Contact - June 2011

CONTACT

Magazine of Erdington Methodist Church Station Road - June 2011 1

Contents Minister’s Letter Family News E100 Bible Challenge Is a computer masculine or feminine?

E100 Timetable - June Are you nature deficit The Baker’s Dozen Essential 100 And there was light The handwritten Bible What is the big empty box for?

Bridges Church Stewards A Methodist project . . . Handwritten King James Bible Children’s Pages - Noah’s Ark The One Foundation Maze and Tunnel Exhausted Canoldir Male Choir and guest artistes Methodist Church helps to launch the JustPay campaign Things that make you go - hmmm?

WaterAid Report (taken from “Oasis” magazine) Look down the back of your sofa Praying for rural churches A Glimpse of Baez Church Flowers Open Day Pyramid Our Favourite Bible Verses Art of letter writing dying out June 2011 - Regular Meetings Weekly Church Activities

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3 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 11 11 12 14 15 16 18 20 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 29 30 30 31 32

Minister’s Letter Dear Friends When was the last time you went for a run? OK, daft question! I would guess that there are probably a handful of people in our church that could answer that question with a recent date. For the rest of us it would be a very long time ago – unless of course we’ve been in danger of missing a bus!

Our creaking joints make such activity a possibility only in our dreams.

But there is, if course, a different use of the word running which is implied in the slogan “the 2012 Games – is your church in the running?” Now that is a question that we should be applying ourselves to answer. As I write the route for the Olympic Torch has just been announced and the London Olympics are only just over a year away. How can we relate to this global event in a way which might help us to share God’s love with our community?

There is an organisation called “More Than Gold” which has been helping churches make the link between sport and faith since the Atlanta Games in 1996. They offer ideas, training and inspiration if we want to get involved.

The recommended way of starting is to appoint a Gold Champion who will be the link person to receive information and resources and also be in contact with other churches in the area. Could this person be you? Are you interested in sport and the part it can play in the church’s outreach?

We do now have an outreach group in the church so you would not be on your own. Please speak to me if you would like to volunteer for this role.

To find out more visit the website www.morethangold.org.uk. Twelve months will elapse very quickly!

Jane

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Family News Thank you I wish to thank everyone who sent cards, good wishes, and visited me while I was in hospital. I look at the stay in hospital as a ‘warning’ so I will not be rushing around - if I am please tell me to stop!

Thank you once again Jean Harris Pre-school Coffee Morning Thank you to everyone who supported our coffee morning at Easter. We raised a total of £98.00 Best wishes from all staff at Pre-school

E100 Bible Challenge This is now under way and hopefully being productive and enjoyable! The first meeting for getting together with the other churches will be on Wednesday 29th June 7.30pm at Kingstanding Methodist Church. We will spend some time together as a whole group and some time in smaller groups sharing how we have found the challenge so far and any particular problems or joys. We will also do some study together.

All welcome Jane

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Is a computer masculine or feminine?

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. 'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la Casa.'

'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?' Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether ‘computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval.

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending money on accessories for it.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ('el computador'), because: 1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on.

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves.

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem.

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won!

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E100 Timetable - June

Week 5 05.06.11 The Story of Joseph

Sold into Slavery Genesis 37:1 - 36 Prison and Promotion

Week 6 12.06.11

Ten Brothers go Genesis 42:1 - 38 to Egypt The Brothers Return

Genesis 43:1 - 44:34

Joseph Reveals His Identity

Genesis 45:1 - 46:7

Week 7 19.06.11 Moses and Birth of Moses the Exodus The Burning Bush Week 8 26.06.11

Genesis 39:1 - 41:57

Exodus 1:1 - 2:25 Exodus 3:1 - 4:17

The Ten Plagues Exodus 6:28 - 11:10 Passover & Exodus

Exodus 12:1 - 42

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 13:17 - 14:31

Are you nature deficit?

Do you remember climbing trees, making daisy chains and playing conkers?

Chances are that you are over 34. It seems that the younger generation is increasingly deprived of everyday outdoor experiences. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which commissioned the study, believes that children kept indoors too much end up with “nature deficit disorder.”

