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Magazine of Erdington Methodist Church Station Road - July / August 2013 1

Contents Minister’s Letter Family News Vision Project Methodist Conference Archbishop of Canterbury to address the Methodist Conference A week end in Istanbul - part 2 Sudbury Hall and Museum of Childhood Children’s Pages Coronation Chicken How safe are you online?

A prayer for the busy Left-handed The way I see it Advertising terms explained Some Puzzles to while away the summer evenings Crossword Wordsearch Sudoku Hymns … The Old and the New The Talking Centipede Transporting the sick to hospital July / August Regular Meetings Weekly Church Activities

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Trying and Training Learn to distinguish between trying and training. Without training I may try to win a marathon race but I will only fail. That is because without training there will be no ingrained habits that have restructured my body for the marathon. Training builds holy habits.

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Minister’s Letter By my calculation this will be the last letter I will write for Contact as minister at Erdington – unless of course there is another change of pastoral charge while I am still in the circuit! The past three years seem to have sped by and the time for change has come.

Many years ago I asked a good friend to help me with a decision I was finding it very difficult to make and he taught me an important lesson. He said “You are only thinking about what you will lose or leave behind rather than looking at what you might gain.” That lesson is true about many aspects of life. Because we don’t know what the future will bring we prefer to look to the past, because that is familiar territory and helps us feel safe and secure. But as they say, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

People have asked me if I am sad about going and the answer is “yes”. I will miss a lot of people, especially those of you have been a particular support, but I recognise it is time to go and face a fresh challenge. Likewise, you are possibly thinking (I hope) how much you are going to miss me – there is never such a good minister as the one who is about to go! But before long you will be getting used to, and learning to love Paul and Alex Dunstan and my quirky ways will have faded into the background.

It is Methodist etiquette that I stay away from Erdington, possibly for up to twelve months, to allow Paul the opportunity to establish his ministry. Please don’t think I have suddenly taken a dislike to you all or that I don’t care any more!

Ministers come and go but the work of God continues – in fact it probably continues despite the ministers! Change is never easy but the whole point of faith is that we trust in God for the future. As the hymn puts it, We’ll praise him for all that is past, And trust him for all that’s to come.”(STF 67)

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Thank you for sharing these three years with me in this very special fellowship. I go with God’s blessing and ask that his blessing be with you too as you continue his work.

Jane

Family News Thank You A big thank you to everyone for the Talent Festival. There are too many people to name individually but you know who you are.

Jan Payne Big thank you Thanks to all of you who sponsored me on my walk in May. I am staggered by the support which raised £429 for the Vision Fund.

Lesley Morgan Thanks for your prayers Thank you for your prayers, cards and messages of support. Please know that the caring from the church family has helped me greatly

Barbara Rawson Sell it on Ebay Lesley Carter has kindly offered to sell stuff on ebay in aid of the Vision Fund. If you have something that might make us some cash please talk to Lesley. I have a redundant digital camera for example and a print... unless someone wants them they will be with Lesley.

Jan Payne

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Just for interest - Guide Dogs On July 3rd ITV are showing a programme called ‘Me and my guide dog.’

It is all about the progress and development of the dogs used for guide dogs from their birth to qualification. My current guide dog, Keith, is in the litter they filmed at birth so I am especially hoping that will be shown.

The programme will be shown at 8pm Lesley Morgan Vision - advance notice During the rest of the summer can you look for silly, quirky , Christmassy things for a stall at the Christmas fare . . . which will take place in November . . . so lots of time to look. You might even plant something or make some knitted decorations e.g. christmas Stockings with a candy cane. Do ask us if you are not sure.

Jan Payne . . . and the winners are . . .

Thank you for voting for the best large and best small photos in the Fircone Photographic Group display illustrating Psalm 150 at the festival of Talents.

The winners were: Large Photo

1st L 2nd C 3rd M

Bandsmen by Audrey Blackburn Piano by John Blackburn Brass Instruments by Irene Busby

Small Photo

1st 23 2nd 16 3rd 6

Trumpet on Garden Roller by John Blackburn Trumpet and Music by Audrey Blackburn Morris Musicians by Jean Shakespeare

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Vision Project Part 1 - Festival of Talents From the Vision group’s point of view it was a very successful weekend.

