St. Mary’s Newsletter Christmas & New Year edition

Transformation through Jesus

Word for December and January

Welcome to the last Spotlight of 2019! As I write, we are just a few days away from the start of Advent and all of our preparations for celebrating Christmas! Do pray for our services over the coming months, when we will see many visitors coming through our doors as usual. It is an extraordinary opportunity for us to share the Good News of Jesus with our community and we want it to be steeped in prayer, us partnering with God to see His Kingdom advance in our town and local area.

One Christmas, my father was ill and had to spend Christmas Day in hospital. Generally, hospitals make every effort to send people home for Christmas, but it is not always possible. And so it came to pass that my Dad was in an otherwise unoccupied ward in a London hospital on Christmas Day. As he wasn’t able to join in with our usual celebrations, we thought ‘if Dad can’t come home for Christmas, we will take Christmas to him!’. That’s exactly what we did! Christmas celebrations were in full swing in that hospital ward that year!

Our theme for our Christmas services this year is ‘Here comes Heaven’. God created human beings to live in love and peace with Him – to live out heaven on earth. But that first rebellion against Him in the garden of Eden had drastic consequences. At that point, humanity chose a different king – the serpent that desired to be greater than God. Not only did Adam and Eve disobey God, but they obeyed the serpent. And the effects of that choice were catastrophic. At that point, heaven was lost to us. But the Good News that we celebrate at Christmas is that through Jesus, heaven is restored! He puts right, all that went wrong in those early days of humanity. I love the song we sometimes sing ‘You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus you brought heaven down’1. We couldn’t attain heaven, and so Jesus brought heaven to us. He demonstrated how good it is to live under the rule and reign of the King of kings. He showed heaven on earth. And when we respond to his offer and exchange the dominion of the serpent for the Kingdom of God, through repentance and faith, heaven is opened up to us. This is not just an insurance policy for when we get to the end of our earthly lives! This marks the beginning of eternity! We start this ‘life of the age’ or ‘eternal life’ at that very moment! We then become his agents for change in a broken world, through whom his beautiful Kingdom is advanced, as we act as ambassadors for Him and as we point others towards this most wonderful King.

We pray that this will be a wonderful Christmas for you and your families and for Ferndown, and that each of us will grasp afresh the momentous gift that God has given us in sending His son Jesus to bring heaven to us.

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4 verses 4-5 With love

Rev. Sarah Pix (Team Rector)

1 “What a beautiful name” by Hillsong

Christmas Invitations Who will you invite to church this Christmas?

Christmas Services postcards are now available. Please take as many as you would like to invite family, friends, neighbours and colleagues to join you for one of our Christmas services.

2.

Christmas Services at St. Mary’s “Here Comes Heaven”

Sunday 8th December 9.00am - Morning Worship 10.45am - Children’s Christmas Service 6.30pm - Hungry

Sunday 15th December 9.00am - Holy Communion 10.45am - Family Service 4.30pm and 7.00pm - Carols by Candlelight (both services will be followed by mulled wine and mince pies in the Hall)

Sunday 22nd December 9.00am - Morning Worship 10.45am - Morning Worship 6.30pm - Carols in the Café

Tuesday 24th December (Christmas Eve) 3.30pm - Christingle 11.00pm - Midnight Communion (joint with Hampreston at St. Mary’s Church)

Wednesday 25th December (Christmas Day) 10.00am - All Age Service 11.15am - Holy Communion

Sunday 29th December 2020 10.00am - Carols & Communion (joint with Hampreston at St. Mary’s Church)

Christmas Flower Displays at St. Marys

If you would like to sponsor a window flower arrangement at Christmas, please contact Ann Jones on (01202) 875730, or bring your donation to the Office. Thank you.

