autumn 2014 issue 36 - witney congregational · daily worship 9.30 am mon-fri short time of prayer...
TRANSCRIPT
Witney Congregational Church is a crossroads where we:
meet God in worship
meet one another in friendship
meet our community and world with the love of Jesus
Autumn 2014 Issue 36
www.witneycongregational.org.uk
Minister: [email protected]
Office: [email protected]
WHAT’S ON GUIDE
Witney Congregational Church offer a whole range of activities through which we seek to Worship,
Work and Witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in this community today.
Further information can be obtained from the Church Administrator, Minister, Church Secretary or
the leaders of the particular activities who are listed at the back of this magazine.
WORSHIP
Daily Worship 9.30 am Mon-Fri Short time of Prayer and Reading
Noah’s Ark Service 1.30 pm Tuesday For under 5’s parents and carers
Saturday Praise 11.00 am 1st
Saturday of the month
Sunday Services 10.30 am
6.00 pm 1st
Sunday of the month
Communion is held twice during the month at the first Sunday evening and third Sunday morning
services
PRAYER
The Church is open each morning for Prayer
STUDY & FELLOWSHIP
Thursday 2.30pm Homes (2nd
Thursday of each month)
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Sunday 10.30 am Crèche, Noah’s Ark & The K.I.C.K. on Sundays
Monday 10.00 am Noah’s Ark – Infant Group for babies and pre-school children
Friday 6.00pm www. – Twice a month
7.00 pm Y4J – Twice a month
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Tuesday Monthly Deacon’s Meeting
Bi-Monthly Church Meeting
Thursday 10.00 am Rest & Chat (Coffee/Tea available)
Saturday 10.30 am Coffee Morning
SUNDAY LINK
Weekly bulletin for all Christians providing stimulating thought along with news and notices
concerning our Church
WITNEY ECUMENICAL YOUTH TRUST (BASE 33)
4 Welch Way (Entrance – High Street) 01993 200682 (Office)
St ANDREW’S BOOKSHOP 01993 709429
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 09.00 am – 5.00 pm
CHURCH WEBSITE
For further information, please visit our website:
www.witneycongregational.org.uk
As stated in the Summer edition, the
Autumn edition will again be covering a 3-
month period; September – November.
Notwithstanding the minor drawback of
this format, it appeared to work OK, and
will therefore more than likely continue
for the 2015 Summer & Autumn editions
respectively.
However, and as stated within the
last edition, please remember that the
magazine belongs to YOU, and without
YOUR contributions there would be no
magazine!
So, on that note, I now turn to this
o th’s o te ts and a glimpse of what
has been submitted: Canon David Winter
continues to give us an insight into the
Great War; and, there may well be those
who are reading this magazine who have
recollection(s) of family members &
friends, and if this is the case then it
would be good to have some of these
reported i the e t editio . I Jaso ’s a se e, Lesle Barter gi es us a Dea o ’s Letter; Nanna Blackman gives us a report
on the recent Scottish visit to Malawi, &
her o refle tio s o the Chur h’s support; Beryl Cartwright reflects on her
recent holiday experiences, to name but a
few.
Many thanks for those who have
contributed for this edition, but would
encourage anyone to consider submitting
article(s) for the next edition by either:
E-mail:
Just plainly written on paper, which can
be typed up
The next edition, covering December &
January, is due on Sunday 7th
December
Your Editor
26th October
Civic Service
9th
November – 11.00am
Contents
1. Editorial
2. Diary
6. Dea o ’s Letter
7. Prayer Letter No 166
8. The Great War Pt 7
9. Team Malawi Report
12. Mosul & others
15. Doorsteps
16. The Great War Pt 8
Daily Prayer Time:
Mon-Fri 9.30 am
Services
10.30 am weekly & 6.00pm on first Sunday of the month and
will normally be led by Rev Jason Boyd unless advised below
Sept
6th
Messy Church 10.00 – 12.00
7th
am Café Church Dr Dave Adams & Y4J
pm Rev Elaine Kinchin Communion
14th
am Morning Worship
21st
am All-Age Harvest Communion
28th
am Morning Worship
Oct
4th
Saturday Praise 11.15
5th
am Morning Worship
