Christian Worship in Fence Houses for Regular Worshippers and for Anyone Who Wants to Find out More
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Christian Worship In Fence Houses For regular worshippers and for anyone who wants to find out more. All are welcome. St Andrew: 10am. Parish Eucharist (Communion) 1st. Sunday each month Family Worship 6pm. Evening Service, 4pm. Winter Time Wednesday: 10am. Holy Communion & Coffee Morning Bank Head: 10am. Morning Service 11.30am.Sunday School St John: 10.45am. Sunday School 6pm. Evening Service Chilton Moor & Fence Houses Churches Together Chairman: Rev Derek Newton Secretary: Kathy Dobson, 88 Moorsfield, Chilton Moor, H-le-S, DH4 5PG Christian Activities In Fence Houses During the week: Monday: 9am. Toddler’s (St John) 6.30pm Youth Group (St John) (Last in month) 7pm Faith & Fellowship (St. John) Tuesday: Coffee Morning 10am - 12pm (Bank Head) 1.15pm. Women’s Meeting (Bank Head) (2nd) 6.30pm Women’s Institute (Dubmire Club) Wednesday: (2nd & 4th) 9.30am Bible Study & Prayer Meeting (Bank Head) 6pm. Youth Group (St John) 7pm. Quilting Group (St Andrew) Thursday: (3rd) 7pm. Mothers Union (St Andrew) (4th) Beetle Drive (St Andrew) Cover by Graeme Vicar’s Letter For March By Rev Derek Newton or God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have F eternal life. (John 3:16) This verse has been described as ‗the greatest verse in the Bible‘, as it enables us to understand the events of Good Friday and Easter Day. God‘s love is unconditional: God demonstrated the extent of His love by sending His Son into this world, to show us what it looks like: ‗God with skin on‘! God graciously loves us, as none of us deserves it. ‗There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.‘ (Philip Yancey). God‘s love is sacrificial: The cross is the supreme demonstration of God‘s love, as Jesus identifies with a fallen, suffering world. He died for our sins, removing the barrier between us and God, giving access into God‘s presence and release from the power of sin and death. God‘s love is accessible: Jesus‘ resurrection makes His eternal life available to all who put their trust in Him. It‘s an offer of life with purpose, in which we can know God personally, both now and for eternity. Bobby Moore described receiving the World Cup from the Queen in 1966 as terrifying: ‗I noticed that the Queen was wearing some beautiful white gloves. I looked down at my hands and they were completely covered with mud‘! Although we approach God with dirty and spoilt lives, by the cross and resurrection, we can shake hands with a holy God. Thanks to Graeme for sending the above when I was struggling for whatever reason to put not just pen to paper but to say clearly what is in my mind. The word which leaped out from above was SACRIFICIAL. As God‘s love is sacrificial so is our calling and our ministry. Sacrificial in so many ways: not only giving our all but also in facing the challenges around us. The vote in the Deanery Synod on the 22nd February 2018 was in many ways a turning point for the Deanery in Houghton and of course for St Andrews here in Chilton Moor. 1. Houghton Deanery would have 3 Distinct Units: Houghton Newbottle & Lyons 2 posts: Penshaw, Shiney Row, Herrington & Burnmoor 1 Post & Chillton Moor, East & West Rainton & Lumley 1 Post 2. Houghton Deanery to possibly merge with Chester-le-Street ~ St Andrew’s Church ~ 1 Deanery yet maintain its identity as a Group Ministry. 3: Houghton Deanery Parishes to become part of a Group Ministry. Therefore a full time Priest in Charge for Chilton Moor, East & West Rainton and Lumley. Not exactly a quarter post per church but in many ways a single person pulled in four directions. Also being part of a Team Ministry across the deanery helping out and of course being helped out by others. A challenge for a new person to co-ordinate ministry and also to develop the ministry of others. It does not matter how dynamic or charismatic the new person will be without the help of the laity their position will be an impossible task. The time is now to accept this challenge and with the ACPM coming up in April it is the opportunity to become part of the team which will embrace the way forward, not only for St Andrews but with our fellow churches in the small group. So it is up to you now? Remember to attract the right person to lead it is up to you to be the right sacrificial people. God Bless Revd Derek Newton 30th March Good Friday, The Day The Son Of God Died For You ood Friday is the day on which