On Thursday November 15th, the nation waited impatiently for a much-anticipated event. I’m not referring of course to the proposed deal on Brexit, but to the release of the John Lewis advert. For those of you who may not have seen the advert, it recalls the memories of the singer Elton John as he achieves musical success. The advert ends with the moment his career began when, as a little boy, he received his grandmother’s piano for his Christmas present. The strapline of the advert is ‘Some gifts are more than just a gift’.

Watching the advert with Mark, my husband, Mark recalled the first time, aged five, that he played a piano. Mark’s early musical talent was nurtured by Mrs Walmesley, a wonderful lady, suffering with Parkinsons, who, as the illness progressed, deferred to asking her husband Mr Walmesley to demonstrate certain techniques when the disease prevented her from doing so herself. But her gift of music was more than just a gift to Mark. His love of the piano enables Mark to serve God, through worship, in a very special and individual way. And I’m sure our organists Carole, Roy and Tom would each be able to share their love of music and the piano with us.

At Christmas we celebrate a gift that is so much more than a gift. Isaiah 9:6 -7 says ‘For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’.

This year we have remembered the cessation of World War 1 in 1918, but 2018 has been far from peaceful for many people. Sadly we have seen an increase in knife crime. The numbers of people finding themselves without a home and employment has risen too, and I know many of you have found your peace disrupted through illness or the loss of loved ones. And yet amidst this, God gives us the assurance of his love and his peace. When we remember the child in the manger, we remember too the man who he became, the man who showed us how to bring hope, love, justice, peace and joy into our world.

And so, on behalf of myself, Mark, Rebecca, Alasdair, Chris, Ellie, Connor, Leana and Ezekiel, may we wish you all every Christmas blessing and may we continue to be thankful for the gift of the Christ Child,

Sue

I wonder what kind of stories you like to read? I admit to being someone who likes to unwind with a story involving laughter, romance and a happy ending! I have to confess also to being someone who gets caught up in the stories of the lives of fictional soap opera characters – much to Mark’s dismay! But I wonder how many of you have had the opportunity to share your life story with other people? Wearing a clerical collar when I’m out and about, nipping into supermarkets, petrol stations etc, is always an interesting experience. I tend to find that when people realise I’m a Minister they either want to share their story with me or run away from me as quickly as possible! But of course we all have a story to tell.

For the connexional year 2019/2020, 3Generate, our Methodist  Children and Youth Assembly, are asking us to engage in a ‘Year of Testimony’, but we are encouraged to begin this process now; to take opportunities to share our faith stories with one another, to share what Jesus means to us in our day to day living. Through our stories and sharing of experiences we can encourage one another in our faith. People often thank me for visiting them and listening to them, but believe me when I say that Iam the one who is truly blessed to have the opportunity to sit with people and listen to their stories and their faith. It is always an honour and a privilege to hear of how God is at work in the lives of other people, to share stories that testify to the awesome love he has for us. And so, over the coming months I hope we will be encouraged to talk to and listen to one another, and to continue to support and care for one another, through happy times and sad, as we journey together in faith.

Every blessing,

​Sue

On Sunday May 6th we held my Testimony service. Following a delicious tea I was thrilled to celebrate the occasion in a full Church. The singing was awesome and we were blessed to have our musicians and choir. It was also lovely to have prayers led by our young people. For me personally, it gave me the opportunity to reflect upon my training to date.

Six years ago, as I attended two days of interviews by the Connexional Candidates Committee, I took with me the verse John 15; 12 ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you’. My journey since then has had its fair share of ups and downs, U turns, no entry and full speed ahead moments. And of course challenges, surprises and blessings. The challenge and exhaustion of juggling a teaching position, whilst studying for a degree at college in Birmingham and still trying to be a good Mum, wife and in the latter stages, Grandma. The challenge and headache of being required to read hundreds of books and write 6,000 word essays thirty years after I left formal education. The challenge of placements in hospitals, soup kitchens, dementia units, hostels and a Church that disagree strongly with the ordination of women. The challenge of going before various committees and receiving reports written about me, and the surprise, relief and sheer joy of being told on March 6th that I am deemed ready to be ordained. And amongst this has been the unbelievable blessing of being given shared pastoral responsibility for our Church here in Ormskirk.

