Notices 11th September

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Thank you to Sue and Pat. All who attended last August Bank Holiday Monday tea party, given by Sue and Pat, are very thankful indeed for your consideration and very grateful for your time and kindness! Jean.

Bluebell Wood Coffee Morning. A big 'thank you' to everyone who contributed, making this event so successful. Enid.

Shoeboxes. The decorated shoeboxes have now arrived and are available from today at a cost of 40p each. Please contact me if you would like any. There are plenty for everyone. Thanks. Enid.

Planning Harvest Variety Church. We will meet on Monday 12th September at 6:30pm. Everyone is welcome to come along with their brilliant ideas and help to plan the service of Sunday 25th September. Thanks, Katie.

Ladies' Guild Annual General Meeting will be on Tuesday 13th September, at 2:00pm. Subs are due. Bring and Buy. Sue R.

Wisewood's Macmillan Coffee Morning will take place on Saturday 17th September 10:30am-1:00pm. Refreshments available, also cake and Bring & Buy stalls. Please come along and support us. Pat & Sue.

Harvest Supper and Entertainment will be on Saturday 24th September at 6:30pm, at church. A Ploughman's Supper will be served up, followed by "homegrown" entertainment, at the cost of £5 per person (£3.50 for under 12's). If you wish to take part, please sign the list on the welcome desk.

Pastoral Committee Meeting will be on Wednesday 28th September evening.

Deadline Date for all articles for the autumn edition of the church magazine Branching Out is Friday 30th September. Please email Stuart C.

As a hymn is announced, please stand and get ready to sing. At Worship Consultation meeting we noted that it would make sense that we stood to sing when a hymn is announced, instead of timing it for the end of the introduction (as this can cause confusion to people unfamiliar with our practises). We realise this is going to take time for us to get used to, but... let's go for it! Katie.

Worrall Male Voice Choir is to perform at Worrall Chapel, Towngate Road, on Friday 7th October at 7:30pm, to help raise funds for Worrall Environmental Group. Charge is £5 including refreshments. Last year's concert was excellent and had many good reports. For tickets, see Bridget, Donna or Ray.

Prayer Group Report

We read from Habbakuk a complaint to God: "How long O Lord etc..." Then the Lord replied: "Wait for the revelation... The earth will be filled with the glory of God etc..." We also read from the book of Obadiah.

May we be patient and continue to pray and work for a better world.

Tearfund asks us to pray for Pakistan which has the highest number of children (especially girls) not in schools. Tearfund and its Pakistan partners are working together to set up village schools. Many villages are isolated and do not have access to clean water supplies or sanitation. Tearfund volunteers help with the construction of essential infrastructure which has seen illness lessen. They also help improve life for these isolated people by providing other medical needs and by helping set up market gardens.

We gave thanks for the work of Tearfund, for its volunteers and supporters. We prayed for Chad where many (especially children) are suffering hunger and malnutrition. We lift this before God. May those who do not have a voice be empowered to speak out and be released from poverty.

In Iraq many Christians are being targeted by Islamist extremists. We prayed for them and for Andrew White - the Anglican Bishop of Baghdad.

The situation in the refugee camps in Calais is dire as food and money are running out. We gave thanks for volunteers trying to care for the refugees, especially the children held there, many of whom have no parents with them.

The G20 Summit has begun. We prayed for Teresa May and other world leaders that their discussions will deal with the need to find solutions for hunger, poverty, injustice and also climate change. Lord, help us to see with Jesus' eyes and seek to help the poor and the broken.