Jul Aug 2012

Salvation Army Woking

July/August 2012

T I D I N G S FROM THE C .O’S DESK In this Issue Our New Baby

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God and Me

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Comedy Hall

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Prayers

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CAMEO

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Flower List

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Future Dates

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Word Search

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Sudoko

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I’ll Fight Congress

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Estonia June 2012

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Community Update

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Recipe

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What’s On

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Core Groups

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In our solar system, 9 planets revolve around the sun.

Earth, our home, is not the biggest, or the smallest, not the closest or farthest, it lies somewhere in the middle.

Our Sun is around 95 million miles away. That’s an incredibly long way. Even light, moving at 670 million miles per hour, still takes around 8 minutes to reach us from the Sun. If the Sun blinked out right now - we wouldn’t know about it for 8 minutes.

Our solar system is a tiny part of the milky way galaxy - which is colossal in size. The dimensions are astonishing. If the milky way was the size of the continent of North America, our solar system fits into a tea cup.

If you’re still with me - here’s the climax. So we sit on a small planet, millions of miles from our Sun. Our tea -cup of a solar system sits within an immense galaxy.

Here it comes…

There are at least another 100 billion galaxies in the universe.

“What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

Psalm 8 “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 God is immense. So much bigger than we can ever comprehend. All powerful. All present. All knowing.

The first, and the last. And yet he loves us.

If you were the only person on our planet - God would

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still have sent his son. Just for you.

Jesus would have come, humbling himself just to be with you, risking all just to know you, sacrificing himself to save you and secure your future with him forever.

And so it is that we spread this good news (these good tidings!) to all.

Shining like stars, through words of

kindness, through acts of love and compassion, through lives that demonstrate that fullness of life is not found in the bottom of a glass, in material wealth or worldly success, but in a beautiful relationship with our maker and with each other.

Bless you, Will Lieutenant

Our New Baby Congratulations to Will and Debbie on the birth of a little boy—Theo He was born on Saturday 23rd June weighing in at 6lb 14 ounces. Mother and Father (and Katie and Ben) are all doing well!

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God and Me We start a new series entitled “God and Me” where members of our Church Family tell of what God has done for them.

When I was asked to write this article I was not sure what I could say as this is a very private matter and not, as a result, easy to talk about.

I have known Jesus from an early age, having grown up in a Christian family, with a simple faith. However, as a teenager, I was made anxious when certain members of the congregation would give their testimony about coming to the Lord having had a dramatic experience — bright lights, visions, loud voices. I have not had this revelation and at the time felt I was lacking in my faith as a result.

Perhaps the Lord reveals himself to us in relation to our personalities as my experience has been the “Still small voice” of Samuel rather than the miraculous one of Saul (Paul). I have realised as I have become older, it does not matter how God makes himself known to us but that we accept Him as our Saviour.

There have been numerous occasions in my life when things

have not gone as planned but the Lord has always been with me.

With His help I have “bounced” back and the new situation has been better than before the disappointment.

I used to do my devotional reading, and study on the train but as I no longer work in London, I do not have a long enough journey.

My reading is now done in the evening and in the morning, on the train to Guildford, I sit (or stand!) quietly and talk to the Lord about the forthcoming day, or particular events to come, and seek His input.

The Lord is there in my conscience, quietly pointing me in the right direction. Yes, I make mistakes regularly, I am human but as long as I am willing to listen (this is not a voice—it is a feeling) He takes control, calms the situation and all is well.

I have a bookmark which states: “Lord help me to remember that nothing is going to happen today that you and I together can't handle”.

Wendy Hardwick

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July/August

Comedy Hall D.O.H. (Department of Humour)

At Junior football practice, the coach asked, “Who thinks they can jump higher than the football posts?” Little Tom shouted, “Ooo, me sir”. The coach said, “Are you sure Tom? You are our smallest player.” “I know,” replied Tom, “But goalposts can’t jump.”

A teenager had just passed her driving test and offered to drive her mum to church. After a hair-raising ride, the mother staggered out of the car and uttered a heart felt, “Thank you”. “Anytime”, replied the daughter. “I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to God”, said the mother.