Since arriving at Emmanuel I have had so many wonderful experiences. I remain truly humbled that people allow me to journey alongside them at the most liminal moments of their lives: the death of a loved one, the baptism of their child, their union in marriage.  I’ve learnt how to play bananagrams whilst on the wayward wanderers walking weekends, got far too competitive in the quiz on the Church weekend, peeled potatoes on the Boys Brigade camp and competed in team races, also involving potatoes, with the Girls Brigade. I‘ve got Messy at Messy Church and sung carols with the Sunday School and the choir, played the ukulele with the women’s fellowship and eaten delicious home-made cakes with the Guild… so many activities too numerous to mention. But of course amongst all this activity, I have prayed with people, read and studied scripture and presided at the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

As a Minister I have the privilege and responsibility of seeking to discern God’s will for the Church and how we can seek to serve the wider community. I go into our schools to assist with the nurturing and developing of the spiritual lives of our young people. I have the opportunity to work with my ecumenical partners as we seek to make Christ real in the lives of the people of Ormskirk and I have just been asked to support the students and staff of the diverse community at Edge Hill University. But together, as a Church community, we have the privilege and responsibility of being part of a corporate journey with Christ as we seek to understand what Jesus really meant, in very practical terms, when he said ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you’.

And so, I would like to say a huge heart-felt thank you to all those of you who have been and will continue to be a part of my journey in ministry. On July 1st as I kneel for ordination, I will feel the joy in my heart of knowing that you continue to pray for me as I continue to pray for you. We journey together as a people called to love one another as Christ loves us. May God continue to bless us all and everything we do in his name.

Thank you.

​Sue

Dear Friends,

We have a family tradition that all newborn babies receive the gift of a teddy bear for their first Christmas. I still have my teddy bear and although he has stitches in his paw, he continues to be a faithful companion in his pride of place on my bedroom windowsill. The teddy bear was seemingly named in honour of President Theodore Roosevelt, after he refused to shoot a young bear cub that had been captured during a hunting trip in November 1902. This act of compassion led to the manufacture of one of the world’s favourite toys.

At Emmanuel, we have been entrusted with the care of a very special, rather huge teddy bear, which has come to live amongst our community for a short time. And what a wonderful time he is having with visits to the swimming baths, the fire station, and choir rehearsals and has even had his very own coffee morning. We are using Rev. Bear of course as a means to raise money for this year’s ‘All we can’ Harvest Appeal to support people across the world living with poverty and injustice. Look out for photos of Rev Bear’s adventures in our Christmas edition!

Last March, as part of our Mothering Sunday service, I showed an extract from the film ‘Paddington’. Paddington as we all know was a bear who arrived at Paddington Station bearing a label around his neck saying simply; ‘Please look after this bear, thank you’. And so the Brown Family and their housekeeper and various other characters that Paddington meets along the way, welcome Paddington, a stranger, into their home. They clothe him and feed him and help him to find his way in the world, and they do this with love.

In Matthew 25:35 Jesus says to us, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me’. As we continue to have fun and fellowship welcoming Rev Bear into our community in Ormskirk, may we too remember the words of Jesus who preached a message of love and compassion for all people.  And thank you everyone for welcoming Rev Bear into your hearts and your homes. A little bit of madness is good for us all!

Every blessing

Sue

July has arrived already and our thoughts, certainly for our young people, will turn to the holidays. Mark and I are very excited to be attending our first Boys Brigade camp in Wales!  But even if you are not going away, it is good at this time of year to consider a period of rest and reflection.  By and large, as a society we do not readily value rest and reflection.  Despite the fact that we now have the electronic aid of dish washers, washing machines etc. to do our domestic tasks for us, the internet to shop for us and emails to communicate with people for us, we still don’t seem to have enough hours in the day.  I admit to sometimes struggling to find the time to sit down, pray and take time out of the ‘busyness’ of life to simply reflect.

