D E zine
Issue 5
October 2013
C
Dougie McCormack
‘Dream Big’ Page 2
Myrtle Fergusson
‘Wisdom’
A Gardener’s Thoughts on “Angel’s Fishing Rods” Page 9
Final instalment of Sharon Burrell’s book ‘Stories of Faith’ Page 11
~ New Series ~ The Gospel in History See how the gospel developed and how we today have received it
Going to the Polls A Brief description of An Seanad Page 25
What does a typical October look like? What does Meteorological October look like? Cloudy, wet rain (very wet rain!), cold! What does it taste like? Pancakes, colcannon, peanuts and sweets. What does it Sound like?
Fireworks! ireworks! What colour is October? - brown!
School in October - Mid-term break-Mon 28th Oct to Fri 1st Nov incl (really?). What is Religious October like? Well, in the Jewish tradition there are 2: September- October (Tishrei - 10 Tishrei - Yom Kippur – (Fast Day) 15–21 Tishrei – Sukkot 21 Tishrei - Hoshanah Rabbah) and October – November (Cheshvan) In The Christian tradition: Ordinary Time - October 27th Reformation Day, October 31st All Hallows Eve. Does this sound comforting or a little boring? What would October with Jesus look like?
You choose your October!
by Dougie McCormack
To my mind, vision always has to be about a better future. That’s not to suggest it’s about a more comfortable place for us, more money or even more people in the church – it’s about picturing a world that is a better place for our communities and the wider world. A better place because the Spirit of the living God changes it. It may also be about living life in a way that makes us more effective as Christians and therefore we play a bigger part in effecting that change. When churches are talking about vision we can confuse it with reorganisation. Maybe we think of new teams, new ways of doing church or new programs to make us more effective. We develop new strategies to get us all on the same page. There’s nothing wrong with any of that once we realise that they are methodologies to effect change – they don’t produce the vision. They don’t change us – just how we do things. Therefore this piece is not about reorganization but about something that changes us inside.
What is your vision of a God changed community? Do you have one? I wonder if we had a picture of what might be how that would influence us? If we all dreamed bigger dreams and were prepared to allow God to use us in any way he wanted, how would that change the world around us? What, if anything, is stopping us fulfilling this vision? So many questions, so little time! “Dreams and Engagement”
Recently I was chatting to a group of friends in my local Pub. The conversation came around to talking about the after life. There was six or seven of us and I was alone in my belief of the existence of Heaven and Hell. One of the guys explained how he believed that as we are all constructed of atoms and we disintegrate after death that somehow those atoms are restructured into new things, and therefore there is some sort of reincarnation at work. That was the closest we came to any sense of life after death. The same man said to me “I hope that I’m proved wrong and there is a Hell, because I know that I deserve to be there.” I tried to explain that he’d do a lot better to try and discover Heaven, as Hell was not somewhere anyone wanted to go, whether they believed in it or not. This sort of conversation is typical of many that happen everyday throughout the Western world. In the relatively recent past, the concepts of Hell, Heaven, sin and redemption were at least commonly understood and most people had a basic understanding of the narrative of Jesus. Indeed, most people had a belief in God even if they didn’t purport to know him. Our world has changed significantly in the last two decades. Now we have to ask ourselves about how we can present the Gospel to a world who do not believe that there is a God at all? In 1971 John Lennon wrote his iconic ballad Imagine. “Imagine there’s no Heaven, it’s easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky, imagine all the people Living for today...”. That today is the reality in much of secular Western Europe. Most people no longer believe in a Hell below us or a Heaven above us, we live in the era of
Post-Christendom. Unfortunately the other part of John Lennon’s dream, of living in a world not driven by the need for possessions, isn’t reflected in our society. Whilst we may disagree with much of Lennon’s sentiment that the world would be better off without religion, or at least without a knowledge of God (and I accept that the two things are not always intertwined), he was able to articulate a dream of a better world - a utopian one where people stopped fighting with each other over religion, politics and possessions. What he didn’t manage to convey was the motivation that would lead to such a move in human hearts. I suggest that God working in us, changing us and softening us causes this move from individual benefit to community. So how are we to respond? How are we to present the Gospel? Are we called to simply present salvation as an option? Do we just get up there and tell people that they can choose Hell or Heaven? How do we communicate with people who do not see that they need a Saviour or even see themselves as sinners? If we continue to attempt to engage in the same way with a world that has utterly changed (in it’s thinking about God and Christianity) we are unlikely to be terribly relevant. We therefore need to find a new expression of the Gospel, a different way of engagement and perhaps a new vision. In order to do this I wonder is the best way to go back to the Gospels and see how the Lord Jesus engaged with people. We can always learn something profound by studying his way. We then should be able to take from our learning and apply it to our situation and the world in which we exist. Matt.7:1 Do not judge or you too will be judged. These words of Jesus are placed towards the latter end of the “Sermon on the Mount”. King Jesus’ address to the people spelling out the values and ways of living required within his Kingdom. His picture of what the Kingdom is to look like. His instruction here addresses both hypocrisy and self-righteousness. We should not misinterpret his call not to judge as an acceptance that all behaviours or actions are good. It is not a call to plurality (that it doesn’t really matter what you believe – all beliefs are of equal importance and value) but to a correct self-assessment and an attitude that does not distance us from those who are different to us. This is a hard thing to do! It’s difficult not to judge because it’s inherent in us to do so. It’s part of our sinful nature. We love it! From the time we are young we use it as a means to deflect from ourselves. How often when we challenge a young child regarding some bad behaviour or other do they reply “but look what he did”! Describing the poorer behaviour of someone else somehow lessens the feelings of guilt within us. Their bigger failures reduce ours to mere mistakes. Adults are not so different. We tend to take comfort in the fact that we are not like some others! We feel superior; “at least I’m not like him or her” we may think to ourselves, whilst never ever saying it out loud. This sense of superiority can also infect our faith. The sense within us that we alone know the truth is damaging. It can cause us to act in a way that makes people we encounter feel somehow less than us. We may not be conscious of such a thought within us, or the effects on others but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Some judging is caused by snobbery. Social ills that blight our communities but not so much our churches can lead us to feel that we are in a place of rightness whilst others are living in constant sin. Our views can so easily be tainted by the limits of our own experience or our own middle-class values. We are not called to acknowledge sin as anything else than the fallen nature and actions of mankind. What we are called to however is to avoid condemnation with our thoughts or with our words. We are called to understand that sin is sin. Though some may seem to us to be greater than ours we are still in the same place of needing a Saviour. Indeed, I don’t wonder if our relief at not having all our sinful nature exposed sometimes drives our sense of judgement on others. Whilst there may be many factors that cause us to be judgemental, it is critical that we deal with this particular sin in our own lives as it has such a detrimental effect on our engagement with others. Both the example of Jesus in approaching a social outcast and the reaction of the religious leaders of the day are relayed by Matthew:
