A message from our Pastor:

The end of May saw another of our `all morning breakfast' events, which gave an opportunity for a good number of people to come in and meet us as well as enjoying a well-cooked, high calorie meal. Perhaps we ought to start offering a session on an exercise bike in future to work off the extra inches! However, opening at 9.30 am we found that most of our visitors tended to arrive late in the morning. So, on the 8th October, we decided to offer a `Harvest Brunch' instead which hopefully appealed to late Saturday morning risers.

If you have not yet been able to join us for one of these occasions, please do try and come because they are specifically designed for folk who might not otherwise see any reason to walk into a church. Watch out for advertising signs parked in the hedgerow around the church and then just walk in -no need to dress up, come as you are!

In the usual course August is usually a bit of a `none' month with folk coming and going on holiday but this year was really different in that we were greatly blessed with two of our number being baptised on the 2151 with a very nearly full church. And then to crown it all, we had another baptism on the 23rd October.

As you read this magazine in early November we will be making plans in association with our friends at St. Mary's for Christmas events. The united Carol Service will be held at the Village Hall on the 11th December at 4.00 pm and I hope that everyone, amidst all of the other preparation for Christmas, will find an hour to come along and join us. Otherwise we will be holding a `Carols by Candlelight' at the Baptist Church on the 18th December, again at 4.00 pm. On Christmas Day itself there will be a morning service starting at 10.30 am and guaranteed to finish by 11.15 am just in time to put the turkey in the oven!

If you have not been to a church before, or even if you simply feel a little curious about what we do, why not come along one Sunday morning to see? A very warm welcome awaits you and who knows, you might just be surprised!

For details of any event, a general enquiry or if you think that a pastoral visit would be helpful please do not hesitate to contact me or any of our church officers at any time.

Geoffrey Griggs

Pastor

This article first appeared in the Ramsden Bellhouse Village Magazine - Winter 2005 Edition.