Focus October 2019

Northall Baptist Church – 200 years and still going. A little Church with strong local links.

There Is a Season Turn Turn Turn, and a time for every purpose under Heaven… By the time you read this, you’ll probably have forgotten all about your summer holidays. I thought you would like the photo of some-one who seemed to be enjoying an outing to the Great Dorset Steam Fair. He certainly was not worried about any smuts from the steam charabanc, seen here, which he was riding around on! It was a boiling hot Bank Holiday Monday – breaking all temperature records for the late August Bank Holiday. I hope though that you enjoyed a break from school, work or caring responsibilities. Autumn is now with us and the days are shortening. The ups and downs of the weather this summer (do you remember how wet June was? It used to be called Flaming June!) reminded me of my youth when we sang along, loudly, to the Australian Pop Group ‘’, popular in the 1960s when they sang many memorable songs such as , and Some Day One Day. One favourite was ‘There Is A Season, turn, turn turn and a time for every purpose under Heaven’. The amazing was lead vocalist for many of the songs with a Christian meaning. It was based on a passage from Ecclesiastes 3 which starts ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: It goes on ‘a time to plant and a time to uproot’ and several other options. There is a season turn, turn, turn. It’s the time for celebrating the harvest, giving thanks for the abundance provided, stowing all those apples, pears, plums etc. You might have had to work hard with watering the runner beans and tomatoes but God is the provider of all good things. James 1 verse 17 says ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father’. The Church Harvest Service was on 29th September and tinned and dried produce donated, went to help the homeless. The trees are changing to those beautiful browns and oranges. Yes, Autumn is just beginning. We joined in with St. Mary’s Flower Festival 20th – 22nd September based on ‘Our Favourite Hymns’. The Northall Baptist Church display was based on ‘Shine Jesus Shine’. It starts ‘Lord the light of your love is shining, in the midst of the darkness shining.’ Hopefully the lovely bright display will be a wonderful memory through the dark days of winter. Our Sunday service is 11 am. If you come and join in the worship, music and song, you’ll get a very warm welcome. For those interested in the history of Northall Baptist Church, a free copy of the booklet, Rebels in Green Pastures can be supplied or downloaded from our website: http://northallbaptistchurch.org/ Ruth Cox Tel: 07791 425625