September 13th 2020
Hello, and welcome to this week’s newsletter.
Sunday Service Update
Great news! Our first Sunday service back in church went ahead last Sunday, and according to reports was a great success. This Sunday, we will again meet at 10am, when Ben will lead our service.
Please see the supporting paperwork on “EMC - your safety at church guide (v1109)” – this has been updated in line with the new government guidelines.
The service will last for about 45 minutes again and we invite anyone who wants to attend to come along. Children, young people and those not so young are all very welcome. Sadly, we won’t be able to sing aloud, but there will be music, prayers, readings and a reflection.
Things to know:
We will be socially distanced as we sit and share together (2 metres apart) and we will all be required to wear a face covering, unless you are exempt. If you have to queue outside the church, please keep to socially distancing of 2 metres.
We will take names and contact numbers of those attending for any track and tracing, and you will be asked to use sanitizer as you enter the church. Both pairs of doors will be open, and this will hopefully mean that there will be less queuing than last week. But please wait for a steward to escort you to your seat, as happened last week.
The toilets will only be available in emergency. The only toilet open will be the upstairs disabled one, and please, only in emergency.
The kitchen must not be used, and therefore no refreshments will be available after the service.
Because of the possibility that there will be a queue to exit the building please leave as much room as possible for a chat after the service
We are only allowing 6 cars on the upper car park, and these will be available for our disabled members of the congregation.
There will be an offering opportunity again for those who want to give their regular weekly envelopes as well as any one off gifts. This facility will be available on entry and also on exit from the church.
Even if you can’t make the service, please give your pastoral contact any financial gifts – and pray with us during the service.
Please keep to social distancing within the church (the 2 metre rule) and exit the church promptly when asked to do so. If you want to stay and chat with folks you may not have seen for many a month, the safest place to do this is outside the church. There will be plenty of room on the car park.
We realise this service will not be to everyone’s taste – and some may feel too nervous to come – but it will be an opportunity for those who want to share in fellowship and worship. Please share this as an invitation.
There will be a limited amount seating in the church due to social distancing – there is a possibility that more than this number of people may wish to attend. If this is the case, then you may be refused entry, however last week there was lots of space available. We would be really sorry if this was to happen, but we are following strict guidelines from the government, the Methodist Church and the Circuit, so please arrive after 9.30am.
We wish to say a big thank you to all those who volunteered to help at our first indoor service and to those who have volunteered to help out at this week’s service. Please take note of any instructions that you may receive from them.
Face Masks
We have received from Barnsley Community Volunteers Service a large bag of material face coverings that we are making available to anyone coming to Church. In the light of the challenges to our environment, please consider wearing a cloth face covering when you come to church rather than the disposable kind which then have to be thrown away – and if you have not got one, we invite you to take one of the cloth face coverings which will be available, and after each use simply wash in warm water and then you can re-use. Let’s all do our bit to help create as little needless waste as possible for the sake of our planet.
Volunteers needed
Each Friday afternoon/Saturday morning and Sunday evening/Monday morning we will need a team of people to help move the chairs required for our services. If you can help out in any way – regularly or on a more ad hoc basis please contact Allan Wearmouth on: albcingu2000@yahoo.co.uk or 07792 693010
Up to date guidance
There may be some confusion following the recent Government changes to the meeting up of people and the restrictions to only 6 people meeting together as to whether we can meet together for worship. As we meet for worship again this Sunday (13th September) at 10.00am we do so with the assurance that Church services are exempt from the restrictions of a maximum of 6 people meeting together and Emmanuel Church will continue to meet each Sunday morning at 10:00am, keeping people safe with all the procedures put in place.
WHAT ELSE IS ON THIS WEEK
ONLINE // SUNDAY SERVICE
Please join online anytime from Sunday morning with the Circuit Service - the link for this service is:
Then “Worship 13th September”. You can view this service and any previous services via this link.
For those who are not online, or have difficulty reading the printed services, you can listen to the weekly Bible reading, sermon and a prayer using your telephone. Simply call our Twilio number and you will be connected. The first voice you hear will be an American woman welcoming you to Barnsley's weekly worship, then, after a few seconds pause, the weekly message will play. These messages are recorded by one of the staff team and typically last between 10 and 15 minutes. The recorded services are changed every weekend.