Matt. 9:10-12 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” This story is really helpful to us as we consider how Jesus engaged with someone who was considered a real “scumbag” by his peers. The Pharisees thought Jesus should be above sitting with the ‘sinners’. It wasn’t seemly for a Teacher of the Law to be associating with someone who was both a Roman collaborator and a thief. Their laws and traditions had morphed into a religion of exclusivity not inclusivity. Those on the outside were not really welcome to come into the fold, at least not without changing their ways first. Do we look to place the same demands on people we meet? Are we looking for changes before we accept them into our fold or are we happy to engage with “sinners” as we find them? Somewhere buried in our subconscious can be the misnomer that Christian people should look nice! Many years ago I remember the outrage of a friend who’s boyfriend came to faith at a Christian camp. He met a relation of hers shortly afterwards who suggested to him that now that he was a Christian he should dress like one. What was a Christian to dress like she asked me? In our culture, prejudice such as this has largely been confined to the bin of irrelevancy as we have moved into the 21st century, however we have to be careful that we don’t replace it with new prejudice or restrictions that are not from God. We find it easier when people look like and act like us – embracing the outsider is not always so easy. Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6 to the religious leaders: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. If you look at the verse in NASB it actually translates as ‘For I desire Loyalty and not sacrifice.’ Mercy, loyalty come from the Hebrew word ‘Hesed’ which is normally translated as “loving kindness”. In the Hosea context it refers to the fact that the people have turned from God and failed to act with loving kindness to each other, which is disloyalty towards God. Jesus was explaining that we must recognise ourselves as spiritually ill before we can be healed, no matter how wonderful we might look! I think the phrase “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” is important for us in DEC at this time as we consider how we might engage better with local community. Matthew records Jesus using the same phrase again in a different context: Matt. 12: 1 - 11 12 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” A discussion about keeping the Sabbath is not appropriate here; the point of the story is the judgemental attitude of the Pharisees
and Jesus reply to them. Our learning here from the Master is so important regarding priorities. Firstly, the Pharisees were criticizing Jesus disciples for breaking Sabbath law by ‘harvesting’ wheat – they defined what the disciples were doing as work. Rather than enter into a debate about what properly constitutes Sabbath, Jesus refers the Pharisees to an incident where David and his companions ate consecrated bread in the house of God although it was against the law. The point here is that “human need takes precedence over ceremonial technicalities”. He also points out that the priests technically break the law every Sabbath day by changing the consecrated bread. Jesus then points out, again from the prophet Hosea, that acts of kindness take precedence over religious rites, if one has to choose. It’s easy to see the bad guys here- the Pharisees, and we know that they were trying to trip Jesus up and discredit him. We tend not to put ourselves in their shoes or think of ourselves as being like them – lets face it who does?! Our tendency towards religion or religious duty though can be more marked than we sometimes wish to admit to. You may remember the scriptures we looked at from Zechariah 7 a year or two ago “ You’re interested in religion, I’m interested in people.” What’s more important- religious duty or compassion? Sometimes we prefer the law to mercy. Why? It’s easier. Being busy can means we don’t have to get involved outside our comfort zone. We don’t have the time! We can be so busy doing church things we don’t have the time for people outside of the small group that are like us. Of course this is not true of everyone, or maybe even the majority of us – but it should lead us to ask where as a church we are putting our time, resources and finances. Whilst chatting to a neighbour who grew up in Newry, Co. Down he told me of his suspicion towards “born again Christians”. When he was in his late teens he started to date a young lady from an evangelical church. He is Roman Catholic. In tears, the girl told him one Sunday afternoon how she had been told by the church leader in front of the whole church to “stop associating with the enemy”. He was so angry and upset that it had a profound and lasting effect on how he viewed “so-called” Christians. Their rejection of him simply because of rampant sectarianism and prejudice led to an alienation that remains unhealed. The fact that we are friends is testament to the fact that he does not suffer the same prejudice, though the wounds remain. I tell the story because unwittingly perhaps, we can end up sending out the opposite message to the one of Jesus. He went out to “the enemy” with his arms outstretched. He didn’t wait for evidence of a new life before engagement. He didn’t pretend everything was all right if it wasn’t but his motivation was never anything but love.
We all know the story of the “prodigal son”. How he demanded his father sell land so he could receive his inheritance early. How he spent his money on prostitutes and parties, and when it was all gone how he ended up feeding pigs while he starved. We remember how he came to his senses and returned to his loving father who restored him, much to the disgust of his older brother. Most of us can easily identify with the ‘Younger son’. We have all wandered far from home at some stage, even if it was passive indifference rather than outright rebellion against God. We love the story of how when we return home we find God with his arms outstretched and feel his embrace. We love at how all Heaven rejoices at every sinner who returns to God’s family and the party feeling that goes with it. We rightly celebrate. These are all good things to imagine and enjoy because they are true. We can all identify easily with the rebellious brat because he has come good.
The elder son on the other hand is not an attractive character. He’s a party spoiler, a miserable killjoy and he’s bitter. Why is he so unhappy at his brother’s return or his father’s joy? Maybe it’s jealousy of both the wild abandon of his brother, who has experienced things he can only imagine and the unconditional love of his father who he despises for being weak. Henri Nouwen gets him: “Looking deeply into myself and then around me at the lives of other people, I wonder which does more damage, lust or resentment? There is so much resentment among the “just” and the “righteous”. There is so much condemnation and prejudice among the “saints”. There is so much frozen anger among the people who are so concerned about avoiding “sin”.
Henri Nouwen – The Return of the Prodigal Son
Much as we may not want to, if we’re honest we can see ourselves in both the younger and older sons. There is both the rebelliousness and the resentment at different times. However, whilst Jesus calls us to maybe recognize ourselves in both brothers he calls us to be like the Father – full of compassion, reaching out without condemnation or judgment. He calls us to go as the father in the story did – out looking for the lost ones. So we must come in humility to our fellow travellers on the roads we walk along. We must know we are both lost brother and found brother, and come with arms outstretched. This is who God calls us to become. We think of Sodom as a byword for sexual perversity though the prophet Ezekiel tells us that there was other sin at work that led to her demise. Ezekiel 16: 49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.” The city’s lack of concern for the needy amongst them no doubt helped to lead towards their depravity. They were too busy enjoying themselves to care. Whilst we may be busy for altogether more wholesome reasons, for the Gospel to flourish we have to become more human. Less elevated, less special – more in the world, but not of it. We have to be everyman or at least learn to understand him. Sometimes we’re so busy with ministry we miss the mission field However – how do we reach out to a world that doesn’t want to listen? (Back to the question asked at the start). We have learned from Jesus that we must not be judgemental, that we should not put our church or faith duties before people, we should not let ‘religion’ alienate us and that God requires us to be merciful as he is. We often sing “everyone needs compassion, a love that’s never failing” and we know that Jesus has called us to model this love to the world. To be like the Father – have our arms outstretched. Is that it then? Is that enough of a vision? Perhaps we also need a clear vision of what can be. What if we all lived as we are called to? There are 206,000 people in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown area according to the 2011 census. Can you imagine the impact on the area, the nation and further afield if 50,000 or 100,000 of them were following Jesus as disciples. Can you imagine what that might look like? What would our towns be like? How would society change? I believe that change is predicated by dreams of what can be. Much of the change for good in our world has come about by those God has helped to dream. As others have taken up those dreams, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly they have become reality or at least part-reality.
