Community Art Workshops

May 19, 2023

Part of our church’s desire is to see our local community transformed into a place of beauty (since God promised to bestow on His people a crown of beauty instead of ashes, Is 61:3), and as such, we are involved in the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival’s community art project this year, which is to create 16 selfie board celebrating local places and groups which serve our community. On Thursday, Julie was involved with storyteller Rebecca Dye and artist Lydia Caprani in leaidng 4 workshops in Thurnscoe, looking to design the selfie boards for Thurnscoe Flower Park, Thurnscoe Library, Thurnscoe Plaza and Station House.

It was great to work with school children, volunteers, residents and staff on designs for the selfie boards and to hear about the centrality of these locations and the purpose of each group to serve the local community.

At Thurnscoe Flower Park

At Thurnscoe Library & meeting with Big Local Thurnscoe about Thurnscoe Plaza

At Station House

Further consultations and design workshops will be held at GPCC on Tuesday 23 May between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when we will be looking at the selfie boards for Goldthorpe Town Square, Dearne Churches Together, Dearne Community Arts’ Festival and the Dearne Area Team.

 

 

 

Anticipating Ascension

May 15, 2023

This Thursday (18 May) sees one of the key dates in the Christian calendar: Ascension Day. Partly because of its movable date (coming forty days after Easter, itself a movable festival) and partly because it celebrates absence rather than presence, it does not seem to have the same popularity in our national consciousness as Christmas or Easter.

Ascension Day remembers when Jesus left this earth in bodily form and returned to heaven. It’s a miraculous event witnessed by His disciples which we read about in Luke 24:50-52 and Acts 1:9-11. It marks a definite turning point and whilst it reminds us of the power and majesty of the risen Jesus, it perhaps is a bittersweet reminder that He is no longer present with us in bodily form.

Absence is much harder to celebrate than presence. I recently attended a retirement celebration, and whilst it was wonderful to look back on years of faithful ministry and service, it was also sad to think of this couple no longer serving in their local church. They will be missed.

Jesus knew that His disciples would miss Him. He spoke about going away and leaving them long before this day, and recognised that what He told them brought them grief. (John 16:6) Nonetheless, He affirmed that this departure was actually for their good becaue this would lead to the arrival of ‘the Advocate’, the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7)

Jesus, even when resurrected, could not in bodily form be everywhere at once on earth. His return to heaven would signal the arrival of a global ministry. The arrival of God in the form of the Holy Spirit ten days later on the Day of Pentecost would usher in a new age: the birth and empowerment of the church and a new awareness of God’s presence and power with every believer.

So absence in one form does not necessarily mean abandonment. Change comes inevitably because of the loss we feel, but every celebration in the Christian calendar points to the perfection of God’s plans.

The Ascension also reminds us of a future date, yet to be marked on our calendars, when Jesus comes again in resurrection power. (Acts 1:11) This will be a defining moment in history and something which should mark how we live now and reflect the hope of all mankind. As we prepare to celebrate this Thursday, we understand that the bittersweet is an inevitable part of life and we who believe look ahead with anticipation and hope that Jesus will one day return to our earth in glory to judge the living and the dead.

The Danger of Assumptions

May 14, 2023

Dave spoke tonight on the danger of assumptions, taking as his starting point Luke 2:40-49, where Jesus is at the Temple and his parents have to go back to Jerusalem to find him. They made the assumption that he was travelling with them, but this turned out not to be the case, and Dave went on to speak of the assumption we can have that Jesus is with us when in fact we are not certain of His presence at all.
People assume that they are safe becaue ‘of course I’m a Christian’, but their reasons are often flimsy (believing that to be born in a ‘Christian country’ confers Christian status on us, when in fact no one can ‘accidentally’ become a Christian; this is a conscious choice we make to follow Jesus.) Others believe their upbringing guarantees God’s presence with them (but each child must make their own decision to accept Jesus) or that ‘I believe in God’. James 2:19 reminds us that even the demons do that, but it’s no guarantee of Christ with us. Attending church services is not of itself a guarantee, nor is leading a ‘good life.’
We need to know that we have been born again and that Jesus is always with us, not assume these things. John 14:23 reminds us that Jesus is looking for love and obedience from his followers, but then he promises the presence of God the Father and the Son with those who do these things. We do not become a Chrhistian because of our upbringing, family circumstances or church membership. We become a Christian through receiving Christ as our personal Saviour. When we do this, we have the assurance of Christ’s presence with us and can be reunited with Jesus as his parents ultimately were.

