Gary Glitter and Mike Leander wrote the song ‘I’m The Leader Of The Gang’ which rose to Number 1 in the pop charts in July 1973. It was a glam rock anthem based on a simple mid-tempo rhythm (the so-called “Glitter Stomp”) and loud chanted backing vocals such as “Hey!” and “Come on, come on!” If ever we needed reminding of the herd instinct with people (the need to belong!), this song clearly demonstrated this.

Gangs can, of course, lead us astray or become violent; they are often associated with criminal behaviour and activity. But the need to belong, to be part of something, is a very human instinct, and in some ways, the church could be described as ‘God’s Gang’. He is our leader and we are His followers. The New Testament does not really talk about lone Christians, but assumes God’s people will be part of a local gathering (the church, or ‘called-out ones’).

Paul is often seen as the great apostle, travelling all over the world, but as Luke makes clear in the book of Acts, he did not do this alone. On his first missionary journey, he was accompanied by Barnabas and John Mark; on his second, by Silas and later Timothy and Luke. In Acts 20:4, we see another list of people travelling with Paul, including Sopater, Secundus, Gaius, Aristarchus, Timothy, Tychicus and Trophimus. We know very little about these people, although their home towns reflect the success of Paul’s missionary journeys since they represent Berea, Thessalonica, Philippi, Derbe, Lystra and Ephesus, and the fact they were travelling with Paul indicates both the growth and the unity of the early church. It’s encouraging to see, as John Stott points out, that the fruits of mission had now become the agents of mission: this reflects how growth begets growth. It’s notable also that Paul was no lone ranger. He needed and valued the help and companionship of other people and frequently wrote of this. We all need to belong; we all need people. Ultimately, this is one of the ways that God helps us to grow.

In Acts 20, we see Paul engaged on further travels, and wherever he went, it seems that one of his goals was to encourage believers. He encouraged the believers in Ephesus before leaving them (Acts 20:1) and then travelled through Macedonia, ‘speaking many words of encouragement to the people.’ (Acts 20:2) We have already seen that encouragement was one of the most important ministries mentioned in Acts (see Acts 11:23, Acts 15:32, Acts 16:40) and have already commented on Barnabas’s role as a ‘son of encouragement’ (see Acts 4:36).

Encouragement is defined as the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope. Synonyms include support, help, uplifting, refreshing and consolation. The word used in Greek is ‘parakaleo’ and has a range of meaning from appeal and entreaty through exhortation and encouragement to comfort and consolation, and the related noun is the name of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Helper, Comforter and Supporter, the One who ‘comes alongside us’ to lead and guide us.

John Stott comments that ‘encouragement is a vital ministry in establishing Christian disciples and is done primarily through the word of God. Nothing encourages and strengthens the people of God like the Word of God.’ (John Stott, ‘Acts’, P 316) Paul defines encouragement as a ministry gift (see Rom 12:8) and frequently talks of the need for us to encourage each other (see 1 Thess 4:18; 1 Thess 5:11, 14; 2 Thess 2:16-17). It is interesting that he tells the Romans: ‘through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope’ (Rom 15:4), indicating that God’s word is ultimately the reliable fuel of our encouragement. God gives endurance and encouragement (Rom 15:5) and the writer to the Hebrews urges us to remember God’s words of encouragement (Heb 12:5), reminding us of the need to encourage each other daily so that we are not hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Heb 3:13)

Encouragement can come in different forms – a phone-call, text, email or visit, perhaps, or a gift or offer of practical help – but it is inevitably personal and needs to be rooted in God’s word if it is to have a lasting impact. The effects of encouragement are many. Disconsolate and disheartened people can be refreshed and uplifted; those who are feeling weary and on the point of giving up can be given fresh courage and strength. We need God’s encouragement and should remember that this is one of the chief ways we can help others. May our ‘many words of encouragement’ be the source of hope and strength for others as Paul’s were to the churches he had founded.

Normally at this time of year we would be liaising with 4FrontTheatre to bring a Nativity pantomime to our local schools and community. Sadly, we can’t have the team in person this year because of all the restrictions, but we are thrilled to be able to offer a pre-recorded performance to four local primary schools. The BRAND NEW Christmas show ‘A Very Merry Covid Cancelled Christmas‘ is a 45-minute fun filled Christmas show for all the family with the nativity at the heart of it, and Dearne Churches Together are so excited to be able to give our local schools the opportunity to watch top-quality theatre even if we can’t be there in person. We’re sad we can’t have a community performance this year, but at least our school children will have the chance to experience the magic of panto after all. Please pray for the team as they continue to seek creative new ways of reaching out to people through music and drama.