Dreams………… a better future – an alternative to now John Robinson was pastor to the Pilgrim Fathers and co-founder of the Congregational Church. Before the pilgrims left the UK for the New World in 1620 he preached a famous sermon: "I Charge you before God and his blessed angels that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow Christ. If God reveal anything to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as you were to
receive any truth from my ministry, for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from His holy word. "The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw. Whatever part of His will our God has revealed to Calvin, they (Lutherans) will rather die than embrace it; and the Calvinists, you see, stick fast where they were left by that great man of God, who yet saw not all things. This is a misery much to be lamented." What he was saying was that though Luther and Calvin were great men: that all knowledge and understanding of Scripture did not stop with them. That there was, and is, much more to find out and to be applied in the context of the world that we live in. We cannot stop thinking that we have all the truth. Therefore we must engage wider and understand that in engagement we should be learning about others but also about ourselves. The settlers who went to the United States took this with them and helped them to establish a new country not bound by the current experience of man. Robinson had a dream of what could be.
50 years ago Martin Luther King preached his “I have a dream..” speech in Washington. He had a clear picture of a world where black and white children could live together in peace and harmony. He offered a picture of what could be. His dream became infectious and many people began to image a different world. The world he dreamt of was one, which up until then was outside both their experience or understanding. His God given dream was effective in bringing change. What is the different world we offer? What does it look like? What does it look like when it’s perfect? If the Gospel so changes us inside - it must have an effect on the world in which we live. Yes, you say it does! You can easily point to me many projects where Christian people (and others) have made a huge difference in their community by serving selflessly and with love. God really does change us. As he changes us - he changes communities. As he changes communities – he changes the world. What could our community look like?
The prophet Isaiah had a vision of what a city could look like if God was the developer. I’ve simply changed the name Jerusalem with Dúnlaoghaire: Isaiah 65 adapted….. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Dun Laoghaire for rejoicing And her people for gladness. I will also rejoice in Dun Laoghaire and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. They will not labour in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them. It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.” What a vision! What a picture of harmony and togetherness. ● A place of rejoicing instead of misery. ● A place where all will live to a ripe old age. ● A place where houses will be owned by those who have built them – not repossessed by the bank. A vision of God helps us to fight against the system – the worldview of greed on one side and a sense of hopelessness on the other. The end of Isaiah’s picture of the ‘New Jerusalem’ talks of even nature being brought together into a new harmony. He dreams of a new world where the death, destruction or subjugation of one animal or people is no longer required for the survival or flourishing of another. Can you imagine a society like that? ● ● ●
Where no one takes advantage of each other. Where there is love instead of condemnation. Where there is acceptance instead of rejection.
This is the “New Jerusalem” that has already started. We are called to be ambassadors for the King of this nation – his name is Jesus. Let us engage, full of compassion and not judgement. Let us have a dream for Dun Laoghaire, of Killiney, Dalkey, Ballybrack, Glenageary, Shankill, Cabinteely, Blackrock, Foxrock, Sallynoggin and every other part of this borough that is a better place because it knows Jesus. Let’s spur each other on to good deeds that changes lives for the better.
Dream big and often. Pass it on……..
God has created Dun Laoghaire for rejoicing and her people for gladness
A Gardener’s Thoughts on “Angel’s Fishing Rods”: Acts 17:28 ...for in Him we live, move and have our being: The dierama - often called Angels Fishing Rod - seems to me to be a perfect example of this verse. The flower stem is very slender and grows long but is encased in an outer stiff sheath which protects and strengthens it as it develops. The flower stem would never be able to support itself without being in this sheath. From this very slender stem hang the beautiful flowers. A graceful pendant arch is achieved because it is based and strengthened in the outer sheath. The whole plant is fountain like (Col 2 v 7). This is the only way this plant can ever reach its full potential. It lives, moves and has its being only because it is within the secure strength of the outer sheath. I am secure (John 10v28) and strengthened (Phil 4v13) because I am in Christ, I am rooted and built up in Him (Col 2v7) and should be overflowing with thankfulness because of Him I have the potential (Eph 3. 20) to become something beautiful (Eccl 3 v 11). I have noticed that the drought-like conditions in my garden this year have been hard on my dierama and so too I can go through periods of drought in my spiritual life but must remember that I am rooted in Christ and that I can draw on streams of living water.(John 4.14). It is now the autumn season and the flowers have gone but there are lovely seed heads producing fruit (Gal 6 v9) for a new crop of these beautiful flowers. I value these plants in my garden which remind me of the value God puts on each of us. (Rom 5v8)
I like to think I am God’s “Fishing Rod”!!!!
By
myrtle fergusson
B u i l d i n g Bl o c k s C o n fe r en c e Building Blocks is a Co nference to sup port those working with children a nd young people in their local chur ch, community or school and to encourage others to be involved in this v ital ministry. These Conferences are organised by children’s ministry leaders from a broad spectrum of Christia n Chur che s and orga nisations throughout Ireland. Further info: www.buildingblocks. ie Keynote Speaker: John Har dwick John Hardwick is a singer, song writer, exciting interactive story teller, puppeteer, juggler and more. He is a Creative Chr ist ian Communicato r whose a im is to present the Christia n faith in a n exciting and relevant way! He’s written ten holiday club theme s/ books, puppet books, hundreds of Chr ist ian children’s songs a nd Bible Verse songs. He has produced CD’ s, DVD’s and MP3 downloads of his songs! His latest venture is the ‘Big Bible Verse Challe nge!’ Dublin venue: Contact Anne Taylor on (01) 4905543 Email: dublin@buildingblocks.ie Programme
Seminars:
Saturday 23 November 2013 All Hallows College, Drumcondra 9.30 am Registration and tea/coffee 10.00 am Welcome and Worship 10.20 am Opening Keynote address 11.20 am Seminar Session 1 12.40 pm Lunch (optional workshops) 2.00 pm Seminar Session 2 3.15 pm Closing session with John Hardwick including lots of take-away ideas! 4.00 pm End
• • • • • • • • •
Songs for Every Occasion ‘All age’ and children’s song session - John Hardwick Are You Starting Out as a New Leader? A seminar full of tips and ideas for getting started - Sally McKee Ireland is a Multi-Cultural Country A seminar to serve the needs of children from all backgrounds - Philip McKinley How to Bridge the Gap Between the Ages of 11 & 14 year olds - Geoff Harley-Mason Journey Through the Christian Year Different ways to explore Epiphany, Pentecost, Easter & more - Lynn Storey Kids Talks & Assemblies preparing & delivering - Vanessa Wyse-Jackson Games Small space & little equipment - Jono Griffin Small Group but a Wide Age Range How to prepare - Ruth Bromley How Children Learn, Making it Stick - Nicky Blair
St or i e s of f ai t h Story six : Wisdom
by sharon burrell
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” Proverbs 2 : 1-5
Wisdom’s story begins with her early childhood memories of sitting in Northumberland Hall with her Mum and Dad, drawing pictures during the services. She remembered enjoying music from a young age, but not really understanding what those hymns meant. She also remembered enjoying Sunday School and being taught by Miss Brewster. When she was about nine she went to a children’s meeting on a Tuesday, which was also good, with lots of good singing also and making friends there and from the age of three she went to the drill class.