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The Baker’s Dozen Did you know that going back to the days of Henry lll to avoid any risk of short changing their customers and the very severe punishment that this could lead to, bakers gave 13 for the price of 12? Interesting and possibly true!! No one can be quite sure.

Our Baker's dozen is the good value group that is otherwise known as the the Tuesday Bible Study Group which meets every third Tuesday and we have now agreed to follow the E100 Bible Reading challenge. No one can be sure how the world was created but the underlying challenge is not simply to read the Bible passages but to seek to understand and discover the meaning and truth behind the passage and what it is saying to us today. As I write the group has just looked at the first three chapters of Genesis - the readings for week 1 - and we have had a really interesting and stimulating session.

Lots of questions – much discussion – and some answers. The opening chapters of the Bible which we probably last read a long long time ago, pick up on the great themes of the Bible – creation, sin and rebellion; love grace and mercy. They tell us of the love of God who as he excluded Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden gave them a gift of warm clothing. And there are the telling verses that remind us that we are created in God's image. The God that we discover in these three brief chapters is personal and very real. Nick Page in his book – The Bible Book – A User's Guide has put it like this, 'the whole of the Bible is about God's attempts to make himself known to his creation, to inspire, cajole, correct and above all to love these people he made.'

Why not come and share in our journey through the Bible. Our Baker's dozen is not limited to 13!! We next meet at 920 on Tuesday 31st May at 7.30 pm and every third Tuesday thereafter. Further details are on the church notice board.

David Hewitt

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Essential 100 If like me you are following the above, reading the Old Testament readings in Genesis and Exodus you might be beginning to think where is this loving caring God who every time his people disobey him terrible things happen like floods, famine and all manner of nasty things! I was discussing this with one of my old colleagues who said she had had similar thoughts and suggested I read a book called "Where the Hell is God" written by a Jesuit Richard Leonard. She sent the book to me and it is an excellent read about "Suffering" and answers a lot of questions as to why certain situations happen. He points out that our God is different from the gods of the past and states: God is one: God is eternal: will not burn out: God is immutable: does not change: God is self existent: not caused by any other being, is the first cause: God is transcendent: we are made in God's likeness, not he in ours: God is omnipotent: all powerful: God is omnipresent: all present: God is omniscient: all knowing: God is holy: perfect in love:

He talks about the tragedy that happened in his own life and how it affected him and his family. The book is written from a Roman Catholic perspective.

My friend sent me the book from Amazon.

I am now into the story of Moses but I am really looking forward to the New Testament

A few years ago I set myself the task of reading the Bible from start to finish and it took me a whole year. On that occasion I used the Jerusalem Bible but this time I am reading the New International Bible as suggested in Essential 100.

Enid Denton 8

And there was light Did you realise that soon after the end of 2012 it will be illegal in the EU to sell filament light bulbs? Not quite sure if that covers the little ‘halide’ spot lamp bulbs that many people have in their ceilings. Unfortunately the change from tallow and town gas to incandescence did not happen quite as smoothly as the original command to light the world.

Within popular culture it is said that Edison was the man who invented the light bulb, which was the van of the electricity revolution. However he was merely the showman responsible for its popularisation and the discovery of another way ‘not to do it’. He was also the man who developed the first electric chair. It was actually J. W. Swan, a son of Sunderland, who sold the first electric light bulbs in 1881 for 25s or £60 in new money. In reality the story goes further back than that to an Italian A. Volta who discovered the battery in 1800 and started to give us a taste of what electricity could do for us.

The story of electricity generation is just about as complex. The first commercial generation in the UK came from a hydroelectric power station near Godalming. Unfortunately the water of the River Wey was not sufficiently reliable to maintain supply! London’s first generator was in the basement of the Grosvenor Gallery in Bond Street with wires strung out across the rooftops from there. This had started as an alternator in the back yard to generate electricity to illuminate the items on display. However, popular demand led to the creation of the basement 1000 kw Grosvenor Power Station in 1885. This eventually had customer as far apart as Regents Park and Knightsbridge.

