Contact October 2012

CONTACT

Magazine of Erdington Methodist Church Station Road - October 2012 1

Contents Coffee Mornings The Nativity Factor Vision Update Circuit JMA Activity Fun Day for Children Closer by Far Tuesday Club The Paralympics Bible Sunday – 28th October Starstruck at Startrack Community Fun Day Christian Aid appeal as famine grows in the Sahel Children’s Pages Reviving evangelism Alan Turing Silver How to be a good neighbour Fairtrade: it's not just bananas!

3Generate & Generate+ Midlands Hospital Choir - Christmas Celebration Prayer Shawl Ministry October 2012 Regular Meetings Weekly Church Activities

2

3 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 14 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Coffee Mornings Each week the church, and associated groups, run coffee mornings for the people of Erdington to drop-in and have a cuppa. They are usually held on Saturdays between 10.00 am and Noon.

Here are a couple upcoming ones that are especially worthy of noting in your your diaries.

Coffee Morning on 13th October by the Phoenix Bereavement Support Group. We will have our usual Tombola and all money raised will go to John Taylor Hospice.

Thank you

Shirley Harley Coffee Morning Oct 27th by the Property and Finance Committee. Bacon butties and cakes will be available (donations required) and so far we know there will be a Christmas stationery stall.

If you can run a stall please see Hilary or Jan.

The Nativity Factor The Nativity Factor competition is being run again this year. It is a short film competition run by ITN. The idea is to tell the story of the nativity in your own way. Entries will be judged on creativity, style and story. Adults can win £5,000 and there is a separate prize for under 16s of £1,000 and a day at ITN studios.

Even if you are not interested in the competition it is well worth visiting the website to look at last year’s entries, some are very clever and funny and could be a great way to add something different to a children’s /youth group session on Christmas or even to a carol service! from the Methodist Church News Service 3

Vision Update The proposal for funds We should have mentioned in the last report that before we can send off letters/forms for funding, our proposals have to be approved by the Church Council. The next Church Council is on October 10th and we hope that all church trustees will be there to support it. Since the ideas incorporated into the proposal are those put forward by the church family earlier in the year, this shouldn’t take long. It is worth a reminder that the vote is not to initiate the ideas at this point, but to include them in the full proposal to grant funders.

What has the Project Group done so far?

1. Organized fund-raising efforts (£2400) 2. Researched quotes for proposal (app £200k ) 3. Been responsible, with the property committee, for completion of the following: a. trees pollarded and hedging trimmed b. upstairs rooms decorated c. blinds and carpeting for the parlour Future fund-raising events Saturday October 6th

7.30pm

Fashion Show and Sale

Saturday November 10th 10.00am Coffee Morning run by Tuesday Club 7.00 pm Beetle Drive Saturday December 8th 10.00am Coffee Morning run by House Group Saturday December 15th 10.00am Coffee Morning by Vision Group to include visit by Father Christmas.

4

Circuit JMA Activity Fun Day for Children

Saturday 22nd June 2013 10.30 am - 3.30 pm Venue - Kingstanding Methodist Church Theme - Children around the world A fun day for children around the circuit ages 5-11 Volunteers will be needed for this day who have ideas for activities associated with the following countries:India, Mexico, Africa, the Caribbean, China, Russia, North America, Canada and Australia Anyone who would be interested in supporting this venture please contact Alison Brown –alisonjoybrown@btinternet.com by Friday 16th November 2012. A meeting will be held in January 2013 to confirm arrangements.

Closer by Far I can take my telescope and look millions of miles into space; but I can go away to my room and in prayer get nearer to God and heaven than I can when assisted by all the telescopes on earth Isaac Newton

5

Tuesday Club Tuesday 28th August saw some 20+ of the Tuesday Club gathered at Blake Barn for what has become an annual lunch. Fortunately we had a rare sunny day for it and folk arrived by car and train in good time to peruse the very extensive menu: Seafood Paella; Sea Bass; Pork and Black Pudding; Fish and Chips; Steaks; Pies. Goodness its making me feel hungry again! There was plenty of lively chatter before, during and after the meal. Many had sweets and coffee, however my stack of pork and black pudding left me no room.