pm Evening Worship Communion
12th
am All-Age Morning Worship
19th
am Morning Worship Communion
pm CTiW United Service at Congregational Church – One World Week
26th
am tbc
Nov
1st
Saturday Praise 11.15
2nd
am Morning Worship
pm Evening Worship Communion
9th
9.45am All-Age Worship
11.00am Civic Service at War Memorial
16th
am Morning Worship Communion
6.00pm CTiW Meet & Eat – Venue tbc
23rd
am tbc
29th
Messy Church 10.00 – 12.00
30th
am Café Church
pm Madley Park Residential Home
Dec
7th
am Morning Worship Communion
The following events are given for your particular attention:
Sept
9th
Deacon’s Meeting 7.30pm
11th
Fellowship Group 2.30pm 11 Hollis Close
12th
www. 6.00pm
Y4J 7.00pm
13th
Prayer Chain Meeting 9.15am
18th
Bible Study – Christ our head 7.30pm Church
21st
Harvest Lunch After Worship
26th
www. 6.00pm
Y4J 7.00pm
27th
Safeguarding Training Day
30th
Church AGM 7.30pm
Oct
2nd
Bible Study – Christ our mind 7.30pm Church
3rd
Y4J 7.00pm
7th
Deacon’s Meeting 7.30pm
9th
Fellowship Group 2.30pm 9 Pensclose
Bible Study – Christ our hands in giving 7.30pm Church
10th
www. 6.00pm
10th
- 12th
Church Weekend - Staycation
17th
Y4J 7.00pm
24th
www. 6.00pm
Nov
4th
Deacon’s Meeting 7.30pm
7th
Y4J 7.00pm
8th
Prayer Chain Meeting 9.15am
13th
Fellowship Group 2.30pm 7 Riverside Gardens
14th
www. 6.00pm
Y4J 7.00pm
18th
Church Meeting 7.30pm
21st
Christian Aid Concert 7.30pm
24th
Base33 AGM 6.00pm
28th
www. 6.00pm
Y4J 7.00pm
Dec
2nd
Deacon’s Meeting 7.30pm
5th
Parabola Theatre Co Christmas Concert
6th
WICS – The Light in the Stable 7.30pm Congregational Church
7th
WICS – The Light in the Stable 6.30pm Congregational Church
ROTAS WELCOMING TEAM
Sept 07 Jill & Robert McBride
14 Val Obriain & Lesley Barter
21 Nanna Blackman & Theo Howells
28 Joan Currie & Susan Wass
Oct 05 Pat Smith & Claire Woodward
12 Mel Knapton & Irene St Clair
19 Viviane Boyd & Cecily Lau
26 Pip & Beryl Cartwright
Nov 02 Jill & Robert McBride
09 Val Obriain & Lesley Barter
16 Nanna Blackman & Theo Howells
23 Joan Currie & Susan Wass
30 Pat Smith & Claire Woodward
Dec 07 Mel Knapton & Irene St Clair
COMMUNION
Sept 07 pm Susan Wass
Preparation Susan Wass
21 am Judi Holloway & Lesley Barter
Jacqui Powlesland & Chris Esapa
Preparation Mel Knapton
Oct 05 pm Jacqui Powlesland
Preparation Jacqui Powlesland
19 am Susan Wass & Norline Martin
Lesley Barter & Jacqui Powlesland
Preparation Pat Smith
Nov 02 pm Lesley Barter
Preparation Lesley Barter
16 am Judi Holloway & Chris Esapa
Susan Wass & Jacqui Powlesland
Preparation Susan Wass
Dec 07 am Lesley Barter & Norline Martin
Judi Holloway & Susan Wass
Preparation Irene St Clair
FLOWERS
Sept 07 Joan Currie
14 Judi Holloway
21 Harvest
28 Val Obriain
Oct 05 Beryl Cartwright
12 Jill McBride
19 Jacqui Powlesland
26 Joan Currie
Nov 02 Sonya Boyd
09 Rita Hayes
16 Judi Holloway
23 Val Obriain
30 Beryl Cartwright
Dec 07 Jill McBride
COFFEE
Sept 07 Café Church
14 Susan Wass & Judith Bungey
21 Harvest
28 Viviane & Naomi Boyd
Oct 05 Marian Walker, Mel Knapton & Clare Woodward
12 Church Weekend - Staycation
19 Jill & Robert McBride
26 Sue Birdseye & Irene St Clair
Nov 02 Susan Wass & Judith Bungey
09 Remembrance
16 Viviane & Naomi Boyd
23 Marian Walker, Mel Knapton & Clare Woodward
30 Café Church
Dec 07 Sue Birdseye & Irene St Clair
REST & CHAT
Sept 04 Jean Stanley, Marina Bowerman & Irene St Clair
11 Jill & Robert McBride
18 Beryl Cartwright & Stephen Hopwood
25 Joan Currie & Iris Lindsay
Oct 02 Pat Smith
09 Jean Stanley, Marina Bowerman & Irene St Clair
16 Jill & Robert McBride
23 Beryl Cartwright & Stephen Hopwood
30 Joan Currie & Iris Lindsay
Nov 06 Pat Smith
13 Jean Stanley, Marina Bowerman & Irene St Clair
20 Jill & Robert McBride
27 Beryl Cartwright & Stephen Hopwood
Dec 04 Joan Currie & Iris Lindsay
Every effort has been made on the rota list to meet individual circumstances. However, please
change with someone else if the dates are not convenient for you
Sept 01 Theo Howells
Devon Squire
02 Eilidh Allan
Jill McBride
Claire Woodward
09 Judith Bungey
17 Richard Osei
28 John Garrett
Oct 01 Naomi Boyd
08 Rita Hayes
Stephen Hopwood
10 Susan Wass
11 Michele Tomlin