The National Grid owes its existence to the 1926 Electricity (Supply) Act, which was driven through by Stanley Baldwin. This enforced the standard for the Grid as 132 kV, 50 cycles AC. At the time it was believed that AC was safer and more efficient. Since then, however, technology has moved on and many now wish that DC had carried the day because to replace the existing infrastructure with the now more efficient DC equivalent is prohibitively expensive.

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The arrival of electric lighting though as with all other world changing moments is not without its ‘darker side’. What technology isn’t? Until the arrival of town gas lighting and then electricity the lighting in our homes was the same as that used by prehistoric man, a wick in a basin of tallow. For most it was used frugally because whatever was burned could not be eaten.

Now we have a light at the snap of magic finger as described by Rowf and Snitter in ‘Plague Dogs’. This has chased away all our primeval fears about goblins and ghoulees and long legged beesties that dwell in our dark collective subconscious and was the basis for the Ghost Story genre.

Unfortunately the illumination has been so successful that at least half of the people in the UK can no longer see the Milky Way. To counter this the Government is now funding the Galloway Forest Park as the UK’s first Dark Sky Park, where you and I can go and see the real majesty of the night sky.

Anyone for a trip north?

Peter Farley

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The handwritten Bible In the Manchester District’s Hyde and Denton Circuit, two Bible passages were divided up between the six churches, and each chose their own method of writing. Some gave the job to a single writer: most used as many people as possible; one section is written in Chinese! The Denton MP and his two children wrote a verse for one church. Another church chose to fill up their pages with an illustration down the side of one page, a pen drawing of the church on the other page and a colour picture at the end.

One of the passages was 2 Kings 22, the start of the reign of Josiah over Judah. The picture for the beginning of the chapter was designed and painted

by Emma, a member of one of the churches.

Emma has epilepsy and Asperger's Syndrome. The chapter describes Josiah coming to the throne after nearly 60 years of 'bad' kings. The Law had been hidden, but was rediscovered during a Temple clear out. The picture shows Josiah's adjutant-general reading the scroll to the King; the title of the chapter (2 Kings 22) is written on the scroll.

What is your church or circuit doing? from the Methodist Church News Service

What is the big empty box for?

Because this magazine relies on articles from YOU! We ask lots of people to write about something that matters to them but we so often get no response.

We need YOU to write something for our magazine - to fill the empty box!

We pride ourselves on the variety in our CONTACT magazines but we can only maintain this if YOU step forward and write for us.

Come on people - tell us about your groups, your holidays, a favourite book - anything - ed 11

Bridges A recent holiday in sunny Provence, coupled with a chance remark during Holy Week about the importance of bridges in Dronfield set me thinking about these important structures. How different life would be in Dronfield and district and the neighbouring areas without bridges for us to use; how useful they are in avoiding heavy traffic which passes by almost unseen; how difficult life would be if the vital railway line travelling through our communities could only be crossed with level crossings instead of bridges.

Yet for the most part we accept their presence without a second thought.

No need to wade across a stream as we travel; no need to go miles out of our way to avoid a river in flood. And what delight they bring to our landscapes from the simple wooden plank bridge; the old stone packhorse bridges, the lovely arched bridges; the splendid constructions of Thomas Telford at Ironbridge, Menai and elsewhere; the magnificence of the cantilevered Forth Rail Bridge; the joy of playing ‘Pooh Sticks’ on a bridge over a quiet country stream . . . .

Their importance has seeped into our everyday vocabulary; we ‘build bridges’ in our day-to-day dealing with people we meet by daily association, by conversation leading to friendships; by saying “Sorry” when we have caused offence or acted thoughtlessly. We “bridge the gap” when we seek to make a connection where there is a great difference – there is even a charity called that, or BTG for short – a foundation which supports many communities at grassroots level by providing funding where it is needed, in underprivileged communities to disadvantaged children and others. “A Bridge too Far” became the title of a wartime codename, a book and film – based on an act of overreaching.

