General Chat

Hello all

Hard to believe Advent is already here again this year.

Advent is marked the first Sunday in December by the lighting of the first candle on the Advent wreath at the beginning of the morning service. This is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent.There are usually five candles and purple, pink and white coloured candles are used.
During the season of Advent, one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday morning, until all the candles, including the fifth candle, which is lit on 24 or 25th December.
The Advent season is a time of prayer and preparation for the feast of Christmas

The first candle (purple) The Candle of Hope or Expectation.

Christ our Light,
Shine in our lives with hope and promise.
Give us clear vision that we might focus on this holy season.
May hope and light be in our hearts this first week in Advent.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thinking of all who have no hope or light in their lives today. xxx

Good morning :-)


Today is Advent Sunday - a very special day in the church's calendar and when the first candle in our Advent wreath will be lit.

I quote : 'The point about Advent is to learn about God so that we recognise Him when He comes.'

The Collect for Advent Sunday.

Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello all

Thank you Cynthia for this weeks interesting postings.

Several years ago I was a volunteer helper during Summer and half term holidays, entertaining youngsters in the village. It was exhausting but enjoyable too.
We all were busy people but wanted to give our time to helping others back then.

"The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it"
(Mother Teresa).

Thinking of all who work outside on this cold/windy day. xxx

Good morning :-)

As we reach the end of our brief look at some of the smaller charities where people give freely of their time, we close with these words.

To be a volunteer, it takes...
Generosity, a willingness to give your time to others
Understanding, because their lives might be very different from your own
Empathy, an ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and feel what they must feel
Compassion, to truly care about making someone else's life better
Patience, because the process doesn't always go as smoothly as it might
Dedication, to stick with the project and see it through


We thank you Lord for each and every volunteer - wherever they may serve. Amen.



Remembering those who have asked for prayer Cx :-)

Hello all

How blessed we are to have a roof over our head and all foods for our needs.

Heavenly Father
Thank you for our warm comfortable homes and the food we eat each day.
We pray for the homeless and hungry and all who work with less fortunate
people going through a difficult time. Protect them from harm, keep them
from despair and give them the peace that they seek. We ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.

Good morning :-)

I love that quote kandj.. :-D

Today, we think about the many, many organisations who support those who are homeless and hungry, especially those within our own areas.

Lord Jesus,

We pray for those who help and care for the women and men, boys and girls who are homeless this day.

Those who care for people sleeping rough.

Those who support people who can only find shelter for the night but must wander in the daytime.

Those who counsel families broken because they could not afford to pay the rent.

Those who care for folk who are hungry, afraid and hopeless.

We thank you for their commitment, dedication and tireless zeal and ask your blessing on their endeavours.

We ask this in your name. Amen


Love to all Cx :-)

Hello all

There are many charities that are new to me. It's good to know there are good and kind people around who are happy to give their time and energy to help less fortunate.

"Volunteers are not paid - not because they are worthless,
but because they are priceless" (Author unknown).

Thank you Cynthia for taking the time out of your busy life to post each day.

It is interesting to read of some of the less well known charities. There are a lot of good people giving time and effort to help those in need so thoughts and thanks today for them.

Good morning :-)


Each one of us is different and this is shown in where people wish to give of their time and expertise in volunteer work.

So far this week we have looked at :

those who are willing to travel to deliver blood and other essentials to hospitals;

those who are happy to help and support older folk in learning new skills.

Yesterday we looked at a group of volunteers who have formed a scheme to help
support schools buy additional items for the pupils.

Today, we will take a look at those who help with :

The Oldies Club………..helping old dogs find loving homes.

The Oldies Club is a dog rescue, run solely by volunteers, that specialises in rescuing and rehoming older dogs – aged 7 years plus. We do not have kennels or a central base as, rather than placing our dogs in kennels, we prefer to care for them in a normal home environment. We therefore use foster homes. Our foster homes are spread around the country and each of them has been carefully checked.

Dogs often come to us because their elderly owner has had to go into sheltered accommodation where dogs are not allowed. Sometimes the dog’s owner has died and there is no-one that can take care of their beloved dog, and sometimes the owner’s circumstances have changed and the owner simply can no longer give their dog the care it needs.


O God, who has made all the earth and every creature that dwells therein:
Help us, we pray you, to treat with compassion
the living creatures entrusted to our care,
that they may not suffer from our neglect nor become the victims of any
cruelty;
and grant that in caring for them we may find a deeper understanding
of your love for all creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, I hope the situation has calmed down a little at your house now, and your husband feeling more comfortable in familiar surroundings. Look after yourself too.

Vera, I hope your having a better day today and are keeping warm and well.

The Serenity Prayer came into my mind earlier. We all have our own worries and concerns and these words might be helpful for others right now.

Lord, grant me the..................

SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change,

COURAGE to change the things I can, and the

WISDOM to know the difference. Amen.

Praying for all my neighbours tonight. xxx

Good morning :-)


Thank you for your lovely words everyone - I think we are getting back onto an even keep - although we are still in choppy waters! :-D


Today we look at the third of our small charities which is run by volunteers - The School Angels.

The Facts:

•There are 3.5 million children under the age of 16 are living in poverty in the UK

•The UK has over 770,000 disabled children under the age of 16

•400,000 of those disabled children also live at the margins or in poverty
Children living in poverty are far more likely to underachieve at school and subsequently struggle to attain higher qualifications and better paid jobs. For those children who also suffer a disability the struggle they face is even greater.

