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Greenbelt 2015 As you might have read in the notices, the Church Council is happy to help subsidise the cost for people to go to Greenbelt this year, which is on the August Bank holiday weekend, 28th-31st August. Rev'd. Denise and I are willing to supervise a group; others may want to help too. Families are welcome to join us. Please talk to either Rev'd. Denise or me if you are interested. To get tickets at the best price we need to commit as soon as the tickets are released. Take a look at the Greenbelt website. Our Treasurer has offered for the Church to help with payment up front if this is needed, but once committed and ticket is paid for, it is your responsibility to pay. A booking form will be out soon - look out for more details, and let Rev'd. Denise or me know as soon as possible if you would like to come. Children’s Event 2015 Following on from the successful World War One evening, I am sure the older children in Church would like to do something together this year. Has anyone got any suggestions! So far we have had suggestions of a sleepover, sponsored walk, or car wash. No Camping trip but a day together instead This year we are fitting our 0930live! camping ideas into a day. So if you haven’t fancied camping, you might like the sound of meeting together for a day of activities, and cooking tea in the open air, with games and finishing with worship. This may be for you! Keep 4th July free as a potential date and look out for further details. We will not be travelling far from home, but will hopefully be at a venue outside Frodsham. Anyone for puppets? Having found some puppets who are eager to be brought to life, I need a team of children/ adults to make this happen. Additional puppets may be required before we can work on a sketch. Find out more at 0930live! or by speaking to me. Toddlers is having a makeover! Thursdays at 9.15am Still £2 per family. Since starting back this year, we have set out the rooms in a different way. Moving the larger toys into the smaller room and the craft/snack tables down the hall separating the Baby area from the main hall. This has quietened the large hall and given parents better space to stand and chat. We are still experimenting with the layout so any other suggestions would be helpful. Andrea Ellams Young Families Worker
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An evening of Food and music
The young people of our Church have preparations well underway for an evening of food and music from 100 years ago, in commemoration of World War 1, on Saturday 11th October. Places are limited, so look in the Church Hall for the information and booking form. A basket will be available for donations, which will go towards our work with young people. We are hoping to have a display of items from the war or that period in history. If you have anything suitable please could you bring them to church on Sunday 5th or Saturday 11th October from 1-5pm. Messy Church at Weaver Vale Churches Together are running two more Messy Church events at Weaver Vale Primary School. On Thursday 2nd October and Monday 15th December, from 2.45-5pm. If you would like to help please let Andrea know. Toddlers - Thursdays 9am - 11.45am This is such a valuable group for parents and children provided by our church. Since September we have welcomed many new faces, and there are a great many supportive conversations between the adults happening during the morning. All welcome. We have also welcomed families back to Messy Mice, which runs on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month. Our assemblies and lunch time club in the schools this term are focussed on our own God-given potential and the way we treat others. I am reading the letters Paul wrote to the Churches at the moment, and at the end of Ephesians 3 he writes, “Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you will be filled with the fullness of God. With God’s power working in us. God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus from all time, for ever and ever. Amen”. May we know, as a church and individually, God’s love, and pray that his love shines through our church. Andrea Ellams Young Families Worker PS I have a DVD on John Wesley, his life and conversion, if you would like to borrow it. As the summer break draws closer I am spending some time reflecting on what I have been involved in this year, where I have been privileged to see God at work in what I have done, looking in faith to the following Methodist year, and seeking God’s guidance for the future. Over the coming months as a Church we will be seeking people’s ideas and views on how as a Church we can develop our faith both individually and in groups. Maybe you can consider the following questions:
1. Does God matter to me? 2. If so how am I going to learn more about him? 3. How as Frodsham Methodist Church can we help you grow in faith? Perhaps during the summer you will find the time to stop and appreciate God the Creator, by noticing creation around you in the places we visit over the summer; A God who cares - by helping others this summer or allowing others to help you; A God who loves you by finding time to read the Bible or Christian books; Spend time in prayer or by talking to others about God. September brings the start of a busy few months - a Harvest Festival, the children cooking a meal to commemorate the 100 years since World War One in October, and the coming Christmas Tree festival in December. There is talk of a sleepover event and other new events for children/families to get involved in. Watch this space! Over the summer holiday Messy Mice and Toddlers will continue as usual. As Churches Together we welcome the opportunity to run a Messy Church at Weaver Vale School once every half-term after a successful beginning in June. May God surprise you and refresh you this summer. Andrea Ellams Young Families Worker As our thoughts turn to Summer and holidays, I praise God for the opportunities to get out and enjoy the warmer weather. Over the next few months we have some Messy walks planned. A themed Seaside morning at Toddlers to celebrate Summer and the children leaving us to attend Primary School in September. Plus the children from the Manor will be celebrating another Infant Wedding. Messy Mice will be two years old at the beginning of June.