Literature has references to bridges - from the heroic Horatius with his two companions defending the bridge over the Tiber, to the (originally Norwegian) Fairy Tale collected by Hans Christian Anderson “The Three Billy Goats Gruff ”. I’m sure they are many more.

Jesus made no references to bridges – wading across streams I suspect would have been the Biblical mode of travel – but his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount – particularly the section in Matthew 6:25 - 34) on worry 12

beginning: "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? . . . “ is echoed in the metaphor we use “Don’t cross your bridges before you come to them.”

Of course there are times when it might be prudent to have some concern for your future - in times of heavy flooding for example, or following some report of structural weakness, or the foolhardiness that might tempt you to cross that slippery tree trunk over the stream – or with our modern technology if a fault in your ‘Sat-Nav’ directs you to an inappropriate river crossing . . . and particularly if you tried to cross this bridge linking Avignon and Villeneuve-lѐs-Avignon over the River Rhône, only to discover it doesn’t really go anywhere!

Incidentally, this bridge’s construction was inspired by Sint Benezet, a local shepherd boy who (according to tradition) was commanded by angels to build a bridge across the river. Although he was ridiculed at first, he dramatically "proved" his divine inspiration by miraculously lifting a huge block of stone. He won support for his project from wealthy sponsors who formed themselves into a Bridge Brotherhood to fund its construction.

After his death, he was interred on the bridge itself, in a small chapel standing on one of the bridge's surviving piers on the Avignon side. The 13

bridge was finally put out of use by a catastrophic flood in 1668, which swept away much of the structure. It was subsequently abandoned and no more attempts were made to repair it. Since then, its surviving arches have successively collapsed or been demolished, and only four of the initial 22 arches remain intact today.

Perhaps in your daily wanderings you might like to pause by a bridge and give thanks for the foresight, the skill, the resources used to enable your crossing to be achieved so easily . . . and to reflect on the maxim, “Don’t cross your bridges before you get to them” Brian Beeson (Dronfield)

Church Stewards I am delighted to report that since the General Church Meeting a sixth steward has volunteered for duty and Christine Rankin will be appointed at the next church council on 8th June.

That completes our team along with continuing stewards Sam Okyere, Hilary Price and Nick Riley and the two new stewards appointed at the meeting, Susan Turner and Marion Griffin. Thanks to them for being willing. I am sure you will pray for them and support them as they carry out this vital task in the life of our church.

Many, many thanks to our two retiring stewards, Moya Farley and Jan Payne.

They have worked immensely hard during their term of office and, especially during these past few months, have made my introduction to Erdington as smooth as possible, often going far beyond the boundaries of duty.

Happy retirement!

Jane

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A Methodist project . . .

Handwritten King James Bible During the first 5 months of this year, British Methodists throughout England have been involved in a project designed to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Each of England’s Methodist districts has been asked to transcribe selected passages and create illustrations.

The finished transcribed Bible will be presented at the 2011 British Methodist Conference in June.

Reverend Nichola Jones asked if I would have a go at drawing a frontispiece page for each one of the 3 passages allocated to our circuit – Exodus chapter 5, Exodus chapter 6 and Psalm 13. I found it difficult to get any mental pictures for these readings, but after several read throughs of the relevant passages, considerable head scratching and assistance from Barbara, we finalised on the following ideas: Psalm 13 - A candle flame glowing in the darkness to illustrate part of David’s prayer for help in trouble: O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Exodus 5 - This is meant to give an idea of the Israelite slaves‘ working conditions – hot and dusty with very little shade from a raging sun.

Exodus 6 - Represents the direct conflict between Moses and Pharaoh.

Many hours of experimental work went into the designs for these illustrations, from pencil sketches to ink drawings. Finally, the completed designs metamorphosed into three A4 pictures which I painted in ‘Photoshop’. Copies of them are displayed on one of the notice boards.

See page 31 for thumbnails of the artwork - ed Don Rawson 15

Noah’s Ark This year Christians are celebrating the 500th birthday of the King James Bible, which was one of the first Bibles to be written in English.

The Bible is full of many stories just like this one . . .

