Bethel Baptist Church

160th Anniversary

admin — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:57:56 +0000

You are invited to celebrate with us the 160th anniversary of Bethel Baptist, Laleston. Our guest speaker is Gareth Williams, a former pastor of the church and now pastor of Bala Evangelical Church. Gareth will be speaking on Saturday evening and again on Sunday morning.

Saturday 10th May
5.00pm Tea (Laleston Gardening Club)
6.30pm Thanksgiving Service (Bethel)

Sunday 11th May
10.30am Anniversary Family Service
6.00pm Evening Service
All welcome, refreshments served following

Notices - May 08

admin — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:29:35 +0000

This months notices are also available as a PDF file (64Kb).

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9)

Preaching
4th May - Bill Steed (Communion am)
11th May - am: Gareth Williams, pm: Jim Grindell (Family Service)
18th May - Jim Grindell
25th May - Jim Grindell

Monday
2.00pm - Various ladies meetings
Sisterhood (5th), Craft (12th), Missionary (19th)

Tuesday
7.30pm Christianity Explored (meeting in side room)

Bible Study and Prayer Meeting
Every Thursday at 7.00pm in the side room. Time of informal discussion and bible study followed by open prayer time for needs of the church.

Other Notices

Bethel 160th Anniversary: We will be celebrating together on the 10th-11th May. We plan to meet on Saturday 10th May at 5.00pm for tea together in Laleston gardening club (just behind the Post Office in Laleston) and then at the church at 6.30pm for a service of thanksgiving. Gareth Williams (former pastor of Bethel) will be speaking at the thanksgiving service and also at our regular Sunday morning service on the 11th May.

WEST Annual Meeting will also be on Saturday 10th May at 2.30pm. Colin Tamplin, pastor of Monyhull Evangelical Church, Birmingham will be speaking.

Mission focus prayer meeting will be on Thursday 15th May when we will welcome Matt Lewis who is a worker with CCSW (Christian Council for Schools in Wales) working in schools around South Wales. CCSW is a joint venture between EMW and Scripture Union.

Deacons Meeting will be on Tuesday May 20th at 2.00pm.

The Word: Young people (11-18 yr old) are invited to a youth meeting on Friday 23rd May at 7pm in Bridgend Recreation Centre. This is a new youth event organised by some of the local Bridgend churches and promises live music and a “gladiator tournament!” See Jim for a leaflet.

Sermons will be available as audio downloads on the church website from this week. To listen again or catch up on missed sermons, visit our new sermons page.

Notices - April 08

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:09:15 +0000

This months notices are also available as a PDF file (59Kb).

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 17-20)

Preaching
6th April - Jim Grindell (Communion pm)
13th April - Jim Grindell
20th April - WEST Student
27th April - Jim Grindell (Family service am)

Monday
2.00pm - Various ladies meetings
Sisterhood (7th), Craft (14th), Missionary (21st)

Bible Study and Prayer Meeting
Every Thursday at 7.00pm in the side room. Time of informal discussion and bible study followed by open prayer time for needs of the church.

Other Notices

Deacons Meeting will be on Tuesday April 15th at 2.00pm.

Mission focus prayer meeting will be on Thursday 17th April when we will welcome Peter Milsom from UFM. As we already support several UFM missionaries, this will be a good opportunity to hear their latest news plus more of the wider work of UFM.

Christianity Explored: We are looking to start our next course within the next couple of weeks. If you are interested, please see Jim as soon as possible.

Word for Life: We have been invited to the Word for Life event organised by the FIEC. This will take place on Saturday 26th April, 3.30-8.00pm. Please see notice board for full details.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill: There has been a great deal of press coverage on this new bill that will be going through parliament in the next few weeks. There is a very helpful article on the Affinity website that explains the issues at stake and what you can do to take action as a Christian. Here is the direct link to the article.

Tom and Esther have arrived safely in Calgary, Canada to start their work with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Please contact Jim if you would like details of how to get in touch with them.

Response to HFE Bill (2008) on Affinity site

admin — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:48:18 +0000

Some of you may be aware that the government is currently debating the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (2008). You can view the progress of the bill on this government website.

Affinity (of whom we are a partner) have just published the latest issue of “The Bulletin”, the fruit of their Social Issues Team which contains among other things, an article on this bill. Why not visit the Affinity site and view “The Bulletin (March 2008)” or you can view the article directly.

