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Sermon Theme
'Called out into His
world ' - Matthew 25: 31-46
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What did Jesus mean by "proclaiming good news to the
poor"?
What evidence will Jesus find in your life that indeed "the Spirit of the Lord is on me"? What are you most afraid of when Jesus comes as Judge? |
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Welcome to the St Mark's Blog
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Home Group Notes from Sunday 29th January 2012
Sermon from Sunday 29th January 2012
The sermon from Sunday 29th January 2012 is now available for download here
Morning
The third in our series on discipleship
Called out into His world
Henrietta Blythe from Tearfund
Matthew 25: 31-46
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Friday, 27 January 2012
CSW’s new CRY FREEDOM campaign
Christian Solidarity Worldwide has launched it's new campaign - Cry Freedom
Cry Freedom is a call for change in North Korea, Burma, China, Cuba, Iran and Eritrea.
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Home Group Notes for Sunday 22nd January 2012
Sermon theme: Called
into God's family - John 17: 6-19
In John 17
Jesus prays for His disciple and He prays for us.
1. In verse 19 He says, “For them I
sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
What does it mean to be sanctified for us today? Is this what it means to be in the world but not of the world?
What does it mean to be sanctified for us today? Is this what it means to be in the world but not of the world?
2. Jesus prays that we may be one just
as He and the Father are one.
In verse 23 he prays that we may be one so that the world will know that the Father has sent Him.
What can we do as members of St Mark’s, in the church in Saltney and in Chester or even further a field to demonstrate to the world that we are united?
In verse 23 he prays that we may be one so that the world will know that the Father has sent Him.
What can we do as members of St Mark’s, in the church in Saltney and in Chester or even further a field to demonstrate to the world that we are united?
We are
called into God’s family. As his children what are we doing to help other
people become adopted into the family just like us? Can we be disciples who
make disciples? What strategies can we employ as individuals and as a church to
make it a reality?
Sermons from Sunday 22nd January 2012
The sermons from Sunday 22nd January 2012 are now available for download here
Morning
The second in our new series on discipleship
Called into God's family
John 17:6-19
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Evening
The third in our new series on 1 Peter
Living in the world but not of the World
Be Holy as God is Holy
1 Peter 1: 13-21
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Tuesday, 17 January 2012
A day of teaching and training on Prayer Ministry
When is it?
- Saturday 4th February 2012 starting at 10am and finishing at 4pm, with a lunch break from 1 - 2pm
- Please bring your own packed lunch - tea and coffee will be provided throughout the day
Who's it for?- The St Mark's Prayer Ministry Team
- Anyone at St Mark's interested in joining the team
- Anyone at St Mark's who is not sure what Prayer Ministry is all about, and is interested to learn more about it, and why we offer it.
Hennie would like to encourage all those already on the Prayer Ministry Team to attend; as well
as anyone else who would like to learn a little bit more about this particular ministry. She would love as many people in the church as possible to attend. If child care is a reason for not being able to attend, please let her know, and we will see what provision can be made.
If there is a positive response to the day then we would be very happy to arrange a further Saturday morning going a little deeper & wider into this particular ministry.
Please sign up on the list in the Link if you wish to attend or email the office.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Discipleship books
Here are the 3 books on discipleship recommended by Hennie to help us get the most out of our morning sermon series.
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The Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
One of the most important theologians of the twentieth century
illuminates the relationship between ourselves and the teachings of Jesus
What
can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today
to the businessman, the soldier, the laborer, or the aristocrat? What did
Jesus mean to say to us? What is his will for us today?
The Cost of Discipleship is a compelling statement of the
demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and
thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by
the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative
sense of civic duty.
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Discipleship – David Watson
'Christians in the West', claims the late David Watson, 'have largely
neglected what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The vast majority of
western Christians are church-members, pew-filler, hymn-singers,
sermon-tasters, Bible-readers, even born-again believers or Spirit-filled
charismatics, but not true disciples of Jesus.'
'The call to discipleship is a call to God’s promised glory. This is not a day in which to play religious games. Time is running out fast.' |
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The Radical Disciple – John Stott
So many of us avoid radical discipleship by being selective, choosing
rather those areas in which commitment is appealing, and steering well clear
of areas where it will be costly.
But because Jesus is Lord, we have no liberty to pick and
choose.
