Pastoral Note 26 March 2015

Holy Week and Easter

Holy Week begins on Sunday with our Palm Sunday Service. Marlene, Tony and Karin are busy collecting Palms to decorate the church.  On Palm Sunday Jesus and his disciples completed their journey to Jerusalem.  The people welcomed him shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!"

How passionate are you about the coming of the Kingdom of God?  In our prayer and worship on Palm Sunday I invite you to express your longing for the coming of God's Kingdom - your dream of the day when the world will be put right - when God's Kingdom has fully come.

Although Jesus should have been recognized as God's appointed King the people failed to recognize him - and the leaders plotted to have him crucified.  Holy Week is a chance for us to reflect on our response to King Jesus.  Do we crown him?  Or do we reject him?

On Monday (30 March) at 10am and 7pm we will reflect on the "Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" - revealed through the Cross.  On Tuesday (31 March), on the "Love of God", and on Wednesday (1 April) "The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit."  Please come and join us if you can.

Then on Thusday night at 730pm (2 April) we will gather to prayerfully read about the final night of Jesus life and his crucifixion.  After the service we leave in silence.

On Good Friday we will meet at 8am for a service of worship and reflection (led by Rev Angus Kelly) and then at 930am for a service on the seven words that Jesus spoke from the cross.  There will be 7 7 minute sermonettes by different preachers.  The service of 7 words is a chance for us to worship together as a combined community.  I would encourage you to come to the 930am service - but maybe you want to invite a friend to join you and you feel the 8am service would be more accessible.  And I know that some people can't sit for longer than 60 minutes!

On Easter Sunday we will meet at 8, 930 and 11am to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!

Angus on Leave (6-27 April) After the Easter Weekend I will be taking my next block of Sabbatical Leave.  I will be away from you for three Sundays.  I will miss Table View Methodist but I know that I will be a better minister if I take the time that I am given to be with my family; to reflect, read, worship and and pray and return to work energized on 28 April.  I will take leave again in July. Please continue to pray for me, the staff, the leaders and stewards of Table View Methodist - as well as the leadership of the Cape West Coast Circuit.  We have lots of work to do and we always need to know that God is with us.

Youth - Friday 27 March The theme for this week is "Recognising God's Blessing in our Lives". Youth group meets every Friday from 7-9pm contact Iain iain@tvmethodist.co.za / 072 914 3154 for more information. We're thinking of starting a junior youth group - aimed at Grade 1-6; from 6-7pm on Friday nights.  Anyone interested in helping out, chat to Iain. Youth next term starts on 17 April with the first session of Youth Alpha.  Perhaps you know of someone between grade 7 and 12 who would benefit from attending youth Alpha?  Also - pray for Iain our youth pastor and our youth leaders as they lead the youth to learn more about God. See www.alpha.org for more information about this course.

The Story (From August) I'm considering a preaching series starting in August, it is a 31 week course called "The Story" it is based on a book of the same name which is a Bible edited to read like a novel; some important parts are left out but it helps you to find our place in the story of God.  Please have a look at the website: www.thestory.com and let me know what you think of the idea. The thing I like most about the course is that it gives you a curriculum for Bible Study, Church and Sunday School - we could try to get as many people as we can to meet in small groups and discuss The Story.

Finance

From our treasurer:  Our income so far for the year is R210,506 and expenditure stands at R274,100 (Click here for this week's statement).  Please speak to Vivienne 8am, Charmaine 930am, or Basi 11am about how you can support the church.  We need about R100,000 a month to sustain the work at Table View Methodist and at the moment we are falling short of that goal.

Find our bank details in the notices or on our website.

Pastor's Note 2015-03-29

Pastoral Letter

Hi Table View Methodist Family,

I'm looking forward to reading some transforming scriptures with you this coming Sunday.  Jesus challenge to follow him to the cross (John 12:20-33), Jeremiah anticipates a day when our hearts are transformed (Jeremiah 31:31-34).  King David confesses his sin and asks God to purify his heart (Psalm 51:1-12).  The writer to the Hebrews describes the power of Jesus' priesthood (Hebrews 5:5-10).

With David I think we can all echo the cry: "Create a pure heart in me, O God..." I pray that God will continue this work in us this coming Sunday.