3. St. Mary’s Christmas Appeal

This year our Christmas Appeal will be for “Transform Salone” Transforming lives in Sierra Leone AND the Salisbury Women’s Refuge

“Transform Salone”

Those of you who know me well know of my love for our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone. For 12 years I have been able to share in their lives, going on 2 – 8 week mission trips. Sadly, I had to stop going on these trips two years ago due to health issues.

I am a trustee of a small registered Christian charity called “Transform Salone”, which provides support to desperately impoverished communities in this beautiful yet tortured country. This is done in a number of ways:

Education and training – “Transform Salone” undertakes school sponsorship and also provides children with uniforms and school books, without which they are not able to attend school. So many families simply cannot afford these basics. Today (as I write on 21st November), 400 primary children in a slum school have received such supplies. We are proud of all our children, some of whom progress to further education. One is now a plumber and another is a roadworks machinery operator. We also have a young lady now training to be a doctor, another as a nurse, one is awaiting exam results to enter the army and another is studying economics to be an accountant. We are also currently training three girls to set up their own business making reusable sanitary products. We are passionate about enabling and encouraging these precious children to fulfil their potential as much as possible in their difficult circumstances.

Food Provision – We supply rice to people in need. Blind beggars benefited especially during the Ebola crisis when they were unable to beg to feed their families during the epidemic shut down. We have also been busy in the recent period of floods, providing rice to those who have lost everything.

Medical Assistance – There is no NHS in Sierra Leone and all medical care has to be paid for. “Transform Salone” funds treatment for those who can’t afford it. When visiting a poor fishing village, a small child was brought forward having suffered terrible burns from falling into an

4. open fire. This brave little chap received the vital medical treatment he needed and although scarred is now recovered. A young lady in intense pain made contact with us via the school as she had no money and was unable to seek medical help. We got her to hospital where she underwent surgery for appendicitis which if left untreated would have killed her – she is now fully recovered.

At “Transform Salone” we are all volunteers working in the love of Jesus, depending entirely on donations and our own fundraising efforts to do this work and other projects. To support this I am walking 760 miles from 1st Sept – 31st March (my 76th birthday). Adele Pirrie

Salisbury Women’s Refuge

Salisbury Women's Refuge provides accommodation and support for up to 11 women and their children. They work tirelessly to fulfil their mission to provide a safe haven for women and children who experience domestic abuse and support them in leading an independent life.

The service that they provide includes secure accommodation, a tailored support package, advice and signposting for agencies, safety planning, counselling, domestic abuse awareness, empowerment and self esteem support work, and highest level of safeguarding.

Salisbury Women’s Refuge provides accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic abuse including honour based violence, female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

As an independent charity, they rely on the support of the local community to help them to carry out the vital work that they do.

How to give to St. Mary’s Christmas Appeal Giving envelopes for the Christmas Appeal will be available in the pews. Please enclose your donation and put it in the collection bag or hand it into the Church Office. If you are UK tax payer you may like to complete the Gift Aid declaration on the envelope. The collections taken at our Carols By Candlelight, Christingle and Midnight Communion services will all be donated to the Christmas Appeal. Thank You for your generosity.

5.

An 8-session course helping you explore the world’s bestseller

Accessible and interactive, it will enhance and inform your ongoing Bible study, whether you are new to the Bible or want to go deeper.

Using a unique storyline, the course shows how the key events, books and characters all fit together. You’ll get to see the BIG picture and discover how the Bible applies to your life.

Where: St. Mary’s Church, Ferndown

When: Tuesdays at 7.30pm - from 21st January to 17th March (inclusive)

How to book: Call the Church Office on 01202 897087 or email [email protected] or sign up on the sheet at the back of church

Appeal for drinks and treats for Carols By Candlelight Services (on Sunday 15th December)

Once again we would like to serve steaming vessels of mulled wine and scrumptious mince pies to our guests at the Carols by Candlelight Services.

If you would be willing to donate apple and orange juices and other Christmas sweet food treats, please bring your gift in by Friday 13th December. Thank You!

