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Southey Street, CA12 4HH
NEWSLETTER
Our Christmas Window Photo : Brian Moffat
November &
December
2019
“This is my Son, whom I love, Listen to him!” (Mark ch 9 v 7)
Well, we made it! The move from London to Cumbria. ‘What a change
that will be for you both’ has been a frequent comment. Yes that is true.
Rather than the ‘tube’ we are likely to encounter a tractor on our
travels; the frenetic rush of the London crowds has been replaced by
the ambling herds of sheep and cattle; and the decibels have
significantly reduced. In essence – we love it here! And on behalf of
Paul and myself we would like to thank you for the warmth of your
welcome. We feel very settled even at this early stage and the manse
has already begun to feel like home.
We moved here after ‘God for All’ had embarked upon 100 Days of
Prayer followed by 100 Days of listening - which takes us up to
Christmas Day - listening to God, to each other, to our churches and
communities.
In my experience – prayer
and listening are two areas
Christians feel they could be
much better in. And I
include myself in that!
Following my sabbatical last
year I introduced a
discipline to be quiet for 5
minutes a day.
Rev Paul
and
Deacon Kina
Saunders
To be honest it has fallen by the wayside during our move and I have
re-introduced it into my devotional life. Can I encourage you to join me
in this? To stop; set aside what you’re doing; find a quiet space or be
quiet where you are; and be still; wait upon God; you don’t need to say
or do anything . . just . . be. God loves to talk to us but, if you’re
anything like me, I can get so easily distracted. So this intentional
setting aside of time has become a real blessing.
In Mark’s gospel we read the account of the Mount of Transfiguration.
Trekking up a mountain is something that you good folks will be able to
imagine without any difficulty. The cloud that covered Jesus and his
disciples is another familiar image. And during that mountain-top
experience a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love,
Listen to him!” LISTEN.
I find it deeply profound that God who holds the universe within His
capable hands wishes to talk to little old me – but nevertheless it is true
– and true for us all. That period of detachment from activity – just as
Christ and the three disciples set off on their climb – is necessary – vital
even, because that time spent ‘being’, focussing on God, enables us to
deal with the chaos that we must return to at the bottom of the
mountain.
Being enabled by God releases His potential within us and through us
and I for one, find that incredibly exciting – because it is life-changing,
community-changing and world-changing. So, if your 5 minutes of
silence are up on the fells, or sat in a comfy armchair, or with your eyes
closed in front of your computer monitor, I leave you with the following
paragraph from the God for All website:
“By 2020 every person in Cumbria of all ages and backgrounds
will have an opportunity to discover more of God and God's
purpose for their lives, so that they will discover more of Jesus and
the Good News and become followers of Jesus within a Christian
community.” God bless,
Kina and Paul
James joins us from the Gloucestershire Circuit where he was
Superintendent Minister of 45 churches and Ecumenical Canon of
Gloucestershire Cathedral.
James has also been a minister in Kent, West London, Sheffield,
Manchester, and Cheshire and has, at times, been a Prison and
University Chaplain. He also has a PhD and a special interest in how
psychotherapy, pastoral care and theology meet and interact.
Previous to being ordained, James was a solicitor practicing in central
London. He is married to Nicola, who is also a Methodist Minister and
has a role as Secretary to the Connexional Faith and Order Committee.
They have one daughter.
Editor’s note:
We are delighted that James has agreed to conduct our Christmas Day
service. We look forward to meeting him then.
Many thanks to Penrith for this article.
Church Website www.keswickmethodistchurch.org.uk
Lots of information, photos etc
Do log on and see for yourself.
We welcome our
new District Chair
Revd. Dr. James
Tebbutt
We were very saddened to hear of the deaths of two of our members
recently, Edna Preston and Joyce Gray. We shall miss them both and
send our love and condolences to their families.
Edna’s funeral was at the crematorium on 4th October. I have put an
excerpt from the funeral, outlining Edna’s life, later in the Newsletter.
Joyce’s funeral is at 1.30pm on Tuesday 29th October and we will write
more about Joyce, and her life at the church in our next Newsletter.
Elizabeth Grisdale is in Carlisle hospital after falling and breaking her
hip. We send her our love and prayers and pray that she may soon be
well again.
As ever we send our Christmas love, best wishes and prayers to all
those who are generally unable to worship with us at this present time
including: Margaret Bamber, Elizabeth Grisdale, Greta Grave, Sheila
MacNab, Sylvia McNae, Adrian Thwaites. Joyce Ellis
Church Family News
Newsfamily
Congratulations to Alan and
Kath Smith who celebrate their
Diamond Wedding this
December!
