Weekly Notices 20th September

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Chippy Church is back Friday 25th September at 6:30pm with theme: Harvest. We'll be making jam and chutney with Loxley Valley Community Farm, as well as enjoying together fish & chips! All welcome. Wendy.

WMVC Concert in aid of WEG is finally happening on Friday 25th September at 7:30pm at Worrall Chapel, Towngate Road. If you haven't got a ticket, speak soon to either Bridget, Donna or Ray.

Harvest Social Evening on Saturday 26th September at 6:30pm, will include Pie & Pea supper and some entertainment... at £5 per person. Please sign the list on the porch desk, indicating your choice of pie. Thank you. Sue Russell / Becca.

Our Harvest Festival is next Sunday morning, 27th September. We'll be collecting for Parson Cross 'Share' (foodbank) again this year. Priority foods are: tinned meats, tinned veg, tinned fruit, UHT milk, biscuits, crackers and tinned rice pudding. Thank you. Becca.

Christian Aid. A very talented and esteemed senior member of our congregation has donated a superb soft toy to the church. The toy is to be raffled during the month of September. Strip of 5 tickets for £1. Please support Christian Aid. Pauline.

Wesley Guild. The new session of the Wesley Guild will open on Monday 28th September at 2:30pm. You are all welcome to come and enjoy the fellowship. A varied programme has been arranged. Copies available from John G.

Church Magazine. Please provide me with some articles for the next edition of 'Branching Out' by Sunday 4th October. Stuart C.

Adverts In The Magazine. If you know of anybody who would be interested in advertising their local business in the church magazine, please take a leaflet from the porch desk and post it in their letter box. Thank you. Ray.

Action For Children Sunday. Thank you very much for your generous donations which raised £240.80. This amount will be increased by 'Gift Aided' donations. Your continued support is much appreciated. An acknowledgement has been received and a copy is on the Notice Board. Stella.

Prayer Group Report

We read Psalm 103 and part of Isaiah chapter 10 'God's warning to those who do not look after the poor'. Thousands of refugees are still trailing across continents to try and reach safety in western Europe. We gave thanks that this country has welcomed refugees in the past and prayed that we will now welcome with open hearts those in need.

Thanks too for the medics and aid agencies helping these desperate people thinking especially of Syrians leaving behind homes and possessions to escape the bombing and fighting which has seen so many towns bombed to rubble. We prayed too for those who have no alternative but to stay put and suffer the consequences and for those willing to go into dangerous situations to relieve suffering with no thought for their own well-being.

We prayed for strong voices in the UN to point the way to bring about peace and harmony where nations are at war. May we all work together to make a difference to the plight of ordinary people caught up in wars, and to the attitudes of those continuing futile conflicts.

We gave thanks for young Samuel Bell who suffers from Hirschsprung's disease, yet founded a charity (Samuel's Smiles) to give other children suffering rare diseases a chance to smile by organising outings for them to meet with their favourite celebrities.

We prayed that world leaders will again prioritise discussion on climate change at the next G20 meeting. Areas once used for cultivation have become dry and desolate forcing people to move on and, in the south Pacific, rising sea levels are endangering the lives of people living on the smaller islands. A recent change in the law in this country means that anyone convicted of a crime, no matter how trivial, has to pay a compulsory flat fee for the upkeep of the courts. For generations magistrates have imposed fines with regard to the crime committed and the defendant's ability to pay. The new law means that those caught in the trap of stealing food etc... usually because of their poverty, are landed with a disproportionate fine and costs sending them further into poverty and the magistrate has no way of avoiding the imposition of these fines. We prayed that the government will reconsider the inflexibility of this law which puts additional burdens on the already vulnerable.

Please continue to pray for the ill and those in need.

We gave thanks for the dedication of local preachers, especially those who have recently received certificates for 50 or 60 years' service.

Lord we pray that you will raise up people to take the initiative to care, to share and to work for all.