There was once a good man called Noah. One day God warned Noah that there was going to be a big flood which would cover all the land and would last for 40 days and 40 nights. God told him to build a huge boat called an ark, which would keep Noah and his family safe during the flood. God also told Noah that he needed to take two of every kind of animal with him onto the ark.

Noah did what God had told him to. It was hard work building the ark out of wood, and finding two of each animal, but finally Noah, his family and all of the animals were safe inside the boat. The rain started to fall and the land disappeared, and Noah and his family waited and waited . . .

Eventually it stopped raining and Noah sent out a dove to find dry land. When the dove came back it was carrying an olive branch in its beak, and God said it was safe for everyone to leave the ark.

When all the floods had gone God made a rainbow in the sky as a promise that he would never flood all the land again.

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Animal Quiz

Can you work out which kinds of animals these are?

I have a very long neck which helps me reach leaves at the top of tall trees. What am I? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I am a very small animal, I like cheese and I say ‘squeak!’. What am I? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I have a big furry mane and a very loud roar. What am I? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

I am the biggest animal that lives in the sea, I have fins and a huge tail. What am I? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

I am the fastest animal on land, I can

run faster than any animal I meet.

What am I?

……………………………………………………………………………...

I am a very big animal, I have a long trunk and two

big tusks. What am I?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

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The One Foundation A couple of months ago Elizabeth Livingstone handed me a wrapper from some toilet rolls . . . . not the kind of things people normally give me I admit but Elizabeth went on to explain that these toilet rolls are sold by a company that ploughs it’s profits into helping those in real need.

So I checked it out on the internet - ed.

It was 2003 when a group of friends gathered together to watch the Grand National in London. It was then that one of them mentioned an article they’d read about the one billion people in the world without access to clean drinking water. Everyone agreed that something needed to be done.

Daytime drinking led to some late night thinking and one bright idea. We would create a brand of bottled water with a difference – we would give all the profit away.

One year on, Duncan Goose quit his job to work on the project full time. It wasn’t easy, but with the support of that original group of friends, our idea started to become a reality. And finally on 30th May 2005 the first bottles of One Water rolled off the production line.

Gradually our one man and a dog operation started to snowball. It seemed like everyone who heard about our project wanted to help make a difference too. Friends, partners, former colleagues, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends, they all got involved to help in any way they could. These people are our heroes.

And it's not just water anymore. Today we have One Vitamin Enhanced Water, One Careplast plasters, One Eggs organic free range eggs, One Supersofty toilet tissue, One Helping Handwash and One Condoms, all raising money for like-for-like humanitarian issues.

So it’s easy for you to do one good thing.

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And here is an example of what they do - ed Right now, around 2.6 billion people in developing countries lack basic sanitation.

We work with local experts to build toilets and hand-washing facilities for schools in developing countries, as well as providing hygiene training for students, teachers and the local community to help prevent children contracting easily spread diseases.

Focusing on rural schools, we fund solid, brick pit latrines for girls and boys, replacing unhygienic non-reinforced sandy pits, or in some cases, no toilets at all. This means healthier kids because of better sanitation facilities plus fewer school days missed due to illness and disease.

Every time you buy One Supersofty Toilet Tissue or One Helping Handwash

you’re helping to make a real difference where it’s really needed.

Nkonde Primary School The sale of One Supersofty Toilet Tissue at selected Sainsbury’s stores means that we’ve been able to fund sanitation facilities at Nkonde Primary School in the Kalembo District of Malawi.

Specifically, the building of two blocks of four toilets, a block of two toilets, plus hand washing stations and hygiene training.

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The sanitation training will be given to the entire school of over 1339 children, including teachers. Pupils are encouraged to share this knowledge about hand washing and good hygiene practices with their family - so the effects will be far-reaching for the entire community.

So the next time you see their logo Why not give them a try you will be automatically helping those whose need is so great - ed

Maze and Tunnel Recently I visited Hampton Court House and Gardens, which are three miles south of Leominster on the A417 close to Hope under Dinmore (HR6 0PN). They were splendid gardens and the price of entry entitles you to a return visit later in the year. They actually made it into the 50 best gardens in the Independent. Whilst Moya looked around the formal gardens I explored the maze, the observation tower and the tunnel through to the sunken gardens. There is also a path behind the waterfall but if you are older then 10 years old then you would need a full set of waterproofs for that particular excursion.

