Good News Letter

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.361                                                                                                                            May 2024

From our minister

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As May approaches, we anticipate a month filled with both joys and challenges.  Together with sisters and brothers of our church, we pray for wisdom and patience from God to navigate through these times.

Firstly, I want to express gratitude to all who tirelessly served in various capacities over the past year, as highlighted during the Annual Church Meeting in April.  It is through the collective efforts of many that our church has been able to grow and share in joy.  As evident from the reports submitted by each group, I hope we can continue to gather strength and move forward, inch by inch, towards becoming a more unified church.  I especially hope to see the commencement of small group gatherings.

In May, we have several events planned, including Pentecost Sunday, the Circuit Easter Offering service and the 40th anniversary service of Churches Together in Coulsdon.  This promises to be a slightly busier and more exciting month.  Additionally, the Open Church will continue every Thursday at 11am.  Please pray for the meetings and events of May.

This month, let us make a concerted effort to spend more time praying for our church and the local community.  It will also be an opportunity for us to reflect on how we experience and share God’s love.

Lastly, let us all pray that with God’s guidance and assistance, we may spiritually grow and support one another throughout this month.

I look forward to sharing a meaningful and joyful May together.

Every blessing,

Revd Sang Wook Han

 “Hidden Treasures”…

…a Study Day with the President and Vice President of the Methodist Conference on Saturday 18 May, 2pm-5pm.  The London District is delighted to confirm this year's Study Day, which will be focused on the presidential theme: "Hidden Treasures".  Please note that this event will be held at Hinde Street Methodist Church, 19 Hinde St, London W1U 2QJ.  All are welcome to attend.  Please do RSVP here to give an indication of numbers.

Unconscious Bias training - 8th June at Sanderstead

For those church stewards and others who have not yet completed Unconscious Bias training, if you do not wish to sign up to the online Unconscious Bias training on Friday, 7 June 2024 between 10am and 11.15am - Unconscious Bias Training Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite or the online Theology X course - Explore new courses | MCBX (theologyx.com), our Circuit Superintendent Minister, Graham Claydon-Knights will be leading face-to-face training on Saturday, 8 June at 2pm at Sanderstead Methodist Church.

If you would like to attend the training on 8 June, please let Graham know at purleysuper@yahoo.com so that we have an idea of numbers for refreshments and materials. This training is also available for all who would be interested, as we did for the Equality Diversity Inclusion training.

Quiz corner

For those of you have been wracking your brains all month over last month’s ‘Quiz corner’ question: “Which Durham town is named after a miner’s leader and Methodist local preacher (1864-1935)?”, the answer is Peterlee, a postwar new town named after Peter Lee.  It is one of the very few places in this country named after a recent individual and probably the only one named after a Methodist!

Churches Together in Coulsdon anniversary service

The churches of Coulsdon and Old Coulsdon will be joining together on Sunday 19 May at 6pm to celebrate both Pentecost and the 40th anniversary of the founding of CTC.  The service will take place at Old Coulsdon Congregational Church (opposite the Tudor Parade shops on Coulsdon Road), and will be followed by refreshments.

Rev. Sue Shortman…

…will be leading worship at our joint service with Whitethorn Avenue Methodist Church on Sunday 12 May at 10am.  For that morning, our two congregations will join together there, CR5 2PP (463 bus from Coulsdon South).

Prayer for wisdom to discern signs of God's kingdom

God the Holy Spirit, through the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us that the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  Strengthen and deepen our commitment to revealing your kingdom through our lives and by our prayers.  Grant us, we pray, wisdom to discern signs of your kingdom in the world around us, wherever grace, mercy and truth are present.  Enable us to discover, even in unexpected places, the beauty of holiness revealed in personal acts of compassion and sacrifice.  Empower all people of goodwill to work towards establishing social structures and relationships that embody justice and peace.  Through the faithful endeavour of us and all your people, may your kingdom come your will be done.  Amen.

