"Methodist and United Reformed Church News in ” CHURCH DIRECTORY Working together to learn, live, love and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. BOLTON ROAD Secretary: Nancy Briggs Phone 01254 775053 email [email protected] June and July 2019

CENTRAL: Secretary: Liz Rutherford Tel 01254 774715 Email: [email protected]

Room Lettings: Janice Cowell Tel 01254 706379 BOLTON ROAD email:[email protected] NEW CHURCH CENTRAL Stewards: Valerie Gregory Tel 705314 Jean Fish, 8 Calder Ave, Darwen. Tel 773935 Karen Rowley, 2 Lyndhurst Road, Darwen. Tel 07941 881833 NEW CHURCH

SPRING VALE Room Lettings: Marion Haslam, 4 Sunnyhurst Close, Darwen Tel: 773633 TRINITY SPRING VALE Stewards: Lilian Nicholson, 660 Bolton Road, Darwen Chris Allan, 2 Sudell Close, Darwen Irene Hindle Donna Boothman Julie Jones

Room Lettings: David Foster, 4 Derby Close, Darwen Tel 703858 MINISTER email: [email protected]

TRINITY, Secretary: George Grime Tel 01254 54305 email: [email protected] Rev Louise Makin 2 Highercroft Road Lower Darwen, BB3 0QR (01254 678858)

TOCKHOLES: Secretary: Kathleen Knowles. Tel 01254 706489 email: [email protected]

CHURCH NEWS EDITOR Liz Rutherford 68 Barley Bank Street, Darwen Tel 774715 email: [email protected]

FORMAL YOUTH ORGANISATIONS Spring Vale: Guides, Brownies, Rainbows; New Church: Brownies, Rainbows

PARENT AND TODDLER GROUPS Central Website: www.centralurcdarwen.org.uk Weekday Groups at Central, Spring Vale, Trinity and New Church Methodist Website: www.wpmmethodist.co.uk ENQUIRIES: The Churches welcome all enquiries. For Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals please contact one of the Ministers before any other arrangements are made. Other enquiries may be made through the Ministers, Secretaries or Stewards.

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WORSHIP FOR JUNE BIBLE READINGS SUNDAY 2nd June Bolton Road 10.30am Rev Geoff Tolley JUNE JULY Central 9.30am Rev Geoff Tolley 10.30am Doreen Goodship Mary Irokansi 1 Luke 7.18-30 1 Luke 13.1-9 New Church 10.30am Judith Wilcock 2 John 17.20-end 2 Luke 13.10-21 Spring Vale 10.45am Rev Louise Makin: All Age Worship 3 Luke 7.36-end 3 Luke 13.22-end Trinity 10.30am John East: Communion 4 Luke 8.1-15 4 Luke 14.1-11 Tockholes 2.00pm Doreen Goodship 5 Luke 8.16-25 5 Luke 14.12-24 6 Luke 8. 26-39 6 Luke 14.25-end PENTECOST SUNDAY 9th June 7 Luke 8. 40-end 7 Galatians 6.1-16 Bolton Road 10.30am John East 8 Luke 9.1-17 8 Luke 15.1-10 Central 10.30am Rev Geoff Tolley: Communion Margaret Williams 9 John 14.8-27 9 Luke 15.11-end New Church 9.30am Rev Louise Makin: All Age Worship 10 Luke 9.18-27 10 Luke 16.1-18 Spring Vale 11.00am Rev Louise Makin 11 Luke 9.28-36 11 Luke 16.19-end Trinity 10.30am Colin Garley 12 Luke 9.37-50 12 Luke 17.1-10 Tockholes 2.00pm Yemi Ajibola 13 Luke 9.51-end 13 Luke 17.11-19 SUNDAY 16th JUNE 14 Luke 10.1-16 14 Colossians 1.1-14 Bolton Road 10.30am Ken Fish 15 Luke 10.17-24 15 Luke 17.20-end Central 10.30am John East David Yates 16 John 16.12-15 16 Luke 18.1-14 17 Luke 10.25-37 17 Luke 18.15-30 New Church 10.30am Kath Hodkinson 18 Luke 10.38-end 18 Luke 18.31-end Spring Vale 10.45am June Littlemore 19 Luke 11.1-13 19 Luke 19.1-10 Trinity 10.30am Barbara Dickinson 20 Luke 11.14-28 20 Luke 19.11-27 21 Luke 11.29-36 21 Colossians 1.15-28 Tockholes 2.00pm John East 22 Luke 11 37-end 22 Luke 19.28-40 SUNDAY 23rd JUNE 23 Galatians 3.23-end 23 Luke 19.41-end Bolton Road 10.30am Barbara Duxbury 24 Luke12.1-12 24 Luke 20.1-8 Central 10.30am Yemi Ajibola Margaret East 25 Luke 12.13-21 25 Luke 20. 9-19 New Church 10.30am Rev Louise Makin: Communion 26 Luke 12.22-31 26 Luke 20.20-26 Spring Vale 10.45am Rev Jim Henderson 27 Luke12.32-40 27 Luke 20.27-40 Trinity 10.30am Colin Garley 28 Luke12.41-48 28 Colossians 2.6-19 29 Luke 12.49-end 29 Luke 20.41-21.4 Tockholes 2.00pm Barbara Duxbury 30 Galatians 5.1,13-25 30 Luke 21.5-19 SUNDAY 30th JUNE 31 Luke 21.20-28 Bolton Road 10.30am Rev Geoff Tolley Central 10.30am Barbara Duxbury Beryl Shaw New Church 10.30am Rev Christine Leech Answer to last Word Search— Bartholomew Spring Vale 10.45am David Farnworth Trinity 10.30am Rev Lena Talbot Deadline for August/September magazine—Sunday 21st July Tockholes 2.00pm Ian Smith: Anniversary

