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The service premieres at 10-30am and will be available on demand aferwards for about a month. Other documentation will be made available here before the service commences.

If you watch via a smart TV, you may prefer to go via our YouTube channel.

For Reflection and Discussion

1. What things or people do you most identify as belonging to? Why is it important to you that you belong to them? As a Christian, what labels of belonging may be attached to you?

2. Read 1 Corinthians 3:21-23. Paul, Apollos and Peter were all exceptional Christian leaders, so what was so wrong in people identifying strongly with them? What does “everything belongs to us” suggest to us about how we should deal with Christian groups and personalities we come across?

3. Read through 1 Corinthians 12:12-26. Why is it so important to be part of a local church? How should we respond to people who have different skills and ideas to ourselves? How did the early Christians deal with it in Acts 2:42-47?

4. Can you really believe and not belong to a local church?

Have you decided which Lent Course Session you are going on this week?

The service will premiere at 10-30am this coming Sunday and will appear below.

Valentine’s videos referred to in the Service:

St Who? (2015) https://youtu.be/e5DQCWF6xo0

Cancel Valentines (2021) https://youtu.be/1A1QGrnedlQ

FOR REFLECTION & DISCUSSION

Read Acts 2:41-47

1. Why is fellowship so important in developing strong Christians and strong churches? In the past few weeks we have seen five ways in which the early church was committed. Which of these are strong in our church, and which need attention?

2. Why is love such an important ingredient in everything we say and do as a church? List the ways in which the disciples expressed their love for one another. How much do they reflect how we do things now?

3. The early disciples were given to hospitality, which as we heard in the sermon, is an important way in which human beings interact. How do you think we may use hospitality as a way of sharing Jesus with others?

4. In a world where our options could be limited for a while and where we have an ageing congregation, in what ways do you think we can make others understand that Jesus is real, our faith is life-changing in a way that they would be drawn to us like a magnet?

5. For us to personally reflect on: what is my life saying about my faith in Christ?

LENT COURSE

The Lent Course starts on next Sunday. Details you need are below. Course booklets can be ordered directly from York Courses http://www.yorkcourses.co.uk

This Sunday it’s Communion so do bring some bread and wine/juice. We shall also be looking at the subject “Committed to Serve”. The video premieres from 10-30am and is on demand afterwards.

If you would like a printed Lent Course booklet, contact Mark by MONDAY MORNING, 8th February, and he will put it on order with CTF, otherwise, you will need to order it via the York Courses website. You need to go to this link – https://www.yorkcourses.co.uk/product/caring-for-creation-course-booklet/ and select Printed Booklet under the heading Digital/non-digital.

You can order the boklet as an ebook, but unless you know what an epub or a mobi formatted e-book is, you are strongly advised to order the printed booklet. If you have already paid for and downloaded an ebook and are stuck with a useless file, please contact Mark who will be able to rescue you.

The course can be studied individually by non-Zoomers or those without internet. If you know of someone in this situation, please let Mark know as soon as possible as they will need an extra booklet with material that only comes up in the Zoom sessions.

For Reflection & Discussion

1. When Jesus died on the cross, in what respect was He serving God and what respect was He serving our needs? What can we learn from this about serving one another?

2. How did the early church serve one another in Acts 2:42-47? Do we apply how they served one another literally or are there underlying principles? What should be the purpose of our service to God and to one another?

3. The ealy church acted in a way that attracted the favour “of all the people.” Their reputation was a positive one that resulted in people coming to Christ. What is our reputation? Does it need to change? How is it going to change?

Opening Scripture: Psalm 69:1-6 & 30-36

Let’s give thanks! Items for praise including answered prayer

Prayer for our World

– give thanks for the NHS and the way in which vaccines have been so rapidly deployed.

– pray for all those who have lost loved ones due to the virus, and for all those suffering long term effects

– pray for those who are suffering financial difficulties and family pressures due to the lockdown

– pray for people in countries where health care is unaffordable for a lot of people, for countries where governments are not making the vaccine readily available, and that rich countries will share the vaccines and the finance for them.

– pray for countries where Christians are being significantly persecuted at present – Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Nigeria.

Prayer for our Town

– for continued positive links between churches through CTF. Praise God for Unity Week and pray for the Lent Course and Easter Services (online again this year)

– for Walton Parish Nursing, Hope Trust, CAP, Basic and other groups ministering to those in our town who are facing significant difficulties right now. Felixstowe has some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Suffolk and many families are being hit hard by the lockdown. Pray too for community organisations where Christians have input – Felixstowe Helping Hands, FACTS

– for our port as it undergoes pressures due to Brexit and the pandemic – for the Seafarers’ Centre, port Chaplains, particularly Fr Herbert Fadriquela, and the port-side chaplain, Stephen Yelland.

