MAGAZINE St Andrew's Brinsworth St Mary's Catcliffe St Helen's Treeton St Lawrence's Tinsley
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MAGAZINE December 2011 The Rivers Team is a group of four Anglican Churches: St Andrew’s Brinsworth St Mary’s Catcliffe St Helen’s Treeton St Lawrence’s Tinsley December Diary Dates Weekly Events: Tuesday: A Time of prayer for the parish @ St Marys 7.30pm - 8.30pm Wednesday: Prayer Meeting @ St Helen’s 9.00am Friday: Munch and Pray @ St Andrew’s Centre 12.30pm– 1.30pm NB – Christmas dinner dance – cancelled due to excessive costs. Sunday 4th December Puppet Musical @ St Lawrence’s 3pm Tuesday 6th December St Helen’s Church Council 7.15pm Church lounge Wednesday 7th December Brinsworth and Catcliffe Church Council; 7.30pm at St Andrew's Saturday 10th December Messy Church; 3.45pm at St Andrew's Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th December Christmas Tree festival St Helen’s Treeton Sunday 11th December Brinsworth Civic Carol Service; 6pm Brinsworth Community Hall Maranatha @ St Lawrence Church 6pm Wednesday 14th December 'Encounter', 7.30pm at St Andrew's (Bring and share meal at 6.30) Sunday 18th December Messy Crib service 10.30 St Helen’s Candlelit Carol service 6.00pm St Helen’s Carol Service 6pm St Lawrence’s Monday 19th December Carol singing at Treeton Cricket club 7pm Tuesday 20th December Carol singing at Chapel Green Catcliffe 7pm BSL signed Candlelit Carol service 7.30pm Rotherham Minster Wednesday 21st December Christmas Holy Communion St Andrew’s Saturday 24th December Crib Service at St Andrew’s 3pm Christingle service at the Baptist Church 4.15pm Midnight Communion St Lawrence’s 11.00pm Midnight Communion St Mary’s 11.30pm Saturday 31st December Watchnight service St Helen’s 11.30 2 Editorial by David Bent; Team Rector A Christmas Blessing Think for a moment about a nativity play you have seen. Maybe one you had a part in, or one in which your children or grandchildren had parts. Maybe it’s one you saw on TV or at the cinema. Focus now on the central characters: Mary and Joseph. The angels. The shepherds. The kings. All there because of one thing: God the Father chose to send his only Son, conceived by the power of the Ho- ly Spirit, to become human. All from different backgrounds and situa- tions. All changed by the events that unfolded before them. And all with something to teach us through their responses. There is Mary, obedient to God’s call on her life, and risking great shame to become the mother of our Saviour. And Joseph, obedient to God in taking an unmarried mother-to-be as his wife. There are the angels, full of joy, glorifying God as they proclaim the news of the birth of a baby. There are the shepherds, eager to discover the truth and eager to tell others the good news, there are the wise men, persevering on their long journey to bring their precious gifts and to bow down and worship the one they recognise as King. And there is Jesus, a baby in a manger. God become flesh. The Prince of Peace, born in poverty, coming to a world riddled with strife and division, anxiety and uncertainty... There is a Christmas blessing which I love, based on the responses of the characters in the nativity. It goes like this: May the joy of the Angels The eagerness of the shepherds The perseverance of the wise men The obedience of Mary and Joseph And the peace of the Christ Child Be yours this Christmastime. Amen 3 Courses running in 2011 Drawing & Painting Tuesday 11.00 am – 1.00 pm Beginner’s I.T. Thursday 9.30 – 11.30 am The above courses are for 10 weeks – cost £60.00 Holiday German Thursday 1.00 – 2.30 pm Learn greetings, introductions, and how to order food and drink Tutor – Diane Haigh Tel: 01709 703601/07931292348 Hire St. Andrew’s Centre for meetings or parties Excellent catering facilities available For information contact the Centre on 01709 361630 Or [email protected] Treeton Trudgers Walking Group On Saturday December 31st, Ron Robinson will lead a walk through the Rother Valley area, including Stavely cycle track and Cuckoo Way, which is approximately 5 miles long. All walks start at the top of Washfield Lane, Treeton at 10.00am, where anyone without transport can usually get a lift in someone‘s car. Please wear sensible footwear and bring waterproof clothing and a packed lunch for daytime walks. Please ring Ron & Carole Robinson (0114 2694100) or Ian Wall (01709 519125) for further information. St Helen’s Chatterbox Craft Club ‘Chatterbox’ meets each week in Treeton Reading Rooms on Wednesdays between 1:00pm and 3:00pm to make items for the Samaritan’s Purse ‘Operation Christmas Child’ annual Shoebox appeal. The group consists of around 8 members who knit, sew and stick, collect and buy items for the shoeboxes. Anyone interested in what we do will be more than welcome to join us. NO SKILLS NEEDED. 