May 2013

Minister Rest Day:e-mailMobile:

SecretaryDiana Dicker, Elder 2011

e: secretary@knowleurc.co.uk

TreasurerMike Robertson Elder 2011e-mail:treasurer@knowleurc.org.uk

Hall SecretaryEdna Grimmett,

Junior ChurchPat McKee

Property SecretaryDavid Stewart Elder 2008property@knowleurc.org.uk

Magazine TeamMary Kirwan Elder 2011 Graham Tall, Elder 2010

e-mails: magazine@knowleurc.org.uk

Church NoticesMike Robertson Elder 2011

Additional Serving Elders:Terry Dicker 2012Alison Hockly 2012

Isobel Robertson 2011Jenny Scott 2011Stephenie Tall 2009Kath Vale 2009

Non-serving Elders:Margaret AllanKenneth Alway JonesSue BatemanMandy CunoosamyClive GriffithsEdna Grimmett

John HeatleyGlenys LambAlan LangLucilla LangPat McKeeIan MillerEileen Pitkeathly

Judy PreeceJan RichardsonBrian RichardsonMauvine SquireRon Squire

Note: This magazine is free to all members and friends of Knowle URC.We rely on donations to help cover the costs.

2

Not a Minister’s Letter but a Message from Synod.The Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed churches have been workingtogether as a Joint Public Issues Team. A fuller description of their work is in:www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/truthandliesaboutpoverty/Synod wants us to print the summary document below which criticisescommonly held beliefs about poverty and which superficially appears tosupport an anti-government political perspective. It was agreed by the Eldersto publish the document but that does not mean that they feel that members ofour Church will/should agree with all the statements made.

Graham Tall::“Churches have a special interest in speaking truthfully about poverty.The systematic misrepresentation of the poorest in society is a matter ofinjustice which all Christians have a responsibility to challenge.”1. ‘They’ are lazy and don’t want to workChild poverty is most commonly blamed, by churchgoers and the generalpublic alike, on “their parents not wanting to work”. Yet the majority ofchildren in poverty are from working households. In-work poverty is nowmore common than out-of-work poverty.2. ‘They’ are addicted to drink and drugsChurchgoers and the wider public cite addiction as the second most commoncause of child poverty. While addiction is devastating for the families andcommunities touched by it, fewer than 4% of benefit claimants report anyform of addiction.3. ‘They’ are not really poor – they just don’t manage their moneyproperlyNearly 60% of the UK population believes that the poor could cope if onlythey handled their money properly. The experience of living on a low incomeis one of constant struggle to manage limited resources, with small eventshaving serious consequences. Statistics show that the poorest spend theirmoney carefully, limiting themselves to the essentials.4. `They’ are on the fiddleOver 80% of the UK population believe that “large numbers falsely claimbenefits”. Benefit fraud has decreased to historically low levels - the kind oflevels that the tax system can only dream of. Less than 0.9% of the welfarebudget is lost to fraud.5. ‘They’ have an easy lifeOver half the British public believes benefits are too high. Governmentministers speak of families opting for benefits as a lifestyle choice. Yet weknow that benefits do not meet minimum Continued Overleaf 3

income standards. They have halved in value relative to average incomesover the last 30 years. We know the ill and the unemployed are the peopleleast satisfied and happy with life.6. ‘They’ caused the deficitThe proportion of our tax bills spent on welfare has remained stable for thelast 20 years. It is ridiculous to argue, as some have, that increasing welfarespending is responsible for the current deficit. Public debt is a problem butwhy is it being laid at the feet of the poorest?

_________________________________

Church FamilyHappy Birthday to Pat McKee 27th. Birthstone Emerald. Flower Lily of theValley - meaning return to happiness. Happy Anniversary to Lucilla &Alan 1st.

Question Who is your Elder? Find out on notice boards in church and vestry.All the Elders have full details on their updated lists.

This is just a short word to thank everyone who helped me in the freezingcold weather! I much appreciated it. Eileen.

Thank you so much for the gorgeous smartie chocolate cake and beautifulflower arrangement. You really cheered me up after reaching an age I'd preferto forget. Love Mandy.

Correction: In your new Directory please amend Kath’s Telephone No – thelast three numbers should read 253 not 200. We are looking for ideas ofsupporting a local charity and if you have information on a charity to display,then please let us have them as soon as possible. The charity chosen will beannounced in due course. Thanks to Isobel for our lovely Easter gift, hopeyou all enjoyed the contents and don’t forget to hold on to your ‘shell’ fillwith coins and return at Harvest Festival.

