Since I recorded the 10am service, our government announced that we’re allowed to gather in groups of up to six. When you heard that news, who in your life did you first think of? Surely the Christians in Jerusalem would have thought of the Christians in Jerusalem.
 
Their devotion to God and the people of God was beautiful, and as we’ll see in the 10am on Sunday, the results were powerful.
 
There is hope. It is possible for our churches to be like their church. We have the same Lord and Saviour and Spirit as they had. But it’s not about programmes and initiatives from the staff. And it won’t happen if only a few of us – other people! – are dedicated to the four things of verse 42. It’s about you. And me. Our priorities, our attitudes, our actions, being in line with theirs.
 
There’s the phrase, “be the change you want to see.” Or as hip hop collective Jurassic 5 put it in their track “Contribution”:
Yo, either you a part of the problemOr part of the solution
What's your contribution to life?
So many people complain, always talk about change yo
But what's your contribution to life?
Either you with or ain't with it, if it ain't broke don't fix it
Yo what's your contribution to life?
Either you give or you take, make moves and you wait yo
But what's your contribution to life?
 
The Holy Spirit tells God’s people that our contribution to life involves being devoted to God’s people. And devoted is a strong word.

Thank you for all those that have now logged on to MyChurchsuite.  If BH is your church and you have not had an email invite to MyChurchsuite, then please contact the office.
Privacy settings
At this time, when people are not able to meet face to face, members of the church family are sending cards and phoning each other more, so it is helpful if people can see your contact details on MyChurchsuite.
To enable this, please can you consider having your details visible on the Privacy tab. To check or set this, when you log on to MyChurchsuite, go to My Details and there is a Privacy tab (see screenshot below).  The only people that will be able to see your details (name, address, telephone number, mobile number and email)  are:

• those people on the BH electoral role (therefore if you are in the paper BH directory, it is like an electronic version of that);
• people in your small group; and
• people you are on a rota with. 

If you have already changed your privacy settings and unchecked them, please can I ask you to reconsider and have your details visible, especially if you are on the electoral role or in a small group.  If you want any of your details not to be visible for any reason, then we of course respect that - we just wanted you to have all the facts before making your decision.  
Any questions please do contact the church Office​​.

Psalm 8
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

At BH we are running four  Alpha Sessions online.  The first is a taster  session titled 'Is there more to life than this?' After the taster session there will be the chance for 3 more sessions to look at 
Who is Jesus?
Why did Jesus die?
How can I have faith?
There will be afternoon sessions starting this Monday June 1  14:00 to 15:30 or evening sessions starting this Wednesday 3 June 19:30 to 21:00.  They will be the same so please chose which sessions are best for you.  We would love to see you. Please be thinking and praying about who you could bring along. Due to the fact it is on zoom numbers will be limited. For more details, to sign up  or to watch a short video about Alpha please go to the  BH Website. You can also sign up on MyChurchsuite.

Join the BH quiz night! There will be an eclectic mix of questions in 6 rounds from our expert quiz masters, but it will be suitable for all ages.  We will work individually/ in households, not in teams,  but will go to a meeting room after each round to work out the answers, so a great time to exercise the little grey cells and meet up with folk. Also, why not use the “chat” facility to share ideas with friends?
We need 5 quiz masters...if you would like to dream up some questions please contact Don on [email protected]
​To join in please log on to MyChurchSuite, click on the picture of the quiz and click the Online - Zoom button
Please contact the office if you don't have a log in to MyChurchsuite

​Juan Carlos Ortiz.
I've got one of his books on my shelves from 40 or so years ago, and one thing I remember is that he tells of how he once repeated a sermon the following Sunday. Word for word.
I've never had the guts to do that! But when he was asked by his congregation why he'd simply repeated the sermon, he replied that he repeated it because no-one had done anything about it. So he thought he'd tell them again. And he threatened to deliver the same sermon for a third time if nothing changed!
Don't worry, I'm not going to do the same. Instead, a small nudge. People who know about these things suggest that if we have good intentions about putting some learning or some sermon into practice but do nothing about it for 36 hours, they never will. Last Sunday we were thinking from Eph 6:18-20 about being slightly better pray-ers. v18 - "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."
So, were you going to do something about this to become a slightly better pray-er? But maybe forgot or haven't been able to do that yet?
Consider yourself nudged!
​Phil

Today there will be another 'lockdown' coffee and chat session on zoom at 15.30pm. Anyone can join.
​The easiest way to join this is via the events page  on MyChurchsuite.  If you don't have or having problems logging into MyChurchsuite please contact the church office [email protected] 01273 732965. ​

