Contact March 2010

CONTACT

Magazine of Erdington Methodist Church Station Road - March 2010 1

Contents Minister’s Letter In CONTACT this month Family News Pastoral Concerns A Gift Eulogy for Les Seaborne Haiti appeal passes £400,000 Bible Fresh World Scout Jamboree 2011 Purple Day - 24th March Voting Reform An update on farming at Bodymoor Heath 2010 Children’s Pages - Noah’s Ark Jamboree Coffee Morning & Fika Network Contact Polo’s Progress Students write the funniest things 2 . . .

Dropped Kerbs Vaughan Singers in Concert The Bells, the Bells!

Have you ever considered being a Church Steward?

Cape Wrath St Patrick Easter Computations Easter Activities - dates for your diary Magnet, reaches out to a broader Church Girl Guiding Celebrates 100 Years Eating Umble Pie Seeing a child in need Captain Noah and his floating Zoo Noah’s Ark Anagram Answers March 2010 Regular Meetings Weekly Church Activities

2

3 5 5 6 6 7 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 23 23 24 26 28 28 29 30 31 32 34 35 35 36 36 37 37 38 39 40

Minister’s Letter Dear Friends The season of Lent is here well and truly. Traditionally,  Christians have seen it as a 40 day preparation time before the great feast of Easter when there is worldwide celebration. Leading up to that glorious day, each Christian is called to remember the deep tragedy of Good Friday and three days later, the immense glory of Easter Day and the resurrection of Jesus.

Listening to the radio one would think all that Christians do in Lent is give things up - chocolate biscuits or sugar ; or fast and go without other pleasures; or make other simple sacrifices. Lent does not have to be like that!

Lent can be something you choose to do for God which will help you think of God's sticking with you in the desert times- the hard, desperate, lonely times of anguish when there is no-one to unburden yourself to and when you feel abandoned and wretched.

A woman told me that on Shrove Tuesday she sits down and writes a list of all the things she is busy doing - at home, at work, with her family, at church, plans to go on holiday etc etc and then very quietly she prays through the list and asks if her priorities are what God would choose for her? She says it takes an hour or so and at the end, she asks God to help her put God's priorities first for the next 40 days and after.

Other people draw a list of how they spend their time - Michael who is 15 astonished his family by declaring that 4 hours in front of TV each night is too much and 2 hours is enough - he'll walk the dog for an hour instead!

And Graham has promised to watch how he spends his money - not on big things - but on the coffees he loves before work and at lunch time and after on the way home- he's giving the cost of one of those frothy coffees each day to Water Aid and reckons that at the end of 40 days there will be a decent sum towards a well!!

3

Jane is going to do some quiet reading this lent - the Archbishops of York and Canterbury have a Lent book out - as does Cafod- the Roman Catholic aid agency and just reading one page each day puts our lives in the UK into amazing perspective! So much to be thankful for - even before the day begins!

Mabel is thinking of praying at midday each day of Lent - gathering with all the people round the world who pray at noon for peace. She would love to come to the church house groups and special pause for thought but can't get out so praying at midday is her way of joining others in their prayers.

John is going to do his prayers as he walks - well - his wife says he should do more exercise! So instead of going to the gym (too public!) he's going to walk round the Park once each day, thanking God as he does so and offering to God all those in hospital or poorly at home.

There are no rules about how we should use Lent - no directives laid down in the bible- no orders from the church. Rather - it is an invitation and each chooses what speaks to their heart.

The real guide is the knowledge that Easter is the great festival which becomes greater still if one prepares for it in advance; if one lives differently; if one keeps reminding oneself that this is not an ordinary humdrum time but is a special 40 days needing special thought. After all, the dying and rising of Jesus the Lord cannot be an ordinary humdrum event - it is shattering and supremely glorious : Â worth preparing for!

Blessings for you this Lenten journey Nichola

4

In CONTACT this month . . .

We need some volunteers to help run things Son & Son-in-Law tell us about Les Alice looks forward to Jamboree 2011 We find out what ‘Purple Day’ is all about Peter helps us understand what Electoral Reform is about We have another in our occasional series about life on a farm CONTACT have obtained a ‘World exclusive’ interview with Polo!

After last month’s Student faux-pax we have some more . . .

Barbara is hearing bells !!

We learn about St Patrick We have our usual selection of thought provoking articles and Methodist News articles.

And if you are really paying attention you might notice that there is a slight ‘Noah’ theme to the magazine! and much more . . . .

Hope you enjoy it - ed

Family News Thank You The Sunday School would like to thank parents for their continued support during our collections for: Christian Aid The Donkey Sanctuary Bethlehem Clinic The DEC Disaster Emergency Fund Thanks everyone

5

Pastoral Concerns At the recently held Pastoral Meeting, two concerns were raised which it was thought should be put into Contact to bring to your attention.

During the years we have been well blessed with drivers who have kindly given lifts to those members and friends who otherwise would be unable to attend church on Sundays. As time has gone by, those same drivers now find themselves in the position of needing lifts themselves. We are now appealing to you, those of you who drive to church with one or two empty seats in your cars. We are planning a Motor Rota. If you are willing to go on to this rota and provide transport say, once a month, will you please speak to myself or one of the stewards. Please, we desperately need your help.

The second concern is Flower Distribution. Some of you may not be aware, but our Sunday flowers are donated by individuals and arranged by our team of arrangers. Following the service, these same flowers are then taken to anyone who is considered in need of a little indication of our love and concern for them. Our team of distribution volunteers has dwindled and we need others to replace them. This is a real ministry, letting the vulnerable know they are cared for and prayed for and the flowers come as a reminder to them that they are not alone. If you are willing to care in this way, please speak to Norma Senior. If you do not know Norma, ask someone. She is well known in the church.

