Chenies Baptist Church
Issue 468
Spring 2013
Outlook The Greatest Bargain
Between ‘groupon’, ‘secret escapes’, and a family favourite ‘wowcher’ we are bombarded with offers entitling us to money off. All it takes is to go to the local store, or online and redeem your voucher. Redeem is a word we don’t use very often. In this context we receive something in exchange for the piece of paper we hand over to the cashier. A swap if you will. Another example is in school where a teacher might shout “sit there until you have redeemed yourself,” suggesting that a child could make up for their bad behaviour by being good. The world tells us that we can redeem ourselves – we exchange a voucher or improve our behaviour.
(Romans 6.23). Easter is all about a man willing to redeem us, to pay the debt we owed. Jesus exchanged his life so that we could go free. You may be thinking… what is the small print? Where are the terms & conditions of this exchange? What is the bill for this great swap? Well that is the greatest part, unlike the vouchers and coupons where there is still money left to pay, Jesus paid in full, no small print. Society may tell us that we can redeem ourselves, pay our way out of situations and make ourselves better people, but in God’s eyes we all need redeeming and the only payment necessaray is Jesus dying in our place. This is the gift we celebrate at Easter. Do join us this Easter (see below) to celebrate the greatest bargain ever. Rev Malcolm Hazell
But in the Bible ‘redeeming’ is something only God can do. It highlights that we are in debt with no way to pay. Our debt (or sin) is that of ignoring God, our creator, and living however we like. This cannot be paid off with a coupon, or solved by behaving better; the Bible says the debt is too great, “for the wages of sin is death”
!"#$%&'()&*(+)&!,")*&#-,%&./),01& Easter Fun Day Saturday 16th March 2 pm – 4.30 pm £5 per child (aged 5-11) To book: 01923 285361
Memorial Service for loved ones
Easter Sunday Service
Sunday 3rd March 3 pm (tea afterwards)
Sunday 31st March 10.30 am or 6.30 pm Easter Egg hunt a.m.
Call 01923 283046
call 01923 285361
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OUTLOOK
SPRING 2013
Honest Reflections on unemployment
I find myself, along with many others, an unemployed graduate. There is nothing special about that, the statistics suggest that there were 2.51million unemployed people in the UK in Dec 2012. But being out of work has come with unexpected emotions. There is a sense of helplessness and frustration when 100s of applications are rejected, you start to doubt your ability to do anything and financial constraints leave you with many empty days to fill. There is a feeling of embarrassment at turning down offers of going to the pub because you can’t afford to buy a drink or not being able to visit people because of the petrol cost. Yet how do we approach God when we have these concerns dragging on for weeks, which turn into months. Where do we find joy when burdened with how to pay the bills? How do you admit to the family that you don’t have any money, when you are so used to living independently? It is hard to be honest when people ask how the job search is going – as you don’t want to admit that every day it is a fight for motivation. Through this I have been struck by the realisation that my self-worth came from being self-sufficient and the status of being busy. And yet when it felt as though I had nothing, I remembered that I have
everything. Knowing Jesus means I have the richest inheritance; eternal life; I am adopted as a child of God and will, one day, be perfected in a new body. Paul – one of the writers of the New Testament, wrote of his own hardship “We do not want you to be uninformed brothers about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”(2 Corinthians 1.8-9) It is not easy waiting for the right job and tightening the purse strings, but it has made me cling tighter to the God who promises to never leave me. Apparently it is in the desert that plants grow the deepest roots and so in this hard time I anchor myself more surely on the saviour of the world, rather than the jobs that come and go. Marie Betts (Marie worshipped at Chenies Baptist before starting her degree, I am pleased to report that after three months unemployed Marie has just started working in the opticians at Boots)
SPRING 2013
OUTLOOK
Chenies Cherubs Monday 10:00 - 11:30am Our friendly little toddler group has a warm atmosphere inviting any budding toddlers or babies to a Monday morning of fun play & songs between 10-11:30 in term time. Mothers, fathers or grandparents can expect a cup of tea, a slice of cake and the chance to chat in a beautiful setting overlooking the glorious Chess Valley. There is also the chance to run about in the grounds on dry days. All are welcome. Please call Louise (01494 737495).
Saturday 16th March 2 pm – 4.30 pm Easter is not just for adults. We like to celebrate this central Christian festival with all ages. So if face-painting, craft, chickens, videos, chocolate fountains and eggs sounds fun – don’t miss out. Children aged 5-11 welcome. To book your place call Dawn or Malcolm Hazell on 01923 285361 or e mail Malcolm.hazell@btinternet.com Suggested donation £5
OUTLOOK
SPRING 2013
Fridays Youth Club ‘Fridays’ is a place where young people meet to join with friends, have fun and hear a little about what it means to be a Christian in today’s world. School years 7 & 8 - 6.30 pm – 8 pm, School years 9 plus - 8 pm – 9.45 pm. (£1 per evening unless specified otherwise). You are welcome to join us this Spring:
Fridays programme Spring 2013: 1st Feb – Life size Monopoly 15th Feb – Pancake making 1st March – Bowling 15th March – Chenies Talent Night Easter Hols Cycling trip date tbc Dates for next term: 19.4, 3.5, 17.5, 31.5, 14.6, 28.6, 12.7 Contact Dawn Hazell: 01923 285361 Email: youth@cheniesbaptist.co.uk 30 young people enjoy Fridays Christmas Dinner 2012
Memorial Service for loved ones 3rd March 3pm The loss of a loved one is a hidden wound that takes time to heal. Sometimes it can feel like life is ok again and then a song, a place, a memory comes and it is clear that the deep loss will take longer to adjust to. Over the last two years Chenies Baptist has offered our community a short service to help those who are bereaved. It has proved a real blessing to many and a part of the healing process. Please treat reading Outlook today as your personal invitation. Simply come on Sunday 3rd March at 3 pm.
Penny Baron – Pastoral Carer
Sunday Services Every Sunday at 10.30am Children’s & Youth group runs during the morning Minister: Rev. Malcolm Hazell - 01923 285361 E-mail: malcolm.hazell@btinternet.com Youth Worker: Ben Ansell – Call Dawn Hazell for details 01923 285361 E-mail: dawn.hazell@hotmail.com Pastoral Carer: Penny Baron 01923 283046 Hall Bookings— Georgie Clark 01923 285382 E-mail: georgieclark@live.co.uk
www.cheniesbaptist.co.uk
Listen to the 10 min talk given at the memorial service last year: www.youtube.com/ cheniesbaptist and click on the service on 26th Feb 2012