Dear Siblings in Christ,
We took a short break in August on the Welsh border and had a relaxing time. One of the places we visited was the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Canal World Heritage Site where we walked across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. We also visited the dam at Lake Vyrnwy.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the largest aqueduct in Britain and took 10 years for over 500 men to build, opening in 1805. It is 1007 feet long with 18 piers and 19 arches and reaches a height of 126 feet. The iron trough canal measures 11ft 10ins wide and 5ft 3ins deep. It is still watertight and the barges still cross it today, some 200 years after it was built.
Vyrnwy dam was first large masonry dam in Britain and the largest artificial reservoir in Europe at that time. It has 31 arches and measures 144ft high and 1,171ft long. The dam was built using huge blocks of Welsh Granite, construction was completed in 1888 by over 1000 labourers. The lake is 4.75 miles long and 0.5 miles wide. The dam was built to supply Liverpool with water, and 130 plus years on, it continues to do so.
As I looked at these two great constructions, I was in awe at their invention, architecture and engineering. It brought home to me the amazing God-given creativity and ingeniousness that humans are capable of achieving. As we begin the next nine weeks focusing on climate change leading up to the COP26 conference, I pray that we will all take the time to learn more and consider our own actions as disciples caring for creation, but also that we will discover hope. Some of my hope comes from looking at the past inventions and trusting that God can achieve what we consider impossible through new inventions and people working together.
Learn all about the circuit’s climate action focus here: https://methodistic.org.uk/climate-action/ and anywhere you see this climate action picture. There is a different topic for each week and a prayer for each week and lots of ways to learn, speak out, take action and inspire hope. There’s even a climate tip for the day and a downloadable prayer card.
Here is September’s preaching plan (*=communion, HF=Harvest Festival, A=Anniversary). Or download the plan for the whole circuit.
| Museum St 10.45 a.m. | Chantry 9.30 a.m. | Landseer Rd 11 a.m. | Video from 6 a.m. | |
| 5th Sep | *Pell | Rokobuli | No Service (Circuit Service at 3 p.m.) | Cope |
| 12th Sep | Video | *Gardner (A) | *Pell (HF) | Pell |
| 19th Sep | Westren | Pell | Pell | Welbourn |
| 26th Sep | Pell (HF) | Songs of Praise | R Theobald | Grimshaw |
The September issue of our joint magazine for the three churches has been published. Read it here.
Our study group is on Thursdays from Noon to 1.30 p.m. in-person at Museum Street. Bring your own lunch. A new study is beginning on 5th September using the book A Christian Guide to Environmental Issues by Martin & Margot Hodson. More info here.
In Christ
–Pastor Joan
Joan’s Jottings are written to the churches at Museum Street, Landseer Road and Chantry where Joan is the minister, and a monthly summary is shared here for all to read.