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GROUPS AT NEW CHURCH WORSHIP FOR JULY Sunday 10.30 am Sunday Service with Junior Church SUNDAY 7th JULY 2nd Sunday in month All Age Worship Bolton Road 10.30am Doreen Goodship: Communion Monday 10 am to 12 noon Stroke Association Choir 1st Monday each month Central 9.30am Rev Geoff Tolley Monday Rainbows 10.30am Simon Baker Eileen Pye Monday Brownies New Church 10.30am Jim Proctor Tuesday 10.30 am to 11.30 am Tai Chi classes Spring Vale 10.45am Simon Huggill: All Age Worship Tuesday 7.00 pm Unity Choir Trinity 10.30am John East: Baptism Wednesday 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm Trefoil Guild (once a month) Tockholes 2.00pm John East Wednesday 5.00pm to 7.00 pm Weight Watchers SUNDAY 14th JULY Thursday 9.00 am to 11.00 am Weight Watchers Bolton Road 10.30am David Foster Thursday 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm Home Group Central 10.30am Barbara Duxbury Janet Goodship Friday 9.30 am to 11 am Stay & Play—parents/carers, babies and toddlers. New Church 10.30am Local Arrangement Friday 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm West Pennine Slings Group for parents/carers, Spring Vale 10.45am Rev Louise Makin:Communion babies & toddlers (for parents/carers wishing to know more about baby carriers and slings) Trinity 10.30am Yemi Ajobola

Friday 1.00 pm—3.00 pm All-Age Drop-In Group Tockholes 2.00pm Rev Daleen ten Cate Saturday 8.00 am to 10 am Weight Watchers SUNDAY 21st JULY Saturday 10.00 am to 3.30 pm Darwen Textile Group 2nd Sat each month Bolton Road 10.30am John Bidwell GROUPS AT SPRING VALE Central 10.30am Rev Geoff Tolley Bill Chynoweth Sunday 10.45 am Sunday Service New Church 10.30am Rev Louise Makin:Communion Monday 4.00 pm to 9.00 pm Rothwell Arts (dancing) Spring Vale 10.45am Peter Wray Tuesday 10.00 am to 11.00 am Adventure Babies (0-12 months) Trinity 10.30am Colin Garley Tuesday 11.00 am to 12 noon Adventure Babies (6-24 months) Tockholes 2.00pm CLOSED

Tuesday 5.45 pm to 7.00 pm Rainbows SUNDAY 28th JULY Wednesday 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm Brownies Bolton Road 10.30am CLOSED—at Spring Vale Wednesday 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm Guides Central 10.30am Ken Fish Alizon Elliott Thursday 10.30 am to 12 noon Stay and Play—Parents/Carers and Toddler Group New Church 10.30am Debra Phillips Thursday 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm Rothwell Arts (dancing) Spring Vale 10.45am Kath Hodkinson Friday 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm Walk this Way Choir Trinity 10.30am Rev Lena Talbot Saturday 9.00 am to 12 noon Starlight Kids Dance and Stage School Tockholes 2.00pm CLOSED Saturday 10.00 am to 2.30 pm Rothwell Arts (dancing) 26 3

