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Epsom United Reformed ChurchNewsletter for July 2004 |
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Alan Wood May I remind you about the revised publication dates for the next issues of the NewsLetter. This July/August issue hopefully will see you through until the middle of August when the August/September issue will be done. That issue should contain information relevant up to 10th October and will be published on 15th August; the copy date will be 8th August. We’ll be back to normal at the end of September, with a copy date of 26th September and publication date of 3rd October. And the reason for these arrangements? Read on! ALAN’S MADVENTURE! I have given myself my own page, click here, to advertise a Sponsored Cycle Ride that I’m doing with a school friend. All the details are there, and you surely all know about the Princess Alice Hospice. Please be generous! And feel free to take a Sponsor Form round to your friends. Thank you. CONGRATULATIONS to Valerie on gaining her 20-year Long Service Award for the Brownies. We remember a year or so back when she got her 30-year Long Service Award for the Boys’ Brigade. So that makes . . . ! But no, these sentences run concurrently! THANKS to my Assistant Photographers, Joe and Valerie. It is due to them that you have photographs of Family Day. But nobody had submitted a description of Family Day! Valerie offered, but she already does reports for Anchor Boys and Brownies. So come on, the rest of you – as I have said before, ‘I can’t make bricks without straw’! THE EURO 2004 FINAL is being played today (4th July). It is an appropriate date to re-print (courtesy BBC On-Line) an article ‘Matches Made in Heaven’ from the BBC Magazine Website. There’s a lot of food for thought there, I think. I will be pleased to print your comments – if I get any! THERE IS ANOTHER in our occasional Caption Competition series, this time with a variation on the theme. Get your thinking caps on and astound us all with your wit!
WEBSITE HIT COUNTER: Last month I wondered who
was reading the website, which had recorded 220 hits since 22nd
April. I got an email from a guy in New Malden URC, who told me that
he enjoyed reading the NewsLetter, and that it was good to see a
website kept up-to-date. Thanks for that. The counter now stands at
322! So thanks to my readers, wherever you are! Enjoy this month's
magazine!! We are sorry to report that Mrs. Mabel Beardsley passed away on 23rd June at Epsom General Hospital. The committal will be on Monday, July 12th, at 1:15 p.m. at Randalls Park. The Reverend Geoffrey Dunstan will conduct the service. Our thoughts are very much with Sybil, who remains in hospital. As you may be sure, Sybil is very cheerful and positive, and thanks all for their cards and good wishes. While Del is in Appleby House for two weeks, Lynne is staying with Ceri and Susan. A short time away will be very beneficial for her; she is tired and needs to recharge her batteries! Charles continues to make excellent progress. He is managing very well and is driving the car again. We are sure that he is enjoying the extra mobility the car brings him. It has been good to have Phyl back with us and looking better – and we thank her for her input to this NewsLetter. We hope the negotiations regarding the move will proceed smoothly. And while on this moving subject, we earnestly hope
that Gwyneth, who has been waiting so patiently (?) for so many
long months, will soon get her green light. Musings from the Manse Dear Folks, I have just counted the number of times that I have moved in my life. After I got to 12, I stopped counting! Of course, many of these moves involved accommodations while attending university, so it is not so bad as it looks. However, I remember many of those moves because moving is hard work. Each time, I would go through things and get rid of what was useless. The rest would be boxed up and taken to my next place or to my parents’ home. Gradually over the years the amount of stuff I had increased, and I have learned that you have to be ruthless in throwing away the things that are no longer needed. Sometimes I have to go through things more than once before I decide that I can let go of something, but when I really do let go of it, I feel hugely relieved. Sometimes I have to do this with my plans, or the way I have always done things. Sometimes things need to be changed or dropped all together. I think this is something that we have to do in the church, too. What are the things we do best that work and are good, that we need to hang on to? What things do we have that aren’t doing us any favours? Are there things that need to be recycled or taken to the tip? What are the things that make us distinctively the United Reformed Church? Have we any routines and habits that just don’t cut it with today’s world? What things need changing, and what things do we need to keep? Let’s think about it! Pat From the Church Secretary June was a month with many meetings, starting with a joint meeting with the Ewell Elders. The main topic was the future of the Evening Services. We had some excellent discussion, and the outcome of this will be discussed at the next Church Meeting. We also spoke about the Highlights of the last few months since Pat has been with us. We all agreed that the main highlight for both Churches has been Pat’s pastoral care and the time she has spent home visiting; this has been greatly appreciated by everyone. The Epsom Elders have been busy discussing our future as a congregation and what changes we might need to introduce. To that end we are meeting with our Moderator Rev. Nigel Uden on Monday 12th July. Please think and pray for us and this Meeting, that we might make plans for the future, which will gain the enthusiastic and sympathetic support of everyone. On Sunday 11th July there will be no
Evening Service at Epsom. Pat and some members will be attending
a District Event at Kingston U.R.C. entitled ‘Godly Play –
Communicating the Bible to Children’. You are invited to join with
