COURT HEY METHODIST CHURCH April 2025
Clement’s Chat
Confessions!
Some of the ordinary stories we grew up witnessing in our childhood are now powerful testimonies of life. One of these stories happened to the siblings of our neighbours in the rural areas of Zimbabwe where I grew up. One day these siblings were cutting grass using their slashers at their homestead. The parents had visited some place and had asked their two sons to cut the grass at their yard.
When they were both working on their yard, the elder brother accidentally cut off the head of the crawl and it instantly died. In our rural areas having a crawl among your flock of chicken was something plausible. These two brothers knew how important this crawl was to their mom and dad.
Knowing how furious their dad was going to be when he heard the news, they came up with a plan. The younger brother suggested that they take the crawl and bury it somewhere where nobody will ever see it. They both agreed on this plan and they carried it out.
When the parents came back home nobody mentioned anything about the crawl and the parents did not notice its absence.
It was after two days that their father realised that the crawl was not among the chicken. He enquired about it to the two boys who claimed knowing nothing about it. When the matter seemed to be settling, the younger brother started to submit his demands to his elder brother in return for keeping the secret of the crawl. The demands included the elder brother making the bed for his younger brother, taking care of his laundry and even taking his young brother’s roster place in many home chores.
It was when these demands became too much for the elder brother that he thought it was better for him to confess to his father. One day, when his young brother was not at home, the elder brother approached his father and confessed the whole story when he accidentally killed the crawl. His father immediately forgave him. When his young brother returned home, as usual, he brought a long list of demands to the elder brother. The elder brother confided to him that he had confessed to his father.
The younger brother saw his list of demands collapsing. The confession of his elder brother meant the end of keeping his elder brother as a hostage. It was the confession which brought the end to this challenging era.
This story which happened many years ago when I was young teaches me today that confessions bring forgiveness. This may suggest that confessions pave an amazing path of new beginnings in our relationship with others and God.
God Bless Clement
Meet The Minister
Hi, my name is Clement and I’m a Minister here at Court Hey Methodist Church. I moved to the UK from Zimbabwe with my Family in 2020 to serve here at: Court Hey Methodist Church.
Reverend
Dr Clement Matarirano
What does “Church” Mean to You?
Different people have different ideas about the meaning of the word “church.” Sometimes people use the term to describe a building in the community decorated with religious symbols. Others describe the church as a social group to which they belong. Still others use the term to describe a particular denomination such as the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. And there are others who use this term as an expression to describe the entity to which all Christians belong (the universal church).
Outside the Christian community, people have other ideas about the church. For some, it is a community group which sponsors a particular service they find helpful such as a day-care centre. Others see the church as the place they meet others like themselves in a friendship or a support group. Some think of it as a place to send their children on Sunday morning. Others see it as a somewhat irrelevant institution which may have had its place in a previous generation.
Jesus knew we would need help living the Christian life, so He promised, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).
Jesus provided the church as a means of Christians assembling together to encourage and help one another in the Christian life. This would enable church members to be more effective in reaching out to others in their community.
Because the church has such a prominent role in the plan of God for His people, it is important to understand the biblical answer to these four important questions….
1. What Makes a Church a Church?
The Greek word ekklesia, translated “church” in the New Testament, was widely used in the first century to describe a group that was called out from the larger community for a specific purpose. But the word is also used in a more technical way to describe the gathering of the early Christians. The early church was a worshipping church, constantly engaged in “praising God” (Acts 2:47).
The early church was involved in instructing people and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42). Evangelism was an important function of the early church resulting in others being converted to Christianity daily (Acts 2:47). In the New Testament, the church met in smaller groups to accomplish ministry (Acts 12:12) and larger gatherings for celebration (Acts 3:11). This pattern has been followed throughout church history by growing churches.
2. What Is the Purpose of the Church?
The church’s purpose is found in Jesus’ Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
At the heart of the Great Commission is the task of making disciples. Therefore, evangelism is more than decision-making, it is disciple-making.
3. What Does Church Membership Involve?
Church membership is an expression of belonging. When people join a church, they are telling others they feel at home in that church and want to be a full participant in the life of the church Therefore, church membership involves more than just adding your name to the roll. It is an expression of your desire to be enfolded into the church family. It provides you with the opportunity to be involved in the lives of others. Therefore, when Christians are baptised and join a church, they demonstrate outwardly what has already happened inwardly.
Because they become a part of the body of Christ by receiving Him as Saviour (John 1:12), they want to become an active member of a local church which is a local expression of the body of Christ.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
4. How Do I Respond to Church Leadership?
The leader of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is described as “the head of the body, the church” and the One who alone holds preeminence in the church (Colossians 1:18)
While Christ is the leader of the church, He has appointed shepherds, or pastors, to provide leadership in the church. Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of their responsibilities “to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God” (Acts 20:28).
As church members, it is our responsibility to pray for, support, and follow our pastors as they lead. God also established the office of deacons in the church. The word deacon could be translated servant. The first deacons were appointed by the apostles to do ministry and restore harmony in the church. As a result of their faithful ministry “the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly” (Acts 6:1-7).
