News and Coming Up

Worship on 18th October is on the theme of Black History Month. Although it is being led by P. J., a number of other people will be participating. We thank everyone involved for their contribution.

If you want to know more about the subject of Black History Month, the main Methodist web site has added some pages about it. https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/the-methodist-church/the-inclusive-methodist-church/black-history-month-2020/

One of the conditions under which the church is allowed to open is that we must have the windows open so that the room is properly ventilated.. We will have the heating on but you may wish to bear this in mind when you are deciding what to wear when you come to church. This rule is due to be reviewed in the light of colder weather approaching.

Thank you everyone who has made a Gift Day donation. It is not too late to make a donation, in fact it is never too late.

A number of our congregation are ill, in hospital or recovering from operations. Data Protection regulations prevent me from naming them without their permission. God knows who they are so please mention them in your prayers.

This is the end of Poverty Week. Here are a couple of stats: There were 4.2 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2018-19. That's 30 per cent of children, or nine in a classroom of 30. 44 per cent of children living in lone-parent families are in poverty. Lone parents face a higher risk of poverty due to the lack of an additional earner, low rates of maintenance payments, gender inequality in employment and pay, and childcare costs.

Church Council met on Wednesday (14th). A brief report will appear here next week.

A campaign calling for debt cancellation for people who have been swept into unavoidable debt in recent months was launched recently by the Joint Public Issues Team (of which the Methodist Church is a member) and Church Action on Poverty. The call is for the Government to create a Jubilee Fund to provide grants to pay off and cancel unavoidable debt accrued by the poorest households during the lockdown period, giving them a more stable platform from which to face the difficult winter ahead. Find out more here: https://resetthedebt.uk/

The Methodist Council has voted to request its advisory body (the Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment), to recommend disinvestment by the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church (CFB) from all oil and gas companies which are not currently aligned with the Paris Agreement target of a global temperature rise of well below 2 degrees.

This is the start of One World Week. This is about working together for a just, peaceful and sustainable world. Each year thousands of people take part in One World Week events across the country. The week always includes United Nations Day (24th October) although events can and do happen all year round. Events are organised by volunteers with the common purpose: To share understanding about some of the global issues that affect us all and to recognise we can all make a difference. See www.oneworldweek.org.

We have been having services every other week. However, we are about to break that pattern as our next service will be in 3 weeks’ time, not 2. This will allow us to have a service on Remembrance Sunday (8th).

Lectionary for 18th to 24th October. Isaiah 45.1-7; Psalm 96.1-9, (10-13); 1 Thessalonians 1.1-10; Matthew 22.15-22. Imitators and influencers. Paul and his companions gratefully greet those who responded joyfully to their gospel message. The Holy Spirit empowered the proclaiming and receiving of the word, and the faith, hope and love at work in the community are already inspiring others who hear of them. Think about living a life worth imitating.

Do not forget you need to book your seat for Services and please do it sooner rather than later. Also, if you do book but subsequently find you cannot attend, please let Peter know as soon as you can.

News of one of old friends. Chris Spencer was fully ordained as a priest in the Anglican church on 3rd October. He has passed on his thanks to everyone who supported him on his journey to this stage.

P. J. will again be championing the needs of youth homelessness by sleeping out on Friday, 6th November. This year because of the Covid-19 restrictions sleeper's are being asked to come up with different ways in which to sleep out. P. J. has decided she will park up on a street in Bristol and sleep out in her car. So, she is asking for your support again. There will be an online way to give as well as giving in other ways.

Thank you very much everyone who made a Harvest donation. We will be sending £200 to the Bristol Methodist Centre to help with their work with the homeless.

Thank you very much also everyone who collected for and/ or donated to JMA. During the year to 31st August £528.31 was raised. Thank you Marion for organising it.

