Rushden Mission Church News

Church News

2009-02-03T01:41:00.003Z

Welcome to this Winter Newsletter of Rushden Mission Church. In this edition you will find articles from different sections of our Church telling us their latest news. There are updates on other aspects of our Church life and letters from Maurice Glover and Joy Rao, missionaries to whom we as a Church give regular support. I hope that you will find this an interesting read, whether you are a regular at the church or a visitor. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this newsletter, the next one will be published in time for Easter and I will be looking for items in late March. Oh and the word count for this edition is 10,749.

Pastor’s Words
Dear Friends
What a year! As we look back on the last twelve months I wonder what stands out for you? For some of you it will have been the time when you have found a home at the Mission, for others you have taken the step of membership, looking to serve God and the local community, for others the last twelve months have been coloured by tragedy and we pray that you have found comfort amongst God’s people here. One thing is for certain, we are not the same people we were last year. God has challenged us and charged us to grow in Him and to all His love, grace, forgiveness and mercy to flow from us to impact the world around us. Over the last few months we have been praying for God’s vision and heart for us as a fellowship. In this a number of scriptures have become significant for us.

The first is Isaiah 54:2-3 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left.” This speaks to us of looking beyond the four walls of our church to the streets around, to the people who live next door to us, to everyone we meet. It speaks of growth and of looking to God for all we need in order to work out the commission He has given us.

The second is Haggai 2:9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” This speaks of the need for us to honour the past and to be thankful for the generations that have gone before us proclaiming God’s truth, but we look forward in anticipation and faith to the work that is yet to come, that we will be a place where healing, restoration and forgiveness is found. A place of peace.

Finally Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” All of what we are to do and to become has to be bathed in prayer and the word. We look to Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. We are people of the word, people of grace, and people of hope. In the next year my heartfelt prayer is that we continue grow. Grow as disciples, grow in grace, grow numerically and that we will keep on pressing on into what God has for us both individually and corporately.

Thank you for the awesome privileged that it is to be your Pastor.

God bless you all
Ian

let’s take a walk through a week in the life of our Church to find out what meetings take place, what they get up to and hopefully a few secrets too.

Beginning with Sunday
On the first day of the week we meet for Worship. On Sunday Mornings we will continue with our studies of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the Evening Services we will carry on working our way through the book of James.

The Morning Service begins at 10:45pm, under normal circumstances the first Sunday morning of each month includes communion, the third is Family service and the fifth Sunday (when there is one) is a Prayer & Praise Service.

The Evening Service is at 16:30pm during the winter months. The service times change to 17:30pm when we alter the clocks on 29th March. The second Sunday Evening of the month includes communion.

Sunday School meets during our Sunday Morning service. We meet with the main body of the church at 10:45am and after a time of worship leave for our classes.

At present Sunday School is our only children’s work. There are two groups, one for ages 3-7 and one for ages 7-12. We aim to teach the children about God in a way that they can understand and enjoy. At the moment there are a group of 12 teachers and helpers who teach the children on a rota basis. There are about the same number of children in total, but not usually more than 8 in any one week. One of our difficulties is in finding material that makes sense as ‘one off’ lessons since not all children are able to be there every week.

If you feel that you should be involved in this work see Linda. Even if you don’t feel able to help with Sunday School please commit to pray for the adults and children involved, that will make all the difference.

Mission Church
Invites 14 – 18 year olds to
Socialize with like minded young people for free
Harmonize with Dan – lots of worship songs

Meander through the Bible and explore what Jesus teaches us
Always talking and playing games.
Smile, laugh, loads of fun, trips out, residentials
Have a place for God in your heart

Sunday evenings, 2nd and 4th, 7.30pm to 9pm, Green Room
Leaders – Carol, Dan, Downs and Vince

Passion and Glory is a monthly youth worship event, led for young people: by young people. It takes place on the first Sunday of every month, usually at the Mission Church starting at 19:00pm. On average sixty young people attend each month.

Passion and Glory is an ecumenical event, set-up by Rushden Area Christian Youth, and has been running for about three years.

Passion and Glory is a community of young people passionate about God, eager to worship and keen to deepen their relationship with Him. The worship is both vibrant and reflective, and prayer and testimony is central to the event.

As a Church we are honoured to host the monthly meetings on Passion & Glory, please be in prayer for them and the wider work of RACY.

Monday
Pillow Talk meets in the Band Room at The Mission every Monday, except Bank Holidays and Christmas week from 14:15pm to 16:15 to make Bobbin Lace and chat. Knitters and Embroiderers are also very welcome; please drop in if you wish. The cost is 25p, which includes tea, coffee and cake. We also have occasional Saturday Workshops.

Plan ahead and don’t miss out on your ticket for the 2010 (yes 2010, 2009 has been sold out for ages) Mission Lace Day. The Lace Day is always held on the last Saturday in January, 31st January in 2009 and 30th January in 2010. At the Lace Day you can do your Lace, Cross-stitch or Knitting, eat you packed lunch and spend far too much money with the specialist suppliers.

For 2009 Lace Day Keith has said “Lots of friendly Mission Church help will be needed over the two days, on Friday night to get ready and on the Saturday to serve tea and coffee and wash up for 90 thirsty ladies. Help will also be needed to clear up and put everything in the Church back in its place, after the events of the day. Also needed are home made cakes – PLEASE. There will also be the opportunity to re-cycle unwanted Christmas presents (you know the kind) for more information or to volunteer please speak to Ann or Keith.” A weekend of hard work, but worth it.
Prayer Meetings are held on Monday from 19:30pm to 20:30pm contact Linda Crawley 01933 350491 and on Tuesday from 10:30am to 11:00am contact Cynthia Parkin on 01933 313256

Monday Night Prayer meeting
Do you believe prayer is important? Do you believe that God responds to his people’s prayers? If so we invite you to join us on a Monday evening at 19:30pm for an hour to bring to God the issues that concern us as a church. At the moment we are a select group but would love to grow. Even if you cannot commit to come every week please come when you can.

Tuesday Prayer Group meets at 10.30am in the Green Room for around half an hour of prayer and thanksgiving. We begin by bringing to the group any prayer requests we have received and any person or situation which we have knowledge of being in need of prayer. We often receive feedback and keep each other up to date on how things are progressing. During our prayer time we will bring to the Lord requests, situations and upcoming events and services, as well as the various groups which meet in our church and in people’s homes, together with our thanks. Anyone wishing to join us would be most welcome. Afterwards, most of us adjourn to Coffee Stop for a drink and chat.

On the third Monday of the month at 19:30pm is “Focus on Renewal”, this a special time of prayer, worship, ministry. It is difficult to describe the meeting as each meeting is different and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. At most of the meetings in our church only the people at the front get the chance to contribute. “Focus on renewal” is a time and place to allow God to speak through anyone, to share with each other what we think God is saying. There is no sermon the only ‘word’ is that which we bring ourselves. It can be a Bible verse, prayer or prophetic word of some kind. There is also time to give and receive prayer ministry in response to what God is saying. During this meeting we aim to give space to practice those ‘gifts of the Spirit’ we’ve been hearing about on Sunday mornings, in a safe family environment. We want God to renew us so that we become more effective for him in the world outside.

Tuesday
“House Groups” meet on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in various homes from 19:45pm until approximately 22:00pm.

Asked why House Groups were important Christina said. “I have had the privilege of being part of a home group since I left home at the age of eighteen. Whether you chose to call it homegroup/ fellowship group/ cell, it denotes one common thing – a group of friends who meet together to laugh, have fun, share , encourage, and seek what God has to teach us. I greatly value the friendship and love that is shared amongst my current group. We may vary in age and background but that does not matter. I would encourage anyone who doesn’t belong to such a group to seek one out. You will not regret it!”

House Groups are a vital part of our church life. If you want to attend a House Group, then speak to Pastor Ian Fall.

"Coffee Stop" is held on Tuesday between 10:00am to 12:30pm. Everyone is welcome to pop in for Coffee, Tea and the Toasted Teacakes are very popular. Find a warm welcome, meet old friends and make new ones.

The sound of happy chatter and laughter from the band room on a Tuesday morning is a sure sign that Coffee Stop is open. It is a great time to meet your friends and enjoy one of our famous toasted teacakes with your coffee or tea. Everyone is assured of a warm welcome from hosts Alan & Margaret. The number of visitors grows week by week creating a lovely atmosphere where you can find out what is happening at The Mission and also talk over any problems or concerns.

Soul Sister meet at the Mission Church on Tuesdays 18:15pm until 19:30pm for girls in school years 7-13 (aged 11 to 18).

About a dozen or so of us meet and we do all sorts of activities – chatting, laughing, singing, bible studies, discussions, pray together, creative activities, street dancing, eat chocolate, sweets, (all sorts of goodies!), make ice cream smoothies, sundaes, fruit dishes, watch DVD’s, go to cinema, have sleep overs and lots more…….

Due to a new job we have to say goodbye to Chloe, who started the group. We are very sad, but would like to say a very big thank you for all she has done and pray God’s blessings on her in her new role. We look forward to a new year, with lots more fun and laughter, and some new helpers.

Wednesday
The “Art Group” meet on Wednesday mornings from 10:00am to 12:00noon during term times.

The Art group have enjoyed once again each others company and consider ourselves privileged to be able to meet at the Mission. Age and artistic skills are not relevant, our eldest members are in their 80’s and youngest about 40. The group varies in numbers from about 10 to 20, sometimes more.

We all do our own thing and we help each other by passing on tips and skills learned on the way. Wednesday 17th December will be our Christmas lunch prepared and cooked at the Church by some of the members. With family commitments we will then not meet for art until the New Year. –.
Many Thanks from the members; we would like to wish all the friends at the Mission Church a Blessed Christmas and New Year. Elaine

The next group will commence Wednesday 7th Jan 2009; new members would be made very welcome Registration fee is £2 and 25p per week thereafter.

The Nene Valley Writers Group meets on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month at 19:30pm at the Mission (in the Band Room).
Many people ask me about Nene Valley Writers, but never follow through. We would really make any new members welcome. Most of us are above the age of reason that is, retired, so we are mildly out of touch with modern thinking and text talk. It would be very nice to have a few more people of what I will call, “the middle years" and/or any younger people who enjoy writing. Personally I have discovered how little I knew about my mother tongue, before I joined. Now, I read books in a more informed way. I have learned some of the basics of speech, of which, before, I was unaware. Mostly, though, I get immense pleasure from meeting with a group, of fellow writers whom I can now honestly call friends. What ever your own preference, be it poetry, prose, journalism, or simply recording a joke for posterity, if you are interested, come along. We are not a church organization, as such, but we have at least three members who belong to the Mission, so you would know someone. Roy

Thursday
Curry Club (sorry ladies men only) meets on the first Thursday of each month and travel to a local restaurant or pub to enjoy a curry and fellowship. Sometimes we stay at the Mission and take advantage of the many takeaways that surround our Church.

