December 2010 Hanham Methodist Church Minister: Rev Andrew Prout BA • Tel (0117) 9326692 Deacon: Deacon Gary Hoare CTM MA • Tel (0117) 9556911 Church Office & Fax (0117) 935 3308 HANHAM METHODIST Page 2 CHURCH MAGAZINE Inside this issue: 3 Minister’s Letter 12 The Train Journey 5 Bits and Pieces 13 An Evening with Eunice 6 Nursery Rhyme 467 15 Start Today 7 Crib Service/SPACE 17 Church News 8 Sunday Services 19 Sudoku 9 Diary 20 Our Page 10 Crossword 21 Signposts 11 Bach 22 Pause for Thought The Hanham Methodist Church Magazine is the monthly Magazine of Hanham Methodist Church, in the Bristol & South Gloucestershire Circuit of the Methodist Church. Opinions expressed in some articles are those of the author of the article and do not necessarily reflect Church policy. All enquiries to be directed to the Minister. Minister: Rev Andrew Prout, 22 Grampian Close, Oldland Common, BS30 8QA, Office Tel (0117) 9353308. Email:[email protected] Deacon: Deacon Gary Hoare, 11 Glebe Rd, St George, BS5 8JJ, Tel 9556911 Responsibilities include facilitating outreach work with families, young people and children. Email: [email protected] Editor & Publisher: Mrs Caroline Warrey, 85, Memorial Road, Bristol BSI5 3JQ Tel (0117) 960 9600, Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.hanhammethodist.org.uk Magazine E•mails: [email protected] Articles for the next magazine should be submitted by:• 14th November MINISTER’S LETTER Page 3 Dear Friends, It is Advent and Christmas will be here soon. Everyone comments on how time seems to fly by and how true it seems to be • or is it that we are busier and the time goes and it feels that way? What will you be doing for Christmas? What plans have you made? This really all depends on how we are and to some extent what the weather is like. One year in the Bromley Circuit, I looked after one of the smaller churches in the circuit. I persuaded the church to have a Christmas Day Service. They didn’t usually have a service on unless Christmas Day fell on a Sunday. That would be every seven years unless there was a leap year and then it would be more than that. So I planned the service out and I was ready the night before, but I lost my voice and I wasn’t well enough to anything, so I had to phone up a Local Preacher, a member of the Church and get them to do it, I was at home feeling sheepish. All the best plans are made even for Christmas and it sometimes happens that we are not well or unexpected things happen and derail our plans. Take for instance Lockerbie in Scotland a sleepy place, not known to many until a terrorist bomb blew up an aeroplane bound for the USA over the town – many people were killed, passengers and residents of Lockerbie, people who were watching their TVs that night. So unexpected things happen, and we will continue to be caught out by good things and bad that happen to us at times. Christmas seemed to be cancelled that year in Scotland. This is the same with the coming of Jesus –everyone seemed to be caught out. Even though the Messiah’s coming had been prophesied about for centuries the people who should have been ready for his coming weren’t. Herod’s advisors weren’t watching for the signs. If they were they wouldn’t have been caught out. It was only when the Wise Men appear that King Herod was alerted to the fact that a very special child had been born. Then of course he wanted to kill the baby, to ensure that no one would take his throne away from him. There used to be a programme called Tales of the Unexpected on ITV on Sunday evenings… I’m told that the man in his chair by the fire who used to introduce the tales was Roald Dahl. Some really different plays and films came on. Jesus’ birth was unexpected by so many people. May be, we may do the most unexpected thing in the world this Christmas, and invite Jesus Christ into our lives and worship and serve him for the rest of our lives. The Carol ‘In the bleak mid winter’ puts it well “If I were a wise man I would do my part Yet what I can I give him – Give my heart”. We pray that you will have a most blessed and peaceful Christmas and you will find Jesus Christ the Son of God is with you as celebrate and welcome into your life. From Deacon Gary Hoare. ADVENT HOUSE GROUPS Once again we are running House Groups during Advent. These will be held on Tuesdays, 30th November and the 7th and 14th December at the home of Marion Biggs 27 Lydiard Croft. This year we will be using as a basis for our thinking a book entitled ‘Joyful Christianity’ by Cally Hammond which explores the events before, during and immediately following the birth of Jesus. All our welcome to join our company of regulars. If you are interested please let either myself or Marion know. Tim Lansdown Worship Committee Chairman BITS & PIECES Page 5 Y' Men's Club of Hanham. We thank you for your support at our hugely successful quiz night and are pleased to tell you about two future events. Christmas Singalong • Monday 20th December, 2010 Come along and get into the Christmas Spirit with us. Carols and Songs, Mince