13

August 21st was a double celebration at

Westgate. Trevor and June, who had celebrated

their Golden Wedding with their family the

previous weekend were presented with flowers

by Pastoral Convener Jane and then kindly shared a cake with us all at the end of the

service. Many congratulations to you both!

During the service Charlie was received into our Church family by baptism. (Note that

he already has the trick of sheltering behind the Cross!) The last picture shows him with

his proud parents and big sister. We pray for Charlie and his family as he and his sister

grow up.

“In baptism, new Christians become part of a body of fellow believers who are called

to spiritually encourage one another and hold one another responsible for consistent

Christian living.” Tony Campolo

Family CelebrationsFamily Celebrations

14

Christian Aid LunchChristian Aid Lunch

Friday 2nd September was one of

Westgate’s turns to host the

Christian Aid lunches in our hall

and Trevor has sent us these

photos.

The lunches for the 2016

season will finish at the end of

September, so there remain a few

weeks for you to discover the

lovely lunches.

We are aiming to reach £5,000

this year for girls and women in

Ethiopia, which the EU will make

up to £30, 000.

Deacon John a Local PreacherDeacon John a Local Preacher

After many years of study and practice,

Deacon John Brobbey was recognised as a

fully qualified Methodist local preacher at

a special service on September 4th at

Dogsthorpe Church. The service was led by

the Circuit Superintendant and Staff and

Susan Halford, as Secretary of the Local

Preachers’ and Worship Leaders’ Meeting,

read the letter of welcome from the President

of Conference and presented John with his

own copy.

15

Revealing Jesus

Volunteers Required Could You offer a few hours every fortnight?

to enable the provision of

Peterborough Winter Night Shelter 2016 Operating between

12th December and 12th March

The venue for the night shelter will rotate

between seven different churches in

Peterborough, each offering accommodation for

one night per week to those who are street

homeless. Evening shift: 6.00 to 10.00pm

Overnight: 9.45pm to 7am

Morning shift: 6.30 to 8.45am

Training given on a choice of dates

Together, we really can make a difference. . .

To find our more about this exciting opportunity, please email

volunteer@lightprojectp.org.uketerborough

Alternatively, your editor and website editor have more details.

October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider

horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant

hills once more in sight, and the enduring

constellations above them once again.

Hal Borland

16

Inspirational Colouring

Have you been interacting with

the drawings l have created and

the verses I have chosen these past

few months? If so you may well

have noticed that my thoughts

have been on our situation and

the opportunity it presents to us

as we travel as a church to our

new worship space.

l invite you to meditate on

what you see when you look at

the drawing that l have created

this month. l hope you will colour

it too.

17

This year the Methodist’s Circuit’s mission effort is in

Aid of the Karibuni Trust, to help children from the

streets and slums in Kenya, as explained in detail in our

March edition.

As we are very busy this year with our move, it

was thought impracticable to put on a special event

to raise money. Instead it was decided to donate the

money raised by our Saturday Coffee mornings in July to

this effort.

Our accountant is pleased to report that £89.62 was

raised and this will be passed on to the circuit.

Circuit Missions Effort

We are a people on the move.

We are stepping forward in

prayer, faith and courage with

God at our side. We continue to

reach out to others inviting them

to share the banquet of God’s

Good News, in all the ways Jesus

taught us. l urge you to set aside

some time to pray as we glance

at the past and then journey

forward.

First let us give joyful thanks

for our generous God. Let us

give thanks for our worship,

through the Word, the Book,

prayer, hymn, flower, music and

the fellowship we have shared in

past years at Westgate. As we

pray, let us spend some time

remembering cherished faces and

memorable events which took

place in this consecrated space.

Take some time to thank God

for his blessings and prayers

answered. Let us thank the Holy

Spirit for walking alongside us

always with gifts of strength,

courage and discernment.

Let us give God the glory for

all he has done in our lives. As we

continue to pray, ask God that we

build on these gifts as we walk

forward in faith.

