View this email in your browser

Disciple

 

The Newsletter of the Metropolitan Congregation


Week commencing 15th April 2018

 
Welcome to our newsletter and to the ministry of the Metropolitan Congregation of Wilbraham St Ninian's United Reformed Church - 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. To find out more about us we invite you to visit our website, 'like' our Facebook Page, view our Instagram gallery, and follow us on Twitter.
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Wilbraham St Ninian's URC
Egerton Road South, Chorlton, Manchester. M21 0XJ - Find us here.
Email: contact@metropolitanchurch.org.uk

Sunday Worship

journeysongOur preacher on Sunday was Philip Jones who considered the passage from Luke's Gospel in which two disciples meet the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Philip reflected on how, as modern-day disciples, we continue to walk alongside people in their journeys of faith.

You can view the text of the sermon 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 thanks also go to:  

  • Anna, Walt, Margaret, Susan and Kevin who assisted with various parts of the service;
  • our singers and musicians for their dedicated ministry of music in the church;
  • Jean François 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 - 22nd April

 
Alan PooltonWe welcome Revd Alan Poolton, our Interim Minister, as our preacher and presiding minister on Sunday. We look forward to a service of great celebration as we:
  • baptise Ive Magloire Demanou into the church of God,
  • induct our recently elected Elders into their ministry within our church,
  • welcome into membership 16 attenders who have been prepared and have prayerfully considered the privileges and responsibilities of formal membership of the United Reformed Church.
All are invited to join us for inclusive worship which celebrates our place within God's diverse creation, and which welcomes us around a communion table which is always open to anyone seeking God in their life.

Songs this Week

 
Reflecting the diverse nature of our congregation, we sing a wide range of songs and hymns from many different traditions. These notes are intended to offer some background information on the words and music we use in our worship.

hymnsThe day of resurrection is a translation of an ancient Easter hymn from the Eastern Orthodox church which always has had a particular stress on Jesus' resurrection. It was written by St John of Damascus who lived in a monastery not far from the Dead Sea. It is sung in Greek Churches at midnight on Easter Eve. The first verse looks at the Old Testament imagery of Passover and the Exodus, with the second verse moving us into the New Testament, while the last verse encourages us to worship our Risen Lord. We sing it to the powerful tune, 'Ellacombe'.

As evening falls (Journeysong) is a meditative hymn written by the contemporary American Catholic writer Bob Hurd which reflects on the journey to Emmaus where the disciples met the Risen Lord but didn’t recognise him.  Their hearts burned within them as they met him at table.  The song recognises that Jesus often journeys with us as friend or stranger and we should welcome all in His name. The words are set to the beautiful American folk melody 'Land of rest'.

Lord of life, we come to you is a short hymn of great simplicity with original words by Catherine Walker, and additional verses by Philip Jones, set to the haunting melody of the "Eriskay Love Lilt". It speaks of God's guiding and healing influence in our lives.

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.

Daily Prayer Resources

 
PrayerDaily 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 online prayer resources, please visit the Daily Prayer and Devotion page on our website here.

Foodbank

 
FoodbankMany 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 the Red Cross food parcels they receive for a limited period. We know that some people rely significantly 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

 
meetingChurch Meetings (Sundays at 1.45pm)
  • 17th June 2018
  • 16th September 2018
  • 16th December 2018
Elders Meetings (Mondays at 7.30pm)
  • 23rd April 2018
  • 21st May 2018
  • 23rd July 2018
  • 22nd October 2018
  • 26th November 2018

Previous issues of Disciple

 
NewsletterIf you missed an issue of our weekly newsletter Disciple which comes out by email, you can view previous issues covering the last 12 months.

Just go to our website here and click on the links in the right hand column of the home page headed 'Recent Newsletters'.

Translate this newsletter

 
TranslateYou 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.
'Easter Morning' window by Francis Spear.
Copyright © 2018 Metropolitan Congregation, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp