Weekly Update – 8th October 2020

Weekly Update – 8th October 2020

By in Weekly Update
Dear Church Family,

This week’s set Gospel reading is the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14) and it reminds us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a wedding banquet – an occasion of great joy and celebration and a time of feasting.

It has been difficult for even the most optimistic of us, to see joy and celebration over the past 6 months and feasting with others is something we again are having to postpone.  This is especially true for those of you who are living with bereavement.  When we lose a loved one, we are naturally grief-stricken and our predominant thoughts are related to how much we will miss that person, how our lives will be that bit poorer because they are no longer there to share with us and us with them.  However, there is hope as God promises eternal life to all who love him. Through this parable we are given this picture of our loved ones enjoying eternal life in this kingdom of joy and celebration and feasting.

There can be joy, even in the most difficult circumstances.  There is always something to be thankful for: a glimpse of God’s love or of another person’s compassion or a hint of beauty in our day.  May we seek this joy this week, and know something of God’s joy which is grounded in knowing that we are loved by him and promised a place in his kingdom.

Sunday’s Services

Carolyn Hothersall is preaching this week in our circuit online worship. If you are still struggling to access these services, then please email me and I will forward to you the YouTube link once it is available (usually on a Saturday).  Then all you need to do is click the link which I email to you and you will be able to watch the service.

Don’t forget that the President of Conference: Rev Richard Teal is preaching at the District Zoom service at 7pm on Sunday evening.

If you would like to join in this worship you will need to contact the District Office for the login details:  lancashiredistrictzoom@aol.com before 1pm on Friday.

11th October Worship – download

Tuesday’s Zoom Bubble

On Tuesday this week, eight of us joined together for our first zoom fellowship bubble and we looked at the Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard.  This next Tuesday we will be looking more deeply at the Parable of the Wedding Banquet.  Each week stands alone so if you would like to come along, please feel free.

Information for all leaders whose groups usually meet at Church

In order to fill in this year’s Annual Return, Bryan Noon needs a copy of the accounts (preferably audited if you can arrange it) for each group which meets on church premises (even though you haven’t met for 6 months, he still needs a copy of your audited accounts for the time you were meeting).  Please can you email them to him at bryannoon@hotmail.co.uk as soon as possible.

Prayer handbooks

If you ordered a Methodist Prayer Handbook from me, you should receive it through the post (or hand delivered) in the next few days.  If yours doesn’t arrive by Tuesday, please let me know.  I have one spare handbook, so if anyone would like a copy, they are £4.50 and contain suggested bible readings and a hymn for every day of the year, also a set of prayers for each day of the month: praying for the people and church throughout various areas of the world and in our own country.

Scams

There are a lot of scams happening at the moment, especially in relation to the track and trace service.  Please be very careful and never give your personal details or bank details to anyone you don’t know on the phone or via email.  Jeff Whittle has kindly forwarded some helpful advice from another church’s newsletter which I have copied below.

Church Family News:

I have some more sad news to share with you this week, and that is to say that Mel P sadly died earlier on this week.  He has been struggling for a while and certainly appreciated the calls and prayers of the church family.  He told Chris L, that he only wished he had met us all sooner.  I don’t have any more details of a service for Mel but I will let you know when I do.

The Funeral service for the late Pat E will be held at Charnock Richard Crematorium on Tuesday morning.  Pat had her funeral planned in minute detail and this included a Thanksgiving Service at Leyland Methodist Church.  Because we can not fulfil many of her requests (due to the current regulations) her family have decided to postpone the Thanksgiving Service until such a time in the new year when we can all meet together again.

The service on Tuesday is mainly for the family, but they are going to live stream the service as several of her grandchildren across the world / country will not be able to be present.  Pat’s son Brian is more than happy for any of the church family to also watch this live stream.  If you email him on brian.eagle@blueyonder.co.uk he will give you all the details you need.

In order to get to Charnock Richard, the funeral director is going to take Pat via Leyland Methodist Church car park at approx.9.45am and then along Canberra Road and Church Road, to Beech Ave and Park Road (where Pat used to live) for around 10am.  If anyone would like to pay their respects to Pat, then please feel free to meet at either of those places or anywhere on the road between.

Ann D has asked me to share the following message:

  • “We wish to thank everyone for their cards, letters, phone calls, flowers & gifts but most of all their prayer support during these past weeks when Marilyn was so poorly before her passing and then Lynda`s unexpected death. It has been a traumatic time but your support in so many ways has made things easier. We are slowly working through all the necessary paper work and getting used to life without them, We thank God that they are now at rest. The love of the family at LMC is a great blessing and we thank God for it. Ann & Alan”

    Please also continue to pray for Ken and Lesley Stazicker as Lesley is back in Chorley hospital.

    It has been a particularly difficult time for our church family in the past few weeks with so much sad news, so please continue to hold each other in prayer, and may God’s love, peace and joy shine through.

    God Bless you all this week,

    Gill

    From Jeff Whittle which he found in another church’s newsletter:

    We have just had some new guidance from the Church of England about Track and Trace, the end bit is about how to tell if the person contacting you is from the NHS I thought you might be interested:

    What to do if the NHS contact you.

    Contact tracers will:

  • call you from 0300 013 5000
  • send you text messages from ‘NHS tracing’
  • ask you to sign into the NHS Test and Trace contact-tracing website
Contact tracers will never: 
  • ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to them (for example, those starting 09 or 087)
  • ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product or any kind
  • ask for any details about your bank account
  • ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
  • ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone
  • disclose any of your personal or medical information to your contacts
  • ask about protected characteristics that are irrelevant to the needs of test and trace
  • provide medical advice on the treatment of any potential coronavirus symptoms
  • ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else
  • ask you to access any website that does not belong to the government or NHS
Gill Welsh