During the past few months, the Men’s Curry Club have visited Yeldon, Thrapston, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough and of course Rushden. It has to be said that we rarely find a poor restaurant, with the quality of food always good to very good. Price varies and the general ambience changes, but that makes for interesting visits. It’s great to see different people coming along as well as the hard core of the club. Those that follow the blog at http://rushdenmissioncurryclub.blogspot.com/ will know the format – we meet at the Mission car park and convoy our way to the destination. Drinks and meals are ordered and we settle into conversation. We eat, score the experience, work out the bill, pay and then make our way home. We are a simple folk!
Of course conversation is the highlight of our outings and anyone familiar with Radio 2’s Steve Wright show would have come across the concept of a factoid. A factoid is a short piece of information that shall I say is not necessary 100% accurate. Anyway, here is a short montage of some of the more recent intellectual and stimulating factoids discussed at curry club - A Jack Russell dog can eat much bigger dogs and even a person if it wanted to; One curry club member’s mother used to have Sean Connery as here milkman (I assume the milk was shaken, not stirred!); Pastor Ian is a fan of the Crazy Frog song; Bill had an unfortunate experience with a brussel when he was younger; Colin Maddam’s dad scored a hat-trick against Peterborough in a football game; Britain would win more medals at the Olympics if there were events for conkers and queuing; Britain will one day be waking up to curry for breakfast – Honey Nut Madras, Weetadoms, Kellogg’s Pilau Rice Crispies ... can't wait!
The Men’s Curry Club meets on the first Thursday of every month, so if you are a man or know a man who might like to join us, get in contact. One last thing, you don’t have to like curry to be a member, we often eat at the church and order take-away’s from the surrounding establishments. So those fish and chippers or Chinese eaters have no excuse for not socialising with the gang! We’d love to hear your factoids …

The Curry Club is a great night out and all men are very welcome to join us, just call Bill to find out where the next venue is to be.

Rushden Mission Band meets at the Church on Thursday evenings from 19:30pm until approximately 21:30pm to practice for their wide range of concerts and other engagements.

The Training Band meets on Tuesday evenings in the band room.

The Rushden Mission Training Band (RMTB) is considered to be one of the most important parts of the overall activity of the band - we see it as the Mission Band of the future. With the guidance of Tony Boddington, the RMTB allows budding brass players to learn their craft in a safe and encouraging environment.

The RMTB is mostly comprised of young people who want to learn to play a brass instrument and gives them the opportunity to play in a band each week and also a number of concerts each year. We have a firm belief that people who are learning to play will develop their skills much quicker when playing in a group on a regular basis - and of course this is a great source of encouragement and motivation.
The band is constantly looking for new people to join this band to develop them and eventually progress them to the Rushden Mission Band - it is a great thrill to see young people who have worked hard to learn to play a brass instrument and then "graduating" to the full band.

We asked Tony to tell us a little of what is currently going on within the RMTB.

The Rushden Mission Training Band is going from strength to strength. Practices are very well attended, although we have lost two of our older teenagers recently. One of them is Annie, who is still playing with the senior Band on Soprano Cornet. Annie has recently changed schools and has extra travelling to do, we are also thrilled that she is now a member of the Northamptonshire Training Band, this is a great achievement and a motivation for our younger players.

To soften the blow of losing these two, we are pleased to welcome three new members, Keiron on Tenor Horn and Adam on Baritone. Also joining us is Kioh, a Korean student who was is very keen to learn to play a Cornet. Kioh came to us through Daniel and has done so well on the cornet, that he now plays with the full group. We do welcome Kioh and hope that he enjoys his time with us.

Thanks to the senior band members we are able to perform variable music, which we did at our concert on November 25th, which was very well attended, went very well and was an encouragement to our youngsters. During the concert our eight young members plus Kioh played two pieces on their own, a great tribute to Arthur Turner, who takes them on the third Tuesday of the month, they performed very well. Well done Arthur. Thanks to Julie, Beverley and Carolyn for their help at these practices. Our youngsters are doing so well, these are Tassie, Georgina, Kathryn, William, Daniel, Keiron, Alistair and Adam. Tassie, Georgina and William already play with the senior band. We hope that the others will soon be joining the senior band too.
Here’s to a promising for both the Training and Senior Band.

For more information about the Band visit the website at www.missionband.com

Friday
Lunch Club meets on Friday at 12:30pm. For those retired and living alone, where they can share a meal and good company.

For over seven years I have had the privilege of being involved in The Mission Church's Lunch Club. Our only criteria for membership is that those who attend must be retired, and living alone. We found that sitting down to a meal in company was one of the things that was really missed by those living by themselves, so we felt that if we concentrated on people who were living alone, it would give them the chance to enjoy a meal in the company of others at least once a week, and the noise of chatter when they get together is proof that they do enjoy the company!

We started with twelve on the first week, and that soon grew to twenty, then twenty-eight. At this point it seemed sensible to put a limit on how many we would cater for, and we decided that a maximum of 36, which was to include 4 places for volunteer staff who might wish to eat as well. However, we now cook on average 50 meals every Friday and have a waiting list for people who wish to join. If anyone has a job getting there, we arrange for someone to call and give them a lift, and then take them home after. Our most senior member is a very sprightly lady who celebrated her 102nd birthday recently. Each year on the anniversary of our first meeting we have a special meal, but the crowning glory is the Christmas lunch when we put on a very special meal with a choice of dishes, and the guests are entertained afterwards with seasonal music by pupils from a local school, and have a visit from Father Christmas, who hands out their Christmas gifts. We have just celebrated our eighth Christmas Lunch and it was great fun, both for the visitors and the volunteers.
#
The positive results we have seen have passed our highest expectations. I know in my heart that it is Gods blessing on what we are trying to do. When we shop, we seem to find bargains fall into our lap, definitely a tremendous help when attempting to work within a budget.

One result of the lunches is that we have seen friendships develop. One group enjoy each others company to the extent that they take it in turns to have each other to their homes, to spend the rest of the afternoon together finishing up with tea and cake, to round off their time together. Groups have gone away on holiday together, and in still more cases we have seen special relationships develop, proof indeed that you're never too late for romance. These friendships have become one of the greatest delights for me. All we do is to provide a meal and company, and it is a thrill to see how the members have made Lunch Club their own. I have known hardly anyone when they started, but I feel they are a real part of my life.

A major blessing for me has been the friendships I've made which without Lunch Club would not have had a chance to happen. One couple in particular who were drafted in to help, I wondered how I would get on with, as we seemed to have little in common, have been a tower of strength, and I count them amongst my dearest friends. Working together is a great way to forge friendships, by getting to know people properly instead of superficially, as well as having a terrific time. Friday mornings is a constant time of teasing and laughter, as well as the business in hand, producing a meal. We have a super team of 'backroom boys' (and girls) who arrive to take on the washing up and clean up the kitchen, plus one lady who hardly ever comes to the lunches, but insists on having all the tablecloths and kitchen laundry every week to be returned all washed and ironed in time for the following weeks' lunch! Each one knows their job, and no one person is more valued than another.

I feel passionately about Lunch Club and could tell so many wonderful stories about it, but I hope that what told you here gives you a little insight into what it's about, and if you have the chance to get involved with running a project of some sort, go for it. The rewards are fantastic.
Love Joan.

In our last letter we announced that our Autumn Alpha Course was about to begin. Now it is over, time flies. Here is a review of what happened.

ALPHA - Fun, food and fellowship.

This year’s Alpha course has been a time of great blessing and discovery. Each evening began with supper and included a talk and an opportunity to meet in a group in a relaxed atmosphere to discuss that weeks topic. No question was off limits and we had some very interesting discussions. Many of those who were on the course have been able to learn new things, make new friends and to encounter God at a deeper level. We had a day away at Bozeat where we were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here are a few comments that were given about the course. “Excellent food and friendship”, “Found out more about my faith”, “Good to get back to basics”, “It has been a lovely time of getting together with everyone”, “Very interesting, making a person on the course think more deeply about the teachings, life and workings of Christ”, “It was good to get back into the church”, Had an amazing time .. I feel that I am more of a member of the church community.” The Alpha course is for anyone who wants to learn more about the Christian faith, who has questions they want to ask or just want to find out what it is all about. If you want to know more speak to Ian, or ask one of the people who were on the last course.

Thanks from the Cyclists of Griffydam
In the last Newsletter we mentioned that a team from Chapel in the Valley, Griffydam Wesleyan Reform Church were going to ride the Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle trail from Whitehaven to Sunderland, a distance of 140 miles, to raise funds for the Shalom Birthing Clinic in the Philippines.

The money was required to support the work being carried out by Mavis Orton. Mavis left her home in Staffordshire to travel to Manila in the Philippines in 1986, where she has served with Action International Ministries ever since. She lives in a two bedroom bungalow, which serves as her home, a clinic and training room for ante and post natal classes, a delivery room and anything else that is needed. Mavis is committed to providing a new birthing home for this poor, neglected area of Manila where, before she opened up her home, giving birth was "like having one foot in the grave". She needs something over £250,000 to complete the project, but trusts God to provide everything that is needed. When she first arrived in Manila, she delivered eight babies a month; now she is involved with around 124 deliveries a month. Her energy and enthusiasm for the work and for the people are infectious; her love for them is visible for all to see and her confidence in the faithfulness of God to provide is unwavering.

The ride has now been completed and Jan Shepherd of the Church has written to thank us.

I am writing on behalf of the "C2C bikers" to thank you and your Church for your gift of one hundred pounds for the Shalom Birthing Clinic.
The riders (the intrepid trio became the threesome four as another biker joined the team) completed the ride successfully on September 13th having set out from Whitehaven on Thursday morning 11th September. They rode along the official coast to coast cycle track the distance from one coast to the other being almost 140 miles. They dipped the wheels in the sea on both sides of the country (Irish Sea and North Sea) and some pictures have been sent to Contact for the November Issue.
Also we will let everyone know via Contact exactly how much was raised for the Shalom Birthing Clinic through the bike tide. We had already received almost £2000. It will be a fantastic sum when it is all totalled up!
Thank you again for your kindness and generosity.
With warmest Christian love and greetings
Jan Shepherd Church Secretary

Jan has also written in her role of Union Overseas Missions Secretary to say
“Thank you so much for the support that you give to the Overseas Missions Committee of the Union and in particular for the Warji Bible Translation Project.

As you know, this is the second year that we have supported this project and we understand that the fifth workshop for the translators was held in July and August and was very successful. The team had translated chapters 14 - 24 of Luke's Gospel into the Warji language between the workshops and these chapters were checked and verified during the workshop. All chapters of Luke's Gospel have now been drafted in Warji and the Consultant has five chapters to verify. Three more booklets have been produced in the written language for the teams to take back to their villages for testing by the people who are able to read in the villages. When this has been done to ensure that the meaning is "understandable" to the speakers of the language, they will go back to the next workshop for final amendments if necessary. The next workshop begins in November.