Wisdom’s family had long associations with the church and she provided insight into the foundation of the church and some of the early congregation. Her grandfather, who hailed from Switzerland, came to Ireland with his brother around 1900 and was responsible for building Northumberland Hall in 1911. Previous to this there was a fellowship who met number 13 Northumberland Avenue from the 1870s, which she believes might have had ties to JM Darby, the founding father of Plymouth Brethrenism. Wisdom’s family, together with her grand-uncle and his family, all lived together in one house and suffered considerable privation during the First World War, with no fuel in the house. Eventually her grand-uncle and his family moved back to Switzerland.
Wisdom’s father was involved with the church from a young age, as was his brother Cyril. Uncle Cyril was a brilliant cartoonist and would often make sketches of the congregation, and Wisdom remembers some of the characters involved in the early days of the church. The congregation at that stage were very mixed: some were quite aristocratic, one of which was a Sir Henry McLoughlin. He would come to meeting in his tail-coat and put his two and sixpence on his seat with a bang, lifting up the tail coats before sitting down. Wisdom also remembers a tall, elegant lady, who had quite a collection of hats. One morning, when she came in wearing a bright, feathered creation an outspoken woman nudged her friend and said: “look at her, she’s got a new lid!”
Wisdom and her family were involved in nationwide evangelical outreach and when she was in her teens a girls’ quintet was founded as part of this venture. Her mother would train the girls, playing the piano and running through parts with them and they would perform the songs and often give their testimonies whilst travelling around the country with her father. They travelled to Fairview Hall (another Brethren Assembly) quite a lot, where the congregation loved the girls’ singing, which brought variation to the services. Her dad was a speaker who had lots of illustrations and was a great communicator.
Although she admits that the church was quite restrictive in certain ways, particularly to our eyes (an example being that the church in its infancy forbade using musical instruments at the breaking of bread service), Wisdom never rebelled and in part she believes this was because she had quite a full life in school: enjoying her lessons, playing hockey and doing gym. Although the church was very traditional, both her own father and another elder, Mr Blake, introduced choruses, so that singing was lively. So, although there was no music in the morning service, there was piano in the evening service and other instruments were involved in lively singing during the children’s services. Although by today’s standards this wouldn’t have been seen as progressive, it was modern compared to other “Brethren” congregations, so Wisdom never sensed that it was too restrictive.
A shy child, Wisdom never spoke to her parents about the benefits she was getting from the church, but in retrospect she believes she was getting so much “grounding” and she absorbed a lot of teaching from the Word of God. She began her personal faith journey with the Lord Jesus at a meeting in Belfast at the age of eight. She remembers going back to the place she was staying and kneeling at her bed to ask the Lord into her life. She didn’t tell her parents, she was too shy, though they would loved to have known and it wasn’t until two years later that they realised she had belief for herself. All the way through her teens she felt nurtured in the church and the quintet also provided an outlet for her (this would have been at a time when women were not encouraged to participate in services). Another outlet was offered through the Girls’ Evangelical Camps, which were run every Easter and which Wisdom began to attend from the age of twelve. By the time she was sixteen or seventeen she had become a Junior Officer at these camps and she felt these camps pushed her on in her faith and challenged her. The campers came from a wide strata of the local community, with church members being encouraged to bring their friends.
There were a huge gang of girls from Dun Laoghaire in the camps held in Cool na Greine in Greystones, enough to fill two big dormitories. The camps were great fun, with sport, music and drama all playing a part in the activities. Wisdom believes that Northumberland Hall was good at welcoming those people and many of them would have become Christians and gone on to have involvement themselves in the church and the wider Evangelical community. Wisdom’s father was particularly encouraging to these new members and always believed the church should be “open” to new members and shouldn’t close itself off. This attitude gradually led to a move away from the “Brethren” ethos and a more relaxed attitude towards worship and the role of women in the church, which Wisdom has witnessed first hand.
Wisdom, although acknowledging that some people resent the “narrowness” of Brethren culture, believes that for her it has proved to be “a great heritage”, and one for which she is very grateful and sees it as a solid foundation for her work with the Lord through her life. She thinks that meetings were not only about acquiring “head knowledge” about the scriptures, but also about having a real, tangible and living faith. The head and the heart fully engaged.
Wisdom has had many ministries in the church. Artistically she has used her musical skills for many years and athletically has been heavily involved in both Girls’ Club and Fitness for Fun, a women’s ministry. When asked
in particular about Girls’ Club, Wisdom stated that her mother played piano for the club from the time it was founded by another church member and she grew up loving the club, which encouraged her shy nature. When she started college she began to help by taking over the junior class and gradually built up her involvement, until she had taken over the whole class at 21. Gradually the classes expanded and members of the local community began to be involved and the classes began performing their work at annual displays, often held in local town halls.
As well as physical activity there was always a scriptural emphasis in the club, which changed over the years. A major factor in the club, Wisdom felt, was the manner in which it broke down the prejudices of the local community towards the church. She believes many locals would have been suspicious of this little “Protestant” hall and certainly it raised the profile of the church, particularly when it moved to the new buildings in Lower Glenageary Road and became Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church.
The Fitness for Fun ministry developed out of Girls’ Club and currently has over 40 members. In addition to exercise the class includes a 15-20 minute Bible study, as well as a prayer time. The members have grown close over the years and the group functions much like a “home group”. Wisdom has also begun a new group for fitter, younger members.
