In This Issue

Roberta’s Writings Thinking innovatively

Christchurch Re-opening

Volunteers needed

JigFest Update £1600 raised during

lockdown

Fossil Fuels Methodist Church still

investing in oil and gas

St George Just for England?

Bible Translations Which type of bible

translation do you use?

JPIT Re-engineering our economy

and what you can do

Christchurch is a Methodist / URC Local Ecumenical Partnership

The Grove, Ilkley, LS29 9LW

September 2020

It is hoped for a phased re-opening of our premises sometime during

September. Watch out for updates.

Innov

NEW EMAIL COMING SOON

www.christchurchilkley.org.uk

01943 603209

ative

king

Thin

Dear friend,

I never cease to be amazed by the resourcefulness of human beings when faced with challenges, and I include church folk in this. My recent visit to my home country of Northern Ireland has given me three examples of such ingenuity.

Along the north coast of Northern Ireland, right beside the Giant’s Causeway, Dunseverick Baptist church is offering “drive-in” church services. We didn’t manage

to catch one but my sister’s church in Northern Ireland has also been doing this on a fortnightly basis. At these services the minister and musicians stand on a large platform at the front with a powerful amplification system, and cars are arranged on a criss-cross pattern ensuring wide spacing. This all takes a great deal of organising and while church from your car is not ideal, families have enjoyed seeing each other. However, I can’t see this taking off in Ilkley, even with the newly resurfaced central car park!

Also, on the North Coast, in the seaside resort of Portrush, we encountered an energetic form of church. We spent an afternoon watching some of the younger members of my Irish family learning to surf. This was as part of ‘The Surf Project’ which is being run by the Methodist Church in Ireland. Over four weeks in the summer, children from age six years up can choose a morning or an afternoon to meet at the Methodist church, change into wet suits, jump on and off boards in the sea, and once dry again have bible stories and games in the church building. The motto of this project is ‘Living life to the full - We seek to enhance personal, social and spiritual welfare through surfing’. This group have banners with their emblem which is a traditional sign for the Trinity with three triangles connected by a circle - in the middle of which they have introduced a wave. I love this intermingling of the old and the new.

My last example of church ingenuity comes from Downhill Demense, again on the Irish North Coast. Here in the 1700s elaborate buildings were commissioned by Frederick Hervey when he became bishop of Derry. A round building called the Mussenden Temple still stands, perched on the edge of cliffs, high above the Atlantic. This classical building is a copy of the Temple of Vesta from Tivoli in Italy.

Lord Bristol, as he became, loved to travel and gave his name to the chain Page 02

of Bristol hotels. He used this rotunda as his library but interestingly he let his catholic servants have the basement or crypt for their services and paid the wages of a priest for them. I have very mixed feelings about these buildings. On the one hand, I think it was immoral of the bishop to create lavish buildings at a time and place when there was so much poverty. However, I have read that he spoke of commissioning this buildng in part to create employment for the poor people of his district. In addition to this good intention, Lord Bristol also showed a bigness of heart in providing for his Roman Catholic workers. This was particularly notable in a country that has often bred antagonism between church denominations. So people can be endlessly surprising.

At Christchurch we too have had to be creative and innovative in our ways of being church since the current pandemic began. We have kept our church links through posted and emailed services, messages and phone calls, and also by holding services and meetings through the electronic platform Zoom.

Very soon those of us who are Trustees of the church will be making decisions as to what activities we will start offering back in our church building. These activities will look very different from anything we have done in the building before we had to shut. No doubt we too will be innovative and maybe a little ingenious! There will be new procedures we have to put in place, as directed by the government, to minimise the risks from the Covid-19 virus. We will all have to wear masks, and to keep the specified distance from anyone not in our household. In and amongst all this and more, I believe we will still be able to know the Spirit of God flowing between us and have encouragement to reach out to help our neighbours and community.

More news of our plans will be sent out by email or placed on the church notice boards early in September so please do look out for updates.

I finish with a prayer from Psalm 33 verse 22: “May your unfailing love be with us Lord, even as we put our hope in you”. (NIV)

Roberta

Comings and Goings

We are sad to announce the death of Eve Cooper. We send

our love and prayers to Eve’s family and friends.

Please continue to pray for people in these difficult times and let the Pastoral Team know of any new concerns.

Jane Brown - on behalf of the Pastoral Team Page 03

Michael’s Memo

Another Wider Horizons, another update on children and youth!