our friends at the Epsom Baptist Church for Evening Worship. Extracts from the minutes of the Wimbledon District Council Meeting held at Twickenham U.R.C. on the 8th June. The meeting was chaired by the District President with 58 members and visitors present. Opening Devotions were led by the President. Mission Support Group: Lou Ashford announced that the 'Walk Thru the Bible' course has had to be cancelled due to lack of support. A questionnaire would be sent to all Church Secretaries asking where their church was on the mission cycle. Youth & Children's Work: Emily Young reported that a youth event 'Grassrootz' would be taking place on Saturday 10th July in Kent. There was information in the Church Envelopes. There was one place available for an observer to FURY Assembly. Contact Emily if interested. Websites: Some churches had still not sent in forms: they were needed. Nominations: A Treasurer and a Property Person were urgently needed. A letter would be sent out to all churches who were asked to let Sylvia Back know of anyone willing to take on either of these jobs for 3 years. Evangelism: Revd Robin Wood from 'Home Evangelism' explained the history and the present work of this movement, which was interdenominational. He felt that Evangelism was the 'Cinderella' activity of church life, and they existed to help churches go out to the people where they were and share their faith in the hope that they would be encouraged to become part of a local church. Much of the work was door-to-door visiting but they had resources available. John Stewart had details. Lay Preaching Support Group: Jenny Snashall introduced Janice Thompson who had completed all the requirements to be a District Recognised Lay Preacher. The President presented her with her certificate. Pastoral Committee Report: Ernest Yu was to be ordained and inducted as Associate Minister (Mission & Outreach) to Trinity, Wimbledon, to develop a ministry to Chinese people in the District. The meeting concurred with this call and the Ordination would take place on 25th September. David Howell would be the District Link Person for St Andrews, Balham, working with Bob Allan. Council agreed to break the linkage between Bookham URC and Christ Church, Leatherhead and concurred with the call of Revd Dean Tapley to Leatherhead, initially on 100% basis until the additional 1/3 work be found in District or Synod. Rev Bruce Stuart would continue to be the Interim Moderator for Bookham. Revd Nigel Uden then explained that a working party had been established, convened by Revd Donald Elliott, to consider ministry to London. Thames North and Southern Synods were to work jointly on this project. Concern over the closure of churches had been shown by the District in recent years and it might be that Revd Dean Tapley could be one of those considered to contribute to this piece of work. Following discussion on deployment and financial issues Council affirmed that the work on this matter should go ahead, and supported the Synod Moderators as they continue to finalise the details. Pastoral Consultation for Mission Report: John Henderson thanked Geoff Hunt for his work as past convener. Visits to Streatham and Bookham had taken place recently and Tooting would be visited in August. The team were addressing the needs of churches and of Council in these visits. Church Secretaries would be asked for nominations so that a more representative group of visitors was available. [See Below] Induction of Revd Terry Sparks as President of Wimbledon District Council: David Howell spoke of his time as President and introduced Terry as someone who had vision and was able to see opportunities. David inducted Terry and led the meeting in prayer. Terry signed the District Bible and accepted the chalice. He spoke of his hopes for his time of Presidency, enhancing and building relationships with God; a music group from the churches in Terry's pastorates then led the members in lively songs of praise. Terry Sparks as President then took the chair. Secretary's Report: Council agreed that the dates of meeting for 2005 should be 26th January, 13th April, 22nd June and 19th October. It was agreed to approve the appointment of David Howell as the final District General Assembly Representative for 2004. Mr John Latham had been appointed as Local Lay Church Leader for Hampton Hill: Council concurred with this call. David Howell and Jeanette Chamberlain had met with Revd Steve Chalke in April when he explained the new organisational structure of the Christ Church & Upton Chapel/Oasis Trust partnership. Jeanette attended the service on Sunday 6th July when Simon Johnston was ordained as minister and took part in the ordination as a representative of the URC. Simon and the other five leaders of the various groups, in which ministry there is now organised, were then inducted. The members of the fellowship at CCUC all seem quite at ease with the change in and growth of their church. We have been asked by the Synod to bring to your notice the recently updated document on the good practice of safeguarding children and young people in the church, a copy of which has been sent to all churches. The meeting closed with the grace at 9.45pm. Pastoral Consultation for Mission Sheila has received a letter from John Henderson inviting people to join this panel: The panel has diminished over the years due to retirements and removals, and we would welcome some more visitors, especially younger people, and from inner city churches. What is involved? Each church in the District is consulted about every five years to exchange views, share achievements and problems, and discuss plans for the future. It is a great opportunity for both the church and the District to get to know each other better. The Consultation team is usually three or four people, ideally a mix of ordained and lay, from the inner-city and the suburbs, young and less young. This helps us to relate better, but it does need a larger panel than we have at present. With a full panel, a visitor will be asked to visit only once every one or two years, and I shall be glad to explain how the visit is planned; no special attributes are required! Your church may already be well represented on the panel, but if not, can you suggest any members who may be prepared to join us in this interesting, and worthwhile, service? Please see Sheila if you think you can help. FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT It was not so long ago, in March, that the last Fairtrade Fortnight was held. Its aim was to make ordinary people aware of the issues affecting poorer countries and how they can help. While statistics are not yet to hand for this year, something might be said here about the 2003 campaign. During that fortnight over 5000 events were organised nationally, including the Archbishop of Canterbury's Fairtrade Pancake Race in the Cathedral Cloisters, tasting stands, visits from Fairtrade producers, cooking demonstrations, parliamentary debates and more. Sales and awareness shot up. In Waitrose, for example,