Christian AidThis year, Christian Aid starts on May 12th and some of our congregationwill be collecting door to door. Unfortunately, three are on holiday that weekso our numbers are halved. If you can help, even as a "one off", or can sparean hour for the collection outside Tesco's on Saturday 18th May, I would bevery grateful. The quiz sheets are still available at the rear of4 the church, £1 each. Thank you, Pat McKee

FriendshipI have just spoken to Edna on the phone, put it down and rang Sheila Clarketo say thank you for calling to see how I was yesterday. Sheila was pleased toreceive Easter flowers which Isobel had taken to her from church. Mary Ksends her a magazine every month. How good that we keep contact with oneanother. Reading St John’s account of the empty tomb the last paragraph says“Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in thisbook, but these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus isthe Messiah, the son of God and that through your faith in him you may havelife” How thankful I am for continued faith and friendship each day; for thelove of friends and family that surrounds me and carries me through each dayand night to be able to face whatever comes knowing our Lord has walkedthis way beforehand. All of us have a burden to carry, be grateful for the helpwe receive from one another.

Thank You For Friends.Thank you, Lord, for the gift of friends,Their comfort, help and care.For all the joy and happiness,The special things we share. .Thank you for those other times,The days of long ago,The memories and ..hopes and dreamsThat only they can know,Thank you for the helping handsWhen problems crowd around,For all the patient listening,The kindness I have found.For all the steadfast loyaltyOn which my trust depends,Let me repay this love to-day,And thank you, Lord, for friends.

Iris Hesselden.

Kath Vale

5

“Climate Change”As I write we are experiencing temperatures lower than for many years andmuch of southern England, the Channel Islands and northern Europe isimmobile under a deep layer of snow.

This is attributable to ‘Global Warming’ and precipitated by C02 emissionsgenerated by human activity, according to the various academics andentrepreneurs who make their livings from doomsaying about Climatechange. Many now dissent from this hypothesis, indeed the now notorious‘hockey-stick’ graph is much discounted as overly partial in its choice of data.

Clearly, climate is changing as, indeed it always has, but no correlationshould be sought to concentrations of C02 . Instead, an eminent astrophysicist,Piers Corbyn, has demonstrated that the intensity or otherwise of sun-spotactivity determines whether we are in a warm phase of climate or a coolerone. Currently such activity is waning and it is Corbyn’s conviction that “weare at the beginning of a mini ice age.”

This is not to say that reducing C02 concentrations is not a good thing butgiven the exponential rise of emissions in India and China, perhaps we shouldpause before pursuing further draconian reductions in our, and otherEuropean, outputs and avoid further, avoidable damage to our already fragileeconomies.

Brian Richardson

An Invitation To YouAs part of the Multicultural Celebration 2013 of the United ReformedChurch which will be held at Carrs Lane Church Centre, Birmingham onSaturday 28th September 2013 you are invited to take part in an artcompetition. Theme: Gifted! A time of plentyArt work should be two-dimensional but can be submitted in any media(paint, pastel, fabric, collage etc…) and should measure no more than 1 metreby 1 metre. One piece of art work per church/group entry and all ages …with prizes of £100, £150, £250 for 3rd, 2nd and 1st positions respectively.All work submitted will be displayed at the Carrs Lane Church Centre at theCelebration on 28th September 2013. Entries should be marked with thename of the church clearly on the backDeadlines: entries must be brought to Carrs Lane Church Centre by 11.00amon the day of the Celebration (It may be left at the Church from6 Thursday 26th September 2013) No entries by post please!

New Heaters: The trouble is, the temperature was set too high!

FunQ 1 Which English King invented the Fireplace?Q 2 What game do fish like playing the most?

7

Icicles Outside the Hall on Palm Sunday March 24th

8

Daffodils Finally in Full Bloom on April 21st

Thankyou Terry and Diana Dicker and their grandson Harry for the beautifuldaffodils in the garden. And thank you also to Doris Ruck, for buying thebulbs planted in the pots on the church steps. 9

Commitment For Life PrayerWe pray for those who are today’s naked people, those who are held ransomby debt, where rich nations withhold funding from poor nations. Where doorstep loan makers threaten the poor. We are committed to life. Action: Grabsome spare change that is lying around your house. It doesn’t matter howmuch. Hold it in your hands and feel the coins. If you have money in the bankor in your wallet, and a little spare change in your pocket or in a dish by youbed, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. That’s a staggeringstatistic. As you think about this for a moment, hold in your thoughts, prayersand heart the people on earth today who are living in poverty and ravaged bydebt. Take a few moments of quiet to reflect and to hold the world’s poor inGod’s presence.

