7th January 2021

Dialstone Lane Notices 

We’ve had to close the building, but we’re worshipping communally still via zoom.

As I am sure you will all know by now, the Leadership Team took the decision not to reopen our building for worship after Christmas, with sadness but concern for all. The more recently imposed lockdown confirms the decision as the right one for us. Most other churches in the circuit, including Hazel Grove and Windlehurst, have taken this decision too.

None of the potential users of the building are able to restart their activities either.

As I said when we had to close in November, we are now in the position to reopen much more quickly when it becomes safe to do so, because we’ve done it before. A longer closure will mean that we need to remind ourselves of all the safety issues before we can do that, but the mechanisms and personnel are largely in position.

In the meantime, the Circuit Zoom services at 3.00pm on a Sunday will continue. We are also planning to have regular zoom worship and fellowship for Dialstone Lane Church on Zoom at 11.00am on Sunday mornings. Our initial attempt at this last week was a little faltering as we had to contend with copyright issues which are different when we are using the internet from those when we use hymns, music, videos, even Bible translations in Church. This is still a work in progress – copyright law doesn’t seem to have anticipated Covid! – but we have worked out some ways around some of the problems in the meantime

To assist with the services that he has led since we re-opened Andy Stoker has provided a service sheet, outlining hymns, prayers, Bible passages, and suggested questions arising from them for discussion together, in a sermon or to think about at home. We hope that by continuing to do this we will be able to include everyone, whether or not you feel able to use zoom.

There are some beautiful videos of hymns being sung, with the words provided, on YouTube. So, for at least this week’s service, we will provide links to these both on the service sheet and in the chat function of zoom, which when we get to the hymn in the service, people can click on and listen to the hymn directly from YouTube, so we won’t be streaming it through zoom. Having the link in advance on the service sheet gives anyone unsure about this, time to try it out on their computer in advance.

One helpful way forward to make sure people have the words to hymns available to sing without us putting them on a shared screen, would be if people had a hymn book at home. We have plenty of copies of the old hymn book, Hymns and Psalms, which we rarely use in church, so would be happy to distribute copies to those who ask for them. Even if you don’t anticipate being able to join the zoom services, you might like to be able to sing along to hymns on the radio, TV – or even to yourself. Please ask if you would like one.

We can read Bible passages to ourselves or choose a non- Copyright translation to read aloud during the service.

So do join us if you can this Sunday morning at 11.00am. We will have a time for talking in breakout rooms towards the end. The zoom link for this service and that on following Sunday mornings:

Topic: Dialstone Lane Zoom Worship Time: Jan 10, 2021 11:00am London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/97082847248

Meeting ID: 970 8284 7248   Passcode: 161

Phone instructions:

Step 1) Dial any of the following numbers:

0330 088 5830
0131 460 1196
0203 481 5237

Step 2) Follow the prompts you hear on the phone. Have the Meeting ID and Password to hand.

You may be prompted to enter 3 different things:

Meeting ID followed by “Hash” – on your phone keypad, “Hash” is represented by the symbol #

Participants ID – You will not have one of these, don’t worry, all you need to do is enter “Hash” #

Passcode followed by “Hash” – on your phone keypad, “Hash” is represented by the symbol #

You should then be entered into the “meeting room”.

If you are not sure about Zoom but want to try it, feel free to ask us anything in advance (though, apologies, we may not know the answer, particularly if you have a tablet rather than a desktop or laptop computer!)

Andy and Catriona Stoker


Alternating Coffee Mornings and Afternoon Teas

As another means of keeping in touch during this lockdown we’ve arranged alternating coffee mornings (11:00am-12:00noon) and afternoon teas (4:00pm-4:40pm) each week on a Thursday on zoom.

Contact details for the next few are as below:

Morning coffee

Time: Jan 14, 2021 11:00

Every 2 weeks on Thu, until Feb 25, 2021

Jan 28  11:00, Feb 11 11:00, Feb 25  11:00

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/93724486015

Meeting ID: 937 2448 6015  Passcode: 161

Afternoon tea

Time: Jan 21, 2021 16:00 London

Every 2 weeks on Thu, until Feb 18, 2021

Jan 21 16:00,  Feb 4 16:00,  Feb 18 16:00

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/72975460869?pwd=TnRsbnQzSHE4NjR4d0VMbmZXTVNDQT09

Meeting ID: 729 7546 0869  Passcode: 1zcQi1

And don’t forget that a phone call is another important way to keep in touch; we all have phone lists for most people in our fellowship groups as well as many other friends in church. It’s so good to feel remembered, as Mandy Hawkyard makes clear elsewhere in this newsletter.