Pray for our Church

– pastoral needs of individuals in the church or people we know

– those isolated without internet and unable to get out and about

– pray for the children from C-Kers as they receive half-term packs

– pray for those in activities we have had to close, particularly community ones associated with WPN

– pray as we plan for the church post-Covid but also for what we continue to do whilst restrictions are in place.

– pray as the Leadership Team starts to consider Ministerial succession and for the Reids as they start retirement planning

– pray for the EBA Regional Team, for Beth Powney the Team Leader and Graeme Ross our own RM and for guidance as they look to replace Nick Lear.

Hi everyone – we’re back! Yes, it’s been a while since Christmas and the fab Nativity Play. You were all a bunch of heroes in that! Strangely encough, that’s the theme for the first part of 2021 in C-Kers: Bible Heroes. Our hero this month is really well known – Noah. Yes. he’s the one with the Ark and the animals that went in two by two. So let’s have a listen to his story.

Noah was saved because he trusted God and the rainbow is in the sky to show that He will never flood the world in that way again, but it’s a reminder to us that He wants us to follow Him. Most of all, He wants us to follow Jesus who died for us on the Cross.

Here’s a picture of a really good rainbow I took at Felixstowe Ferry. You can even see that it started to become a double one. Have you seen a double one before, or even a triple one? You get rainbows when it starts to rain on a sunny day and the sun shines through the droplets and white sunlight to split into its primary colours. Can you remember all the colours of the rainbow? How many can you see in the picture? Each time you see a rainbow, remember that God loves you and wants you to be His friend.

We’re all stuck in Lockdown again aren’t we? So was Noah and his family; for 40 days. I’m sure they had plenty to do with all those animals to feed and muck out! Even though we are stuck indoors too, I’m sure there are plenty of things to do – like School work!

But when you’re not doing that, why not be a bit of a hero yourself? Use the opportunity to be colourful and think on what you can do to make Lockdown a bit nicer for others. Here’s a friend of mine called Nick, who has a little furry friend called Stew who’s going to do a magic trick with a rainbow of colours. Then thinks about doing something for someone else.

So why not make something nice for someone? Here’s a Noah’s Ark you can colour in and make for someone. You’ll need to be able to print off the three files below and then follow the instructions.

Still a little bored with Lockdown? Try competing against one another in your family in this Scavenger Hunt. Download and print the sheet below and off you go.

What other things can we learn from the story of Noah? Here’s a list someone once thought of.

That’s it for this edition. See you next time, which hopefully won’t be as long as last time! We’ve had a rabbit today, so lets finish with some pandas singing about dinosaurs!

For Reflection & Discussion

Read Acts 2:42-47

1. Thinking back to your school, college or university, what most motivated you to study and learn. How may this help you learn more about Jesus mow?

2. What sorts of opportunities are there in our church to grown and learn with other sin the fellowship. What sorts of things would help you in your spiritual growth though being part of the church?

3. Read Luke 14:26-27. Should we take Jesus’ words literally? If not, what do they truly mean for us. Why do you think that Christianity is so costly?

If you want to know more about the work of BMS World Mission, CLICK HERE.

