Weekly worship am and pm
Our last “Sanctuary” meeting will be on Sunday evening 28 September. In fact it will be the kick-start to a week of prayer & fasting. Instead, from Sunday 5 October we will be running weekly worship at 11.00am
and 7.00pm at HMC. There will be full provision of children’s ministry in the morning but not in the evening. WWAM will still run from 11.00am – 12.15pm and WWPM will run from 7.00pm-9.00pm. The content and format will be similar but with more time and space for worship, preaching and prayer ministry.
You may well have questions about this and I would refer you to the website to read about it under the title “WWPM”. In the meantime
I need a response from you. I would like you to pray about this and ask the Lord whether or not he would have you commit to WWPM for a season. You may continue to attend WWAM, indeed I hope you will continue to serve in the morning, but it would really help us if I knew that a certain number of people were committed to coming in the evening.
We believe that the Lord has called us to do this and that it is part of his promise to us to fill HMC. On the one hand I am somewhat intimidated by launching a big new thing, on the other I am full of expectancy about what will happen. I believe that we will see God move in new and special ways in people’s lives over the coming months.
If you think the Lord is calling you to commit to WWPM (say at least until Easter) please email me!
On Saturday evening 20 September there will be a Fundraising Dinner to Celebrate the Vine. Live music, good food and drink and inspiring stories. There may still be some places if you would like to join us – please contact Jason Proctor. If you would like to serve during the evening (particularly in clearing up at the end) Jason would love to hear from you too! You can support the work of the Vine by sponsoring some of the drinks. You can choose one or more of:
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6 bottles of wine (3 red, 3 white)
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10 bottles/cans of lager
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10 bottles/cans of ale
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8 bottles/cartons of fruit juice
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8 bottles of Shloer or similar
If you would like to sponsor some drinks please contact
Pete Sammons.
Additional Giving
Before the summer I issued a number of challenges to you and some were to do with regular giving. One was to give 10% of your income to the church - if you don’t do so already. Another was to consider increasing your regular giving - however much you give now.
I promised that we would track increased regular giving over June, July and August and would, in turn, give 50% of any increase to The Vine. I am delighted that as a result we have been able to make an additional gift to
The Vine of
£275.50 (we already make a regular gift of £800pm). Thankyou to all who have increased their regular giving.
A gracious life
Very early last Saturday morning, as the birds were beginning to sing in the darkness, I had a new experience. I was sitting at my mother-in-law’s bedside with Alison and my father-in-law Leslie as Sheelah breathed her last of this world.
I was reminded of a Phil Wickham song, Tears of Joy, “Let my last breath here be my first with You, where You rob my fear and You make me new”.
It is a truly awesome thing to witness the end of life and an even greater privilege to know that it is a “promotion to glory” – as we used to say. Psalm 18 has been special to me in these weeks, “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters … He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” Sheelah is now in a spacious place with Him.
Nevertheless, there is a void in our life and in our home where Sheelah used to be. A space that will never be fully filled, which will prompt grief and which will remind us of the loss, after 88 years, of a gracious life.
We will give thanks for her life at a service at Moortown Baptist Church next Friday 19 September at 1.30pm if you would like to join us.
A big thank you to all who have prayed for us over these weeks and for those kind souls who have made us a meal - it has been such a help at a difficult time. We are really grateful ... and rather well fed!
Peace
David