You can express your desire for the government to take the issue of human life seriously, especially relating to the issue of abortions, by signing this petition: www.aliveandkickingcampaign.org/petition

Jim
(Pastor)

Why the cross?

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:48:32 +0000

Below is the message of our Easter leaflet that has gone into the homes of Laleston. This Easter, we want to share with you what God has done for us in the death of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe this message is so important for the world to hear, and so we invite you to join with us for one (or perhaps all!) of our special Easter services. If you come along, you will hear a simple explanation of what the bible says about Jesus’ death and resurrection and how you can know forgiveness and peace with God.

Friday 21st March
10.30am Good Friday Service

Sunday 23rd March
10.30am Easter Morning Family Service
Service suitable for the whole family
6.00pm Easter Evening Service

Refreshments served following both services

For more information contact Jim:
Tel: 01656 659825

Why the Cross?
The cross has been the universal symbol of Christianity for a long time. It is illuminated on churches and dangled from earrings and necklaces. This is quite surprising when you consider its purpose! No-one would dream of wearing the symbol of the guillotine or the hangman’s noose as an ornament and yet thousands adorn themselves and their churches with crosses. The cross, like the guillotine or the noose, was after all a tool of execution. The cross signified the slow, painful and humiliating death of crucifixion.
So the question, “Why the cross?” is important. What does it mean? What is it about the cross of one man in particular, Jesus of Nazareth, that has made it the universal symbol that it is?
The cross of Jesus evokes a number of reactions in people today. For some, the response is revulsion. They find the details of death by crucifixion too much to bear. The pain and suffering of the victim is hard to comprehend. For some, the response is one of sorrow. They see Jesus as innocent victim and gentle teacher, falsely accused and needlessly suffering and they pity him.
Some, on the other hand, look upon him with a sense of admiration. They see Jesus as an heroic figure, bravely suffering for his principles, never giving up even to the point of death.
Others look upon him now, as then, with scorn and ridicule. He who claimed to be the Son of God couldn’t even save himself from being executed. But what do YOU make of the cross? What does it really symbolise?
Perhaps it would be good to hear what God has to say in the bible:
Power

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Forgiveness

“In Jesus we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:9)

Substitution

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Love

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

This Easter, as you see the symbol of the cross, think of Jesus Christ, the Son of God suffering not in weakness, but in power, being punished in your place to bring forgiveness from your sin. All this he did simply because he loves you. And what does he ask of us in response?

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Notices - March 08

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:58:47 +0000

This months notices are also available as a PDF file (59Kb).

Jesus said…“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
(John chapter 11 verse 25)

Preaching
2nd March - Jim Grindell (Communion am)
9th March - Hayden Dennis
16th March - Jim Grindell
23rd March - Jim Grindell (Easter Family Service am)
30th March - Simon Patterson (WEST Student)

Monday
2.00pm - Various ladies meetings
Sisterhood (3rd), Craft (10th), Missionary (17th)

Bible Study and Prayer Meeting
Every Thursday at 7.00pm in the side room. Time of informal discussion and bible study followed by open prayer time for needs of the church.

Other Notices

Sunday School break: there will be no Sunday School on the 30th March (Easter holidays).

Richard and Catherine will be welcomed into associate membership at the communion service on 2nd March.

Deacons Meeting will be on March 11th at 2.00pm.

Support for Romania will be taking various items to Romania later this year. You can download their latest newsletter or the list of items needed. If you are interested in supporting this work, please bring any items to the church by March 16th at the very latest and we will arrange their transportation.

Joint churches prayer meeting will be held on Tuesday 18th March in Brackla Tabernacle at 7.30pm. This meeting is organised by the evangelical churches in Bridgend and continues our plan to meet twice a year to pray for each other and the town of Bridgend. Please make every effort to attend.

Christianity Explored: We are now enrolling for a new course in conjunction with Broadlands Evangelical Church. If you are interested, please take a leaflet, speak to Jim or visit our Christianity Explored page.

Easter Services: Details are below. Both Sunday services will be more accessible for those who do not regularly attend the church. Why not try and invite someone to come along with you or if you are not used to being in church, come along and see for yourself!