Please think seriously about both of these concerns and if you can do something to help, you will make a difference to those whose needs we are here to serve.

Ann Tomes

A Gift As I was recovering from a recent operation in Selly Oak Hospital, Nichola Jones, our minister, kindly gave up her time to visit me. I was prayed for and I gave thanks for that. Now I am on a fairly long road to recovery. What I would like to share from my stay in hospital is a true story of one of the crosses which Nichola brought back from Bethlehem. I had already taken into hospital a gift which had been given to me previously - a child held in the palm of God’s hand. This gift has always upheld and comforted me.

6

With the cross that Nichola gave me was a beautiful prayer card; I can heartily recommend the prayers on the card.

Later that night, a young Polish girl, Paula, arrived in the ward and was placed in the bed next to me. I have never seen anyone quite as distraught as she was. Naturally, I introduced myself, asked her name and tried to comfort her. She told me she had suffered a very bad fall. She was totally alone and no one knew of her accident or where she was. Indeed, she was petrified as she had never been in hospital before. Her parents were in Poland and she was an only child. She lived alone, had just one good friend in King’s Heath and knew a Polish family living in Hockley Heath. At the time of her fall she thought her mobile had been stolen and she had no other contact telephone numbers at all, not even that of her parents. All she had was one address of her only Polish friends living in Hockley Heath. I dialled 118 118 but you might know their number was ex directory. We tried leaving an email for the friend in King’s Heath and we also left her a message on Facebook, but to no avail.

Paula was inconsolable even though the nurses assured her she was in a safe place. I looked at my cross and the prayer card … ‘Be still and know that I am God’ … and I knew what I had to do. I asked her if she was a Christian and she told me she was Catholic, so, of course, it was meant to be. That little cross, all the way from Bethlehem together with the prayer card was given in peace to offer her God’s love and comfort. She has found it so helpful. Her countenance changed and she snoozed all night while I lay awake thanking God that He had answered prayer and had given her the peace she needed.

Next morning, her only friend arrived, having opened Facebook. Together they cried and hugged. It was truly wonderful to witness, and … guess what? Her friend had found Paula’s mobile phone in her car. It had not been stolen after all. So, Paula was able to phone her parents in Poland.

Thank you so much to Nichola for the gift of that cross and card. It was so used by God and a wonderful testimony of His care and love for us all.

Dorinda King 7

Eulogy for Les Seaborne The following eulogies were spoken at Les Seaborne’s funeral. I think they give a fascinating picture of a man who many of us knew little - we shall all miss him dearly.

Eulogy 1 for Leslie Seaborne, by Peter Davis I first met Leslie Seaborne over thirty years ago when I was courting his daughter Kathleen.

He was a private, reserved man who took a long time to get to know.

Les was a religious man. His Christian faith was important to him. For many years Les would worship here at this church on a Sunday morning. He'd later go to a Lutheran church in Birmingham, where the evening service was conducted in German, in which he was fluent. His faith was inwardly rather than outwardly focused. He didn't mind what other people believed, but he was very comfortable with his own spiritual position.

His early adult years were disrupted by the war. Les's strong religious faith and pacifist outlook led him to become a conscientious objector. He was initially sent to work on the land. Muriel says he didn't like that; I can't imagine Les as a farmer! He later joined the 'Friends Ambulance Unit' and trained at Cadbury's in Birmingham, where there was a strong Quaker connection. Les worked in hospital pharmacies in Birmingham and London before going to Italy with a Blood Transfusion Unit towards the end of the war. Before returning to Britain he worked with displaced persons in Austrian refugee camps, where his German language skills came in useful.

He loved Austria and made friends there. He subsequently returned to Austria several times for holidays.

An intelligent man, Les had a high regard for education although his own pursuit of learning was somewhat unconventional.

Les was a pupil at his local grammar school in Wandsworth. He then studied maths in London on a part-time basis whilst working at BP's research centre in Sunbury. Then the war intervened. Most of his later working life was spent as an industrial chemist for Postans Paints in Aston. While working 8

full-time, and with a family, he studied for an Open University degree. He concentrated his OU studies on his twin loves of music & chemistry.

Juggling the different aspects of his life must have required a lot of application, focus and self-discipline. In his later years, he worked as a lab technician in a Birmingham secondary school. I remember him joking that he knew more about chemistry than some of the teachers!

As Richard says below, Les kept his brain busy as he aged. He passed 'O' level Dutch (he said it was 'just like German') and even studied Hungarian for a while. It says something about Les's mind that in his eighties he was delighted to discover the Internet. He taught himself to use a home computer. I think he saw it as an intellectual challenge. It's fascinating, if a little intrusive, to see what Les found significant in recent years. On his PC there are many pictures of his children Richard and Kathleen, home-made birthday and anniversary cards for his loved ones, and an extensive family history. All this is a reflection of the pride and pleasure he found in his family.

Unusually for a man of his background and era, Les was a well-travelled man. He visited Paris & Belgium on school trips in the early 1930s. He was proud of having been to 'all' the Olympic Games in Germany in his lifetime, not just at Munich in 1972 but also the Berlin Olympics of 1936. He said Hitler's motorcade had driven past him with the man himself only two or three yards away.

After his retirement, Les traveled with Muriel to Canada, the USA, and, more exotically, Indonesia and Australia. In recent years travelling became more difficult, but for many years Les & Muriel made an annual trek up to Aberdeen to stay with Kathleen and our family.