Edna did well at school and gained a scholarship to Coalbrookdale County
High School. She continued to work hard whilst there and attained her School
Certificate with credits in 4 of her subjects in 1940.
Daughter Helen tells me she would have loved to go on to college and be a
teacher, but it was necessary for her to leave school and start work. It was
also wartime. It was whilst working as a laboratory assistant that she met Tom
Preston who was an engineer and tank rail inspector. Romance blossomed
and they were married on 27th October 1945 just as the war ended.
They moved to Carleton, a small village near Skipton in Yorkshire, where
Tom’s family lived. Four years later Helen was born in May 1949. From 1953
to 1968 Edna was employed as librarian in charge of the Branch Library in
Carleton. She was described as being conscientious and reliable and doing
much to encourage the use of the County Library Service in the village.
She then worked for several years successfully as a non-teaching assistant in
Greatwood Primary School in Skipton and from there a few years later became
manageress of the Readicut Woolshop in Skipton. When she eventually retired
Edna did regular voluntary work for SCAD, the Skipton charity helping the
disabled.
Edna’s hobbies apart from reading were sewing, embroidery and tapestry
along with knitting. She was an excellent dress-maker making most of the
clothes for herself and her daughter. She was meticulous in everything she did
and won many trophies in annual shows for the garments she knitted and was
invited to be a judge at some of the county shows. More lately she knitted 165
beautiful poppies for the huge Remembrance display outside St John’s church
last year.
Edna Preston - 94 yrs
Edna was born Edna Florence Wells on
the 25th February 1925 in Blythe,
Northumberland. She was the eldest child
of Florence and Jack Wells and was later
elder sister to Jack and also to June. The
family moved first to Skegness and later to
Ironbridge in Shropshire where her father
was a gas fitter.
Edna and Tom enjoyed a happy retirement especially their holidays together
until Tom died in 1997. They had enjoyed 52 years together. In 2002 Edna
moved from Skipton to Keswick to be with daughter Helen and her husband
John. She went to live in a retirement apartment at Homethwaite House.
She was introduced into the Methodist Church in Southey Street by two good
friends from Homethwaite house, Sally and Hilda. She also joined the Old
Folks Circle and the Hobbies Club. She loved going to Hobbies Club each
week and enjoyed the friendships she made there and the activities, especially
the trips away each year. These included a holiday in Blackpool just a few
months ago. She also enjoyed her regular lunches out with her daughter, her
favourite place being the Skiddaw Hotel for Friday lunch, where she would
enjoy a glass of sherry or two.
Edna liked to keep busy and be involved in local activities. She always helped
at the church at Convention time making dozens of sandwiches in the kitchen
for catering at lunchtimes. She also knitted hats and gloves for the Christmas
boxes put together and shipped abroad for deprived children. She loved being
involved in all family activities and visits from her grandsons Ben and Jonathan
and her great grandchildren Lauren, Aiden and Mark, Jade, Elsie and Maggie.
Edna was independent, intelligent and organised. She and her sister June
shared a love of fashion, shoes, good handbags and jewellery, and dancing.
Even in her 90s she didn’t want to wear anything she considered to be old-
fashioned or frumpy. She had high standards and expected that of others too.
She always loved to give gifts, more so than to receive them herself. She put a
lot of thought into choosing them for each person.
Helen showed me a beautiful tapestry that her mother had made for her. It
included the words ‘For everything there is a season’. That passage from
Ecclesiastes in the Bible reminds us there is a time for everything including
‘There is a time to be born and a time to die.’
And so now, for Edna, has come the end of her life, it is time for her to move
on. But we know that we shall miss her and all she meant to us as mother,
mother-in law, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbour and friend.
Taken from the funeral address by Rev Joyce Ellis at Carlisle
Crematorium on 4th October 2019.
Remembrance Sunday 10th November
There will be no service at our church on Remembrance Sunday
this year as we shall be joining the Civic Service at St John’s
which will start at 9.45am. Following this service we are then
invited to join in the procession down to the War Memorial for the
ceremony at 11am with the laying of wreathes and the 2 minutes
silence.
UNITED SERVICES WITH ST JOHN’S
On Christmas Eve there will be no service of Holy Communion in
our church – we hope that instead you will join the service at St
John’s at 11.30pm.
On 5th January we shall welcome our friends at St Johns to
share our Covenant Service at 10.30am.
Day of Prayer for Keswick and District: Saturday 16th November 6am – 10pm
Churches Together in Keswick is holding a day of prayer for Keswick and its
neighbourhood. This will be held on Saturday 16th November 6am – 10pm in
the Crosthwaite Sunday School room, where there is adjacent free parking.
