Notices 9th December

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Church Christmas Cards need delivering urgently. The cards are in bundles and are labelled with the name of the street to which they are for delivery. Hope you can help with this outreach work. Many thanks. David.

Shoeboxes - Thank you to everyone who contributed to this appeal in any way. We have sent 76 shoeboxes and a huge number of fillers. There is also a financial contribution from donations. Full details in the next edition of the magazine. Thank you once again for this wonderful contribution. Enid.

Advent Study Group will continue on Wednesday 12th and 19th December, 7:30-9:00pm at Hillsborough Trinity Methodist Church, Lennox Road entrance, S6 4HE. This year we are exploring reflections from the book 'Walking Backwards to Christmas' by Stephen Cottrell. All are welcome. Katie.

Christmas Tree Festival is still on today, Sunday 9th December 12:00noon-3:00pm at Brightholmlee Church, Main Road, Wharncliffe Side, S35 0DQ. See over 25 Christmas trees all decorated by local people and groups.

Local Carol Singing - on Tuesday 11th December at 7:00pm in the church hall. All are welcome.

Greetings' Board - as in previous years, the area at the back of church is available to those members wishing to send greetings to their friends at Wisewood. This year the charity will be Alzheimer's Research UK, remembering several of our congregation who are no longer with us. Please take advantage of the greetings' board and support the charity. Thanks. Margaret T.

Wisewood Community Singers will not be meeting at church this Thursday, 13th December. They will, instead, lead the carol singing at the Wisewood Inn (on Loxley Road) 7:30pm onwards. Please do come along and support the group.

A Family Friendly Film is going to be shown on Friday 14th December at 5:30pm in the church hall. Free to all. All are welcome. Under 16's must be accompanied by a responsible adult, please.

HARC - The 'Homeless and Rootless at Christmas' charity will be operating again between Christmas and New Year to provide meals and comfort to homeless people at a time when most other agencies close down. Volunteers are needed and the church will be sending a donation to HARC to help cover expenses. If you feel you would like to help this very worthwhile cause please see Di or Margaret P. as soon as possible. Thanks.

The Church Christmas Card Postbox is now available. Remember this service is only for people who attend church. The final collection will be on Wednesday 19th December at 7:00pm. Please try to post early to help the sorters. Many thanks. Enid. 

Magazine - Please note that articles for the spring edition of the magazine must be passed onto Flory & Stuart C. by Sunday 26th January. Thanks.

Holy Habit Homework - December. During December and January we will continue to explore the Holy Habit of Gladness and Generosity. This habit is an active habit, so the challenge is to live gladly and generously!
Prayer: "Most gracious God, all good things come from you and are signs of your love. May our gratitude fill us with gladness, and our gladness with generosity, that we may express our joy in the service of others, and give in thankfulness for what we have received, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
We also thought about practical ways of living generosity. In the launch service we received and dedicated the Shoe Boxes for Operation Christmas Child - a wonderful expression of generosity! We also explored that living generously isn’t just about how we use our money; it is also how we use our time, talents and skills in serving God and one another.
What else could you do to be generous this Advent? Some suggestions to get you started:
• Supporting local events this Christmas
• Supporting a charity - we in church are supporting HARC
• Donating food to the PXI food bank. (This year they are encouraging people to collect an item per day during Advent as a reverse Advent calendar. More information can be found on the Holy Habit noticeboard)
• Making Christmas presents instead of buying
• Supporting local shops instead of using big companies and shops
• Take a friend out for coffee
• Spend time with someone who may be on their own
• Smile at people more!
… and there could be many more! Let Rev’d Katie know your suggestions for living generously!