Notices blog

Hi all,

Denise has asked me to circulate the following Coffee morning news to you. Please find the details below. Please remember you can get these notices here: http://www.elburtonmethodist.org.uk/index.php/notices-blog and our video services here: http://www.elburtonmethodist.org.uk/index.php/video-services

Hope you have a great week, see you on Sunday at 10:30.

Jon

P.S. If you find you are missing some of my emails please do check your JUNK or SPAM folders as they often arrive there. 

Please join us on Saturdays through to end of May for a chat and coffee/tea/squash. Join when you like and leave when you like.
Let me know if you're having trouble joining...it's best if you download Zoom to your mobile/tablet/laptop.
Several of us enjoyed the Maundy  Thursday one so thought I'd try it on Saturdays.
Details of meeting below...I've added a password his time for security.

Denise  

Denise Avent is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Saturday coffee morning Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting **DETAILS REDACTED FOR ON-LINE VERSION*

 

Well here we are, Good Friday (Holy Friday) has been and gone with all it's sadness and reflection, the long wait (not weight) of Holy Saturday has ebbed away and here we are on Easter morning. It is a time for celebration,a time to be happy. It may seem more difficult to celebrate while we are separated as we are. However, we are combined in one body, the body of Christ the Church. Together we can today acknowledge that God has power over sin and death and anything that attempts to separate us from him and his love.

Today we rejoice, we sing, we say God you are amazing! Today changes absolutely everything that has come before, today, in surprise the disciples who had thought it was all over, who thought they had been wrong to trust him discover he is faithful even after death. He is and will always be faithful to his promise to us. He loves us, he died for us and today we can claim through Grace his promise of freedom and eternal life.

Hallelujah ! What an awesome God we have!

I hope you are having  good Easter Sunday, be happy, celebrate in whatever way you can !

STAYING IN TOUCH

Just a reminder from me that there are various ways to stay in touch during this time. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to our community What’s app group, or this email list. If you know of folks who do not receive this update please share it with them and ask them to contact me to be added. I am currently sending this to around 40 of you, I’m sure there are more who have an email address that I just don’t know. 

                07884 232829

                01752 480319

                This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                https://www.facebook.com/ElburtonMethodist

                https://www.facebook.com/PDMethodist

                https://ww.elburtonmethodist.org.uk

 THE COURIER

Last week I made a big mistake and put an extra S in the courier link, hence you couldn't open it. Please find the corrected courier link below ….  

http://www.elburtonmethodist.org.uk/images/LinkMagazines/Courier_April_2020.pdf

 If you know of someone who needs a hard copy sent please let Liz know at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 THIS WEEKS SERVICE

This weeks service will be conducted by our very own Tristan with music from Helen, who just about sounds normal. *Resists temptation to mock and get in trouble when Helen reads this. I think they have done a fantastic job, entirely remotely so a massive thank you to them ! You can find the service on our YouTube site, or by following the link below ….

https://youtu.be/XwFkBcvOhH8 <== This weeks service.

You can also view our previous services via the YouTube link here....

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJWUNcwFq8SJUjqotVfq7w/

If you are a YouTube user do subscribe and hit the Bell button and you will get notifications as soon as we post new content. 

LYRICS

Due to copyright reasons I can't put the words to our songs on the video, silly I know but there we are. To compensate please find the words below for you to sing a long at home...

*REDACTED FROM ONLINE VERSION*

NEXT WEEK’s SERVICE

This will be back to me again, but if anyone else would like to record a sermon, or if you'd prefer me to read your words that's fine also, do let me know. I am sure folks will be bored of my voice by the end of this event. No pressure, happy to carry on, but if anyone would like to do something, please shout. Equally if someone would like to record other material for us to share or prepare written devotionals study material, jokes, poems you'd like me to share do email me.

 SOME SAD NEWS

*REDACTED ONLINE*

 SIMON’s REFLECTIONS

I hope you are continuing to receive from Simon his devotionals and are enjoying them as much as I am, thank you Simon !!

A POEM

I have been sent by Carol a lovely poem we thought we'd share with you. To avoid any possible copyright issues I have provided a link below to an on-line version which you can read at your leisure.

https://www.karens-korner.com/printable.php?issue=4185

 JAM & IMPACT

We continue to meet each Sunday at 10:30 am where we share in some remote craft for the younger JAM members and some study and questions for the older IMPACT folks. If you have children in the family that would like to join in please get in touch we meet via Zoom.

 OUR RAINBOW

Have you been passed the Church on your daily exercise? If you have you may have seen our digital sign is now displaying a giant rainbow amongst it’s other encouraging slides. Take a look if you exercise that way J

 

That's all for today, I hope you have a great day celebrating the risen Lord !

Jon

Hi all,

Just a quick update to let you know I have posted a short video in lieu of a Good Friday service. This is a kind of one person Bible study. I have posed a few questions and offered some possible answers. You may have more questions or other answers and you are very welcome to share them with me, and I can share them on the website if you'd like that.

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/EtEEdD9prXk

Hopefully you have all received from Simon his study notes for today :-)

The Courier - Apologies if you found you could not open the courier last week, I added an extra S in the name and hence it could not be opened by some of you. The correct link can be found below ....

http://elburtonmethodist.org.uk/images/LinkMagazines/Courier_April_2020.pdf

Please remember you can find all these notices on our Church website, at this address: http://elburtonmethodist.org.uk/index.php/notices-blog

I hope you have a good day and a blessed one!