David Chapman, District Chair, Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire District

Church diary

Sun 5 May   10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

                     4pm             Talk; Bring & share tea at S. Croydon

                     5.30pm        Circuit Easter offering service (at South Croydon Methodist Church)

Thu 9 May    11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 12 May 10am           Morning worship (at Whitethorn Avenue)  Rev. Sue Shortman)

Thu 16 May  11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 19 May 10am           Pentecost (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

                     6pm             CTC service (at OCCC, see above)

Mon 20 May. 10am            Craft Club (Accordion book; paper kit)

Thu 23 May. 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 26 May 10am           Morning worship (local arrangements)

Thu 30 May  11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 2 June 10am           Holy Communion (t.b.a.)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.359                                                                                                                      March 2024

From our minister

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As we step into the Easter month, a time of profound significance in the Christian calendar, I greet you with joy and anticipation.  This month, our hearts and minds are drawn to the pivotal events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, which encapsulate the essence of our faith – the journey from darkness to light, from despair to hope, from death to resurrection.

Explaining Easter to children poses its challenges.  Despite our best efforts to articulate its meaning, children may struggle to grasp its depth.  Indeed, even some grown-ups may find the concept of resurrection difficult to fully comprehend or believe in.

Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus?  If not, I earnestly hope and pray that you will come to embrace this truth soon.  The Bible conveys its importance with clarity:

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19)

It is crucial to recognise that disbelief in the resurrection detracts from the authenticity of one’s faith journey.  To reject the resurrection is to embark on a journey of faith devoid of its essence.  Lent presents us with a prime opportunity to contemplate the significance of the resurrection and to embrace it wholeheartedly.

Good Friday serves as a poignant reminder of Christ’s sacrificial love for all humanity.  It is a day of solemn reflection, inviting us to contemplate the profound depth of Jesus’ suffering on the cross.  The darkness of Good Friday underscores the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice and the extent of God’s redeeming grace.

In observing Good Friday, let us come together in prayer and contemplation. Let us humbly acknowledge our need for redemption and express gratitude for the immeasurable gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  May this day serve as a solemn reminder of the lengths to which God is willing to go to reconcile us to Himself.

Yet, even as we dwell in the solemnity of Good Friday, we do so with the assurance of Easter Sunday drawing near.  For Easter Sunday is the day of triumph, the day when death is conquered, and new life bursts forth from the tomb.  It is a day of rejoicing and celebration, as we proclaim the victory of our risen Lord.

As we transition from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, let us do so with hearts full of hope and anticipation.  Let us embrace the promise of resurrection and renewal, knowing that through Christ, all things are made new.  May the joy of Easter Sunday permeate our lives and fill us with the assurance of God’s abiding presence.

As we journey through this Easter month, may we focus our hearts and minds on the profound significance of Good Friday and the transformative power of Easter Sunday.  Let us walk in the footsteps of our Saviour, following Him from the cross to the empty tomb, and may our lives be a testament to the hope and joy found in Him.

May God’s blessings abundantly shower upon you and your loved ones during this Easter season.

Every blessing,

Revd Sang Wook Han

A new hymn for Methodism

At Methodist Conference last June, Richard Mainwaring’s hymn Do all the good you can (‘The world is my parish’) went down very well, not least because of the ambitious and inspiring video that accompanied it and which features choirs and soloists from Methodist schools all over the world.  The hymn is also known as ‘The world is my parish’.  It draws on words attributed to John Wesley, and was written for the Transforming Lives Methodist Education International Conference last May.  The conference coincided with the 275th anniversary of John Wesley’s model school, Kingswood, in 1748.

(from Singing the Faith Plus, July 2023 update).

Good Friday

We will join with other churches in Coulsdon, beginning with a combined act of worship at 11am in St Aidan’s Roman Catholic Church, Chipstead Valley Road.  This will be followed by a united Walk of Witness back to the green outside our Church, where there will be a joint outdoor act of worship at about 11.45am.  Tea, coffee and hot cross buns will then be available in our Church Hall.

Easter Sunday

At 6.30am (please don’t forget that the clocks will have gone forward overnight for British Summer Time) we can again come together with those from other churches, to celebrate at the top of Farthing Down the dawning of this most important day in the church calendar.  Following the open-air service, people can adjourn to the Scout Hut, behind St John’s Church Hall, by Bradmore Green Pond, to share breakfast at 7.15am.

Easter Sunday worship at our Church at 10am will of course include Holy Communion.

