Notices blog

Hi all,

Hope you are keeping well. During the past week Josh has started a new fitness challenge with school that has seen Helen running the streets of Elburton with him. We have been busy with school work and the normalities of daily life at home. As an example Helen cut the grass, and without cutting the cable which is a rare treat, that cable has been getting shorter for many years. I also took my longest journey since March, venturing all the way to Crownhill, for work, ooooh. 

I'm also pleased to see the bear statue that lives with one of our near neighbours has started to wear a face mask! 

I do need to share with you some truly sad news this week, as we learnt of the passing of our dear friend Margaret Peacock. Margaret has been such an active and joyful part of our fellowship for many years. I am sure she will be deeply missed by us all. I have enjoyed receiving her encouraging emails. Her final days where spent at home with Rachel and were a peaceful time. During our service today I have taken a moment to pray for Margaret and her family, I hope you will add to those prayers. The funeral will take place on the 20th of July at 1:15. It will be family only at the venue but you can join on-line from home. If you would like to do so please drop me an email and I will share with you the joining details.

Below is a photo of some Agapanthas, if you are wondering why, join us at 1030 tomorrow for our worship.

 

We hope you will have a great and blessed week!

Much love !

 Jon, Helen, Josh and Beth xx

 

SERVICES

You can find all our services on our Church website here….

http://www.elburtonmethodist.org.uk/index.php/video-services

FEEDBACK

Tristan and I would love to receive your formal feedback please. We need one formal review for each service we submit as a part of our portfolios so if you are able to compete a form now and then that would be great! You can find them here :-) Feedback

Thank you !

Jon

Contact Details

Mobile:  07884 232829
Land line:  01752 480319
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElburtonMethodist
Website http://www.elburtonmethodist.org.uk 
Circuit https://www.facebook.com/PDMethodist

The NOTICES

Please remember you can get these notices via our notices blog on this page of our website: http://www.elburtonmethodist.org.uk/index.php/notices-blog so if you don't get this email do check there, anytime.

PRAYER

For those who would like to we are continuing our Wednesday prayers, starting at 7pm we are each praying at home. We end at 715 with the Lord's prayer. You can find out more on our website.

Zoom Security

Hi all, Janet has asked me to make you aware of a recent Zoom scam, details in the document below....

From Brenda

BARLEY
Our daily dog walk often take us through sown fields of various grains and plants: wheat, oats, rape, maize and even potatoes! In one field, this year, the farer has been growing a crop of barley, sown last October. We have watched the tiny shots appear like fine grass, not knowing what it will turn out to be. Gradually with warmth and rain the growth reveals short, stiff hairs breaking through the tops of the stalks, like miniature paint brushes. The bright green seed heads soon shoot upwards showing the promise of a full head of seeds. As the colours change to a creamy soft yellow the seed heads with their long ‘whiskers’ begin to turn downwards as if in preparation to drop their seeds at the right time. Now is the waiting time until everything is right for the harvest; colour, moisture content, and period of dry weather.
This year, in this field, there has been something else. The autumn grain must have contained a ‘rogue’ seed that has developed into a tall, dark green weed among the
golden barley.
Does this remind you of one of Jesus’ stories? We read in Matthew 13: 25 – 30 the words:
‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared also.’ In Jesus’ time this was a method of war activity. If an enemy did this ‘sowing’ at the time the wheat was planted (sown?) it was almost impossible to distinguish the young shoots. If left to grown the weeds (a species of darnel grass) could cause damage to the corn, and even worse when harvested with the grain would prove poisonous to those who had the bad fortune to eat them. 
I think Jesus was telling us to be alert, (where have we heard that word recently!) to anything in our lives that creeps in unnoticed to take us away from the way God
wants us to grow.  Even in times of lock-in, when we are receiving so much information about covid-19 and its effects, this material can cause some people to be more worried and scared of the future. Seeds of doubt, insecurity and fear are just as dangerous as wicked deeds and unkind thoughts. Let them know who to turn to for support, reassurance and love, - Jesus our loving Saviour.
Perhaps this time of lock-down has given us moments to consider our pressured lives and to weed out the unnecessary and over-important things. The sower in the
story had been ‘sleeping’ while the ‘enemy’ worked. We can ask God to keep us aware of temptations and bad thoughts that affect us from our earliest days.  Our field will be harvested by magnificent giants of machinery which will separate the good grain and the weed seed. May we draw upon God’s greatness and loving power to bring us safely into his Kingdom. May we draw upon his everlasting love to redeem any who are overcome by the seeds of evil.

PRIVATE-PRAYER

There has been some discussion around re-opening the building for private prayer. Di has asked me to advise you that the stewards and Simon have taken the decision not to do so. Please do join us Wednesdays at 7.

PRIVATE PRAYER from Tony

We could open this church building for private prayer – but we won’t.
Why not? Because if you came here to pray we’d have to:
Make you wash or sanitise your hands at the door.
Instruct you to wear a mask.
Ask you if you had covid symptoms, underlying health problems or feel unwell (and turn you away if the answer to any of those was “Yes”).
Tell you which seat you could sit in.
Warn you not to sing.
Make sure you left by a different door.
Then clean and sanitise every surface you touched.
Alternatively you could:
Sit in an armchair at home with a cup of tea.
Sit on a bench watching the birds.
Walk along the sea front, and talk to God just as easily.
You don’t need special words, a special place, special objects or special people to talk to God.
He loves you, and He’s listening. So just do it.
This church building is still shut. The ears of heaven are not!

JAM & IMPACT

Please do remember these both take place via Zoom each Sunday at 10:30. Please contact me for joining details.

COFFEE MORNINGS

Please remember Denise hosts a coffee morning at 1030 each Saturday on Zoom, please get in touch for zoom details.