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Magazine of Erdington Methodist Church Station Road - June 2015 1

Contents All Together Keep it short and while talking about keeping it short . . .

Vision Report for June Contact Beetle Drive April Walk Erdington Methodist Church Safari Supper Lost in translation Children’s Pages Thomas the tank Engine Support the vulnerable The Bible in 50 words MAF celebrates 70 years in the air Sponsored Silence June Regular Meetings Coffee Mornings Tuesday Club Sunday Worship Weekly Church Activities

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All Together Why, do you think, did Jesus choose 12 men to be His disciples?

What was the point, as Jesus was a miracle worker and a very eloquent speaker. He could walk on water; change water into wine; multiply food for thousands of people; heal the sick and forecast future events. So why did Jesus choose some fishermen, a tax collector and a few lesser known guys to be with Him everywhere?

Doesn’t it appear odd that Jesus wanted disciples who, as time passed, were slow to learn; argumentative; frightened; amazed and puzzled? Right from the start of His ministry Jesus must have known He was bringing together a motley group of characters who would not understand Him; doubt Him; and let Him down.

Surely, Jesus would have been better off going it alone without having the hassle and frustration!

Well, what is amazing, is that Jesus decided to limit Himself. He wanted the fellowship of close friends to share their good and bad times. He wanted to be involved with them no matter what happened. He enjoyed meal-times, discussions and, no doubt, a joke or two! Jesus came from Heaven to show that in God’s Kingdom there is togetherness.

This world can get messy, troubled and nasty, and it is into this cauldron that Jesus came to be involved with its problems. He wanted to share His mission of love and compassion, participating with others, to change places of darkness into God’s healing light.

He chose ordinary people, with their weaknesses, anxieties, hangups and faults to fill them with His Spirit and transform them into workers for God. Today, Jesus works with us, despite our frailty 3

and stubbornness. He patiently draws alongside us to change our attitudes and behaviour so that we show God’s love wherever we are.

Jesus came to build His church: a community of believers who would work and serve together to change society for good. So let’s be aware of the Holy Spirit’s direction and be encouraged that we are all partners together.

Help to carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2) Lester Amann (Parish Pump)

Keep it short The minister stood up and said: “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. You’ll be glad to know that when I asked my secretary to type this sermon out for me I asked her to eliminate any thing that was dull or confusing. So in conclusion....” from the Parish Pump Website

and while talking about keeping it short . . .

The eagle-eyed ones of you will notice that the magazine is a little shorter this month and with only a small amount of local content.

Remember this is your magazine and as such we would very much like more local content from YOU - looking forward to your articles - ed 4

Vision Report for June Contact Thank you to all who donated on our Gift Day. We raised £1,500 which was very good.

Most of you will have seen the super new toilets – still have the doors into the corridor to paint.

Also most of you will have been able to try out the possible new chairs for the church and for the foyer. The general comments have been very good, particularly as several people with back complaints commented how comfortable they were. We know that a few people do not think we need these chairs, but several factors have been considered:

• They are 45 years old, past their best, especially with the back shelves, and with other bright new furnishings make the sanctuary look dull. Surely this area deserves brightening up more than any other!

• There have been grumbles for a long time – even from visitors – that the existing chairs are not comfortable for people with bad backs. The new chairs will be much better and improve the worship experience.

• All the money spent on the items for the Vision Project has come from our own extra events, from Methodist and outside charities. We cannot spend it on anything that is not part of this project. No charities will give towards church maintenance and could ask for their money back if we don’t use it as agreed.

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We look forward to having them and enjoying them. We shall be selling the old ones off – some have already gone through eBay – and if you want some, or know someone who could make use of them for any purpose, then please let us know. We also hope that some of you will feel you might purchase a new chair for the church, as a family or a group or other user. More about this later.

Hilary for the Vision Group

Beetle Drive Saturday 13th June - in aid of the Vision Fund

Starts at 6.00pm and includes a baked potato supper Please sign the list in the foyer and indicate which fillings you want.