We now set our sights on

the exciting challenge of creating

and encouraging our new

worship community and sacred

space, with firm foundations and

strong in the knowledge God’s

House is built on prayer.

Megan

18

Three vampires are sitting on a graveyard

wall. The first one says he is really hungry

and flies into the night. After half an hour

he returns with a mouth full of blood.

The other two ask him “Where did you get

that!?” He answers, ”Do you see that light

across the hill? It was a little family on a

camping trip. Delicious!”

The second vampire

starts in the air and returns

fifteen minutes later with his

whole face covered in blood.

The other two ask jealously

“Where have you been?”

Smiling he answers, “You

see that group of lights

down there? That was a

wedding with over twenty

guests. I don’t have to eat

for a week!”

Finally the third vampire

starts into the dark sky and

returns about five minutes later. His whole

body from top to bottom is covered in

blood. Excited, the other two ask, “Man,

where did you go!!??”

He answers, “Do you see that tree

right there?”

“Yes”

“Well, I didn’t!”

Three Vampires

Who Are You?

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and

pains. . .

If you can resist complaining, or boring people with

your troubles. . .

If you can eat the same food every day and be

grateful for it. . .

If you can understand when your loved ones are too

busy to give you any time. . .

If you can take criticism and blame without

resentment. . .

If you can conquer tension without medication. . .

If you can relax without alcohol. . .

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs

Then you are probably the family dog!

Two items from the Tarset News, Tarset and Geystead Parish, Northumberland

with permission.

Found by Phil

19

What musical instrument could be used

for fishing? A cast-a-net.

What is the difference between a fish and

a piano? You can’t tuna fish.

What happened to that waterproof,

shockproof, anti-magnetic, unbreakable

watch that I bought you last Christmas?

It caught fire.

Did you hear about the little boy who was

christened Glug-Glug? The vicar dropped

him in the font.

Why are monsters forgetful? Because

everything you tell them goes in one ear

and out of the others.

What’s French for ‘I am an Australian?’

Moi Aussi.

Have you put any fresh water in the fish

bowl? No the fish haven’t drunk the last

lot I gave them.

What is 100m tall and goes eef, if of,

muf? A backward giant.

Did you go to Portugal for your holiday?

I don’t know, my parents bought the

tickets.

The weather was so bad on our holiday

last year that when we went to the zoo

the keeper was building an ark.

The house we stayed in on holiday last

year was only a stone’s throw

from the beach and easy to

find – all the windows were

broken.

Just for Fun

An engineer dies and goes to hell. He's

hot and miserable, so he decides to take

action. The A/C has been busted for a

long time, so he fixes it. Things cool down

quickly. The moving walkway motor is

jammed, so he unjams it. People can get

from place to place more easily. The TV

was grainy and unclear, so he fixes the

connection to the Satellite dish and now

they get hundreds of high def channels,

although they still cannot watch Poldark

on the BBC.

One day, God decides to look down on

Hell to see how his grand design is

working out and notices that everyone is

happy and enjoying umbrella drinks. He

asks the Devil, “What's up?”

The Devil says, "Things are great

down here since you sent us that

engineer."

"What?" says God. "An engineer? I

didn't send you one of those. That must

have been a mistake. Send him upstairs

immediately."

The Devil responds, "No way. We want

to keep our engineer. We like him."

God demands, "If you don't send him

to me immediately, I'll sue!"

The Devil laughs. "Where are You

going to get a lawyer?"

Found by Ewan

It’s Cooler Down Here!

Found by Sue

20

The gospel readings this month continue to come from the gospel of St Luke. In the first

week faith is compared with the size of a mustard seed so that we can see God do great

things. We are reminded to say thank you with the story of the Ten Lepers and then

encouraged to remember to keep praying. October finishes with the parable of the

Pharisee and the Tax Collector and the story of Zacchaeus.

