The Community Newsletter of Ashbourne Methodist Church Harvest 2019
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. 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. kids@cornerstone will be having its own special Harvest Festival service, in the church from 10.30am – 11am on Tuesday 1st October. All are welcome to come and join the service, which will be followed by refreshments. kids@cornerstone’s regular sessions are held in the Cornerstone from 9-11am and 1-3pm on Tuesdays (afternoon session not on the third Tuesday of the month). For more details, call Clare on 01335 342321 or see our website www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk/kids
Inside… Building Community
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Thanks Giving
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On a Wing and a Prayer
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Live music, cake & a challenge
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An Invitation to our Harvest Celebrations Ashbourne Methodist Church will celebrate the Harvest this year on Sunday 29th September. The morning Harvest Festival celebration at 10.30am will be for all ages and will be led by Rev. Alan Griggs, who works with Derbyshire Agricultural Chaplaincy. The evening service at 6.30pm will be led by Blayze White, who is a worker at Denby Bottles Methodist Church. 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
Building Community The church has recently developed exciting plans to develop the church’s work in the local community, including a major building programme, named The Link Project. The church is very active in the community, and offers a range of services to local people, but the church would like to improve access to the buildings, and develop the facilities. The development, which will retain and enhance the building’s heritage features, will create a new street-level entrance foyer from Station Road, internal access to all parts of the building and provide rooms suitable for a range of uses. The project will provide the community with a large performance space, more rooms and facilities for use of community organisations, more services for local people (including older and disabled) and a community hub with facilities for local charities. Minister at Ashbourne Methodist, Rev Tim Morris, says “We are aiming to provide an inclusive, comfortable and sustainable environment in a heritage set of buildings. In looking to the future we are building on the role that Ashbourne Methodist Church, together with other local churches, has played in the life of the Ashbourne community for many generations – serving as a school for many years, as a playgroup more recently and going back to the First World War the hall was used as a hospital. Today we have a residential centre, a vibrant café at The Cornerstone, together with activities and events for all ages. We continue to serve and minister to the local community as well as the many visitors attracted to the town throughout the year.”
Celebrating Creativity The people of Ashbourne Methodist Church once again took part in Ashbourne Festival with a colourful fringe event. Craft & Chat worked with members of the church and local groups including Ashbourne WI, to create the displays. There were over 100 plant pots each filled with knitted or crocheted flowers, and a guard of honour of bunnies up the railings on the steps, together with bees, birdies and lots of added extras. New for this year was the Tree of Hopes and Dreams. Young and old, visitors and locals, tied a ribbon to the tree. And with each ribbon, a person remembered and offered something which was on their heart – a hope or a dream, but also a symbol of their ongoing concerns for the world and its people. Craft & Chat meets from 2-4pm on Mondays in The Cornerstone. For details contact Clare on 342321 or visit www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk/craftchat
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.
Thanks giving
The stand gave people a chance to sit down, have a drink and relax at what can be a very busy and tiring show. In fact, we served over 500 drinks to thirsty visitors! 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 two of Derbyshire’s Agricultural Chaplains who are available to offer a listening ear to farmers. You can read more about the chaplains’ work by visiting www.ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk/ agricultural-chaplaincy.html
Surrounded by fields of cattle and crops, and beautiful countryside, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for!
Yet we can also appreciate the hard work and labour that is put in by the farming community to produce the harvest. So Harvest Festival time gives us all a chance to acknowledge with gratitude all that we have, those who produce it and those who are in need. For our thanks can also enable us to give, as we offer support to the local food bank and overseas aid. So come and celebrate the harvest at church this year. We have many people to thank, so much to be thankful for and the opportunity to help others Rev Tim Morris Minister at Ashbourne Methodist Church
On a Wing and a Prayer Ashbourne Methodist Church was delighted to be able to enter a team into the first ever Ashbourne Soap Box Race. Our soap box, called “On a Wing and a Prayer”, was designed and built by a group from our church, from a wide range of ages, and features large wings at the rear and a pair of praying hands at the front. This newsletter went to press before the race on 8th September, but we are sure that our team will have enjoyed the race – no matter how fast they went down the hill! We’re also sure that it will have been a great day for the local community, and one we’re pleased to have been part of. Photos from the day will be available online at www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk
For more details see www.ashbournemethodist.org.uk
Do you like live music, cake and a challenge? At 6.30pm on the first and third Sundays 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 for table discussions and 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 services will be at 6.30pm on Sunday 15th September, 6th October and 20th October. You can be sure of a warm welcome - come and try it!
Greenbelt Festival
Praying for our town
A group from Ashbourne Methodist Church recently spent the weekend with thousands of other Christians.
Christians from various churches have been meeting regularly to pray about the new housing developments in our town.
The festival was held over the bank holiday weekend at Boughton House near Kettering and is described as being “where art, faith and justice collide”.
This has included prayer walks, during which members of the churches have prayed for the new homes that will be built.
The festival featured music, worship, talks, comedy, dance and much more.
This is just one example of how we join with our friends from the other churches, as part of Ashbourne Churches Together. You can find out more about Ashbourne Churches Together on Facebook by searching for “Ashbourne Christians”
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