To join this Livestream Event please click below.
https://vfjuk.org.uk/news-updates/aday-of-prayer-unlock-the-gaol-may-30-livestream/
​

​What is God’s Will for Me?
‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances’
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
 
Some Christian people find it really hard to know the will of God for their lives. They struggle and cry out ‘Lord – what do you want me to do?’ If that’s you, let me give you a good place to start in finding God’s will. Here’s three steps in the right direction:

1. Rejoice always
2. Pray continually
3. Give thanks in all circumstances

 
For THIS is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
 
This whole passage (5:12-26) is full of helpful, practical and prayer-worthy advice for living out the Christian life. Do these things and you will be walking in the will of God. What’s more you will be a real blessing in the church. Give yourself a minute and look up this passage. Pray it through. But, during this Covid19 pandemic, perhaps you should hold off on verse 26 for a while longer – ‘Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.’ Well, maybe from 2 metres away if you must...
Greetings to all the BH family xxx (holy ones!)
Phil

​Stephen and Lizzi Demetriou will be hosting BH Youth LIVE on the Lockdown PraiseUp Youtube page from 7:15-8:15pm again tonight. They’ll be teaching from the Bible, playing crazy games, and getting the youth involved in mad fun challenges. If you’re 11-18, come join in the fun! Message Stephen to get involved

Sign up for the BH quiz night! There will be an eclectic mix of questions in 6 rounds from our expert quiz masters, but it will be suitable for all ages.  We will work individually/ in households, not in teams,  but will go to a meeting room after each round to work out the answers, so a great time to exercise the little grey cells and meet up with folk. Also, why not use the “chat” facility to share ideas with friends?
We need 5 quiz masters...if you would like to dream up some questions please contact Don on [email protected]
​To join in please use the Online - Zoom Link in MyChurchSuite - My Events

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Abraham did not know where he was going. Uncertainty.
He was like a stranger in a foreign country. Displacement.
He lived in tents. Discomfort.
Uncertainty. Displacement. Discomfort. We don’t like any of those things, do we? I know I don’t. We like to know what is happening to us, to have a plan, to feel in control. We like the reassurance of family and friends around us. We like life to be comfortable. Abraham was called out of all these comfort zones and he went. Why?
By faith he was looking forward… not to something in the future of this life on earth, but to heaven.
It’s hard to remember this world is not our home. We are like strangers in a foreign country. Peter wrote that we are ‘aliens and strangers in the world’ (1Peter 2:11). We do live in temporary dwellings. Paul describes our bodies as ‘earthly tents’ (2Corinthians 5:1) and there is a lot of uncertainty right now.
But we do know where we are going ultimately. Like Abraham, we can look forward to living somewhere certain, permanent and where we belong, ‘our citizenship is in heaven’ (Philippians 3:20).
Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus, ‘for the joy set before him endured the cross’ and we need to focus on the joy set before us, so that we can keep on enduring whatever we face today.
 
Dear Father God, please help us to look forward to the joy set before us. Please give us faith and confidence in our heavenly future; faith that makes a difference to how we live now. Amen. ​

This week there will be 2 'lockdown' coffee and chat sessions on zoom that anyone can join.
Tuesday 28 May  10.30
Thursday 28 May 15.30


​
The easiest way to join this is via the events page  on MyChurchsuite.  If you don't have or having problems logging into MyChurchsuite please contact the church office [email protected] 01273 732965. ​

 This image above is called shared flame. I wonder what you see when you look at it? Do you see an Aladdin-type lamp or do you see two people gazing at each other? There are many pictures like this that can be looked at in more than one way.
Words can be like that, too. I love words. You can hear a sentence and different possibilities for what it means come to mind. For instance, I remember an hilarious Latin lesson [sorry Miss Cooper it wasn’t to do with a dead language but a living one] where my friend told me of an announcement, she’d heard on TV the night before, concerning a circus act about to perform. She heard that there would be ‘2 swedes and a pole’ and we spent ages laughing about the many combinations of vegetables, nationalities and accessories that might have been about to enter the ring. Sorry, I’ve no idea what the real act included.
‘Living well’ is the 2-word phrase I’m considering today. I wonder what you think it’s about? It could be living healthily in mind and body. It could mean living in a good and godly way...it could mean something else altogether! Take a look at John chapter 4 and there’s a lot about lots of different kinds of wells.
Well [!!] for a start there’s Jesus sitting by a well, hot and tired around midday. Then a woman who isn’t living well comes to draw water from the well at a time when others avoided going out because of the heat. No doubt she preferred not to see their looks of condemnation and contempt. Jesus asks her to give Him water from the well because he has no bucket and then goes on to have a conversation about a spring of living water welling up in her. There’s a lot of misunderstanding on her part but at the end of the conversation the woman starts living well by going to see the very people she’d wanted to avoid to tell them the good news that she thinks she’s met the Messiah. Because of this the townspeople want to hear more and Jesus stays in Samaria for 2 days and by the end of that time many people come to believe He is the “Saviour of the world”. Wow, that’s well worth thinking about – as the woman said in verse 11 “the well is deep” 😊
So, what is this living water that wells up inside? In John 7 living water gets mentioned again and in verse 39 it says,

