Happy New Year!
2014 is here. Time rolls on and seems to pick up pace each year.
And whilst for many of us it will feel as though it may be another ordinary year, the reality is that we will have no idea about all that may happen. All we know is that it will be a year of surprises and the ordinary, joy and sorrow, hope and fear.
But in the midst of it Paul calls us to remember that God is the one who can do so much more than we might ever expect:
[quote author=”Ephesians 3:20, The Message” type=””]God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.[/quote]
New series for the New Year
We will begin a new preaching series, ‘Living’, in January, based on 1 Thessalonians. If you want to read and pray along with the series you could read the short commentary by Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians.
Small Groups
There are a number of opportunities to meet up with people in the week. A new year is always a good time to think about doing so.
There is a weekly prayer meeting on Wednesdays at 8am at The Vine, and another on Fridays led by Corinne.
There is a biweekly housegroup that meets at John Barlow’s house, led by John and Gill Oldham.
There are monthly meetings for men and women that often include social times.
There is a monthly book group that meets on the second Wednesday of each month at The Vine.
If you think you’d like to bring a new group of people together, then talk to us about it and we will help you make it a reality.
The hope is that each of us will have the opportunities to meet and reflect together on life in ways that help us continue to grow as disciples of Jesus.
Pray Love Greater Manchester
Rosie Critchlow has been part of a team helping to make 2014 a year of unbroken prayer for Greater Manchester, involving many churches, organisations and individuals from a wide range of denominations and expressions.
As a church, we will be taking a week of prayer (Monday 3rd – Sunday 9th February), so do get involved with that.
There will be several events and prayer meetings throughout the year – you can find more info about these at praylovemanchester.com.
The first two events are:
- Sunday 19th January at Mustard Tree from 7.30pm, where we will be praying specifically for agencies who work with the poor and marginalised.
- Saturday 25th January at Manchester Cathedral from 7.30pm, which is the launch event for HOPE 2014 and Pray Love Greater Manchester.
[button url=”http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hope-2014-prayer-and-worship-tickets-9533804867?aff=efbbt” target=”_blank” size=”normal” arrow=”right”]Get your free tickets for the launch event[/button]
Let’s take some of these opportunities to pray more fervently this year!
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