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salfordelim · 4 years

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Neil’s Reflections

Who would have guessed it would come out? A lockdown-busting 200 mile trip. An eye-sight testing jaunt to Barnard Castle.

But it did. And it broke things.

It was a community-breaking action made worse by a determined refusal to apologise.

Have you ever done something similar? Lied to your friends and got away with it? Cheated on someone you loved but no one found out? Given the impression that you’re better than you are and found that people believed you?

It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it?

There’s relief that no one knew. But the shame in case some time in the future they do discover that you were never who you said you were. The fear of having to hear someone say, ‘I can’t believe what you did. I don’t think I ever knew you.’

You might get away with it – but it’ll cost you a lot.

On Sunday we will read about Ananias and Sapphira who found fame for being the church members who lied to their family and friends, refused to own up and dropped dead on the spot. That’s quite something to be remembered for:

Here lies the bodies of faithful church members who left the church building earlier than they expected…

Their problem was that the Spirit was working among the church and making people outrageously generous. People like Joseph were giving away their inheritance to the poor in a way that showed total disregard for their own futures. It was impressive. It still is. So impressive that they gave Joseph a nickname that stuck for the rest of his life. No longer Joseph, he would be known as Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement.

Maybe it was hard to see this outsider getting all the attention. Maybe Ananias and Sapphira had long felt overlooked and under-valued. Maybe they wanted someone to notice them. Maybe they were just sad people looking to be loved.

So they lied. It was a small lie. They had sold the property. It was generous. It just wasn’t the full amount.

A cautionary tale in the book of Acts that some might think is a harsh story. But what if they had got away with it?

What if they had broken the community’s trust? What if their lies had meant that they would have had to continue with the secrecy? What if their desire for status had won? What would have been lost?

Every lie you tell breaks things. Things that are precious. Things that matter to God so much that he acts in ways that are severely gracious. He loves us too much to let us get away with it so he gives you a way out. For them it was the direct question: ‘Is this the price you got for the land’.

That answer could have changed their lives. If they lied, they would die. If they owned up and told the truth, a whole new story would begin. It still does.

Interview

This week’s interview is with Chris and Dave Swindells. I’m always delighted to hear how God gets our attention so that we take him seriously. Their story is an amazing example of this.

News

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

1. Governing Body Changes

As you might remember, three of the present members of the Governing Body will step down in the summer. They are Gill Oldham, Pearl King and Frank Walsh. They have served the church really well by supporting those employed by the church and helping us become the church that we believe God is calling us to be.

We have already agreed that Judith Thompson and Charlie Blundell will replace them, but as we said at the time there was another space to be filled.

We are delighted to be able to tell you that Jumi Isobor has agreed to be proposed as part of the team. If you want to know more about Jumi you can see her here being interviewed with Emmanuel…

As is our custom, if you have any concerns that you think are really significant please get back to us by Wed 3 June.

I’d like to thank Jumi for being willing to allow us to put her forward to you. We think Jumi is the right person for the team. She is younger than the rest of us (!), comes from a different ethnic background, loves the church, asks great questions and has a heart for the growth of the Kingdom of God.

2. Our Gatherings

Sunday Gathering

The link to this Sunday’s Gathering is here:

Join our Sunday Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/836810848 Meeting ID: 836 810 848

Small Groups

A chance to reflect on life and scripture together. We are using this resource at the moment. We are in the third week.

Thursdays at 7.45pm is the time to log on.

Join our small group Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/998857193?pwd=Ni9ZY2pSSWdQcWRvellMWXJYbG5rZz09 Meeting ID: 998 857 193

3. Quiz Night – Friday 12th June, 7.30-9.30pm

After the success of our first online quiz night, we are doing it again!

Our host, once again, will be the wonderful Andrew Gordon.

You can come on your own of course or you might want to come as a team – there might be folks in church that you want to team up with but it’s also a chance to extend an invitation to those who don’t come to church with you regularly.

If you know that you want to come with friends and family you can form a team of up to 4 screens. But you must register that team with Ian by Thursday evening (11th) at 10pm.

He needs to know the names of who will be in your team (email addresses if you have them will be helpful) and the team captain’s mobile number (the team captain will also need to have WhatsApp installed on their phone).

If you have no clever friends (!), come along and we will create teams on the night – no one will be alone. But please turn up on time!

Join our Quiz Night

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83415960953?pwd=WE5jSU5UejVFS1lVVktraWFMbzZ2QT09

It should be a fun night.

4. Virtual Vine Wednesdays

Like most businesses, we had to close The Vine Cafe a couple of months ago and we are not sure when we will be able to open again. In the meantime, we want to offer a few ways of connecting with us, starting on Wednesday the 10th of June. These are great opportunities to invite friends, family and colleagues too.