Puzzle 1: Luke 18 v 1-8 – Persistence in Prayer: Jesus told this parable to show his

disciples (and us) that they should always pray and never give up. Each line of the puzzle

has one word hidden in a list of random letters. The blank space is a missing letter that

belongs to that word. Fill in the missing letter.

Westgate Puzzle Pages

The only difference between a rut and a

grave is the depth.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid

someday, lying in hospitals dying of

nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a

camcorder these days no one talks about

seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I simply start

breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the

weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60s, people took acid to make

the world weird. Now the world is weird

and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start

a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to

start a campfire?

Found by Ewan

Ponderisms

21

Puzzle 2: Luke 18 v 9-14 – The Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Jesus told this parable

because when we are tempted to brag about ourselves, we need to remember that other

people are not impressed – and neither is God!

Good Morning!

Life is just like making tea.

Boil your ego, evaporate

your worries, dilute your

sorrow, filter your mistakes

and get a taste of happiness. Found by Ewan

adulterous fast humanity justified Pharisee sinner

collector greedy humbled merciful prayer temple

dishonest heaven income parable righteousness tithes

22

Navratri, also known as

Durga Lakshmi, is one of

the most important Hindu

festivals, symbolising good

over evil and celebrated

over nine nights.

During the nine nights

Goddess Durga, mother of

the universe, believed to

be the power behind the work of creation,

preservation, and destruction of the

world, Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth,

fortune and prosperity (both material

and spiritual) and Saraswati, Goddess

of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom

and learning are worshipped as three

different manifestations of Shakti.

The festival is dedicated to Durga

who, after a battle of nine days and

nights, destroyed the demon Mahisharua.

Navratri is a festival in which God is

adored as a Mother and is a time of family

celebrations. Families and communities

meet for nightly dances and feasts. During

the day visitors to family homes are

offered special treats. However, some

devotees of Durga observe a fast during

this period and offer prayers for

protection of health and

property. Navratri is a time

for shopping for new

clothes and pots and it is

an auspicious time to buy

gold or jewellery. It is also

believed to be a good time

for starting new ventures.

To celebrate a good

harvest and to gain favour with the nine

planets, women plant nine different grains

in pots and then offer the young saplings

to the Goddess. In some area painted

pots are filled with either water or

candles, the water symbolises transitory,

the flame everlasting divine power.

The tenth day is a festival called

Dasera, which celebrates good over evil

and the motherhood of God. To mark

Durga leaving her mother after the nine

days her image is cast into the water. In

Northern India, Hindus also celebrate a

victory over Ravana, called Dussera. The

ten days represent the ten heads of

Ravana and each day is used to get rid

of bad characteristics such as greed.

The tenth day is a celebrated as the Day

of Victory.

Navratri: October 1st – 10th

Although they are mainly celebrated in the

USA there is no reason we can’t celebrate

the following days:-

World Day of Bullying Prevention –

2nd October: a day to try to stop

bullying whether it is in the playground,

home or workplace. If it is happening to

you or you notice anyone being bullied,

report it to someone you can trust.

Clergy Appreciation Day – 9th

October: A day to thank any member of

the clergy you know for all the work they

do. If you don’t see them then thank

them in a prayer.

Mother-in-law appreciation day –

23rd October: A day to tell them you

love them and to say thank you for being

an important part of your life. Mine is the

best – technically no longer my Mother-in-

law, but always will be in my heart and

she knows it. So if you are lucky enough

to have one, give her a call or even better

a hug.