He was a gentleman and a gentle man. Les was a man of integrity and strong, if understated, principles. He didn't need to say much for you to know his views on an issue. You just had to look how he lived his life.

Thank you.

9

Eulogy 2 for Leslie Seaborne, by Richard Seaborne It would be interesting to know how many of you ever had a really deep and meaningful conversation with my father? Probably not many. Dad was a rather deep and private person. A man of few words. This is somewhat ironic because he had a deep love of languages, and was fluent in German. And more than anything else he loved to tackle crosswords. And I don't mean simple crosswords. Dad could usually cope with anything the Times, Telegraph or Observer could throw at him. So how is it that a man with such a good grasp of the elements of communication was so reluctant to use them with other people ?

When I started thinking of something to say about Dad I thought of going to the well-researched family history 'that Dad compiled in his retirement.

But all it contains is a mass of names, dates and events. There is no colour.

No hint of the real Les Seaborne. A long list of the things he'd done but no inkling of the man he was. Then it struck me that actually Dad's life was a bit like the crosswords he so loved to tackle. A string of clues for us to solve. So I started looking for some of the clues and started coming up with some answers.

Going back to Dad as a son is a bit beyond my detective powers, but Dad as a brother to Ron and Peggy starts to shed some light. The siblings who grew up together in pre-war southwest London always stayed in close communication and whenever they met Dad would often have much longer conversations with either of them then he managed with his children. This clue says to me that he must have been a good brother.

As a husband I see several clues that show what a loving man he really was.

The smiles on Mum and Dad's faces on their wedding photograph show confidence in the potential quality of their union. 24 years later we took a family holiday to Canada. Dad's limited holiday entitlement meant that he had to fly out and join us three weeks after the holiday started. This, I think, was the longest that Mum and Dad were ever apart in 59 years of marriage. I will never forget the loving way that Dad rushed straight to Mum when he came through the arrival gates at Toronto airport. Here was a man who had truly missed his partner. And then there is the Golden Wedding Anniversary 10

snapshot of Mum and Dad that adorns the living room wall in Welwyndale Road. Again the same calm, confident look that says "even after 50 years we made the right choice." The clues give you the clear answer that Dad was a good husband.

The biggest clues to Les Seaborne the father are Kathy and I. Each the proud parent to three fine children of our own. We both benefitted from solid educations in Birmingham, encouraged by Mum and Dad's quiet firmness. Homework generally got done, exams got passed and we developed interests. Dad loved classical music and without ever pushing it too hard, his love of music rubbed off on both of us. Similarly he liked sport though without any great passion. But he took us to various cricket and football matches and from that we got enough encouragement to develop our own rather more involved love of sport. To the great irritation of those around me, Dad was also responsible for my lifelong love of stamps promoted when he passed on his collection to me as a child and nurtured by his regular purchase of first days covers for me as I grew up.

Kathy and I were never spoilt but neither did we ever want for anything that really mattered. No doubt . . . the clues all lead to one answer. Dad was a good dad.

I often tried to emulate Dad's performance with crosswords but with a fraction of his success. I've solved a few clues in the story of Dad's life and come up with bits of the picture, but as so often happened whenever I turned my hand to a crossword it was only Dad who could fill in the bits that I couldn't work out. He's no longer here to help me out so I guess we'll have make do with the bits of the story I could deduce.

Quite enough to tell a story to be proud of.

11

Haiti appeal passes £400,000 mark Donations to both MRDF and the Methodist Church’s World Mission Fund are supporting the emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation work being carried out by the Methodist Church in Haiti. MRDF is also channelling funds to Action by Churches Together. As well as funding food, blankets, tents and latrines, donations to MRDF have helped to provide a water purification system in the Belair neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince. This is providing 10,000 homeless Haitians with the first clean drinking water they have had since the earthquake struck.

Expressing his gratitude for the initial grant, the Revd Gesner Paul District President of the Methodist Church in Haiti said, “We thank you for standing near us at this time of severe difficulty and continue to count on your support by any means as we try to recover from this very traumatic disaster.”

In his Sunday sermon the Revd George Mulrain, president of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, said, “Our contribution to Haiti does not wait until a disaster strikes. It is ongoing. Various agencies and organisations are contributing to relief in Haiti, which is commendable. But soon the dust will settle and the media folk will turn to another ‘breaking news story’ as the saga of Haiti recedes into the background. Not so with us as Methodists. We are there to stay, because our motive is not to make the news headlines. The love of Christ constrains us and we stay.”

The Revd Tom Quenet, Methodist partnership coordinator for the Americas and the Caribbean, is planning to visit Haiti later this month. “The figures that the Methodist Church in Haiti have sent us represent a massive loss of the Church’s infrastructure to serve the men, women and children of Haiti,” he said. “The 12

destruction of schools means that the effects of the earthquake will be felt by many generations into the future, the loss of clinics means that lives will be shortened for lack of health care, the destruction of child care facilities will mean that children and young people will become vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. The overwhelmingly generous response of the Methodist people means that not only are people receiving water, food and shelter in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, but also the Haitian Church will be best ready to respond in alleviating the long term consequences.”

People can donate via the Methodist Church by clicking here, or sending a cheque payable to the World Mission Fund to Dave Bennett, Fundraising Coordinator, Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR. Postal donations should be labelled ‘Haiti Appeal’.

