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NEWS / MISSION FOCUS /(Up and Coming Events)
Advance Notice 125 YEARS OF WITNESS IN 2012 Our Thanksgiving Celebrations begin with a service on Friday 16th March 2012 at 3pm to mark The opening of the Bevington Hall in 1887, Preacher - Rev The Lord Griffiths
. Saturday 17th March: Gang Show 7.00pm
Members of our Uniformed Organisations will entertain us in the evening Sunday 18th March:
Our
Superintendent, Rev. Mike Cassidy will conduct our Parade and All Age Worship at
10.30am
Saturday 26th May: “Walk in the steps of Mr. Wesley” John Wesley
came to within approximately 3 miles of Beckenham in 1772. An afternoon walk,
tea and an evening rally are being planned. Saturday
7th and Sunday 8th July: Flower Festival We hope to
have lots of arrangements on display from both groups and individuals. If this
interests you, please speak to Margaret Hazlewood.
Friday 28th, Saturday 29th and Sunday
30th September
Special events to mark the opening of the
Church in 1887.
We hope to
welcome a special guest. Our church was opened on 28th September 1887 by the
then President of the Wesleyan Conference. Please continue to remember these events in your prayers. Joan
Thompson The Revd Leo Osborn and Mrs Ruth Pickles The New President and the Vice President of The Methodist Conference Address to the Conference:
The newly inducted president, the Revd Leo Osborn,
challenged the assumption that the Methodist Church was welcoming and emphasised
the need for pastoral relationships in the church that go beyond a 30 second
chat at the door on the way out.
He commended churches that organised welcoming teams to
greet newcomers and praised the new vicar of a neighbouring Anglican church who
began opening the doors every day.
Ruth Pickles chose “learning as disciples of Jesus” as
the theme of her vice-presidential
year.
At its best, she said, “The Methodist Church has been
at the forefront of helping ordinary people to develop into extra-ordinary
people. Miners, fishermen, shop assistants, housewives . . . Learnt how to read,
to speak in public, to get engaged in community affairs, trades unions, politics
. . . All through membership of the chapel and their class meetings. Knowing
God’s love, they felt valued as individuals; their learning needs were
recognised and addressed.”
Ruth concluded her address by asking those present what
the future might hold for them and the Church. What exciting, but risky and
costly, opportunities lie ahead for us as a discipleship movement? The full addresses can be read on-line or in the Methodist Record
More than
30,000 Britons transcribe Methodists’ Bible Thousands of
people across Britain and Northern Ireland have hand transcribed the Bible in
the last 12 months and the final version was presented to the Methodist
Conference earlier this month. As part of
the 400th year anniversary of the King James Bible, people were invited to join
the Methodists in handwriting verses from Scripture. Volunteers joined in from
across communities, including prisons, schools, colleges, libraries, nursing
homes, airports and shopping centres after Methodists voted to transcribe the
Bible at the 2010 Conference in Portsmouth. An event outside London’s
Westminster Central Hall attracted so many people that participants were limited
to writing one word per verse. For many
people it was a deep and enriching experience. The
Methodists’ handwritten Bible, which will be bound in 31 volumes and then tour
the country, is now available to read online on the Deepening Discipleship
website. Verses have been written in English, Chinese, Welsh and Braille with
accompanying illustrations.
Letter by Rev George Quarm
Dear Friends, We come with great passion to serve and support one another. Great men of faith who lived and died serving the Lord always inspire me. Men like George Whitefield, John Knox and Charles Finney. I love initiating great things for God, and love facing challenges. I would always be inspired by the prayer of John Knox “O Lord Give me Scotland or I die” and that of George Whitefield who prayed, “O Lord, give me souls or take my soul”. My prayer is “O Lord give me Beckenham or I die”. The Lord always answers the prayer from the heart. John 14:14: He will grant our heart desire. A wise man once said Ministers are like manure, they work best when they are in the fields but they stink when they are clumped together. I love the Lord and I know together we will build His Church with Joy and Zeal. In October 2008, I attended a Seminar for ministers and evangelists in Minnesota, USA. A young dynamic minister from the Presbyterian Church with membership of about 2,700 with three services each Sunday read out the difference between a “live and a dead church” at one of the morning devotions. I wish to share it with you and request that you reflect, share and pray with me for a successful ministry within Beckenham and the Bromley Circuit. Live churches’ expenses are always more than their income; dead churches don’t need much money. Live churches have parking problems, dead churches have empty places Live churches may have some noisy children: dead churches are quiet as a cemetery. Live churches keep changing their ways of doing things: dead churches see no change! Live churches grow so fast you can’t keep up with people’s names; in dead churches, everybody always knows everybody’s name. Live churches grow so fast you can’t keep up with people’s names; in dead churches, everybody always knows everybody’s name. Live churches strongly support world missions: dead churches keep the money “home”. Live churches are full of regular, cheerful givers: dead churches are full of grudging tippers! Live churches move ahead on prayer and faith: dead churches work only on sight. Live churches plant, help up and coming churches: dead churches fear spending the money, time and talent. Live churches outgrow their Sunday school facilities: dead churches have room to spare. Live churches welcome all people: dead churches stick to people they know. Live churches’ members read their Bibles and bring them to church: dead churches seldom do. Live churches’ members enthusiastically support the church: dead churches have no ministries only functions. Live churches’ members look for someone they can help: dead churches members look for something to complain about! Live churches’ members reach out to share their faith in Christ: dead churches don’t have enough to share. Lay people say they visit the church because of an invitation by a friend or a relative. The second reason why families join a church is the Youth ministry, which was 5%. Others stated that their number one consideration is the preaching. The research concluded that 6% were attracted by the minister and 0.5% by evangelism. I cried my heart out in my hotel room as I found the list to be challenging. It is a great challenge for all of us to seek the face of the Lord for our church to be a “live” church not a “dead” church. It is my prayer that the Lord will lead and guide us to achieve the best for the Beckenham Methodist Church. Let’s keep the flame burning within our lives. Do kindly read and reflect on Gal 5:1-22 and John 15. God bless. George.
NEW MINISTER By now most
of our readers will have heard that the Rev. Patrick Kandeh has been called by
Methodist Stationing to serve in the Wandle Valley circuit from 1st September
2011. This means that Patrick will be leaving Beckenham, at short notice, a year
earlier than expected. There will be a special Circuit Service at Bromley Road
at 3.30pm on Sunday 24th July (followed by tea) to say an official farewell to
Patrick, Martha and Matricia and to wish them God-speed in their new and
challenging appointment. The normal
process for applying for a new minister in the Circuit for September 2012 will
still begin this September but, meanwhile, a new minister has been appointed to
the Circuit for 12 months only starting on the 1st September 2011, subject to
final Conference approval in a few weeks time. He is the Rev. George Quarm, who
is an experienced minister originally from Ghana but has held appointments in
Luton, Brixton and Lewisham and Blackheath Circuits |
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