6. PCC Update

Apologies that PCC update has been absent from Spotlight for a bit. This is purely because meeting dates haven’t coincided with publication dates. However, we are back!

At PCC meeting on 28th Nov, the PCC was joined by Hampreston PCC and the Archdeacon, Antony Macro-Wood to talk and pray together about the future of the Benefice. Antony led us in a Bible reading from 1 Kings 19 about God saying to Elijah ‘what are you doing here?’ He told us that Everton would be replaced by a part-time stipendiary vicar, who would work 4 days a week. We will be looking for someone with a heart for the school. He also talked about some of the challenges with the current All Saints Church building and encouraged us to think prayerfully and creatively about what God was calling us to. Are there opportunities to look beyond that church building to other areas of population in the parish, or potential areas of new development? Please pray for All Saints as we go away for a day together on 18th January to seek the Lord’s leading, and subsequently compile a parish profile and job advert.

Other items on the agenda that were discussed:

• We agreed a budget for 2020 and talked about creating a new post in the cafe to support Paul and the wonderful team of volunteer ministers. We also agreed to install a Contactless Donation Point to allow visitors to Church to donate to the work of St. Mary’s, should they wish to. • Pam Pyke came to update us on all that has happened in Safeguarding at St. Mary’s since she took up the post of PSR in May. She talked us through developments in Safeguarding and amendments to our Safeguarding Policy. This Policy is available on our website, and will be updated before the end of the year. • We adopted the Mission Committee recommendation that our Christmas giving be split between Transform Salone and the Salisbury Women’s Refuge - see p. 4, 5 for more details • We agreed repair work on the sliding partition in the Cafe • We agreed to SOUL going ice-skating in Wimborne!

Team Rector, Hampreston Benefice

7.

Christmas Day Dinner at St. Mary’s Church - 12.30-3.30pm

Would you like to join members of the St. Mary’s family and the wider community for Christmas lunch? We would love you to join us!

Only £7. Book your place via the Church Office - 01202 897087. Spaces limited.

Help needed assembling Christingles Monday 23rd December from 1.30pm in the Church Lounge

Come along and have fun making Christingles with music, refreshments and cracker jokes!

Families welcome.

If you can help, please let Emma Taylor know. Many thanks.

Children’s Christmas Party Saturday 21st December, 1-3pm Entry cost - a small donation

Food, games and prizes. For ages 3-13.

Speak to Emma Taylor if you would like to attend.

8. Newcomers’ Event Saturday 25th January 2020, 11am-12.30pm

Are you new to St Marys? Whether you come to Breakfast Church, Hungry or attend the 9.00am or 10.45am services in the church, it is great to have you with us. We extend a warm welcome to you all and trust and pray that you will feel comfortable and happy worshipping here.

We’d love to get to know you better. We have regular welcome events for newcomers, the next one is planned for Saturday 25th January from 11am to 12.30pm. Tea, coffee and cakes will be served in the Beacon Café and there will be an opportunity to find out a bit more about St Mary’s, meet other new people, and hear from our Rector, Sarah, and some of the team. Children are very welcome.

Pick up an invite from the Welcome Area at the back of church or in the pews.

We look forward to seeing you there. Diane French, Welcome Coordinator

Café Opening Hours - Christmas & New Year

Friday 20th December 8.30am to 4.00pm Sat 21st December until Wednesday 1st January CLOSED Thursday 2nd January 8.30am-4.00pm

Saturdays, Sundays & Bank Holidays CLOSED

9. December and January dates for groups at St. Marys ...

Mothers’ Union

Thurs 5th December & 2nd January, 2 - 4pm in the Hall. Visitors welcome.

Every Monday - 11.30am - 1.30pm in the Hall

Carol Service - 9th December (last one before Christmas) Re-starts on 13th January

Join us for an informal service followed by soup lunch, tea /coffee and cakes.

