Sunday 29 April 2007

Baptism

On Sunday April 29th, under the bright spring sunshine, James, Edward and Matthew Hingley were baptised by full immersion during the main morning worship.
What is baptism? Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives. In baptism we celebrate what God has done for us in Christ, making serious promises and declaring our Christian faith. Baptism is the first step in the Christian journey. Here are some photos of this wonderful event.



St Martin's doesn't have a full size baptistry in the church, so for practical reasons the baptism took place outside.



Although the sun was shining, the water was cold! Here James prepares for his baptism.




Next came the turn of Edward




And finally the youngest of the three brothers, Matthew, is baptised.


Congratulations to James, Edward and Matthew, we pray that they will continue to grow in their Christian faith.

What has God done for us? Newsletter 29th April 2007

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
John 3:16-17

Do we realize what God has done for us? Do we ever stop long enough in the hectic busyness of every day to think about the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ? You know I don't think we do, at least, I don’t.

We cannot come anywhere near comprehending the sacrifice and total love God gave to us when He sent His Son into this world to live, to die, and to rise from the grave. He gave us His only Son so that we shall never die, that's right eternal life! How do we get this eternal life?

It's free, all we have to do is believe, It's called faith. We are no longer alone because He is here with us. Our hearts can be filled with the peace and love of Jesus Christ.

Don’t think for a minute that your life will always be rosy. We all have our problems, on a daily basis! Loving Christ won’t change that. But now I feel I can deal with problems, because I believe that God is there in the problems with us. We can always rely on Him, Trust Him to be there for us, to listen & help if we let Him into our hearts. You see God sent His Son into this world not to judge us but to save us. To me that is what Resurrection is all about. Its about joy, It's about faith; It's about God’s love for us.

Prayer:
O Risen Lord Jesus, when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love
and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.
We ask this in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
Amen

God Bless,
Jane

Friday 27 April 2007

Earth Day: 22nd April 2007

“All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all”

Today, April 22nd, has been designated as Earth Day. The first Earth Day was held in 1970 in the USA. Over the past few years much has been said and written about the state of the earth from global warming and other atmospheric pollution to problems with the ozone layer.


For about a thousand years man has been increasing the pollutants in the atmosphere ( in the tenth century a queen of England complained of the smoke pollution in London) and this has been accelerated over the last two hundred years as man, in his pursuit of industrialisation, has caused an increase in the acid gases which were first described in 1848. (Don’t forget Queen Victoria had the blinds drawn on her train when it passed through the Black country so she didn’t have to see the filth and squalor!)

Now we are told that one of the gases which is needed for plants to produce food is the real villain of the piece. Carbon dioxide, the gas used by plants to make sugars, has been increasing quite rapidly and is now causing the earth’s temperature rise. Yet this gas has been present in the atmosphere since the earth began.

When God made the earth and all on it he made sure that everything was in balance, day and night, water and earth, plants and animals. The gases of the air were also in balance; man in his greed has upset His delicate balance.

Perhaps is it now time to remember that we are just temporary creatures on God’s earth and should look after it as He would want. Only then will we return to a world where all things are bright and beautiful again. Take time today to think about God’s wonderful creation and how we all can do our bit in preserving it for future generations.

God Bless
John

Sunday 8 April 2007

Easter Day


Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
On behalf of all at St Martin's we wish you a happy and joyful Easter, and pray that you may experience the love, hope, life and power of the resurrection in your life.

Silence: Newsletter for 15th April, 2007

Do you find difficulty with silence? When we pray we are encouraged to talk to God – tell Him of our worries and concerns – for ourselves, our families, friends and neighbours; situations that frighten or trouble us. This can become a shopping list of wants – the talking all on one side – ours. If we are able to leave a period of silence, we can be open to hearing God speak to us – helping us to make the right decision and take the right course of action.

I am afraid that all my life I have been, and still am – a ‘talker’ – none of my friends or family would dispute that; and one to whom being quiet or silent is quite foreign. Unsuccessfully I have tried to overcome or at least improve this skill of listening that I lack.

During my own prayer time at home and in church, I do listen hard in the hope that God will speak to me. What am I expecting? A voice from above? A flashing light? A momentous happening? So far - nothing like that – and perhaps I have been a little disappointed; but I will still try even harder to hear what God is trying to tell me or guide me as to what to do or be.

Scripture tells us ‘there is a’ time for silence and a time for speech’. I pray that God will show me when it is right for each of these. We must all thank God for the miracle of speech that enables us to communicate with each other – but we must also be as ready to listen as to talk.

Lord, teach us the silence of humility, the silence of wisdom, the silence of love, the silence of perfection, the silence that speaks without words, the silence of faith. May we be able to silence our hearts that we may hear the Holy Spirit of God within us.

Every Blessing, Doreen.