introducing the new minister - priory methodist church i like to drink cold water, ’cos i know...

Introducing the New Minister

Hello, my name is Glayne. My name is Welsh, from the sister of my Mum’s brother’s wife. It means semi-precious stone, like a gem. Little Gem? Or is that a lettuce! And Worgan is pronounced Wergan, but lots of people never get the hang of that.

Having read a past copy of the Priory, Park Road & Willington News, I was amused at the article about Terrorists in your church. Well, you will have spies there, I am sure, if not full-on terrorists. People who know of me, or know someone who knows of me. I hope you do what I do whenever anyone tries to tell me about Bedford before I get there… ‘Don’t say a word – I shall make my own mind up when I get there!’

But a little background information may help. I am of a certain age, happily divorced and will be coming on my own to Bedford (apart from an elderly cat called Tabby). I have 2 daughters, both beautiful (I may be biased!). Tish (short for Leticia) will be staying in Northampton, but will be visiting me often, not least because she says her winter wardrobe will have to be stored at the manse, as her home is too small. Hannah will be coming with me as I move but then flying back out to China where she teaches English to rich Chinese children. Or the children of rich parents, I suppose. Tish manages a shop in Northampton and is also a free-lance graphic designer.

The manse in Coles Close will be huge for me, so I am hoping that various friends will come and stay in all those spare rooms. I like growing things in the garden, so will be watching with interest to see what sprouts up over the year. I also like swimming and am hoping that the Fitness First gym has a good pool, as it is so close to the manse. I cycle when I can, and am hoping that Bedford’s flatter landscape and good cycle routes will allow much cycling in my daily routine.

I love food, but am type 2 diabetic, so please don’t offer me too much cake, pudding, chocolates or sweets. And I like to drink cold water, ’cos I know that won’t have hidden sugar in it. There are those who say I am not a proper Methodist because I don’t drink tea or coffee. No great moral high-ground, just never liked the taste. So water is fine.

But what kind of minister am I? That depends on who you ask, but generally, I like people and am very chatty. I do care about what is happening in peoples’ lives, as well as in the church. I love singing, and have a wide range of musical tastes (best not to mention the Elvis thing yet…). So I will choose from Hymns and Psalms, and Songs of Fellowship, plus other resources such as world music, Iona, Taize etc. I am very keen to get everyone participating in worship, whatever age or ability. I am not sure how good I am at Powerpoint, so you may have to bear with me.

11 September 2011

Priory, Park Road & Willington News - 11 Sept 11 No 401


News from the PewsPark Road

• Congratulations to Janice Skerman who has a new granddaughter born at the end of August.

• Jenny Clifford has been unwell and we are glad to hear that she is recovering.

Priory

• We send our congratulations to all our young people who have done well in major exams lately:✦ Patrice Tate gained good grades at A Level and will go to university in London to

study Biomedical Science.✦ Samuel Hadfield and Wills Roberts both did well in their AS exams and move on

to A2✦ Charlotte Gaunt, Daisy Monk and Sara Nugent are all celebrating excellent GCSE

grades. Charlotte and Sara move on to A Levels and Daisy to an agriculture course.

• Congratulations are extended to:✦ John and Pauline Bassill on the safe arrival of their third grandchild ✦ Evelyn Scott who has a new great granddaughter.✦ Joyce and Bill Speed who celebrated their Golden Wedding recently.✦ Marjorie and Reg Taylor who have just celebrated their 63rd Wedding

Anniversary, a wonderful achievement.• Ivy Richardson has just celebrated her birthday, but unfortunately has had a fall. We

send her our love and hope she will soon feel better.• Both Margaret Wilde and Josie Fennell have also had falls recently, but it is good to

see them back in church and we wish them well• We remember all those recovering from spells in hospital:

✦ Carol Baker and Lydia Quilty have both had hip replacements and we wish them a speedy recovery

