There was a Church Service on 5 January 2019
The Service was held in St. Peter’s as usual at 11am.
As a ‘Call To Worship’, a ‘New Year Video’ was played using a Jacqui Lawson ecard with fireworks and Auld Lang Syne, which Nancy explained was also a hymn with Christian words, All Glory Be To Christ.
The Opening Prayer was given by Joy Barlow
Announcements were given by David Silcox and included:
*Happy New Year to the Watford Congregation
*Gavin sends a letter to elders and church leaders each week and the new
National Ministry Team is now in office, taking the lead and responsibility for
the Churches in the UK. Pray that God will lead, guide and inspire them, and
indeed, Joe and Greg internationally as well.
*Reg & Pat Newton are not well. Reg
has a chest infection that they thought initially was mild pneumonia.
*Mike Barlow is also not well and requests prayers
*Esther (Cargil) Marsden is very ill and has been given only days to live. Prayers are requested for her and her family
at this difficult time.
*There will be Communion during the Service next week.
Hymns were
led by Nancy Silcox:
Hymn 1. An Army of Ordinary People
Hymn 2. I Am A New Creation
Jean Sole gave a Reading of Revelation 21:1-7.
Speaking of Life this week was Greg Williams on video entitled Where There Is No Vision. He cast a vision for our Denomination for 2019 of ‘Healthy Church’ and all that that implies.
Hymn 3. Be Thou My Vision
Hymn 4. Ten Thousand Reasons
Intercessory
Prayer was offered by Winston Bothwell and included:
*On a chilly day, remember that each day we are one day closer to summer!
We thank God for a new year and a vision of hope
*Be with the new National Ministry Team. Give them wisdom as they direct the
Churches of the UK
into the future.
*thank you, God, for peace to meet in safety and worship. Although we are diminishing in numbers, we
still request that you guide and bless our congregation. Be with the young people—protect and be with
them as they face the challenges of todays society
*We think of those who are ill and inform.
We pray for them and their families, including Blossom, Peter, the
Battisons, and particularly be with Esther Marsden to comfort her and her
family—give them peace and we pray your will be done.
*Reg & Pat Newton are key leaders in our congregation serving the Prayer
Table and also refreshments. Strengthen
and heal them, bring them back to serve you effectively.
Be with Mike Barlow, raise him up so he can also continue to serve not only
this Congregation but wherever he travels on occasion, such as Exeter
and Reading.
*Encourage your people by your hand and give us the vision of hope for a better
future—God hast that day.
Hymn 4. My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness
The Message was given by Irene
Wilson who began by mentioning Street Angels on New Years Eve where one of the
things they were involved in was handing out disposable slippers to young women
coming out of night clubs in their 10” heels!
They were very grateful to take off their painful footwear. In this modern age of instant we
often forget to say ‘Thank you’. Luke
17:11-19 gives an example of the 10 lepers on the road to Damascus. This is NOT a parable, but a true
story and teaches us an important lesson about gratitude and thankfulness. The Road to Damascus was the ‘internet’ of it’s day,
where you gathered information and performed your work. The M1 of its time, to get to your
destination quickly. Jesus encountered
10 lepers that he cleansed but only one remembered to thank Jesus and that one
was a Samaritan, a foreigner. Leprosy
was a contagious and terminal disease.
Lepers were quarantined and often lived in depression and lonliness. To recover from this disease was rare and a
miracle. The only way back into society
was for the Priest to declare them clean.
When the lepers greeted Jesus it was a generic greeting like ‘Mister’,
not the word Mary used when she encountered the resurrected Jesus of Master,
sovereign Lord. Did the lepers remember
later the powerful person they encountered?
Did it change their lives? Did they wonder when they heard he had been
crucified? Or like lottery winners, did
they become ingrateful and take it for granted?
Romans 1:20-21 says many knew God but did not give glory or thanks but
became vain and in the foolishness their heard was darkened.
As Christians God has changed our lives and redeemed us—do we remember to thank
him? We have so many blessings to be
grateful for, physical and spiritual.
Don’t take it for granted—it is the greatest survival story ever
told! Mankind’s survival through the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The final Hymn was Count Your Blessings after which the Closing Prayer was led by Sue Ann Henderson
Fellowship continued over refreshments in the church hall.
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Bricket Wood Bible Study–the biweekly Bible Study was held at7:30pm on Friday 4th January, as usual in the upstairs room of the St. Stephen’s Parish Centre, Bricket Wood. David Silcox continues with the study in 1 John 3 and refreshments followed the study. You are welcome to join us for the study any time–the next study will be Friday 18 January.