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Disciple

The Newsletter of the Metropolitan Congregation

Week commencing 21st May 2017


Welcome to our newsletter and to the ministry of the Metropolitan Congregation of Wilbraham St Ninian's URC - serving and celebrating the LGBT communities of Manchester and the North West.

If this is your first contact with us, we are delighted to greet you here.
 

Sunday Worship

Philip JonesPhilip Jones was our preacher on Sunday.

In his sermon Philip considered the passage from the 14th chapter of John's Gospel in which Jesus tells his disciples that he will send them another helper - the spirit of truth who will guide them into all truth and strengthen them for their mission in the world.

You can read the text of Philip's sermon here, and you can hear the audio version of it on the Audio and Video page of our website here - just scroll down to the Sermons section of the page.

Our sincere thanks also go to:
  • Walt, Susan, Jenny-Anne and Elen who assisted with various parts of the service;
  • our singers and musicians for their dedicated ministry of music in the church;
  • and the team of helpers who prepare the church for worship, provide us with refreshments, manage the distributions from our foodbank, and clear things away at the end of the day.

Manchester Arena attack - Monday 22nd May

I love ManchesterOur thoughts and prayers are with the people of our city whose lives were changed forever by Monday night's atrocity at the Manchester Arena.

We hold in prayer the families and friends of those who lost their lives, all who were injured, and all who have been affected in any way by the events of the evening.

We give thanks for the outstanding work of the emergency services, and for the generosity of the people and organisations who stepped forward to provide shelter, safety and practical help whenever it was needed.


A Book of Condolence is available at the Town Hall and online for messages of love and support. You can add your message here.

Congratulations to Beryl - another successful appeal at the asylum court

BerylWe were delighted to hear that Beryl, who has been worshipping with us since July 2016, was successful in her recent asylum appeal.

Unless the Home Office appeal the judge's decision, Beryl should soon be formally granted leave to remain in the UK and can begin to build her life here in freedom and safety.
 

The MadDonnas present: Acoustic Collage - Wednesday 24th May - 7.30pm - at our church

Acoustic Collage
Join the MadDonnas and friends for an evening of music, poetry, images and collage, from 7.30pm on 24th May in the Church Hall at Wilbraham St Ninian's URC, Egerton Road South, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0XJ (use M21 0UB for maps and satnavs).

Mad Donnas
Tickets cost £3, ight refreshments will be available, and there will be a collection for "Coffee4Craig".
 

Thy Kingdom Come - a global prayer movement between Ascension (25th May) and Pentecost (4th June) for more people to come to know Jesus Christ

Thy Kingdom Come
The international event is about praying for people we know – our friends, our family, our neighbours and our work colleagues.

What started out as an invitation from the Archbishops’ of Canterbury and York in 2016 to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer.

The hope is that:
  • people will commit to pray with God’s world-wide family - as a church, individually or as a family;
  • churches will hold prayer events, such as 24-7 prayer, prayer stations and prayer walks, across the UK and in other parts of the world;
  • people will be empowered through prayer by the Holy Spirit, finding new confidence to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
It’s not too late to join in – with resources for personal use or ideas for a congregation freely available on the website. You can explore the site - here - to get an idea of what is available.
 

Transforming Outcomes - New report calls for wider road to better trans inclusion

Transforming OutcomesTransforming Outcomes, produced by Manchester’s LGBT Foundation, is one of the first comprehensive reviews of current research into the needs of the UK’s trans community.

It highlights progress towards trans recognition and acceptance to date and the empowering resilience of trans communities in the absence of official support.

It also pinpoints current barriers to further progress and looks to help key health professionals, public services, local authorities and support groups with advice on how to support trans communities and on how to widen the road to better trans inclusion moving forward.

In addition, the report emphasises that despite an estimated 500,000 trans people in the UK, further research is vital in obtaining a better understanding of into the community’s needs.

Further details of the report are available on the LGBT Foundation website here. The report can be viewed/downloaded here.
 

Pride Events and LGBT Celebrations 2017

Pride flagMany of our members and friends take part in Pride and other celebratory events in support of LGBT organisations that they belong to.

Representatives from our own congregation take part in the Christians Walking With Pride group at Manchester Pride each year.

Two of the best lists of Pride events are the ones compiled by PinkUK - see here, and ILGA Europe - see here.

A brief list of some of the 2017 Prides, and other events that our members have supported in the past, are given below. Details about each event are usually available via links in the lists mentioned above or via a simple search on Google or in Facebook.
  • Birmingham - starts 27th May
  • Bradford - 27th May
  • Flintshire - 27th May
  • Blackpool - starts 9th June
  • York - 10th June
  • UK Black Pride - starts 28th June
  • Trafford - 1st July
  • Sparkle - starts 7th July
  • London - parade 8th July
  • Liverpool - 29th July
  • Oldham - 29th July
  • Brighton - starts 4th August
  • Leeds - 5th August
  • Burnley - 5th August
  • Levenshulme - starts 11th August
  • Wigan - 12th August
  • Chester - 19th August
  • Wythenshawe - 19th August
  • Manchester - starts 25th August
  • Preston - 9th September

Cyprain - still in detention at time of writing

Cyprain Buh TahMany of you will be aware, as a result of the campaigning and social media messages relating to Cyprain Buh Tah, that our friend remains in detention and continues to be at risk of deportation.

