on Wednesday please!
Do you buy on line?
If so, please consider buying through http://www.buy.at/StjohnsHW. The church receives commission from 2% to 12% on anything you purchase.
There are over 100 retailers involved (including M&S, Amazon, John Lewis, Comet) some of which offer exclusive discounts and promotions - and best of all ... there is no extra cost to the purchaser!
Tape Ministry
If you or someone you know would like a recording of the service, please contact Nigel Crowhurst, our Tape Co-ordinator.
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Page last updated: 15 January 2010