Sunday, 11th October, should have been the Annual Re-dedication Service for the Youth Organisations.  Back in July the Church advised that the BB, Rainbows and Brownies would be unable to meet between September and December.  So, I thought I would let you know what the BB have been doing for the past 6 months and what the future holds. The BB were allowed to meet from 1st September for the first time, face-to-face, since March and after a lot of paperwork, completing Risk Assessments and being COVID ready, we decided to meet outside on Thursday 17th September at a local playing field.  It was great to meet up again and the Boys were all excited to see one another.  We have kept in touch with all our members since March, providing them with packs every two-three weeks, with things to make, cook, colour, word searches and puzzles.  Parents couldn’t thank us enough.  We also took part in a Battalion zoom quiz.  We are now meeting virtually (zoom) every week until Christmas and held our first session on the 24 September.  It was great to see so many taking part. We are hoping to meet face-to-face again. The Company had a lot to celebrate this year and we were hoping in the summer to celebrate Adam and Carl gaining their Queen’s Badges and my 50 years as an Officer.  But all that was put on hold.  Fortunately, Adam and Carl completed their final week-end in Devon at the beginning of March - we even had to get Carl back from Belfast to Exeter Airport - before lockdown, but because BBHQ was more or less closed with the majority of staff on furlough or made redundant, their badges did not arrive until the end of August.  So, I had the privilege of presenting their badges to them on the 4 September, taking photos in my garden.  Unfortunately, they will not be presented in Church.  Adam is off to Oxford University at the beginning of October to study History and we wish him all the best.  Carl has decided to take a gap year. We ask that you remember Adam and Carl, all the young people and Leaders connected to KMC in your prayers and thoughts, during these very uncertain times.

Sue Blower - Captain

A reminder that Methodist Conference has declared 2020/2021 a year of prayer so that our Church-wide commitments to evangelism, church growth, church at the margins, and pioneering and church planting will flow from a deep contemplative orientation to God’s grace and love. Be part of this movement of prayer as we ask the Holy Spirit to help us be a growing, evangelistic, inclusive, justice-seeking Church of gospel people. You can be part of it every Tuesday, from 12:45 to 1pm by joining the Online Prayer Meeting. Register for all future prayer meetings here.

If you want to join in a period of worship on line here are some options.                           Methodist Central Hall Westminster, Sundays 11.00, https://mchw.live                                                                                                                                                                              Wesley's Chapel London who will live-stream from the chapel, Sundays 11am, www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAUqhmhevz5sqhh72LIMxA                               

Swan Bank Methodist Church in Burslem, Sundays 10:30, www.youtube.com/user/SwanBank

Lectionary for 27th September to 3rd October. Ezekiel 18.1-4,25-32; Psalm 25.1-9; Philippians 2.1-13; Matthew 21.23-32. Make my joy complete. Living faith like it matters means having the same mind as Christ – who, leaving behind his former identity and taking on that of the lowest in society, let himself be humiliated on a cross. Think about being interested in the interests of others.

Ideally everyone should wear a mask the whole time they are in the building. However, it is recognised that, for a few people, for varying reasons, this is difficult, if not impossible. For such people it will be acceptable for them to wear a mask just when entering and leaving the premises. Whilst the service is running, they may remove the mask. Please let us know this when booking.

The fact that we are now open for worship should not be taken as an indication that other groups can start meeting again: this is most definitely NOT the case. Other than for worship, anyone who wants to enter the premises must contact Helen Shears first. 

If you cannot get to church but would still like to make your offertory, there are a number of ways of doing this. One way is to send Peter a cheque, made payable to Kingswood Methodist Church (the bank will not accept just KMC). Another way is to set up a monthly direct debit, Peter can provide the details. A 3rd way is to ask Peter to call on you and collect your envelopes – he can then also deliver your new ones.

It has been announced that it will not be possible to hold ‘Carols and Steam/ this year.

Our Preachers for the next 2 months are:

18th Oct – Rev P. J. Jackson (on the theme of Black History month)

8th Nov – Forward Maisokwadzo (Remembrance Sunday)

22nd Nov – Rev P. J. Jackson 

 

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.