It is also expected that the Jesus film will be translated into Warji by the end of this year. This will mean that those people who do not read will be able to hear the Good News in their own language.

Please do continue to pray for the work of the Warji translators as they seek to bring the Good News of Jesus to the people who speak that language.
Yours, with warmest Christian love,

Jan Shepherd, Overseas Mission Secretary

Counselling Course Past and Counselling Service Future
Over four weekends from September to December a group of 11 people from Rushden and Wellingborough attended an “Introduction to Christian Counselling Course” run by the Manna House organisation based in Northampton. The course was subsidised by the East Northants Faith Group whose support was greatly appreciated. The course was intended for those who were “trying the door” to see if God was leading them into a ministry in counselling. I have to say that I found the course absolutely brilliant, I learnt an awful lot about myself let alone anything else. I would highly recommend the course to anyone, irrespective of whether they felt led to counsel or not, it has been a hugely valuable learning experience and one, that I hope and pray, will enable me to understand people and help them in ways that I would have missed before. If we got sufficient interest we would could organise another course, if you are at all interested please come and see me and we will see what we can do. There needs to be a minimum of 10 to host a course, but there are alternative venues if we do not make that number.

One of the reasons for hosting the course was to coincide with the Counselling Service that we feel God is leading us to set up for the town. Most of you will be aware that we have refurbished the room at the back of church, the Listening room (lately known as the Gold Room) for this purpose. We are close to becoming a satellite for the Manna House and early in the New Year hope to launch the service from the Mission. More details will be available closer to the time. In the meantime, if you feel you need counselling, or if you just want to chat to someone please come and see me. We are here to help and we see this as the beginning of another venture to be a Light for Christ in our community.

As a Church we have committed to regular support of two Missionary causes.
The first is Maurice Glover. Maurice worked with the people of Niger in translating the Bible and other classic Christian books such as “Pilgrim’s Progress” into the Tamajeq language. Serious ill health forced he and his wife Marthe’ to return to the UK. We took the decision to continue to support them into retirement (if you can call it that). Maurice writes to thank us for each gift received and here are excerpt from his recent correspondence.

Dear all at the Rushden Mission Church,
We greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, from Grove. We hope you are all well. Thank you so much for your kind generous support, we are most grateful.

On Tuesday we both put Gospel tracts in letter boxes in the village of Steventon and gave them to people whom we met. What a mixture that place is! There is a C. of E. Church, and a Methodist Chapel that closed recently and a Jehovah's Witnesses Hall. We had, on another visit met a young Mormon kicking a football around on the green with his friend. He had taken a tract. There is also a Bangladeshi restaurant which no doubt means Muslims too.

Last Saturday there were a number of us in the heart of Oxford sharing the gospel with the people. Each Saturday afternoon, we, together with folk from different churches in the area, have a table in Cornmarket with a display of Christian literature on it. We give out tracts and chat with people who are interested. Last Saturday was special because the Lord sent other groups along too.

The previous Sunday - Monday - Tuesday was the old St. Giles' Fair which attracts many people to the area between the Martyrs' memorial and St. Giles' Church. There are bumper cars, roller coaster and all the fun of the fair and of course lots of take away stalls and the St. Giles' church (think it was) had a stall selling cakes and things people made. They also had tea and snacks in the church building. Friends from the Open Air Mission held an open air and we stood with them and gave out tracts.

We also reach out in the villages of the Vale of the White Horse putting tracts in people's letter boxes. The need is great indeed. Last night we were at the Abbey Baptist Church in Abingdon to hear Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo the founder of the Barnabas fund. He was in the bed next to me in the Wycliffe Summer School at Merstham in 1967!
Then we were young and sprightly. Tempus fugit as they say!

We have been reaching out with the gospel into the villages. In recent days we have visited Lyford and Garford and yesterday we were in East Challow putting gospel tracts into letter boxes. On Saturday we hope to be with John Hawley of the Open Air Mission in Cornmarket in the heart of Oxford. Please pray for these outreaches.

May God bless you, our love in Christ, Maurice and Marthe
Thank you once again and God bless.

As I said these are excerpts from Maurice’s letters and he did not do all these things on one fortnight, but it does show that Maurice is tireless in his work for God.

The Second is Joy Rao; Joy is involved in working with children in Nagpur in India. I asked Joy for an item for this newsletter and what follows is her submission, I was going to edit this, but I could not find anything that I could cut out. So here is Joy’s message in full.
Dear beloved ones in the Mission Church. You are always in my thoughts and prayers and I pray that the Lord may bring an increase upon His Grace and Favour towards each one. His Word in Isaiah 30:18 say “He longs to be gracious unto us” …The Amplified version says “ The Lord earnestly waits expecting, looking and longing o be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied are all those who earnestly wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him, for His Victory, His favour, His love, His peace, His joy and His matchless unbroken companionship!” This is what all of us long for… MORE of Him, MORE of His Grace, MORE of His Mercy and MORE of His Love.

We can together praise Him for His grace mercy and love is new every morning. Lamentation 3:22 says” It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving kindness that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions fail not, they are new every morning: great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness” It’s wonderful to think that a year unfolds 365 NEW measures of compassion and love…How can we ever be consumed??

He IS a good God and His goodness endures for all time, all through this year we have been blessed by the goodness of God….His goodness in being present with us, in never leaving or forsaking us, in meeting us at the point of our needs, in being our protector and provider, in being our good shepherd – in leading, never misleading. We have experienced the goodness of God in the way He has been ministering to us, speaking to us with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, in speaking to us through His Word and in having wonderful times of fellowship & communion through prayer. He has been an ever present help in times of trouble, He has answered our cries by giving us a deep sense of assurance that He has heard us. In living in a country such as this, I exalt the name of the Lord for being able to share the message of a God who is able to hear, see, sense, speak, feel & understand….A God who is alive, alive everyday in us and therefore proves Himself through us.

The last two months have been festive months in this country, so many festivals, one after another. People everywhere are tightly wrapped up in the powers of darkness unable to see the Light that could set them free from every tradition & superstition. We have not just a great Commission but a great Challenge, the more we are enlightened, the more is the burden to enlighten. The greatest thing that can change lives is the Light of the World- the Light of the World at work in the lives of people. When the Light comes in, people recognize their position, path & purpose. The Lord is Calling us more than ever to meet the Commission & the Challenge to set people free….we see the people around of us as His people…people He loves…people He died for…people He ants to save…People He does not want to perish…people He is waiting for. Do support us with your prayers for this desperate need in this land.

The Lord longs to be gracious to all those who do not know His grace……As you stand bye with us in prayer, I do believe the Lord will move with His mighty power and work in a way that is beyond all that we could ever ask, think or imagine even beyond our prayers and petitions. He is a great God and expects us to expect great things from Him. He is a great God, not to do tiny, tiny things but He is a great God to do great things for His children i.e. you and me!!!!! Praise His name!

We praise God for the wonderful doors He has opened this year to work in and through the lives of so many, many children in city slums. It all started with one girl who was so keenly taken up by the singing of choruses and the sharing of the life of Jesus. This girl has not stopped bringing in more and more children. It always is such a joy to see new faces and also the faces of the children who have become regular members of the club. A marked change is noticed in the lives of the children, they live in utter poverty but always have a big smile on their faces, they run & come to greet by a hand shake with a loud “Praise the Lord” - their faces are so full of the joy of the joy that is embedded in their hearts.

On the 14th of November is Children’s Day in this country and already great preparations are being made for this day. The children are preparing to take part in a Quiz competition and a competition of recitation of Bible Verses; they have been given the portion of St John’s Gospel Chapter 1 to 10. The child who will recite the most verses from within these ten chapters will be given a special prize; two other special prizes will be given to children reciting verses and then common prizes to all the participants. The children are very excited and are seen with their new testaments trying to memorize verses. The kids will be inviting their parents on the 14th of November, so it’s going to be a great way to enter into the hearts of Mothers and fathers who perhaps have been observing a definite change in the lives of the children since coming to our children’s club. Children have also now become familiar with a lot of praise and worship songs and enjoy singing to the glory of God with the beats of their loud claps.

It is so awesome to notice how the children make themselves look special when they come to the club, they live is such desperate conditions, many of the children do not even have a change of clothes, but when they come to the club, they have a nice wash & comb their hair the best they can and their clothes even though badly torn here and there, they try to keep themselves clean. Coming together gives them a sense of being presentable. Whatever…greater is their joy of knowing they can come as they are and they will always be loved and counted as Special….they long for love and attention, they come running into the club, each having some prayer request for someone in the family or in the slums; with great excitement many of them even go on to say ….”I prayed for him/her in the name of Jesus and know he/she will be well”; the utterance of these words from the little lips truly brings on a smile!

The Good thing that has come about within this year among the children is that a high percentage of them have been motivated to attend school, there is a great temptation for them to work in houses to clean floors, utensils, wash clothes, sell vegetables etc. Parents too want the little ones to work and supplement the income; fathers in most families take good advantage of this, by getting more and more into drinking and gambling, they themselves stay off work and expect their little boys and girls to go and earn a wage. Change has come in slowly. For the kids too it has been difficult to settle down to a full day of school, being in a habit of a free life, they would run away from school or stay off school for several days at a stretch but this year is a marked change and a difference in the children’s attitude and attendance at school as well as a marked change in the outlook of the parents. The Children now seem to enjoy not just attending school but are enjoying being part of the competition at school.

The Children are also getting ready for the month of December, there is an exciting programme made out for the children. On the 7th each child above 8 years will share a few sentence about Jesus. It will be a joy to hear them, I do know some of them will share of wonderful little experiences that they have had with Jesus. On the 14th December will be sports and games (fun time) for the children. A Christmas drama is planned for the 21st of December in the morning and a Carol singing evening the same day. On the 28th will be the love feast, children will invite their friends to join in the love feast, this will give the kids an opportunity to share about the reason for the season to their friends. For many children, this will be the first Christmas experience and we want it to be special. Gifts of clothes, blankets, toys, books, sweets etc will be given to the children as Christmas gift; this will give us a grand opportunity to share of the greatest gift of all.

The Lord is working in an awesome way in the lives of the believers; since the last several months, some of the ladies of the church are very burdened to gather regularly in the church, during week days, to seek the face of the Lord regarding needs in the church, families and in the lives of the believers and also to pray for the persecuted Christians in States surrounding our State. Since the last couple of months, persecution has been increasing in the States that surround our State of Maharastra. Many, many churches, Christian villages are burnt. The Pastors, Roman Catholic Priests and nuns are tortured and persecuted. It has become vital to seek the Lord for Wisdom and direction concerning every aspect of ministry. The enemy a roaring lion is always prowling seeking whom he may devour. Every opportunity the devil seeks to grab should be crushed and destroyed through much prayer and the wisdom of God.

