‘A man in his middle years was on a Caribbean cruise. On the first day out, he noticed an attractive woman about his own age who smiled at him in a friendly way as he passed her on the deck, which pleased him. That night he managed to get seated at the same table with her for dinner. As the conversation developed, he commented that he had seen her on the deck that day and he had appreciated her friendly smile. When she heard this she smiled and commented, “Well, the reason I smiled was that when I saw you, I was immediately struck by your strong resemblance to my third husband.”
At this he perked up his ears and said, “Oh, how many times have you been married?”
She looked down at her plate, smiled demurely, and answered, “Twice.”
In the dictionary it says:
HOPE: To desire that something good will happen. To have confidence, a reason for belief that the thing hoped for will happen.
If I were to ask you what you thought hope meant, you would probably say something to look forward to, like; “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow or I hope the train isn’t running late.” But in the Bible, hope, is used in a much larger sense, a hope of life to come. Lamentations 3 verse 25 says; ‘The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him.’ [NIV]
Sometimes in life, certain things happen to us, which at the time, devastates us. We see nothing but a very bleak future. But as we stay close to God, or become closer to Him, we start to see light at the end of the tunnel, and God brings us back into fellowship with Himself.
As we soldier on through this pandemic, it’s very easy for us to be dismayed. But focus on the thought that God is on our side and will see us through. We do have something, someone, to hope in!
I leave you with the words of this hymn:
This, this is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable friend,
Whose love is as great as his power,
And knows neither measure nor end.
‘Tis Jesus, the first and the last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home.
We’ll praise him for all that is past,
And trust him for all that’s to come.
Joseph Hart (1712-68)
As we think about the future at Wesley, we want to try keep as much normality as we can.
So, we are going to go ahead with our Gift Month in June. The reason for this is twofold.
Firstly, it’s a good reminder that the church is still going on! Although at the moment we can’t meet, we are still united as Wesley Methodist Church!
Secondly, due to the Coronavirus, the church has lost a high proportion of its income, yet, our assessment to the circuit stays the same at £10,405.00 per quarter. We have also had the two boilers replaced which has been due for a while. We have had a couple of legacies from David Johnson and Percy Pritchard which are going toward the cost of the boilers, but we are left with a deficit of £16,000.
I am aware that this is a tough time for some financially, but if we want to keep our church open and warm, we need to help as much as we can.
If you are able and would consider helping this Gift Month, you can either do a bank transfer to Wesley, marking your payment ‘Gift Month 2020’
Bank: Santander
Sort Code: 09-01-52
A/c No. 15898702
or,
Send a cheque made payable to:
‘Wesley Methodist Church’ and post to me at:
1 Oakview Close
Leigh-on-Sea
Essex
SS9 4JN
Please write on the back of the cheque; ‘Gift Month 2020’.
Traditionally, I have made myself available in the vestry to receive gifts. Unfortunately, that will not be possible this
year, but I am more than happy to chat on the phone if this would be helpful.
Thank you for your help in the matter.
Every blessing,
Pastor Steve