Yesterday was the Parent & Toddler Christmas Party, a much anticipated event (by parents more than the toddlers, I suspect!)

Getting ready:

Firstcomers, our parents who no longer have toddlers, but who still support us:

Generations of families… The group was started when Diane’s children were toddlers, and now her eldest daughter is bringing her own daughter to the group, with her son’s son also attending. Dave and Joan (Diane’s parents) have also supported the group since it started all those years ago!

Our newest addition to the Parent & Toddler family was born just a few weeks ago!

Having fun with the festive food:

Playing:

When the toddlers are too young to unwrap parcels, we play ‘Pass the Pug’ instead!

Then there was an important visitor with presents for all:

All in all, a great time – we re-pen on Friday 6th January 2017, so please do come along with your babies and toddlers and help them to get to know other children as well as have a chance to connect with other parents. At 50p a session, with drinks and snacks provided for parents and toddlers, it’s a bargain and a fun place to be!

In Yorkshire there is a saying ‘strength goes in at t’mouth.’  The Bible says ‘those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.’ (Is 40:31) Today is a busy day with the Parent & Toddler party this morning (9-11 a.m.) and the Christmas Market/ community carol service this afternoon (4-8 p.m. with the carol service at 6 p.m.) As we wait on God and hope in Him, He will renew our strength so that we soar on wings like eagles, run without faltering and walk without getting faint.

Please pray for our Christian witness at this event. We pray God will open our lips and fill our mouths (see Ps 51:15, Eph 6:19), giving us words of boldness and courage to ‘fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel’ so that others may hear of the love of God for them.

For us, the Christmas Market and community carol service are not ultimately about raising money for the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal (though we long to do that so we can help those who are struggling financially and who need a visible reminder of God’s love for them) or about being known in our local community (though we want to be God’s representatives in the community in our local area.) For us,the Christians from all local churches, this is an opportunity to declare God’s praise and testify to His goodness to us and to tell people that Christmas is about Christ: how God, in the fulness of time, sent His only Son to become human so that He could live sinlessly, reveal God’s heart of love to all humanity and offer Himself as a sinless sacrifice for our sins so that we could have the opportunity to become children of God. Christmas is about so much more than Santa Claus, mince pies, chocolate logs, carol singing and twinkling lights. Christmas is about Jesus, ‘God with us’, coming to rescue and restore us. There will be much fun and laughter today, but in it all, hope in God and renew your strength, for Christmas reminds us we’re not alone and don’t have to walk this journey on our own.

After months of preparation, the Christmas Market is almost here!

Behind the scenes, there is a lot of work going on in Goldthorpe, as the Goldthorpe Development Team work tirelessly to make the event a success. Stallholders are busy getting ready – from church, Turner New Leaf will be selling homemade chutneys and apple sauce on the market and Pom Pom Heaven will be selling blankets for prams, doll’s prams and car seats.

All the local churches have been working for months, making items to sell on the craft stalls, preparing goody bags to give out to everyone and getting involved in organising raffles, tombolas and a range of other activities. We are all really looking forward to this community event, especially the community carol service at 6 p.m. in the church car park. Come along to sing of the reason we celebrate Christmas – Christ the Lord, our Saviour, come to earth as a baby, showing us God’s love for us!

Inside the church, all proceeds made from the event will be given to the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal which helps local families in need have Christmas food and presents.

Come along to the church (opposite the market) between 4 and 8 p.m. and enjoy hot drinks… homemade baking… the opportunity to have your Christmas presents wrapped for you… the chance to buy craft items… raffles, tombolas, competitions, activities and lots more!

[Please note there will be no parking available on Market Street or in the church car park. Parking is available on side streets and in the car park behind the library on Doncaster Road.]

To whet one’s appetite means to arouse, heighten or sharpen it, the spelling coming from the Old Saxon word ‘hwat’ meaning ‘sharp’. To whet means to sharpen or to make more acute, and thus appetites are whetted (sharpened) by tasty morsels or glimpses of desirable things.

Here are some photos, therefore, of some of the homemade baking available to eat tomorrow!

Apple sponge cakes with buttercream/ apple topping:

Chocolate fudge cake with snowflake decorations:

Chocolate cake:

Lemon drizzle cake:

Black Forest buns with cherries, topped with fresh cream and a cherry:

Apple pie snowflakes & mince pie snowflakes:

This is just a selection of the food available at the Christmas Market, which runs from 4-8 p.m. on Friday 9th December. Come along for a great afternoon of Christmas bargains on the market and then visit the church hall for hot drinks (tea, coffee, deluxe hot chocolate with whipped cream and flake or marshmallows or homemade tomato soup if you prefer savouries) and a chance to win raffle prizes and buy craft items prepared by different churches. Knitted items, tree decorations, jewellery boxes and all kinds of craft things to buy, plus activities to keep you occupied!

Inside the hall you can:

• take out your frustration by hitting the donkey piñata and win sweets
• win some lovely prizes through the tombola stall or other competitions
• win prizes for children in different games
• have a go at the raffle (prizes include a food hamper, beauty sets, vouchers from different local shops/ market stalls and a home-knitted scarf)

There will also be the opportunity to join in the ‘Churches Together’ community carol service at 6 p.m. when we’ll be singing carols in the church car park and you’ll get a free goody bag when you arrive, so please do come along for a great afternoon/ evening out!

This is a busy week for our church, but we are so grateful for the opportunities we have to take part in the Goldthorpe Christmas Market and to be involved in reaching out to our local community, as well as enjoying our Parent & Toddler Christmas Party on Friday morning.

Thank you to all who help with the Parent & Toddler group and to the parents and friends who support it so enthusiastically.

Thank you to all who have worked hard on preparing goods to sell on the craft stall or who have donated time and money to this event (buying raffle tickets, donating raffle and tombola prizes, helping to set up and prepare for the event, preparing goody bags, baking cakes and so on.) Your generosity and kindness are much appreciated.

Thank you to all who will support the event by giving your time and energy to help on the day or who will turn up to buy! Thank you also to all who are praying, even if they are unable to attend. We believe that this is far more than an ‘event’, but is an opportunity to show God’s love and kindness in practical ways. Please pray for good weather, health and safety for all involved and a fantastic time of witness and fun!

The Goldthorpe Christmas Market will run from 4-8 p.m. on Friday 9th December. Please note there will be no parking available in the church car park or on Market Street that day. Alternative car parking is behind the library off the main road.

A few weeks ago I preached on ‘Stir Up Sunday’, the last Sunday before Advent, so called because of the prayer said in Anglican services on that day: “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Today I was reading the book of Haggai, where God moves His people to rebuild the temple and the theme of stirring was there as well. ‘So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, ¹⁵ on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.‘ (Haggai 1:14-15)

So often, we need God to stir our hearts and spirits into action. Apathy, indifference, busyness, fear, hurt… all these things can conspire to keep us inert and inactive. But when God stirs our hearts and spirits, we are spurred into action. As we prepare for the Christmas market outreach this week, may our hearts be stirred by God to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.