For more details contact the Office on 01202 897087

The Lighthouse Club

Saturday 14th December & 11th January 2.00-4.00pm in the Hall

Join us for friendly chat, refreshments, games, craft and much more!

Ministry in Wool

Mondays (fortnightly) 2nd & 6th December and 6th & 20th January 10-11am in the Beacon Cafe

Do you enjoy knitting? Come along and enjoy a time to knit and chat with others.

10.

Monday 16th December & 13th January 9.15 - 10.45am in the Hall

Christian fun morning for pre-school children and their parents/carers with crafts, music & refreshments

For more information contact Ann Scouse on 01202 870332

Toddler Group Tuesdays (during term time) from 1.30 - 3pm In the Hall

A fun afternoon for toddlers and their mums/carers with music time, toys and refreshments.

For more information contact Ann Scouse on 01202 870332

Last session (Christmas party) - Tuesday 17th December Re-starts on 14th January

Thursdays, 5.45 - 7pm (during term-time) in the Hall

A Christian youth club for children in school years 4,5 & 6 tuck shop, games, craft drama and much more!

Last session - Thurs 5th December Re-starts Thursday 9th January

Thursdays, 7.15 - 8.30pm (during term-time) in the Hall

A Christian youth club for children in school years 7-13 tuck shop, games, craft drama and much more!

Last session - Thurs 5th December Re-starts Thursday 9th January

11. Mission Team Update

If you are new to St. Mary’s you may not be aware that 10% of our offerings goes to mission. Our 5 Mission Partners are:

Church Pastoral Aid Society

Simon & Sue Morgan in Uganda Stephen Bell in Croatia

The remaining funds are gifted to other individuals and organisations involved in Mission at the discretion of the Mission Committee.

Please see our Mission Board in the hall corridor for updates on Mission at St. Marys.

This month we have an article written by Gina Forbes:-

News from Romania

It’s great to report that a lot has happened in this period and what is included here will have to be a glimpse of some of that activity. I spend almost every day now in Petelea, either home visiting, meeting people on the streets, as part of the Bread to Live programme for families or at our home-group. What I see in this is that our presence is beginning to have an effect as we connect and build relationship with the people. As we walk in the streets people are now actively asking about our little home group and last Monday at our gathering more and more people arrived as the evening went on. We began to overflow from our little room and it is so good to see new people being drawn in. In our prayer time people are being touched and those around are seeing it. To those who partner us in prayer, please keep praying for more of Gods presence, more healing, deliverance and meeting with the Lord. This week as I was interceding I saw a picture of the torn veil and a mass of people stood behind it on the threshold of the face-to-face meeting place with God. I sensed the Lord say there is no barrier just help them step over and in.

12. I have families or individuals that I regularly visit because of their personal situations and one is an elderly lady called Doina. Over the weeks since I returned after the summer break this beautiful sister in Christ has shown so much perseverance and thankfulness she has become an inspiration to me. When I first visited her in September she was so very ill and in such pain I didn’t know what to pray for. Doina had cancer and an infection, she couldn’t eat and was very weak. But the bigger concern was for her leg, which has a huge, deep infection that covers most of the area of her calf all the way around her leg.

On that visit we prayed giving the situation over to God and said we would return the next day with clean dressings, water and ointment for her leg. When we did return we discovered that in the night she had been taken into hospital. This may sound strange. but I believe it was an answer to our prayer. We went to see her that day in hospital and she was in a clean bed, with clean dressings, being cared for by a Christian nurse named Naomi. It was a great blessing to see that Doina was sound asleep. She stayed in hospital for a week and when she went home was in a much-improved state. What followed was wonderful – we had a visitor who stayed a couple of weeks and not only was she a nurse, but also a specialist in wounds and was able to provide Doina with specialist care. Through this situation we also met with Doina’s daughter who was visiting her mother. She shared the painful story of the tragic loss of her daughter and gave us the opportunity to pray with her as well. Every single time we have met with Doina she has thanked God for all that He has done for her. An inspirational woman.

