In October, we ran a three week course looking at the Old Testament on Sunday evenings. To follow up on this, we are going to run a similar course on the New Testament, starting this Sunday – 22nd November. It will introduce the basic elements of the New Testament, and hopefully get us reading and studying the good book for ourselves. Do come and join us if you can – we start at 6.30pm; and the same for the following two Sundays.
Last Sunday (15th November) was Gift day, and despite the difficult economic times, we had a good result. More than £4000 was raised – most of which will go towards the redecoration of the Cecil Square entrance of the Church, which badly needs attention. Thank you for your prayerful generosity. You can keep giving, if you are able, for several weeks yet.
Thanks too to Vic and Carol Radley, for organizing a wonderful Coffee Day and Bazaar in aid of the local hospice – a thoroughly deserving cause.
Keep praying for SCOOP each Tuesday lunchtime. It is going well, and we are getting a good response from the children in all the schools involved.
Have a good week – Stephen.

Its been quite a week! Holiday Club began on Wednesday, and all week we have been organizing fun and games, stories, drama, crafts and music for about 45 children (as well as 25 young people and adults). Our theme was “Showstoppers”, and we have looked at how God has a plan for our lives. By the time you get to Sunday, the whole team is exhausted – but it has been a great week. Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to make it a success. WELL DONE!
Next Sunday, we have just one service at MBC – and it will be at 3pm so that as many as possible can go to the Town Remembrance Service in Trinity Square.
This week is going to be amazingly busy with meetings every evening (for me at least). I hope you will do your best to come to the monthly prayer meeting on Wednesday – probably the most important meeting of the month. Come and pray with us if you can.

Have a good week – Stephen.

Yes, its Holiday Club week again (only seems like yesterday that we were doing the last one) – and everything is gearing up for a busy time with the young people over the next few days. This year we are doing “Showstoppers” – a Holiday club with a theatrical theme. It will help the young people to explore God’s plan for their lives, and to grow in understanding and faith – at least, thats the aim. Hopefully it will also be lots of fun, as well as exhausting! Think of us – the whole thing begins on Wednesday and runs through until next Sunday.

After Half Term, I am going to be running a Lunch-time club at the local primary school, every Tuesday at 12 noon. This is called SCOOP – and it is a great way to introduce the children to the story of Jesus. I would really value prayer as I go in each week – I want to make the club as enjoyable as possible for the children (and me!)

Please note that I will be running a short course on the New Testament, starting on Sunday 22nd November, at 6.30pm. This will be an introduction to go alongside the Old Testament Introduction which we did in September. It will be just three weeks long – do come and join us if you can.

Have a good week – Stephen.

Its Harvest Festival weekend at MBC – and we have a Barn Dance tonight, with an expected crowd of 75 people coming to have a hoe-down, and a nosh-up. As usual, there will be bangers and mash, and a chance for a bit of a dance (for those with plenty of energy). Barn dances are one of the few events that everyone of any age can join in with – so lets hope its as much fun as previous years.
What do we have to dance about? Well, God has been very good to us, and we have plenty to eat [unlike so many people in our world today] – so we combine two things…. we celebrate all that God has provided for us; and we do all we can to help those in need. On Sunday, we will come to Church for our Harvest Parade Service (11am) – but we will also bring gifts for those less fortunate than we are – gifts of food will go to a local Church which gives food parcels to the hungry; and gifts of money will go to Operation Agri – a third world development project. Come and share with us as we celebrate!
In the evening at 6.30pm, we will have the third part of our “Introduction to the Old Testament” – this week looking at the books of prophecy. The aim is to stimulate your own personal interest in the Bible, and to get you back to reading it for yourself. So please come and join us if you can. Have a good week – Stephen.

Old Testament Introduction – Part 2 27th September 09

There are 39 books in the OT – 17 of them are books of History; 5 are books of poetry; 17 are books of prophecy.

Poetry is a broad term. Much of ancient eastern poetry consists of lines repeated and expanded on – see, for example, Psalm 24 v 1-4. There is also a genre known as “Wisdom Literature” – which explores the meaning of wisdom, and what goes to make up wise thinking and living. Proverbs is a good example of this.

Job
Ø Set in the days of the Patriarchs
Ø Questions why God allows suffering
Ø Job 38. 1-11 – a key passage
Ø The answers to these important questions are only found in the NT

Psalms
Ø Drawn from real human experience
Ø A collection of five books (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150)
Ø 73 are called Psalms of David – and he may have written these
Ø There are various ways of classifying the psalms
Ø Don’t forget that they are poems and songs – not sermons!

Proverbs
Ø A collection of wise sayings
Ø Did Solomon write them all?
Ø Chapters 1-9 are an introduction; Ch 10 onwards is different
Ø Proverbs 14 1-8 is a typical passage
Ø Some proverbs are controversial & need to be read in context

Ecclesiastes
Ø The theme is meaninglessness and vanity ( a very modern theme)
Ø The tone is set in Eccles 1.1-9
Ø Did Solomon write this?
Ø Read Eccles 12.1-5 – a good passage for those who are growing older!

Song of Solomon
Ø A series of poems about love between a man and a woman
Ø Written by Solomon? Or for Solomon? Or about Solomon?
Ø Some passages are a little too frank for Church reading!
Ø Read Song of Sol 1.1-4; 4.1-4.

All of these books were written at the time of Kings David & Solomon, when the Kingdom of Israel was settled and peaceful. Does poetry and art flourish most when people have time and space to devote to things other than war and survival?