To donate via MRDF, visit their website or call 020 7224 4814 to give by debit or credit card, or send a cheque made payable 'MRDF (Haiti emergency)' and to MRDF, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR. For further information visit the Methodist Church website or contact the Revd Tom Quenet. (photos by Mike DuBose, News Service of the United Methodist Church)

Bible Fresh Bible Fresh is a partnership of over 50 agencies, festivals and denominations (including the Methodist Church) who are joining forces to encourage and inspire churches and individuals to make the most of the Bible in 2011.

2011 is the 400th anniversary of the King James version of the Bible.

Bible Fresh offers a host of ideas and resources to inspire and equip individuals, churches and community to read, meditate, listen, learn and live the Bible. To find out more go to their website www.biblefresh.com

13

World Scout Jamboree 2011 Hello. My name is Alice Walker – Shakespeare and I am an Explorer. I have been in Scouting for 5 years now and when I first heard about Jamboree 2011 I decided I really wanted to go. I received an application and filled it out. A couple of weeks later I got a letter to say I had been selected for an interview with other people from Tame Valley.

I went to the interview and we got to see a slideshow on what we will be doing if we get selected to go to the Jamboree. We then played some team building activities and were set tasks like designing our dream camp. I was then called to the interview room. The interview went really well. I was asked lots of questions, some were difficult; some were fairly easy but the people there made me feel very comfortable. I thought that I had done quite well but there were lots of other really good people at the interview too.

I waited for a couple of weeks and then I got another letter to tell me that I had been selected to go to the Jamboree. I was soooooo excited! I was happy to hear that Kiaran RatcIiffe from my Explorer group had also been selected. I was looking forward to getting to know everyone in my contingent and finding out more about what we are going to be doing at the Jamboree.

We had our first get together last month. It was really good. Everyone seemed to get along and we got given more information on what will happen on the Jamboree. We will travel to Denmark and stay in a scout centre with everyone else from the UK. We will then travel onto Rinkaby, Kristianstaad, Sweden. Then at the Jamboree site there will be an Opening Ceremony – like a huge party – we’ll then take part in loads of different activities for about a week. At the end of that week there will be a Closing Ceremony.

After that we will spend a couple of nights with a family in another country (Latvia, Poland, Finland, Estonia or Lithuania) on home hospitality. I went to a meeting a couple of weeks ago with people from my contingent. We played games, ate cake and thought up a contingent name. We will now be known as Birmingjam.

14

Jamboree 2011 is in 17 months time and I need to raise ÂŁ1800. Most importantly this money goes towards helping people in poorer countries to have the opportunity of a lifetime by attending Jamboree. This money does also go towards travel, accommodation, kit and the jamboree itself. In the 17 months leading up to Jamboree I will be doing many fundraising events.

Some by myself, some with Kiaran and some with my contingent. Kiaran and I will be hosting a Fika on the 13th of March where tea/coffee is drunk, cake is eaten and people talk about the weather (this is traditional in Sweden).

We hope you can support us by attending our fundraising events.

I really cannot wait for Jamboree. I wish it was July 2011 now!!

Alice

Purple Day - 24th March This is reported as a relatively new world celebratory day. It was only started in 2008 and it is already known in Canada, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Holland.

Cassidy Megan, a nine year old epileptic from Nova Scotia, decided to start Purple Day for epilepsy awareness on March 24th each year to help other epileptics to be aware that they are not alone. In 2009 apparently 100,000 people joined in the day. Amazing what can be done with a little determination and access to the Internet. www.purpleday.org Epilepsy affects up to 1% of the UK population and there are 40 different types of epilepsy. On top of the stigma and disabilities which result from suffering with seizures, about 1,000 people die each year, of which almost half are preventable.

On the 24th March spare a thought for all epilepsy sufferers, but especially Joanne King and her family.

Peter Farley

15

Voting reform The Prime Minister has reignited the debate about Proportional Representation by calling for a vote on a National Referendum to determine whether or not we as a nation should jettison our First Past the Post System (FPTP) in favour of some form of Proportional Representation (PR).

There are many levels of PR and the system that Gordon Brown is suggesting represents the smallest possible change. All it does, in effect, is to ensure that the successful candidates have the largest share of the popular vote in each constituency. I will declare my position and say that I am a firm supporter of PR but probably on a more adventurous scale. Below I have set out some of the myths, which are peddled against PR and how they are countered.

Myth 1 - Small parties rule the roost under Proportional Representation.

Not necessarily true but even if they did this is barely different from the current situation. For most of the 45 million people on the UK Electoral Role their vote will have no effect on the outcome at all. In 2005 about 800,000 people, who live and vote in swing constituencies, decided the outcome of the General Election. So swing voters rule OK and they, unlike minority parties, have no overall policy statement.

Myth 2 - First Past the Post is tried and tested. Maybe, but it doesn’t link voters to seats, it doesn’t give voters choice and it certainly isn’t a fair representation of society. In three out of the last four close elections the party in power received a smaller proportion of the popular vote than the party in opposition.

Myth 3 - Proportional Representation is incomprehensible. False on all counts, this is just opponents of PR muddying the water by being patronizing.

Myth 4 - Proportional Representation doesn’t let you kick out an unpopular government. Of course it does. The present system allows the major parties to concentrate their electoral resources on marginal seats and it is through success or failure there, that they maintain or lose their power. This might result in an unpopular party being able to maintain itself in power. In 2005 16

Labour only received 36% of the popular vote, yet they were returned with a comfortable majority. How much better it would be if voters had a real choice come polling day.

Myth 5 - First Past the Post is best for representing a constituency. However if only 36% of the voters in a constituency voted for the winning MP I am not sure how representative that is.

Myth 6 - Proportional Representation does nothing for turnout. Agreed, but if we all knew that our vote really counted then maybe more would exercise their right. When did you last cast a vote that actually helped change anything?