Church diary

Sun 3 Mar.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 7 Mar.   11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 10 Mar. 10am           Mothering Sunday (Rev. Stephen Mares)

Thu 14 Mar. 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 17 Mar. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Graham Claydon-Knights)

Mon 18 Mar. 10am            Craft Club (Plastic canvas; sewing kit)

Thu 21 Mar.. 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 24 Mar. 10am           Palm Sunday (local arrangement)

Thu 28 Mar. 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

                     8pm             Maundy Thursday Holy Communion  (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Fri 29 Mar                            Good Friday (see above)

Sun 31 Mar. 6.30am        Easter sunrise service (see above)

10am           Easter Sunday (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 4 April   11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 7 April  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.357                                                                                                                          January 2024

 From our minister

 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Happy New Year!

The new year of 2024 has now begun.  I hope that this year will be a year filled with God’s grace and love within your families as well as in your workplaces.

Last month, we held the Circuit Carol Service at our church.  We enjoyed the tea served at the church before the service started.  I’d like to say thank you to everyone who helped in any way that night.  I’m sure your warm hospitality was appreciated by all who attended.  In addition, the choir's beautiful harmony, the organ and brass instruments, and our singing during the service made it a special time as we waited and prepared to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.

Also, on 19th December, we had Carol Singing in front of Aldi in Coulsdon.  Despite the wet weather, as many as eighteen people gathered and sang carols and announced the coming of baby Jesus.  In less than an hour, we raised £126.50 for Nightwatch Croydon.

Above all, we had the Christmas Eve Holy Communion and the Christmas Day Services praising Jesus who came to save us, and we long for His second coming.

A busy December has passed and we are now in the new year of 2024.  We will hold our Covenant Service on the first Sunday of January.  We are people who have confessed Jesus as our Saviour and decided to live as his disciples.  I hope through our Covenant Service, it will be a time for us to once again commit to live as disciples of Jesus.

From 10th January, a new group called ‘Maths@Church’ will be held every Wednesday from 4:00 to 5:30 pm.  It is aimed at children in primary school, from years 1 to 6.  It will be a time to convey the love of Jesus to them, whilst focusing on mathematics.  We need your support and prayers.  Please pray for the children who will participate in this group, for the leaders who will guide them and for the volunteers who will support them.

I hope Coulsdon Methodist Church becomes a church full of love in 2024.  We must work harder to meditate on the Word of God and communicate with God through prayer.  I hope that we can share the love of Jesus Christ with the people around us.  I hope that the love we have received will be spread through us to our neighbours and our community.  I hope that 2024 will be the year in which we all take on these challenges with all our hearts and achieve them.

Let us praise the Lord all our days.

Every blessing,

Revd Sang Wook Han

 Candlemas and ‘Old Christmas’

Snowdrops, sometimes knowns as 'Candlemas Bells'

For most of us, Candlemas, celebrated on 2 February, is all that remains of “old Christmas”, the traditional period of 40 days between Christmas Day and the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple.  There’s something still powerful about offering light in the darkness after all the twinkly fairy lights have been taken down from houses and neatly pruned trees.  And just as Mary and Joseph offer their child to Simeon in Jerusalem, our lights are a kind of question to ourselves: what will we ourselves offer into the darkness and into this new year?

Old Christmas, like Old Advent (the season leading up to Christmas Day) and the period of Lent preceding Easter, was a period of 40 days.  It began on Christmas Day and continued until the day on which Christians recall the presentation of the baby Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem by his parents, Mary and Joseph.  (This despite the quirk of our Lectionary regime of readings that has already raced ahead to the Baptism of Jesus and the beginnings of his ministry.)

The presentation by Mary and Joseph, described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2: 22-40), would have been timed to coincide with the end of Mary’s ritual purification after childbirth – a period of forty days.  For that reason, the day is also sometimes referred to as the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin.

There are several traditions associated with Candlemas (including the eating of crepes in France and the more widespread reference to snowdrops as ‘Candlemas Bells’).  However, for most Christians it is the idea of Jesus-as-light bringer that is uppermost on this day.  Candles may be blessed; a candle-lit procession may take place; and, on Candlemas night, many people place lighted candles in their windows at home – all actions that remind us that Jesus is often described as the “light of the world”.

