Weekly notices 1st February

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Morning Service

10:30am

Worship led by Ray Battye.

Junior church and crèche.

Evening Service

6:15pm

Worship led by David Markay.

"Abraham believed God... and he was called the friend of God."

James 2 v.23

Notices

Next Chippy Church will be on Friday 27th February at 6:30pm.

Branching Out: all articles for the spring edition of the magazine to be handed or emailed to Stuart C. as soon as possible, please. Thank you.

Appeal for help (advance notice): Wisewood church is going to host a district circuit meeting on Wednesday 11th March. It could be attended by 150-200 people. We have been asked to provide tea/coffee between 7:00-7.30pm before the meeting starts. If you could help in any way, please see Stuart/Sue R.

Methodist HQ in London have sent us 3 copies of a new magazine. These can be found on the office desk and the accompanying letter on the noticeboard.

Feedback Questionnaires about the small groups that have been happening last October, November and December are on the welcome desk. Please fill one in (you don't have to have attended a group) and leave for Becca. Thanks.

Flower fund: if you are willing to contribute to the flower fund two or three times a year, without being on the flower rota, see Pat S. We do need this fund for funerals and other special occasions.

Hunger lunch. There will be a hunger lunch in aid of Church Action on Poverty, on Sunday 15th February, after the morning service, in the church hall. Please inform any of the stewards if you wish to support this event.

Lyceum Pantomime “Aladdin” will be on Friday 11th December 7:00pm. All tickets for seats in the stalls (rows C, D and E) will be £16 if 25+ people book and tickets are paid for by Sunday 15th February. Cliff.

Wesley Guild will meet again on Monday 16th February at 2:30pm. John G.

Ashing / Holy Communion service: on Wednesday 18th February at 7:30pm.

Thinking Day / 1st in Lent service: on Sunday 22nd February at 10:30am.

Talk about your beliefs: thanks to those who have already volunteered to complete a questionnaire about their faith and beliefs. There is still time to get involved. In order to reflect a good cross section of the congregation, volunteers who are over 75, under 30 or male would be especially welcomed but if you don't fall into one of these categories you can still take part! Wendy.

Mission Shaped Ministry course will be running again at Psalter Lane soon. It is a great chance to explore fresh expression style church and learn how other people are trying new things. If interested, see Becca.

Bring Me Sunshine: a light-hearted look at the ups and downs of family life on Tuesday 3rd March 7:30pm at the Double Tree (Hilton Hotel) S8 8BW, run by Care for the Family, with Rob Parsons and comedian/magician John Archer. Tickets £6 (£7 on the door). Group discounts available. See Becca.

Pastoral committee on Wednesday 4th March at 7:30pm here at church.

Gift Day this year will be on Sunday 22nd March.

The Sheffield May Day Trek raising money for Christian Aid, will take place on Monday 4th May. There are 3 routes, 5 miles, 10 miles and 17 miles to suit a range of abilities. You can register here: http://www.sheffieldmaydaytrek.org.uk/.

Prayer Group

Following the receipt of the newsletter from 'The Oakes' our prayers centred on their work and needs. 

We gave thanks for the number of children who have attended camps in the past year and for the schools who now organise annual visits for classes. The Oakes' team has the freedom to explain what the Christian faith is all about on every camp. May the number of campers continue to rise and may they accept the message of Jesus.

We prayed for the necessary team leaders, volunteers and funds to be forthcoming to provide the best possible experience for the children and staff. Various repairs, replacement of equipment etc... need urgent attention - in particular, English Heritage has called for the old gates and lodge to be refurbished as soon as possible.

In Saudi Arabia the flogging of Raif Badawi has been postponed because he was not sufficiently recovered from the flogging already administered. The death of the 90 year old king was announced and it was hoped the new king may have less harsh punishments. However, King Salman has announced that he will continue in the same way as the previous king. Protests from various groups are still being voiced to commute the severe sentence imposed. We prayed for the success of these and for the well-being of Raif Badawi and his family.

We gave thanks that part of a proposed free trade deal between the EU and the USA has been withdrawn following huge opposition in Britain and other parts of Europe. Campaigners fear the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) would allow US multi-nationals to override laws protecting the environment, consumer rights and food standards by allowing them to sue EU governments.

We continued our prayers for an end to the terrorist activities of groups such as IS, Boko Haram etc…