Minister’s letter Central Flower Rota June 2nd Margaret Turner Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire 9th ‘Memories of Mum and Dad’ Annette and Ruth uttered or unexpressed 16th Harry and Barbara Duxbury 23rd ‘Remembering Alex’s birthday’ Irene Gordon The words of a hymn and a truer word has never been spoken, when we 30th Edith Tolley read names of people who are sick on a Sunday. It is not just letting us July 7th ‘In memory of G E Yates’ the family know they are ill etc but to remember them in private prayer. Prayer has 14th ‘In memory of Clifford and Marjorie Sharples’ the family been part of my life more this year than ever before; my wife Edith is not 21st ‘In memory’ Margaret Williams well, my daughter has had a major brain operation and of course my own 28th David and Jean Yates problems (plus our dog Carrots who has also been unwell (!!!!). Central Coffee Rota It is interesting to note that during his life on earth Jesus prayed before June every event; in addition, using the complete prayer which we know as the 2nd Dorothy Yates, Mavis Aspinall. Lord’s Prayer. Some of you remember the Rev Arthur Climpson who 9th Beryl Shaw, Karen Narramore. passed away some time ago. When I came to Darwen in 1986 I had Ar- 16th Kathleen Knowles, Doreen Bannister, Margaret Burns. thur as a student in his final year of training. When he was at Mevaggis- 23rd Janice Cowell, Elsa Peacock. 30th Barbara Duxbury, Liz Rutherford, Margaret East. sey he became very ill, so Edith and I visited him in hospital and at home. One Christmas Eve sometime later, he rang me at 8 p.m. on Christmas July Eve and said he wanted a coffee in Darwen. So, he came to our house 7th Beryl Shaw, Karen Narramore. and sat down and said ‘I want to thank the people of the Darwen 14th Barbara Duxbury, Beryl Slater, Lynda Reay. churches for their prayers, for without them I do not know how I would 21st Kathleen Knowles, Doreen Bannister, Margaret Burns. 28th Janice Cowell, Elsa Peacock, Liz Rutherford. feel’. We are very short of people (men or women) willing to help with the coffee bar on Sun- All my life, as today, I have been keen on the church allowing its buildings day mornings. If you think this is something you could help with please contact Barbara to be used by non-church groups and the work done in the community. I Duxbury. fully support all the church projects in Darwen at the moment as they are part of outreach. Central Communion Rota I am more aware of the need of each one of us to think about ourselves. June It was Paul who said “Do you not know that your body is the Temple of Ken Fish, *Janet Goodship, Beryl Shaw, Elsa Peacock July the Holy Spirit. In other words, we are God’s children as church but also Karen Narramore, *Liz Rutherford, Beryl Shaw, Ken Shaw as individuals. This means that each one of us is important to God and ourselves. *denotes who is to supply bread. If you are not available, please arrange a replace- ment, stroke your name out and choose an alternative month.

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FLOWER ROTAS—JUNE/JULY Prayer is the soul’s desire uttered or unexpressed. Bolton Road Flower Rota These words have helped me in all my ministry. June 2nd Doris and Raymond Hamer ‘Wedding Anniversary’ John and Charles Wesley based their life on prayer by rising early each 9th Flower fund day to pray in private. I give God thanks for the experience of such people 16th Janice, Philip and family ‘In memory of Bridget’ 23rd Flower fund who have encouraged my prayer life. 30th Flower fund I once knew a minister who was at a World Youth Conference in Amster- July dam in 1938. One morning he went into the chapel and found a Chinese 7th Flower fund gentleman and a Japanese gentleman praying for each other when the two 14th Flower fund 21st Angela and Dave Nia ‘Treasured memories of Neil and Billy Wickets’ countries were at war. It was this that encouraged him to be a minister. 28th Flower fund Please remember in your prayers to include one for yourself Tockholes Flower Rota June Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath rd 3 Mrs M. Jump The Christian’s native air 9th Mr and Mrs D Ainsworth ‘In memory’ 16th Mr and Mrs B Isherwood Our watchword at the gate of death 24th Vacant We enter heaven with prayer 30th Mrs J Brennand & Mrs K Knowles ‘In memory of loved ones’ O Thou by whom we come to God July The Way, The Truth, The Life 7th Emma, Holly & Daisy 14th Mrs Whalley, Darwen The path of prayer Thyself has trod 21st Chapel Closed Lord teach us how to pray. 28th Chapel Closed God Bless Spring Vale Flower Rota June 2nd Ella Boothman Geoff 9th Julie Jones 16th Jenny Atkinson 23rd Sharon & Chris Allen 30th Margaret Huggill

