Let me begin by saying that I hope this will be a very blessed Christmas time for you.
No doubt, like me, you are finding yourself busy in the run up to Christmas. In my blog last week I mentioned that there were less activities in the diary but it has certainly still been a busy time. Next week should also provide space for rest - or possibly tidying up my office!
My usual prison ministry on Tuesday was cancelled as another event kept the prisoners locked up and unable to attend. So the only events in the diary were ministry at Yelvertoft on 16th, a school assembly at Lubenham on 17th and becoming Father Christmas on Wednesday. For the assembly I did a simple summary of the events of the first Christmas, periodically saying, "Can you imagine that?" The aim of the assembly was to encourage the children to imagine themselves into the events, and in particular to think through how Mary and Joseph might be thinking. It seemed to work well.
Today we held our annual Christmas warmer at Yelvertoft. This is a visitor-friendly event where we welcome our guests with mince pies and mulled wine (alternatives available for us Tea Totalers) and then sing their requested carols. We had the best attendance ever and a wonderful atmosphere. The biblical account gets woven into the programme in word and song. The folk at Yelvertoft Congregational Church all put in a lot of work and we had a sense of what "Emmanuel" is all about.
On Friday I undertook some pastoral visits and gave out leaflets in the village. I returned home footsore and weary. The rest of the day and much of Saturday I spend building a new website for the church at Yelvertoft. I had hoped it would go live around 5.00 pm on Saturday but a quirk in my router would not let me into the new website but kept looking for an older version. Finally at about 1.30 am Sunday morning after shutting everything down and starting again it finally worked.
Thanks to all who let me know about typos as requested. I put those right this morning before going to church. If you haven't taken a look please go to www.yelvertoftchurch.org.uk.
While on the subject of Internet you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ruralbarry (become a friend) and on Twitter (less often) at @ruralbarry (please follow).
In my many travels around the countryside if I need an overnight stay and haven't had an invitation somewhere I usually go to www.farmstay.co.uk and have found excellent B&Bs at good prices. It's a great way of supporting the farming community. Talking of farming do uphold your local farmers and pray for the work of Farm Crisis Network as farmers are sorely affected both by the bad weather and by the dreadful Schmallenberg virus. Livestock feed is also in short supply in many places.
Doreen and I have been delighted to receive cards and messages via the internet. The flow of news has been a blessing to us. Thank you. We have had some wonderful assurances of daily prayer support. We have also received more gifts than usual and I am hoping this might just ensure we close this year without a deficit. Perhaps I will be able to tell you more about that next year.
During the week our only meeting will be on Christmas morning. Next Sunday, 30th, I am taking the morning service at 9.00 in Gartree Prison before going to Yelvertoft for 10.45.
As I close this blog my thoughts go once again to those affected adversely by the weather. We have had heavy rain but nothing like what has been experienced in parts of the Southwest, Wales and Scotland. If you have been going through a tough time please let us know how we can pray for you.
"Thanks be to God for his gift that is too wonderful to describe." (2 Corinthians 9:15 ERV)
Barry
No doubt, like me, you are finding yourself busy in the run up to Christmas. In my blog last week I mentioned that there were less activities in the diary but it has certainly still been a busy time. Next week should also provide space for rest - or possibly tidying up my office!
My usual prison ministry on Tuesday was cancelled as another event kept the prisoners locked up and unable to attend. So the only events in the diary were ministry at Yelvertoft on 16th, a school assembly at Lubenham on 17th and becoming Father Christmas on Wednesday. For the assembly I did a simple summary of the events of the first Christmas, periodically saying, "Can you imagine that?" The aim of the assembly was to encourage the children to imagine themselves into the events, and in particular to think through how Mary and Joseph might be thinking. It seemed to work well.
Today we held our annual Christmas warmer at Yelvertoft. This is a visitor-friendly event where we welcome our guests with mince pies and mulled wine (alternatives available for us Tea Totalers) and then sing their requested carols. We had the best attendance ever and a wonderful atmosphere. The biblical account gets woven into the programme in word and song. The folk at Yelvertoft Congregational Church all put in a lot of work and we had a sense of what "Emmanuel" is all about.
On Friday I undertook some pastoral visits and gave out leaflets in the village. I returned home footsore and weary. The rest of the day and much of Saturday I spend building a new website for the church at Yelvertoft. I had hoped it would go live around 5.00 pm on Saturday but a quirk in my router would not let me into the new website but kept looking for an older version. Finally at about 1.30 am Sunday morning after shutting everything down and starting again it finally worked.
Thanks to all who let me know about typos as requested. I put those right this morning before going to church. If you haven't taken a look please go to www.yelvertoftchurch.org.uk.
While on the subject of Internet you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ruralbarry (become a friend) and on Twitter (less often) at @ruralbarry (please follow).
In my many travels around the countryside if I need an overnight stay and haven't had an invitation somewhere I usually go to www.farmstay.co.uk and have found excellent B&Bs at good prices. It's a great way of supporting the farming community. Talking of farming do uphold your local farmers and pray for the work of Farm Crisis Network as farmers are sorely affected both by the bad weather and by the dreadful Schmallenberg virus. Livestock feed is also in short supply in many places.
Doreen and I have been delighted to receive cards and messages via the internet. The flow of news has been a blessing to us. Thank you. We have had some wonderful assurances of daily prayer support. We have also received more gifts than usual and I am hoping this might just ensure we close this year without a deficit. Perhaps I will be able to tell you more about that next year.
During the week our only meeting will be on Christmas morning. Next Sunday, 30th, I am taking the morning service at 9.00 in Gartree Prison before going to Yelvertoft for 10.45.
As I close this blog my thoughts go once again to those affected adversely by the weather. We have had heavy rain but nothing like what has been experienced in parts of the Southwest, Wales and Scotland. If you have been going through a tough time please let us know how we can pray for you.
"Thanks be to God for his gift that is too wonderful to describe." (2 Corinthians 9:15 ERV)
Barry
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