We praise God for one baptism last month of Homi sixty five years of age. Homi has been a Parsi all the days of his life (Parsees are Zoroastrians, they come from Iran worship their prophet and fire). Homi has been deeply touched by the love of God and has realized how vital it is to repent of his sins and to establish a relationship with Jesus, once he sensed the truth of the Word of God; he wanted to be baptized without delay. In this country, it’s rare to see a Parsi accepting the Lord, they are a very small community and they do not mix with communities other than their own, they are also not people open to the Word of God but the Lord has had a very special way of entering into Homi’s life, he now is a changed man and we praise the Lord for transforming Homi’s life!

The church ministry is experiencing the blessing of God. Pressures are there, pressures such as never ever before but the Lord is on our side and He is fighting for us against all the attacks of the enemy, He is fighting all the powers of darkness that are trying to come against us. Truly, God IS fulfilling His promises in our life and ministry. He is a promise keeping God. We are experiencing if God is for us, no one can come against us also experiencing the mighty power of God’s protection, He says in His Word, In Jeremiah 61:19 “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives.” His standard is our protection, it’s a mighty Hedge – a Hedge Satan cannot scale. The Lord has been our peace, He has blessed us with the peace the world cannot give us and His peace is our treasure. In the midst of the storm at sea, it was Jesus who was fast asleep in the boat. He expects this from us, an inner calm and confidence in the Lord will enable us to be at peace in the midst of deep trouble and turmoil.

Do prayer much for us, for the church and all the activities also for the children and all that has been planned for them in the days that are ahead. Your prayer support is appreciated very much, we also appreciate your love, concern and thoughtfulness and want to thank you and the church for standing-by with us and the work the Lord has entrusted to our care. May the Lord Bless and enrich your lives and may each one shine with the glory of God.
Lots and lots of love and appreciation to all the dearly beloved ones. Joy.

2008-11-30T18:03:00.003Z

The Christmas season begins at the Mission on Thursday 4th with the Band Christmas Concert. Come along to mix with the large audience who always come to this special event and enjoy your first mince pie of Christmas 2008

On Thursday 18th we meet for what has now become a traditional event, although quite young in comparison to the Band Concert, Carols on the Car Park. Carols on the Car Park was only a working title for the event, but we never came up with a better one. What happens? Well we meet on the car park at 19:00pm to sing carols with the Band, with the words of the carols projected onto the side of the Church building. We have a few Bible readings, stand by warming fires, admire Keith’s latest design of an illuminated Christmas tree, have hot soup served to us, jacket potatoes, and hot chestnuts that may or may not have been roasted on an open fire.

On Sunday 21st at 16:30pm we hold our service of lessons and carols accompanied by The Rushden Mission Band. Invite your friends, make it a family party and see if you can sing louder that the Band can play.

Christmas Eve Wednesday 24th at 16:00pm is our Christingle Service. Last year over one hundred adults and children joined us for this special time. Get the word around and invite everyone you can to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Again make this time a part of your family Christmas.

Christmas Day at 10:30am here at the Mission we will host to our friends from the High Street Church for a United Christmas Morning Service. The service will be led by Pastor Ian Fall and the Rev. Phil Hearson will bring a word to us from God.

Autumn 2008

2008-09-09T00:06:00.002+01:00

A new term of life at Rushden Mission Church begins in September and with so much happening, it seemed only right to produce a newsletter to make sure that everyone involved in the church had the opportunity to know just what is going on. In a typical busy week nearly 300 people pass through our doors attending 14 different events. In this special Church Newsletter, in addition to the usual details of forthcoming events, I have asked each section of our church to tell us a little about themselves, what they do, or even why? Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to submit articles. It is anticipated that this publication will be repeated on a quarterly basis and I will be chasing items in November. If you have any contributions to add then please let me have them by Sunday 16^th November, for publication by the 1^st December. Our church is a busy, lively and sometimes messy body. I hope you enjoy as you read on. Only 9,909 words!

Pastor’s Words

Dear Friends

It is great to reflect on what is going on within our fellowship. My prayer is that as you read this newsletter you will be informed and encouraged, but also challenged, to seek your place in God’s family here at the Mission. It has to be said right from the start that if you are looking for a perfect church we are not it! We are learning, we are on a journey together and we are seeking God’s heart for the vision and direction that He has for us. Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Please pray for the leadership team as we work together to pray through what we believe God has for us as a fellowship. We are to be salt and light in the community that God has called us to serve in, a place of love, forgiveness and acceptance to anyone we meet. A people who live and give as Jesus did. To bring glory to Him, hope to those who are rejected and marginalised in a society that is crying out for those who will live the authentic Christian life.

I just wanted to give a flavour of the sort of things that we have been looking at on Sundays. In our morning service we are looking at the gifts of the Spirit and how we can use them as God intended. The gifts are to be used to encourage, strengthen and comfort. In the past few weeks we have looked at healing, prophecy, tongues and discernment. (You can check out the messages on the audio page of our website www.rushdenmission.co.uk) In the evening service we have just finished a series on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ manifesto for His ministry and His blueprint for us. We are now about to start looking at the book of James, a letter that deals with maturity and the practical outworking of our faith. Our morning service is quite lively with a worship group and our evening service is more traditional with hymns. Both are times when we worship God and look at God’s word together. Please feel free to come and join us.

In addition you will see that we are running an Alpha course at the end of September. There are many people who have found this course to be a real blessing. It is a place where we can discuss and work through all aspects of what it is to follow Jesus, no question is off limits, everyone is welcome and it is both fun and informative. I really want to encourage you to come along; I know you won’t regret it.

I’m really excited about what God has for us as a church.

God bless you all

Ian

So let’s take a walk through a week in the life of our Church to find out what meetings take place, what they get up to and hopefully a few secrets too.

Beginning with

Sunday

On the first day of the week we meet for Worship. Ian has said in his letter we shall be continuing with our studies of the gifts of the Holy Spirit during our Morning Services and working our way through the book of James during Evening Services.

The Morning Service begins at 10:45pm under normal circumstances the first Sunday morning of each month includes communion, the third is Family service and the fifth Sunday (when there is one) is a Prayer & Praise Service. All of that said, the next couple of months are so busy that you will need to follow the table below to keep up to date.

The Evening Service is at 17:30pm in the summer and 16:30pm in winter. The service times change when we change to clocks on 26^th October. On the first Sunday of each month we travel to Wymington to join with the congregation there, but again not always so please see the table below. The second Sunday Evening of the month includes communion.

Sunday Worship Service Plan for Sept to Dec 2008

Morning at 10:45am Evening

07-Sep	Pastor Ian Fall		Circuit United Service at Alma Street		18:00pm
14-Sep	Peter Davies		Bill Franklin	Communion	17:30pm
21-Sep	Pastor Ian Fall	Battle of Britain	Pastor Ian Fall		17:30pm
28-Sep	Pastor Ian Fall		At Wymington for their Harvest Festival		18:00pm
05-Oct	Pastor Ian Fall	Harvest Family Service	Pastor Ian Fall With Rushden Mission Band		16:30pm
12-Oct	Sue Over		Sue Over	Communion	17:30pm
19-Oct	Pastor Ian Fall	ThankOffering/ Communion	Pastor Ian Fall		17:30pm
26-Oct	Peter Davies		David Rooksby		16:30pm
02-Nov	Bill Franklin	Communion	United @ Wymington - Pastor Ian Fall		18:00pm
09-Nov	David Rooksby	Remembrance	Pastor Ian Fall		16:30pm
16-Nov	Pastor Ian Fall	Family Service	Pastor Ian Fall		16:30pm
23-Nov	Linda Crawley		Pastor Ian Fall		16:30pm
30-Nov	Pastor Ian Fall	Prayer & Praise	Pastor Ian Fall		16:30pm
07-Dec	Pastor Ian Fall	Communion	Service at Wymington - Pastor Ian Fall		18:00pm
14-Dec	Pastor Ian Fall		Pastor Ian Fall	Communion	16:30pm
21-Dec	Pastor Ian Fall	Family Service	Pastor Ian Fall	Band Carol Service	16:30pm
28-Dec	Pastor Ian Fall		No Evening Service		16:30pm
04-Jan	Pastor Ian Fall	Communion	Pastor Ian Fall		16:30pm

Sunday School meets during our Sunday Morning service. We meet with the main body of the church at 10:45am and after a time of worship leave for our classes.

At present Sunday School is our only children’s work. There are two groups, one for ages 3-7 and one for ages 7-12. We aim to teach the children about God in a way that they can understand and enjoy. At the moment there are a group of 12 teachers and helpers who teach the children on a rota basis. There are about the same number of children in total, but not usually more than 8 in any one week. One of our difficulties is in finding material that makes sense as ‘one off’ lessons since not all children are able to be there every week.

If you feel that you should be involved in this work see Linda. Even if you don’t feel able to help with Sunday School please commit to pray for the adults and children involved, that will make all the difference.

Monday

Pillow Talk meets every Monday, except Bank Holidays and Christmas week at 14:15pm to encourage each other and to enjoy one another’s company as we work on our pillow lace. For more information contact Ann Sanders on 01933 317377

We have 33 members ranging in age from Teens to 90’s, we are close to our maximum numbers, but have room for a few more yet. Most of our ladies make Pillow Lace, Bobbin Lace and we have one Knitter. During the meeting we take a break and enjoy Tea (and Coffee) and cake. Weekly subscriptions are 25p per week and we still make a profit, which we are pleased to give to the Mission Church and other worthy causes.

Two Autumn Specials are being arranged and will be called “Widget Days”. We are going to be taught to turn widget’s (from beer cans) and the roller ball’s, from roll on deodorant bottles, into Christmas Decorations, although places will be limited everyone the invitation is extended to everyone. More details nearer the time, but for now book the dates Saturday 25^th October and Saturday 22^nd November.

Saturday 31^st January 2009 is our “Annual Lace Day” when we welcome Lace Makers and suppliers of craft materials from across the area to our Church for the event, which is much appreciated by our guests.

Prayer Meetings are held on Monday from 19:30pm to 20:30pm contact Linda Crawley 01933 350491 and on Tuesday from 10:30am to 11:00am contact Cynthia Parkin on 01933 313256

Monday Night Prayer meeting

Do you believe prayer is important? Do you believe that God responds to his people’s prayers? If so we invite you to join us on a Monday evening at 19:30pm for an hour to bring to God the issues that concern us as a church. At the moment we are a select group but would love to grow. Even if you cannot commit to come every week please come when you can.