Everyone we have spoken to seemed to have enjoyed it. Maybe the weather helped, but it was good to see so many people there, especially on the Sunday afternoon, and at the closing service. The lucky number drawn was 155, so far unclaimed. If it is your number then contact someone at church.

There was plenty to see and many people, adults and children, had worked very hard to re create a Bible story in a novel way, or produce beautiful flower arrangements. We were entertained by an attractive and accomplished choir, the Keep Fit dancers were a lovely surprise – where were their leggings and tee shirts? The clothes were colourful and creative, matching their movements, which, at times, had a spiritual flavour to them. Both the soloists, Nick on the organ and Barbara on the piano, were a real treat to listen to, and we kept the best till last – BARBARA and the BELL RINGERS which even included a comedy spot!

Jane led worship in closing devotions with the theme from 1 Corinthians chapter 12: verse 13: ‘For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body... and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.’

We had worked together to produce a successful, enjoyable and profitable week end.

We have sent £370 to Action for Children, and with extra donations given to the Vision Fund we raised £720 for Vision. This is a great result. I would like to express thanks to Jan Payne who had the idea of the festival in the first place and whose planning and hard work made it such a success. We are also grateful to the 50p man himself, Josh Howarth, whose persistence and winning smile exacted £73.50 out of everyones’ pockets !

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There is a PS to this weekend. We had the very good news, on Saturday from one of the grant funders, offering us £5000. We look forward to more of these letters!!

Part 2 - More moneymaking ideas Savings Boxes: A year ago we gave out 43 of these boxes. Since then 23 of them have been returned, you have generously re-filled them and so far we have raised £1205. It seems a good time to invite the rest of you, who have not handed yours in yet, to let John have them so that we can have an update on them so far. Thank you.

Loose Cash: In the Autumn a box or jar will be going round asking you to dip into your purses and pockets for loose change. This will probably be once a fortnight. We did this many years ago and it was very successful.

Look out for Josh and his winning smile!!

Pledges: With advice from Stockland Green, John is inviting you to give pledges of money, by regular payments by hand or by a standing order. Any promises of donations are important to add to application forms. This is what one charity has written, ‘The Trustees take particular note of the extent to which the members of a Church have personally made and promised gifts specifically for the scheme. This is viewed as a firm indicator of the enthusiasm and commitment of the members to the project in question.’

Thank you for all your help.

Hilary Price

Vision Coffee Morning As well as the Coffee Morning on July 20th there will also be The Birmingham and District Carnation Society Annual Show. Entry as always will be free. So do come and enjoy these beautiful flowers while you await the delicious food from the kitchen. The Carnations will be on show until 2.00 pm and food will be served until 1.00 pm.

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Methodist Conference 4th - 11th July 2013, London This year's Methodist Conference will be held at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster.

The Conference is a gathering of 306 representatives drawn from each Methodist district, along with some who have been elected by the Conference, together with some ex officio members, and international, ecumenical and youth representatives. It is the governing body of the Methodist Church and meets annually to discuss matters affecting the life of the Church, the nation and the world.

The reports from the Volume 1 of the Conference agenda are now online, and the remaining reports and memorials will be uploaded in about a week’s time.

Live video of the main Conference debates will be streamed online and people can watch the debates later through the Conference website too.

There will also be regular Conference updates on Twitter (#methconf) and Facebook.

Key events and issues for debate include: Saturday 6th July Induction of the president (Ruth Gee) and vice-president (Daleep Mukarji) of the Conference The president’s address and the vice-president’s address Report by the general secretary, the Revd Dr Martyn Atkins Report from the Church’s Children’s and Youth Assembly Sunday 7th July Conference Worship Ordination of Methodist ministers in venues across London 8

Monday 8th July Supporting ministers with ill health Same sex marriage working party proposals Tuesday 9th July Future mission together (Methodist Missionary Society Report) Discipleship and Ministries Learning Network Wednesday 10th July Address by Archbishop of Canterbury (see below for more details) (Note: This timetable is subject to change.)

For more details, look on the Methodist Conference Website.

There is also a full fringe programme of lunchtime and evening events which are open to all.

Archbishop of Canterbury to address the Methodist Conference Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, will address the annual Methodist Conference on Wednesday 10th July at 2.15 pm, at Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London.

Archbishop Justin will talk on the topic, Resourcing a search for the common good. An oil industry executive before he entered ordained ministry, and a member of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, the Archbishop has written widely on the ethics of business and finance. After his talk, he will take questions from members of the Conference.

