EAST MIDLANDS SYNOD

E-Letter
No. 69: 26^th November 2009.

Edited
this week by: Deborah Anderson

Even
though I spent most of last week with my head in a book – actually it was more
than one (book, that is) – and I refused to watch television or read a newspaper
in an attempt to shut out the world, I didn’t take into account the fact that I
was living with other people who did not share this need.  And even I could not miss the troubling
scenes of the damage caused by the flood water in Cumbria, and the news of two
subsequent deaths.   Tonight the weather
forecast tells of more rainfall to come, which will lead to more misery and
heartache.  Although it is difficult to
watch the trauma and difficulties of others, there are those who are suffering
that we don’t know about who also need our prayers.  So, as the first Sunday in Advent approaches,
bringing with it the Prayer Year of Vision4Life, may we discover more about
prayer and deepen our own prayer lives, that this coming year may be a blessing
to us all.  In the meantime, here’s a
blessing for Advent from St Columba...Be,
O Lord, a bright flame before me, A guiding star above me, A smooth path below
me, A kindly shepherd behind me, Today – tonight – and for ever.  Amen.

God bless, Deborah

NEWS
OF PEOPLE

We would like to wish Mr Mark
Hodgson, well as he commences his new course in Training for Learning and
Service to become an accreditated lay preacher. 
Mark is a member at St. Andrew’s with Castle Gate URC, Nottingham
and member of the Synod Listed Buildings Advisory Group and Youth and
Children’s Events Group.

NEWS
OF CHURCHES

“We
have run Street Pastors in Hinckley for the past two
years. We have street pastors, support team members, and management committee
members in the congregation. Hinckley has
become a resource for various other StPs schemes setting up and we will be
involved in the Earl Shilton training. For further information contact: **Available from Synod Office or in Year Book**

We are also involved in our Town Centre Partnership
and thus in the Youth Service and Borough Council schemes that are run herein.

On 7^th November, we raised £6140 for
local, national and international charities at our Alternativity.

In Christ Jesus

Malcolm Clarke”

ASSEMBLY
MODERATOR IN CHESTERFIELD

Revd John Marsh and his
wife Jackie were welcomed to St Andrew’s Chesterfield
on 18^th October.  Friends from
the URC and Methodist
Church in Holymoorside
joined St Andrew’s for morning worship and everyone was hugely encouraged by
John’s message on the theme of Pilgrimage. 
John gave each church a shell and a candle in a clay jar, symbolising
our pilgrimage and the gifts entrusted to us by God.  Friends from other churches in the North
Derbyshire Cluster joined St Andrew’s for afternoon tea to ‘Meet the Moderator’,
and a large contingent crossed the Peak District from Tideswell to take
part.  The day concluded with the
Moderator and other visitors joining St Andrew’s for their monthly Café Church
service.

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN
NEWBOLD TACKLES CLIMATE CHANGE

10 members of St Andrew’s Chesterfield joined with about 50 others from local
churches to hear the stimulating and challenging presentation by Dr John Grant
of Sheffield Hallam University
on responding to climate change.  As a
Christian Dr Grant is particularly interested in the effect of climate change
on people and how they can adapt, particularly the poor and most
vulnerable.  He began with a brief
overview of the science, which was pretty scary.  But he encouraged us not to run away from the
problem because “there is nowhere to run”. 
Instead we must seize the opportunity to take positive steps to reduce
CO2 emissions, especially in the home. 
He told us that half the energy in the UK is used in buildings and
believes fuel poverty can be eliminated by building zero-carbon homes, fully
insulated and powered by renewable energy. 
He encouraged the churches to get involved in lobbying governments to
agree a new deal to limit emissions at the Copenhagen summit in December.  He concluded: “God being God has set us a
challenge! Every day we delay makes the task harder.”

If
you have a story that you would like to include in the E-Letter, please
contact: editor [at] urc5 [dot] org [dot] uk

WANTED! VOLUNTARY HELP!

The many sources of hymns
available today can greatly enrich worship. Sadly, however there are some
churches who have only one organist or pianist, and if sickness, family
problems or even – shock horror – holidays, mean that he or she is absent, the
congregation must sing unaccompanied. This may be acceptable for one week, but
after two or three, the novelty wanes!

Would it be possible to
construct a database of keyboard musicians who are, perhaps not  playing regularly in their own churches, but
who would be willing to ‘fill in’ at other churches on an occasional basis? Not
only would churches benefit from links with other congregations, but the
regular organist might be allowed a weekend off or even a bout of ‘flu’ without
feelings of guilt!

Anne
C Hicks, Boulevard URC.  Email: **Available from Synod Office**

TOLLER United Reformed Church, Kettering ADVENT BOOKLET

This is the fifth booklet, produced in an attempt to encourage
daily Bible reading and prayer in our wider congregation. At first they were
comments on the set bible readings and involved ministerial input. The worship
group has continued them on the Vision4life themes, last year looking at the
incarnation through each of the gospels and this year of course through
prayer. If any one would like a copy if they let me know I will forward one to
them.  Lindsey Cole

A
REMINDER - THE WAVE – 5^th DECEMBER

With the climate change talks in crisis it is vital
that as many people as possible join the Wave in London on 5th December.  Please dress in blue and bring blue material or
banner to join in the Mexican Wave outside the Houses of Parliament.