Dates for other Dialstone Lane meetings:

18th January 3:30pm - Worship Consultation. Anyone is welcome to join this meeting on zoom. Please contact Susan Conlon for details (terryandsusan@talktalk.net).

21st January 11:00am Church Council via zoom.

Details will be sent out to members with the agenda.


Used Postage Stamps Needed URGENTLY

Thank you to all those people who save their stamps and put them in the collecting box. It is not a difficult thing to do, it’s just remembering.

Charities have suffered over the last year as donations have not been forthcoming because of restrictions. They rely on your donations, that cost nothing but can be sold to dealers worldwide for much needed funds.

If you have used stamps - British or foreign - to donate, I have put the collecting box back in the entrance hall just drop them in when you next visit.

Please do not try to remove the stamp from the envelope as damaged stamps have no value. Instead leave a margin of paper around each stamp so that the stamp is left intact.

I have sourced local and national charities who collect used British and foreign stamps to raise funds and I will continue to collect them on their behalf.

Andrew

(Since Andrew wrote this message, we have had to take the decision to close the church building for worship, at least for January, but please save your stamps for when we can return.)


Goodbye to 2020 - a poem by Diane Duff

What a trying year it’s been,
With all its hopes and fears:
But it will go down in history
As one of the worst-ever years.

We only had two and a half months
Without any frowns:
Before being forced into isolation
And the world shut down.

Some shops were shut for a while,
And they even closed the churches:
It all seemed so unreal
Like the year that never was.

We plodded on as best we could,
And couldn’t even visit a friend:
But hoped that soon the nasty virus
Would come to a speedy end.

There were still other issues
Like Brexit and even Megxit:
Time went on but there was no sign
Of any Covid exit.

Now as the year draws to a close,
We needn’t shed a tear:
But live in hope that 2021
Will be a much better year.

All the best!


We’ve received the following email from Mandy Hawkyard

What a lovely surprise to get a Christmas card from you together with your newsletter! We so appreciated being remembered in this way. It was good to hear all that is going on at Dialstone - I do miss coming to lead worship with you. It always feels strange to come out on to the main road in Poynton and turn left towards Macclesfield instead of right towards Stockport. I look forward to the day when Covid is a distant memory and I can return. Some of you will know that Chris is having health issues and we would appreciate your prayers. We do wish you every blessing for 2021.

Love Chris and Mandy Hawkyard.

PS We really enjoyed Andy's quiz again this year. All I have to do is send the answers in!

– we hope we’ll be able to invite her back to preach at Dialstone Lane before too long.


Good News from 2020

Wordles formed in response to the question “What sustains you?”, copied with permission from Online Methodists Facebook page.

  • Philippa Robinson received a very special Christmas present when she was given the news that she is to become a great grandmother in 2021.
  • Diane Duff “There were three goods things for 2020 in my life although they were earlier on in the year.  They were - the holiday in Southport in January, a new grandson Samuel arriving in February and a bird trip to Conwy at the beginning of March on a lovely sunny day”. Later Diane added: "I would like to thank the church for the lovely Christmas card, bookmark and the Greetings card from friends at Dialstone Lane."
  • Elizabeth and Glyn Remembering all the fun and fellowship we have had over the years on our January church holidays and sending love to all who took part.
  • Andy Stoker People working together to support each other - in the community as well as in the church; the work done by scientists, engineers, technicians, production works - eg developing and producing the vaccines in record time, developing and producing PPE, ventilators, protective screens and other equipment; the work done by care staff - in nursing and care homes and in people's own homes; the work of shelf-stackers, click-and-collect workers, check-out operators, delivery drivers; a better appreciation of the nature of risk - and the importance of numbers, statistics and other facts.
  • May Fidler Christmas brought some good news and is now thrilled that her friend Ron’s granddaughter is 6 months pregnant following IVF. She already loves being called “Great Grandma May” by one of his other great grandchildren.
  • Catriona Stoker We were so glad that we were able to have my Dad to stay for Christmas, enjoying opening our presents in the garden with Helen, Daniel and Natalie, socially distanced, in their bubble as we were blessed with such calm weather that day.

