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OCTOBER
'06 NEWSLETTER
Rector Rev. Michelle Ferguson The Rectory, 3 Croft Road, Hurworth DL2 2HD Tel. 01325 720362 Church Website: www.allsaintshurworth.co.uk The Rector’s Letter
There is an old Church in Sunderland city centre with a striking new sign outside the front. It says simply: “House of Prayer”. At first glance I thought it was a play on the name of a well-known high street department store; replace the P by F and the Y by Z. What was the reasoning behind this unusual name board, I wondered? Has our culture become so secular that we need to have the purpose of Church buildings spelled out for us? Or, have so many ancient Church buildings been turned into Art Galleries, carpet warehouses and stylish private residences, that those surviving as places of worship must be clearly labelled to avoid confusion? Or, was someone trying to make the point that a ‘Church’ is principally a body of people and not an edifice of bricks and mortar? Whatever the reasoning, the sign made one point very clear: the Christian Church is changing and struggling to redefine its purpose in the world. The privileged social position it used to take for granted, in this country at least, is no longer secure. For many, the Church is at best a benign irrelevance, at worst a despicable conspiracy. Perhaps we do need to consider new ways of clarifying what we are about. Words can convey a lot: ‘House of Prayer’ certainly made me stop and think. How about ‘Service Station’ then, or ‘Spiritual Health Clinic’? Well, maybe not: call me old fashioned, but I think I’d like to stick with ‘Church’. It’s short, punchy and has a nice symmetry to it. Defining and communicating our message to the world is a crucial matter. But let us not waste too much energy agonizing over choice of words. For however clever our words, our lives and deeds will always carry the best part of our meaning. Now there’s a sobering thought. And after all is said and done, none of our words, or deeds, could ever match the truth contained in God’s Word made flesh. Jesus Christ: God’s living Word will never lose its relevance for our world. Yours in Christ Michelle Church Services October Sunday 1st Hurworth 10.30 am Holy Communion - Harvest Dinsdale 6.00 pm Evening Prayer - Harvest Wednesday 4th Hurworth 7.30 pm Holy Communion Church remains open until 9.00 pm Thursday 5th Girsby 7:00 pm Harvest service Sunday 8th Hurworth 8.00 am Holy Communion Girsby 9.30 am Holy Communion Hurworth 10.30 am Morning Prayer - Guest speaker: Cath Lee, CMS Link Missionary Dinsdale 11.00 am Morning Prayer Hurworth 6.00 pm Choral Evensong Wednesday 11th Hurworth 7.30 pm Holy Communion Church remains open until 9.00 pm Sunday 15th Hurworth 8.00 am Holy Communion Hurworth 9.30 am Family Service Dinsdale 11.00 am Songs of Praise Hurworth 6.00 pm Evening Prayer Tuesday 17th Hurworth 10.00 am Holy Communion Wednesday 18th Hurworth 7.30 pm Holy Communion Church remains open until 9.00 pm Sunday 22nd Hurworth 8.00 am Holy Communion Dinsdale 9.30 am Holy Communion Hurworth 10.30 am Morning Prayer Hurworth 6.00 pm Evening Prayer - combined service at the Methodist Chapel Wednesday 25th Hurworth 7.30 pm Holy Communion Church remains open until 9.00 pm Sunday 29th Note there is no 8:00 communion service today Hurworth 10.30 am Songs of Praise for Bible Sunday 
October
Prayer
Cycle
1st: Manor Road 8th: Neasham Covet, Neasham Hill, New Lane 15th: The Oval, Sanderson Road 22nd: Rockliffe Court 29th: Roundhill Road, Roundhill Close Forthcoming Events Thursday 19th October: Confirmation Service at St Columba’s Church Sunday 5th November All Saints Patronal Festival and Parish Lunch Saturday 11th November 10.00 am Autumn Fete Evening - Brass Band Concert at All Saints
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© JEKP 2004 |