During the meal a newspaper article which mentioned the history of Blake Barn was handed round. Part of it had been a shoe maker’s cottage and the incumbent was an early Methodist. He had tried to turn his home into a church but came up against prejudice and ultimately left the area. So, the pub where we have our meals has a Methodist connection. How controversial is that!? We finally said our goodbyes having been reminded that the next meeting will be the A.G.M. on 25th September at 2.00 pm.

Rod Evans The Tuesday Club is group which meets on Tuesdays and is always happy to see new members (see the back page for details) - ed

6

The Paralympics Some may have seen the drama on the BBC, broadcast just before the Olympic Games started, telling the story of Dr Ludwig Guttmann. He was the leading German neurosurgeon and who having been sent to Portugal in 1939 to treat Antonio Salazar took the opportunity, with his family, to escape to Britain. In 1943 The British Government asked him to form the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville hospital which opened in the February of 1944.

Ludwig immediately clashed with the then medical establishment who were presiding over a regime where paraplegics were expected to die in about three months. He was passionate in his belief that sport was a route for injured military personnel to regain their strength and self esteem. Such was his determination that in 1948 on the opening day of the London Olympics he staged the first Stoke Mandeville Games for 28 disabled military personnel on the lawn of the hospital. He believed that disabled people could be elite athletes in the same way as able bodied people. He originally used the term parallel games, from which using its Greek origin we get Paralympic, the alongside or beside games.

In 1952 the Olympics were held in Helsinki. However at the same time a group of Dutch disabled athletes joined their British counterparts for the second Stoke Mandeville Games where there were 130 competitors. At this time these games were reserved for injured military personnel who were wheel-chair bound. Eight years later, at the same time as the 1960 Rome Games, the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games took place.

These were later, retrospectively recognised as the first Paralympic Games.

They included 400 athletes from 23 countries who for the first time were no longer restricted to ex-military personnel. By 1976 in Montreal the Paralympics had expanded to cover other disabilities and included 1600 athletes from 40 countries. It took until 1988, the Seoul Olympics, for the Paralympics to take place immediately after the other games using the same athletics and living facilities.

7

We can only be grateful that in London in 2012 we established another first.

The first Paralympic Games to be a sell out.

We should now all be celebrating the fact that we have disabled people doing all manner of things within our society, even a wheel chair bound MP. However the most important thing about Paralympic athletes is that we should be celebrating their abilities not their disabilities. Maybe from now on we will all look on disability with a little more compassion and regard those with disabilities as real people capable of remarkable things, people who can succeed and contribute rather than create problems. It is so easy to be disturbed by their difference and shut them out as a result. However, as Christians we know that we are challenged to love all our neighbours as ourselves.

If we could make that a norm in our society that would indeed be a worthwhile Gold.

Peter Farley

Bible Sunday – 28th October Bible Sunday is an ecumenical celebration of the Bible. This year’s theme is ‘Count on It’. It is taken from Isaiah 55.1-11, which encourages us to rely on God in times of trouble. Here are some verses which encourage us to ‘count on God’....

‘O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man that trusts in you’ (Psalm 84:12); ‘You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you’ (Isaiah 26:3); ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding’. (Proverbs 3:5) Do you have a verse that has helped you in times of trouble or trial? Would you be willing to share your story, in just a few words, with our readers? If so, please contact any of the editorial team listed on the back page.

8

Starstruck at Startrack Following the Olympics Carly and Daniel took part in the UK athletics 'Startrack' scheme at Wyndley track during the summer holidays. Their reward for 3 days of running, jumping and throwing as far as they could, was a visit from several Olympians.

Gold medallist Greg Rutherford, silver medallist Christine Ohoroghu and hurdles finalist Lawrence Clarke came to talk to the children and show off their medals. They were able to have their photo taken with the athletes and also ask for their autographs.

Carly and Daniel appeared on both Midlands Today and Central Tonight and there was a big piece in the Sutton Observer about the event too. You saw them here first!

