The wooden cross in the background is the Wokingham Churches Together cross that was brought from St Pauls, via the Market Place, on Good Friday.

Sunday Morning Worship in the church resumed on Easter Day, 4^th April 2021.  Current guidelines.

10.30am Morning Worship - Mr Peter Whalley

Wokingham Methodist Church Community News.

Sunday Morning Worship guidelines updated.

Starting 6th March, Tea and Coffee will be served after Sunday Morning Worship on the first Sunday of each month.

Many pages updated with material from the annual reports.

From Revd Catherine Bowstead

Dear Friends,

A heart strangely warmed

This Sunday is “Aldersgate Sunday” when we remember the conversions of John and Charles Wesley which led to the birth of the Methodist Church.  “Aldersgate” is a reference to Aldersgate St in the City of London, where John recalls in his journal that he went “somewhat unwillingly” on the evening of 24^th May 1738.  Here he joined with a small group of Christians in Bible study and was during that meeting that he had his conversion experience, he felt his heart “strangely warmed” by the love of God.  That experience was to change the course of his life as he and Charles began their itinerant ministry of preaching, and the Methodist movement was born.  John Wesley was often criticised for being too enthusiastic, such was his zeal in bringing the love of God to ordinary people.  In our worship on Sunday morning, we’ll be reflecting on the story of the Wesley brothers and thinking about how we can use their example and capture some of their enthusiasm to help us in our Christian discipleship today.  And we’ll be singing some of Charles’ wonderful hymns.

Have a good week,

With every blessing

Catherine

A Reflection from Angela Burrell

I so enjoyed Easter this year.  That said, I always do. It is often, for me, a mixture of tears, for the pain that Jesus willingly endured because of our sin, and joy, because Christ has risen from the dead.  It is also a celebration of new life in so many ways.

We recognised again what the call of the Christian life means to us.  The sermon on Easter Day called us again to be “People of the Resurrection in a Good Friday world.”

When we return to everyday living, with the pressures of Ill health, worries about a world of war and oppression etc., we can so easily forget the joy of Easter Day and the assurance of a living Saviour.  All very human.

Elijah the Prophet felt this too.  He had just destroyed the prophets of Baal and he was tired.  He had had enough.  He hid in a cave and wanted to die.

God understood and encouraged him to keep going.  He was given food and drink for the strength he needed to carry on.  God led him to Elisha who was to be his “Comforter” and successor.  Elijah laid his cloak over Elisha as a sign that he was to succeed him.

God will give us the strength to carry on if He has work for us to do.  Let’s not give up.  Let’s be Easter Christians- all year!

Angela Burrell

Some previous Pastoral Letters are available here.