When we become fully involved in the life of the church, we are working with Christ in doing what He is doing (1 Corinthians 3:9).
That opportunity alone should motivate us to become as fully involved as possible in the ministry of a local Bible-believing church in our community.
The True Meaning of ‘Shalom’
Many of us it would be true to say, struggle towards wholeness. Yet the call to wholeness is central to the Gospel. The risen Jesus greets the disciples after the resurrection and says ‘Shalom’ which in itself is a call to wholeness. We are all very familiar with the Hebrew word ‘Shalom’, but the translation of the word as ‘ peace’ does not begin to draw close to its Jewish meaning.
For many people, peace simply means an absence of violence. The word ‘Shalom’ has a far deeper meaning and is truly an active word. The greeting of Shalom wishes good health, wealth, harmony and completeness on another person. It wishes tranquility, fulfilment, freedom from trouble and everything which would stop ultimate contentment. Walter Bruggermann in his book ‘Living towards a vision : the true meaning of Shalom’, writes the following :’ Shalom is a persistent vision of joy, well being, harmony and prosperity. Many dimensions and subtle nuances love, loyalty, grace, salvation, justice, blessing, righteousness. Shalom is at the heart of a dream of God that resists all our tendencies to division, hostility, fear and misery’.
Thus, when a Jewish person says Shalom, he or she is wishing on another the blessedness of God which covers all that I have tried to share, it’s an amazing word which we translate as ‘Peace’!
In this season of Resurrection, it seems to me that God has grown accustomed to our small and cowardly ways of waiting behind closed doors, led by our own fears, anxieties and self doubts. God knows how easily we settle for those things rather than Gospel freedom and an awareness of his presence deep within.
God knows how most of us want a very small god instead of a big mystery, yet God seems to be determined to break through, and Jesus came in their midst and said ‘Peace’. In short, God still wants us to experience that deep ‘Shalom’ which will carry us through life into eternity - and so open your hearts today and find it.
6 Little Stories With Lots of Meanings
1. Once all villages decided to pray for rain.
On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella.
That’s Faith.
2. When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you’ll catch them.
That’s Trust.
3. Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but we still set alarms to wake up.
That’s Hope.
4. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future.
That’s Confidence.
5. We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and have children.
That’s Love.
6. On an old man’s shirt was written a sentence “I am 80 years old; I’m sweet 16 with 64 years of experience”.
That’s Attitude.
Have a happy day and live your life like these stories. Remember - Good friends are the rare jewels of life, difficult to find and impossible to replace!!
A Fabulous Holiday (Part 3)
So now to the final part of my fabulous holiday. At this point we move on to Cambodia, a beautiful country again with lovely gentle people.
Unlike Vietnam which is a patriarchal society, Cambodia is a matriarchal country. So our guide Han had to move in with his wife and her parents after his marriage. Unlike his Vietnamese colleague Chung who brought his wife to live with his parents and grandparents.
Cambodia is also a Buddhist country and one of our trips was to Udon Monastery. It’s situated across two mountains overlooking the city of Udong. The main monastery houses Buddhist monks who performed a chanting ceremony for us and blessed us. It was very interesting but so different to anything we do at Court Hey. We took no part in the proceedings and had to stand or kneel or sit on the floor. I think I’ll stick with Methodism!
The site also contained remnants of the country’s internal strife. In 1977 the Kymer Rouge came into the area and destroyed monuments, temples and religious structures. They bombed the Arthaross temple and its gigantic statue of Buddha.
The Buddha was replaced but the temples remains were preserved to show the impact of the Kymer Rouge.
Our guide Han told us that due to the actions of the Kymer Rouge there are missing generations in Cambodian society. There are few people in Cambodia in their 60’s/70’s/80’s. These folk were murdered by Pol Pot’s followers. We were also taken to the “Killing Fields” to see the mass burial sites there and listen to stories of the brutality of the soldiers who were even prepared to murder children under 5. I will say no more about this as it made for very troubling listening.
Instead I’ll tell you more about the Buddhist faith.
Apparently it existed before Christ was born. It is thought the Buddha’s teachings were first recorded in Sri Lanka circa the 1st century BC. The Buddha laid out Four Noble Truths in his first sermon which are intended to be the foundation of the pursuit of enlightenment.
Monks who train up must follow the five Precepts.
1. Refrain from harming living beings
2. Refrain from taking that which is not freely given.
3. Refrain from sexual misconduct.
4. Refrain from wrongful speech - lying/gossiping/harsh words.
5. Refrain from consuming intoxicating drink or drugs.
Instead of The Above They Should:
1. Practise kindness and compassion
2. Practise patience
3. Practise contentment in married life
4. Practise truthfulness
5. Practise watchfulness in food/work/behaviour and the nature of life.
The Cambodian people tried to follow these ideas when at the end of Pol Pot’s reign as a brutal, sadistic dictator they allowed him to be put into arrest in Thailand where he lived out the remainder of his life.
Cambodia also offered other places less grand than the monastery but just as interesting.
Places like the market where you could buy live baby turtles to put in your home to bring the family good luck. Or live baby chicks or ducks to rear to adulthood as pets or food. There were also snakes ready skinned for cooking, long tailed chickens (rats) and live frogs.
