Christmas is nearly upon us again…. seems to get quicker every year ….. Join us this Sunday for the Carols by Candlelight service at 6:30pm – being in Christmas with a service aimed at just that – Carols, readings and stable … with real straw 
hope we see you there – bring your family , children most welcome – make it a family event this year. If we don’t see you , have a very Happy Christmas this year and may God Bless you richly at this time.
This weekend sees the second MBC house party, this year in Folkestone . A number of the fellowship have joined the pastor at this weekend away. We pray for a blessing in them and for those of the fellowship who remain here in margate to take part in the service at home. Both venues will be focusing on the same theme ” the Christian is different “. Join us to be inspired by God & hear the word that he has for you !
Dear WebwatcherTall Ships Expedition
This is possibly a Baptist first, at least for the last hundred years or so!
The Baptist Times has organised a Tall Ships experience for 40 young people aged 16-25, who’ll sail as voyage crew on the Stavros S Niarchos, a two-masted sail training ship run by the Tall Ships Youth Trust. No experience is needed: participants will be trained in sail handling, helmsmanship and other aspects of seamanship – including climbing the masts, swabbing the decks and helping in the galley. Duties will include being on watch from midnight-4am and 4am-8am!
We want this to be a spiritual experience as well as a fun time, so there’ll also be eight voyage chaplains who are experienced youth pastors.
It’s five nights at sea, April 10-15, 2012, leaving from and returning to a South Coast port and involving a stop in a foreign port. All food is included – you just pay a flat fee for the voyage.
For more details and pictures see www.baptisttimes.co.uk/tallshipsholidayoffer.htm
If you aren’t in this age group, there’s also a form to download and give to the young people in your church.
Please sign up if you’re interested, or contact Mark Woods, editor@baptisttimes.co.uk or tel 01235 517672 if you want to know more.
I’ve been on two voyages so far, and can recommend it.
This is a great opportunity – please spread the word!
New websiteIt’s a fast-moving, digital world, and while we’re as up-to-date as humanly possible, we’re aware that more and more people want news as it happens, instead of waiting for a weekly paper to come out.
So in the autumn we’ll be launching our new website, designed to be more responsive to events with breaking news, comment and job opportunities. It will complement our print and digital editions, not replace them, and help us expand our service to the Baptist community.
To Subscribe to The Baptist Times, click here.It’s the only Baptist weekly newspaper in the UK, and every week offers great features and news stories, arts and book reviews, comment pieces and devotional material.
In this week’s edition we have guidance on how to be a good citizen of cyberspace, how to make your church website work for you, a feature on children in worship, plus our usual excellent columnists including John Rackley, Jonathan Langley and Clare Nonhebel.
You can subscribe online at www.baptisttimes.co.uk, or telephone 01235517670 and we’ll send you out a free copy with a subs form inside.
Our digital edition is only £30 a year, and gives you complete access to all our back copies from 2006 onwards – you can just type in a search term and find whatever article you want. Or if you want you can sign up for a three-month digital subscription for only £8.
For our trial digital edition, see: www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/354/377/1530/1/1
The Revd Mark Woods
Editor
The Baptist Times
We have 600 seat available for the Celebration, later this year, on Sunday 9 October. Tickets are now beginning to sell so please contact Liz to let her know how many tickets you require as soon as you can. Tickets are on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and if all the tickets are sold prior to the event there will be none available on the door (notification will go out in the weekly update if this happens). If you are keeping a list of names of those from your church who will be attending (but won’t be closing the list until nearer the time) it would be helpful if you could give Liz Adshead an idea of your numbers so far or anticipated attendance (and your contact details) 01444-223926 liz.admin@seba-baptist.org.uk
If anyone is planning to go to this can you let me know asap. It’s at Haywards Heath.
Ann Hilton – Church Secretary
In partnership with Spurgeons seba are holding a Course over 3 mornings – 2 modules each morning – to equip core church leaders ie Elders and Deacons. Topics covered will be Individual and Team Spirituality, Handling Conflict, Trusteeship and more. The first Course will be held at Tonbridge Baptist Church on the following Saturdays – 10th September; 8th October and 12th November 9.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. This Course will be repeated in other parts of the region in 2012.
The cost is £5.00 and bookings can be made through Liz Adshead at liz.admin@seba-baptist.org.uk
This last weekend saw not only our 249th church anniversary weekend, with a fun day n the beach , sand, sun, sea and messing about in boats..but also the picnic in the park with the joint churches of margate, held in Dane Park. Good fellowship, lots of sun and nicely rounded off with an open air service.
We as church are looking forward, with God as out guide. One of our young people (Cassy) next weekend, 12th June, will be demonstrating her faith and her choice to follow Christ command..
Believe & be baptised! Do come along and support her in this public profession of faith.
Heavy rains often remind us of the unavoidable challenges in life.
Yet…never ask for a lighter rain.
Just pray for a better umbrella.
That you are able to endure any weather that comes…in any season…as it surely will…
When flood comes…fish eat ants
And when the flood recedes…ants eat fish.
…Only time matters.
So just hold on…
God gives opportunity to everyone!
Life is not about finding the right person,
But rather creating the right relationship,
And it’s not how well we care for these relationships just at the beginning,
…But more so…how much we care for them…right till the very end.
Some people always throw stones in your path.
But it depends however…what you ultimately make of them.
…Wall or Bridge…
…Remembering always that you are the architect of your life.
Search more for a beautiful heart,
And not so much…search for a beautiful face’.
For surely we have seen…and have come to know…
…That beautiful things…are not always good…
…but good things indeed…are always beautiful.
It‘s not important to hold all the good cards in life.
But more important how well we come to play those cards that we hold.
Often when we lose all hope and think surely it is the end,
God smiles from above and says, `relax dear it‘s just a bend…and not the end.
Remain faithful still in me…and the promise of everlasting life.
One of the basic differences between God and human is,
…God gives, gives, gives and endlessly forgives.
But a human… gets, gets, gets and ungratefully forgets.
Be thankful then that God is the one in charge…and not humans…..
Regardless of how much they think they are
As many of you will know out Brigade band was playing at the Turner Center …. what a chance to witness. 
Margate Baptist Church
Easter Art Project
Bring a piece of art-work to Church on Easter Sunday at 11am
It should be about Easter in some way, but it could be a drawing, a painting, a collage, a sculpture, a decorated egg, a piece of needlework, a quilt – anything “arty”.
All ages are invited to take part – especially children!
There will be prizes!
