News
October
October is the time we traditionally celebrate harvest. Not many of us will be involved in gathering in the crops - but its good to take time to remember God's abundant provision to us, particularly when so many face famine & poverty. Come and join us for our barn dance & light supper - Friday 10th October, 7.30pm - or for our Family Service with harvest display - Sunday 12th October, 10.30am.
September
Before the summer we started up monthly Family Evenings - a free & easy opportunity to drop in for refreshments, games & company. There's a choice of table tennis, pool or board games for the less energetic. The next one is on September 25th & it is open to all. Along with churches all round the country we are making Back to Church Sunday on September 28th. Its has been observed that there are lots of people who used to go to church but for various reasons have got out of the habit - and many of these who love to come back - if they were invited. So we are issuing invitations to friends old & new - if you don't get one personally please drop in anyway - 10.30am, Sunday 28th September. We'd be delighted to see you.
August
The third week of August saw the church building full of children for our Holiday Club. 20 - 30 children came each day for a variety of games, crafts, dance, Bible stories & fun. Medals were awarded each day to those who had done particularly well. The children kept coming back for more - a sure sign that they really enjoyed it. Thanks to the great team who organised & ran the week! A more leisurely activity was the Church Walk. It is becoming a church tradition to head out for a walk on each Bank Holiday Monday - and this time it centred on Kenilworth. Come and join us for the next one - everyone welcome.
July
Much fun was had by all at our Christian Aid Quiz night. Modesty forbids the writer from mentioning which team was the overall winner - but the chocolates were delicious! Definitely an event to be repeated - and all in a very good cause!
June
Richard Garnett will be returning to read a finely crafted tale following the rise and fall of King Saul in the first half of 1 Samuel. After two very engaging readings, we are looking forward to hearing this former professional actor again. Do join us to hear the bible come to life on Sunday 29th June, 7pm at Yardley Wood Baptist Church.
May
May 11 – 17 was Christian Aid week. This year instead of the door-to-door collection we hosted a fete to raise money for Christian Aid’s work across the world. The bouncy castle suffered a little from the damp weather – but the other activities went down well. Chez Baptiste Café reopened for the afternoon – tea & home made cakes to the accompaniment of piano, violin & saxes – even a singer, who may or may not have been the real Frank Sinatra. In addition to the crafts, bric-à-brac, and games, there was much excitement over the visit of a team of firemen (and that wasn’t just the children!) Overall a magnificent £500 was raised. We plan to boost this with a Christian Aid Quiz night on Saturday June 14th, 7pm.
March
We had the thrill of listening to Richard Garnett read the whole of 1 Corinthians. Phil Jackman who arranged the evening reports:
"Richard asked me if he was too angry, as we debriefed on the marathon performance of the day before. The reading of 1 Corinthians at Yardley Wood Baptist Church lasted about as long as any evening concert might, with an interval in the middle, and, yes, Paul (through the voice of Richard ) did get very angry with the Corinthians at times. Yet you feel the relationship between writer and readers very deeply as you hear the words spoken out loud. This is theology at its best.
One lady only heard about it as she visited another local Baptist Church that same morning, and came all the way from Redditch. A friend from another church said now that he'd heard it, he would certainly publicise it next time among his contacts. Just like our first reading of Proverbs 1-9 and the Sermon on the Mount in November, no-one seemed particularly conscious of the passing of time, because Richard had such a gripping and engaging reading style. As a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, perhaps that's to be expected, but Richard didn't disappoint".
Watch this space to find out the exact date in June we settle on for the next one, and which book of the bible we will choose. We will be consulting other churches before making a final decision."
February
During half term we received a visit from a team of young Latvians, led by Iveta Konute who was part of the church while studying in Birmingham.
14 of them led a camp with young people from our church & elsewhere. They gave lessons in playing guitar & drums, dancing, singing, song writing, drama & speaking Latvian(!) They also taught how to follow & worship Jesus – and it turned out to be a life-changing week for many of the British teenagers. Some hope to go on a return visit to the English-speaking camps run in Latvia, & we will be seeing evidence of the skills learnt in the coming months.
January
Alpha Groups start this month – for young people on Sunday mornings during the service time & for adults on Monday evenings.
December
We will be celebrating the birth of Jesus & His coming into this world
with a series of events – Nativity service, Carol singing, Candlelight
Carol Service & a celebration on Christmas morning – see the Events
diary for details.
Several of us have had the fun of joining Birmingham City Mission in wrapping
Christmas presents for children across Birmingham, who may not otherwise receive
a lot.
November
One highlight this month was a visit by Richard Garnett who spent the evening reading to us. Richard is a trained actor & enthralled us with a reading of some of the Wisdom from the Bible – from the Book of Proverbs & the Sermon on the Mount. It really gives a fresh perspective on these passages when you hear them in this way. Richard will be returning in the New Year to read some more – look out for details & dates in the Events Calendar.
October
We held our annual deacons’ election in October. This year we say thanks you & farewell to Kathy Baldwin, Philip Edwards & John Glass – and we welcome Roger Bauckham and Graham Toomer to the team.
September
Mike & Kate Wyatt left us to move to the Forest of Dean. They were members of the church for 20 years and it was with a real mixture of emotions that we said good-bye to them. They served in so many ways – Social Action Group, Sunday School, Youth Group, Additives, as a deacon, in dance and deaf signing, in strategy & planning, and in the Support Group.
Mike & Kate were our first Community workers & job-shared that role for 4 years before handing over to Ian & Marguerite Lawrence. They were responsible for starting “Lighthouse” and building links with numerous other individuals and groups working in the local community. You cannot walk through the church building without seeing evidence of Kate’s work & influence on others – with beautiful banners & hangings everywhere.But most of all Mike & Kate have been our friends – and though this will continue – we will miss them - & we send them off to their new life with our love & deep gratitude to God for their time in Yardley Wood.
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