December 2017 / January 2018 Issue 602

Dear Friends, Growing up, one of my favourite Christmas

fiims was the Muppet Christmas Carol, which we owned on an old VHS video tape. I remember that one Christmas season we watched and rewound the tape so many times the cassette almost broke! The story is based on the Charles Dickens' classic which is of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. After their visits Scrooge is transformed into a kinder and better man who embraces Christmas as a time of joy and generosity.

Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to writing a Christmas Carol, but it was after a visit to Field Lane Ragged, one of the several schools for London's street children, that he was inspired to write what is perhaps his famous Christmas tale of transformation and redemption. In Hull there will be many people who will be struggling this Christmas. The city's foodbanks are preparing for an unprecedented demand in their services as a cold winter, and the associated high energy costs, inevitably stretch low income household budgets. Christmas can be, for those on the breadline a troubling time. So, it is worth being reminded that the first Christmas was also not without its troubling aspects. Jesus himself was bom into a poor family, forced to become refugees in the land of Egypt to escape from the persecution of King Herod. In time, Christ identified with the poor and lowly (Matthew 25: 31-45) and encouraged his disciples to do the same.

3 Charles Dickens was hugely critical of the established religion of the Victorian age, particularly what he perceived to be aristocratic and High-Church elitism. Yet Dickens had great respect and reverence for Jesus Christ, who demonstrated everything that he wanted to find within humanity. Jesus was the one who rebuked wealthy elitists, condemned hypocrites and heralded a kingdom of justice and peace. Perhaps this is why a Christmas card still resonates so strongly today, because it speaks to those eternal truths that we find within the Gospel that tell of the great news to the poor in troubling times. Truths that when embraced enable us to become more fully human; a message that has been shared not only by the Church but a chorus of wise muppets! So, this Christmas let us embrace that spirit of generosity and sharing, and our prophetic task to challenge injustice and share the good news.

Yours faithfully, Reverend David

w MSHIP aft BRICKNELL & UNITED SERVICE

3rd 10.30 a.m. Mrs. Margaret Saunders. 10th 10.30 a.m. Rev. David Speirs. Family Service &

Holy Communion. 17th

S o 0 © p„iifflo Rev. David Speirs. Carol Service. 24th 10.30 a.m. Mr. Allan Swearaian. 25th WM a.mi. Rev. David Speirs. Chritmas Day

Service.

4

31 St 10.30 a.m. January 7th 10.30 a.m. 14th 10.30 a.m. 21st 10.30 a.m. 28th 10.30 a.m.

Rev. Dr. Iain Ballard. United Service at Clowes.

Mrs. Brenda Hammonds. Rev. David Speirs. Family Service &

Covenant Service. Mrs. Margaret Saunders Rev. Gwen Newton.

FLOWER LISTS. Providers

December r\/'i

Fiona Lawe & Paul Robinson 10th

1 \J

Marcraret Rr Dennis Talbot 17th

1 / David Rr Tristan Alexander

24th Christmas plants 31st United Service at Clowes January <yth Christmas plants 14th Diana Wade 21st Jennifer Toyne 28th Mike & Barbara Sykes

Flower Arrangers December 3rd & 10th Lynda Hill 17th Anne Drewery January 14th-28th Anne Drewery

5

Flower Distributors December 3rd & 10th Sue Barker January 14th Anne & Geoff Drewery 21st & 28th Sylvia Usher

Diary of EVENTS December Wed. 6th 4.00 - 6.00 p.m. Messy Church Sat. 9th. 9.00 a.m. - 12 Noon. Christmas Car Wash &

Coffee Morning, with mince pies. (Please see also p. 8 )

Tues. 12th 7.45 p.m. Bricknell Friendship Group. Christmas Table decorations. - Lesley Kelk.

Wed. 13th 7.30 p.m. Cottingham Singers Christmas Concert at Bricknell

Sun. 17th 10.30a.m. Meet at Church for coffee and Refreshments followed by Carol

Singing opposite Church (outside Tescos) Sun. 17th After the Carol Service. The Choir 'At Home'

( Please see also p. 9) January Tues. 9th 7.45 p.m. Bricknell Friendship Group. New Year

Party. Sat. 13th 9.00 a.m. - 12 Noon Car wash & Coffee Morning Tues. 23rd 7.45 p.m. Bricknell Friendship Group. Virginia

McKenna, Actress / Campaigner - Kathleen Barnett

6

THANK YOU'S Thank you very much for the lovely flowers I received on my Mum's anniversary - it's been a tough year for all of us, and it was a lovely gesture.

Gill Jackson The flowers were a nice surprise - they cheered us up after I had been unwell - many thanks, Jackie Johnson Alice Paddison says how lovely it was to receive the church flowers & card from Margaret, & thank you. Once again I have been kindly remembered, having received some beautiful flowers from the Church. They lasted a long time and have given me a lot of pleasure. Thank you to Christine Kingdom and her husband for delivering them, and spending time with me.

Ann Raymer

Dear Church friends. Flowers are amazing, aren't they? They

have the ability to brighten up the dullest day and cheer up the lowest mood, which is exactly what the two beautiful bunches did when Sue Barker brought them to me, and the other for my dear Mum, Betty Gardner who at 95 is residing in St. Mary's nursing home following a fall. Thank you so much for thinking of us.

Maggie West. X

1

What a surprise to come back from shopping to find a lovely bunch of flowers in the porch. Many thanks from us both - it was much appreciated.

Bill & Janet Walker Also a big thank you to all who have changed the image of the Church this last year or so - deep cleaning, moving furniture around for workmen, painting, new boiler, windows and lighting, cutting grass and looking after fruit trees etc. So many people have put a lot of time in and it is much appreciated that there is a warm, dry bright church for people to come into.

