COMPTON NEWS November 2020
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Compton Methodist Church 2 Revel Road, Higher Compton, Plymouth PL3 5LF www.comptonmethodist.org.uk Minister: Rev. Brenton Prigge Tel: 01752 656740 1
DISCLAIMER The external advertising in this magazine is not an endorsement or promotion of the advertiser; content, products or services. The views expressed through individuals' submissions to this publication are not necessarily those of the Church Leadership. Errors and omissions may occur.
Last date for submission for the
December & January Compton News
Sunday 22nd November 2020 Please send your articles to Karen Telephone: 01752 778752 Email: comptonmethodists@outlook.com Or leave in Church pidgeon-hole for collection
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Minister’s Letter
November 2020 Dear Friends, This Sunday, 1 November, is all Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows – hallows being the old English for ‘holy ones’ or saints. The night before is the eve of All Hallows, in other words, Hallow Eve, or in the old English: Hallow E’en. This is where the word Halloween comes from.
On All Saints Sunday, or All Hallows, we celebrate all the saints, those who have gone before us, as well as those with us still. I wonder who have been saints for you? Remember that the bible speaks of all those who follow Jesus as saints. You don’t have to be special or perfect to be a saint. You just need to belong to Jesus. Which of Jesus’ disciples have been special for you? Who have been your mentors in faith? Who are you especially thankful for? As you give God thanks for their influence in your life, remember that you too can be an example and an inspiration to others! God bless you all, dear saints of God that you are, and may peace be with you. Brenton
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Invitation to Morning Church Services during November Hi Everyone, Please let me know if you will not be attending your allotted Sunday morning service by the Friday before you are expected. Tel: Phil on 01752 318511 so a slot can be allocated to another person. Additional dates: Thursday 12th November at 10.30am A Holy Communion service will be held conducted by the Rev. Brenton Prigge. Remembrance Sunday 8th November We will be unable to hold our traditional service due to the enforced reduced attendance levels. Instead we will have 15 minute prayer slots between 10.00am and 2.00pm, to ensure that all our membership have the opportunity to attend church on this significant day and pay their respects to the fallen. Crosses will be available to take forward as in previous years. We request you still comply with the guidelines when attending church and thank you for your understanding and co-operation during these unprecedented times. In God’s Love Managing Trustees (Church Council) Compton Methodist Church
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Dates for November Thursday mornings Church open for prayer from 10 am - 11 am. (except 12th November) see separate note) Thank you to the volunteers who are opening up the Church for us on Thursdays. 3rd November Stewards meeting 10 am down in the parlour. 8th November Remembrance Sunday. Special arrangements, so we can all spend some time in prayer and remembrance. See Messsage from Phil - page 3 Wednesday 11th November Church Council Meeting 2pm. Socially distanced in the Church. All welcome. Minutes from the last meeting are on the board at the back of the Church. Thursday 12th November 10.30 am Communion service Led by Brenton. (For the half of the fellowship who miss the communion service because of the alternating Sundays. You will have been contacted by Phil.) Sunday 22nd November (After the service 12 pm) Rev. Brenton Prigge will be conducting the baptism of two little girls, Lennie and Bobbi, daughters of Benjamin and Brogan. Representatives of the church welcome. NB Please speak to Phil before attending. Tel: 01752 318511 Sunday 29th November Invitation to meet our new Circuit Superintendent Rev. Andrew Chislett-McDonald as he leads worship at the evening service.
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Remembrance Day Video - PAME https://www.facebook.com/performingartsmission/vi deos/717268142199126/ Featuring Rev. Darren and Anne Middleton Plymouth & Devonport Circuit Performing Arts Mission for Evangelism
Preachers for Sunday Services in November Date
Morning
Evening
1 Nov.
Mrs. Marion Wilkinson
Rev. Terry Higgins
8th Nov.
Rev. Brenton Prigge
Rev. Mark Lawrence Remembrance
15th Nov.
Mr. Tony Kirk
Mr. Keith Angilley
22nd Nov.
Mr. Paul Whittell
Rev. Brenton Prigge
PM Communion
29th Nov.
Rev. Terry Higgins
Superintendant Rev. Andy Chislett-MacDonald
AM Communion
st
Sunday
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Special thanks.
May thanks for all the Harvest produce. Thank you for your generosity with 12 huge bags of dried and tinned goods being donated. Shekinah and the Food Bank were very pleased to receive all the gifts.
Cleaning.