TICKETS are £5 adults, £3 children, £15 family ( 2Ad+2Ch) 6

April Walk

It’s the end of April and I have just completed my first substantial walk since surgery on my polio foot in November. (Substantially meaning I can now walk one mile with the aid of walking poles!)

The day is warm and sunny with a gentle breeze, the sort of day we have all been longing for after a long cold winter and the country lane I usually walk is beckoning me. Being a country child benefitted me insofar as I have, for as long as I can remember, known the names of trees, flowers and birds recognising their individual songs so am aware of what birds are around even when I cannot see them.

It is a quiet lane with hedgerows and verges filled with grasses and wild flowers. The variation with each season makes walking the lane worthwhile at any time of year, but now green leaves are bursting in the hedges and the early spring flowers are already full of flower or heavy with buds waiting to burst into life during the 7

next couple of weeks, promising spring at its most flower filled and stunning. What a wonderful time of year and to me a sheer delight.

The dandelions edging the verges bring unrivalled vibrancy following the grey winter and are interspersed with greater stitchwort, their brilliant star-like white flowers nestle among the emerging grasses. Garlic mustard (Jack-by-the-hedge we called it as children) pushes straight stems into the air proclaiming its presence with a shock of tiny white clusters and the cow parsley is all ready to herald May’s fancy-dress ball when the stork’s bills, buttercups, comfrey, hogweed, white dead nettle, speedwells and plantains sprout forth.

The lane takes a right angled turn halfway down and the nature of the flora changes due to the angle of the sun. Now we have anchusa with its clusters of rich deep blue flowers. Clovers, vetches and the emerging bronzed rosettes of rosebay willowherb, are ready to proclaim summer’s entry. The latter used to be called the fire flower during the war when it sprung up in the ashes of bombed sites. It seems to thrive in poor soils.

The hedges comprise of many species: oak, ash, hawthorn, sycamore, wild plum, hazel, privet, along with ivy, dog and scotch roses, blackthorn (sloe) this being the first to flower and the last fruit to ripen following the first frosts. Blackberry and deadly nightshade, bryony and convolvulus all scramble their way through to reach the optimum platform from which to attract the many insects. They say that to estimate how old a hedge is one counts the number of species growing within thirty metres and add one hundred years per species. I don’t know how true that saying is but from the trunks of some of them they are certainly very old.

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At this time of year the migrant birds have arrived and the air is filled with the song of chiff-chaff, its repetitive chiff-chaff song giving it its name. The willow warbler’s liquid music can be heard along with the yellow hammer’s ‘little bit of bread and no-o-o cheese’. Joining these are our native chaffinch, robin, wren, dunnock, blackbird, thrush, greenfinch and skylark whose songs merge in one glorious cacophony of song. Flocks of goldfinches and the various tits flit from hedge to hedge before you as you walk. Overhead rooks are busy flying to and fro with either nesting material or with beaks full of worms gathered from the nearby ploughed fields, and across the air coming from the nearby woods the raucous cawing of many hungry youngsters urging their parents to ever more industry. On many of my walks I have watched buzzards. At this time of year they do their courting overhead, swirling around each other the male trying to impress his mate, and later in the summer when their offspring have fledged, the parents take them on a flying lesson and the air is filled with their mewing calls of encouragement.

How fortunate I am to be able to walk down a lane so full of interest and change and I feel a kind of sadness for people who cannot appreciate the joy which comes from a walk in a country lane. It is always so much more than a walk, it’s exercise, it’s relaxation and my spirit feels as uplifted as Dvorak must have felt when he wrote his orchestral music entitled, ‘In Nature’s Realm’, or Beethoven with his Pastoral Symphony, and as I have listened to their music I have felt renewed and refreshed. And so I do after my walk.

Ann Tomes 9

Erdington Methodist Church Safari Supper Saturday 4th July 2015

For anybody unfamiliar with a safari supper it consists of having a three course meal in different locations with different people. The idea is that you are told whose home to go to for starters. From there you will be informed where to go for your main course where you will meet a new group of people. Following that you then move on to yet another host for pudding with everyone getting together back at Church for coffee.

