August 2020
For information on how to access ZOOM with either a landline phone or mobile phone see the note below, after the Forward Program using Zoom section.
Forward programmes using Zoom
Mal is organising a variety of events over the next few weeks using Zoom as below, if you are interested in taking part in any of them please ring him on 01254 674862 or email him on malbreeze@me.com so he can arrange to send you the appropriate invitation. Should you need any help please let him know and he’ll guide you through it.
Wednesday 5th August – 4th Session of 8 weekly Bible Studies 7.30pm and the following 4 weeks at the same time.
Friday 14th August – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Saturday 15th August – Prayer Breakfast – 10.30 pm
Sunday 16th August – Pet Blessing Service – see the details below
Due to Covid-19 we are unable to hold our Annual Pet Blessing Service at Westbury Gardens so Mal has come up with a cunning plan to do it via Zoom. Doing via Zoom gives us an opportunity to open it up to a wider audience and therefore we’d like to invite you all to join us.
When: Sunday 16th August at 10.30am
How will it work via Zoom?
Here’s the cunning plan!
- Send Mal the name of the pet you would like
a blessing for – past or present
- Send Mal a photograph of the pet you’d like a
blessing for and I’ll put it in to a PowerPoint
Apart from the blessing of the pets there will be readings, prayers and songs you can sing (muted of course – but beware you won’t be all the time) celebrating all God’s Creatures. It will also be fun and to find out how let me know and I’ll send you the order of service and the Zoom invite link. Even if you don’t have a pet or have never had one, we’d love to see you.
Friday 28th August – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Sunday 30th August – Communion Service – 10.30 pm
Note about the Quizzes: These have been a great success and we are sure they will continue to be so. Don’t worry if you are single you will be paired with someone else.
Thought for the Week: Mal is recording this as a YouTube video each week and it is also available in hard copy form that is being distributed weekly and enjoyed by many people.
Please support these activities if you can, they are helping us be together in these strange times. Other activities, as appropriate, are being arranged which you will be notified when details are available.
News of our Church Family
As we look back over the previous months it still feels strange and unfamiliar as we are not yet able to meet each other physically. However, we continue to do our best using ZOOM to meet each other.
Thinking about our church family, we want to hold those who are or have not been in the best of health close in our thoughts and prayers including Joan Wignall, Debbie Shepherd and Ossie and Maud Morgan and Audrey. We would also like to include Gordon Mellody and David Riley, both of whom have not well recently as both are closely connected and active in the life of our church through Beach Partnership and the Art and Craft group as well as in other ways therefore being deeply involved in things we do in and for our local community.
Some of you may remember the Rev’d David Mather who was the Minister at Revidge Fold URC from 1997 – 2001, We have recently heard that has died and therefore hold his family members and friends in our thoughts and prayers.
Barbara and Ian Jordison sent a poem to us that their 9-year-old grandson, Finley, wrote as part of his online schoolwork about the Coronavirus. I think you will agree he did a very good job! Well done Finlay!!!
C an cov’19 virus get any worse?
O ld and vulnerable people advised to stay at home.
R etired NHS workers are back to work, the outcome unknown.
O utdoor exercise waved to once a day,
N obody sure when the virus will go away.
A ltogether we fight this fight,
V irtual socialising night after night.
I t’s Thursday and our key workers we clap,
R eturning to normal won’t be as easy as that.
U nited we stand through this terrible time,
S ocial distancing important, keep this in mind.
Post Pandemic thinking
Further to the letter which was circulated recently explaining our thinking about when and how we might be able to open our church for worship Andrew has just completed a detailed Risk Assessment to send to the NW Synod Trust for their agreement. Once we have their agreement, we will be able to put preparations in place to make it possible to open for worship, and other activities. However, as you will be aware the virus has not gone away, and we remain uncertain when the time might be right to open the church for worship. Another consideration we have to bear in mind is that current advice says that those who are aged 70 years of age and over are more vulnerable and therefore those in that age bracket may feel it would be best not to risk coming to church until that advice changes. We are very conscious of the uncertainty that this brings but do assure you that we are doing our best to respond in a sensible and responsible way aiming to provide public worship for as many of us as is possible as soon as it is safe and suitable to do so.
