The Community Newsletter of Ashbourne Methodist Church Harvest 2018
Pre-schoolers Prepare to Celebrate Harvest kids@cornerstone is a friendly, drop-in group for pre-school children and their carers, which meets every Tuesday in The Cornerstone at Ashbourne Methodist Church.
The sessions run from 9am – 11am every Tuesday and there are toys and activities for the children, along with drinks and snacks. There is a story time and singing, too. As well as being great fun, it’s a chance for the carers to meet and chat. This year, for the first time, kids@cornerstone will be having its own special Harvest Festival service, in the church from 10.30am – 11am on Tuesday 2nd October.
Inside… Colourful Displays Celebrate a Journey with God
page 2
All are welcome to come and join the service, which will be followed by refreshments.
All Good Gifts Around Us
page 3
For more details, call Clare on 01335 342321 or see our website www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk/kids
Live music, cake & a challenge
page 3
Creative Crafts
page 4
An Invitation to our Harvest Celebrations Ashbourne Methodist Church will celebrate the Harvest this year on Sunday 30th September. The morning Harvest Festival celebration at 10.30am will be led by Rev. Stella Mills, who works with Derbyshire Agricultural Chaplaincy. During the service our Powersource groups for ages 0-16 will take place as usual. The evening service at 6.30pm will be led by our Minister, Rev. Tim Morris and will include Holy Communion. As we celebrate and give thanks to God, we also think about and pray for others. This year we will collect items for Ashbourne Food Bank and monetary donations for the relief & development agency All We Can.
For more details see www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk
Colourful Displays Celebrate a Journey with God During the summer, the people of Ashbourne Methodist Church celebrated their creativity with a series of eyecatching displays. Outside the church, as a fringe event of Ashbourne Festival, the church was yarnbombed with pom-pom sheep, crochet-covered bikes and knitted animals. In the church, a series of displays were themed on “Pilgrims on a Journey�, which is a line from a hymn. Displays allowed visitors to reflect on different stages of going on a journey and their own journey of faith. The main display in church showed the praying hands of many members of the church community. Although each pair of hands was different, all had in common that they were praying to the same God and were the hands of people on a journey with God. Many church members had also shared a picture and a few words about somewhere that they feel close to God. Some of these were close to home, while others were places experienced while on a journey.
Regular Sunday Services at 10.30am and 6.30pm
Serving at Ashbourne Show
Tim’s Message
Methodist Churches from Ashbourne and the surrounding area once again offered hospitality at the Ashbourne Show this year.
All Good Gifts Around Us
The stand gave people a chance to sit down, have a drink and relax at what can be a very busy and tiring show. We also had toys and activity packs for children to enjoy while their parents had a few moments of rest. We were joined by the Derbyshire Agricultural Chaplain, Alan Griggs, who is available to offer a listening ear to farmers. You can read more about Alan’s work by visiting www.ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/ agricultural-chaplaincy.html
How fortunate we are to live in this beautiful countryside. We are surrounded by fields of cattle and crops. But as well as the beauty around us, many of us also see the labour and toil that is put in by the farming community to produce the harvest. So we should be a thankful community. Harvest Festival is a time to stop, to give thanks and to acknowledge with gratitude the gifts we daily receive. At the same time we remember the needs of others, and try to support people locally and in communities around the world that are less fortunate than ourselves. So come and celebrate the harvest at church this year. We have many people to thank, so much to be grateful for, and the opportunity to help others. Rev Tim Morris Minister at Ashbourne Methodist Church
Do you like live music, cake and a challenge? At 6.30pm on the third Sunday of every month, the Century Hall at Ashbourne Methodist Church is packed with people for our special Praise! service. Praise! is a very informal service, with a live band and plenty of time to worship as well as opportunities to hear about the things God is doing for people. Each service starts with drinks and cake, and features lively worship songs and a message to make you think. Every month we’re thrilled to see visitors and new people at the service which keeps on growing.
The next service will be at 6.30pm on Sunday 19th September. You can be sure of a warm welcome - come and try it!
For more details see www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk
Creative Crafts This Autumn, we are hosting some special craft events in The Cornerstone, to which everyone is invited. Christmas Angel ‘knit-in’, 2-4pm on Monday 15th October Decorate a Bag, 2-4pm on Monday 5th November Card Making, 2-4pm on Monday 26th November Workshops are free and there’s no need to book – just pop along. Craft & Chat is held every Monday from 2-4pm in The Cornerstone at Ashbourne Methodist Church. Everyone is welcome to drop in for a drink and a chat – crafts are optional! For more details call Clare on 01335 342321 or see www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk/craftchat
Greenbelt Festival A group from Ashbourne Methodist Church recently spent the weekend with thousands of other Christians. The festival was held over the bank holiday weekend at Boughton House near Kettering and featured music, worship, talks, comedy, dance and much more.
Messy Church includes takehome crafts, fun activities, celebration time & lunch and is great for the whole family to enjoy. Our next Messy Church will be held on Wednesday 31st October, see www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk/messychurch
Ashbourne Methodist Church is a family church… …with a welcome and range of activities for all ages. At the centre of all we do is our worship of God and we do this with both contemporary and traditional styles. You can find us at the corner of Church Street & Station Road, Ashbourne DE6 1AE Email info@ashbournemethodist.org.uk Web www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk Followus on Twitter @AshbourneMC