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Our December 2009 Newsletter
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December 2009Newsletter
Mustard SeedEvangelical Church
The
For the people of Callington and the greater glory of God
www.msec.org.uk
HighlightsPage2: MonthlyActivities
Page4: FromTheElders(FromPeterandJohn)
Page4: SplashUpdate(FromGeraldineParkyn)
Page5: YouthWorkUpdate(FromTimCadoux)
Page6: Missionarynews(FromAndyandCindyRich)
Page8: ISawThreeShips
Page9: WithLoveAtChristmas
Welcome!Every year at Christmas, we see an overload of advertising andcommercialism. People want us to buy things. In Church circlesespecially,wehearhowthisisbad,andhowChristmasisnotallaboutpresentsandbuyingthings.
NowwhilstIagreewiththisideatoacertainextent,Idohavetoraiseanissuewiththis.WhenpeoplesayChristmasisallaboutJesus,wesooften leave it there. We don’t look at the reasons behindwhy Jesusactuallycametoearth.
Jesus came topay the price for our sin. In Romans 6:23 Paulwrites,“Forthewagesofsinisdeath,butthegiftofGodiseternallifeinChristJesusourLord.”Jesusboughtus,andJesusgaveus thegiftofGod’sgrace,thegiftofeternallife.
SoChristmasisallaboutgifts,bothgiving,andreceiving,andChristmasisallaboutbuying things,we just forgetwho is doing thegiving andthebuying.Sothisyear,asyoubuygiftsforpeople,don’tforgetthatyouwerefirstboughtbyGod,andmayyourgivingreflectthisfact.
MonthlyActivitiesDate Time Event Location
Monday7/12 19:45 PrayerMeeting TheParlour
Thursday10/12 14:15 ResidentialHomesOutreach St.Theresa’s
Saturday12/12 08:00 Men’sBreakfast Frank’s
Sunday20/12 16:00 ChristmasNativity DupathFarm
Friday25/12 10:30 FamilyService TheMustardSeed
Friday25/12 12:30
CommunityLunchforthosewhowouldotherwisebealonethisChristmas.(ContactPeter/Jenny)
DupathFarm
SundayMorningWorshipSunday6thDecember: JohnCole
Sunday13thDecember: JamesMckee
Sunday20thDecember: PeterCoombe
Sunday27thDecember: MalcolmShiers
ResidentialHomesOutreachUpdateOn Thursday 12th of November a number of ladies from the churchwent to theChyvarashome.Wehad a verygood timewith about8SeniorLadies,wesangsomewellknownhymnsandspokeabouttheGood Shepherd. It was good tosee how these dear Ladies enjoyedsinging.
PleaseprayGodwilldoaworkintheirhearts.
Therearebetween11to15childrenages5to8yearsmeetingattheafterschoolclubeachWednesday.Activitiesrangefromgamestocolouringpicturesrelatedto the lesson for thedaywhich they canthen takehome.Webeenusingthe‘Wordless’bookseriestoteachthechildreninasimplewayaboutHeaven,sin,thecross,resurrectionandnewlifeinJesus.
Wehaveconcentratedon learning two scripture versesover theterm. Theseare:“FortheSonofMancametoseekandtosavewhatwaslost.”(Luke19:10)And: “I am theway and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Fatherexceptthroughme.”(John14:6).
As ChristmasapproacheswewillsharetheChristmasstoryandwepray itwilltakeonanewmeaningfortheselittleones.
ThankyouforprayingforJeanCollinsandIeachweekandwehaveappreciatedTim'shelptoowhenhepopsin.
–GeraldineParkyn
Splash
FromTheEldersChristmas isalmosthereagain,wherehastheyeargone?JohnandIwouldliketo thank youforyour inputthroughout theyear.Wehaveseenmanyanswersto prayeras needsand difficult situations havearisen,and wearegrateful toyou all aswehaveworked together toseepeoplehelped andencouraged intheirlives.
Our responsibilityhasbeenmadelighterasmanyof you,weekbyweek,havedonejobs in the Church cleaning, tidying, caretaking, repairs, flowers,music,leadingmeetings,etc.Thankyou!