Westbury Talks
As you will remember we decided last year to begin to hold talks on interesting topics 3 times a year to help us engage with different subjects to widen our understanding and help us build up our discipleship. When lockdown occurred, we were about to hold one focusing on Northern College and the work they do training Ministers, CRCW’s and others but this had to be postponed. However, the one that we had planned for July we have been able to do using ZOOM. We were delighted to welcome Lawrence Moore who is working as a Consultant doing work for the URC, and others, focusing on Discipleship. His talk was entitled ‘Walking the Walk the Journey to Jesus Shaped Church’’ was held on the 25th July exploring Discipleship and becoming part of the Good News we preach about. We had a good attendance of about 20 people from local churches and wider afield which was good. The talk and discussion that followed was challenging and left us with many thoughts as we consider how we might respond to the New Normal being shaped by the Coronavirus and how this will affect our church life being challenged to think about what we want to keep as well as what we don’t. During the Talk we thought about what all this might mean and how we might become more Jesus shaped churches that make a Jesus shaped difference to the lives of people and communities. One thought that Aftab had was that perhaps we can become a catalyst for new ways of being church in the new post pandemic environment. I am sure that these thoughts, and the ongoing discussion, will feature in our Elders and Church meetings as we go forward thinking about what it means to be followers of Jesus doing our best to Walk the Way and live the life of Jesus to day tomorrow and the next day.
Our next ‘Westbury Talk’ session will be in the Autumn, details will be circulated once arrangements have been made and it is likely that it will be on Zoom.
URC Website www.urc.org.uk has a list of Services available online and Daily Devotions etc.
NW Synod Website www.nwsynod.org.uk has lots of information about our Synod & local churches.
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How to use ZOOM via landline and mobile phones
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Meeting and Greeting on ZOOM
We are very fortunate that Mal has learnt how to Host, arrange and carry out services and meetings of various sorts using Zoom, an online Video computer Conference facility that enables people to meet ‘online’ to see and talk to each other. He has been, and is, working very hard learning new skills and committing a great deal of his time to using Zoom to arrange and hold online Services, Quizzes, Coffee Mornings, Prayer Breakfast sessions, a Bible Study and Meetings of various sorts that we can join in with. Before long he will be doing a ‘Pet Blessing’ Service using ZOOM. Being able to do all these sessions online is a great blessing to many of us and we are very grateful to Mal for what he is doing. Nevertheless, we are very conscious this does not include all of us because not everyone has a computer connected to the internet. However, it is possible to join by using your ordinary landline telephone or your mobile phone. By using your phone, you will be able to hear what is going on and contribute to what is being talked about. We all know how much we enjoy making telephone calls to speak to each other so being able to use your phone to join into a Zoom event would be great. If you don’t have a computer or other similar device, why not give it a try? We will be delighted if you can and hopefully you will find it good to be able to join in.
The following explains how you can use your telephone to join a ZOOM event.
This is what you must do when using your phone –
- 1. Dial ONE of these phone numbers: (if the first number is engaged,
try one of the other numbers).
0203 481 5240 or 0203 901 7895 or 0203 051 2874 or
0203 481 5237 or 0131 460 1196 (Any of these numbers will work) Local phone rates apply.
- You will be asked to type Mal’s MEETING ID number followed by
the Hash Key. The ID number is 382 778 1186# use your phone keypad type it in
- Now you will be asked to enter your participant ID number
or TO CARRY ON, PRESS HASH KEY. Type in # from your phone keypad
- You will then be asked to enter MEETING PASSWORD followed by the hash key. Type in 838674#
- Now you will receive a message that says you will be transferred to the Zoom Meeting where the
Host (Mal) will ‘admit’ you. Soon you will hear all the other people who have joined the Zoom meeting
and you will be able to join in.
- If you would like to talk to someone about using your phone in this way please let us know.
