Please see the link below about one of our new projects from Active Calderdale and Staying Well which is now live.
https://active.calderdale.gov.uk/blog/stepping-stones-fitness
https://active.calderdale.gov.uk/blog/stepping-stones-fitness
Welcome to our NEWS
Exciting news from the development team
The contract for the Stones building project was signed by Andrew and David on 10th April. So, it’s all systems go and we look forward to working with the team from Lloyd and Smith, our contractors, and Richard Storah, our architect, to achieve a warm, welcoming, dry and flexible space which is fit for the next century of the Church's life.
The Stewards are liaising with preachers for forthcoming services. The Coffee Morning will run on Saturday 4th May and then we may pause Coffee Mornings until completion of the building works, which are scheduled to complete in mid November. Our other activities will run as at present – using the downstairs rooms. Guitar Club will run a little later than at present. The team has spent time with the Hopscotch at Hilltops team, Miss Abbi and the Toddler group leaders to ensure that they are aware of the scope of the works and the timescale and to offer our support for any disruption during the works. Entrances to the building will be maintained at all times but the building will have a quite different appearance enclosed in scaffolding. We are anxious to not create an impression that the building has closed and are planning a suitable outside banner to spread the word that God's work is continuing and we are very much open for business as normal. The team has been working hard to secure the final funds needed to complete the project. Applications have been submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Foyle Foundation, with decisions awaited. A loan has been secured from Methodist Chapel Aid, approved by Church Council, which will only be drawn down if needed. At present we have had to exclude Secondary Glazing and Solar Panels from the scheme, but hope to be able to add them back in if funds permit. Lloyd and Smith are happy for us to do this. The Project team is looking towards Mission in 2025 – we can’t do much more in a building site! The focus will be on young families and children and we hope to secure funds to be able to recruit a Lay Worker to lead this work. This is an exciting time for Stones. However, it is also a period of major change so we will need to pull together as a Stones family, look out for each other and take care of everyone at Stones over the next 6 months. Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support and prayers. Message from Tom FergusonI AM the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Any branch of mine that is barren he cuts away; and any fruiting branch he prunes clean, to make it more fruitful still.’ John 15:1-2 (Revised English Bible)
As I look out into the garden at the rose bushes, I can see the rapid growth of new foliage. We have certainly had plenty of rain! We have also seen at least some sunshine to aid the new growth. An important task to encourage the growth was the pruning that took place a few months ago. The removal of the dead wood will mean the very best blooms in the summer – hopefully! Although, I am no Percy Thrower or Alan Titchmarsh! At Stones, we are about to enter a time of pruning; some aspects of the building are to be removed and reshaped in order to promote new growth. The first shoots have been seen in the mission initiatives introduced over recent years and months. The capacity for further development will only be realised when the work is completed. This will provide the flexible and comfortable space to facilitate new mission activities and allow new growth on the fruiting branch that is Stones Methodist Church. We now live in the house where my grandparents lived when I was growing up, and I remember my grandma carefully planning her new rose bed. There were diagrams drawn on graph paper and the rose plants were carefully chosen for colour and fragrance. She died in 2015 but would now be approaching her 101st birthday. Although she no longer sees the roses pruned and the resulting new growth, her investment and careful planning ensure that the roses continue to flourish season after season. The incredibly hard work of the development team and the wonderful generosity of donors is now going to become a reality as the builders move in. The careful preparation will provide premises in which mission can be cultivated. Of course, we want to see some of this mission lead to spiritual and numerical growth at Stones quite quickly, but we also hope that this will continue long after we have gone. As we abide in Christ, we are part of a vine has been around for thousands of years and cared for by the most skilled of gardeners, God the Father. Even this fruiting branch at Stones has been here for many years. The work taking place here will not only prepare Stones to be a fruitful branch in the short-term but, hopefully, a place of spiritual growth in Christ for generations to come. I pray for the continuing, fruitful growth of Stones Methodist Church now and in the future. In the name of Christ, the true vine. Tom Easter 2024We had a busy Holy Week at Stones.
Palm Sunday a walk of witness to St Bartholomew's, a United service at St Paul's Methodist Church in Sowerby Bridge, a meditative service on Mark Chapter 15 on Good Friday, a Son Rise service at 6am culminating in a joyful service on Easter morning. Christmas 2023We were proud to welcome so many people to our services over the Christmas period. There was such a lovely, warm atmosphere with the children and the build up to Christmas. It was wonderful to celebrate together on Christmas Day with a cuppa and a mince pie. Along with carols there was the Glow Service, A Quiet Space for Christmas and Christmas Day.
Message from the MinisterNobody seems to like February. It is a month when the weather always seems to be damp and depressing, and it never really gets light. Christmas and New Year celebrations are over and done with, summer is both a distant memory and a faint promise, and Lent usually starts in February, so when we are feeling particularly grumpy, we cannot turn to the comfort foods that usually cheer us up. It is a month when everyone seems to suffer from the same disease. You will all be familiar with it. The symptoms are general bad temper and snappiness and a tendency to disagree with everyone and everything, and our Christian calling to love our neighbours is tested to the limit. Everyone suffers from it, except of course ourselves. It’s called February-itis. It gets blown away in the winds of March, thank goodness!