July 7th Irene Hindle 14th TBA 21st David & Karimeh Foster 28th TBA

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FELLOWSHIP NEWS GROUPS WHO MEET AT CENTRAL

CENTRAL Monday 9.00 am to 11.00 am Mums and Tots This is such a lovely time of the year, with blossom abounding and new growth Monday 6.00 pm to 9.30 pm Ballroom/Sequence Dancing everywhere. This year particularly it is reflected in our church as we embark on a new period in the life, not only of our own church but in the URC as a whole. Tuesday 9.30 am to 10.30 am Yoga Tuesday 11.30 am to 12.30 pm Health Re-fresh Borough Council A new order of service has been formulated which it is hoped will better respond Tuesday 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm Sweaty Mamas to both the needs of the Junior Church and of the main church service. This will be trialled for a time then a decision made about its permanency. It is more than Tuesday 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm Health Re-fresh appropriate at this point to thank the Junior Church leaders, especially Barbara, Tuesday 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm Dance for the sterling work they do in this department. As a teacher myself I can vouch for the difficulty of catering for such a diverse age range. Wednesday 9.00 am to 1.30 pm Refugee Drop-In Club Wednesday 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm Ashleigh Singers John East and a group of asylum seekers missed one of our services recently for a very good reason – they were visiting Fairhaven URC to take part in their Sun- Wednesday 4.30 pm to 9.30 pm Dancing day worship. Thursday Alternate weeks 9.00 am to 12.00 noon P.R.O.B.U.S

As always, we have had a fascinating range of people leading our services. It Thursday 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm Dancing was a great pleasure to welcome Simon Baker to our pulpit for the first time, and Friday 11.30 am to 12.30 pm Seated Yoga we sincerely hope it won’t be the last. He spoke about Martha and Mary, always a difficult subject, and shed new light on it. Friday 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm Dancing Saturday 8.00am to 11.30 am Slimming World George Grime, preaching on Palm Sunday, showed us how to fold palm crosses, and even how to make one out of a paper aeroplane! CENTRAL CALENDAR FOR JUNE/JULY It was also lovely to welcome back Kath Hodkinson for the first time in over 2 years. We hope it won’t be so long before the next time she takes a service at Midweek communion at Central URC—this is being discontinued for the Central. time being.

Birthdays which have been mentioned include those of Doreen B, Joyce, Ra- Café Bible Study at Riverside Heights chel’s daughter Angel, Beryl S, Mavis, Olwen, Jean, Eileen and Adebiyi. 12th June and 10th July 2019 at 10 am

Congratulations to Adi and Adibola, Doreen and Bert, Karen and Len on their wedding anniversaries. Book Club— 2 pm at the home of Anne Grimson. Tel 01254 703994 Monday 8th July to discuss ‘The World According To Bertie’ Congratulations to John East for being awarded the Champions for Change By Alexander McCall Smith Award (see page 16). We are all very proud of your achievement, which is very well deserved. Love from everyone at Central and DARE.

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Among the people we were asked to hold in our prayers in this time, were Pat- Word Search–Kings rick, Barbara, Bert and Doreen, Jean, David Y, Edith, Tracey, Mavis’s friend, Dorothy’s friend, Norma and family, those in residential care, and all seeking a settled life in the UK. Janet Goodship TRINITY

We were sorry to say goodbye to Catherine and Dyfrig at the end of March. Cath- erine's last service in Darwen was at Trinity and after the service we had a Jacob's join lunch. Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way. We wish Catherine and Dyfrig all the best as they embark on this new stage in their lives.

The latest session of Muddy Church was held on Easter Saturday and was an Easter egg hunt. We had a good turnout of about 18 children of different ages, and they spent a happy hour or so hunting for eggs on the recreation ground. Thank you to Janet and George for organising it, and to Sandra, John, Stephen, Sarah, Judith and Emily for helping out.

There have been a few birthdays to celebrate recently, most notably Marian Ains- worth's 80th. We also wished happy birthday to two of Sylvia's granddaughters and her daughter, Jack's daughter, Ruth's son Russell and his wife Pat, and Lil- ian's granddaughter. Lilian and Malcolm and Judith and John have celebrated their wedding anniversaries, and we congratulate them.

We were pleased to hear that Sylvia's grandson has been promoted to police Abijam, Ahab, Ahaziah, Amaziah, Antipas, Azariah, Baasha, Baladan, sergeant. John East has received a Champion for Change award from the Rotary Balak, Ben-hadad, Elah, Esarhaddon, Hazael, Hezekiah, Hezion, Hiram, Club. Hoshea, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoram, Jehu, Joash, Josiah, Jotham, Manasseh, Menahem, Mesha, Nadab, Omri, Pekahiah, Rehoboam, Rezin, In our prayers we have remembered Jack and Sheila Robinson. Jack broke his Saul, Shallum, Shalmaneser, Shishak, Sihon, Solomon, Talmai, Tibni, hip recently and had to have a hip replacement. After being sent home from hos- Zachariah, Zedekiah, Zimri pital, he continued to be in a lot of pain and has recently been taken back into hospital. We wish both him and Sheila well. We have also prayed for Betty, who has been ill and was unable to attend church, and all the other members of our Try to find the mystery answer: after you have found all the words, sort fellowship who are not able to worship with us due to ill health. the left-over letters into the correct order to form the mystery answer. Judith Atkinson