‘Virtual Coffee Morning’ – Wednesday 10.30-11.30am

Since closing we’ve missed chatting to people and we know some of you have missed popping in for a brew and a catch up too. So, whilst it’s not as good as the real thing, we thought we would try meeting up online instead. So, grab yourself a brew and join us. There may even be games and live music!

Join our Virtual Coffee Morning

https://zoom.us/j/94930624852?pwd=dlI0SnhwY3RaNnUrUGpSMTkrWm5hZz09

Virtual Prayer Room – Wednesday 1-2pm

The current crisis has affected everyone in one way or another. It’s often during times of crisis, pain and confusion when people reach out to God. You may feel anxious and just need someone to pray for God’s peace over you. You may be ill or be concerned about someone who is sick; we can pray with you for God’s healing. You may feel low or confused; we can pray with you to know God’s joy and guidance in these strange days. Whatever your reason, we would love to pray with you and for you.

Join our Virtual Prayer Room

https://zoom.us/j/91853590251?pwd=ZnFPWkNWOTZoK3p4eTgxY0Zxc3ZwQT09

Virtual Vine Alpha – Wednesday 2.30-4pm

The current crisis has raised questions for many people; not least about what is most important in life. The Alpha Course is a great opportunity to explore the bigger questions of life and faith such as ‘Is there more than this?’, ‘Who is Jesus?’ and ‘Does God guide us?’. No question is ‘out of bounds’ and everyone is welcome to join us without pressure.

Join Virtual Vine Alpha

https://zoom.us/j/92458850833?pwd=UmZXUEJOTi9ZeEc3RG5KZDJaS0Rqdz09

Inviting Others

During these strange days, we want to stay growing as church. You might have friends and family who might be interested in staying in touch with us as a church. Ask them to fill out the form on our church website and we will add them to our mailing list.

This may be an easy time to invite friends and family to our Gatherings, after all they can be with us from the safety of their own homes. You have nothing to lose, they have a lot to gain!

We are going to be streaming the service via the church’s Facebook page now – if that is easier for people to access.

If in doubt…

All the links to the meetings are in our ChurchSuite app and on the Calendar section of our church website.

Visit our Events Calendar

5. You’re not alone

If you need prayer, or need to talk, don’t hesitate to contact folks in your WhatsApp group, or Neil – his number is 07771 558058.

6. Hardship fund

We set aside some of church’s money so that we can respond to needs that we become aware of in church. You might want to give to that fund, if so, let Bev Walsh know, or you might be in need yourself. If you would need help, don’t be embarrassed to talk with Charlie Blundell. We want to help.

Links and Resources

Children’s Resources

Morag and Ian have put together a couple of films for children at different ages. Having said that, whatever your age you might want to take a look!

But if you have children that fall into these groups, I know that they will really value your feedback.

You can watch them here:

This week’s Kids Resources

#Salford #Elim #Church

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salfordelim · 4 years

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Neil’s Reflections

Maybe it was the last person you would expect. He is only 22. He’s a multimillionaire, part of a pampered set, living in a world that most of us will never experience, even if we wanted to. A young man who has access to everything that money can buy. But he is the one asking: who is getting missed?

His name is Marcus Rashford and he’s a Manchester United and England footballer.

During lockdown, he has raised about £20m to supply three million meals to vulnerable people, working with the charity FareShare UK. On Monday, he wrote a public letter to the government urging them to extend the food voucher scheme into the school holidays. And he’s done so because he has been in that situation.

In the letter, Rashford wrote: “My mum worked full-time, earning the minimum wage, to make sure we always had a good evening meal on the table, but it was not enough.

“The system was not built for families like mine to succeed, regardless of how hard my mum worked.”

And he has never forgotten.

The story of the early church in Acts is full of powerful, mind boggling encounters with God and remarkable generosity, as well as moments of tension that we can all relate to. People had been selling what they had to address the poverty that some of their people were facing, but even so it was easy for people to get missed. Acts 6 offers us a window into the tension that arose in the distribution of food to the widows, when some were getting missed. It’s an all too familiar problem, but it could easily have split the church.

It’s easy for people to get missed. At this time when we have had to rely on technology, who got missed along the way? Those who don’t have internet access? Those who are intimidated by it all? Those who feel too harassed? Those who feel too isolated?

Who will find these people and connect with them? Who will include them in a ‘bubble’? Who will ensure that they don’t stay outsiders?

And once we have thought about our own church community, who will notice those outside church?

This goes beyond those of us who are employed by the church, it’s a whole community responsibility. It’s the 22 year olds who say, I know how that feels.

It’s the 72 year olds who say, it could be me.

It’s those who are filled with Spirit and wisdom.

It’s you.

What will you do next?

Read Marcus Rashford’s story here.

Interview

This week’s interview is with Andrew Gordon. He explores what life is like as a new dad, how faith became a reality for him and what the connection is between local church, sandwiches and Snowdon. You’ll have to watch it to find out more.

