Bradford North Circuit

Could do better The two little boys next door have taken to calling us Joy and Rean, despite repeated parental correction. We hear their shrill voices calling to us over the garden wall or when we meet in the street. Though we’re not sure which of us is Joy and which is Rean, we stand not upon the order of our naming but give them our attention. Contact is made. Likewise, I don’t think it matters much if we get a bit mixed up with our name for God when we pray. Most prayers in the Bible are addressed to God, but some are to Jesus, and though few if any are directed to the Holy Spirit, he certainly wants to speak to us: teaching and guiding us about what to do and where to go, and with whom. Moreover, when we call out to God, by any of the names given to him in Scripture (and there are many, reflecting different aspects of his nature – though the NT special, always preferred by Jesus, is still ‘Father’: as in, When you pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven...), by whatever name w...

Jesus Shaped People – the Journey to Jerusalem Jesus recruits unlikely people and gives them challenging work to do. So far we have had the theme set out for us by Mervyn Flecknoe and Rev Gordon Dey. Our thinking and sharing is based on the gospel according to St Luke chapters 9 – 19. The last two weeks services have reminded us how Jesus focussed his work on the poor the marginalised and the outcast; and how Jesus uses everyday stories to make clear the message that he brings about God loving all of us and about what is important and what is not. Service sheet (pdf) Call to worship (from Psalm 25) Take me by the hand, lead me down the path of your truth. You are my saviour aren’t you? As I worship, help me to recognise the milestones of your Mercy. Song Hymn read or listen to  Jesus is the Name we honour (StF 354). A collect (Prayer)  Lord Jesus Christ, you called your disciples to follow you, and you sent them out to do your work. May all find and respond to your calling tod...

Jesus Shaped People - Week 3 Service sheet (pdf) Call to worship We’re focusing today on Luke’s account of the teaching of Jesus, so much of which comes to us in stories. The Bible is, as the old hymn says, a book full of stories.  Our call to worship, Psalm 124 , is a story in itself, and as with all good stories, it draws us in. 1-5 If GOD hadn’t been for us      —all together now, Israel, sing out!— If GOD hadn’t been for us      when everyone went against us, We would have been swallowed alive      by their violent anger, Swept away by the flood of rage,      drowned in the torrent; We would have lost our lives      in the wild, raging water. 6 Oh, blessed be GOD!      He didn’t go off and leave us. He didn’t abandon us defenceless,      helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs. 7 We’ve flown free from their fangs,      free of their traps, free as a ...

A family service led by Amanda McCarthy, Nicki Arkell, Naomi Haworth, Rachel James and their children. Marginalised People Service sheet (pdf) A call to worship led by Nicki. The Message - Matthew 11 28-29. 28 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill- fitting on you. Today we are thinking about people who feel marginalised, the struggles people face and our role as Jesus shaped people. Prayer Lord God, your love for humankind, present in the beginning of all things, extends throughout history and touches even my life.  Your love  sees failings  and forgives.  Your love feels pain  and wipes away our tears. Y our love knows grief  and comforts the sorrowful.  Your love sees  sin  and still loves the sinner. F orgive...

Hello. I’m Deacon Merry Evans. I began working in Bradford North Circuit on September 1st this year – let me introduce myself. I grew up in Ilford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. I attended Church of England and Congregational churches as I grew up but eventually found my home in Methodism when I was 17. At school I was good at science, but greatly enjoyed music and drama too. I trained as a teacher in Nottingham and while there I met and married Karen. We have three grown up sons. Since I became a Deacon we have lived and worked in Salford, Stockton-on-Tees, Wakefield, Morley, Sheffield, and Leeds. The work in each of these places has been very different. Deacons are trained and appointed to circuits to further the witness of churches in the community. We are sometimes described as ‘bringing the Church into the World, and the World into the Church’. Much of our focus is on engaging with people ‘on the edge of society’ so sometimes my ministry has been outside of church settings ...

Jesus-Shaped-People (JSP): The Journey to Jerusalem Thank you for joining us. For the next seven weeks we will be revisiting a journey which we began in 2014. It is a journey, devised by Rev Canon Gordon Dey, from whom you will be hearing later in this streamed service. Over the last six years here “JSP” has succeeded in bringing us back to the basic task of Christianity, living Jesus-Shaped lives; depending less on church tradition and more on the life and teaching of Jesus. Our aim is not to earn favour with God, but to respond to the love of God with love.  All you need to be a Christian and nothing you don’t.  Service sheet (pdf) Collect for the day: Great God of Love, help us respond to the gift of grace which we received at your hand, by studying the life, teaching, and example of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and applying the principles that we find there to our lives in the 21st Century. Amen . The JSP Adventure We entered this JSP journey as our building program at Baild...