WethankGodthat,aswehaveprayedforpeopletofillcertainpositions,Hehasprovidedtherightpeople.AswelookforwardagaintotheNativitywehopeallofyouwillbeinvolvedtomakeitevenbetterthanlastyear.
WewishyouallapeacefulChristmasandGod`srichestblessingintheNewYear.
–Peter&John
YouthWorkUpdateThis past month (November) has been avery exciting one for both the youngpeople, and those involve in youthworkattheMustardSeed.
We have been continuing with ‘SoulSpace’which isourMondayNight youthclub. This has been good fun, and theyoung people seem to be enjoyingthemselves each week. We have evenseen two new young people starting tocometoSoulSpaceeachweek,sopleasedopray for them.OnMondays,wehavehad funplayingvarious games,andhavetimeeachweektositdownwithacupofhot chocolate and some biscuits to talkandsharewitheachother.
We have also had a new venture thismonth,withour firstweekend away.Onthe 20th‐22nd November, four youngpeople cameaway toDupathFarm for aweekend of worship, fun, games,teaching and fellowship. The weekendwas called“Re:Focus” andwe looked athowwecanrefocusourlivesonGod.
We hada four mainsessions throughoutthe weekend, and time for worship andreflectioneachday.SungworshipwasledbyNicola Stokes from Plymstock UnitedChurch,whichwasthoroughlyenjoyedbyall of us.We also sharedmeals togetherand had time toplaygames onanX‐Boxandwatchacoupleoffilms.
We were a bit unfortunate with theweather, which prevented us from ourplanned visit to Kit Hill on the Saturday,butwemadeupforthatbyhavingChurchup in the disused quarryon the Sunday.
This was a great experience, andsomething which we might like to tryagain,perhapsevenasawholeChurch?
WearealsocontinuingtomeetonSundaymornings each week, where we havebeendiscussingsomeofthefundamentalelements of Christianity, such as, prayer,worship,theBibleandChurch.
December should also be a fun time forus, and we are looking forward to ourChristmasmeal atSoul Space on the 14thDecember.
We are looking for volunteers to helpmakedrinksandhelpoutwithSoulSpaceonMondayNights(19:30‐21:30).Wehavea rota at the back of Church,where youcan sign up to help. I would encourageyou to pray and think about if this issomethingGodmightbecallingtoyoutohelpoutwith.
Please do continue to pray for all theyoung people, especially over thisChristmasperiod.
Iwould like tothankallwhohavehelpedwithSoulSpaceeachweek,andespeciallyBrian, Caroline, Kath, Gina and Malcolmwhocametohelpattheweekendaway.
YouthGroupEventsMonday7thDecember: YouthGroup
Monday14thNovember: YouthGroupChristmasMeal
MissionaryNewsFromAndyandCindyRich
Page6
DearfriendsinChrist,
Wehopeyouandeveryoneathomearewell. Thank youfor prayingfor us hereontheborder.Wehaveanexcitingnewsupdate for you, having just returnedfrom Bangkok with the truck and ourprecious little girl.Having the truckhasbeen so helpful and it also means thattherestofthe team cancarryoninthevillage with the MTI truck usage. Thesurgery was successful and this is thesecond cardiac surgery we were abletohelpwithaswestillhadsome fundsleft fromourpreviousappeal.Soinfacttwo children have been givenopportunityforlifebecauseofthis.We can hardly believe that the girl(pictured) Whie Whie Khine, who is 11months old,is the same sickchildI sawwith pneumonia a few weeks earlier.With no access to specialist care, themotherhadweptonlyweeksbeforeasadoctorconfirmedaheartdefectandsaidthere was little that could be done forthe sick baby.Getting to Bangkok withnoI.Dorpapersisveryhard,findingthemoney for this type of surgery, verydifficult,animpossibletask,butnotwithGod!
We were really concerned, would sheget surgery in time? She is smiling somuchnowand showsher sunnynaturenow she feelswell.God isso good,yetagain He gave us miracles, when onlyfour hours before surgery, the hospitalsolicitors said that legally they should
not reallyoperateonababywithnoI.Dand from another country. (Aftercontacting the Burmese embassy forinformation on the Mums I.D, theembassy couldn't be bothered and didnot help, which was a big concern forourwork).Thisraisedthequestion,'wasthis the mother'?, andwhat if the babydied??? Anyway, God overruled, as thesurgeon & other medical doctorsintervenedonherbehalf.