Tuesday Prayer Group meets at 10.30am in the Green Room for around half an hour of prayer and thanksgiving. We begin by bringing to the group any prayer requests we have received and any person or situation which we have knowledge of being in need of prayer. We often receive feedback and keep each other up to date on how things are progressing. During our prayer time we will bring to the Lord requests, situations and upcoming events and services, as well as the various groups which meet in our church and in people’s homes, together with our thanks. Anyone wishing to join us would be most welcome. Afterwards, most of us adjourn to Coffee Stop for a drink and chat.

On the third Monday of the month at 19:30pm is “Focus on Renewal”, this a special time of prayer, worship, ministry. It is difficult to describe the meeting as each meeting is different and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. At most of the meetings in our church only the people at the front get the chance to contribute. “Focus on renewal” is a time and place to allow God to speak through anyone, to share with each other what we think God is saying. There is no sermon the only ‘word’ is that which we bring ourselves. It can be a Bible verse, prayer or prophetic word of some kind. There is also time to give and receive prayer ministry in response to what God is saying. During this meeting we aim to give space to practice those ‘gifts of the Spirit’ we’ve been hearing about on Sunday mornings, in a safe family environment. We want God to renew us so that we become more effective for him in the world outside.

Tuesday

"Coffee Stop" is held on Tuesday between 10:00am to 12:30pm. Everyone is welcome to pop in for Coffee, Tea and the Toasted Teacakes are very popular. Find a warm welcome, meet old friends and make new ones. Contact Alan Richardson 01933 355302

Daisy says Coffee Stop has been from running for over five years and from small beginnings it now has up to 50 people coming in every Tuesday morning. Most come for the friendship and they have a very nice warm welcome. Some are in a moment of despair or confusion, grief and bereavement, but reality with us is a friend who cares.

Margaret and Alan Richardson are the hosts with a wonderful team who prepare and serve the refreshments, Jackie, Karon, Daisy, Joy. Ray helps with putting up the tables. Michelle runs the monthly Fair Trade stall. The coffee and tea is very good, only a small charge, toasted teacakes are the most popular items we sell.

Our regular friends include the line-dancing club and our adoptive family and their carers from Rushwell House. The Prayer Group also come in after their meeting with Pastor Ian and Sandra Fall, when Church duties allow.

People mostly come for the fellowship and it's lovely to hear the laughter and the talking. Everyone involved feels it is an absolutely fabulous way of giving something to the community, such a lovely feeling. Here at The Mission we're non-judgmental and we do have a need for each other. For six weeks each year which also serve Lent Lunches. May God bless everyone.

Soul Sister meet at the Mission Church on Tuesdays 18:15pm until 19:30pm for girls in school years 7-13 (aged 11 to 18).

About a dozen or so of us meet and we do all sorts of activities – chatting, laughing, singing, bible studies, discussions, pray together, creative activities, street dancing, eat chocolate, sweets, (all sorts of goodies!), make ice cream smoothies, sundaes, fruit dishes, watch DVD’s, go to cinema, have sleep overs and lots more…….

In June we had a young ladies conference day, with a guest speaker, worship, activity workshops, discussion workshops, beauty and pamper corner, café, chocolate fountains. The title for the day was ‘Beauty: shining from within’, and Deana spoke to us about our self confidence, our image, our values and encouraged us to view ourselves as God sees us. About 45 young ladies attended and had a really enjoyable day.

House Groups meet on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in various homes from 19:45pm until approximately 22:00pm.

We meet for prayer, Bible study, discussions, friendship, to get to know one another better, fellowship, mutual support and being the Mission, tea, coffee and cakes. House Groups are a vital part of our church life, somewhere to ask questions about our faith. If you are not involved in a House Group, you really should be.

Our plans for House Groups in autumn 2008 are not yet finalised. As you will read elsewhere in this Newsletter we shall be running Alpha course from mid September and only when we know the uptake for Course, will it be possible to effectively plan the House Groups. So there will be more information on House Groups as soon as possible. In the meantime if you want to attend a House Group, then speak to Pastor Ian Fall.

Wednesday

The “Art Group” meet on Wednesday mornings from 10:00am to 12:00noon during term times. Contact Elaine Birch 01933 350586

Age and artistic skills are not relevant, our eldest members are in their 80’s and youngest about 40. The group varies in numbers from about 10 to 20, sometimes more.

We all do our own thing and we help each other by passing on tips and skills learned on the way. It tends to get noisy at times because we talk as we draw and paint. At about 11 am we share a cuppa and continue chatting. It is a very friendly multi skilled group. We have a retired Vicar and wife, grand parents and disabled. If the weather is good we have on occasions made visits to local sites to paint and of course lunch out is a special treat at Christmas.

The next group will commence Sept 17th; new members would be made very welcome Registration fee is £2 and 25p per week thereafter.

The Nene Valley Writers Group meets on the 1^st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month at 19:30pm at the Mission (in the Band Room). Contact Roy Blenco 01933 359515

The Nene Valley Writers is a group of people who enjoy writing for pleasure, and sometimes for publication. Although we are not connected to the church, except by geography, we welcome any church member to join with us, the only criteria being that you want to write.

None, as far as I know, are professional writers, though some are good enough to have been published. Among those you might know already are Jackie, Daisy, and Roy. Presently we number about twelve. We bring our writing and read it, and criticize each other's work, constructively, thereby gaining knowledge of our art form. We alternate between given subjects, and free manuscripts, which gives a good scope for everyone, and we write in whatever genre we choose. (I usually write in verse because I am too lazy to write stories). If you feel that this is for you, feel free to join us on any of our meetings, and the first time you come will be free of charge. After that, if you want to come again, you'll have to be prepared to pay towards a donation to the church.

Rushden Mission Church has a website at www.rushdenmission.co.uk.

On the site you will find videos, photographs and since February this year we have been adding many of the Morning Service sermons (19 in fact).

If you can’t lay your hands on the notice sheet you need look no further than the website.

Find a bit of our Church history.

Read the comments of our on-line visitors in the guestbook.

All of this and more, join the visitors from around the corner and around the world, visit the site and have a look.

Thursday

Curry Club (sorry ladies men only) meets on the first Thursday of each month and travel to a local restaurant or pub to enjoy a curry and fellowship. Sometimes we stay at the Mission and take advantage of the many takeaways that surround our Church.

Contact Bill Franklin 01933 350969

Those who know the Mission Church will know that food plays a large part in most social events. So it wasn't surprising when some years ago a few of the men got together one Thursday evening in the church band room to share a meal. As the church is surrounded by various takeaways, there was a culinary assortment of Chinese and Indian food, pizza and of course good old fish and chips available. It was a great evening and everyone enjoyed good food and good company. A few months later those that enjoyed curry decided that a regular monthly visit to a local restaurant serving Indian cuisine would be a great idea; and so the Curry Club was born.

It all started quite low tech with really with Bill as the organiser. Bill would find a restaurant that he and his good lady Hilary would check out first and report back the suitability for the club to sample. We'd then meet at the church car park and make our way to the restaurant, eat, talk, pay and go home.

Things started to change when on one occasion back in June 2006, when the bill arrived and Bill collected the money as usual. He then announced that the total bill was £153 and when we asked how much he had collected he said “£137.22!” This had become the norm, with Bill not having enough money to pay and the situation had to stop. Tony agreed to act as treasurer and ensure that we collect the right money and have enough to pay in the future. So suddenly we had a small Curry Club committee forming. This then expanded on a subsequent month when Colin designed a great emblem and underlined it with “MCC” and become the club Designer. Now we are, to this date, not sure whether “MCC” stands for Mission Curry Club or Mens Curry Club, both suit. In July 2006 we welcomed Pastor Ian as, well, the Pastor of the Curry Club. To recognise all members of the Curry Club we have the official Curry Club Key Fob, a great monument of plastic that has bored many a hole in trouser pockets. Curry Club members range in age from teens to those who – well lets say they have been teens a number of times over.

It’s funny how once you attend something a few times you start to compare and contrast. We of course started to comment on which was our favourite restaurant, or whether the one we were currently eating in was better than the month before. This lead to some unofficial rising of the hand type voting. The whole voting process has now become far more sophisticated, with scores given between 1 and 5, for Quality, Quantity, Price, Staff and Ambiance. The problem with this, is that some of our members can not get into their heads that 5 is high and 1 low, so the amalgamated scores can become somewhat misleading. Jim usually makes a trip to the loo to check on the cleanliness and give it the thumbs up or otherwise.

Recent conversations have been as diverse as the speed of light, bus passes and the value of these over taxi tokens, cars, different size coffee's at the local Costa Coffee, buying a caravan off eBay, making your own records in a booth at the station, Britain's Got Talent and why non UK nationals had got through, perhaps it would have been more accurate to call it “People Living In Britain Have Got Talent”, Fats Domino, Jasper Carrot and funky mopeds. That was all in one week.

We have had the odd occasion where women, disguised with beards and hats, have attempted to come along. But they are of course caught and immediately banned.

To find out more about our conversations and scores visit the Curry Club blog on “rushdenmissioncurryclub.blogspot.com” or link from “www.rushdenmission.co.uk”

The Curry Club is a great night out and all men are very welcome to join us, just call Bill to find out where the next venue is to be.

Rushden Mission Band meet at the Church on Thursday evenings from 19:30pm until approximately 21:30pm to practice for their wide range of concerts and other engagements.

The Band and the Training Band have now completed most of their summer engagements, with The Band just having one Garden Party left to fulfil during September. We again visited Hunstanton and had a very windy day there. The wind from the North Sea was so strong the National Ski Races which were due to take place were cancelled. We dare not use our stand banners or the stands would have been blown away, we invested in a lot of clothes pegs and bulldog clips to secure the music. This makes turning over the page very exciting. The local Council had even erected a road sign advertising their events including us. We also recently played a concert in Hall Park and had a lovely afternoon.

We have been delighted to see three young people from the Training Band starting to attend practice. That is the problem with leading a Training Band, just when they get good The Band pinches them!

The diary for the remainder of this year (and there are already about fourteen dates in next year's calendar) includes our “Music for a Summer's Evening” concert at the Church on 18th September, and we are playing at Strixton Church on the 20th, on November 6th we are at Harrold U.R.C. Our Festive Concert at the Mission is on 4th December and we play at St Andrew's Wellingborough on 11th. Just make sure you are in good voice for the Band Carol Service on 21st. The Training Band are playing for the Carol Service at Titchmarsh on 22nd.