June – August ( until circumstances change)
Forward programmes using Zoom (computer)
Mal is organising a variety of events over the next few months using Zoom as below, if you are interested in taking part in any of them please email him on malbreeze@me.com so he can arrange to send you the appropriate invitation via Email and should you need any help with Zoom please let him know and he’ll guide you through it.
Sunday 31st May – Pentecost Communion Service – 10.30 am
Saturday 16th May – Prayer Breakfast – 10.30 am
Wednesday 3rd June – A virtual Prayer Walk to pray for the communities around our three churches – 7.00 pm
Friday 5th June – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Sunday 7th June – A short time of prayer and reflection on Trinity Sunday
Friday 19th June – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Saturday 20th June – Prayer Breakfast – 10.30 pm
Sunday 28th June – Communion Service – 10.30 pm
Friday 3rd July – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Friday 17th July – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Saturday 18th July – Prayer Breakfast – 10.30 pm
Sunday 26th July – Communion Service – 10.30 pm
Friday 31st July – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Friday 14th August – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Saturday 15th July – Prayer Breakfast – 10.30 pm
Friday 28th August – Quiz Night – 7.00 pm
Sunday 30th August – Communion Service – 10.30 pm
CHURCH CALENDAR: February
Sunday 2nd 10.30 am Barbara Duxbury
Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1: 18—21
Reader Susan Parkinson
Monday 3rd 2.00 pm 1st Monday Group
Speaker Gillian Beeley, Together Lancashire
Talk on Addressing Poverty in Lancashire
Sunday 9th 10.30 am Doreen Goodship—see note below
Lesson: 1 Corinthians 2: 1—12
Reader Andrew Parkinson
Saturday 15th 10.30 am—1 pm Revidge Fold—Bacon Butty, Books and Bric-a-Brac event—all are welcome.
Sunday 16th 10.30 am Rev Pamela Ward
Service with Communion
Lesson: 1 Corinthians 3: 1—9
Reader Sheila McNab
Monday 17th 2.00 pm Elders meeting
Saturday 22nd 9.15 am Prayer Breakfast at Revidge Fold URC
Everyone welcome
Sunday 23rd 10.30 am Fred Kershaw
Lesson: Matthew 17: 1—9
Reader Margaret Estill
Wed 26th 6.30 pm Ash Wednesday Service, Trinity URC
NOTE! February Communion is on the 16th February and not the usual
second Sunday. This is due to the none availability of an Authorised person
to take the Communion Service.
March
Sunday 1st 10.30 am Hilda Rawcliffe
Lesson: Matthew 4: 1—11
Reader Jonathan Tustin
Monday 2nd 2.00 pm 1st Monday Group
Gordon Mellody—An afternoon of Art
Sunday 8th 10.30 am Rev Daleen Ten Cate
Lesson: John 3: 1—17
Reader Harry Rawcliffe
Sunday 15th 10.30 am Rev Brian Jolly, NW Synod Moderator
Lesson: John 4: 5—42
Reader Neville Hartley
Monday 16th 2.00 pm Elders meeting
Saturday 21st 9.15 am Prayer Breakfast at Revidge Fold URC
Everyone welcome
Sunday 22nd 10.30 am Mothering Sunday Service led by
Susan Parkinson and Margaret Estill
Saturday 28th 7.00 pm Quiz and Supper
Sunday 29th 10.30 am Neville Hartley
Lesson: John 11: 1—45
Reader Derek Estill
Looking towards Easter
There will be the usual Holiday Club will on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th April
following the theme of ‘Mission Miracle Maker’ from 1 pm – 3 pm each day. If you are able, please consider volunteering to help with this important work. Please let Derek or Mal know.
On the 9th April, the group Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service starting at
7 pm will be held at Westbury Gardens when the Rev’d Lena Talbot will lead worship.
On 10th April the Good Friday group service at 10.30 am will be at Revidge Fold led by Mal Breeze.
On the 12th April the Westbury Gardens Easter Sunday service with
Communion will be at 10.30 led by Sheila McNab.
