Minister’s Letter

Dear friends,

Greetings.

Last month we said our final goodbye to our beloved Eva Warrington. What a send-off she had. It was the second largest gathering   for a funeral in my time here. We bless Eva for faithfulness in the Lords vineyard.  Rest in peace, Eva.  Our love and prayers go out to Alan and the family.

A prepared place for a prepared people.

November is welcoming us to stay prepared for Christ’s second advent, Christmas, and the promised eternal home.

English scientist Aubrey de Grey predicts that science will one day offer us 1,000-year life spans. De Grey claims that molecular biology has finally placed a cure for aging within our reach.   Even if de Grey’s prediction is true, it only postpones facing the ultimate question of what happens when we die. It does not answer it.¹ What matters more than length of life is where you’ll spend eternity; in the mind of Jesus Christ it is either heaven or Hell. 

In John 14: 2-3 Jesus gives us an understanding of heaven when says, “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

The Bible uses a lot of different words to describe heaven. In one place it is called "a country" indicating the vastness of heaven. In another it is called "a city" indicating a large number of inhabitants.   It is called "a kingdom" indicating that there is a governmental structure to it all. It is called "paradise" indicating its beauty & desirability. But in John 14 Jesus called it, "My Father’s house," and that is another way of saying, "It is a home."

A peaceful home is a place where you can be yourself. It’s where you can take off your tie and kick off your shoes. It is where you can share your thoughts and you’re always accepted & loved. You’re not just a guest. You are a resident. You live there. It is home.
Jesus is saying, "I’m going to take you to My Father’s house, & it will be your home, too. You’ll be a part of the family. You’ll be home where you belong."

He says, "In My Father’s house are many rooms." The King James version says, "many mansions." We like that word. But "mansion" is not the best translation of the Greek word Jesus used. Probably the best is "dwelling place" or "rooms."

You see, the word that Jesus used comes from the eastern custom that when a son grows up & gets married, he brings his bride back home again. And the father adds another room onto his house for them. Then when another son grows up & gets married, they add another room. The house just keeps getting bigger & bigger, as the family stays together.

Stop & think about heaven. Much of me is already there. My name is written there. My citizenship is there. My God is there. My Saviour is there. My inheritance is there. My Granny's are there. So much of me is already there.

One day the promise of Jesus will be fulfilled, & we’ll be in our Father’s house. We’ll get new bodies, and we won’t have to worry about getting old & sick & all the other things that plague us here’. ²

It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was an Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the weather was going to be. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

Also, being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"

"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed," the meteorologist at the weather service responded. So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it’s definitely going to be a very cold winter." The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find.

Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," the man replied. "It’s going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied, "The Indians are collecting wood like crazy."

Are you crazy too about getting ready for your eternal home?

Christian views on Hell vary, but in general traditionally agree that hell is a place or a state in which the souls of the unrepentant sinner suffer the consequences of sin after this life. The greater majority of theologians generally describe hell as the logical consequence of the soul using its free will to reject union with God. It is considered compatible with God's love, justice and mercy because God will not interfere with the soul's free choice.

Preparation for our future doesn't begin with what you do; it begins with what you believe.

In John 14:1 Jesus said to his disciples “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe (trust) in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions”.

If you believe that success tomorrow depends on what you do today, you'll treat today differently. A wise sailor studies the weather before he goes to sea because he knows that avoiding a storm is easier than getting out of one.

To believe in Jesus is to accept or receive him as Saviour and Lord.

In Romans 10:9 we read,
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (from being separated from God and Jesus eternally).
¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.””

Prayer for the Month

“Dear God I know I'm a sinner, I know I am not where I want to be, and I want your forgiveness! I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty or price for my sins and rose victoriously. Please wash me clean from all sin, shame, and guilt, come into my life Jesus by your divine presence to be my Lord and Saviour. I ask this in your name Jesus. Amen!"  If you prayed that prayer then we believe you are saved from eternal damnation or hell.

