Hampton Park United Reformed Church
Hampton Dene Road, Tupsley, Hereford. HR1 1UJ
(One of the 'United Reformed Church in Herefordshire' Group of Churches)
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Worship for the comings weeks will be as follows -
Sunday 23rd January 10:00am Joint Service at St. Paul's Church
Sunday 30th January Lynda Hingley
Sunday 6th February John Thompson
Sunday 13th February Rev. Roger Woodall (Holy Communion)
Sunday Services will be at the usual time of 10:30
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Please refer to the "Sunday and Seasonal Services" side panel menu for this week's online service. Also take a look at the "Prayer Focus" page.
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Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal
65 shoeboxes were collected at Hampton Park, and many bags of knitted scarves, hats, toys and extras were collected too to put in as fillers into the shoeboxes. Our thanks to every person who contributed, thus sending some love to deprived children throughout the world.
“We’re taking the Good News to the ENDS OF THE EARTH and doing it through a shoebox. I am thankful for each one you prayerfully fill with toys and other items. Be sure to make your box unique and include a letter to give the child a glimpse of how much God loves them.”
Franklin Graham
(President, Samaritan’s Purse)
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A Letter from the Revd. Martin Hardy
I was really grateful to the Revd. Andrew Mann-Ray for leading the ‘Retirement’ service on Saturday the 30th of October. I have led only one similar service and that too bore all the hallmarks of an emotional sending out (I can think of no other phrase..)
Just where does one start in saying ‘thank you’ to so many people? Does one set to with a long list of names in the style of a telephone directory, or be cautiously selective. Woe betide missing out the name of any individual keenly awaiting to hear their name! There is the hurdle of embarrassing someone who would have preferred the acknowledgement to have remained private.
I recall a family funeral of an aged aunt: the minister insisted on reading through the names of most of the village population who were related to my aunt. As the long list concluded a deep but hushed voice behind stated, ‘..he missed me off!’
I trust that as you read this note you will accept my personal thanks for your commitment to the life and witness of the churches in the Hereford Group and the support and guidance you have shared with me throughout my time with you all – you will know who you are. Ministry is very much working as a partnership with Elders and the church members. It is only through everyone’s active participation that the church can sustain its outreach into the community. Simply put, if not, the congregation is no longer alive to the word of God.
As to the future, it will be through your continued commitment and demonstrations of faith in action that will be the enabling energy moving the churches forward; sadly, into uncertain times.
There are those whose past kind words and inspiration have also guided my ministry; they have gone before us to where Jesus has already prepared a place for each one of us. They knew my thanks, I did not wait for this particular moment.
The German theologian, Martin Luther, stated, ‘..we are saved through faith, not by faith.’ In other words, it is not our faith or belief that saves us or redeems us. It is God’s gift of grace, and grace alone that redeems us all. Jesus revealed God’s forgiving grace, when he was nailed to the cross and gave his life to redeem us from our sins. For those of us who live on this side of our Lord’s death and resurrection, we can only admit that there is nothing that we can do to earn or merit the gift of grace. The gift of God’s redeeming grace has already been given.
May you always hold that truth before you in all that you do.
Yours, in Christ,
Martin
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