20 June 2021
Following the funeral of David Hibbert, the eulogy given by Barry Dobell can be read here.
9 May 2021 *Updated*
The latest FBC Church magazine "The Messenger" (May-July 2021) can be downloaded here.
The previous FBC Church magazine "The Messenger" (Feb-April 2021) can be downloaded here.
The previous FBC Church magazine "The Messenger" (Nov 2020-Jan 2021) can be downloaded here.
9 May 2021
A request update from Medway foodbank - click here. For their latest e-mail news update click here.
28 March 2021
28 March 2021
Happy birthday to Kevin....
30 January
Liz is expecting to drop the latest edition of "The Messenger" - the Church magazine into households on Monday (1st Feb).
We are hoping to be able to place an electronic version of it on the website shortly.
16 January
Please the following Church meeting dates (to be held by zoom at the end of the Church service):
- Sunday 24 January - Church members meeting (open to all)
- Sunday 14 March - Annual General Meeting (open to all)
30 December
Another ramble from the land of lockdown - it's a bit like Santa's Grotto but without the presence [Geddit?]
Anyway, I was laying awake the other night and started wondering about bells, may have had something to do with the tinnitus.
Where we live now there is an element of our Council Tax that goes towards maintaining the bells at the local parish church. This may be a historic levy because all the land around here was part of the estate of the Earl De La Warr until quite recently.
Either way we are accustomed to hearing the bells peal out at various times and always on Sunday afternoon until, that is, we went into lockdown. We haven't heard the bells now for some months.
Christmas time, or Yuletide to include the New Year, is a time when bells would often be tolled, either in serried peals from church towers or random clanging's from inebriated individuals. The purpose of the bells was to welcome the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ as the infant born of the virgin as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah.
However, shouldn't we also be ringing our bells to acknowledge and welcome the second coming of Jesus?
The time when He returns in power and in glory is drawing nearer day by day and as believers is this not what we seek with full hearts, despite not knowing the hour or the day?
So be of cheer. Be full of joy. Be in anticipation and be blessed. But most of all make sure you chime with Christ.
Barry
26 December
Liz M has kindly transcribed the main elements of our two Christmas zoom services.
For the carol service please click here.
For Christmas Day morning please click here.
29 November
We have been sent the following update from Medway Maritime Hospital via Andy Blake. It does not make good reading.
Hi Guys,
I think it might be good for you to read this and share with the fellowship.
Things are dire in Medway and we need to get this out for people to pray.
Please share with others and even other fellowships.
All gloved hands to the pumps!
God bless,
Andy
Please click here.
Please also remember Mark Faulkner in prayer who has caught Covid-19 and is battling a cough. Mark would appreciate phone calls as he cannot receive visitors. The number is 01634 719942.
25 November
Ramblings from the Rector in Retirement.
Not completely sure I count as a Rector, retired or otherwise, but then with what I take daily for pain relief I’m not completely sure of anything anymore.
I thought to send you a few words of encouragement during this second enforced isolation, or bubble blowing season and I hope that they do encourage you.
By the way, you should try spending a few minutes blowing some bubbles because it is relaxing, it stimulates the mind, it’s good lung exercise and the bubbles are pretty. If you have a dog or a cat they can get very excited as do young children.
Many of us will have experienced the situation ofr having to send off a card or a gift in haste because we have forgotten somebody’s birthday. Some of us have been ojn the other end of that and had a card delivered a week or more after the event – although that may just be the Post Office.
Postal workers get an awful lot of flack over late or damaged deliveries and, in all honesty, it isn’t always their fault, maybe only ninety eight percent of the time.
Christmas time has been and gone by now.
No, really it has. Christmas means the Mass held to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and, as anyone who has looked into the history of event will tell you, it wasn’t on December 25th.
For a start December hadn’t been invented. It depended on what school of thou8ght one followed, Roman, Greek, Celtic [not Rangers Jack], Hebrew, Egyptian or any other variety as to what the end of the year was called.
Anyway, Jesus wasn’t born in December – or whatever else you want to call it – He was born round about the time of the Feast of the Tabernacles, so probably around the end of September or October – if those months had existed.
So, like I said, you’ve all missed Christmas, unless you are planning a realy late one for this year or an especially early one for next year.
If you think about it it makes perfect sense. Caesar Augustus, or Gaius Octavian to use his proper name rather than his title, was born on 23rd September [if that – we’ve covered that bit already] 63BC [or there abouts].
Do you really want me to go through all the history?
No, didn’t think so.
Anyway, one day when he was bored watching slaves peeling his grapes, or whatever rulers of the known world did in their spare time, decided that with all the [his] expenditure on new buildings – specifically the ones that glorified him, games and food for the people of Rome [Egypt was the producer of most of the grain eaten by the Romans in Rome – if they got too hungry, they would riot. I could tell you some stories about the Romans]. Games, the citizens liked their games, especially the bloody ones – in fact most of the Roman games were bloody ones. They made a Glasgow home derby match look like a vicar’s tea party. I could tell you some stories – hang on, I’ve just said that.
