Mayfield Wesleyan Reform Church

December 2011

2012-01-11T20:50:00.003Z

The bible fellowship group met for the last time in 2011 on 6th Dec. when we continued our study of Acts. We ill resume on the third Tuesday on January.
The mens' breakfast met as usual on 12th Dec. at 9-00a.m.
The Christmas meal "Five Courses and Carols" met at 7-00p.m. on 15th. The carols were: "God rest you merry Gentlemen," "I saw three ships come sailing in", "Come they told me", "Good King Wenceslas", "Ding Dong Merrily on High" and "Still the night". These co-ordinated with the courses (See The Pastors' Return for the meal, (link above and left))
The carol service, carol singing round the valley, carol singing with the Salvation Army and Christmas morning service were all successful and we met with friends old and new.
Happy new year.

November 2011

2012-01-10T22:29:00.003Z

At the start of November, the ground had to be prepared for the bonfire, the turves were removed and stacked to one side. Then a bonfire had to be built from the materials donated by friends and members.

Food to be prepared.

And whilst the evening went on, the washing-up needs doing.

Whilst the serious business of the evening occupies the majority.

Although November is a fairly quiet month, nonetheless, we held a number of other events:

Bible fellowships,

Ladies' meeting.

The annual Christmas Fair Trade Fayre took place on Saturday 26th and was extremely successful.

October 2011 (2)

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The Thursday after the Harvest celebrations, we held a harvest meal. Entitled "Five Crops and Choruses", the format was similar to the "Five courses and Carols" event held before Christmas each year, but hymns and songs appropriate to the season were sung.

Some of the recipes were obtained from the internet. This sweet slice was called Harvest slice. The recipe stated that each slice would feed 6, so we made one per table, however, each slice would have easily fed at least 12.

During the month, there were the usual variety of events:

Bible Fellowships.

Mens' breakfast, which will continue through the winter.

Ladies' meeting.

Overseas Sunday.

Planning meeting to examine our programme for next year.

We also hosted a concert by the Jubal Gospel Choir, organised by the Sheffield and District Organists and Choirmasters Association on Saturday 15th.

At the end of the month, on Monday 31st, we held our "Festival of Light".

A variety of seasonal food was eaten.

And craft activities were available.

The visitors had a good time, and were able to avoid the more antisocial elements of the evening.

September and October 2011

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September saw a variety of activities, but unfortunately, we have no photographs from the month. These events included:

A ladies' quiet day called "Reflections"

The monthly Mens' breakfast.

A "Fanny Crosby evening" celebrating the heritage of the world's most prolific hymnwriter.

A coffee morning in support of MacMillan.

The Ladies' meeting, and bible fellowships.

The last supper club of the season.

October started with the Harvest festival coffee morning and celebration services

Part of the harvest was traditional.

But we also focussed on peoples' talents.

The food contributions were donated to St Wilfrid's project to support their work with the underprivileged.

August 2011

2012-01-10T21:02:00.003Z

Since we are trying to update the blog for a long period, here are a few pictures of what we got up to since the beginning of August. The family camp was well appreciated and popular. Some welcomed the opportunity for activities.

Others took the opportunity for reflection.

Then, of course, it all had to be cleared away.

Our august supper club coincided with the birthdays of two of our members, so we took the opportunity to celebrate.

And the bog garden was flourishing in the sun and warmth, although a little dry!

An apology:

2011-12-11T17:22:00.002Z

Unfortunately, we have experienced a few I.T. difficulties recently and we have not been able to update the blog. We hope to be able to give you the edited highlights of our activities for the last few months soon, but please bear with us as Christmas makes December rather busy.

Pet and animal service.

2011-08-09T21:32:00.002+01:00

Our annual pet and animal service was held on Sunday July 31st. A number of old friends, both human and animal turned up. We welcomed a visiting family from Japan.

Especially welcome was the fox cub from the Mill house animal sanctuary. Find out more about their work at http://animalsheltersheffield.co.uk

The bog garden continues to thrive and produce different blooms at different times of the year, although it has been a bit dry this year.

July 2011

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July started with the flower festival (see previous post). The bible fellowship met on Tuesdays 5th and 19th to continue the study of Acts. Craftastic held a needlework day on Saturday 9th which was followed by a barbecue for participants. But we had no sink (see below) so washing up had to be outside.The opportunity was taken to try out the erection of a gazebo.The mens' breakfast was held on Monday 11th.

The plan had been to instal the new floor in the kitchen this month, and then put the new units and cooker etc next month, but the contractors preferred to do the whole job this month. This meant that it was a bit of a rush, so the sink had to be removed earlier than planned.

In among the work, the Ladies' meeting was led by our pastor Susannah.

The floor was laid in the week beginning 18th July, and the units were delivered on the 21st. The fitting of the cooker and hood began on 21st. This meant that the work to fit the new sink could not begin until Tuesday. We had a supper club planned for the Thursday, but we had reached "Dinner minus 47 hours" before we could definitely say that it would go ahead. The menu was: Melon with ginger sugar, Chinese style pork with sweet and sour sauce, potatoes and broccoli, followed by mixed plums poached in grape syrup and custard. Our speakers told of the work of the St. Wilfrid's Centre in the centre of Sheffield.

Much work remains to be done in the kitchen before it can be considered complete, and then we have other projects to start in our programme.

Flower Festival 2011

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Our annual flower festival took place over the weekend of July 2nd and 3rd. Much preparation went into the event; members and friends were busy for most of the week before putting their flowers into their allocated spaces. Eventually the furniture was moved, the oasis cut and soaked, the programmes printed, and the flowers positioned. At 10-30a.m. on Saturday the doors were opened and the visitors welcomed in.
Our service on Suinday was led by Carole Parkinson, who stayed with our theme by making another flower display as part of her service. Evening worship was led by Phil Hartshorn.
The theme of the weekend was "Bible Stories" in honour of the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the bible. As an additional celebration, we put a display of different editions of the bible in the back room for people to story alongside the refreshments.
The weekend was a huge success with many visitors enjoying the displays.
More pictures are available at the website. Follow the link at the side of the page.