You do not need a ticket for this event. This session is open to the public in the same way as most other Conference sessions. It’s advisable to arrive in good time and queue as directed by the stewards until the gallery is opened after the lunch break. There are 1,087 seats in the public gallery.

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A week end in Istanbul - part 2 Continuing details of our fascinating weekend in Istanbul Next stop the Topkapi Palace on the Seraglio Point. This is the place where the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and the Sea of Marmara meet. The palace has dominated this position for over 400 years and has the most beautiful views. The Topkapi is surrounded by a large public park within fortress walls. The inner palace contains a number of museums; there is ceremonial armour, an exhibition of manuscripts, Royal Ottoman robes and regalia, ceramics and glass and the famous treasury where the 86 carat “Spoon maker’s” diamond can be seen and also the emerald dagger made famous by the1964 film “Topkapi” starring Peter Ustinov.

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We then paid a short visit to the Suleymaniye Mosque complex which is the largest and most important mosque in Istanbul. It was built by Sinan the imperial architect who was a Russian Christian who had been brought to court as a young man (possibly as a slave) and trained to be a military engineer. The Mosque contains the mausoleum of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent and his wife Roxelana plus two of his successors. In the days of the Ottoman Empire the Mosque was also a charitable centre. Within its grounds are its former hospital, soup kitchen where it is said that over a thousand poor and staff were fed every day, schools, a caravanserai and a bath house. The architect Sinan is buried nearby, he died at the age of 97 having built 131mosques and over 200 other buildings. The English translation of the inscription on his tomb is “For my monument, look around you.”

After a pleasant “Ottoman” style lunch at the former soup kitchen we were transported over the Golden Horn to the port area on the Bosphorus where we would board a boat for a short cruise along the Bosphorus to see some ancient castles, modern road bridges and pretty summer palaces and villas.

We were landed on the Asian side of the Bosphorus and were bussed back via the Bosphorus Bridge completed in 1973 to celebrate 50 years of the Turkish republic. It is the world’s 9th longest suspension bridge, being 3524 feet (1,074m) long and 210 feet (64m) above the water level. After dinner at a local folkloric club we had a night-time tour of the city, along the waterfront of the new city and over the bridges of the Golden Horn. The coach stopped on one of the bridges to allow photos of the floodlit old city.

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On our last full day which was Sunday we again had an early start for we were to visit the site of The Church of St Saviour in Chora. This church is famous for its mosaics and frescos and is one of the must see sites, so it gets very busy very early and there was a rumour that this would be its last day of opening as it was due to close for a major refurbishment and archaeological work by the Byzantine Institute of America. Little is known of the original church on this site but “in Chora” means in the countryside which would imply that it was outside the original walls of Constantinople which no longer exist; it is however within the walls of Emperor Theodosius which were built around 420 AD.

The church and monastery were rebuilt in the 11th century, though the Crusaders caused a certain amount of damage during the Latin invasion 1204-1261 the church again being restored around 1315 when it was remodelled and the mosaics and frescos added by Theodore Metochites, a theologian, philosopher and a retired senior government official. Theodore Metochites wrote that his mission was to relate how “the Lord himself became a mortal on our behalf ”. The church is full of vibrant mosaics depicting; The Genealogy of Christ, the infancy of Christ, the life of the Virgin, and Christ’s Ministry.

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The fascinating thing was that as western protestant Christians we know very little about the life of the young Mary. The mosaics follow the story as written in the apocryphal gospel of St James which was written in the 2nd century. St James is said to be the son of Joseph by his first wife and half brother to Jesus. I digress. I still have other places to visit. Suffice it to say we found that our visit to Chora inspired us to look into the New Testament Apocrypha and find out what we have been missing. It had all been worth the time and the effort.

The next stop on our Sunday morning journey was to the small village of Eyup famous for being the burial place of Eyup Ensari the standard bearer of the Prophet Mohammed. This is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims all over the world and it has become a place of burial. At the top of the hill overlooking the cemetery is the “Pierre Loti Café” it is little more than a tea shop with a terrace that has panoramic views of the Golden Horn far below.

