Clement’s Chat
Grace!
I would like to continue writing these stories I grew up witnessing that now have become my powerful testimonies. In our rural area, there was no tap water but there were boreholes which were sources of water for people. These boreholes were dotted around the villages.
Once upon a time, the council sent borehole surveyors to our nearby village because they wanted to drill a borehole. The Surveyors were welcomed by the headman who treated them well because the project of a borehole was overdue in his village. After hosting them a delicious lunch they started to do their work. The headman and his wife were convinced that the surveyors were going to find the water table just close to the headman homestead so that they will not have to go far to fetch water. The headman instructed the surveyors that they did not need to go far because there was plenty of water around his homestead.
The surveyors conducted their geological surveys as they analysed existing data to identify potential water-bearing zones but they failed to locate water tables near the headman homestead. This did not go well with the headman especially his wife who had already imagined people from the village coming to her residence to fetch water. This was going to have advantages on her side because she would not have to walk some distance to fetch water while at the same time she would have some control over how the borehole would be used.
After a long tedious day, the surveyors finally found a water table with a lot of water. It was located in the residence of a poor old lady who did know what was happening. The headman and particularly his wife were angry with this development. She could not envision herself walking a long distance to this poor lady for water. When the surveyors set their pegs where they had located their water-bearing zone at the homestead of this old woman, they left.
The wife of the headman did not find sleep for the next seven days, thinking how on earth she would be seen fetching water at this woman’s place. She came up with a plan. One night when her husband was not home, she left her place during the mid-night to where she had earlier spotted the pegs. She pulled up the pegs and relocated them closer to her place. She was happy after stealing the pegs and bringing them to her place.
It was after three months when the council sent borehole drillers together with another team of surveyors to ascertain the water table location before drilling the borehole. The surveyors failed to certify the place where they found the pegs despite the insistence and persuasion of the wife of the headman that this was the place where they were supposed to drill the borehole.
A fresh survey was conducted which brought them back to that poor old lady’s yard. The headman’s wife was disappointed because she thought that this old lady did not deserve to have a borehole drilled at her place. This means this old lady would not have to endure walking to fetch water.
This story reminds us about the Easter story, that Jesus died for everyone especially those who think they do not deserve God’s grace. The Easter story teaches us that God died for everyone despite the classes, age, gender, race we find ourselves in. To those who think they deserve less love, God loves you!
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
Music for the Soul
Nina Simone’s - Feeling Good
I’m a huge fan of Desert Island Disks on BBC radio 4, where each week a well-known personality chooses eight soundtracks that shaped their life. I’m always amazed at how music speaks to us during the highs and lows of our lives. I wonder if you were choosing your eight soundtracks, what music would you choose.
This week I’m thinking about music that nourishes your soul, and I think Plato summed this up perfectly saying, “Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything”. What kind of music nourishes you? Are there certain tracks that bring everything to life? Songs or tunes that make you feel a bit brighter?
The essence of soul music is rooted in African - American gospel and blues, often sung with a strong emotional intensity and expression. This is what I hear in Nina Simone’s “Feeling good”. It’s a song that reminds us each day is a new beginning, full of potential and possibility. An opportunity to start again all over again.
The discipline of naming our daily gratitudes has grown significantly over the past decade as part of mindfulness practice. Taking a moment to notice and acknowledge the things we are grateful for each day improves our mental health and helps us feel good about ourselves. I sometimes think we walk around like those horses with blinkers on their eyes - we don’t see clearly the world around us.
We need to open ourselves up to a deeper awareness, to notice the things we take for granted - the conversations, the experiences, our feelings and emotions. This is expressed well in this song - noticing the world around us helps us to live life more fully present in the moment.
Fish in the sea, you know how I feel River running free, you know how I feel Blossom on the tree, you know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life for me And I’m feeling good
What music nourishes your soul? How might the music and words of Nina Simone’s “Feeling good” speak to you this week?
Perhaps you could write down your eight Desert Island tracks or name three gratitudes each day? Or just pause and notice each day what makes you feel good?
The more we open ourselves up to the world, the more we begin to see and notice God’s presence in the world and in ourselves.
Music to nourish our spiritual selves.
Ascension Day
Whooosh! Just like that! Like a rocket, Zoooomm, that’s how he went!
Better than any fireworks I’ve ever seen! Wheeeee! And we were watching to see where he was going when a cloud came across, and, well, that was it. Gone. Ascended.
I didn’t want him to go. He’d already left us once, and that was awful. We just didn’t know what to do with ourselves, we moped around, fearful for our lives, fearful for our sanity. I mean, he was our hope, we’d left everything for him. And he had promised that he would never leave us or forsake us. So when he died, what did that mean? Wasn’t he who we thought he was? Was he a fake or a fool, or even a fiend? So many questions and doubts. We needed him, he was showing us the way, the way to be human, to live without the legalism of the Pharisees or the rule or the Romans. But it was just those things, the rules and the rule, which caused his death. I just didn’t understand.
Then he came back. He came back! Who has ever come back from the dead! (Well, except Lazarus, and that little girl, and... er, well, perhaps I should have trusted him a bit more.) Anyway he rose again just like he said he would. And he gave us convincing proofs he was alive, showing us his wounds and eating fish and everything! I mean, ghosts don’t eat fish, do they? And he spoke to us about the Kingdom of God, and it all started to make sense, all that stuff we’d heard before but hadn’t really grasped until, well, until he’d died I guess.