Myth 7 - Proportional Representation creates weak coalitions. An alternative view might be that such voting outcome could be seen as political statement by the people saying ‘we don’t trust any of you to get it right’. We will give you more power when we believe what you say.

Myth 8 - Proportional Representation lets in extremist parties. That depends entirely on the rules of the contest. In most systems only those that achieve a reasonable share on the popular vote are eligible for the Parliamentary seat.

This share varies from 0.7% in Turkey to 10% in Holland. Also it is much easier to expose the inadequacies of a fringe party’s politicians and their policies once they are exposed to the public scrutiny that always accompanies political office.

Peter Farley with thanks to the Electoral Reform Society for some of this information.

Parliamentary Privilege Just when we all thought that the scandal of MPs’ expenses was finally ending, with loads of money being repaid and four individuals facing prosecution for false accounting, it took a new and unexpected twist. Those who have been charged with criminal offences are attempting to use the ancient laws of parliamentary privilege to escape having to defend their actions in public.

17

It was the Bill of Rights in 1689, which created parliamentary privilege, to prevent MPs from being sued for deformation. Your understanding and mine is probably limited to the fact that it grants the immunity from prosecution for slander, which might result from words spoken in either chamber. The specific words in Article 9 of the Bill say ‘the freedom of speech and debate or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court of place out of Parliament’.

After the arrest last year of Damian Green the Speaker, Michael Martin clarified the remit of parliamentary privilege by telling MPs that it never prevented the operation of the Criminal Law and that a review in 1999 had confirmed that the House should not be ‘a haven from the law’ and that ‘Members need to be able to speak freely, uninhabited by possible deformation claims. These rights and immunities, rooted in this country’s constitutional history are known as parliamentary privilege’. Presumably the four who are to go before the court will try and claim that as the whole affair is parliamentary then it should, as in Article 9, be sorted in the House rather then in the courts. It will be an interesting point of debate.

I will defend a person’s right to free speech almost to the end, but fraud is altogether another matter. The arguments that the four will no doubt mount in their defence call to mind those other famously pointless arguments, which may or may not have taken place, about how may angels could dance on the head of the pin?

Peter Farley

An update on farming at Bodymoor Heath 2010 If you remember, a little while ago Gerald wrote us a short article about life on a working farm. We have pestered Gerald and eventually he has given way and written another installment for us - Thanks Gerald - ed This year the winter has been harder than last year. Many a morning we have woken to find snow on the ground or it has been very frosty and icy underfoot. This makes work much harder. We must make sure all our livestock have adequate water. This often means thawing out pipes, which 18

can take a long time. One day when the pipes supplying a cattle shed were frozen a chap offered to help by bringing a blow torch to thaw out the pipes.

Some help that would have been as they must be thawed slowly to prevent any bursts, and it was a plastic pipe. Young calves are very vulnerable to changes in temperature. They need to be kept warm and draught free, but with a good supply of fresh air. They cannot just turn up the heating like we can in our homes. We also have to be careful how we move about as one day this winter both Colin and I slipped and fell on the ice. Fortunately no serious damage was done - just a few bruises. This can be serious for a cow as if she slipped and did the splits she would never be able to get up again and would have to be slaughtered. We have seen much worse weather than this before. The good thing about it is that the snow and frost rests the land for a while and hopefully kills off some of the pests. Something we noticed this year was that we had a large number of berries on the holly tree just outside our kitchen window, and when the cold weather came they were all gone in a few days.

This winter we have changed the feeding routine for the cattle. Usually we have bought in extra feed for them, as well as giving them hay and silage, but this year it has become very expensive, and as the price we are getting for our corn is less than last year, we have decided to use some of it to feed our own cattle. This involves using a mobile mill and mix machine, which comes here every 10 days or so and grinds and mixes the corn to fill our food hopper for us. This seems to be more economical and the cattle are doing well on it.

The hard weather also had an effect on the wildlife in the area. They were hungry and lost their normal food and so the corn and oil seed rape that we sowed in the autumn which was looking quite good, became their feeding ground. The canadian geese seemed to take a liking to the wheat and the pigeons took a liking to the oil seed rape so we have to keep sending them off it. This obviously stunts the growth of the plant, which ultimately has an affect on the yield of that crop. The geese are a pest to us and five geese eat as much as a cow. Although we have had a few problems with the weather, let us not forget that spring is just around the corner.

Gerald Rogers 19

Answers on Page 38 20

21

22

To help raise funds for our trip to the 22nd world scout jamboree which is being hosted in Sweden 2011 Kiaran Ratcliffe and Alice Walker-Shakespeare are hosting the first of a series of fundraising events to help raise the total required to go.

On March 13th we will be selling cakes, coffee, fizzy pop and bric-a-brac amongst other things to help raise money. We are thankful for any support or donations you feel you can give.

Network Contact The church needs someone to be the contact person for news about the Women’s Network in the Methodist Church. Gill Buck is the Circuit Representative for Network and would like someone to volunteer, on behalf of Erdington, to receive posters, letters etc and ensure that the information is passed on to the Magazine Editor, Notices person thus ensuring that relevant people know about Network activities.

If you think you can help with this then please speak to Nick Riley who will be able to put you in contact with Gill.

Nick Riley

23

POLO's Progress This month Contact has succeeded in obtaining an in-depth interview with Polo (we beat Hello and OK by a whisker).

Int: What's new in your life Polo?

Polo: The most exciting thing is that I can now walk outside as I have had all the necessary vaccinations. On my very first walk I discovered pigeons, but wasn't allowed off the lead to chase them. Fun ahead.