The late John Stott looks at eight characteristics of
Christian discipleship, which are commonly neglected yet deserve to be taken
seriously.
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Sunday, 15 January 2012
Home Group Notes for Sunday 15th January 2012
Sermon Theme: 'Called to Discipleship' - Luke 5: 1- 11
1) Discipleship is costly - Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, 'When Christ calls a person, he tells them to come and die'. Discuss in your group what you think this means for personal discipleship, and for the Body of Christ at St. Mark's and the Lighthouse?
2) Discipleship is risky - Have you taken the greatest risk of all and allowed Jesus into your boat of life, or are there still areas of your life that your prefer Jesus not to get involved in? What risks might He be asking us to take as His Body?
3) Discipleship can be overwhelming & frightening - Do we trust Jesus, when he says, 'don't be afraid'? And do we find it overwhelming that Jesus wants to be the centre of our lives, wants us to partnership with Him in His ministry, and that He has a Vision for our lives, the church, and the world that we could never dream of?
Sermons from Sunday 15th January 2012
The sermons from Sunday 15th January 2012 are now available for download here
Morning
Morning Worship with Communion
The first in our new series on discipleship
Called to Discipleship - Luke 5:1-11
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Evening
The second in our new series on 1 Peter.
Living in the world but not of the World
New Birth into a Living Hope
1Peter 1:3-12
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Saturday, 14 January 2012
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Baby and Toddler Group New Year Programme
ST.MARKS BABIES AND TODDLERS
WEDNESDAYS 1PM – 2.45PM
NEW YEAR
11th
January
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Play
Doh
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18th
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Colouring
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25th
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Play
Doh
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1st
February
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Make
a Clock
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8th
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Painting
(please wear old clothes or bring an apron) |
HALF
TERM
You can download a printable version here
St. Marks Church Hall
Office Tel. 01244 675372
TWITTER @stmarkssaltney
FACEBOOK St. Mark’s Saltney
Monday, 9 January 2012
Hennie's monthly Blog for January 2012!
Dear All,
A New Year as I write my January 2012 Blog. Not feeling nearly as cold as when I wrote December's, but perhaps that is because people felt sorry for me and kindly gave me bed socks and hand/arm warmers to help alleviate the coldness of the Vicarage! Thank you - much appreciated. And no Chanty is not asleep, warm & snuggled up on my bed as I write, but rather she has taken at this time of night to take her place in the sitting room - ready, I presume for the 10 o'clock news!
May 2012 be a very blessed and exciting New Year for you all - exciting in what God has planned for us, both as disciples of Christ, and as a Body of Christ, and blessed with the grace and peace of God which he gives to us in abundance (1 Peter 1:2).
As I look back on the month of December, and my first Advent and Christmas seasons here in Lache & Saltney, there is so much to give thanks to God for from the Christmas Event in Saltney, and Saltney Social Club on the 1st December right through to Christmas Day. I want to give thanks to God, and to all those who were involved in the Christingle Service, Civic Service (a great service welcoming the local community), Nativity Service (friends from London said it was the best they had ever been to - great praise rightly given to the puppeteers), Carol Service, Crib Service, Midnight Service of Holy Communion, and, of course, Christmas Day Service. All who came were greatly blessed, and I have received such encouraging feedback from those attending, whether regular members of the congregation, visitors, and even a few returning back to the fold!
I was also personally blessed, as I hope and pray were others, as we went out into the Parish as Churches Together with the live Nativity Float starting from Asda in Saltney, up the High Street, and into Lache, singing Carols, offering mince pies, children's sweety bags, and the meaning of Christmas with invitations to all the services being offered by all the different churches in Lache and Saltney over the Advent and Christmas Season.
It was a very memorable and moving evening as I met the family of Calum standing on the street as the float went by, a two year old boy whose funeral I had conducted earlier in the year & who had died of meningitis very suddenly. As the float went by his nan, who had brought him up, just said, 'Calum would have loved this' - a scene depicting the truth of Christmas. We had no words, but I could hug her, and weep with her, as I know Jesus would have done. God Incarnate - Immanuel - God with Us.