A wife heard her husband arrive home earlier than expected, not long after he had left. “I thought you were going to your Lodge meeting tonight”, she said. “It was postponed,” he said, “The Grand, Exalted, Invincible, Supreme Potentate’s wife, wouldn’t let him come out tonight.”

A Sunday School teacher told the story of the Good Samaritan to her class, then asked them what they would do if they saw someone lying wounded and bleeding at the side of the road. After a few silent moments, one little girl piped up, “I think I’d throw up”!

A magazine photographer was assigned the job of photographing a major fire. As the smoke was too thick to get near enough to photograph, he rang his office to report.

They told him to go to the local airport, where a plane was waiting to take him over the fire. When he arrived, he saw the plane warming up, so he jumped aboard and they took off. He asked the pilot to fly to the north side of the fire, as close as he could get. “Why?” asked the pilot. “Because I’m the photographer and I want to get a good shot”. “You mean you’re not the flight instructor?!!”

Keep smiling

Major Laugh

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Please pray for these members of our church family Margi who is still recovering from her fall Richard Goff Dorothy and Jim Henley Will, Debbie, Katie, Ben and the new little baby Ian and Alison and the GloCon team Chris and Sandra Hall as they commence their new appointment in August to Swindon Gorse Hill.

. . . and also these past members Jenny Dibsdall, Barbara and Hnuna

Other subjects for prayer Children's and Youth Ministry Teddy Toddlers Group Drop-in CafĂŠ Messy Church SALT visits Sunday School team - it's been a great start, full of enthusiasm.

Please continue to pray for the children, that they may really know God, and for the leaders, stamina!

PRAYER MEETING Everyone is invited to join with us on Sunday mornings for prayers at 10.30 am.

We meet in one of the general purpose rooms and would be pleased to see as many of you as possible.

God Bless Audrey

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CAMEO (Come And Meet Each Other) 10.30am for coffee/tea. 11am – 12 noon meeting, followed by lunch if required. Ladies and Gentlemen always welcome.

Every Wednesday

Jubilee Indoor ‘Street’ Party at CAMEO on 7th June Many shared their memories of the coronation which was wonderful.

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FLOWER LIST July 1 8 15 24 31

Carol Pearce Pam Elliot Christine Hadfield Ruth and Gordon Barker Peter Stickland

August 5 12 19 24

Dorothy Bayes Ruth and Wendy Wendy and Roger Hardwick Audrey and Maurice Mayes

April/May

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July/August

FUTURE DATES July Sunday 1st

11.00am

Sunday 1st

3.00pm 4.30pm

Morning Worship Led by GloCon Team Band at Crematorium Cream tea at Gwen& Dave’s

Saturday 7th

Collecting Day Sainsbury’s

Sunday 8th

11.00am

Saturday 14th

Lakeview Fun Day

Sunday 15th

11.00am

Sunday 22nd

11.00am

Monday 23rd

8.00pm

Sunday 29th

11.00am

Morning Worship Parable of the Workers: Matthew 20:1-16

Sunday 5th

11.00am

Morning Worship Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30

Saturday 11th

Collecting Day Asda

Morning Worship Led by Ken Searle Morning Worship Morning Worship Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12:13-21 Corps Council

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Sunday 12th

11.00am

Morning Worship Led by Graham Pearcey

Sunday 19th

11.00am

Morning Worship Led by Jan Howlin

Saturday 25th

Car Boot Sale

Date for your diaries Saturday 1st September BBQ @ Debbie & Will’s (58 Eastmead) 4pm till late We will supply drinks, salad, bread and of course cake We would like you to bring your own meat, a chair and some friends A great chance to relax, chat and have fun together

Annual Appeal In case you had forgotten, this is just a little reminder that Annual Appeal will be starting in September. This is our chance to support the work and ministry of Salvation Army Life Houses and social centres across the UK. We would love for you to join us in delivering envelopes, collecting or babysitting to enable us to reach as many people as possible. We were thrilled last year to welcome new members to the teams and we look forward to your support again this year. If you would like to collect your own street or neighbourhood, just let us know.