Thank you to the little team of volunteers who clean the Church each week. And many thanks to Nigel and John who are keeping the hall clean every week until we appoint a new cleaner.
Keeping Warm. I know many of you have been cold during the
services, but sadly guidelines say we must keep some windows and doors open to get a through draft. Please wrap up warmly and bring a blanket.
Jams and Pickles
I was busy during lock-down making all the usual preserves. Obviously we wont be able to socialise after worship for some time, so if you want any bits and pieces let me know and I will get them to you. I have made Loganberry Jam, the 3 sorts of chutney/pickle - Marrow, Runner Bean, and Green Tomato. Any donations as usual for Church Funds. Lesley Riddles - Answers bottom page 14 ŠBest Riddles app. 1)
Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet how you miss me, when I have flown. What am I?
2)
I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?
3)
I'm lighter than air but a million men can't lift me. What am I?
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Message from Karen - Editor Hello to you all, It has been a long time since I have seen or spoken to many of you; it hasn’t been the easiest of times for any of us has it? What with the threat of Covid hanging over us like a dark cloud, constantly in the news and the guidelines changing all the time. It’s all doom and gloom or so we are asked to believe! Everywhere you go and whatever you do, don’t forget your face covering, sanitise frequently and stay socially distanced! It appears society may have lost something with people seeming remote, unsure and yet more selfish than before the pandemic became a way of life. It seems Covid-19 has brought out the best in us as well as the worst! All the time we are having to remember, Face, Hands, Space! The latest government mantra! Now we are told the R rate is rising, causing schools to close due to a positive testing of Covid-19, hospital wards are starting to fill up, track and trace is now so critical it is in every meeting place. How we hope we don’t get caught on that one! Nobody wants to have to self isolate again or the city to go into another lock-down. We, through knowing Jesus can trust and rely on God; He holds our future and cares for each one of us. We are His children, His love for us immeasurable, but still sometimes we allow doubts to rise. We worry, fear for family and ourselves. However spiritual we profess to be, we remain human, and unfortunately we find it difficult not to listen to all the negativity in the media, the spread of the virus, job losses etc. After all, how often have you heard of the numbers of people that recover from this virus, the new jobs being made, new factories and shops opening? It hasn’t been very often. If we take too much notice of the media life will not seem to be worth living! There are positive things happening around us all the time,
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people are so innovative, always thinking of ways to overcome difficulties, finding alternative ways of doing things or coming up with improvements. Deflect the negative - seek the positive! We should not allow ourselves to become despondent but look forward with anticipation and hope. (I know, easier said than done for many of us, myself included!) So today it was dark,wet and gloomy; you know, tomorrow could be much brighter, and dry. We will want to go out, and get things done. So Look towards tomorrow with hope; where does our hope come from? From the Lord himself. (Psalm 6 v 5 - 8) Being like Jesus, we too can be ‘over-comers’. It is not in our nature to give up, just as God never given up on us; He is with us in every situation we face, this was His promise to the Israelites, and remains true today. Jesus, the same yesterday as He is today and will be for all our tomorrows. (Hebrews 13 v 8 paraphrased) Let Jesus be our guide, friend and comforter. He is so close to us, only a prayer away. This is an interim ‘Compton News’ intended mainly for information therefore I have not included the usual amount of puzzles and ‘entertainment’ (if that is a good word for it), these will be included in the December/January magazine for which I would be grateful for any material you would like to have included. I pray you will all stay safe, focus on Jesus and remain in contact with each other by telephone, email and/or social media. May we all keep our eyes and ears open for our neighbours through the testing times ahead. God bless you all and your families. Karen,
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Plymouth Domestic Abuse Service Last Christmas we made a collection of Christmas gifts; new toys, toiletries etc. for PDAS to distribute around the families and people, both men and women, that they look after in their ‘safe’ houses in Plymouth or through the courses they offer to those using the service to help rebuild their lives. This year, due to the pandemic the service has been inundated with calls for help. A large increase on previous years, not helped by people being asked to work from home, laid off, self-isolating or being told to quarantine, etc. Difficult situations being emphasised by the schools being closed, children home, limited or loss of incomes. A lot of extra tension for some families and relationships to bear, sometimes escalating into violence, physical, emotional, sexual abuse, people living in fear, being forced to leave their homes for their own sanity and safety. Society as we know it has struggled, this has definitely not been a easy year for anyone. I contacted PDAS a couple of weeks ago and asked if we could make a collection on behalf of the charity again this Christmas and should it be gifts or financial for the Family Workers to purchase presents. Below is the email I received from Alice for your information. There will box as last year at the back of the church to take your UNWRAPPED GIFTS from Sunday 22nd November until Sunday 6th December. Unfortunately, the date has to be early to allow for delivery to the office and the 72hrs that the gifts need to be stored prior to distribution. I hope this Christmas you again feel able to support this worthy cause Thank you and may God bless you in your support. Karen Mission
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Hi Karen,
Reply from Plymouth Domestic Abuse Service.
