Hello once again.
This has been an incredibly busy week and I am grateful that my good friend Dr Gordon Temple is taking the service at Yelvertoft tomorrow morning. It will be good to sit under his ministry and great to have something of a break.
Remembrance services in Yelvertoft were very special last Sunday. Both the gathering at the war memorial and the joint service held at our church were well attended. On Sunday evening we met with friends at Market Harborough Congregational Church making our projection equipment available for them.
The rest of the week began and ended with tasks for the Diocese of Oxford. On Monday I wrote and submitted an article for their magazine, and on Saturday I had the privilege of speaking at an event held in Marsh Gibbon where the theme was mission and discipleship in a rural context. I was grateful for the many encouraging things said both during and at the end of the day. A good number showed interest in using our "No Ordinary Man" project. Our supply of these books is getting low. The target group for these is those who are faithful at church support but who might never have articulated a personal faith in Christ. To be part of the scheme costs nothing and I am happy to supply any rural church with as many copies as they can use. See the website at www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk for more information.
On Tuesday I led a school assembly in Yelvertoft and was back in the village on Thursday morning for one of the two Bible Discussion Groups.
On Wednesday I was in London at the Salvation Army College teaching on their Safe and Sound III course. It was well attended and the response to the day was very positive. Teaching on sexual abuse issues isn't easy but the best way to make our churches and Christian organisations safer is to ensure that people are well informed. I am hopeful that before long we will get Time for Action reprinted and distributed to new Christian leaders across the denominations.
On Friday Doreen and I travelled to and from Hastings for a service of thanksgiving for Alan Blythe. Alan must have known me almost my entire life. He was a good and faithful friend. He taught me to drive, attempted to teach me to play the piano accordion, but most importantly he taught me by example what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Alan was on the leadership team of the church in which i shared in pastoral leadership for 21 years. It was good to meet old friends and share happy memories of Alan with his wife Peggy and their family.
When not out on activity almost every waking hour has been spent at my desk. So a big thank you to those who prayed that we would be kept safe in travelling, and stay physically and spiritually fit. I am always encouraged by words of appreciation I receive but the praise belongs to God, and thanks go to you - my fellow labourers in the gospel for your prayers.
This week:
Please pray that essential work for the university will get accepted by my supervisors this week. This is a major hurdle and I have invested a lot of time into this section. The deadline is 30th November.
I will also have other writing to do this week. Pray for the Lord's help as I write.
Other key activities:
Sunday 20th - 6.00pm Newton URC, near Rugby, Warwickshire
Monday 21st - School Assembly at Lubenham, Leics.
Tuesday 22nd - Doreen will be working for Torch Trust (morning); I will be in Gartree Prison (afternoon)
Wednesday 23rd - Yelvertoft Bible Discussion Group (evening)
Sunday 27th - Yelvertoft Congregational Church (morning) and Theddingworth Congregational Church (evening)
After two very intensive weeks it will be good to have some time during the week to slow down.
As we move towards the year end I value your prayers that the Lord will supply our needs. Both my work in and from the Midlands and my colleagues work in the south-east were showing a small deficit. In the light of the global financial position that is not surprising, but we do not want to reduce our work for God in the rural communities of Britain.
Thank you for your prayers.
Barry
This has been an incredibly busy week and I am grateful that my good friend Dr Gordon Temple is taking the service at Yelvertoft tomorrow morning. It will be good to sit under his ministry and great to have something of a break.
Remembrance services in Yelvertoft were very special last Sunday. Both the gathering at the war memorial and the joint service held at our church were well attended. On Sunday evening we met with friends at Market Harborough Congregational Church making our projection equipment available for them.
The rest of the week began and ended with tasks for the Diocese of Oxford. On Monday I wrote and submitted an article for their magazine, and on Saturday I had the privilege of speaking at an event held in Marsh Gibbon where the theme was mission and discipleship in a rural context. I was grateful for the many encouraging things said both during and at the end of the day. A good number showed interest in using our "No Ordinary Man" project. Our supply of these books is getting low. The target group for these is those who are faithful at church support but who might never have articulated a personal faith in Christ. To be part of the scheme costs nothing and I am happy to supply any rural church with as many copies as they can use. See the website at www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk for more information.
On Tuesday I led a school assembly in Yelvertoft and was back in the village on Thursday morning for one of the two Bible Discussion Groups.
On Wednesday I was in London at the Salvation Army College teaching on their Safe and Sound III course. It was well attended and the response to the day was very positive. Teaching on sexual abuse issues isn't easy but the best way to make our churches and Christian organisations safer is to ensure that people are well informed. I am hopeful that before long we will get Time for Action reprinted and distributed to new Christian leaders across the denominations.
On Friday Doreen and I travelled to and from Hastings for a service of thanksgiving for Alan Blythe. Alan must have known me almost my entire life. He was a good and faithful friend. He taught me to drive, attempted to teach me to play the piano accordion, but most importantly he taught me by example what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Alan was on the leadership team of the church in which i shared in pastoral leadership for 21 years. It was good to meet old friends and share happy memories of Alan with his wife Peggy and their family.
When not out on activity almost every waking hour has been spent at my desk. So a big thank you to those who prayed that we would be kept safe in travelling, and stay physically and spiritually fit. I am always encouraged by words of appreciation I receive but the praise belongs to God, and thanks go to you - my fellow labourers in the gospel for your prayers.
This week:
Please pray that essential work for the university will get accepted by my supervisors this week. This is a major hurdle and I have invested a lot of time into this section. The deadline is 30th November.
I will also have other writing to do this week. Pray for the Lord's help as I write.
Other key activities:
Sunday 20th - 6.00pm Newton URC, near Rugby, Warwickshire
Monday 21st - School Assembly at Lubenham, Leics.
Tuesday 22nd - Doreen will be working for Torch Trust (morning); I will be in Gartree Prison (afternoon)
Wednesday 23rd - Yelvertoft Bible Discussion Group (evening)
Sunday 27th - Yelvertoft Congregational Church (morning) and Theddingworth Congregational Church (evening)
After two very intensive weeks it will be good to have some time during the week to slow down.
As we move towards the year end I value your prayers that the Lord will supply our needs. Both my work in and from the Midlands and my colleagues work in the south-east were showing a small deficit. In the light of the global financial position that is not surprising, but we do not want to reduce our work for God in the rural communities of Britain.
Thank you for your prayers.
Barry
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