School Angel was set up in 2013 with the simple idea of bringing the power of big business e-commerce to help schools throughout the UK raise funds which are then used to provide much needed equipment and extra curricular activities for children.

The fundamentals for School Angel were that number one it must be a charity, and every last penny of profit goes to schools.

Father God,
at this Christmas season, we ask your blessing on all those children for whom Christmas may be difficult.
Those who will be without gifts; those who will be cold; those who will not receive a hot meal and those who live in fear of abuse.
Surround them with your love and give us guidance as how we may best be of comfort. Amen.


Love to all Cx :-)

Cynthia I am pleased your husband's scans were clear. Hopefully adjusting his medication will help. Try to get some rest and time for yourself though I realise that is easier said than done.

Thinking of all who are in need of comfort tonight

Hello all

Cynthia, I hope the PD nurse can help your husband and be supportive towards you and your family just now.

Our village church is joining the Christmas Market in the Community Centre and will have a tombola and cake stall. I have been a busy little bee baking buns, scones and mince pies Our bungalow has had lovely Christmassy smells and now I am weary.

Remembering all in need of prayerful support today. xxx

That's good news Cynthia, hope they get the meds
sorted soon <3

Remembering all who are alone and in need of company x

Good morning :-)

My husband's neck scan was clear, as were the two head scans, so a stroke has now been ruled out......which left the doctor coming to the conclusion that last week's episode is to be put down to a blip with the Parkinson's. sigh. I am going to phone Walton hospital and ask to speak to the Parky's nurse and explain what has happened. It may mean a tweak in medication.

Meanwhile, I am hexausted! :-D

As we continue to approach the season of giving, we take a look at another charity which relies solely on volunteers....

The U3A Movement

U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, which is a self-help organisation for people no longer in full time employment providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment. It consists of local U3As all over the UK, which are charities in their own right and are run entirely by volunteers.

Local U3As are learning cooperatives which draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members to organise and provide interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the membership. The teachers learn and the learners teach. Between them U3As offer the chance to study over 300 different subjects in such fields as art, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts, photography and walking.

The U3A approach to learning is – learning for pleasure. There is no accreditation or validation and there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained.

Lord,
we thank you for the experience of growing older and for the willingness to still learn from others.
We are grateful for the life skills and knowledge which people are willing to share. Grant that we may always be enthusiastic to learn more of you
and to share your love with those around us.
Amen.


Continuing to remember those in need of prayer. Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, I hope that your husband's neck scan went well and the appointment with the Stroke Consultant was helpful for the two of you today.
We awoke to a white hard frost this morning. It may kill off a few germs around here.
We are thankful for central heating and a warm bungalow.

Heavenly Father
As our evening prayer rises before you,
may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts, and set us free
to sing your praises, now and forever.
Amen.

Remembering all who feel low in spirits today. xxx

Good morning :-)

We are off to the hospital shortly so that my OH can have a neck scan to check on circulation to the brain after which, he will see the Stroke Consultant. Looks like it is going to be a very long day!

As we know, Christmas is a time for giving and I thought it may be an idea to look at some lesser known charities who rely totally on kind hearted folk giving of their time.

The National Association of Blood Bikes :

A group of volunteers who :

•Answer calls from the hospitals and dispatch riders.

•Ride motorcycles to collect and deliver urgently needed whole blood, platelets, samples for analysis, medication, patient notes, small medical instruments, donor breast milk, etc., between NHS hospitals without charging the hospitals.

Why do they do it?

•To save the NHS Hospitals money, which would normally be used to pay for taxis, leaving that money to be spent on better patient care, or to provide newer, up to date, specialist equipment.

•Many of us have either had help from the hospitals, personally or within our own families, or we simply want to help. Riders love motorcycling, even in the depths of winter although there are times when a motorcycle would be dangerous, i.e. Ice and snow, so many riders then use their own cars.

When do they do it?

•With the exception of delivering Donor Breast Milk during daytime hours, they only operate out of normal working hours, when the NHS transport staff is unavailable, mainly through the night and 24 hours at weekends and Bank Holidays.

Lord, we thank you for these folk who give of their time and energy to transport these vital supplies to help those in need. Grant them protection as they travel and a feeling of satisfaction for a job well done. Amen.


Cx :-)

Cynthia

Hope your oh is a lot better, please do make time for yourself as you need to recharge your batteries too.

Amazing amount of money collected, I loved the poem about the boxes.

Enjoy time with your wonderful family.

Take care

Hello all

Cynthia, that is a wonderful amount of money from your Christmas Fair. Very much needed no doubt and such a very good return for everyone's hard work.
Perhaps your husband feels safer in your company and will always wait for your return to share with you exactly how he really is feeling. Your son is doing a good job in helping to support you both just now. I hope things will improve soon.

Christ Our King,
You put on the apparel of our nature
and raised us to your glory;
Reign from your royal throne
above the chaos of this world,
That all may see the victory you have won
and trust in your salvation;
for your glory's sake.
Amen.

Remembering all homeless people during this very cold and frosty night. xxx

Good morning :-)

It was lovely to have a break yesterday, even though it was a working break! The Fair raised £2636 which was amazing and due to all the hard work put in by so many faithful church members. The queue to see Santa was never ending! :-D

My husband was fine whilst I was away apparently, with no problems at all. I felt like saying that it's when I come back the problems start :-D

Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.

Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever.
Amen.


Keeping friends in prayer.......Cx :-)