M e s s e n g e r
VERNON ST / CHURCH ST . LEIGH. WN7 1BH
Website : www.leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
Contact: admin@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
Pastoral leader: Mrs Val Hulme
FEBRUARY 2019
The following friends will lead services in February
FEB 3rd 10.45am Mr Graham French (Radcliffe)
FEB 10th 10.45am Val Hulme 12.30pm Church Meeting
FEB 17th 10.45am Rev Jane Gilpin (Radcliffe) then 12.30pm Lunch Service (t b a)
FEB 24th 10.45am (Communion) Val Hulme
DATES FOR DIARY:
Tuesdays 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, Prayer Meetings 11.15am
Coffee and crafts: Friday Feb 1st 10am -12 £3
Deacons Meeting Tue 19th 1.30pm
Coffee Morning Sat 9th Feb 10.30 am to 12 noon.
Church Meeting. Sun Feb 10th 12.30pm
Monday 25th Network Meal at Farnworth Baptist Church 7pm for 7.30pm for Church Leaders.
Coffee and crafts: Friday MARCH 1st 10am -12 £3
WWDP Friday March 1st Women's World Day of Prayer in OUR CHURCH, Leigh Baptist, 7.30pm. Please let Val/ Jean know if you can help serve refreshments. Rehearsals for readers on MON 11th Feb and choir on 18th & 25th Feb. All at 7.30pm.
FLOWER DONORS Feb 24th Mrs K W
BMS birthdays
Feb 1st Mrs O M Feb 21st David W
FELLOWSHIP NEWS AND CONCERNS.
Hilda Hill’s funeral took place in late January and was led very well by our Pastoral Leader, Mrs Val Hulme. Our longest enrolled Church Member, Hilda was a stalwart of church life and remained proudly independent until recent months. Never one to complain about her many ailments she retained a sense of fun and humour and a quiet way of passing on a blessing (or strawberry jam!) She will be missed by all, as the last representative of the Pitchford family. We send our condolences and prayers to Gillian, Graham and Jacqueline and the wider family.
We also ask you to remember in prayer those we know living with chronic debilitating conditions and those that have serious procedures to face on their road to recovery.
BMS Prayer requests. As well as our financial support BMS world mission needs our prayers and support:
PERU - give thanks for the work of Laura-Lee Lovering at a BMS supported training centre. Pray for the people who attend the centre to learn how to care for the land. Pray for Regiane Clark and the Peruvian Baptist Social Action Department. Pray for God’s provision for their disaster preparation training , flood relief and medical ministries. Pray also for Daniel Clark training pastors from remote towns. Pray for faithful leaders in Peru’s churches.
NEXT BIBLE STUDIES SERIES. Our next bible study series will start on TUE 12th March. Meeting at 1pm for soup and sandwich (provided) and study from1.30pm to 2.30pm.
RECKLESS LOVE: We appreciated the first preacher’s visit of Andrew Hunter recently He illustrated his theme of “lost and found” with the following new song, read as a poem. It is worth reading again.
Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me You have been so good to me Before I took a breath, You breathed your life in me You have been so kind to me
Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
It chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the 99 I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still You give yourself away Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
When I was your foe, still Your love fought for me You have been so good to me When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me You have been so kind to me
There’s no shadow You won’t light up Mountain you won’t climb up coming after me There’s no wall you won’t kick down Lie you won’t tear down coming after me
Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
It chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the 99
And I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give yourself away
Oh the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Caleb Culver, Cory Asbury, Ran Jackson © BETHEL music publishing
On The Subject of LOVE......................
SAINT VALENTINE: The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
All Material for March edition to John M by FEB 17th Please.