Contact December 2015 / January 2016

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Magazine of Erdington Methodist Church Station Road - Dec 2015 / Jan 2016 1

Contents Minister’s Letter Christmas Travellers Vision - Counting Down A Plea from Traidcraft Christmas Concert Keep it a surprise Well! That should help to keep the roof on the church Give a precious gift this Christmas YMCA Carol Service Silent Night Christmas Services and activities Air Activities Lent Groups To boldly go Cancellations & Extras Enough is enough Rudolph the Red Christmas Answer Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Nativity Story?

Santa’s sleigh All in the month of December Christmas QUIZ Answers December/January Regular Meetings Coffee Mornings Tuesday Club Sunday Worship Weekly Church Activities

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3 4 5 6 8 8 9 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 30 31 31 31 31 32

Minister’s Letter Dear friends We’re now in Advent. It’s a time of waiting and preparing. We’re waiting and preparing for Christmas, as we remember how God called his people to wait and prepare for him coming to Israel in Jesus Christ.

We’re also waiting and preparing for Jesus Christ to come again, not this time as a baby but as King of the universe, coming to reign.

How do we prepare for his coming again? Partly it’s by living now as we shall live when he comes, in love and peace with all as far as it depends on us. It’s putting aside our selfishness, living generously and kindly. It’s people of different races and genders being united together as equals in the body of Christ. In short, it’s living ‘rightly’ here and now.

Jesus also spoke of the need for us to be ready by doing his will and his work, which means making him known and letting people know that he is coming back. Of course, it’s not just in Advent that we’re to live this way! It’s all year round that we look forward and prepare for the Lord’s return. And there are some specific things to look forward to. It isn’t time for goodbyes yet, but in August Alex & I will be moving to new appointments in Northumberland and you will be welcoming Rev Malcolm Oliver and his wife, Gina, along with Andrew, Chipo and Luyando. If you give them anything like the love and the welcome we received, they will be very happy!

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In the meantime, I’m determined that we shall use these next months well and by the grace of God accomplish great things!

We can’t expect people to follow Jesus Christ just because we have a nice service, so we need to be creative about how we make God known. One thing we’re looking at in these next months is the appointment of a FamilyWorker. Their job, if it goes ahead, would be to work not just with children and young people but with their parents, to enable the next generations to hear the Good News and respond to it by becoming followers of Jesus Christ.

Please pray that we would all be open to the leading of God’s Spirit, so that we might not only wait and prepare, but move forward instep with the Spirit!

Your friend and minister Rev Paul

Christmas Travellers On the 1st of December the Travellers (Mary and Joseph wooden statues) will be ready to start their journey around the church families. There will be a list on the notice board to fill in a date that suits your hospitality. On that date someone will bring the travellers to your home and share refreshments with you. The following day , you will take the travellers on their journey to the next person's home on the list and the same takes place at each house. Please join in and make Mary & Joseph’s journey a special time for everyone.

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Vision - Counting Down As we started the project we put an ascending chart on the noticeboard showing how the funds were increasing, and hopefully, encouraging optimism and generosity! Well, we have received that, as the church family has raised £57,500 of the £263,000 raised so far – an amazing total! So we now have a descending chart and all monies received will be deducted from it until we reach zero! At the last Church Council meeting our proposal to purchase a carpet for the whole of the worship area was agreed. We are getting further quotes and this will be our last item to be installed. We have been asked what colour we are having. We really can’t answer that until we haves samples to look at and are keeping open minds at the moment. We shall ask for preferences when we have samples to show everyone.

The group has met and we have a final calendar of events finishing on our wind up day of March 31st. Do have a look at the noticeboard in the corridor. Two dates to add to your diaries for 2016 are January 30th – the Quiz Night with fish and chips, and March 19th when we hold a coffee morning with lots going on.

Further details about that and the Silent Auction will be announced after Christmas. Meanwhile we are concentrating on the Christmas Festival on December 19th finishing around 2.00 pm after lunch. The morning will include our usual carol singing for Methodist relief. There will be lots to see and to buy. It may be near to Christmas but not too late to purchase presents we hope.

Hilary for the Vision group 5

A Plea from Traidcraft Traidcraft plc recently issued this message to churches of all denominations and asked that it be publicised as widely as possible; for example by inclusion in the magazines of local Churches.