4 Christmas 2011 Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th Christmas Tree festival at St Helen’s, Treeton Sunday 18th 9:30am - Carol Service at St Andrew’s, Brinsworth 10:30am - Messy Church Crib Service, St Helen’s Treeton 11:00am – Nativity Service St Mary’s, Catcliffe 6:00pm - Carol Service St Helen’s, Treeton 6:00pm - Carol Service – St Lawrence’s, Tinsley 6:00pm – Carol Service St Mary’s, Catcliffe Monday 19th 7:00pm - Carol Singing at Treeton Cricket Club Tuesday 20th 7:00pm – Carol singing at Chapel Green Catcliffe Saturday 24th 4:15pm - Christingle Service at the Baptist Church, Treeton 11:00pm - Midnight Communion Service - St Lawrence’s, Tinsley 11:30pm - Midnight Communion Service - St Mary’s, Catcliffe Sunday 25th 9:30am - Christmas Family Service St Helen’s, Treeton 10:00am – Christmas Day Service at St Mary’s, Catcliffe 10:30am – Christmas Day Service at St Lawrence, Tinsley Treeton Ladies’ Group The Treeton Ladies’ Group meet on the second Tuesday of each month at Treeton Baptist Church at 7:45. Everyone is welcome. The next meeting will be on December 13th and the ladies will enjoy a Christmas Party. The next Rivers Team Magazine will be available at the end of December. If you would like to have an article included, please get it to Nicola by letter or email by Friday Dec 10th. [email protected] 5 PARISH WEEKEND 2012 SNEATON CASTLE,WHITBY Friday, 25th to Sunday, 27th May 2012 Guest Speaker; Pastor Jonathon Dyke Jonathan has 20 years of experience in leadership and ministry. With his practical and motivational approach, his gift is to equip and release people into mission and ministry. Children and Young People: Nick and Rachel Cowan Nick and Rachel lead the youth work at King’s Church, Great Yarmouth, ministering to over 100 young people. Their vision is to ‘Gather, Guide and Grow’ young people into a mature relationship with Jesus. Booking forms will be available shortly. We are also arranging a payment scheme for those who would like to spread the cost of the weekend. ‘Maranatha’ Come Lord Jesus, Come! 6 7 Dear Theophilus… God has plans for your life! And I have it on good authority (from the Angel Gabriel, no less) that anything is possible! When Gabriel visited Mary with the earth shattering news that she, a young virgin, and her cousin Elizabeth, an older, childless lady, were both going to have sons, he added ‘for nothing is impossible with God’ (Luke 1:27). Jesus uses the bizarre image of a camel going (or not going) through the eye of a needle to say that what is impossible for men is possible with God (Luke 18:27). And Paul adopts the idea when he writes from a prison cell ‘I can do all things through him who gives me strength’ (Philippians 4:13). Isn’t it good to remind ourselves that situations which, by our standards are impossible, can be transformed by God! OK, so we’re not looking for angels and virgin births, or even children born to elderly couples, but childless couple’s do produce children after prayer ministry and God does heal where the medical profession says healing is impossible. The impossible also happens in less dramatic ways when God transforms the lives of ordinary people like you and me as we allow him to work in and through us by the power of his Spirit. This could be a simple word of encouragement or act of service for someone in need, or it could be embarking on a new venture of faith with God. And if, like Paul, you are in some kind of prison, don’t lose hope; he will give you the strength you need. Effective ministry goes on in many prison cells, and prison doors do open and prison walls do crumble. So, whatever is going on in your life at the moment, don’t limit what God can do by your circumstances, by your experiences to date, or by what other people say. Trust in Jesus and let the God of the impossible fulfil his plans for you. David Theophilus is the guy for whom Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. (Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1) Theophilus means ‘Lover of God’ so, if you love God, it was written for you! 8 Rivers Team Prayer Diary And Daily Bible Readings THURSDSAY 1st DECEMBER Bible Reading: Matthew 13 V1--23 Please Pray for: Brian & Molly Lingard, Clifford Littlewood Pray On World AIDS day for people to receive the medical care they need. Pray for Anna. She will be on chemotherapy until 8th December (from 28th Nov).