The work of so many people in our church to keep a caring, worshipping community functioning has been a continuing highlight of the year for me and will, I’m sure, continue to sustain me as we go into 2021.


Traidcraft

I’m pleased to be able to report that Traidcraft, as a business, has made a good recovery from the position they were in a couple of years ago, due in large part to a movement to on-line shopping. Even church stalls such as I have run for the past 10 years, report sales around 80% of those they would normally see, which, given the lack of regular stalls and events such as fairs to sell at, is remarkable. Thank you to all those who have supported Fairtrade over the past months. I expect to be able to give £400 in profit to church funds and a further £200 to Traidcraft Exchange, the sister charity to Traidcraft, which campaigns for trade justice. We shall have to see what impact tariff changes on goods from around the world have over the next year or so.

Before Christmas, in the hope that we would be able to meet before too long and resume stalls, I went ahead and ordered a good range of food and drink. Whilst it all has reasonable sell by dates, I would like to be able to sell some before we are able to meet up again in this way. So please get in touch if you want baking ingredients – sugar, dried fruit, nuts - marmalade, honey, peanut butter, teas (including herbal and decaff), coffees, hot chocolate, biscuits, and some of those treats which by the end of January you may have run out of! I can arrange Covid safe delivery and am happy to accept payment by cheque or cash in sealed envelopes. Contact me via email – cat.stoker@btinternet.com – or phone 487 2010.

Catriona Stoker.


ACTS 435 ‘...giving to anyone who has a need’

2021 is going to be a year of waiting:- for the phone call offering us a Covid vaccine, for the many graphs to show a steady downward trend, for masks to be needed no longer and for the freedoms we took for granted to be restored.

The people needing help from the charity Acts 435 also wait for: 

  • help to get their lives back on track.
  • a phone call telling them that the money for whatever they desperately need has been given. 

These people have been helped because they live in an area near to a church, working with Acts435, who has set up a support lifeline for the most vulnerable, working with foodbanks and local community projects able to give their needs a wide platform. Within a short period of time they will receive a phone call that the money has been given and the purchase can be made. Recently a child’s bed, a replacement fridge-freezer and kitchen flooring have all been provided for families struggling with unemployment, health issues and single parenthood.

At the moment any of us can help this charity by giving money to Acts435.org.uk or contacting me to find out more but my hope is that in 2021 we as a church can help by reaching out to those in our own community and giving them the means to share their needs.

It will just take a few people to give a few hours a month to make a big difference.

Please think and pray about whether you could get involved when we are able.

Susan Conlon


Preparing For Retirement.

As some of you may already know, at the end of March this year I reach the "now official" age of retirement (66).

In preparation for this momentous event It has been agreed by Cathy and the group of people who employed me that I can reduce my hours to 12 hours per week from 1st January 2021.

During our current situation I will continue to make phone calls and keep in touch with all our members and friends, will still help with shopping where needed and transport people to any important appointments. As a general rule I will be taking Wednesday's as my day off, and as always with anything that is urgent, if you are unable to speak to me or to leave a message please contact one of the Stewards or Cathy our Minister.

I am intending to Retire at the end of March and it is more than likely that the position of 'Lay Pastoral and Outreach Worker' for Dialstone Lane Methodist Church will be advertised before too long, I will continue to keep in touch with everyone and will support whoever takes the mantle from me.

God Bless

Gill x


Foodbank

Dave B is still taking donations to the foodbank. 

The latest information from the foodbank is :

URGENTLY NEEDED FOOD ITEMS 

  • LONG-LIFE MILK
  • TINNED PUDDINGS
  • TINNED FRUIT

WE'VE GOT SUFFICIENT STOCKS OF 

  • CEREAL, BEANS, PASTA, RICE, PASTA SAUCE, TEA AND TINNED SOUPS

Dave can pick up from church or take from our house if you can get donations to us - 37, Withypool Drive (off Mile End Lane).

Thank You


Dear friends

Words cannot express the wonderful love and support you have shown me during my time as a Steward. I was touched beyond words to receive my beautiful afternoon tea. It was a very thoughtful gift and a lovely surprise. I feel incredibly blessed. Thank you once again.

Love Carol


 

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