As previously mentioned Wisdom has great knowledge about the church and those who have been involved with it over the years. To conclude the interview I asked her about the Blake sisters, Dorothy and Lois, who were in the congregation for many years. She started by saying what a character Dorothy in particular was, but was keen to point out that they were very encouraging and had the nickname “the encouragement sisters”. They had tremendous vision and were really enthusiastic about the church moving from Northumberland Avenue to Lower Glenageary Road. And it was at the final meeting in Northumberland Hall that Dorothy remarked that Wisdom’s father “had saved us all from perishing on the Plymouth Rock”. Wisdom admired the courage of that statement and believes it’s necessary to move with the times in our own church life, allowing the church to reflect the greater culture it’s enmeshed in, so it remains relevant.
When asked where Wisdom herself would like to see the church going, what her own vision would be, she stated that she would love to see a huge number of young people coming, but would not like to see it so youthful that the older people are forgotten. That the church is inclusive of its heritage, so that some of the older hymns can still be learnt and sung by the younger people. She would also like to see Biblically based teaching and longs to see a church that is growing faithfully because people are prepared to continue studying the Word of God. Wisdom acknowledges that church might need to be done very differently in the future, finding a balance between being participatory and using sound teaching.
Finally, Wisdom summed up her vision for both herself personally and the future of the church and that would be “to know Christ and to make him known” and use that as the fundamental basis around which is “church” is built. For her the important thing is that we’re getting to know him better and therefore to love him more and become more like him, because he will do the transforming work in us. And then our job is to make him known to
others, not necessarily preaching, but just in mixing with people who don’t know the Lord. She believes the Lord can use you just where you are in the most remarkable ways.
For Wisdom in her own life the Lord has used her passion and love of teaching (her great wisdom): whether in the realm of school, gymnastics or Bible to reach and communicate with others.
Wisdom has a long association with the church and her interview provided an insight into the development of the church from its early days as a small meeting of believers in that building on Northumberland Avenue, right through from the Hall that her own grandfather built to Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church. She mentioned many colourful characters associated with the church over the years and catalogued the various activities she’s been involved with. She has been an active, vital member of the church, and I found her statement that she wanted to see a future church which remained Christ-centered to be full of wisdom and insight.
C o nc l us i on “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise”. Proverbs 19:20 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” Proverbs 8:10. The purpose of this project, as stated in the introduction, was not to offer a history of Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church through the eyes of it’s women members, but rather to offer a “snapshot” into the lives of some of the women who currently attend the church, some of whom have a long involvement and others a shorter period of time. The purpose of this was to find out more about the faith-lives and journeys of these women, as well as gathering some historical information about the genesis of the church.
Personally I’ve really learned a lot from these interviews and felt it was important that these stories were collected and that the faith of these women was examined in some detail and their legacy to the church recognised. Their advice was practical, and appeared simple: pray, spend time reading God’s word, ensure that Christ is at the centre of your life, be sure to bring all your concerns to him, continue to seek fellowship with other Christians and instruct your children to do likewise; however there are also great complexities within these simple messages.
Often I found that these women were working in the ministry of the Lord and this might happen in a number of ways: whether through the gift of hospitality, teaching, encouraging or praying. What was behind this service and dedication was a great love of the Lord.
I was also struck by the many practical ways that the Lord had made a difference to the lives of these women. Whether seeking his help over the right place to live, how to manage and cope with an illness or difficulty - these women turned to the Lord with all their concerns, worries and the major decisions of their life.
The spiritual lives of these women were also honed and purified by difficult times: war, bereavement, ill health, instability and loss; yet they persevered in their faith and trusted the Lord throughout the difficulties they faced. The experiences seemed pertinent particularly in light of the current problems being experienced in Irish society: high unemployment, mortgage arrears, increasing social problems, failing health and education systems and other fiscal difficulties. The fact that they had kept their faith through their own particular struggles will, I hope, encourage others in our church community.
This project had its genesis some time ago, yet I felt that the time to publish it was not right until now (May 2012), and this down to the perfect timing of the Lord, as we have recently lost one of the great encouraging women of the church, Faithful.
Faithful will be greatly missed in our church community. She was a great
encourager and exuded the joy and peace of the Lord. She truly was a faithful disciple and I would like to draw a comparison in her life to the verses in John Chapter 20, where it states that “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance� (verse 1). Mary showed incredible faith by going to the tomb that dark morning, when she must have felt engulfed by hopelessness. This man, who she had put her faith and trust in and who she thought would change the world, was dead. It appeared to be the end of the story, yet we know it was only the beginning, because Jesus did rise from the dead and so began the Christian story.
I think of the struggles Faithful must have had in the last dark days of her own life (when she admitted herself how much she enjoyed the light!), yet she still believed, still hoped, still trusted, even when she could not do something as simple as pick up the book that she loved so much and read the scriptures.
Another parallel I would like to draw is about the story of Prophetess Anna, which takes place in Luke Chapter 2, when Jesus is presented in the Temple. Although she had lived a long life (life expectancy was 20 – 30 years in the Roman Empire1, of which Jerusalem was part) and the passage says she was a widow until she was eight-four; the passage states she never left the temple, but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Anna recognised the baby Jesus as the Messiah and this was undoubtedly because she kept her eyes firmly on the Lord and was expectant about his arrival. I believe that the women I interviewed also had this attitude to their faith: they were keeping their eyes focussed on the Lord, trusting him, believing in him and ultimately look to his return as prophesised in the scriptures.
In conclusion I hope this project gives a small insight into the essence of the spiritual lives of six women who attended Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church in 2012. It just marks a moment in time, a moment when we can look at the thoughts, ideas, faith and attitude of these women and bring that knowledge into our own realms. I hope it encourages younger members with their faith and helps us all recognise the legacy we share.
1
Source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/340119/life-expectancy
I would like to end this report with two of the Beatitudes (or blessings), which are found in Matthew 5. Jesus made these simple statements to guide and teach us about the Kingdom of God. I think they beautifully illustrate the character of the women I interviewed, as well as the other women who have worshipped and served in our congregation for over 100 years. They are beautiful women in the Lord, they shine for him and we have been truly blessed by them.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment when you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought” 7.
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your heart and mind – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world” 10.
Grateful thanks and appreciation to Sharon Burrell for this book.
A volunteer is unpaid not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless!
