Netherfield to have a new
church
A group of leaders from the churches in Netherfield
have been meeting regularly for some time because of concern about the
declining numbers in the churches in our town. At the present
time, it seems
unlikely that any of these churches can survive for more than a few
years.
After much prayer and deliberation, a group of people from different
denominations has started a new church which meets every Sunday evening
at 6.00 pm. The church meets in the URC church building on
Forester Street, with the
full support and permission of the United Reformed Church, and the new
church
is named after St. Francis.
Although the church of St. Francis, Netherfield
meets in the URC premises, it is for people of all denominations or
none. The new church feels that it is more important to listen to
God and to try to follow Jesus and His teachings than to keep to one
particular tradition. Those who feel they would like to be a part
of this exciting new church are invited to come along. If you
want to know more, you might like to telephone Barry Drake
on 0701 071 6008.
Why Saint Francis?
The story
of St. Francis of Assisi is a wonderful and inspiring one for any
Christian. Early on in the story, God speaks clearly to Francis
whilst he is praying in a little chapel which was in a very poor state
of repair. Francis heard God say ‘Francis, repair my
house’. Francis took this literally and put on the working
clothes that were to become a symbol of his ministry. He obtained
building materials and repaired the little chapel. It
was some time before he realised that this was only a part of the
meaning
of the command he had heard so clearly that day. The task was
given
to Francis to repair the Christian church itself and to save it from
the
decaying, corrupt and ineffective state in which it found itself.
The story is long, fascinating and exciting.
Just one episode will help to illustrate it. One day, Francis
felt moved to go to see the Pope in Rome. At that time, the Pope
was far more
powerful than the president of today’s USA. Not only did the Pope
agree
to see Francis, dressed as he always was, in the working clothes of a
poor
man, but the Pope listened and acted and as a result the church began
to
change for the better.
Francis saw clearly the need for the church to get
back to basics and to live and to teach the message that Jesus came to
give. It is a simple enough message. The church of his day
had wrapped that message up in pomp, ceremony, tradition and
wealth. The church of
our own day has clearly failed in its mission and ministry, although in
different ways, and so the name of the new church has been chosen with
the
story of St, Francis in mind.