CHURCH CALENDAR: December
Sunday 1st 10.30 am Mal Breeze
First Sunday in Advent with the Scottish
Society
1st Lesson: John 1: 35—42
Read by a member of the Scottish Society
2nd Lesson: Matthew 14: 13—21
Reader Sheila McNab
Monday 2nd 1.00 pm 1st Monday Christmas Lunch
Wed. 4th 7.00 pm Christianity Explored Bible study course at
Revidge Fold
Thursday 5th 3.00—4.30 Messy Church at Shadsworth Infants School
Sunday 8th 10.30 am Sheila McNab—Second Sunday in Advent
Service with Communion
Lesson: Matthew 3: 1—12
Reader Susan Parkinson
Tuesday 10th 11.00 am Shadsworth Infants School visit
Wed. 11th 9.30 am Olive School visit
7.00 pm Christianity Explored Bible study course
Revidge Fold.
Thursday 12th 7.00 pm Christmas Tree Service followed by mince pies and tea or coffee.
Sunday 15th 10.30 am Hilda Rawcliffe—Third Sunday in Advent
Lesson: Matthew 11: 2—11
Reader Derek Estill
Saturday 21st 9.15 am Prayer Breakfast at Revidge Fold
CHURCH CALENDAR: December continued
Sunday 22nd 10.30 am Margaret Estill and Susan Parkinson
Fourth Sunday in Advent
A special Christmas Service assisted by members of the JAM Club (Jesus and Me group)
This service will be followed by a lunch and then a Carol Service.
Wed. 25th 10.00 am Christmas Day Service at Trinity led by Mal Breeze.
Westbury Gardens will be closed on Christmas Day
Sunday 29th 10.30 am Neville Hartley
Lesson: Matthew 2: 13—23
Reader Andrew Parkinson
January 2020
Sunday 5th 10.30 am Steve Colling
Lesson: Matthew: 2: 1—12
Reader Edward Tustin
Monday 6th 2.00 pm First Monday Group—New Year Party
Including a Sing Along with Eric Haworth
Sunday 12th 10.30 am Derek Estill
Service with Communion
Lesson: Matthew 3: 13—17
Reader Harry Rawcliffe
Saturday 18th 9.15 am Prayer Breakfast at Revidge Fold
Sunday 19th 10.30 am To be arranged
Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1: 1—9
Reader Jonathan Tustin
Sunday 26th 10.30 am Fred Kershaw
Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1: 10—18
Reader Margaret Estill
SPECIALS FOR DEC – JAN
Christmas Services
12th December Christmas Tree Service 7 pm
22nd December Special Christmas Service at 10.30 am
followed by lunch and then a Carol Service
BEACH JUDO CLUB
Each Tuesday & Thursday evenings
All ages Welcome
Westbury Arts and Crafts Group
Each Monday from 10.30 am—12.30 pm
Each Wednesday from 1.30 pm— 3.30 pm
CHURCH CALENDAR: November
Sunday 3rd 10.30 am George Grime
Lesson: 2 Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12
Reader Harry Rawcliffe
Note! The Annual Church Meeting will follow the morning service.
Monday 4th 2.00 pm First Monday Group
Speaker Jimmy O’Donnell – The Power of reminiscence
Sunday 10th 10.30 am Rev’d Pamela Ward – Service with Communion
Lesson: 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17
Reader Denise Bateman
2.00 pm Service at Revidge Fold to celebrate Mal’s first 5 years and looking forward to the next
5 years as Community Minister
See more information on page 4
Saturday 16th 9.15 am Prayer Breakfast at Revidge Fold
Sunday 17th 10.30 am John East
Lesson: 2 Thessalonians 3: 6—13
Reader Jonathan Tustin
Saturday 23rd 11 am—1 pm Christmas Fair—more details overleaf
Sunday 24th 10.30 am Steve Colling
Lesson: Luke 23: 33—43
Reader Barbara Bateman
Monday 25th 2.00 pm Elders meeting
7.30 pm Missional Partnership meeting at Burnley URC