I think to begin with I have got to ask for prayer for all our families’ children and youth. Since the last edition we have been placed in local lockdown, schools have broken up, and we have had GCSE and A level results. All these have created a lot of uncertainty. Please pray for all those connected with Christchurch and beyond that they may know God’s peace at this moment and know they are not alone. Furthermore, please pray for all those making decisions about how things move forward with groups within Christchurch. Pray for wisdom that we can be a church which supports so many families through our wide range of groups but do so in a safe way. Thank-you to all those that have been praying too, I really value every single one of your prayers. Now, to keep you updated with what has been happening.

Well our sessions with Bradford Council have continued and, after a quiet start, numbers grew and we had some wonderful days sitting outside in the sun at the Riverside Gardens. As I write, next week is the last week of sessions we will be running outdoors with the Council but the link has very much been established and hopefully some new possibilities, such as home visits and re-opening the Youth Centre on Little Lane, are things to be looking forward to. One particular highlight was one of the discussions I had with some of the youth but also the other staff. Once they found out I worked for a church I was asked “Does that mean you’re religious and stuff?” I explained how I wouldn’t say I was religious but I believe in a God and follow the Bible’s teachings. I was able to explain how religion states how you have to follow rules to be accepted, while being a Christian means I am already accepted. We had an interesting discussion after and I felt really honoured that despite this link with the Council still being relatively new, the youth felt they could ask me these questions already.

Other groups have been stopped over summer. This gives us some time to think about what to do next. I do have ideas to host an outdoor Bitesize in a café-style bring your own rug and food. I am also hoping to do some ‘muddy puddle walks’ where volunteers and families can come together in small groups, get their wellies on and go for a walk and chat. For Release I would love to do a persecuted church night, but more details on this to follow as it will be a surprise. I also want to take Release through one of my favourite books called ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by CS Lewis, and get them thinking about faith and God in a different way. I am desperate to get Toddlers back up and running so I am exploring ideas on how to do this in a safe way. I shall be in touch with all volunteers about everything when things get a bit clearer. Other ideas that I am exploring are family games or quiz nights, a parenting course and Alpha Course for families.

In the long term I am unable to say yet what might be Page 04

happening in September as it is just so unpredictable. I am able to meet up for walks with people in groups of less than six, so if anyone in the church would like a walk at some point, do drop me a message and I’d love to join you!

Finally, I just want to add another prayer point in. Please pray for all those mentioned above but also those who are transitioning either into Primary or on to Secondary schools. It is a scary enough time even without Covid-19, so please pray for strength and courage to all those facing new beginnings.

Michael Johnston

Volunteers Needed!

We aim to open Christchurch buildings early September. A lot of work has already taken place towards the reopening but there is still much to achieve.

As we have to follow Covid-19 guidelines from both church and government we do need offers of help when we start to open, both for worship and for the Café.

We will need people on duty at all times during opening hours to take details of people who come into the building (for track and trace) and to direct them to the correct place. People will also need to sanitise their hands and follow a certain route in the building.

As we know many people normally use our toilets as a public facility, we need to inform them this is not available at present. However, toilets will be available to those who are using the building following the guidelines which will be displayed.

You will want to consider if this is something you can volunteer to do safely, so please consider any risk factors that may apply to you. Please think carefully about this before you make a decision.

If you are able to go on a rota to help in this way please can you email mcrombalds@hotmail.co.uk or ring 01943 603504. We need to know your availability and how often you would be happy to be on the list. You will be given instructions before being ‘on duty’ and we hope that everything will work smoothly, but we have to stay alert and keep safe!

Margaret Cook

JigFest 2020

It will come as no surprise to know that this year’s JigFest is postponed to 2021. Also, the Friday evening Jigsaw Meetings will restart when we are allowed and feel able to do so. However, we will need to continue to make up jigsaws as many have been sold over the internet (raising some £1600) since lockdown began.

Please talk to John Sayers for any information. John Sayers Page 05

Letters from Naomi’s family – an imaginative exercise for the Bible month series on Ruth

Five church members imagined what it would be like to be a character from the Old Testament story of Ruth. Some have imagined how their character might have written a letter to a future grandchild. Here are three of them - the other two will follow next month.

A Recollection of Boaz - Colin Brunold Well you know how I came to marry your Grandmother of course. She was quite a woman in those days. Still is.

First time I saw her she was gleaning in my field during harvest. A young woman, good looking, foreign. I hadn’t seen her before but everyone knew about her. Word was she had given up everything in her own country, out of loyalty to her mother-in-law, my relative Elimelech’s widow.

She was a hard worker too. Been gleaning all day with hardly a rest. Very impressive. Bold too. Turns out she asked my foreman if she could gather amongst the sheaves as well as regular gleaning like the other women.