The cafĂŠ was ok, there is a small shop and if we go back we will try and find time to also explore the castle.

Worth a visit but probably best to remember your torch if you want to explore the tunnel Peter Farley

Exhausted Discussing the environment with his friend, Dewey asked, "Which of our natural resources do you think will become exhausted first?"

"The taxpayer," replied his friend.

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Stockland Green Methodist Church

Grand Concert presented by

Canoldir Male Choir and guest artistes Saturday 25th June 2011 at 7.00pm.

Tickets ÂŁ10.00 Tickets available from one of the Stewards 21

Methodist Church helps to launch the JustPay campaign President of the Conference the Revd Alison Tomlin, announced that the Methodist Church will use its influence as an investor to urge companies pay the Living Wage. The Methodist Church will from September pay all workers at least the Living Wage – the minimum wage required for a person to live and participate in society.

To a Westminster Central Hall packed with community activists celebrating ten years of the London Living Wage, Alison said: "A company cannot say with integrity it believes its workers are its most important asset and not pay them enough to live on. A politician cannot with integrity say they believe in the family values while not challenging pay levels that ensure some people must work 60+ hours a week merely to meet their basic needs. The Living Wage is an active expression of our belief that human work and endeavour is a spiritually significant thing."

The campaign includes many ecumenical partners and is co-ordinated by FairPensions. Go to www.fairpensions.org.uk to find out how to use your personal investments to put pressure on companies to pay the Living Wage.

In addition, a campaign to lobby FTSE 100 companies to adopt the Living Wage has been backed by the Methodist Church and its Central Finance Board. People are encouraged to lobby these companies directly at www.activateyourmoney.org. from the Methodist Church News Service

Things that make you go - hmmm?

Isn't the purpose of life, a life of purpose?

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WaterAid Report (taken from “Oasis” magazine) - Political commentator Jonathan Dimbleby presented a Radio 4 appeal for WaterAid, which aired in October and raised over a staggering £35,000.

The broadcast focused on the story of an Ethiopian mother, walking miles with her baby and five year old son to collect water from a muddy river. She then has to carry the water and baby back home in the blazing heat.

This is a scene all too familiar to Jonathan who has reported extensively on Africa, and particularly Ethiopia.

He said it always seemed to him to be one of the really dreadful scandals that something as basic and simple as clean water is not available for so many millions of people; so many little ones die because they don’t have clean water.

- Alan Duncan, International Development Minister, promised the UK Government “will support tens of millions of people in gaining access to sanitation over the next four years” and “will also be making new commitments under the bilateral aid review”.www.wateraid.org/newsroom - BBC Radio 4 featured a powerful interview with a manual scavenger in Bihar, India, on its Today programme in November. Manual scavenging is the job of physically removing human excrement from latrines.

- Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of Oasis, reports on an interview she gave with Andrew Mitchell, UK Secretary of State for International Development (DID). He told her that the Coalition Government has put tackling water and sanitation at the top of their development agenda. “We’ve said in the House of Commons that we plan to bring water and sanitation to tens of millions of people over the next four years….”

He told her that he was in a Dhaka slum with a railway line running through the centre, and he was there at the point when clean water had arrived. “It was clear,” he said, “from peoples’ delight at this facility which has transformed their lives.”

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The DID’s own results last year show they are making strong headway, with over four million people reached with clean water and over 15 million with sanitation in Africa and South Asia.

Ms Frost asked, “But with hundreds of millions across the developing world still living without, and with austerity measures being taken in the UK, how does he plan to persuade the public to support international development?”

“The Independent Commission for Aid Impact reports to Parliament, not to me,” he said, “so it is hoped the tangible results we see being achieved can persuade people the money is being well spent.”