Old Testament Introduction – Part 1 (20th September 09)

There are 66 books in the Bible – 39 of these are in the OT, 27 in the NT.
The OT was written by many different authors, over a period of centuries before the birth of Jesus. It was written in Hebrew, and tells the story of the people of Israel from the beginning until the prophet Malachi.

In the OT there are: 17 books of History; 5 books of Poetry; 17 books of Prophecy. The first 17 books of the OT are History Books, and fall into four sections.

Section 1 – the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch)
Genesis – creation, fall, flood, call of Abram
Exodus – slavery in Egypt, Moses, plagues, exodus, Sinai & the Law
Leviticus – rules about sacrifice and the priesthood etc
Numbers – disobedience, years in the wilderness
Deuteronomy – covenant renewed, Joshua, the borders of Canaan

Section 2 – The Conquest Period
Joshua – seven year conquest of Canaan, land divided amongst the 12 tribes
Judges – rebellion and sin, Gideon, Samson, Deborah
Ruth – a love story about ordinary people who became ancestors of a king

Section 3 – The United Kingdom Period
1 Samuel – Samuel, Saul becomes king, David chosen as his successor
2 Samuel – King David’s reign, his sin and death
1 Kings – Solomon’s reign, building the temple, kingdom divided
1 Chronicles – a reinterpretation of King David’s reign

Section 4 – Exile and Restoration
2 Kings – division of the kingdom into two, defeat of Israel then Judah
2 Chronicles – the story of the temple in Jerusalem
Ezra – two groups return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple
Nehemiah – A third group returns, and rebuilds the city walls in 52 days
Esther – God protects the Jews who are still in exile

What is the value of the OT ?
Ø It is part of the Word of God to mankind
Ø The NT doesn’t make sense without the OT
Ø There are difficulties; but the Word of God can be trusted
Ø Christians believe in the authority of the Bible (2 Tim 3.16)
Ø Finally, the real value of the OT is in what it tells us about God

Why not use this prayer ? Dear Lord, thank you for your Word in the Old Testament, which is both exciting and challenging. Help us to read it, study it, think about it, and allow it to feed us as we seek to follow Christ today. Amen.

This coming Sunday (20th September), we will be starting an Introduction to the Old Testament, at our 6.30pm service. Have you ever tried to read the Old Testament, and found it confusing, or even baffling? Do you get lost in all the lists of Kings and battles? Have you ever thought that perhaps the Old Testament doesnt really matter now that we have the New? We are going to be looking at how the Old Testament fits together, what its story is all about, and why it is still such an important part of God’s Word. There will be three sessions – all on Sundays at 6.30pm, beginning this week. Later in the year, we will follow this up with an Introduction to the New Testament.

On Sunday Morning, we will continue to look at what God is really like, as we explore “Our Unchanging God”. Should be a good day – come and join us if you can.

Then on 27th September, we will be joining in with the national “Back to Church Sunday” campaign, as we invite old friends to come and share with us in worship. This needs lots of prayer – so get those knee pads into service!

Have a good week – Stephen.

“Did you hear about the font who went to Church? Apparently they told him they didnt want his type in there.”

Facetious question: but how long do you get for murder? A life sentence is about twenty years; but with remission for good behaviour you would probably be out in twelve. In the less serious cases, the sentence is often less – maybe as little as eight years. A whole life tarrif is very rare.

Ok – so that being the case, how come my wife and I have now been married for 32 years?

32 years! It truly does not seem possible that it is almost a third of a century since Nicky and I got married at Thetford Baptist Church in September 1977. That was the year Elvis Presley died, the year Jimmy Carter was elected as US President, the year Concorde made its first commercial flight to New York, the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. It was also the age of flaired trousers (first time round), and my wedding photos show me in a morning suit with long hair and flairs, wearing three inch platform shoes. Oh woe is me!

Anyway, incredible as it seems to me, here we are 32 years later – and Nicky and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary (on Thursday) – hopefully to be joined by our two offspring and our grandson for the day. A life sentence? Ask Nicky!

Last Sunday’s baptism went very well, and it was great to see so many visitors and family members there to support Ted and Alex. It was also good to see the young people back for Sunday Club, for the first time since July. Next Sunday (13th) is our first Parade Service of the new session (at 11am)- and it is also my 3rd anniversary as pastor at MBC. In the evening we will be concluding our long-running series looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I do hope you can join us at both morning and evening services – you will be very welcome.  Best wishes, Stephen.

” A good marrieage lasts for ever. A bad marriage just seems to.”

A few years ago, I was talking to some children from a local school about baptism, and I explained how we do things in our baptist churches. One of the children put his hand up and asked “How long do you hold them under for?” Good question. The answer, of course, is “a split second” – but its a split second which makes a life-time of difference. Baptism is a moment of committment and obedience which demonstrates our faith in Jesus, and our willingness to be known a a disciple. It really is a life-changing experience, making a faith which is hidden and private into an open profession. If you love Jesus, and you have never been baptised – why not?
This Sunday, we will share with Ted and Alex Watt-Ruffel, as they both make that step of faith and committment. It will be the fourth baptismal service in my time at Margate, and we need to pray that God will move in many hearts and lives, and that more and more people will respond in faith and obedience. Please come and join us on Sunday morning, and pray that Alex and Ted will be richly blessed and surrounded by love and peace. Pray too for their family and friends, and for all who will share the service with us.
On Monday evening (7th September) there will be a TEAR Fund evening at St Peters Baptist Church (7.30pm) – do come and support it if you can.
Have a good week – Stephen.

“It took a lot of will-power, but I finally managed to give up dieting…”