Sunday 8th 4 pm Love & Remembrance Service an opportunity to light a candle to remember a loved one who has died

Saturday 14th 12.30 pm Fish ‘n Chips lunch followed by seasonal music/songs sung by professional singer Julie Dunn – ticket donation of £4 (contact the church

office if you would like to join us)

Sunday 15th 10.30 am Family Nativity Service

followed by Sausage and Chips lunch (contact the church office if you would like to join us for lunch)

Saturday 21st 11 am – 1 pm Carol Singing on the church steps

Sunday 22nd 5.30 pm Carols by Candlelight Service

Monday 23rd 4 pm - 5.30 pm Christmas Messy Church for families of children aged 4 – 10 to

join in with crafts, games, learn more about the Christmas story and share some food together

Tuesday 24th 11.30 pm Christmas Eve Service

Wednesday 25th 10.30 am Christmas Day Celebration let’s celebrate together

Give a little…Change a lot!

Every Christmas we support a different charity either here or abroad. This year we’re aiming to help change Christmas for 20 families in and around Yeovil who are facing some real challenges and difficulties. They are being supported by the charity Safe Families for Children and we are collecting gifts of all shapes and sizes in Christmas sacks ready to take out and deliver in the week before Christmas. If you’d like to be involved in this great work, gifts and/or money can be donated on Sunday mornings or via our Church Office during the week. If you’d like to know details of the ages of children and the parents we’ll be supporting then please do give us a ring (01935 434404) or email us on ybccoordinator@gmail.com – thank you! Christmas is full of traditions - traditionally, at our Carols by Candlelight Service (Sunday 22nd December at 5.30 pm) we take a retiring offering. This year this will go to support local ministries and initiatives working with those who are homeless. Need a place to gather?

Whether you run a group, want to hold a meeting or you’re planning a celebration of some kind, we may well have the venue and facility that’s just right for you! We have a number of different sized rooms that can cater for groups from half a dozen to 200! Our facilities are well maintained and suitably equipped, including free WiFi and are available at very competitive rates. So whether you’re looking to run a Pilates class, an art class, an English Language course, host a special birthday celebration or get married(!) it’s well worth giving us a ring, or you can email our Bookings Co-ordinator, Pam, pam.dowton@talktalk.net for more details, booking forms and prices. And just so you know, we’ve welcomed the following to YBC:

Barchester Care Group Care & Share Re-Coop Eason Funeral Directors Inca’s Calligraphy Group Shopmobility Weston College South West Youth Ministries Marie Curie Monkey Music Yeovil Town Council Rotary Club Ashfield Properties Somerset County Council

“Oh No, it’s Christmas!”

For many, Christmas is one of the worst times of the year – it’s expensive, it’s busy, it can be very difficult for all sorts of reasons and it can be extremely lonely and depressing, even when you’re in the middle of a crowd. It also goes on for sooooo….looonng!! By the time it finally arrives, there’s been Christmas stuff in shops, markets, pubs and clubs for ages and many of us are just fed up of it! Has Christmas lost its way, its meaning and its importance? It’s certainly been taken over by retailers desperate to make maximum profit and ambushed by cute and clever marketing campaigns that usually have little to do with the reason for the season. For many, Christmas is now nothing more than a time for filling up on food, enjoying (or avoiding!) family and trying you’re best to retain control of the TV remote in your house! But before we go and chuck the Babe of Christmas out with the bath water, maybe we need to rethink this whole Christmas business? This season can be an amazing time of discovery – we can discover our neighbours for a start - Those ones we’ve been meaning to pop round to see since last Christmas! We can discover a new empathy for those who don’t have as much as we do or who face monumental struggles in life. We may even discover a new talent or skill, from cooking Brussel Sprouts in a way that even the kids will eat, to a winning streak in the obligatory game of Charades! But ultimately, Christmas is a time to rediscover the fundamentals of life – to haul ourselves back to the essentials that the busyness, demands and struggles of life can all too easily rob us of. Christmas can actually help us reset our priorities - it reminds us love is better than hating people, peace is better than conflict, hope is vital and everyone is included and important. Christmas doesn’t just help us rediscover the “reason for the season” it also helps us reassess the reason for our very being! Jesus’ arrival on planet earth was a miracle, but it was a miracle for ordinary, everyday people; to help us see and understand what an extraordinary gift God has given to us and how that gift needs to be embraced, enjoyed and imitated. Jesus’s arrival sheds the greatest light on the meaning of life, the purpose and direction of life – including ours! We would love to welcome you to any of our services and events over Christmas – come and rediscover the purpose and power of Christmas with

us this year. At YBC we’re praying that God will bless your Christmas - whatever you’re up to, whoever you’ll spend it with... have a great time!

Do you love Christmas?

Do you like having fun?

Are you free on 23rd December 2019 between 4 pm and 5.30 pm?

If the answer to the above is YES then Messy Church is for you!

What is Messy Church?

