Gift Day raised £1601.50. Thank you very much everyone who contributed.
Now available, at the back of the church, the latest edition of the Methodist Homes for the Aged magazine.
Today (13th) is Action for Children Sunday. The theme this year is ‘Driven by love, we take action for children’. Self-conscious in too-small uniform. Worried hearing a parent trying to sort out the next bill. Making excuses to miss a friend’s birthday. Left in the classroom, while the rest of the class go on a trip. Poverty is relentless. And it doesn’t just affect their childhood. The harms caused by child poverty can last a lifetime. The latest magazine can be found here: ACT0228_AfC_Sunday_Newsletter_April_2025_DIGITAL.pdf
Kingswood Town Council and the Friends of Kingswood Park are hosting an outdoor cinema in Kingswood Park on Saturday 9th August. Being shown from 4.15pm to 4.45pm is Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. From 5.15pm to 6:45pm, The Lion King (1994) is showing. The final film is The Greatest Showman, from 7.15pm to 9:30pm.
Weekly giving envelopes for the year 25/26 are now available, at the back of the church. Thank you Bob for arranging this.
Seafarers and fishers play a vital role in all of our lives, but they often work in difficult, hazardous conditions. Sea Sunday is today (13th). It is when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea.
Kingswood Foodbank needs are tins of toms, fruit & meat, crisps, jars of coffee, pasta & curry sauces, cartons of long-life milk, cartons of fruit juice (both picnic size & larger), 330ml (or similar) bottles of water, small bags of sugar, deo, hair conditioner, toilet roll and sun protection cream etc for children.
Friday (18th) is Nelson Mandela Day. This day is observed annually on Nelson Mandela's birthday to honour his legacy and promote positive change through service and action. The day encourages individuals to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to service, reflecting the 67 years Mandela spent fighting for social justice.
Anyone know where the small table that normally sits just inside the side door has gone?
Lectionary 13th to 19th July. Deuteronomy 30.9-14; Psalm 25.1-10; Colossians 1.1-14; Luke 10.25-37. Encouraging words. At the start of his letter to the Christians at Colossae, Paul commends them for their faith in Jesus, which is bearing good fruit. He prays that they may continue to build up a community of love and mutual encouragement where everyone’s needs are met. Encouraging words are so important for ensuring people have the confidence to do the things that are asked of them. Think about how you can encourage others, what words can you use?
The Reverend Richard Andrew is the new President of the Methodist Conference, In his address to Conference he included these words: “I believe that the rumours of our death have been greatly exaggerated because God is faithful, Christ is risen and the Spirit blows amongst us, wherever she wills, drawing and calling us into new life, new hope, new community, new creation. It has always been so and for those who wish to join in, it offers not only the most exciting of futures but also a glimpse into our true vocation in Christ. Our hope and convictions about the future are born not out of our present experience of history, important though that it is, but from an enduring sense of God’s faithfulness and desire in Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit to make the new heaven and the new earth.”. The full address can be read on the Methodist Church web site.
At Conference, 21 presbyters and 3 deacons were welcomed into Full Connexion,
Amongst the decisions taken at Conference was one to revise the Church’s authorised liturgies (the Worship Book). This decision sets in motion a major project to equip the Church with new and revised liturgical resources, available in a wide variety of formats, including digital and printed versions. The first stage of the process is to consider the style and language to be used in the resources, in order to enable the Church’s worship to be as inclusive as possible, in line with the Conference’scommitments in its strategy for Justice, Dignity and Solidarity.
The Conference received a fresh call to strengthen support for its military chaplains as global tensions grow. A report from the Methodist Forces Board warns that rising security threats mean church communities need to understand what it means to “be church” during times of conflict and be ready with practical and theological resources. Ecumenical work with the Church of England is already underway to create materials rooted in scripture and Methodist teaching to help churches reflect on issues of war and peace and offer better support for military personnel and their families.
It has now been over 1 year since The Bristol Methodist Centre became Turnaround. In their latest Newsletter, we are told “We’ve already secured planning permission to expand and improve the building, and we hope that work will start on this in the spring of next year.” As always, your prayers for the wonderful work they do would be much appreciated.
From S Glos News: “The much-loved Fun in the Park event is back at Kingswood Park. Entry to the event is free, so why not join us on Sunday 13 July from 11am to 4pm for a family-friendly celebration with live music, circus skills, funfair rides, a bouncy castle, stalls with local crafts and goodies, and food trucks. Any proceeds will go to the Friends of Kingswood Park, helping to fund even more great events in the future.”
A reminder. We now have a list at the back of the church which allows you to volunteer to do one of the Bible readings on a nominated Sunday. Please do add your name and save Sue constantly having to seek out readers. A reminder is needed as, last time I looked, no one had signed up.
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.