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Names of Plants C

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ACER, AGERATUM, BAMBOO, BLUEBELL, COSMOS, COWSLIP, ERYNGIUM,GEUM, HEATHER, HELLIBORE, HOSTA, IRIS, IVY, LILAC, LILY, PELARGONIUM, PINK, PRIMROSE, RHODODENDRON, ROSE, SEDUM,XERANTHEMUM

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TIDINGS

Sudoko Each vertical and horizontal line and each block of 9 squares will each have the letters ‘SaLVATION’ in them. The principle is exactly the same as Sudoko, but letters instead of numbers.

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I’ll Fight Congress On Sunday 27 May, it was decided that there would be no meetings at our corps but instead those who could would travel to the Royal Albert Hall to attend the I’ll Fight Congress. The Congress was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of William Booth’s last address from the Royal Albert Hall held on 9 May 1912.

dress in 1912, but whatever the answer to that is, it took nothing away from the day’s celebrations on 27 May this year. The Royal Albert Hall was virtually full, our seats having to be up in the ‘gods’. This however gave everyone a great vantage point to enjoy the two meetings and take in all that was happening in that great hall.

There is some debate as to whether the famous ‘I’ll Fight’ speech was actually made or not during that ad-

We saw the installation of our new TC – Commissioners Andre and Sylvia Cox (no relation as far as I am

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TIDINGS

aware) and heard the General preach (some of us for the first time).

The General spoke with conviction and brought home the current day challenges that we The Salvation Army face. These, not surprisingly closely mirror what The Salvation Army was ‘fighting’ in 1912. It’s strange (or may be it’s not) that although we are 100 years on, the same challenges still face the movement that is The Salvation Army. It was made very clear by General

Bond that we as an organisation and we as individuals have so much work to do – but only through the name of Jesus.

The day overall was very enjoyable, not having far to walk from where the coach managed to park, to the perfect weather for lunch in Hyde Park, to the safe journeys to and from London. It was great to share on a different level with corps folk and meet others from the wider Salvation Army during the day.

Andrew Cox

Design for Life A weekend to help you discover God’s design for your life.

Would you like to take a break from your usual routine, reflect on where you’ve been, the people you’ve met, the experiences that have shaped you? Are you wondering about the future and what God might have in store for you?

This is a great weekend where you can do just that. Whether you are near the beginning of your journey or if you’ve been travelling the same route and want to stop and take a breather, DFL is for you. For more details please see Debbie or Will.

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Estonia June 2012 Estonia is a country with a rich and turbulent history, just about everyone has occupied it, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Russia.

All have left their mark and something of their culture behind. Although in Tallinn the main city, there is a definite Estonian culture and pride in its history.

Our main focus of the week was in the city of Narva about 3 hours east of Tallinn right on the Russian border. Russian is the main language and many of the people living there are Russian. Narva was used by the Russians as a base for industry, with its closeness to the border and easy access. They had a textile factory which employed 15,000 women and an engineering facility employing 25,000 men. Since Russia withdrew its occupation of Estonia in 1994 these factories have been closed down creating huge unemployment and poverty. The result of which is that many of its people have turned to alcohol and drugs to escape the reality of their situation.

To go from having a very strong work ethic and purpose to loss of self esteem and worth has cost this city a whole generation. We spoke with 4 people for whom addiction

had affected them or their family, in some cases resulting in HIV. The pain and anguish that this had caused was plain to see, but also there was faith. In all 4 stories God was at work, strengthening, motivating, soothing. All spoke of how God has become the foundation to their lives and enabled them to face each day.

One of our team mates has been living with HIV for 10 years and is only now finding it possible to talk about it openly. She works for the Salvation Army in its Re-hab centre in Tallinn. She said that when she first meets someone at the centre she has a conversation with them to find out who they are so that they are a person and not just a label, like alcoholic or drug user. Her faith gives her the strength to help others and her assurance that God can make a difference in anyone’s life because he has in hers.

We spent time at the Corps whilst they were giving out bread and food parcels, this is quite labour intensive and a big commitment for the Officers in time given each day, but a much needed service. We hope they develop a system where con-

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versations can take place as well as the food being given.

My reflections on this experience are that when people share their story they will have an impact on those listening. Each person in the world has something to give, it is by this honest transaction that God will work to transform, connect and enable people’s lives. I saw Gods love transferring between people by the holding of hands and by tears shared. Even by the sharing of a simple homemade loaf of bread.

