Key dates will be at the bottom of the newsletter.
This poem was sent to us last week to help us reflect:
Yours, Not Ours
You are as inevitable as morning
and you are there
long before the first Woodbine croak is heard
at the bleary-eyed bus stops of the city.
You watch and wonder
as the sound of waking
mumbles its chorus across roof tops.
You see and hear lovers readjust their dreams
in the not quite right of day.
You listen to the out of tune clatter of newspapers
drowning out the concert pitch spot-on of the trees.
This is a tired morning, as street sweepers clock on
We have stolen it from you
and fashioned it in our own image.
You have not yet charged us with theft
and when you do
our defence will be inadequate
the dog ends in the gutter have no apologies written on them
there are no acknowledgements in the personal columns
and the milk bottles hold no thank you notes
and the morning yawns steadily onwards
the morning that is not ours
but always yours.
Stewart Henderson
20th Century
Prophecy
We celebrate the fact that God is still moving today. One of the ways we see this is through prophecy. At times followers of Jesus have a sense of something God wants to communicate to the church or individuals. This can be through visions, scripture and at times even the most mundane parts of life. As church we need to hear and measure these offerings to see if God is speaking. We do this by comparing it to the Bible and then sharing it with one another. Here are some of the words that have been offered recently to us.
“I think Holy Spirit is meeting people at a place of pain, a raw edge: he’s softening that scar tissue to heal the ability to feel. Softness in emotion – compassion, generosity, kindness – is where God stirs us through the Holy Spirit.”
While watching a video of a cow getting her hoof trimmed, and uncovering an infection. “I know it seems a weird clip to be showing, but I think this is something God is showing us about walking with a limp (in a non-Jacob way). There are pockets of unforgiveness and pain that are shifting our walk to favour the pain – we’ve altered our walk to avoid the pain, and yet God wants to meet us in that place, and cleanse that darkness. I also think there is a side to this that’s about making ourselves smaller and ignoring the pain because we do not see ourselves as made in the image of God, and therefore our pain is not of any value or significance.”
“Painted this last night, for me it was all about the disciples not recognising him and I felt it was all about lack of faith, not expecting him to come walking on the waves and when he did, they thought it was a ghost lo!! When they saw even the elements now to him, they said, “surely this is the son of god” and their faith jumped out of this miracle – Jesus intentionally challenged their lack of faith and they were forever changed! They knew who he was deeply!”
“I heard the word tabernacle and was reminded that tabernacle isn’t just a noun, it is a verb. God has promised to “tabernacle” with us. He will dwell with each of us and will go with us wherever we go. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a stationary promise. This is an active promise, when we leave the church building God goes with us.
If you feel that God is speaking to you, please share with one of the leaders so we can share it where appropriate. We are so thankful that you are open to see God move through us all in whatever way God chooses. He builds his Church!”
Coming Up
For more info on each of our events, check out the calendar.
Holy Spirit Course
Beginning on Monday 1st June | 7:30pm | The Vine
Prayer Walking
Wednesday 3rd June | 7pm – 8pm | The Vine
Ladies BBQ
Saturday 6th June | 4pm
Prayer & Worship Evening
Thursday 18th June | 7:30pm | The Vine
Mini Church
Sunday 21st June | 9:30am | The Vine
Newcomers Lunch
Sunday 28th June | 1:15pm | Church
Exhale Service
Sunday 28th June | 6pm | Church
SAVE THE DATE: Church Away Day
Saturday 20th June | Barnstondale Centre, CH61 1BX
This is a day for the whole church to be together. There will be time for worship, Bible teaching, discussion and games. Please make this a priority in your diaries. Here’s a rough timetable of the day:
Time: 10am-6pm
Activities: Worship, Discussion, Games, Walks, Chat
Separate activities for Children
Food: BYO lunch; Tea: Fish & Chip Van!
Price: £20 adults; £10 under 16s
Sign up on Sunday morning or message one of the leaders.
