Egerton Road South, Chorlton, Manchester. M21 0XJ - Find us here.
Email: contact@metropolitanchurch.org.uk
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Sunday Worship - 1st October
 Philip Jones was our preacher on Sunday. In his sermon Philip considered the passage from the 8th chapter of Acts which describes the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, and reflected on this attempt by the early church to show how universal and inclusive the Good News was becoming.
You can read the text of Philip's sermon on our webpage here, and you can hear the audio version via the link on the Audio and Video page of our website here, just scroll down to the section headed 'Sermons'.
Our sincere thanks also go to:
- Walt, Jean Francois, Susan, Ian, Cyrille and Kevin 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 everything away at the end of the day.
Next Sunday - 8th October
We welcome Walt Johnson as the preacher at our 4.30pm worship service.
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Songs this Week
 Christ be beside me is a sung setting of a famous 8th Century prayer often attributed to St Patrick (who lived in the 5th Century!) It is a prayer for protection and shows how we can focus on Christ in the midst of our daily life. We sing this version to the tune Bunessan – which is often used for Morning has Broken.
In Christ there is no east or west is a set of lyrics by William Arthur Dunkerley (1852 - 1941), a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. He was born in Manchester and spent a short time after his marriage in America before moving to Ealing where he served as deacon and teacher at the Ealing Congregational Church from the 1880s, He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels, and as Julian Ross for his journalism. He wrote these words in 1908 and is thought to have been inspired to add a Christian aspect to words from one of Kipling's poems, 'Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet'. We sing it to the beautiful American folk melody 'Land of Rest'.
Brother, sister, let me serve you was written by New Zealand hymnwriter Richard Gillard in the late 1970s and is now found in many of the standard hymn collections. The tune has a deep simplicity while the words invite us to be Christ to each other as we travel together on our pilgrimage though life.
To God be the glory was written by the American blind Victorian hymn writer Fanny Crosby (later Mrs van Alstyne), and is a lively song arising from the Evangelical revival of the 19th Century. Fanny Crosby wrote over 8,000 hymns some of which are still sung. This song focuses on the goodness of God and God’s great initiative in sending Jesus, the Son, to be the redeemer of the world.
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Church cleaning and gardening day - this Saturday, 7th October, 10 am to 12 noon - with lunch
Please can you confirm with Philip if you will be coming so we have an idea of numbers for lunch
We welcome volunteers to help with some work on the church grounds, cutting back some of the plants in preparation for winter, and tidying up the pathways.
In addition, we plan to clean some of the storage areas inside the church buildings now that a number of items have been disposed of and space has become usable again.
We will provide a simple lunch at 12 noon for all who come and help with the work, and we will cover travel costs for people who are currently in the asylum system.
Everyone is welcome. Please can you confirm with Philip if you will be coming:
- Email: pfjden@gmail.com
- Text/WhatsApp: 07866 947348
so we have an idea of numbers for lunch.
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Black History Month - October each year
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and in the Netherlands where it is known as Black Achievement Month. It began as a way for remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February, and in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in October.
Black History Month was first celebrated in the United Kingdom in 1987. It was organised through the leadership of Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, who had served as a coordinator of special projects for the Greater London Council (GLC) and created a collaboration to get it underway. It was first celebrated in London, and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
A nationwide website for Black History Month in the UK, with listings of related events and projects, can be found here.
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Video clips for the Songs of Praise service
Sunday 29th October - 4.30 pm
For the past few weeks we have been mentioning in the notices during worship that we are compiling a series of short videos by people from our congregation.
In these short clips we are asking people to say what our church means to them and to say why they have chosen a particular hymn to be sung during the service.
Jean Francois has been taking the names of people interested in providing video clips for the service and now needs to complete the recordings with those who have agreed to take part. This work will take place after worship across the next three Sundays.
So, if you have already put your name forward, please be ready for Jean Francois to speak to you about this.
If anyone else is interested in offering a short clip about their attachment to our church, please let Walt know:
- Email: walt@waltmanc.com
- Text/Whatsapp: 07752 783880
so that we can try to include your contribution into the worship service on the day.
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Exploring membership of our church
From time to time, we invite people who have been attending worship with us for around six months or longer to consider becoming full members of our church.
Membership signifies a decision to make a personal commitment to the life and mission of this church, and to receive the privileges, and to accept the responsibilities, which come with membership.
Within that framework, it gives the right to vote at Church Meetings and to take part in the decision-making processes of the church.
At this stage we are seeking expressions of interest from anyone who may wish to explore what membership means. The exploration includes a period of preparation coupled with an invitation to reflect prayerfully on whether you feel God is calling you to make a formal commitment to this congregation at this point in your journey of faith.
For those who decide to go forward to membership, a formal service of admission will be planned, probably for early in 2018.
Anyone who needs further information, or who wishes to register an expression of interest with absolutely no commitment at this stage, is invited to speak to Philip or Walt after worship, or via social media, at any time.
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Petition to prevent a hate preacher from holding an event in Blackpool
 Our friends at Liberty Church, Blackpool are campaigning for the refusal of a visa to Franklin Graham, the son of famous evangelist Billy Graham, for an event planned for September next year.
A full explanation of why this man should not be allowed to spread his hate-filled message, together with a series of online references publicly reporting his views, is given on the petition's webpage here. This is also where you can sign the petition if you wish to add your voice to the campaign to prevent his visit.
Unlike his father, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham engages in outspoken bigotry targeting refugees, Muslims and LGBT people. His father promoted unity and respect in communities but Franklin Graham’s extreme views promote prejudice and division.
He has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is right” in his crackdown against LGBT rights in his country where gay and lesbian people are subject to severe human rights abuses. He has stated that gay and lesbian children and adults are dangerous and should not be allowed into churches or Christian homes.
Comments from Nina Parker, the leader of Liberty Church, Blackpool are included in press coverage of the campaign by the Blackpool Gazette here and Christian Today here. Both articles name three of the churches which, among others, are responsible for the invitation issued to Franklin Graham.
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National survey of LGBT people
 The government's Equalities Office has launched the first ever national survey of LGBT people, aiming to understand the experiences of LGBT people living in the UK. The LGBT Foundation's Deputy Chief Executive, Rob Cookson, urged all LGBT people to complete it, saying "the more people who complete the survey, the most potential for impact and action it will have".
To respond to this survey, you should be:
- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, or have a minority sexual orientation or gender identity;
- 16 years old or over;
- living in the UK.
It asks about the experiences that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have living in the UK, including:
- your experiences of accessing and using public services in the UK
- any experiences of discrimination you may have faced throughout your life
You will be asked about your experiences at work, in education, in healthcare, and about your personal safety. The aim is to collect as much information as possible, but you don’t have to answer every question if you don’t want to.
The survey is anonymous: no one will be able to tell who you are at any point. It takes around 15 minutes to answer. You can complete the survey in one go, or save your answers and come back to it later.
The link to the survey is here. The closing date for the survey is 15th October. |
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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 
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!
Church Meetings (Sundays at 1.45pm)
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