YOU ARE MINE
We all need friends, and one of the most vital characteristics of friendship is loyalty. A person who is willing to be there for you and give you their love and support in time of need is a true friend. Yet often people feel dissapointed in their friends. We find there are times when we want support and friendship, but it is not there. Sometimes this is because our expectations are unrealistically high. Some of us would like to be waited on hand and foot, or would like others to solve all our problems instead of taking responsibility for them ourselves. Sometime our desire for friendship is just a desire to impose our wishes on another person rather than a straightforward need for help for ourselves, and all these are really just forms of selfishness.
But yet there remain occassions when we lack the legitimate friendship and loyalty that we all need and would like. In the story of creation God acknowledged that loneliness was not a good thing. He created man and woman to give mutual love and suport to each other. He arranged an order whereby children would be born into families that would provide the loyalty and friendship so vital to human development, and all of us us in our experience have known something of the positive love and friendship of a human family. But just as selfishness can cause us to make unreasonable demands of our friends, so also selfishness in other5 can blind and distract them from the friendship they should give.
There is however, a friendship available to us all, that is a perfect friendship, and that is God's friendship. God's love is loyal. In the book of Isaiah, (49v15) God's love for his people is likened to the love of a mother for her child, and then God says to them that even though sometimes a mother may fail to love her child, God will never forget or fail his people. God's is an eternal friendship. All human relationships have limitations of time. We lose human friends when they move away, or take up different interests or work from us, or we lose them through death, even the marriage relationship is only till death do us part, but God's love is for ever.
God's friendship is also a challenging friendship. We have a tendancy to want friendships that are comforting and affirming, but the best friendships are also challenging too. Just as a parent loves and affirms a child, but also challenges and encourages it to walk, teed, read and write, so God challenges those who are his people to develop in faith and charachter, to become more like Jesus. Whereas parents or human friends can only go so far in this respect, in that they do not have a complete and perfect understanding about what is best, God does understand perfectly, his challenges can be embraced with faith and confidence.
God's friendship is a source of joy, too. perhaps our best friends are the ones with whom we can share our joys. True friendship is being able to rejoice for another. Jesus told his disciples to ask and they would recieve and their joy would be complete. In spite of life's trials, it is in God's friendship that joy can be found.
Yours in Christ, Peter.
NOVEMBER 1998 - PROGRAMME
All services and meetings will be held on our new church premises unless another venue is indicated in the programme below. Rev Peter Neale will be preaching at all services unless an alternative speaker is indicated in the programme.
Sun 1st 10.30 am Mr Peter Stockwell
6.30 pm Dr Terence Crosby
Lord's Supper
Mon 2nd 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 3rd 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship -
speaker - Mrs Grant
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 4th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Thur 5th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler
Sat 7th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 8th 10.30 am Remembrance Sunday
6.30 pm Empires Fall - Isaiah 47
Mon 9th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 10th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship -
speaker - Miss Bacon
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 11th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
7.30 pm Deacon's Meeting
Thur 12th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Sat 14th 10.00 am Church Cleaning
Sun 15th 10.30 am Cham Kaur Mann
Lord's Supper
6.30 pm A Nation Restored - Isaiah 49
Mon 16th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 17th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship -
speaker - Mr Harris
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 18th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Thur 19th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Sat 21st 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 22nd 10.30 am The Way of Suffering- Isaiah 50
6.30 pm God's Long Term Plans-Isaiah 51
Mon 23rd 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 24th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship -
Led by Edna and Olive
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 25th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
7.30 pm Church Meeting
Thur 26th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler
Sat 28th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
7.00 pm Missionary Meeting - Frimley
Sun 29th 1O.30 am Time to Wake Up - Isaiah 52
6.30 pm Man of Sorrows - Isaiah 53
Mon 30th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
DECEMBER
Tues 1st 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship -
speaker - to be announced
8.00 pm Alpha Course
Wed 2nd 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Thur 3rd 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Sat 5th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 6th 10.30 am Restoration - Isaiah 54
6.30 pm Water for the Thirsty-Isaiah 55
Lord's Supper
GIVING TO THE CHURCH
Offerings and donations to the church during the month of October totalled £873.34. Our target for the month was £800. Anniversary gifts for this year now total £825. Thanks to all who have given.
FLOWER ROTA
Thanks to all who have provided flowers for our Sunday services since we have been in our new building. There is continuing opportunity to do this! If you would like to help in this way, please put your name on the flower rota which is on the notice board at the back, or if you want to know more about what is involved in this, please see Donna.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
There has been a good response to our appeal for shoe boxes to be sent to Eastern Europe containing presents for children there, through Samaritan's Purse. WE NEED ALL SHOE BOXES IN BY FRI. NOV. 6TH.