EASTER SERVICES

Sunday April 13th 10:30 - Palm Sunday Service in church

Maundy Thursday April 17th 6:00 - Communion Service at St Thomas's Barrowford

Good Friday April 18th 10:30 - Service  in church

Good Friday April 18th 3:00 - Pendle Summit Services on Pendle Hill or at Barley Methodist Chapel

Easter Sunday April 20th 10:30 - Service in church
 

Minister's Update Feb/Mar 2025

Hello everyone – In our preaching and teaching so far this year, we have been looking at the seven miraculous signs performed by Jesus and reported in the gospel of John. These signs point towards belief in Jesus and the spiritual life that can be found by putting our faith in him. This spiritual connection with God through faith in Jesus brings us spiritual nourishment, life and resources for our lives in this world, and the assurance of eternal life in the next. This connection must be the foundation for and source of the communication of our faith to those who do not yet know him. As we share our faith in the way that we live and the things that we say, we must trust that it is the Holy Spirit who is able to draw people to Jesus.

Lent Course – As we move towards Easter, we will be engaging in a Lent course in our Thursday afternoon group (1:00 in the coffee lounge) and Thursday evening bible discussion group (7:30 either on Zoom or in the coffee lounge). This will take us through various aspects of the life of Jesus in the gospels as we prepare to remember his death and celebrate his resurrection at Easter. It starts on Thursday March 13th.

Romans Course – The discipleship group, meanwhile, is starting a course developed by the Bible Society on the book of Romans. This group meets every Thursday evening at 7:30 in the upstairs lounge, and the course starts on Feb 20th. Please ask for details.

Working with other churches – We are enjoying building good relationships with the other churches in Wheatley Lane and Barrowford. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was a great success, with people gathering eagerly to worship and pray together. There was an obvious desire to be together at other times during the year, rather than just for one week in January, so we have met with the leaders from the other churches to talk about what other opportunities there might be to express our unity in Christ, so that we might show the world that he came. The Methodist Church and St Thomas's are both doing Lent courses which anyone is welcome to join. Please ask for details, and watch out for other events as the year progresses.

Local Community Project – As you will know, last year, in conjunction with the local community, we raised enough money to buy an ambulance for the ACTS ministry in Burkina Faso. Having met with the other local leaders, we would like this year to raise money for the work of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in this area. CAP is an international organisation working with local churches to help people in debt. We are blessed to have a CAP centre operating effectively in Burnley and Pendle, and we are in the process of consulting with them to find out how we can best help them in their work. Donations to this project can be given via Wheatley Lane Methodist Church, the Inghamite Church, St Thomas's Barrowford or Higherford Methodist Church and there will also be events throughout the year which will present opportunities to give. The most immediate of these are two Irish nights, one at the Sparrowhawk pub on Saturday March 15th and the other at the Pendle Forest Sports Club on Saturday March 22nd (times to be announced). Matt and John and a few friends will be playing a selection of Irish songs. Why Irish nights? Because Match 17th is St Patrick's Day, of course. Please think about coming to one or both of these events. Each of these venues is a community hub, so these are good opportunities to engage with people in our neighbourhood.

Toddle in to Church – Our Mum's and Tot's group on a Monday morning continues to draw good numbers, and is always very much enjoyed. We do have a growing need, however, in that we quite often need volunteers to step in when the regular helpers are unwell or away. Please consider whether you would be able to help out occasionally.

Care Homes – Please pray for the continuing work in care homes. We are always very well received as we go into the three care homes we serve every month. Please pray that God will touch the hearts of residents and staff as we minister to them.

Leadership Groups – Two groups in our fellowship are responsible for its leadership. One is the Pastoral Team, which looks after the pastoral, ministry and spiritual elements of the life of the church, and the other is the Trustees Team, which deals with administration, legislation, organisation and the fabric of the church. There is, of course, an overlap between the two as the teams work together. Everyone involved in these groups works very hard to ensure that the church is moving forward in obedience to the leading of God's Holy Spirit. Please ask if you'd like to know more about the work of these groups.

Prayer – Thank you to everyone who regularly prays for the fellowship and its members, and also to those who attend the prayer meetings at 7:30 on Tuesday evenings on Zoom and at 9:45 on Sunday mornings in the upstairs lounge. Prayer is the most essential element in the life of any church, so please be encouraged to keep praying. God does hear and answer.

We've also put in another date to be together with God. It's on Thursday March 6th from 10:00 – 12-00 in church or in the coffee lounge (depending on temperature). You can come for the whole time or just drop in whenever you want for as long as you want. It's an opportunity to simply wait with God for a while and perhaps hear from him.

Don't forget that we are always available for prayer and ministry. You can call Matt on 07597 387719

Matt and Tammie