As we pray for people on the streets and in our group we are hearing how the Lord is working. A woman who had head pain and couldn’t hear was touched by the Lord. Another who was suffering depression as we prayed became hot and she began to weep; she knows, and we see, the change in her. Another woman who had a bad wound on her foot said after we prayed it healed miraculously quickly.

This week we found a new friend in a widow woman, Maria. She invited us into her home and we just chatted and drank coffee. She told us how lonely she has been since the passing of her husband. All we did was spend time with her – we left with bags of preserves that she insisted we take as a gift. It always humbles me and brings me to tears when I see the how the poor give from the little they have. Every day we see God using us in different ways, and we are thankful.

I would like to finish by sharing some very exciting news about the Community Centre in Petelea. We have found premises that we believe to be the right place for this. The building is in a good position and comes in a good size plot that would allow us to expand when needed. The first part

13. of the building (farthest away in the photo of the outside) we would keep as two separate rooms. One room to become a kitchen area for eating, crafts and such (see internal photo below) and the other room would be more like a lounge area to relax. There is also a small separate area that we would like to become a prayer ministering room.

The second part of the building (closest in the photo of the building) is currently two rooms that we would make into one bigger meeting room for services and gatherings. The outside garden adjacent to the building is large enough to make into a beautiful garden area with tables and seating and a BBQ.

There is quite a lot of internal work that needs doing as the property presently has no bathroom / toilet or sewerage, central heating and the water supply is from a well in the garden. Having located “the building” we are now at the fund raising stage to proceed with the purchase and carry out the initial necessary works that will cost in the region of £35,000. The good news is that the vendors would prefer to move in the Spring and so that gives us some time.

The desire for this building is that it will be a place for the local Roma to learn about God, grow in faith and where they can serve God and others. That it will be a “haven” to the Roma people of Petelea - a place to lay their burdens down for a short while and simply come.

I hope that the reading of my news will be an encouragement to you. To everyone who partners this work with the Roma, thank you. Thank you so much for all the ways you show your love and support for me and this work and being a part of what the Lord is doing here.

Please keep praying.

“ I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. IF YOU FOLLOW ME, YOU WON’T BE STUMBLING THROUGH THE DARKNESS, BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE THE LIGHT THAT LEADS TO LIFE”. JOHN 8;12

May every blessing be yours and may you have a wonder and peace filled Christmas.

Gina Forbes

14. Joining the St. Mary’s Mission Team

In his letter to the church in Rome, the apostle Paul makes ‘a statement of the obvious’ when he reminds believers that “…faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). Mission emanates from the heart of God, and the ‘body of Christ i.e. the Church at St. Mary’s Ferndown, (i.e. the people, and not the building) are ambassadors through which that message (2 Corinthians 5:20) is conveyed.

One of the ways St. Mary’s endeavours to encourage mission, and particularly global mission, is through what is called the ‘Missions Committee.’ We are in need of some new additions to the team so that we can, with God’s help, do an efficient job. If you would like to consider joining the St. Mary’s team or would like to know a little more about it, please contact Derek White or a member of the Missions Team via the Church Office. We would love to hear from you. Derek White

“If transformation is the dynamic of our mission - and God’s glory is both the source and the goal of our mission, then the church in the power of the Spirit is God’s primary instrument of mission. The church is the only institution on earth entrusted with the message of transformation - the gospel - and the only community that is a living demonstration of that transformation.” “Every person on planet Earth should have the opportunity to become a follower of Christ and a member of the local community of believers. This will mean sending gospel messengers to people everywhere crossing cultural, religious, linguistic, and planting transformational churches among them.”

‘The Church on Mission: A Biblical Vision for Transformation of All People’ Craig Ott

Simon & Sue Morgan celebrating 10 years in Uganda

Our 10th year in Uganda has been amazing. We have seen God at work in many areas of our ministry in Uganda. We thank all of our friends at St. Mary’s for your continued love, prayers and generosity. We extend special appreciation for our Support Team and Trustees for their hard work. All for the glory of God!