News

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

1. Our Gatherings

Sunday Gathering

The link to this Sunday’s Gathering is here:

Join our Sunday Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/836810848 Meeting ID: 836 810 848

After some technical issues with our Facebook livestream over the last couple of weeks, we’re now switching to streaming our Sunday services live on our YouTube channel.

You’ll also be able to find the service live on the homepage of our website.

This will continue to be in addition to using Zoom. We want to encourage you to join our service using Zoom if possible, as it allows you to interact with other people in our church and be part of our breakout rooms after the service.

But we’re also aware that some people will find being part of our services easier via YouTube instead of Zoom, so we want to offer this option for you.

It also allows people from outside our church to access our services in an easier and less intimidating way, so please do let anyone who’d be interested know!

If you’ve got any questions, please let Phil Maylor know!

Midweek Gatherings

We have 3 prayer meetings during the week:

On Wednesday between 1-2pm we offer prayer ministry.

You may feel anxious and just need someone to pray for God’s peace over you. You may be ill or be concerned about someone who is sick; we can pray with you for God’s healing. You may feel low or confused; we can pray with you to know God’s joy and guidance in these strange days. Whatever your reason, we would love to pray with you and for you.

Meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/91853590251?pwd=ZnFPWkNWOTZoK3p4eTgxY0Zxc3ZwQT09

On Thursday evening at 7.45pm we will be praying for the church and all that is happening in the world.

Meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/99171331331?pwd=WWUrajBFd29SUGNETnVJVlpSMVA1UT09

And on Friday 10.30-12.00 there is a prayer meeting that doesn’t need Zoom! We use Whatsapp and it works great. If you want more information contact Corinne Baines or Gill Oldham or Neil and they’ll make sure you are able to connect.

From 9 July there will be a new group on Thursdays – Building Foundations. It’s important that you feel confident in knowing how to understand and explain the Christian faith to others. But equally, it is vital that you grow in knowing how to pray and to hear from God. This course will help you do both. You might have been a Christian for years, but deep down you are concerned that there are things you still haven’t got your head around. Or you might be fairly new on this road. This course is for you. Led by Charlie, it will explore all that is involved in ensuring that your life as a follower of Jesus is based on really strong foundations. Let us know if you would be interesting in joining that group.

2. Stay Connected: ‘Virtual Coffee Morning’ – Wednesday 10.30-11.30am

Join our Virtual Coffee Morning

https://zoom.us/j/94930624852?pwd=dlI0SnhwY3RaNnUrUGpSMTkrWm5hZz09

3. Alpha

Join Virtual Vine Alpha

https://zoom.us/j/92458850833?pwd=UmZXUEJOTi9ZeEc3RG5KZDJaS0Rqdz09

4. If in doubt…

All the links to the meetings are in our ChurchSuite app and on the Calendar section of our church website.

Visit our Events Calendar

5. You’re not alone

If you need prayer, or need to talk, don’t hesitate to contact folks in your WhatsApp group, or Neil – his number is 07771 558058.

Links and Resources

Children’s Resources

Morag and Ian have put together a couple of films for children at different ages. Having said that, whatever your age you might want to take a look!

But if you have children that fall into these groups, I know that they will really value your feedback.

This week they’ve put together some great games, videos and craft to inspire you, as well as a brilliant song from Ian.

You can watch them here:

This week’s Kids Resources

#Salford #Elim #Church

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salfordelim · 4 years

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Neil’s Reflections

We have started a series of sermons in the Book of Acts looking at the new things that God did when everything seemed so very uncertain. I’m convinced that God wants us to be able to see all that might be possible in these times. This Sunday we will read Acts 2:1-12. Here are some musings ahead of that.

Dorothy, Maggie’s mum, has lived with us for just over a year. Apart from holidays visiting us, she never really ventured out of Northern Ireland, and so to come over was a great adventure.

Last week, she had one of those experiences that you’ve probably had. She went to the cashpoint (as part of her government-permitted daily exercise!) and the machine swallowed her card. The branch was closed, so she trudged back home concerned about what would happen next.

One call to the bank and everything changed. They sorted the card, but far more importantly the woman who dealt with her was from ‘home’. Dorothy’s phone was on speaker mode so we could hear the conversation – ‘oh it’s so nice to hear someone from home’. ‘I know, how are you?’ and off they went into their own dialect for just a few moments.

It made Dorothy’s day!

The nuisance of losing her card to the machine was made easier by hearing someone who spoke like her.

Accents make all the difference.

I have what I think of as a generic Northern accent. So it was a surprise when not long ago I was speaking the South of England and someone came up to me at the end and asked if I was from Huddersfield or Halifax! Quite impressive – I grew up in Halifax. Whatever I had said, he’d heard the sound of a place he knew well. And we spent about 15 minutes reminiscing about the places we knew in common. The connection was made in the cadence of a sound.