Dear Friends We urgently need your help. We need your help because the world's poorest small-scale farmers, struggling to feed and support their families, need our help. Sound like a familiar plea? It should.

It's the same message as when we first started our mission over 35 years ago – to practically apply the love and justice which lies at the heart of Christian faith to international trade, and so give the world's poorest farmers the opportunity to trade fairly and thrive.

There are two general misconceptions. The first is that the Fairtrade battle is won. Chocolate, tea, coffee and many more products with the now familiar Fairtrade Mark are stacked high on our supermarket shelves. Something Traidcraft and our supporters can be proud to have helped bring about. However, it is a myth that the job is done. Unfortunately, injustice in trade and its resultant poverty is as much of a scandal now as it was 35 years ago, and right now we're still doing everything we can to tackle it directly.

The second misconception is that Traidcraft and Fairtrade are the same. They are not. Traidcraft is an independent trading company, with a linked development charity. We do not benefit from the sales of Fairtrade products in the supermarkets. Traidcraft trades with and supports the most vulnerable farmers and artisans 6

(who could not cope with the demands or scale required by big business or the supermarkets.) We pioneer to bring new commodities into the fair trade arena. Our linked development charity runs projects developing peoples’ potential to trade their own way out of poverty in their own countries; and we lobby big business and government for fundamentals changes to the way trade works so that it benefits the poor. We believe this is the ‘best of fair trade’.

But we urgently need help to keep doing it because despite the growth of total Fairtrade sales, we've seen Traidcraft sales significantly decline. Why? People are buying Fairtrade products from the supermarket and not from Traidcraft or its supporters.

This means our original pioneering mission is now under serious threat. Our plea is simple... Where there is Traidcraft in your church, offer them as much support as possible and buy Traidcraft products through them. One item per person per week would make a significant difference to sales. Don't just serve refreshments with the Fairtrade Mark on, make sure they are from Traidcraft.

Traidcraft at Wylde Green’s addendum : As Christmas approaches visit the stall in our Church. There are many new products available for Christmas, lots of yummy chocolate, nibbles, cakes, biscuits and crackers to make. Prepare a Christmas Fairtrade hamper as a gift; pick up a catalogue and place orders for Christmas cards or crafts that are not on display. Share the catalogue with your friends and be part of the ‘Show You Care’ campaign by supporting Traidcraft in our Church. Host a Traidcraft party in your home and invite your neighbours.

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We thank you for your ongoing support as together we continue to try to make trade fairer for the world’s poorest producers who desperately need our help.

Many thanks The Traidcraft Team at WGURC PS : Please note that Friday & Saturday opening hours in December are 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.

Christmas Concert The Ebrook Choir and Music Group would be delighted to see as many people as possible at their Christmas concert which will be led by Pauline Hall. Please support them if you can.

Tuesday 22nd December at 11.00 am. Wesley Hall, South Parade Methodist Church.

The concert theme is THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS.

Keep it a surprise Three-year-old Lily was helping her mother wrap a present for her father. While wrapping, her mother told Lily about keeping the present a secret so it would be a surprise. After the present was wrapped, Lily proudly put it under the tree. When her father asked her if he could shake it and guess what's inside, she said, very seriously, "No, T-shirts don't rattle."

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Well! That should help to keep the roof on the church My daughter, Elizabeth, sent an email to me with an attachment taken from a recent issue of the Methodist Recorder.

The article detailed the Antiques Roadshow’s visit to Plymouth when the Superintendent of Plymouth Methodist Central Hall, Rev Dave Martin was photographed, in front of the usual crowd, with paintings expert of the day, Lawrence Hendra.

He presented a painting entitled ‘The Preacher’ by Stanhope Forbes, which has hung on the walls of one of the meeting rooms in MCH for many years. The room is used for a weekly Bible study group.

“It’s a captivating piece,” said Mr Martin, “We don’t know who he is, but is typical of the farmer, fishermen, Forbes loved to paint, and is a wonderful example of thousands of local preachers who have brought The Gospel to life in our Chapels.” (Quote) The programme was broadcast on 18th October. I looked on BBC Iplayer to see what valuation was put on it, between £10-£15,000!

Apparently the painting was donated to the church by a local benefactor about twenty five to thirty years ago.

In 1881 Stanhope Forbes went to Brittany to study, bringing him into contact with the new plein air painters which was to influence his style dramatically.

