MESSENGER
LEIGH BAPTIST CHURCH VERNON ST / CHURCH ST LEIGH.
Website : www.leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
Contact: admin@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
Pastoral leader: Mrs Val Hulme
pastoral.leader@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
also on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM 
July & August
July 7th 10.45am Mrs Ruth Brawn (Radcliffe)
July 14th 10.45am Rev Mike Edwards (Chadderton)
July 21st 10.45am Fr Kevin Crinks (Leigh St Mary the Virgin Church) 12.30pm LUNCH
July 28th (communion) 10.45am Mrs Val Hulme
Aug 4th 10.45am Mr Eric Bushell (Radcliffe)
Aug 11th 10.45am Elaine Davies on BMS’ work
Aug 18th 10.45am Mrs Val Hulme 12.30pm FAITH LUNCH then CHURCH MEETING
Aug 25th 10.45am Mrs Val Hulme (communion)
** NB SUNDAY AUGUST 11th will see the Leigh Community Run and the usual access to LBC will be altered or restricted (but not blocked!!) Details of access will be given when we hear from Organisers.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
Coffee and Craft July 5th and Aug 2nd 10am-12pm £3
Prayer Meetings Tuesdays 2, 9, 16,30 July, Aug 6th 13th 20th 27th @ 11.15am
Sat July 13th COFFEE MORNING for WWD Of Prayer 10.30am -12noon Please support
Mon July 29th Deacons meeting 7pm
Aug 10th Coffee morning 10.30am to 12noon
Advance Notice: On Sunday 15th Sept there will be NO service at LBC. Instead we will go to Wigan Baptist Church as the Gen Secretary of the B.U. Lynn Greene will be speaking. For those able to attend we will arrange shared transport.
Our Pastoral Leader will be on holiday Sat July 20th to 27th and Mon 26th Aug to Sun 1st Sept. We wish her rest and a restorative break.
FLOWER DONORS July 7th Mrs K Williams July 21st Mrs V Hilton Aug 11th Mrs K Williams Aug 18th R and D Allen IMO Pat Rogers Aug 25th IMO Mrs Novak
BMS birthdays Aug 2nd Bill Morton Aug 11th John Allen
FELLOWSHIP NEWS AND CONCERNS.
It was heartening to see young Giulia go through the waters of Baptism, along with a group of believers from Kirkhall Lane IM. We wish her every blessing for the rest of her life. This was Val’s first baptism and we congratulate her on this achievement, which was conducted jointly in English and Parsi.
We were shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of Stefan P. (the Late Hilda H’s son in law). The funral will take place at Leigh Cemetery at 12pm on Monday 1st July conducted by Val Hulme. Our sincere condolences are with Gillian and the family.
The Rev Ted Kelly, a former LBC minister organised a PRAYER DIARY/calendar where members, local groups and issues were remembered on different days through the month. As Christians we are urged to pray (see Colossians 4:2 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17) It would be good to reintroduce the prayer diary so we can pray for one another and other people regularly. If you would like yourself and your family to be included please let Val know as soon as possible.
LEIGH SPORTS VILLAGE CHURCH are using our premises on Sun 14th July from 4om onwards.
GOD IS CALLING: ANSWER THE PHONE
Why do people not answer God’s call?
1) Some people simply do not want to pay the price! They know that God has asked them to consider the costs of saying "yes," so they say "no." Like the rich ruler, they weigh what they have against what God may ask from them, and they let the phone ring.
2) Some people don't answer God's call because they are afraid of the unknown. It isn't so much that they've weighed the cost of following Jesus as it is that they can't be sure of where Jesus will lead them. I heard of one woman who never volunteered for anything at church. Finally her pastor asked her "why," and she said, "I don't raise my hand because God might send me to Africa as a missionary."
3) Some people can't tell the difference between God's voice, the world's voice, or even their own voice. Everything seems to "ding" nowadays and it is easy to get confused. Is God calling me to join the choir, or is He calling me to spend more time at home? Am I hearing God's voice, my wife's voice, the pastor's voice, or my own?
4 Some people don't answer God's call because they have faulty expectations. Like the man who will not write a book until the great American novel just comes to him, some people believe that God always speaks in grand ways. They forget that God has always called men and women from the ordinariness of their lives and that He specializes in calling people whom others would least suspect.
GOD IS CALLING, AND WE NEED TO ANSWER.
Let me conclude by asking you to keep these things in mind as you listen for God's call.
1) God never gives up. Your phone will keep ringing;
2) It is also certain that the call will meet a need in the world because God will not call you to a self-indulgent work;
3) The call will be do-able because God equips those whom He calls. His call may stretch you, but God will provide a way;
Contributed by Rev Ken Shedenhelm
For SEPT issue please submit by AUG 18th
You can find and follow us on FACEBOOK