Today we bought her back fromBangkok,afterapositiveresultfromthefollowup tests from a veryhappy Thai
surgeon. Seemed like a lot of thehospital knewabout this little Burmesechildfromapoorvillagesomewhereontheborder.
Manymaynotknowthatthishospital isone of the best in Bangkok. We havenothing to match it in Uk that I haveever seen.Sothe rich&very richcometherefromDubai,&Arabcountries.Wayout of our financial capabilities, asurgery like this would normally be£15,000 although we had some charityreduction on this, BUT GOD........! wetold them what money we had & thefourmost seniormembersof staffpaidsome themselvesmakingupthedeficit.Leaving us a few thousand to pay wasand this is what we had. We actuallythink maybe the staff get sick ofpandering to the rich and found thewhole case refreshing!Also The cardiacsurgeonissaidtobeoneofthe best inThailand.SoGodgavethislittlegirl(andYinChanwhohadsurgeryforthesameheart defect in July) the very best andbothtimeswehaveseenmiracleswhichhaveamazedusandourteam.
Todaywe brought them back home tothevillage,alongjourneyfromBangkokbut we stopped half way overnightsomewhere. Mum was like the Queengoing back into the village, somevillagers were cheering and shouting.We blew up a few balloons for her totake, the kids were running alongsidethe truck shouting greetings! WhenAndy took them to check back intoimmigration (they are only allowed aonedaypasstoSangla)theguardsweresogladtoseeher&tookphotosofher,imagine that!The 2nd immigrationstopat3PPwasaseniorofficialwhoisreally
mean, and Andydreads takingpatientswhen he'son (LittleHitlerAndysays)!Andythought howto dealwiththis,asthis man was off duty when he wasgiven the pass,well‐ Andy said a brieffewwords about 'how grateful he wasto take this child for life savingtreatment toBangkok',theman lookedvery stern& thenWhieWhie gave oneof her huge big smiles at him and themans heart must of melted as he said“Okno problem!” and beamedback toWhieWhie.
We have uploaded a video to theinternet,whichyoucanwatchat:www.youtube.com/user/fishwrapperrae
OurfriendJaneFucella (alsoanurse)isin the background of the video, shecared for Mum and baby for a weekafterdischargeinherhomeinBangkok,asitwasmuchtoosoonforbabytogohometothe villagewherethere is littlecleanwateretc.SheisfromUkbutlivedin Thailand for many years, lovelyChristian familywho all now adore thebabytobits!
GodBless,YoursInHim,
AndyandCindy
Please do remember all ourmissionary friends around theworld inyourownprayers, it isagreatwaytohelpthemandtobeapartofGod’sKingdom!
ISawThreeShips…TherearemanylovelyChristmascarols,andweallhaveourfavourites.Oneofmyfavouritesbegins:
"IsawthreeshipscomesailingbyonChristmasDayinthemorning."
Itmakesaprettypictureandonetokindle theimagination, forthereare three ‘ship’s which have a real significance for us during thisseason.
Thefirst ‘ship’ iswor‐ship,most definitelya Christmasship. Inwritingabout the first Christmas, it is recorded bySt.Matthew inhisGospel,“Andwhenthey[theWiseMen]werecomeintothehouse, theysawthe young child with Mary his mother and they fell down andworshipped Him.”We too can worship God, and Christmas time is atimewhenmanypeoplemaketheextraefforttocometoChurch.Whydon’tweinviteothersin,toworshipGodwithus.
Another‘ship’thatcomessailinginatChristmasisfriend‐ship,forthisisa timewhenwethinkofour friendsandsendgreetingstothosewholive at a distance. We can also think aboutmaking new friends, andhowwecanencourageourfriendsat thisChristmas time, tofocusonwhatGodhasdoneforus.