✦ Brenda Smith has recently been in hospital for tests and we do hope she will soon feel stronger

I like working with young people, and am hoping that there will be Primary Schools where I can go to take assemblies. I also very much enjoy being with the ‘more mature’ members, for their experience and sense of humour. I see being single as a positive factor in my ministry, as it gives me insight into the lives of the many folk in our congregations who live alone. I am an ‘ecumaniac’ which means that I really like mixing with Christians of different backgrounds, churchmanship, cultures. I have been involved in many local Churches Together groups, and Hope08 in Northampton. Variety is the spice of life, and I look forward to meeting all sorts of fellow believers when I come to Bedford.

I try to be organised. I do have a tendency to make lists, mostly for myself. I am looking forward to meeting with representatives from the 3 churches as soon as I start on September 1st. I want to find out what you are like, how you do things, what you are working towards. And get to know some names which I can then hopefully put to faces. I don’t expect everyone to be the same, nor for the 3 churches to do everything the same. I just ask that you be true to who you are, but collaborate with one another. And regardless of your churchmanship, have Jesus as the uniting force.

Now, does that give you enough to be starting with?

I look forward to meeting everyone from September 1st, when you can ask me all those things you don’t yet know.

Love from Glayne


• We remember those of the church family who are ill or undergoing tests or recovering from surgery, especial ly Ann Stark, Roger Wood, Jamie Attridge, Lillian Evans, John Gribble and Rhona Jones.

• We also remember:✦ Carol Gammons whose mother is ill.✦ Eve Briggs whose son is undergoing treatment for cancer✦ Elaine and Les Leach whose daughter Moira in Australia had had an accident and

fractured her spine.• We send our love and prayers to Sue and Steve Gordon, her sister Thelma and all the

family on the death of Thelma's partner.• We remember our housebound and those not able to worship with us including Ken

and Mary Wade, Audrey Bushby and Phyllis Exton.

Njoro is a small town outside Nakuru in the Rift Valley with a shanty slum area where families fled during tribal clashes in 1998. In 2001 two Karibuni Trustees met over 100 people from families in the town who came to ask if the Trust could help them to educate and feed their children.

They began to tell their stories – these people had been independent, owned their own homes and small farms, sent their children to school and grew food for their own needs and to sell. In the riots their menfolk were beaten and some killed, many of the women were abused and raped, and the children witnessed it all and were very traumatised. In Njoro they had no work, owned no land and no money, their children could not go to school, and there was little food.

The Trust agreed to help them by giving a grant in 2001 to ‘kick-start’ a nursery school in a run-down ‘polytechnic’, providing education, food, health care and uniforms. They moved to a better plot which they rented, and later bought with part grant/part loan from Karibuni. Subsequently they were given a further loan to purchase another plot of land where the caretaker now lives and where a Karibuni Trust work party helped to build 3 small rental homes for income generation. There are 10 sponsored children and 107 fee-paying in Nursery School, with 104 in Primary School. Karibuni Trust feeds them in term-time and pays for most of their uniforms; there is a cost-sharing system with the sponsored children’s carers.

The work parties have helped to build 2 new classrooms, a new fence and security gates and a large hall which is used by the baby class and also serves as the church. A few years ago a member from a Karibuni Trust work party inspired her church to raise money to sink a borehole on the site. This now produces clean water for all the local community at a cheap rate. It is a source of income generation for the project and has totally changed the lives of the local community who used to use dirty river water for cooking and washing.

The vision for the future includes a Vocational Training Centre as well as permanent buildings for all the outreach work. They are in the process of preparing a Project Proposal for presentation to larger trusts through Karibuni Trust.

The drought conditions in many parts of Kenya have resulted in rapidly rising food prices. Stanley Gitari, who heads the Maua AIDS orphans programme, which Karibuni supports, reports: "Food prices have gone up so much that some of the poor people cannot afford to buy. We are buying a sack of maize for 4,500 shillings (normally 1,200 shillings) and a sack of beans for 6,000 shillings (normally around 3,000 shillings)"Recognising this situation, Karibuni has increased the grants sent to projects in August.