9

40TH ANNIVERSARY

COMMUNITY FUN DAY SATURDAY OCTOBER 20TH 12.30 – 3.30PM AS WE DRAW TO THE END OF OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR WE WANT TO INVITE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO SHARE IN OUR CELEBRATIONS

THE AFTERNOON WILL INCLUDE LOTS OF FUN ACTIVITIES, BOUNCY CASTLE, TOMBOLA, BOTTLE STALL, LUCKY DIP AND A BARBEQUE.

OUR GUESTS WILL ALSO LEAVE WITH A ‘GOODY BAG’ FULL OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHURCH AND OUR ACTIVITIES 10

Christian Aid appeal as famine grows in the Sahel Christian Aid is escalating its appeal for funds to tackle the food crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa amid reports that the situation is deteriorating fast.

The World Food Programme has warned that without new funding, food aid for nearly 250,000 Malian refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and other neighbouring states will run out in weeks.

A Christian Aid appeal running since March this year which has raised some £475,000 for the region has helped more than 175,000 people. Now supporters and major donors are being asked to give more.

Christian Aid’s head of humanitarian operations Nick Guttmann said today: ‘There are 19 million people across the Sahel who are in dire need. More than a million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition and an estimated three million are at risk of moderate acute malnutrition.

‘Increasing numbers are entirely dependent on food aid for survival, particularly refugees who have fled from the conflict in Mali to neighbouring states, and people displaced within Mali itself.

On a fact-finding mission to Mali last week, Christian Aid head of media Andrew Hogg visited Konna, one of the northernmost towns in Mali still in government hands, where several families a day still cross from the rebel area, often with nothing but the clothes they stand up in.

Christian Aid partner GRAT (Groupe de Recherche et d'Applications Techniques) is focusing distribution on the most vulnerable, with some 50 tonnes of rice and cereal, and 10 tonnes of seed going to the internally displaced, and to host families. from the Parish Pump Website

11

12

13

Reviving evangelism The Methodist Church has launched a national consultation on evangelism, asking Methodists across Great Britain what the term means to them and what they find challenging about it.

Through a simple online survey, you can share your views on a range of questions about evangelism, including 'What is the nature of the evangelistic task today for 21st- century Britain?” and 'What does it mean to you to have your life touched by God, and to be called by God to share the good news of Christ?' The deadline for submissions is 15 October 2012 and a digest of responses will be shared on the Methodist website.

Also, on 27 November 2012 there will be a special consultation day at Methodist Church House in London. It will draw together a range of Methodists from different contexts to engage with the issues of evangelism for the Church, its cultures and resources. There is space for 80 people and invitations for the day will be issued by 15 November.

The day will be hosted by the Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, general secretary of the Methodist Church. “Some of us feel awkward about using the term ‘evangelism’ or worried about what it might involve,” he said. “But the reality is that many Methodists are doing wonderful and creative things to share God’s love with their communities. We want to affirm that, but also help others to engage more fully with the calling we all have to make more disciples of Jesus Christ.” from the Methodist Church News Service

Alan Turing Centenary of birth June 2012 Over the summer during a weekend away I neatly avoided the pleasures of the Bicester Shopping Village by arranging a trip to the museum at Bletchley Park home of the Enigma code crackers. This is one of the places that has been on my to visit list ever since it opened. After the war the site was slowly run down, the buildings became unsafe and were in danger of being 14

demolished and the site, close to the centre of Bletchley sold for redevelopment. The decision to resist the sale of the site and the ensuing housing development was taken by a group of people who had come to the Park for a farewell party in October 1991. Then in February 1992 Milton Keynes council were persuaded by the newly formed Bletchley Park Trust to place preservation orders on the remaining trees in the park. Over the next eight years the whole project was in the balance. Then in June 1999 the Trust struck a deal with the landowner for a 250 year lease with an option to purchase for a nominal price in 25 years time.

By 2005 the museum was opened every day. Since then about £10m has been raised or promised for maintenance and redevelopment. The business plan suggests that in five years time it will be self-sufficient.

