Divine – our youth-led evening service, followed by a meal together. This week Caitlin will be speaking.

This morning we join family and friends of Cas Stoodley and Gareth Davies for their baptism. Graham will be speaking on: “The Big Question” from Mark 8 v 22-30

There will be no heating in the whole church over the half-term week while urgent repairs are carried out. Please check with your group leader to find out what is happening to your regular group.

Moortown Baptist Church came into being on Friday April 22^nd 1955 in a service at South Parade Baptist Church in Headingley.  At that service forty-nine men and women shared in an act of worship and Communion each covenanting: “with God our Father and with one another to be a gathered Church for the worship of God, the preaching of the Gospel and the observance of the Sacraments of Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”

The Order of Service for the official opening of MBC. Just one day later, Sunday 5th June 1955, the church was already running a Sunday School

However, although 1955 saw MBC first open its doors it was almost twenty years prior to that that a group of people had met to talk about the possibility of setting up a Baptist church in the rapidly expanding suburb of Moortown. That was in 1937 and that group became the “Moortown Committee.”

Two years later, with the outbreak of war, that committee ceased to function, but in 1943 F. W. Dawson of Blenheim Baptist Church managed to breathe new life into the idea by persuading the Leeds District Council to buy MBC’s current site for the princely sum of £600 (that was 22½p per sq yard).

Phase one, how MBC looked when it opened in 1955

A further eleven years then elapsed before on March 14^th 1954 Rev Henry Bonser, then President of the Baptist Union, cut the first sod and officially launched the building project.

Four months later more than three hundred people gathered to watch as Dr W.S. Flowers (then Vice President of the Leeds District) led representatives from the Yorkshire Baptist Association, the Moortown Committee and the Baptist Union in the laying of six window sills.

June 4th 1955 - the official opening of Moortown Baptist Church

Of course we all know that bricks and mortar don’t make a church, so as the building work progressed not only did the committee begin the job of transferring memberships it also started to look for a minister.

Rev F.W.Bond

So it was that on a grey, misty morning in November 1954 that Rev F.W Bond and his wife Connie travelled up from Halstead, Essex and toured a building site.  Following a time of prayerful discussion the committee were delighted to hear that Winsor Bond – a former RAF Chaplain – was willing to accept their call and would begin his work as minister of Moortown Baptist Church in April 1955.

A Sunday School began on June 5^th – just one day after the official opening of the building; in 1955 “the building” consisted simply of a vestibule, what we now refer to as the Old Church Hall, cloakrooms and a kitchen/care-taker’s store.

Throughout that summer a Secretary, a Treasurer and six deacons were elected and by the autumn the first of five yearly house-to-house campaigns was in full swing; first in the Carr Manors and then throughout the whole of the Moortown estate.

By 1956 a Cub pack had been started, this was soon to be followed by Scouts, Brownies and Guides.  A Women’s Meeting was set up, a choir was formed as was a young people’s group. In fact such was the rate of growth that by its second anniversary Moortown Baptist Church had 106 members and 188 children in its Sunday School.

When asked how such growth had been achieved so rapidly, Rev Bond’s reply was: “Firstly by faith and prayer, secondly through hard work and thirdly by the deepening fellowship amongst the members of the church and congregation.”

The Old Church Hall - until the completion of the sanctuary the church's main place of worship

Rev Bond with MBC's first team of deacons

Next week, amongst other things, we will look at how the second phase of MBC’s building plan saw the addition of a new “two way hall” (our present sanctuary) and the construction of a temporary baptistry (still in use today).  We will also explain what lays beneath the mysterious brass stud that’s set into the centre of the sanctuary floor, why following five years of spectacular growth Rev Bond still felt the need to commend a “Christian Living Week,” and we’ll look back to the days when MBC sent out its first overseas missionaries.

Sorry! The Amazon link has been withdrawn pending discussion on some technical issues.

