Northfield Methodist Church

Dear Friends
Warm greetings! As many of you know. Northfield Methodist Church will soon be hosting for the fourth time our annual NORFEST. We would love you to share in this event in some way. But perhaps, first of all, you would like some information around why we host this event. Here are some reasons why we invest so much time and energy in this event.

This is a nationwide movement which aims to encourage and support policemen and women. We encourage the community to pray daily for the safety of our town. We hold a church service at the Police office in the Magistrates court, once a week.

The Ministries of Lorna Schreiber 

Visits
to the sick and giving of Holy Communion to the sick and house bound,
in their homes or in the various homes for the elderly. 

Phone:  Church Office -            011 849 7031

            Home -                      011 425 2309

Church and communion services held at retirement village and homes for the elderly.

1        Service in Dingler Hall of Rynpark 2+3 on the fourth Thursday of each month at 10:30am.

2        Rynpark 1, second floor Frail car section held on the first Thursday of each month at 2:50pm.

3        Rosemarie Haven Old Age Home, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30am.

 Contact Telephone No:    425-0844

"CHRIST-CENTRED CARING TO GUIDE PEOPLE TO WHOLENESS."

Focus Groups at Northfield 

1.      Morning Women's Auxiliary

This
group of about 60 women, many of whom are seniors, meet twice a month
on a Wednesday morning to deepen their relationship with God and with
each other. While some meetings are social events, with guest speakers,
others are deeply spiritual. The WA is always busy with projects like
the knitting of beanies for the oncology department, knee rugs and bed
socks for the elderly, and teddy bears for our pastoral visitation
teams. They have provided lunch for Hospice, continue to raise funds
for their forget-me-not child and for the AIDS Babies visitation team,
as well as meeting with other Women’s groups from all around the
connexion. Gill Stevens was the President of the group for 2003, and in
2004 we will be inducting Cynthia Holmes

2.      Afternoon Women's Auxiliary

This
is a small group of women, many of whom are seniors, who meet twice a
month on a Wednesday afternoon to, like their morning counterparts,
deepen their relationship with God and with each other. This WA is also
always busy with projects like hosting jumble sales, knitting squares
for blankets and jerseys, and hosting teas for the elderly, as well as
caring for many projects in children's and old age homes in the area.
For example, they donated new cutlery to one home worth R1000, and new
crèche equipment to the same value to another. Margaret Perrie was the
president for 2003, and Jenny Haffern will be taking over from her for
2004.

3.      Homemakers

This
dedicated group of ladies meet every second Thursday morning for
spiritual development and fellowship. They also care for the community,
getting involved in children's and old people's homes in the area. Mini
retreats are a regular part of the year's calendar for this special
group. Thora Zietsman continues to inspire this vibrant ministry, and 
can be contacted via the church office.

4.      Friendly Club

Many
of our older folk find the weeks very long when they are no longer able
to work or drive. Friendly Club meets every Thursday afternoon of term,
and runs a programme of entertainment and fellowship for this folk. If
you are interested in being a part of this group in any way; either
attending or offering an afternoon's entertainment, Em Patrick can be
contacted via the church office.

5.      Men's Fellowship

Once
a month a small group of men meet on Saturdays at 7:30 to share
breakfast and fellowship at the church. While this is sometimes a time
of worship, it is always a time of fun! One of the services that this
group offers the church is their Wednesday morning work parties at the
church. Each Wednesday, these men meet at the church to do handyman
work – stripping, fixing , making , painting, and varnishing. If you
would like to get together with this very busy group of men, please
contact either Gunther Wossler or Eddie Dethian via the church office.

6.      Seniors

As
many members of Northfield become older, it becomes harder for them to
get around, and sometimes they feel as though they had been forgotten.
Because they are determined that those people who built the church e
have today should be cared for, a team of people, under the leadership
of Johnny Zietsman visit these folk once a month. If you would like to
be part of this immensely caring group, contact Johnny Zietsman, via
the church office.

7.      Ministry to the Elderly and Sick

Many
of our folk, especially the elderly, who are not well sometimes need 
special pastoral care in their homes. Lorna Schreiber does a wonderful
job of visiting and taking communion to these folk. Because
relationships build between her and the sick folk and their families,
she is often requested to take the funeral services of some of the
terminal people she visits. This year some folk have offered to support
her in the great privilege of sharing communion with elderly and unwell
people. This has freed Lorna to care more effectively for even more
people!  In addition Lorna does monthly services at Rose Marie Haven,
and at three of the sections of the Rynpark Retirement Homes. If you,
or somebody you know would like to be visited by Lorna, or one of her
team please contact the church office.

8.      AIDS babies

Where do we begin to address the AIDS pandemic which has hit South Africa in recent years? A group of ladies from Northfield
have decided that will simply do what they can, where they are. And so
they visit an AIDS babies home in Thembisa, spending time cuddling
these parentless children, loving them and playing with them. If you
are interested in joining this group, please contact Sue Prinsloo via
the church office.

9.      Jumble Sales and  Care Group 

If
you have old clothes that you don’t know what to do with, please
consider donating them to the church. A small group of ladies sort
these clothes and then sell them from the church at the begiining and
end of every month. Not  only does this provide a service to many of
our domestic workers, who might otherwise not be able to afford ‘new’
clothes, it also creates small business. Some folk buy from us and then
sell the clothes again in the township. In this way they are able to
feed their families. But most importantly, the money raised in this way
goes to buy food to support two children’s homes – Janai Children’s
Home, and Sithabile Children’s Home – that are connected to the church.
If you interested in being a part of this ministry, please contact
Hilary Goodman, or Colleen Nosworthy via the church office. Thabisile
can be contacted directly at 011 969 5938

HOME-START

A friend to families with small children!