Members of churches are encouraged to sign up for a one hour slot, with the
aim of filling all the slots between us all. The Keswick Churches Together
prayer list will be used for the basis for our prayers which has 16 sections
covering all the streets, neighbourhoods, places of work, education,
organisations and churches of Keswick and its neighbourhood.
Further details are available on the website, (www.ctik.org.uk) including empty
slots, or from our church reps Dave Roberts and Ted Holt. To sign up for an
hour contact Keith [email protected] or 72288.
The housegroup meets at the home of Joyce and Roy Ellis, 38 Briar Rigg,
Keswick at 7pm. We finish our evenings with coffee/tea and goodies. If you
would like to join us or would like a lift, please speak to Roy or Joyce (73340).
Our programme is as follows :
November 3rd
Seasons of my Soul – Roles and Relationships
Joyce Ellis
November 17th
William Calvert
Roy Ellis
December 1st How my faith has shaped my life
Keith Rigg
December 15th New Christmas Music Favourites Joyce Ellis
Day of Prayer
SUNDAY EVENING HOUSEGROUP
Can you tell us something about your early life? I was born in Penrith, an only child and went to Penrith Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. My father was a Roman Catholic and I went to the Catholic Church. I was a girl guide and life changed for me when I went to the Methodist youth club.
How and when did you come to faith? I have not had a sudden conversion experience but my faith has been something that has grown and strengthened over the years. As a youth club member and later a youth leader I attended the MAYC (Methodist Association of Youth Clubs) annual gathering in London. The service on the Sunday morning in the Royal Albert Hall was always for me a very spiritual experience. We also had two Lay Witness weekends at Penrith and I found them very helpful in my Christian journey. In October 2002 Lloyd suffered three heart attacks in Mallorca and needed immediate surgery. On the morning of his operation I was in the waiting room at the hospital feeling very frightened and alone, when I experienced a sudden feeling of calm and peace. I was later to learn that members of the congregation at Penrith had gathered at that time to pray for us. I knew then God was with us every moment and in every situation.
What was your first job? My one and only full time job was in banking. I started with the District Bank, which became Nat West and finally RBS. I worked in Penrith, Keswick and Carlisle and for some time worked around the country teaching staff an early computer system. Unfortunately I have not improved my computer skills to present day standards. I was made redundant 20 years ago.
What other jobs have you had? Following my redundancy I worked on a casual basis for a friend who had an outside catering business and loved it.
Voices
from the
Congregation
Sue Lloyd
Tell us about your family I am married to Lloyd and whilst we have not been fortunate enough to have any children we have always been involved with children and young people. We were youth leaders for many years and have child minded for several friends and relations, times we have greatly enjoyed.
When did you first become involved with the Methodist Church at Southey Street? I first started attending the church 20 years ago when we first had a caravan at Keswick. We found it difficult then to get to know people but were particularly welcomed by Sally Dixon and Joyce Gray. We became more involved when we helped with the Convention catering, which we still love to do. Whilst I am still a member of Penrith Methodist Church I feel very blessed to be part of Keswick Methodist Church and it has been wonderful to see the changes in the building and the worship over the past year.
Do you have any likes or dislikes? I love our caravan and feel as though Keswick is our second home. I also enjoy singing and am a member of Penrith Committed to Rock choir. I enjoy days out with my two special friends and spending time with Lloyd. I really dislike litter. I also hate all the division in our country at the moment and just look forward to a time when we talk about something other than Brexit and the government get back to doing something about education, the NHS and poverty in our country.
What do you do in your spare time? Apart from time at the caravan and going to Rock choir, I help once a month at Penrith church's lunch club and at an afternoon tea at one of the country chapels. When we are not at Keswick I try to catch up with gardening at home.
Do you have a favourite hymn? A long time favourite has been Dear Lord and Father of mankind. I particularly like the verse: Drop thy still dews of quietness till all our strivings cease. Take from ours lives the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace . Another favourite is Stuart Townend's version of the 23
rd Psalm.
What are your hopes for the future? I hope that Lloyd and I will continue in good health and that we will be able to spend time in Keswick and Penrith and that Brexit will get sorted!
Keswick Methodist Church Christmas Tree Festival
with Nativity Scenes 2019
This December we will be hosting our 7th annual Christmas Tree
Festival. This has become a very happy, community event. Entry will
be free, but donations are encouraged for Action for Children.
Trees are provided by schools, societies, businesses, churches &
various organizations. We hope that this year, with our new, enlarged
circuit, we will have many more church trees!