13 Luke Lau
15 Chris Esapa
16 Rowan Busby
17 Anthony Hathaway
28 Karen Brusch
Andy Thomas
Nov 11 Anneke Schunselaar
17 Elaine Gundem
18 AJ Hathaway
19 Nanna Blackman
Gavin Suter
22 Lincoln Squire
26 Ellie Rose Esapa
Hilary Pratley
27 Jeremy Boyd
29 Marina Bowerman
10th
– 12th
October
Church Weekend
Friday evening will be a social evening
with a fish & chip supper (veggie
alternative and other intolerances
catered for - just let me know)
Saturday - off to Bedford for tour of
Bunyan museum - food and
refreshments provided. Let me know
if you require transport/can offer a lift
Sunday - breakfast at church and all
preparing for Sunday morning
worship.
To cover costs a £10 charge per person
will be made. However, if this is beyond
your means, please don't let this stop you
from coming as other church members
are happy to sponsor you
More information to follow
Judi Holloway
The following poem, written by Derek Dobson, has
been submitted by Maureen Miles, and is entitled;
Humility
Humility is the servant of all, the master of none
For it was in humility that Christ washed our feet,
died for us and in doing so forgave our sins.
It was in humility that Mother Teresa ceaselessly
served the poor, the sick and the dying.
When we serve others, we serve God.
Pride and boasting flee in fear when we are
touched by the hand of humility.
And yet, there is a softness and warmth that is
contained within the heart of humility;
A heart that has strength of its own, for the gift of
humility is owned by few but respected by many.
It has no enemies save in the jealousy of the sad,
for humility always gives and never takes lest it be
condemned by the hand of God.
Humility is reaching out to others and asking for
nothing in return
Deacon’s Letter
It is t easy bei g a Christia i leafy Oxfordshire. How many of us regard
ourselves as supremely blessed when we
see the challenges that Christians in other
parts of the world are facing daily? We
are shocked when we see the persecution
that those in Northern Iraq are facing at
the moment, we are appalled when we
see women imprisoned and sentenced to
death for refusing to renounce their
Christian faith and we recoil as we look on
at the kidnappings and indoctrination of
Christian girls in Africa. Christians in China
face the additional threat of the Almighty
God Cult, whose members – the number
increasing terrifyingly fast - feel duty
bound to denounce non-believers in their
families and murder those who oppose
them. How long would we last if our
faith were challenged as it is for these
people?
Yet for them, the choice is clear: if
you believe you must stand up and be
counted.
Just as it was for the Apostles and those
early Christians in the churches founded
by St Paul. Faith was constantly tested as
Paul anticipated when he charged
Timothy:
Fight the good fight of the faith.
Take hold of the eternal life to which you
were called when you made your good
confession in the presence of many
witnesses. (1Timothy 6 v.12)
So where are the challenges and tests that
we encounter in our land of tolerance and
abundant resources? For most of us our
Christian faith is a relatively private affair.
We can readily admit to being regular
churchgoers and the worst that happens
is that people think we are wasting our
time. Our young men do not feel the need
to travel half way across the world to fight
our cause – we saw the wickedness of
that in Crusading times. What kind of
good fight should we be engaged in then?
As I see it, ours is a soft sell with a hard
centre: Where we see it we should
speak out against oppression: resist the
temptation to turn a blind eye. We can all
write letters, send postcards, support
Open Doors. Condemn sin where we
find it - But remember to speak out in the
spirit of humility. Often the sins that we
notice most clearly in others are our own.
(Romans 2 v.1 Think about it)
As we discovered during our Giving
for Growth project earlier this year, there
is a wealth of talent in our midst. Resist
the English reserve that tells us to hide
our light under a bushel. It is a duty to
use it for God s work. Now THAT s a challenge.