This is a way for all ages, particularly suited to families, experiencing Church in a

way that is relevant to those who may not be used to a traditional Church

service.

It will have 3 elements –

1. A CREATIVE time, where we will explore the Christmas story with hands on

crafts, games and other activities. Be prepared to get messy! This is aimed

particularly at Primary school aged children, although all should find something

of interest to do.

2. A time of CELEBRATION, where there will be singing, a prayer and learning

more about the Christmas story and its relevance to today.

3. A time of HOSPITALITY, where we will sit down and share a meal together

and get to know each other more.

If you think this sounds interesting and you would like further information then

please contact the Church Office on 01935 434404 or email

ybcofficecoordinator@gmail.com

(Messy Church is part of The Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF), a Registered Charity.

brf.org.uk)

Girls’ Brigade is a fantastic Christian youth organisation for girls. We meet each week during term time and give girls an opportunity to relax with friends, learn new skills, play games, have fun, food & discussions - all in a safe, lively, supportive environment where adults are happy to listen and girls can question and learn about life, faith and themselves.

GB in Yeovil meets on a Tuesday evening at Yeovil Baptist Church and is open to girls aged 4 and upwards. Girls in school years Foundation - 3 meet from 6 pm - 7.30 pm and girls in Year 4 and upwards meet from 6.45 pm - 8.30 pm. The girls work towards badges on topics such as Our World, Friendship, Courage or Come Dine with me. Our fees are £2 a week and we have a £15 registration fee to start each year. The girls wear different colour polo-shirts and hoodies depending on their age. We also have theme nights where we might eat pancakes or light up sparklers, make Christmas craft or meet some chicks! We have trips out locally to Nine Springs or the swimming pool or we meet up with other GB groups at the beach or for activity days. We also have special church services 6 times a year which the girls are often involved in and are frequently followed by a meal or family activity. Another part of our GB life is our support of others, both locally and worldwide. We do this through carol singing, packing shoe boxes and school-in-a-bag rucksacks, making sewing kits in old glasses cases, collecting stamps and pennies and having cake sales. We hope to inspire girls to be outward looking through-out their lives. We also offer new opportunities as you get older, including sleepovers, a camp-out and an annual camp. Girls can attend Young Leader training and some years can undertake the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, both of which are excellent on your C.V. whilst giving new experiences and life skills such as First Aid and child protection knowledge. This also enables you to start helping out within our group – putting those skills into practice. GB offers lifelong friendships, is nurturing, faith building, and aims to help girls live their best lives! Come and visit – first week free – contact us on yeovil.gb@gmail.com and look on the church website for current photos: www.yeovilbaptistchurch.org.uk

Boys Brigade - Our Boys’ Brigade Company holds its meetings every Wednesday evening in term time.

6.30 pm: Anchor Section

7.00 pm: Junior Section

7.15 pm: Senior and Company Section

We are one of the biggest Christian Youth Organisations in the UK & Republic of Ireland. We are committed to seeing lives enriched by supporting children and young people to reach their full potential by providing opportunities to meet together and engage in a range of fun and developmental activities and experiences.

There’s something for every young person whether it’s camping or kayaking,

first aid or five a side. Members develop skills, build confidence, make friends,

take responsibility and are encouraged to make a real difference in their

communities – sharing the values that make us who we are.

Our Object

The Object of The Boys’ Brigade is: “The advancement of Christ’s kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness.”

Our Motto

The Boys’ Brigade Motto is: ‘Sure & Steadfast’ The motto is taken from the bible, the book of Hebrews, Chapter 6, Verse 19.

Our Patron

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Thursday Morning Prayers

On a Thursday from 10.30 am – 11 am we have our regular

Thursday morning prayer session. This is open to all to come

along and share in prayer together – silent or spoken. The

session is rounded off with a cup of tea or coffee.

We have a ‘prayer space’ available during the week day for

anyone who wishes to pop in and take time to pray or wishes to just have a

quiet place to sit.

Friday Coffee Morning

Homemade cakes and the delicious smell of coffee greet you

on a Friday morning in the Newnam Chapel Lounge from 10

am – 12 noon.

Why not pop in when you are next walking past and enjoy a time of meeting up

with old or new friends whilst enjoying a hot drink with some delicious

homemade cake.

The Newnam Chapel Lounge is on South Street opposite the Library. The green

door is always open.

Where to find us:

Yeovil Baptist Church, Petters Way, Yeovil,

Somerset BA20 1QF (opposite Yeovil Library)

Sunday Services:

10.30 am every Sunday morning with creche and Junior Church

6 pm on advertised Sunday evenings

Church Website:

Please go to our church website www.yeovilbaptistchurch.org.uk to find out more about all our church activities, room hire facilities and prices, church history and much, much more. To Get In Contact:

For further information, please contact our Church Office Co-ordinator Caroline or our minister, Dave Hibbin on 01935 434404.

For booking information, please contact our Bookings Co-ordinator,

Pam at pam.dowton@talktalk.net

The Church Office is open Monday – Friday 9 am – 4 pm