“By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
 We can rejoice today because Jesus has been glorified!!! Today we can be living well because as believers we have the Holy Spirit living in us, filling us up and refreshing us, empowering us to live godly lives and also to tell others about the One who came to be their Saviour and Lord. ​

The easiest way to join the church prayer meeting is via MyChurchsuite.  There is no need for scrabbling around for the correct link and passwords.
This is how you do it.

1. Log into MyChurchsuite either via the app (if you are using a phone or tablet) or via the Churchsuite website  https://login.churchsuite.co.uk/ If you haven't been sent an invite to MyChurchsuite or can't find it or having problems getting on to MyChurchSuite please contact the church office. 01273 732965
2. Click on the picture of the prayer meeting (it is on the home screen)
3. Click on the Zoom Online button on the top right.​

The PCC are applying for a Faculty to replace seven of the windows on the south side of the church. Before approval for this work is agreed the PCC is obliged to display a public notice of the proposed works to allow for comments from the wider public and church goers. This is normally done by displaying the notice on the main door of the church. As the church is not open the notice is shown at the link form_displayed_on_the_church_door.pdf and all the details can be viewed on the church website https://www.bhmc.org.uk/faculty-application.html. If you have any queries on the proposal John Puttock will be happy to discuss them. (01273 281332). 

I have this little piece of Staffordshire pottery to remind me of the great John Wesley and of my own call to preach. What a privilege that has been.
This Sunday is actually the 282nd anniversary of Wesley’s conversion and filling with the Spirit on May 24th 1738. In his journal for that date he recorded those famous words “I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther’s preface to the epistle of the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed.”
John Wesley kept a journal for over 50 years, recording events, prayers and feelings. One benefit for me through lockdown has been being able to invest more time during my quiet time with God in my own journal. I note not just events but what I sense God is speaking to me about and my own thoughts, prayers and feelings. I would encourage all to take advantage of more time to write honestly in your own journal or to begin one if it has not been your practice to date. There is something about putting pen to paper that crystallises thoughts and stirs to action. With hindsight, it also proves a marvelous record of prayers, both answered and continuing.
Wesley was very honest in his journal. Not so well known are the words that followed on the date of his “heart-warming” experience which are “After my return home, I was much buffeted with temptations”.
Being converted and filled with the Spirit does not end the struggle with temptation!
God be with you and happy journaling.

At BH we are running over zoom a taster Alpha session.  There will be one on June 1 2020 14:00 to 15:30 and one on Wednesday 3 June 19:30 to 21:00.  They will be the same so please chose which one is best for you.  We would love to see you at one of the sessions. Please be thinking and praying about who you could bring along. Due to the fact it is on zoom numbers will be limited. For more details, to sign up  or to watch a short video about Alpha please go to the  BH Website

​“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12
Have you ever pondered the strangeness of TV presenters who end their show with ‘…see you next week’? They are not going to see us next week or ever probably! Watching someone on a screen can be inspiring, educational or beneficial in lots of ways but it’s not the same as meeting face to face. I hope you are enjoying online church and feeling able to keep in touch with others in the church family but we’re not under any illusions that it’s the same as worshipping together, side by side.
Paul knew nothing of computer screens when he wrote to the Corinthians but our present ‘screen-time’ interactions can give us insight into the wonderful hope of which he wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12.
Our experience of God’s presence now is a bit like a Zoom meeting in some ways. Jesus has made it possible for us to know God, to engage with his word applied to our hearts and to experience his presence with us. How wonderful! But how much more wonderful will it be when we see him face to face in his new creation! Let the longing to see each other face to face fill us with joyful hope as we look forward to that great day when “I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

If Bishop Hannington Church is your church then please remember that since January we have just been using a church Management System called MyChurchsuite.  
The biggest benefit for you during 'lockdown' is that you can see all the upcoming BH events in one place.  It is like an electronic version of  BH news but so much more.  Another benefit is that you can join church zoom meetings straight from MyChurchsuite so no more scrabbling around for emails with the links on
If you have not already received an invite to use MyChurchsuite you will receive one very shortly.  Please check your junk because we find the invites can end up in there.  If you don't receive an invite or have any problems logging on then please contact the office.
It is not difficult to use so please give it a go.

