Pilgrims Way

Congregational & Methodist Church

Minister: Rev Nicola Vidamour
Telephone: 020 8548 4945

Nicola’s day off each week is Friday.
Church Office: 020 8552 5030
e-mail:
Visit our Website @ http://www.pilgrimsway.org

Newsletter for week beginning

27th January 2013

Worship Today

10:30am / Revd Nicola Vidamour
6.30pm / Revd Nicola Vidamour

Dates for Your Diary

Wed 30th January / 10am-12 noon / Coffee Morning and Nearly New
Wed 30th January / 11am / Prayer Meeting
Wed 30th January / 2:00pm / Wednesday Fellowship – Fred Joseph

Pastoral Care

If you know of anyone who would like a pastoral visit, please let Nicola, or one of the Elders or the church office know. See Nicola’s and the Church telephone numbers above.

Prayer Requests

The Elders are available to pray with you after the service today and also pray during the week for any needs and concerns which have been brought to them.

Text for the Week

“The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?”

...... Psalm 27 v 1

Table Top Sale at Church – Book a table for £5

Spring is approaching us once again, so why not start your Spring Cleaning for the Table top sale on 2nd March 2013. It may not be a large amount but every little helps! Please support the church by having a table and asking family and friends to come along – all the money raised will go towards church funds. Get in touch with Chris and book a table ahead of the sale on Saturday, March 2nd. Thank you - Chris English.

Flags

Over the next few weeks we plan to celebrate Grenada (Feb 3rd) and Zimbabwe (Feb 10th). Once we have displayed the flag in church we plan to hang it permanently. If you would like to reimburse the church for your country's flag, please put some money in an envelope marked flags and put it in the offertory plate. Each flag cost £3.

Funeral Arrangements

The funeral for Rosetta's husband will take place at St. Barts on Thursday 31st January at 2:00pm followed by committal at the City of London Crematorium at 3:30. All are invited to the African-Caribbean Centre on Barking Road, Plaistow afterwards.

Where is Nicola?

Nicola is speaking at the Probationers' Retreat and will be away from Tues morning to Thursday afternoon this week.

Church Meeting

Church Meeting will take place immediately after the service next week.
(Feb 3rd).

More Crèche Volunteers Needed!

We currently have four volunteers for the crèche who are all doing a great job, but we still need more people to help. I would be pleased to welcome new volunteers, if you are interested and available even for one Sunday a month or to stand in for emergencies, please speak to Hayleigh for more information. Thank you, Hayleigh.

Weekly Offertory

Total Offertory received from Envelopes and Loose offerings for 20th January was £0.00. (Olu to announce)

Sunday Morning Service CDs now available

CD recordings of the Sunday morning service are available. Please speak to Paul Stokes if you would like a copy.

Please give notices to Mary King or e-mail her on:

All submissions to be received before Wednesday evening for inclusion in the next issue. Leave a message on or e-mail:

BLOG IN THE BLANK

January is the month when people who are offering for ordination as presbyters or deacons in the Methodist Church come to be interviewed by the District Candidates Committee. I have the privilege of serving on the committee and met with three candidates at Westminster Central Hall on the second Saturday in January. It is always deeply moving to hear people speak about their sense of call and the way in which they feel God is at work in their lives.

Immediately after the Committee had taken its final vote (and we had eaten some chocolate cake!), I walked across Westminster Bridge to meet a friend who had just arrived from Southampton at Waterloo Station. Peter Cornick is the minister of Chandlers Ford Methodist Church and the superintendent of the newly formed Winchester and Eastleigh Circuit. I had been to preach at his church last October and he was coming to return the favour at High Street South.

I took Peter for a meal at Tippy’s Café on our way home. (I can highly recommend the atmosphere service and food there. It’s just next to the Bingo Hall on the Barking Road – and I have a reputation for turning up there with a different man every time I go!) Peter and I trained for the ministry together at Queens College in Birmingham and we had a good time reminiscing and sharing our experience of ministry now. We laughed about the many issues we have had to deal with which never featured in the syllabus at theological college and were honest with each other about the struggles and frustrations as well as the joys.

As I drove Peter to Stratford Station on Sunday afternoon he said that I must be exhausted after what had been a busy and intense weekend. I told him that I was tired – but in a good way – and that I had actually been energised by the time I had spent both with the Candidates and with him. These conversations had helped to rekindle my “first love” for ministry which sometimes gets lost in the relentless need to write another new sermon and prepare for the next meeting.

If January is the month for thinking about our calling and renewing our Covenant with God, then February is the month for love! Today we will be hearing about the wedding at Cana in Galilee and about how weddings are celebrated in India. Next week, we will hear Paul’s famous and beautiful chapter about love in 1 Corinthians 13. And soon it will be Valentine’s Day!

I pray that the love of God will warm your hearts in this cold period of the year and bring you joy – especially if you are struggling to keep your faith and your hope alive.

Revd NICOLA VIDAMOUR

Daily Bible Readings

Judge of the Nations / Psalm
Sun / 27th / Luke 4 v 14-21 / 19
Mon / 28th / Hosea 4 v 15-5 v 7 / 108
Tue / 29th / Hosea 5 v 8-6 v 6 / 135
Wed / 30th / Hosea 8 v 1-14 / 56
Thurs / 31st / Hosea 9 v 1-9 / 143
Fri / 1st / Hosea 9 v 10-17 / 65
Sat / 2nd / Luke 2 v 22-32 / 24

Sunday Worship Next Week 3rd February 2013

10:30am / Revd Nicola Vidamour – All–Age Worship
6:30pm / Revd Ian Parker

Rotas for next Week 3rd February 2013

Vestry a.m. / - / Josie and Eric
Vestry p.m. / - / Gillian
Elder / - / Christine
Welcome / - / Charles K
Door/Books / - / Alan and Carol P
Flowers / - / Thelma
Coffee / - / Eric, Ben and Mary K
Creche / - / Hayleigh and Mary K
Organ a.m. / - / Paul
Organ p.m. / - / Sue
Readers / - / All-Age Worship and Junior Church
Sunday Collection Cashiers / - / Olu and Sue S

For Our Prayers

Rosetta and Family / Mourning the death of her husband, that God will give them strength to get through this hard time.
Phyllis Clark / Undergoing further treatment for Leukaemia at Exeter Hospital.
The Rodway Family / Pauline's brother recently loss his fight to cancer.
Peter Charman / 12 year old Peter has finished his radio-therapy treatment but still has side effects which should soon start to improve.
Shaz (from nursery) / diagnosed with blood cancer
Janet Hand / Receiving treatment for cancer

All those suffering from cancer

All those who are housebound or in Care Homes

Those receiving ongoing medical treatment or awaiting/receiving/recovering from surgery

All those finding life stressful

Unemployed people seeking work

People in the Horn of Africa suffering in the drought

The situations in Iraq/Afghanistan, Gaza and Syria

Christians in Iraq/Egypt/Pakistan and Nigeria