Village Voice Dec/Jan 2019 Issue 189

CHURCH NEWS
Holy Trinity & St Margaret's
To say that we have something you cannot buy
in the shops would be misleading because the
presence of God cannot be confined to the
church and we do not have a monopoly.
Thankfully, God is bigger than that. However,
if all you have this Christmas comes from the
supermarket or Amazon then you may end up
having everything to celebrate with but nothing
to celebrate about. So, join us for some of our
special Christmas Services (please see the
insert for full details).
And to cheer us up after the exertions and
excesses of Christmas are passed we have Fiona
Castle, widow of Roy Castle, coming to speak
at Holy Trinity Church at 7.30pm on Friday
11th January. Fiona will tell of her own life
story and faith. There is no charge, just come.
Have a great Christmas! Revd Mike Bisset
Penn Free Methodist Church
We feel it very important to include a sermon at
our carol service. There is always the danger of
singing becoming an end in itself, especially
with very familiar melodies. Even non-
Christians can enjoy singing carols, whilst at the
same time having no desire to engage regularly
in Christian worship. True worship must be a
response from the heart to a personal realisation
of the miracle of God appearing on earth as a
man. What great care must be taken, not simply
to lay on some seasonal entertainment, but to set
forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of
sinners, and to declare that all need His
salvation.
The evening service on December 30th will
focus upon re-dedicating ourselves to serving
Christ in the year ahead. For Christians to gather
together at the turning of a year to renew their
covenant with God is a long established
Methodist tradition, first instituted by John
www.pennandtylersgreen.org.uk
Village Voice December 2018/January 2019
Wesley in 1755, but following also the practice
of our godly Puritan forbears in the 17th century
(please see the insert for full details of
Christmas services).
One of our recently uploaded sermons at
www.soundcloud.com/penn-free-methodists is
based on Jeremiah 3:1-5. This passage includes
the following words addressed to the nation of
Judah, “Thou hast played the harlot with many
lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord”.
So, using the vivid metaphor of prostitution, the
Lord describes how Judah has gone after false
gods instead of worshipping the one true
Trinitarian God. The passage refers to God
“reserving His anger” at the nation’s
unfaithfulness. It is a false and un-Biblical
corruption of Christianity which teaches that
God only loves and never judges.
Another recent upload expounds Proverbs 3,
v11-15, and looks at how the Lord disciplines
those who are His children. Our difficulties,
trials and crises are all parts of the precious
learning process which is being a Christian.
Each believer is called to be a disciplined, fully
fit soldier of Christ. There will be times of
suffering when one’s faith will need to be
proved, tried and tested. How do we fare, when
real adversity hits us? Pastor Peter Simpson, www.
realchristianity.org, 01494 812829/816202, revps@icloud.
com
Tylers Green Methodist Church
As I write this, it’s a dark evening and I can hear
fireworks all around. It’s a reminder that the
year is drawing to its end and that the Christian
Festivals of Advent and Christmas are almost
upon us. This has been a year of change at
Tylers Green Methodist Church with the
retirement of Rev John Richey followed by a
welcome for our new minister, Rev Vida Foday.
The Methodist Church has, I think, one of the
best systems of moving ministers to new
appointments. Every August, those ministers
moving to new churches move on and the
replacing new ministers move and are in place
on 1st September. Generally a minister stays for
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