Mark Carey writes
Covid-19 what now?
As restrictions lift nationally the focus becomes even more on our individual and corporate responses.
In the New Testament letters there are times when attention is paid to how to live together - this is what I want us to bear in mind as the restrictions lift. We have lots happening across our network- small groups, services and gatherings of different types and sizes - how we behave continues to be vital. Covid-19 will, we hope, become an endemic virus a bit like the flu but we still have some way to go – currently I am reflecting on the advice to give for our network regarding the next phase of life together. I will communicate with you all during the coming week.
Let’s remember that we are to live in faith and not fear - don’t let fear of catching Covid stop you from doing what God is calling you to be involved in. I’m reminded of St Paul’s words in his letter to the Galatian church: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Fear can become a yoke of slavery - Jesus is all about freedom!
Mark Carey writes
Success
One of the things I have done this week is meet up with the candidates for Confirmation. Each person has a story of coming to faith and encountering the God who rebuilds, restores and renews. Each one has people who have encouraged, inspired and prayed for them. In many ways they are an example of kingdom success - as a friend of mine once said “success is only success when there are successors”. Kingdom success? It is measured in making disciples and faithfulness to the commands of Jesus. It’s so different from what the world around us sees as success - for us, success is obedience to what the Father asks and a natural consequence of this is that we will grow as disciples and make disciples. Are you in a position where you can see this working out in your life? As you head to the end of 2021 are you seeing kingdom success - successors - people you are encouraging and praying for?
Staffing News
The Christ Church Cafe is a really encouraging aspect of our ministry and has got to the healthy stage, thanks to a fantastic team, of being able to financially sustain a part time management role. Suzanne Martin has been appointed and will begin to serve, heading up the cafe team from the new year. Please support Suzanne as she settles into the role.
Re-Store has continued to grow throughout the pandemic - it is at a new and challenging phase of development. We have increased the hours of Toni Miles as a faith step to respond to the opportunities and challenges. Please pray and also continue to support Re-Store in practical ways.
Giving
Thank you for giving financially to our Network of Churches - prayerful and planned giving really helps us - if you wish to know more about how to give please see our website CCBN.org.uk or phone 01262 404100.
COVID-19
We continue to encourage Covid-19 awareness and care when we gather together. Please wear face coverings when you sing in worship and when you are close to others. We are keeping our buildings as ventilated as possible, keeping seating arrangements distanced where possible and encouraging continued use of hand sanitiser. In Christ Church there is a designated area for those who desire further protection. Please continue with kindness, understanding and patience for each other.
Covid-19 Update
Please note that following the government announcements this week some tightening of restrictions is necessary - the Church of England says the following: “Face coverings are currently mandatory on public transport and in a range of indoor venues including places of worship.”
This will be the case across our network - we can still sing wearing our masks and those leading worship and preaching can still take their masks off for such purposes.
Exemptions are still permitted.
Please continue to sanitise your hands and carefully respond in care and kindness to those around us.
Thanks for your ongoing patience. God continues to be good!
Mark Carey
Christmas Gatherings at Christ Church
CHRISTMAS GATHERINGS AT CHRIST CHURCH
Thursday 16th December 7pm – A Celebration of Music & Song
With East Coast Festival Chorus and Band
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Sunday 19th December 9am – Holy Communion in the Key Centre & Zoom
Sunday 19th December 10.30am – Family Gathering
Sunday 19th December 6pm – Carols at Christ Church (also on YouTube)
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Friday 24th December 4pm – Family Nativity
Friday 24th December 11.30pm – Midnight Communion
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Saturday 25th December 10.30am – Christmas Day at Christ Church
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Sunday 26th December 9am – Holy Communion in the Key Centre & Zoom
Sunday 26th December 6pm on YouTube – A Christmas Message
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HAPPY NEW YEAR
Sunday 2nd January 9am – Holy Communion in the Key Centre & Zoom
Sunday 2nd January 10.30am – Family Gathering
Sunday 2nd January 6pm – Evening Gathering
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Christmas Gatherings across our Network Churches
MARTONGATE COMMUNITY CHURCH (C of E)
Sun 19th Dec at 10.30 Carol Service in North Library
ST MARK, WEST HILL (C of E)
Thurs 16th Dec at 6pm Carols on The Green.
Sunday 19th Dec at 10.30am St Mark’s Christingle
Thurs 23rd Dec at 4pm Love Westhill, Christingle
BESSINGBY ST MAGNUS (C of E)
Tues 21th Dec at 6.00 pm Candlelit Carol Service
ULROME ST ANDREW (C of E)
Sun 19th Dec at 11.00am Christmas Communion with Carols
Christmas Day 10.30am Carols on Christmas Day
Sun 2nd Jan at 11.00am Service for New Year
Mark Carey Writes
We continue to navigate our way through what appears to be a long final phase of the pandemic. The effects of a time like this are far ranging and take time to show themselves.