Holy Week (29 March - 5 April) Holy week begins on 29 March with Palm Sunday.  On Palm Sunday we remember the hope of those who marched into Jerusalem with Jesus and the disciples proclaiming Jesus as Messiah and King.  During Holy Week we prepare ourselves for Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday as we reflect on the meaning of Jesus life, crucifixion and resurrection. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week we will gather at 10am and 7pm to reflect on the love of God, grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit revealed through the cross.  The services will be about 45 minutes long. On Thursday evening we will gather to read the account of Jesus last night with his disciples. On Good Friday (3 April) there will be two services, one at 8am and one at 930am.  The 930am will be a reflection on the 7 words of Jesus spoken from the cross and will last about two hours.  I encourage you to come to the 930am service! On Easter Sunday (5 April) we will have services at 8am, 930am and 11am, there will be baptisms and communion.

No Youth on Friday 20 March Our youth pastor Iain is taking his weekend off this weekend, keep him in your prayers as he gets some rest; thank you for your hard work Iain.  It seems that many of our other youth leaders will also be away this weekend so the won't be youth this Friday. Next Friday (27 March) will be the last youth group meeting of the term.  The theme is "Recognising God's Blessing in our Lives". Youth group will start again on the first Friday of next term; 17 April; starting with the first session of Youth Alpha.  Youth group meets every Friday from 7-9pm contact Iain iain@tvmethodist.co.za / 072 914 3154 for more information. We're thinking of starting a junior youth group - aimed at Grade 1-6; from 6-7pm on Friday nights.  Anyone interested in helping out, chat to Iain.

Methodist Logo Some of you have asked me to explain the Methodist Shell again.  This logo was designed for the Methodist Church in the 1980s.  It is a cross contained in a scallop shell.  The scallop shell is an ancient symbol of pilgrimage - I guess you could describe a pilgrimage as a journey that takes you closer to God.  It represents pilgrimage because of its shape - a fan of many starting points; culminating in the point at the top. The Methodist Journey is a journey from the darkness of our sin and brokenness to the highest point of the journey in Christian perfection or 'perfect love'.  The fan means that anyone can join us on the journey. The cross with a black base, red top and a pathway through the middle represents the fact that we journey through the cross - the grace of Christ, from the darkness of sin, through the blood of Christ - towards our ultimate goal. I think it is a fitting symbol of what we attempt to do as we seek to be more like Jesus and accept all the help he offers!

Dassenberg Horse Rescue Centre One of our members, Kristel Havenga is involved in the Durbanville Horse Rescue Centre and they will be hosting a tea at our church this coming Saturday morning; here is a note from her: Come help the animals and have a cup of tea while doing it!!! DHRC is hosting a barter tea at the Table View Methodist Church to raise items needed on the farm, bring us your old dog leashes, blankets, dog food, or any items a dog or horse may need and we will give you a cup of tea or coffee with a nibble to say thank you!!! Come meet our furry farm representatives who will also be there if you are looking for a canine family member, Lewis, Reeves, Dante and Charly are hoping to see you all there!!!

Finance

Our income so far for the year is R199,250.62 and expenditure stands at R232,143.45 (Click here for this week's statement).  Please speak to Vivienne 8am, Charmaine 930am, or Basi 11am about how you can support the church.  We need about R100,000 a month to sustain the work here and at the moment we are falling short of that goal.

Find our bank details in the notices or on our website.

Pastoral Letter 12 March 2015

Hi Table View Methodists,

As I write to you I pray that you would be a blessing to the world around you; wherever you are, as God uses you to share his good news with the world.  You have no idea what a difference you might make in someone's world today - by simply being the loving, caring, Christ filled person you're meant to be.

I also know that most of us will not have been as good an influence as we had hoped we would be this week.

Whatever happened this week - I know God wants to strengthen you for another week.  I pray that when you join us for worship you will receive grace and power from God, given through the Holy Spirit as we worship together, as we pray and listen to God's word explained; as we ask the Holy Spirit to help us.  I hope it will be just the encouragement you need to keep on living as God has called you to live.

I believe that God wants you to join us at 8, 930 or 11am this Sunday.  And I'm looking forward to seeing you.

Our scriptures for this Sunday are Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; and John 3:14-21.

Don't read Numbers if you're scared of snakes :)

Outdoor Chapel and Cross

I'm looking for two nice thick solid pieces of rugged wood that we can use to erect a life size cross in the field adjacent to the church.  I want to create an outdoor chapel (maybe later we can get some stones or logs for people to sit on). The idea would be to create a space where people walking past the church would be able to take some time to reflect and pray.

