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Green Sheet – 8th November 2020

Cheshire South Circuit – Audlem Mission Area

www.audlemmethodistchurch.org.uk

(Minister: Rev Robin Fox. Tel: 01270 812820 email: minister@audlemmethodistchurch.org.uk)
Newsletter for Audlem, Hankelow & Hatherton Methodist Churches
For the week commencing 8th November 2020

Annual Service of Remembrance: As you are all aware this cannot take place in the normal
manner and all our churches are now closed again for services with the exception of funerals.
This Sunday there are two services for Remembrance. They are both only online and begin
at 1045 not 1030. There is no service sheet, anything needed will be on screen. These
services have been recorded in advance.
To view the service from St James either click on the link below
https://www.audlem.org/remembrance-live-2020.html or you can find it via the Audlem village website at www.audlem.org

Wreath laying
Organisations have been asked to do this after 11am in a sociallydistanced manner. Members of the
public who wish to visit the memorials are asked to do so after 1130 again taking care to maintain a 2m
distance.

Dear friends

Sadly, we are once again in lockdown, and church buildings are closed having had our reopening
delayed longer than we would have liked. Plans are being frantically changed (not least for
Remembrance Sunday services), and many are feeling a great sense of disappointment that plans
which were being made have had to be put on hold or even shelved altogether. At the time of
writing, there does seem to be an end date to this period of lockdown, but things may yet change.
It is of course a deeply frustrating time, made worse by the fact that as lockdown progresses, the
nights will get darker and the weather will almost certainly get colder.

In my sermon in Nantwich last Sunday, I referred briefly to a period of exile. I used the word
deliberately to refer to the exile faced by the ancient Israelites when they were in exile in Babylon
for 70 years, an event which gives rise to a lot of the writing of the Old Testament, perhaps most
famously Psalm 137 "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept" (and if you're of my generation,
you cannot hear those words without the strains of Boney M accompanying them!)

More seriously though, although the Israelites did find it hard to worship the Lord in exile ("How
shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?") they did not abandon their faith, and God had
not abandoned them. Throughout these past months, it has been heartening to see many faithful
Christians finding new ways of being church, continuing to serve their Lord and their community
whilst the church doors have been closed. We will do the same again now.

In this season of Remembrance, with All Saints Day fresh in the mind from last Sunday, we do
remember that there have been many before us who have endured tough times in the hope of a
brighter future. Whilst that bright future may have seemed very elusive and the difficulties very
real, it was a hope which refused to die.

Let us support one another through these times. God is with us. He has been faithful to His people
through the ages, and He won't let us down now.

With love in Jesus
Robin

We are sorry to announce that the Phoenix family, Alan, Norma and Catherine are moving from
Audlem back to the Isle of Man. Although their stay has only been for 12 months they have enjoyed
Audlem and all it has had to offer. Most of their time here was during lockdown, but the church has
fortunately been the recipient of some of their talents, – Alan playing the organ and mending
perimeter fences, Norma knitting stripey jumpers for Annie's project and Easter Chicks for the
Production Team, and of course we've had the pleasure of getting to know Catherine. We thank them
and wish them every happiness on their return to the Isle of Man.

AMC Secondhand Bookstall: Many thanks to those who selected books from the listing.
Donations totalled £35, so the amount raised by the bookstall over its 6 years is now £1010.
Happy reading to all over the renewed lockdown. The remaining books will now be boxed up and
stored.

A light hearted inclusion:
Christmas 2020
No nativity this year because the three Wise Men face a travel ban.
The shepherds have been furloughed.
The Innkeeper has shut under tier 3 regulations and had a slump in bookings
Santa won't be working as he would break the rule of six
with Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donner and Blitzen.
As for Rudolph, with that red nose, he should be isolating and taking a test.

AMC new website – The new website is now up and running at www.audlemmethodistchurch.org.uk.
Please have a look and see what you think! If anyone has anything of any interest, no matter how brief,
that you would like to add to the 'news' section of the website, please email me on
naomifnewman@googlemail.com.

If there are any items or notes you would like to be included in the next newsletter please
either telephone Janet Furber on 01270 811598 or send by email to r.furber@btinternet.com

The Methodist Church free phone service for news and prayer. The news option looks around
the Connection at what's happening and the prayer line is a prayer from particular Methodists.
Listen to a prayer: 0808 281 2514
Listen to news: 0808 281 2478 Content is updated weekly on Thursday evening.

The 'Daily Hopeline' call 0800 804 8044
Archbishop Justin Welby answers your call with a short message followed by a choice of options:
Press 1 to listen to hymns we love with a series of short talks based on the well loved hymn.
Press 2 to listen to a different daily hymn.
Press 3 for the Prayers which are specific for the Coronavirus pandemic.
Press 4 to hear options 5 to 7:
Press 5 to hear a Church of England weekly Service.
Press 6 to join in with traditional Morning and Evening Prayers.
Press 7 to hear the latest Government advice on the Coronavirus pandemic.
Press 0 to hear the first menu.

Get In Touch

minister@audlemmethodistchurch.org.uk
01270 812820

Audlem Methodist Church
Shropshire Street
Audlem
Crewe
CW3 0AE

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