The idea is that you meet up with different people whilst enjoying the hospitality of your host. It is not a competition about who provides the best food, rather the easiest and most convenient meal should be provided.

This is a fund raising event for VISION and the tickets will be ÂŁ10 each, which we consider quite reasonable for a three course meal.

There will obviously be a need to travel from house to house so

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therefore if drivers could pair up with non drivers that would be helpful so as not to exclude anyone.

In order for this to be successful we will need volunteers to host either a starter, main or pudding who will also move around for each course. (reimbursement can be offered for ingredients) For offers to host and for further information please speak with Christine Rankin

Lost in translation A certain vicar had a kindly, pastoral heart. He often wrote little notes to any parishioners in distress, assuring them of his prayers.

Then came the day he heard that one of his favourite old ladies in the church had been injured in a bad fall. The vicar felt so much sympathy that he wanted to add a note of pastoral affection. He thought of the little postscript that his young niece always added to her emails to him, which he took as a sign of her affection, and decided to add that to this note.

It read: “Dear Mrs Gantry, I am told that you fell down the stairs, broke both legs, and may be in hospital for some weeks. This is just to assure you that you are much in my thoughts.”

Then he added the postscript: “LOL.”

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Children’s Pages

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Thomas the tank Engine The other day I was reminded that Thomas the Tank Engine is 70 years old. W. H. Auden’s daughter was on the Today programme talking about her Dad. Apparently as a Curate he started inventing the train stories when his oldest son Christopher was recovering from measles and was in need of distraction being, at that time, well enough to do but not well enough to be allowed to do. Publication was down to his wife who must have thought that other parents might appreciate these stories for their children as well as thinking, no doubt, as a curate’s wife that the money would come in handy. I doubt that even in their wildest dreams they could ever have thought how popular and influential these stories would become. Thomas made his first appeared in the second book of stories, the first being all about Henry, George and Edward.

When asked which was his favourite, so that dad could make a model to go with the stories, Christopher replied Percy the Saddle Tank engine. According to the daughter the construction of such an engine was beyond both her father’s DIY capability and the ready supply of bits and pieces within the household, Thomas was easier to make and therefore that was the engine that appeared. It was given the number 1 because that was the easiest to paint. The last point that she made was that her dad was particular about the accuracy and authenticity of his stories and each episode was based upon an actual incident that had been reported somewhere in the media, presumably in those days on the radio or in the newspaper.

Whilst exploring Wikipedia on this subject it mentioned the fact that in one story Gordon was judged to be sufficiently sensible to pull the royal train, a reference to the fact that Queen Elizabeth had been crowned. This was mentioned because The Rev Auden had 14

sent some of the early stories to Charles and Ann. One wonders what they made of them.

The first audio rendering of these stories were read by Auden himself in 1957 onto a 7” 33rpm record, in itself a bit of an oddity.

The first widely distributed records were read by Johnny Morris in the early 1960s. Later they were reissued as audiocassettes and at some point the artist changed from Johnny Morris to Willie Rushton.

The first attempt at a TV Thomas was in June 1953. This was a dismal failure. Telly recording was very expensive and so the decision was made to transmit live, using a Hornby 00 railway. At some point during the broadcast the layout suffered a points failure and a large hand was seen putting the engine back onto the track.

All future episodes were put on hold and then cancelled altogether.

After much financial discussion and hard work the rights to the TV productions were bought for £50,000 sometime after 1997 and the rest as they say is history. Over the years apparently many have tried their hand at narrating these tales including Ringo Starr and Pierce Brosnan.

Now let me think, what was that story that I used to make up for my children…………

Peter Farley

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Support the vulnerable Leaders from four major UK Churches (including the Methodist Church) have signed an open letter to the re-appointed Prime Minister, David Cameron, encouraging him to hold ‘truth, justice, peace and wellbeing’ at the heart of the government.

