New Year’s resolutions abound at this time of year, largely because we like being in control of our lives and want to be prepared for all that may await us in the future. However, in all our planning and resolving, sometimes we leave God out. James reminds us (James 4:13-15) that all our plans, dreams and aspirations should be made with God in sight, for God has good plans for each one of us (Jer 29:11), with His purposes lasting through all generations. (Ps 33:11) What counts is the fact that He has a plan for all of creation (Rom 8:19-22) and His plan is that all things should be reconciled to Him. (Col 1:19-20)

God’s plans are intricate and He is infinitely capable not only of having a ‘general overview’ of what needs to be done, but also dealing with the tiny details, unlike an army general who has to delegate to subordinates the ‘nitty-gritty’ of war plans. Jer 1:4-5 reminds us of God’s foreknowledge; He know us and appoints us (and has dealt even with hostile rulers such as Pharaoh or Cyrus, raising them up to serve His plans.) God has a path planned for each one of His children, good works for which we were created (Eph 2:10) It’s easy for us to drift through life with no aims or purposes, but life with God should be more purposeful than this.

In the world, we see people whose lives are focussed and determined, such as the man who sold his house and everything he owned in order to be able to participate in the Dakar Rally. We, however, are striving for a crown that will last forever (1 Cor 9:25) and have been promised an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. (1 Pet 1:4) Our lives should be committed wholeheartedly to God, for God’s plans for us are perfect.

Sometimes, we fear the unknown and worry about the future, fretting over God’s plans for our lives. We may not hear ‘new directions’ every day, but can rest assured that God is able to speak to us when He wants us to turn to the left or to the right (Is 30:21), and in the meantime, should carry on walking straight ahead on the path God has set for us. At times, this involves waiting for God to speak again, and waiting is always a bitter lesson for us. God’s plan for our lives can be challenging, but we are urged not to worry about tomorrow (Matt 6:34), for God is our helper who remains faithful forever. (Ps 146:4-6) Just like the stepping stones at Bolton Abbey, we may not always see farther than the next step, but we can trust the One who holds our futures in His hands and who leads us one step at a time…

There’s always a job to be done in a building! Over the holidays, some minor changes have been made (one to the website… I’m interested to see who notices the change to the home page.) We have replaced our information cards used at the coffee mornings with plastic holders which give meeting times and Bible verses:

We have also made notice boards for the community room so that posters and notices can be displayed:

Hard though it is to believe, we’ve finally arrived at 2015! For many, today is the first day at work of the New Year when life slowly gets back to normal after the holiday festivities.

Our first family service of the year is on 4th January, looking at the theme of ‘Signposts and Directions.’ We are praying for God’s guidance throughout this month, particularly for:

• open ears and open hearts to hear God’s Spirit leading and guiding us in our everyday lives
• obedience to respond to everything God tells us to do
• God to speak into people’s lives and situations, bringing dreams to fulfilment and working all things together for good
• God’s help in listening to Him daily
• church leaders to be attentive to and responsive to God’s promptings and for all of us to work together in following God whole-heartedly
• unity and love to grow in our church and in all the other local churches

As usual, we will be holding a short service at Cherry Tree Court, Highgate on the 2nd Sunday morning of each month (starting at 10.30 a.m.) and so there is no service at Market Street on 11th January in the morning. Sunday evening services throughout January start at 6 p.m.

The first ‘Churches Together’ meeting of the year will be on Saturday 17th January at 7 p.m. at Furlong Road Methodist Church, Bolton-on-Dearne. Celebrating the week of Christian unity, this will be a great time of prayer, praise, fellowship and teaching, so do come along to that if you can.

Some of the party games devised by Mark are not quite what you’d expect, however!

The adult version of ‘Musical Chairs’ involves the men getting women to sit on their knees when the music stops and vice versa for the women’s round! These photos show the mad scramble to find a suitable adult! Herlen won the ladies’ round and Tony the men’s.

This version of ‘Pass the Parcel’ involved lots of silly hats and clothes and forfeits, one of which included singing ‘Silent Night’:

This game involved a stuffed chicken and lots of silly noises…

Other games involved silly challenges, including a ‘staring contest’ (won by Stuart):

… a space hopper race full of sibling rivalry:

… and a paper aeroplane challenge, where the mechanical engineer (Garry) was proud to beat the civil engineer (JP)!

All in all, a hugely entertaining (and exhausting!) party, with many thanks to Mark for his ingenuity and cunning!

… to Garry and Alan for their photos:

… to all who helped with the food preparation and clearing away:

… and to all of you who attended!

Some of the party games played at the New Year’s Day party were quite ordinary… men vs women in ‘Charades’, for example:

… or ‘Musical Chairs’ for children:

In this game, when the music stopped, you had to pretend to be Santa or a Christmas tree or a reindeer:

Not all the games were this straightforward, however!

The New Year’s Day party at church is a great opportunity to see the diversity of church in action. We got to celebrate with a special birthday cake:

… but as usual, there was lots of other food as well!

Everyone has the chance to catch up with friends and family:

The age range of our church is great, which makes for a lot of fun on these occasions!

After the food, there were party games…