In retrospect it is amazing that this had to happen at all. That the place ever fell in disrepair is a result of a post war decision by Churchill that nothing must be known, by anyone, particularly the Russians about what codes had been broken at Bletchley during the war. Such was the level of secrecy ordered that no one ever knew the full story of what had been achieved. So the equipment was all quietly destroyed, the building fell into disrepair and the people’s deeds forgotten. But as with life in the end the truth will out.

For many the spur to ask or to talk will have been the ‘Enigma’ film released in 2001. If you haven’t seen it, it is still worth a trip to the DVD shop.

There were many brilliant people who worked at Bletchley Park during the war. But for me two stand out from my visit. Firstly there was Alan Turing, the centenary of his birth past in June. He was the mathematical genius, who envisaged much of the code breaking equipment sometimes from first principals. Then there was Tommy Flowers, the GPO engineer who was responsible for turning the plans into reality. Neither of these people in the end received their just rewards. Alan Turing was tried after the war for homosexuality. As a result he lost his security clearance to work in such a sensitive area and either committed suicide or accidentally poisoned himself with cyanide. The conspiracy theorists claim that full story of Alan Turing is still to be told, even though he received a pardon from Gordon Brown in 2009. Tommy Flowers was denied his recognition because Churchill ordered 15

the destruction of most of what he had created in the paranoia of the post war period. He was forbidden to talk about his achievements, effectively denying him recognition for his achievements amongst colleagues, peers and the learned societies. Such was the secrecy that he was denied a Bank of England loan to build a post war computer because the bank did not believe that such a thing could be built. The Official Secrets Act precluded him from saying that he knew it worked because he had built one before. After the war he was involved in the development of the subscriber trunk dialling (STD) exchange and ERNIE the Premium Bond Machine (Electronic random number indicator equipment).

At Bletchley Park you can see photographs and read about all of the people who lived and worked there from the repetitive to the unique, sometimes mind numbingly routine but always under pressure. At the height of the war about 9,000 people, mainly women, worked on the code breaking effort. It is suggested that their achievement shortened the war by between two and four years. When you look at their achievement in the anti-submarine effort alone then that figure is not a surprising suggestion.

It is certainly worth a trip. The admission ticket allows you access for 12 months. We spent two or three hours wondering, looking at the pictures and watching the reconstructed machines and I may go back for more. The cafĂŠ is not too expensive either. It is easy to find, MK3 6EB, just off the A5 in Bletchley not far from Milton Keynes.

Further information about Alan Turing can be found online http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/alan_turing http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/ http://www.mathcomp.leeds.ac.uk/turing2012/ Peter Farley

16

Silver Slowly, silently, now the moon Walks the night in her silver shoon; This way, and that, she peers, and sees Silver fruit upon silver trees; One by one the casements catch Her beams beneath the silvery thatch; Couched in his kennel, like a log, With paws of silver sleeps the dog; From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep Of doves in silver feathered sleep A harvest mouse goes scampering by, With silver claws, and silver eye; And moveless fish in the water gleam, By silver reeds in a silver stream.

Walter de la Mare (1873 – 1958) ‘Silver’ is an enchanting poem. Walter de la Mare loved gazing at the night sky and in this sonnet he paints a delightful picture of a gracious, gleaming, moonlit world. As the moon moves silently across the sky in her silver shoes, her beams paint all that they touch silver. The only movements are those of the moon itself and a scampering mouse.

This is a poem to read time and time again. Its imagery reaches out to us, giving us the feeling that somehow we are a part of this beautiful, calm, silvery night scene.

Barbara Rawson

17

How to be a good neighbour 2012 has been a year of real celebration. What with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the celebrations around our olympic successes and, of course, this church’s 40th Anniversary perhaps we should take some time out to think about good neighbourliness and what it means. What does it take to be a good neighbour? Here are some ideas for how you can meet up with local people and develop friendships.

1. Open your front door, and simply get out and walk more! That’s the best way to meet people in your neighbourhood. Just ask any dog owner...

