LEIGH BAPTIST CHURH
VERNON ST / CHURCH ST . LEIGH. WN7 1BH NOVEMBER 2021
Website : www.leighbaptistchurch.org.uk Contact: admin@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk
Pastoral Leader – Val Hulme ( Days Off Wed and Fridays)
email : pastoral.leader@leighbaptistchurch.org.uk TEL 07817142192
Check LBC website for updates and info also LBC FACEBOOK page
Dates for your diary
Sundays 7th and 21st November: Online service via YouTube or Facebook. 3:15pm (No on-site service)
Sunday 14th November: The service will follow the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, so that those who wish to attend this may do so. We will then have time for tea/coffee, before a short all-age worship service in church.
Sunday 28th November: 10:45 am On-site/(with Zoom) Communion service
Saturday 13th November: Coffee+ 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Tuesdays 23rd and 30th November: Toddlers@LBC 9:30 - 11:30 am
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Thursday 25th November: Coffee+ 1 - 3 pm
Ebenezer Christian Assembly will be holding a baptismal service on November 28th, from 4 pm in church
Diaconate
Kathie W. has informed the Leadership Team that she intends to step down as deacon when her term of office comes to an end at the end of the year. We therefore need to be thinking and praying about who God is calling to this role. To help with this, the role of a deacon is outlined below. To be considered for this role, a person must have been in membership of Leigh Baptist Church for at least one year. We are also in need of a Secretary and Treasurer
Deacons will:
ï‚· be a Charity/Managing Trustee (a person having the general control and management of the administration of a charity);
ï‚· be appointed for a period of 3 years;
ï‚· ensure that the building is kept in an appropriate state of repair and fully insured;
ï‚· meet together to seek God’s will for the church, to plan outreach with the Pastoral Leader, to discuss building maintenance and other issues, including Charity Law and current legislation.
Managing trustees are meant to ensure: -
ï‚· good management - including financial management;
ï‚· mutual accountability;
ï‚· that the assets of the charity are used to benefit those nominated to benefit from the funds;
ï‚· the charity is managed in accordance with the governing document;
ï‚· that the work of the charity is also advanced.
Our next Church and Congregation Meeting, which will be the AGM, is on Sunday 30th January 2022, after morning worship.
The Truth of the Resurrection By Kathie Williams
Recently I read that many religious leaders and teachers, including some Christian theologians, do not believe in the deity of Jesus, or in the truth of His Resurrection. I remember the controversy that surrounded the astonishing claims of those who had those beliefs and the publishing of the book, ‘Honest to God’, resulting in much discussion.
All this reminded me that when I was young I had to answer a question in an exam about the ‘Truth of the Resurrection’. I remembered that I had written the notes about it in a green notebook which I was sure was amongst my books and files. I found the faded notes I had written in pencil all those years ago. I will attempt to open up the subject for you to think about.
St John’s Gospel quotes many of Jesus’ words where He calls God His Father, such as in John 5:20 where He says, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.”
An example of this is the raising of Lazarus from the dead as in John 11, and Jesus’ words in verse 25, “I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” All this points to Jesus saying that He is equal with God, and proving it by the many miracles He performed. He also said, “I and My Father are One.” John10:30
John the Baptist had pointed people to Jesus, saying that He was the One who would come, who was greater than he was and who would baptise people with the Holy Spirit.
Since all this, and much more that is written in the Bible, points to the fact that Jesus is God who came to earth as the Son of God, we have a reason to believe in the Resurrection and the promise of Eternal life.
But what are some of the facts about it?
The women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with spices, wondering how they would roll the heavy stone away, only to find the tomb open and empty with the grave clothes lying there. If, as some people suggested, the body had been stolen, surely the grave clothes would have also gone. Peter and John also saw the empty tomb. They were all told by angels that Jesus had risen and would see them in Galilee.
I came across some notes of Roy’s for a talk given many years ago. It began, “You will always remember the mornings – the greatest thing happened one day, very early in the morning.” He went on to tell how the other disciples went away from the tomb, but Mary Magdalene stood outside weeping. She bent down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels where Jesus had lain. She didn’t know where Jesus body had gone. She turned round she saw a man whom she thought was the gardener and asked him if he had moved the body, then she heard her name, ”Mary” in the familiar voice of Jesus. “Rabboni!” she uttered, which means teacher.
Jesus gave her a message for her to give to the other disciples. The amazing thing about Jesus appearing first to Mary was that the witness of a woman would not be counted in those days.
There are many other accounts in the scriptures of the appearances of Jesus to the Disciples until some of them were with him when He ascended into Heaven. Perhaps the greatest evidence was the change in the disciples who had all fled when Jesus was arrested. But on the Day of Pentecost, when they had been anointed by the Holy Spirit they had changed into strong, confident people, as shown by Peter’s sermon to all the Jews gathered from ‘every nation under Heaven’ who had heard the Disciples speak, each in their own language.
Then there was the conversion of Saul when he encountered Jesus on the Damascus Road on his way to persecute Christians, and went on, as Paul, to witness in many towns and countries about Jesus being the Saviour who had died to save us. His letters to the churches are still a means today for teaching about trusting in Jesus, leading to many people’s lives being changed to know, love, truth. justice and freedom in their lives. In his letter to the Corinthian church he wrote, “I declare to you the gospel ----
Christ died for our sins, ---was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 1Corinthians 15:1-4.
This living witness has continued down through the ages and many have served the Lord, even if it meant being persecuted. If the Resurrection were not true Christianity could not have stood the test of time in the way it has. No amount of attempts at disclaiming it have been able to stop the church continuing and, in these days, growing in many parts of the world.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life.” John 10:27 KW
Introducing COFFEE + ...... more than just coffee
Introducing our brand new venture ‘Coffee +’, ‘more than just coffee’. Starting on November 13th we will be running Coffee + which will consist of lots of different parts, we want to create and offer an environment where everyone can feel comfortable, safe and hopefully relaxed, listened too and valued. For this first meeting, we will be combining it with our Macmillan fund raising efforts to ease us in gently as it were and provide an opportunity to answer any questions you may have. We are hoping to have a relaxed reading area, a small library/selection of books, an assortment of different craft equipment and board games. We are hoping to have more exciting drink options like Cappuccino, Latte and flavoured teas etc We are also hoping to be able to provide at least 2 different cakes/sweet treats, one mainstream or usual baking and the other for those with intolerances and allergies. The main theme or idea behind Coffee+ is that it’s more than just coffee, we are hoping to empower and encourage one another, to help everyone old or new to feel loved, listened too and supported, we are hoping as this develops we will be able to offer much more and are keen to help with everyday needs like signposting for help with benefits, debt, computing, technology and much more. We will run on the 2nd Saturday of the month 10:30-12:30 and aim to also roll out a midweek meeting on the 4th Thursday of the month 1-3pm. We hope that you will come along, join in and support one another and bring your friends and neighbours!