The pandemic has forced people to take stock of their lives because life threatening events tend to cause human beings to reflect on their mortality, explore whether they are happy with their lives and consider making changes. Others have experienced elements of their lives exposed, existing circumstances have been made worse and they are seeking a way out. We may not all be making significant changes but all of us are subject to changes around us whether we like it or not.
I have been carrying around the words of Jesus in Luke 21:28 “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”. Yes, change and decay is all around us but these things serve to remind us that there is a posture we need to take in our lives -‘stand up’ and ‘raise your heads’ - why? Because God is at work – he is doing his redeeming work and we get to join in!
COVID-19 Response
Our continued response across the network remains clear:
We recommend that everyone takes advantage of the opportunity to receive the vaccination and any boosters that are available.
We continue to encourage and maintain some key protective factors - hand sanitising, face coverings, social distancing and ventilation in our buildings.
In Christ Church we have a designated area as the highest safety area for those most at risk – please use this space thoughtfully.
We will continue to encourage sung worship wearing face coverings.
If you are exempt from face coverings it is really helpful for all if you come wearing one of the lanyards that indicate you are exempt. Also could the exempt make sure you are maintaining a social distance of 2m as much as possible.
During services and gatherings whilst you are sat down it is permissible to not wear a mask but when moving around and talking to others or praying for others we are wearing them.
We continue to have chairs spaced out where our buildings permit and windows open.
Let’s keep caring for each other!
Mark Carey Writes
Rebuilding Momentum
I find that this time of year is an opportunity to reflect on the state of things – maybe because Christmas is just around the corner followed swiftly by New Year.
This time last year we were trying to work out what Christmas was going to be like. We entered a long period of ongoing restrictions and lockdown as Covid-19 rates of infection soared. Much of 2021 has been about a slow recovery from the effects of the restrictions - a period of time that has affected our movement and momentum.
As a church network we have returned to in-person gatherings for worship and decreased the amount we have been online. This has been in many ways exploratory and tentative – we had lost the momentum of regular times together physically, our habitual ways of connecting with other followers of Jesus have been changed, challenge or even broken. We’ve actually had very little time to get our momentum going – only restarting things as we entered September. I was talking to someone in the Hope Hub who talked about the way in which the things he was involved in, that kept him focused on having faith during his daily life, had just not worked very well through the last 18 months. We agreed that half the battle was recognising this and from there it is best to simply join in with something to get yourself re-connected again. I wonder if that has happened to many people?
My point is this: we are in the process of regaining momentum – forward movement – across a number of areas of life including our life as church together. I have had two thoughts in relation to this:
Nothing we are doing is as it will be – we’ve just got started again – getting back into the good habit of being physically around other Jesus people is not as easy as we expected. We’ve just made decisions to get something going again and keep adjusting and adapting as we go. Please be patient and give all that you can in encouragement, serving and giving as we build momentum again.
Nothing has changed about God’s faithfulness – the pandemic has not stopped the kingdom of God advancing – God continues to be good. He has continued to do his works of rebuilding, renewing and restoring through us. He has supplied our needs, kept us safe and been our good shepherd through this time and will continue to do so.
Mark Carey writes:
I’ve got a post-it in one of my bibles that I was using 20 years ago. It is amazing that it has stayed there all these years but maybe the reason it has stayed is that it is vital. What does the note say? “Nothing we do is as important as what God does in us”
Sometimes we overvalue doing and undervalue being - being with Jesus. When I pause with Jesus - place my attention upon him and not on my next task or my current problem - I get rescued from my own mistaken apprehension that I am in control or that I can be the saviour of others. I get caught up once more in the truth of Jesus’ words “apart from me you can do nothing”. Fruitfulness in life comes from relationship with Jesus.
Maybe you could put a post-it somewhere to remind you that what God does in you is vital for your spiritual, mental, physical well-being. That it is exactly what you need for your work life and your family life and your personal, intimate living.
Mark Carey writes
Sunday 14th November is Remembrance Sunday.
