Abbotsham Baptist Sunday Newsletter – 15.12.24
“Blessed be the Lord – for he has visited and redeemed his people.” Luke 1.68
Sunday Service with communion – 10.30 am
Title – Zechariah’s Song
Bible reading – Luke 1: 67-80
Christmas Carol Service – Sunday 22nd December at 6.00 pm
Please use this service as an opportunity to invite people to church.
Prayer Meeting Questionnaire
If you have not been able to hand in your questionnaire yet, please can you put it in the collection box by 15th December.
Home Group – Tuesday 17th December 11.00 am Naishcombe
We will have an informal meeting with a video, prayer time, chat and a Christmas buffet lunch. We should finish by 1.30pm. Everyone is welcome – if you have never been before why not try us out?
Christmas Hope
Our reading this Sunday describes the salvation Jesus brings as – “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79) BMS, this week, sent an email describing the hope found this Christmas in a newly formed church in Kyiv (Kiev) which they describe as, “bringing light where there is darkness.”
“Air raid sirens go off so frequently in Kyiv that most people ignore them now. While so many still feel the traumatic effects of those first few hectic months of war in Ukraine, a sense of uneasy normalcy has settled over the nation. Piles of rubble and the threat of strikes are constant reminders of the conflict, yet life still goes on between the bullet-damaged buildings and burnt-out cars. It’s in these spaces where Ukrainian Christians are at work – determined to bring light where there is darkness.
When war first broke out, the Ukrainian Baptist Union (UBU) and the European Baptist Federation, both longstanding BMS World Mission partners, swiftly began their response. As refugees fled from the east of the country, many went on to other countries in Europe to find safety. But almost three years on, the UBU response is focusing more on those remaining in their communities and internally displaced people. People like Alona and Oleg.
Alona and Oleg are from Luhansk, a region that is currently occupied by Russia. Alona is a teacher and Oleg is a pastor and church planter. When the invasion first began, they fled with just a grab bag, leaving their home and everything else behind. Over 500 miles later, they arrived in Kyiv. With nowhere to go and no family with them, they didn’t know where to turn – until they found a local Baptist church that was offering support to displaced people.
At the peak of the war, churches in Kyiv were welcoming over 1,000 people a day seeking refuge. Not only did Alona and Oleg receive hot food and vital medicine – they found a community who could support them when they needed it most. And Oleg could see that people also needed a sign of hope during the horrors they were facing, so as soon as he could he began preaching and serving refugees in need, showing them that they had a God of peace and justice they could believe in.
But it would be two more years before they would see this small ministry come into fullness. In 2022, the owners of a casino nearby left the country – leaving an ideal space for Alona and Oleg to fully plant a new church. The bar has been repurposed into a kitchen, and there’s plenty of space for the congregation and children’s groups to share fellowship together. And their conviction of God’s plans and faithfulness for their community led to the ideal name: God’s Design Church
The heart behind the church is to emulate the support Alona and Oleg received when they first arrived in Kyiv: “those who come to church come first because of humanitarian assistance,” says Oleg. Since the church’s official founding two years ago, 36 people have been baptised and they have 90 regular attendees on a Sunday. It’s a beautiful thing to behold, seeing how the Lord is at work and transforming lives in the mess of war – and, thanks to your support, it’s something we’re seeing across the whole of Ukraine.”
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Prayer diary – Week beginning – 15.12.2024 “You will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.” Luke 1:76-77 |
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Day |
BMS Ukraine: The country is now facing both the devastation of war and the bitterly cold winter months. BMS World Mission is supporting churches across the country, who are providing life-saving aid and shelter to people in need. This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, lets pray for the people of Ukraine. | Household of the day |
| Sunday | BMS: Ukraine – Pray for the end to the war in Ukraine. Pray for violence to cease and for a just and endurable peace. Abbotsham Baptist: Pray that local people will turn their minds to finding out more about Jesus. | Fay |
| Monday |
BMS: Ukraine – Many people in Ukraine are without power due to destroyed critical infrastructure. Ask God to protect people over the cold winter months, and for heating, water and electricity supplies to be restored. Abbotsham Baptist – Pray for the village carol service to be a time that glorifies God. |
Clare |
| Tuesday |
Abbotsham Baptist: Please pray for those in the fellowship who are suffering from long term illness, who are regularly in pain and experiencing worry or grieving. BMS: Ukraine – Pray for the children of Ukraine and for them to continue in education. Give thanks for churches providing after-school care. |
Pat & Larry |
| Wednesday |
BMS: Ukraine – Pray for teachers and pastors. Ask God to give them resilience and the hope to endure in the face of suffering. Abbotsham Baptist – Pray for the residents who are moving into housing in Abbotsham. |
June |
| Thursday |
BMS: Ukraine – BMS is helping to fund winter heating support for over 450 churches. Pray that the churches can remain open and be a light within their communities. Abbotsham Baptist – Pray for the Christmas day service, that it will be a meaningful and joyful time of worship. |
Linda H |
| Friday |
BMS: Ukraine – Pray that the light of Christ will remain burning across Ukraine through his Church, as people gather this Christmas to worship Jesus Christ, our God with us. Abbotsham Baptist – Give thanks for everybody in our fellowship who invests their time and money to enable the church to be built up in faith. |
Ann |
| Saturday | Abbotsham Baptist – Pray for the families of members of our fellowship over the Christmas period. |
David |