June 2011

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The bible fellowship met on Tuesdays 7th and 21st June, when we continued our studies of the book of Acts. We are averaging a chapter per session.
The needlework day on 11th was well attended, as was the men's breakfast on 13th.
The "Open Gate" on June 19th was on the theme; "Why Levi became Matthew. Money, but not happy. I something missing?"
The supper club was held on Thursday 23rd and we are a menu of: Tortilla chips and Tuna mayonnaise dip, pork pie salad with new potatoes, peach medley with cream followed by tea, coffee and mints. The speakers were from the Church on the Rock and spoke to us about their work as "Street Pastors" on the streets of Sheffield.
Throughout the month, much preparation work has been done for the renovations in the kitchen. There has been pipework to box in, plastering to be done, and ideas to put into practise. All this has been done with minimal disruption to our other activities.

May 2011

2011-06-01T21:14:00.002+01:00

May 3rd, and May 17th, were the evenings of our bible fellowship when we started our look at the book of Acts.

The 7th was the Needlework day and the 9th was the second Mens' breakfast. We looked at current newspapers and discussed a number of issues of current and Christian interest.

The 15th was the second "Open Gate" on a theme of "Am I good enough for God?"

26th of May was our supper club when we ate a menu of: Chilled Greek soup, Delphi chicken with roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, strawberries Romanoff and tea/coffee and mint biscuits. Philip Nuttall then entertained us with his stories of Magnificent motoring madness.

During the month the various works have started, and the new boiler and hot water system have been installed. Some preparation works for the kitchen improvements have also been done.

April and Easter

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April was another busy month. Our events started on April 2nd with a needlework day.

Monday 4th April was our first mens' breakfast, when Dave cooked us breakfast and we discussed what we would be doing at future breakfasts.

Wednesday April 6th was the date of an extraordinary church meeting.

The bible fellowship group met on 5th and 12th to continue our study of what mission is. On 19th we looked at the celebration of Passover in the Seder meal, trying to follow modern practise.

Thursday 14th April was the occasion of our "Throw out Day" when we tried to get rid of some rubbish and find places for some of the rest.

The Ladies' meeting took place on 20th April, the theme was Bonsai Trees.

Good Friday, April 22nd, we held a service at 7-30p.m. where Susannah helped us to explore the meaning of the "Stations of the Cross." Tea/Coffee and hot cross buns followed the service.

Saturday, 23rd April, St. George's Day, was a coffee morning at church when we met an interesting variety of visitors.

Easter Day was an early start for the 8-30 communion service led by our pastor, Jonathan. David and Elaine cooked breakfast for us following the service. Susannah and Jonathan then led the 10-30a.m. service.

Thursday 28th was the first supper club of the season, where we ate a meal of : Spring vegetable soup and roll, minted lamb grillsteak, potatoes, peas and broccoli, rhubarb tart and whipped crea, coffee and mints. Our speaker then addressed us on "Wheels for the world", a charity which helps recycle wheelchairs for use in developing countries.

March 2011

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More activities took place in March. Starting on the 15th of March, the Bible Fellowship met every Tuesday as we followed our Lent Studies. These are based on the story of "The Woman at the Well" and have the themes of: What is Mission? Where does Mission happen? Who does Mission? Why do we do Mission? How do we do Mission? We are basing our thoughts on the story from the bible and on the church's experiences in Ghana. Wednesday the 16th was the monthly Ladies' Fellowship. On Saturday 19th we held a coffee morning, and at the same time, there was a carwash in support of the Don District Explorer Scouts' camp in Scotland later this year.

February 2011

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February was a fairly quiet month. We started with the bible fellowship meeting on Tuesday 1st where we continued our series on the "elements" , Jonathan leading our thoughts on the theme of "Air", and its links to spirit and life. The next meeting on Tuesday 15th was on the theme of "Fire". The Ladies' Fellowship met on Wednesday 16th. Saturday 26th was a Needlework Day led by "Craftastic".

January 2011

2011-02-17T20:53:00.002Z

Happy new year!
The first service of 2011 was at 10-30a.m. on Sunday January 2nd. This was our annual Covenant Service where we renew our promises to God. The service was led by our pastor Jonathan.
Our midweek bible fellowship meetings re-started on Tuesday 4th January. We are holding a short series of studies on the elements: earth, air, fire and water. Specifically we are looking at the significance of these images in the scriptures.Brian started us off with a study on "water".
The church party on Saturday January 15th was a great success, members, friends and preachers and families met for about 2 hours. After complaints that the quizzes were too intellectual at previous parties, we had a quiz about catch phrases. The final catchphrase being: "all people need to be saved, all people can be saved, all people can know that they are saved, all people can know that they are saved to the uttermost." If you don't know who said this, the answer will be given next month!
Susannah led opur bible fellowship on Jan 18th on the theme of "Earth."
The ladies' fellowship met on Jan. 19th and was led by Susannah, our pastor. She brought a quiz, and then the members ate a "bring and share" meal.
Sunday January 23rd was one of our "Fellowship" services when members brought items to contribute to worship. Many brought contributions, and we were surprised at how well they all fitted together (perhaps we shouldn't have been, but we were!)
The church meeting was on Jan 26th, and was very productive. Details of most of the decisions taken are on the website on the "Newsletter" and "Events" pages.

December 2010

2011-01-21T20:05:00.002Z

December was something of a disappointment due to the adverse weather conditions! Several events were cancelled and several more were severely reduced in attendance.

The bible fellowship on Tuesday 7th was cancelled due to the snow. The Fair Trade Cghristmas Fayre on the 11th was cancelled because the visitor with the stuff for sale was unable to get her car out, although the coffee morning did go ahead for those who could get. A few hardy souls managed it!

The Advent Carol service on Sunday 12th was led by Rev. Alan Hindmarch.

Carol singing with the Salvation Army was a success on Wednesday 15th, but a severe frost on 16th reduced the attendance at 5 courses and carols somewhat. Nonetheless, those who made it enjoyed a meal of: Christmas trees with golden apple dip; Egg mayonnaise crown; Shepherds pie, roasted parsnips, sprouts and carrots; Christmas pudding and cream; Cheese board, tea and coffee.