Grace and peace to you all

Kofi

References

¹ from Word for Today Devotional

² Sermon Central, Melvin M. Newland, minister, Ridge Chapel, Kansas,

 

Church Website

We apologise for any problems caused by the web site not being available at present. We hope that it will be working again by the time you read this.

Facebook

Dialstone Lane Methodist church now has a page on the social networking site, Facebook. Please “like” us if you use this site.

The Facebook page address is:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dialstone-Lane-Methodist-Church/206258702751759

In Our Prayers

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are unwell at home or in hospital at this time or have been bereaved, also those housebound through age and those awaiting or recovering from operations. 

We also pray for anyone experiencing difficult times

We think especially of Sybil & Tony Fitch, Alan Warrington, Margaret Holmes and Jeff Pomfret.

Birthday Greetings

Congratulations and best wishes to Harry Hudson who celebrated his 90th birthday on 5th November.

With Sympathy

We send our deepest sympathies to Alan, Denise and David Warrington and their families on the death of Eva. We remember them in our prayers and give thanks for all the many things Eva has done within the church and the wider community. She will be missed by many.

 

We also send sympathies to the family of the Rev Samuel Batson who died peacefully at his residential care home in Romsey; Hampshire on September 30th 2011 aged 98.

Rev Batson had a B.A.  from Manchester University and became a Minister in 1935.

Mr Batson was Minister at Dialstone Lane Methodist Church from 1938 to 1942.

Some members will remember that he paid a return visit to celebrate the church’s 50th anniversary in 1987 although sadly, his wife (who died in 2001) was not well enough to accompany him. They had been married at Dialstone Lane in 1940.

Newsletter Deadline

The deadline for the December Newsletter is Sunday November 27th by 12 noon. Because of the busy Christmas period, LATE ITEMS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED.

Please remember to include items for events up to mid-February, as there is no Newsletter in January.

Christmas Greetings

Once again we will have a Christmas Greetings slot in the December Newsletter. Those wishing to send their greetings to friends at Church via this newsletter instead of sending individual cards, are asked to hand their greeting message to Peter or Pat NO LATER THAN 12 noon on 27th NOVEMBER, (although sooner would be appreciated) along with a donation to the Church Solar Panel Fund.

Urgent appeal for Welcomers

We are very short of volunteers on the welcomers rota. This would only involve arriving 15 minutes before services, on about 2 or 3 weeks per quarter starting in the New Year. If you can help or would like more details, please speak to May Fidler.

Tape Ministry

If you would like to hear the service on tape, please contact Lesley for a copy.

Traidcraft

Copies of this year’s Christmas catalogue are still available to borrow from me if you want to look at the full range of cards and gifts in the comfort of your own home. If you place an order through me the advantage is that I order a sufficient quantity to get free postage- always a consideration with goods from catalogues. I only ask for payment when I deliver the goods as occasionally items are more popular than anticipated and run out.

In the run-up to Christmas I thought you might be interested in the Christmas cards produced by Traidcraft. They fall into two basic types.

• There are packs of 8 or 10 cards of one or a mixture of designs sold in aid of a group of Christian development charities. Last year Traidcraft was able to give £110,000 to SCIAF, CAFOD & Christian Aid through the sale of Christmas cards, products and top-up donations and Traidcraft was able to re-invest remaining profits to further its work in fighting poverty through trade.
• Secondly, there are Christmas cards made by Traidcraft’s partner organisations, typically sold in one’s or two’s, with an emphasis on high quality craft skills and more expensive materials. I have bought a number over the years and I know people are loath to part with them after Christmas. Special cards for special people in your life.

There will be a Traidcraft stall at the Christmas Fair in November and another on a December Sunday after morning Church. Please watch Church notices for advance warning of the exact date.

 

Thank you for all your support of the work of Traidcraft at Dialstone Lane Methodist Church.

Catriona Stoker, Traidcraft Rep

Stokers’ Christmas Quiz

In aid of Wellspring

The annual quiz is being concocted by Andy as I type and will be available at the Christmas Fair and onwards to Christmas at Church. As in previous years the closing date for entries will not be until the end of January, so there will be plenty of time to complete it. It will also be available on line, but not until the end of November. Contact Andy on andy.stoker@btinternet.com if you would like it in this form.