But I find that the real problem at this time of year is not the general dreariness and atmosphere of self-denial, nor the concentration on the negatives of human and Christian life such as betrayal and temptation and conflict, they simply serve to heighten our appreciation of Easter. No, the problem is that we know that it is going to end. We know that the time of self-denial will finish on Easter Sunday, that the negative will be swept away in a glorious resurrection and we will celebrate the very positive love of God. Even the Gospel writers are guilty of colouring everything with a resurrection light and interpreting Jesus’ life through his death and resurrection. It is easier to give something up, to tolerate the difficult times if we know that they will come to an end. The disciples on that first Easter had no idea how it would end. You see, they had not heard the story so many times before, they did not know the ending. I would not normally complain that the problem is too much good news, after all, that is why we are here - to tell the good news of God’s love to a world in desperate need of hearing it. But to really fully understand the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice for us, the totality of his love for us, we need to go down into the depths of that first Easter and stand where his disciples stood. You see, they had not heard the story so many times before that they could be complacent. They did not know the ending. It is too easy to go from Palm Sunday where cries of “Hosanna” ring in our ears, to Easter Day where we shout “He is risen!” without stopping and considering the events in between. We need to know about Judas’ bitterness and anguish at the betrayal, we need to stand with the crowds who shouted to Pilate and realise how often we shout “Crucify!” to fully know the love and forgiveness of God. If we walk through Lent and Holy Week in their shoes, yes we will find ourselves in difficult places, but we will also find, as they did, that God is there too. Travelling through Lent with the disciples helps us on our journey towards Good Friday. Then the Easter message will strike home with more force and our worship and wonder will be deeper. Our eyes will be opened to the fact that the resurrection still happens and still has the power to turn lives around. That is why Lent should not be dreary or depressing, because it is not about proving our holiness in denial, but about preparing for the amazing, generous grace of God that is revealed in the resurrection, and spills over into our lives everyday. Digging deep in Lent to find God in the difficult places creates a more meaningful Easter. May God be with you in this time of preparation, Kathie Heathcoat Mission and Development projects updateFUNDRAISING
The following events have raised a further £547 in December - Keep Fit £66. Sale of Honey (last 2 Jars) - £10. Saturday Coffee Morning with Santa - £128. Ripponden Christmas Fair Stall - £93. Donation of £250 from New Providence United Reformed Church in Ovenden, Halifax from their Bequest Charity Fund. Interest - £278 Total Funding Raised from All Sources - £490,721 Raise The Roof Appeal - Total Donated so far is £270 (inc Gift Aid ). Please help with this appeal - our target is £5000 by the end of March. The next fundraising event, apart from the regular weekly Keep Fit & monthly Saturday Coffee Mornings, is the Pie & Peas Criss-Cross Quiz Night on Wednesday 6th March 7.30pm at Stones. Tickets priced at £6.50. General Church FundsHALIFAX CONCERT BAND - CHRISTMAS CONCERT
A bumper audience of 84 were wonderfully entertained by the performances of the above band with Christmas themed items, Carols to singalong to, along with variety of other pieces. This event raised £528 for Church Funds. CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT EVENING SERVICE A choir of 25 and over 150 people were in attendance at the above very popular Christmas Service covering traditional carols, bible readings, poems and a variety of items by the Choir, soloists and a terrific dance performance from Eve with her mum Lauren singing. Thanks to Lauren Rosborough for conducting the choir and Graham Cockcroft as the organist, all creating a very special Christmas service experience. The collection at this service was split 50/50 between the Church and Shelter and raised £572 in total so each received £286. CHRISTMAS EVE & CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICES The benevolent collection at the Christmas Eve Communion service and 50% of the Christmas Eve Glow Service & Christmas Day Family Service collections were raising funds for All We Can Extraordinary Gifts Programme. The collections were as follows: Benevolent Collection - (100%) - £134 Glow Service (50%) - £91 Christmas Day Service - (50%) - £102 TOTAL RAISED £327 This enabled us to buy the following Extraordinary Gifts for the Methodist Relief Development : All We Can List of Projects 15 Busy Bees @£9 each to help 15 families in Malawi set up their own honey business AND 12 Super Spuds @£16 each to provide 12 families in Ethiopia with potato seeds to ensure a healthy harvest of good quality potatoes. Keep Fit Sessions |
The signing of the contract.
David Normanton Richard Storah Andrew Smith 11th April 2024. We are keeping a pictorial record of the works and will keep you updated. |
Minister:
Revd. Kathie Heathcoat I'm Kathie, I'm married to Val who is a retired Secondary Maths Teacher.
Before beginning training for the ministry in 1993, I worked as an insurance claims handler in Bristol, where I grew up. When I left college I was stationed in Driffield, East Yorkshire before moving to Hull, to Brough, East Yorkshire and then up to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. After 21 years of ministry, I decided it was time to complete the set and was delighted to be asked to come to work in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. I am passionate about equality for every member of society, and support Fair Trade wherever I can. I enjoy leading worship, particularly using images, poetry and music to bring people closer to God; going out into the community to meet people; engaging in schools work; sharing in Bible Study; and encouraging all people to explore the spiritual side of being human. I also enjoy making music; walking Pippa, my over-excitable springer spaniel; reading; writing; and photography. We have a OO gauge model railway that Val and I have built together, and we have a canoe in which we explore the rivers and lakes when on holiday. contact me on 01422 320856 or email kathie.heathcoat@ calderdalemethodistcircuit.org.uk Lay worker:
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