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More than 120 people attended Frodsham Methodist Church on Kingsley Road in Frodsham for the Church's first ever hosting of a General Election Hustings. It also happened to be the last hustings event in the Weaver Vale Constituency before the election on 7th May. Rev'd. Denise Harding chaired the proceedings, whilst questions tabled from the people present were sifted and sorted by friends from the local churches, and then were asked of all the candidates. These focused on local, national and international issues. All six of the candidates were present for all of the proceedings on the evening. The candidates responded well to being given no advance warning of the questions - which ranged in topic from health to tolling the Mersey bridges, from 'the delight or deliverance of leaving the EU' to 'when food banks will no longer be needed', from tax and the environment to finally - 'what are you most passionate about?', the candidates answered well, and were respectful of each other. The undisputed star of the evening though, was someone not even old enough to vote - Esme Anstice from Frodsham Manor House Primary School - who asked a question about the NHS. She received a resounding applause from the whole audience, including the panel of candidates, for even being there, and for the boldness of being able to ask her question, which was: "My class have been talking about what should be the most important aim for the new government. We voted for the National Health Service. What would your party do for the NHS?" Rev'd. Denise concluded the proceedings by inviting those present to contribute towards the Christian Aid DEC Nepal Appeal to help those affected by the earthquake a week ago, and then shared some words from the founding father of Methodism, John Wesley, as a hopeful manifesto for us all: Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international event which takes place every year on the same dates in January. Churches in different countries are invited to prepare the materials for use throughout the week, and recently Christian Aid has also got involved in suggesting actions as well as prayer.
In Frodsham we call this week ‘Christians in Frodsham Praying Together’. We are fortunate that for a number of years the churches here have generally worked very well together, notably over such things as the Churches Together newsletter which goes to every house in the town three times a year; Christmas and Easter Journeys for local primary school children; Fun Days in Castle Park and the ecumenical service at St Laurence on the last Sunday in the year. The following events will take place during the Prayer Week: Sunday 19th January, 10.45am: Covenant Service at Frodsham Methodist Church, to which all are invited; followed by lunch at 12.30pm Tuesday 21st January: Frodsham Methodist Church open for prayer, with said prayers on the half-hour from 10am to 12noon, followed by soup lunch Wednesday 22nd January, 7.30pm: combined service at St Luke’s Roman Catholic Church, preacher Rev'd. Denise Harding, followed by refreshments Thursday 23rd January: Main Street Community Church Prayer Journey during the day Friday 24th January: Prayer time at St Laurence, followed by tea This is a very special time of sharing with our fellow Christians in Frodsham. Do support as many events as you are able. Liz Holmes The first 4all service is on Sunday 1st December. We are hoping to form an 4all Worship Group made up of people from both the 0930 Live! congregation and the 10.45 congregation. If you can play an instrument (whatever standard), or can sing, or can operate the sound desk, please let either Andrew Ellams or Alan Carter know as we would love to involve you. The first practise is on Thursday 14th November at Church at 7.45pm, for about an hour. Please let Andrew or Alan know if you have any queries. It seems rather early to be thinking of Christmas, though the shops are full of Christmas cards already! So we are planning ahead too. Did you see the uniquely engaging and compassionate dramatic telling of the nativity story screened by the BBC in December 2010? It was written by Tony Jordan (the writer of other BBC dramas including Hustle and Life on Mars) and stars Tatiana Maslany (Heartland), Andrew Buchan (The Fixer) and Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It, and now the new Dr Who). We are offering another opportunity to see this drama on DVD over four Tuesday evenings, November 26th, December 3rd, 10th and 17th at 7.30pm at church. The DVD will be followed by discussion, in which you are invited to participate or just listen. An invitation has been extended to members of all churches and none to come and enjoy a fascinating insight into a familiar story. You will be very welcome. Book these dates in your diary NOW! Liz Holmes Would you like to look after the Holy Family for a night in the weeks leading up to Christmas? We'd love to offer this to as many people as possible. For more information, e-mail us at enquiries@frodshammethodist.org. Ten people joined me as we explored being Amazed by God, and pondered on how that would make an impact in our lives as we considered in response how amazing we each are to God. Pippa and Gary Jacobson kindly offered their home for the day, plus the beautiful grounds. It is hoped to hold Quiet days regularly in the future. If anyone would be interested in joining us in the future, please get in touch with Rev'd. Denise.
The first meeting of our New Intercessory Prayer Group will take place in the Church Foyer on the morning of Monday 1st October, starting at 09:30 am. An invitation is extended to anyone who wishes to join us. All are welcome. Looking forward to seeing you there. For further information please speak to Marion Greer or e-mail enquiries@frodshammethodist.org. I am holding another Quiet Garden Day at my home, 56 High St., Frodsham, on Tuesday 14th August entitled "Stillness in the Midst of Life" led by Jill Smith.