Sunday 19th was another extremely cold day, and many people decided that they did not wish to risk falling on the ice. By the afternoon, Mayfield Road had been gritted and a number of people made it safely to the chapel.

Monday 20th was the day for singing round the area, and we visited a number of our regular sites, as well as singing outside the local coop.

Saturday 25th was the culmination of our celebrations with the Christmas day service at 10-30a.m. led by pastor Jonathan.

November 2010

2011-01-21T19:39:00.004Z

November was another busy month. We started at the beginning with our Bible fellowship meeting on Tesday 2nd. Saturday 6th was the day of our annual bonfire. This was a huge success with a large number of visitors. The barbecue was popular, and many of our visitors also took part in making more lanterns and stained glass windows left over from the previous week's activities. The collection was in aid of the Alzheimer's society, one of the charities which we have been supporting this year.

Sunday was "Christians against Poverty Sunday" and our Pastor Susannah led our thoughts on the subject. This service was held in the back room as the chapel was out of action being decorated.

Wednesday the 10th was our annual planning meeting where we discussed proposals for the coming year. Details of the outcome of this discussion can be found on the website.

Saturday 13th was the "Created" coffee morning and Christmas Fayre where fairly traded craft goods were on sale.

Tuesday 16th was the next bible fellowship; and Wednesday 17th was the Ladies' fellowship which was a bring and buy sale.

Most of the rest of the month was spent in getting ready for Christmas, culminating in the first Sunday in Advent on 28th November when our pastor Jonathan led our thoughts on the people of God in every age.

October 2010

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October started with the Harvest Thanksgiving and food festival weekend. The chapel was open all day Saturday October 2nd for tasting and recipe swapping of foods from around the world. Sunday there were two services, and at the morning service the latest addition to our church family was Christened. The harvest supper was held on the 9th October and the traditional meat pie and peas was followed by entertainment from Rev. Alan Hindmarch and his accordion.

The bible fellowship met on Tursdays 5th and 19th when we listened to recordings of addresses by Steve Brady, principal of Moorlands College. These were followed by discussion centred round the points raised by his theme.

During October the chapel was being decorated and all our services and meetings were held in the back room. A photograph of the finished job will be posted later.

A successful needlework day was held on 16th October and the Ladies' fellowship met on the 20th where the speaker talked about the work of the Woodland Trust.

Saturday 30th was a busy day when our festival of light commenced. The day was given over to making lanterns and "stained glass windows" in various patterns which were judged at the party held in the evening.

The Sunday saw services on a theme of Light at 10-30a.m. and 4-30p.m.

September

2010-10-18T21:21:00.003+01:00

September started quietly with the bible fellowship on Tuesday 7th. On this evening, and the evening of the 21st we concluded our studies of the sermon on the mount in Matthew's gospel.
The church meeting was held on Wednesday 15th September. The summary of the decisions are available on the newsletter page of the church website. Follow the link to the left of the blog if you are interested.
Two of our young people attended the Wesleyan Reform Union's young people's camp at Hesley Wood site in Chapeltown.
The Ladies' meeting on 22nd September heard a speaker on the subject of handwriting analysis.
The last supper club of the year was held on Thursday 23rd Sept. The menu was: smoked fish parcels with salad; country casserole with courgettes and potatoes; peach fool and wafer. Our speaker was Andrew Firth on the subject of "Old Sheffield".
Saturday 25th was our annual coffee morning in aid of MacMillan.

August 2010

2010-09-08T20:09:00.013+01:00

The 14th was another needlework day organised by "Craftastic". A good time was had by all. The skill of the participants was very evident in the quality of their work.

Sunday afternoon on the 15th was our monthly café church, this time the theme was seeds. There were opportunities to plant seeds, to consider some of Jesus' stories about seeds and to marvel at the miracle of creation. People were asked to bring anything which they grew to the Harvest Celebration in October..

The weekend of 20th to 22nd was a busy one; it was our family camp weekend, the camping went well, although some cheated.

Saturday was our annual coffee morning in aid of Martin House hospice,

Sunday afternoon was our

annual animal and pet service, which was attended by two horses and several dogs.

The weekend went very well, Elaine and Dave were kept very busy catering for us all. The Sunday morning service was led by Andy Wilcock, the Wesleyan Reform Union DOC, assisted by some of the young people on the camp.

Thursday, the 26th, was the monthly supper club when we ate a menu of: tomato and coriander dip with tortilla chips; grillsteak with roast potatoes and mixed veg.; banoffee pie and cream followed by tea, coffee and mints. Alina, the WRU administrator, spoke on "Lithuania to Sheffield."

The last Sunday, the 29th, was the occasion of the first wedding in Mayfield for a long time. Although the day broke with inclement weather, it soon cleared up and a lovely day ensued.

July 2010

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We met several times in July for a variety of events. The bible fellowship met twice to continue the study of the sermon on the mount. There will be no meetings of this group in August. The Ladies' Fellowship were entertained on a theme of "Two Short Planks", the subject being Irish music and dancing.

We were visited by the Coal Aston United Churches' Choir who presented a programme of "Music for A Summer's Evening". Donations were received for the Alzheimer's Society totalling £140.

The monthly Café church was on the theme of Fruit, led by our pastor Susannah.

The supper club ate a menu of: Cold minted pea soup, Coriander and lemon chicken followed by Victoria Plum crumble, coffee and mints. Dave Tucket spoke about the Christian Motorcyclists' Association.

Flower Festival

2010-08-06T19:17:00.004+01:00

The annual flower festival was held on the first weekend of July. The theme was "The Ten Commandments", so of course, there were 11 displays. The arrangers met on Friday and worked very hard to prepare the church for Saturday morning. The displays were completed to a very high standard and were a credit to all involved. The chapel was open Saturday and Sunday and many people came from all over to view the displays.

On Sunday our services were led in the morning by Jonathan and in the evening by Susannah, our pastors. The morning service included an act of dedication for our new hymn books. More photographs are available on our website, follow the link at the side.

June 2010

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5th June was "Quiet Waters", our ladies' day. A group of ladies from our chapel and others met for a day of quiet, creative writing, crafts, walking in the valley, prayer and the meeting was addressed by Mrs Julia Hodson in the afternoon.