Int: Surely you haven't been stuck in the house for the last 2 months!

Polo: Oh no! When I first arrived in ErdingtonI was so small that I could be taken out in a cat basket. It was cosy but I have doubled in size so I now have a harness which attaches to the car seatbelt. I love it as I can see what's going on!

Int: What places have you visited?

Polo: Well, I have been to the Vet’s! I had a trip to see Val Long and Tom Kirk-Shakespeare (but their cat wasn’t too happy). I have been to London where I met lots of other dogs and puppies in a park. I met all Becci's friends (they loved me of course) as did all the uniformed groups when I visited one Friday night. This week I am starting my puppy training class with Guide Dogs - that will be a real laugh! But, of course, I spend a lot of time helping with the Caretaking at church - it's OK but when I grow up I want to be a guide dog.

Int: How do you spend your spare time?

Polo: Mmmm, let me think, well, when I'm not sleeping or eating I love to go into the garden (to chew plants). I watch TV - favourite programmes 'Mist - Sheepdog Tales', and 'Countryfile'. I help 'to do' the laundry. It's my job to pick up any laundry (clean or dirty) and run around the house with it.

Brilliant! Favourite items - socks! (Whether they are on feet or not) Int: Do you play any games or sport?

Polo: Well, apart from the laundry game I love chewing: shoes; slippers; TV remote; skirting boards; coffee table; spectacles; eating the cat's food before anyone can stop me - all great games but my favourite has to be jumping on 24

the settee. There are no rules. I keep jumping on; Lesley tells me to get off: I sit there looking like butter wouldn't melt in my mouth until I am physically lifted off. There are several daily re-matches and I am well in the lead. This week I found a new game to play in the bathroom where I found a roll of paper fastened to the wall. If you grab the end piece of paper, pull it, then run really fast you have a great trail of the stuff across the floor. Yippee!

Maybe I could get a job as an Andrex puppy if the Guide Dog thing doesn't work out?

Int: What have you learnt so far in your 3 months of life?

Polo: That nearly everyone loves puppies and that's good because I love everyone. That complete strangers ask to take my photograph and, of course, I am happy to oblige, no charge - it's not about the money. That food is one of my great passions. That cats are difficult to get to know.

That the world is a big, scary place but you are safe if you have people to watch out for you.

Int: Have you had any embarassing moments?

Polo: Yes. Ask Elizabeth Baizon!!

Int: What is your favourite colour?

Polo: Black obviously.

Int: Do you have a 'best' word?

Polo: It must be 'NO'. Lesley uses it all the time - it must mean something reeeeally good!

Int: Thank you Polo.

Polo: Woof, woof. (Loosely translated - ‘My pleasure’).

We were going to interview Lesley but she is just too exhausted to speak!

Unbelievable!

25

Students write the funniest things 2 . . .

26

27

Dropped Kerbs Dropped kerbs help wheelchair users and those with powered mobility vehicles or prams to get around easily and safely. Following stronglysupported consultations, councils carrying out parking enforcement are now able to issue Penalty Charge Notices to motorists who park at dropped kerbs or double park, without the need for these prohibitions to be indicated with specific traffic signs or road markings. This will also prevent inconsiderate motorists from blocking residents' driveways.

Ann Tomes Erdington Methodist Church Saturday 24th April at 7.30 pm

Vaughan Singers in Concert in aid of Bethlehem Baby Clinic An evening of super music!

Tickets priced £5 are available on the door or in advance from a Church Steward 28

The Bells, the Bells!

It was in the year 1977 that my long standing ‘love affair’ with hand bells first began. At the time I was working part time at Coleshill Parochial Junior School. A member of staff drew my attention to a one octave set of hand bells which were stored away on an upper shelf in the stockroom. Within moments the bells were lined up on my desk.

Never in a month of Sundays could I have envisaged how this discovery would add yet another musical dimension to my life.

Now it just so happened that 1977 was the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee (as well as the year when Virginia Wade won the Women’s Singles Championship at Wimbledon), and having experimented with the recently discovered set of bells, I decided to write a song for H.M.Q. Of course, its accompaniment had to include the ‘tinklings’ of a set of hand bells! I duly posted the finished result to Buckingham Palace and received a polite reply of thanks from Her Majesty’s Lady in Waiting. Sadly, the song did not make the Top Ten! It was not until about six years later, when I was teaching at Banners Gate Middle School, that I succeeded in borrowing a set of hand bells from a local church. In the first instance, I started extra curricular ringing sessions with a group of enthusiastic top year children. In time, these youngsters took part in several inter schools music festivals. Finally, however, the loaned set of bells had to be returned, so I managed to persuade the head teacher that the school needed to buy its own small set of hand bells. A generous donation from Sutton Charities made the purchase possible.

Following the joys of bell ringing with school children, there was a certain inevitability that I should want to buy my own set of bells with a view to starting a hand bell choir for adults. After saving hard I finally raised enough cash to buy a small set of bells, (very expensive) and I started ringing with a 29

group of friends from our church. More scrimping and saving enabled me to expand my collection of bells to a full two octave set.

Seven of us make up the current hand bell choir. Four are members of our church: John Price, Hilary Price, Christine Rankin and me. The other three are all retired music teachers. Over the last fifteen or so years we have rung our bells at a variety of venues including National Trust functions', gardening clubs, Women’s Institutes, churches, ‘The Hungry Horse’, Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s and Penn’s Hall (Oops Ramada!). More often than not we receive donations for our efforts and these we pass on to a variety of charitable causes. What a great way to raise funds! If you are interested in trying to raise funds for a worthy cause and you think a session of hand bell ringing might help, please have a word with me.