In God’s eyes rest and reflection has value, worth and purpose and this was evidenced in the life of Jesus. As Luke tells us in chapter 5:15-16,
“The news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.  But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

It’s interesting that Jesus withdrew from the crowds just when he was most in demand.  There were thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of people waiting for Jesus to heal them, to teach them, to bless them, primed, ready. The opportunity and need were great.  And yet, Jesus was nowhere to be found.  Why?  Well because Jesus understood that in order to accomplish the purpose for which God had sent Him, he had to remain spiritually strong.  And that required regular times of prayer and meditation, regular times of rest and recuperation. Likewise in Mark’s gospel 6:30-32 we read “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ’Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”

Jesus did not demand, nor desire, that his followers worked to the point of exhaustion and burn-out.  Jesus understood that they needed periods of rest in order to remain strong, just as we do.

One of the two most important functions of rest is to allow us the time to listen to God. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of daily life we don’t hear the still, small voice of God. We lose the joy and the inspiration of simply being in his presence.  I recently spent 2 days on a retreat in Harwarden.  During the stay I was actually given time to go away with the instruction to stand alone in an open space and meditate on God.  And boy did I find it hard, with my butterfly brain flitting between what was happening at home and lists of jobs to attend to.  But I also heard God speak to me in the conversations I had with friends during mealtimes, through walking in the park looking with awe and wonder at the beautiful surroundings, and through studying scripture and coming together in prayer.

Secondly, rest is important to remind us of who we are, to reaffirm our humanity as men and women made in the image of God.  God does not value us simply by the sum of what we accomplish.  We have value because God is our Father, and because in Christ we are his children.  Rest helps us to maintain our perspective on our place in the grand scheme of things. It reminds us that we are totally dependent on God. In Isaiah 30:15, we read, “This is what the Sovereign Lord , the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

So as we embark upon the holiday season, I pray that at home or away, we will have the opportunity to enjoy precious time doing nothing but appreciating the glory of God and what he has done for us. And on camp I’m going to savour the opportunity to spend precious time with our young people and their families and leaders, as we take time out for relaxation, some rest (perhaps!!), but definitely fun and fellowship in the presence of God.

May God continue to bless us all,
​
Sue

I can hardly believe that it is May already.  As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun, and Mark and I are taking such pleasure from being part of the worshipping community at Emmanuel!

May is an interesting month!  According to the web, May is apparently, somewhere in the world, the national month in which people celebrate their pets. It is also healthy vision month to remind everyone to get their eyes checked regularly and motorcycle safety month.  May also marks the end of Spring.  And don’t forget ‘Star Wars’ – May the fourth (force) be with you!
​
But of course May is a very special month for two other reasons.  Firstly it was on Wednesday, May 24, 1738, that John Wesley experienced assurance of his salvation.  Wesley wrote in his journal that at about 8:45 p.m. “while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

Then on Thursday, May 25th, we will celebrate Ascension Day. Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter, occurring 39 days after Easter Sunday and commemorates Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

What is the link between these?  Well, when John Wesley edited the Book of Common Prayer for use by Methodists, he deleted nearly all of the Anglican’s Holy Days that weren’t Sundays, except Good Friday, Christmas Day and Ascension Day.  Wesley believed that God has personally reconciled the believer to himself through the atoning life and death of Christ.  It is through faith that we receive Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King. As we celebrate the ascension of Christ we acknowledge the reality of the fullness of Christ’s reign now and in eternity.

And so, following our Easter celebrations we continue to journey in faith with Christ, our Saviour.  May we continue to have fun finding continuing renewed ways of sharing our faith, of being Christ’s disciples and moving forward as the people God wants us to be.

May God continue to bless us all

Sue