With a focus on ’loving our neighbour’, the letter reminds the Prime Minister that a wholesome society should be concerned for the weakest and most vulnerable, both locally and globally.

The letter, signed by leaders of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, highlights several of the key concerns that the Churches believe should be high on the agenda of the new government, calling for: • a full review of the impact of the benefits sanctions system • a postponement of further spending on Trident and a serious reassessment of the need for nuclear weapons • assertive international action to uphold human rights and deliver humanitarian assistance in Syria • action to make freedom of religion a human rights priority in all aspects of foreign policy.

“Remembering our neighbours is vital for a healthy society,” said Rachel Lampard, leader of the Joint Public Issues Team, which works on behalf of the Churches. “Whilst policies protecting the most weak and vulnerable of society may not always be the most popular, they are necessary to live out the common good, regardless of political perspective.”

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The content of the letter follows . . .

An open letter to the Prime Minister from: The Baptist Union of Great Britain The Church of Scotland The Methodist Church and The United Reformed Church 12 May 2015 Dear Prime Minister, We write to you on behalf of congregations present in every part of England, Scotland and Wales representing over 800,000 Christians.

We congratulate you on your success and assure you of our prayers as you embark on leading this new government.

During the election campaign, many churches hosted hustings meetings in their communities, and Christians stood for elected office for different parties. We encouraged our church members to engage in political debate as Christians with a range of views but all committed to the common good. Our message was that Christians should consider voting in the spirit of ‘loving our neighbour’, the message at the heart of the Christian gospel.

We know that your government will now face difficult choices over the implementation of policies. We all have different understandings of what is “just” or how peace should be achieved.

We do not presume that the practice of government is simple, but a wholesome society needs us all to ask what truth, justice, peace and wellbeing mean for the person Jesus commands us to regard as our neighbour.

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We hope and pray that as you make decisions about your programme for government, you will choose to offer greatest support to those of our neighbours who are the weakest, the most vulnerable and the most in need of our help. Such policies will not always be popular, they may be politically or financially costly, but they are necessary if we are to live out the common good.

We welcome commitments already made in this direction. We applaud the way that during the last government you showed strong leadership in meeting your commitment to achieve spending equivalent to 0.7% of GDP in overseas aid, and the role that you have personally exercised as a member of the High Level Panel on the post-2015 Development Agenda. We welcome your commitment to invest in the National Health Service, to continue to combat the impact of climate change especially on the poorest, your action on high cost credit, your engagement with devolution of further powers for Scotland, and your pledges to extend free childcare and boost opportunities for young people through education and learning.

As you know, churches are committed to supporting and working alongside their local communities every day of the week, running projects such as credit unions, foodbanks, training centres, homeless centres, and older persons’ drop in centres. Many are also involved in striving for a society in which, for example, the need for emergency food provision has been eradicated because the systemic problem of food poverty has been effectively addressed.

As such we bring perspectives from communities across the country. But we are also international organisations, connected to Christian sisters and brothers around the world, and so bring viewpoints from countries across the globe.

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Therefore we have concerns which are local and global. We will continue to work on a range of issues which have been of concern to our church members for some time, and hope to be able to meet with your government to discuss them further. For example: • Our experience and research has led us to be deeply concerned about the damage caused, particularly to vulnerable people, through the benefits sanctions system and we ask your government to undertake a full review.

• We are committed to a world free of nuclear weapons. We hope that you will support the international call to make the use of nuclear weapons illegitimate under international law and consider a deferral of a decision on Trident in 2016 to enable the UK to play a full part in new multilateral disarmament initiatives.

• We pray for peace in Syria and the surrounding region and urge that assertive international action is taken to uphold human rights and deliver humanitarian assistance to over 11 million Syrians who have been displaced by the conflict.

• Christians and other religious minorities are facing persecution, and we ask that your government makes freedom of religion or belief a human rights priority in all aspects of foreign policy.

We look forward to discussing these and other issues with you further.