Above all spread kindness, love
and understanding. Our church is full of
people who do just that and we should be
profoundly grateful for the . We do t need to be Pharisees, making a public
show of our faith, but we do need it to
shine through our actions. We should –
no, we MUST - make time for prayer, to
help us to notice the needs of others and
to show us what to do about it.
During the autumn we are going to
look at the reasons why we are Christians,
what is our heritage and what it means to
be part of the Congregational tradition.
May we all find new ways of living out our
faith as a result.
May God bless us all in our faith journey
Lesley Barter
What is a blessing?
Regularly on the Sunday Link there is a heading Tha k God for our Daily Blessi gs . Are our daily lessi gs for our food, our health good or ad, our ho es, our fa ily, frie ds, our workplaces, the weather? We have seen blessings through ill health, through recovery by means of
medical advancement, operations and helpful drugs. People have endured suffering and have been
blessed because of their endurance.
The words bless, blessed and blessings occur in familiar phrases used by Christians and non-
Christia s e.g. Bless you , May God Bless you , Bless this house , A Blessi g i disguise , Blessed ith good fortu e , Blessi gs a ou d . What do you u dersta d y these phrases?
Whe people say less you hat do they ea ? Is it a tha k you? Is it ay God fi d fa our with you? Is it may God shower you with goodness? Is it may God be with you? One of the dictionary
des riptio s of the ord less is to ask God to look fa oura ly o perso /s or o thi gs, su h as a building or ship.
There are many references in the Old Testament to blessings on people or for people. Many
erses ith the ord lessed are referri g to those ho keep y ays, o ey y la s, ho liste to e e phasisi g God s o e a t ith his people.
In the Ne Testa e t Luke : is Mary s so g of joy The Mag ifi at , Mary re og ises the lessi g that God has gi e her a d orships Hi . She de lares that all ge eratio s ill all her lessed
for the Mighty O e has do e great thi gs for e . We often say after a happy e e t, ser i e, a o asio , hat a lessi g that as e ause it made people feel joyful. The crowds were full of joy and celebration when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a
donkey; Blessed is he ho comes in the name of the Lord; Blessed is the Ki g of Israel. Joh :
Here the crowds acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, blessed meaning holy, revered.
In Matthew 5:3- there is the first part of Jesus Ser o o the Mou t The Beatitudes
3 Blessed are the poor i spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those ho our , for they ill e o forted. 5 Blessed are the eek, for they ill i herit the earth. 6 Blessed are those ho hu ger a d thirst for righteous ess, for they ill e filled. 7 Blessed are the er iful, for they will receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure i heart, for they ill see God. 9 Blessed are the pea e akers, for they ill e alled hildre of God. 10 Blessed are those ho are perse uted for righteous ess sake, for theirs is the ki gdo of heaven.
11 Blessed are you he people re ile you a d perse ute you a d utter all ki ds of e il agai st you falsely
* on my account
Blessed in this passage refers to the ultimate well being and distinctive spiritual joy of those who share
in the salvation of God.
I erse eek , this eatitude is take fro Psal : a d refers ot so u h to a attitude to ards man as to a disposition before God, namely, humility
I erse heart i i li al la guage is the e tre of o e s ei g, i ludi g i d, ill a d e otio s. Jesus is referring here to Psalm 4:8
May you reflect on the blessings that God gives you and thank Him
Every Blessing
Beryl
PRAYER LETTER
No 166
Please note that for up-to-date prayer requests contact Beryl Cartwright (703717)
The following article, Written by Canon
David Winter, is the seventh in a 12-part
series to mark the Centenary of the
beginning of the First World War, and
looks back at possibly the most
devastating ar i history…
The Battle of the Somme – the
WW1 battle that changed history
On 1st
July, 98 years ago, two vast armies
went to battle in the Somme area, in
north-eastern France. A week of heavy
shelli g pre eded the Allies atta k. It is recorded that 1,738,000 shells fell on the
rich fields either side of the Somme river
during those seven days - though
goodness knows who counted them. With
the deafening roar of the big guns in their
ears, the allied soldiers emerged from
their trenches to be met with the
inevitable hail of bullets from the German
a hi e gu s. By the e d of the first day s fighting over 60,000 British soldiers were
casualties and no less than 19,240 had
been killed. The most devastating battle
of modern times - and possibly of human
history - was under way.