If
you can get there early, come to the ecumenical service in
Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, 11
am to 12 noon.  It would be as well to get there early to secure a seat
(aim at 10.30 am).

If you do not yet have transport arranged, try
Megabus (Stagecoach) and put RSPB01 in the promotion box.  Look at
the Christian Aid site and the stopclimatechaos sites.  If stuck,
ring Christian Aid 020 7523 2264

Please enter: Christian Ecology Link call to
prayer into your search engine and include the Copenhagen Conference and the
demonstration in the prayers on Sunday 29th November and during the conference.

I
have volunteered to help carry the CEL banner so I suggest we rally to that
banner outside Methodist Central Hall after the Ecumenical Service.  If
you have a banner to show how far we have come to join the march, that would be
great.  If it is blue, so much the better.

I
hope to see you there.  But with the numbers expected, it may not be easy
to make contact.  My mobile will be 07795296633. If you cannot come,
please remember the demonstration and other actions across the country in your
prayers.

Charles Jolly, Church and
Society Officer

LUKE IN A
WEEKEND – VISION4LIFE - 22-24 JANUARY 2010

Luke’s
story of Jesus is the Lectionary gospel for this year (Year C). This weekend is
an opportunity to explore its narrative structure, content, major themes and
message. The aim is to introduce preachers*, worship leaders and Bible study
leaders to the richness of what is probably the most popular of the four
gospels. We will be spending time exploring how Luke operates as a story-teller
and looking at the material unique to his gospel, rather than an extended
historical exploration. Narrative approaches to the study of the gospels open
up the text to ordinary

readers and transform our
‘conversation’ with it. Expect to have your eyes opened to new insights and to
be excited by what you discover.  £120**

*Assembly-Accredited Lay
Preachers may apply to the United Reformed Church for funding for this course.
Ministers may apply for EM3 funding. Some Synods have training funds earmarked
for Lay Training. Contact your Synod Training Officer with any queries you
might have.

**The Windermere Centre
administers the Hannah Fund, set up through the generosity of Raymond and Ruth
Clarke to ensure that no one is prevented from coming to the Centre by
financial restrictions. If you need help for part or most of the course costs,
contact Lawrence Moore

on (015394) 44902.

For
more information, programme and booking form, please visit: www.urc5.org.uk/?q=LukeIW

CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSECRATION

Mental Health
and the Exploration of Faith

2^nd February 2010, 9.30am –
4.00pm at The Riverside Centre, Pride Park, Derby

An opportunity
for church leaders, pastoral leaders, youth workers, community workers, faith
group leaders, chaplains, carers and people working in mental heatlh to share
and develop their understanding of mental health and wellbeing and the
implications of faith for that journey.

Keynote
Speaker: Kenneth Blanton, Chaplaincy Manager, Derbyshire Mental Health Services
Trust

For further details/booking
information, visit: www.faithinderbyshire.org

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR LOCAL PREACHERS IN NOTTINGHAM AND DERBY

“Fresh Ways of
Praying” offers a chance to spend the day in prayer with people from across the
district and at the same time experience new ideas and fresh approaches to
prayer.  Three dates on offer: Friday 5^th
February 2010 – St. Thomas’s, Burton on Trent;
Wednesday 24^th February 2010 – Littleover
Methodist Church,
Derby; Sat. 6^th
March 2010 – Trinity Methodist, Kirkby in Ashfield. 10.15am-3.00pm.  More information will follow before the end
of the year.

The Methodist
Chruch Nottingham and Derby District

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Treasurer (Closing Date 31^st
December 2009)

Industrial
Mission in Derbyshire (IMD) is an Ecumenical
Partnership that offers workplace chaplaincy throughout the County of Derbyshire,
offering support to people in all sectors of employment.

IMD
seeks to engage an appropriately trained and experienced person, in a voluntary
capacity with expenses, to take on this position in support of the continuing
work of the Partnership.

Applicants
should have sympathy with the Christian values and principles underlying the
work of IMD.

The
main duty of the post is:

To exercise primary
responsibility for all financial issues.

This
includes:

Mr Mark Hodgson has a new email address

**All Available from the Synod Office**

Mr Mark Hodgson has a new email address:

AND
FINALLY: -  

Please
send any comments or feedback on this e-letter to Deborah Anderson training [at] urc5 [dot] org [dot] uk

The URC East Midlands Synod, 1 Edwards Lane, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5
3AA.

Telephone: 0115 960 9241.  Facsimile: 0115 960 9202

Copy
date for Next E-Letter: 7^th December 2009

Email address for E-Letter
Editor:
editor [at] urc5 [dot] org [dot] uk

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