Singing the Faith offers one hymn that explores in some detail the presentation of Jesus at the temple, and the encounter of the ‘holy family’ with the old man Simeon: “Through long years of watchful waiting” by Tom Wilkinson (StF 232).  The hymn writer leads us carefully from that first, critical recognition of God’s presence in the baby Jesus to the inevitable, loving but painful self-giving of Christ’s crucifixion.  He uses Simeon’s warning to Mary (‘and a sword will pierce your own soul too’) to bind these two events together: in verse 2, ‘Mary’s heart is crucified’; in verse 4 she recollects Simeon’s words ‘and her love dissolved in tears’; and, finally, ‘In Christ’s death outside the city God’s own heart is pierced with pain’ (v.5). In this way, Thomas addresses the idea that it is God who, out of love for us and for creation, endures the pain of crucifixion alongside and through Jesus.

Also see Andrew Pratt's hymn “Mary and Joseph came to the Temple” (StF 229).  This is a simpler text than Tom Wilkinson's.  It gives a more straightforward re-telling of the biblical narrative.  However, unlike Tom, Andrew devotes one verse to the older woman in the story, Anna, and his final verse alludes directly to the prayer that Simeon utters on seeing the baby Jesus.

*The information about Candlemas included here is based on the introduction to “Living Upside Down: four sessions for small groups Part 2 – The 40 days of Old Christmas”.  (Adapted from “Marking Candlemas” on the Methodist Church website)

Week of prayer for Christian unity 2024

A range of resources are available to download to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  They have been prepared by an ecumenical team from Burkina Faso facilitated by the local Chemin Neuf Community (CCN).

The chosen theme is “You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbour as yourself”.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the best known passages of scripture, yet one that never seems to lose its power to challenge indifference to suffering and to inspire solidarity.  It is a story about crossing boundaries that calls our attention to the bonds that unite the whole human family.

In choosing this passage, the churches of Burkina Faso have invited us to join with them in a process of self-reflection as they consider what it means to love our neighbour in the midst of a security crisis.  Communities in the British-Irish context may be less vulnerable to acts of mass violence than in Burkina Faso, but there are still many living with the memory and/or the threat of serious violence, centred on issues of identity and belonging.  There are also groups within communities, including people from ethnic minority backgrounds and people seeking asylum, who feel particularly vulnerable to violence or being displaced by the threat of violence.

Churches Together in Coulsdon

The churches of Coulsdon and Old Coulsdon will, as usual, be marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity by holding an ecumenical service to which all are invited.  This year it will take place at 10.30am on Saturday 20th January at Old Coulsdon Congregational Church, opposite Grange Park and Tudor Parade (buses 60, 404 or 466).  The service will be preceded by refreshments at 10am.  All are welcome.

(See the article above about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.)

Prayer day: the Way Forward

South Croydon United Church is holding a Prayer Day on Saturday, 20 January 2024 from 11.00am until 2.30pm to pray for the Way Forward.  It is an opportunity for anyone from our Circuit churches to drop in and join them to pray for the Way Forward for our church and also for the Circuit.

Church diary

Sun 7 Jan.  10am           Covenant service (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 11 Jan.  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 14 Jan. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Stephen Mares)

Mon 15 Jan. 10am            Craft Club (in John Saunders Room)

                                             (Chinese folded gift card – paper kit)

Thu 18 Jan.  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sat 20 Jan.   10.30am       Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service (at Old Coulsdon

Congregational Church; see above)

11-2.30         Prayer day: the Way Forward (at South Croydon United Church;

see above)

Sun 21 Jan. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 25 Jan.. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 28 Jan. 10am           Morning worship (local arrangements)

Thu 1 Feb..  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 4 Feb.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.355                                                                                                                      November 2023

From our minister

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Winter is coming, as the clocks went back an hour last Sunday.  I hope and pray that all of you at Coulsdon are well as you prepare for the cold winter, whilst continuing to share the love of Christ with those around you.

We had a Harvest Festival Service on the first Sunday in October and after the service, we had an opportunity to share a meal.  Many members of the congregation remained for this occasion and I certainly enjoyed having conversations over the delicious food from various cuisines.  I’d like to say thank you once again to everyone who spent a lot of time and effort preparing for that day.