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He arrived in Newlyn in 1884 and is reputed to be the founder of the Newlyn School, a growing colony of artists. His growing reputation being established with the acceptance of ‘A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach’ in 1885 at the Royal Academy, London and is now owned by Plymouth City Art Gallery.

Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach As the number of artists dwindled, Stanhope and his wife, Elizabeth Forbes, founded their School of Painting in 1889.

This attracted a whole new generation of painters.

Throughout his life Forbes was a popular figure in West Cornwall, painting into 1930’s. He died in 1947 a few months before his ninetieth birthday.

I visited Birmingham Art Gallery some years ago when an exhibition of The Newlyn Artists was being mounted, and I was fortunate enough to see many of Stanhope Forbes paintings, including ‘Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach’. In the above painting, the worry this catch will not be sufficient to 10

sustain the family until the next fishing trip, is etched on the faces of the group. What impressed me in each of his paintings was the atmosphere and emotion he managed to portray, the human suffering and despair, the cold, the rain and the anxiety of waiting for loved ones to return from the sea in the early dawn. It was written on every face. His attention to detail was amazing. A truly remarkable man and an exhibition brought back to memory by the article in the Methodist Recorder.

Ann Tomes

Ian & Christine invite you for Mulled Wine & Mince pies (other refreshments available) 19 Tudman Close, Walmley. B76 1GP

Monday 28th December 2015 Pop In between 2.30 pm and 5.00 pm Everyone welcome Donations for VISION 11

Give a precious gift this Christmas As Christmas approaches, we often find ourselves lost in the aisles of shops along with hundreds of other frantic shoppers who have lost sight of the real meaning of Christmas – even the true reason for giving someone a gift. In Nigeria, many communities have been receiving gifts but haven’t necessarily understood what the gift is, or why they need it – does this sound familiar? The gift they have received is a long-lasting insecticide-treated net, which when hung correctly, should protect people from mosquito bites, and potentially deadly malaria. Malaria is a leading cause of death in Nigeria, with approximately 250,000 children dying every year. It is particularly dangerous for pregnant women to get malaria.

What is shocking about this situation is that it is preventable but many people don’t know how to protect themselves. Christian Aid partners in Nigeria are working hard to teach communities how to protect themselves from malaria.

Nurse Dorothy has received training in malaria prevention and management so that she can deal effectively with malaria cases and share her knowledge with her patients. On the day that we spoke to her she had just helped to deliver Onuchukwu Okoye’s baby boy, Israel. Onuchukwu had attended antenatal sessions with Dorothy so she knew how to avoid getting malaria. Dorothy’s expert care enabled Onuchukwu to protect herself and her baby during pregnancy. Without this help, this story could have had a very different ending.

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This Christmas, we are joining with Christian Aid by praying for the work in Nigeria and raising money to support people like Dorothy. Please stop and remember that this Christmas, your gifts have the potential to achieve so much. It costs just £3 to buy a long-lasting insecticide-treated net, and £33 to train a primary health worker like Dorothy in malaria prevention and treatment.

Will you join us in giving a precious life-saving gift this Christmas?

You can make a donation by visiting christianaid.org.uk /christmas or get in touch by calling 0207 523 2269.

YMCA Carol Service I am organising our Christmas Carol Service at the YMCA in Erdington and we would love as many churches to come along as possible. Details are below. Thank you.

YMCA Birmingham Christmas Carol Service Thursday 17th December 2015 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm YMCA Birmingham 301 Reservoir Road Erdington B23 6DF Your participation will be greatly appreciated.

God bless you Rotimi Benjamin Christian Spiritual Development Coordinator 13

Silent Night This much-loved carol comes from Austria, where it was first sung as Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht on Christmas Eve, 1818. It was written by Father Joseph Mohr, a young priest at St Nicholas parish church, in the village of Oberndorf bei Salzburg. As Christmas 1818 approached, he asked the local schoolmaster, Franz Xaver Gruber, to compose a melody for his carol. Gruber was organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf, and so was happy to oblige. On Christmas Eve they presented the carol to the church during the midnight mass. The carol went on to become loved world-wide; and the version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best-selling single of all time. The word search below contains words from this story 25 to find.