Despite all the restrictions, we are glad to still be meeting in person and there are various extra meetings in November to make a note of!

Saturday 7th November

We’ll be having our ‘Take Back The Streets’ prayer meeting/ walk on Saturday 7th November at 10 a.m., meeting at GPCC and going on to pray as we walk around Highgate this time. Join us as we seek to speak God’s blessing into our local community and to pray for the variety of needs in our area.

Wednesday 11th November

The ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting for November will be on the theme of ‘remembrance’ and we will be meeting at Furlong Road Methodist Church in Bolton-on-Dearne at 10.45 a.m. Part of this meeting will be livestreamed on Facebook on the Dearne Churches Together Facebook page.

Saturday 14th November

We’ll be meeting on Saturday 14th November at 10 a.m. in order to pack shoeboxes for the ‘Samaritan’s Purse’ Christmas appeal. If you can bring in any toys, pencils, crayons or anything else that would bless children aged 2-4, 5-9, 10-14 before that date, that would be really helpful. We will be assembling 20 shoeboxes which will then be sent via the organisation to children all over the world.

Saturday 28th November

We will be giving out goody bags to local families on this date; venues to be confirmed shortly. Ideas for local Christmas activities include:

• knitting or crocheting an angel (to be displayed in local shops and in windows of homes as a reminder of the hope angels brought at Christmas-time)

• painting an angel onto a rock and leaving in Phoenix Park to form part of an ‘angel trail’

• making a craft angel

If you do any of these crafts, please send us photos of your creations!

Despite all the local restrictions, Dearne Churches Together were thrilled to be able to connect with our local community through our ‘Light Into Our Lives’ event this week during half-term. A number of people from different churches gathered on Tuesday to pack all the bags (62 in total, plus we made a few extra just in case!) with crafts, snacks, magazines and other goodies.

Then on Wednesday we were able to give out these bags to local families at Goldthorpe and Bolton-on-Dearne:

Over 150 children have received gifts this way and we’re thrilled that some have already sent us photos of completed crafts!

We’ve heard the snacks have gone down well too!

Our thanks to all who have helped with preparations, donations and handing out bags. We will be doing a similar thing at Advent on Saturday 28th November, so if you can provide any snacks (wrapped chocolates, sweets or crisps) or small gifts, please bring them in and we will sort out a date to pack bags for this shortly.

We are very keen to bless our local community, and the half-term event and Christmas activities we are planning are ways to do this (providing gift bags of goodies for our local families.) As a church, however, we also care about children and families in other countries and support three children (Bedline in Haiti, Innocent in Uganda and Amshika in India) on a regular basis.

It’s been a very difficult year for people all throughout the world because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we are mindful that generosity and kindness are essential qualities at all time, but especially as we approach Christmas. Because of this, we are looking to prepare 20 shoeboxes for children throughout the world as part of the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Appeal.

This appeal involves filling a shoebox with different gifts for children. Suggestions are for each box to have a quality toy such as a doll, football with pump, or cuddly toy to bless a child alongside other gifts such as pencils, crayons, notebook or other toys. Bear in mind that every item must fit in a standard shoebox!

Please do not include used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; seeds; sweets, chocolate or food items;
toothpaste, lotions or liquids including bubbles; medicines; playing cards of the 4-suit variety; religious or political literature; sharp or fragile items; books with mainly words

If you can buy one such item and bring to church before 14th November, we will be packing the shoe boxes on Saturday 14th November at 10 a.m. It would be good also for people to write notes for the children and include a photo of yourself for them to be included in the shoe box. Pictures and photos of children participating in this appeal would be particularly appreciated by the children receiving the gifts.

Boxes are prepared for boys and girls within the following age ranges: 2-4, 5-9, 10-14 and we will hope to send a selection of boxes for different age groups, dependent on what you bring in.

Each box will cost £5 to post, so even if you do not give anything to go in the boxes, you could contribute by giving towards the postage of the box.