The Battle of the Somme, as it was
called, was the first to see tanks and
aircraft employed on a large scale. It was
fought along a 25 mile front. The battle
involved vast numbers of men - British
and soldiers from no less than eight
countries of the Empire, French and
German - and more than a million of them
were eventually killed or injured. As the
generals poured more and more troops
into the battle in the vain hope of what
they alled a reakthrough , othi g much happened beyond the constant
slaughter.
The battle went on through
August, September and October and only
ended, on November 18th
, when the utter
futility of the whole exercise seemed to
dawn on both sides. As they counted the
casualties - 420,000 British, 200,000
French, nearly half a million Germans -
they could also calculate the net gain of all
that bloodshed. The Allies had pushed the
Germans back all of six miles. It was later
worked out that for every mile taken
88,000 men lost their lives.
There were amazing acts of valour
and heroism in the course of the battle.
No fewer than 51 Victoria Crosses - the
highest award for gallantry in battle -
were won by British combatants. At
home, the press tended to focus on such
heroic deeds rather than on the carnage
on the battle-field, but the truth
eventually emerged. To misquote Winston
Chur hill, Ne er i all the field of hu a conflict was so much owed by so many to
so a y . E ery to , e ery illage, e ery
family would bear the scars of suffering
for years to come.
Lessons were learned, of course -
most obviously the futility of trench
warfare. Battle and war would never be
the same again. Face to face, inch by inch,
cold steel to cold steel, knee deep in mud
men fought and died. All across northern
France the millions of graves still bear
their silent testimony to the dedication
and courage of young men who had their
lives snatched from them in battle. Mars,
the god of war, had had his greatest
moment, though his appetite was not
quite satisfied yet.
University of Dundee – Team Malawi Interim Report to Witney Congregational Church
Team Malawi left Dundee as planned on Thursday 5th June 2014 – returning from Malawi on Monday 16th June. An unannounced change saw our flight from Kenya visit Zimbabwe en route to Malawi (meaning we flew past Malawi and came back). On the return journey we experienced three power failures waiting in Nairobi Airport – and a missed connection in Paris added some seven hours to the journey. We arrived home tired but thankful for all we had seen, experienced and shared. We send you greetings from all those at Gowa Mission. Gowa, in rural south-west Malawi, was established by UK Baptists before being handed over to the UK Churches of Christ – and then to the Churches of Christ in Malawi. The minister at Gowa is the Rev Tendance Suya – who was in post when the Congregational Federation group visited in 2011. Tendance is also the current Moderator of the Gowa Synod (the larger of the two synods in the Churches of Christ in Malawi.
Harvest Thanksgiving was being celebrated at
Gowa Church when we were there. Two
African drums were also dedicated for use in
worship (though they were not actually used
that day). Since 2011 the Church has been
able to purchase some old Communion cups
from another denomination – and also some
stainless steel trays and individual plastic
Communion glasses. In 2011, large wooden
trays (like bakers’ boards) were being used –
and the decision was made that they were just too heavy and unwieldy for the minister and
Elders to handle.
The Primary School roll at Gowa remains at around
850. The Secondary School roll currently sits at
430 (up from 350 in 2011). It was pleasing to see
that the Secondary School have (from their own
resources) been able to build a simple brick
classroom which is to be the new science laboratory.
Mr Precious Fandika, the headteacher (translating
for me in the
church picture
above) is a former pupil of Gowa School. He was
away doing further University study at the time of the
Congregational Federation visit in 2011 – when an
acting Headteacher was in place. The Primary School
buildings are in an even worse state of repair. The
Malawian Government pays teachers’ salaries – but
Gowa Mission is responsible for the buildings.
Gowa Clinic is nurse-run and led. A medical officer visits periodically to supervise – but
does not see patients or run clinics. It is difficult to retain nursing staff. The dispensary
seemed to be better stocked than in 2011. We were able to work with some of the clinic
support staff to repaint the floor in the outpatient waiting area (initially painted by the CF
youth group led by Stephen Haward and David Kinchin), the consultation room, the
maternity ward, and two offices. We were also able to provide enough paint for the staff to
paint the other ward areas and consulting rooms. The clinic has some new buildings since
2011 – but maintenance remains a problem. The solar-powered radio for summoning an
ambulance was broken when we arrived (and had been for at least a year and a half). This
is now fixed – not by us – but with us as a catalyst! We are still trying to see whether the
solar powered pump that is supposed to provide running water for the clinic can be fixed. A
group from the University of Rochester, USA was in Gowa at the same time. Their leader
came to Malawi initially as a Peace Corps volunteer – and has been returning annually (for
about 14 years). The Americans were continuing to investigate this on our behalf after we
had to return!
