News from Stotfold Methodist Chuch

News from Stotfold Methodist Church

Happy New year ?

“Happy new year!” It's a greeting I'm happy to share in those first days of a new year. It's a genuine wish too. I want people to be happy, don't we all? The new year gives the image of a fresh start, perhaps an opportunity to shake off the difficulties or disappointments of the previous year. Of course, life doesn't behave how we might want. Much is in our own hands, but much is not. How does one deal with this uncertainty? Minnie Louise Haskins' famous poem "God knows" is rightly much quoted (and I'm doing it too!) after King George VI used it for his 1939 Christmas broadcast: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown. ” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way. ” Her poem sums up something important about God from the Bible, Christian tradition, Reason and our own experience. It shows the deep relationship which anyone might have with God, if one is willing to place one's trust in God. So perhaps I should wish you a new year in which you are able to trust in God’s loving care. But that's a bit of a mouthful! So, I'll resort to shorthand... Happy New Year!! Graham

Coffee morning, Saturday 7th January , 10am to 12pm. Monday Club is 2pm to 3:30pm. Sunday worship at 10am will be downstairs in the lounge: 1st : Local congregation 8th : Revd Graham Claydon-Knights (annual Covenant service) 15th : Helen Dearn 22nd : David Latter 29th : Hazel Beadle Revd. Graham 07340 857386 aham.ClaydonKnights@methodist.org.uk HOPE Strict Baptist CHAPEL, Mill Lane

I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord

NE EW Y YE EAR P PRAYER MEETING Monday 2nd @ 10.00 a.m.

SERVICES O OF W WO ORSHIP Every Sunday @ 10.30 a.m. & 2.15 p.m. Wednesdays 4;18;25; @ 7.15 p.m.

PRAYER ME EETINGS Wednesday 11th; @ 7.15 p.m.

YOUNG P PE EOPLE S ME EETING ( (age 1 15+) Saturday 7th; @ 7.00 p.m.

BIBLE CLASS Sunday 8th; @ 7:00 p.m.

SUNDAY S SCHOOL Every Sunday @ 9:15 a.m. 10.00 a.m.

ALL ARE MOST WELCOME. [See Chapel Notice Board for full weekly details]

Minister: Mr. G.E.Hadley. Tel: 01462 686803 Web Site: www.hopechapelstotfold.org

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting: and his truth endureth to all generations . [Psalm 100:5]

North Herts Road Runners

Now's the time to get your running shoes on for the New Year. our 1st Sat of the month 5k at Letchworth Common will be on 7 Jan at 9am. entry is free and the details are on our website nhrr.org.uk.

We continue our training sessions with qualified coaches on Tues & Thurs evenings at 7pm. These are open to all runners from novice to experienced runners.

News from King’s Baptist Church

Happy New Year!

I often think that each new year brings the opportunity for renewal, a fresh start. And each new year also brings the challenges of impossible-to-keep resolutions and promises to try harder!

So, how are you doing? The truth is that not only is each new year an opportunity to start again and get things right, every single day is too. And not just each new day, but every single minute of every day. God has promised that he is always with us, and that he is for us—his mercy and grace have no limits.

As we face the new year ahead there will be uncertainty, because none of us actually knows what the future will bring. This causes us to be anxious, because we want to be certain: when we know what to expect, we can prepare for it. Not knowing what to expect makes us anxious, or nervous. It stifles our ability to be confident, and it inhibits our ability to make decisions. We become passive observers of life, rather than pro-actively engaged in it. We wait and see, play it safe, retreat into old and comfortable patterns of thought and action (or inaction). Sadly, many find that later on down the road they look back and see their lives are littered with missed opportunities, broken relationships, and lots of regret.

But just because the future is unknown does not mean the future will be bleak. God is still with us. Author Ann Spangler writes:

“What does it mean to say that God is with us? Surely it doesn’t mean our lives will be easy. It doesn’t mean we will be insulated from failure or doubt or that God will take our side in every argument. But it does mean we will never face even a single struggle alone. It means the Lord will never withhold the help we need to do his will. It means that ultimately we will come out on top even if we feel we’re living most of our life on the bottom. ” Happy New Year! May you know the comforting presence and the life-changing power of God in your life throughout this new year.