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NEW CHURCH EVENTS

I can’t quite believe that we are at magazine time again. Where has the last couple of months gone. Springtime is well and truly here, and a few of us from New Church have Muddy Church Saturday 1st June 10 to 11.30 am been enjoying walking together and reflecting on the beauty of God’s creation, and as I write this we have just returned from a 5 mile walk around Entwistle and Wayoh reser- Muddy Church meets on the Lower Darwen Recreation Ground, behind voirs. What started as a monthly Saturday morning walk has now become more frequent Sandy Lane. Follow signs up the footpath beside Trinity church. and we would welcome anyone who would like to join us. Details can usually be found on New Church Facebook page or by contacting myself. Come and have fun in the sun building a “Bug Hotel” and cooking yummy food on the fire pit. Over the Easter period we were well and truly blessed as we shared together with friends from Spring Vale. We held a very reflective Tenebrae service on Maundy Thurs- day when, through scripture readings, we were led through the events of Holy Week. Free to attend. Children have to be accompanied by an adult. One by one, the candles were extinguished and at the end of the service we left in dark- ness and silence; a very spiritual service and one I would recommend if you have not Find us on facebook.com/muddy church. experienced before. Continuing on from there, on Good Friday we journeyed through the Stations of the cross with reflections and readings, finishing by erecting a cross in our garden at the front of Church. Easter Sunday saw us rejoicing at the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. As a sign of new life we decorated our cross with flow- Quiz Night at Spring Vale—Saturday 8th June ers and placed a wreath of daffodils on our outdoor cross. A massive thank you to Rev Details on Page 13 in Magazine Louise for making our Easter so memorable, reflective and special.

Our potato pie tea and quiz night, held a couple of weeks ago was very enjoyable and well attended. A massive thank you to all who had a hand in organising it and especially to Nell Whittaker who agreed to be our Quizmaster (or should that be quizmistress) for the evening. We raised just short of £300 towards our refurbishment fund. Central URC Fellowship

In October this year we will be celebrating 50 years since the foundation stone was laid SUMMER SUPPER EVENING for the “New” church building and so we decided that now was the time for a little spruce up and so began our fundraising campaign with the aim of replacing our very well-worn Saturday 22nd June 2019 flooring and upgrading our lighting. Not only will our own congregation benefit from this from 7.00 pm but we will be offering a much nicer and safer space to the many community groups who we welcome into our Church building. Our total so far now stands at over £6,000. Thank Oakleigh, Craven’s Brow, you so much to all who have donated so far and to all who have helped with fundraising. Tickets £6.00 - all welcome! Our next fundraising event will be a children’s toy and clothing sale on the 14th June which will be running from 9.30 am alongside our Stay and Play Group and also during the afternoon until 2.30 pm. Why not come along and grab a bargain for your children and grandchildren. All welcome. Refugee Week at Central We are also planning a good as new sale of clothing and household items, date to be Details on Page 17 in Magazine arranged.

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Time Wellbeing Group Summer Programme 2019 Also on the subject of fundraising, Elizabeth Foster has been extremely busy raising At New Church - 1 to 3 pm money to purchase and install a defibrillator outside Church. Elizabeth was inspired to do this after attending a refresher course on first aid, when she learned that there wasn’t Refreshments - £1 one at this end of town. She has done a sterling job raising enough money in a very short space of time. Thank you to all individuals, various groups who use our church and 7th June 2019 Summer Puddings The Lloyd’s Trust for your very generous donations. A date has yet to be arranged for 14th June 2019 Speaker: Rev Louise Makin—Gardeners Question Time the installation but this should be very soon. Our grateful thanks go to Elizabeth for all 21st June 2019 Speaker: John East—Asylum Seekers the hard work she has done raising money for this very worthwhile cause. 28th June 2019 Sharing holiday experiences and strawberry cream tea Our Fellowship group is still very well attended by both New Church and Spring Vale and NO MEETINGS UNTIL FRIDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 2019 we have some very lively and meaningful discussions.

HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY Stay and Play has been extremely busy for the last few weeks and I would like to offer Elizabeth my personal thanks to all who volunteer to help in any way; I couldn’t run it without you.