It is good that in Ulrome (11am) and on Westhill (2pm) we will be sharing in and leading acts of Remembrance. Furthermore, at least a thousand people will gather outside Christ Church at the Cenotaph. Anniversaries will be in the minds of some – 100 years since the Cenotaph was raised on that spot. 100 years since the founding of the Royal British Legion. Mixed up in those anniversaries will be other memories, significant, deeply personal things. For some there will be passed down memories triggered by this yearly anniversary event. So we remember. We remember losses, traumas and the great sadness that humankind is repeatedly drawn into conflicts and wars accompanied by . We also remember with thanksgiving our present day armed forces and pray for their protection as they serve. I want to emphasise that our stance as followers of Jesus is to be amongst this as a praying presence. Refreshments will be available in Christ Church, our doors will be open but our presence will be amongst our fellow citizens – praying – being there. Jesus said “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them”
Bev Hall Writes:
Choosing to live a life of discipleship is the most important thing you will ever do … because it affects everything else you will ever do!
It can be described as taking a life-long walk with Jesus; keeping close to him and seeing how he works. Our day to day discipleship choices matter.
Hearing from God is so important as we go through life. Asking “What are you showing me, Lord? What are you saying?” … then daring to ask “What am I going to do about it?” affects the impact we have for good in the World. Exciting and daunting at the same time!
I have to be intentional about all this or I can drift and my expectation level drops … and probably that is the same for you!
So here’s an opportunity to raise our expectations and see God working more and more…
It’s called ROOTS.
Four SATURDAY MORNINGS in the Key Centre. 9.30 – 12.00 noon
20 and 27 of November and 4 and 11 of December 2021.
There will be input, challenge, talking and thinking time … and maybe even breakfast!!
You can continue exploring life with Jesus after Alpha, or continue processing life after 50 years with Jesus! ROOTS is available for everybody, and circumstances are never a barrier to God. There is always more to discover and, as its name suggests, ROOTS goes deep.
Have a chat with Mark, Miriam, or me, or anyone you see as a disciple of Jesus.
There’s a warm welcome for everyone … but keep your coat on … the windows will be open!
Mark Carey writes
Do you sometimes find that there is a question floating around in your head? Currently I have a question that goes something like - “what are we learning?” or maybe “what am I learning?”
Archbishop Rowan Williams said that discipleship is “learning to be a learner” – Winston Churchill said “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught”. We have to keep asking ourselves if we are open to being taught and are we learning to be learners. It is one of my highest leadership values that I would enable many in my orbit of influence to be lifelong learners who are obedient to Jesus. Henri Nouwen said “The word obedient comes from the latin word ‘audire’, which mean ‘listening’. When we learn to listen, our lives become obedient lives”
Are you learning? What are you learning? Are you listening? What are you hearing? Are you being obedient to what you are hearing and learning?
Bearing this in mind – last Sunday I enjoyed seeing a whole load of people who are part of the Christ Church Family Gathering take the opportunity to scatter and begin to learn what God may be saying to us. God wants to teach us about what He is doing in the town of Bridlington, and what he wants to teach us about mission. People prayer walked, and met on the beach and the chalet. They ate and talked and prayed. They fed others, and talked to neighbours. As we do these kind of things God teaches us – we learn. Are we learning? What are we learning?
CommuniZoom
From Sunday 7th November the Sunday communion gathering in-person and on Zoom will change it’s timing and venue. In order to build community further and enable more prayer and fellowship we will meet at 9am in the Key Centre as well as on Zoom (link can be found on ccbn.org.uk)
Anne Straker
We are celebrating the life of Anne Straker on Monday 1st November 1.15pm. A wonderful influence on many, Anne is now with the Lord and reunited with Len. Let’s be thankful and also continue to pray for the whole family.
Mark Carey writes
Last week I told you about the words that I had woken up with one morning – “stand firm”. I’ve continued to hold these words close to heart and mind. In Isaiah 7 it says “so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” We can be shaken at times and we need to remember where our roots are – we need to remember to stand firm and not give in to the things that stir our leaves - that disturb us. I am trying to be thoughtful and prayerful when I detect something that disturbs me – that shakes me. Aware that I can easily respond in wrong ways, I choose to stand in faith and not react in fear.
The word of the Lord comes to Ahaz and his people with this challenge: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all”.
Watch our latest video updates, messages and livestreams via https://www.youtube.com/ccbnonline
Scattered Sundays.
This Sunday is the 10.30am Family Gatherings first Scattered Sunday.
We will be meeting across various locations in our P-PODs :
The Well - meeting at 10.30am at the Training Centre and prayer walking across the town centre.
Emmaus - Meeting at 10.30am in the Church Cafe.
Wonder - meeting at 10.30am at the beach chalet (next to the South Side Paddling pools).
If you are part of the 10.30am Family Gathering but not yet in a P-POD then feel free to come along to any of these 3 gatherings.
Mark Carey writes:
I have just recorded a short video based on a few things I shared at prayer time the other day. I’d woken up on Monday morning with the words “Stand Firm” in my head. Usually all I wake up with is a need for coffee so I took special note of these words….. and then I brewed my coffee!