Other Christmas events that touched me were attending Wood Memorial Primary School's Nativity at the school, and Saltney Ferry Primary School Christmas Carol Service which they had, for the first time, at St. Mark's. It was so encouraging to see the true Christmas message being enacted, and told through scripture and song. I do believe God is on the move, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Please pray with me, that as Narnia, the icy, snow covered land in C.S. Lewis', 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, began to melt spiritually from hard to warm towards God, so it does here in our parish of Lache-cum- Saltney.
Another blessing for me was to be able to tell the Christmas story to the Mums and Toddlers Group, using my knitted woollen Nativity which had been given to me as a gift from my last parish, and then to see many of the parents and children at the Crib Service, where we used the same knitted Nativity set - Praise God!
Lastly, looking back on December 2012, I cannot not mention the final monthly community lunch which Joan Williams has been cooking for years, with a brilliant supportive team - it ended with a scrumptious Christmas Feast on Thursday 15th December. Thank you Joan, thank you to all who have assisted her over the years, and we pray that God will lead us on into new areas and places of welcome and hospitality.
So having looked back to December and given thanks to God, we look forward into the this new year of 2012. I am excited as to what God has in store for us as we continue to seek His Vision and Mission for St. Mark's and the Lighthouse, and I pray that as a church, having had the opportunity to reflect on, and pray over, the draft Vision Statement, we will be in a position to own, and move forward with this Vision following our APCM this year.
I also hope and pray that our Spring Sermon series in the morning, looking at what it means to be called by Christ to follow Him - 'A Call to Discipleship'; and our evening series looking at the letter of 1 Peter - 'Living in the world but not the world', will help us to grow in our discipleship, and equip us to go out and be Christ to others, having the courage to share all that God has given us with others.
I leave you with the words that I left with the 6.30 service last night, and you can hear it on the website!
'The Blessing of knowing the Lord far outweighs anything the world can do to us, or give us'.
The question for us is this: 'Is that enough or do you want something more? Is Jesus enough for you, even if that makes you a stranger in the world? Is being in God's family enough for you or do you want something more? I do. I want all people to know that the blessing of knowing the Lord far outweighs anything else that the world can do to them, or give them - and they are only going to know that if I tell them. At the beginning of 2012 we need to stand fast, stand firm, and stand strong for Jesus, and we are being called to go out and share God's grace and peace abundantly with others. Will you join me?
Love and prayers as we enter this New Year, and may God Bless you all mightily as we share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Hennie (the Revd)
A New Year as I write my January 2012 Blog. Not feeling nearly as cold as when I wrote December's, but perhaps that is because people felt sorry for me and kindly gave me bed socks and hand/arm warmers to help alleviate the coldness of the Vicarage! Thank you - much appreciated. And no Chanty is not asleep, warm & snuggled up on my bed as I write, but rather she has taken at this time of night to take her place in the sitting room - ready, I presume for the 10 o'clock news!
May 2012 be a very blessed and exciting New Year for you all - exciting in what God has planned for us, both as disciples of Christ, and as a Body of Christ, and blessed with the grace and peace of God which he gives to us in abundance (1 Peter 1:2).
As I look back on the month of December, and my first Advent and Christmas seasons here in Lache & Saltney, there is so much to give thanks to God for from the Christmas Event in Saltney, and Saltney Social Club on the 1st December right through to Christmas Day. I want to give thanks to God, and to all those who were involved in the Christingle Service, Civic Service (a great service welcoming the local community), Nativity Service (friends from London said it was the best they had ever been to - great praise rightly given to the puppeteers), Carol Service, Crib Service, Midnight Service of Holy Communion, and, of course, Christmas Day Service. All who came were greatly blessed, and I have received such encouraging feedback from those attending, whether regular members of the congregation, visitors, and even a few returning back to the fold!
I was also personally blessed, as I hope and pray were others, as we went out into the Parish as Churches Together with the live Nativity Float starting from Asda in Saltney, up the High Street, and into Lache, singing Carols, offering mince pies, children's sweety bags, and the meaning of Christmas with invitations to all the services being offered by all the different churches in Lache and Saltney over the Advent and Christmas Season.
It was a very memorable and moving evening as I met the family of Calum standing on the street as the float went by, a two year old boy whose funeral I had conducted earlier in the year & who had died of meningitis very suddenly. As the float went by his nan, who had brought him up, just said, 'Calum would have loved this' - a scene depicting the truth of Christmas. We had no words, but I could hug her, and weep with her, as I know Jesus would have done. God Incarnate - Immanuel - God with Us.