For more information about the Band contact visit the website at http://www.missionband.com/

Band Engagements coming up

Sunday 14th September	Great Cransley Village Fete	2.00 - 4.00pm
Thursday 18th September	Concert at Rushden Mission Church	7.30pm
Saturday 20th September	Strixton Church	7.30pm
Sunday 21st September	Battle of Britain Commemoration Rushden Mission Church	10.45am
Sunday 5th October	Harvest Festival at Rushden Mission Church	4.30pm
Thursday 6^th November	Harrold URC	7:30pm
Sunday 9th November	Remembrance Day at Rushden Cenotaph	10.45am
Thursday 20th November	AGM at Rushden Mission Church	7.30pm
Thursday 4th December	Festive Concert at Rushden Mission Church	7.30pm
Thursday 11th December	Christmas Concert St. Andrew's Church, Wellingborough	7.30pm
Thursday 18th December	Carols in the Car Park of Rushden Mission Church	7.00pm
Sunday 21st December	Carol Service at Rushden Mission Church	4.30pm
Thursday 5^th February 2009	Charity Concert in aid of MIND	7:30pm

Friday

Lunch Club meets on Friday at 12:30pm. For those retired and living alone, where they can share a meal and good company. There is a waiting list but for further information contact Jean and Roy Blenco 01933 359515

When we are asked to talk about Lunch Club, it's usually expected that the emphasis will be on how it impacts upon the lives of those who attend as members each week. I hope it's OK with you if I approach it from a different angle-the volunteers who cheerfully and tirelessly give of their time each week to make it happen.

We have a diverse mix of folk with all sorts of interests and talents. Our common bond is a wish to serve God within this church through our work in the community. There is nothing quite like working together to get to know other people and often more importantly, to get to know yourself. Because we are such a mix of people, we do not always see things in the same way. (Did I just say 'not always'! sorry, I meant very often.) Seriously though, I find that very encouraging. It means that we respect each other enough to feel comfortable offering an opinion. It means that sometimes we get things done how we would choose, but at other times we have to allow someone else's preference to prevail. No one has ever stomped off because they are not appreciated. Sometimes, our volunteers say things like 'oh, I don't do much', but believe me they only have to be away one week to show just what their contribution is. I hope that it doesn't mean that they have to be away before we show each other how we value that contribution. Everyone knows their job. What to do and when to do it. It's a brilliant team.

I never quite knew how to refer to our visitors each week. Should it be customers, members, diners? But the answer has come so naturally with time. I think of them as friends. During my recent enforced absence from Lunch Club I found so much caring support and generosity, from not only the team, but from Club members too. In September we celebrate seven years of Lunch Club, during which time we have seen it go from strength to strength. As team leader I rarely get a week off. Although the team can well manage without me, the idea of catering for up to 50 + people can be a bit daunting. Although I don't want a week off, it has long been in my prayers that someone with the confidence to take over occasionally would come our way. THANK YOU LORD, for answered prayer! That help came in the form of Michelle offering to help when she could. Her help was soon regular, her talent obvious, and she was about to take her Foundation Certificate in Food Hygiene. AND she is holding her own in the banter from Roy. But the timing as always was perfect. Some weeks after Michelle started helping, I was forced to take a break, and safe in the knowledge that she could fill in as a member of a fantastic team I had no worries about doing so. Gods Provision. Gods Timing. If we can keep our eyes firmly fixed on Him, and try to remember that He only wants the best for us all.

Love Joan.

Passion and Glory is a monthly youth worship event, led for young people: by young people. It takes place on the first Sunday of every month, usually at the Mission Church starting at 19:00pm. On average sixty young people attend each month, with some travelling from as far as Towcester!

Passion and Glory is an ecumenical event, set-up by Rushden Area Christian Youth, and has been running for about three years now.

Passion and Glory is a community of young people passionate about God, eager to worship and keen to deepen their relationship with Him. The worship is both vibrant and reflective, and prayer and testimony is central to the event.

Passion and Glory has provided young people with the opportunity to hear about God and experience Him for the first and millionth time.

Passion and Glory has inspired young people who have never set foot inside a church before, to regularly attend churches on a Sunday morning and fully participate in the life of the Church.

At the start of summer, we went to Newton Bromswold for the afternoon, where we went on a treasure hunt around the village and fields! Once finished we returned to the village hall for a picnic and some jelly and ice cream. We then had a time of acoustic worship and a thought provoking message in the church, encouraging us to be bold in our faith, and discerning in the ways in which we share it with others: living out our faith and love of God through our actions, as that can speak volumes.

We do value the support given to us by the Mission in making the building available to us; we hugely value your prayers. Thank you and please continue to pray for Passion and Glory as we resume our programme on the 7^th September. Love Chloe

Money is not a subject that we like to talk about too much in publications like this. Rushden Mission Church is not about money, we are about worshipping, serving and proclaiming our God. We are, however, a family with a home to maintain and the bills to pay. For those who are not aware the Mission Church, whilst a part of the Wesleyan Reform Union, is an independent church. We have no central funding and no investments to bring in income. The blunt reality is that if the money is not raised by the Church, then the bills and salaries are not met.

There are many people in our church who give sacrificially to our cause in money, time and their talents. Thank you to all for everything give.

As a charity we are able to increase the value of gifts to the Church by use of the “Gift Aid” scheme. This scheme enables us to claim back the tax paid and therefore every £1 given to the church under this scheme becomes £1.28.

If you pay tax on your salary or your pension you can increase your giving to the Church by 28% by simply completing a Declaration Form and returning it to Hilary Franklin. At present our annual income from this source is approximately £4000, but could be more.

If you want more information about this scheme, please speak to Hilary.

Whilst on the subject of making the most of our money, please do the other thing that we do in our own homes, minimize the expenditure. This winter fuel costs are going to be an issue with gas and electricity price increases. Please do all you can to avoid waste of light and heat.

Last day of August by Roy Blenco

Tomorrow, we start eating rabbits and game

There's an "R" in the month, and it isn't the same.

The flowers are dreary that used to be gay

And the skies that were blue are now a dull grey

The fields that were hitherto sparkling with dew

Now soak up the rain showers that keep passing through.

The evenings get darker much earlier, now.

Already the stubble fields fall to the plough.

Is that why I feel so sad at the fall?

The harvest is in, and I've missed it all

It's a strange contradiction, or is it a curse

As the planet gets warmer, the weather gets worse.

Is it because of some thing I have done,

Or a natural consequence, born of the sun?

If I placed all my newspapers in the right bin

Will I save the whole planet and absolve it of sin?

Should I accept every lie I've been taught?

NO! I don't think so. It's only a thought

If we go back to horses. Ditch all our cars

Stop sending probes out to Venus and Mars

Stop flying aeroplanes, and stop cruising the seas.

Cease trains, and other daft measures like these

We'll save enough carbon to light a whole town

And happily live till the wind-farms break down.

I understand that every section of Rushden Mission Church has been asked to contribute to this special Newsletter, so I wanted my say. I have been a supporter of this church since 1966. I have taken whatever weight that I have been asked to bear and fulfilled my role, without complaint week in and week out. I give comfort to the young and old alike, I have never turned anyone away, and no task is too heavy, no one too insignificant for my care.

Let me talk you through my week. On Sunday I uphold the congregation in the Church, Monday I move into the Band Room for Pillow Talk and stay there for Tuesday ready for Coffee Stop in the morning and for the Training Band in the evening. Wednesday I am there for the Art Group, if the need me. Thursday, it’s into the Church for Band Practice, then back to the Band Room for Lunch Club. Then on Sunday, yes, you guessed, I go back into the Church again. Sadly no one ever needs me for Prayer Meeting. Passion & Glory don’t need me either, but only because they are young and would rather sit on the floor!

So who am I?

I am a chair in the service of the Church, wherever I am needed, I will serve.

As I said earlier I moved into the Church in 1968, September in fact, just in time for the Harvest Festival. So happy 40^th birthday to me, and my surviving brothers, there were once 100 of us. We cost £4.18.00 each, making a total of £490.0.0. (Does that remind you how difficult it was to calculate money before decimalisation? I do have some younger brother, the ones with the thicker padded seats, there were 30 of them, and they moved in during 1992 at a cost £27.68 each.

So that is my contribution, I am vital to our Church, but am happy to remain in the background, being a part of the furniture, doing my role and meeting your needs, serving you all. Finally a quick thank you to all of you who look after me, keep me in order and make sure that I am in the right place at the right time, you know who you are.

In 2009 the Rev Geoff Lee and Pastor Ian Fall are leading a trip to The Holy Land.

It is hard to underestimate the impact of visiting the places that we so often read about in God's word. You only have to speak to someone who has been there to appreciate the difference that it makes, the rich experience of walking in Jesus' footsteps, seeing the sights and being able to discover the places that you have heard about in scripture. Many will attest that it was a life changing experience.

With this in mind we are arranging a visit to the Holy Land. The visit will be suitable for those who have not been before but will also be rewarding for those who have previously visited the Holy Land. In addition to this we will be visiting the stunning city of Petra, the "rose red city half as old as time" carved directly from the rock.

The visit begins on Monday 20th April 2009 and ends on Thursday 30th April. We understand that security may be a concern for some but can assure you that the situation will be watched very carefully and every precaution taken to ensure that we will travel in safety.

The basic price for the trip is £1,156 plus insurance, taxes and gratuities.

A brochure detailing the full itinerary, please ask Ian Fall.

Wesleyan Reform Union of Churches Local Preachers Fellowship Retreat

When? Saturday 25th October 2008

Where? Ibstock Wesleyan Reform Church, Ibstock, Leicestershire

Theme? Inspiration and illustration from St Paul

Who is it for? All who want to enjoy a day of fellowship and teaching.

What is the cost? £20, lunch provided.

Who is the speaker? The Rev Dr Herbert McGonigle from Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. Herbert is the Director of the newly established Manchester Wesley Research Centre. He is also the Senior Lecturer in Church History at Nazarene Theological College.

Session Subjects:

"Paul the Preacher" (Colossians 1:24 to 29)

11:40 "Paul and The Cross" (Galatians 6: 11 to 18)

14:00 "Paul and Pentecost" (Romans 8:1 to 16)

14:50 "Paul the Devoted Disciple" (Philippians 3: 1 to 11)

On their Bike

From 11 September 2008 to 13 September 2008 three members of the Chapel in the Valley, Griffydam Wesleyan Reform Church plus a support team will ride the Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle trail from Whitehaven to Sunderland, a distance of 140 miles, to raise funds for the Shalom Birthing Clinic in the Philippines.

This intrepid trio are Cliff Darby and Adam & Kate Shepherd. The support team wish to remain anonymous in case they are asked why they are not cycling.

The money is required to support the work being carried out by Mavis Orton. Mavis left her home in Staffordshire to travel to Manila in the Philippines in 1986, where she has served with Action International Ministries ever since. She lives in a two bedroom bungalow, which serves as her home, a clinic and training room for ante and post natal classes, a delivery room and anything else that is needed. Mavis is committed to providing a new birthing home for this poor, neglected area of Manila where, before she opened up her home, giving birth was "like having one foot in the grave". She needs something over £250,000 to complete the project, but trusts God to provide everything that is needed. When she first arrived in Manila, she delivered eight babies a month; now she is involved with around 124 deliveries a month. Her energy and enthusiasm for the work and for the people are infectious; her love for them is visible for all to see and her confidence in the faithfulness of God to provide is unwavering.