Thethirdshipissteward‐ship.Astewardisonewhoistrustedtoserve.Serving was something that Jesus was most emphatic about. InPhilippians2:7wearetoldthat,“JesustookuponHimselftheformofaservant.” God calls us to be stewards too, so how can your givingreflect the need for our stewardship? How about buying gifts fromsomewherelikeOxfam’s“Unwrapped”whereyoucanbuygifts(suchas seeds, goats, or a toilet) that will help other people around theworld,whoneedthingssomuchmorethatwedo.
SomaythisChristmasbefullofworship,friendshipandstewardship.
WithLoveAtChristmasChristmasisadrag,abore,Christmasisanawfulchore.
Foodtobuyandcakestobake,Andhundredsofmince‐piestomake.Cardstobewrittenbythedozen,Toeveryauntandlong‐lostcousin.
Inthestoreswepushandshove,Andfinditveryhardtolove.
Theneighbour,who,beforeoureyes,Hasgrabbedthedressinjustoursize!
Parcelstopostandgiftstowrap,Whenwhatweneedisagoodlongnap.
Butstopawhile,andlistento,ThemessageChristmasbringstoyou,
Ofagift,notwrappedupnice,Butfullofloveandsacrifice.
Lyinginastablebare,SentbyGodforalltoshare.
Sowheneverywhereisnoiseandbustle,Andweary,youacheineverymuscle,
Keepinsightthestarahead,Shiningoverthecattleshed
WheretheHolyBabewasborn;ThegiftofloveonChristmasmorn.
WewishyouallahappyChristmasandwehopeyoustaysafeandfindyourselfclosertoGodthiscomingyear.
WeeklyActivitiesMondays
19:45 HomeGroupatGrace’s.Comeandspendsometimeprayingforeachother,worshippingGodandstudyingJohn’sGospel.Allarewelcome.EveryMonday,exceptthefirstinthemonthwhenwehaveaprayermeetingattheChurch.
19:45 YouthGroupintheHall.Achanceforalltheyoungpeopleaged14‐18togettogetherandhavefunplayinggames,poolandtable‐tennis.
Wednesdays
09:15 SeedlingsintheHall.Forpre‐schoolersandparents/carers.
15:15 SplashatCallingtonPrimarySchool.Anafter‐schoolclubforpupilsattheschool.
Thursdays
10:00 LadiesBibleStudyintheParlour.
Sundays
10:45 MorningWorshipattheMustardSeed.Joinusforatimeofprayer,worshipandteaching.Therearegroupsforchildrenandyoungpeople,throughwhichtheywilllearnmoreaboutGodandenjoyfindingoutmoreaboutHim.
18:45 EveningPraisewithworship,sharingandprayingtogetherbeforeaninteractivestudyfocusingonwhatGodissayingthoughthepassage,notjusttryingtogainmoreknowledge.WearecurrentlystudyingtheBookofRevelationtogether.
ContactsLeadership
PeterCoombe(Elder)
(01579)[email protected]
JohnCole(Elder)
YouthandChildren’sWork
TimCadoux(YouthWorker)
GeraldineParkyn(Splash)
(01579)[email protected]
Outreach
MaureenLloyd(Women’sMinistry)
(01579)351853
KathyCole(Seedlings)
GeraldineParkyn(ResidentialHomes)
(01579)[email protected]
OtherActivities
JohnCole(HomeGroup)
Contributionsformonthlynewsletter:
Deadline:15thDecemberSpeakto:TimCadoux
Email:[email protected]
WhoWeAre:
TheMustardSeedisafellowshipofChristianscommittedtodiscoveringGod’sloveandtruthfortoday.Duringourworshipandstudytimes,inourfamilyandsocialevents,andthroughourcaringandOutreachMinistriesweexploreandshareGod’sgraceandguidanceasHehelpsusbecomeandgrowasHisfollowers.
WhatWeBelieve:
•Godisreal.•JesusisLord.•TheHolySpiritgiveslife.•GodspeaksthroughtheBible.•Godforgivesus.•Jesuscaresforus.•Jesusiscomingback.
Mustard SeedEvangelical Church
The
For the people of Callington and the greater glory of God
www.msec.org.uk
Wewarmlywelcomeyou,oranyoneelsetomeetwithus!