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Christmas Services and activities November 29th - 4.00 pm - Christingle service, followed by refreshments December 12th at 11.00 am - Christmas Carols & Readings - Churches Together in Erdington 15th at 7.00 pm - Carol singing at Tesco, for John Taylor Hospice** 18th at 6.00 pm - Service for Uniformed Organisations 19th at 10.00 am - Carol Singing outside the church (10.00 am to 12.00 pm) - Money for Methodist Refugee Support (supporting refugees in Macedonia, Serbia, Germany & Italy) 20th 6.00 pm - Carol Service by candlelight 24th at 11.30 pm - Midnight Communion 25th at 10.00 am - Christmas Day Service 27th at 10.30 am - Worship led by the Young Church and leaders

** Date and time as yet unconfirmed - watch the weekly notices 15

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Air Activities

On Saturday 17th October 2015 some of the Beavers from the 177th were off on there travels, first of all the Beavers and Leaders left Erdington by train for Marston Green railway station. The above photo shows our group at New Street Railway Station in Birmingham. Upon arrival at Marston Green we made our way to Sheldon Country Park which is adjacent to the runaway at Birmingham Airport and the reason we were doing this was to complete the Air activities badge which we had previously being working on. They also completed the Hikes away and the Explorer badges. They visited the farm on the site and saw various animals and also had a picnic lunch, (thank goodness that the weather was kind to us).

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It was time to return back to Erdington with another hike back to the train station for our journey home. On our arrival back at the church hall it was time for the Beavers to set out their camp kit for a sleepover until the next day. The Beavers did several activities during the evening with lots of games and the leaders cooked them their evening meal. It was not until about 11:30 pm that the Beavers finally settled down to get some sleep and most of them slept very well through the night. On Sunday 18th October 2015 the Beavers where awake by 7am and had their breakfast and got ready for the Family Church Service and we were pleased that they did not fall asleep during the service due to their late night of going to bed.

Thanks to the leaders who gave up their time so that the Beavers could do this activity.

Kind Regards Lynn & PaulÂ

Lent Groups I know we haven’t even had Christmas yet but Easter is very early in 2016 and Lent groups actually start in February!! Churches Together in Erdington are organising fellowship groups which meet during Lent. They have been doing so for many years.

Please consider joining in a group this coming Lent - details and a sign up list will appear immediately after Christmas. If you decide to take part then please sign up promptly Many thanks Nick Riley 19

To boldly go Three things have happened recently, which in conjunction have brought to mind the famous grammatical error from ‘Star Trek’.

Firstly the news that having completed his training Tim Peake a UK pilot will heading up to the International Space Station (ISS) soon. Secondly I have been to see the film ‘The Martian’, the story of a man who was accidentally left behind when his mission to Mars had to abort unexpectedly and blast off for home. The spacecraft, which they used for their journey to Mars was reminiscent of the ISS. Thirdly the ISS has now been operational and constantly manned for 15 years.

A quick look at the NASA website reveals that the ISS took 115 flights to assemble the station, as we know it now. The American space shuttle program was maintained in order to ferry the necessary parts into orbit. To date 220 people have flown to the ISS, most staying for a six-month tour of duty. A few, very fortunate rich people, have been able to ride as tourists, one on two occasions. During the 15 years 26,500 meals have been consumed.

Much science has been undertaken particularly experiments that can only be done in the micro-gravity which is found in orbit.

Much of the experimentation has been on the crew themselves, as mankind struggles to understand how micro-gravity affects the human body. Such understanding is vital if we are to travel to more distant worlds such as Mars.

You may ask why do we spend vast sums of money on such an esoteric project? It was George Mallory, the famous mountaineer, who died trying to climb Mount Everest in 1924 and he provided 20

the answer. When he was asked the question ‘Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?’ he famously replied, ‘Because it is there’.

We are created as humans with questioning minds, who, what, when, how and why. This applies equally to George Mallory, Tim Peake and Mark Watney, the space traveller accidentally marooned on Mars. As Christians we need to be similarly inquisitive about this wonderful world that God has entrusted to us.

To boldly enquire about the five questions fundamental to life as we know it – who, what,when, how and why? A series of questions which fundamentalists of all persuasions could profitably ask.

Peter Farley

Cancellations & Extras Please note that there will be no Coffee Morning on Boxing Day 26th December.

But note specially that contrary to other information you may have seen that there WILL BE A SERVICE on Sunday 27th December.

