We’ve had a few sunny days and we’re all starting to dig out the sun hats and slap on the factor 30! Here’s a Café Service to think about holidays and rest.

Takeaway#3Holidays&Rest

Café Church Takeaway is a resource for Churches or groups who would like to have a go at running a Café service.

Maundy Thursday

Thursday 5th April 7pm – Joint Maundy Thursday Communion Service at SIMC. A chance to reflect on Jesus’ Last Supper.

Good Friday

Good Friday Walk of Witness in St Ives. 11.30am starting at Crossways Church and finishing with a short service outside the Free Church at 12 noon.

Good Friday 6.30pm – Reflection for Holy Week at SIMC. A time to think about the meaning of Good Friday.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday 8.30am – Communion Service at SIMC. A short service to celebrate Easter morning.

Easter Sunday 9.00am – Church Breakfast at SIMC. All are welcome to join us for a simple breakfast to celebrate Easter Day. If you fancy coming along drop us a line info@simc.co.uk.

Easter Sunday 10.30am – Celebration Service at SIMC. Join us for a service to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

Bank Holiday Monday

Bank Holiday Monday – We’ll be throwing open our doors from 10am – 3pm. Drop in for a cuppa and say hello if you’re around.

We’d love to see you at any of these events. If you need anymore info please get in touch.E-mail  info@simc.co.uk.

We know we’re a bit late for this year’s Mother’s Day, but here’s what we were up to yesterday!

Takeaway#2MothersDay

Here’s our first Takeaway. A Café service reflecting on justice and poverty in our world. Enjoy.

#1WhoisMyNeighbourTakeaway

We get lots of enquires about what resources we use for Café Church here at SIMC and lots of people asking for ideas on how to do Café Church or what to do in a café service, and so we thought we’d start a little feature on the blog called Café Church Takeaway. Here you will find a nicely packaged run down of a Café service on a theme with ideas for food, activities, resources and prayers along with a few pointers for a talk. We’ll recommend a song or two if we think there’s one that fits well. All the info you need will be on the blog post and we’ll attach a PDF that you can download and print out too. Watch this space.

Maybe whilst you’ve been eating your pancakes you have thought you need something to help you think about Lent this year. If this is the case then maybe you would like to join us for our Lent group in Sunday evenings. It is going to be based in the Oscar winning film The Kings Speech using it to lead us to explore who we are, the big questions we ponder and how faith in God can help us live fuller and more loving lives.

The course will run for six weeks beginning this coming Sunday 26th Feb at Matt and Yasmin’s house. The first session will be watching the film so we need to begin early at 7pm but the following weeks will be 7.30pm until 9ish. There will be plenty of goodies on offer depending on whether or not you have give them up for Lent.

There are folks signed up already but there is plenty if room for more. It is open to absolutely everybody regardless of age or church experience, whether you are spiritual searcher or Christian for more years than you care to remember. You are welcome to sit and listen to discussions or make your voice heard.  Our time together is to deepen and challenge us on our journey of faith and this will expressed differently for us all. And on top of all of this we will hopefully have a good laugh!

If you would like more info please contact matt.finch@simc.co.uk and you can let us know you are coming that would be really helpful.

breathe is happening a week early this month on Sunday 5th Feb 7.30pm. So don’t miss the chance to join us for this chilled out and reflective time that gives a break from the busyness and stress of life.

Our thoughts will based on one of the most famous things Jesus ever said ‘love your neighbour’. We will be asking how can we keep caring for those in need when we are feeling the pinch in this time of credit crunch and tightening our belts.

The service will have all the usual mix of stillness, multimedia and time to talk with others. And of course there will be good cake!

If you have not been before breathe is held in the church hall which is easily found through the side entrance to the church. for more details contact info@simc.co.uk

A local preacher will regularly lead services in their local church or area. Officially they can lead a service in any Methodist Church in the Country.

So why do we do this? Well, we believe the Church is not a one person show. It is not just the minister who is able to lead people in prayer, worship, interpreting the bible and being a church community. We believe everyone has gifts to offer the church community and leading a service can be one of these gifts.

So what does this mean? Well, it means that when you turn up to a morning service at SIMC it may not necessarily be Rev Matt leading what’s happening. Regularly, local preachers come and bring their reflections on the bible for us to mull over. This can be a refreshing change or sometimes it can be an unexpected difference to what we like best. But we try to listen out for God in whatever comes.

What if I think I’d like to be a local preacher? We are always wanting to encourage all kinds of people to think about trying different gifts and roles out in the Church. Grab, or e-mail Matt and have a chat about it. You can’t be too young or old, too new or too unqualified. Get in touch and see where it leads.

And so we look forward to seeing more of Margaret in the future and hearing what she has to bring to us on a Sunday morning. May God bless her as she steps out of the box and into the pulpit!

If you’d like to come along and celebrate with us, Margaret’s accreditation service (a service to celebrate and officially acknowledge Margaret as a preacher) is on Sunday 24th June 2012, 6.30pm, at SIMC. And we’ll have Rev Graham Thompson, our District Chair, visiting us. 

Now then, could someone explain what a District Chair is please? We’ll save that one for another blog post….

The usual envelopes on the cafe church tables delivered a handful of different pictures of Jesus to have a look at and discuss this morning. This one caught my eye. I’ll confess, if there was going to be a Pre-Raphaelite picture among them, that would be the one I headed for. I love the Pre-Raphaelites and this picture by Ford Madox Brown is a favourite. Historically they are probably all a bit to white and western to be authentic, but there is something about it which seems so real and rugged, even with Jesus’ halo.

It was interesting to see the different depictions. Revolutionary Jesus anyone? Looking at all the different pictures and all the different people talking about them round tables, I suspect this is a topic that has plenty of mileage!

Our first cafe service of 2012 is this Sunday and will be a regular fixture every third Sunday of the month for the rest of the year.

Fresh tea and coffee, pastries (and fruit if you are feeling healthy) are served from 10am. The service starts at 10.30am and all takes place around tables. There is space to talk with others, join in the activities, reflect quietly on your own, sing a song if you like or just read the newspaper and catch up on the weeks stories.  Just come along and be yourself.

Hope to see you