‘Missio Dei’ RetreatFriday 17th & Saturday 18th May 2013, 9.30am – 4.30pmChurch of Christ, Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 4QS(Rail: Duddeston, Bus: 14) Led by Ash Barker & Chris MacCartney from‘Urban Neighbours Of Hope’ (UNOH)

A two day discernment retreat for anyone who wants to create some solidspace in their lives to explore what God may be calling them towards.The three main questions asked of participants will be:

Where have I come from?Where am I going?Who can I go with?

Participants will be guided into a number of individual and group activitiesthat allow them to invite God to speak into their life and shape your future.Missio Dei is an invaluable, insightful and sacred experience. If you have aniggle that it would be a good thing for you to carve out some space to listenfor what God is up to in your life then Missio Dei could be for you.

With the support of The Fellowship of Churches of Christ in Great Britain &Ireland

www.fellowshipcc.co.uk and Springdale College, together in mission.Booking form and more details are on the notice board.

10

Hymn - To God Be The Glory

To God be the glory! great things he hath done!So loved he the world that he gave us his Son.Who yielded his life an atonement for sin,And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear his voice!Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice!O come to the Father through Jesus the Son;And give him the glory - great things he hath done!

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!To every believer the promise of God;The vilest offender who truly believes.That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done,And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son:But purer and higher and greater will beOur wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see!

Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

Fanny Crosby, the American singer and musician, was blind from the age ofsix weeks. She married her music teacher, Alexander Van Alstyne, who wasalso blind. She once signed an unusual contract with a publisher: to writethree songs every week all through the year. In all she wrote many thousands.

Although American evangelists Moody and Sankey used this hymn on theirmissions, it did not become an immediate favourite. But Billy Grahamfeatured it in his Harringay crusade in 1954 - and soon Londoners weresinging it on their way home, in streets and bus queues and undergroundtrains.

Dr Graham took it back to the United States, introduced it next at Nashville,Tennessee and it take its place in the group of top favourites.

11

16 May 1943Seventy years ago, a most daring and successful daylight raid was made by617 Squadron of the R.A.F., led by 24 year old Wing Commander GuyGibson, flying on specially adapted 30 Lancaster bombers, on the MohneEder and Sorpe dams, which they destroyed by dropping the remarkable“Bouncing Bombs”.These were the invention of Dr. Barnes Wallace. The bombs were dropped onto the waters of the reservoir where they bounced and skipped along the watersurface until they hit the dams, where they exploded and breached the damsreleasing millions of gallons of water which flooded the Rhur valley wherethe giant Krupps Armaments works were, which was a big blow toGermany’s arms production. Eight Lancasters failed to get back, and insubsequent raids 31 of the original “Dambusters” Squadron lost their lives inaction. We salute the late Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, DFC. LesBridgewater.

12

‘Digger’ ArticleThis ‘Digger’ article comes from the same magazine as the Tiglath articles.The references to Solihull below, are references to Knowle URC:

Spring is almost here after what seemed a very longwinter. Our first task is to examine the garden to seewhat damage has been done during the last fewmonths. High winds may have loosened tall plantsand newly planted trees and shrubs. These all needfirming and, where necessary, a light dressing offertiliser should be given. Where suitable conditionsexist, any rough digging should be completed to allow

late frosts to break-up clods of earth and kill any underlying pests. I wasalways advised to garden, not by the date, but by existing weather conditions.If we do plant seeds a little later than it says on the packet the plants willgrow, as warmer conditions set in, and nothing will be lost.

I have a very large Camellia in my garden. Sometimesit flowers as early as December. This year it did notshow its beauty until the beginning of February, but itis always worth waiting for. Our readers may besurprised to know that we supply this magazine to anaddress on the Moray Firth in the north of Scotlandand also to Solihull in the West Midlands. My friendsin Scotland belong to the Scottish Episcopal church,which is in communion with our Anglican church.

On March 16th I asked them what flowers werein bloom in their gardens. I was rather surprisedto learn that they had snowdrops, hellebores,miniature daffodils and crocus in full bloom. Ourfriends in Solihull, who belong to the UnitedReformed Church, have crocus and snowdropsand are waiting for the daffodils. The Scottishpeople have had very little snow and live close tothe North Sea. Solihull is far from the sea and has

had quite lot of snow this Winter (see our centre pages. Graham Tall).