Ms Frost ended their conversation by saying that even though times were hard, WaterAid’s public support is actually growing. She came away convinced that the Government is committed to WaterAid’s vision. (To watch Andrew Mitchell deliver his message and hear Barbara’s thoughts after the meeting, visit www.wateraid.org/andrewmitchell).

Making the headlines: Pakistan – How taps and toilets are making news.

Watch a film about the work in Zambia – www.wateraid.org/video Read about WaterAid’s Country Representative in Mali and much, much more.

Ann Tomes

Look down the back of your sofa Here’s good news: you probably have more money than you think you have.

In fact, about £40 million in loose change could be lost down the back of our sofas, according to a recent survey by the Halifax. The average person has an estimated £1.61 lost somewhere down their sofa, as well as up to another £15 or so distributed around the house in pockets, bags, drawers and the car.

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Praying for rural churches Sunday 26 June is the day when the Arthur Rank Centre (ARC) leads the Christian community in sharing and praying for the people who live, work and worship in the countryside.

ARC, the Churches’ rural resources centre, is inviting congregations to look out from their own lives and concerns to the bigger issues that surround us in the countryside.

National rural officer for the Methodist Church and URC the Revd Graham Jones said: "We want to encourage Christians to reach out to the wider rural community in prayer and in action on Sunday 26 June, particularly to those who are suffering hardship or distress, and remember that the Arthur Rank Centre is here to help in that task."

In particular the ARC is concerned for some 900,000 households who are living on or below the poverty threshold in rural England, and those who feel isolated and alone in places where demographic change, the lack of affordable housing and the withdrawal of services are all taking their toll on communities.

In farming many are going through difficult times. For some, things are improving but for others problems of increased transport costs, lack of broadband access, lack of finance and the continued scourge of Bovine TB continue to cause hardship and distress. The ARC aims to support and help these people and their families. from the Methodist Church News Service

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A Glimpse of Baez In ‘The Sixties’ I was passionate about folk singing and for me Joan Baez was ‘The Tops’. She could charm the birds out of the trees once she began to sing.

Now aged 70, Joan Baez exudes a great zest for life. Although the soprano voice of her younger days no longer rings with that razor – sharp, cut glass clarity of The Sixties era when her protest songs were at their peak, she still continues to delight her audiences with her more mellifluous tones. Her musicianship is exceptional.

Her parents were Quakers and she inherited their non violent religious beliefs which have influenced her lifelong devotion to non violence and human rights. In the late Sixties she was jailed for her active opposition to the Vietnam War. Earlier this year she gave hope to the people of Egypt, assuring them that their non violent revolution to erase a regime of military dictatorship would end in triumph.

!

During the 1960s Joan had a stormy love affair with Bob Dylan, another great folk singer and composer of protest songs. Their differences escalated causing a difficult breakdown of their relationship. He once told her that she thought she could change things and he knew that no one could.

Optimistic by nature and more relaxed than in her heyday, Joan Baez now sings chiefly for pleasure. She continues to campaign however for those issues which she holds dear, although these days she is probably more active in promoting environmental concerns, her fears echoing many of ours.

“Nowadays the state of the world doesn’t look terribly good, does it, especially with global warming hanging over our heads on top of everything else. I look at Gabe, [her son] his wife and daughter, and think, what’s going to happen? I’m a little concerned about offering hope. But one has to bash on regardless, as you British say.”

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From childhood, when Joan Baez suffered occasional racial prejudice on account of her Mexican/Scottish parentage, she has campaigned tirelessly for political freedom and peaceful coexistence. To what extent have her efforts borne fruit? I can only surmise that the string of commendations she has received throughout her life is sure evidence of her unfailing commitment to human rights. Last March her efforts were publicly recognised by Amnesty International.

Finally, was Bob Dylan right all those years ago when he inferred that Joan couldn’t change things? I tend to think ‘The answer is blowin’ in the wind’, but there appears to be one undeniable truth …

Joan Baez has brought glimmers of light into the lives of many oppressed people.

Barbara Rawson

Church Flowers Like many of you I sat down to watch the royal wedding in April. What was it you were looking forward to seeing most? Was it the dress, the ceremonial uniforms the music or the flowers? Actually it was probably a bit of everything that made up this special occasion. For me it was the dress, the flowers and the music (not sure that’s the correct order) but you can see my thinking.

