Churches Together

All Saints’ Church Melbourn & Holy Trinity Meldreth

Pictures of the floral cross and Easter garden, which remind us that we have just celebrated Easter Day when we remembered with joy the resurrection of Jesus that brings with it the hope of new life with God through faith in Jesus.

Whilst Easter is always a highlight of the Church calendar, it was perhaps extra special in that we could be in our church buildings worshipping together. We had a service at Holy Trinity at 9.30am and another at All Saints’ at 11.15am. We were unable to sing together, had to be socially distanced and observe the Covid protocols, but it was good to be back and we had lovely organ music to listen to.

That joy may be tempered by the fact that not everyone feels able or ready to come back to church yet and it reminds me of the confusion and disappointment faced by Mary and the disciples who went to the tomb on that first Easter Morning. They were dismayed and could not fully understand all that was going on and must have wondered what the future held for them. The things that they held most dear to them seemed to have been taken away and they were unsure of what would happen next. They had yet to meet with the risen Lord Jesus and hear his words of comfort and reassurance and the disciples returned to their homes leaving the distraught Mary weeping at the tomb. A man appeared, who she thought was the gardener, until he called her by her name ‘Mary’ at which point she realised it was Jesus.

Jesus had risen from the tomb, death did not defeat him and in May we will have celebrated the ascension of Jesus to his father God and then Pentecost, where we will recall God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to the believers to empower them and help them spread his word. The day of Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church, as Jesus’ disciples/followers now carry on Jesus’ work in witnessing to the love of God to all whom they meet despite opposition. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things through God’s Grace.

The period after Easter used to be called ‘Ordinary time’ but now we tend to refer to it as Trinity, which may be more appropriate for there is nothing ordinary about a life of faith. It is a life lived in the ups and downs of daily living but strengthened and encouraged by the love and support of one another and God through his

gift of Jesus and The Holy Spirit. Like Mary and those disciples we may not know quite what the future holds but let us step out in faith loving and trusting our God.

Whilst Lizzie is on maternity leave please contact Revd. Mary Price on 01763 261569 (maryprice9486@ gmail.com) or Pat Smith on 01763 262575. If you would like to receive our weekly e-newsletter please contact Ian Henderson (ian.melbournas@gmail.com). Check our Facebook page for details of services: www.facebook.com/asmhtm.

If you would like to receive a copy of our Parish Magazine please contact Diane Blundell on 01763 221415

Melbourn Baptist Church

It’s summer and hopefully we will see plenty of sunshine. In summer, many of us enjoy the golden moments of lazing in the sun with a good book,whether it be on the beach, in a meadow, or even, as I like to, in the shade of the apple tree in our garden.

I love stories, the wonderful way that literature allows the mind to explore; the words on a page allowing us to escape into other worlds, other lives, and find new perspectives to add to our own. It has always been better for me to read the book before I see the film.

An author who I have enjoyed throughout my life is C.S.Lewis, who takes us to other worlds. The Narnia series captivates the imagination, and opens us up to bigger questions of human existence in an allegorical way. I have enjoyed many of the novels he has written, and seeing Shadowlands, both at the theatre and at the cinema, which gives us an inspiring look at his life.

In “Is Theology Poetry?” he says “I believe in Christianity, as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

The sun illuminates our senses, our world, our deep reflections on existence, and points us to a creator. The grand panorama, of the meaning of life. We all need to build our lives on something that is solid, stable and secure; until we find a foundation at the centre of our being, we struggle to live well. C.S.Lewis reminds us that there is a big difference between just existing and really living.

In times of difficulty or perplexity, it is good to see a purpose to life, a meaning to existence.

The sun casts shadows on the earth as well as bringing light to see. CS Lewis recognises the Bible as a book that allows us to grasp the bigger picture of existence. Christianity brings life into sharp focus more than any other world view. It doesn’t mean everything is fully illuminated: on the journey there are great shadows, we encounter the uncontrollable and that which we do not understand.

At the heart of Christianity there is a God who suffers, brings light into the shadows, leads us beyond death to a new heaven and earth.

A new heaven and earth, found in Jesus’ resurrected, living body.

Life finds meaning, when God inspires us, to reflect deeply on the creative order.

An order of complex biological processes, that we perceive through our created senses, as we relate in a world founded in love.

It was wonderful to be able to meet together in person (at the Baptist Church) to celebrate Easter.

Moments of celebration, as the cross moved into life on Easter Sunday.

The tomb moved from the shadowlands of the grey of Good Friday, to the vibrant life and the light of an open tomb on Easter Sunday.

Many of you may have heard, or seen us recently on Sunday mornings at 10.30.a.m. as we meet outside the church to worship God in song before entering the Church building for the rest of our service. At Melbourn Baptist Church we have a long tradition of singing and playing musical worship and it is great to be able to join together in that once again.

We have also been able to welcome our children back into the Sunday school.

We are still posting online services which you can find via our website, Facebook page or YouTube channel. Or

you can book in for our in-person services with our church secretary, melbournbaptistsecretary@gmail.com

John 10:10b. “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Blessings Stuart

United Reformed Church

World Day of Prayer The World Day of Prayer was on Friday 5th March. The service was prepared by the Christian women of Vanuatu. The Republic of Vanuatu is in the South Pacific. The islands have black and white sandy beaches, coral reefs with coloured fishes, lovely birds, fruit and nuts in the forest making a pristine environment, but they are vulnerable to frequent tropical storms, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and active volcanoes.

The people are called to “Build on a Strong Foundation” and live in unity, love and peace in the context of ethnic and cultural diversity. Hence this was the theme of the service, to “Build on a Strong Foundation”.

In March 2015 Cyclone Pam caused catastrophic damage on the islands of Efate, Erromango and Tanna. It crippled the infrastructure and destroyed 90% of the buildings. While they were still struggling to recover from this, in April 2020 Cyclone Harold cut another devastating blow to the islands. Schools, homes and vegetation were destroyed. Cyclone Harold struck during a state of emergency due to Covid-19 and in the middle of national elections. The task of beginning to rebuild is an immense challenge and we hold Vanuatu in our hearts and prayers.

We were unable to hold a service this year due to Covid-19 but hopefully next year we can hold the ecumenical service and we shall be the hosts. Good Friday We held a Zoom service this year led by Eirwen and Peter Karner on 2nd April at 10am. It was a very poignant and moving service. Afterwards we had a social time with a virtual coffee and hot cross bun when we were able to continue fellowship and exchange news. Easter Unfortunately for the second year we were unable to worship in church. However, we did hang painted eggs on the tree outside and also put some of the eggs in the ground which we were unable to do last year. There were over 500 eggs on display giving us hope for the future. We put a floral cross outside the church doors to remind us how Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross so that our sins were forgiven and we would have everlasting life.

Worship We were able to recommence Sunday morning worship in our church on Sunday 2nd May at 11am. It was so good to be able to worship together again in person and made us realise how much we had missed being together. God willing, we pray that we do not have to suspend services again. New Minister The Rev’d Sue Fender and her husband Alex were finally able to visit the pastorate on the 12th and 13th March. They came to us on the Saturday and were able to look over the manse and church. It was lovely to meet them in person at last, hidden behind our masks! They are looking forward to moving into the manse mid-May and to getting to know us all. Alex took the opportunity to play the organ and both pianos.

The induction is planned for Saturday June 26th, and we hope that by then the rules governing social contact and gatherings will be less restrictive. Sue will be preaching before then and you may well have seen her around the village by the time this magazine is printed.