So I thought she deserved a bit of help; I told her to use our water jars, join my harvesters for lunch, and to stay in my field till the end of the harvest. Well she came back each morning, and I kept a bit of an eye on her in the field, and made sure the men didn’t touch her. Kept working, all day every day. Always saved a bit of lunch for Naomi’s tea.

I said she was bold. Well I couldn’t believe it when I woke up one night and she was lying at my feet. On the threshing floor! A woman on the threshing floor! And then she asked me to take her into my house!

Well she was a good looking woman – the young men were interested in her and I was so much older. It was quite flattering really. But then I was Naomi’s second closest relative, so I thought that I really should. So I sent her home quick before anyone else saw her.

First thing in the morning I sat down by the town gate and waited for her closest relative to arrive, sat him down and assembled some witnesses. I told him that he had the right to redeem Naomi’s field. Well he jumped at the chance. But then I said that he would have to marry your Grandmother too. Well that sorted him out! No way! So there you are. I bought a field and got your Grandmother thrown into the deal.

Which do you think was the best?

Naomi Talk - Christine Henney I am so excited today! I have a new baby grandson. I never thought I’d live to see the day! No I mean I really thought I’d never see the day. When I returned from Moab, I was ‘Marah’ for a time – that’s what I asked people to call me, Marah, which means Bitter. I had lost my

husband and both sons whilst I was in Moab. I thought then that I would never have any grandchildren. That was it. My life Page 06

and future over. Thank goodness for my daughter-in-law, Ruth. She was the one who got me through; she stayed with me and came back with me, even though she is a Moabite and has no other connection to Bethlehem here. I thank God for her. Mind you, I think she might be grateful that I got her a lovely husband – that’s quite a story even if I say so myself. My darling Obed came along soon afterwards – such a sweet baby. I was so fond of him and looked after him as much as I could – Ruth may be his mother but people saw me with him so much they joked that he was like my own baby. In my secret heart he is my own son – is that naughty?

Of course, Obed grew up to be a lovely, handsome young man and now little Jesse is born. I don’t suppose I will be around much longer; I am certainly not up to looking after him much. Anyway, as it turned out I did have a life and a future, and the family continues. I could not be happier.

Ruth’s letter to Jesse - Zandra Lomas My dear Jesse, it was lovely to see you the other day. You are growing quickly and will soon become a young man and I’m thinking it’s time to give you one of my greatest treasures, because I think you are old enough now to understand its importance. I am trusting it into your safe keeping, so open the package with care as it is fragile. I think you will be surprised to see that it’s just ears of wheat, but I wove them into this Hebrew letter a long time ago.

This letter is significant because it represents the first letter of the word “Lovingkindness” that I came to experience as part of our great and wonderful God. When Great Grandma and I arrived in Bethlehem many years ago, we were destitute and had no means of support. Our life was very hard. As it was harvest time Great Grandma, Naomi, told me to choose a field and follow the reapers to pick up any left over barley and wheat so we could make some bread to relieve our hunger. Unwittingly, (though I now think with God’s guidance) I chose grandad’s field and this little treasure that I give to you, is made from the wheat that I gleaned during that time.

Grandad was very kind to me giving me freedom to gather as much grain as I needed. Great Grandma realised that Grandad Boaz was a kinsman, and when he knew this, his lovingkindness and integrity paved the way for me to become his wife, and God greatly blessed us with a son, your father. God spread an abundance of lovingkindness over my broken life and gave Great Grandma and me the love and support of your grandad.

So this little gem of woven wheat reminds me of a very special time in my life. Please treasure it and keep it where you can see it, to remember the wonder of the great lovingkindness of our God, who provides us with the rich blessings of his love. Use this little remembrance to tell this story to your children in the future. With love as always, Grandma Ruth.

Submitted by Roberta Topham Page 07

Autumn Housegroups

2020 has become a very different year!

At Christchurch, we are all hoping that before long we will be back worshipping, socialising and engaging in all the activities we enjoy. Yet we continue to plan for the in-between times. One of these is to get Housegroups going again in some way for the Autumn term. A few have continued to keep in touch through Zoom, others through occasional phone calls.

During this time, I’ve become a member of the Leadership Team, taking over from Juliet Amos, with a focus on Nurture. Housegroups come under that umbrella. So greetings to you all during these difficult times of readjustments.