EAST RAND BRANCH:                                      Co-Ordinator:  Anne Hart

Northfield Methodist Church                          e-mail: home-start@nfmc.org.za

Cnr Aerodrome Drive & Webb Street                www.home-start-int.org

Northmead, Benoni, 1501  

 

DAVEYTON-ETWATWA BRANCH:           Co-Ordinator:  Olga Lusenga

John Wesley Community Centre                 Telephone:  Still to be connected

Church Street

Etwatwa

WHAT IS HOME-START?

Home-Start
offers support, friendship and practical help to families with at least
one child under the age of 5.  Unpaid volunteers visit families
struggling under the pressures of bringing up small children, helping
them to avoid crisis and enjoy family life.  The service is free and
confidential. 

HOW DOES HOME-START HELP?

In
many ways, Home-Start fulfils the role of an extended family for some
of today's parents who have become isolated from relatives and
friends.  Many mothers and fathers feel exhausted and overwhelmed by
the stresses of life with small children.  Parents with twins, several
pre-school children, ill health, mothers with post-natal depression,
single parents or parents who are new to an area – may particularly
benefit from the service that Home-Start offers.  All parents can go
through periods where they doubt their ability to cope.  Home-Start
plays an invaluable role in homes where orphaned children are left to
nurture and care for one another.  Everyone needs a hand sometimes. 
Families may contact Home-Start themselves or be referred by doctors,
social workers or other professionals. 

ABOUT THE VOLUNTEERS:

Home-Start
volunteers offer the experience and know-how of having raised children
themselves.  No formal qualifications are necessary but all volunteers
attend an in-depth preparation course.  A volunteer usually visits a
family in its own home for a few hours once or twice a week.  The
approach varies according to the needs of each family and draws on the
flexibility, good humour and imagination of the volunteer.  Volunteers
work alongside parents and may offer help with practical tasks (cooking
together or playing with the children), time to recover from parenting
pressures (a cup of tea and a chat), or assistance using public
services (the baby clinic or doctor).  Above all, volunteers offer
their time, friendship and encouragement.

 A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HOME-START:

Home-Start
was started in 1973 in the UK who now have over 300 schemes, and is now
in 16 different countries throughout the world.

GodZone is a place where children learn about God in a fun way.  We cater for children from birth to teens.

CRECHE We have a creche where Moms and Dads can leave their babies with wonderful leaders so that they can enjoy the service undisturbed.  There are parents who prefer to take their babies to church and they sit in the infant chapel.  The babies are well supervised at all times. PRE SCHOOL When a child reaches the age of three they then go into the pre-school section until they reach Grade 1.  At the pre-school they have worship every week and have a lesson as well as small group activity and play time.  A lot of fun is had by all at the pre-school.

All children are welcomed at GodZone whether they have a disability or not.  GodZone's logo is “making disciple makers”.

JUNIORS Once the child starts Grade 1, they move across to the Junior section where exciting learning happens every week.  The children learn the lessons through puppets, mops and brooms and worship.  They get into small groups and discuss the lesson and how they can apply this to their own lives. OTHER HAPPENINGS During the term there are other exciting happenings at GodZone.  The Grade's 4-6's go on camp every year.  This is a wonderful way of the kids sharing their faith with other kids and learders.  The Grade 1-3's have a sleep over once a year where not much sleep happens, but a lot of fun.  The kids are encouraged during the year to invite their friends who do not go to church to come to GodZone.  We also have movie evenings and magician evenings.  Watch this page for the latest information.

Worship Ministry

Introduction

Northfield’s first value affirms the importance of worship in the life of this community and of its members: “We believe the chief purpose of humanity is to love God.”
Worship is one of the five main characteristics of a
biblically-functioning community, and so features prominently in
Northfield’s identity and ministry.

Over the years Northfield
has developed a reputation for worship and music ministry that is
inspiring, healing and transforming. The worship ministry staff work
hard to maintain this reputation and to continue to grow our abilities
to create an environment conducive to encounter with God in our
services and groups.

With
five services on a Sunday, each with its own unique character and
worship style, we have our work cut out for us! The services provide a
place for a wide diversity of worship preferences. The 7:00am Communion Service is formal, reverent and liturgical. The 8:00am Service, led musically by organ and choir, embodies the best of Methodist tradition in a structured worship experience. At 10:00am
families gather for a slightly less formal service, led periodically by
our small orchestra. In the evening two services provide a less formal,
more upbeat place of worship. 5:30 at Northfield is a seeker-sensitive, all-age service, making extensive use of the arts and multi-media. The 6:30pm Service is a spirited, contemporary service, led by a roster of passionate musicians.

In addition to the Sunday services, the Worship Ministry serves the worship life of Northfield
in a number of ways. The worship teams of GodZone (our children’s
ministry) and Josh (our Sunday youth service) both fall under the
oversight of the Worship Ministry. We also offer training for worship
and cell leaders through courses and seminars.

All of these worship events in Northfield’s life are served through the five sub-ministries of Worship. These are:

• The Musical Ministries (choirs, music teams and worship bands).
• The Visual Arts Ministries (banners, decor and flowers).
• The Technical Ministries (sound engineers, digital display board operators and, in development, the multi-media team).
• The Hospitality Ministries (door stewards, communion stewards & servers, and car park attendants).
• The Performing Arts Ministries (Performance musicians and vocalists, the dance team and the ‘ad hoc’ drama ministry).

For more details about the worship life of Northfield, or any of the above ministries, please email Stephen Holly at stephen@nfmc.org.za