Money & Property Matters – and Barry’s Babblings
December 2023
How the time flies! As you read this Messenger, we will have reached Advent and start to open all those Advent Calendars! This is a wonderful time of the year, but I realise that for many it is also a difficult and worrying time. In a sense exactly how Mary and Joseph must have felt on their journey with the baby Jesus.
Speaking of journeys - we will be welcoming back our Minister at the start of Advent and I am sure that he will have plenty to tell us about his time of refreshment and recreation. Yes - that will be three months that Crawford has been away from us. In terms of worship, we all look forward to seeing him on Sunday 10th December 2023 when he leads our service, and shares Holy Communion with us all. (Sadly, I will not be with you as I will be leading worship at our Ninfield chapel).
However. I have been invited to lead our Advent Sunday service on December 3rd as we embark upon the journey that leads to the arrival of the Saviour. You will find details of all the services in this Messenger and we hope to see all who are able to come.
As with last year, we have again been invited to join in carol singing on Wednesday 6th December at the Orangery at the top of Buxton Drive - arrive at 10.45am for an 11am start. Please do try and come and support the singing. The Christchurch Singers are this year conducting a number of carol singing sessions at various Care Homes (well done, Chris). They may not be giving a concert this time but they are still singing!!
This reminds me to ask that you enter in your 2024 diaries, their next Concert in our church on Saturday June 15th 2024 at 6pm. See you there, I hope!
There is quite a lot of work to decorate our church for this season and if you can help, please make an offer. Our church looks beautiful with the candles, flowers and decorations but folk are needed to help - even if you only make the workers a cup of tea!!
I will leave with two observations - first do read hymn number 207 in our Singing the Faith book as it emphasises that 'Jesus is the heart of Christmas'.
Secondly, an interesting point:
Whenever angels appear in the Christmas story they never fail to say 'don't be afraid'. In fact, this happens four time during the events of the birth of Jesus. Someone has counted the number of times we read 'don't be afraid' in the Bible. It amounts to 365. That's one for each day of the year. God does not want us to live in fear.
Have a wonderful Advent and Christmas, and may you feel the presence of Jesus in your lives. God bless you all.
Barry Turnwell
Church Treasurer and a Property Steward
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