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October News

Exhibition marks 175 years of Wokingham Station
   Tuesday - Friday, 9.30am-1pm, from 16 October  Details here.

September News

Café Mosaic - new opening hours
   Tuesday - Friday, 9.30am-1pm, from 1 October

Monday Evening House Group restarts 7 October
   1st Monday each month, 7.30pm at a member's home

June News

Wednesday Worship, 2.30pm monthly, starts 26 June

Sunday Worship

Remembrance Sunday 10 November

10.30am Morning Worship - Mr Mike Bowstead

 6.00pm Remembering Service - Revd Catherine Bowstead

Future worship and recorded services are on this page.

Casting the Net

Wokingham Methodist Church Community News.

Autumn 2024    1,176Kb .pdf file

Weekly Pastoral Letter - 8 November 2024

from Chris Rooke-Matthews

I sometimes worry about remembering things.  Little things, such as ‘where did I put my shopping list?’, or ‘what did I come upstairs for?’  However, I’m also really good at forgetting names, even when I recognise the person I’m talking to, and know all kinds of other details about them.

Ever since our children were young, I’ve had a saying ‘if it’s not on the calendar it’s not happening’.  They quickly learnt the truth of this, especially when it involved birthday party invitations, or other occasions when they would need transport to visit a friend.  However, now it’s equally true for me - any dates I need to remember are added to the calendar.  Hopefully I then remember where I’m going, or who will be visiting us, and nothing gets missed.

But there’s another kind of remembering, which I have come to appreciate more and more.  This is precious memories of people, places and experiences.  It may be hearing a piece of music, or looking at old photos.  It could be handling treasured objects, that remind me of family members, and the part they played in my life.  It can be something ordinary that I use every day, or an item put away safely and uncovered by accident which surprises me, and makes me smile.

I’m looking forward to attending the remembering service this Sunday evening.  It will be an opportunity to revisit memories, and give thanks for family and friends who are no longer here.

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits -
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

from Psalm 103

Chris Rooke-Matthews

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Weekly Pastoral Letter - 1 November 2024

from Revd Catherine Bowstead

Dear Friends,

I wonder if you are interested in family history.  It’s a fascinating subject, I’m always interested in other people’s stories and so I admit that I enjoy watching television programmes such as “Who do you think you are”, “DNA family secrets” and “Long Lost Family”.  I find it engaging as the family history is explored and with professional researchers to help, all sort of intriguing information is discovered.  It is particularly interesting that people can be moved by stories of people that they have never met but feel a connection through their shared family history.

This weekend sees All Saints Day on 1st November and All Souls Day on 2nd.  These are opportunities for us to remember all those who have gone before especially those we have loved who have died.  We can look back with gratitude for all that we’ve benefitted from them and take time too to acknowledge our sadness and sense of loss.

A safe place to do this is our Remembering Service on 10th November when we can remember our loved ones and light a candle in their memory in an atmosphere of prayer and quiet reflection.

We’ll be taking an “All Saints” theme in our worship this Sunday morning. In exploring the story of Ruth we’ll think about how we can be inspired by her courage and example.  Ruth has an interesting family history and is a very significant person in the Biblical story for she was an ancestor of King David and Jesus.

As we mark All Saints and All Souls, let’s give thanks for all those who have shown God’s love to us and look out for opportunities to share God’s love with others.

I hope that you have a good week,

With every blessing

Catherine

Some previous Pastoral Letters are available here.