SEPT EM BER 12, 2 013
This is the first & second part of a Series of articles discussing the growth and development of the gospel throughout church history. The Gospel in Church History (Part 1) by Nathan Busenitz
It was just over 500 years ago, in the fall of 1510, that a desperate Roman Catholic monk made what he thought would be the spiritual pilgrimage of a lifetime. He had become a monk five years earlier—much to the surprise and dismay of his father, who wanted him to become a lawyer. In fact, it was on his way home from law school, that this young man—then 21 years old—found himself in the midst of a severe thunderstorm. The lightning was so intense he thought for sure he was going to die. Fearing for his life, and relying on his Roman Catholic upbringing, he called out for help. “Saint Anne,” he cried, “Spare me and I will become a monk!” Fifteen days later, he left law school behind and entered an Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, Germany. The fear of death had prompted him to become a monk. And it was the fear of God’s wrath that consumed him for the next five years—so much so, in fact, that he did everything within his power to placate his guilty conscience and earn God’s favor. He became the most fastidious of all of the monks in the monastery. He dedicated himself to the sacraments, fasting, and penance. He even performed acts of self-punishment—like going without sleep, enduring cold winter nights without a blanket, and whipping himself in an attempt to atone for his sins. Reflecting on this time of his life, he would later say, “If anyone could have earned heaven by the life of a monk, it was I.” Even his supervisor, the head of the monastery, became concerned that this young man was too introspective and too consumed with questions about his own salvation. But the haunting questions would not go away. This young monk became particularly fixated on the apostle Paul’s teaching about the “righteousness of God” in the book of Romans, and especially Romans 1:17. In that verse, Paul says of the Gospel, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” But this young man’s understanding of that verse was clouded. Reading it through the lens of Roman Catholic tradition, he twisted its meaning, thinking that he had to somehow become righteous through his own efforts in order to live a life of faith. But therein was the problem. He knew he was not righteous. Despite everything he did to earn God’s favour, he knew he fell short of God’s perfect standard. And so, as he would later recount, he came to hate the phrase “the righteousness of God”—because he saw in it his own condemnation. He realized that if the perfect righteousness of God is the standard (which of course it is), and if he as a sinful man could not meet that standard (which of course he couldn’t), then he stood utterly condemned. So, out of frustration and despair, he plunged himself all the more fervently into the strict practices of monastic life—trying his hardest to work his way to salvation. And he grew more and more discouraged and desperate. So it was, five years after he became a monk, in the year 1510, that this desperate man made what he thought would be the spiritual pilgrimage of a lifetime. He and a fellow monk travelled to the center of Catholic thought and power—the city of Rome. If anyone could help him calm the storm that waged in his soul, surely it would be the pope, the cardinals, and the priests of Rome. Moreover, he thought that if he paid homage to the shrines of the apostles and made confession there, in that holy city, he would secure the greatest absolution possible. Surely this would be a way to earn God’s favor. The young man was so excited that when he came within sight of the city, he fell down, raised up his hands and exclaimed “Hail to thee, holy, Rome! Thrice holy for the blood of martyrs shed here.” But he would soon be severely disappointed. He tried to immerse himself in the religious fervor of Rome (visiting the graves of the saints, performing ritualistic acts of penance, and so on). But he soon noticed a glaring inconsistency. As he looked around him, at the pope, the cardinals, the priests—he did not see righteousness at all. Instead, he was startled by the corruption, greed, and immorality. As the famous church historian Philip Schaff explained: [The young man was] shocked by the unbelief, levity and immorality of the clergy. Money and luxurious living seemed to have replaced apostolic poverty and self-denial. He saw nothing but worldly splendor at the court of [the] Pope . . . , [and] he heard of the fearful crimes
of [previous popes], which were hardly known and believed in Germany, but freely spoken of as undoubted facts in the fresh remembrance of all Romans. . . . He was told that “if there was a hell, Rome was built on it,” and that this state of things must soon end in a collapse. A desperate man on a desperate journey—having devoted his life to the pursuit of self-righteous legalism and finding it empty—went to Rome looking for answers. But all he found was spiritual bankruptcy. Needless to say, Martin Luther left Rome disillusioned and disappointed. He reported that, in his opinion, “Rome, once the holiest city was now the worst.” Not long after, he would openly defy the pope, calling him the very antichrist; he would condemn the cardinals as charlatans; and he would expose the apostate tradition of Roman Catholicism for what it had become: a destructive system of works righteousness. Luther’s journey to Rome was a disaster. Yet, it played a critical part in his journey to true, saving faith. Not long after, the fastidious monk discovered the answer to his spiritual dilemma: If he was unrighteous, in spite of his best efforts, how could he be made right before a holy and just God? In 1513 and 1514, while lecturing through the Psalms and studying the book of Romans, Luther came to realize the glorious truth that had escaped him all those years before: The righteousness of God revealed in the gospel is not only the righteous requirement of God—of which all men fall short—but also the righteous provision of God whereby, in Christ, God imputes Christ’s righteousness to those who believe. Luther’s own remarks sum up the glorious transformation that discovery had on his heart: At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I gave heed to the context of the words, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” Then I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith. … Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open. An entirely new side of the Scriptures opened itself to me . . . and I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the loathing with which before I had hated the term “the righteousness of God.” After a lifetime of guilt, after years of struggling to make himself righteous, after trying to please God on his own, and after a disappointing trip to Rome, Martin Luther finally came to understand the heart of the gospel message. He discovered justification by grace through faith in Christ; and in that moment, he was transformed. For Martin Luther and his fellow Reformers, the doctrine of God’s grace became a central part of their preaching and teaching; in direct contradiction to the Roman Catholic teaching of their day. The five solas of the Reformation, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, and Soli Deo Gloria not only include “grace alone” but also underscore grace at every turn. “Faith alone” means that justification is not by works but by grace through faith. It was not a form of easy-believism—but rather the realization that our works contribute nothing to our righteous standing before God. “Christ alone” speaks to the fact that Jesus is Lord, and that it is His work, not ours, by which we are saved. “To the glory of God alone” indicates that, because salvation is by grace, we cannot boast in ourselves, but only give glory to God. And “Scripture alone” is the authority upon which we must derive our understanding of the gospel. But all of this raises a key question. Was the Reformation understanding of the gospel—as summarized by these five solas—something new? In other words, did Martin Luther and his fellow Reformers invent the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone based on the finished work of Christ alone? Some Roman Catholics certainly think so. It was in May 2007 that Francis Beckwith, then president of the Evangelical Theological Society, announced that he was resigning the position—because he was leaving Protestantism to join the Roman Catholic Church. His stated reasons were largely related to church history, and included statements that: “The early church is more Catholic than Protestant,” and that Catholics have “more explanatory power to account for both all the biblical texts on justification as well as the church’s historical understanding of salvation prior to the Reformation all the way back to the ancient church of the first few centuries.” Another Roman Catholic apologist (with whom I interacted in an online debate forum) said it this way: “As far as ‘Protestant Christianity’ goes it did not exist until the 1500s. I challenge anyone to find the current protestant beliefs and practices before the 1500s.” He further clarified his position by claiming that no one could demonstrate “where Protestant theology existed before the 1500s (sola fide, sola scriptura for instance).” He was claiming that the evangelical gospel did not exist before the sixteenth century in church history; and that core Protestant doctrines such as “faith alone” and “grace alone” were essentially made up by the Reformers.