Jesus died on the cross. He was crucified at 9am in the morning, G and died six hours later, at 3pm. It is the most solemn day in the Christian year, and is widely marked by the removal of all decorations from churches. In Lutheran churches, the day was marked by the reading of the passion narrative in a gospel, a practice which lies behind the ‗passions‘ composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750). Both the St Matthew Passion and the St John Passion have their origins in this observance of Good Friday. The custom of observing a period of three hours‘ devotion from 12 midday to 3 pm on Good Friday goes back to the 18th century. The ‗Three Hours of the Cross‘ often take the form of an extended meditation on the ‗Seven Last Words from the Cross‘, with periods of silence, prayer, or hymn-singing. 2 ~ St Andrew’s Church ~ 17th March St Patrick – Beloved Apostle To Ireland t Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. If you‘ve ever been in New York on St Patrick‘s Day, S you‘d think he was the patron saint of New York as well…. the flamboyant parade is full of American/ Irish razzmatazz. It‘s all a far cry from the hard life of this 5th century humble Christian who became in time both bishop and apostle of Ireland. Patrick was born the son of a town councillor in the west of England, between the Severn and the Clyde. But as a young man he was captured by Irish pirates, kidnapped to Ireland, and reduced to slavery. He was made to tend his master‘s herds. Desolate and despairing, Patrick turned to prayer. He found God was there for him, even in such desperate circumstances. He spent much time in prayer, and his faith grew and deepened, in contrast to his earlier years, when he ―knew not the true God‖. Then, after six gruelling, lonely years he was told in a dream he would soon go to his own country. He either escaped or was freed, made his way to a port 200 miles away and eventually persuaded some sailors to take him with them away from Ireland. After various adventures in other lands, including near-starvation, Patrick landed on English soil at last, and returned to his family. But he was much changed. He had enjoyed his life of plenty before; now he wanted to devote the rest of his life to Christ. Patrick received some form of training for the priesthood, but not the higher education he really wanted. But by 435, well educated or not, Patrick was badly needed. Palladius‘ mission to the Irish had failed, and so the Pope sent Patrick back to the land of his slavery. He set up his see at Armagh, and worked principally in the north. He urged the Irish to greater spirituality, set up a school, and made several missionary journeys. Patrick‘s writings are the first literature certainly identified from the British Church. They reveal sincere simplicity and a deep pastoral care. He wanted to abolish paganism, idolatry, and was ready for imprisonment or death in the following of Christ. Patrick remains the most popular of the Irish saints. The principal cathedral of New York is dedicated to him, as, of course, is the Anglican cathedral of Dublin. ~ St Andrew’s Church ~ 3 Is ‘Religious Karaoke’ Growing In Popularity? t seems that churches across the country are increasingly ditching their hymn books, in favour of using big screens to project the words. Some churches have spent up to £50,000 on audio-visual systems I including projector screens and LCD TVs for their flock. Many churches reckon that it is cheaper to subscribe to a licensing service which allows them to project the words to hymns and worship songs, rather than buying books. Christian Copyright Licensing International currently sells churches licenses, which allows them to reproduce hymns and worship songs. It currently covers about 24,500 sites in the UK. The most recent figures suggest that in 2013, there were 50,660 churches in the UK. Church Finances Michael Baxter I set out below the income and expenditure for January 2018. During January our expenditure exceeded by income £1000. We have paid the first monthly instalment of £1175 of our 2018 Parish share pledge of £14,100. Michael Baxter Treasurer 4 ~ St Andrew’s Church ~ What the teacher says and what the teacher means….. If you have ever wondered what the teachers really think of your child, you may enjoy these snippets from real reports….and the thought behind them! James has a remarkable ability in gathering needed information from his classmates. (He was caught cheating on an exam.) Karen is an endless fund of energy and viability.