Our Vision

Is to Aspire … to Inspire… a Desire… in JESUS!

The Newsletter of the Bolsover and Staveley Circuit

October 2006                                    No 62

MEMORIES
It was on a Saturday afternoon in June 1989, when I took a telephone call from an excited and proud young lady, who informed me, “You are talking to the daughter of the President elect of L.P.M.A. for 1990-1991”.

It was one year later when Mrs Rita Sawyer took up her office at the L.P.M.A. Aggregate at Walsall.  Her first appointment was one week later when she attended the Anniversary Weekend at Westerley, Woodhall Spa.  I organised a coach party to go to spend the morning in Lincoln, then travel on to Woodhall to share in their celebrations.  We had tea in the Church of England Church Hall before attending the Anniversary in the Chapel.  As well as supporting Rita we had a day full of memories.  With Gerald and his knowledge of L.P.M.A. staff and rules as my guide, our L.P.M.A. Branch decided to try and visit the other four Westerley Homes.  Rickmansworth and Grange Over Sands we did day visits, while Minehead and Southend we went for weekends.  With the talent available we took services and sometimes took the residents out for an afternoon trip.

The bug had bitten, and we then decided to go to the Lake District, Patterdale to be exact.  It was suggested that we might organise a five-day break to Scotland.  The holidays, as opposed to weekends, had begun.  Since those far off days, we have been back to Scotland twice more, Llandudno twice, Torquay twice, Eastbourne twice, Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight.  If you ask me for a highlight, I would probably choose the occasion in Scotland, when we were already hundreds of feet up in the mountains, about twenty of us decided to go on the chairlift another few hundred feet to the top of the world.  Up there we sang a few hymns/songs and realised the magnificence of God’s beautiful world.  Sunshine-snow and marvellous scenery all in one instant all around us.  I also treasure some of the fellowship evenings and some of the meals on the way home, they were very special.

If you were to ask me for a low point it was so obviously this year when four of us had to be left behind at Eastbourne due to illness, which had claimed or was about to claim over a third of my party.  (Modesty forbids Denis from mentioning an incident which happened on their way to one of their venues when he and the coach driver played a major role in rescuing the passengers from a blazing car. R.S.)

The purpose of this article is to thank everyone who has travelled with us over these seventeen years.  Some have been on every one of our trips.  In the beginning the trips were L.P.M.A. trips and we have given about £1200 to the funds of this organisation for various appeals.

When we started everyone was a Methodist, but since then we have had Methodists, Anglicans, Baptists, Salvationists and people from the Ragged School to mention but a few.  Finally the balance of monies we still held was, on the 14th August 2006 donated to the Ashgate Hospice to buy two special chairs for their new day centre.

Christine and I thank every one of you for your love, kindness and help over these seventeen years.  It has been an honour and we have been proud and privileged to have led you.  We know some of you, like us have video memories.  We trust you all have happy times stored in your life’s memories.  Thank you and may God richly bless each and every one of you.

Christian love to you all.

Christine and Denis Kirk.

NETWORK
Network “Togethercombe” took a different turn this year and was enjoyed by all those who came.  The first half of the programme consisted of ‘items’ from each church-and what a lot of talent was revealed – soloists, actresses, comediennes, pianists and guitarists!  We all had printed programmes and the items followed without any introductions.  Much laughter and much to think about.  After a short interval for coffee and biscuits the guest speaker, Mrs Munt from Grassmoor – told us about her visit to Iona and acting as a steward there for a few days.  Many photographs gave us some idea of that visit.

Our President Rita Sawyer, had planned the evening programme which was appreciated but had come to the point where she felt it was time to hand over to someone else.  Mrs Jean Morton has offered to take over as secretary.  A bouquet was presented to Rita and thanks for all the years she had worked as President.  Please look out for future Network dates and programmes when we can “Combe” together.

Gwen Cushing

SISTER ELIZABETH CONTINUES HER MINISTRY
David Raizada writes, “Each Tuesday evening a fellowship group meets at Sister Elizabeth’s house. The group comprises several members, Anne, Sue, Jean, Peter, Jay and David. Every one benefits from the spiritual guidance which Sister Elizabeth is able to give based on her wide ranging experience of life, knowledge of the Bible and strong belief. During one session we discussed wisdom and everyone made a contribution to the following prayer.

Please give us the wisdom to be able to place God at the centre of our lives. Help us to develop our prayer life.
Give us the wisdom to see what is right and the courage to do what we know is right.
Please help us to be wise in our relationships with our families, friends and colleagues.
Allow them to see your wisdom too, particularly our young people.
We pray for wisdom to not only treat others as ourselves but also to enable us to put others first. Make us selfless not selfish.
Through your wisdom we have the ability to look after the health, safety and welfare of others and the environment. Please don’t let us miss this opportunity.
Amen.”

AN ANCIENT PRAYER sent by Jill Buck.
Give me a good digestion, Lord,
And also something to digest
Give me a healthy body, Lord,
With sense to keep it at its best.
Give me a healthy mind, O Lord,
To keep the good and pure in sight,
Which seeing wrong is not appalled
But finds a way to set it right.

Give me a mind that is not bored,
That does not whimper, whine or sigh.
Don’t let me worry overmuch
About that fussy thing called “I”.
Give me a sense of humour, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some happiness from life
And pass it onto other folk.

125TH ANNIVERSARY
The Weekend of October 7th and 8th is a special one for our Mount Tabor Church in New Brimington.  It is the culmination of the 125th Anniversary of the Church.  The Church portion was opened on October 9th 1881, when Rev. Samuel Barker of Whittington Moor was the preacher.  Later the Sunday School was added (1904) and in 1969 the Hall replaced an ex-army Nissen Hut which had served for nineteen years.  On Saturday October 7th at 7:30pm the Staveley and District United Churches Choir will give a Concert.  There will be a collection for the Redecoration Fund-the Church has been painted over the past few weeks.  On the Sunday the guest Preacher is Mr. Richard Laws of Haverfordwest for a United Service for Brimington Churches.  There will be duets from Hazel and Noeline, and the starting time is 6pm.

PRAISE AND HEALING SERVICES AT HALL ROAD
You are welcome to join Brimington on Sunday 19th November for our next celebrations, beginning as near to 7.30pm as possible!

CIRCUIT OFFICE
The Circuit Office will be open on Tuesday’s (9:30am to 11:30am), Wednesday’s (9:30am to 1:00pm) and Friday’s (9:30am to 11:30am). 

The offering at the Circuit Service in July amounted to £186.00 and was donated to Sport Relief.

Circuit DIARY

Meetings and Other Church Events for the forthcoming months.

October 2006

4        Local Preachers &                        7:30pm                       Brimington
          Readers Fellowship                                                                      
6        Circuit Prayer Meeting                  7:30pm                         Hillstown
7        Staveley & District United              7:30pm               New Brimington
          Churches Choir Concert
8        125th Anniversary Service              6:00pm               New Brimington
21      Men’s Fellowship Breakfast           8:30am                          Staveley

November 2006

3        Circuit Prayer Meeting                  7:30pm                         Bolsover
18      Men’s Fellowship Breakfast           8:30am                          Staveley
19      Praise and Healing Service            7:30pm                       Brimington
29      Circuit Property Meeing                 7:30pm                          Staveley

December 2006

7        Local Preachers Meeting               7:30pm                          Inkersall
13      Circuit Carol Service                     7:00pm                          Staveley 

March 2007

14      General Purposes Committee        7:30pm                         Bolsover
21      Circuit Meeting                             7:30pm                           Clowne