Other Special Days in October

23

1st–8th October

Churches: Peterborough Quakers,

Crowland (Methodist)

Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan,

Georgia

Events: CTiCP Prayer Breakfast at

Westgate (1st)*, World Church

Weekend (8th and 9th)*

People: Peterborough Hindus

celebrating Navratri (1st – 10th)*

Organisations: Churches Together in

Central Peterborough (CTiCP)*

9th–15th October

Churches: Castle Square Wisbech

(URC), Elton (Methodiist)

Countries: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Events: Lamentation and Hope service

at Park Road**,

People: Clergy of all denominations in

Peterborough (9th)*

Organisations: Our Local Hospitals and

all staff*

16th–22nd October

Churches: St. Andrew’s (URC), Orton

Waterville (Methodist)

Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal

People: all people who live or work

close to Westgate Church

Organisations: all organisations who

use our premises (including Bookshop,

Peterborough Association for the Blind

and CROPS), Peterborough Winter

Night Shelter*

23rd–31st October

Churches: All Saints (CofE), Oundle

(Methodist)

Countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Events: Chair of Methodist District’s

visit to Peterborough Circuit (30th)**

People: The Westgate Family, past

present and future, as we prepare to

move to our new home* and the

people of Peterborough we wish to

serve

October

Prayer Prompts

The Churches mentioned are taken from the Methodist Circuit and from a list of Churches in CTiCP and other churches with whom we have a close association. The countries are from the Ecumenical Prayer Calendar. * Further information elsewhere in the magazine ** See Diary on next page

24

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November

Tuesdays, 10.30 in the Prayer Place in Church: Pause for Prayer Tuesdays, 2.30 at Park Road Baptist Church: Women’s Fellowship Wednesdays, 10.30 in the Church Vestibule: Circuit Intercessions Service Wednesdays 1.00 pm at the Cathedral: Wednesday at One (W@1) Saturdays, 10.00-12.00 in the Church Vestibule: Morning coffee Saturdays, 12.30-2.30 in the Church Vestibule: Foodbank open

* * *

Sat 1 8:00am CTiCP Prayer Breakfast at Westgate Sun. 2 10:30 Morning worship, led by Revd. Graham Tooth

6:30 In the Church Vestibule: Service of Holy Communion, led by Revd. Lesley Moseley

Wed. 5 1:00 W@1: Learning from Benedict; Revd. Canon Jonathan Baker, Acting Dean, Peterborough Cathedral

Sat. 8 10:30 At Oundle: Coffee and cakes

8-9 World Church Weekend at St Ives Methodist Church, details on p12

Sun. 9 10:30 Morning worship, led by Revd. Lesley Moseley

6.30 Lamentation and Hope, Park Road Baptist. Preacher, Amy Ross of A Rocha

Wed. 12 1:00 W@1: Prisons Week Exhibition (Healing Service); Revd. Jackie Wiegman, Prison Chaplain, HMP Peterborough

Sun. 16 10:30 Morning worship and service of Holy Communion, led by Revd. Doug Stevens

6:30 At Southside: Healing Service led by Local Preacher Team

Wed. 19 1:00 W@1: ‘Revelation’ – Introduction to Exhibition in the New Building depicting the seven letters to the Churches of Asia Minor, Annelies Clarke - Artist

Sun. 23 10:30 All Age Morning worship, led by Mrs. Susan Halford

Wed. 26 1:00 W@1: ‘Revelation’ Exhibition: Ephesus; Revelation 2:1-7; Speaker to be advised

7:30 At the Friends Meeting House; Peterborough Theological Society: Starting with the Spirit: an Approach to Trinitarian Theology: speaker Rev’d Dr. Robert MacDonald, Tutor in Christian Doctrine, Ridley Hall, Cambridge

Sun. 30 10:30 Morning worship, led by Mr. Des Kellard* 6.30 Methodist Circuit Service, Brookside. Preacher, Revd

Peter Hancock, Chair of District Wed. 2 1:00 W@1 ‘Revelatio’ Exhibition: Smyrna; Revelation 2:

8-11; Revd. Dr. Bill Goodman, Continuing Ministerial Development Officer, Diocese of Lincoln

Sat. 5 8.00am CtiCP Prayer Breakfast at St. Mary’s

Sun. 6 10:30 Morning worship, led by Mr. Ian Cornall*

No Evening Service

*subject to change depending on the date of our move to our new home