This is what (almost… there is still £20 left) £500 of shopping looks like:

Items bought include:

• 20 games
• 5 tractor toys
• 4 car sets
• 2 helicopters
• 2 pompom cheerleader sets
• 2 doctor’s kits
• 4 police sets
• 3 Sully bath washes
• 2 animal action figures
• 1 car track
• Make-up & nail polishes
• Jewellery
• Hobby horses
• Magician’s set
• Acrylic paint sets
• Top trumps games
• Connect 4 games
• Funky Monkey game
• Craft sets
• Selection boxes
• 15 can openers
• 90 toilet rolls
• 20 shampoo/ conditioner
• 10 shower gels
• Deodorants
• Bath flannels
• Bath sponges
• Sanitary items
• Washing-up items
• Baby-wipes
• Facial wipes
• Soaps
• Mouthwash
• Batteries for all the toys
• and much more…!

Today we held a carol service at Cherry Tree Court and Dave spoke about the real reason for Christmas. Nowadays, people see Christmas as a time for shopping, buying presents, drinking and eating, but Christmas is much more than this. It’s more than Santa Claus coming to town; it’s about how Jesus, Son of God, has come to earth!

The Christmas story is not just a fairy story or pantomime, but the story of how God decided to send His Son to show us how to live life and serve God and to die for our sins. John 1:12 reminds us that we can be born again and have God at the centre of our lives.

John then spoke about how ‘Christmas’ is often replaced by ‘Xmas’ these days, but X simply stands for excess. We cannot afford to take Christ out of Christmas, for this is the time when we see God’s love at the centre of our lives. This season can be extra special for us, as we celebrate who Christ is (Is 9:6), our source and life and light.

Read Psalm 119:97-104.

Life is not about what we know but about how well we live; the book of Proverbs was ‘written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going; a manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair.’ (Prov 1:2-4, The Message) Ps 119 gives us guidance in this area too, reminding us that wisdom, understanding and insight are keys to a life lived well. Wisdom and insight give us an edge in life (Ps 119:98); they are crucial equipment for success, helping us in ways that academic knowledge alone cannot (Ps 119:99).

Obedience to God’s ways is also a key ingredient to a life well-lived (Ps 119:97, 100-1). We are privileged people, for God Himself is our teacher (Ps 119:102, see also John 14:26) and His word is our daily food (likened to honey in Ps 119:103.) Those who walk in God’s ways are kept from evil and know His blessing. Just as we need to follow a recipe to bake that perfect cake, we need to follow God’s ways to live well. Advent, that waiting period for God to act, reminds us that we could not save ourselves (Ps 49:7-8); we needed God to step in and act in ways that were beyond us. As we wait, our part is simply to follow the Maker’s instructions: ‘trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.’ (John H. Sammis)

Yesterday was a truly hectic but very blessed time as the community showed its support of the Goldthorpe Christmas Market. Many have said they have never seen our community room so full and certainly it was a busy afternoon and evening.

Such events could not happen without the tireless work and unstinting support of volunteers who gladly give their time, money and effort to make such times a success. Their ideas, ingenuity in fund-raising and dedication make it a pleasure to work with them. We don’t have photos for all the people who worked behind the scenes (please don’t be offended if you’re not on here… you’re probably camera-shy or too busy to be snapped), but here are a few photos of those whose dedication made yesterday such a resounding success. We salute you and want you to know that God sees your efforts even when we don’t.

Volunteers contribute so much to our society, not only in terms of the hours they put in  or the effect they have on the economy or the difference they make to individuals. It’s very easy to be disengaged or apathetic, to feel that there are so many problems that our ‘little bit’ doesn’t make any dent into problems as a whole. But as yesterday’s efforts showed, every little bit does help and there is tremendous power in working together cheerfully and unselfishly. Lailah Gifty Atikah says “Good deeds awaken the good spirit of every soul.”

God’s people serve others out of the overflow of what they have received from God. Jesus said, ‘Freely you have received, freely give.’ (Matt 10:8) People give generously and freely out of the overflow of all God has given them and it’s a privilege to work with such people. Our prayer is that the money raised (£500!!) will help those struggling financially at this time and give them a Christmas to remember for all the right reasons. Christmas is the time when we remember how God came to us when we were desperate, how He embraced our humanity and worked to bridge the gulf that sin had created between us and God. We long to help others so that they too may know His all-encompassing love and grace. We thank everyone for their help and pray each one will know God’s abundant blessings on their lives.

One of the highlights for us as a church was being able to host a community carol service outdoors opposite the Christmas market yesterday. It was wonderful to see so many people joining in the carols and celebrating the birth of Jesus together.

Thank you to all who joined us in singing traditional (and some not-so-traditional!) carols.

To say that the Goldthorpe Christmas Market was a success is an understatement. Certainly, those inside the church building can’t comment on what was happening outside, because we were too busy inside to venture out! It was wonderful to be able to serve refreshments to so many people and we are thrilled that because of everyone’s unstinting support and help, we raised £492.35 for the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal, which benefactors rounded to £500. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Here are some glimpses into the hectic hours between 4 and 8 p.m…

A Christmas donkey piñata raised £45. Clearly, people enjoy hitting inanimate objects and winning sweets, way more than I anticipated! I am quite certain the donkey traditionally pictured on Christmas cards didn’t look like this one, but people clearly thought it was a winner!

There was the opportunity to paint Christmas pine cones for tree decorations:

There was also the opportunity to have refreshments:

… and to get involved in craft activities:

If you didn’t feel ‘crafty’ enough, you could buy things people had already made, including Christmas hats and decorations:

… or win prizes:

… or have your presents wrapped:

The thing that most people wanted, however, was the deluxe hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows or flakes!

We started out with three tubs of hot chocolate, 8 flakes, 2 packets of marshmallows and three tins of squirty cream. Several supermarket trips later (thanks, Mark and James!), we must have made hundreds of these drinks alone!