Now that would be a devastating charge, if it were true. Thankfully, it’s not. In this series of articles, we will examine the evidence from both the New Testament and the pre-Reformation history of the church, demonstrating that the Reformers did not invent anything about the gospel. Rather, they were committed to the recovery of that very gospel taught by the apostles and church fathers—the gospel embraced by all genuine believers throughout every generation of church history.
The Gospel in Church History (Part 2) by Nathan Busenitz
Many people think of the Reformation as something that started with Luther in 1517. But the reality is that the Reformation was a movement that had begun to gain momentum much earlier than the sixteenth century. Back in the 1100s, 350 years before Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses, a group known as the Waldensians began to teach that the Bible alone is the authority for the church. They defied papal authority, committed themselves to preaching the gospel, and even translated the Word of God into the common language of the people. They were severely persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church, and as a result often found themselves hiding in the Alps. In the sixteenth century, during the lifetime of Calvin and Knox, the Waldensians officially joined the Reformed Movement; because they recognized that the sixteenth-century Reformers valued the same truths that they had been committed to all along. In the 1300s, still two centuries before Luther, an English scholar named John Wycliffe began teaching that the church was in desperate need of reform. Wycliffe has been nicknamed the “Morning Star of the Reformation” because he affirmed essential Reformation doctrines like sola Scriptura and sola fide; he was also the first to translate the Bible into English. The Oxford scholar opposed the papacy, calling the pope the “antichrist.” Instead, he taught, Christ alone is the Head of the church. Wycliffe denied baptismal regeneration, opposed the mass, criticized indulgences, and taught that the clergy should be able to marry. The Roman Catholic church became so angry at John Wycliffe that, after he died, they dug up his bones and burned them in effigy. A generation later, in the early 1400s, a Bohemian preacher named John Huss thundered onto the scene. He was influenced by both the Waldensians and the teachings of John Wycliffe. And he was very popular in the city of Prague, where he lectured at the University of Prague and also preached powerfully to nearly 3,000 people every week in—not in Latin, but in their own language. Like Wycliffe, Huss opposed the papacy and taught that Christ alone is the Head of the Church. And if Christ is the Head of the church, than His Word is the only authority in the church. And if His Word is the only authority, then the gospel must be defined from Scripture alone. In 1415, after being promised safe passage to the Council of Constance, John Huss was arrested, falsely accused, put on trial, condemned as a heretic, and burned at the stake. One hundred years later, Martin Luther would discover the writings of John Huss. He found them convincing and compelling, and they influenced him greatly. So much so, in fact, that in his own reform efforts, Luther would be nicknamed, “The Saxon Huss.” From the Waldensians in the twelfth century, to John Wycliffe in the fourteenth century, to John Huss in the fifteenth century, and finally, to Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Knox, Thomas Cranmer, and other Reformers in the sixteenth century — as one can see, the Reformation was a movement that began long before 1517. It cannot be limited to just one date, one year, or even one century. It was a tidal wave of momentum that engulfed over four centuries of history as the power of God’s Word burst forth and shattered the layers of false tradition that had petrified the church. In spite of some Roman Catholic claims to the contrary, Martin Luther did not invent anything. He did not regard himself as a pioneer. Rather, he understood that he was building on a foundation that had been laid in the centuries before him. But this still leaves open the question of the early church. Were the Waldensians, or the followers of Wycliffe and Huss the first in church history to teach an evangelical gospel of grace alone through faith alone? The Gospel of Grace in the New Testament Before answering that question from church history, we must first answer it from the Word of God. As evangelical Christians, Scripture alone is our ultimate authority. And while history provides us with wonderful affirmation of our evangelical convictions, it is not our final authority. Our understanding of the gospel must be established and grounded in the clear teaching of the Word of God. And it is in the pages of Scripture that we find the doctrine of justification by faith clearly presented. Here is a brief sampling of the many passages that could be cited in this regard.
In Luke 18:13–14, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus emphasized the fact that sinners are not justified through their own self-righteousness. Rather, God justifies those, like the unworthy tax collector, who cry out in faith and depend on Him for mercy.Romans 3:28 states that “a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” Romans 4 presents Abraham as an example of that reality. And Romans 5:1 reiterates that since we have “been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” InGalatians 3:8, Paul again emphasizes “that God would justify the Gentiles by faith.” Ephesians 2:8–9 repeats that same truth “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” In Philippians 3:8–9, the apostle reiterated the fact that good works are worthless when it comes to being made righteous in the sight of God. He explained that he did not have “a righteousness of [his] own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” Titus 3:5–7 says this: “[God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” As the above sampling demonstrates, the New Testament repeatedly establishes the fact that the believer’s righteous standing before God is not based on the good works that he or she has done; but only on the finished work of Christ on the cross. We are justified by His grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But what about church history? How did the earliest Christians understand the biblical teaching on justification by faith alone? We will begin to answer those questions next week, in Part 3 of this series.
De Funnies
Dudley & Jill Ward, Newsletter for summer & autumn 2013 Dear Friends, Loving greetings from the Limousin, France! The memories of our quite extraordinary spring and early summer this year in the Limousin will take a long time to fade, as we coped with the worst weather for 145 years. We had the experience of being without our phone and having only a very intermittent internet connection during most of that time. It created a backlog in our correspondence that we are still trying to put right, and we do apologise to those of you who are still waiting to hear from us. We also had our bedroom floor covered in a thin film of water (that returned as fast as we mopped it up!) for over a month! We had no deaths in the Limousin, but just south of us people and animals were drowned. In August our annual European-wide Christian Workers’ Conference (in English), was held in Annecy, France, and was a real blessing and encouragement in so many ways, including fellowship, teaching and the weather. The latter was important this year as we had our meetings and meals in tents (photo above) because of a bad fire earlier in the summer that gutted the main building of the centre.
Before that, in July, we were able to get on with a much-needed vehicle shelter (see photo) with the help of a Christian friend and two of his children. The temperatures were touching 40°C. (over 100°F.), with high humidity, but working in the rain and mud was even worse than the heat! This shelter now enables us to use our camper-van as our bedroom (not our guests’ bedroom!) when anybody stays with us. Our ageing camper-van was sadly deteriorating outdoors (even growing fur!). Sleeping in it in hot weather was very uncomfortable (no air-conditioning and fairly thin insulation), and very noisy at night when rain or hailstones were pounding its metal roof. Near us, some of the latter were as big as golf balls this summer. Hospitality has always been part of our ministry, and it still is, so this is a great help.
