Good News! 

GOOD NEWS STORIES FOR THIS WEEK 26 September 2020
The Methodist Church, Stoke-on-Trent South Circuit collected by Hil Hands (Local preacher)
Dear friends,
How are you? Frustrated? Excited? OK? Fed-up? God understands us. The Psalms reflect our every emotion. We can be and we are loved, just as we are, through tears and smiles.
We recently visited the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland. Wow! The scenery was wonderful and the peace we felt when walking on the island lifted our hearts. As we took the coastal path, the sun reflected from the sea and we were watched by several inquisitive seals.
I was very much aware that we were a part of the scene. We were not in control, not the owners. The beauty which we surveyed had been there for many years before we arrived and will be there for many more, God-willing. Yet for those few hours when we visited, we were greatly blessed.
We need to live in the moment. We need to use our God-given senses to see, hear, touch, taste and scent the presence of God in our lives. His love has not stopped because of the Pandemic. We cannot control 2020, but we can trust that God holds us in His hands.
Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart,
alone with you, God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond,
the world that rushes in on me
till the waters come again and fold me back to you.
Aidan of Lindisfarne
 
If you have good news, please let me know: email - hands.hilary@yahoo.com
Please send news to me by Friday 30 October, ready for that weekend.
 
From Stuart and Sylvia - Update on Ashley
Dear friends
Sent this earlier but not certain it came. Forgive me if you receive it twice. We were told yesterday that Ashley could come home for a short visit today, so I fetched him this morning and he spent about an hour or so at home. We praise God for this small but significant step.
God bless,
Stuart
 
From Richard and Maureen
The following came to us from Over URC church where Richard was a member in his youth:  A man wrote to describe a difficult meeting which he had attended at his local church where some important decisions had to be made.  The meeting was long and noisy.  Angry words had been exchanged on all sides, and it seemed that there would be no agreement, only division.  Then an elderly gentleman, who had not said anything up to this point, stood up. In a quiet voice, he uttered these words, "Let's start again, and this time, let's all row the boat, not rock it."  This wise intervention resulted in a successful outcome.  Maybe the next time we are arguing about who should be buying the toilet rolls (or whatever!) we could row and not rock!
The Crewe Two

Prayer time: Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession
For the health workers tending the seriously ill
for the scientists working on a vaccination
for the researchers analysing data and identifying trends
for the media outlets working to communicate reality
for the supermarket workers, hygiene and sanitation providers
for the good news stories of recoveries and effective planning
for the singing from balconies by locked-down communities
for the recognition that isolation doesn’t need to mean loneliness
for the notes through letterboxes offering help and support
for the internet and telephones and technology that connects
for the awakened appreciation of what is truly important
Thanks be to God.
For those who are unwell and concerned for loved ones
for those who were already very anxious
for those immune suppressed or compromised
for those vulnerable because of underlying conditions
for those in the ‘most at risk to coronavirus’ categories
for those watching their entire income stream dry up
for those who have no choice but to go out to work
for those who are afraid to be at home
for those who are more lonely than they've ever been
for those who are bereaved and grieving.
God be their healer, comfort and protection,
be their strength, shield and provision
be their security, safety and close companion
And raise up your Church
to be your well-washed hands and faithful feet
to be present to the pain
to respond with love in action
if even from a safe distance.
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Christian Aid
 
Loving God,
If we are ill, strengthen us.
If we are tired, fortify our spirits.
If we are anxious, help us to consider the Lillies of the field and the birds of the air.
Help us not to stockpile treasures from supermarkets in the barns of our larders.
Don't let fear cause us to overlook the needs of others more vulnerable than ourselves.
Fix our eyes on your story and our hearts on your grace.
Help us always to hold fast to the good,
See the good in others,
And remember there is just one world, one hope,
One everlasting love, with baskets of bread for everyone.
In Jesus we make our prayer,
The one who suffered, died and was raised to new life,
In whom we trust these days and all days,
Amen.
The Rev Barbara Glasson, President of the Methodist Conference