Seeing our bewilderment and slight revulsion over the rats and frogs Han explained that during the years of terror that were Pol Pot’s time, people fled for their lives from towns and villages. They had to forage for food to survive and ate whatever they could find in fields and forests. These foods are still around after being found to be edible.
I preferred the many sweet treats on offer like:Num ansom chek a layer of sticky rice surrounding a filling of fresh bananas wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.
Or
Mung bean pudding served with coconut sauce.
At one point travelling on the coach from one place to another Han had the driver stop so he could buy us some sticky rice and coconut served in bamboo tubes from a roadside vendor.
The tubes were roasted over an open fire and Han peeled them open and went up and down the bus scraping out the rice into our open hands for us to consume!
Later he offered to stop again for us at a vendor who was making deep fried crickets/scorpions & tarantulas. I think he was a little disappointed that very few people wanted to give it a go.
Although one lady was very keen and even asked if it would all come with a dipping sauce!
Well I think that’s it folks. Tales of my travels must now cease as I have only three weeks to get myself together for my next BIG trip. This time it’s Japan and a visit to family in Kuala Lumpur.
Wonder what faiths they follow there?
Factoids
The only king without a moustache in a pack of playing cards, is the King of Hearts.
Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand.
The highest score in one turn in the game of Scrabble, is believed to be 392, by a guy named Karl Khoshnaw in 1982. He played a word ‘Caziques’ which means Spanish-American Chiefs, political bosses or a type of tropical songbird.
Cricket is supposed to be a peaceful and gentlemanly sport, but two players were killed following a disagreement when Kent played Essex in 1776.
A rubik’s cube has 43,252,003,856,000 possible configurations.
In Ancient Japan, public contests were held to see who could fart the loudest and longest.
People who ride roller coasters have an increased risk of developing a blood clot to the brain.
Before football referees started using whistles in 1878, they relied on waiving a handkerchief.
Monopoly is the best selling board game in the world.
Only once in the history of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, held annually since 1856, has the result been declared a dead heat. This was in 1877 when the weather was so bad, and the race judge was said by some not to have had a clear view of the finish.
For 60 years, the Football Association imposed a wage cap for professional footballers, by the time it was abolished in 1961, the maximum weekly wage was £20.
Before 1947 all men competing at Wimbledon Tennis Championships wore long trousers. That year, the American, Jack Kramer broke the mould and wore a pair of shorts.
A-Z of Knowledge Letter S
Service
The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.
Singing
These days, what isn’t worth saying is sung.
Smile
All people smile in the same language.
A smile thaws an icy stare.
A smile is God’s cosmetic.
Smile! It improves your face value.
A smile is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.
Suffering
When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.
Saturday
10.30am. Clinical Pilates Milka 07813 171 211
Sunday
10.30am. Morning Worship Rev Clement Matarirano 0151 216 1170
Monday
9.45am Tai Chi Liz Lloyd 0151 489 8076
11.00am Line Dancing Margaret Sharp 07727 682 610
2.00pm Craft Group Contact Jenny Rayner 0151 428 0205
4.00pm AJM School of Dance & Drama. Alisha McGinn 07754 534 252
Tuesday
5.30pm Rainbows
6.30pm Brownies
www.girlguiding.org.uk 07599 431 195
www.girlguiding.org.uk
Wednesday
10.00am - 11.00am Qi Gong
1.30-3.30p.m. Tea Dance
Barbara Shields 07944 662 109
Margaret Diggle 0151 421 1794 07516 814 013
4.00pm AJM School of Dance & Drama. Alisha McGinn 07754 534 252
Thursday
9.30am Toddler Group Sue Canavan. 07746 407217
1.30p.m. Mamafit Rob Lunn Email rob.lunn@mamafituk.com
4.00pm AJM Alisha McGinn 07754 534 252
6.30pm Boys Brigade Liz Lloyd. 0151 489 8076
Friday
10.00am - 12.00 noon Place of Welcome Andy Sproston 0151 208 9518
1.00pm Wriggles + Giggles Alisha McGinn 07754 534 252
4.00pm AJM Alisha McGinn 07754 534 252
Fortnightly
Monday 2pm Philatelic Society
2nd Monday - 9.30am Mini First Aid Training
Duncan Crewe 0151 733 1291
Sarah 07949 016 473
Thursday
1-3pm Scottish Dancing
Sandra Piper 0151 724 4966
Monthly
Art Group (Adult) 1st and 2nd Tuesday in Month
Paul Trubshaw
7pm - 9pm 07947 591 746
Saturday
1st & 2nd Saturday in Month
10am - 12pm Art4kids&co
Paul Trubshaw 07947 591 746
3rd Saturday in Month
10.00am Table Sale
4th Saturday 10.30am Children Bereavement Support Group
Joan Rutledge 07984 894 597
Lisa Davies 07511 567 179
We have the ideal function room for you, conveniently located close to the end of the M62 with good public transport links and on site parking for 40+ cars. The majority of facilities including: Kitchen & Toilets are all fully wheelchair accessible.
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