Four Seasons

Thursday December 1st 8.00pm

There will be a number of simple craft activities connected to the Crib Festival – putting together our crib scene, cutting out sheep and angel shapes for writing prayers on, sewing up “feely bags” for the school visits, etc. Christmas refreshments.

Catriona Stoker

Solar Panels Update

The Church Council on 17th October approved the installation of solar panels on the chapel roof.  Pledges of money and on-going fund raising including the Sunshine Bags are expected to be sufficient to enable the larger array of panels, about 50 of them, generating almost 10kWp, to be put on the roof. This would bring considerable environmental benefits and yield a valuable income to the Church over the next 25 years. Income is expected to repay the capital cost of the installation of the panels within about nine years - a very good rate of return in this day and age.

The next steps with this project are:-

1. Seek revised quotes from companies based on a common specification, in order that a full comparison of competitive quotes may be made;
2. Select, based on quality as well as price, the company to undertake the work;
3. Seek planning permission from the Council;
4. Seek Circuit and District approval for the project.

All being well it is proposed that the panels will be installed by the end of March.

Please speak to stewards Dave or Stewart if you have any questions.

Sunday School

1p & 2p Collection

We have just given another £46.20 to the church towards the Solar Panels.

Our total over the years for various Church funds, starting with the Building Fund, is now £714.15. We are very grateful to all our Church members and friends to have helped so much in this achievement. Please keep helping and thank you.

Sunday School

M Adshead

Samaritans Purse

Operation Christmas Child

It’s that time of year again!

Lisette & I would be grateful for any contributions you are able to make.

In the entrance hall of the church I have placed a box for you to place your kind donations to help fill shoe boxes, so that children who wouldn't receive anything at Christmas will have the joy of opening a gift made and sent with love. The items we can send are: cuddly toys (small enough to fit in a shoebox) toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, flannel, notepads, colouring books, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens, paper, crayons, felt tip pens, hats, scarves, gloves, caps, tennis or small balls, toy cars, trucks, passenger planes, jewellery, hair accessories, small musical instruments, a greeting card and photo of yourself.

NO chocolate, war related toys, glass containers, marbles or sharp objects, aerosols or liquids of any type.

The last day for any contributions is Sunday 26th November.

Hopefully this year Dialstone Lane’s contribution to this appeal will be as generous as ever. Thanking you for your support.

Sue Judson (Tel: 487 2297)

Last of the Month @ Dialstone Lane Methodist Church

This is an idea for a change of style to our 6pm evening service on the last Sunday of each month. If people were happy about it, we would seek to trial it for the first quarter of 2012, starting on January 29th.

 

Having a teenaged daughter has made us realize that, as a Church, we need to develop more ways of reaching this age group. We now have some lovely groups for younger children, so this would be the next step. Sadly, many young people drift away from church in their teenage years and the aim of these services would be to continue to engage with them.

 

Young people dislike being told what to think! So worship for this age group needs to be open and flexible, encouraging and enabling them to form and express their own ideas and responses. We need to ask them what kind of things they want to do and develop these services with them, rather than just for them. Perhaps we might have food, film clips, drama, music and creative arts, but in the end it will be for the young people to decide.

 

Having spoken to a number of people, there are those in other age groups who would also feel enriched by this style of worship. Whilst we want the young people to feel that this is their space, we would encourage young minded people of all ages to come along too.

 

Please let us know what you think about this idea.

Liz and Stewart

Eco-congregation

Thank you so much to all who helped at the Eco Fest on 22nd October. We welcomed visitors from Friends of the Earth, solar panel providers and Stockport council. The children made key-rings, coasters and a large collage of the Earth, all with an Eco theme, with Anna. There was also a chance to swap things you don’t want for things you do, at our swap shop and to buy fair trade goods at our Traidcraft stall. We also saw exhibitions from eco-flo magnets, the Quakers, Tools with a Mission and friends of Mile End Meadow. Particularly popular was the delicious soup, so special thanks goes to our outstanding kitchen team! We had some interesting discussions in the workshops ranging from eco-theology, to practical issues of how to make your house green! Several people have commented on different aspects of the day that they enjoyed, or made them think. Although this was not a fundraising event, we received over £70 towards our solar panel project.

