17 Dalling Drive Houghton Regis LU5 5EF Tel 01582 529788 September 4th 2012

Dear Friends,

Welcome back to church after the summer break. I hope you’ve had a good break, enjoyed the amazing athletics of London 2012 and are refreshed and ready for the new session. Congratulations to Amy, Esther, Jacob, Rachel, Adrian and Antony for some great exam results. Amy has already succeeded in gaining work and Jacob will be heading to Leicester University at the end of this month. It’s also a delight that Beverley, Vicki Peter’s mum, is now home after being critically ill in hospital. There is much to be thankful to God for!

As ‘normal church life’ returns we are re-launching some of our Community Link Project activities for parents and children. Look out for the new publicity and please do invite friends to come and join the coffee morning on Tuesdays and the toddler groups on Thursdays. On October 9th there will be a ‘Special Coffee Morning’ which will raise money for McMillan Cancer Care. We’d love everyone who’s around to come and join in the fun.

Immediately, we are looking forward to our Harvest Celebrations on September 22nd and 23rd. The Saturday evening will include Line Dancing as well as a Harvest Supper. Bring your friends and family along – all ages can join in. We’ll have a professional caller to guide us on ‘what to do when’ so come and enjoy a dance or simply watch the fun and share the meal.

On September 27th we will also be holding an Alpha Supper. The Alpha Course has been successfully run around the world as a way of introducing the Christian faith. We meet weekly and enjoy a meal, a DVD and a time for questions and discussion. It’s a great way to build friendships, discover the Christian faith and explore questions you need an answer to.

Running through the autumn we have a series of events planned especially with older people in mind called ‘A Word in Season’. We continue with our pattern of afternoon service but are also adding in some midweek devotional meetings. So look out for these dates.

On Sunday mornings we will be reading through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and letting it speak to us as we:

Reach out to invite others to explore the Christian faith

Seek to grow closer and more united as a group of Christians

Ask God what his vision is for our church fellowship.

Wrestle with challenges as well as joys in our lives

On Sunday evenings we have a range of things happening. In particular we would like to invite everyone to join us for:

‘Introducing Houghton Regis Baptist Church’ on October 7th at 6pm

Look back in time and enjoy the church’ version of ‘Who do you think we are’ – Discover how our church works now – How to get more involved and what it means to be a member – Find out how we are currently being helped by the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

An Open Church Meeting on October 14th at 6pm

When we’ll be seeking to discern what God is saying to us about our future direction as a church.

In the last year we have increasingly been communicating by e-mail, face book and though our blog spot. We are grateful to Keith who helps us to maintain a full diary of church events on the web so that you can check ‘what’s happening and when’. So do keep in touch at

http://houghtonregisbaptistchurch.blogspot.co.uk/ or find us on face book for the latest on what’s happening.

Every blessing! David

This harvest we will be supporting Dunstable Foodbank:

Dunstable Foodbank launches in September

Dunstable Foodbank will have its official launch on September 8 in the presence of local MP Andrew Selous and the deputy mayor of Dunstable, Councillor John Chatterley. Two days later, Monday September 10, the real business will begin when the first Distribution Centre opens to the public at New Life Church in Houghton Road. There will also be Distribution Centres at The Way, West Street, Dunstable; St Augustine’s, Oakwood Avenue, Dunstable; and Wilkinson Hall, St George’s, Toddington. Between them, the churches which have so far established the centres, will be open for two hours each, every day between Monday and Friday. The Foodbank trustees are hoping that a Houghton Regis church will also offer to set up a centre in the future. Foodbank is totally dependent on the involvement of local churches to function. It needs financial support and volunteers. It also needs food, donated freely by individuals and churches. This is stored in a central warehouse and taken to each of the Distribution Centres on their open days. Anybody living in the LU5/LU6 postal districts, who find themselves in sudden financial crisis can go to a professional front line agency, such as GPs, social workers, child support officers, housing officers, their church minister, or a wide range of other bodies which have face to face contact with the public. These agencies will assess if the need is genuine and if so, a voucher will be given to the individuals which they can take to one of the Distribution Centres, where they will find teams of volunteers to offer them a friendly chat, a cup of tea and sufficient food to support the number of people in their household for three days. They can receive three of these vouchers in total over a nine day period. It has been estimated that the time period for which the food is provided is the average time it takes to put state benefits into place which will provide the cash for those in need to fend for themselves.

The Dunstable Foodbank is part of the national charity, Trussell Trust and one of over 200 Foodbanks in the UK. It is a Christian organization, run by Christians for the benefit of the whole community.

If you would like to be involved, either as a volunteer, to donate food or cash, or know more about Dunstable Foodbank, you can visit

www.dunstable.foodbank.org.uk or email the office on info@dunstablefoodbank.org.uk

Our HARVEST services this year will support the foodbank. Please bring along some things from the ‘shopping list’ below on Sunday 23rd September.

Thank you!

Milk (UHT or powdered) Sugar (500g) Long life fruit juice Tins of Soup Pasta sauces Sponge pudding (tin) Tinned Tomatoes Breakfast cereals Tinned Rice pudding Tea Bags

Jar of instant coffee Instant mash potato 500gms Rice 500gms Pasta Tinned meat/fish Tinned fruit Jar of Jam Packets of biscuits Snacks

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I am the seed of the flower

God is my soil, water and sun.

Without you I cannot grow and be a part of you.

Because I am a part of you

my seed will grow to be healthy and strong.