On the evening of 12th October, I chaired my first church council meeting in the chapel.  We looked back on what had happened over the past few months and made plans on what to do in the future.  During the meeting, various opinions were discussed, and we will continue to share the gospel and the love of God, with our neighbours and the community.

The church will celebrate its 112th anniversary this coming Sunday, 5th November 2023.  I would like to share with you a brief history of our church.  The information I have used is from “Methodism in the Purley Circuit: A Brief History of the Circuit and Churches”.

In 1907, when the village of Coulsdon was growing rapidly, a few Methodists met together for fellowship in the home of Mr. Thomas E. Bond who may be regarded as the founder of the Methodist society in Coulsdon.

The first planned service was on 14th February 1909 and the plan for the last quarter of that year shows Coulsdon with nineteen members.  The society met spiritual needs of the neighbourhood as well as attempting to meet the needs of the community.

Meanwhile, the search for a suitable site for the church building was in progress and a site on Brighton Road had been purchased.  There is an interesting thing recorded about the first contribution to the building fund - it was an anonymous gift of one shilling from a passenger on a train to London.  Eventually, the construction of the church building project was completed and the building operations commenced.  On Wednesday, 5th April 1911, the stone-laying ceremony took place.

For a long time since then, many people have received comfort and been able to meet God through this church and their lives have been changed.

Have you thought about what path we should take now?  If you're immediately thinking of a grand plan, you may say that it's hard, that you don't have time or the money for it.  However, if we look back at the path we have taken and then think about the path forward, the answer may be a lot simpler than we had originally thought.  If we do our best on the tasks given to us today, every day, each day will become a month, a month will become a year, and a year will become a hundred years.

I hope and pray that the church and its members will be more excited about the coming year and the next ten years from now, than today.  I hope we can build such a church together.

Every blessing,

Sang Wook

In a world that God made good

let us pray

for people seeing things

   no human being should see

for people seized by terror

    no human being should experience

for people whose depths of suffering

    no human being should know.

God of unquenchable hope

Confirm our belief that

this is not how things should be;

Affirm our belief that

things can and will be different;

Strengthen our belief in

Jesus

who opens the way from

death to resurrection, and

Help us, as his disciples

to be your

agents for change

in our broken world.

Amen

Church diary

Sun 5 Nov.  10.30am      Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

                                             and Church anniversary service

Thu 9 Nov.   11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 12 Nov. 10.30am      Morning worship (local arrangements)

                                             and Remembrance Sunday service

Thu 16 Nov. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 19 Nov. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Nigel Cowgill)

Mon 20 Nov. 10am            Craft Club (in John Saunders Room)

                                             (“Christmas decoration” paper kit)

Thu 23 Nov. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 26 Nov. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Eileen Poore)

Thu 30 Nov. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 3 Dec.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.353                                                                                                                    September 2023

From our minister

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Shalom!

Greetings at the beginning of the Connexional Year.  Now, the Circuit has a new superintendent minister and I have come to Coulsdon Methodist Church with pastoral responsibility, as I continue with my role at Caterham and Whitethorn Avenue Methodist Churches.

Allow me to tell you a little bit about myself.  I was born and raised in South Korea as a minister’s kid and came to England in 2010 with my family - my wife Younie and two children, Hannah and Daniel.  My Wesleyan connection started in South Korea but my Methodist connection began at Kingston Methodist Church where we had been so warmly welcomed by the door steward.  We cannot forget her as she helped us to settle down in the church and blend into the community so well.

In the past, I had some opportunities to lead services at Coulsdon and to worship here at other times.  It is a great privilege for me to become a part of the Coulsdon Church community and I am looking forward to carrying on my journey with you, as disciples of Christ to love and serve the church as well as the local communities.  We could be like the door steward or like Abraham, who unknowingly treated an angel.  By continuing to share the love of Jesus, more lives will return to God.

Let us carry on doing "all the good we can", "by all the means we can" and "in all the places we can" to save the lost souls.

Every blessing,

Sang Wook

Purley Circuit staffing

Rev. Sang Wook Han, as well as becoming our minister, will continue to look after Whitethorn Avenue and Caterham churches.