After all our adoration and contemplation, it was time to visit the Spice Bazaar for some retail therapy. The bazaar reminded me very much of the old Bull Ring market of the 50s and 60s. Stalls outside were selling fresh produce, dried sausage, cheese, honey, sweetmeats, vegetables, plants, pet food and street food vendors were also selling their produce. Inside was a lot more exotic, with stalls very similar in nature; selling dried herbs and spices, various mixes of tea, Apple being the most popular and of course coffee. There were all the accoutrements for making the teas and the coffee.

There were jams and Turkish Delight and more honey, kitchen utensils and ceramics. I could have happily spent several hours in there.

We then had a free afternoon which we had previously planned but these fell apart as Istanbul closes on Sunday. All public buildings and shops were closed, so no going to the Grand Bazaar or clothes shopping, or having a Turkish bath. We found lunch and then went for a long walk around the Grand Bazaar, the university and Beyazit Square where there is a flea market and we followed the road around the outside of the Grand Bazaar which is full of clothing stalls where you can buy branded clothing and shoes. Most European brands are made in Turkey so the price and quality is quite good, not many tourists here but loads of locals always a good sign. In the evening 13

we went to dinner at another of the cisterns; this one was decked up to be a medieval hall with banners and swords and armoury, with a roaring fire in a large fireplace. Again we were returned to the hotel via the pretty route along the sea shore.

On Monday we were up early and ready before time. We needed to be on our way by 10. We decided to waste an hour and go for a walk; Michael had seen something the day before and decided he would see if he could still buy it. Successful transaction made, we now had to go back to the hotel and repack. After a pleasant coach trip we arrived at the airport in good time for our flight, though we had to be submitted to two lots of x-ray searches one before check in and one after check in. We had a comfortable flight home.

If given the chance I would like to visit Istanbul again. Though I think that it is unlikely Sue Turner

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Sudbury Hall and Museum of Childhood This is a National Trust property near Ashbourne, Derbyshire. It took us approximately one hour from Erdington by car. On arrival at the car park there is a free buggy transfer service to the hall and museum for less mobile visitors.

It was created by George Vernon when he succeeded the estate in 1660. It is a fantastic combination of Jacobean and classical building styles. The Great Staircase is amazing, well worth seeing. It has fine examples of plaster work. In the kitchen, below stairs, I saw something I haven't seen anywhere else. It was one of the first pressure cookers! It looked like a giant hand grenade!

The grounds are lovely with a beautiful lake.

We only saw part of the Museum of Childhood as we ran out of time. This had lots of interactive activities for children. It houses the Betty Cadbury private collection of toys,which had some very old exhibits.

We had a very enjoyable day.

If you are interested in visiting you can get in touch on the info line which is 01283 585305 or online at nationaltrust.org.uk/sudburyhall  Jenny Hill

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Coronation Chicken The current melee about the Queen’s Coronation has included several variations on the origin of Coronation Chicken. Having spent a few minutes with that famous search engine I have not been able to arrive at a definitive answer. I suspect that it is a bit like the ongoing discussions about whether or not Shakespeare wrote his plays because, as all of the people who were involved at the time are now dead, no one will ever know the complete answer.

The two main protagonists were Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume.

Constance was an interesting lady from Ireland who left her first husband and moved to England with her son and joined the Civil Service, head of Women’s Staff at the Ministry of Aircraft Production in 1921. After a spell as a home economics teacher she turned to flower arranging. These soon became legendary and included displays for, among others, the wedding of the Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice. A retrospective display of her work at the Design Museum in 2004 was so controversial that it caused chairman of the board James Dyson, he of vacuums and hand dryers, to resign.

Rosemary, on the other hand, came from a privileged background. However, as a child she showed more than a passing interest in cooking and was therefore eventually sent to the Cordon Bleu cookery school in Paris. In 1931 she borrowed £2,000 and set up a cookery school in London with a colleague from Paris and within two years they had repaid their loan. In 1935 they took a lease on a shop in Sloan Square and moved the school and opened a teashop. This continued throughout the war and with a new partner she was asked to help with the Coronation catering.

Constance and Rosemary were commissioned to create the flowers in the Westminster Abbey annexe and the food for the luncheon after the event. It is here that the trail becomes indistinct. In 1956 the two of them produced a collaborative cookbook called the Constance Spry Cookery Book. So although Spry is the name generally associated with the dish this may only be as a result of the title of her cookbook.

