December 2014 / January 2015

h e B r i c k n e l l L ink

Carol Service Sunday, 21st December 5. 00 p.m.

Christmas Eve Service Wednesday, 24th December 4.00 p.m.

Bricknell Avenue Methodist Church: Bricknell Avenue, Hull, HU5 4TJ Tel: 01482 843331 Website: www.bricknellmeth.org.uk

Minister: Rev. Martin Batstone, 136 Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RY Tel: 01482 343055 Email: martinb 1 @martinb 1 .karoo.co.uk

Editor: Mr Geoff Drewery, 78 Murrayfield Road, Hull, HU5 4DW Tel: 01482 348174

2 What do you want for Christmas?

It seems wrong to be asking that as I write in November although judging by the number of shoppers with fully laden bags it has already become a pertinent question. Our answers will no doubt vary from the ' don't know' to the 'just something small' or the 'chocolate' to the full and ambitious list to Santa. Perhaps a better question would be to ask what kind of world do we want to live in? I was thinking about this the other day and came up with my top 5:

1. To see a world at peace; 2. To see enough work for those who don't have any and

less work for those who do; 3. To see everyone know their place and purpose in life; 4. To see Hull City win some football matches ( couldn't

resist that one); 5. To see a world that knows Jesus as Lord and Saviour

In the book of Revelation we see something of God's vision for the world, a world where there is no more tears, no more dying but above all a world where God is at home with His people. That seems to me to be a wonderful turn of phrase that speaks of God being with us and with us being at one with God. It speaks of peace and reconciliation. It speaks of Good news where the world is transformed into new life and full of hope. Each Advent & Christmas we celebrate that vision beginning to come true as we remind ourselves of the ancient promises that into our midst God is coming as a child: Emmanuel, God with us; as we hear angels announcing peace to all people; as we see poor Shepherds from the hills and rich Magi from foreign lands come together to worship their new born King, It is a wonderful journey of hope and joy as we are invited into the manger scene to witness for ourselves again the sheer humbling truth of our God incarnate

3 in a tiny helpless baby, looking up to us with bright expectant eyes. It is in those eyes that we learn a momentous truth that our God is looking to human hands to nurture his salvation plan. So the question suddenly becomes rephrased: what can I give you for Christmas and what kind of world can I make it become? The true gift of Christmas or Christ-with-us is God's invitation to us to become part of his salvation plan. Are we ready to accept such a gift and precious responsibility?

Every blessing Martin

WORSHIP December 7th 10. 30 a.m.

10. 30 a,m. 5. 00 p.m. 4. 00 p.m. 10. 00 a. ni 10. 30 a.m.

14th 21s t 24th 25th 28th

January 4th 10. 30 a.m. 11th 8 .00 a.m.

10. 30 a.m. 18th 10.30 a.m. 25th 10.30 a.m.

December

: Services at Bricknell & at Clowes Mrs. Margaret Saunders. Rev. Martin Batstone. Church Family Service. Rev. Martin Batstone. Carol Service. 'Christmas Reflection' Service at Bricknell. Connect 3 service at Clowes. Rev. Martin Batstone. United Service at

Bricknell; & Holy Communion.

Mr. Barry Robins. Rev. Martin Batstone. Covenant Service,

including Communion. Mr. Matt Sheard. Church Family Service. Rev. Andrew Stead. Mr. Les Crohn.

FLOWER LISTS Providers

Fiona Lawe

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14th Margaret & Dennis Talbot 21st David & Tristan Alexander 28th Christmas plants January 4* Christmas plants 11* Diana Wade 18th Jennifer Toyne 25th Mike & Barbara Sykes

December January

Flower Arrangers 7*, 14th & 21st - AnneDrewery 11th 18th 25th

Anne Drewery Jennifer Toyne Sue Barker

December January

Flower Distributors 7th - AnneDrewery 14th

11th - Sue Barker 18th 18th & 25th - AnnPearce

Sue Barker Ann Pearce

DIARY of EVENTS: December 2014 & January 2015 December Tues. 2nd 7. 45 p.m. Bricknell Friendship Group. Elsie

Cheesborough - Trinket Boxes Wed. 3rd 4 . 0 0 - 6.00 p.m. Messy Church. Sat. 6th 10. 00 a.m. -12 Noon Decorating the Church for

Christmas (Please see also p. 7 ) Sun. 7th After Morning Service Christmas Lunch.