Jon

Hi all,

 

How are you settling into the new pace and style of living? I hope you are adapting well to these strange times. As hard as it seems right now, like all things even this shall pass. Today is Palm Sunday but it’s also Passion time. The word Passion comes from the Latin phrase to endure. Jesus certainly endured during this time as we are called to endure now. I trust you are doing more than simply enduring and are finding new ways to enjoy and thrive in this enforced furlough. To this week’s notices then ….

 

STAYING IN TOUCH

Just a reminder from me that there are various ways to stay in touch during this time. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to our community What’s app group, or this email list. If you know of folks who do not receive this update please share it with them and ask them to contact me to be added. I am currently sending this to around 25 of you, I’m sure there are more who have an email address that I just don’t know.

 

                07884 232829

                01752 480319

                This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                https://www.facebook.com/ElburtonMethodist

                https://www.facebook.com/PDMethodist

                https://ww.elburtonmethodist.org.uk

 

THE COURIER

Thanks to a massive remote effort from the Courier team the magazine is now available for you to read at home, please follow the link below…

 

https://www.elburtonmethodist.org.uk/images/LinkMagazines/Courier_April_2020.pdf

 

If you know of someone who needs a hard copy sent please let Liz know at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

THIS WEEKS SERVICE

This week Helen sounds a little bit squeaky when she sings, I’ve tried 2 in 1 and WD40 but to no avail so to spare you my tuneless wailings please find below the link to the sermon and prayers followed by links to two songs from YouTube you may like to join I with at the end.

 

https://youtu.be/4QLz_anKKgY                                                 - The Service itself

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3a8fTTrAdE           - All Glory, laud and honour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK6XuYhL7JI            - Make way for Christ the King

 

NEXT WEEK’s SERVICE

Our service for Easter Sunday will be led by Tristan, we are working on the technology for that right now. If any other local preacher would like to record a service in the coming weeks please do let me know J

 

SOME SAD NEWS

*REDACTED ONLINE*

 

SIMON’s REFLECTIONS

Simon has produced some reflections which I have shared with you all by e-mail. If you have access to our or the circuit’s Facebook page you will also find them there. In due course I will share these and other devotions via our blog page; I still need to find the time for that. If  you haven’t received them please let me know and I will share them with you directly.

 

JAM & IMPACT

We continue to meet each Sunday at 10:30 am where we share in some remote craft for the younger JAM members and some study and questions for the older IMPACT folks. If you have children in the family that would like to join in please get in touch we meet via Zoom.

 

OUR RAINBOW

Have you been passed the Church on your daily exercise? If you have you may have seen our digital sign is now displaying a giant rainbow amongst it’s other encouraging slides. Take a look if you exercise that way J

 

That’s all I have to share today, if you have something you’d like circulated do let me know!

Many Thanks

God Bless you all!

Jon

Hi all,

 We will be having a virtual Hot Cross bun morning this Maundy Thursday at 10:30 am. If you would like to join in this Zoom event please drop us an email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks

Denise

Dear One and All,

 

 

I usually concentrate on Palm Sunday this morning but today I am going to look at the Institution of the Lord's Supper ( Mt 26:26-30) It is situated at the heart of the Passion narrative. Judas has arranged to betray Christ and Jesus tells of Peter's betrayal of Christ through his denials. The story gathers pace as Jesus is arrested and then begins the long ordeal of trials and beatings, betrayals and humiliations. This Jesus endures.

 

" Take eat this is my body" 

I would have liked to be a fly on the wall as Jesus said this. I wonder how the disciples reacted and oh to see the look on their faces. I suppose one or two of them might have thought that Jesus was being opaque once again. Others may not have been sure what he was saying, while others still, may have had an inkling. I have always thought that perhaps Judas might have had an insight into who Jesus truly is. And because Jesus didn't measure-up to what Judas wanted or hoped for then betrayal was an option.

 

I can remember as a child being revolted by this statement. It made me wonder if Jesus' followers were cannibals. I know there are some, even now, who will not take Holy communion because they cannot rid themselves from this impression. I can remember at theological college being told to 'rip and tear' the consecrated loaf or roll and if one was using a wafer, to snap it. The symbolism of Jesus' actions is to show how he was to be treated and ultimately in death, to be ripped and torn from this world. For me as a minister, the Words of Institution never fail to move me and the privilege of presiding at the Lord's Supper is acutely humbling. In this time of lockdown, I am profoundly aware of being separated from all of you in our unity in celebrating the Holy Communion and sharing the impact of the various liturgies created for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. It is as though this wretched virus has torn us apart, but we know, in Christ, we have our unity and hold to it.

 

" Then he took the cup and after giving thanks he gave it them saying 'drink from it all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins".

 

Jesus' body was to be broken and his blood shed. Blood was seen as an individual's  'life force'. In brokenness and suffering this was set alongside forgiveness. Even as Jesus faced the final act of his earthly life, there was no place for condemnation but an invitation to be forgiven.

 

When the world returns to normality in a post-Covid19 setting, it will not take long for people to be condemned. Politicains accusing others and being accused of failures, scientists of being wrong or unclear; of the recklessly irresponsible folk who gather together despite being warned not too, for having blood on their hands. There will be blame. Christians need to recall and give expression to the need for reconciliation and forgiveness as this will imitate Christ's words.

 

The Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, the Holy Communion call it what you will is for the Christian a symbol of the power to endure. We may all share in Christ's brokenness and suffering, none more so than at present. Nevertheless, we also know that Jesus' message of love overcoming every obstacle, even death on a cross, endures. Take courage and strength therefore, for in our suffering Christ has overcome and nothing will separate us from that.

 

Every blessing,

Simon.

 

Revd Simon H Leigh: Superintendent minister Plymouth and Devonport Circuit.