News – Page 13

From the Epperstone , Gonalston , Oxton  and Woodborough Churches’ Benefice.

Rainbows and Sunsets.
Battles and Blessings.

Oh my word is it really July already!!! We are over halfway through 2021. Where has the time gone again and how are you doing? You may think the title of this article is a strange one but at the time of writing this (beginning of June) we have just had some interesting weather conditions, lots of rain and then beautiful sunshine which means we have experienced Rainbows and then with the hot sun beautiful Sunsets. There have been many stunning pictures shared on the local Facebook pages of Sunsets, the colours of which have been amazing. Going back to the Rainbows they never cease to amaze me and challenge me as they appear vividly in the sky after the rain and obviously they remind me of the very well-known story of Noah which culminated in a Rainbow. A reminder from God of His commitment to Noah, that He was with him and His covenant of blessing as Noah came through the battle of survival. Battles and Blessings. As I see the rainbows now it reminds me of God’s covenant with us, His commitment to us as we have experienced both battles and blessings. We have all been through huge battles over these past months of the pandemic, and I am praying that as this article is published, we will be experiencing the blessings of a huge step forward into winning the battle against lockdown and are now sharing the blessings of more and more freedom, sharing life openly once more. As we know though battles leave scars and there will be much need to have repair and restoration with the blessing of healing together. There has been so many who have had to do battle and wrestle through great difficulties, isolation for the elderly and vulnerable and the strangeness of learning in Schools, Colleges and Universities, but again there have been the incredible blessings of the inventiveness of ways of connecting in Care homes and of all Staff involved in Schools. The awesome NHS and deliverers of the Vaccine.

Going back to thinking about Noah and the Ark, the Ark is a reminder of a symbol of safety, of security and of being connected. Our Schools and Community have all been involved in the blessings of Acts of Random Kindness fulfilling all these things providing safety, security, the means of knowing someone is there and someone cares. That promise of commitment to each other and God’s commitment overall.

You may remember The Ark was also the name we gave our Benefice gathering in St Swithuns Church here in Woodborough and it is with great delight we can say we are looking to launch (no pun intended!) this gathering once again. We are starting slowly respecting guidelines which may still be in place. We will have limited space to begin with and it may be a little different regarding how we provide our refreshments, crafts and fellowship together BUT we will be there. God greatly blessed us at these gatherings, and we know He will do it again. Our first gathering will be on July 4^th 10am, we have 6 tables available for families or “bubbles” and these can be booked by contacting me on the email at the end of this article. We have missed you so much and hope to be back to full capacity in the months ahead. We will also be looking to opening up our PlayChurch and Stars and Explorer Groups and doing some Family Play Days in the School Holidays, details will be released asap. We are also opening up our Churches across the Benefice too which is a great joy please see the details below. Sadly this means we cannot provide the Zoom Services and we are praying that those who connected with this will feel able to come back into Church. Rainbows and Sunsets, battles and blessings, through it all we are assured God is with us.

Our Prayers surround our Communities and all the many blessings received by them and from them, we pray for our Schools for those who will be leaving to move to the next stage of their learning, may they know the blessings that through the battles of these strange times they have a strong foundation to carry them through. We pray for battles won over the past months, the many blessings experienced, and the beauty of Rainbows and Sunsets shared together knowing God is with us always.     

God Bless look forward to catching up SOON – Annie (Children and Families Worker and Licensed Lay Minister/Reader for the Benefice).

To book a table for our first Ark Gathering on July 4^th 10am please contact Annie on anniehill1606@virginmedia.com. Details of forthcoming events for Summer will be released ASAP.