( Please see also p. 7 ) Sat. 13th 9.00 a.m. -12 noon Christmas Car Wash & Coffee

Morning. ( Please see also pp. 7 - 8 )

5 Sat. 13th 7.30 p.m. ) ' Christmas Voices Plus'- Maureen Sun. 14th 3. 00 p.m. ) Hunter Singers concert in the

Guildhall Hull. (Please see also p. 9 ) Tues. 16th 7. 45 p.m. Bricknell Friendship Group. Janet

Jowett entertains. Sun. 21st 10.30 a.m. Carol Singing opposite Church

(Please see also p. 8 ) Sun. 21st After the 5 p.m. Carol Service Choir Christmas

' At Home ' . ( Please see also p. 8 ) January Tues. 6th 7. 45 p.m. Bricknell Friendship Group. New Year

Party Wed. 7th 4. 00 - 6. 00 p.m. " Messy Church. Sat. 10th 9.00 a.m. -12 Noon Car Wash & Coffee Morning.

( Cars till 11 a.m. usually) Tues. 20th 7. 45 p.m. Bricknell Friendship Group. Thuso

Orphanage School - Janet Moss. Regular Events:-

Tuesdays - 7. 45 a.m. Choir Practice most Wednesdays - 9. 45 to 11. 30 a.m. Busy Bees most Fridays - 5. 00 to 6. 30 p.m. Youth Club

THANK YOU'S Just wanted to say a big 'thank you' for the beautiful flowers which Chris brought home from church when I was unwell recently.They filled two vases. Even more than this, though,was the card accompanying the flowers which contained the most lovely prayer.

Cathy Elton

Joan Fairbrother would like to say ' thank you ' for the lemon carnations brought by Paul and Pauline Newman, and also thanks to them for staying for a chat.

Thank you very much for the lovely flowers brought to me by Pauline Newman. They were very much appreciated and cheered me up.

Caroline Reid.

A note from your organist A word of thanks to all the kind people who tell me how much they appeciate the music I play in services, including my own compositions, which is very encouraging for an old man! It is not generally realized that organists are mischievous creatures who sometimes have their own private jokes while they are playing. I can never let Shoebox Sunday pass without a bit of tuneful Schubert, and the similarly - named Schumann usually gets a look - in as well. Sullivan was once playing the organ at a church where a bishop was expected but had not yet arrived. He played on and on until his sense of humour took over, when he gave them Mendelssohn's " I waited for the Lord." As his grace had still not appeared, he moved on to two anthems of his own: " Fix'd in His Everlasting Seat," and " Will He Come?" For the record, the bishop eventually did turn up, but I can't remember what his excuse was!

(Donald)

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS DO COME AND JOIN OUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

CHRISTMAS POST BOX The Christmas Post Box will be in the Church foyer from Sunday, 30th November. Cards will be ready for collection on 21st December.

DECORATING THE CHURCH Please do come and join us in Church on Saturday, 6th December between 10 a.m. and 12 Noon, when we will be decorating the Church for Christmas.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH Our Bricknell Christmas celebrations will include a Special Buffet lunch on Sunday, 7th December. s v ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ' ' ) Tickets at £5. 00 will be available from Paul Newman.

MINCE PIES AND CLEAN CARS We would like to welcome everyone to our Christmas car wash and coffee morning to be held on Saturday, December 13th between 9.00 a.m. and 12 Noon.

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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 S l E E become a very sociable occasion. fT^^^

CAROL SINGING - 21st December - 10. 30 a.m. As the Carol Service is at 5 p.m. - instead of the morning service we will be singing carols opposite Church, outside Tesco's. Refreshments will be served for the singers afterwards. All extra voices would be very welcome - so please come and support this endeavour and happy social occasion, y ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

CAROL SERVICE As mentioned above our Carol Service is at 5 p.m. on Sunday, 21st. Do come along for this traditional service.

CHRISTMAS " AT HOME Bricknell Avenue Church choir will be holding their traditional Christmas " At Home" following the Christingle service on December 21st. Everyone is warmly invited to join us. There will be an opportunity to sing a few well - loved Christmas carols and enjoy some seasonal music. Tea and mince pies will be served.

Please come along and share this festive occasion. CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICES These will be at Bricknell on Christmas Eve at 4 p.m. (Christmas Reflection); and at Clowes at 10 a.m. on Christmas Day.