We are aware of the particular opportunities and challenges which your government will face following the electoral success of the Scottish National Party in Scotland. Proposals for the transfer of additional powers to Scotland which followed the referendum need now to be enacted.

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In every part of the United Kingdom, local churches will be writing to their newly elected MPs pledging to pray for them and work with them. Once again, may we assure you and your government of the prayers of the people of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church as we all seek to ensure that our society puts at its heart the principles of truth, justice, peace and wellbeing. from the Methodist Church News Service

The Bible in 50 words God made Adam bit Noah arked Abraham split Joseph ruled Jacob fooled Bush talked Moses balked Pharaoh plagued People walked Sea divided Tablets guided Promise landed

Saul freaked David peaked Prophets warned Jesus born God walked Love talked Anger crucified Hope died Love rose Spirit flamed Word spread God remained. - anon 

from the Parish Pump Website

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MAF celebrates 70 years in the air

MAF is 70 this year. As a spokesman for MAF explained, “When we started 70 years ago, we were a bunch of ex-Air Force officers who wanted to turn small planes into an instrument of peace and of help and hope for people in remote, inaccessible areas. In the early days, the work was quite traumatic, it wasn't easy at all.”

Ruth Whitaker, Chief Executive at MAF UK said that nowadays “the need is greater than ever across the developing world, and MAF has a role to play in serving those in remote and isolated communities. We had the opportunity to fly the Archbishop of Canterbury in on of our light aircraft during a visit he made to South Sudan in 2014. He has therefore seen first-hand our work supporting people living in remote and isolated areas.”

MAF supports the world's forgotten people in over 25 countries.

Through its fleet of 140 light aircraft, MAF flies essential supplies to places made barely accessible through war, natural disaster or poor 21

infrastructure. Rooted in the church and working with scores of aid organisations, MAF is overcoming these physical barriers in over 1,800 locations. from the Parish Pump Website

Sponsored Silence Kate Wharton is doing a sponsored silence to raise more funds for the Vision Project.

Kate hopes to do five hours splitting the time into 30/60 minute chunks.

Dorinda King has volunteered to be witness and sign-off the hours and minutes that Kate does.

A sponsorship form will appear on the notice board shortly.

Please support Kate in her worthwhile efforts.

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June Regular Meetings Coffee Mornings Each Saturday 10.00 am to 12.00 noon

Tuesday Club Every 4th Tuesday in the month at 2.30 pm

Sunday Worship All worship starts at 10.30 am unless stated otherwise below. 
 7th

John Rutherford

14th

METHODIST HOMES SUNDAY - Rev Gerald Hainsworth

21st

ALL AGE WORSHIP - Alex Dunstan

28th

CONFERENCE SUNDAY - Worship Group

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Weekly Church Activities Sunday

10.30 am

MORNING WORSHIP and Young Church

Tuesday

9.30 - 12.30 pm 2.00 pm

Pre-School : Karen Homer Tuesday Afternoon Meeting : Margaret Hillman (4th)

Wednesday

9.30 - 11.30 am 9.30 - 12.30 pm 12.30 pm

Stay and Play Pre-School : Karen Homer Luncheon Club - (1st and 3rd)

Thursday

9.30 - 12.30 pm

Pre-School : Karen Homer

Friday

9.30 - 12.30 pm 5.00 - 6.15 pm 6.15 - 7.45 pm 7.45 - 9.15 pm 7.45 - 9.15 pm 5.30 - 6.30 pm 5.00 - 6.30 pm 7.30 - 9.00 pm

Pre-School : Karen Homer Beavers : Lynn Turner Cubs : Elizabeth Baizon Scouts : Lisa Porter Explorers : Lucy Porter Rainbows : Debbie Barnett Brownies : Lesley Carter Guides : Helen Rainsford

Saturday

10.00 - 12.00 noon 10.30 - 11.30 am

Coffee Morning : Lesley Morgan Church open for prayer : Margaret Curzon

Please hand any items for the July\August CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Peter Farley, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th June 2015 at the latest please or alternatively email me: nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk with the word ‘CONTACT’ in the title.

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