Welcome to Wokingham Methodist Church

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.

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

10.30am All Age Worship - Revd Catherine Bowstead

Wokingham Methodist Church Community News.

A Reflection from John Burrell

True Wisdom

On Sunday 31 July we heard the start of Solomon’s testimony.  He opened by sharing his experiences in relying on his own worldly wisdom not God’s.  This had taken him to a doom and gloom scenario of despair where everything was seen to be meaningless - a waste of effort.

In his collection of teachings in Proverbs, and in chapter 3, we are urged not to be impressed by our own wisdom.  Rather we are to trust the Lord and seek His will in all we are called to do.  Then He will show us the path we should take - a path that has good results.

My testimony is that I ventured to copy Solomon in my early days, but was persuaded early on that that was not a good idea.  Since then, whenever I have followed the Lord’s path, He has done far more than ever I could do.  Most calls have turned out to be quite high profile and way beyond my imagining or natural capability.  Common threads were taking me out of my comfort zone every time, that it required something that was surely beyond me, always to His glory - not mine, and with lasting good results.  Further, the resources given for His projects were not available for use on anything else.

As I write there are several vacant roles in this church.  Much as I would like to step up, I have to recognise that resources I once had are now unavailable.

So over to you!  Above all, be sure to pray about it.  Praying with others is a good place to start.  Then let our Lord do through you what you feel you can’t do, because you won’t be on your own.

John Burrell

A Reflection from Siân Moore

Dear All,

As I write this I am in France at my home in the Vendée enjoying the warmth and sunshine.  I love being here, it’s definitely my happy place, made even better this year by the presence of my son, his partner and my precious grand-daughter.

In the sunshine I seem to slow down and sit down and just take life a lot more slowly.  My French neighbours help with a slower pace of life too as they think nothing of spending hours over a meal to which I’m often invited.  It makes me think of Catherine’s recent sermon about Mary and Martha, I do spend more time being more contemplative as I’m often guilty of being too busy to think.  I had drawn some comfort from David Hinchliffe’s sermon about Tabitha who served her community so well and felt that that was what I try to do too.  Yet we do need a mixture of both in our own lives and communities.

This beautiful part of the world helps me to wonder if I am too busy to look and listen to what God wants?  How can I help to ensure that the riches of creation are shared with all?  Are we being good stewards of our planet to ensure that the riches of our beautiful planet can be shared by all, not just now but in the future?  This part of the world is suffering from drought and the risk of wild fires, very striking reminders of how human ‘busyness’ has damaged the planet.

Whilst preparing services on the computer as part of the AV team and during some thinking about letters like this, I came across the following lines which seemed to sum things up:

‘Greed or God?  consuming, accumulating and possessing desire – or love, joy and peace in life.  What will we each choose?’

Certainly food for thought.

Best wishes

Siân

Some previous Pastoral Letters are available here.