Lovely to hear from you, I hope you are well? We would be very grateful for toys or cash to purchase these, whichever is most convenient for you all – I appreciate times are tough right now, and would not wish to put any additional stress or pressure on you all at this time. We are only able to accept donations of new items, and we would leave these ‘untouched’ for 72 hours before starting to allocate. It would be lovely to catch up with you all at some point, and I would be more than happy to come out to visit at some point if restrictions allow. Kind regards,
Alice Dickeson - Brand Children and Young People’s Support Worker
Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Shoebox Appeal Thank you to everybody who took part in this year’s appeal. As a church we decided, due to Covid-19 and the restrictions it imposed on us, to make a financial donation instead of delivering packed Shoe-boxes to a collection point. You may have donated a shoebox on-line or personally taken a box to ‘The Enterainer’ in Drake Circus (I have since found out PMCH told their congregation that this was another option). Whatever way you chose to donate your gift, it is greatly appreciated and will be given to a child who will, maybe for the first time, feel God’s love through the love and thought you put into into your giving. Thank you to you all on their behalf. Chris G and Karen
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El-Shaddai Charitable Trust - Goa, India Anita Edgar, co-founder of El-Shaddai Charitable Trust came to speak to us during the morning service 28th October 2018 to tell us of the work her charity does in Goa, India. Many of the congregation bought from the selection of artifacts that she had bought with her to raise awareness and funds for her mission. I telephoned Anita earlier this week (w/c. 19/10/20) and she was able to update me on the work of the charity in Goa, explaining that her book was now published with all proceeds being donated to the charity and sent the following to share with the congregation. It seems an age since I was with you giving my Slide Show and selling all the Indian Artefax. I have plenty of new stock all ready for Christmas presents, maybe we can find a way where I can come and display and sell safely soon? Thank you. As promised some details about my biography which has just been released: 'Why Me? Why Now?' Anita Edgar. It is a fast-moving action-packed book, full of stories about the transformed lives of children rescued from poverty, abuse, homelessness, hunger, and abandonment in the Goa region of India. It also illustrates many acts of kindness and self-sacrifice people have made which has enabled the charity to grow and meet the needs of more children – our donors, volunteers and staff. 24 years ago, I went on holiday to Goa for a rest but was deeply disturbed by the sight of children living on the streets and in the
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slums. Therefore, I came back to the UK and raised enough funds to open a home for them. I met an Indian man named Matthew Kurian, together we founded the El-Shaddai Charitable Trust which expanded over that period, and now we have rescued 70,000 children and helped 40,000 of the poorest families living in slums and underdeveloped villages. In the book there are also episodes from the Gujarat earthquake and Tsunami, amongst other interesting areas of my work, e.g. ten years prior to all this delivering humanitarian aid to Eastern European countries during wartime and the collapse of Communism. I came back this March to the UK to do some fundraising and cannot return to India under the current restrictions. The Covid-19 situation is absolutely dire there amongst the people we work with. The migrants who work the season in a Goa cannot return to their villages so living with no job, no money and no home, on top of that and the Corona virus they have also had to cope with the widespread destruction caused by an exceptionally bad Monsoon to their flimsy dwellings. We are providing one nutritious meal a day to 1,800 plus migrants and giving strong tarpaulins to help keep them dry. This book was due to be published earlier in the year - but due to lockdown has only just come out. In some ways, this might be a good thing because it is just in time for the annual ‘Children in Need Appeal’ and Christmas. All the proceeds of this book will go directly towards helping children and families living in poverty and all the extra chaos caused by Covid-19 and Monsoon. My co-founder Matthew Kurian is currently dealing with all of this with our team in Goa. At the same time, I feel helpless, I can’t even spend the time raising funds through my normal activities and Slide show presentations in the UK. In India, there are no tourists, and these were our main source of funding over there. Many of our UK child sponsors and donors’ lives have been changed by Covid-19 and 12