Have a blessed Christmas everyone. With love from Simon & Sue Morgan

15. How you vote should not be affected by your faith

Here we go again! Another election. Another round of TV debates and media overdrive. Another barrage of comments on Facebook from Christians about how they’ll vote and exactly what they think about various political shenanigans.

But, as someone who has been actively involved with politics for over two decades, and as someone who is even more passionate about being a follower of Jesus Christ, I am struck at how little the Bible tells us about how to vote, either explicitly or implicitly.

Let me just say for the sake of clarity that I do think we should all take part in the democratic exercise that is voting. For sure, Christians should be hugely involved in politics and should have deeply held and passionately argued views. It’s just that our Christian faith is not constrained by politics. Our faith is above our politics. Our mandate and commands remain the same regardless of democratic votes.

Equally, we can never expect a political party to be the saviour of a nation. And the church should never fall into the elephant trap of saying that one political party is completely right and another completely wrong (except perhaps in extremis).

Two realms We’ve taught a lot at St Mary’s about the two realms that Christians inhabit, the heavenly realm and the earthly one; that Jesus set aside the things of heaven to come to earth; that we’re to pray on earth as it is in heaven; that when we operate on earth in the power of the Spirit, the reality of heaven is released (for more teaching see “When Heaven Invades Earth” by Bill Johnson). Our salvation comes from heaven. Heaven’s realm is always superior to earth’s. The solution to the world’s problems is a heavenly one.

When political crisis happens, God doesn’t wring his hands and wonder what to do! He’s not subject to the economic crash, the unexpected disaster, the conflict overseas … or even Brexit! While undoubtedly he cares for the things we care about, he’s not perturbed by them. So we need to ask Him for His perspective.

The solutions are to be found in heaven first and foremost. Therefore, no political party can claim to have or be the whole solution. In fact, the spirit of politics is one of popularity at the expense of beliefs (again see teaching of Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Dutch Sheets and others that expands of this). I’ve read lots of Christians saying that in this election they can vote for neither of the two main political parties, because each party falls short, as indeed do all political parties – past, present and future. You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole. They are worldly organisations run by people who operate from a different realm. If you’re still not sure, check out the voting figures for all political parties on issues like same-sex

16. Education, abortion, euthanasia, Digital Economy Act (tightening up porn laws for those under 18), the environment – on all of which Christians should have a strong voice and on which issues none of the main political parties has ever had a “Christian” view. Why not? Because they are worldly organisations; they are operating from a different realm.

Is there any overlap? There are great examples from history of those that have influenced the political sphere from the realm of heaven, including of course William Wilberforce. However, his political work cannot be seen in isolation from the Wesleyan revivals of his day. In fact, the reforms that Wilberforce forced through Parliament, were begun by John Wesley on his knees. The reformation that resulted in anti-slavery legislation started through intercession. What is key is that we connect with God. And sometimes he chooses to work through politics and Parliament to achieve His will. Real power comes from above and it is Christians connected to that source that can make an impact.

Where I disagree with many Christians is that I simply don’t believe that modern politics is so polarised as to have a definite ‘Christian’ party in its outlook and engagement with economics and a definite ‘non-Christian’ one. No one party has the monopoly on lies or derogatory language.

The Biblical imperative to look after the poor and Jesus on politics The Bible is full of verses about looking after the poor, the widow, the orphan and stranger. But who is the onus on? Who’s meant to do the looking after? Answer, God’s people, the church. The government was never there to replace the church. The followers of Jesus are to feed the poor, clothe the needy. We live this out of understanding the compassion of God for us, and as a natural outworking of our faith and love for Jesus.