We also spent some time in Melve in our still unsold house, hedge cutting and making jam from our fruit. The first two teams of promised helpers in evangelism arrived in the Limousin from South Africa in July and August. The first literature-blitzed Tulle (the capital of the Corrèze and the town that gave us our controversial president, François Hollande) and the second linked up with O.M. (Operation Mobilisation) in the Creuse, another of the Limousin’s three ‘départements’. These South Africans are descendants of the Huguenots, protestants who had to flee from persecution in France when the Edict of Nantes that protected them was revoked in 1685 by King Louis XIV. Many have kept their identity and their concern for France ever since, but have lost the French language and speak Afrikaans (Dutch). They plan to continue coming in successive waves of about 15 adults for about two weeks at a time. This is such an encouragement to the Christians in their (and our!) efforts to reach this "enemy occupied territory" for its true Owner ("For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations." Psalm 22:28). They have links with Child Evangelism Fellowship and the packs they leave in homes and mailboxes include good literature for children and adults as well as the offer of a Bible study course and an invitation to contact a church (with address provided). Sadly, the latter are extremely few and far-between in this area if France that was ‘forgotten’ for so long. Last week the Lord called home our dear friend here, Rosmarie, for whom so many of you prayed. She was only 51 and leaves her husband, Laurent, and 7 children. The last three (14, 16 & 18) were baptized in the spring. Please pray
on for this dear family as the five older children return to their education and work, leaving Laurent and the two younger ones at home. The funeral on Tuesday was a powerful testimony to all, including unsaved relatives and neighbours, of the gospel message and the grace of God. Rosmarie had planned it all herself, and the message of salvation and the believer’s certitude of heaven shone throughout. Please remember also Madame C. (aged 88). She is the dear blind lady with diabetes who phoned asking for a visit. One Sunday we took her to the assembly in Gramat (in the region south of the Limousin) and she loved it. She told us that for four years she had prayed to find a protestant church, and now that God has answered her desire she wants to sell her house and move to Gramat. She lives a 40-minute drive from there, but there is no transport. On Sundays we drive to Ussel in the opposite direction, too far from her home for us to take her there. Another prayer topic is the sale of our house in Melve. A family who came to see it recently loved the house and found everything ideal except for the road’s five-mile winding climb up from the main highway in the valley. We are disappointed but not discouraged because, having put it all in God’s hands, we believe that He will provide the right buyer at the moment of His choosing. We are so grateful for your prayers and would love you to keep praying and praising with us for this. Thank you so much. The French translation of Dudley’s book, ‘Programmed by God or Free to Choose?’, is now available, and we pray that it will reach and help those who need its message in the French speaking world.
We want to thank you very much for your prayers that are so vital to us here on the mission field. We need to walk in dependence on the Lord for strength, wisdom and discernment as we share the wonderful gospel message that has power to change the lives and eternal destiny of those dwelling in darkness and bondage. We praise God for you, our very real partners in this work. With our summer having been too busy to allow us to catch up in responding to all the mail received during the period of our internet and phone problems in the spring and early summer (mentioned above), some of you will have written to us, and have had no reply. Please forgive us. We hope that this newsletter will tide you over until we can remedy the situation properly with a personal word. That really is our goal. A very few of you have already received some of this news, but not all of it, so please just skip over what you already know. With our gratitude and love in the Lord Jesus, and our prayers that God’s grace and peace will enrich your lives daily. Dudley & Jill Ward
Teaching for October
Date
Speaker
Subject
6
D McCormack
E100
Miracles of Jesus
13
H Graham
E100
Cross of Christ
20
P Coulter
E100
Church is born
27
J Lewis
E100
Paul's Travels
3 Gift Day
D McCormack
E100
Paul to churches
10
Joe Donnelly
E100
Paul to Leaders
17
D Mooney
E100
Apostles Teaching
O
U
T
&
A
B
O
U
Graduation 2013 We had a great day of celebration on Saturday at the Riasc Centre in Swords. Here are some of the pics. Thanks to Andy Halpin for these photos.
T
Going to the polls...
Seanad Éireann The Members of Seanad Éireann (Senate) are referred to as Senators. An Election to Seanad Éireann must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of Dáil Éireann. Seanad Éireann is composed of 60 Members as follows:
• • •
43 elected by five panels representing vocational interests namely, Culture and Education, Agriculture, Labour, Industry and Commerce and Public Administration 6 elected by the graduates of two universities: - three each by the National University of Ireland and the University of Dublin (Trinity College) 11 nominated by the Taoiseach In theory, Seanad Éireann does not recognise party affiliations. However, as the electorate for the panels is made up of the Members of the incoming Dáil, the outgoing Seanad, county councils and county borough councils, the composition of Seanad Éireann, including the Taoiseach's nominees, will tend to reflect party strengths in Dáil Éireann. In practice, Senators will divide into groups supporting and opposing Government business when voting on issues. The Constitution provides that not more than two Senators may be members of the Government and this provision has been exercised twice in the last 60 years.
How does the Seanad work? Seanad Éireann normally meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays and its main business is the revising of legislation sent to it by Dáil Éireann. However, in recent years the Government has tended to make greater use of Seanad Éireann to initiate legislation. Seanad Éireann can initiate and revise legislation but under the Constitution its legislative role is restricted in that it cannot initiate Money Bills i.e. financial legislation, and can only make recommendations but not amendments to such Bills. The fact that a Dáil Bill must be examined also by Seanad Éireann is a safeguard against legislation being enacted too quickly. In addition to its legislative role, Seanad Éireann also debates important issues. Indeed, as the Government is constitutionally responsible to Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann can debate these issues with greater freedom because the fate of the Government will not be at stake. Moreover, Seanad Éireann cannot delay indefinitely legislation which has already been passed by Dáil Éireann and cannot initiate Bills to amend the Constitution. Courtesy of
http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/about/seanad/
In my humble opinion, a second layer of government is always a better option – if it works. That seems to be the issue here – An Seanad, for many reasons, doesn’t always work well. However, rather than abolish it completely, I would rather see it reformed. If we ‘get rid of it’ that will never happen and we will never get the chance to try! On the other hand, given the seeming endless stream of alleged incompetence and abuse in government, is it realistic to even hope, let alone expect any real reform? We ought to pray for our government, that Godly decisions and Divine wisdom would prevail. Also, pray as you vote – but do vote.
Something Beautiful to Look At
Kinda cute, isn't it? The Tardigrade, commonly known as water-bears or moss piglets are small, water-dwelling, segmented micro-animals with eight legs. They are the only known living thing that can survive the vacuum of space. Tardigrades can withstand temperatures from just above absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, pressures about 6 times stronger than pressures found in the deepest ocean trenches, ionizing radiation at doses hundreds of times higher than would kill a person, and the vacuum of outer space. They can go without food or water for nearly 120 years, drying out to the point where they are 3% or less water, only to rehydrate, forage, and reproduce.
Isn’t God great!