This picture shows a satellite congregation of
Gowa Mission – where a new church is being
built. A small donation is allowing the members
to make progress with putting a roof on the
building.
The
picture to
the right
shows
the Team with the Malawian Director of the Sue
Ryder charity. Based in Balaka, the charity works to
support young people with disabilities. This includes
educational work to combat the stigma of conditions
like epilepsy.
We were also able to meet briefly with Master Singani – who visited the UK last year – and
to buy on your behalf some items for his school – and also (at his request) the Churches of
Christ in Malawi School at Namiwawa (the other Synod from Gowa).
Rev Patrick Uttah (Mputi), we thought was based in Blantyre – not on our itinerary – but it
turned out his is now based in Lilongwe – and we managed to meet up with him and his
family on our final evening.
Master and Patrick, who visited the UK last year, also pass on their greetings. The links
between the UK and Malawi were emphasised as Tendance Suya received an email on his
phone from David Kinchin whilst we were there!
It was a huge privilege for me to return to Malawi – and to take a team with me from the
University of Dundee Chaplaincy Centre. We were very conscious of the support and
encouragement from so many people for our trip.
We appreciate greatly being able to be your agents in Malawi in ensuring that money was
used in appropriate and accountable ways. A full financial report will follow.
Gordon A Campbell (Rev) - Honorary Chaplain, University of Dundee – 13th July 2014
A note from Nanna Blackman:
Witney Congregational Church gave the University of Dundee Team Malawi our 5p fund of
£1,130.25. This is the money raised by the children collecting 5 pences in the sweet jar, the
focus of which is to give to the children of Malawi. The Dundee Team managed to spend
£664.64 with £465.61 to be returned, for future opportunities.
The main areas of expenditure were as follows:
Together with lots of other essential school resources for the Gowa primary and secondary
schools, 1000 exercise books were purchased, meaning every child in the Gowa Primary
School can now have one
Gowa Chur h now has hildren’s i les in Chi hewa (the mainstream language of Malawi)
and associated Sunday School resources
By arranging a meeting with Master Singani, the head master at Phalombe who visited us
last year, the Schools of Phalombe and Namiwawa also got essential resources, from pens to
dictionaries and material to make school uniforms
£65 was donated to the Sue Ryder Foundation to assist supporting children with epilepsy,
asthma and other diseases in Ntcheu District
Thank you to all who contribute and collect the 5ps, and thank you to the Dundee Team, it
is great to see the money put to use directly, where it can make so much difference
The following poem, written by Rosemary
Bennett, has been submitted by Maureen
Miles, and is entitled:
Relaxing
In winter when the wind blows cold
And daylight hours are few
It’s nice to sit before the fire
And read some stories through
A comfy chair, a cup of tea
Our favourite magazine
Some biscuits in a pretty tin
Complete the cosy scene
In summer when the skies are blue
And sunshine rules the day
It’s nice to sit in a shady spot
Amid nature’s bright display
With a gripping book, some lemonade
Surrounded by lovely flowers
It’s nice to relax on a garden seat
And pass some restful hours
All through the year, we love to sit
In old time-honoured style
With a favourite magazine or book
Relaxing for a while
*****
The following article, written by Kenneth
Steven, has been submitted by Joyce
Kearsey, and is entitled:
Iona
Let there be a place made of stone
Out off the west of the world
Roughened nine months by gales
Ralted in Atlantic swell
A place that rouses each Easter
With soft blessings of flowers
And shocks of white shell sand
A place found only sometimes
By those who have lost their way
The following article has been extracted
from Parish Pump, and is entitled:
Mosul - Last Christian flee for their
lives
For the first time in nearly 2000 years the
city of Mosul, in northern Iraq, is without
Christians. They fled this summer, after a
warning from the Islamic State militants
that all Christians would be put to the
sword if they did not convert to Islam or
agree to pay a protection tax (jizya in
Arabic).
So the Christians filled their cars
with whatever they could fit in, and fled to
Dohuk and Irbil, in the neighbouring
region of Kurdistan. They left behind
scenes of desecration – the Islamists
seized control of the 4th
century Syrian
Catholic Mar Behnam monastery, burned
the “ ia Bishop s offi e, ho e a d library to the ground, and removed the
oss f o “t Eph e s “ ia O thodo Cathedral in Mosul and flew a black flag
instead. The Syriac Catholic Patriarch of
Antioch and all the East of the Syrians,
said: This is a disg a e. The Ch istia s i I a , “ ia a d Le a o e e t i po ted;
e e ee he e fo ille ia a d therefore we have the right to be treated
as human beings and citizens of these
ou t ies.
