Holding an annual general meeting is a requirement of the Charity Commission, but it’s also an opportunity to look at what the church is involved in and to pray for our ministries. Last night, we looked at the different outreaches we are involved in (the Parent & Toddler group, the youth club, the coffee morning, meetings at Cherry Tree Court, our support of the Salvation Army food bank and our support of missionary work in India and support of Bedline in Haiti and Amshika in India.) All of these ministries are hugely important and we are very grateful for the volunteers who help to make these things happen (serving faithfully week-in, week-out) and for those who give so generously to support these things. Thanks were also given to church members for their generosity in giving financially to support the church and through Gift Aid.
Alison from the Salvation Army sent a report sharing what is happening there. Apart from feeding over 600 people each month through food parcels and meals at the Army, other services are offered, including a job club, help with welfare rights, a clothes bank and 1-to-1 cooking support. Food is now donated from supermarkets (Tesco, Morrisons, Co-op, Lidl, One Stop, Marks and Spencer’s and Fareshare), enabling food parcels to contain fresh fruit and vegetables as well as tinned food. Each session begins with the volunteers (about 15 regular helpers) meeting for prayer, a thought for the day and a song. ‘Conversations happen, friendships are made and lives are changed‘, Alison says. As a church, we are privileged to be able to buy food and provisions to the value of £60 per month to support this local ministry and we are grateful for the food and clothes donated regularly by our members to help.
Another aspect of outreach is our ‘Dearne Churches Together’ events, which in the past year have included monthly prayer meetings, family fun days at Thurnscoe Pentecostal Church in school holidays, the Christmas Market (which raised over £735 for the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal) and the Good Friday Church Crawl. Again, we are grateful for the good relationships between the local churches and the way we can work together to serve our local communities.
Looking ahead, there are always maintenance issues (we will be looking at some pointing and general building maintenance work over the summer) and we will be holding a cleaning day on Saturday 8th September (between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. approximately). We are looking forward to James and Jade’s wedding on 22 September and to holding a baptismal service in the autumn. If anyone is interested in getting baptised, please let us know.
Most of all, we pray for God’s continued blessing on the church and for us all to grow in faith and boldness as we seek to serve Him.