Church News

United Reformed Church

Harvest Sunday –15th September

We look forward to an uplifting day of thanksgiving and celebration of Harvest. Both our Brownie and Guide packs are due to be with us for the morning service. We invite friends to join us for either (or both) of our services and also extend a welcome to all to attend a harvest tea. David Lane will be our guest organist at both services. Our harvest celebrations will be as follows: » 11am – Harvest Festival and Parade Service » 4pm – 5pm – Bring and Share Harvest Tea » 5PM – Harvest Songs of Praise Service (Followed by sale of produce – proceeds to Jimmy’s Nightshelter)

Autumn sees the return of our mid-week Reflective Services/Bible Studies. Please check the church notice board for details of times.

We will restart our Thursday Craft and Chat group on 5th September after the short summer break. We meet between 2-4pm in our church hall.

Many who stopped at our stall at the village fete will know we will be continuing to knit blankets and hats for Jimmy’s Nightshelter, as well as hats, scarves and bags for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes. In addition, there are individual patchwork and embroidery projects underway. Please contact Anne Field (Tel 01763 220869) for more information. Whether you would like to pass on a skill, learn something new from another crafter, or just pop in for a chat and have a coffee, we’d like to welcome you to join us.

The Samaritans Purse Shoebox Appeal deadline is mid-November. We have supported this appeal for many years and the service held on ‘Shoebox Sunday’ is always special. Anyone interested in finding out more or contributing to this appeal should contact Beryl Monk (Tel 01763 246458).

Looking ahead

‘Tastes of Christmas’ Saturday 7th December Mark the date in your diaries! This year, Melbourn URC’s Christmas event will take on a new format. We will be concentrating mainly on Christmas foods with different seasonal specialities from home and abroad available to sample and buy on the day.

Melbourn Baptist Church

Church members enjoyed contributing to yet another successful Melbourn Village Fete this year.

With visitors flocking to the fete, the church was able to give away free fruit, which is always welcome. But the bonus with this fruit was that each item came with a small sticker, representing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, to remind us that it is good, and also free.

The fete also gave church members an extra chance to talk with and listen to people in the Melbourn community, and to offer to pray for them. The response was encouraging.

Church members have also taken part in the national Big Church Day Out, and enjoyed a family day at Thetford Forest, which involved various activities, including a lot of energetic cycling on a very hot day.

The church has also again been involved with the annual Chernobyl’s Children visit.

And in line with the church’s ongoing involvement with Christ’s Hope International, there will be a visit to Namibia in October for the organisation’s international board meeting, and possibly a chance to carry out renovation work on the Rehoboth Ministry CarePoint, which the church has been helping with for some time.

The church also continues to take part in Royston and District Churches Together’s Alpha courses, which are again proving very popular.

All Saints Parish Church

The Church stays open during the hours of daylight and from the evidence of the visitors’ book and the prayer list we have a regular stream of people who come for a few moments of quiet, to light a candle and perhaps offer a prayer for a loved one or for guidance on a particular problem.

The visitors’ book is a veritable world atlas with a wide-ranging list of countries. Many of the remarks are kind about finding the church open to enable people to visit and pray or to leave a request for family information.

The month of August is a quieter one when clergy and parishioners alike take the opportunity “to recharge their batteries” although the weekly worship never stops. Evensong and the Thursday Communion are not held until the beginning of September but the Sunday morning services continue and we often welcome visitors who are on holiday in the village and join us for worship.

In July the Reverend Alex Knopp, who retired to Melbourn many years ago, died at the great age of 103 years. His funeral, although tinged with sadness, was a happy event as family and friends alike remembered his simple faith and great sense of humour and joy of living.

In August our Vicar Andrew will be celebrating the 25th year of his ordination as a priest. It seems only yesterday that he, together with Joanne, Thomas and Rebecca, came to the vicarage but over the years he has certainly made his mark with the All Saints Community Hall and his ability to make people feel they are special to the church. Colin Limming.

Supporters of All Saints (SOAS)

Following the successful evening with Peter White talking about his time as a ‘Games Maker’ at the Olympic Games, the SOAS Committee has taken a well earned break ready for our autumn events.

