CENTRAL METHODIST LADIES FELLOWSHIP

AT the beginning of May the ladies enjoyed a cruise from Foulridge, down the Leeds/ Liverpool canal on the ‘Marton Emperor’.

The cruises have been run for over 20 years under the present ownership.

It was a warm, sunny afternoon, very tranquil and relaxing and enhanced by a lovely cream tea.

After the hour-and-ahalf boat trip, the ladies finished their afternoon with some retail therapy at Pendle Village Mill.

At their recent meeting the Rev Ruth Jackson, superintendent minister from the Rochdale/ Littleborough circuit, was the guest speaker.

She has been a minister for over 30 years and she told of her many years of study and training to gain this position and how later she spent time at Cliff College in Derbyshire.

Her main theme was about how things have changed over the years, not just in technology but in the church too.

The congregation and younger people attending the services have diminished in number, the services and hymns have changed too.

She gave an example by reading the 23rd Psalm out of two of the Bibles she had been presented with over the years, each version was different.

As well as the joy of baptism and marriage, there is also the sadness of bereavements but sometimes, even at funeral services, something happens to cause a smile.

Having positions in Wolverhampton, York etc. she is now more local and she has fond memories of one of her presentations at Champness Hall in Rochdale.

She spoke about how nervous she was at the start of her ministry and how someone had given her a hug and that had made her feel more at ease at that time.

She said that the old saying ‘Ministers only work on Sundays’ is far from the truth.

Ruth is dedicated to her work, very happy in her profession and as well as enjoying the preaching, another joy to her is meeting people. Irene Wilkinson thanked Ruth for her talk ‘Reflections of a Methodist Minister’.