Do think and pray about whether you are being called to serve in this role.

We will be sending out the Annual Review 2011 before this meeting & as usual will be asking for contributions from leaders of the various activities that went on in & around St Matthew’s in 2011. It would be good if you could send in your individual reports by the end of February. Jackie will be in touch with review writers shortly.

Could you spare an hour and a half once a fortnight to befriend someone like Dawit and improve life in Bristol for an isolated asylum seeker or refugee? Sam Sayer is looking for new volunteers who would like to befriend someone from another culture and show God’s love practically to those on the margins. Befriending will involve listening, helping with English and spending time enjoying Bristol together. Befriending training runs for four consecutive Thursday evenings starting on 23rd February. On-going support and supervision is also given.

For more details please contact Sam via the church office.

There will be a Church collection for the work of b.friend on Sunday 4th March

CHAIR WANTED! The management group for b.friend is currently looking for a Chair for our meetings which take place bi-monthly. If you would like to be an essential part of this exciting project please contact Sam.

Come and join us on Monday night at 8pm for just one hour. No previous experience necessary.

Mary and Joseph arrive at the temple and meet two righteous and devout characters, Simeon and Anna. The Holy Spirit reveals to them both that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah.

This story is rich in meaning and significance.

One of the great lessons is that of patient reliance on God’s sovereignty and timing. We’re told that Simeon had been promised that he would see the Messiah before his death and that Anna was of great age. Anna had been fasting and praying daily for around 60 years! Now that’s patience. So often when we pray we seek an answer the same day, if not the same hour. And yet if we truly trust in God’s sovereignty we must also trust that his timing is perfect and that we will be given all that we need for any given moment. Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean that all will feel easy, but it does mean that we can trust God for the present moment and also for the future.

This is especially true because we live in the knowledge of Jesus’ birth. We no longer wait for it but know that the light has come into the world and the darkness has not overcome it. On Candlemas (February 2^nd), it used to be the tradition that a lit candle was placed in each house window to remind us of Simeon’s words that we have seen the light (2:32). Maybe you’d like to light a candle for yourself on that day, or any other day, and reflect on Jesus Christ’s coming into the world. What does that means for you in this place at this time?
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This service will be followed by a farewell lunch for Vicky Wright, our community minister.