Page 11 - Moravian Messenger January 2020

Ballinderry
The table-top sale in May was a great success in spite of the fact that it was rather damp. A BBQ, bouncy castle, teas and coffees and of course the stalls were enjoyed by all.
We also enjoyed a visit to the Church from our Dutch brothers and sisters who were exploring Northern Ireland in July. Br Henry Wilson gave an amusing talk on the history of the Church and the area. He said the present visitors to the Church were much better behaved than the previous unruly and drunken ones! He was referring to the Dutch troops of William of Orange who had been stationed in the area before going south to fight at the Battle of the Boyne! Afternoon tea was provided by the ladies of the church and large quantities of Sister Violet Best's
Swindon
October and November have been busy months, serving the local community and the wider world. We met early on world porridge day and enjoyed a breakfast of porridge with various toppings and raised £150 for Mary's meals. In addition, we sent 75 more backpacks to the charity, to enable more children to attend school.
After a break last year, from filling
shoeboxes for OCC for 18 years, we
decided to restart filling boxes this year,
for the charity Foundation for Social
Change. On 9th November, we had an
open day for anyone to come and fill a
shoebox. Once the boxes were wrapped
and full, a group of us headed over to
Bath Weston to support their Open Mic, in aid of Great Ormond St Hospital.
As a congregation, we have sponsored another child through the charity Empower the Gambia. Isatou, who attends Daru deaf unit, will now be able to have a 1:1 helper and learn sign language.
marmalade were sold as were the history books on Ballinderry Church. The visitors kindly donated £150 to our funds.
Two Movie Nights have been held so far. 'Casablanca' proved to be a very popular choice for the first movie. Tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and popcorn were some of the refreshments enjoyed whilst watching. The second film chosen was 'Mr Blanding Builds His Dreamhouse' with Cary Grant. We hope to continue with more movies this autumn as well as the book club which met for the first time in October. Everyone enjoyed reading 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' by Mary Ann Shaffer. It was a rich source of discussion about World War Two and human nature.
Sr Marilyn Marshall
Our midweek activities - Wednesday worship, MWA, Rainbows and Mary's meals group - continue to meet, and Sunday Sparks for the children, meet every Sunday during morning worship. Last month, the Rainbow unit held a Children in Need fundraising evening, worked on their police badge and thoroughly enjoyed a cinema trip to watch Frozen II.
We have been out and about fundraising at various church and school fetes, raising money for charities, including Raleigh International. We are supporting this charity as next year the son of one of our members will be spending three months in Nepal as a volunteer. We have continued to support
Alternative Angels and the Filling Station: two charities helping people who are living on the streets in Swindon.
Last month, we joined with Churches Together in Swindon centre for an evening of skittles. The Moravians were proud to bring home prizes for both first and last place!
Sr Sandy Mundy
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14 18-25 25
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From Church House
Provincial Diary for January
16-17 PEC, Hall Green
18 PYCC, Hall Green (Sr R Hoey & Sr Z Taylor)
Congregational Register
Confirmations
17th November 2019 Chrissie Grantham 17th November 2019 Lynne Walker
Deaths
21st November 2019 Eileen Smith
Dukinfield Dukinfield
Ockbrook
Apology:
New Year's Day
Epiphany
Christmas Day - Orthodox
New Year - Orthodox
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (www.ctbi.org.uk/weekofprayer) Burns Night
Chinese New Year
World Leprosy Day (www.leprosymission.org.uk) Holocaust Memorial Day (http://hmd.org.uk/)
Br Dave Newman has sent a profuse apology about his article on the Retired Ministers Retreat which was published in December's Moravian Messenger.
There were actually 12 retired minsters in attendance at the Retired Ministers' Retreat in October, not 11 as listed in the article. Br John McOwat was also present, as the group photo clearly shows. Apologies to Br John.
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Dates to remember!