Gill Jackson Dear Bricknell Avenue Methodist Church Elders,

Thank you so much for letting the Society of Mice hold their afternoon tea in your church again, the facilities are perfect. You helped us raise £1,000 for KJDZ charity.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS The Maureen Hunter Singers CHRISTMAS VOICES & BRASS' Saturday 9 December (7.30 p.m.) AND Sunday 10 December (3.00 p.m.) at the MIDDLETON HALL in the University of Hull,

with a return of our special guests - RIVERSIDE BRASS All seats are bookable, and priced at £10 and £12.

8 at,

Tickets for this popular concert are available from Graham Hunter or Margaret Talbot.

DO COME & JOIN OUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

SERVICES FOR CHRISTMAS: & CAROL SINGING On 17th December, we will be carol singing opposite Church outside Tesco's, at 11 a.m., after meeting at Church at 10.30 a.m. for refreshments, and then the Carol Service at 5p.m., followed by the Choir "At Home" On Christmas Day, we will be having a service at Bricknell at 10 a.m.

MINCE PIES & CLEAN CARS We would like to welcome everyone to our Christmas car wash and Coffee morning on Saturday, December 9th between 9 a.m. and 12 noon. There will be Christmas gifts to buy, music on the piano by Myra and you can take home a clean car - your own, I hope!

Do come and bring your friends and enjoy what has become a very sociable occasion.

9

CHOIR " AT HOME The choir warmly invite you to join them at their annual choir "At Home" following the Carol Service on December 17th. There will be an opportunity to sing some well-loved carols and to enjoy some festive music accompanied by tea and mince pies. Do come and help us celebrate the Christmas season together.

The Christmas post box will be in the Church entrance vestibule on Sunday, December 3rd. Cards will be ready for collection at the Carol Service at 5 p.m on December 17th.

COTTINGHAM SINGERS will be having a Christmas concert at Bricknell on Wednesday, 13th December at 7.30 p.m.

PLASTIC TOPS TO COLLECT The Black Cat Tea and Coffee Room in Hessle is collecting plastic milk bottle tops and any other plastic tops in aid of the Guide Dogs for the Blind. David Barnett has left a box in the Church entrance and if you leave your tops there he will take them to Hessle.

CHRISTMAS POST BOX

NEWS ITEMS

DoberraanPinscnof

10

NEWS from C.L.LC.K Logan, James and Holly all started Primary School in September while Liam and David both moved on to Kelvin Hall Senior School. Logan regularly goes swimming on a Sunday morning with his brother James before attending C.LJ.C.K. Logan also attends football on a Saturday. Charlotte and April have been working hard for a dance show in November. Charlotte attends Brownies and April attends Rainbows. April also attends Gymnastics on a Sunday morning before C.L.I.C.K. Charlotte has enjoyed a few days away with School. She also attends Guides, plays tennis and the piano. Liam has recently been picked to play football for North Ferriby United U12s and through the summer he was playing cricket for Hessle. He also attends Scouts. After a competition we have changed our name to C.LJ.C.K. which stands for Children Learn in Christ's Kingdom. In our activity week by week we have been doing a picture of feeding the five thousand and, during other Sundays we have been looking at the creation over recent weeks, before we moved onto looking at Christmas.

n

Help needed On Tuesday, 5m December between 9.15 - 11.15 a.m., to decorate the church for Christmas and before Messy Church on the 6th.

Battered amd berthed - mot what you'd expect Walk round Princes Quay, and on level 2 you will see a large shop sign 'Battered ^Berthed', and between the two words the cross in the round globe, the symbol of the Methodist -Church. Fish decorate the window - seems like Hull. Walk in, and you will see a variety of paintings, not the Christmas card style religious paintings, but 20th century artists drawing on gospel traditions. Some paintings bring bible stories such as the nativity, the epiphany, Christ's death, to mind immediately, other pictures explore feelings, and some share the sense of 'being battered' in life. Where is our safe haven? Finding a sense of security in God's love is there: 'berthed' The exhibition can be visited from Thursday to Saturday until the 31st December. On the other days groups and schools can make bookings, and you- may find the exhibition is open then. Go in, have a look, take as much time as you want, or just make a quick visit. Welcomers are there, and some people have stayed for a long talk, and may have given requests for prayer.

The paintings belong to the Methodist Modem Art Collections. Each painting has been given, or purchased through donations. This is not an investment fund. A selection

12 of paintings are loaned to churches or places for special purposes. This is a unique Christian contribution to the City of Culture year. I am particularly delighted that these paintings to show God in our lives are exhibited in a shopping centre - no entrance fees, or 'quiet atmosphere so you can study the guide book'. More information is on the notice board in church. There are evening music and art events on Thursdays at 7.30; and reflections on certain paintings on Sunday evenings at 6.30. Liane Kensett who is looking after this event is interviewed on Youtube.: htpps://youtube.com/ watch?v+st- NdrgY6iE. www.believeinhull.org.uk gives you general information. I was pleased when a friend recommended I go to this new and really good exhibition. Do go too.

Sylvia Usher CHURCH WHO'S WHO AMENDMENTS

Amendments to email addresses in the Who's Who are:-Susan Moore: susan-24m@ btaiail.oiai.iiik

and Gail Dibnah: dibeahg @ shtc.org.uk EDITOR'S NOTE; Please note that the deadline date for the next Link, ( February / March 2018 ) will be Sunday, 14th

Febraairyo Please keep all your material coming in.