At the Church Business Meeting on September 10^th we will agree on a figure from the 17% fund to send as a gift to support this work. If you would like to add to this with a personal donation then please give this to Hilary or Cynthia before the end of September.

September to December 2008 at a Glance

September

Friday 5^th	19:15pm	Circuit Preachers Meeting at the Mission.
Saturday 6^th	18:00pm	Circuit Quiz and Fish and Chips at Mission.
Sunday 7^th	18:00pm	Circuit United Service at Alma Street.
Wednesday 10^th		Church Business Meeting.
Monday 15^th	19:30pm	“Focus on Renewal”
Thursday 18^th	19:30pm	Band “Summer Evening” Concert
Friday 19^th		“Taste & See” Launch of Town Wide Events at Park Road Baptist Church
Wednesday 24^th		Alpha begins at Mission
Sunday 21^st	10:45am	Battle of Britain Commemoration Service at the Mission.
Sunday 21^st	15:00pm	Mission at Avenue House Residential Home
Friday 26^th & Saturday 27^th		Counseling Course Weekend 1
Saturday 27^th		Women of Action Quiet Day at Hucknall
Sunday 28^th	18:00pm	Wymington Harvest Festival

October

Sunday 5^th

10:45am

16:30pm

Harvest Festival Services with Rushden Mission Band providing music for the evening service.

Friday 10^th & Saturday 11^th

Counseling Course Weekend 2

Sunday 12^th

Visit of Sue Over, Women of Action President

Saturday 18^th

High Street Leaders Away Day at The Mission

Sunday 19^th

ThankOffering Sunday

Monday 20^th

19:30pm

Focus on Renewal

Saturday 25^th

Lace Workshop

Sunday 26^th

British Summer Time ends and evening service reverts to 16:30pm

November

Friday 14^th & Saturday 15^th		Counseling Course Weekend 3
Monday 17^th	19:30pm	Focus on Renewal
Saturday 22^nd		Lace Workshop
Saturday 29^th	14:45pm	Circuit Meeting Alma Street.

December

Wednesday 3rd	19:45pm	Church Meeting
Thursday 4th	19:30pm	Band Christmas Concert
Friday 5th & Saturday 6th		Counseling Course Weekend 3
Thursday 18th	19:00pm	Carols on the Car Park.
Sunday 21st	16:30pm	Band Carol Service.
Wednesday 24th	16:00pm	Christingle.
Thursday 25th	10:30am	United Christmas Morning Service at The Mission

Monthly Highlights

September

The weekend of Saturday 6^th and Sunday the 7^th was to have been the visit to the Wellingborough Circuit of the Wesleyan Reform Union President the Rev. Geoff Clark. As you are aware Geoff died on Monday 28^th July. The planned events will go ahead with the Circuit Quiz and Fish and Chips at the Mission on Saturday evening and a Circuit United Service at Alma Street Church in Wellingborough at 18:00pm led by the Rev. Phil Hearson of High Street Church and our very own Pastor Ian Fall. Please continue to be in prayer for the family of Geoff Clark, his wife Andrea, his daughters Ruth and Sarah, all of his family and his church family at Bierley.

On Friday 19^th September is “TASTE AND SEE”. This is an outreach supper event organised by the churches in Rushden and Higham Ferrers to launch various courses being run by the local churches this autumn - a course for couples run by Whitefriars, a debt course at the Full Gospel, and in our case an Alpha Course which begins on Wednesday 24th September. Jeff Crow and Gill Usher will be providing some musical entertainment. You are encouraged to invite interested friends to come along. Ian has tickets priced at £2.00; buy one for yourself and one to give to a friend.

Our own Alpha Course will begin on Wednesday 24^th, and run for approximately 10 weeks, the location and format will not be finally decided until we know how many people wish to come along. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find more information about Alpha.

We consider it to be an opportunity for everyone to learn something new, long established Christians, new Christians and those interested in finding out for the first time what the Christian faith is all about. The meetings will have the minimum of formality and the opportunity for anyone to ask questions, give their opinions and hear the views of others. The invitation is here, come to Alpha yourself; bring someone who will benefit from the time. Pastor Ian Fall will be running the course, for more information or to book your place, speak to Ian.

On Sunday 21^st September we shall be joined at our morning service by the Royal Air Force Association, The Air Training Corp and other guests for the Battle of Britain Commemoration Service. As you may know Pastor Ian Fall took over from the Rev. Mark Powell the role of Chaplain to the ATC and their presence in our Church is an important part of Ian’s ministry with them. The Music for this, more formal service than we normally hold at the Mission, will be provided by Rushden Mission Band.

Sunday 21^st is our turn to lead the afternoon service at Avenue House Residential Home, in Avenue Road, Rushden. We shall meet at the Mission at 14:45pm or you can join us at the Home for 15:00pm. Please be encouraged to be a part of this service, you will only be away from your own home for just over an hour and you will make a difference to the residents. Bill and Ian will make most of the noise, Rita will play the organ, and your part will be to sing, support Ian, praise God and bless the residents. After the formal bit of worship we chat to old folks for a few minutes before leaving. Never been before? Give it a try.

On the weekend of Friday 26^th & Saturday 27^th Our Counseling Course begins. If you want to involve, please speak to Ian. Please be in prayer for those from our own and other local churches taking part.

The Manna House Counselling Service, Northampton will be running an ACC/ OCN Recognised 50 Hour Level 2 Course.

“Introduction to Christian Counselling”

Rushden Mission Church

26^th/ 27^th September, 10^th/ 11^th October, 14^th/ 15^th November, 5^th/ 6^thDecember

Fridays 19:00pm to 22:00pm, Saturday 17:30am to 16:30pm

Course fee £135 - but financial help available.

Interested? Then speak to Ian Fall.

Want to know what is involved?

Speak to Linda Crawley who did the course last year.

On Saturday 27^th Women of Action will be holding a day of “Time Out & Reflection”, led by their President Sue Over at Hucknall Church, Nottingham, from 10:30am to 15:30pm. There will be a Bring and Share Lunch. If you want to go, please speak to Sandra Fall.

October

Our Harvest Festival services will be held on Sunday 5th October, the evening service will be at 16:30pm with music by Rushden Mission Band. Proceeds from our harvest will be given to the two Homeless Shelters in our area.

The Rushden centre based at the Full Gospel Church will receive our loose cash offering for the day, toothpaste, soap, toothbrush and other toiletries. They are ok for food as they receive help from the Rushden supermarkets.

NAASH (the Northampton Night Shelter) have said that their main needs that we can help with are: Tinned Foods - Beans and tomatoes are always in demand, Jams and Marmalade, Cereals, Pasta, Rice, and luxury items, luxury items are: Biscuits, Crisps, Chocolate.

The short request is bring what you can and it will be used in the care of the homeless.

Sunday 12^th will see the visit of Susan Over, Women of Action President. 2008 -2009 to our Church, Sue will speak at both our morning and evening services.

Susan is a lady of many talents. Sue has appeared on TV quiz shows one, of which was Countdown (unfortunately she didn't win). She started a craft class at Aldermans Green Church, Coventry (where she is a member) and taught the arts of glass, silk and acetate painting as well as card making.

More recently she has used her talents in writing cookery books with associated Christian thoughts accompanying each recipe. These books have been well received and reach many who are not Christians. She has had two books published so far and is now preparing a third book. The proceeds from these books go to the Leprosy Mission. She has also spoken on local radio about her work and faith.

Sue is a lady who works unstintingly for the Lord in many ways, with the full support of her husband Ernie. At her church, she is the Leader of a choir which has performed a number of Roger Jones' musicals (among others) which have also been presented at other churches for their enjoyment.

She is a lady who wants to serve the Lord in the best way she can, and would be grateful for your prayers during her year of office as President of "Women of Action".

On Saturday 18^th The Leaders of High Street will be using our premises for an Away Day (well morning actually). Nothing for us to do here, other than be aware that they will be on the premises that morning and to pray for them as they seek God’s leading for them as a Church.

Sunday 19^th will be our ThankOffering Sunday; Thankoffering has its roots in the history of our church. In the old days, well until the early 1970’s the Minster of the Church would sit in his vestry, and church members would call into see him with their gifts. Now we make a little less ceremony of the day and put our gifts into special envelopes and place into the offering plate. The process may have evolved over the years, but the purpose remains the same. It is an opportunity to bring a special, extra gift of money to our church as thanks to God for the blessings he given us over the year. Please be in prayer before God and seek his will about your gift. Thankoffering is also the opportunity taken by groups within the church to bring there financial gifts.

December

The Christmas season begins at the Mission on Thursday 4^th with the Band Christmas Concert. Come along to mix with the large audience who always come to this special event and enjoy your first mince pie of Christmas 2008

On Thursday 18^thwe meet for what has now become a traditional event, although quite young in comparison to the Band Concert, Carols on the Car Park. Carols on the Car Park was only a working title for the event, but we never came up with a better one. What happens? Well we meet on the car park at 19:00pm to sing carols with the Band, with the words of the carols projected onto the side of the Church building. We have a few Bible readings, stand by warming fires, admire Keith’s latest design of an illuminated Christmas tree, have hot soup served to us, eat hot dogs and burgers and hot chestnuts that may or may not have been roasted on an open fire. A few passers by gather into our midst in the murky, smoky darkness. A special time of worship, fellowship and evangelism.

On Sunday 21^st at 16:30pm we hold our service of lessons and carols accompanied by The Rushden Mission Band. Invite your friends, make it a family party and see if you can sing louder that the Band can play.

Christmas Eve Wednesday 24^th at 16:00pm is our Christingle Service. Last year over one hundred adults and children joined us for this special time. Get the word around and invite everyone you can to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Again make this time a part of your family Christmas.

Christmas Day at 10:30am here at the Mission we will host to our friends from the High Street Church for a United Christmas Morning Service. The service will be led by Pastor Ian Fall and the Rev. Phil Hearson will bring a word to us from God.

Our own Alpha Course will begin on Wednesday 24^th September;

See Monthly Highlights for September in this newsletter for more information.

How Alpha Began

The Alpha Course has been running for over 26 years. It began at Holy Trinity Brompton in central London, in the late 1970s, initially as a means of presenting the basic principles of the Christian faith to new Christians in a relaxed and informal setting.

By 1990, when former barrister Nicky Gumbel took over the course, Alpha was a central feature of the church's life. It was while leading his second Alpha course that Nicky realised how this simple course could also appeal to non-churchgoers and he adapted the course to give it the kind of feel that would suit this group.

