Notices 3rd March to 10th March 2013

SUNDAY  Third Sunday of Lent	3rd	8.00 am 10.00 am   6.00 pm	Holy Communion Baptism Service with Seekers in the Upper Hall Focus Service in the Nave & MP (– arrive 6.00 pm for 7.00 pm start)
MONDAY	4th	12.30 pm   6.00 pm   7.00 pm	“Sunny Days” post natal support group with Julie Slingsby in MP Rainbows resumes in the Upper Hall Focus Fellowship meeting in the Old Vestry
TUESDAY	5th	10.00 am 11.00 am   2.30 pm   6.15 pm     7.30 pm    8.00 pm   7.30 pm	Holy Communion Service in the Meeting Place “Rattle & Roll”- Music for Under 5’s with Anne Connolly in OV TLC in the Meeting Place – All welcome, please see Liz for details Brownies resumes in the Upper Hall Guides resumes in the Upper Hall Contemplative Prayer in the Old Vestry Derbyshire Lane Group – Week 3 of Lent Course at Margaret’s at 317 Derbyshire Lane
WEDNESDAY	6th	9.00 am 10.00 am 10.30 am   6.00 pm   7.30 pm   7.30 pm   7.30 pm   8.00 pm	Prayers in the Old Vestry “Peekaboo”  for babies, toddlers, parents & carers in the N & MP Care4You Team Meeting with Lynne Ashmore in the Old Vestry Yoga with Yolande Swift in the Upper Hall Lent Study 3 in the Meeting Place. Please see Jacqui for information Wednesday Home Group at Liz and Mike’s for Lent Study (Week 3) W.I. meeting in the Old Vestry Tai Chi with Gary Shaw  in the Upper Hall
THURSDAY	7th	10.00 am   3 – 4 pm   6.30 pm   7.30 pm	Weight Watchers in the Upper Hall St Paul’s Chairobics in the Meeting Place – new members welcome Weight Watchers in the Upper Hall Thursday Prayer Group in the Old Vestry.  All welcome – please see Gail if you’d like to find out more.
FRIDAY	8th	10.00 am	M.U. Cathedral Coffee Morning
SUNDAY Mothering Sunday – Fourth Sunday of Lent	10th	8.00 am 10.00 am	Holy Communion Family Communion for Mothering Sunday with Seekers in the Upper Hall

FOOD BANK Please could people start saving strong carrier bags for transporting food to the Food Bank. You can give them to Robert in church on Sunday or leave them with the donations of food by the bookcase. Thank you.

MESSY CHURCH For your diary: Good Friday Messy Church is on 29^th March at 10 am to 12 noon & Pentecost Eve Messy Church will be on Sat 18^th May from 10am-12.30 pm.

Messy Church: What’s it all about? Led by Captain Clynt French on Sat 16^th March from 9.45 am to 3.45 pm is an opportunity to find out more about this fresh expression of church, ask questions and get practical tips and advice. To be held at Whirlow Grange Christian Spirituality Centre; the cost is £21 including lunch. See email on MP notice board for this and other events happening at Whirlow.

REQUEST TO GROUPS USING UPPER HALL Please put wet paintings in the store cupboard to dry, or put newspaper underneath if you use the window sills. During half term Ken’s been busy painting upstairs and cleaning inside the radiator covers and we’d like to keep it looking good!

CLEANING CHURCH FOR SPRING Please be thinking about whether you can spare a Saturday morning on 23^rd March at 10.00 am to come and help with washing out cupboards, general tidying etc. and let Ken know.

SHEFFIELD NOW & THEN A talk by Len Widdowson for Norton Lees Local History Group at 7.30 pm – 9.00 pm on Tuesday March 12^th the Old Vestry.  All welcome - £2.50 on the door, to include refreshments.

A NIGHT IN VIENNA  The Sheaf Singers will present “A Night in Vienna” on Saturday 20^th April at 7.15 pm at the United Reformed Church. Guest artists will be Meersbrook Light Orchestra, Gwen Night – Soprano and Matthew Pitts – Accompanist. Tickets are £6.00 from all members and Olive Walker Tel 0114 2692144, or see Ken in church. The event is in aid of this year’s chosen charity, Help for Heroes.  We hope to see you there!

‘VIVE LA DIFFERENCE’ Norton Lees W.I. will be having an entertaining presentation by Mike Gildersleeve on Wednesday March 6^th in the OV at 7.30 pm. The W.I. has a full programme of interesting speakers and exciting activities planned for 2013. They would especially like to attract some younger members if you know of anyone who might be interested?  The Norton Lees branch is fun & lively, with some talented craftspeople in the membership who would be pleased to share their skills, and you will certainly be guaranteed a warm welcome!

BISHOPS HOUSE EVENTS On Saturday 9^th & Sunday 10^th March from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm, The Bishops House will be hosting a World War II Weekend. On Sunday March 17^th from 2.30 pm to 3.45 pm come and be entertained by the Black Velvet Clarinet Ensemble, performing a diverse selection of original music and arrangements of pieces dating from the 16^th Century to the present day. These events are FREE!  Tel. 2557701 for more information

LENT 2013

LENT COURSE  ‘JESUS REDISCOVERED’ The Derbyshire Lane Group will meet again on Tues 5th, 12^th & 26^th March. (As 19^th March is a PCC night, the 5^th & last session has been moved to 26^th March.)

JESUS REDISCOVERED ON WEDNESDAYS!  The Lent group being held in church in the MP is also using the Jesus Rediscovered material. Dates are Wed 6th March (instead of 1^st Wed Group), then 13^th & 20^th March. Please see Jacqui

HOME GROUP AT LIZ & MIKE’S The dates for the remaining Lent sessions at Liz & Mike’s are 6^th, 13^th & 20^th March. 

N.B. If you miss a session with your group, please feel free to “catch up” with another group.

 

Prayer Focus:  We continue to pray for food banks and all who use them and those who are ill and care for them

Mike’s Ministry

Mon 4^th – Ashdell Preparatory,

Tues 5^th – Handsworth Christian

Thurs 7^th Emmanuel Junior

Sun 10^th – Hillsborough Trinity (B.B.)

From Murray:

Help, I am still running on Dubai time!  Well I am waking up at more like Dubai morning time – which is 4 hours before us!  Returning to our cold weather has not been too much of a problem it is the gloomy skies that I have noticed – the sun always seems to shine in Dubai!

I have had a fantastic time and am delighted to have coped better than I thought with a reasonably full time table and the rigors of the seven hour flights. 

I preached three times and my sermons were well received, which was a relief as I don’t know the congregations at all.  The retreat also went well, the desert camp had good facilities and the group of twenty really appreciated the time and want another one next year!

I was daunted by the fact that our backgrounds were so diverse but that did not seem to matter as we all seemed to have had encounters with God through the retreat.  Dubai is such a melting pot of nationalities that I should not have been surprised to find eight in our group of twenty!

I had a bit of time for sightseeing – including a meal out with my friend Steve, Jo and their daughter Beth by the amazing musical fountains at Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world!)  I also had a few days staying along the coast in Abu Dhabi which included going to a party with three ambassadors and a Fijian marching band!  With my food problems, I was worried what I was going to eat at the party but I have never seen so much lamb and rice together a serving dish – which were both fine for me!

It has been a wonderfully enriching experience and I am very grateful to you all for your support and especially to those who have been keeping things going in my absence.