Good News! 

Good News Stories for this week - 28 November 2020
The Methodist Church, Stoke-on-Trent South Circuit
Collected by: Hil Hands (Local preacher)
 Dear friends,
What gifts do we bring to our Lord Jesus Christ for use in his work? However small and insignificant they may seem, when blessed they can make all the difference!
Do you recall the following?
Luke 9:16-18 (NIV)
16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
The child in this story had little, but what he had he gave. Jesus blessed it and it fed all those who were hungry with food to spare!
There have been some amazing gifts which have come to light and been blessed during the life of the Church during 2020. People have come forward to lead prayer over the phone lines. YouTube and Zoom worship have been inspired by the Holy Spirit as the Pentecostal flame burns brightly. People have reached out into their communities both practically and through technology which may have been new to many of us. Thanks be to God!
Advent is on the horizon, a light at the end of a sometimes dark year? We need to listen carefully for the whisper of the Spirit. We need to be aware of that nudge to use our gifts, however small they may seem to us. Ours may be the voice needed to be heard by the dis-heartened. Ours may be the company needed by the lonely. Jesus is the light of the world – let us reflect that light this Advent.
God Bless
If you have good news, please let me know: email - hands.hilary@yahoo.com
Please send news to me by Friday 25 December, ready for that weekend.
 
From Stuart and Sylvia - Update on Ashley
Ashley is doing very well.  The Dietician rang Deb this morning and was delighted with the progress he is making. We will now be able to go to his birthday party next Tuesday when he is 17. (We are in a support bubble). Thanks for all your prayers and concerns.  Please keep it up.
God bless
Stuart
 
From F&BB
We give thanks for the amazing work of Beryl Barcroft at Forsbrook. Beryl has collected approx. 100 shoeboxes from people in the community as part of the Samaritan Purse ‘Operation Christmas Child’, which brings Good News and great joy to children around the world. Thank you, Beryl, and everyone who has contributed boxes.
 
From Christian Aid – Make an Advent Prayer Chain!
You will need:
Some A4 pieces of paper
A ruler and scissors to cut a 1.5cm strip each day
Pens or pencils
Glue stick or sticky tape
Five minutes every day of Advent!
An Advent prayer chain will help you to create a decoration in time for Christmas and to cultivate a sense of waiting with hope as you journey towards Emmanuel, God with us!
We invite you to create a prayer chain by making one loop of the chain each day in Advent, taking a few moments every day to reflect and pray for what we are all waiting for – for God’s vision for the world to be realised. For each day of Advent we encourage you to write a prayer or draw a picture on each link of your prayer chain and connect it to the link from the previous day. By the end of Advent, you will have a Christmas decoration linking together all your hopes and prayers for God’s world.