‘Faithful Friends to the Community Caring for God’s Creation’

Streetly Methodist Church

Newsletter

www.streetlymethodistchurch.org.uk

December 2017 --- --

February 2018

1

Dear Friends, Christmas is very near and each person will approach the season with a different sense of feelings. But that has always been the case. When we look at the gospel accounts we see that those involved in the Nativity all had different feelings as they approached Bethlehem. Some people want nothing to do with Christmas. They just can’t believe the account of the birth of Jesus. Joseph too was a sceptic. When Mary told him of the visit of the angel and her part in God’s plan of salvation he could not believe. Even when visited by the angel he still struggled to believe. Some people are totally prepared weeks in advance. Their Christmas celebrations run with military precision. But sometimes in their quest for the perfect Christmas they miss the truth of the simple act of love at the heart of the Christmas story. The Magi were prepared for this great event. They had scanned the heavens, read obscure parchments and travelled many miles, but at the last missed the point that the Messiah was not to be born in a king’s palace but in a humble stable. For some people Christmas sneaks up on them when they realise that it is just a few days before Christmas Eve. They go into panic mode. The Shepherds in the fields were not thinking about the coming Messiah when they were confronted by the angel with the great news that the Messiah is born. They were terrified, eventually grabbing the nearest present they could, a lamb, and set off to Bethlehem. Finally, there is Mary who does not fully understand what is happening but accepts her situation with a sense of peace. We all can envy those people who can enjoy Christmas without worry or anxiety! The great miracle of Christmas is that when they all left Bethlehem - Mary, the Shepherds, the Magi and Joseph - each person was changed in some way. So, whether we are sceptical or accepting, a Christmas control freak or a last minute shopper, may we too be changed by our Christmas experience this year. Christmas blessings to you, Alan Revd Dr Alan Smithson

2

… to Alison Brown and Fiona Sale

Merry Christmas!

The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God

C S Lewis

3

Take Time Take time to think – it is the source of power

Take time to read – it is the foundation of wisdom

Take time to play – it is the secret of staying young

Take time to be quiet – it is an opportunity to seek God

Take time to be aware – it is the opportunity to help others

Take time to love and be loved – it is God’s greatest gift

Take time to laugh – it is the music of the soul

Take time to be friendly – it is the road to happiness

Take time to dream – it is what the future is made of

Take time to pray – it is the greatest power on earth

‘There is a time for everything…’ Ecclesiastes 3:1

collected by Mary Cooksey

We raised £555 for

at the fashion show

Thank you!

4

Our Beautiful Church At the EcoFestival, we displayed three drawings of the Church and its grounds kindly lent by their artist, Hamish Simpson. Hamish writes, “I came to Streetly in the 1950’s, before the crossroads was replaced with God’s roundabout. I have admired the trees in that area ever since, although time and the roundabout have thinned them out a little. I have three drawings – you are welcome to use them.”

Left: 1959 ink sketch drawn from what was at the time Streetly crossroads. Below: 1970 pencil drawing of Streetly crossroads. The church entrance is on the left. His 1991 ink drawing of the church is now used on the weekly notice-sheet.

One step at a time I love my piano! At school I played both the recorder and the treble recorder and learned how to read music but then things went quiet for me on the music front. That all changed some 7 or 8 years ago when Peter Johnstone put up a notice offering to give piano lessons. I signed up. Whilst playing didn't come naturally, I persevered for twelve months or so until Peter moved out of the area and my lessons came to an end. I even invested a bonus from work to buy an electric piano. Peter gave me the names of one or two piano teachers who could take over from him but time moved on and I never followed them up. Fast forward to two years ago and I was having coffee at a local craft centre with Carol, one of my friends. A new music shop was about to open on-site and piano lessons were once more on offer. Carol said she would love to learn and I didn't take much convincing. And so we both signed up for joint lessons with the Partridge Brothers! After twelve months both Carol and I passed our Grade 1 piano exam. We're now working on our Grade 2 with Sam, our current piano-teacher. I love learning new things and I practice two or three times a week. It's a challenge but I find it so refreshing to do something different after a day at work in front of a computer. The pieces we learn for our piano grades are mostly classical but from time to time Sam will ask us to choose something we like. Currently, we're working on a song by Adele. Sam challenges us to look at a piece of music before we start trying to play it. What's the timing? What's the music asking us to do? He encourages us to look at the sharps and the flats, the loud parts and the quiet to get a feel for the music and an understanding of what the composer is trying to convey. My daughter Sophie wanders into the front room to listen from time to time and on rare occasions I'll play for my family. However, my most challenging public performance to date has been a duet with Peter, my original piano-teacher, during a church talent show. At first I was nervous but when I started playing I forgot people were there! What connections do I see between my spiritual life and learning to play the piano? It's often a challenge but it's nice when it's in harmony! I find a peacefulness in music; it can transport me anywhere. When I'm playing a waltz I can picture elegant ladies in beautiful dresses gliding round the dance-floor. To sum up, it's not easy work but you can get there ... one step at a time. Jenny Wilkes was in conversation with Simon Ramshaw.