The Alpha course spread during the 1990s, initially in the UK and then internationally, as more churches and groups found it a helpful way to answer questions about the Christian faith in an informal setting. There are now over 33,500 courses worldwide in 163 countries and it is supported by all the major denominations.

How the course works

The course is based around small groups of about 12 people, hosted by one or two leaders whose role is to facilitate and encourage discussion.

Courses vary in size, from one small group meeting in a home, to hundreds of people in a larger venue. Some courses are held over morning coffee or during a lunch hour, most are evening courses, typically lasting 2 hours. Whatever the course size, people tend to remain in the same small groups for the duration of the course so they can get to know each other, continue discussions and deepen friendships.

The whole course usually lasts for 10 weeks, with a day or weekend away in the middle.

Each session begins with a meal or refreshments - a chance to get to know others in the small group. There is then a short talk, which looks at a different aspect of the Christian faith each week. This is followed by a time of discussion in the small groups, where everyone is welcome to contribute their opinion, ask questions and discuss with the rest of the group.

The emphasis is upon exploration and discovery in a relaxed and informal environment.

There is no charge for attending the Alpha course, although courses may ask for a contribution towards the food.

Course Content

The talks each week cover the following topics, which people are then free to discuss in the small groups afterwards:

Week 1 Who is Jesus?
Week 2 Why did Jesus Die?
Week 3 How can we have Faith?
Week 4 Why and how do I Pray?
Week 5 Why and how should I read the Bible?
Week 6 How does God Guide us?
Week 7 How can I Resist Evil?
Week 8 Why and how should I tell Others?
Week 9 Does God Heal Today?
Week 10 What about the Church?

Contacts for Rushden Mission Church

Pastor Ian Fall phone 01933 312919

e-mail ian.fall@virgin.net

www.rushdenmission.co.uk

Why Suffering?

What is the point of life?

What Happens when we Die?

Want to explore any of these questions?

Then Alpha is for you.
What is Alpha?

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Christian faith.

Learning and laughter. Learn about the Christian faith and have fun at the same time.

Pasta & pudding. Eating a meal together gives people an opportunity to get to know each other

Helping one another. The small groups give you a chance to discuss issues raised in the talks.

Ask Anything. Alpha is a place where no question is regarded as too simple or too hostile.

What's involved? The Alpha course consists of a series of talks looking at topics such as "Who is Jesus?" and "Why and how do I pray?" After each talk we divide into smaller groups and discuss any questions raised from the talk.

Who is Alpha for? Alpha is for everyone, it particularly caters for:

Those wanting to investigate Christianity

Newcomers to the church

New Christians

Those who want to brush up on the basics

What will it cost? There is no charge for the Alpha

Where? Rushden Mission Church

When? On Wednesday evenings from 24^th September.

If you have questions, about the Christian Faith, this is your chance to ask.

Phone Ian on 01933 312919

Together for Purpose

A conference for all of the family organised by The Wesleyan Reform Union and

The Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion

At The Hayes, Swanwick, Derbyshire

Friday 19th to Sunday 21st June 2009.

Speaker the Rev Jim Graham.

Plus seminars, worship, more detail and costs when available.

40 Days of Community

2008-02-10T23:11:00.001Z

Our 40 Days of Community have finished visit the dedicated blog to find out what happened

What do our men's Curry Club get up to?

2007-07-23T21:21:00.000+01:00

Read here to find out http://rushdenmissioncurryclub.blogspot.com/

Christmas 2006 at The Mission

2006-12-25T07:21:00.000Z

The Traditional Carol Service with Rushden Mission Brass Band took place on December 17th.

On December 21st we held our Carol Service on the Church Car Park with Soup, Jacket Potatoes and "Chestnuts Roasting on an open fire", well a BBQ.

And on Christmas Eve we celebrated at our Christingle Service

Check here for some video highlights of the events

Mission Video Site

2006-11-05T01:31:00.000Z

There are now three videos from the church on YouTube. A little raw at present, but more if it works. Try here http://www.youtube.com/rushdenmission

Wedding of Danny & Nicola

2006-10-07T18:27:00.000+01:00

We don't have many weddings at the Mission, but we were thrilled to share in the big day for Danny & Nicola today. We pray that God will bless them and give them many happy years together. Double click on the picture to make it larger.

Pillow Talk make the Local News Paper

2006-09-24T13:27:00.000+01:00

Thanks to the Evening Telegraph for the article.
For a larger version double clip the picture.

Rushden Mission Church Boules Championship 2006

2006-09-05T03:12:00.000+01:00

The crowd gather in expectation and the games get under way

Keith & Annie are the Champions

(and don't they look smug)

So what does a Development & Outreach Consultant in the Wesleyan Reform Union do?

2006-08-25T19:04:00.000+01:00

Andy Wilcock is our denomination's Development & Outreach Consultant so visit his blog and find out what he gets up to. http://thewrudoc.blogspot.com/

Video Highlights of the Induction of the Rev Ian Fall

2006-07-25T02:00:00.000+01:00

for Video Highlights of the Afternoon.
Broadband http://www.rushdenmission.co.uk/Indbb.wmv
Dial Up http://www.rushdenmission.co.uk/inddu.wmv

A visit from Emily

2006-07-23T19:41:00.000+01:00

Emily is a member of our church and has been training as a full time youth worker at a college in Glasgow. The last couple of Sundays Emily has been able to worship with us at the Mission, but now begins her full time work with the YMCA in Stirling, Scotland. Emily will be in our prayers, you can keep up to date with how things are going for here on here own Blog at http://www.emsy779.blogspot.com

The Induction of the Rev. Ian Fall

2006-07-22T19:55:00.000+01:00

The Induction of the Rev. Ian Fall took place on Saturday the 15th July with a congregation of about 140. The induction was made by the Rev Colin Braithwaite (General Secretary of the Wesleyan Reform Union) and the address was given by George Phillips (President of the WRU). Introductions were made by David Rooksby (President of Rushden Mission Church) Words of Welcome were given by Jonathan Clarke (Chairman of Rushden and Higham Ferrers Council of Churches and the Rev. Tony Webster (President of The Wellingborough Circuit of Wesleyan Reform Churches) Prayers offered by Rita Benning (of Rushden Mission Church) Rhoda Pridmore, (President of the Sleaford Circuit) Pastor Mark and Deana Button (of Emmanuel Church, Ruskington) who prayed for Dan and Adam and Peter Clark of (Wymington Wesleyan Reform Union Church).

The service was followed by tea.

Sorry the pictures are a little blurred, but it was a hot afternoon!

The Fall Family on the Day of Ian's Induction

2006-07-21T20:26:00.000+01:00

Rev Ian Fall, Dan, Sandra and Adam

More Induction pictures

2006-07-20T20:15:00.000+01:00

Rev Ian Fall
Peter Clark
Sandra and Ian Fall, Rev Colin Braithwaite
Mark and Deana Button
Rita Benning

Strawberry Tea

2006-07-08T22:26:00.001+01:00

About 80 people joined us for what has now become an annual event.

Here we see some enjoying their tea. Not a strawberry in sight - who ate all the strawberries?

Rev Ian Fall Arrives

2006-06-14T23:26:00.000+01:00

The weekend of June 10th/11th was a exciting time for all at the Mission, as we welcomed our new Pastor the Rev Ian Fall, his wife Sandra and sons Daniel and Adam. On Saturday we celebrated with a BBQ in the manse garden and a time of praise and worship in the church.

On Sunday Ian led his first service as the Pastor of Rushden Mission Church.

The cocktail was non alcoholic (honest!)

Ian's Induction will be on Saturday July 15th at 14:30pm, more detail can be found on the future events page.

The day was made even more special by the presence a former Minister of the church the Rev John Williams and his wife Dorothy. Other guests from churches within our circuit of the Wesleyan Reform Union also joined us for the day.

Pillow Talk

2006-03-01T23:40:00.000Z

For the last few years the church have held a "Lace Day" for ladies (no men yet) of the area to get together talk and work on thier latest project. This event takes place on the last Saturday of each January. As a spin off "Pillow Talk" is a new meeting for a time to share interests and time together. Here are a few pictures of the ladies and thier work.

"Pillow Talk" meet on Mondays at the Mission from 2:15pm.

Visit of Rev Ian Fall Sunday February 5th 2006

2006-02-05T23:24:00.001Z

On Sunday 5th February 2006 we welcomed the Rev Ian Fall and his wife Sandra to the Church. Ian will be become the Minister of the Church on Sunday 11th June.

Ian is pictured here with Elise and Bill in the Music Group.

On his own in "Preaching Mood"

and with Sandra after the service.

Christingle 2005

2005-12-28T23:20:00.000Z

Carols on the Car Park 2005

2005-12-15T23:11:00.000Z

The Mission Band joined members of the Church, friends and passers by on the Car Park to sing carols and to enjoy soup and jacket potatoes. Here are three pictures, click to enlarge.

Rev Mark Powell's Last Day at Rushden Mission

2005-10-02T23:40:00.000+01:00

Today we have said a sad farewell to our Minister, the Rev Mark Powell. It hardly seems possible that six and a bit years have gone since Rev Mark Powell became the Minister of our church. It is that long, and one look at how his children to confirm that it has been that long. Not that Mark or Jane look any older, of course. Mark feels his time with us is over, that his work is complete and that it is time to move on. As a Church we are gratefully for all that Mark and the family have done and wish them every blessing in there future lives. As a Church we now look forward to a time without a full time Minister, but the work of God through the Church will continue. It will not be until June 2006 that our new Minister the Rev Ian Fall joins us, but as shown on other pages much will be happening over the coming months.

Harvest 2005

2005-09-25T22:05:00.000+01:00

Today we celebrated our Harvest Festival with the Rushden Mission Brass Band playing at the Evening Service. Both Morning and Evening Services were led by our Minister, the Rev Mark Powell. The produce and proceeds from the services were sent to the local homeless shelter. The church was beautifully decorated but the centre piece was an amazing Harvest Loaf complete with it's own Harvest Mouse.

Beginnings

2005-09-10T20:33:00.000+01:00

It's hard to know where to start a page like this, after all the Mission Church has been here for over a hundred years and the building since 1901. Perhaps at some stage a potted history might be a good idea, but for now best to start where we are.

We start at an interesting and exiting time in the life of the church. The Rev Mark Powell feels that his work for God at The Mission is completed and that it is now time for him to move on. The next minister of the church has been found but he will not be able to join us until the middle of 2006 and so the church face a time without full time leadership.

This though is not to be a time of just hanging on and waiting for the new man to come. The church has a mission to carry on for God and this is what will happen over the coming months. The time that we spend without a full time minister will be as relevant a term in the life of the church as has been the years with the Rev Powell, or will be the times when the new minister arrives.

I hope that this development will be seen in these pages and that a new era in the church's web presence will reflect a new era in the life of Rushden Mission Church.