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HARTFORD METHODIST CHURCH

CHRISTMAS 2015

"Unto us a boy is born !

King of all Creation"

From His heart...the Word

Was breathed and given birth.

And God, He was heard

Creating heaven and earth.

God said, and it was,

The words formed all His thoughts.

God is the Eternal cause

that made all things from naught.

From His heart...the Word

was breathed into a womb.

Conceived - Christ the Lord.

To bring us life, deaths' doom;

God's glory in earth,

A new creation begun,

Emmanuel, on earth

Jesus, God's Holy Son.

(By kind permission of James Christian)

Dear Friends,

Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a three month sabbatical. That means that the Methodist Church allowed me to rest and relax for the months of May, June and July. I had three whole months away from church work. Of course, I missed the daily life of the church but the whole intention was to give me a time of refreshment. I didn’t just spend the time watching day time television. I was required to do something during a sabbatical and to be frank I would get bored stiff if I had nothing planned for that length of time and so I decided to study God’s creation. I did this by spending a lot of time bird watching, which is one of my hobbies and I also thought about the creation story which we find in the first chapter of the bible. Genesis ,Chapter 1 begins with the statement that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

When I came back from my sabbatical, I was delighted to discover that the theme for this year’s Christmas card was based around the idea that Jesus was born the “King of all Creation.” That line originates in the Christmas carol “Unto us a boy is born! King of all Creation.” This reminds us of the deep mystery that is at the heart of the Christmas story. Jesus was not just a boy who was born in a stable. Jesus is God incarnate. Jesus is God who took on human form and lived on earth. This is important because it means that God knows what it is like to live on earth. God understands the challenges of human living. Another way of looking at it is to realise that God isn’t “up there somewhere distant from us” but that God came to earth and, because we believe in the resurrection, it means that God is with us still.

We can call Jesus the “King of all Creation” because we believe that he was there at the moment of creation. His were “the hands that flung stars into space” as another popular hymn tells us. I believe this is important because it reminds me that planet earth matters. The earth isn’t just a plaything for humans to use and abuse, it is a place created by God, a place where Jesus is King. The Genesis story reminds us that the earth is created by God and that God created us to look after it. The problem is that we are not very good at caring for creation. Man- made climate change is a reality that is already affecting the lives of the poorest people in Africa and Asia and will hurt more people as the world’s average temperature rises. If we don’t find ways of reducing our use of fossil fuels and producing less of the greenhouse gasses, then the situation is going to get much worse.

As we celebrate the birth of the “King of all Creation,” we need to think about how we are looking after that creation. I know that this is a huge challenge and I don’t want it to spoil your celebrations of Christmas, but we all need to pray for guidance about what to do and we need to start to look after our own bit of creation.

I hope you will have a wonderful Christmas time!

Chris Pritchard.

(Minister of Hartford Methodist Church)

What does Christmas have to do with Creation?

A lot of people don't see the connection between creation and Christmas. Creation is described in the book of Genesis, the birth of Jesus is in the Gospels.

As Christians, we believe that Jesus was there at the beginning of time and is a co-sharer with God in the act of creation.

John Ch1 vv 1-3 states :

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

Jesus is God's Word made flesh.

The wonder of Christmas is that the Creator Himself became human and that He entered the world as a baby born in a stable in Bethlehem. Our human communication with God is through Him.

God also speaks to us through His creation - the earth in which we live. St Francis of Assisi recognised nature as God's beautiful handiwork which speaks to us of God's goodness to mankind. Human beings are connected to nature and in showing respect for our environment and, in fairly sharing its abundance, we are also showing respect for human life and God Himself.

What does this mean for us?

"For the healing of the nations,

Lord, we pray with one accord;

For a just and equal sharing

Of the things that earth affords.

To a life of love in action

Help us rise and pledge our word." (Hymns &Psalms 402- Fred Kaan)

At Hartford Methodist Church, we support a number of charities which are concerned with working towards " a just and equal sharing" of the gifts of our planet.

"NORTHWICH AND WINSFORD CIRCUIT KENYA FUND."

The fund continues to provide 2 meals each day for the children at Timboni School and also continues to fund 2 HIV/AIDS counsellors at the clinic at Wesley Church, Mombasa. The school at Timboni continues to grow in numbers and now has 3 more classrooms and a staffroom. The kitchen is now equipped with an electric cooker, sink and work surfaces and an under-cover dining area will be built in the near future.

If anyone would like to make a contribution to this fund, then please contact Derek Briggs on 01565 733031.

"ALL WE CAN" (formerly The Methodist Relief and Development Fund)

This Methodist Charity has been actively involved for many years in projects in some of the world's poorest countries. For the past 4 years, Hartford Methodist Church, through "All We Can," has been involved in the Big Give Christmas Challenge, enabling our donations to go further as they are multiplied fourfold through this form of giving. Last Christmas, "All We Can's" aim of raising £35,000 to support farmers in Burundi was realised. This year, the aim is to raise a similar amount to finance work in Odisha, one of the poorest states in India. It will support women in various ways to become better educated, aware of their rights and capable of launching small business enterprises whereby they can provide for their families and gain greater social status. Our monetary giving at Hartford Methodist Church this Christmas will be pledged to support this project, whereby we hope to help poor, vulnerable women in India to become "all that they can."