6

Money, Money, Money How can we be confident that the Methodist Church practices what it preaches when it comes to money? The Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (JACEI) makes sure that Methodist Church investments are in line with our moral and ethical teaching, such as not investing in companies that profit from alcohol, gambling, pornography or the arms trade. The JACEI has, for example: w assessed oil and gas companies against the ‘Climate change: Implications for different fuels’ policy, leading to divestment from three companies and listing of a further six for exclusion from investment w added SOCO, an international oil and gas exploration and production company, to the ‘excluded’ list for failing to meet its environmental and human rights standards

Find out more at: www.cfbmethodistchurch.org.uk/ethics. Streetly Methodist Church uses the CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) Bank. CAF Bank was established specifically to serve the needs of charities and any profits are given back to the not-for-profit sector. Last year the CAF Bank donated £3,839,000 to the Charities Aid Foundation. If you would like to find out more about how your own finances can be ethically managed, a good website to start with is: www.yourfaithyourfinance.org.

7

Eco Matters Our EcoFestival on 23rd September was a great success – music, food, woodland crafts, interesting stalls and a ride-on railway were enjoyed by dozens of visitors.

We welcomed pilgrims on the Walk of Friendship from St Chad to St Chad. Sutton Park Ranger Matthew Barker planted

a rowan tree by the gate on Thornhill Road.

Put the date of next year’s festival in your diary – 29th September 2018 – and let us know what you would like to add to the day.

8

On 6 November 1217, the Charter of the Forest was signed by King Henry III and issued in St Paul’s Cathedral. It was a companion document to the Magna Carta, which dealt with the rights of the barons, and was vitally important to the ‘common man’ as it restored peoples’ rights of access to royal forests to forage for food, graze animals and collect firewood. It was read out in churches across the land. To celebrate the 800th Anniversary, we organised the planting of a sessile oak tree in Sutton Park by Cllr David Pears, Mayor of Sutton Coldfield. He was helped by Head Park Ranger Danny Squires and the ceremony was witnessed by Christopher Pincher, MP for Tamworth and Little Aston, representatives of FOSPA and Eco Sutton, as well as members of Streetly Methodist Church.

Our tree is one of 800 planted around the country to celebrate the new Charter for Trees, Woods and People. You can read a copy of the Charter in Sutton Park Visitor Centre and add your signature of support. We have gathered more than 600 signatures. The RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood Scheme awarded us ‘Thriving’ again this year! All our efforts have added to our eco-credentials and we have submitted our application for a silver EcoChurch award. EcoChurch are clearly pleased with our progress and commissioned Diana to write an article about our eco-activities that features in the latest EcoChurch magazine.

9

I have found a where I feel very

My name is Gill Hallsworth. In 2015 my world fell apart when, while wheeling me out of the Christmas Service, my husband complained of breathing problems. It was two days before he would agree to call the paramedics. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and rushed to Good Hope hospital. He was sedated and we were never able to talk again. I had to agree to the life support being turned off on Twelfth Night. After a ghastly 12 days of Christmas I now dread this time of year.

I started attending a bereavement group at another church the following March but it was hindering rather than helping me and eventually I started to see a psychiatrist. I was determined to get out to meet people. My friend Veronica told me about Streetly Methodist’s Place of Welcome so I ventured out the next Saturday morning and nervously arrived. “Hello. Welcome” and already I was at my ease. The general conversation and individuals getting to know me soon made me feel comfortable. Since then I think I have only missed one session in nearly two years. I was invited to a Christmas lunch, which was hard, but again I met a very cheerful crowd of helpers and diners. I am in a wheelchair but I have seen the EcoGarden in various seasons. Although I have ‘paraquat fingers’, I am the daughter of a prize winning dahlia grower and it was lovely to see the enthusiasm and dedication of the EcoGarden team. I have also attended the two EcoFestivals. The members of the congregation have a mass of different experiences and have done so many types of work. I found we had so much in common from places we have lived, holidays we have had and other experiences. As you talk there are so many shared experiences. I am amazed how they cope with adversity through their faith. It makes me feel ashamed when I cry. I found I knew many members of the Welcoming group by sight and even recognised teenagers who now were married with families, as well as others who have not changed a bit over the years. Many of them are friends who stay in touch regularly, although I am horrified to admit that I cannot always remember names - or is that my age?

10

The Bowls Club Annual Dinner The Bowling Club had their Annual Dinner on Saturday 21st October at the Druids Heath Golf Club. This is the occasion when the winners of the club competitions receive their trophies. Revd Alan Smithson was in attendance.