We are excited that the Young Church & Leaders have stepped forward and offered to lead our worship on that morning.

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Enough is enough Major UK Churches (including the Methodist Church) are warning that the government’s Welfare Reform and Work Bill marks a dangerous shift away from a core principle of the Welfare State and will make poor people even poorer.

A YouGov survey commissioned by the Churches has also revealed that 61% of UK adults believe that welfare benefits should be set at a level that allows families with children to cover their basic costs.

In contrast, only 25% of those polled said they thought that benefits should be set deliberately low to encourage families to find work or get more work.

“No child should be left without enough in order to motivate their parents,” said Paul Morrison, Public Issues Policy Adviser for the Methodist Church and author of the report. “If children live in a family which doesn’t have enough money, they are more likely to die young, do worse at school, and experience worse health. Many of these families are already in work and working very hard. Any policy that claims that taking £1,000 from a family will enhance the life-chances of its children, as the Bill does, is not only supremely questionable but morally flawed.”

The report, Enough: Our responsibility to meet families’ needs, highlights how the Bill threatens to undermine a founding principle of the Welfare State: namely, that the amount families receive in benefits should be sufficient to meet their basic needs.

The Churches say the Bill will break the link between what people 22

need and the amount of support they can receive. Families with children will be hardest hit by this change.

“As Christians we believe all people are made in God’s image,” continued Paul. “We do not believe that we should ever deliberately deprive a person, a family, a child of enough to thrive or to fulfil their God-given potential. We are asking that the Welfare State holds to its founding principles, and seeks to provide enough so that every child can have the best chance in life.”

The Churches are asking people to pray, to read the report found at: http://methodist-news.org.uk/BVI-3TZEC-3A7QYC-1V1FAW-1/c.aspx (along with a short video explaining why Enough matters) and write to their MPs.

Rudolph the Red There was once a great Czar in Russia named Rudolph the Red. He stood looking out the windows of his palace one day while his wife, the Czarina Katerina, sat nearby knitting.

He turned to her and said, "Look my dear, it has begun to rain!"

Without even looking up from her knitting she replied, "It's too cold to rain. It must be sleeting." The Czar shook his head and said, "I am the Czar of all the Russias, and Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!”

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Christmas Answer (Lk 2:6) So many refugees, So many homeless people, So much conflict and despair and pain, In a world without answers.

But God so loved this world That he created Christmas And came, in Jesus.

Jesus, born into poverty, Jesus, who was homeless, Who was a refugee, Who shares our conflict and despair and pain, Who takes it all and transforms it By his life-giving death and resurrection Into possibilities of peace and hope and joy, Into life in all its fullness.

Jesus who came out of the stable And lives.

God’s answer.

Hallelujah.

By Daphne Kitching

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Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Nativity Story?

A baby born to a virgin--it's one of the most familiar stories in the world. But how well do you really remember the gospels' accounts of Jesus' birth? Take this quiz and find out. (And remember: Not everything we know about Christmas comes from the gospels!)

Q1. Which archangel announced Jesus' birth to Mary?

1. Michael 2. Gabriel 3. Raphael 4. Uriel

Q2. After Mary became pregnant with Jesus, her first action was to: 1. Explain to her parents what had happened 2. Explain to Joseph what had happened 3. Visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant 4. Go into seclusion so as not to be an object of shame

Q3. According to the gospels, where was Jesus born?

1. In Bethlehem 2. In Nazareth 3. In Heaven 4. In Jerusalem 25

Q4. During the reign of which Roman emperor was Jesus born?

1. Augustus 2. Tiberius 3. Claudius 4. Nero

Q5. Why was Jesus born in a barn?

1. In order to fulfill a prophecy 2. Because Joseph was a rancher 3. Because there was no room in the inn 4. To make clear that his message was for animals as well as humans

Q6. In which two gospels does the Nativity story appear?

1. Matthew and Mark 2. Matthew and Luke 3. Matthew and John 4. Mark and John

Q7. The angel who appeared to the shepherds told them they would recognise Jesus this way: 1. He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger 2. They would see a halo over his head 3. A star would be shining over the stable 4. He would have startling blue eyes

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Q8. Which animals does the Bible mention in connection with Jesus' birth?

1. Sheep 2. An ox and an ass 3. Camels 4. All of the above

Q9. According to the gospels, how many wise men were there?

