News and Coming Up

There will be a Pastoral Visitors meeting at the church at 7:30pm on Thursday 5^th September. There is an urgent need for more Pastoral Visitors, a very important church role, as the numbers we have are declining. If you would like to know more about what is involved please have a word with P. J. or Val Jeanes.

The Newsletter for 8^th September will be prepared by Lynda Stone. Shcan be contacted on 0117 967 9966 or at lyndastone@pobroadband.co.uk.

Ladies Circle restarts on Tuesday 3^rd September.

Our Harvest Festival this year is on Sunday 15^th September with P. J.

Please remember in your prayers Amy and Lily who are about to take the big step of moving from Primary School to Secondary School.

News of our former Minister Dee Yeadon: she is getting married, to Andy Marsh, on 7^th September.

There will a Circuit Welcome Service on Sunday 1^st September at 4pm at The New Room for ministers joining the Circuit, namely the Reverend Sally Spencer and the Reverend Leigh Maydew. The Preacher will be the Chair of the District, the Reverend Dr Jonathan Pye. The Reverend Leigh will be the Minister at Yate so will be in our cluster.

Each year from, 1^st September to 4^th October, the Christian family celebrates ‘The Season of Creation’. As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common role as stewards of God’s creation. We see that our wellbeing is interwoven with its wellbeing. We should rejoice in this opportunity to care for our common home and the sisters and brothers who share it. This year, the theme for the season is biodiversity, God’s web of life. During the season we are invited to consider the unique value of each creature in God’s wondrously complex web of life.

Are you part of the weekly collection envelope system? If not do you know what it is? Well, for each week of the Methodist Year there is an envelope in which you can place your weekly collection. The envelopes serve as a reminder that our church needs our giving every week whether we are at church that week or not. If you miss a week, for any reason, the unused envelope is a reminder that we need to catch up. Bob Helson can give you more details. An alternative to the envelope scheme is to set up a standing order or direct debit with your bank to make monthly payments to the churches bank account. Wendy Priddle can give you the necessary details. Either way, if you are a tax payer, you can ‘gift aid’ your donations allowing the church to reclaim 25p for every £1 you donate. Emma Wakeman can give you on advice on this.

‘One Chapel, Many Voices’, an exhibition of memories and stories of The New Room. It is on every day except Sunday, from 10:30am to 4pm, running until 30^th August. At The New Room, free admission.

In the news. The Church of England's governing body has backed steps to unite it with the Methodist Church and heal a centuries-old schism. Members of the General Synod have voted to formally declare a new relationship of communion between the two churches. It comes two years after a joint report: Mission and Ministry in Covenant, which set out how clergy from each church could begin to serve in the other.  The House of Bishops will report on drawing up draft texts around declaring the new communion after elections to the new General Synod next year.

In her address to the Methodist Conference, the new President, the Reverend Dr Barbara Glasson used stories from her own life and ministry to reveal how we can find a “fragile strength” and from being present in difficult places we can, “surprise ourselves once again with the way of Jesus”. She said: “We are called to tell stories, to listen to stories and to wrestle with stories, to search for truth not fake news, to challenge the malicious stories we tell about each other and to go on believing that as people of creation, exodus, crucifixion, wilderness wandering and even in exile we can still claim the hope of resurrection and the gracious promise of life in all its fulness.’

Also at Methodist Conference, a new set of principles outlining the qualities of good relationships was commended for prayerful discussion and response across the Church over the next year. The report, “God in Love Unites Us”, makes a number of proposals, including: an understanding of cohabitation, approval to allow same-sex couples to marry in Methodist churches, resources and liturgies to celebrate civil partnerships should be produced and prayers for when marriages end in divorce should be compiled. After District Synods have had the opportunity to consider the proposals, final resolutions will be voted on at Conference 2020.

Just opened, and being run by 4 local churches, ‘The Meeting Place’ is in what was once Chris Skidmore’s constituency office (47, High Street). It is described as a place to be if you need time to stop, think and reflect. Opening times vary, depending upon availability of the volunteers. For more information see the fliers that are around the church.

The purpose of Kingswood Methodist Church is to respond to God's Love in Christ and to live out that love in God's world.