The Festival will be open at the following times:
Thursday 5th & Friday 6th 10am - 4pm
Saturday 7th December 10am -5pm.
At 4pm, our large window in the hall, which faces on to Southey Street,
will be lit, as part of Keswick Live Advent. It will be decorated with a
large 2D Nativity scene, which will have been added to since last year!
This will be followed by Carol Singing in the Church, amongst the trees,
with mince pies & hot chocolate. Please try to join us for this event.
Sunday 8th December –There will be a celebratory Christmas
Tree Service at 10.30am, & then the Festival will be open from
12noon- 4pm.
As usual, we will be making a display of Nativity Scenes, many from
different countries around the world, which reflect the culture of the
place they were made in. They also help our visitors to reflect on the
true meaning of Christmas. If you have one you would like to lend for
the duration of the Festival, please speak to one of the Church
Stewards, or just bring it along.
There will also be a colouring competition for children, and the chance
to vote for your favourite tree, though no prizes for this! Throughout the
Festival, hot drinks & tray bakes and biscuits will be available.
We will need volunteers for 2 hour slots, to steward the times when
the Festival is open, and to make tea and coffee. Please sign up if
you can help in this way.
We would like donations of biscuits or traybakes to serve visitors.
If you would like to decorate a tree, either as a group or individually,
please see Sheila for more details.
Finally, do come and visit the Festival, bring family, friends and
neighbours, help to fundraise for Action for Children, and help us to
make our 7th Annual Christmas Tree Festival, the most successful
so far!
Sheila Files
Christmas Lunch 1st Dec - Christmas Lunch at church
Christmas Tree Festival 6th
– 9th
Dec - details elsewhere
Christmas Mince Pies 7pm - 9pm 13th Dec – details below
Carol Service 22nd
December at 10.30am
- followed by mince pies
Christmas Eve 11.30pm Holy Communion at St John’s
Christmas Day 10 am All Age Worship
Church Christmas Lunch
Christmas will soon be here, and our packed programme of festivities starts on Advent Sunday, 1
st December, with a Christmas Lunch
here at church! This will take place after morning worship, and is a chance for us all to get together for a wonderful time of fellowship and to enjoy a Christmas meal together.
If you’d like to come, there is a sheet on the hall noticeboard for you to sign up. Please do this as soon as you can before the deadline of Sunday 24
th
November. We would like as many church members as possible to be able to come to the lunch, so if you are a ‘Church Friend’, please remember to mention the occasion to anyone in your group who may not otherwise find out about it. The cost will be £5 per person
We will be asking for several volunteers to help at different times with specific roles such as setting the tables, serving and washing up. Any help will be gratefully received so please do have a think about whether you would be able to volunteer. There’s no need to worry that helping means that you’ll be missing out on the food, as we’re going to make sure that everyone gets to sit down and enjoy the meal! Again, there is a sign up list on the noticeboard.
We very much look forward to seeing you there! Helen and Sally
Christmas Events
This year there will again be a Christmas Post-box in the Church
entrance from Sunday 1st to Saturday 21st December. (If you are going
away before that date – please see me). It will be for Christmas cards
for church friends only. If you wish to post cards you are invited to
make a donation to Action for Children in the collecting tin next to the
post-box.
The cards will be sorted and left in alphabetical order on a table in the
Hall to collect during coffee after the morning service of 22nd Dec,
which is the Carol Service. We hope that you will find this a helpful way
to exchange your Christmas cards.
Joyce
Christmas
Post Box
Roy and Joyce Ellis invite everyone to join them for Roy’s
Christmas Mince Pies with wine, or Joyce’s non-alcoholic punch, and savoury snacks
Thursday 13th December : 7pm-9pm Drop in for as little or as long as you are able –
we would love to see you! We live at 38 Briar Rigg.
Donations in aid of Action for Children & Christian Aid
It’s Panto time! Oh,no it’s not! Oh, yes it is! This Christmas we have an entertainment provided by Duggie Dug Dug, who has a national and international ministry working with children and song writing. He and his team will be presenting
Happily Ever After.
This is how Duggie describes it;
“Cue a hilarious adventure through Panto Land full of princes,
princesses, goodies, baddies and dames galore!
It’s also packed full of songs, puppets and panto slapstick fun and mayhem (and moving moments) as the three other actors and I go looking for the Heart of Christmas in the Aladdin, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast pantos. We finally end up in the nativity story where the Heart of Christmas is revealed in a really unusual and dramatic way.”
Who is it for?
We hope that the pantomime will appeal to a broad range of families
and people of all ages whether or not they come to church. We want
them to enjoy the entertainment and our hospitality and take away the
message about the love of Jesus coming into the world at Christmas.