The ladies' meeting met on 16th June on a theme of "Relaxation, stress management and aromatherapy.

Our service for the summer solstice on 21st June was well attended and the weather meant that we could hold it on the field. This was followed by breakfast. someone was heard to comment that if this was a "light breakfast" what was a heavy one like?!

Supper club met on Thursday June 24th with a menu of Egg mayonnaise, braised pork slice with vegetables followed by fresh fruit salad and cream. John Goepel spoke on "Pathology for the living".

May 2010

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The first event of May was the Hardanger day on the 7th. This was organised by Elaine from Craftastic and taught the attendees about one of the rarer crafts.
The church meeting on May 12th was productive and the rest of our year's programme was organised.
Craftastic organised another needlework day on 15th and this was well attended. On 16th, the monthly Café Church was well attended on a theme or Rocks and stones, and the mentioning of these themes in the bible.
The supper club on 27th was a success with a meal of; Cucumber stuffed with cottage cheese and chives, Chicken in orange and peppers sauce with rice, followed by strawberries and cream. Jennifer Senior from our Philadelphia Church entertained us with stories of Yorkshire and it's dialect.

April 2010

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Following on from Easter we had a slight lull in our events. The bible fellowship met as usual on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays when we studied Luke's account of the walk to Emmaus and John's story of the appearance of Jesus beside the sea of Galilee. At the second of these sessions we agreed that the 1st Tuesday in May should be given over to prayers for the upcoming election.
"Craftastic" led another needlework day on April 17th, which had to be held in the church due to the stuff in the back room. All agreed that it was a good day.

Sunday 18th was the first Café church of the season and a theme of "journeys" was chosen. The subject was explored through crossword puzzle making, wordsearches, poetry, prayer, quiet and colouring.

On Wednesday 21st Kevin Jones spoke to our Ladies' meeting about "Familia", an orphanage in India.
Because the third Wednesday and fourth Thursday fall in the same week, the first supper club was the day after, on the 22nd. The meal was served in the church and consisted of: creamed mushrooms with Melba toast, home roast ham and salad, Rice pudding and jam followed by tea and coffee with mints. Our speaker was Inspector Lecckie who spoke of his work with the South Yorkshire Police and the Christian Police Association. Our younger members enjoyed the demonstrations of how to restrain and arrest someone!

The Pastors' Return

2010-04-07T22:54:00.004+01:00

We have decided to start a new blog "The Pastors' Return". This will give details of the work which Susannah and Jonathan do, both at the chapel and elsewhere. We hope that you will find it interesting. It can be found at the link on the side of this blog.

Easter 2010

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Good Friday communion service was led by our Pastor Susannah and the chapel had been decorated with reminders of themes related to the Easter Story.

Two of the window cills had bread and wine, 30 pieces of silver , a cockerel and a cross draped in a red cloth. At the front of the chapel was a large cross draped in a purple cloth with a crown of thorns on the top.

The service was followed by drinks and hot cross buns.

Saturday was a coffee morning when we met a number of people and enjoyed their company and conversation.

Easter Day was an early start with morning communion at 8-00a.m. led by our Pastor Jonathan followed by breakfast cooked by Dave and Elaine. The purple cloth on the cross had been replaced by a white one.

Unfortunately the preacher scheduled for the 10-30a.m. service was ill so our morning service was led by Brian Kay, and then at 6-30p.m. our evening service was led by Susannah.

February and March

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This was a fairly quiet time in our church's life, although the bible fellowship met every week during Lent.
March 6th was the first coffee morning of the year and was well attended.

On Mothering Sunday (March 14th) members of the congregation were presented with flowers.

In our Lent course we studied a Scripture Union course called "Ram to Lamb".
We finished the course by holding Passover "Seder" meal which we believe was the meal Jesus ate as what we call "The Last Supper" and where he instituted the Holy Communion.
The speaker for the Ladies' meeting was unfortunately ill and our Pastor Susannah had to step in to the breach and lead again.
During March our back room was redecorated and the work moves into the kitchen and chapel after Easter.

January 2010

2010-04-07T21:28:00.004+01:00

Happy new year to all. The bad weather of December continued to affect our activities, but nothing else was actually cancelled. January 3rd was the occasion of our annual covenant service where we follow in the tradition of Wesley by renewing our covenant with God. This year the service was led by our Pastor Jonathan.
The weather was particularly bad in the week before our party, and the night before several people rang to say they would be unable to get. In the event, there was an overnight thaw and most people attended. The "Round the World" themed event was a great success, people bringing and wearing items from many different countries. Quizzes included trying to identify well known hymns from their original first line, and guessing the 26 languages (one for each letter) of a well known bible passage (John 3:16)
At our Ladies' meeting, our pastor Susannah brought a quiz about Christmas and new year.
Due to bad weather our bible fellowship meetings were held at a nearby member's home to enable more people to attand.
Our Church meeting towards the end of January was successful and we agreed a programme of events for the rest of the year. More details of these can be found on the website. Use the link to the left to look.
The 30th January was the first Needlework day of the year when a group met to pursue their hobbies and have lunch together.

Christmas at Mayfield.

2009-12-30T20:12:00.005Z

Christmas is traditionally a busy time for us at Mayfield and this year was no exception! The season started in November with a “Created” Christmas Fayre where fair trade crafts were sold in support of the work of Tear Fund. This was well attended and good sales of craft goods were reported.

Early in December, this was followed by a Fair Trade Christmas Fayre where our friend Muriel Stonehewer sold a variety of fairly traded goods. This also was well attended.
The Advent carol service on December 13th, during which we were encourged to decorate the church as part of the theme of "Preparation" was led by our pastor Susannah and was a great success.
As the month progressed the seasonal but inclement weather started to make life difficult. The “Five courses and Carols” was well attended in spite of the weather, but around 15 people were beaten by the snow.

The rest of us enjoyed the meal and carols.

The carol service, planned for 20th Dec. was snowed out, only one car and one pedestrian managing to make it.