1. 6 2. 3 3. 0 4. Nobody knows

Q10. Which star did the wise men follow to find the baby Jesus?

1. The Star in the East 2. The North Star 3. The Star of David 4. The Dog Star

Q11. What were the gifts that the wise men bought to honor Jesus' birth?

1. Baby clothes 2. A young lamb 3. Diamonds and pearls 4. Frankincense, myrrh, and gold

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Q12. When the wise men told Herod they were following a star to a newborn royal child, Herod: 1. Told them they were superstitious old fools 2. Arranged for an expensive present to be sent to the baby 3. Resolved to find out where the baby was so he could kill it 4. Gave instructions that the child was to be raised as his own son

Q13. Where did Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee not long after the visit from the wise men?

1. To Jerusalem 2. To Nazareth 3. To the hills outside Bethlehem 4. To Egypt

Q14. What relation did John the Baptist have with Jesus?

1. Mentor 2. Friend 3. Disciple 4. Cousin

Santa’s sleigh I remember when Father Christmas nervously went for his sleighdriving test. He came rushing back in a thunder of reindeer, and pulled up in front of the toy factory. 'Have you passed?' I asked.

Father Christmas pointed to the front of the sleigh. 'See for yourself!' he called proudly. 'No-el plates!'

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All in the month of December 500 years ago:- on 24th Dec 1515, that Thomas Wolsey was appointed Lord Chancellor of England.

150 years ago:- on 4th Dec 1865, that Edith Cavell was born. This British nurse and WW1 heroine saved the lives of injured soldiers regardless of which side they were on, and was eventually shot by the Germans.

Also 150 years ago:- on 30th Dec 1865, that Rudyard Kipling was born. This short story writer, novelist, poet and children’s author was best known for The Jungle Book, Just So Stories, and Kim. 100 years ago:- on 8th Dec 1915, that the war poem In Flanders Fields, by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, was first published in Punch magazine in the UK. 75 years ago:- on 12th Dec 1940, that the Sheffield Blitz began. The city was devastated by German bombs. More than 660 people were killed, 1,500 injured and 40,000 made homeless.

60 years ago:- on 1st Dec 1955, that African American civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, violating the city’s racial segregation laws. This incident led to the birth of the modern American civil rights movement.

50 years ago:- on 8th Dec 1965, that The Race Relations Act (1965) went into effect in the UK. It banned racial discrimination in public places.

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20 years ago:- on 21st Dec 1995, that the city of Bethlehem passed from Israeli to Palestinian control. On 26th Dec Israel also handed dozens of West Bank villages over to the Palestinian authorities.

10 years ago:- on 6th Dec 2005, that David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party. He became Prime Minister in May 2010.

Also 10 years ago:- on 19th Dec 2005, that The Civil Partnership Act came into effect in the UK. The first civil partnership under the act was formed in Belfast that same day.

Christmas QUIZ Answers Q1. (2) Gabriel Q2. (3) Visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant Q3. (1) In Bethlehem Q4. (1) Augustus Q5. (3) Because there was no room in the inn Q6. (2) Matthew and Luke Q7. (1) Wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger Q8. (1) Sheep Q9. (4) Nobody knows Q10.(1) The Star in the East Q11.(4) Frankincense, myrrh, and gold Q12.(3) Resolved to find out where the baby was so he could kill it Q13.(4) To Egypt Q14.(4) Cousin

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December/January 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. For more information on Christmas Services/Activities please see list earlier in this magazine.

DECEMBER 2015 6th HOLY COMMUNION - Rev Paul Dunstan 13th Glyn Constantine 20th ALL AGE WORSHIP - Lynn Crowe Carols by Candlelight - 6.00 pm - Rev Paul Dunstan 27th Young Church JANUARY 2016 3rd COVENANT SERVICE - Rev Paul Dunstan 10th Jane Cudjoe 17th ALL AGE WORSHIP - Nikki Murcot WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY SERVICE at Erdington Abbey - 4.00 pm 24th EDUCATION SUNDAY/HOMELESSNESS SUNDAY Rev Paul Dunstan 31st Glyn Constantine 31

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 (2nd)

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 February CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Peter Farley, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th January 2016 at the latest please or alternatively email me: nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk with the word ‘CONTACT’ in the title.

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