When is it? Saturday 14th December at 4pm.
It will last about 1hr 30mins plus a short interval when drinks and
biscuits will be served. After the performance, there will be a short slot
about Compassion UK, the child sponsoring charity that Doug is
passionate about.
Cost Tickets will cost: £5 for 1 adult and 1 child;
£10 for 2 adults and up to 3 (maximum) children; an extra child £3.
Price includes refreshments.
Doug will have some of his CDs and DVDs available for people to buy and will probably sign programmes too.
We hope you will want to come along and enjoy the fun, especially if
you have any friends or family with children. Please help us to
advertise it widely by spreading the word!
Christmas Cards
It is not too late to order Christmas cards! Once again I have a display of this
year’s selection of Christmas cards on the table in the hall where the coffee is
served. Last orders please by 1st December. The proceeds from the cards go
to Traidcraft, Christian Aid and Cafod. Please use the list next to the samples
to place your requests and I will send off the order. I will collect payment when
I deliver your order.
Christmas Produce and Gifts Please see the new Traidcraft catalogues for your fairly traded Christmas
produce and gifts. Special Christmas produce includes cake, biscuits,
including Christmas Tree biscuits, Christmas Chocolate (mint thins, ginger
thins, truffles, gift bags etc) and selections of nuts, sweets and decorations.
There is also a wide selection of gifts such as jewellery, clothes, children’s
toys, ornaments. If you give me your requirements I will order them for you.
Great Taste is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink award.
Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, this award is the acknowledged
benchmark for fine food and drink. This year, 12,000 products were entered
and reviewed, and only 200 were awarded the maximum 3-star accolade.
Traidcraft’s Breakfast Tea, as you can see in the picture, is one of them.
Why not give it a try? Joyce Ellis
News from the
Traidcraft Stall
….
Rotas for November & December
Preacher Steward Welcome Nov 3 Ellis (S) Christine Helen D + Wendy I
Nov 10 9.45am Remembrance at St John’s
Nov 17 Saunders P Anne Joyce + Maureen
Nov 24 Ellis Richard Sue + Lloyd
Dec 1 (Chr lunch) Christine Michael+Catherine
Dec 8 C.T.F. Sheila Christine + Kate
Dec 15 t.b.a Pauline Helen D + Wendy I
Dec 22 Carol Service Helen N Sue + Lloyd
Dec 25 (10am) Tebbutt Richard Wendy I + Joyce
Dec 29 t.b.a Anne Barbara + Maureen
Tea/Coffee AV Counting Nov 3 Ted + Jane Richard Nigel + David L
Nov 10 9.45am Service at St John’s
Nov 17 Wendy M + Pauline Brian Dave R + Roy
Nov 24 Barbara + Kate Sheila Nigel + Anne
Dec 1 Helen D + Wendy M Anne Dave L + Brian
Dec 8 Maureen + Barbara Roy Dave R + Nigel
Dec 15 Kate + Dave L Brian Joyce + Sheila
Dec 22 Sally + Wendy M Richard Anne + Ted
Dec 25 (10am) ------- David/Anne --------
Dec 29 Ted + Jane Roy Dave R + Nigel
Flowers
Nov 3 Dave Roberts Nov 24 Hilary Baslington
Nov 10 Kate & David Lowe Dec 1 Wendy Mitchell
Nov 17 Elizabeth Grisdale
Editor: Rev Joyce Ellis 017687 73340
The deadline for the next newsletter, which will be for January &
February, is Sunday 15th
December 2019
Services for November & December
Nov 3 10.30am Rev Joyce Ellis Holy Communion
Nov 10 9.45am Civic Remembrance Service at St John’s
6.00pm Tori Jones Reflective Service
Nov 17 10.30am Rev Paul Saunders Morning Worship
Nov 24 10.30am Rev Joyce Ellis Morning Worship
Advent Sunday
Dec 1 10.30am to be announced Holy Communion
Advent 2
Dec 8 10.30am t.b.a. Christmas Tree Festival
6.00pm Taize Service
Advent 3
Dec 15 10.30am t.b.a. Morning Worship
Advent 4 -
Dec 22 10.30am t.b.a. Carol Service
Christmas Eve 11.30pm AT ST JOHNS Midnight Communion
Christmas Day 10am Rev Dr James Tebbutt All age Worship
Dec 29 10.30am t.b.a. Morning Worship
Minister: Rev Paul Saunders 01900 823273 or 07476215704
Deacon: Kina Saunders 01900 823273
Circuit Church & Family Worker: Fiona Crouch
Senior Steward: Helen North 017687 78025
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