A Place Prepared

May 14, 2023

Garry spoke this morning on a ‘Place Prepared’, from Genesis 46:1-7. Jacob and his family returned to Egypt to be with Joseph. God promised to make Jacob a great nation there (Gen 46:3), but this was a promise not really fulfilled in his lifetime. Instead, it was not until 215 years later that we see just how numerous the nation of Israel had become in Egypt (see Ex 1:8-10).
Heb 11:13-16 reminds us that the Old Testament heroes, including Jacob, were still living by faith when they died. They did not see the life we now live; our spiritual vision needs to be enlarged always. Heb 12:1-3 reminds us that to run the race of faith, we need perseverance, endurance, a resolute continuance. We need to trust in the promises of God (2 Cor 1:20).
Jacob sent Judah ahead of them: praise and thanksgiving as the forerunner, as his name reminds us. God wants us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Ps 100:4). In many ways, Jacob’s gesture was one of faith. Jesus Himself was descended from Judah (Rev 5:5); the promises given to Jacob may have taken a long time to fulfil, but God was faithful to His promises.
God has promised great things to us as well. We need the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened (Eph 1:17-18); we need to see God better and understand that He will deliver in abundance.

Sponsored Toddle

May 14, 2023

We are blessed with a great Parent & Toddler group at GPCC which meets twice weekly in term-time on Wednesdays and Fridays (9-11 a.m.) Last year, we had our first summer outing to Gulliver’s Valley, and this year we are aiming to go to Flamingo Land on 28th July.

The cost of tickets for children aged 4 or above is very high and so we have been fund-raising for some time (and have currently raised £1,147 towards the cost of the trip through coffee mornings, an Easter raffle and a sponsored walk done by Beverley Wassell to Barnsley!) Yesterday, a number of parents, grandparents and children walked from Goldthorpe Park on Doncaster Road to Barnburgh Park in Barnburgh on a ‘Sponsored Toddle’ to raise money for the trip.

Once at the park, they had a good time playing!

Even the adults joined in the fun!

They all got certificates and medals for taking part.

Some of them had a picnic as a reward for all that walking.

Our thanks to Hayley who organised the Sponsored Toddle and to Bev for buying medals for the children. Thanks to all who took part and to all who have sponsored the toddlers. Please note that all sponsor monies need to be handed in by Friday 26th May at the latest so that we can bank money and pay for the Flamingo Land tickets.

Singing A Song

May 12, 2023

Revelation is a book with many songs of praise to God for who He is and what He has done. Rev 15:2-4 has another such song (this time accompanied by harps) called ‘the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb.’

The songs associated with Moses (Exodus 15 & Deuteronomy 32) focus on God’s power in delivering His people from Egyptian slavery and His faithfulness to His people. The song of the Lamb focuses on what Jesus has accomplished for us through His sacrificial death (Rev 5:9-10). Both songs acknowledge who God is (the Rock, the Lord) and this song does too, acknowledging God as ‘King of the nations’, ‘Lord God Almighty’ and the One who is holy before pondering how His deeds are great and marvellous, His ways are just and true and His righteous acts have now been revealed.

All our songs of praise should reflect this dual emphasis on who God is and what He has done, because we are so prone to forget these truths. This is the yardstick for what we sing in our services and what we sing in our personal praise times with the Lord. It matters what we sing; it matters that we sing truth. There is a place for our ‘response’ in songs, but we can only respond rightly when we know who God is and what He has done for us.