Karibuni NewsMore about the work of the Karibuni Trust, Priory’s project for this year.

WESLEY EMPOWERMENT CENTRE, NJORO


The death of Jim Thorpe brings to a close 60 years of faithful service at St.Paul's Methodist Church, Priory, the Bedford North Circuit and within the wider community. J im was born in Sh iptonthorpe, Yo r k s h i r e , a n d o n l e a v i n g Pocklington Grammar school he was employed by the East Riding County Council. It was just at the start of the War and Jim volunteered for RAF service with the intention of being trained as a pilot. However, a hearing deficiency was detected and instead he b e c a m e a w i r e l e s s operator. He was posted to India and the Far East eventually being sent to Burma as a plane and troop spotter. On the day his demob papers came through he was offered the opportunity to train as a pilot, but chose to return to the County Council.

It was at this time that Jim's lifelong involvement in and commitment to the Methodist Church developed. His father, a local preacher, founded the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Shiptonthorpe, and as a Local Preacher, travelled to other village chapels, accompanied by Jim.

Jim came to Bedford in 1951 with his new wife Helen, to take up an appointment in the Treasurers’ Department at County Hall. He and Helen became members of St, Paul 's Methodist Church. His name appeared on the first Preaching Plan of the Bedford North Circuit in 1952, the year the Circuit came into being, as a Local Preacher 'On Trial'. He was respected wherever he went for his quiet, thoughtful conduct of worship.

Jim also held office as a Circuit Steward, Senior Steward at Priory, Circuit Property Secretary and he was a member of the Butterfield Trust. He organised transport when the St Paul's Church and Newnham

Avenue chapel amalgamated to become Priory. Many wil l be

grateful for the way in which he would volunteer to transport

folk to and from church or hospital, but it was always d o n e q u i e t l y a n d unobtrusively. But it was not only within the Church were he gave so much. When he left County Hall, where he rose to become Deputy County Treasurer, he took on many roles within the charity sector. He

had already been involved with Dr. Barnardo's from the

late 50's but in retirement began wo r k i ng w i t h The

Peterhouse Trust and what was then known as the Refuge for

Battered Wives, and became Christian Family Care. Such was the extent of his Charity work in many spheres that he was awarded the MBE.

Within the family he was a caring and supportive father to Richard and Christine. To Helen he was a devoted husband, clearly demonstrated in the last years of their lives as he took on the role of her carer, when she was unable to do much for herself.

Jim moved into Anjulita Court shortly after Helen's death in September 2009 and it is here that he died. Jim has been a remarkable servant of our church and we thank God for every remembrance of him.

Bill Davies

Jim Thorpe


There had been tension in the area for a long time. The people of Tafewa Balewa are mainly Christians, but in Northern Nigeria there are many Muslim extremists. The shadow of this conflict hung over the lives of everyone in the town. Then, one night in August 2010, Muslim state police came calling, looking to arrest Christians. No warrants, no reasons, just because they were Christians.

“The night, when they come, they will start killing people. And when you do not run they will come and start to kill…and in the night they will start shooting. If they catch you, they will kill you,” said one young girl.

They rounded up some men, but the word had spread through the town like wildfire. The people gathered to protest, to ask why these men were being arrested, on what charges. They got their answer in bullets. The state police opened fire. Five people were injured, two were killed, one of them only 13. His name was Gabar. The day before, he had been playing football; he died in hospital from his injuries. One of his friends said, “I feel so sad, because he was my close friend . . . Before that night we played football with him. We played, we ran from place to place, so when I heard that he is dead I couldn’t calm myself to go and greet his parents because if I go there I would cry, and I don’t want to . . .Why did they kill him? Why?”