Why would those words be in my head? I felt the Holy Spirit was making me aware of the need to stand firm in a space and environment that is still affected by fear, hopelessness and uncertainty. In a national environment that is talking of a ‘winter of discontent’ as inflation rises, universal credit is cut back and shortages of different sorts affect us. Also to stand firm as we set out to walk as a church of churches through this uncertainty with things having changed so much. In the garden of Gethsemane – in the midst of great uncertainty and fear – in the valley of the shadow of death – Jesus moved forward in dependency on the Father saying “not what I want but what You want”.
So I want to encourage you to stand firm. To be aware of the space we are in – everything feels different because so much has changed and nobody has a magic wand to make it all better! To move forward depending on the Father saying “not what I want but what You want”.
Click here for the video of Mark refers to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSNEao_T6yY
Christ Church Cafe.
We have a couple of spaces for volunteers in the café on Wednesdays or Thursdays. No experience necessary. We can help with Food Hygiene certificate.
For more details contact the café on 01262 404108.
The Beach Chalet
We have generously been donated the use of a winter let beach chalet on South beach. The chalet is an accessible one and we would love for it be widely used across the network.
It is a place to meet up with people or perhaps take a bit of space to spend time with God. You might want to use it for yourself and your family, or perhaps as a Bible discovery group or another group. The chalet can be booked for yourself or a group for either a morning, afternoon or evening slot or for a whole day or as a block of a couple of days.
There is a diary in the church office to book out the chalet so if you would like to use it then please contact the office on 01262 404100 or email office@ccbn.org.uk to book a slot.
Keys will be available to be collected and signed out from the office on the day you have booked the chalet. We ask that you return the keys to the office as soon as possible after you have used the chalet so the next person can pick them up.
Interactive Prophecy
What’s God saying?
Interactive prophecy
Words Pictures Dreams Thoughts Events
Wondering what God is saying
to you?
Let’s explore together
Come and talk it over with our team and explore
what the Holy Spirit is saying
Listen together, understand together.
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Half hour appointments, completely confidential, relaxed
(cuppa included)
Please email or ring Christ Church at office@ccbn.org.uk 01262 404100 and we will then contact you to arrange an appointment (Wednesday mornings at present)
Mark Carey writes
Apparently in the invention and development of contact lens a dog called Stan was fitted with them. They appeared to work well but it didn’t prevent him from running out into a road and getting hit by a car - perhaps he saw but didn’t hear. I remember being taught how to cross roads when I was a kid - that listening for the cars was as important as looking for them. Following Jesus means seeing and hearing. Watching out for what God is doing and listening for what he is saying. Jesus said that those who hear his words and put them into practice are the wise people. Are you growing in this?
I’m looking forward to ALPHA starting next week - do come along to explore this seeing and hearing faith in Jesus.
I’m also looking forward to spending the weekend with Andy Hall exploring what it looks like to emerge from a pandemic in the power of the Spirit. Do come and join in on Saturday 25th and Sunday evening 26th. The usual live-streaming will be available via our website. ccbn.org.uk
Mirian Thurlow writes
‘For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?’
Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)
This week marks the launch of a number of new things across the network: Love Westhill has begun meeting on Thursdays; the Eco-Summit in partnership with several local groups is on Saturday; and on Sunday at Christ Church we are starting our new pattern of gatherings. And in particular it is the launch of our 10:30 Family Gathering at Christ Church.
Our vision for the 10:30 Family Gathering is that it is a space where everyone can belong - where we can be like family. And as in any family everyone has got a role to play. Everyone has something to bring to the table. (Do check out the video Oli and myself did earlier this week to find out more about the 10:30 Family Gathering and how we want our times together to be times of welcome, of participation, and of encounter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1siRFPnn3o
Launch week - 10:30 Family Gathering
Oli and Miriam kick off our launch week videos for info and prayer. They share the outline and values for our new 10:30 Family Gathering at Christ Church. This is a gathering space for all ages - bringing together the Living Room, Well and Emmaus PPOD groups who were meeting through lockdown. Participation, Welcome and Encounter. Please pray ...
I wonder how you feel about new things and new seasons? Are you someone who gets excited by the prospect of what could happen? Or perhaps are you someone who finds lots of new things a bit daunting? In Isaiah we see God tells his people he is about to do a new thing, but that he has already started. And if we look back on the last 18 months, or even just the last couple of months, we see that God certainly hasn’t pressed the pause button.
And so even though we are marking the start of new things this week, we are building on and giving thanks for all that God has already begun to do in our lives individually and in our joint life as a church community. What are you giving thanks for at the moment? What is you hope our network in the next couple of months?
Miriam