There is however one additional layer of complexity in this little tale. In 1935 at the Silver Jubilee meal for George 5th the menu included Jubilee 18

Chicken, which consisted of chicken, mayonnaise and curry. So in the end maybe neither Spry nor Hume invent Coronation Chicken and it was just a hand-me-down like most other recipes? Maybe their claim to fame should be limited to the addition of pureed apricot to the original recipe, which for a still rationed England this would have been a significant luxury.

Peter Farley

How safe are you online?

UK Communications watchdog, OFCOM, has warned that internet users are risking their online security. In Ofcom's "Adults' Media Use and Attitudes Report 2013" it found that 55% of UK adults use the same password to access internet sites and 26% use birthdays or names as passwords.

However, 62% say that they protect their Wi-fi internet connections, up from 52% in 2011. 35% of 55-64 year-old internet users now have a social networking profile (up from 24% in 2011: and the average adult has 237 social network friends.

Average 16-24 year-olds claim 352 friends, three times as many as those aged over 45. 50% of adults with a profile, visit social networks more than once a day, with 9% checking more than 10 times a day. The average Internet user spends 17 hours per week online.

So how safe do you feel? I have been considering setting up some informal discussions about computer related things and I think this would make a good discussion topic. If you think this would be a good idea then please let me know and depending on numbers expressing an interest, then I’ll set something up - ed

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A prayer for the busy Heavenly Father, Forgive us that we are all so busy. There are so many demands; so many expectations. Emails and Facebook demand instant replies and, if we’re honest, they drain away our time as we try to keep in touch with everyone, whenever they contact us. We keep in touch with everyone who demands our attention Lord, but often, in all the rush to communicate, we don’t keep in touch with you, the greatest communicator of all.

You communicated all we need to know by sending Jesus. He is your love in person. He makes it possible for us to know you by trusting in him. Thank you for pressing the send button that gave Jesus to us. Thank you that you will never switch off or close down. Help us to spend our precious time wisely and to stay connected to you.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

By Daphne Kitching

Left-handed Bobby went to the park one Sunday afternoon with his grandmother. It was late summer, but still many flowers were in bloom. Everything was beautiful.

His grandmother remarked: "Doesn't it look like an artist painted this scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?"

Only a few hours away from church, Bobby said: "Yes, God did it and he did it left- handed." Confused, his grannie asked him why he thought that.

“Easy,” said Bobby, "we learned at Sunday School this morning that Jesus sits on God's right hand!" from the Parish Pump Website

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The way I see it Don’t just stand there, do nothing!

August is, of course, the great holiday month in Britain. Families, constrained by the school holidays, pay over the odds to arrange a week or two at the seaside or on a Mediterranean beach. Older people and singles breathe a sigh of relief as it seems that half the population has decamped elsewhere and they’ve got the park, shops and golf course to themselves.

Either way, it’s a change of routine, a break from the relentless round of the everyday. August, whatever else we may think of it, is different.

We call it a ‘holiday’ month, or perhaps more accurately a month of holidays.

That word is important, because obviously it was once ‘holy days’, the whole idea of stipulated days of rest being a religious invention. It started with the Jewish ‘Sabbath’, the seventh day of the week - the one when the Creator, in the biblical story, ‘rested’ from his work of bringing everything into existence. As a consequence, it was decreed that the seventh day of the week should be a universal day of rest, when human toil was suspended (even for slaves), animals were set free from their daily labour in field or treadmill, and for that precious twenty-four hours there would be space and time to be ourselves.

Jesus said that the ‘Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’ - it was never meant to be an irksome burden, but a blessing. It took the ingenuity of religious heresy hunters to turn that glorious opportunity into an impenetrable code of rules. But the principle survived. Most cultures have followed the Jewish example of a weekly day of rest, including of course the Christian translation of the Sabbath to Sunday, the day of the resurrection. There followed, over the long centuries of Christian history, the introduction of many other holy days, to commemorate the saints, or particular events in the life of Jesus - Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost and so on. Holy days, like the original Sabbath, gave people time and space to be themselves, to think and pray, to enjoy family and friends and to give thanks to the God who invented the whole idea.