Do you sometimes come to Church on Sunday but don’t quite get the chance to build friendships with people? Do you feel like you need eyes in the back of your head, as you drink coffee and watch your children? Would you like to be able to spend time, meet other families and build relationships in an environment which will enable all of your family to enjoy themselves, have fun and learn more about God together?

Come along on Saturday 25th February from 2-4pm to Ignite. This is an event for all the family. Come and try different activities, building and creating, stories and games whilst being able to just chat with coffee and cake.

Bring as many children as you like, cost £1.00 per child.

You can download the flyer and booking slip from this link. For more information please email Karen.

The GLUE youth group now has a logo. Nice,isn’t it?
Click here to go to the GLUE page.

Usually Caitlin and I spend our Monday mornings looking back on the events of the previous day and planning for the week ahead.  However, this week was very different because we had been invited to lead an assembly at St Matthews Church of England Primary School in Chapel Allerton.

The links between St Matthews and MBC go back many years; not only because many of our own children either used to or currently go there but because St Matthews has always been one of the keenest supporters of two of our most exciting children’s outreach projects: Rewind and It’s Your Move.

We began the assembly by asking the children just how far they thought we could share out a chocolate bar.  After much thought it was agreed that dividing it up between a few close friends wouldn’t be too difficult, but when it came to sharing it out between all of the school’s 450 pupils, well, that created a much bigger challenge.

Caitlin then told the story of how Jesus miraculously shared a little boys packed lunch between 5,000 people, and how amazing it was that from just five loaves and two fishes everyone had their fill.

We then introduced the children to a new song ‘Nothing’s too big’ … nothing is too big for God to sort or too small for God to care about.  It also focusses on how in His sight we are all so very special.

To finish we shared in some fishy prayers each with such an amazingly loud ‘Amen’ that even the sleepiest of sleepy-heads couldn’t fail to feel wide awake on this Monday morning.

Next Monday we are off to St Peter’s Primary to give them a Monday morning boost….

The foyer display at St Matthew's C of E School

Karen Allen

Last November Connect 2011 brought together more than a hundred and fifty local Christians each either engaged with or interested in social action to hear first-hand about the enormous inequalities that exist in Leeds. As a direct response to feedback from that meeting Connect 2012, which is a joint project between LCCT, Network Leeds, Leeds Churches Together in Mission and Unity in Poverty Action is now hosting a follow up evening titled: The Scandal of Inequality, So What?

Scheduled for February 9^th the thinking behind the gathering is to provide the time and space for all interested parties to meet up again but this time to reflect on the consequences of Andrew Grinnell’s “shocking” presentation as well as to think about how best to address the challenges he highlighted.

The meeting which begins at 6pm and should end around 8.30pm is being held at LCCT’s new offices – Ebor Court, Skinner Street, Leeds LS1 4ND.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Jonathan Dorsett, a member of the Connect planning team said: “At Connect 2011 we talked about Leeds as a city of gross inequalities and described this as a scandal. Well as we’ve talked to people we realise that many have been thinking through what this might mean and how we might respond. Therefore, we’ve decided to put on an event on 9th February for anyone who has been stirred by the scandal of inequality to get together and talk about what we might do. No-one is coming prepared to give a presentation with all the answers. Rather, we want everyone to have a think and pray about it and come ready to conspire together. We’ll even throw in a free sandwich as well”.

For more information about The Scandal of Equality, So What? follow this link.

This year’s FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT takes place between 27^th February to 10^th March. But in order not to miss out on Real Easter Eggs you need to place your order NOW!

Real Easter Eggs were produced for the first time last year, and are the only Fair Trade Easter eggs in the UK to mention Jesus and the events of Holy Week on the box. They will cost £3.99 each and a donation from each will go to Traidcraft.

If you would like to order some through the Beehive (saving on postage), please let us know asap.  Last year demand was so high that stocks ran out, that’s why this year we need to place an initial order by 10^th February.

To place an order either contact Roger Robson on 0113 2941759 or add your name to the form on the MBC notice-board.

To find out more about Traidcraft click on this link now.