Barbara Rawson

Have you ever considered being a Church Steward?

We are rapidly approaching the time when we will be looking for new church stewards. Church stewards serve for 3 years and share together in planning for the future and helping the Church to run smoothly. We currently have five Stewards and two will be retiring shortly. It is vital, therefore that we find, ideally, another two Stewards.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve served before, as long as you are a church member then you can serve. The task isn’t too onerous, particularly if there five other people to share the load.

Please give this your prayerful thought. We have already asked some people but we may come to you soon! The church cannot run without a good team of stewards to help ‘oil the wheels.’

If you think you might like to help then in the first instance speak to one of the existing stewards or Nichola, our minister.

Thanks Nick Riley (Senior Steward) 30

Cape Wrath For a number of years now I have wanted to walk the Pennine Way, which runs 270 miles along the backbone of the country from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. This is as yet unfulfilled ambition. Then last year I discovered a walk that tempted me even more.

This one runs 170 miles, not quite so far, from Inverie in Knoydart to Cape Wrath, on the north westerly tip of the UK mainland. This walk is scheduled to take 14 days, that is to say over 10 miles, plus 1500 feet of ascent, each day. I must be mad.

There are only seven people in the party plus the guide. I hope that we can all get along. There is also a driver who meets us at the end of each day and takes us to a hostel for shower, food and a warm bed, maybe not quite so mad after all. Then the next day he takes us back to exactly the same place so that we can start all over again.

Years ago I heard the then American Ambassador talk on the Today programme about walking in a similar fashion from Lands End to John O’Groats. One weekend a month he, along with his driver and security guard, left London on a Friday and returned to the spot where they had finished previously until they had finished the 1100 miles. He said that to undertake his job properly he needed to understand us better.

I have decided that as this is such an endeavour I will seek sponsorship from friends and acquaintances, probably via JustGiving, in aid of Alzheimer’s. www.justgiving.co.uk Hopefully by the time of the next Contact I will be able to give you a link to show you where I am walking.

Peter Farley

31

St Patrick If you are Irish, you don’t need me to tell you whose day is celebrated on 17th March. In c. 387 – 493, St Patrick was born a RomanBriton and is most generally recognised as patron saint of Ireland.

At the age of about 16 he was captured and carried off to Ireland by Irish raiders where he was made a slave, being made to work as a herdsman, looking after pigs and sheep, and remaining in captivity for six years. He writes that he “prayed daily and his faith grew during that time”. After six years he heard a voice telling him that “he would soon go home”, and later, “ that his ship was ready”.

He fled from his master and travelled to a port some two hundred miles away, so he says in his writings, where he boarded a ship , and after various adventures, returned home to his family, in his early twenties by this time.

Patrick recounts a vision he had a few years after returning home: “ I saw a man coming, as it were, from Ireland. He carried many letters and gave me one of them. I read the heading: “The Voice of the Irish”. As I began to read, I imagined that I could hear the voice of those very people calling from near the western sea- and they cried out, as with one voice: “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us”.

Patrick’s position as a foreigner in Ireland was not an easy one. He refused to accept gifts from kings, which placed him outside the accepted ties of kinship, fosterage and affinity. Legally he was without protection, and he says that on one occasion he was beaten, robbed and put in chains, perhaps awaiting execution.

32

As one of the earliest Christian missionaries travelling to spread the Christian faith, St Patrick is important because he serves as a testament to the overall missionary legacy of the church. His example inspired later missionaries to evangelize abroad in later years.

In 2008 I visited the St Patrick Centre in Downpatrick whilst staying with friends in Northern Ireland . This very modern building uses the latest technology to take the visitor along with St Patrick, and was very well worth the visit. We were guided through the building, walking through huge glass panels engraved with celtic symbols, and at intervals, on the floor were footprints, the idea being that the visitor walked in St Patrick’s footsteps. As you did so, so his face appeared through the glass panel in front of you telling you the next stage of his story. It was very intriguing , effective and extremely moving. The visitor was taken through pig sties and among sheep pens, and after meandering along the ‘pathway’ of his life where there was much to read and view, you ended up in the cinema, whose screen covered 180 degrees. In here you were given a bird’s eye view of the places associated with St Patrick. The filming was spectacular, to say the least. The viewer was flown by helicopter and taken over mountain ranges and through deep valleys. It was breathtaking and truly memorable, as was the whole experience. It has made me realise just what some of our saints went through on their journey into faith, and makes me aware how far short I fall in mine.

This little church, recently reconstructed, is thought to be the sort of building that would have been built at about St Patrick’s time. It was built on the site of a previous similar ruin . Monks would have climbed the bell tower and rung the bell by hand through the slits in the sides.

Ann Tomes 33

Easter computations.

In 325AD the council of Nicaea decreed that all Christians would celebrate Easter on the same day. Prior to that time the churches in different countries had used different days. The problem was that the council chose a fixed, variable day or a variably, fixed day whichever way that you choose to look at it. That variability has lasted until the present day.

The day chosen for Easter by the council of Nicaea was the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon that follows the spring equinox. The theological significance of this date was that it was a day of maximum light, 12 hours of daylight, followed by 12 hours of full moonlight. The Pascal full moon is calculated from tables rather than observation because the actual date of the full moon varies depending upon where the observer is standing. These tables involve the lunar months of 19 calendar years.

One Paschal new moon falls each year between March 8th and April 5th.