Mosul s Ch istia o u it totalled about 60,000 before the US-led
invasion of Iraq in 2003. It then increased,
as many more Christians took refuge in
Mosul. But by June of this year the
number had dropped to 35,000, and fell
sharply even further when the Islamic
State took control. On 15 June this year,
for the first time in 1,600 years, there was
no Christian mass said in Mosul. One
Christian family who could not get out
before the deadline and who could not
afford to pay the tax paid a cruel price:
the mother and daughter were gang
raped by the militants. The husband, who
was made to watch, was so traumatised
that he then committed suicide.
As the British Ambassador to Iraq,
Simon Collis, said about the Islamists:
The d o e Mosul s Ch istia s f o a it they had prayed in for 1800 years.
Churches were burned and houses
marked with N (standing for Nasrani, an
Arabic word for Christian).
The Bishop of Coventry, Dr
Ch istophe Co ks o th, said: The determined will of ISIS to evict Christians
from Mosul and eradicate Christianity
from the area they seek to control is
deeply distressing. It is incumbent on us
all to speak out against such injustice and
iole e. Open Doors has launched an Iraq
Emergency Appeal to help the Christians
who have fled the Islamic militants. £70
can provide an emergency relief pack for a
family of four, to last a month. If you can
help, go to:
www.opendoorsuk.org/iraqcrisis
or phone 01993 777300
******
Appeals for aid for Gaza
Tens of thousands of people in Gaza
urgently need help, following this
su e s es alati g iole ce in the
region.
Various UK Christian relief
agencies have responded with appeals for
money so that they can send essential
relief into the area. If you would like to
donate towards this cause, either one of
the following agencies might interest you:
Episcopal Relief and Development
(part of the Episcopal Church in
Jerusalem) is providing Al-Ahli Hospital
with funding for food and fuel.
www.episcopalrelief.org
Christian Aid is providing relief to the
Palestinian Medical Relief Society
which runs clinics in Gaza, and also to
the Agricultural Development
Association, which helps fishermen
and farmers in Gaza.
www.christianaid.org.uk
Janet Symes, Christian Aid Head of
Middle East said: The ho ifi es alatio of violence in the region means the levels
of need on the ground will continue to
rise at a dramatic rate. The current crisis
is a result of decades of political failure.
Without genuine dialogue and a
determination from all sides to achieve a
just peace, Palestinians and Israelis will be
destined to live through the horrors of
iole e agai a d agai .
******
The following poem, author unknown, has
been submitted by June Woodley, and is
entitled:
When I Lost You
I wish I could see you one more time
Come walking through the door
But I know that is impossible
I will hear your voice no more.
I know you can feel my tears
A d ou do t a t e to
Yet hea t is oke e ause I a t understand why
someone so precious had to die.
I pray that God will give me strength
And somehow get me through
As I struggle with this heartache
That came when I lost you.
The following article has been submitted
by Beryl Cartwright, and is entitled:
Water Aid To be a girl
This summer Water Aid has been running
a campaign on what it is like to be a girl in
some developing countries.
What does it mean to be a girl?
Chest pai s a d so es a d pu ish e t chores
That s hat little gi ls a e ade fo .
Girls are made for more than this.
Not only are girls made to carry water
daily from unclean sources they are also
subjected to embarrassment and ridicule
when going to the toilet in the open.
When we go to the toilet we expect
privacy but in developing countries
around the world there is a lack of private
toilet facilities and hygiene which is
hampering gi ls education. With nowhere
to go to the toilet at school girls have no
choice but to defecate in the open often
suffering from embarrassment and
ridicule from boys. Even at home where
there are no toilet facilities girls wait until
nightfall to go to the toilet where
although it is not safe they feel they
cannot be seen. It is very difficult for
adolescent girls during their time of
menstruation as many avoid going to
school thus missing a lot of their
education.
In some areas Water Aid has been
able to provide toilets and washing
facilities allowing girls to manage their
periods hygienically giving them
confidence to learn and get the education
they deserve. Water Aid is hoping to
provide clean water, sanitation and
hygiene education to many more areas.
Until September 9th
the
Government has promised to double any
donations to Water Aid for these projects,
so please go to www.tobeagirl.org for
more details and information.
We as a Church send our 1ps and
2ps to Water Aid but if anybody feels they
would like to give more either send direct
to Water Aid or give me your donation
and I will send it on your behalf.
******
Canon David Winter ponders the power in
ooks…
THE WAY I SEE IT:
Read any good books lately?