have withdrawn their support as their own economic situation is under threat. So, it is a lose-lose situation at the moment for our children. The needs are growing greater all the time and the support is getting less and less. It is our hope that this book might bridge the gap and bring in some of the essential funding that we have lost – all proceeds will go to the charity which is a registered UK charity. My contact details are as follows, mobile 0781 334 5367 or email anita@childrescue.net or anitakedgar@gmail.com Books can be bought through the UK charity website http://www.elshaddaisupportuk.org/ press the donate button to pay £9.99 plus £2 post and packing per book, request it's for the Book and give postal address details. Or contact me direct and I can sign and post it personally. Love and blessings Anita Anita K Edgar-Cole
Co-Founder
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Anita was also intervied by Gordon Sparks on BBC Radio Devon this week and kindly sent through the link for us to hear what she had to say about the work the charity is doing with the street children and their families. I used the link to hear the interview and it is well worth a listen. This is the link (from 42:27 seconds to 50:54):-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08tdmrq Anita K Edgar-Cole Co-Founder El Shaddai Charitable Trust Ltd UK 0044 7813345367. March- November India 0091 7517517283 November-March anita@childrescue.net www.childrescue.net
Answers to Riddles on Page 6 ŠBest Riddles app. 1) Time 2) The future 3) A bubble
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A TALE OF TWO SAILINGS In this Mayflower 400 year, I have been reading of the perils and endeavours of the 102 pilgrims who set sail from Plymouth on their voyage to America (such a pity our City’s celebrations were curtailed due to Covid) Within my own family history, I have discovered another sea journey that my great -grandad’s sister, Jane Dingle (nee Lemin, aged 22) undertook in 1863. Due to lack of employment in Cornwall, she and her husband William (aged 24) together with daughter Elizabeth (aged 2 months) emigrated to New Zealand. They were among 310 assisted immigrants who sailed from Plymouth on the 18th June on the sailing ship ‘SS Accrington’ and arrived in Lyttelton on the 5th September. A voyage lasting 79 days! My research tells me that the ‘SS Accrington’ was a 3-mast sailing ship of 1900 tons and had a flush deck 280 feet long. The conditions on board must have been difficult to say the least. I believe they must have left Plymouth via the Emigration Embarkation office in Madeira Road, the ‘Pier Masters House’ (which is now a café!) As far as I can ascertain they all survived the long and arduous journey, but sadly 12 of the passengers died on route. To date I have been unable to unearth what happened to them after their arrival in New Zealand. These two stories of incredible sea journeys has led me to reflect on the faith these pilgrims/pioneers must have had as they embarked on such dangerous voyages. Phil Lemin
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Love Hopes All Things Love suffers long and is kind . . . bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:7 If you are up for an inspirational story about the Scripture, there's none to top Connor, an eleven-year-old boy, and more especially his mother Cynthia. Connor started to suffer from increasingly rigid muscles when he was three and developed progressively severe walking problems. He was in a wheelchair by the time he was five. His mom took him to 38 — yes I said three eight — different doctors. She got some diagnoses, all incorrect, but mostly she just got apologetic doctors telling her they had no clue what her child was suffering from. Some said there would probably never be an answer. Her reply? ”I couldn’t settle for that, I refused to accept that.“ She hit the internet, every day for hours on end, for years, chased down innumerable dead ends and false leads until she eventually ran across something called “Dopa Responsive Dystonia”; there had, at the time, been about 60 cases ever diagnosed in the United States. She wrote a letter to Dr Irwin Jacobs, a much respected paediatric neurologist in Cleveland, Ohio. He said that her letter left him in shock. He said, “I mean, here’s somebody suggesting a disorder, and I’ve never seen this disorder”. It disrupts how the brain communicates with muscles in the body. Connor did not even fit the disease profile all that well, but Dr. Jacobs agreed to try out the medication for it, just on a long shot. And, as you might have guessed, Connor began to improve. In a week his legs began to move and then — in his own words, “I was sitting in the chair in the kitchen one day and ... I feel like I can stand, I start holding onto the furniture and I start walking.” Today, he is playing sports and completely free of his wheelchair.