The carols singing scheduled for the next day was reorganised to meet elsewhere, and some of our traditional venues had to be missed, however, we did sing a few carols in front of the Coop in Fulwood.
The weather eased slightly for the Christmas day service which did go ahead. In spite of the disappointments caused by the weather, we have been heartened by the support which our Christmas events have received, and look forward to 2010.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Early November

2009-11-10T22:38:00.005Z

Our bonfire night and barbecue was a huge success. After initial fears that we wouldn't have anything to burn, a steady stream of rubbish arrived and a fire was built. Crowds braved the cold and damp, and Dave produced a consistent flow of hot food. Everyone enjoyed themselves and then all that remained was to clean the mud off the carpet!
The next day was remembrance Sunday and our preacher Albert Burton reminded us that although the problem, conflict, comes from within us, so can the solution.

Green Pastures

2009-11-10T22:29:00.004Z

On 17th October 2009 people started arriving at about 9-30a.m. and the weeks of preparation suddenly seemed to be worthwhile. Once all who were expected had arrived, our pastor, Susannah gave the outline of the day and the welcome. Once the housekeeping arrangements were covered, Carole Parkinson led her first session.
Following refreshments we separated into groups for Pastel drawing demonstrations with Anne Turk; card making with Elaine Tucket from “Craftastic”; creative writing or quiet reflection in the especially decorated chapel. Lunch came too quickly, but was a lovely experience, the “bring and share” produced a wonderful spread.
After lunch some of us went on a short walk across the nearby fields. Group work followed again with the addition of pampering with Mary Kay products. Following a second session from Carole, Susannah led the closing devotions. We are looking forward to holding a similar event next year, please get in touch if you would like to receive details.

Harvest and Art Festival

2009-11-10T21:59:00.008Z

Traditionally the first weekend in October is our Harvest Festival. This year we added to this by having an art exhibition. Hallam Art Group were invited to bring along pictures painted or drawn in the Mayfield Valley.

Earlier in the year they had met and held sketching days based at the chapel, and the results were on show over the weekend.

The exhibition was open over the whole weekend and light refreshments were available. We were very pleased with the number of people who visited us over the weekend.

Harvest celebration services were held on Sunday, in the morning our pastor Susannah led our worship, and in the evening we were pleased to welcome Mrs Muriel Stonehewer, national president ot "Women on Action". The contributions to the Harvest celebration were taken to St Wilfrid's centre to support their work.

The Art festival meant that the back room was not able to be used for the traditional Harvest Supper on the Saturday of the weekend, so it was postponed until the following Saturday. Home made pie and peas was followed by musical entertainment.

Drains; an update.

2009-10-07T22:17:00.004+01:00

Regular readers will remember that holes were being dug to ascertain where the drains were leading to. This was in an attempt to intercept the run-off from the field above us to reduce flooding.

David has been working away over the last year digging a trench and installing a pipe which links into the culvert which was discovered from the above excavations. The culmination of all this activity was in the last week of September when a digger was hired to excavate a trench along the top of our field. This was completed and we are now ready for the worst of the weather.

The first water enters the new underground culvert.

The excavated spoil has been used to build a walkway across the boggy bottom of the field with a view to creating a nature observation feature later.

September 2009

2009-10-07T22:08:00.002+01:00

September was a bit hectic! We started with a church meeting, which was very productive, and the week after we hosted the circuit meeting of the Sheffield circuit. The Ladies' meeting restarted with our pastor Susannah leading. On September 19th we held a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan and raised over £70-00, but the total is not yet finalised. Jonathan had been making jam and chutney from the bumper plum harvest and this was on sale. It all went!.
The final supper club of the season was held on the 24th, with an ambitious menu: carrot and orange soup, Beef "Leaky Wellington" and vegetables, plum crumble and cream. Mrs Muriel Stonehewer from our Coal Aston church spoke to us about Fair Trade Goods.
On Saturday 26th, we had our church outing to Temple Newsam where a good day was had by all.

August 2009

2009-10-07T21:58:00.004+01:00

Our church family camp weekend was a great success with several families meeting and enjoying the overnight stop (despite the midges!) A good mixture of ages and abilities meant that there was never a dull moment. We intend doing this again next year when it will probably be a two night event.

This was the same weekend as the Family Songs of Praise service which was held on the Sunday afternoon outside.

The supper club later in the month was well attended and Mr & Mrs Briddon gave us an interesting presentation on the holy land.

July

2009-08-12T20:57:00.004+01:00

July was another busy month. The flower festival (see previous post) was a great success and over £200-00 was given in donations towards the work of Sheffield Domestic Abuse Forum.
Sue Over came to us on June 19th and led our morning worship and then led our discussion service in the afternoon.
On the 23rd June we had our monthly supper club where we ate a starter of summer fruits, Bourgignon style beef and a dessert of sticky toffee pudding. One of our guests was celebrating his birthday and his daughter had prepared a cake for hi, we sang "Happy Birthday" and shared the cake before we heard details of relief work in Romania.
On the 24th June we hosted the Sheffield Circuit youth barbecue where adults were only welcome if accompanied by a child or young person. Our youth worker, Will Partridge-Underwood came and an enjoyable evening was had by all.
Saturday 25th July was our coffee morning which was well attended.
Apologies for the delay in updating the blog and website as we have had computer problems; these have now been solved with a new computer-ma-bob.

Flower Festival 2009

2009-07-07T21:58:00.005+01:00

Our annual flower festival was held on 4th and 5th July. The church was open to view the exhibits all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Light refreshments were available, and strawberry teas were served both afternoons.
The theme of the event was "Women of the bible" and displays were inspired by:

Eve:

Ruth;

The widow's oil;

Mary and Martha;

Lydia;

Dorcas;

The widow's offering;

The woman at the well;

June 2009

2009-07-07T21:51:00.002+01:00

Oue midweek group continued to study women from the bible and the Ladies group met to hold an event in aid of Martin House hospice. At this event, the 50th birthday of our pastor Susannah was celebrated.
On June 21st we held a family service to celebrate Fathers' Day. Jonathan led the service and everyone went home with a "Book of Fathers" which contained pictures of fathers as diverse as Homer Simpson, Father Ted and Tony Blair.
The Supper club was held on June 25th and was very successful. The menu was; melon medley, home boiled ham salad followed by table cream with poached pears. The speaker was Louise Yaull, a church army captain.

