Carols

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.