Rivertown United Reformed Church

28th August

At a recent project meeting we decided to continue planning and investigating our next steps along the following lines:

• contact a reference church in Vicars Cross to look at their heating - similar to a heating system recommended for our worship area;

• draw up outline drawings and plans of how we imagine the changes may look and then engage with archiotect to agree and formalise our plans and move to busget estimates for the work;

• make contact with Welsh Assembly Government representative to follow up posibility of getting a grant for this phase of work, based on the extended community facilities

As regards the ongoing issue we have with the upstairs heating - we have now arranged a site meeting with all parties represented. At this meeting we will confirm the issues and identify the solution. The intent is to get the problem sorted out before colder months arrive.

Over the past few months we have focused on the 1st element of the Vision 4 Life process - the Bible - and held a number of 'conversations', following the material provided. In all over 30 of members and friends took part and some common themes surfaced - most notably 'I do not know the Bible enough'. Two special services were held - one to share the feedback and reinforce the Bible's place in our faith; the second to offer our commitment to the the 1st stage of the process which will start in Advent 2008. Rivertown has committed to Vision 4 Life and are looking forward to the times of exploration which lies ahead.

Reverend Colin Foreman has accepted the call to ministry in the Deeside group of which Rivertown is part with Garden City and Northop Hall PCW. Colin and his family will be moving into the Manse in mid-September and his induction will be Saturday 4th October.

We rejoice and are delighted to know that God has included a minister in our plans. We look forward to growing together.

Rivertown has created a small working group to consider how we can best approach the URC Vision4Life programme (vision4life.terapad.com). We met for the 1st time this week and our aim is to explore and respond to the opportunities presented in the Vision4Life initiatives ‘transformed by The Bible’ – ‘transformed through prayer’ – ‘transformed for evangelism’, engaging as widely as possible within all three churches in the pastorate.

We agreed to promote the Vision4Life programme as a whole, and focus initially on ‘transformed by The Bible’; engage with people in worship, through established fellowship and study groups, in open-invitation talks, and, if needed, through at-home conversations.

The three churches in our pastorate - Rivertown URC; Garden City URC and Northop Hall PCW - have recently decided to give ourselves a name and an identity - it was agreed at a joint Elders meeting to call ourselves the Deeside Pastorate.

We celebrated Easter in our two services on Sunday. In the morning we included a drama and the young people decorated the cross with flowers and young chickens! This was to illustrate the change from the darkness and despair on Good Friday to the new life and light of the resurrection.

A small number of people gathered under the large tree in Wepre Park to witness the sunrise on Easter Morning. Unfortunately we were up early enough - about 5.45 - but the Sun did not appear from behind rather large black clouds.

We currently do not have a Minister. Guest letters may appear sometime, otherwise this section of our web site will remain unused.

Did you see the lights on at Rivertown at 3am in the morning?

On Friday 16th November at 7pm Rivertown started their 24 hour prayer vigil. Throughout the whole time a number of members and friends shared time together in prayer. There where a number of prayer points to help and encourage us -

• prayer books and bibles; worship items like crosses and candles for quiet reflection
• a globe and signs identifying areas needing prayer
• mellow music and hymns
• a shredder - writing down anything we want to leave with God and shred them
• note paper; cut out crosses and pens/pencils/colours - to write prayers; poems; refelctions

This is the 1st time we have undertaken something like this and we are so encouraged we plan to consider other simila events in the future.

On Sunday 16th December the Singing Group and the young people will be presenting Away in a Manger by Roger Jones. The service will start at 11.00am - please join us and prepare yourselves for Christmas.