The Housegroups this year are planned to start the week beginning Sunday 20 September with fortnightly meetings between September and Christmas. We will continue to use Zoom for those able to access it, until it is safe to be back in each other’s homes. If you would like help setting up Zoom (and it’s a lot easier once set up), please let me or your Housegroup leader know and we’ll try to get you some help. For those with no internet access who would like to be part of a group, please contact me on 07930 325508. We are hoping to find a way forward for you.

As we are in a time of change, now is a good time to consider joining a group if you’ve never been before, or have not been for a while. You’ll find a warm welcome, even on Zoom. It’s a great way to get to know a group of people in the church.

Through the Housegroups we journey together in our faith, learn a little more of the Bible, and try to make sense of it for our situations today. They are supportive places, encouraging, friendly and sometimes they challenge our thinking! Within the groups we can simply listen, or join in the discussions. We can share our faith and our doubts, our concerns and our good news. If you are thinking of joining for the first time or changing to another group, please give me a call or send a message so that I can plan ahead.

Our plan, where possible, is to continue this term with the book ‘Holy Habits’ by Andrew Roberts with a chapter on ‘Giving’. A Housegroup leader will be in touch to give you further details once the groups have been planned.

My hope and prayer for this term’s groups is that they will go beyond our expectations, and we will experience a little of God’s love for us. Blessing to you.

Lynda Duttine

Page 08

Saint George

If you are old enough to remember Sunday School – they preceded Junior Church, Sun Club, On-line at Nine – you will remember the pictures of Jesus which hung on the walls. Long fair wavy hair, blue eyes, and skin tone to go with them. But Jesus was a Jew who lived in what is now Israel and the West Bank. Therefore he would have had dark hair and eyes, and olive skin to match.

In the New Testament, all Christians are described as saints in Paul’s letters, but over the years a number of saintly people from all over the world have been especially designated ‘Saint’. When they appear in our stained glass windows they are universally portrayed as white Europeans. Why do we persist in representing God (and his Son) in our own image? Let us begin to answer that question by looking at our own patron saint, St George.

He was born in what is now Turkey, of Christian parents. His father died for his faith in one of the persecutions, whereupon mother and child fled to Palestine. At that time the Romans still controlled Europe and the Middle East. George joined the Roman Army. He became known as a man of compassion, always helping the helpless, the underdog, which was how the various dragon legends grew up around him. He became the Patron Saint of England when our king, Edward III, founded the Order of the Garter around 1327CE and wanted an official Saint. George is so multicultural that many other nations have adopted him as their Patron Saint also – Bulgaria, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Russia, to name but a few.

In 303CE Emperor Diocletian proclaimed that all soldiers in the Roman Army make the traditional pagan sacrifice to himself. Some soldiers who were Christians quietly left the army, but not George. Before all his army colleagues he refused to make the sacrifice saying that as a Christian he could not. He was imprisoned, tortured, and decapitated on 23 April 303, the day we now celebrate as St George’s Day. In the Middle East he is venerated by Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.

What does St George stand for today? Many of our English traditions have grown up around him yet he never set foot in England. I like to think he would have felt at home in the England of today, being a cosmopolitan immigrant. He would have helped us understand and appreciate immigrants. He would teach us love, compassion, tolerance and understanding. All qualities needed in our social life today. He would also support us in our efforts to spread the gospel of God’s love. He was never afraid to speak out. For so long in England it has been the done thing to keep our religion to ourselves – ‘never talk about religion or politics’. But at Christchurch we try to reverse that with having a stall at the Ilkley Real Food Market, chatting to people in the Café, Dan’s Den and all the activities for children and teenagers and I like to think St George would support us in that.

Liz Huddleston Page 09

Another Hope for the New Normal: reduce global carbon emissions

I’m sitting here thinking of those little individual, personal things we do to reduce our own carbon footprint: walking or cycling to town for a loaf, reducing my five minute shower to three minutes, gently turning down the thermostat and putting on an extra jumper, trying to eat meat only twice a week. These, of course, are good things to be doing.

But, you know, as laudable as these behaviours are they just don’t add up to the impact that the Methodist Church could make in one calculated move. The Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church could decide to pull its financial investments out of oil and gas companies who are continuing to explore and develop more fossil fuels. In other words, our Methodist Church could help keep oil and gas and coal in the ground.

The Central Finance Board has made a start on divesting from fossil fuels companies. At the 2017 Methodist Conference the decision was made to divest from BP and Total. That’s good. But we Methodists are still investing in several oil and gas companies that have not aligned their business plans with the Paris Agreement target of a global temperature rise below two degrees centigrade.