It’s a tragic, outrageous story. But sadly, it’s not unusual. In 2010 over 2,000 Christians were killed in Northern Nigeria. Hundreds of homes and churches were burned. Muslim extremists have attacked villages with impunity. Long-established Christian communities were destroyed overnight.

The effect on the children has been appalling. They see their friends die, some lose their mother or father. They live with the scars, both emotional and physical. B e a t i n g s ; f a l s e a r r e s t ; p o ve r t y ; discrimination; death, these are features of the landscape of the persecuted church.

Open Doors is working in Nigeria and throughout the world wherever there are persecuted Christians in need. They offer practical support and help, bring messages of encouragement from the wider church, train pastors and Christians to stand strong through the storm of persecution. Victims of violence are counselled and Open Doors speaks up for them when their voice is silenced and brings them hope.

One of Open Doors’ co-workers said: “Sometimes three, four, five, six orphans are left in families. The fathers are usually the breadwinners, so when the father is gone it’s a real struggle for the mother to feed the children, to clothe them, and send them to school. I can think of many orphans we are working with – we especially help them with schooling. We try to help them with food, to find them a place to live, and also to help them find a source of income so that they can survive.”

Sometimes no parents are left. Japhet is only a baby and when his village was attacked, his whole family were killed. The attackers thought that Japhet was dead as well, because they had hit him on the head with a machete, but he was rescued and taken to hospital. Thankfully he survived. Now he’s being looked after by his uncle, but Open Doors has provided him with milk, and all the other items a baby needs.

For children, the effects of persecution can be long-lasting. Throughout their lives they carry the burdens of low self-esteem, lack of education and skills, not to mention the psychological damage caused by all they have been forced to endure. The children in Tafawa Balewa want to grow up to be doctors, professors, lawyers. They have their dreams. Open Doors tries hard to help those dreams become a reality.

30 million children are the hidden victims of persecution. They are the secret children, the sons and daughters of the persecuted church. Please pray for them and if you would like to learn more about The Secret Children visit www.opendoorsuk.org/secretchildren.

Graham Thomson

The Story of the Secret Children

http://www.opendoorsuk.org/secretchildren





What IS a Local Arrangement?

If you have looked at the new North Bedfordshire preaching plan, you will notice some services marked as LA; it’s not a trip to the USA for us all, but a Local Arrangement. This will be familiar to friends in Willington, but new to Priory and Park Road folk because the old Bedford North Circuit was extremely fortunate in having a healthy number of Local Preachers which meant that we were able to appoint a preacher to pretty much every service. In the new circuit, however, this is not the case; indeed, both Biggleswade and Bedford South Circuits had a number of LAs on every plan and some Local Preachers from Bedford North have been helping out in those circuits for some time. The Methodist concept of the circuit is that we share our resources and that means sharing the pain as well as the gain. As a result, ALL the churches in the new circuit (apart from the Partnership which has a “resident” vicar) have at least one and often more LAs this quarter. It means that for that service, there will not be a minister or Local Preacher in charge and it is for each church to decide on the worship for that service. This might mean using Worship Leaders, but it is hoped that others in the congregation will also offer their own gifts in preparing worship.

Whilst the preaching ministry is central to Methodism, there are many other resources which can be used for these occasional services. For example, meditations, discussions, Bible study, Songs of Praise, sharing testimonies, drama, music; all these and more offer different ways to worship together. Can we see this as an opportunity rather than a backward step?

The reality is that across the new circuit, we have a shortage of trained preachers to cover all the services; we have a small number of recent ly qual i f ied Local Preachers, but very few still in training and nobody “on note” (that means exploring their feeling of a call to preach). Yet in our congregations there are many with gifts such as reading, writing, drama or music. Perhaps this is a way for more of us to use our gifts to contribute to acts of worship without necessarily training as Worship Leaders or Local Preachers. Who knows, this might be the beginning of an exciting road towards training for some, but in any case, we have much to learn and much to gain by sharing with each other in new ways. If you would like to be involved, please speak to a steward or a member of Priory Leadership Team.