One time when we were eating he said “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”
I got all excited and said “Lord, Lord are you this time going to restore the Kingdom of Israel?”
He looked at me in his way which means “you haven’t quite got it yet, have you?” I’m getting used to that look.
He said “It’s not for you to know the times and dates the Father has set for his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Whoooosh! Zoooooom! Gone! Ascended. Before I’d even had chance to ask him what he was going on about. And we are all standing there looking up into the sky like a load of ninnies, when we hear a voice.
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” Fair question I guess. They must not have see the Whooosh! But now I think about it they did look pretty amazing themselves, all white and shiny, like people from heaven.
They said “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
I looked at my watch and was about to ask if they could give an estimated time of return, but they had already gone.
So here we are back in Jerusalem. We are praying and waiting, waiting and praying, and I can’t say I’m not excited about the coming of the Holy Spirit, whatever that might be. But to be honest I’d rather Jesus came back himself. I need him. No one knows me like he does. No one shows me God like he does.
But I guess even more than that the world needs him. Israel needs to be restored, God’s Kingdom needs to come to this world, and Jesus is the only one to do it, I really believe that. But I’m worried that not one Jesus would be enough, it’s like we need God to send maybe 100 or 1000 little Jesus’, going around and spreading his Kingdom. Little Christs, empowered to do his work. We can’t do it, we are useless. Come on God, we need your help!
Why Change?
“If something isn’t broken don’t fix it” we do not like change we want things to stay the same, or do we? When it comes to the house we all like a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom, - well before 1908 we couldn’t since James Spangler only just invented it. Had it not been for the sales promotion of Mr Hoover it might never had made it to the commercial market place. Before 1880 we would not have got stuck behind a caravan and imagine before 1892 there was no such thing as a tractor, imagine how fast we could travel then, except most of us were only able to walk as cars were a rarity. The first mass produced car the Model T Ford not being produced until 1908.
When it comes to church most of us are even more certain that we do not want change, things are all right as they are. Well if we do not want change, the average preach in the seventeenth century was at least an hour and the congregations usually stood; or if we go back even further services were in Latin or further still the early church services were in homes and hired rooms no sense of a Church building then.
What we really mean is we like what we like and do not like anything else. But think back to the Golden Age when Sunday School was a must, two services a day were the norm and nothing else happened on a Sunday ever. As a youth I recall serving at a minimum of three services a morning every Sunday and then once on a Wednesday before School.
So really we do not usually mean “we do not like change that has taken place”, we are concerned about where change might lead us to or what might happen to the bits we like now?
First I have to ask a question - for whom does Church exist?. Certainly not for those of us who are members!! The church is the body of Christ on earth, here to do the work of Jesus which as he said Himself “ is to preach good news….. and recovery of sight to the blind” We exist for those who are not yet members therefore our question should be what must we do to reach the others who do not come? Once we have the answer to that question the next stage is simple, do it!!
So before we next complain about change ask this question is it having an effect ? Are new folk coming in? If not perhaps we try something else or would you prefer the hour glass back in the pulpit.
World Laughter Day
On May 10th 1998, the first celebration took place in Mumbai, India. It was arranged by Dr Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.
Short-term benefits
A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:
• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
Long-term effects
Laughter isn’t just a quick pick-me-up, though. It’s also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:
• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.
World Laughter Day falls on the first Sunday in May every year, spreading joy and laughter across the globe. Mark your calendars and get ready to giggle, as this day promises to be filled with contagious laughter and happiness!
World Laughter Day aims to promote world peace through laughter. Laughter has long been hailed as the best medicine, and on this day, people come together to share jokes, funny stories, and laughter exercises to uplift spirits and foster connections.
The most lost day in life is the day we don’t laugh!
Hilarious Things My Mother Taught Me
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. “If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I’ve just finished cleaning.”
2. My mother taught me RELIGION “You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
3. My mother taught me TIME TRAVEL “If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!”
4. My mother taught me LOGIC. “Because I said so, that’s why”
5. My mother taught me more LOGIC “If you fall off that wall and break your leg, don’t come running to me.”
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”
7. My mother taught me IRONY. “Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.”
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. “Shut your mouth and eat your dinner.”
9. My mother taught me to be a CONTORTIONIST. “Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck.”
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. “You sit there until all that spinach is gone.”
A-Z of Knowledge Letter T
Tact
Tact is changing the subject without changing your mind.
Talk
I thought talk was cheap until I saw our telephone bill. Some people would say more if they talked less.
Time
Time is the wisest counsellors.
If you think time heals everything, try waiting in a doctor’s surgery. Our days are identical suitcases - all the same size - but some people can pack more into them than others.
Counting time is not as important as making time count. Sign on a school clock: “Time will pass. Will you?”
Kodak gives you pictures of yesterday. Polaroid gives you pictures of today. But only God can give you pictures of tomorrow.
The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy.
A-Z of Knowledge Letter T
Truth
Truth is not a virtue unless it is given with love. Beware of half-truths. You may have got hold of the wrong half.
It is better to be: divided by truth, than united by error; to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than speak a lie that will comfort and then kill; to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie; to stand alone with the truth than to be wrong with a multitude; to die ultimately with the truth, than to live with a lie.
What’s On:
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
6.30pm Guides 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
Duncan Crewe 0151 733 1291
2nd Monday - 9.30am Mini First Aid Training 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
Joan Rutledge 07984 894 597
4th Saturday 10.30am Children Bereavement Support Group 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. CONFERENCES