2. Invite two or three of your neighbours around for coffee to get to know each other. Keep it simple, so that they feel comfortable to return the invitation.

3. Think about offering a neighbour a lift into town for a shopping trip – you can agree a time to meet up for the trip home.

4. Compile a neighbourhood directory with useful addresses and telephone numbers to give to people moving into the area. Ask at the town hall for ideas of what you might include.

5. Do you know of a lonely, perhaps elderly person on their own? Consider taking them with you to a local event.

6. Offer to feed your neighbour’s cat or water their plants when they go on holiday.

7. If your neighbours are students, why not send them a card for when they return to college, wishing them well for their new term?

8. Take a simple meal around to new parents, to people just back from hospital, or even a family recently bereaved. Offer it on disposable plates, so that they don’t have to wash up.

18

9. Keep an eye out for parcels left on your neighbour’s doorstep and take them in until they return.

10. Accept occasional help from your neighbours as well as offering it – everyone needs to be needed!

Modern life tends to isolate us. According to a recent study, community spirit seems to be dying out in the UK. More than 40% say we have never even spoken to people whose front doors are less than 10 feet away from our own. But we CAN make opportunities to be friendly with the people near to us. mostly from the Parish Pump Website

Fairtrade: it's not just bananas!

The Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) support the Fairtrade Foundation, which ensures farmers in developing countries receive a fair price for their products - and these are not just limited to coffee and bananas!

Cotton is a major export of many countries MRDF works in, including India and Mali.

Buying Fairtrade clothing is a way that you can support cotton producers in some of the world's poorest countries. You may be surprised to hear that many high street stores, including Tesco and M&S, offer Fairtrade clothing, from socks to hats. from the methodist Church News Service

19

20

21

Prayer Shawl Ministry From: Loundsley Green Church in the Sheffield District Loundsley Green Church Shawl Ministry in Chesterfield began in 2008 after four people decided they wanted to share their faith and creative skills with others. The shawl ministry now has 22 members.

At least half of them gather in the small chapel every three weeks on a Thursday morning.

Many have connections with other churches but some people have joined from outside the church.

Agnes Tranter is the ecumenical church council secretary at the Anglican/ Methodist church in the Sheffield District. She said: "The group opens with a brief reflection, bible reading and prayer and before we close shawls are blessed by each member and arrangements made to take them to people.

Shawls, blankets and scarves are given at times of both joy and sorrow and many go to people we do not know. They have been posted around the world and have gone as far as Australia, America, Spain, and Romania. Many have been sent to places in the UK and last Sunday we had an urgent request to bless and send a shawl to a lady in Devon who was about to undergo serious heart surgery and she was also worried about her unborn grandchild who was suffering health problems. The lady rang her mother-in-law, one of our members, before she left for church so we were able to bless a shawl with the congregation and it was posted the next day.

Each baby baptised at our church receives a shawl or a blanket during the service and they have also been given in celebration of marriage. So far over 200 shawls have been distributed."

22

The group members knit at home. While they knit, they pray for the person who will receive it. Some people crochet the shawls. One disabled member manages to weave tapestry pictures which are made into cushions by another member.

October 2012 Regular Meetings

Coffee Mornings Each Saturday 10.00 am to 12.00 noon

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

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

Rev John Ingyon

14th

John Harrison

21st

ALL AGE WORSHIP - Gill Irish

28th

Rev Bill Anderson

23

Weekly Church Activities Sunday

10.30 am

MORNING WORSHIP and Young Church

Tuesday

9.30 - 11.30 am 9.30 - 12.30 pm 2.00 pm

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

Wednesday

9.30 - 11.30 am 9.30 - 12.30 pm 12.30 pm

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

Thursday

9.30 - 12.30 pm

Pre-School : Karen Homer

Friday

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

Pre-School : Karen Homer Beavers : Lynn Turner Cubs : Elizabeth Baizon Scouts : Lisa Porter Explorers : 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 November CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Elizabeth Baizon, Peter Farley, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th October 2012 at the latest please or alternatively email me: nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk

24