Saturday Coffee Mornings restart on 14th September, with Wendy and Maureen (10:30 to midday). Proceeds will go to the charity Action for Children.
The remaining coffee mornings for 2024 are on 14th October, 9th November and 14th December. The BB are hosting the October date but we need volunteers for the other 2 please.
Today (8th) is Education Sunday, a special Sunday on which churches across England and Wales pray for all those who work in education, and pray for all those who learn. It has been celebrated for over 100 years.
Fairtrade fortnight starts tomorrow (9th). More details can be found here: Fairtrade Fortnight - Fairtrade
Pastoral Visitors meeting on Tuesday (10th). This is being held in the Coffee Cup which is the café just along from the church (as you walk towards Kingswood centre).
“England’s biggest free heritage festival, from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th September. Heritage open days are a great opportunity to explore new places, seek out hidden treasures, and enjoy the fantastic heritage South Gloucestershire has to offer, all for free. Details of new and returning South Gloucestershire venues are included.” To find out more about what’s going on around the country, visit the Heritage Open Days website.
And in Bristol Celebrate Heritage Open Days 2024 with a free New Room museum visit!. This is an opportunity to explore the rich heritage, community, and history of the New Room. From 11th to 14th September, the New Room is offering free museum tickets—a perfect chance to discover the world’s oldest Methodist building. Explore 12 rooms that bring the early days of Methodism to life, and delve into the challenges Wesley faced in his fight for social justice. Use the promo code HeritageDay to book your visit in advance, or head to their welcome desk and show the promo code to claim your ticket. Tickets are limited, so plan your visit quickly!
And at Staple Hill Methodist Church: Staple Hill Methodist Church | High Street, Staple Hill, Bristol, UK
Lectionary 8th to 14th September. Isaiah 35.4-7a; Psalm 146; James 2.1-10 (11-13) 14-17; Mark 7.24-37. Favouritism forbidden. James continues his letter by giving a vivid example of people being treated differently in the worshipping community, with the rich and important being favoured over the poor and needy. He is stark in his declaration that showing partiality in this way falls short of God’s standards. This passage also contains his famous pronouncement that faith without works is dead. This is a compelling reminder that God is merciful and we should do the same in our lives and our communities. Do we need to review our own practice of inclusion in worship and in our outreach? Who are we excluding and why?
The 3rd, and final one, of our 3 Summer Fun Finders was held on Thursday 29th August with another attendance in excess of 30. Thank you everyone who helped: your presence does make a big difference. Thank you also to the B&A Church in Gloucester Rd who provided the food, free of charge. The next round of Fun Finders will be our Christmas version. We normally hold 2 in this period but, as one of the Thursdays then will be Boxing Day, there will be just the one, on 2nd January 2025.
Starting on Thursday 5th, in Holy Trinity Church, from 11:30 to 1pm, the Kingswood Swap Shop. You can swop unwanted books and clothes, on a one for one basis.
Some of you will recall that, at a recent Chatback service, we discussed the impact music could have on us. This news item recently caught my eye: Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin investigated how singing various songs impacted the blood vessels of older individuals with heart disease. The findings revealed that those who regularly sang 'Amazing Grace,' experienced a significant improvement in endothelial function—a key indicator of the health of blood vessels surrounding the heart. The Beatles song ‘Hey Jude’ was the 2nd most effective song.
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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.