… and what IS a Circuit?

There has been lots of information lately about the new North Bedfordshire Circuit following the merger of three previous circuits. If you do not have a Methodist background, maybe you are wondering what the fuss is all about as the Circuit structure is a pecul iar ly Methodist institution.

The whole of the Methodist Church in Great Britain is know as the Connexion, because we are all connected together. The country is then divided into large districts and then circuits, groups of churches which are close together geographically and which work together and share resources.

Our minister is employed by the Circuit and works wherever she/he is required in that area. It is usual to give a minister pastoral responsibility for specific churches, but they will preach in others and ministers may offer specific expertise to any church in the circuit. Local Preachers may be asked to preach anywhere in the circuit and the Superintendent (the “senior” minister) is responsible for planning who will lead worship across the whole circuit, hence the quarterly Plan.

The Circuit Meeting, which consists of ministers, officials and representatives of every church in the circuit, is the decision-making body for the whole circuit and the


Back to Church Sunday - 25th September

A survey by Churchgoing in the UK shows that 3 million people who have stopped going to church, or who have never been in their lives, would consider attending given the right invitation. Back to Church Sunday was established to address that fact and last year, around 150,000 people went to church on that day as a result of a personal invitation.

Research shows that between 12% and 15% of those accepting an invitation become regular attendees at the church to which they were invited.

Could YOU bring someone to church with you on 25th September? Do you know someone who might respond to your invitation? This is something we can all do to reach out to our community in a positive way.

members are trustees, just as we have Church Council in our individual churches.

The advantages of the circuit structure are that we can share in worship and fellowship with each other, pool our resources and support each other; if any church is in trouble in any way, the others will assist. The circuit also organises the manses (houses for the ministers) and is important in the process of replacing ministers.

In a way, the circuit equates to a parish, but there is much greater co-operation between churches in a circuit and the boundaries are less strict, so events may take place across circuits. Our new circuit has 31 churches, so is relatively large. The purpose of the merger is to streamline the work and the number of meetings to free up more resources for mission in our area.

We will also have a wider range of resources to access and the ministers will be better able to support each other when working in a larger, more varied team. Those of you who attended the launch event on 3rd September will have seen what can be achieved when we work together to share worship, music, singing, activities, food and fellowship. Hopefully you also caught some of the excitement and vision of the new circuit. As we set off on this new part of our journey with God, each church in the circuit has its own contribution to make to the work and witness of the Methodist Church in this area.

Liz Little

Messy ChurchMessy Church resumes at Priory after the summer break at 3.30pm on Monday 12th September. The sessions are for school age children, their siblings and parents or carers. There are lots of activities and creative things, some messy, others not!

We share in a Bible story and songs and at 5.15pm we all share in a hot meal, which Susanne and her team have prepared.

If you know of any children of Lower-Middle School age who might like to bring their parents or grandparents, do take some invitation cards from the entrance at Priory and invite them to join in the fun.


Methodist Homes Invite you…to a Day Conference in Birmingham on Wednesday, 9th November 2011 at The Paragon Hotel, 145 Alcester Street, Birmingham, B12 0PJRegistration from 9.30am

The event will explore the context of ageing in the 21st Century and help carers, whether formal, informal or family members, discover ways of meeting the spiritual needs of older people.

Celebrity Guest: Pam Rhodes, Television Presenter and Patron of MHA

Keynote Speakers: Nigel Thompson, Head of Equality, CQC Ann Morisy, Community Theologian and Lecturer Keith Albans, MHA Group Director, Chaplaincy and Spirituality

Who should attend: Health and Social Care Professionals, Chaplains, Clergy and Church pastoral leaders, Older People, Informal Carers.