This Spring, 260 Methodists, including 114 ministers and former Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Methodist Conference, signed a letter calling for the Central Finance Board to complete divestment from all fossil fuel companies. This is what the URC and Quakers have already done, together with segments of other major denominations. They have said “no” to investing in all fossil fuel companies.

This is a moral/ethical issue. Caring for God’s creation and concern about climate change is fundamental to the Christian gospel and central to the church’s mission. Christian Aid focuses on the Climate Emergency because it is the poorest in the world who are being most affected by climate change, eg flood defences in low lying Bangladesh.

It is also a hard headed financial issue. It is in our financial interest to divest from fossil fuels. Covid-19 has demonstrated that oil and gas companies are a risky investment. Both Shell and BP have warned investors that the low oil price could reduce the values of their assets by up to £14.2 billion and £17.9 billion respectively. In addition, solar and wind renewables are getting cheaper and cheaper. And governments world wide are beginning to reduce their subsidies to oil and gas companies. Quite simply, fossil fuel companies are unlikely to generate the same returns in the future as they have in the past. Shell, for example, cut its quarterly dividends by two-thirds in April this year.

The Central Finance Board (CFB) of the Methodist Church has Page 10

recently set up the Climate Stewardship Fund, a fossil free fund avoiding investments in fossil fuel companies, mining companies and other carbon-intensive industries. So far the CFB has set aside £25 million to be invested in renewable energy companies. Although welcomed this is a pretty small amount of its £1.2 billion investment portfolio (about 2%). Why not take CFB’s remaining investments in fossil fuel companies and switch to green energy investments?

This is what we, here at Christchurch, can do: we can write, individually or as a congregation, to the head of the Methodist Conference and to the Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (JACEI) to say we support disinvestment from all fossil fuel companies. If you feel so moved, please get in touch with me.

Information for this article was gathered through ‘Operation Noah’, an ecumenical Christian charity founded in 2004 to support interfaith work on the climate crisis. ‘Bright Now: towards fossil free churches’ is its campaign to divest from fossil fuel companies and invest in clean alternatives.

Gary Knamiller

From Recovery To Flourishing

Re-engineering the economy to deliver a just and sustainable future

As Churches, we long for the flourishing of people and the wellbeing of our planet. As we emerge from the coronavirus crisis, we find ourselves at a critical moment where we could re-shape the economy to enable the wellbeing of all people and the planet.

Yet our economy does not enable all to flourish. It is currently designed in ways that are damaging to both people and planet, and runs counter to this vision of flourishing to which we are called. Our constant pursuit of economic growth has led to a climate crisis and a degraded planet. Increasingly it does not provide what many people around the world need to thrive. The decisions we make about our economy are damaging our environment, leaving millions at risk and threatening future generations. As an interdependent part of creation, this harms each one of us.

This does not have to continue. The economy is not a relentless machine, but may be re-engineered. It can be changed so that its purpose is no longer to grow exponentially, but rather to enable the flourishing of both people and planet.

As we emerge from the coronavirus crisis, we will need to restart the economy. In the UK, the government will spend billions of pounds on stimulus and support packages in the coming months and years. Yet a recovery programme that is primarily focused on seeking financial growth and keeping businesses afloat regardless of Page 11

the cost to the wellbeing of community and creation will not provide a long-term solution.

Instead, this is the moment to align our structures, systems and policies with the vision we share of flourishing and an economy which prioritises the wellbeing of people and planet.

The first step of this re-engineering must begin with decisions we face today about how we rebuild after the coronavirus crisis. Investment and new regulations must combine to ensure a recovery that is productive, inclusive and resilient. Decisions around government spending must prioritise the urgency of the climate crisis while also supporting and strengthening local communities. This is what reshaping our priorities for the flourishing of communities and creation might look like:

We can ensure that the UK economic recovery plan, taxation and public spending is directed towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Bailouts for business can be made conditional on business plans that are aligned with the UK’s net-zero commitment.

We can create environmentally sustainable infrastructure, using investment to prioritise immediate transition to net-zero emissions, and create jobs which support this process through reskilling.

We can create healthy, productive and properly paid work. We can create new jobs and strengthen existing ones which recognise the value of work by paying the real Living Wage, and support work environments that prioritise health and wellbeing.

We can prioritise warm, carbon neutral and affordable homes for all. We have seen that having a safe space to live is essential to our wellbeing. We can invest in the right kind of housing developments, and seek to ensure that every home is fit for the future.

We can strengthen renewable energy sources and infrastructure. By investing in renewables and developing a zero-emissions power generation system, we can create energy that helps rather than harms wellbeing.

We can empower local decision making, so that rapid, responsive and relevant choices can be made about how to rebuild at a local level.