21st March
Good Friday Service – 10.30am
23rd March
Easter Sunday Family Service – 10.30am
Easter Sunday evening Service – 6.00pm
(Refreshments served following both services)

Christianity Explored

admin — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:36:58 +0000

“If you could ask God one question, and you knew it would be answered, what would it be?”

We will be running a new series of courses very soon in conjunction with Broadlands Evangelical Church. Leaflets will be distributed over the next few weeks. The course is free and open to all. If you would like to enrol on a course, please contact us.

Developed over 10 years, Christianity Explored is an informal course for people who’d like to investigate Christianity or just brush up on the basics. It explores who Jesus was, what his aims were, and what it means to follow him by going through Mark’s gospel.

You won’t be asked to pray, sing or read aloud, and you can ask any questions you like. Or, if you prefer, you can just come along and listen.

Courses are run regularly, both daytime and evening and will be held in a suitable local venue according to demand.

To watch samples of the DVD’s used in the course, visit our Christianity Explored page.

Audio archive at Christian Institute

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 22:21:43 +0000

Just found the audio archive on the Christian Institute website. There is a series here on the ten commandments that may be of interest to those who have been with us on Sunday mornings for our own series on the ten commandments.

Visit the thematic audio archive page to see all that is available or go directly to the ten commandments page.

You can also subscribe to their weekly podcast. Full details on the podcast and instructions on how to receive it are available on the Christian Institute podcast page.

Notices - February 08

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:10:05 +0000

This months notices are also available as a PDF File.

Therefore, my dear friends…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
(Philippians chapter 2 verse 12-13)

Preaching
3rd February - Noel Gibbard
10th February - Jim Grindell (Communion pm)
17th February - Jim Grindell
24th February - Jim Grindell (Family Service am)

Monday
2.00pm - Various ladies meetings
Sisterhood (4th), Craft (11th), Missionary (18th)

Bible Study and Prayer Meeting
Every Thursday at 7.00pm in the side room. Time of informal discussion and bible study followed by open prayer time for needs of the church.

Other Notices

Sunday School break: there will be no Sunday School on the 10th February (half-term week).

Richard and Catherine will be welcomed into associate membership at the communion service on 10th February.

AGM will be on Tuesday 19th February at 7.00pm. If there are any issues that members would like to raise, could they give them in writing to Jim or to one of the deacons.

Mission focus prayer meeting will be on Thursday 21st February when representatives from Blythswood will be visiting to tell us about their work, including the shoe box appeal we took part in over last Christmas.

Support for Romania will be taking various items to Romania later this year. You can download their latest newsletter and also a copy of their latest needs list. If you are interested in supporting this work, please bring any items to the church and we will arrange their transportation.

Cardiff Men’s Convention is planned for Saturday 1st March 2008 at 9.30am-4.30pm in the All Nations Centre in Cardiff. Tickets are £13 for the unwaged or £16 for those in work. Could any men interested in going, please see Jim to arrange booking. More information about the convention is available on their website.

Notices - January 08

admin — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:32:12 +0000

This months notices are also available as a PDF Fil e.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(Ephesians chapter 3 verses 20-21)

Preaching
6th January - Ian Howells
13th January - Jim Grindell (Communion am)
20th January - Jim Grindell (Family Service am)
27th January - Jim Grindell

Monday
2.00pm - Various ladies meetings
Sisterhood (7th), Craft (14th), Missionary (21st)

Bible Study and Prayer Meeting
Every Thursday at 7.00pm in the side room. Time of informal discussion and bible study followed by open prayer time for needs of the church.

Other Notices

Richard and Catherine will be on placement in Dewsbury Evangelical Church for most of January. Please remember them in your prayers.

Games, Food and Fellowship: We have been invited as a church to join with Broadlands Evangelical Church and Brackla Evangelical Church for an evening of informal fellowship on Saturday 12th January from 6pm-9.30pm at Brackla community centre.

Deacons Meeting will be on Tuesday 15th January.

Mission focus prayer meeting will be on Thursday 17th January when Andy Bowdler will be telling us of the work of the BMS (Baptist Missionary Society).

Carols@theRec: Jim will be attending a debriefing meeting with other local pastors on 31st January to discuss this year’s service. If you would like to give any feedback on the service, please see Jim.