This is what happened at Pentecost. They were promised power, they received languages.

And those who heard asked ‘what does this mean?’

Well, you would, wouldn’t you?

The answer became clear. The Spirit of God, his life, his breath, was filling these disciples and enabling them to make connections that would have been thought of as impossible. After all, they said, aren’t these ignorant, uneducated, unsophisticated Galileans?

As we pray our way through the book of Acts, what new things will break out from us by the power of the Holy Spirit? Into whose lives is the Spirit leading us? What new connections will be made?

Lord, the church buildings may be empty at the moment, but our mouths of the church can be full of all that you have done. Give us confidence, Lord, to speak out your praise; may we connect with those around us.

Interview

This week’s interview is with Mark Cann. We are really pleased that Mark, Rachael and Joseph are with us. This is a chance for you to get to know their story a little better.

News

1. Our Gatherings

Sunday Gathering

The link to this Sunday’s Gathering is here:

Join our Sunday Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/836810848 Meeting ID: 836 810 848

Inviting Others

This may be an easy time to invite friends and family to our Gatherings, after all they can be with us from the safety of their own homes. You have nothing to lose, they have a lot to gain!

Home Groups

On Thursday evenings from 7.45-9.00 we have three small ‘home’ groups that meet. If you haven’t been part of a group in the past but would like to explore it, you will be very welcome to come along.

The groups will be finishing are The Prayer Course this week focusing on Spiritual Warfare. But even if you have not been part of the groups up to now, you are more than welcome to come along. Watch the film before you come along: come along, make sure you have watched the 8th session here.

Join our Home Group Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/998857193?pwd=Ni9ZY2pSSWdQcWRvellMWXJYbG5rZz09 Meeting ID: 998 857 193 Password: 820084

2. Using Zoom – Some basic tips

I think we are all getting better at using Zoom. Here are a few tips that might help:

If you are using Zoom in groups, or where you are going to speak, sit as close to the microphone as you can.

If you are using wifi, it’s helpful to be in a room that is close to your router.

If the signal starts to go, closing your video down can help.

I know that some of you prefer not to be ‘seen’ and that’s fine, but it is helpful if you can show yourself on screen at the beginning, even if you the switch your video off later.

It’s better to use the ‘gallery view’ rather than the ‘speaker view’. That way you get to see everyone at the same time.

3. Social Night: Friday 8th May at 8pm

It’s definitely worth a go! On this night (a bank holiday weekend – does that even matter anymore?) we are going to have our first quiz night via Zoom.

Join our Quiz Night Social on Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89109414539 Meeting ID: 891 0941 4539

You can come on your own of course. But you might want to come as a team – you might have family and friends that are smart, and you’d like to form a team with them. There will times during the quiz when it’s every wo/man for themselves; but other times when you will be able to answer as teams.

It’s a chance to extend an invitation to those who don’t come to church with you regularly.

Bring your own drinks and nibbles!

4. How are things going? Reflections on Online Church

We want to pause for a moment to see how we are doing as church during these days. This is not just to check our own heartbeat (!) but is a chance to feed into how things might change going forward – even when we get back to a new normal.

It’ll be a chance to think about how connected you feel, what works well and what doesn’t, what is missed and how (if at all) we can address that, how we can ensure we stay outward-looking, whether using Zoom has been better for you than pre-recording a service and then using Facebook/Youtube to stream it. Those sorts of things.

So would you come along with a mug of tea and some biscuits and have a conversation with Neil?

It’ll be on Tuesday 5 May at 8pm

Join our Reflections on Online Church on Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89109414539 Meeting ID: 891 0941 4539

5. Prayer Together

Ian is going to host some prayer meetings – he just needs to know when will work best for you. He is suggesting Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening, Wednesday afternoon or Wednesday evening.

Can you let him know what would work best for you?

6. You’re not alone

If you need prayer, or to talk, don’t hesitate to contact folks in your WhatsApp group, or Neil – his number is 07771 558058.

Links and Resources

I was interested to read about all the recent archaeology that has been happening in Nazareth and the new light it offers us to see the place where Jesus grew up and the social and religious background that he would have encountered. You can read about it here.

Anthony Delaney, pastor of Ivy Cottage Church, Manchester wrote an interesting post about what God may be wanting to get our attention about in these days.

For those of you with kids know how brilliant it can be when you get those opportunities to talk openly, and equally how difficult it can be when you feel you are not getting through. This was a good short piece on how to talk together.

Finally, all that thinking about accents meant that I couldn’t help but think of this old, old sketch! Lord, may I never be this sort of Yorkshire man! (By the way, their impersonations of Yorkshire accents were awful).

#Salford #Elim #Church

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