CENTRAL URC ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Something new for us is a joint venture with Near Neighbours who are part of Together . There will be three sessions on Wednesdays 12th, 19th and 26th June each commencing at 6.15 pm until approximately 7.45 pm. The sessions are called “Real Peo- Edith and Geoff would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone ple, Honest Talk” and are aimed at bringing people together to talk about the tough is- sues around how we live together well. We hope to facilitate open and honest conversa- in our Churches and elsewhere who have remembered our family in tions about issues of concern in our neighbourhoods. The sessions are open to all peo- prayer in recent months. We have found your phone calls and mes- ple (of different faiths, or no faith) and our first meeting will focus on getting to know one sages of concern such a help and they have really helped each of us another and identifying issues for discussion. The second and third meetings will be to get over our different illnesses. Tracey particularly thanks you all discussion on the issues raised. Light refreshments, tea and coffee will be available. We and has been very touched that so many people have enquired after hope that some of you will be able to join us, and our friends from the mosque. For fur- ther information and to register please contact myself on 07941 881833. her. She still has a long way to go yet but is coping the best way she can, so with God’s help and yours we shall all regain our health and There is another 16 week course BALANCE AND STRENGTH starting on June 11th strength. Every Blessing from both of us. from 1pm-2pm at New Church; this has proved to be very popular and, of course, bene- ficial and it is FREE! Please come along and see for yourself.

Also, Tai Chi Classes are continuing on Tuesdays 10.30—11.30am. £3 a session. (it is not necessary to attend every one but of course it is beneficial to do the gentle movements exercise.)

We would like to thank everyone for their love, support, prayers and Finally, our congratulations go to Pam Greenhalgh who has been accepted for training cards during our recent illness. It is lovely to know that we have so as a local preacher. Our very best wishes and blessings go with you Pam but we’ll miss you on the Sundays when you’re out and about and not able to be with us. many good friends who care for us.

Love from Bert and Doreen Bannister Blessings to all, Karen

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GOOD FRIDAY TRIP What beautiful sunny weather we had for the Good Friday outing to Skipton, maybe a Cat’s Prayer little too hot for some! Thank you, Barbara and Harry, for organising the trip, also to Anne. Barbara and Harry gave us all a print out with suggestions of things to do which Now I lay me down to sleep included The Millennium Walk, visit to the castle and grounds, canal tow path walk and of course mooching around the busy market and shops. The URC/Methodist church on I pray this cushy little life to keep Newmarket Street was a great venue, where we all met for refreshments before the ser- vice, led by Rev. Lena and Barbara. We then left for home, everyone happy with the day out. Marion Haslam - New Church I pray for toys that look like mice and warm cushions soft and nice MILLENNIUM WALK We visited the tourist information centre to purchase a leaflet regarding this walk. It was very informative and took us to various places of interest such as the old grammar For grocery bags where I can hide school and the old workhouse. Then down to the canal to Dewhurst Mill. Along the canal Just like a tiger crouched inside we saw two swing bridges opening to allow boats to pass through. We went across one which took us to the park, then back over the road to the Railway station, past an old pub which is now a Wetherspoons, then down past the Quakers Meeting House, over the I pray for gourmet kitty snacks stream and through the woods to the Chapel where we were to have a service, but be- and someone nice to scratch my back fore that coffee and cake in a café. Ann West - New Church

For window sills all warm and bright For shadows to explore by night Ladies taking the sun outside St. Andrew's Church, Skipton

I pray I’ll always stay real cool and keep the secret feline rule

To never tell a human that

The world is really run by cats.

Author unknown

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BOLTON ROAD Various Courses taking place at URC Churches in the Area Appreciation thank-you to Beryl, Nancy and Doris who made up the posies for Bible Studies designed and led by Mal Breeze, Community Mothering Sunday and also to Danny Wilson who !ed the service and handed the posies Minister with Revidge Fold, Trinity Brownhill and Westbury out to the congregation. Gardens United Reformed Churches. On Wednesday the 17th of April Doreen Goodship led the Tenebrae Service at Bolton Road for Holy Week. It was a lovely uplifting service which was well attended and was On the theme of God, Church and Community. enjoyed by everyone and shared with our friends from Central.

At Revidge Fold URC, Shear Brow Easter Sunday was a lovely service led by Doreen Goodship. The congregation all went to the front and picked up a butterfly as a sign of a new beginning.

Wednesdays – 29th May, 5th June, 12th June and 19th June We would like to mention those in the congregation who have been unable to attend at 7.30 pm. through ill health but are always in our prayers . Janice Entwistle