At one end of the Broadway in the town
where I live there is an empty shop, as
prominent as a missing front tooth. Until
this Spring it was an excellent general
bookshop, which had served as a kind of
cultural centre and browsing point for
hundreds of customers for a couple of
decades. Now it s to be turned into flats -
and a small retail outlet . Judging by
current practice, that will be a hairdresser,
nail bar or take-away. Food for the mind
will be replaced, I have little doubt, by
food for the tummy or pampering for the
body.
So, a few polite questions. When
did you last buy a book? Was it a present
for someone? Did you buy it online? Was
it in electronic form? And - more
pertinently - if you read it, did you enjoy
it? These are questions that are troubling
authors, publishers and booksellers.
Overall, book sales in the UK are fairly
steady - a little down in some categories
(children s books, sadly) and a little up in
others (celebrity recipes, as you might
have guessed, and memoirs of football
managers). But the local bookshop -
whether independent or part of a chain -
is fast disappearing from the high street,
and with it the wonderful experience of
simply browsing (what a lovely word) -
plucking books off the shelf, reading the
blurb, noting the author s name and
finally deciding whether it will tuck nicely
into the bag on holiday, or sit engagingly
on the coffee table of an Autumn evening.
Mind you, some erstwhile readers
probably agree with the old Preacher in
the Bible. He was not a great fan of
literature: Of making many books there is
no end, and much study is a weariness of
the flesh , he said. On the other hand,
there is plenty of incentive to reading
elsewhere in the Bible, especially in the
New Testament: Give attention to
reading , Paul s assistant Timothy is urged.
And it is assumed that Christians will read
the Bible, or listen to it being read.
Books declutter the mind, help us
to imagine and enjoy the experience of
others, inspire us with great lives and
stretch our knowledge and our interests.
The bookshop and the library are
Aladdin s Caves, rich with treasures. Our
society will be impoverished if we stop
reading books, whether it s on paper,
Kindle or even listening to a Book at
Bedtime on Radio 4. But let s keep the joy
of browsing, too!
******
Back to school
Young James finished his summer holidays
and went back to school. Two days later
his teacher phoned his mother to tell her
that James was misbehaving. "Wait a
minute!" protested his mum. "I had him
here for weeks and I never once called
YOU when he misbehaved!"
Doorsteps Conference Saturday, 27 September 2014
CMS, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ
The following article, Written by Canon
David Winter, is the eighth in a 12-part
series to mark the Centenary of the
beginning of the First World War:
THE GREAT WAR: The War Poets
We have seen how the songs of the music
halls mirrored - and even shaped - the
public mood about the war. At the same
time some of the finest young British
poets were serving at the front, writing
poetry that they never expected to be
published, storing it in diaries or in letters
home. Among them were probably the
greatest of the war poets, Wilfred Owen,
and the most widely known to
generations of poetry lovers, Rupert
Brooke. Laurence Binyon was not a soldier
but an Oxford academic, who in the early
months of the War wrote a poem which
contains surely the best known lines of
any poem in English:
They grow not old, as we that are left
grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years
condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the
morning
We will remember them.
Brooke s The Soldier - If I should die thi k o ly this of e - is a beautifully
crafted and deeply moving sonnet,
suggesting that had he lived he would
have held a high place among English lyric
poets. But today it is the anger, frustration
and utter despair of his fellow poets in the
trenches which has made their work
e ora le. O e s A the for Doo ed Youth , or his e e a grier Dul i et de oru est - a bitter rejection of the
otio that it is s eet a d ho oura le to die for your ou try - powerfully capture
the horror of war. Many of them,
including Brooke, Owen and Rosenberg,
were killed in action, Owen in the last few
days of the War.
For the most part it was probably a
decade after its end before their truthful
but deeply disturbing work began to be
fully re og ised a d ho oured. It s ot surprising that in the aftermath of war,
with virtually every family in the country
bereaved, the preference was to
remember acts of valour and the hard-
won victory rather than the slaughter and
sufferi g that it e tailed. The hy O Valia t Hearts as e or ously popular at that ti e: I glorious hope their proud and sorrowing land/ commits her children
to thy gra ious ha d . This year many people are turning
again to the Great War poets - several
new collections have been published.
There are a few women among them -
Muriel Stuart s Forgotte Dead, I salute you - and powerful poetry by men like
Siegfried Sassoo E eryo e Sa g , Isaa ‘ose erg ‘etur i g, e heard the larks a d A.E. Hous a Here dead e lie . It may be that only now, a century
later, can we see the strange paradox that
the most brutal of wars could also
produce wonderful acts of valour and self-
sacrifice, and the muddy trenches of
battle some of the finest poetry of
modern times.