We can support accessible, environmentally sustainable transport options. We can prioritise modes of travel which are accessible to all, both physically and financially, create jobs and support healthy communities.

We can commit to fair and binding international frameworks for reaching net-zero emissions and protecting the environment. These will hold us accountable for the part that the UK must play in addressing these global challenges, and will build on the existing UK support for multilateral international climate finance.

We can ensure that our diplomatic, international Page 12

development and trade relationships with other nations are aligned with our commitments to the environment and to human development, and give priority to the rights and wellbeing of people in the world’s poorest communities.

As we make these immediate commitments we must also look forward, envisaging how we can reshape our economy so that its focus is moved away from growth and towards flourishing.

Currently, the central institutions of our economy, such as the Bank of England, are programmed to build the conditions for ever-increasing levels of production and consumption.

Such endless expansion will have a severe environmental impact on present and future generations and weigh heavily on those who have least. Economic levers must be redirected at enabling our economy to prioritise the flourishing of people and planet.

We must use both immediate actions today and our long-term decision-making to re-engineer our economy. By prioritising the wellbeing of people and planet, we can work towards a sustainable and just future where all creation can flourish.

Edited from the JPIT Newsletter.

What can you do? - Let your voice be heard by writing to your MP (Robbie Moore) as well as seeking to live out the ideals behind this philosophy.

Steve Amos (Editor)

Our Red Squirrel

Through the many weeks of lockdown we have all been enjoying more of God’s beautiful creation. I have been much more aware of the changing seasons particularly on our walks on the moor.

But last week, when lockdown seemed to be going on forever, we had a new visitor to our garden. A red squirrel appeared on several days and made itself at home in the ‘squirrel proof’’ bird feeder - Grey squirrels are too big to get in! Each time it stayed for about 30 minutes – a really beautiful sight.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust confirmed that red squirrels were last seen in our area nearly 100 years ago! Who knows where it appeared from so keep looking out if you have a bird feeder.

Merle Collins

Lynda Duttine

Oh Betty’s? Oh Betty’s!

I was coming out of church some time ago, when three women were approaching, coming up the ramp near the front entrance.

“Excuse me, please”, said one of the women, “Can you tell us where Betty’s is?”

“Yes,” I replied, “it’s just over there,” pointing across the road, where it was hidden by the big tree.

“Oh good” said another of the women. “We’re not from around here, but we were told that the best place to eat in Ilkley is the church Café opposite Betty’s!”

How about that for encouragement to all who help to make our Café such a thriving place. Every Blessing to you as we get ready to start up

again.

Lynda Duttine

Page 14

Christchurch Calendar 2021

I hope you have been out with your cameras, spotting interesting corners or unusual angles on well-known Ilkley landmarks! There should be lots of potential for the 2021 Christchurch calendar.

The usual instructions are: landscape orientation, local (ie Ilkley) and sharp enough to enlarge to A4. Send by email to mandm2@blueyonder.co.uk, or post actual photographs to me at 26 Middleton Road, Ilkley LS29 9EX, both by 01 September, with a view to being available by 30 October.

Margo Atkinson Page 15

My Family Bible

Following last month’s Translations item, Merle Collins got in touch; here is her piece about her Bishop’s ‘Breeches’ Bible’.

Our family Bible is a ‘Breeches’ Bible. This was the name given to one of the editions of the Bishops’ Bible and is dated 1592. In Genesis 3:7 it says that Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made breeches!

The Bible pre-dates the King James’s version and was translated into English from the Hebrew and Greek and printed in Geneva by Protestant English scholars fleeing persecution in England. It was first printed in England in 1576. And was the first to use verse numbers.

The Bible came into our family in 1830 when it was presented to my great great grandfather Moses Lupton when he was a Primitive Methodist minister in Louth. Moses came from Ripon (so I do have Yorkshire roots!) and spent 44 years in the ministry, being part of 26 circuits mainly in Yorkshire and the north-east. It is reckoned he walked over 132,000 miles. In 1870 he became President of the Primitive Methodist Conference. Those were the days when there were several strands of Methodism, as well as the Wesleyans.

It is great to hold a book that is over 400 years old and to imagine who might have held it and read it. It was a translation used by Shakespeare and John Bunyan and taken to America on the Mayflower.

The type is hard to read but the notes scrawled on some of the pages are fascinating. Best of all is being able to read Moses script giving details of the gift and his handing of the Bible to his daughter in 1871 just before he died. It is a Bible our family will treasure and a special connection to our Methodist ancestors.

