An outdoor Service of Remembrance will take place by the War Memorial at St Bartholomew’s Church, #Meltham – Sunday 8th November at 10:45am. Due to the current Covid lockdown restrictions, this will be very different from usual. The Royal British Legion is encouraging individuals to stay at home, and stand on their doorstep to mark the 2 minute silence. To assist with this, we will live stream the ceremony on YouTube from 10:45am so individuals can take part from home. https://youtu.be/oC7RthCCDfM
There will be the traditional laying of wreaths at the War Memorial by the local organisations – however we encourage just one representative from each organisation to take part to help manage social distancing etc.
On Sunday 1st November, the Church at large celebrated the feast day of ‘All Saints’.
Today as we circulate our weekly prayer sheet, it’s Monday 2nd November, the day we pray for departed souls.
May I suggest we make time to pray for all the saints and all souls throughout the week, holding them in our minds eye. A good way to Start is with thanksgiving and praise to God our Father.
Spend a while in quiet. Invite the Holy Spirit into the space you are creating. Become aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit, with you now… the Spirit who works in you…
A Reading from Ephesians 1:11-14
11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Why do you seek God in prayer?
What are you looking for? . . .
Would you like proof that you are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit?
When you spend time: listening, seeking, desiring God, this is evidence that the Holy Spirit is in you and at work in you . . .
This Spirit invites you to be a person of hope.
How is Christ inviting you to hope?
If at times you find yourself with diminished hope, you’re not alone. It doesn’t mean you’ve lost the Spirit. It means you’re alive and life involves struggle.
Speak to God about the challenges of holding on to hope… Read the scripture again, see if you can catch something of the bigger picture. God can see and invites you to glimpse hope through the merits of the saints and souls gone before us.
Ponder the presence of God’s Holy Spirit within you: the pledge of your inheritance!
A Prayer for All Saints Day
By Jan Richardson
God of the generations,
when we set our hands to labour, thinking we work alone,
remind us that we carry
upon our lips, the words of the prophets,
in our veins, the blood of martyrs,
in our eyes, the mystics’ visions, and
in our hands, the strength of thousands.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
As I am sending this email out I am reminded that the first one that was sent was at the beginning of the first Lockdown and it was on the suggestion of two members of Churches Together that we could pray daily at a specific time knowing that others would be praying with us. Obviously this time is not always possible for some but these prayers can be used at any appropriate time during the week. As we enter into a second lockdown let us take with us the words from a song sung by Ladysmith Mambaza ‘Keep praying; ask the Lord for help. For he is powerful. That is your weapon; do not lose it. Pray without ceasing, for the Lord is powerful.’
Hello! Welcome to the Anniversary edition celebrating 175 years of St James’ Church. This month is jam packed full of memories, photos and tributes to St James’ Church, including letters from past vicars. If you’re not familiar with the Church then have a look and take trip through time.
However, it is not just about the anniversary there is an update from the Foodbank and don’t miss out on what’s been happening at St Mary’s. Learn about the Virtual Crisis coffee morning Meltham Shoebox Appeal!
The #Meltham shoe box warehouse at St James’ Church Meltham Mills is now open to receive your gift filled shoe boxes!
This season please consider giving a few practical gifts, all wrapped up in hope, that will bring a little bit of Christmas sparkle and joy into a child’s life.
Every year the charity Teams4U sends Christmas shoeboxes, packed full of love and hope, to children in deprived communities overseas. Since their first appeal in 2013, T4U have given over 221,000 shoeboxes, spreading a bit of the magic and joy of the Christmas season.
“Every shoebox contains a memory, one that over the years they will remember and treasure. Each box tells the child ‘someone, somewhere, cares for you, has thought of you.”
In these challenging times, whilst the world is reeling from the effects of the pandemic, children everywhere are struggling without school, without friends, and some, even, without toys or something to do. For these children, in orphanages or living in the most marginalised communities, this pandemic has made the world an ever bleaker and desperate place.
“Christmas is coming, whether we’re there for these children or not. But, I think, right now we need to be more present for them. Now is the biggest need.”
How can you help? Teams4U say each gift is like a Christmas stocking in a shoebox – an assortment of essential items such as stationery for school, toiletries, winter woollies, hair accessories etc. plus a few small toys and sweets. You can drop these off at the following drop-off points: Crossroads Shop. Meltham. St. James’ Church Meltham Mills.
The charity requests a small monetary donation of £2.50 in addition to each shoebox to help support the costs of transportation.
For more information on the Shoebox Appeal and to find your nearest drop-off point please call T4U’s regional coordinator for West Yorkshire. Meltham Shoe box 07954784317
Unable to make a box yourself: This year, in addition to accepting donated shoeboxes, T4U have a Sponsor-a-Box scheme and for £15 will make up a gift on your behalf. Visit their website www.teams4u.com or ring their office to learn more: 01978 310110.
Thursday the 15 October, was the feast day of St Teresa of Avila.
“Pray as you Go” a short daily offering of worship can be followed online and it offers an introduction, Bible reading, Thought for the Day followed by a conclusion and prayer.
So, on the 15th Christine and I heard the Community of Taizé singing in Spanish, ‘Nada te Turbe’. The words are taken from one of St Teresa of Avila’s most famous sayings: “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience wins all things. They lack nothing who possess God. God alone is enough.”
This saying of St Teresa is worth keeping in mind as we pray today. It is worthy of holding before us as we go about our daily lives.
A reading from the Letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians 1:3-10
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
This is beautiful prose and an astounding message. We know God loves every person and even ‘all things.”
God loves everything in the Universe. God loves every star, every planet, every rock, every tree, every animal, every person. God loves you. You are utterly loved by God. You are so loved that God wants to spend eternity with you . . .
This can seem too good to be true and therefore difficult to take in.
Let this God look at you now with love
Consider how God loves all of Creation and wants to “gather up all things in Christ” …
Note how in the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks of God’s Plan for those He loves, and wants to share Eternity with.
REFLECTION
In the quiet read through the sheet again and try to appreciate what is being claimed here.
What do you want to say to this God who loves all things and who loves you?
Let the Holy Spirit lead you into your conversation with God the Father.
Give thanks for all His Love and all His Spiritual Blessings that He pours out on us.
“Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience wins all things. They lack nothing who possess God. God alone is enough.”
A PRAYER PLEADING FOR HELP AS THE COVID VIRUS AFFECTS MORE AND MORE LIVES AS WE TRY TO GAIN CONTROL
Show us that you are here Lord, that you have not abandoned us to our fate.
Show us you are not blind to our needs or deaf to our entreaties.
Show us that, though everything seems to suggest otherwise, you are with us in this crisis we are facing- that we are not alone.
Show us, above all, that we matter to you; that you care about what so many are going through; that you are hurting with us, weeping with us and reaching out to us, seeking to help, to hold and to heal. Amen
Let us Pray for our community and all the good will in supporting one another.
Also let us Pray for those involved with the Food Bank, and pray for those known to us who need our prayers.
Read all about it! Read all about it! Find out all that happened in 2019 across the Parish of Meltham, Christ the King. Please read the report which covers all our 4 churches before the APCM on Wednesday. There’s a lot goes on!
Please pray for the Vicar and all those who have worked hard keeping things going in our churches and that others will also come forward and offer to service in the various offices – remember, YOUR church needs YOU!
