Hi everyone,
Autumn is now in full swing: the leaves are turning brown, the nights are drawing in, the heating is on (unless you are as tight as me and you’d rather sit with a blanket and an extra jumper on!) and Christmas is not far around the corner. As I type this, I’m reminded of a song lyric by Matt Redman: ‘Seasons come and seasons go but you remain.’ Here’s the full song if you fancy a listen.
It’s a great reminder that as the world continues to turn, life has it’s ups and downs, and we may feel close or far away from God right now, he remains absolutely steadfast, unchangeable and faithful. Aren’t you glad you’ve built your life on Jesus?
APEST
I hope you’ve been enjoying our Sunday sermon series, exploring the five ministry gifts/graces Paul writes about in his letter to the church in Ephesus. Our hope is that you will be affirmed in the unique ways God has gifted you to serve him and others. If you would like to explore your giftings and how you might use them to serve, not just in church, but in the whole of your life, don’t hesitate to speak to one of the leaders.
If you want to explore further, Elim’s national leadership podcast contains some of the talks from this year’s summit around the same theme. You can find it here.
Prophecy
One of the gifts we have explored is prophecy; hearing from God. We have a group of people who regularly share thoughts, insights and intuitions which they feel are inspired by God and we often share them during services and on our Beyond Sunday Facebook Group. If you feel this might be an area of gifting for you, let us know and we can include you in the group.
One recent word came from Charlie and I thought I would share it with you in case it resonates with anyone:
Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
And
Malachi 3:6: For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
God is the one unchangeable and immovable rock in your life. When everything around you is unsteady and uncertain and moving and you are frightened because of what you think is coming, remember that Jesus and his love for you don’t change, and will not change. Like in Malachi, you may end up going to hard places with Jesus, but he is still with you there, and those places will be used to refine your character and deepen your love for him. Build your life on his words, cling to his words as you’d cling to a rock in storm. He has been enough, he is enough, and he will be enough for you.’
As I copied and pasted this prophecy, I realised how well it fitted with my introductory thought! Prophetic?! Perhaps. As with all the gifts/graces, they were not given so we could have better church services (although they are certainly helpful in that context), God graces us so we can serve him in our families, our workplace, our social groups etc.
Let us continue to ask the Lord how we might use the gifts he graciously gives in every area of our lives, for his glory.
New Staff Post – Charlie Blundell
Earlier in the year Charlie offered to give 20 hours each week, free of charge, to the ministry of the church. The leaders, pastors and Governing Body, spent lots of time with Charlie discerning how we could best use this offer for the good of us all. We recognised that there is a grace on Charlie to operate in two specific areas:
• To help us use our spaces as missional resources – The Church, the church hall and The Vine Community Hub
• To help us grow as disciples by offering us his teaching gifts.
We spent a lot of time thinking about a title for this role. And after a few false starts – Fay’s suggestion she found via ChatGPT of ‘Guardian of the Sanctuary’ didn’t find acceptance (!) – we came up with Missional Resource Coordinator So, from the beginning of November, Charlie will take over the management of The Vine from Ian, he will be looking for new outreach opportunities from The Vine and the church hall etc.
It may be that you have practical skills that you would want to use to ensure we can use the buildings in the best ways, or it may be that you would love to be involved in new mission opportunities based in the Vine or the church hall. Please talk with Charlie about all this.
In taking this role on, Charlie will step down from the Governing body, the name we give to what other churches would call ‘elders’, and will work alongside Neil, Ian, Sarah and Susie.
As we’ve been preaching, the main gifts God give us are people, not things or talents. We are very grateful to God for Charlie and look forward to seeing how God uses him in this new role.
We will commission Charlie during our service on Sunday the 9th of November.
Christmas Decorations for Sale
Our Emily Murray is a very creative woman! Amongst other things, she makes ornaments and decorations using needle felting, coloured sheep fleece and a barbed needle. She is making a batch of Christmas decorations like these and will be selling them for £3 or £4, with all proceeds going to our friends at Teen Challenge.
She should have a batch ready by late November so please seek her out for some of these lovely items.
Coming Up
Mini Church
Sunday 2nd November & Sunday 7th December | 9:30am | The Vine
A fun and relaxed time for pre-school children and their parents/carers to engage with the Bible through songs, stories, crafts and games. Whether you have faith or not, there’s always a warm welcome. Free of charge.
Leadership Course
There are some people who have been given positions of leadership, and there are some people who will be given these positions in the future. Leading others – at work, in church, in voluntary groups, or in families – is hard work. It’s easy to get stressed out, anxious and rather than helping things to go well, inadvertently make it all worse.
Neil will be leading 8 monthly sessions exploring how we can lead really well, lead a little like Jesus did, and lead in ways that really benefit other people. For novices, or for people who wish they could have done a course like this years ago, you are welcome!
Finding Your Place Brunch
Sunday 9th November | 9:30am | The Vine
You might have been part of our church for years but still do not feel exactly sure where you fit. how you can use your time and talents in a meaningful way. Or you might be at a change point – you have more time, or you just want to do something different. Come along to the brunch.
Men’s Brunch
Saturday 15th November | 10:30am | The Vine
A relaxed time of food and fellowship. £5 per person.
Open Mic Night
Friday 28th November | 7:30pm | The Vine
Live music and general merriment. Got talent? Come and share it with us! Always an easy space to invite non-church friends, colleagues and family. Brews and soft drinks will be available or you can bring your own bottle with you.
Looking ahead to December
Carol Singing
Sunday 7th December | 2:30pm | The Lowry Mall (outside)
We are part of a local ecumenical group of churches who meet under the umbrella of the Salford Church Partnership for fellowship, prayer, and outreach. Every Christmas, we do some outreach together, usually involving singing carols. This has been a fun event over the past few years, where we spread some Christmas cheer, give out sweets and scriptures and offer prayer. People are often touched by it.
Come and help us make a joyful noise! We will be singing outside the Lowry Mall, facing the theatre, so wrap up warm!
Christmas Film Night
Friday 19th December | 6pm | The Vine
Join us for a cosy evening of festive fun as we gather to watch a beloved Christmas classic together! Bring any extra snacks or baked goodies you wish to share, though we’ll have popcorn, hot chocolate, and plenty of Christmas cheer to go around.
It’s a wonderful chance to relax, connect, and celebrate the season in good company. Everyone is welcome – come as you are and enjoy the warmth of the season with us.
Christmas Services
Our traditional Candlelit Carol Service will be taking place with St James on Sunday 14th December at 6.30pm.
On Sunday 21st December there will be an All Age Service in the morning at 11.30am.
There is a service at 10.30am on Christmas Morning.
There will be NO SERVICE on Sunday 28 December.
Giving
Thanks to everyone who gives so faithfully – through Givit, Standing Orders or in cash. We really appreciate it. However you give, if you pay tax (and most of us do these days – even those of you receiving pensions) we can reclaim that tax for the church through Gift Aid. You don’t pay anymore but we receive 25% more. If you haven’t already signed up for this, please take a sheet from the Information stand, fill it out and give it us back. If you want to chat about it, see Jo Parkinson (our Finance Officer) or one of the pastors.
