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Barnoldswick Baptist Church |
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Mount Zion Earby |
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Salterforth Baptist Church |
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Salterforth Baptist ChurchNewsNorman’s Wisdom!
In the calendar of famous Christians through the ages used by the Northumbria Community, the life of St Brigid is celebrated on February 1st. Brigid was an Irish woman, who founded a Christian community at Kildare. She was renowned for her hospitality and generosity. According to one legend her father got so fed up of her giving away his possessions and food to the poor and needy that he tried to give her away – to the king! But the story goes that the king said Brigid was too good for him and refused to take her.
Peter, in his first letter, reminds us to “be hospitable to one another”, and there is no doubt in my mind that genuine hospitality is a huge power for good both in the church and in the wider world. At its heart, Christian hospitality is the readiness to welcome others, be they friend or stranger, as you would welcome Jesus himself. How challenging is that! An ancient Celtic saying reminds us that “often, often, often, goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.” Thank you all for the warmth of your welcome to us.
In the spirit of St Brigid, Ingrid and I are having ‘open house’ at the Manse on Saturday 4th February from 10am – 4pm. We hope that as many of you as possible will drop in for a drink and a bite to eat. It will be a good opportunity for us to begin getting to know you a little better and during the day there will also be some simple prayers to bless the house. We are very grateful to God for our new home and want it to be a place of welcome and warmth to all who call.
Norman
West Craven Baptist Fellowship Walking Group
Members of the walking group enjoyed a fantastic walk from Earby via Thornton on Saturday. Picture taken from top of Castleber Hill. KIDS PRAISE PARTY Salterforth 31st January 2010 |
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Baptist Church Features on Pendle Councils Steam and Stream Audio Trail.
Church Secretary Keith Whipp talks about the Baptist Church in Barnoldswick and the rogue donkey that caused problems for the Baptists in Barnoldswick's past!
The management group of the West Craven Baptist Fellowship agreed to support the initiative taken by church leaders.
At the West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council gathering yesterday, we as church leaders issued a very important public statement on the European elections and the risk of the British National Party gaining a seat. Below is the statement.
West Yorkshire Church Leaders' Joint Statement on Political Extremism, Fulneck, 22 April 2009
Seventy years ago, the Fulneck Moravian Settlement became home for Jewish children and families fleeing from the terror of the far right in Europe. As leaders of different churches in West Yorkshire, meeting at Fulneck, we affirm the values of unity, tolerance, hospitality and mutual respect, which have always helped people from different backgrounds to live together.
•
We are deeply concerned at the views and activities of the British
National
Party which is using people's fears to stir up racial and religious
hate.
•
We assert that all human beings are created equally in the image of God,
that
racism is a sin, and that such extremist groups do not speak for
Christians.
•
In particular, we are called to love our neighbours as ourselves; and so
we
abhor any rejection of our neighbours of other faiths as an affront to
all our
beliefs and a danger to the unity of the whole community.
On 4 June, the people of Yorkshire and the Humber will choose our representatives in the European parliament. The regional voting system means that every vote counts. A high turnout will enhance democracy and prevent candidates on extremist platforms from winning seats. We urge all Christian people to use their cross on 4 June, and, by exercising their right to vote, to defeat the advocates of extremism and hatred.
Can I please encourage you to share this statement as widely as possible. It can also be found on the WYEC web site at http://www.wyec.co.uk/
Christian Aid
Where does the money go?
Nadia Kabula is an 18 year old girl in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her mother, struggling alone to bring up six children after the death of her husband, can’t even buy half a sack of rice with her wages. Christian Aid partner, Humanite Nouvelle, has taught Nadia tailoring skills giving her the chance to earn a living now and in the future.
47% of Christian aid’s income goes to development projects such as the one which has helped Nadia.
18% is allocated to emergencies
15% goes on campaigning, advocacy and education.
The total of this expenditure last year was £66.2 million
Of the remaining 20% of Christian Aid’s income, 19% goes on Fundraising and 1% on governance.
West Craven usually raises around £3,000 in Christian Aid Week through the street collections and sponsored walk.
Thank you for your generosity in the past through the giving of your time, energy, prayers and money.
Please do all you can to support Christian Aid this year.