Lots of celebrations, and this reminds me of the excitement children bring into our lives and their energy for life. Jesus said,” Suffer the children to come unto me”, and that we cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven unless we become like a child. Mark 10 v 13-16. Let us not forget that God can touch everyone regardless of age, perhaps just stop and think for a moment about what Jesus meant about being like a child. Children trust, are faithful and loyal, loving, full of life. Are we like that with God? As a Church, we are beginning to look at God’s plan for us for the following year. If you have any comments, good or bad, about my role and work here, please pass them to me. You never know - your ideas may be the spark needed for a new direction. God bless, Andrea Ellams Young Families Worker Toddler Group: Thursdays, 10-11.30am
Thursday mornings are always busy, full of noise, activity and lots of coffee, tea and biscuits are consumed, plus snack for children. It’s great to see new faces and the sunshine has been enjoyed once again as we use the outside area. We are planning as good as new sale for the 5th April. Come and grab a bargain (see details below) plus considering where to go for our summer trip. If you are thinking of joining us, you will be made very welcome. Good as New Sale: 5th April, 10-12noon At Frodsham Methodist Church. In aid of Chester Babygrow Appeal. Bring your items to sell either on Friday 4th April between 4-7pm or Saturday morning 9-9.30pm. Contact me for further details on 07749877823. Messy Mice: 10am 1st and 3rd Mondays We meet to get messy, chat and discover another story from the bible. We are looking at the life of Jesus at the moment. The session is full of busy children. So full, another pair of hands would be a great help! If you can help please speak to me. Walks for the Summer With longer days and some warmer weather ahead, why not join the church family and take the opportunities to meet and go for a walk. In May, June and July we are going out on a Friday night for Messy Outings, and it would be great to have a few Saturday/ Sunday events over the summer months. If anyone would like to organise these, or have suggestions of where to go let me know. Good Friday All Age Worship and Tea If you are around on Good Friday why don’t you join in the faith tea and worship time at Frodsham Methodist Church. A great opportunity for us to join together. May God hold us in his love and care over the next two months. Please pray for all the children taking exams either in KS2 or above in the near future. Andrea Ellams Young Families Worker 4all began as an inspired discussion amongst the leadership team, as an opportunity for all the people of our church to worship together once a month in a new way. Four months later many people have been involved in the planning, preparation, and leading the 4all service, giving people the opportunity to use or discover their talents. Many of you have come to a 4all service and had the opportunity to learn more about God from the different activities on offer and got to know each other better through these activities. Here are some comments about the service. "The quiet room was a great blessing to me this morning." "There was a good variety of art ideas to choose from." "The discussions have been good and I enjoy hearing what others have to say." "It gives me the flexibility to worship with others and still be able to stay in church for the sermon." For me there is a great joy in seeing young and old worshiping together and creating a hive of activity with God at the centre. Having the flexibility once a month to choose what to do enables me to connect with God in different ways. I certainly have got to know others better during these times. So if you haven’t discovered 4all why not come and see what it is all about? It’s on the 1st Sunday of each month at 10.45am. The next themes are April: The Way of the Cross May: The Life of Faith New people are always welcome to lead or help with the different activities, so if you are good at art ideas, discussions, or preparing a quiet space please let the stewards know. Andrea Ellams Young Families Worker When all the world’s against you And times are feeling bad When nothing seems to cheer you up And life is really sad Just take a look around you At all the glorious earth The beauty of each tiny flower The gift of precious birth The glory of a sunny day The twinkling stars that shine And in His heaven God watches These joys are yours – and mine. Composed by Barbara Maddock during the March 4all service Beacon House of Prayer