Churches Together Lent Course Information

Churches Together Felixstowe website: www.churchestogetherfelixstowe.org

The year started very promisingly for us but, as for other charities, the year didn’t go as we had hoped. Our work with debt centre clients relies on us being able to interview a client in their own home. However with Coronavirus that’s not been possible for most of the year. Rick, our debt centre manager, has been very inventive and resourceful meeting clients in public places while keeping to the Coronavirus guidelines. At the start of the year we were supporting 6 existing clients. During the year Rick met with 3 new clients and 3 clients became debt free. Unsurprisingly, due to the Coronavirus upheaval, there were fewer new clients than we had planned for. One of our clients who became debt free this year says: CAP has been invaluable to us in helping us to pay off a hefty runaway credit card debt and in learning to budget and save. Initially, we went on a local (Felixstowe) CAP Money Course to help with budgeting. The leaders were superb! They contacted CAP HQ who then helped us pay off our debt and save. It was hard not being able to spend money as freely as we had liked but after the debt was paid we felt enormous relief and a great sense of achievement! We were so pleased with ourselves! Later on, our boiler broke down and we could afford to have a new heating system installed. This would never have been possible previously without the help from CAP. All the time CAP HQ was helping us, the local CAP leaders were supporting and encouraging us. They even brought us wonderful much-appreciated Christmas hampers! We were able to hold a Money Matters drop in at the River of Life church before lockdown started. We offered a chat and free coffee/tea and cakes to try and make contact with people who might need help. Although we advertised the drop in and leafleted 1,000 homes in the area unfortunately no one came. We will continue to try different ways of connecting with people who would benefit from a money budgeting course or who are struggling with debt – please contact Steve Lineham or Rick Taylor with any thoughts or ideas on that. To raise awareness, we also ran adverts and articles in the local free magazines. In early March we ran a workshop, we had developed, aimed at helping us build meaningful relationships with the people we meet day by day. Thirty people from several different churches attended the workshop. After completing vetting and security training at Warren Hill prison we held the first session of a two session money course for life inmates coming up for release, readying them for life outside of the prison. Five inmates attended the course but unfortunately Coronavirus kicked in and we couldn’t hold the second session of the course. Hollesley Bay prison are interested in us running a money course too. We had planned to run several CAP Money Courses during the year at community venues such as the Laydens Community Café, but those plans had to be put on hold. We have been able to be present at some of the Basic pop-up shops during the year, being a listening ear and offering one to one money coaching. Not the year we had planned, but God is working and we continue to seek Him for how best we can be His touch into people’s lives and bring them closer to Him. Prayer points: • Praise God that some of the new clients are attending a church • Praise God for the current volunteers from 8 different churches • We need more volunteers to: Befriend and walk alongside clients on their journey to become debt free To co-ordinate the prayer team To act as a trustee If you would like to know more about the debt centre or volunteering with us please contact Rick Taylor email: ricktaylor@capuk.org Tel: 07983542624 or Steve Lineham email steve.lineham@btinternet.com Tel: 01394 672455 If you know someone who is anxious about debt or is struggling with debt please get them to ring 0800 328 0006

This Sunday we have Beth Powney again as our guest speaker. Premieres online at 10-30am and is on demand afterwards. Her subject is “Digging Deeper” on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

The video will premiere at 10-30am on Sunday and will be available on demand afterwards. The Weekly Sheet will appear nearer the time.

FOR YOU TO FOLLOW UP

For Reflection and Discussion

Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

1. Beth talked about the length of time restrictions have been set and the expectation that they are going to continue? How have you weathered them – with optimism, or are you flagging with having to keep on through difficult times – even in despair? How may prayer help?
2. In verse 9, the Lord answers Paul when He does not take the “thorn in the flesh” in this way “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Have you ever experienced that in Your life? How do you think oyu may pray it in the present circumstances?
3. Paul finishes the passage by saying “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (Verses 9b-10). Can you think of examples, either from the Bible, in your life or the lives of others where you have you seen this demonstrated? How is it possible to be strong, yet weak?
4. Thinking of those in persecuted countries, how they may be strong when they are weak? Take time to pray for them and also how you and those you know deal with the pressures of life.

If you would like to know more about Open Doors and the World Watch List 2021 and how you can help the please click here to go to their website.

LINKS FOR THIS EVENING’S SERVICE

Link to CTF United Service – click here

Link to gathering after the United Service: CLICK HERE If you want to get on to Zoom manually, then here are meeting details: Meeting ID: 811 8368 8020 Passcode: 363649

For those of you with Smart TVs or tablets with the YouTube App, you may want to go directly to the video which is at: https://youtu.be/XuZFMAvpLgc

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What aspect of fellowship have you missed most during the pandemic and lockdown?

2. Read Acts 2:42-47. What sorts of things did the disciples do together? How did those things build their faith? How can we apply them to our situation?

3. In what ways should we build ourselves up as a church fellowship in the post-covid world? What things should we try to concentrate on? What new things learned should we continue to do?

Because of the Covid situation, there are only three activities this year and they are detailed below. During the week, we’ll also be dispaying the daily prayer from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland on the CTF Facebook site, and we’ll also put a link to them here.

Link for daily prayer guide: click here to download printable pdf

Quick Link to CTF Community Prayers – click here to go straight there

Link to United Service – click here

Link to gathering after the United Service: CLICK HERE If you want to get on to Zoom manually, then here are meeting details: Meeting ID: 811 8368 8020 Passcode: 363649