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'Engage' - Local Mission Team
The Engage or Local Mission Team works alongside PBC's MIST and National Mission Teams, helps to enable PBC to become involved in mission locally around Poynton.
At
one of the
Engage
is the final team to be set up to cover different aspects of mission
within PBC. It will be
focusing on local mission and in the coming weeks a core team will meet
together, asking God to show us His heart for local mission and to begin
putting together a strategy for the coming months and years.
It is the beginning of a journey – one that is on God’s heart
and one that must be on ours.
*****
We
apologise....
At our recent invitation service Sean gave a heartfelt apology to those
who felt hurt by the actions of others. Many people asked for a copy -
click here to read it. If you want to listen
to the service you can link to the MP3 file from the podcast
link.
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Poynton Christmas Fest
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Click on the photo to see more
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Sign the PBC Christmas Card
Once again we will have the
opportunity to send our Christmas greetings and messages to one another
via a PBC corporate Christmas Card. All monies raised this year will go
towards helping local people either via the store cupboard, hampers or the
planned Christmas Dinner.
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The
Dry Store Cupboard at PBC continues to feed the people in need who live on our
doorsteps. It is kept well stocked and with food being distributed
appropriately.
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Playaway
The
Mum's & Toddler Group 'Playaway' started in 1977 and has, and still
remains, a very successful
group, bringing many new people into the church.
Playaway Team T-shirt
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The New Year sees the start of Hope08 – a year when churches throughout the country will join together with one common aim - to share the love of Jesus with their local communities and ultimately throughout this nation.
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Local partnerships
We
have had discussions with the local police, councillors and teachers to
get to grips with the needs of Poynton. We continue to pray and seek God's
way forward.
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Local Transformations
See just one example of the transformation of two local sites in Poynton made by young peoples' teams from Festival Manchester, working with our local Christians.
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The
Action Unit has been running since 1975 and we
continue to work towards helping others through a practical ministry.
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A
task falls to me today the like of which I have never had to perform
before in all my Christian life, so I hope you will bear with my fumbling.
Over
the years I have had to apologise too many people for thoughtless and
sometimes wilful acts I have committed, which have hurt and upset other
people.
However
on this occasion I am charged with offering an apology to you my brothers
& sisters on behalf of this church body.
We
are all the church you and I not this building, but we the people.
It
is sadly inevitable that in any organisation such as ours, there will
people who have been part of the church family that have been hurt or
ill-treated.
The
fact that this is inevitable does not make this apology any less important
and should not excuse the behaviour which caused that pain.
There
will people sitting here today who have been damaged or mistreated, and
have had their mind & soul blistered by the actions of others.
Dear
sisters & brothers I am here to ask for your forgiveness.
Whether
that pain was caused intentionally or unintentionally by thoughtless word
and deed, as can sometimes be the case even among Gods people.
We
are sorry!
When
people are hurting they can be misunderstood and are on occasion left at
the roadside to pretty much fend for themselves.
You
see I believe the church should be an example, not that we get things
right all the time, heaven knows we don’t.
But
what should set us apart from the world is that we ask for and give our
forgiveness.
We
the church should keep a short list of grievances and complaints with each
other.
We
should regularly ask for God’s forgiveness, in fact we do every time we
take communion. We expect God to forgive us our many failings because His
Word promises us He will; can we say we forgive others so quickly and
easily?
A
few years ago I stayed at a Christian campsite in
She
told of her brother then aged 20 who had been murdered by his
girlfriend’s ex-partner. The
man had killed her brother, the young woman and another friend of theirs
in revenge for being dumped.
This
incident took place more than 20 years ago and the woman had got to the
place where she could consider talking to God about forgiveness. It was
not easy.
Point being that forgiveness
is a process, an act of will and is not always a one off experience.
Painful emotions and deep felt hurt cannot be healed with a sticking
plaster. They need the healing balm of God’s Holy Spirit.
So
if you are here today as someone who has been hurt or ill-treated by the
thoughtless or intentional actions of members this church body, then I
offer you an unconditional apology. Will you find it in your heart &
mind to pull down that wall of anger and resentment that may have been
built to protect your self.
If
you cannot pull down the wall, may you start to take out some of the
bricks of that wall and start to consider what to do.
Our
act of forgiveness is not necessarily reserved for this church body. It
maybe you need to go to someone in your family or a friend and ask for
their forgiveness or begin reconciliation. If you would like someone to
pray with you to start this process please come to the front at the end of
the service where one of the team members will be happy to pray with you.
Let’s stand together and affirm our love for each other and for our
Father God by saying the Lord’s Prayer.
30-Nov-09