They have been designed to challenge us and help us un- derstand more about the communities in which we live, TOCKHOLES work, worship and serve and how the church can respond. “We can share, learn and grow together whatever our We enjoyed a wondrous Easter weekend in Tockholes. Not only was the sun shining, views or beliefs”. but our Good Friday afternoon tea celebrations were once again filled with friendship and smiles as we greeted walkers from Woodlands Church (following their hot trek to Come and enjoy food, stories and a peace display from all the Tower), Tockholes villagers and friends from Darwen churches too. I can’t express enough gratitude to all that helped me on the day. There are too many to mention but over the world. “Thank You, Thank You, Thank You” to everyone who baked cakes, made sandwiches, cleared tables, brewed tea, stirred potato pie, washed-up and even cut their fingers on the day. We couldn’t have raised £300 for Chapel funds without you. A special thanks to Harry Woolford for once again selling your beautiful ironware on the day and giving all proceeds towards our total. Westbury Talks at Westbury Garden URC, Blackburn th All at Tockholes send our love and congratulations to Jack James Rigler and Rebecca Saturday 6 July 10.30 am to 12 noon. Louise McHugh who became ‘Mr and Mrs’ at our Chapel on Sat 18 May. The Ceremony was led by Rev Dr Catherine Lewis Smith. Refreshments available. Looking forward to the summer months, we will celebrate our 357th Chapel Anniversary th Lawrence Moore, Missional Discipleship consultant, work- on Sunday 30 June. Please join us for this delightful celebration which will be led by Mr Ian Smith. Wondrous singing will be heard on the day, from the very special Unity Choir. ing across the Northwest and elsewhere, will talk about be- Please note that we have our two-week holiday break on the last two Sundays in July. ing a Jesus Shaped Church and what that means. To book email [email protected]. Tel 01254 852804 Emma Jump

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SPRING VALE Refugee Week As I sit and begin to write, it seems like no time at all since the deadline for the last issue of the Church News; time seems to pass so quickly in our Church Life, so it is nice al- Journey to Peace ways to have an opportunity to reflect on the past couple of months.

Of course the biggest event has to have been Easter, and it is always a joy to celebrate Central Darwen URC this very special time in our Church Calendar in so many different ways. Many of us Wednesday 19th June 2019 10.30 to 13.00 enjoyed the various different services of the Easter Period—the Tenebrae Service at New Church which is always thought-provoking, and of course the annual walk to the Tower with Cross which is always a great time for reflection and a joy to celebrate our faith in this way, whilst also being able to enjoy the beauty of our lovely Darwen Moors.

Some of our church members enjoyed a lovely day out on Good Friday, as they joined members of other churches on a trip to Skipton; what a beautiful day it was too, and thanks must go to those who very kindly organise this trip each year.

On Easter Sunday our worship was led by Simon Huggill, and it was a joy to celebrate this special day together, and enjoy fellowship afterwards by sharing some Hot Cross buns.

The following Sunday we joined our friends at New Church for a joint service also led by Simon. It is always a joy to share worship together. We thank them for their hospitality, and the many friendships that we have made, and continue to make, as we move for- ward in strengthening our relationship and working together as Methodists in Darwen.

More recently we enjoyed a lovely communion service led by Louise, who talked to us about 'lost sheep' and how we can so quickly lose our way. The service, as always, gets us thinking and we thank Louise for constantly steering us in the right direction, just like the shepherd with his sheep. Louise had prepared the service alongside of having to spend many hours writing her dissertation, no easy task. We would therefore like to hold Louise in our prayers at this busy time, and hope that all goes well.

We enjoyed with friends from other churches a lovely time of fellowship whilst attending the Lent Course which was based on the film 'I Daniel' and encouraged us to think of others less fortunate in our community. Watching the film and discussing in groups really made us think and gave us much 'food for thought'. Alongside of this, many of us Multi Cultural Celebration donated food throughout Lent which resulted in quite a collection, which has now been donated to the Darwen Food Larder, to be shared with those in need. Thank you to eve- Everyone Welcome ryone who kindly donated. (Love to see you in traditional clothes) Come and enjoy food, stories and a Peace display from all over the world

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Following on from the Lent course, our Fellowship Group has resumed. We are cur- rently looking at 'Prayer' and how we can approach people to pray with, and for them, and have conversations in which we can share our faith. The group currently meets every alternate Thursday at New Church in the Prayer Room 7.00pm for 7.30pm. The group is relaxed and informal, everyone is very welcome to join us, which is a lovely time of just being together and sharing our thoughts. A special thanks goes to Pam who is leading the group for this session; your work is much appreciated.

Looking forward now, we are holding a Quiz night on Saturday 8th June at 7.00pm. Please come along and support us if you are able. The evening will include a Potato Pie Supper and tickets are just £5.00. Teams will be made up of 4 people and it prom- ises to be a very enjoyable evening. Our thanks goes to David and Karimeh for their hard work in putting this event together. We look forward to seeing you.

