Weekly Email September 1st

Ah, the wonders of culture shock – a new environment, way of doing things and all the rest. I’ve had the lot today. And all because I’m working. On a Monday…..

I ought to explain… Now that the two churches are working closer together, and there is a new joint leadership structure, which I’m on, meeting on a Monday evening, it means I’ve moved my day off to a Tuesday. Which means for the first time in about 5 years I’ll be experiencing Monday-itis on Monday mornings again. It does of course also mean that I’ll get to share my Monday morning thoughts with you all in my weekly emails! Except it’s now Monday afternoon. There was another first today – I used the bus! For the first time ever in Toton/Long Eaton! It’s amazing what culture shock does to you….

Anyway, enough drivel, and on to the business of the week. Things are beginning to get busier again, so here’s this week’s youth & children’s diary:
Today – remember how to use a local bus!
Wednesday – Ju Yeon and I will be in that well-known Korean coffee shop, Starbucks, from 3 pm for about an hour and a half or so. (Yes, like so many well-known brands, Starbucks has made it to Korea as well. Still, Korea has given us Samsung and Hyundai.)
Thursday – There are no school groups this week
Friday – Planning meeting for GYM and Rock Solid leaders @ TMC @ 7.30 pm. The clubs start up again the following week. If any of you have any requests for activities for either GYM or RS, please let me know before Friday. What do you want to do between now and Christmas?
Sunday – Sunday School re-launch. Details are still being finalised, so watch the blog for more details this week. In the evening, Breathe gets going again. For one week only at least, it will be at TMC, after the evening service, which is a welcome for Ju Yeon and I to the Methodist Circuit, (as well as other youth and children’s workers across the circuit). The service starts @ 6, Breathe will start swiftly afterwards, and finish at 9.

Next Week:
Next week things will be more or less back up to full speed, with George Spencer groups pencilled in to start, and Harvest celebrations at the end of the week.

Alpha Course and Baptism/Confirmation:
We’ll be starting the Alpha Course on Sunday September 21st at St P’s, which will also double as the bones of the preparation for any young people wanting to get either baptised or confirmed next March. The sessions will run from 7 – 9 pm and are aimed at anyone in Years 7 to 11. With a nod to the way Alpha courses often include food, we are planning to start each session with pudding/desert. If you can provide a pudding, or you are willing to nominate your parents to make/bake/commission Mr Tesco to provide a home-made pudding, please let me know as soon as possible.

Website of the Week:

We might be getting a bit of wet this week, and I know it’s my fault cos I put the washing out this morning, but compared to parts of India and the Caribbean/USA, we’re doing ok. During the summer, when Rachel and I were in the US, we met a friend of ours who was on a break from her gap year in New Orleans where she worked with many poor and disadvantaged families. (She has since moved back to Washington DC, so herself is in no danger.) She is however worried about many people there who simply cannot afford to evacuate or protect their homes as they face the next hurricane. The Methodist Church in the USA has a very active response team, ready to support those affected by Hurricane Gustav, and you can find out more by following this link:

http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/newsroom/releases/archives08/umcorpreparesforgustav/

Please keep not just those affected by the hurricane but also those dealing with the floods in India, the earthquake in China and other incidents around the world in your prayers.

In the meantime, have a good week, and I pray that the return to school is not too tough!

Andy