New activity:
     Fresh Start (2^nd Saturdays, starts 11 September)

Activities resuming:
     Alzheimer's Café (from 8 September)
     Little Fishes Play Café (from 9 September)
     Jesus Crew (from 26 September)

Café Mosaic opening hours extended (from 6 September)

Activities resuming:
     Prayer Group (from 28 July)
     Creative Spirit (from 1 September)

Sunday Morning Worship in the Church resumed on Easter Day, 4^th April.  Guidelines

Sunday Morning Worship in the church resumed on Easter Day, 4^th April 2021 and opened further on 25^th July.  Updated guidelines.  The weekly pre-recorded services have been replaced by live service recordings as from 25^th July.

10.30am Morning Worship - Revd Catherine Bowstead

Wokingham Methodist Church Community News.

From Revd Catherine Bowstead

Dear Friends,

I hope that you had a good celebration of Christmas, and that this New Year has started well for you.  Many thanks for the Christmas cards, e-cards, and good wishes that we received over the Christmas period.  I love to look at each card as it is put away after helping to decorate our home and remember the person or people who sent it.

At Creative Spirit this week, which we held very successfully on zoom, we looked at Psalm 15.  This psalm, which is sometimes entitled “Rules for right living”, offers 10 suggestions to live in a way that is pleasing to God.  You might like to take a look at it for it includes things such as leading a good and righteous life of integrity, speaking the truth, speaking well of others, keeping your word and helping those in need.

The psalm ends with the words “Whoever does these things will never be shaken”.  A life that is pleasing to God is that of a loving, kindly and generous personality, someone who is utterly reliable and “has the law written in their heart”.  And this will help us to stay firm and grounded so that we can cope with whatever this year brings.

While you have your Bible to hand, you might like to look at the readings we’ll be using on in our Covenant Service on Sunday:  Exodus 24: 3-11, Jeremiah 31: 31-34, Romans 12: 1-2 and Mark 14: 22-25.  During the service we will be reminded of all that God has done for us and have the opportunity to recommit ourselves to him at the start of this new year.  As you read and reflect on our Bible passages in preparation for our worship on Sunday, think about how you can love and serve God better this year and become the person he intends for you to be.  

We don’t know what this new year will bring for us, no doubt there will be challenges and opportunities, joys and sorrows for each of us.  What we can be sure of is that God promises to love us and be alongside us; and that we can help, encourage, and inspire each other as the people of God here in this place.

With every blessing,
Catherine

A Reflection from John Burrell

Epiphany

The approach of Epiphany brings us to see the role of the wise men in the nativity story.  The scriptures say less about the wise men than our carols and greetings cards.  However, what the Bible does say is of great importance for all humanity.

1. God came among humanity to save us from ourselves and take us home as family.
2. The offer is to everyone who will make the effort to seek Him as Lord.
3. There are treacherous distractions, obstacles, as well as direct opposition.
4. Resolve has to be backed up by action.
5. All those who persevere will be received by the Lord with a welcome.

For a start the wise men were not Jews, and they read the signs that were there for everyone to see.  They were convinced that the birth of one who was already a king in the universe had taken place.  They were determined to seek out this king to pay homage.  Even though that involved a dangerous journey through bandit territory they were not deterred.  They were rewarded by finding the Christ king they were looking for.

The treachery of secular authority had to be recognised. This they did and circumvented it.  So they sent no word to Herod and avoided him on their way home, leaving Joseph with the means (and the warning?) to flee to Egypt.

They were wealthy enough in worldly terms to offer the expensive gifts which we sing about.  But by far the greatest gift they delivered was their costly devotion.  It was the one they could continue to give as they went home.

May the Holy Spirit empower us to follow them on our journey.

John Burrell

Some previous Pastoral Letters are available here.