And I think that standing out on our sandy field in the heat of the sun might give us an idea of what it was like to stand next to the cross on Good Friday.

A life size cross would be made of a cross beam about 6 feet long; and the upright pole would be about 9 feet from the ground.

I welcome your feedback!

(We own the field adjacent to the church and hope to use it some time in the future to expand our sanctuary; but in the mean time I would like us to use it a bit more.)

Holy Week 31 March - 5 April
Holy week is a time of preparation for Good Friday and Easter Sunday; from Monday to Wednesday we will hold services of prayer and meditation at 10am and 7pm.  I've asked Mbulelo, John and Iain (our local preachers) each to lead us in reflections the trinity revealed to us through the cross.

What does the cross teach us about the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (31 March), the Love of God (1 April), and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (2 April)?

On Thursday 3 April we will hold a Tennebrae Service from 730pm; at the Tennebrae we read an account of the last night of Jesus life and extinguish seven candles; leaving the church in darkness and silence.

Next week I will confirm the times of our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services.

Finances
We had a finance committee meeting last night - ideally it will be the finance committee who report to you on the financial situation etc. for Table View Methodist.  Here is a link to our latest income / expenditure statement produced by our software - click here.  Our income for the month so far is about R39,000; we need about R100,000 per month to cover our expenses.

In the months of January and February we took in R71,000 and R75,979 so we've got some catching up to do.

Thank you very much for supporting your church here in this place.

God bless,
Rev Angus Kelly
(Table View Methodist)

Pastoral Letter 2015-03-05

Hi Table View Methodist Family,

I'm looking forward to worshiping with you this Sunday at 8, 930 and 11am.  The scripture readings for this week are Psalm 19, Exodus 20:1-17, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 and John 2:13-22.  Psalm 19 ends with the words:

"No one can see his own errors; 
deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults! 

Keep me safe, also, from wilful sins; 
don’t let them rule over me. 
Then I shall be perfect and free from the evil of sin. 
 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!

- Psalm 19:12-14

The Psalmist reflects on the perfect and wise instruction of God - asking God to deliver him from 'hidden faults!'  The law of God holds a mirror up to us and exposes our weaknesses and faults.  God doesn't do this to us to punish us - but rather to set us free.  We stress that God loves us and forgives us before we respond to that love.  He gives us his law, his Son, his Holy Spirit to help us to live in his love. 

I look forward to reflecting on this with you on Sunday.

Society Stewards

On Monday night we had an induction meeting with our new society stewards and have asked them to head up some of the portfolios of work that we need to get done as a church.  There will be one society steward to represent each portfolio at each of the 3 morning services

	8am	930am	11am
1 - Spiritual Formation (Discipleship)	Rodney	Jacques	Basi
2 - Mission and Extension	Joe	Charmaine	Philasande
3 - Youth	Vivienne	Pete	Busi
4 - Justice and Service	Rodney	Karin	Basi
5 - Property	Joe	Karin	Philasande
6 - Finance	Vivienne	Charmaine	Basi
Society Staff / HR	Andrea	Jacques	Busi

I've also asked them to begin reading an excellent book on leadership by Rev Adam Hamilton entitled Leading Beyond the Walls, available on kindle and at www.loot.co.za.  It is a very practical guide to Developing a Church with a Heart for the Unchurched.

Please keep our leadership in your prayers as our church moves forward.

Memorial Garden

Joe Taljaard and Karin Franklin (among others) have been hard at work establishing our new memorial garden.  With the donations that we have received we have been able to erect our fence (the Sunday School loves being able to play outside), erected a jungle gym and we have started to put up plaques.



​

Thank you for the hard work, the fund raising, and the donations!

I hope that we will be able to dedicate our memorial garden on the Easter Weekend.

Sad News

I'm sad to let you know that Uncle Tom Adams passed away last night; Tom was 94 and passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family. I will email next week to let you know the time of his memorial service.  We give thanks to God for the gift of people like Tom to our church.

Car Park Security

​ A couple of weeks ago someone thought a radio was stolen from their car; Harrod who diligently watches over our cars while we are at church was quite devastated.  But the radio turned up and it was all a misunderstanding.  Please remember to thank Harrod when you come to church on Sundays.

God bless,

Gus

--

Rev Angus Kelly

Tableview Methodist