"WATERAID"

Water Aid is a charity which helps to provide clean drinking water and effective sanitation in countries where water borne disease is rife and where people sometimes have to walk miles every day to obtain what water is available. This journey is sometimes through hostile terrain or unsafe areas where women's well-being is threatened and, sometimes, drought may mean that there is little or no water to collect at the end of it.

Each year, during the 6 weeks of Lent, we at Hartford Methodist Church collect our spare change in jam jars and this money is sent to Water Aid to exchange the "jars of change for jars of water." Safe water changes everything for people who, unlike us, cannot take it for granted. In sharing some of our financial resources (£1600 in the last 4 years) we can enable others to safely make use of earth's resource of clean water.

"CHRISTIAN AID"

Christian Aid is an international development charity which works with people of all faiths and none in around 50 countries to eradicate poverty amongst those in need in the long and short term.

The charity responds to immediate crisis, for example, by providing meals and temporary shelters for those in the Nepal relief camps following the earthquake earlier this year and by, more recently, providing food, hygiene kits and psychological support for refugees in the Middle East and Europe. It also provides training programmes to enable people to gain skills to set up their own businesses, thus enabling them to support themselves.

If a Christian Aid envelope comes through your letterbox next May, please consider making a donation This year, £1214.38 pence was raised in Hartford.

And, finally, a prayer ;

Give us, Father,

A vision of your world as love would make it:

A world where the weak are protected and none go hungry,

A world whose benefits are shared so that everyone can enjoy them,

A world where peace is built with justice

And justice is built with love,

And give us the desire and courage to help to build it. Amen.

Christmas Services 2015

Sunday, 29th November at 10.30am. Advent 1

Gift Service and Morning Worship led by Rev. David Hill.

The congregation provides gifts of toys and festive food to be distributed by the Cheshire Community Development Trust.

Sunday, 6th December at 10.30am. Advent 2

Service of Holy Communion led by Rev. Chris Pritchard.

Sunday, 13th December at 10.30am. Advent 3

Morning Service led by Mr John Saxton.

Sunday, 20th December. Advent 4

Cafe Style Carol Service at 10.30am led by Rev. Chris Pritchard.

Come and join us in this informal gathering as we worship whilst enjoying a cup of coffee or tea together.

Carol Service at 6.30pm led by Rev. Chris Pritchard.

This will be a traditional, quiet and meditative service.

The church will be lit by candles. The collection will be in aid of "All We Can" (the Methodist Relief and Development Fund) to support projects in Odisha, India.

Tea and mince pies will be served in the Church Hall afterwards.

Christmas Eve at 11.30pm.

Service of Holy Communion led by Rev. Chris Pritchard.

Christmas Day at 10.30am.

Joint Service with Davenham Methodist Church at Hartford Methodist Church (CW8 3AB) led by Rev. Chris Pritchard.

Sunday, 27th December at 2.00pm.

Carol Service at Little Budworth Methodist Church (CW6 9ER).

A warm welcome is extended to everyone wishing to attend any or all of these services.

Weekly Sunday Services

You are warmly invited to join us in our regular service of worship every Sunday morning at 10.30am.

Children gather in Church to join in the first part of each service prior to going to their Sunday School sessions.

The Mums and Toddlers group meets during term time on Fridays from 9:30 - 11:30am in our church hall. The Crib Service this year is on Friday 18th December at 10:00am.

Messy Church meets at Trinity Methodist Church in Winsford, CW7 3DG, every 2nd Saturday of the month, from 4:00pm - 6:00pm. Come and share in an afternoon of fun activities and craft work on a Christian theme followed by a light meal.

For more information on either of the above, contact Deacon Rachel on rachelthomasprasad@

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We are pleased that our Church Hall is used by local organisations for events and meetings. The Hall is also available for private functions.

Anyone interested in using these facilities should contact our booking secretary, Mrs Theresa Cunningham on 01606 889721.

For further information about the Church and its activities please phone:

Senior Steward: Mrs Iris Isserlis 01606 75847

Minister: Rev. Chris Pritchard 01606 44613

Prayer Ministry

‘Be anxious for nothing, but, in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.'

Philippians Ch4 v6 (New King James Version).

As the people of Hartford Methodist Church, we wish to serve our community by praying for you.

Please let us know if we can serve your family through our ongoing prayer ministry.

Should you have a prayer request, please write it on the tear off slip, place it in an envelope for your privacy and post it through the letter box of the church hall (CW8 3AD.)

We will pray for your needs accordingly.

Be assured that there is no obligation to our Church on your part, but we would love to welcome you should you wish to join us for worship at any time.

Dear Hartford Methodist Church Prayer Ministry,

Please pray for:

Thank you - your name, address and telephone number are optional.

I would like to speak to someone from the Church YES / NO

Minister: Rev. Chris Pritchard Tel: 01606 44613

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