May 2009

2009-06-09T20:48:00.003+01:00

Our fellowship bible study meetings have continued tolook at women from the bible, this months' were Dorcas and Mary and Martha. Severalof our members entered the Sheffield Christian Education Council Arts and Crafts competition and achieved high placings. The Hallam Art group held a sketching day in readiness for the art exhibition later in the year, and despite the weather, enjoyed the day. Another such day is planned for later on.
The Pet Service was on Sunday May 17th, an extremely wet day. This meant that the service was held inside. A number of dogs accompanied the ferrets in the church and the horse stood at the door,unfortunately she could not be persuaded to enter.
The supper club met on Thursday May 28th. The speaker was from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service, and a donation from church funds was added to the collection taken up at the supper. £350-00 was sent in total.

Spring 2009

2009-04-28T21:07:00.008+01:00

Following Easter, we have been very busy. Sunday April 19th was the first of our afternoon services. This was a "Cafe Church" on the theme of "Light". Appropriately titled "The Light Bite", a variety of activities were used to focus our attention on the imagery of light in the Scriptures.

Refreshments were available throughout and Susannah, our pastor, brought the afternoon to a conclusion.
Our midweek bible fellowship reverted to twice monthly now lent is over and we resumed our study ofWomen in the Bible.
On Thursday the 23rd of April, the first in our summer season of Supper Clubs took place. The menu was: Mock Crab and melba toast, Chicken Fricassee with seasonable vegetables, followed by Rhubarb sponge and custard. Tea, coffee and after dinner mints followed and then Sam Bown spoke to us.

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T21:20:00.004+01:00

Our celebrations of Easter started at 8-00a.m. on Friday April 10th with our circuit service at St.Mary's Wesleyan Reform Church where Carole Parkinson led worship and holy communion for Good Friday.

Laterin the day, our pastor, Jonathan, led worship at 7-30p.m. at Mayfield. His text was the curtain in the temple being torn in two from top to bottom. The service concluded with a celebration of holy communion.

Saturday was oneof our coffee mornings, which was well attended. Jackie had done a lovely job of preparing the room for this event, and providing a table of activities for any children who came.

Easter Sunday started early when our pastor, Susannah, led 8-00 a.m. worship. Her theme was the walk to Emmaus and being recognised by our actions. The service concluded with a celebration of holy communion. Following the service, we ate breakfast in the back room. David and Elaine did a great job of preparing bacon and eggs for us all.

After the breakfast (and the clearing up!) Brian Kay led our morning worship at 10-30 a.m. and spoke on Matthew's account of the resurrection

Approach to Easter 2009

2009-04-14T20:36:00.004+01:00

On Saturday April 4th we were visited by the Curbar and District United Churches Choir. They came to provide us with a presentation in words and music entitled "The Story of the Cross". The programme included readings, congregational items, solos and choral items. It was a memorable evening, and thanks are due to all members of the choir for their efforts. The retiring collection raised the sum of £80-00 for W.O.R.K. Ltd on Ringinglow Road.

Early 2009

2009-03-08T14:04:00.000Z

As might be expected, since Christmas has been a relatively quiet time for us. The new year started with our annual covenant service led by our pastor Susannah.
The first coffee morning of the year was on January 17th and was exceptionally well attended, we ran out of cups!
At our church a.g.m. on January 22nd we decided on a number of activities for the coming year, details are on our website, on the "Events 2009" page. Follow the link on the left of the blog if you are interested. As the year progresses there will be others added.
The church party on January 31st was a great success when we invited the preachers from the previous year to join with us. Our carol quiz where people were invited to identify carols from a line in the text caused some head scratching.
The next coffee morning was on February 21st. Our bible fellowship meeting has started a Lent course. This year we are following a course from the Leprosy Mission "God's upside down world" For details see the website.
On March 1st, Mr Dave Tuckett led our annual Tear Fund Service, where we were encouraged to support and pray for the work of Tear Fund. Our offering was sent to Tear Fund and after the service we met for a simple meal in the back room.
Our heating has been giving us some trouble this month, but we hope that we have sourced the (obsolete) parts which we require and should be back to normal soon.

Carols

2008-12-31T19:33:00.002Z

Our annual carolling events started on Monday December 15th when we met to go round the local area carol singing. About 24 of us met and sang for about two and a half hours. Then we gathered together at the house of a member of our congregation for snacks and coffee to get warm.
On Wednesday 17th December, the Ladies Fellowship group invited people to join and sing carols with the Salvation Army band. Around 40 people enjoyed the afternoon.
Thursday December 18th was our new event titled "Five Courses and Carols". The menu was: appetiser, angel biscuits and peasant's salad; crofters' soup; celebration chicken; figgy pudding with cream; mince pies and cheese with tea or coffee and turkish delight. Over 40 people gathered and sang carols appropriate to the courses.

Our carol service, led by our pastor, Susannah, was on Sunday December 21st at 3-00p.m. nearly 50 of us gathered to celebrate and sing traditional and local carols. We were introduced to a new carol written by one of our congregation, "A Mayfield Carol". Sung by Susannah to the tune "Cranham", this was used again the following Sunday. Afterwards we met for mince pies and coffee in the back room.

On Christmas day we met for a service led by our pastors Jonathan and Susannah. Ably assisted by Nathan, who burst out of a parcel when Susannah asked us what we would bring to Jesus, the service gave us chance to consider the message of Christmas once again.

Early Advent.

2008-12-31T19:21:00.002Z

Our journey towards Christmas started in mid November (23rd). Our pastor, Jonathan, celebrated "Stir-up Sunday" by baking a cake during the morning service. This Sunday, another name for the Sunday before Advent, is so called because the set prayer, or collect, for the day begins with the words "Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people;". Comments were made about the "Cooking Pastor" and Jonathan asked the congregation whether they wanted to be stirred up. We ate the cake after the service with the coffee.
The "Fair Trade" coffee morning on December 6th was very well attended and the sales of Fair Trade goods were very encouraging. We hope that this attempt to improve trade justice will continue to grow.
December 14th was the date of our "Advent Carol Service" when we considered what we were preparing for as we approach Christmas as we sang a selection of hymns and carols related to the coming of our Lord. We also listened to what Jonathan described as one of the most profound things in a song. The Song was by Slade. The message was "So here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun; look to the future now, the future's just begun.