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All of this may seem a long way from the modern package holiday, or indeed Sunday as people now experience it in the aisles of IKEA rather than an ancient church. But it doesn’t have to be. Wherever we go during August and whatever we do, space and time are likely to be under less pressure than during the other eleven months of the year. It is up to us how we use them, of course, but rest, reflection, meditation and prayer have proven healing qualities. Turning part of our holidays into holy days will probably lower our blood pressure and raise our spirits.

Well, it’s surely worth a try!

By David Winter

Advertising terms explained A tongue in cheek look at how advertising terms are used in the Uk. NEW - Different colour from previous design.

ALL NEW - Parts are not interchangeable with previous design.

EXCLUSIVE - Imported product from goodness knows where.

UNMATCHED - Not quite as good as the competition.

FOOLPROOF OPERATION - No provision for adjustments.

ADVANCED DESIGN - The advertising agency doesn't understand it.

IT'S HERE AT LAST - Rush job. Nobody knew it was coming.

FIELD TESTED - Manufacturer lacks on-site test equipment.

HIGH ACCURACY - Unit on which all parts actually fit.

FUTURISTIC - We have no idea why it looks the way it does.

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REDESIGNED - Previous flaws fixed - we hope.

DIRECT SALES ONLY - Factory had a big argument with distributor.

YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT - We finally got one to work.

BREAKTHROUGH - We finally figured out a use for it.

MAINTENANCE FREE - Impossible to fix.

MEETS ALL STANDARDS - Ours, not yours.

SOLID-STATE – Don’t drop it on your foot.

HIGH RELIABILITY - We made it work long enough to ship it. from the Parish Pump Website

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Some Puzzles to while away the summer evenings First a crossword puzzle - Solutions will be in the September CONTACT.

Across 8 One of the titles given to the Messiah in Isaiah’s prediction (Isaiah 9:6) (6,2,5) 9 International Nepal Fellowship (1,1,1) 10 Single(1Corinthians7:27)(9) 24

11 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s seminal book about Soviet prison camps, The — Archipelago (5) 13 Treachery(2Kings11:14)(7) 16 Of India(anag.)(2,3,2) 19 ‘God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession,like men condemned to die in the — ’ (1 Corinthians 4:9) (5) 22 Follower of a theological system characterized by a strong belief in predestination (9) 24 ‘Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to— the ropes’ (Jeremiah 38:12) (3) 25 They brought together all the elders of the Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 4:29) (5,3,5) Down 1 The season when kings ‘go off to war’ (2 Samuel 11:1) (6) 2 Simon Peter’s response to Jesus by the Sea of Galilee: ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a — man’ (Luke 5:8) (6) 3 Beaten with whips (1 Kings12:11) (8) 4 ‘You shall not — adultery’ (Exodus 20:14) (6) 5 Encourage (Hebrews 10:24) (4) 6 Service of morning prayer in the Church of England (6) 7 ‘Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and — — him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving’ (4,2) 12 Run(anag.)(3) 14 Member of 17th-century party that denied the right of autonomy to the Church (8) 15 ‘We will triumph with our tongues; we—our lips’(Psalm12:4) (3) 16 Earnings(1Corinthians16:2)(6) 17 ‘I rejoice greatly in the Lord that——you have renewed your concern for me’ (Philippians 4:10) (2,4) 18 How Paul described Philemon (Philemon 1)(6) 20 Multiple territories under the rule of a single state(Daniel11:4)(6) 21 ‘You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women,—to Israel’s guilt’ (Ezra 10:10) (6) 23 This month(abbrev.)(4) 25

Then a word search based on Psalm 104

Psalm 104 is a magnificent song of praise to God for the wonders of Creation. The Psalmist notes that God “set the earth on its foundations”, and marked out the seas: “you set a boundary they cannot cross”. The springs that pour into ravines, the wild donkeys that drink there, the birds of the air that nest by the waters and sing in the branches, the grass that grows for the cattle, the wine that gladdens the heart of man, the bread that sustains his heart – all these come from our loving Heavenly Father.

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Everything is in this Psalm, from lions hunting to leviathan, frolicking in the sea.

Creation Earth Foundations Boundary Sea

Springs Ravines Branches Stork Nests

Sustain Lions Leviathan Living Food Sun

Good Satisfied Renew Glory rejoice

Mountains Gladdens Wine Oil Bread

and a Sudoku for those numerically inclined

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Hymns … The Old and the New When giving this some thought I decided to Google a few people’s views on this topic. The first one I looked at was entitled ‘Modernise or Perish’. Well, I am reasonably sure that there are as many different opinions on this as there are hairs on our head.

