One of the great themes of God’s relationship with his people throughout history, is helping them move from slavery into freedom. As we approach Easter we see this powerful picture of hope displayed in a number of ways. At Passover the Jewish people remember how God set his people free from slavery in Egypt, using symbols to remember both the pain and suffering as well as the joy.

This year we are planning some thing special for Maundy   Thursday—the night we remember Jesus at the last supper with his friends. It was the time of the Jewish Passover and Jesus took the traditional symbols that had been used for hundreds of years and developed them in a way that is relevant for us today. We will be celebrating a version of the Passover meal.

This has been the foundation for the communion service that we use today. Taking part in the Passover meal really adds to our understanding of the history of our faith, and the powerful symbols of bread and wine help us to identify with the first disciples.

When Jesus took these symbols and applied them to himself, he was pointing to a profound new way that God was setting people free. Free from a deeper and more insidious slavery, a slavery to selfishness that leads to self destruction. This is not just a message for 2000 years ago, but a message for today. A message not just for certain communities, but for everyone. As we become more self aware we realise the different ways that we are still slaves: slaves to other     peoples’ opinion; slaves to the desire for more money or excitement; slaves to fashion and consumerism. Each of us can move and grow into new freedom. Jesus said, “ I have come that you may have LIFE, and life in abundance”. He delivered this promise, supremely by releasing us from the fear of death by his glorious resurrection.

This is a time when we seek to receive this promise afresh. Do please make a point of coming to join in our celebrations that evening, Thursday 2nd April at 7.30pm in the Church Centre, or some of our other Easter celebrations, details of which you can find here.

Rev Bill Henderson

This is the first magazine of 2015, so I would like to begin with wishing you a Happy New Year.

This time last year I was writing about the imminent dismantling of the old church building, and inviting people to a service that we held to commemorate its place in the community.  We had a really good turn out, so thank you to those who supported that, and came to tea at the Centre afterwards.  It was a moving service and I was encouraged by the number of people who came

We are determined that the old site will continue to be a sacred space where people can come to sit, reflect or pray.  We are working with Groundworks to take the ideas that have come from the community and turn them into a workable plan to include the War    Memorial and an attractive seating area.  We are now looking for   funding to take the plans forward.  People have been offering to contribute, either with funds or with time and skills.  The more we can work together to put the plans into place, the more it will be a genuine community project that will be sustainable and we can be proud of.  Let us know if you would like to help.

With the old building gone, there is the opportunity and  challenge to continue to develop a place of worship in Stanley that  people will want to use for the important occasions in life when people naturally turn to the church: weddings, baptisms and funerals. The place we are seeking to develop is the old nursery building we are    using now. From the outside, architecturally it is clearly a school.  We are looking for ways to transform its identity so that it is clearly a place of Christian worship as well as a place to serve the community in other ways.

The council have kindly agreed for an Asset Transfer of the building to us for 25 years.  If we are going to do major work on it, it would be helpful to have a longer lease, and we are in discussions about that now.  Please pray that they will be successful.  We would welcome ideas from the village, so if you feel inspired, please get in touch.

Rev Bill Henderson

I came across this picture some years ago, as an idea for a Christmas card.  It’s a picture that set me thinking about a number of messages that are important for Christmas.

The focus of the picture is Jesus as a baby, but with the star that shows this is not an ordinary baby.  The star is a symbol of his power and glory, his light and role as guide and revealer of the truth.

Jesus is the one whom people are coming to see and to meet.  The people are from different cultures yet all are attracted to see Jesus. The Bible and Christian history are full of stories of people meeting Jesus and their lives being transformed.  If our Christmas is going to start with Christ, this means taking time to think what this means.

I would like to encourage you to use this picture to think about Christmas and your place in the story.  Where would you put yourself in the picture?  What would it mean to meet with Jesus?  How would you like your life and your relationships to be transformed?

With all the rush and bustle of Christmas, it is sometimes hard to keep the focus on Jesus.  With all the crowds it is sometimes hard to really meet with each other.

Please take the opportunity to come to some of the events advertised in this magazine; decide to start this Christmas with Christ and show his love to one another.

Rev Bill Henderson