Click on the image for a wonderful resource from St. Andrew’s United Reformed Church, Monkseaton, via the Windermere Centre
Click on the image for a wonderful resource from St. Andrew’s United Reformed Church, Monkseaton, via the Windermere Centre
Click here to download Newsletter March 2014
All the news of what’s going on for the next quarter – except there’s only this month left!!!!!
(This is a pdf of the newsletter – click on the link and it will open in a different window to your pc/device)
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Wisdom from above
who ord’rest all things through thy love;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in her ways to go:
O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
who to thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud, and majesty, and awe:
O come, thou Rod of Jesse,
free thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them vict’ry o’er the grave:
O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery:
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight:
O come, Desire of nations,
bring all peoples to their Saviour King;
thou Comer-stone, who makest one,
complete in us thy work begun:
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
Click here to download Newsletter December 2013
All the news of what’s going on for the next quarter – except there’s only this month left!!!!!
(This is a pdf of the newsletter – click on the link and it will open in a different window to your pc/device)
We collected 105 boxes of love and hope which are now on their way to Uganda!
Well done everybody for this fantastic effort – it really will make a difference to those who receive your gifts – So thanks!
Here’s a link to video we so spectacularly failed to show last week: Alex’s Story
Click here to download Newsletter September 2013
All the news of what’s going on for the next quarter – except there’s only this month left!!!!!
(This is a pdf of the newsletter – click on the link and it will open in a different window to your pc/device)
(Even if it come from the States this says it all…)
You are doing something really, really important. I know it’s not easy. I see you with your arms overflowing, and I know you came to church already tired. Parenting is tiring. Really tiring.
I watch you bounce and sway trying to keep the baby quiet, juggling the infant car seat and the diaper bag as you find a seat. I see you wince as your child cries. I see you anxiously pull things out of your bag of tricks to try to quiet them.
And I see you with your toddler and your preschooler. I watch you cringe when your little girl asks an innocent question in a voice that might not be an inside voice let alone a church whisper. I hear the exasperation in your voice as you beg your child to just sit, to be quiet as you feel everyone’s eyes on you. Not everyone is looking, but I know it feels that way.
I know you’re wondering, is this worth it? Why do I bother? I know you often leave church more exhausted than fulfilled. But what you are doing is so important.
When you are here, the church is filled with a joyful noise. When you are here, the Body of Christ is more fully present. When you are here, we are reminded that this worship thing we do isn’t about bible study or personal, quiet contemplation but coming together to worship as a community where all are welcome, where we share in the Word and Sacrament together. When you are here, I have hope that these pews won’t be empty in 10 years when your kids are old enough to sit quietly and behave in worship. I know that they are learning how and why we worship now, before it’s too late. They are learning that worship is important.
I see them learning. In the midst of the cries, whines, and giggles, in the midst of the crinkling of pretzel bags and the growing pile of crumbs, I see a little girl who insists on going two pews up to share peace with someone she’s never met. I hear a little boy slurping (quite loudly) every last drop of his communion wine out of the cup, determined not to miss a drop of Jesus. I watch a child excitedly color a cross and point to the one in the front of the sanctuary. I hear the echos of “Amens” just a few seconds after the rest of the community says it together. I watch a boy just learning to read try to sound out the words in the worship book or count his way to Hymn 672. Even on weeks when I can’t see my own children learning because, well, it’s one of those mornings, I can see your children learning.
I know how hard it is to do what you’re doing, but I want you to know it matters. It matters to me. It matters to my children to not be alone in the pew. It matters to the congregation to know that families care about faith, to see young people… and even on those weeks when you can’t see the little moments, it matters to your children.
It matters that they learn that worship is what we do as a community of faith, that everyone is welcome, that their worship matters. When we teach children that their worship matters, we teach them that they are enough right here and right now as members of the church community. They don’t need to wait until they can believe, pray or worship a certain way to be welcome here, and I know adults who are still looking to be shown that. It matters that children learn that they are an integral part of this church, that their prayers, their songs, and even their badly (or perfectly-timed, depending on who you ask) cries and whines are a joyful noise because it means they are present.
I know it’s hard, but thank you for what you do when you bring your children to church. Please know that your family — with all of its noise, struggle, commotion, and joy — are not simply tolerated, you are a vital part of the community gathered in worship.
This post originally appeared on I Am Totally *That* Mom.
Click here to download Newsletter June 2013
All the news of what’s going on for the next quarter.
(This is a pdf of the newsletter – click on the link and it will open in a different window to your pc/device)
DATE | SERVICE | DOOR | VESTRY |
6-Jan-13 | Christine | Sue | |
13-Jan-13 | Communion Service | Joan | Andy |
20-Jan-13 | Maureen | Jill | |
27-Jan-13 | Family Communion Service/Church Parade | James | Val |
3-Feb-13 | Julie | Maureen | |
10-Feb-13 | Communion Service | Andy | Mark |
17-Feb-13 | Val | Christine | |
24-Feb-13 | Family Service | Mark | Julie |
3-Mar-13 | Sue | Joan | |
10-Mar-13 | Communion Service | Jill | James |
17-Mar-13 | Christine | Sue | |
24-Mar-13 | Joan | Andy | |
31-Mar-13 | Easter Sunday – Family Communion Service | Maureen | Jill |
7-Apr-13 | James | Val | |
14-Apr-13 | Communion Service | Julie | Maureen |
21-Apr-13 | Andy | Christine | |
28-Apr-13 | Val | Mark |