ontinued Offerings orrowash, Draycott and Spondon
Transcript of ontinued Offerings orrowash, Draycott and Spondon
Continued Offerings
Thank you to those who have committed to making a
regular offering to the church by Standing Order or
regular cheque.
Also thank you to those who are putting money aside
week by week ready to drop in the offering when
‘things get back to normal’.
If you are able to give by Standing Order or cheque
please contact the Church Treasurer who will give
you all the relevant details:
Borrowash Colin Dorman 01332 662045
Draycott John Hill 01332 872902
Spondon Jonathon Shepherd 07717 288827
Closing Thoughts
John 20:1-18
“ Anyone can walk in the sunshine; only the faithful
can walk in the dark.” Dr. W.L. Self.
The reading set for Eater Day starts in the dark.
Mary Madelaine goes to Jesus’ tomb whilst it was
still dark. The sun had not risen at this point to
illuminate the day. In the darkness Mary runs away
from the tomb when she discovers that the stone has
been rolled away. Even when she returns to the
tomb and encounters two angels she is so deeply
buried in her own darkness that she doesn’t
recognise either the angels of light or Jesus himself.
In these days of lockdown we have the joy of the
bright sun and the spring to help make the days
more bearable. For us as Christians we have an even
more glorious light, the light of Christ. As we
celebrate Easter apart this year we give thanks that
the darkness has been overcome and that we walk as
children of light even if everything around us appears
to be dark.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Lord Jesus Christ, you told us that you are the light of
the world. and that those who follow you will not
walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. As we
walk in the resurrection light, may reflect your light
that all may turn from darkness to the Light of the
World. Amen.
The Easter Cross outside Borrowash MC
Zoom Login Details
PCs & Smartphones: Go to zoom.us Click JOIN A
MEETING and when prompted for a Meeting ID type
in 771 4334 5903 .
By Phone: Ring 0131 460 1196 or 0203 481 5240
and when prompted for a meeting ID type in 771
4334 5903# when asked for a ‘Host Key’ type #.
These calls will be charged at normal rates.
You will not be able to enter the church meeting un-
til I have opened the meeting, which is approximate-
ly 30 minutes before the service commences.
To ‘mute’ both camera and microphone use the
buttons at the bottom of the screen. If using the
phone service you can mute by typing *6
For all users, please be aware that this is a new
meeting ID from the one that has been used for the
last fortnight.
Borrowash, Draycott and Spondon
Bulletin 3 12th April 2020
Dear Friends,
I am writing this on the afternoon of Easter
Sunday at the end of what has been, for me, a very
different and a very busy Holy Week and Easter.
We were able to hold a service every night during
Holy Week, culminating with Good Friday. It was
gratifying to see upwards of twenty devices the on
site we were using each evening, while this morning
more than forty joined for our Sunday service.
Last week, Judith told you that I would be trying
to learn more about computers. She was right and
this week, I have learnt to edit videos, manipulate
photos and improve sound tracks, presented services
and done studio direction, all thanks to modern
technology. I have to say that I have also been close
to throwing my computer out the window on more
than one occasion!
I wonder where any of us would be without the
miracle of technology, new and not so new, during
this period of lockdown. I am certain that every one
of us has used a phone to keep in touch with family
and friends and the TV or radio to keep up to date
with the news. The answer is, of course , that we
would feel more isolated and more lonely.
One of the most pleasing comments I have heard
repeatedly over these last few weeks are those from
people telling me about the number of phone calls
received from people checking up on them, or
sharing a piece of news, or calling for a chat. And I
know from my own experience how true this is with
the phone ringing more in the last couple of weeks
than it does in an entire month sometimes.
I am reminded of British
Telecom’s advert with the bird
called Buzby, when the tag line
was “Make someone happy with a
phone call.”
Happy Easter
Colin
Sunday Worship
Palm Sunday was a very special day, and not just
because it was Palm Sunday. It was the day we
launched our own virtual church across the section. It
felt very special to be able to worship as a group from
across the three churches and then to have a time of
coffee and chat afterwards.
The service was in many ways very normal. We sang
a couple of hymns, we prayed, we had a reading from
scripture and Colin spoke to us. We even had notices in
proper Methodist fashion. In fact the only thing that
was missing from the service was the offering.
How did we do it? We used a video streaming service
called Zoom. Zoom allows anybody with a computer to
join what it calls a ‘meeting’ by clicking on a web link or
by going to the website and down loading a piece of
software which allows you to put in a code and
password for the meeting. Those with webcams and
microphones can, if they wish, use them so that we can
see and hear each other. The system can be accessed
by computer or smartphone. And if this is beyond your
capabilities you can even ring into the service via your
landline or normal mobile. All the information for
joining can be found on the back page.
Our next service will be next Sunday, 19th April, at
10:30 am and our preacher will be Reverend Loraine
Mellor, the Chair of the Nottingham and Derby
Methodist Circuit. Please join us.