Fourteen days later is the Paschal full moon and Easter is the following Sunday. This means that Easter can be celebrated on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th.

Like the date of the Whitsuntide holiday there have been moves over the years to fix Easter to an actual date it being suggested that the act of the celebration is more important than the date on which the celebration takes place. In 1928 the House of Commons passed a bill fixing the date as first Sunday after the second Sunday on April, but it was never implemented.

The Vatican has also published proposals for a uniform date, which have never been agreed across the Catholic world.

And so Easter drifts from year to year and articles like this attempt to explain the niceties of ecclesiastical computations.

Peter Farley

34

Easter Activities - dates for your diary Sunday 28th March -

Palm Sunday -

Worship at 10.30 am

Thursday 1st April -

Maundy Thursday - Service at 7.30 pm at this church

Friday 2nd April

-

Churches Together in Erdington hold an open-air service on Erdington High Street - by the Co-op at 10.30 am

Sunday 4th April

-

Easter Morning Communion at 8.30 am at Stockland Green Methodist (note - there is no 8.00 am service at this church) Easter Morning Worship at 10.30 am at this church.

Magnet, reaches out to a broader Church Magnet magazine, which until recently has been published by the Methodist Church, is now published by its own independent charity, Magnet Resources, with the aim of reaching a wider ecumenical audience.

Magnet is known for colourful and thoughtful meditation pages, its seasonal worship resources, insightful and stimulating features, Bible study and prayer focus. It is of value both to individuals in their personal spiritual journeys and to leaders of worship, Bible study and house groups.

The Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, general secretary of the Methodist Church, said, "This is an exciting time for Magnet, and a fantastic opportunity to bring their high-quality material to an even broader audience. We wish them well and look forward to enjoying the magazine as it grows and develops."

You can phone 0844 736 2524 for a free copy or subscribe online. from the Methodist News Service 35

Girl Guiding Celebrates 100 Years This year Girl Guiding is celebrating one hundred years. The following are messages from Baden Powell and is wife: Baden Powell’s last message to guides God has given us a world to live in that is full of beauties and wonders and He has given us not only eyes to see them but minds to understand them if we only have the sense to look at them in that light.

From ‘Windown on my Heart’

by Olave, Lady Baden-Powell G.B.E Believe in God. He guides and protects you all through life. Discipline yourself daily by having a plan - not just vague wishful thinking. Commit yourself daily to doing something, however small, for somebody else, for by making other people happy you will find true happiness yourself.

Margaret Hillman

Eating Umble Pie Did you know that in the 1300s the innards of animals, especially deer, were called the numbles. So when a deer was killed the meat was roasted and the numbles were turned into pies. At this point class distinction must inevitably have appeared with the lords eating the joints and the others eating numbles pie. Common usage would ensure that this became a humble pie. The adjective humble, meaning of lowly rank or having a low estimate of oneself was derived separately from Latin and Old French. When these two words come together the expression ‘Eating Humble Pie’ was bound to appear somewhere.

Peter Farley

36

Seeing a child in need One afternoon a little boy was playing outdoors. He used his mother's broom as a horse and had a wonderful time until it was getting dark.

He left the broom on the back porch. His mother was cleaning up the kitchen when she realized that her broom was missing. She asked the little boy about the broom and he told her where it was.

She then asked him to please go and get it. The little boy informed his mom that he was afraid of the dark and didn't want to go out to get the broom.

His mother smiled and said "The Lord is out there too, don't be afraid."

The little boy opened the back door a little and said "Lord if you're out there, hand me the broom." !

CIRCUIT SERVICE SUNDAY 21ST MARCH - 6.00 pm ERDINGTON METHODIST CHURCH The service will conclude with a performance of ‘CAPTAIN NOAH AND HIS FLOATING ZOO’ by THE SUTTON ‘ARK’ CIRCUIT SINGERS Stunning PowerPoint images will accompany the choir’s singing.

Following the service sandwiches, cakes, tea and coffee will be served in the church hall EVERYBODY IS WELCOME 37

38

March 2010 Regular Meetings Coffee Mornings Each Saturday 10.00 am to 12.00 noon

Women’s Hour Meetings Meetings at 2.00 pm each month

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

HOLY COMMUNION - Rev Nichola Jones

14th

Rev Richard Jones

21st

ALL AGE WORSHIP - Rev Nichola Jones Circuit Service at Erdington including ‘Captain Noah’ - 6.00 pm

28th

Rev N Johnson

39

Weekly Church Activities Sunday

10.30 am

MORNING WORSHIP and Young Church (with crèche : Margaret Hillman)

7.30 pm

House Group : Hilary Price (3rd Sunday)

Monday

2.00 pm

Women’s Hour :

Tuesday

9.30 - 11.30 am 9.30 - 12.00 noon 2.00 pm

Stay and Play Pre-School : Karen Homer Tuesday Afternoon Meeting : Valerie Long (4th)

Wednesday

9.30 - 11.30 am 9.30 - 12.00 noon 12.30 pm

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

Thursday

9.30 - 12.00 noon

Pre-School : Karen Homer

Friday

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

Beavers : Lynn Turner Cubs : Elizabeth Baizon Scouts : Lisa Porter Explorers : Caroline Joyce Rainbows : Louise Rawson Brownies : Lesley Carter Guides : Helen Rainsford

Saturday

10.00 - 12.00 noon Coffee Morning : Lesley Morgan 10.30 - 11.30 am Church open for prayer : Margaret Curzon

Please hand any items for the April CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Elizabeth Baizon, Peter Farley, Nichola Jones, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th March 2010 at the latest please or alternatively email me on nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk 40