Two events that are definitely booked are the English Distillery Company on Friday 4th October, and Bob and Joan Howard’s Hungarian Evening on Saturday 2nd November. Both events will be in All Saints Community Hall and members will be advised of ticket sales as soon as possible.

At the moment we are looking at a Concert of Christmas Music in December, but it is early days yet to give firm details.

All of our events are run with fun in mind and the best way to ‘get into the act’ is to become a SOAS member. You don’t have to be a member of the congregation and all it will cost you is a minimum of £3.00 per individual or £5.00 for a household (two adults and two children). Forms are always on display in All Saints Church or can be obtained from myself. Colin Limming Membership Secretary 01763 260072 colin.limming@btinternet.com

SOAS 100 Club

The May draw was made by the Rev Andrew O’Brien on 8th June. There were 71 members. The first prize of £23.66 goes to Peggy Abrey at 9 Orchard Gate and the second to John & Linda Travis at 16 Cambridge Road.

The June draw was made by Rev Andrew O’Brien on 7th July. There were 71 members . The first prize of £23.66 goes to Mrs Mary Purdy at 4 Chapel Lane and the second of £11.84 to Mr Peter Kenzies at 24 Station Road.

The July draw was made by Rev Andrew O’Brien on 3rd August. There were 71 members. The first prize of £23.66 goes to Joan Statter at 60 Orchard Road and the second of £11.84 to Angela Leach at 32 Hale Close.

The Word of God from David Burbridge Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of The Truth. The Holy Scriptures are given by inspiration of God and are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Timothy 2 chap. 3

COFFEE STOP

Every Saturday 10.30am to 12noon

Rombouts coffee & biscuits for 80p at All Saints’ Community Hall

Want to brighten up your home this summer?

Cracks keep appearing – Do you find that no matter how many times you run over that small crack with your filling knife and filler, when you stand back and admire your handy work … the crack has appeared yet again!

Try scratching down the crack with a sharp tool like a flat screwdriver, creating a deeper cavity and then re filling. This will eradicate the problem from beyond the surface and dramatically reduce the chances of the crack reappearing. Peeling Paint – Do you find that in some areas of your property the paint keeps peeling for no apparent reason.

Try mixing your first coat of paint with 50% water then applying two further top coats afterwards. When undiluted paint is applied to fresh plaster, the plaster will absorb the water out of the paint leaving just a dry paint covering which is unable to stick to the wall and will in time flake and peel off.

Where to start – Unsure whether to start by painting the woodwork or the walls first?

Always paint the ceiling and walls first as the water based emulsion usually applied to these surfaces can easily be removed from the woodwork with warm water or sandpaper. It can even be left on as emulsion is a natural undercoat and won’t harm the wood. However an oil based paint like Satinwood or Gloss usually used for woodwork cannot be removed from walls so easily as it’s thicker and requires a propriety cleaner such as white spirit, an oil paint will always show through emulsion but not vice versa. Struggling to cut in neatly? – No matter how many times you cut in those tricky angles are you finding your end product is not improving?

Try mixing down your emulsion paint with 10% water. This will make a huge difference as the added water will reduce resistance when the brush meets the wall which will create an easier surface to glide the brush over and resulting in a nice, neat finish. No need for masking tape anymore! Alternatively you can switch the kettle on, put your feet up and let my team and I do it all for you rest assured that you will delighted by the outcome.

Ashton Renovations deliver a full range of interior services to ensure our customers are left feeling satisfied in their home. We are based locally on Melbourn High Street and we’re always pleased to give out free friendly advice so if you have any queries regarding decorating or any other improvements you wish to make to your home, please don’t hesitate to contact us today on 01763 290335 or email kieranbutler@ashtonrenovations.co.uk. www.ashtonrenovations.co.uk.

We are a warm, friendly, family run home conveniently situated close to the station and town centre of Royston.

If you would like to find out more about St George’s, please call us for a brochure or drop in for a chat.

42 Kneesworth Street, Royston, Herts. SG8 5AQ Telephone: 01763 242243 web site: www.stgeorgescare.com