Fun day in August

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East Africa appeal

At our church members meeting last night we decided that we wanted to respond to the famine that has now been declared in East Africa.

 

We would like to invite everyone to prayerfully consider what you can do to respond to the situation as well. At church over the next few weeks there will be envelopes inviting each person young and old to consider ‘giving what you can’ to help. The youngest doughnuts group, which Rosemary leads, is already starting to collect coins – so if you have any spare change they will gratefully receive it!

 

We are immediately sending a donation from church funds to the Disaster Emergency Appeal through Christian Aid. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/east-africa-food-crisis-appeal/index.aspx   If you would like to give directly by all means do – otherwise please use the envelopes at church to make your donation and we will forward it to Christian Aid as soon as we receive it. Do remember if you don’t already ‘gift aid’ to the church then you can increase the value of your gift by doing so now. Please e-mail Penny for a form.

Arthur Richardson in the Baptist Times

Wartime decision stands test of time

THE Second World War may have delayed Arthur Richardson's baptism by almost a year, but the wait did not diminish his decision to follow Jesus for the rest of his life. Arthur, 84, was speaking during a recent morning service as he marked 70 years as a member of what is now known as Marshalswick Baptist Free Church
(MBFC), in St Albans.
He recalled how he chose to follow Jesus in October 1940. 'For a month or so I didn't tell anyone. Then I asked our minister, the Revd C E Duffy*, if I could be baptised and join the church.
'In those days there was no television, so everyone used to come to church n the evenings. But, because of the war, all lights had to be blacked out at night, so it wasn't until the summer that the baptism was arranged, for
June 22, 1941.
'Most Sunday evenings the church would be full - and it certainly was that night,' he said.
Arthur served as church secretary for many years, and was in that role in 1968 when MBFC was opened - on the Marshalswick estate - following the church's move from Tabernacle Baptist Church, in Victoria Street, St Albans. He also spent many years serving in various capacities within the Hertfordshire Baptist Association, now part of the Central Baptist Association.
At the recent service he was presented with a framed, inscribed copy of a painting, made by one of the church's previous ministers, the Revd Robin Davies.
'If you are seriously thinking about baptism and church membership, speak to the minister or one of the deacons,' he said. 'You can't decide for Christ too soon.'

*nb Revd C E Duffy was at one time the minister of Houghton Regis Bapist Church.

John Archer

John Archer was an absolute scream on Friday evening - if you missed it you missed some great fun.  Plus some advice on what to do with left over balloons..............
Matthew and Penny provided some additional amusement for the sadists amongst us. But Matthew says - 'at least my name isn't Josh!'

Penny swearing in the new president of the Sartorial Elegance League

If you want an essence of what went on follow this link - it's from Icelandic television but apart from the first few sentences it's all in English.:   John Archer on Icelandic TV

Susan Lodge - Link missionary

The latest newsletter from Susan Lodge in Albania is now pinned up at the back of the church - this is page 1 - we do not have the facility to show the remaining pages on the blog.