November 2008

2008-11-09T20:38:00.000Z

Preparation for our bonfire started early. The sods had to be removed so that the bonfire did not damage our bowling green standard turf. This produced a self extinguishing facility for the bonfire as the hole filled with water. Fortunately this all ran to one side so the bonfire was built on the uphill side (against the tide!).
Bonfire night was mild and dry as we lit the fire at (about) 6-30p.m. Friends from other churches joined us, as did visitors from the area. The barbecue was a great success and the crowds started to gather in the back room for drinks with the food. Once most people were fed, there was a sudden rush into the room as the weather broke and the rains came down, which started to test the drainage, (see a previous entry)
Earlier in the month we had studied the penultimate "I am", namely "I am the resurrection and the life". This only leaves "I am the light of the world" for laster this month.

October 2008

2008-10-28T22:43:00.000Z

October started with the annual harvest supper. The menu of home made meat and potato pie with mushy peas followed by trifle was well received. After the meal we moved from the back room into the chapel where we were entertained for about an hour by Mark, a jazz pianist.
The harvest services were led by Brian Kay in the morning and the evening communion service was led by our pastors Susannah and Jonathan. After the morning service we were able to eat up the trifle left over from the previous night.
The bible studies have continued to explore the "I am" sayings, this month we have looked at "I am the gate/door and I am the good shepherd" followed by "I am the way, the truth and the life."
The end of the month saw the coffee morning which was well attended and generally felt to be a worthwhile event.

Late Summer 2008

2008-10-01T20:47:00.000+01:00

August was a fairly quiet month for us. The bible study and ladies' meeting group did not meet, and several people were away on holiday. The supper club was very successful with over 30 people attending for an interesting talk about old trams and buses in Sheffield.
In September the Bible study restarted and we are currently studying the "I am" sayings of Jesus, whilst they are still fresh in our minds from the flower festival.
The ladies' meeting was visited by a magistrate to talk about the work of magistrates.
Friday September 19th was the "Have a cup of tea for Christian Aid" day and we opened for tea. Altogether over £80-00 was collected to send to Christian Aid.
The service on the afternoon of the third Sunday was a "Songs of Praise" type service which was entitled "From Wesley to Kendrick". We sang hymns and songs from the period indicated by the title and then joined in a barbecue.
The following week was our final supper club for the year when we dined on prawn cocktail, chicken chasseur with vegetables and tarte tatin with cream. Stuart Allen, president elect of the Wesleyan Reform Union, spoke after the meal.
After a hectic month, our junior members held a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan and £85-00 was raised.

Picnic service

2008-10-01T20:46:00.000+01:00

Will we?, won't we?. For about three hours we wondered whether the picnic could take place out of doors as we had hoped. At about 10 minutes to 4 we decided that there appeared to be a weather window and decided to set up outside. The table was set for refreshments, the ground sheet was spread and the chairs put in groups round the edge. The keyboard was taken from the cupboard and the fish and bread put on the plates. We soon discovered that the chairs were probably not the right ones as once anybody sat on them, they sank into the rather soggy ground.
Once we were ready, and the sun came out we started. We sang, we read the gospel, we talked about the story and discussed questions about its application. Drama was performed and poems read. We closed in prayer and sang another hymn.
The story we examined was the feeding of the 5000, and studying it whilst we were eating in the open air gave it new meaning for us. Look at our website for details of when we have similar events.

Flower Festival

2008-10-01T20:45:00.000+01:00

This year's festival was themed on the "I am" sayings of Jesus. Many hours of preparation went into it, and this effort culminated on Friday when some of our members turned up to create the displays.

Jesus said "I am the Gate"

Jesus said "I am the bread of life" (1)

Seven displays were produced in the chapel. Refreshments were served in the back room with cream teas being available on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Jesus said "I am the bread of life" (2)

Jesus said "I am the light of the world"

Jesus said "I am the true vine"

Jesus said "I am the good shepherd".

Jesus said "I am the resurresction and the life"

Jesus said"I am the way, the truth and the life"

the way (detail)

the truth (detail)

the life (detail)

Special services were held at 10-30a.m. and 4-30p.m. on the theme of the "I am" sayings.
A good number of people came to look at the displays and all seemed to enjoy themselves.

June and July.

2008-10-01T20:43:00.001+01:00

The end of June saw our monthly supper club meet very successfully. We ate Melon boats, Chicken supreme with new potatoes and vegetables followed by cinnamon and apple crumble.
The Ladies' meeting was addressed by Peter Habbershaw who described some theories about the structures of the Egyptian pyramids and possibilities about the symbolism of their dimensions.
On Friday July 11th we hosted the mini olympics event organised by several churches in Sheffield. In spite of the rather damp weather, the barbecue was successful and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
The Ladies' meeting met in July and our pastor, Susannah led a quiz about sheep and goats which she related to Jesus' story in Matthew chapter 25.
A few of our members spent several days digging holes of ever increasing size in the field in order to discover where the drains run. The record is about 2 metres deep and 3 accross. We have now found the drain, and have just got to decide what to do next!!

The supper club met on July 24th and we dined on: Tomato and Basil soup, Home roast ham and salad, Strawberries and cream. The speaker was Peter Garrett, from our Grimesthorpe Church, on a theme of "Praise on the Patio" relating his experiences of organising morning worship on a beach front patio whilst on holiday on a Greek island.

The congregation gets boggy!