Easter across the
Borrowash, Draycott and
Spondon
Despite Coronavirus and the
lockdown, we have been able to walk
with our Lord from his triumphal
entry into Jerusalem through Holy
Week, to Good Friday and ultimate to
Resurrection Sunday. The three
churches have each stepped up to
mark these times in different and
varied ways.
Borrowash marked Good Friday and
Easter Day with a decorated cross
outside the main doors. On Good
Friday and Holy Saturday, it was
dressed in purple with a crown of thorns and nails. Early Sunday morning, it was dressed with white linen and
the crown of thorns had been replaced with a ‘halo’ of flowers (see picture on back page) - this will stay up for a
few days, so if in the course of your exercise you pass the church keep an eye out for it. The Borrowash clergy,
put together a Good Friday video using the liturgy that would normally be used outside the Co-op in an act of
witness. (if you want to see the video, it can be found at https://youtu.be/XpgAkc31h_4).
Draycott placed the sixty palm crosses that should have been distributed among the congregation on the front
steps and invited those passing to take one. All sixty were taken by the general public.
Spondon folk were treated to a series of ‘Pause for Thought’ style reflections, prepared by Derek Turton.
Christine Cameron also produced two reflections, one for Maundy Thursday and another for Good Friday.
All three churches kept in touch with the members of their congregations by sending cards to those on the
Community roll.
As well as all of this, Colin hosted a reflective service each night during Holy Week called ‘The Cross of Christ’.
Each night looked at a different aspect of the cross, including ‘The Cross of Suffering’ and ‘The Cross of Shelter’
and consisted of prayers, a hymn, a Bible Reading a meditation and a reflective piece of music. The Good Friday
service looked at the theme ‘The Cross of mystery’ and considered the contradictions of the cross, like, for
example, that it is both a place of death and life.
Easter Sunday was celebrated with our Zoom service, which was a chance for us to celebrate the resurrection
together. Judith preached on the theme ‘Darkness and Light’. During the service we had a time of testimony
when we were asked to complete the sentence, “My life is different because I believe God has changed my . . .
challenged my . . . loved me . . .” This was followed with a love feast where we all gave thanks for all that God
had done as we ate cake and drank juice together. The music was provided by Simon Hill (Spondon) who played
the hymns on guitar and piano for us. A recording of this service can be found on Spondon’s Web Site.
Thank you to all those who have made cards, addressed envelopes, written reflections and done a host of other
things to make Holy Week and Easter as special and as meaningful as ever.
Ever wanted to go to Spring Harvest, but not had the time or the money?
Here is your chance!
Spring Harvest is coming to your home this week and its free!
Further details can be found at:
springharvest.org/spring-harvest-home
Come on let’s
celebrate!
Jean and Charles
Bristow (Borrowash)
marked their
Diamond wedding
anniversary on
9th April
Congratulations
We have had a number of prayer requests over the
last week or so. Please pray for these situations and
people,
MHA is asking for our prayers for their residents and
particularly for their staff, who are serving those in
their care tirelessly and who have not got the
Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that they
require to do their jobs safely.
Pray for those making the medical equipment so
desperately required in our hospitals and by carers.
We are asked to pray for Boris Johnson, and all those
struggling to recover from Coronavirus.
We have been asked to pray for all those who are
dealing with bereaved families at this time,
especially Funeral Directors, crematorium and
cemetery staff and officiating ministers.
We continue to pray for those who have been
bereaved and cannot give their loved one the
funeral they deserve.
We have been asked to remember those who are
still working, especially shop workers and to give
thanks to those who are volunteering to help others.
We pray for those searching for a vaccine to protect
us from Coronavirus.
We give thanks
that Elsie has moved into Willowcroft
that John is making a little progress in hospital
We pray for
Dale as he waits to begin treatment for cancer
Peter as he fights a chest infection
Those waiting results from hospital tests
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
Knitted nativity sets
During the month of November, running up to Lights
Night in Spondon, I am hoping to run a free
competition for the children with a prize to collect on
the night. This will involve looking at the nativity
displays in the various village shops. A sheet of paper
will be issued, providing a list of shops on one side
and display items on the other. The object of the
competition is to draw lines on the sheet, connecting
the shops with their relevant display items. I have
organised several similar events before, which have
been well received by the traders as well as families.
We had a record number of traders displaying nativity
scenes in their window this last year, as all the traders
had been encouraged to do a Christmas display.
If a shop is happy to include a nativity scene, I have to
be able to offer them a set of nativity figures. I
thought I would be able to buy them on Amazon or in
the charity shops at Christmas time. However, I was
astonished at how little availability there was,
especially of ones over 4 inches high. (We need taller
than this for a shop window.) I had a better chance of
buying a Buddha!
I am using the Jean Greenhow’s nativity patterns,
which several people already have. We also need to
co-ordinate the knitting, so that we do not finish up
with six of Mary and no Joseph.
If you can help, please contact me on 679687 or
Thanks, Jenn Cox, Spondon.