For a booking form and enquiries please contact: Hazel Twynham Department of Chaplaincy & Spirituality, Methodist Homes (MHA) Epworth House, Stuart StreetDerby DE1 2EQTel: 01332 221831. Email: [email protected]

Cost (full day including lunch): £35 for bookings received before 30th September or £45 thereafter.

Janet Brandon

It was with shock that we heard of the recent death of Janet after a short illness. Janet came to Priory relat ively recently, having m o v e d t o B e d f o r d o n retirement to be nearer to Stephanie and her family. She was confirmed here in February 2010 and had already begun to make her m a r k a s a W o r s h i p Steward.

Janet was born in London during the Second World War, growing up in Earlsfield where she attended Lady Margaret Grammar School for Girls; on leaving, she gained work as a comptometer operator.

She lived in a number of places, but spent many happy years in Letchworth. The

main focus of Janet’s life was her family; she had three children

and six grandchildren of whom she was very proud and upon whom she showered her love.

Janet had a real sense of faith and became very much part of Priory’s church family.

We remember a l l her family as they come to

terms with her death, as we give thanks for her life and

the contribution she made to Priory while she was with us.

Brenda Smith wishes to point out that the word “pub” in her article “Memories of Willington” was not as originally submitted for printing. The wording which she prefers is Public House.

Editor

mailto:[email protected]



As part of the celebration of the Year of the Bible, Priory is holding a Bible exhibition on Saturday 24th September from 10am – 4pm.

Many thanks to all who have already offered items for the exhibition; it promises to be varied and fascinating. We are thrilled that on the Friday morning, the older children from Goldington Green Lower School will come for a preview and to enjoy some Bible-related activities.

On Saturday evening, we will be treated to a concert by the Flitwick Singers who first presented this programme of Bible-based songs at the Bible weekend at Flitwick Methodist Church. It was a great success and we are fortunate that they have offered to sing again for us.

We hope that you will come along at some point on the Saturday and will bring your friends. There will be plenty to see!

Bible Exhibition - 24th September

The Alto’s Lament

It’s tough being an alto when you’re singing in the choir – The sopranos get the twiddly bits that people all admire;The basses boom like loud trombones, the tenors shout with glee,But the alto part is on two notes (or, if you’re lucky, three).

And when we sing an anthem and we lift our hearts in praises,The men get all the juicy bits and telling little phrases.Of course, the trebles sing the tune – they always come off best – While the altos only get three notes and twenty-two bars rest.

We practise very hard each week from hymn book and from Psalter,But when the conductor looks at us our voices start to falter:“Too high! Too low! Too fast! Too slow! – you held that note too long!”It doesn’t matter what we do – it’s certain to be wrong!

Oh, shed a tear for altos, they’re the Marthas and they know;In ranks of choral singers they’re considered very low.They are so very humble that a lot of folk forget ‘em;How they’d love to be sopranos, but their vocal chords won’t let ‘em.

And when the final trumpet sounds and we are wafted higher,Sopranos, basses, tenors – they’ll be in the Heavenly Choir;While they sing “Alleluia!” to celestial flats and sharps, The altos will be occupied with polishing the harps!

This bi-annual event, organised by “In Harmony”, the Free Church Choir Union, will take place on Saturday 15th October in St Albans Cathedral at 7.00pm.

There will be a joint choir of some 600 members and the service will be led by Rev Anne Brown, our own District Chair.

All are welcome at this inspiring occasion.

National Festival of Church Music


Glayne's Day OffI have chosen Saturday as my day off, as this is the only way to guarantee that I can see family and friends who work in the week. As a single person, I need their support for my well-being.

In practice this means that I will only work on Saturdays for District Synods, Church Councils and weddings. I know that there are many church events on Saturdays, but hope you will respect my need for rest and family/friend catch-up.

I will make every effort to be at events in the week, where possible and appropriate.