Our new Circuit Superintendent minister, Rev. Graham Claydon-Knights, will have ministerial responsibility for Sanderstead and Warlingham churches.

South Croydon United Church (Methodist and URC) will continue to be looked after by Rev. Martin Knight.

Rev. Stephen Mares, though retired, remains a member of our congregation and will continue to preach throughout the Circuit, along with Rev. Ermal Kirby and local preachers.

Music at Sanderstead URC

The ‘23-‘24 season commences on Sunday 17 September at 3pm with a jazz concert given by The Ted Beament Piano Trio making a welcome return to Sanderstead.  Ted was the pianist with Humphrey Lyttleton's band and is joined by his brother Pete on drums and Pete Ringrose on bass.  We are guaranteed a most enjoyable afternoon of easy listening from these top musicians.  As always, tea and exceedingly fine cakes will follow the concert which lasts for around an hour.  Admission by programme at the door is £8 or £4 (18 or under).  Sanderstead United Reformed Church is on Sanderstead Hill (next to the library) CR2 0HB.  www.surc.org.uk

Creation Time

The ecumenical Time for Creation stretches from 1 September to the feast of St Francis on 4 October.  It is a period that, in the UK at least, incorporates the period of Harvest Festivals, traditionally a focal point of our autumn worship.  But we are encouraged to think more broadly still.  For example, we may wish to re-engage with the Methodist report Hope in God’s Future, which was adopted as an official Conference Statement in 2011 and updated in 2020.

Creator of All,

From your communion of love, life sprung forth like a mighty river and the whole cosmos came into being.

On this Earth of overflowing love, the Word was made flesh and went forth with the life-giving waters proclaiming peace and justice for all creation.

You called human beings to till and keep your garden. You placed us into right relationship with each creature, but we failed to listen to the cries of the Earth and the cries of the most vulnerable. We broke with the flowing communion of love and sinned against you by not safeguarding the conditions for life.

We lament the loss of our fellow species and their habitats, we grieve the loss of human cultures, along with the lives and livelihoods that have been displaced or perished, and we ache at the sight of an economy of death, war and violence that we have inflicted on ourselves and on the Earth.

Open our ears to your creative, reconciling and sustaining Word that calls to us through the book of Scripture and the book of creation.

Bless us once again with your life-giving waters so that the Creator Spirit may let justice and peace flow in our hearts and overflow into all creation.

Open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all creation.

Bless us to walk together with all people of good will so that the many streams of the living waters of God’s justice and peace may become a mighty river all over the Earth.

In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Fish and Chips Quiz

South Croydon United Church are organising a Fish and Chips Quiz evening on Saturday 9 September and would like to invite all Circuit members and friends to join them by putting together a team of up to 6 players or by asking to be allocated to an existing team.  They are raising money for Ukraine.  They will be fundraising for the White Eagle Club who are purchasing and sending out stretchers which can be lifted by one person, as opposed to the normal four, to transport a casualty; each stretcher costs about £700.  They will also be holding a raffle.  They hope that you can support this worthwhile cause.  The flyer and booking form are on the notice board at the back of the church.

Noah's Ark Art Festival and Autumn Fair

This will be taking place at St Andrew’s Church Coulsdon on Saturday 30th September between 11am and 2pm.  There will be a selection of stalls, games and a wildlife show.  All are welcome and admission is free.  For further information please see the poster on the notice board at the back of church.

Church diary

Sun 3 Sep.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 7 Sep.   11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sat 9 Sep.                            South Croydon United Church Fish & Chips Quiz (see above)

Sun 10 Sep. 10am           Morning worship (local arrangements)

Thu 14 Sep. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 17 Sep. 10am           Morning worship (Curtis Juman)

Wed 20 Sep. 10am            Craft Club (in John Saunders Room)

Thu 21 Sep. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 24 Sep. 10am           Morning worship (Revd. Ermal Kirby)

Thu 28 Sep. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sat 30 Sep.  11 -2            St Andrew’s Noah’s Ark Festival and Autumn Fair (see above)

Sun 1 Oct.   10am           Harvest Festival and Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han.)

Wed 25 Oct. 12.30           Methodist Women in Britain Autumn lunch, Sanderstead (details to follow)