2008-10-01T20:43:00.000+01:00

For some time we had wondered how we could use our grounds better. The back of the field is too wet to be useful as a field, or for much else. Following discussion at the church meeting we agreed to apply for a grant to enable us to develop a bog garden. Saturday June 21st was chosen as the day to start. Following the coffee morning in aid of Martin House Hospice (over £60-00 raised) and a lunch of soup, bread and cake, work started. It was very soon apparent that we had chosen the site for a Bog Garden well.
The water was coming down as well as up, and all concerned were very soon covered in mud. Our blood was well cooled! Lots of holes, a big pile of removed weeds and 47 plants later, phase one of the job was complete. Thanks are due to all who helped, and to Rhinegold Nurseries for their help and advice.
A guide to the planting is available whenever the chapel is open for events. The garden is viewable at any time.

June 2008, the valley is alive with the sound of music.

2008-10-01T20:40:00.001+01:00

Sunday, June 15th, the valley was alive with the sound of music! With some trepidation we had decided to adopt the suggestion of our youngest member, Nathan, and hold a pets service. This was to be held outside, and had been advertised in our leaflet drop and the Sheffield Star. All the preparations were made, and all we could do was wait and see whether anyone turned up.
As the appointed hour approached, people started to arrive, most with dogs, some wondering why their family members were not already there. Eventually a shout of "The Cavalry's coming" went up, and a group of horse riders were seen coming along the road. The final total was about 30 people. 6 horses and 12 dogs. The cows in the next field came to the wall and joined in with the singing!! ; Less welcome were the millions of midges who decided that we were the advertised light refreshment.
We sand four hymns, read two bible passages, listened to a poem and two short addresses. Then we had our tea and scones. A good afternoon, most people seemed to think that we should do it again sometime.

The church gets plastered.

2008-10-01T20:40:00.000+01:00

For some time we have been wondering about our roof. The paper has been threatening to part company with the plaster, and this revealed that the plaster itself was not in tremendous shape!! After a few weeks work by our contractor, and an evening's efforts by our members we now have a replastered ceiling and a clean chapel, free from plaster dust (well, almost). We have been meeting in the back room whilst this work was being done, but now, normal service has been resumed.

May 2008

2008-10-01T20:39:00.000+01:00

The ladies meeting held a bring and buy sale in aid of Martin House hospice. The coffee morning on May 17th had a collection in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee Burma appeal. This was sent off together with an offering held on Sunday May 25th.
Cafe church was held on Sunday May 18th. A variety of activities took place including a quiz about sheep and goats, a jigsaw, a "chill out corner", an attempt to paraphrase psalm 23 into modern language, and a prayer corner. All the while, refreshments were on offer, and at the end we discussed among the group what they had done and learned.
Supper club on Thursday May 22nd was addressed by Mr Kevin Jones who spoke about an orphanage in India called Familia. More information is available from their website http://www.familiaindia.org/ I understand that the service is somewhat erratic so if you fail to find the website, please try again later.

Brighten the corner where you are

2008-10-01T20:23:00.000+01:00

The trip to the Black Country Living History Museum was a great success. 23 of us travelled by coach to the museum and spent a whole day there. We had received permission to hold a rally in Providence Chapel, a restored Methodist New Connexion Chapel in the museum. We sang songs appropriate to the period of the museum and listened to poems and Susannah sang a solo. Abiout 40 visitors to the museum came and participated in the rally. The theme was "Brighten the Corner Where You Are" and the reading was Jesus' instruction to be light and salt.

Spring 2008

2008-10-01T20:21:00.000+01:00

The Ladies' meeting on 16th April was led by Mrs Jenny Ryan telling us about the use of magnets in pain relief.
The coffee morning on 19th april was not as well attended as we are used to due to adverse weather, nonetheless, good conversations were had by the people who did attend.
April 20th was our annual anniversary and gift day service led by our pastor Susannah Youdan
The first of our services in a different format took place on April 20th at 6-30p.m. This took the form of a discussion service where we explored the possible applications of the parable of the mustard seed to the church in the modern world. Our problem was that the service was not long enough! after about 1hour 20 mins, we called it a night.
The first of our supper clubs was held on Thursday April 24th. The three course meal consisted of; salmon fishcakes and salad, braised lamb chop and vegetables followed by rhubarb and raspberry dream. Rev. Colin Braithwaite then talked to us about his time as chaplain to the Coventry police.

Easter 2008

2008-10-01T20:06:00.001+01:00

The Easter Season started for us with a coffee morning on Good Friday, this was a new venture for us as our coffee mornings are usually on a Saturday. This was well attended and the visitors enjoyed the ample supply of hot cross buns.
Our Good Friday service was held in the evening at 7-30p.m. and led by Brian Kay.
Another coffee morning followed on Saturday, again well attended and again a good supply of hot cross buns.
Easter day started for us with early morning communion at 8-00a.m. led by Hugh Tollyfield followed by breakfast (more hot cross buns!)
Our 10-30a.m. service was led by our pastor Jonathan Youdan and followed by coffee and yet more hot cross buns.

Early 2008

2008-10-01T20:01:00.000+01:00

January 6th was the date of our annual covenant service when the members of our congregation renewed their promises to God. The service was led by our pastors, Jonathan and Susannah Youdan.
The January Ladies' meeting was a talk by two magistrates who enlightened the members about their work.
In February, the Ladies' meeting was led by our pastor, Susannah who set a botanical quiz.
The bible fellowship met every week during lent and followed a study programme about the Lord's Prayer. Details of this course are to be found at www.thisischurch.com/booklets/lordsprayer.htm For most of the sessions we found that it was difficult to complete the session on the time available.
2nd of March was our mothers' day service and TEAR fund service led by Dave Tuckett. This was held in the back room and was a multi-media presentationaccompanied by a shared meal. Flowers were distributed for mothers' day.
In March, the Ladies' meeting further investigated legal matters by having an explanation of the ins and outs of will writing.

Christmas 2007

2008-10-01T19:56:00.000+01:00

Well, here we are in the new year. We have had an Advent carol service where we turned the church seats round and tried to discover what the message of the four themes of advent was for today. This was led by our pastors, Susannah and Jonathan Youdan.
The ladies fellowship meeting held a carol concert with the Salvation Army Band.
Our church carol service was held on the 16th December at 3-00p.m. and led by Dave Tuckett. this was well attended and followed by coffee and mince pies.

Christmas morning worship was well attended in spite of our publicity! We had inadvertently distributed information with two different times for this service.