The Twilio number is a local number, so calls are either free or charged at a local rate, depending on your phone package. The phone number is 01226 337513
If someone you know would like to listen to the short service over the phone and they don't receive emails, please give them a call and pass on the phone number.
MONDAY // MENS DISCIPLESHIP GROUP
Monday 14th September - Men’s Discipleship Group are meeting virtually again (they meet every Monday, except for Bank Holidays) - to be a part of this, contact Peter White on: peter-mv@hotmail.com or give him a ring on 07703 567060
BRING US TO LIFE // SUMMER CHALLENGE
There is still time to bring your decorated pebble - can we make it all the way to the church door?
Now is the time for each and every one of us (no matter what age) to find a pebble/stone, (or two) decorate it however you wish, then bring it along to church and place it on our pebble path. Together we will get there.
GARDENING
Many thanks to all the volunteers that came to continue the great work that begun last month on pruning the bushes outside church. On Thursday, last week, Twiggs came to help us with that task again, and along with the volunteers have made a great job of smartening up the garden areas of the church. Twiggs do this for free, and they also take away all the clippings. How good is that? Joan Booth took a few photos of the action (and inaction!) of some of those who were there. You all did a great job!! Many thanks again
In other news…
Regional Webinars
The Learning Network, Yorkshire Plus region, have put together a regional webinar on:
Using a Methodist Way of Life
Thursday 24th September 2020 – 1pm–2.30pm
Join the Revd Dr Roger Walton and others to explore how you could use a Methodist Way of Life in your context. Hear too how it is being used in different ways across the Connexion.
Booking is essential and there is a deadline of Friday 18th September at noon.
To book your place and to obtain joining instructions, follow this link:
If you do not receive a confirmation email after booking, or have any questions about this please contact Katrin Hackett – admin@sheffieldmethodist.org
To find out more about what a Methodist Way of Life is visit: www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/life-and-faith/a-methodist-way-of-life
FANTASTIC NEWS ……Nana Andoh-Kesson is going to Nottingham University next Friday to study Economics. We wish him well, and we invite people to pray for him and all our young people who are re-commencing University and College courses, as well as those looking for or continuing in work.
If anyone has an Action for Children home collecting box and is able to come to our Sunday services, would you please bring the box and give it to Susan Townsend? Thank you.
You might be aware that Citizens Advice Barnsley had been running a session every Monday morning at Emmanuel before the church had to close, but obviously have not been able to visit for the last 5 months. However, they want us to know that they are still functioning, and can be accessed via telephone on 03444 11 444 or online at www.barnsleycab.org.uk/contact-us
If you know of anyone who is worried about Employment and/or Redundancy, Debts or Money worries, Consumer problems, Relationship issues, Benefit claims, Housing – we are asked to point them in the direction of CAB where there will be professional help available.
Food bank
We sincerely want to thank you for all the generous gifts that you have left for Barnsley Food Bank over the last 5 months. We are always amazed at how many, and the variety of, items donated. Please consider that delivery of items to the Food Bank is only done when there is sufficient to warrant a trip to Wombwell, probably every couple of weeks, so please only put items in there that have a long use-by date.
Thank you so much for all your donations.
Shoe Boxes
We have been in contact with Blythswood Care who have confirmed that they will be collecting and distributing shoe boxes again this year. Leaflets will be available soon, please start collecting and filling your boxes now! They will then be sent in early November to children across the world who are most vulnerable and would not normally receive a Christmas gift.
Dial-a-Prayer
A FREE phone service to hear prayers and news from the Methodist Church.
Listen to a prayer: 0808 281 2514; Listen to news: 0808 281 2478; Content is updated weekly on Thursday evening.
Irene Wainwright, reflecting on all worries about the way forward, offers to us a poem she has recently written:
God’s time is Now
It’s in the now that we must live;
It’s in the now we must forgive;
It’s in the now that we must see
God’s love for all Humanity,
Is promised for Eternity.
Have you any news to share? Tell us and we will share through this newsletter or on Facebook
Many thanks and God bless.
The Leadership Team