Thursday 2 December 2010

Empty Shelves Due to Snow


How we take things for granted......

'Tis the Season

.....for mission work. There is no better time to share the gospel than during the Christmas season. People are more receptive because the Spirit is strong, everyone is kind and cheerful, and there is a lot of focus on Christ. Invite friends and family to:

Attend a Church Service during Advent
Watch a Christmas Video
Watch The Nativity
Go Carol Singing
Write letters
Send Care Packages
Read the Bible (one of the Gospels)
Share your testimony with others
Volunteer to help homeless

Wednesday 20 October 2010

More TV Vicar

Revd. Peter Owen Jones presenter of Extreme Pilgrim, Around The World In Eighty Faiths and How To Live A Simple Life speaks candidly about life in front of the camera, the new spiritual ethic and how it really feels to spend time alone in a cave in the desert. His message is both challenging and uplifting and presents a very different view on how society needs to change and why.

Sale Waterside, cost £15
Booking via; http://www.watersideartscentre.co.uk/Dec.asp or 0161 912 5616

Plight of Pakistan



The worst floods in Pakistan's history continue to cause chaos and suffering. The area affected is vast, over 600 miles from north Pakistan down to Sindh in the south.

Donate here: http://www.wer-uk.org/donate/donate-to-pakistan

It's been a while but.......

I saw this on the TV last night.

Tormented Lives;

In a revealing and moving documentary, disability rights campaigner and confidante of the late Princess Diana, Rosa Monckton, exposes the reality of life for people with learning disabilities facing hate crime.

With daily headline-grabbing accounts of attacks on disabled people that have even led to murder and suicide, Rosa admits she is deeply concerned about the future that awaits her own teenage daughter, Domenica, who has Down's syndrome. What will life be like for her once Rosa and her husband Dominic Lawson are no longer around to protect her?

In this, Rosa's second documentary, we see people literally driven from their homes, individuals facing abuse and daily torment just because they have a disability. Rosa meets families under siege in their own homes, and shows how the authorities often fail to respond effectively to the abuse they face. And she tries to help one tormented man, Christopher, in his battle to live independently as a respected and useful member of society.

In the two years up until the end of March 2009, 576 peopleulting in a co were prosecuted for disability hate crimes with 76% of the completed cases resnviction.

Have a look - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vhls2

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Describe your ideal Church

Moira's Sermon Script Sunday 10th October 2010

http://www.allsaintsstretford.org.uk/worship/service-notes-october-2010.php

How would you describe your ideal church?

My Church is - a Growing church, a Loving church, a Warm church, a Friendly church, a Prayerful church, a church Centered on worshiping God, a place to Study, somewhere to Develop me as a person.

Wednesday 7 April 2010

Into Perspective


Easter Day


Easter Day celebrations began with a 7am Service of Light and Breakfast. Parish communion as normal at 10am.

Moiras first Holy Week and signs of creativity and inspiration. A marvelous Agape Meal, a love feast, a simple meal between between friends, Moira added prayers and reflections in between an thought provoking service and something that should be done more often. It was almost breaking bread and drinking wine without a Eucharist a reinactment of the last supper.

For more information on Agape have a look at the wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape

Friday Service I did not get too myself but the feedback was excellent most people found it very moving, very powerful.

Back to Sunday I enjoyed the silence and reflection, the singing of verses the monostic style.

Maria and Paul's Baptism of Thomas at 10 made the day. Then home for Dinner for 14.

Sunday 21 March 2010

Fresh Expression Stories

Read for inspiration on new forms of church; something similar for our parish?

Inparticular 308Nailsea but have a look through the stories.

http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/stories

Lent Course

CTiS Lent Course:

It isn't very often that we get all the churches (5) in Stretford, it has been very enjoyable and I personally have enjoyed listening to other peoples experiences and understandings.

Sharing experiences about meeting God in our oridnary places, places of work, homes, meeting places.

Material "Meeting God in Ordinary Places"
Attendance;
All Saints Pancake Starter - 30
Sevenways - 27
St Anns - 26
Lutheran - 28
St Matthews - 25
All Saints - 25

I have had some feedback on the course in general;

+ives
Good material
Enjoyed the variety (different Churches, different point of views/experiences)
Lay led, not just what the priest/pastor thinks

-ives
Sometimes rushed
Knowledge, uncertain
Book was expensive

Suggestions for the future;
Group Leaders to be identified early and sessions in leading bible studies to be organised.
Sessions on topics for leaders before the course begins.
Same leaders but still at different churches
Clergy led

Something to think about - the attendance sheet could have been written prior to the course starting. How can we open the sessions up to enquirers and those people who are on the peripheral of our churches???? Lets try and be more creative next year.