Come and experience time and space within the Quiet Garden. Jill will help us to make the most of the opportunity through her leading, but the day will be mostly silent. A notebook or journal will be useful. The day will start with coffee at 10am and end around 4pm: a light lunch will be provided. There is no charge but there will be an opportunity to make a donation to cover costs and towards the work of the Quiet Garden Movement. For more details or to book a place contact me on 01928 733452; text 07740123322; or e-mail gillandgareth@gmail.com (booking essential). The next Quiet Garden Day will be on Wednesday 18th September. Gill Morgan (of Main Street Community Church) Peter Sandercock, Circuit and Church Administrator, is ordering copies of the new Handbook called Crossing the Chasm. If any member of the congregation would like to order a copy, the cost will be £3.15 each (assuming we order ten or more!). If you would like to order a copy, please speak to Ken Blasbery, Senior Steward, by the end of July or contact Peter in the Church office (enquiries@fromdshammethodist.org or (01928) 735312). Large print versions are available at no additional cost. Recently various individuals within Frodsham Methodist Church have expressed an interest in improving the quality of our Church's communal prayer life. To consider this an initial meeting has been arranged. It will take place on Wednesday 18th July at 7:30pm at Beacon Hurst off Tarvin Road in Frodsham. Anyone interested in participating in this initiative please join us. Your input will be most welcome. Should you wish any further information or directions to the meeting's location please speak to Marion Greer or e-mail enquiries@frodshammethodist.org.
The BBC will be recording Songs of Praise at Longton Central Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in June. If you wish to join the combined choir, there are two rehearsals on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 June from 7:30 to 9:30pm. If you wish to take part as a member of the congregation, you are not required to attend these rehearsals. Actual recordings will take place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June from 2:15 to 5:45pm each day. Admission will be by free ticket only. An application form can be downloaded from the District Website under News & Events. Alternatively, e-mail songsofpraise@bbc.co.uk or telephone 0161 335 8429. The ticket application deadline is Tuesday 29 May. The programmes will be broadcast on 14 October 2012 and 13 January 2013. On the evening of Palm Sunday, Rev'd. Pat Christopher led a party of members from Frodsham, Tarvin and Kingsley The Hurst Methodist Churches to walk the Stations of the Cross at the Pantasaph Friary, near Holywell in North Wales. The eighteen members (pictured below) walked up the zig zag path, stopping for Prayer and Meditation at each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross that have been placed on the hillside there. This proved to be a moving experience in the lovely, if somewhat cool, evening sunlight and reminded us of the awful journey Christ made up the hill carrying his own heavy cross for our salvation. For us there were no noisy jeering crowds, just a sense of peace and quietness as we trudged up the slope to the Crucifix at the summit and tried in vain to imagine the suffering and pain. Manor House Primary School, Frodsham, have been working in partnership with Living Star School in Accra, Ghana for the last 5 years and during that time have held a teacher exchange three times. This year we have been busy fundraising to bring over 10 children to spend a week with our families. While here, the children will be exploring 'faith values' as part of a faith dialogue. Whilst the teacher's flights are covered by grants from the British Council the costs for children has to be raised by Manor House. The school has been fundraising since September. We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to support Living Star School in this project as the children who will be visiting will never have left the country and we are in a position to help some of the children’s ambitions come to fruition. The children who come on exchange will be attending 0930 Live! on 15th July. If you are able to make a financial donation please do so through the retiring collection on Sunday 25th March or by post to the School. On behalf of Manor House I would like to take the opportunity to thank Andrea and Pippa for their fortnightly visit to lead our collective worship. It is always an exciting fun-filled assembly and a fantastic window for outreach from the Church. Naomi Anstice Teacher Manor House Primary School A Theme for Lent A special event was held for Lent on Sunday 4th March here at Frodsham Methodist Church when the Delamere Forest Circuit joined the Chester Circuit for a shared afternoon of CRAFTS, ACTIVITES and CHAT. There was a short time together in the Church for WORSHIP followed by an excellent HIGH TEA. Later this year, the two Circuits are merging to further strengthen ministry and mission across this part of Cheshire. For more details contact the current Delamere Forest Circuit Superintendent Minister, the Rev'd. Pat Christopher on (01928) 733180 or pat.christopher@frodshammethodist.org. Rev'd. Pat Christopher & Liz Holmes are running a Worship Leaders Course on the five dates below. This is for people who would like to explore the possibility of becoming Worship Leaders. For more details please contact Liz Holmes.
Thursday 1st March: ‘What is Worship? & Service Structure Tuesday 20th: March Prayer Thursday 19th April: Drama, Dialogue, Poetry & Worship Songs Thursday 3rd May: Special Services, Music & IT Thursday 17th May: General Overview, how to get started & liaising with other people. All at Frodsham Methodist Church, starting at 7.30pm Images of the escalating violence in Syria are all over our television screens, in our newspapers and across the websites we visit. At times such as this, one of the few things we can do is pray. A special prayer for Syria is available here.
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