Some Christians are insistent that some political parties are more inclined to be socially aware of the needs of the poor and others seemingly prefer the needs of the rich. However, this is way too simplistic. We could get into a slanging match about the benefits of each party, or the lies told by particular parties. But that’s not a Biblical approach. My rule of thumb is – if any non-Christian group is saying something, it’s a good sign that Christians don’t need to say it as well.

What I find striking on reading the New Testament is how little Jesus teaches about politics and how little Paul, Peter, John and James write about politics. And this is in a time of immense political suffering and persecution. Jesus says pay to Caesar what is owed to Caesar; not only pay taxes when it’s morally right to do so, but simply pay because they are demanded.

Cont’d ...

17. Jesus remains King – and we continue His work. As we read in Revelation 11: 15 ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever’. Our mandate remains. We heal the sick – and there happens to be a Labour government. We cast out demons – and the Tories happen to be in power. You see, the command to heal the sick, feed the poor, clothe the naked are still to happen regardless of who is in political control.

After the last General Election, I read many comments from Christians on social media, saying how depressed they were that there was a new Conservative Government. Leading aside one’s own political views, there is no way that a Christian’s feelings and emotions should be that swayed by political outcomes. We are citizens of heaven, we operate from heaven and release on earth – regardless of who’s in Number 10.

So, as I head to the ballot box later this month, I’ll remember my identity first and foremost as a Christian. I’ll recall that my citizenship is rooted in heaven. But yes, I’ll vote and get stuck in – very much aware of the reality that whoever forms the next government, salvation, hope, peace and joy come from above and that by partnering with God in prayer we can impact our society for good. Christopher Pix

Weekday Prayers at St. Marys

Join us for our daily gathering where we pray for our church, community, nation and world. We also pray through the prayer requests submitted in the box in the Café.

Mon 12-12.30pm in the Church Lounge Tues & Wed 9.30-10am in the South Transept of the Church Thurs 9.30-10am in “the Spring” Fri 9.30-10am in the South Transept of the Church

All welcome.

(Please note there will be no meetings from Tues 24th December until Thurs 2nd January)

18. Quotes for your New Year

“Of all persons, the Christian should be best prepared for whatever the New Year brings. He has dealt with life at its source. In Christ he has disposed of a thousand enemies that other men must face alone and unprepared. He can face his tomorrow cheerful and unafraid because yesterday he turned his feet into the ways of peace and today he lives in God. The man who has made God his dwelling place will always have a safe habitation.” Aiden W. Tozer

“A setback is a setup for a comeback.” T. D. Jakes

“Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.” Jonathan Edwards

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” Jim Elliot

St. Mary’s Bible verse for 2020

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3: 15 - 17

19.

Tuesday 17th December and 14th January at 2pm in the Church Lounge

Christmas! A time to wonder at the birth of Jesus, Prince of Peace and Saviour of the world … or a time to wonder how you will ever get everything done in time!

You are invited to take a break from the preparations. Sit down. Relax. Just breathe, and treat yourself to 45 minutes of stillness. Reconnect with the true wonder of Christmas. Everyone welcome!

The next edition of Spotlight will be published on Sun 2nd Feb 2020

St Mary’s Church Contact Details

St Mary’s Church Office, Church Road, Ferndown, BH22 9EU Tel: (01202) 897087

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.stmarys-ferndown.org.uk

Please note that the Church Office will be closed after midday on Tues 24th December and will reopen on Thursday 2nd January. Thank You.

St Mary’s Church Contacts

Rev. Sarah Pix Team Rector (01202) 890798 Day Off: Wednesday

Rev. Patches Chabala Team Vicar (01202) 895099 Day Off: Friday

Mike Orman Worship & Youth Pastor (01202) 959453 Day Off: Friday

Emma Taylor Children’s Pastor (01202) 989452 Day Off: Saturday

Lynne Rees Pastoral Care (01202) 871936 Day Off: Saturday Co-ordinator

St Mary’s Prayer Link To send & receive prayer requests send an e-mail to [email protected]