Zeeta Muigai

September Church Diary mon 3 8pm Leaders mtg

tue 4 9.30-11am Coffee Morning thur 6 Parent & Toddlers

9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm 8pm Sunday / Donut Leaders

fri 7 Lewsey Prayer W/E BBQ at St Hugh’s sat 8 Men’s Prayer Breakfast & Women’s Prayer Lunch at Stanton Rd BC

sun 9 11.00am Service (with Alan Sutton)

6pm Prayer Service

mon 10 Fun Space 8pm Finance Group tue 11 9.30-11am Coffee Morning 10.30am Pastoral Care Group

thur 13 Parent & Toddlers 9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm

8pm Church Members Meeting

sun 16 11.00am Service Growing Leaders LCET Celebration at Stopsley BC

mon 17 Fun Space 8pm Leaders with Helen Wordsworth

tue 18 9.30-11am Coffee Morning thur 20 Parent & Toddlers

9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm

sat 22 10:00-12:00 Flower arranging workshop 6:30 – 9:00 Harvest Supper & Line Dance

sun 23 Harvest Festival Services 11am “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be opened” & 6pm Your faith and hope are in God”

mon 24 Fun Space tue 25 9.30-11am Coffee Morning

thur 27 Parent & Toddlers 9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm

Alpha Supper

sat 29 9.00 church work day sun 30 11.00am Service

"We are God's workmanship" 4:30pm service "You crown the year with Your bounty"

‘Fun with Flowers’

Come and discover how to make a simple table decoration for Harvest

Saturday Sept 22nd 10-12 noon at the church. Please call 01582 529788 to let us know you would like to come.

Carole Green and Katherine Skinner

HRBC Harvest Supper &

LINE DANCING

Saturday 22nd September 6:30 - 9:00pm

everyone invited

October Church Diary mon 1 Fun Space 8pm Leaders

tue 2 9.30-11am Coffee Morning thur 4 Parent & Toddlers

9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm Alpha

sat 6 2:30pm Induction of Kevin Price at Leavesden Rd BC Watford sun 7 11.00am Service

"Live a life worthy of the calling you have received"

6pm service "An evening of welcome & introduction to church”

mon 8 Fun Space 8pm Finance Group tue 9 9.30-11am Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support

thur 11 Parent & Toddlers 9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm

Alpha

sun 14 11.00am Service “Live a life of love”

6pm Communion Service incorporating Open Church Meeting

mon 15 Fun Space 8pm CLP meeting tue 16 9.30-11am Coffee Morning

thur 18 Parent & Toddlers 9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm

Alpha

sun 21 11.00am Service “Be filled with the Holy Spirit”

Growing Leaders (no evening service)

mon 22 Fun Space 8pm Leaders tue 23 9.30-11am Coffee Morning 10.30am Pastoral Care Group

thur 25 Parent & Toddlers 9.30-11am, 1.30-3pm

Alpha

sun 28 11.00am Service no evening Service Half Term

Alpha Course 2012 Thursday evenings at

Houghton Regis Baptist Church.

Join us for a taster evening exploring the Christian faith

September 27th Alpha Supper

‘Is there more to life than this?’ Come to eat from 7.30pm

( the evening winds up by 9.30pm)

October 4th “Who is Jesus ?” October 11th “Why did Jesus Die ?” October 18th “How Can I Be Sure Of My Faith ?” October 25th “Why and How Should I Read The Bible ?” November 1st Break for half term November 8th “Why and How Should I Pray ?” November 15th “How Does God Guide Us ?” Saturday Nov 17th Alpha Day

“What about the Holy Spirit ?” (10.00am – 4.30 pm)

November 22nd “How Can I Resist Evil ?” December 6th “What About The Church ?” December 13th “How Can I Make The Most Of the Rest of My Life ?”

Tuesday October 9th Coffee Morning 9:30-11:00am

in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support

Church Directory The  church  directory  is  a  valuable  resource  –  keeping  all  the  church  contact 

information  in  one  document.  However,  our  current  directory  is  nearly  two 

years old so we need to update it.  This will require you to fill in a form so that 

the directory can be compiled  for  issue  in  the autumn. The  forms are on  the 

back table in the church.  Please fill one in before the end of September.

Contact Number David can be contacted on 01582 529788 at anytime of day apart from Saturday. Otherwise contact one of the leadership team (Keith Wallis, Eric Gurney, Jane Bentley) or for Community Link project Penny Geraghty.

For ‘up to the minute’ information visit the Houghton Regis Baptist Church blog. It is frequently updated during the month:

http://houghtonregisbaptistchurch.blogspot.com

Newsletter

Deadline for items for the next Newsletter: 21st of October. All items to David Skinner on or before that date please.

NB. We are still looking for an editor for the newsletter, who can work with David to gather and prepare items for publication. Keith Wallis will continue to prepare the layout of the magazine. If you’re interested please speak to David.

Harvest: in memorium

…….For the beauty of the earth. Incense of apples in a chapel, bread, unbroken, on the lectern, flowers spilling from the communion table like troubled wine. …….Come ye thankful people come. The ‘five-a-day’ unknown at table displayed before a bountiful God. …….We plough the fields and scatter. Stolen bites, apple cores pocketed - disposed evidence of thankful appetites. …….All things bright and beautiful. Children parading like soldiers with baskets fused with runner beans armed with potatoes as the clock ticks away innocence.

The world turns, seasons wax and wane

in tidal sweep. ’Seed time and harvest, while earth remains…..’

slides into the oblivion of war’s cordite mist, famine,

ethnic cleansing - a tarnished harvest of unthankfulness,

and the weeping eye of God.

Keith Wallis

The ‘cover’ picture for this issue is a view, from the rim of Houghton Regis chalk pit nature reserve, looking out to Thorn and beyond. It won’t be a view

that will be available in a couple of years.