Back to the point.
Be honest, you’ve missed my straight forward and concise sermons haven’t you?
That’ll be a |No then. Moving on;
Augustus needed to raise some money and devaluing the currency wouldn’t work anymore because even the Praetorian Guard were getting a bit sniffy over the value of their coinage.
The only avenue open was to take a census of the people so as to ‘legally’ extort more money from the provinces [people] in the form of taxes and in order to do that he had to know who was whom, where they belonged and what they had.
If you thought William the Conqueror’s [also known as William the Bastard by the way] Doomsday Book was a big deal, try the one done by Caesar Augustus.
To cut a short story long; Caesar ordered the census round about spring time but it took time to get the message out across the Empire and time to organise it and nobody tended to do much travelling – unless absolutely vital – anywhere in the Empire in winter time.
So why do we celebrate Christmas in December?
Simply because the shops are open late – No.
It is because the Early Church took over the dates of the major festivals of other religions in the same way that they took over the worship sites of other religions when and wherever they could.
So Christmas absorbed the festivals of Saturnus [Roman], Yule [Druid] and many others that I won’t bore you with here.
The traces are still to be seen however. Many of us will enjoy a Yule Log [probably covered in chocolate nowadays], Mistletoe and Holly will still adorn many homes – You can look for more in your own time, think of it as a bit of homework.
B
14 November
- Val has recently heard from Mandy – Barry is making progress from his recent operation on his leg, but he is still in quite a bit of pain with his back. We continue to remember Barry and Mandy and the family in our prayers.
- Links for streamed services from Gillingham and Gravesend are now available at "Virtual church" then "individual Sunday services"
- The latest newsletter from Hazel and Martin Frost is available here
6 November
Hi everyone.
Two things:
- The communication tree can be found in the Members page
- The "Virtual church" then "individual sunday services" section has links to streamed local Church services ready for Sunday morning services
Andy
16 September
6 September
The induction of David Fleming at Rugby Baptist Church has been recorded and will be broadcast on Sunday Morning on Rugby Baptist Church's Youtube channel. In these strange times, having a big Saturday jamboree seemed out of place, so the induction is a slot in our Sunday service, albeit with a guest speaker - Steve Moody from Stopsley, Luton.
The link to our Youtube channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi6nzA3BoTG6nzF-Y0WAxLA, But a simple search on the church name will get you there too.
29 August
Hello Everyone,
Whilst on the way to visit my Dad on Wednesday morning I was listening to Classic FM, and my ears pricked up when I heard a snippet of news briefly mentioning a recent study which had found that as far as spreading the coronavirus is concerned, there is no difference between speaking and singing. No guesses for which kind of singing came immediately into my mind when I heard that wonderful piece of news!
I haven’t had time to check this study since returning from Dad’s but the Lord always provides, and this morning I was so pleased to receive the latest IFB prayer letter in which it refers to this study:
Worship – singing
“While it’s welcome news that churches have been able to meet again, some restrictions really limit our ability to worship God as we did previously. One of the major areas is the current guidelines that say we shouldn’t sing corporately. Corporate singing is an essential element of our worship to God. A recent study by Bristol University found that speaking and singing generate similar amounts of tiny particles of liquid called aerosol droplets - which are thought to carry Covid-19. Recently the government relaxed the rules to allow public performance singing, including in places of worship, by paid individuals or groups - but for believers, corporate singing is how we worship together as a body. Let us pray that, in the light of this study, these guidelines are swiftly changed, because this is an area where the biblical instructions to obey authorities is coming into conflict with our freedom to worship. Pray particularly for churches as they plan their returns to buildings for wisdom and understanding, that the name of God would not be dishonoured by outbreaks caused by reckless behaviour; but most of all for a fresh renewal in His true Church and effective gospel proclamation” [Intercessors for Britain, Prayer Bulletin, Number 288, Sept-Oct 2020, p.2].
God willing, His Church shall soon be once again firing on all cylinders as we corporately sing His praises in our Sunday services 😊
Love to all,
Liz
23 August
During the past few months we have been advised too pay on our credit cards as often as possible but that has not stopped folk giving me coins from previous transactions. So far this year we have raised in excess of £220. So if you have any small coins I will gladly add them to the total.
Thank you for your support
Dulce
23 August
Hello Everyone,
MY CHILD
Last Sunday Barry mentioned a wonderful letter titled ‘My Child’, made up of many encouraging scripture promises from the Lord to His children. It begins:
“The words you are about to read are true. They will change your life if you let them, for they come from the very heart of God. He Loves You! He is the Father you have been looking for all your life… and this is His love letter to you.”
You can read it here
21 August
17 August
The latest newsletter from Hazel and Martin Frost with Latin Link can be found by clicking
here
14 August
5 August
1 August
Will the congregation please note that face masks will be mandatory according to UK law at Church from next Sunday 9 August (exemptions apply).
1 August
28 July