Other Christmas events that touched me were attending Wood Memorial Primary School's Nativity at the school, and Saltney Ferry Primary School Christmas Carol Service which they had, for the first time, at St. Mark's. It was so encouraging to see the true Christmas message being enacted, and told through scripture and song. I do believe God is on the move, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Please pray with me, that as Narnia, the icy, snow covered land in C.S. Lewis', 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, began to melt spiritually from hard to warm towards God, so it does here in our parish of Lache-cum- Saltney.
Another blessing for me was to be able to tell the Christmas story to the Mums and Toddlers Group, using my knitted woollen Nativity which had been given to me as a gift from my last parish, and then to see many of the parents and children at the Crib Service, where we used the same knitted Nativity set - Praise God!
Lastly, looking back on December 2012, I cannot not mention the final monthly community lunch which Joan Williams has been cooking for years, with a brilliant supportive team - it ended with a scrumptious Christmas Feast on Thursday 15th December. Thank you Joan, thank you to all who have assisted her over the years, and we pray that God will lead us on into new areas and places of welcome and hospitality.
So having looked back to December and given thanks to God, we look forward into the this new year of 2012. I am excited as to what God has in store for us as we continue to seek His Vision and Mission for St. Mark's and the Lighthouse, and I pray that as a church, having had the opportunity to reflect on, and pray over, the draft Vision Statement, we will be in a position to own, and move forward with this Vision following our APCM this year.
I also hope and pray that our Spring Sermon series in the morning, looking at what it means to be called by Christ to follow Him - 'A Call to Discipleship'; and our evening series looking at the letter of 1 Peter - 'Living in the world but not the world', will help us to grow in our discipleship, and equip us to go out and be Christ to others, having the courage to share all that God has given us with others.
I leave you with the words that I left with the 6.30 service last night, and you can hear it on the website!
'The Blessing of knowing the Lord far outweighs anything the world can do to us, or give us'.
The question for us is this: 'Is that enough or do you want something more? Is Jesus enough for you, even if that makes you a stranger in the world? Is being in God's family enough for you or do you want something more? I do. I want all people to know that the blessing of knowing the Lord far outweighs anything else that the world can do to them, or give them - and they are only going to know that if I tell them. At the beginning of 2012 we need to stand fast, stand firm, and stand strong for Jesus, and we are being called to go out and share God's grace and peace abundantly with others. Will you join me?
Love and prayers as we enter this New Year, and may God Bless you all mightily as we share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Hennie (the Revd)
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Sermons from Sunday 8th January 2012
The sermons from Sunday 8th January 2012 are now available
for download here
Morning:
"The Baptism of Christ"
Mark 1:4-11
Rev Hennie Johnston
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Evening:
The first in our new series on 1 Peter
Living in the world but not of the world
"Strangers in the world"
1 Peter 1:1-2
Rev Hennie Johnston
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Home Group Notes for Sunday 8th January 2012
Sermon Theme: The Baptism of Christ - Mark 1: 4-11
Thinking about Jesus' arrival on earth and at the River Jordan
Thinking about Jesus' Baptism
Thinking about Jesus being God's precious child - Son
A, B, C
In your Home Groups take some time thinking about your own
A = Arrival,
B = Baptism
C = being a child of God
'A' - We all arrived here. We give thanks for the journey of life that brought us to worship here this morning, and the things that God has done in the past (discuss what He has done in the past)
'B' - We have been here to remember Jesus' baptism, our own, and have had the privilege of seeing the baptism of James and Henry. We give thanks for being able to be in God's presence, and for the work the Holy Spirit has done, is doing, and will do within us (discuss what the Holy Spirit has done, is doing, and will do within us, personally and corporately as a church)
'C' - We continue from here recognising once again that we are his precious chosen children, and we give thanks for all the things we will be doing this coming year, as we help to grow his Kingdom here in this parish, and further afield (discuss how it feels to be a chosen child of God, and what part can we play to grow God's Kingdom in this parish, and where we find ourselves during the week)
Friday, 6 January 2012
Services for Sunday 8th January 2012
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Morning:
All Age Service with baptisms
The baptism of Christ
Mark 1:4-11
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Evening
The first in our new series on 1 Peter.
Living in the world but not of the World
Strangers in the world
1Peter 1:1-2
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