Merle Collins

God’s Words? - Translations 4 of 5

This is taken from the February Melting Pot session; this part looks at the types of translation from literal to paraphrase.

Types of Bible Translations A variety of linguistic, philological and ideological approaches to translation have been used. Inside the Bible-translation community, these are commonly categorised as

Formal equivalence, or literal (word for word) translation

Dynamic equivalence translation

Functional equivalence, or paraphrase (thought for thought) translation (see last month for more explanation).

Bible Translations and Equivalence What follows is a small sample of the more commonly known translations from the thousands available, placed on the Equivalence Spectrum.

Predominant use of formal equivalence

King James Bible (1611 CE)

Young's Literal Translation (1862 CE)

Revised Version (1885 CE)

American Standard Version (1901 CE)

Revised Standard Version (1952 CE)

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (1966 CE)

New American Standard Bible (1971 CE)

New King James Version (1982 CE)

Green's Literal Translation (1985 CE)

New Revised Standard Version (1989 CE)

Orthodox Study Bible (1993 CE)

Third Millennium Bible (1998 CE)

Recovery Version (1999 CE)

World English Bible (2000 CE)

English Standard Version (2001 CE)

Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition - Ignatius (2006 CE)

Lexham English Bible (2011 CE)

Modern English Version (2014 CE)

Tree of Life Version (2014 CE)

Saint Joseph New Catholic Bible (2019 CE)

Revised New Jerusalem Bible (2019 CE)

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Moderate use of both formal and dynamic equivalence

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1961, revised 1984, 2013 CE)

Amplified Bible (1965 CE)

Modern Language Bible (1969 CE)

New American Bible (1970 CE)

New International Version (1978, revised 1984, 2011 CE)

New International Reader's Version (1996 CE)

New Living Translation (1996 CE)

Holman Christian Standard Bible (2004 CE)

Today's New International Version (2005 CE)

New English Translation (2005 CE)

New American Bible Revised Edition (2011 CE)

The Voice (2012 CE)

Christian Standard Bible (2017 CE)

Evangelical Heritage Version (2019 CE)

Extensive use of dynamic equivalence or paraphrase or both

The Holy Bible: Knox Version (1949 CE)

Jerusalem Bible (1966 CE)

New Life Version (1969 CE)

New English Bible (1970 CE)

Good News Bible (formerly ‘Today's English Version’) (1976 CE)

New Jerusalem Bible (1985 CE)

Revised English Bible (1989 CE)

God's Word Translation (1995 CE)

Contemporary English Version (1995 CE)

Complete Jewish Bible (1998 CE)

CTS New Catholic Bible (2007 CE)

New Community Bible (2008 CE)

Extensive use of paraphrase

The Living Bible (1971 CE)

The Message Bible (2002 CE)

What Bible do you use most?

Might you consider another version of a different type of translation so you can experience an alternative?

Can you see that we shouldn’t get hung up on a single word in a passage - it could well be a different word elsewhere!

Steve Amos Page 17

Book Review: God & Empire – Jesus Against Rome, Then And Now

John Dominic Crossan 2007 :: HarperOne :: £13.99 ISBN 978-0-06-085831-5 :: 242 pages

Back in 2006, the politics ‘across the pond’ was such that America was claiming to be the new Roman Empire. Crossan asked the question: “How can we be faithful followers of Jesus in America as the new ‘Roman Empire’? Is Bible-fed Christian violence supporting or even instigating America’s imperial violence?”. This book seeks to answer those questions in an accessible book in five sections, and as relevant to us today.

Empire and the barbarism of civilisation. Using material from Josephus and other first century writers and historians, along with archaeological evidence, Crossan shows that the normalcy of human civilisation is violence, injustice and inequality. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

God and the ambiguity of power. The ‘Neolithic Revolution’ is explored, as civilisation was established when nomads became settled farmers, followed by urbanisation. The Sumerian origins of the early Bible stories I found particularly interesting with most of early Genesis being found in earlier texts, including serpents and trees, fratricide and the flood. Two faces of God are depicted in the Bible: one of retributive justice (Noah) or one of distributive justice (Abraham). Detail of the centrality of ‘sabbath’, with the Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee ensuring equality and ‘fair shares’ is covered.

