Good News! 

GOOD NEWS STORIES FOR THIS WEEK - 30 January 2021
The Methodist Church, Stoke-on-Trent South Circuit Collected by: Hil Hands (Local preacher)
Dear friends,
There are a couple of ‘Thank you’ cards on our mantelpiece. They are bright and catch the eye, making me smile when I see them. I wonder how grateful we find ourselves in another Lockdown, but with the vaccination rolling out? Have our priorities changed over the last ten months?
A friend shared how the Zoom youth group that she was with had been encouraged to give thanks for things beginning with the letters HOPE. The children had filled her with hope as they responded readily. I decided to give it a go when walking our dog:
H – having had a brush with Coronavirus, I am grateful to God for good health once again. We are thankful to live in a warm home which is our shelter as we lock down.
O – things which we took for granted have become blessed ordinariness in the day: clean clothes, good food, telephones etc. Church and other activities, by Zoom and WhyPay, provide some order to the week.
P – prayer and praise have never stopped. It is a privilege to meet in a variety of different ways for both with church families across the circuit. People are more important to me than ‘stuff’; I love to see familiar faces on a screen or at a sociable distance.
E – many of you will know that our first grandson, Elijah, was born at the end of April. Now nine months old, he continues to bring great joy into our lives with a smile that lights up the room and energy in abundance. I am grateful to God that His love and beauty can be found everywhere!
It is good to come before our Abba, Father with a grateful heart. When we have an ‘attitude of gratitude’, we acknowledge all that He has blessed us with before presenting him with our list for further prayer. I encourage all of us to recognise signs of HOPE in this Lockdown time. God is with us, always,
Wishing you a hope-filled New Year.
God bless.
If you have good news, please let me know: email - hands.hilary@yahoo.com

From Richard and Maureen
Hello Stoke South,
Wondered if you might like to use the following as a reflection in these troubled times.  It is part of a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins and was used by King George VI in his Christmas address in 1939.  It is called The Gate of the Year.
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 in the Hand of God.  That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way".  So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.  And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.
Love and blessings, The Crewe Two

Hello Stoke!
If you are still singing carols, and the Christmas decorations are gathering dust, a reminder that on 2 February we will celebrate The Feast of Candlemas when Christmas will be over, and there will be a pause before we come to the season of Lent. Should you have snowdrops in your garden, you might like to know that the old country name for them (according to my Nan!) is Candlemas Bells, and a tradition is to check the weather on that day, for "If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another flight. If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain, winter will not come again."  Happy Candlemas! 
With love and blessings,
The Crewe Two

From Ann Jennison
Yesterday evening (22 Dec) a friend gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Thank God for the gift and joy of baby Harrison Ryan.
Ann

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 Revd Barbara Glasson, President of the Methodist Conference