One of Martin’s last tasks before he retired was to lay the foundations for some new house groups and he has forwarded 26 names to Glayne of those a lready expressing an interest in joining. We also have leaders for two groups.

The plan is to hold a meeting in the autumn for all who wish to be involved, so do look out for details if you want to add your name to the list of potential members, or to help with leadership.

House groups are an excellent way to share fellowship, learn together and support each other in our journey of faith.

Council was asked to select the project for 2012 /13 from a selection of 7 very worthy charities; next year, our focus is on home causes and the project selected is Bedford Open Door, a counselling service for young people between the ages of 13 and 25. Fund raising for this will start in March 2012.

News from Priory Church Council

Light in the DarknessYou a re i nv i t ed t o a s e r v i c e o f thanksgiving and celebration for the work of Bedford Street Angels to be on held Saturday 8th October at 4 pm at Christ Church, Bedford. In addition to worship and testimonies, there will be a chance to see the new video on the work of Bedford Street Angels.

A fellowship meal will follow; all are welcome.


News from Willington …We had a very good Kidzone Holiday Club called Jailhouse Rock on 30th and 31st Augus t . 15 ch i l d ren a t tended and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They all went home with convicts’ hats on the final day so we’re not sure what the parents thought!

We have now had the vestibule and the corridor through to the stairs damp proofed and redecorated and it looks great - fit for a King!

and Park Road

We felt honoured that Park Road featured in the first issue of the new Circuit Magazine recording its 125 years of service; the magazine also included a very inspiring article from Bill Lavery marking his 70 years of local preaching. We were delighted that Bill was presented with a special certificate to mark this wonderful achievement at the Circuit Celebration Service in August. Bill’s early ministry was in his native Belfast when his local circuit covered the whole of the province of Northern Ireland, making good use of his bicycle. He is still seen cycling the streets of Bedford!

The work of the past was celebrated with thanks but as we join with the other churches in the new North Bedfordshire Circuit we look forward to the future with considerable trust and expectation in what God has in store for us.

The new District President, Rev. Wendy Evans-Wood, will be inducted on Saturday 1st October at Hoddesdon Methodist Church. Coffee from 10.30.

For more information contact Eileen Davis on 01234 215057

Priory, Park Road & Willington NewsThis is the newsletter of Priory Methodist Church, Newnham Avenue, Bedford, Park Road Methodist Church, Park Road West, Bedford (Tel 353523) and Willington Methodist Church, Chapel Lane, Willington. The next edition of Priory, Park Road & Willington News will be published on 30th October. Please pass contributions to Liz Little (347966), Ann Sewell (347381) or Jenny Clifford (404644) by 18th October or e-mail to Liz ([email protected]) by 21st October. Thank you.

Methodist Women in Britain, Beds Essex & Herts District

Can you help?Arthritis Research UK have a street collection in the town centre from 9am – 1.30pm on Saturday 1st October.

If you could shake a tin for a while for this worthy cause, Marion Goddard would be very glad to hear from you on 01234 344614.




Great fun was shared at the second French Café with John Gribble as the Mâitre’D and we were able to welcome visitors responding to the advert in the Times and Citizen. The wide variety of the menu was greatly appreciated. £140 was raised as fellowship was shared.

The excess produce table has had a variety of produce this last month. Christine Hearn has been busy with her crumbles and a total of £76.60 has been raised.

Alan and Eileen were blessed with lovely weather for their open garden and there was lots of chatter as people shared in a happy afternoon. £71 .00 was raised.

Tuesday Fellowship donated £100 following the visit of Maureen Jones to speak about the Kenyan projects.

To date we have raised £2532.74 for Karibuni.

Thank you to all who have helped in any way.