Why do I do the church flowers? It’s a service I think I have the skill to do and well . . . because I love them and they can make a space seem alive.

Worship areas tend to be full of inanimate objects, hard surfaces, and all the nuts and bolts as it were that tend to remain the same but flowers change and add that lift, that highlight, to the space that attracts your eyes. How do we choose the flowers? Well sometimes I get given free reign and then I spend time thinking about them, but usually the decision is based around the seasons and what’s available. Also because our worship area is that orangey brick I do think about how the colours will show up against it. Donors sometimes make requests usually a colour and that does focus the mind.

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Probably my least favourite flower is the chrysanthemum but that is unfair because I do like the big spidery white ones and the little green Kermits which act as fillers in arrangements. I also like to use one species with foliage as I did this Easter with the Calla lilies. But other times an explosion of colours with a large quantities like tulips. Those of you familiar with the flower markets in Amsterdam will know where I am coming from.

I suppose I should also mention that there is a language of flowers not that the computer lists agree on the meanings. But to return to that wedding, the bouquet had sweet Williams for gallantry, Lily of the Valley for happiness and Myrtle for love. She had meaning , scent and flowers that all grow in the UK. I could say a lot more about the trade in flowers, about fair trade and air miles etc. And no I haven’t reached a conclusion on these ethical issues.

In conclusion I don’t think you need to be ‘good’ at arranging the flowers for they are beautiful in themselves but what is lovely is the link between donor, arranger and distribution as we share the flower ministry.

Also I have lots of lovely conversations and company doing the flowers in church. Why don’t you give it a try?

Jan Payne

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Open Day The planning for the Church Open Day on Saturday 3rd September is underway and we need to know what your group will be doing on the day.

We hope that everyone will want to be involved in one way or another.

We will need (apart from groups doing their own thing) • People to staff the kitchen • People to help with advertising • People to help with planning • People to help do physical stuff on the day • People to steward and welcome If you can help then please speak to me.

We all need to pull together to make this a very special day.

We also need people to help Jane with setting up material in the Church to tell everyone what we do as a worshipping community.

We look forward to hearing from you (as you volunteer en-masse) in the near future.

Nick Riley

Pyramid The neighbours began to notice that Simpkins, not content just to have a pile of manure at the end of his plot, had begun to shape the stuff into a very careful pyramid of impressive dimensions. “I’m beginning to think,” said one of his neighbours, “that Simpkins has got Pharaohs at the bottom of his garden.”

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Our Favourite Bible Verses At the Worship Group’s last service we invited people to write their favourite bible verses onto card and we then stuck these onto backing card and I’m sure many of you will have noticed that these are now being displayed in church.

Our hope is that as we work our way through the E100 Bible Readings you will feel moved to add ‘new’ verses to these as you discover passages that speak to you personally.

This does not exclude people who are not following the E100 readings and we hope that anyone who uses our church will feel free to add their own favourites.

As a consequence - we have left the card, pens, glue sticks and example verses on a table in the church (below the display) for you to use.

Please help yourselves.

Nick Riley

Art of letter writing dying out More than a quarter of all seven to 14 year olds have not written a single letter in the past year. One in ten has never written a letter in their entire life.

Yet about half of them in this age group regularly send emails or leave messages on a social networking site.

World Vision, who commissioned the recent poll, found that child education experts are concerned at these findings. It seems that many children are leaving primary school unable to even set out a letter. As one expert says: “If children do not write or receive letters, they miss out on key developmental benefits.” A hand-written letter is more personal than an electronic message any day.

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June 2011 - 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 5th

HOLY COMMUNION - Rev Jane Ashplant

12th

PENTECOST - Mrs Gill Irish

19th

ALL AGE WORSHIP - Rev Jane Ashplant

26th

Mr J Rutherford

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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)

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 July/August CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Elizabeth Baizon, Peter Farley, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th June 2011 at the latest please or alternatively email me: nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk

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