 

The Eco congregation working party will be next meeting on Friday 25th November at 8pm. This will be an informal fun meeting/party! Please bring suitable refreshments to share. At Liz and Stewart’s house (23, Lymefield Grove). New people and visitors welcome as always.

 

For further information about any of our Eco Congregation projects, please contact Liz or Stewart on 0161 456 4464.

Carol Service

The Carol Service will be held on Christmas Eve at 4:00pm. Details were missed from the current plan, so please book the date now.

Recycling

Please take care when placing rubbish in the recycling containers, as it has been observed that plastic bags and other non-recyclable plastic containers are being placed in the brown bin, when they should go in the black bin. Also, plastic bags which are not food-waste are being placed in the green bin, along with cellophane paper from the flowers. The Council will refuse to empty these bins, leaving us with a problem disposing of the waste.

 

Our cleaner also reports that the internal recycling bags contain wrong items. It is not part of her job to sort through them before emptying them, and sorting this rubbish takes time off her cleaning duties.

 

As a congregation taking Eco-matters seriously, please think carefully before disposing of waste.

WE MUST GET RECYCLING RIGHT!

The Wednesday Guild

Our Wednesday meetings go on as usual – we always have a lunch and a topic of some kind. Recently we had a visit from Age Concern - the two ladies who were representatives were very kind and helpful. Olive Atkinson, a lovely lady from St. Saviour’s Church came to share her faith and tell us about her life.

On two occasions we had a family lunch at No 22 – the profits were added to the amount we raised for our Macmillan nurses Coffee Day. Thanks to the Monday morning Mums & Tots who gave us £69 towards the total of £350.

On the third Wednesday every month we have a charity lunch.

On 26th October we had Kath Potts to talk to us. Her husband was the owner of the hardware shop in Castle Street where you could buy a needle or an anchor.

On 3rd October we all went on a coach trip to Blackpool. We had a superb meal of fish, chips and peas before we started to see the lights. It was wonderful. The other people on the coach were very friendly, as was the driver. The lights were fantastic. Thank you to May for organizing the trip.

We have many good Wednesday afternoons and Kofi often joins us for a chat.

Connie

Methodist Church News

For more details on any item, please contact Andy Stoker

 

Pakistan Floods

The Methodist Church in Britain has launched an appeal for the people of Pakistan as the number of flood victims continues to rise.

The Church of Pakistan called for help after torrential monsoon rains fell over the southern Sindh province, destroying livelihoods and spreading disease. More than 7.5 million people have been affected by the disaster and the number could still rise. Four church staff in the Raiwind Diocese have died of dengue fever and the epidemic has claimed many more lives across the region.

Steve Pearce, partnership coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, said, “The scale of the disaster is huge. These are the people who were also flooded last year, so some of them have not yet got their livelihoods back in order. The Church of Pakistan is in a position to help. Pakistani Church leaders have met with local government officials and that is important because Pakistan is an Islamic state where Christians are a minority.”

The Methodist Church's World Mission Fund has given £20,000 to the Church of Pakistan. The Church’s response is helping to dispel negative connotations surrounding Christians in Pakistan who have been oppressed because of their beliefs and their associations with the West.

People can donate to the Pakistan Appeal launched by the World Mission Fund via the Methodist Church Just Giving page (www.justgiving.com/mcfworldmission/donate) or by sending a cheque payable to the World Mission Fund to Steve Pearce, World Church Relationships, at Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR. Postal donations should be labelled 'Pakistan Appeal'. UK taxpayers can increase their donation by including a completed Gift Aid form.