Social and Fund Raising Activities in July and August

Dates for your DiarySaturday 17th September Coffee morning, Willington, 10.30am – 12 noon. Bring and Buy Stall, Cakes, Gifts and books

Saturday 17th September Quiz Supper at Priory, 6.45pm for 7.00pm, tickets £5

Saturday 24th September Bible Exhibition, Priory, 10am – 4pm and concert by Flitwick Singers, 7.30pm

Sunday 25th September Park Road Harvest Lunch

Monday 26th September Willington lunches, 12.30pm. Home cooked food and each course priced separately. Contact Pat 838667 to reserve a place

Saturday 8th October Priory Has More Talent: a church family night of fun in aid of Karibuni Trust. The programmes will be £1 and there will be buckets if you wish to make a donation.

Sunday 9th October Priory Harvest Lunch: an opportunity for everyone to share together and to get to know Glayne a little better. Tickets will be available for us to help with catering numbers; a donation of £2.50 each (or

more!) will be requested on the day to cover the cost of the meal.

Saturday 5th November Priory Autumn Fair 11.00am-3.00pm. This year we are inviting all church groups to share in the Fair and have interesting stalls and activities for all ages. Please book the date and if you have something you would like to stage please let and member of the Social Committee know, or contact the Church Office.

Don’t

Forget


Emily Green 15 on 14th SeptemberMarianna Rwaka 18 on 20th October Jake Field 9 on 21st October

This month, we are celebrating the Bible, our holy book, with a special exhibition at Priory. How much do you know about the Bible?

Find the right words to fill in the gaps.

Our Worship TogetherOur Worship TogetherOur Worship TogetherOur Worship TogetherPriory Sunday

18 September

8.30am Glayne Worgan, Holy Communion

18 September 10.00am Worship Together Bill Murphy18 September

6.30pm Joanne Sherwood

25 September10.00am Methodist

ContemporaryChris IzzardLocal Arrangement25 September

6.30pm Matt Fugill

2 October10.00am Methodist

ContemporaryBill Davies, Holy CommunionGlayne Worgan2 October

6.30pm David Haseldine

9 October

8.30am Glayne Worgan, Holy Communion

9 October 10.00am Worship Together Glayne Worgan, Harvest FestivalHarvest Festival

9 October

6.30pm Glayne Worgan, Harvest FestivalHarvest Festival

16 October10.00am Methodist

ContemporaryDavid WinwoodRichard Wycherley16 October

6.30pm John Ayers

23 October 10.00am MethodistContemporary

Michael CarrEileen Davis

6.30pm Jacqueline Owen

30 October 10.00am MethodistContemporary

John AyersDavid Haseldine, Holy Communion

6.30pm Wholeness & Healing Glayne Worgan, Holy Communion

CDs of Sunday morning worship at Priory are available on request from Iain Stronach. Please see Iain in person, call 01234 325774 or email [email protected]. A copy will be left in your church pigeonhole. Donations to cover costs would be welcome.




Priory Wednesday

14 September 12 noon John Ayers

21 September 12 noon No Service

28 September 12 noon Glayne Worgan, Holy Communion

5 October 12 noon Liz Little

12 October 12 noon John Ayers

19 October 12 noon No Service

26 October 12 noon Bill Davies, Holy CommunionGlayne Worgan

Park Road Sunday

18 September 11.00am Local Arrangement

25 September 11.00am Glayne Worgan, Harvest FestivalHarvest Festival

2 October 11.00am Claire Peck

9 October 11.00am Chris IzzardLocal Arrangement

16 October 11.00am Glayne Worgan, Holy Communion

23 October 11.00am Pat Larman

30 October 11.00am John Bassill

Willington Sunday

18 September 10.30am Perllyn Thomas

25 September 10.30am All Age Worship Andrew Hollins

2 October 10.30am Glynne Rowlands

9 October 11.15am United Service Bill Davies, Harvest Festival

26 October 10.30am Local Arrangement

23 October 10.30am All Age Worship Glayne Worgan

30 October 10.30am Peter Adams




introducing the new minister - priory methodist church i like to drink cold water, ’cos i know...

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