Jean Ham from Blackwood won the Ladies Singles Cup and Val Williams was the runner-up.

Alma O’Brien with her partner Graham Macefield won the Mixed Doubles Trophy. Congratulations all!

It has been hard to go to church with so many bad memories but last Christmas I booked a place for lunch at New Oscott Village. We had a very simple carol and communion service given by a retired minister and his blind wife who live there. Afterwards I found myself sharing a table with them and their friends. I had already been going to New Oscott for some time as a friend of the Village and had got to know residents. Buoyed by my experience of Streetly, I joined them with more bravery. Recently my seemingly eternal wait for a flat at New Oscott Village finished. I was excited to be able to tell my Streetly friends that I would just have to go through some interviews with the various team members before the offer was approved. I cried as I was reporting this and one Welcome member said ‘If you can’t cry with your friends, when can you?’ Very much appreciated. But I now have a dilemma. They serve Saturday brunch at New Oscott - bacon, sausage, eggs etc. The question is ‘Do I want a cooked breakfast or coffee, cake and chat with my friends at Streetly?’ I think it might be the latter.

11

Circuit Refugee Group The next meeting is on 14th December at Revd Stephen Willey’s house, 98 Orphanage Road, Erdington B24 9HX. Amongst other issues, the Rohingya refugee crisis will be discussed. All are welcome. Rosie Rayner

Our toy service is on December 3rd. Every Christmas, Birmingham City Mission gives gifts to 3,000 children in our city. Many of these children would otherwise not receive any Christmas presents. The BCM Christmas Toy Distribution has been running for nearly 50 years.

On 16th February 2018, spend a Friday night out in a cardboard box to raise money for BCM’s work with the homeless and find out what it’s really like to sleep rough. The Sleepout will take place in BCM’s HQ car park at The Clock Tower, 2 Langdon Street, Birmingham B9 4BP. If you would like to collect sponsorship online, the most cost effective way is through www.mydonate.bt.com. My Donate does not charge or take any percentage of what is donated. The Sleepout is registered as an organised event and you can set up your own fundraising page to raise money for it. For a sponsor form or more information, call 0121 766 6603 or email: office@birminghamcitymission.co.uk

WANTED! Items for the next edition of this Newsletter

Please send them to: hughrayner@gmail.com

12

Flower Rota - Thank you! December 3rd Nicola Batchelor 10th Jean Bottrill 17th Edna Steele 24th Alma O’Brien 31st Alison Brown January 7th Enid Dickson

14th Rosemary Tudor 21st Alison Brown 28th Audrey Deakin

February 3rd Hilary Hartshorn 11th Val Williams 17th Jill McHale & Brenda 25th Lucy Cooper

Social Events As Wendy and I are spending a lot of time in Cardiff with our son David in December, I have had to postpone the Christmas lunch at Pacific Nurseries. However, I am hoping to arrange a lunch there after the new extension to the cafe has been completed in February. Please book with Tricia McEvoy for the Streetly Singers concerts in the church on Friday and Saturday 8th and 9th of December. The pantomime at AYT is ‘Humpty Dumpty’ and I have booked seats for Friday January 19th starting at 7.30pm. Please pay me for the tickets you have requested. If anyone has any late requests for tickets, please let me have them as soon as possible. Any queries? Ring me, George Ellis, on 07976 093769.

13

Monday Fellowship Starts at 2.30pm in the Parlour – Contact Jean Youdell 0121 308 1885

December 4th ‘The life of a bizz-jet pilot’ – Lucy Youdell

11th Christingle, carols and readings – Jean Youdell 18th Christmas meal

In-Betweens Starts at 7.30pm in the Parlour – Contact Alison Brown 0121 373 3823 December 12th Christmas Supper January 9th Members Evening

23rd Highbury Theatre – ‘Boeing Boeing’ February 13th Panama Canal cruise - Alison Brown

27th Knitting Birmingham - Lin Jenks

14

Sunday Services Worship from 10.30am

December 3rd Revd Stephen Froggatt – Toy Service

10th Revd Alan Smithson - Communion 17th Peter Cashmore

Christmas Services Friday 22nd December

7.30pm Nine Lessons and Carols – The Half Circle Singers

Christmas Eve Sunday 24th

10.30am Carols and Contemplations led by Simon Ramshaw 4pm Christingle led by Jean and Lucy Youdell and Revd Alan Smithson

Christmas Day Monday 25th

10.30am Morning Service led by Colin and Liz Topliss

December 31st United Service at Four Oaks

January 7th Revd Alan Smithson – Covenant Service

14th Clive Thursfield

21st Kirsten Newman

28th Revd Alan Smithson

February 4th Yvette Morgan

11th Revd Alan Smithson - Communion

18th Sue Hall

6pm Circuit Service at South Parade

25th John Rutherford