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Love does not give up no matter what it faces, no matter how high the mountains in front of it, no matter what anybody else might say. And I hope, the next time you are at a wedding listening to 1 Corinthians 13 recited for the umpteenth time, that you will think about Cynthia when you hear that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” It's not just words. This is God's message to us . . . and He is always right. Submitted by Fred
Prayer Pointers Praise and thank God for all keyworkers, NHS; Care; Education; Food Distribution; Postal Workers; Delivery Drivers; Refuge Collectors etc., for the facilities set in place, to keep us safe and well. For the Government, that they will seek God and His guidance for our country as they work to bring us safely through this pandemic. For those finding themselves unemployed, working reduced hours or furloughed. Th e businesses wondering if they can survive the winter, especially in the tourism and hospitality sector. Pray for the understanding of those staff dealing with multitude of new Universal Credit and Benefit claims. For families claiming Free School meals, that they will all receive help to feed their children through the holidays. Pray for your neighbour, may people look out for each other with love and care. Cont./…
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Cont… Pray for the continued support for those in greatest need: the homeless; elderly; sick and disabled; cold and hungry. Pray the Foodbanks will be well stocked in order to give healthy food to those most vulnerable and in need. Lift those countries around the world without the finance, training, hospitals and staff to cope with the ravaging affects of Covid-19. Thank and praise God for all scientists around the world working to find a vaccine that can fight the virus that has devastated so many people, taking and changing the lives of millions worldwide. Pray for people recovering from Covid-19 that they will heal well with minimal long-lasting effects. Remember Harrison (Fred’s Grandson) in your prayers, facing chemotherapy and radiotherapy again. Pray that he will know God’s love for him, receiving strength and peace from our prayers. May his family also be strengthened and comforted knowing they are supported by our prayers. Pray for the people of Lagos, Nigeria and the violent protests against on-going Police brutality. The Police and Nigerian army have opened fire to dispel the rallies of protesters, Lord we ask for peace to settle over the country. Where there is war and civil unrest Lord we ask for peace: Belarus; Syria; Yemen for example. We ask God’s forgiveness for what man has done to the world He created, for our greed and selfishness, arrogance and self assurance that holds hearts from Him. May we receive His grace and mercy; repent and restore Him as Lord, Saviour and King in all man’s hearts’.
Amen
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Jane and Wendy invite you to Come & Browse their selection of Fair trade and Sustainable gifts
Saturday 7th November 5 Revel Road, Hr. Compton, Plymouth Sustainably You™ Christmas Fair (ish) Timed slots in Covid-safe environment
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Book a slot with Jane & Wendy via the link: Sustainably You™ Christmas Fair (ish) A selection of goods may also be viewed in ‘Reads Hardware’ shop window (Next to the Rising Sun) 19
A Different Year So bright the sky, so cheery the sun, Can this year begin again, be undone? Late summer leaves starting to mellow Turning rusty red, brown-orange through to yellow. Barely a breeze to move the trees With birds feeding off the leaves. Butterflies and bees busy in the heat, Lock-down weather we ask repeat. Canoeists on the water, golfers on the greens, All socially distanced - no more teams. A quiet world in lock-down, beleaguered cities and towns Meeting places bereft of their usual crowd; So many activities no longer to be found. Work from home, shops shuttered; society has changed pace; Reduced traffic, attractions closed; a need for open space. Masked faces, steamed-up glasses, identities unrealised; Against the virus strengthened defences to protect the wise. With spirits’ low; expressionless people wander, lost in disguise. Covid-19, 2020 - what a different year it has been, Unexpected, unreal and unforeseen. The spring basked in tropical heat, Summer was cooler, August wet; holidays no mean feat. Now September and the wheat harvest seems poor, Can the harvest be rescued or will the storehouse yawn? Look to the Lord, focus on Him, He knows us, knows the score. Praise God. He is still in control, the future is His, He sees the goal, keep faith in Him, on that, He insists! Karen Wills 23rd September, 2020
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COLOURING PAGE © Bing Images
A Poem for Remembrance Day “The inquisitive mind of a child�
Why are they selling poppies, Mummy? Selling poppies in town today. The poppies, child, are flowers of love. For the men who marched away. But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy? Why not a beautiful rose? Because my child, men fought and died In the fields where the poppies grow. But why are the poppies so red, Mummy. Why are the poppies so red? Red is the colour of blood, my child. The blood that our soldiers shed. The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy. Why does it have to be black? Black, my child, is the symbol of grief For the men who never came back. But why, Mummy, are you crying so? Your tears are giving you pain. My tears are my fears for you my child. For the world is forgetting again. Author unknown.
(http://www.anzacday.org.au/anzacservices/poetry/inquisitive.htm)