Today’s photo, of the ladies of the Beds Essex and Herts (BEH)) MWiB District executive, was taken at Kings Cross Methodist Church in London. BEH is a strange ‘sausage-shaped’ District so ironically London is the easiest place for us to gather together.
It was good to have the opportunity to catch up with news of family and friends before starting on the official business of the day.
Linda King, our District President opened the meeting with devotions based on the theme ‘Water of Life’ using excerpts from Rev Peter Barber’s talk at my commissioning service at our Conference fringe event in July.
Rev Peter described the work of MWiB across the connexion as ‘little trickles of water’ which, when joined together, make a large river contributing to the work of God’s mission at home and abroad.
Over the last 18 months, ladies of the BEH district have been raising money in support of work carried out by the Arab Orthodox Society(AOS) in Jerusalem, changing lives of women caught up in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
From the AOS website we read ‘The Melia Art & Training Centre is an organization of women from Jerusalem (Al-Quds) and the West Bank working to preserve the Palestinian cultural tradition of cross-stitch embroidery while generating income for themselves and their families. The items are sold at a fair trade store in the Old City of Jerusalem.’ (www.araborthodoxsociety.com).
At the Forum meeting two weeks ago we heard of many other ‘little trickles’ of work carried out across the connexion all supporting different areas of need.
Sometimes in our Districts we feel that what we do is a mere ‘drop in the ocean’ but we must learn never to underestimate the significance of those ‘little trickles’ and the difference they can make. So as we make plans for the year ahead do remember Peter’s words and keep on trickling!
‘For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’ Jer 29:11 NLT