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OTHER EVENTS x Christmas Voices Plus! * - Saturday 13th December ( 7. 30 p.m .) AND Sunday, 14th December in the GUILDHALL, Hull. Tickets for this Maureen Hunter Singers concert are available from Graham Hunter or Margaret Talbot. ( priced at £8, £10 and £12.

The guest performers for the first time are the Mike Brown Band, who are guaranteed to get your feet tapping with favourite Big Band and Swing music. *f» -"'* *!* *j# *j> A>

Count your blessings (words from Lord Allton - from the 2014 Friendship Book) If you have never been in war, imprisoned or suffered from

starvation, then you are better off than 5 hundred million other people.

If you can read, then you are better off than the 2 billion who are unable to do so. If you can attend a church without fear of harassment or worse, then you are better off than 3 billion people in the world. If you have food in the fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, then you are richer than three quarters of your fellow human beings. If you have money in the bank or your wallet or purse, then you are among the top eight per cent of the world's wealthy. When it comes to counting your blessings there is no " but"

sent in for us by Stella Matthews - thank you, Stella . . . . The Friendship Book is published by Thompsons of Dundee,

by the courtesy of whom this is included in this magazine.

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From the MESSY CHURCH REPORT

It had recently been suggested that reports from our Church organisations would be of interest in the Link,

Messy Church has been running now for sixteen months and has proved to be a needed and succesful event. The numbers fluctuate, but we have between 60 to 90 visitors attend each first Wednesday in the month. We provide on arrival tea, coffee, biscuits and games, we plan and facilitate ten crafts on an agreed theme, a fifteen minute celebration based on the chosen theme and finish with a main meal, with take home literature on the message of the day. We have 25 committed willing helpers with many skills that are used to enable this community service to take place, The funding from the Church has helped provide in the first year 110 crafts and over 900 meals and will continue to assist the Messy Church and hopefully for it to develop further.

Poppies We recently have had Remembrance Sunday

and this leads into 2 items - firstly in a magazine passed on to us by one of our regular contributors ( in this case from Church & People, the parish magazine of St. Mary the Virgin, Cottingham). It refers to the fact that poppies thrive in disturbed lands, as occurred from 1914 in the fields of northern France and Flanders. When the fields were restored after the war, newly sown poppies became an unforgettable sight for visitors to post war battlefields and cemetries. This also reminded me (ed.) of the following . .

11 Moving experiences

On a walk with Malcolm & Stephen recently from South Dalton we came down to a disused, abandoned railway line ( last used virtually 50 years ago). On the 3 miles along the line we passed a seat dedicated to a lady. It contained two poems - one I believe written by, as well as signed, by her husband. Further along the seat was another devotion plaque to a labrador dog who was now " reunited with his Nana forever. " A bit later on the walk in the village of Etton we came past a war memorial decorated with poppies and listing the men of the village who died in the World Wars. This was just a few days after Remembrance and Armistice Days. Geoff D. / i

From Humber Outlook, a Church and Community magazine covering places in Lincolnshire such as Winterton and Alkborough, also passd on by our regular contributor ( 2 items )

Hymns for people over 50 years of age Give me the Old Timers' Religion

Precious Lord, Take my Hand, And help me Up Just a slower walk with Thee

Go Tell it on the Mountain, But Speak Up Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seeing

Guide Me. O Thou Great Jehovah, I've Forgotten Where I've Parked the Car

Count Your Many Birthdays, Count Them One by One It is Well with My Soul, But my Knees Hurt

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When You Plan Your Garden Plant three rows of peas:-

Peace of mind, peace of heart, peace of soil. Plant three rows of squash:-

Squash gossip, squash indifference, squash selfishness. Plant four rows of lettuce:-

Let us be faithful, let us be kind, let us love one another. No garden should be without turnips:-

Turn up for service when needed, turn up to help one another.

The following anonymous poem relates in a way to the season of New Year

There's a season for beginnings When the world is fresh and new;

When we shape our dreams of all The things we plan and hope to do.

A season for maturing When we think and work and grow,

And a season for the harvesting of All we've come to know.

And each successive season Grows richer than the last,

As treasures of the present Adds to memories of the past.

EDITOR'S NOTES Please do note that the deadline date for receiving material for the next Bricknell Link, which will cover the months of February and March 2015, will be Sunday, January 11th. Please keep your material rolling in. Geoff. D.