I first went to the Beacon house of prayer two years ago on a Lay workers’ training day and was very impressed and amazed at what the house has to offer people and what God has done during the six years since it opened. It is situated very near a roundabout on the edge of the town of Tunstall, Stoke on Trent, and offers a space for people to go and join in the worship/ prayer times, or use the prayer rooms. The website tells their story ... "We moved to Stoke on Trent in 2003 to serve a local Methodist church. At the start of 2006 we stepped out of that to seek God for a future direction in ministry. It felt as if we were standing on the edge of a new field with God saying ‘you can’t see a way but I will make a way.’ Over a period of six months we prayed and talked with friends about developing a new ministry. One word became crystal clear—’God is calling you to raise up houses of prayer, healing and renewal. In the midst of a significant citywide prayer movement since 2001 the clear prophetic call from God to us was: 'I want you to build me a house of radical worship, teaching and prayer, where the lost will be saved, the sick healed, the downtrodden raised up and my glory revealed. It shall be a holy house, a light on a hill, marked by my presence which you will carry to the nations. This is what has happened". In December a few of us went to the house and after having a tour of the house, listening to their story, we joined in their midday worship time, when other people came in to worship with us. After lunch we spent time by ourselves in the prayer rooms. None of us wanted to leave at the end of the day. If you want to experience a place for you and God and discover ideas to worship God then why don’t you come with us next time we visit? A comment from one person who came to the house in December, " I have really enjoyed today, it was so calm in the house, I didn’t want to leave". Take a look at their website here. The word ‘Beacon’ sums up a lot of the vision - may it be a light of God’s presence, a fire of night & day prayer and a signal of burning hot Christian spirituality as people live out Jesus’ love. Andrea Ellams Young Families Worker Over the August Bank Holiday weekend the Ellams family were lucky enough to join Rev'd. Denise at Greenbelt. A festival where faith, arts and justice meet which is held at Cheltenham Racecourse. Most of us hadn't been to Greenbelt before and wondered what it was going to be like. All of us enjoyed the weekend. There was so much to do, see, hear and taste. From music, talks, poets, magicians, comedians, show, films, discussions authors, silent disco’s, food vans, services of all descriptions, and stalls. This is what Georgina and Jonny had to say. "I think Greenbelt was Amazing! It’s a brilliant place to take young children and older children as well. I was really impressed with the amount of different things to listen to and do. When my Mum said it was a Christian Festival I was a bit like everyone is, 'is it just going to be praying?' but it weren't I went to listen to a poet called Harry Baker and his poems were great and on all sorts of topic’s. I also enjoyed the comedians Adrian Plass and Milton Jones. There was a main stage where bands and singers preformed. I thought the best act was the London Gospel Choir because they were very lively and excitable. I loved Greenbelt and I really want to go again." Georgina "Summary of Greenbelt Pro’s Great atmosphere, good acts- great for music and comedy, good friendly place, people, atmosphere, safe acts for children, good facilities. Good venue and clean. Con’s Not much – in fact nothing this year. Harry Baker, Milton Jones, Adrian Plass, London Gospel Choir and Lemor were amazing. I enjoyed the camping, although you don’t have to camp. Greenbelt is a great festival for members of any religion or none at all. Fantastic for all ages. Greenbelt is a must do festival." Jonny If you are thinking of going next year, it would be good if a group from Frodsham Methodist Church could go together. If we book before the end of January the tickets are cheaper. Adult weekend ticket is £99. Under 18 weekend ticket is £54. Family weekend ticket. (2 adults and 2 children ) £254. Single parent weekend pass with 2 children £156. Speak to Andrea Ellams for details. |
Pastoral LettersWritten by the Minister & Members
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