13

A Journey Through the Bible with Tiglath. 53.The First Book of Kings, Chapter 2 to Chapter 5

As Chapter 2 begins David is on the point of death.He gives his son Solomon some advice, telling him towalk in the ways of the Lord and to keep His statutes,commandments, judgements and testimonies. Davidalso instructs his son to kill his (David’s) enemies,namely Joab who has killed his army captains Abnerand Amasa; also, as David had promised not to killhim, Solomon was to kill Shimei who had once put aterrible curse on David. Then David died and wasburied in Bethlehem. He had reigned for forty years

—seven years in Hebron and thirty three in Jerusalem.Youmay recall that before the death of David, Abonijah, one ofSolomon’s brothers, tried to seize the Kingdom. This mannow approaches Bathsheba, the wife of Solomon and asksher to request Solomon that he be allowed to marry Abishagthe Shun-ammite. (She was the woman who attempted towarm up David in his extreme old age.) When Solomonheard her request he was most sarcastic (verse 22). Instead ofallowing Adonijah to marry, Solomon had him put to deathby the hand of Benaiah. The next traitor to be killed on Solomon’s orders at thehand of Benaiah was Joab. Do read this chapter in detail, and especially whathappened to Shimei (verses 36 to 46). Again, Benaiah did the killing. Chapter 2begins by telling us that Solomon cemented a relationship with Egypt bymarrying Pharoah’s daughter. There then follows a description of Solomon’sfamous dream (verses 5 to 14). Solomon’s gift of wisdom was soon put to the testin the story of the two women who claimed a baby as their own.It is all set out in verses 16 to 27. Chapter 4 makesinteresting reading. It tells of how with twelve officials, thefeeding of the king’s household was organised. Verses 22and 23 describe the provisions in the royal household forone day. Verse 20 says ‘Judah and Israel dwelt safely,every man under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-she-ba, all the days of Solomon’. The remainder of chapter 4describes Solomon’s great wisdom; also he was author andcomposer. Verse 32 tells us that ‘he spake three thousand proverbs and his songswere a thousand and five’. The Book of Proverbs is supposed to have beenwritten by Solomon.Next month we shall see in Chapter 5 how they begin to build the greatestconstruction of Solomon’s reign, namely the Temple in Jerusalem.14

RotasVestry and Communion EldersSun May 5th Kath ValeSun May 12th Terry DickerSun May 19th Isobel RobertsonSun May 26th Graham Tall & Mary KirwanSun Jun 2nd Diana Dicker

Door StewardsMay 5th Graham & Stephenie TallMay 12th Mary Kirwan & Chris SmithMay 19th Jenny Scott & Christine HarfootMay 26th Sue Heatley & Pat McKeeJun 2nd Judy Preece & Sue Bateman

Flower RotaMay 5th MauvineMay 12th JennyMay 19th GlenysMay 26th Kath

Lectionary ReadingsMay 5th Judy Preece Acts 16; 9-15 John 14; 23-29May 12th Fiona Kellond Acts 16; 16-34 John 17; 20-26May 19th Jan Richardson Acts 2; 1-21 John 14; 8-17May 26th Stephenie Tall Pvbs 8; 1-4, 22-31 Rmns 5; 1-5Jun 2nd Pat McKee 1Kings 18; 20/1, 30/9 Galtns 1; 1-12

Junior Church HelpersMay 5 - 26. Judy Glenys/Jemma

Fun AnswersQ 1 Alfred the Grate!Q 2 Name that tuna!

No duty is more important than that of giving thanksIf you have insomnia, don’t lose any sleep over it!Some folk are born fools, but the majority of us become so through practice!

15

Church DiarySun May 5th 9.30 am Fiona ElvinsWed May 8th 7.30 pm Elders MeetingSun May 12th 9.30 am Michael PlattSat May 11th 9.30 am Gardening Work PartySun May 19th 9.30 am Congregational Service Whit Sunday

11.15 am Prayer FellowshipSat May 25th Social evening with Gabriella

– the Ukuele LadySun May 26th 9.30 am Rev. Richard Alford Communion

Trinity SundaySun Jun 2nd 9.30 am To be advised

DatesMay is National Mental Health/Stroke Awareness MonthApril 29th – May 4th Solihull On Stage present Sweeny Todd at

Solihull Arts CentreMay 6th Bank HolidayMay 12th – 18th Christian Aid WeekMay 12th Knowle Fun Run. Reminder some roads will be closedMay 20th National Vegetarian WeekMay 27th Spring Bank Holiday

Digbeth In The Field URCMon May 6th 10.00 am till 1 pm Car Boot Sale. Refreshments

available.Sat May 18th 10.00am Coffee Morning in aid of Christian AidThur May 30th 9.30 am till 11.30 am Coffee Morning, supporting

Rainbows Children’s Hospice.

Articles for June Magazine to be with Mary by May 19th please.

16