The full story of his case is given on his petition page which is still live here and for which we welcome your support.

Your continuing prayers are asked for Cyprain's release from detention and a just outcome to his asylum case. He has sent messages of thanks via our congregation to everyone who has supported him so far with their prayers and all who have worked with his lawyer to make a difference in his case.

If you wish to send personal messages of support, the easiest way is to send a text message to his phone - 07405 585508. Please don't expect a reply as his priority is probably to save his phone credit for essential calls to his lawyer and campaign team.
 

Big Day Out - 8th July - Southport Convention Centre

Big Day Out
The North Western Synod of the United Reformed Church, together with Mersey Synod, are holding another Big Day Out on Saturday 8th July from 10.00 am, at Southport Convention Centre.

Tickets cost £8 for adults before 17th April, and after that date they will be £10 each; children 16 years and under have free entry. Please note that, although there is no cost for children to attend the day, they will need to book a ticket.

The programme will include:

Speakers:
  • Revd John Proctor - Acts: the Church in Action
  • Revd Steve Chalke - The Church and Peacemaking Initiatives
  • Revd Richard Church - Walking the Way
  • Revd Andrew Roberts - Holy Habits
  • Lawrence Moore
  • Grace Pengelly
Workshops:
  • Dementia – awareness in worship and work within the community
  • Developing the Church in the community
  • Gathering and telling stories
  • Puppets in worship
  • The Naked Vicar
  • Magic/clowning
  • Art in worship
  • Drama
  • Crafty Christians and Fun Science
Latest details and a downloadable booking form are available here. Additionally, a Twitter feed for the event is available here, and a Facebook page is here.

Translate this newsletter

Here's how you can read this newsletter in a wide range of other languages, thanks to Google Translate:

1. Click on the" View it in your browser" option at the top of the email. (Note: Ignore this step if you are already viewing the newsletter as a webpage rather than as an email.)

2. Click the "Translate" button.on the top row of the webpage view.

3. Click on your choice of language from the drop-down list.

Songs this Week

She sits like a bird brooding on the waters was written by John Bell of the Iona Community and Graham Maule. It was publsihed in the mid-1980s and takes as its starting point the imagery of the Holy Spirit hovering over the void before creation in Genesis, and in later verses makes reference to the Spirit's nature and creativity, with Pentecost imagery describing how she "dances in fire, startling her spectators". We sing it John Bell's own tune, 'Thainaky'.

Holy Spirit, gift bestower is a gentle hymn which focuses on images of the Holy Spirit in scripture and church tradition such as 'fire that dances', 'peace restorer' and 'truth revealer'. The author is unknown. We sing the words to the beautiful and simple Welsh folk melody Suo Gan (sometimes also known as Yr Hun Gan).

Ubi caritas et amor is an ancient Latin chant which translates as, "Where charity and love are, God is there". We sing the words to a simple and haunting modern melody in the Celtic style by Geoffrey Nobes.

Praise the Spirit in creation, with words by Michael Hewlett and first published in 1975, is a hymn of praise to the Spirit as the breath of God, as a still, small voice which conveys God's will, and as the source of breath to all things living. We sing the words to John Goss's noble tune "Praise my soul".

Daily Prayer Resources

Daily readings, reflections and prayers via email are offered by the United Reformed Church. To subscribe to the free service please complete the online subscription form here

If you would like to explore some additional on-line prayer resources, please visit the Daily Prayer and Devotion page on our website here.

Previous issues

You can view previous issues of our Disciple newsletter by following the links on this page of our website.

Foodbank

Many thanks for your regular and generous donations to the foodbank. You make a real difference to people's lives - some will have a meal on their table today solely because of your gifts!

We provide a bag of food and other basic essentials to a number of people each week which supplements either the meagre allowance they are given by the state or (for many) the Red Cross food parcels they receive for a limited period. We know that some people rely just on the food we provide as they are not entitled to either help from the state or the Red Cross.

As a general rule, we always need long-life foodstuffs such as
  • rice,
  • pasta,
  • pasta sauces,
  • tinned vegetables (peas, carrots, baked beans, kidney beans, potatoes, chopped or plum tomatoes),
  • canned fruit,
  • jams and preserves,
  • tea, coffee, sugar,
  • and any other long-life basic larder items such as herbs, spices and condiments
Personal toiletry items (ideally 'family' brands for use by both men and women) - such as shower gel, shampoo, soap and deodorant - are also very welcome.

Meetings Calendar

Church Meetings (Sundays at 1.45pm)
  • June 18th
  • September 17th
  • December 17th
Elders Meetings (Mondays at 7.30pm)
  • June 12th (if required)
  • July 24th
  • September 11th (if required)
  • October 23rd
  • November 27th
  • December 11th (if required)
 
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