1006 June 2010
1006 June 2010
1006 June 2010
uk
June 2010 Newsletter
St Ives Methodist Church
27, The Waits,
St Ives,
Cambridgeshire.
PE27 5BY
Sunday Services
Rev Matt Finch
6th June 10:30am
Holy Communion
Simon Oliver
13th June 10:30am
MHA Sunday
Margaret Harris
20th June 10:30am
All Age Worship
Children’s corner
Activities are available at the back of church. Please
feel free to join us at any time during the service.
Church Meetings
St Ives Methodist Church (SIMC) run various groups that meet on
different days of the week. For more details of a specific group’s
events, please pick up a leaflet from the leaflet rack in the
corridor opposite the kitchen.
Day Time Meeting
Mondays Fellowship and Bible
2-4 pm House Group
(alternate weeks) Study
9:30 – Morning Prayers / A special time of
Tuesdays
10am Communion reflection
Taking a closer look at the church, statistics predict that ‘church going’ will be
at around 2% of the population in 2018, with virtually no-one aged between
20-40. Due to this worrying picture churches, at local and national level, are
encouraging creative, imaginative and yet untried ways of being church. There
is permission and great potential for us as disciples of Jesus to see our new and
varied way of expressing the hope of God!
This thinking has not past us by, in recent weeks, the Circuit Leadership Team
have announced that from September I will be stationed solely in St Ives. The
reason for this brave decision is the great potential for us to reach the 20-40s
generation and find patterns of church and worship for them. The Circuit
leadership believes we could lead the way for other churches to follow in
developing this work and remaining faithful to other aspects of established
patterns of church.
The changes will inevitably bring many questions and please do ask them! The
way ahead is exciting but not completely clear. We will make mistakes but
have many successes to enjoy. To this end, I would invite you to play your part
in thinking and reflecting, and to be gracious in your engaging with and praying
for this great opportunity for us. God has good things for us!
Every blessing,
Matt Finch.
Church Events
All Age Worship
Sunday morning church on 20th June will be an all age worship
service. Musicians supporting our sung worship this month will
include a saxophonist. All are welcome to join us at 10:30am. Do
you have a hidden musical talent that you might be willing to use
occasionally to contribute to our worship? Speak to the
leadership team if you’re interested.
Circle of Light
You are invited to drop in to this monthly Music Therapy session
between 3:30pm and 5:00pm in Small Meeting Room on Tuesday
15th June. If you’d like to know more about this ministry, contact
Peter Shearer on 07879 637607 or search on our website, where
you can also find some of Peter’s music to listen to.
Afternoon Fellowship
The Tuesday Afternoon Fellowship apologise for any confusion
caused from the mistake in the original printed programme. Ruth
Jeffries (nee Horton) will be speaking on June 8th at 2pm and the
programme thereafter will continue as printed Everyone is
welcome to all meetings. Contact Pat Wass (01480) 351462.
Church Family News
Your prayers are particularly asked at this time for many
members of our church family.
Please hold in your hearts this month our elderly members who
are too numerous to mention all by name.
We also hold in our hearts June Lawrence; Steve Mear; Brian and
Dorothy Suttie; Joyce Foster and for Joyce Davies .
Please also pray for for Connie and Ray Rogers who are both
house-bound and increasingly frail. Connie celebrated her 94th
birthday on June 1st, and Ray will be 88 years old on June 18th.
They are still very much part of our Church family and are always
anxious to hear our Church news.
We also remember Jim Dale and Bill Gurry, who also are
increasingly frail, and are now both 97yrs old.
Please pray for the individuals from our church family named in
this newsletter and hold them in your prayers throughout June.
Please also pray for those not named but whose needs are known
personally to God.
Please give thanks for the opportunities Open Door and our
afternoon social group give to allow folk a chance to get out the
house and socially meet others during the day.
Please also pray for the crucial role pastoral visitors and others
are able to play for those folk who are unable to leave their
homes, and for our continued witness in local care homes in our
town.
Weekly Offerings
The weekly offerings received recently have been as follows:
May 2nd £559.06 May 16th £404.76
May 9th £456.41 May 23rd £501.11
Thank you for your continued donations to support our ministry.
Café Services
Thank you to everybody who made last months café service
happen. It was a very enjoyable time and it would not have been
possible without the many hands that helped. Thank you also for
the thoughtful and constructive comments given and received in
love. We will make sure they are taken on board when we plan
our next one. If you would like to be involved in planning future
services please let Rev Matt Finch know.
Gift Day
Sunday 23rd May was our Gift Day, which this year focussed on
the Mission and Ministry of the church. Gift day donations can
continue to be received throughout June. £1611 had already
been received before the end of May. Information booklets and
envelopes are available from the back of the church or from
simc.co.uk/giftday. Donations can also be accepted online. Thank
you for your support of the Mission and Ministry of this church.
Marathon Effort
Due to volcanic ash disruption, John Finch was unable to return
to the UK after a family holiday to take part in the Virgin London
Marathon on 25th April. John received many generous offers of
sponsorship for the children’s charity Whizz Kids. John intends to
take part in the Experian Robin Hood Marathon in Nottingham on
Sunday 12th September as a replacement. Thank you for your
support.
Are you willing to join a small team to keep the outside of the
church looking bright and attractive? Perhaps you could help with
a little spot of weeding once a month? Could you commit to
giving the flowers a quick water every so often? Perhaps you’d
enjoy offering a helping hand once in a while. This need not be an
onerous task and with a few hands can be spread round easily.
Perhaps you’d be willing to co-ordinate a small group of
gardening volunteers? If you think you can help, in any way, no
matter how small it may seem, please let someone on the
leadership team know. Thank you.
Lined up for July we have the Open Air service but the canvas is
blank. How about beginning the tradition of a carol service on the
Waits with mince pies? What about Lent and Easter Day? If this
has got your taste buds and imaginations working please let the
leadership team know of ideas that you might have of using the
Waits and giving to the town. Rev Matt Finch
They knew he had some associations with the St. Ives Wesleyan
Church in the mid 19th century, but didn't even know if the
Church was still in existence.
Brian Suttie recalled that in the boiler area at the front of the
Church there was a plaque to someone by the name of Barton,
and on investigation, imagine their absolute delight to discover it
was the very William Barton that were trying to trace!
Barbara Cooper
June:feature
Each month the newsletter will include a special feature about one
particular part of our church or church members. For this month we
look at exactly why Methodist Homes Sunday is an important
fundraising day for this 65-year old charity.