Jesus and the kingdom of God. Interesting historical detail of what happened in the year’s prior to Jesus’ birth and during his lifetime are more than simply ‘context’ but the very ‘matrix’ within which Jesus lived: the impact of the revolt that broke out following the death of Herod the Great in 4BCE which saw Sepphoris (the Ilkley to Nazareth’s Beamsley) razed to the ground; the building of Tiberius in 19CE on the lakeshore with enforced urbanisation, control and taxation of fishing; John the Baptist’s Deuteronomic theology who saw oppression by Rome as punishment for Israel’s sins, with God’s kingdom in the future; Herod Antipas divorcing his wife to marry his brother’s wife for Herodian/Hasmonean political advantage (which John decried). Jesus however, proclaimed God’s present kingdom. An interesting look at ‘the crowd’ in the last week of Jesus’ life and the meaning of sacrifice.

Paul and the justice of equality. The Lukan account of Paul’s life (half of Acts) doesn’t always agree with Paul’s own account, with a particular look at ‘the Jews’ in Luke. God-worshippers as a focus of Paul’s Gentile mission, visiting the urban centres of surrounding provinces. I found the archaeological background to what a ‘House

Church’ might have looked like and how it influenced the language Paul used enlightening. Paul’s radical theology of Page 18

Wider Horizons

This is the monthly magazine of Christchurch Ilkley, a Methodist and United Reformed Church Local Partnership.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and reflect the diversity of views you will find amongst those who call Christchurch their spiritual home.

“Belief is much more than signing up to a list of statements; rather, Christian faith is a life-long journey of discipleship, and so, as a church, we encourage, affirm, allow and delight in everyone’s faith journey. We support learning, exploring and growing in faith, in order to allow us to become the people that God wants us to be” (from the statement of ’Belief And Belonging’ - June 2014).

Steve Amos - Editor

Church Office email Addresses

Please note the three email addresses associated with the Church Office (office, notices and widerhorizons @christchurchilkley.org.uk) have all now ceased to function. Please delete them from your Contacts.

New email addresses will be set up when we re-open.

Steve Amos - Website

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equality, watered down in the ‘pastoral’ letters (Ephesians, 2 Thessalonians and Colossians) and then overturned in the Conservative letters (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) – these all written after Paul’s death! – with modern scholarship showing that 1 Corinthians 33b-36 was a late insert to the manuscript by a scribe who preferred reactionary theology and not Paul’s original view. Crossan looks at slavery, gender and resurrection and how the ‘Church’ has changed Paul’s radical outlook.

Apocalypse and the pornography of violence. Crossan denounces the wave of apocalyptic fantasy then sweeping across America based on multiple misunderstandings of the Revelation of John of Patmos. He starts with Mark’s apocalypse to find the earliest view of ‘the return of Jesus’ seeing how it was developed particularly over the last century, so that fantasy has now become ‘truth’ for millions of American fundamentalists. He also covers substitutionary sacrifice (CS Lewis’ Aslan) as another distortion from the original ideas. He leaves us with a choice: do we want to follow the God of violence and the Christ of John with a sword and rivers of blood, or the God of peace through justice found in Jesus of Nazareth?

This book is packed with revelation about ‘God’s Big Clean-up’ and makes so much sense that, in my view, it should be compulsory reading for every follower of Jesus! Just look at where we are now and ask how we’ve gone so wrong! Available to borrow.

Steve Amos

Sunday Theme Reading

06 Sept Held Together

Matthew 18:15-20

13 Sept How Many Times?

Matthew 18:21-35

20 Sept I don’t know what to choose

Matthew 20:1-16

27 Sept Make my joy complete

Matthew 21:23-32

Worship at CHRISTCHURCH - September 2020

The pattern of services of worship is changing

Please see the insert letter from Roberta Topham (Minister) and Wendy Ribbands (Chair of Trustees).

As our building is being opened in a phased way, there will be regular reviews and possible sudden changes to procedures.

PLEASE CHECK IN WITH SOMEONE BEFORE GOING TO THE CHURCH.

Next Month’s Copy Deadline

Thank you to all those who have contributed items for this, our Christchurch Wider Horizons (during lockdown).

I plan to produce an edition for October in the same concentrated way - so please send items to me at steve.amos.gb@gmail.com by Sunday 27 September at the latest - you can always send in early. No email? - give me a call on 01943 600111.

Thanks to our proofing team (24 hour turnround!), and a big ‘thank you’ to Mike Dixon, our database curator and electronic postman.

Steve Amos - Editor

The Zoom service at 10:00am will continue, along with a large screen viewing in the Lower Hall for those without the internet.

There will be a new service at 4:00pm on 06 and 20 September in the Worship Area (under Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing).

For either of these new ventures, please book a place with Jenny Freeman on 01943 511244.

Bitesize on 13 & 27 September at 4:30pm, and Smiles on 20 September at 4:30pm will continue on Zoom - contact Michael Johnston.