God will use us as we are where we are and how we are. But we need to listen to each other and to those around us, our neighbours, our friends, our communities. God is already at work, we need not think

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we are breaking new ground in our conversations; He is there as he has always been and is at work, we need to show and highlight God’s love in the lives of those around us.

Estonia is finding the way forward, the young people study hard and try to learn as many languages as they can so that they can make a future in Europe. The parents we spoke to hope their children would study and make good marriages. Faith has found a way through the turmoil of history and God is at work in people’s lives. I hope one day I get the chance to go back and see the progress made and to share again the warmth and hospitality of such wonderful people.

Jan Howlin

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Candidates Sunday Thank you to everyone who gave in the fund to help Cadets at the William Booth College. As a Corps we raised £82.75

Children & Family Worker In August, Sian Jenkins will be joining us as our Children & Family worker. She’ll be coordinating our midweek work with children and families as well as developing new ideas for the future. She’ll also join us for worship on Sundays and we look forward to welcoming her to Woking.

Corps Gift Day Another huge thank you to everyone who gave over and above their usual giving to help support the work of this Corps. So far to date we have raised £2285.

That is wonderful and will be put to good use going to help the work of The Salvation Army in the community of Woking.

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Community Services Managers update I hope you have enjoyed the Diamond Jubilee; it gives you a warm glow to be part of such fabulous celebrations. We had an indoor ‘street’ party at CAMEO which was great fun. I especially enjoyed all the stories of the coronation so well remembered by members of the group.

At the end of May I was able to go on a course to Leeds a place called Hinsley Hall. A wonderful and very peaceful place, not even a TV in your room, I managed to read a whole book whilst I was there which if you know me is a real achievement. But what I was really there for was to complete a course in Mental Health First Aid. The course was fascinating, challenging, moving and motivating. We all have mental health issues in some form or another and are just at different places on the scale. I think in general there is a lack of understanding of the symptoms, needs and concerns of those who may be going through a period of poor mental health. I hope I have a slightly better insight into this area and would like

to think that I will be able to show love and respect to those who are finding life just that bit more challenging.

On the 25th August we are having a table top sale, this will be indoors from 10am – 1pm. We will be in need of some paper pasting tables, and so if anyone can lend me one or more then I will be very grateful.

The Lakeview Fun day is also on the horizon and will be on July 14th more details to follow.

Well I’m just getting ready to go to Estonia with Ian and Alison, I have got to the waking up in the night and making lists stage. I am leaving Matt in Mum and Dad’s capable hands and the hall in God’s hands and so I am sure they will both be fine. I would like to thank those who have taken on extra responsibilities whilst I am away it is most appreciated.

I hope to get a small report in this tidings of my trip to Estonia but if not then I am sure I have had a wonderful time.

God Bless You, Jan Howlin

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July/August

RECIPE Chicken in Tomato Ingredients 8 chicken thighs, skinned Serves 4 1 onion, peeled and sliced 2 carrots, sliced 2 large mushrooms, chopped Salt and pepper to taste 1 level teaspoon mixed herbs 1 small can Campbell’s condensed tomato soup Method — Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC, 325ºF or Gas mark 3.

Place the chicken, onion, carrots and mushrooms in an ovenproof casserole dish. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and mixed herbs over the casserole mixture.

Pour the soup over, cover and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through. (Do not make the soup up to the full amount by adding water as the sauce will be too thin.)

Serve with jacket potatoes, rice or pasta (50g/2oz uncooked weight per person) and green vegetables.

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July/August

Core Groups Lunchtime Light Meets at the Church 12.00pm July August

Thursday Thursday

5th 2nd

19th 16th

Denvale Group Meets at Margi’s 8.00pm July August

Thursday Thursday

5th 2nd

19th 16th

The Nomads Meet at various venues 7.30pm July August

Thursday Thursday

5th 2nd

19th 16th

The Full Monty Meets for breakfast at various venues 9.00am July August

Saturday Saturday

21st 11th

Hearts and Crafts Meets at the Church 7.30pm July August

Thursday Thursday

12th 9th

26th 23rd