BIRDSEDGE

Paul Nocton took the Sunday service. He spoke about ‘The Rainbow. The stories of the Widow’s Oil and also the Feeding of the 5,000 reminded the congregation that ‘every problem is an opportunity to trust the Lord.’ Whatever we have to give no matter how small is valuable as was the Widow’s small amount of oil and the boy’s five loaves and three fishes which God blessed and increased to cover the need. Tom Wood will take the Remembrance service. The village hall Lunch Club was very busy. The next one on Thursday November 14 will be held in the church hall as the village hall will be in use as a polling station. Chicken casserole and Yorkshire pudding followed by lemon meringue pie are on the menu.

Thirty-eight children plus parents enjoyed the Halloween party. The hall will be hosting the annual Remembrance Service this Friday. Officials and children from local schools will be taking part. Meet at 10 am for 10.30am. Light refreshments will be available afterwards inside the hall.

Santa will be at the hall on Saturday November 17 from noon. Refreshments and hot food will be on sale throughout. A visit to Santa will cost £3 and there will be stalls to browse. For information about events at the Hall see www.birdsedgevillagehall.co.uk or ring 604289.

The Hospice Support Group will be selling Hospice Christmas cards and selling home-made cake and preserves at a coffee morning at 463 Penistone Road Shelley where In a Lather – locally made hand soaps, butters and balms – will be on sale.

C@LAYTON WEST

Morning worship at Clayton West Methodist Church was led by Jean Heath, a local preacher and member of the church. She led the thoughts of the congregation to All Saints Day, and talked of many famous saints and ordinary people who are saints in a quiet way caring for others. Wendy Barber read from Isaiah and Les Barber the Beatitudes from Matthews' gospel. Stewards were Betty Booth and Joan Bond. Craig Schofield was the visiting pianist. Flowers for the communion table were a gift from Joan Bond. Coffee and biscuits were served after the service.

E@MLEY

Sunday morning service at St Michael The Archangel was Worship for All, where the congregation considered the foundations of faith in the commandments to love God and love each other, and love ourselves. A basic wall made from a pile of bricks was used to support word cards, created from ideas from the congregation which were also shown on screen. The youngsters also made a graffiti wall about rules and during the prayers the congregation brought forward their own "love" focus and attached them to the wall. The annual All Souls service was held at 4pm, with the opportunity to light a candle in remembrance of loved ones, after the names of the deceased were read out. This was a simple and moving service. A said communion service was held afterwards for those who wanted to stay. There will be a coffee morning in church on Monday at 10.30am, Holy Communion on Tuesday evening at 7pm and on Wednesday at 9am, followed by coffee in church; Tuesday @ 2 for babies, toddlers and their carers. On Thursday at 6pm youngsters meet in a variety of groups according to their ages, with worship and story time, as well as games and craft work. As Saturday is the second Saturday of the month, there will be a Men’s Breakfast at 8.30am with good food, good company and a guest speaker, the chaplain for Leeds United, Paul Welch.

On Friday November 16 at 7.30pm the church will welcome Almond Fashions from Kirkburton for a Fashion Show – a repeat of the highly-successful programme last year. This time we will be able to view and admire male fashions as well as female, again modelled for us by "ordinary" people.

Sunday’s communion service will begin at 9.45am to enable the congregation to process to the War Memorial for Remembrance Service at 10.45am and the two minutes’ silence will be observed at 11am. There will be no evening service.

S@HELLEY

As the village hall was not available, last Thursday’s meeting of Shelley Over 60s Club was held in the Methodist Hall. The bingo line was won by Joan Peel and the full house by Margaret Nixon, no one had the first three numbers on one card, so the prize carried forward to the next meeting. The whist high of 92 was won by Robin Small and the low of 67 went to Vera Wilkinson from seven tables. Three birthdays were celebrated last week – Tom Williams, Shirley Brook and Joyce Secker. A fundraising 'duck ball' race was held and the winner was Stephen Briggs, runner-up Sheila Spencer with Dorothy Jessop in third place. Raffle prizes were won by Doris Sommerton, Harry Rose, Joan Peel and David Matthews.