Our thoughts turn now to those who we know who are not well at the moment and are unable to attend Church. We think of Vic who has not been able to come to church following a fall and we pray he has a speedy recovery, and that we see Vic and Elsie back in Church soon. Also missed are Alice Moss and Janet Ashton, who we continue to think of and hold in our prayers. We know too that Julie Jones is struggling with Champions of Change Award awarded to John East some health issues at the moment and we do hope that Julie is able to get the right John has spent the last 20 years helping asylum seekers and refugees in the treatment soon, to alleviate her pain. Also in our prayers we think of Lilian and Kevin Blackburn and Darwen area. He co-ordinates Darwen Asylum Refugees Enter- and their family who have faced some difficult times recently, and Margaret's Mum who prise (DARE) supporting individuals by running a drop-in centre with English is also quite poorly; our thoughts are with the family. We know too that Chris Allen will classes, health checks and trips out. This has had a direct impact on the local also be having a much-needed operation on his knee very soon, and we hope that this community as relationships develop and understanding of the issues surround- a success, and Chris is recovering soon, and feels some welcome relief. ing world conflict increases. DARE has helped to integrate hundreds of refu- gees into the local area, immersing them in the community’s cultural life at a Finally, as always, thank you to everyone for all that is done week to week within our Church, which is not always easily achieved, but somehow always gets done, despite time in their lives where they often feel marginalised and helpless. often many challenges in our lives.

I would like to congratulate my fellow Rotarian John East on his National Ro- MANY THANKS ONE AND ALL. tary Award as “Champion of change”. He was awarded this a few weeks ago at Irene Hindle the national meeting of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland for his work with D.A.R.E and in the community. His guest was Rev Andrew Mudharara who started off at D.A.R.E and Central URC. QUIZ NIGHT

The Darwen Rotary Club are very proud of the achievement for John and we all Saturday 8 June 7:00 pm at Spring Vale Church know the work he does. I want to add the congratulations of the churches to Tickets £5 inc potato pie supper John for this award. Teams of up to 4.

Geoff Tolley Tickets from Karimeh Foster 01254 703858

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Discipleship Cycle Discussion Group during Lent Transformation through Handling (Hands) and Loving (Heart) - Pastoral work such (Please see the Vision/Mission Catcher that we created during our discussions) as home visits and prayers for healing, volunteering at the hospice and carers group, Blackburn Royal Chaplaincy, toddler group, Omaid (Craft Monday Group), Safe Guard- Following on from the service Revd Daleen ten Cate led regarding the Discipleship Cycle, ing work, DARE. a group of Churches in Darwen have met over four weeks during Lent and worked their way through the Discipleship Cycle. The group was facilitated by Revd Daleen ten Cate Transformation through Hearing (Eyes & Ears) and Conscientising (Head) – Seeing and former minister of Darwen Revd Dr Catherine Lewis Smith. the need of others and being hospitable with our building. Our building is a blessing to many groups such as Yoga Group, Dancing groups, Slimming World, Choirs etc. We are The aim of the discussion group was to look at the significant places in Mark’s Gospel also listening and addressing the needs of God’s people through donations to charities where Jesus transformed his disciples and to use the context of the readings and discus- such as Christian Aid, Send a Cow, Save the Children and Water Aid. sions as a “discernment tool”, looking at our mission activities at Darwen URC and how it fits in with God’s mission. Transformation through Committing (Whole Life) and Witnessing (Politics). Integration strategies and changing health policies in our work with Refugees and Asy- Looking at the different transformation stages: Transformation through Following (Feet), lum Seekers. Challenging Politicians on Food poverty in Darwen and Blackburn through Sharing (Stomach), Handling (Hands), Loving (Heart), Seeing & Hearing (Eyes & Ears), Food Alliance and Lunch Box Appeal. Conscientising (Head), Committing (Whole Life), Witnessing (Politics) and Globilising (Theology), we identified mission activities we do as church and individuals that are in Transformation through Globilising (Theology) line with God”s mission (The Kingdom of God). Although the church is involved in charities that make a difference on a global scale, such as Christian Aid and Toilet Twinning, we discussed the possibility of making a big- ger impact by challenging “Powers” that are not inline with looking after God’s creation. We looked at becoming more Eco friendly and addressing Climate Change by develop- ing our church garden and staying involved with the Food Alliance work. Many members at DARE are involved in the Whitehall Park Community garden project.

How can we make small changes that are in line with what God intended the King- dom of earth to be, at creation? (See Ribbons) Invite toddler groups to special services such as Crib Service and Muddy Church. Build on Youth work (Tom, Mavis and Barbara), Muddy church, Gathered Youth Group) and provide food at Junior Church. Setting up a Prayer room/Meditation. Gardening Project to attract bees.

How will be able we achieve this? Our We came up with the following list: See footsteps. responsibility. (See human cut outs) Invite Gathered Youth Group, DARE to get Transformation through Following (Feet)- Bible study group, Worship, Ministry through involved with the garden (Daleen, Marjan music (choirs) and Ladies Fellowship Group, Junior church, Gathered Youth Group, & Jean). Walkers group (Re-fresh). Identify special services and Muddy Church to invite young children to. Transformation through Sharing (Stomach)-Strawberry Tea and other special meals Identify a time, place for prayers. (fellowship and welcome the community) Food Alliances, Food Larder. Rota for people who would like to donate healthy snacks for Junior Church.

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