Pies, Sweets and Drinks. Start time 7p.m. • £1 per person • pay on the night. Pantomime • Friday 14th January, 2011 Due to popular demand we are "performing" another pantomime • this year it is A CHRISTMAS CARROT a sparkling nativity panto• mime by Lucy Moore. Please come and join the fun and make all our hard work worthwhile. Start time • 7.30 p.m. A donation of £2 per adult and £1 per child is requested. Refreshments will be available. Names to any club member. Thanks Pam L. LUPUS COFFEE MORNING: On Saturday 2nd October the Church Coffee Morning was in aid of Lupus U.K. The wonderful sum of £265.00 was raised with a fur• ther £75.00 being taken on the Lupus information table. Many thanks for all the support and help given to me once again. Pat Webber STAMPS & POSTCARDS FOR BRACE Please save the stamps from all your Christmas post and deposit them in the box in the vestibule. If you still have holiday postcards you have received we will be please to accept those as well. (Please don’t cut off the stamps from these.) Many thanks Rosemary & Nesta Page 6 NURSERY RHYME NO 47 The world is so full Of a number of things I’m sure we should all be As happy as kings. I am writing this just after the clocks have gone back heralding the onset of winter with those months of long dark nights and cold days ahead. We survived Halloween with no damage to our property and now are enduring what I call ‘firework fortnight’, for that’s how long it seems to lasts. Yes, as you have guessed this is not my favourite time of the year. Yet, how curmudgeonly it is to complain. Even in these dark and dreary days we have so much to be thankful for. In worship we have twice recently sung the hymn ‘ Think of a world without any flowers’ (HP572) which reminds us of the wonderful world we’ve been given. I was particularly moved by two lines from the last verse: •‘Thanks for our church and all the love we find here, thanks for this place and all its promise true’. Life can seem hard at times but remember the prophet Habakkuk who even when the harvest failed could say ‘yet I will rejoice in the Lord (3:17). Every morning I step out of our house at around 7.30 and whatever the weather walk to the newsagent. At that moment I try always to remember to thank God for His gift of a new day. In the coming weeks we again have the opportunity to thank Him for the greatest gift of all, the coming among us of the incarnate God in the person of Jesus. No•one complains more about the commercialisation of Christmas than I do but let us try, through all the distractions of Yuletide to remember and give thanks. Emanuel, God with us. TJL CRIB SERVICE Page 7 4pm Christmas Eve Never mind the decorations, the shopping & wrapping, this is the start of Christmas. Bring all your young friends to our Crib Service at 4pm on Christmas Eve. Come and join in the fun and the carols as we share in the timeless real story of Christmas. Please come along, dressed as shepherds, angels, wise men etc, or we have costumes for you. This is our original “messy service”, so all our messy friends should feel very much at home. We also need volunteer dressers, stage management, caterers and most important of all, mince pie makers. Please contact Phil Warrey 9609600 for more information or to offer assistance. SPACE • GIFT SERVICE • 5TH DEC This year we will be again supporting S.P.A.C.E. Which in turn supports homeless families. For the gift service we would appreciate new gift, which are unwrapped, so that it is easier to match gift with recipient. Suggestions for gifts are as follows: BABIES • baby toys & accessories, eg. Beakers, feeding bowls (NO cuddly toys) CHILDREN • toys, games, books (please supply batteries if required) TEENAGERS • toiletries, scarves, gloves, socks, stationary FAMILY • biscuits, chocolates Gifts of wrapping paper, festive sacks, crackers & selection boxes are also appreciated Thank you in anticipation, Pam Blackmore, Mission Chairman Page 8 DECEMBER SUNDAY SERVICES 5th 10.45am Rev Andrew ProutGift 4.00pm Messy Church 6.00pm Rev David Hart 12th 10.45am Rev Andrew Prout Communion 6.00pm Cafe Church 19th 10.45am Youth Church 6.00pm Mrs Veronica Jackson Candlelight 26th 10.45am Rev Andrew Prout 6.00pm No Service JANUARY SUNDAY SERVICES 2nd 10.45am Rev Andrew Prout Covenant 4.00pm Messy Church 6.00pm Rev Angie Hoare 9th 10.45am Mrs Gwyneth Dean 6.00pm Rev Andrew Prout Communion 16th 10.45am Deacon Gary Hoare 6.00pm Cafe Church 23rd 10.45am Rev Andrew Prout— Pastoral Visitors/Communion 6.00pm United 30th 10.45am Mrs Janet Hawkins 6.00pm Rev Andrew Prout DECEMBER/JANUARY DIARY Page 9 DECEMBER 2nd • Local Preachers Meeting at Parkway 7.30pm 3rd • Hanham High Street Christmas Fayre 5th • Gift Service 10.45am (All Age Worship) 5th • Messy Church 4.00pm 9th • Circuit Meeting at Hanham 7.30pm 11th • Church Prayer Meeting 10.00am 12th • Café Church at 6.00pm 19th • Morning Service led by Youth Church 19th • Carols by Candlelight led by Vron Jackson 6.00pm 24th • Crib Service 4.00pm Midnight Communion 11.15pm led by Rev A.