Bulletin for Sunday 1^st February 2009 

A warm welcome to everyone who worships with us today.

Our 11.00am Family Service will be led by Mr. Peter Vince. 6.30pm Evening Praise, with Holy Communion, will be led by Rev. Stephen Burgess, Deacon Peter Ogle and Rev. Luke Smith.

11.00am Morning Worship at Selby Street will be led by Mr. Ron Taylor

Evening Praise

Membership Service

Notices and Welcome

Introit Seek ye the Lord

Hymn 526 It passeth knowledge

Prayer

Anthem  And Jesus is his name Brian Hoare

Reading Mark 1v21-28 read by Edna Gardiner

Hymn 232 Tell me the old, old story

Talk

Membership (p97)

Testimony

Hymn 668 Blessed Assurance

Prayers Intercession (p176)

Peace

Creed

Hymn 617 Living Lord

Offering

Communion (choir to sing let us break bread together)

Hymn 767 Give me the faith which can

Blessing 

Thanks to our Accompanist today am Susan White

The flowers today are from the family in memory of Margaret Donkin  
 

Dear friends,

Did you know that 31^st January to 8^th February is Poverty and Homelessness Week? Our work among the homeless at Central Hall has been going on for many years. The coffee bar and drop in and my role with Hull Homeless and Rootless project are two ways we try to help some of the poorest people in our city. 

The poverty and homelessness action week website (www.actionweek.org.uk) contains a range of resources to help us focus our thoughts. One area of poverty often overlooked is that of poverty experienced by pensioners.

We are told: 

2.5 million pensioners are living in poverty according to the latest Government figures – up 300,000 over the past 12 months. The increase shows the extent of the poverty trap faced by pensioner s who survive on a fixed income. As the rest of the population has become more wealthy, they have been left behind. And many have been particularly badly affected by council tax increases. Deepening poverty among the elderly comes on top of concerns over falling levels of care for the frail and vulnerable elderly in residential homes. Gordon Brown has already introduced means tested benefits as his main weapon to reduce poverty among pensioners. Pension Credits currently guarantee an income of £124.05 to single people and £189.35 to couples. But there are concerns that many pensioners find the byzantine means-testing system too daunting. Others are thought to be too proud to ask for handouts. 

This really struck a chord with me as most of our worshipping congregations are pensioners.  

Today please pray for those we know who are experiencing poverty.  

Luke.  

News of Members and friends

George Bailey tells me he will be going back to Castle Hill next Wednesday for an operation on his leg. 
 

Welcome Club

Will all members please meet at the Kingston Theatre Club at 12 O’clock on Tuesday February 3^rd. 

Selby St. News

Last weekend we had our winter 24hrs of prayer, we apologise for the mix up of dates printed here over the past weeks and hope everyone who wanted to come had heard one way or another.  Thank you to those who did come and support us, 21 different people spent time in prayer.  A special well done for Dorothy  who covered the whole 24 and John and Peter for over night.  I hope they all found, as I did that it was not so much me giving and supporting something it was much the opposite, I recieved!  It was a time that God could really use to care, love and nurture us.  The Word John 15 : 1 -20 was given to me so I arranged activities around this that would help us to stimulate prayer and explore this passage.  It is a great guide for a life of a disciple of Christ try  reading it!  Activities included writing negative things in your life then cutting them with a pair of scissors that shreds.  Or whilst looking into the flame of a candle, in your heart, handing over wrong things in your life for God to burn.  We covered the darkness of a black heart with bright praises for God.  The song Spirit of the living God was used as a prayer, as we asked break me.... we tore paper, melt me ... we placed in paste, mould me ....we put onto a balloon.  After much repeating they are now drying and when removed from balloon and finished off will be a lovely bowl that we want to fill with only good fruit that can be a regular reminder to us. We thank and praise the Lord for the fruitful time we had and oh how He filled us!  If you would like to join us next time put the dates in your diary now, 25/26th April, 25/26th July, 24/25th Oct 09       Jacky.