​A Godly Ambition
 
‘Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. You should mind your own business and work with your hands’. (1  Thess 4:11)
 
As I approached retirement a few years back and after a good deal of prayer and heart-searching, this is the verse that (quite unexpectedly) gave me direction. I needed something to aim for over the next chapter of life and my walk with The Lord – and here it was. ‘To lead a quiet life, to mind my own business and to work with my hands’. Paul’s advice to the Thessalonian believers hit the nail on the head. God can (and does) use a quiet life just as much as a loud and noisy one. Minding your own business keeps you from trying to meddle in that of others. Working with your hands is deeply satisfying and (as it turns out) great fun too. It also can win the respect of ‘outsiders’ and keep us from being dependent on anybody (v12).
 
You may not be able to do much whilst in lockdown. Perhaps you find it frustrating that you can’t get out and about and be the BIG noise that you once were? Well, here’s the perfect word for you and an achievable, God-pleasing ambition to aim for – ‘Lead a quiet life. Mind your own business. Work with your hands.’ Perhaps they should put that advice on Boris’s lectern?
Warm greetings to all the BH family
Phil

As a Diocese, we are marking the 'Thy Kingdom Come' campaign with a series of events from the 21st May through to the 31st May.

On the eve of the Feast of the Ascension which falls this Thursday 21st May, the Bishop will explain, in a video message to the Diocese, why these ten important days can deepen our prayer life together especially in these challenging times. Each day from the 22nd May - 29th May  Bishop Martin invites you to join him in prayer. He will be offering a short daily Novena prayer for the diocese from his chapel in Chichester.

An Ascension Day service is being led by the Dean, The Very Revd Stephen Waine and a Pentecost service will be led by Bishop Martin, both at 10am. 
All services will be available to view from our website. There will also be a reminder on our social media platforms prior to the services commencing.

The second 'lockdown' coffee and chat session on zoom this week is this afternoon. Anyone can join. The link and passwords are the same as before. If you are new to the chat and would like to join in please can you email Giles on  [email protected] for the link and passwords.
See you at 15.30pm today!!

​                                Psalm 30
[a]A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.
[b] Of David.
1 I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.
8 To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
    Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
 
You might have spent the last 9 weeks (I know!) constantly crying out to God in prayer. You could have been on your knees, in tears, praying to God for this lockdown to come to an end, for the virus to be stopped in its tracks. Sometimes it might have felt like your prayers were simply bouncing off the walls and the ceiling around you, as this crisis doesn’t show any signs of disappearing quickly.
Psalm 30 is a beautiful timely reminder that God listens to our calls and lifts us out of times of suffering. “Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning”. As some lockdown restrictions begin to drop, we may be starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think we have to be realistic and see that the restrictions won’t be fully lifted for a while. This will be a long night.
But joy WILL come in the morning! The LORD will lift us up from out of the depths, from out of the realm of the dead. God’s love for us has not changed, God’s favour is still on us and will be on us for the rest of our lives. Do not be shaken, praise God in your security and in the certain hope that we have, that God will turn our wailing into dancing.
Fix your eyes on the joy that is to come in the morning, the day that will come, where restrictions are fully lifted, God’s people will be able to meet as the body of Christ again, and we can joyfully praise God together as one family.
​Alex

​
We prayed for Aldrington School at the prayer meeting last Wednesday. Head teacher Verity Coates has sent us these requests for our ongoing prayers:

It has been a challenging week for school staff in general and heads in particular.  We are so grateful for your prayers. Our current requests are really all about making wise decisions for the next phase for everyone, not only children and their families but staff and their families and stamina to manage the immense job of planning and implementing taking into account all the many factors and guidelines.  We are very proud of the way we are managing to provide for and support our community at home at the moment and parents have expressed their gratitude for this but it is very hard for anyone with children to juggle this and everyone has their own challenges in this situation. The staff are amazing, please pray for them to manage down time and family time too.
Thank you
Verity

As mentioned in Sunday evening sermon by Don, and shown as a still at the end of the video, the excellent version  of Pilgrim's Progress was mentioned and it is still possible to watch it for free at:
 WatchPilgrims.com
Nigel

​​Stephen and Lizzi Demetriou will be hosting BH Youth LIVE on the Lockdown PraiseUp Youtube page from 7:15-8:15pm again tonight. They’ll be teaching from the Bible, playing crazy games, and getting the youth involved in mad fun challenges. If you’re 11-18, come join in the fun! Message Stephen to get involved