 

Citizens Advice Bureau: coming to a church near you

Citizens Advice is working with churches and other places of worship across the country to make advice services more accessible, particularly for those living in remote areas. This will provide face to face advice in the local community rather than users having to travel significant distances.

As public sector cuts bite, churches can play a vital role in offering premises for advice sessions, particularly where there are no alternative sites available locally.  There are examples of churches already being used such as Nailsea Methodist Church in North Somerset saving people a 20 mile journey. East Lindsey CAB, working with Spilsby Methodist Church in Lincolnshire, was successful in securing funding to develop part of the church as a community centre.

 

 

Singing the Faith plus website now live

Singing the Faith Plus is the website companion to the Methodist Church’s brand new hymnbook (www.singingthefaithplus.org.uk). Designed to offer additional hymn search facilitates, and further information about each hymn, the site will also reflect the faith that Methodists sing about every week of the year.

It will be a home for the new hymns that continue to be written now Singing the Faith itself is complete and available. And alongside new texts, the site offers articles, questions for discussion, reviews, events information, interviews with hymn writers, suggestions for how to use hymns and songs. Here, anyone who loves hymns, songs, singing and music can have a voice, express an opinion, and explore further the creative life of sung worship.

 

Action for Children report shows the difficulties of those most in need

The Red Book: a major report from Action for Children shows those most in need have increasing difficulties finding help. This report, from a Methodist charity, shows that reductions in funding are being translated into reduction in the prospects of vulnerable children. It is the result of a year-long research project into effects of government spending decisions. The conclusions are simple and disturbing. The need for children’s services is rising, and the capacity of children’s services is falling.

The effects of the cuts on the most vulnerable have been of huge concern to Methodists over the past year. The Red Book is an excellent resource for people wishing to inform themselves.

The Action for Children website has more information and opportunities for people to take practical actions. (www.actionforchildren.org.uk)

 

D:Sign

D:Sign is a new three part resource aimed at stimulating conversations on what living life to the full might look like for people at any stage of their life and any stage of their faith journey (or none).

D:Sign comprises:

•              Postcards: these combine the striking artwork of Ric Stott with various questions and invitations, all intended to provoke thinking and action. Available to buy from Methodist Publishing priced £1 for a complete set of 12 cards, or £8 for 10 sets of cards (plus postage and packing).

•              Podcasts: released once a month and downloadable from the D:Sign website. These offer windows into people’s experience of leading people to following Jesus.

•              Website: featuring the postcard images and podcasts plus further activities and responses. (www.methodist.org.uk/static/dsign)

ROTAS

Stewards

 

	a.m.	p.m.
Nov 20	David
27	Stewart	David
Dec 4	Stewart
11	TBA	Stella
18	Stewart	Stella

 

Flower Distribution

Contact Pat or Peter if you would like to help. If you are unable to deliver on this date, please arrange a swop.

 

Nov 20	Lisette
27	Sue J
Dec 4	Debbie
11	Margaret A
18	Lisette

 

Offertory

Contact Susan Conlon if you can help on this rota

 

Nov 20	Sue J & Jane
27	Dave & Barry
Dec 4	Michele & Susan
11	Peter & Pat
18	Sandra & Debbie

 

Crèche

Contact Lisette or Sue J if you would like to help

 

Nov 20	Sandra & Debbie
27	Susan & Jenny
Dec 4	Molly & Bertha
11	Carol & Sue
18	Sandra & Debbie (4pm)

 

 

Musicians

 

	a.m.	p.m.
Nov 20	Anita & Band
27	Anita	Margaret B
Dec 4	John R
11		Anita & Band
18	Margaret B	Anita & Band

 

Church Cleaning

 

Nov 20	Ann & Ted
27	Margaret & Gill
Dec 4	Susan & Sue
11	Lisette & Jenny
18	Stewart

 

 

Welcomers

 

	a.m.	p.m.
Nov 20	Pauline & Roy
27	Susan & Michele	Sandra & Jeremy
Dec 4	May & Ivy
11		Diane
18	Susan & Michele	May & Connie