For starters l imagine there can be only a very small minority of Methodists who would either want or be foolish enough to change the magnificent hymns of Charles Wesley, arguably the greatest hymn writer of all time.

Sacrilege! Consider for a moment the lyrics of hymns such as “And can it be that I should gain”, “O for a thousand tongues to sing!”, “Love divine, all loves excelling”, “Lo! He comes with clouds descending”. Just trying to put into words my thoughts and feelings about these hymns is something that I am finding demanding. They are a majestic, poetic, religious experience.

Equally, the tunes do justice to the words and let’s face it, the very act of singing with conviction gives a much needed added depth to every hymn we sing.

We all know and accept that today there is a need to add modern hymns into our churches. Move with the times! Quite right too! Many of the younger generation will not countenance belonging to a church where the hymn books are dog eared through generations of use and the hymns are stuffy and boring. Even the typeface is totally uninspiring. Now, however, we have woken up to an urgent call which is being met with great intensity. Some of today’s new hymns are wonderful. “In Christ Alone” and “Majesty, worship his majesty” are two which spring to mind. It could be that they will stand the test of time.

Many of the old classic hymns, however, still have their place in our worship.

Their content, poetry and theology are such a valuable resource to worship.

To discard them would be a serious error. Also, hymns which have been 28

written very recently, some with a foot tapping beat and lyrics written in everyday language, have their place too.

After all, the old and new should go hand in hand for both have exactly the same goal in mind … to worship God. Barbara Rawson Psalm 104:33 New International Translation I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

The Talking Centipede A man decided to get an unusual pet. So he went to the pet shop and after some discussion, finally bought a talking centipede, (100-legged bug), which came in a little white box to use for his house. The man took the box home, put it carefully on the table, and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to church with him. So next morning he asked the centipede in the box, "Would you like to go to church with me today? We will have a good time."

But there was no answer from his new pet. This bothered the man, but he waited a few minutes and then asked again, "How about going to church with me?” But again, there was no answer from his new friend and pet. So he waited a few minutes more, and decided to invite the centipede one last time. This time he put his face up against the centipede's house and shouted, "Hey, in there! Would you like to go to church with me – or not?”

This time, a little voice came out of the box: "I heard you the first time! I'm putting my shoes on!" from the Parish Pump Website

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Transporting the sick to hospital ‘Last year a man died on the way to hospital,’ says Miriam Forgo, chair of the Masoko village HIV caring club in Malawi. ‘We couldn’t get him there in time on foot – he was 47 years old and had five children who depended on him.

He could have been saved if we’d had the stretcher then.’

A bike ambulance requires only two people, who can make the journey in just over an hour. Miriam says: ‘I believe it has already saved at least 10 lives.’

‘We need another bicycle, because there are 12 villages, and we sometimes need to make a decision about which patient should get treatment over another.’

The bike ambulance is one part of a wide-ranging project to tackle HIV by Christian Aid partner, Malawi Seventh day Adventist Church HIV and Aids programme (MASHAP), in this remote part of the country.

HIV care in rural Malawi MASHAP are helping families to change the way they farm – using different crops and natural fertilisers - which mean families have more to eat, and more variety.

HIV caring clubs make sure everyone knows how to eat well so that the medicines they take will work. They provide counselling for people who have recently found out they are HIV positive and they play a key role in making sure people understand HIV, what it is, how it is treated and passed on. The support they give to people wanting to have children without passing on the virus brings life-changing hope.

But in the moment of sickness and need, the bicycles are a step in solving the problem of how to get immediate treatment. from Christian Aid Website 30

July / August 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 July 7th

Peter Cashmore

14th

ACTION FOR CHILDREN - Rev Jane Ashplant HOLY COMMUNION

21st

ALL AGE WORSHIP - Angela Constantine Circuit Service at Stockland Green - 6.00 pm

28th

Jack McGinngle

August 4th

WORSHIP GROUP - David Hewitt

11th

Rev Peter Grimwood

18th

HOLY COMMUNION - Rev Jane Ashplant

25th

Liz Topliss

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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 : Debbie Barnett 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 September CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Peter Farley, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th August 2013 at the latest please or alternatively email me: nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk with the word ‘CONTACT’ in the title.

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