Pilate and Jesus


Saturday 20 March 2010

Prayers for Sunday 21.3.2010

The response today to LORD OF LENT is RENEW OUR LIVESHeavenly Father as we journey through this time of Lent let us remember that You faced temptation in your life and because of this may we should never be ashamed of temptation in our own lives - but save us from the weakness that gives way to it.
Grant us all the strength to stand up against all that is evil and keep us firm in times of trial and temptation knowing that your support and love are always close at hand.
Make us resolute in obeying your will and seeking your kingdom that we may stay true to you.Lord of LentRenew Our LivesWe pray for your Church and give thanks that we can meet together in this church and pray openly to you. Help us to see where you are working in our lives and in our communities and bless us with opportunities so that we can build your church. Give courage and strength to those wanting to outreach into our community and spread your good news.

Lord of Lent Renew Our Lives

Lord, help each one of us to see our priorities and not be led astray. Too often we fail to live up to our ideals; we compromise for comfort; we become too concerned about material things and other peoples business. We fail to put our trust in you, trusting only in our own schemes and plans. As we journey through Lent help us to see more clearly the ways by which we follow you and as we come to you for direction and nourishment, help us to forget ourselves and find true happiness in serving you. As we re-examine our lives through self discipline, prayer and study help us to enter your stillness, be sensitive to your call and know your will for us.

Lord of Lent Renew Our Lives

We pray for Your world, especially we pray for all people who hold positions of authority that they do not misuse their power to the detriment of those they are supposed to be helping. We pray for all the world’s leaders and for our own leaders who are responsible for making decisions about our future. We pray that they will be given the insight and integrity to govern wisely according to your will, being fully aware of the true needs of the people.Lord , look with compassion on all those whose minds are full of anxiety and bewilderment and for whom everyday is one of despair. We pray especially for involved with Natural disasters and the problems that come with that, famine, broken families, uncertainty about the future, we pray for those caught up in war and those still suffering from past wars, landmines still going off and causing injury, planted 55 years ago.
We pray that you will turn their despair to hope and free them from fear. Whatever the future may bring them, may they know that you are the rock on whom they depend and that your love will help to ease their burden.

Lord of Lent Renew Our Lives

Lord Jesus, we pray that you will bless and protect our homes, our families and our friends. Help us to build bridges of tolerance and understanding between the different generations. May our homes be havens of peace and rest – a place to call our own and a community in which we can feel safe and secure.
Help us to be mindful of those who have no homes, families or friends. Make us grateful for all that we have so that we may use every endeavour to ensure that every person has a home to call his own and feels wanted within his own community.

Lord of Lent Renew Our Lives

We pray for all people everywhere in their varying needs. Into the gentleness of your healing love we bring before you the lonely, the hungry, those living in poverty and those without hope. We remember all those who are ill and in pain: those recovering from surgery - giving thanks for the work and dedication of our doctors, nurses and care workers.
We have in our hearts some people known only to ourselves, who are in need of our prayers and we remember them in a moment of quiet……………….

And this morning we pray especially for those in our church family who have been made known to us….PEW SHEET

May your healing touch support and strengthen them and we pray that you will remove from them all that hurts, harms and hinders.Lord of LentRenew Our LivesWe pray for all those who are mourning the loss of loved ones that you will comfort and strengthen them in their time of need.

Lord of Lent Renew Our Lives

We remember before God all those who have died…………..
This morning we pray for and remember those whose anniversaries fall at this time …………………………

Confident in the promise that those who believe in you will live though they have died, we give you thanks for all who have left their earthly body and now share with you the joys of heaven.

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Moira's Service Notes for March: http://www.allsaintsstretford.org.uk/worship/service-notes-march-2010.php

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Lent 1

Session one of the lent course tonight, meeting God in ordinary places.

Thursday 18 February 2010

Lent

Lent is upon us.

30 people turned up for a pancake party on Tuesday evening which was the start of our Lenten Observance. We opened with prayer and an introduction into our Lent material. After that we split into smaller groups and shared with each other what we expected to gain from the lent course and what we were doing as part of our own Lent. We had 3 area's to look at Prayer, Study and Reflection and we had a piece of paper with a Lent Cloud on thatw e could add our thoughts and expectations to. We will review this at the last Lent course session and see whether we have tried hard enough.

More to follow.....

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Time fly's

20th Jan already - no blogs as busy busy busy, putting into place all that I need to meet the objectives for this year.

When I get chance I'll let you all know.

I'll update you on my thoughts on our Sermons - Last weeks (17/jan) spoke to me personally (http://www.allsaintsstretford.org.uk/worship/service-notes-january-2010.php)

A couple of thoughts - WALSINGHAM this year? I will be going so its no trouble arranging it.
CTiS what is its future - I'll be putting my thoughts to type very soon.

Happy New Year!!!!