sales were up 31% from Fairtrade Fortnight. Meanwhile the Fairtrade
Towns Project exploded. By December 2003, 31 towns had reached their
goals for increasing awareness and sales of Fairtrade goods. More
towns worked hard to try and get to the target. Perhaps we are not
able to promote such energetic efforts, but we can continue to pursue
our efforts to look out for new Fairtrade goods in the shops and to
keep using them whenever we can. Every little helps. Dovecote News 
JULY 2004 BOOK OF THE MONTH :`FINDING MY FEET` - £7-99 Paperback the autobiography of Jason Robinson. Read about Jason Robinson's life and also his extraordinary turnaround from hard drinking to a born-again Christian and dedicated family man. This new edition includes all the drama and action of the World Cup 2003. BOOKS: There are £2 reductions off over 30 titles, including bestsellers and children’s books. There are also £1and £3 reductions … … and one £5 reduction to ONLY £0.99: ‘LEFT BEHIND’ : In one cataclysmic moment, millions around the globe disappear. Vehicles, suddenly unmanned, careen out of control. People are terror stricken as loved ones vanish before their eyes. In the midst of global chaos, airline captain Rayford Steele must search for his family, for answers, for truth. As devastating as the disappearances have been, the darkest days may lie ahead. This is Book 1 in the best-selling apocalyptic fiction series. These are available while stocks last. AN INVITATION TO A BARBECUE Your Hosts: Pat and Peter Where: The Manse, 8 Windmill Avenue, Epsom KT17 1LL When: Saturday, 17th July 2004 Time: 18:30 for 19:00 (6:30 p.m. for 7 p.m. in old money!) Cost: £5.00 (children aged 11 and under £2:50) Proceeds: Donated to the Parkinson’s Diseas Signing On: Please add your name to the list in the Church foyer. Help would be appreciated in setting up and cooking. Please liaise with Pat or Peter. Special Attraction: Guided tours of the new Garden
Shed! Family Day The weather was not looking very hopeful when we arrived at Hessle Top, but it was warm, so most of us decided to brave the outdoors for our picnic lunch.
In fact we had all managed to eat our lunch, and the younger members had been able to kick a ball around before the first few raindrops fell and we all scuttled inside.
Once settled on various seats inside we were treated to a bowl of ice cream. Later the ladies of the Women’s Church Council served each of us with a cup of tea and a grand variety of fruit-breads and cakes.
As Family Day was also John Wood’s 70th birthday, the occasion could not go unrecognised, and so we all gathered in the conservatory, where we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to John as he cut his special birthday cake. After we had eaten our piece of cake it was time for the epilogue. Pat thanked all our hosts, Jock, Evelyn, Phyllis and Morgan for their very kind hospitality and said a short prayer before we all said the Grace to each other.
Then we tried to make our departure. Unfortunately, by this time there had been a cloudburst and it was virtually impossible to set a foot outside until the rain had subsided! Despite the fact the weather had not been perfect,
this year’s Family Day was a very successful one and was an
extremely happy occasion. Our grateful thanks go to Jock, Evelyn and
Phyllis for being the perfect hosts, and special thanks to Morgan who
put up with us all; I hope he has recovered from his fright! WOMEN OF BANGLADESH You are, no doubt, aware that Bangladesh is the region to which we as a church have dedicated most of our Commitment for Life contribution. It is a very poor country with few resources to be able to build up any kind of national economy. With no minerals and few products but those from farming, there is no basis for industrial development. Farmers' incomes are abysmally low and mainly go on repairing what the annual floods destroy in the way of embankments and flood protection. Under these conditions the status of women is almost non-existent and they have no decision-making powers in any family matters or their reproductive health. They do most of the work of the family, but have to face lots of misery. Sonia Afri who reports to us on progress in remote villages says that this is the real face of the country. One way in which Commitment for Life agencies try to
help villagers is to set up workshops to train people in skills which
can bring in some income to the family and thus to build up some
confidence and hope for a better life. In a number of cases this is
deliberately aimed at women’s participation. HIVAIDS, the project
for establishing skills, is thereby endeavouring to reduce the
discrimination against women by empowering women to find interest in
productive work, which can also generate income, thus earning some
respect as useful contributors from their menfolk. Drain Investigation The promised further inspection of our drains took place on 1st July. With the gas monitor bleeping away, indicating a safe environment, our two intrepid engineers lifted the manhole and entry to the chamber was effected. A large amount of root material from the bay tree, about the size of a football, was pulled out of the chamber, and the chamber was thoroughly washed down. The CCTV camera on its long umbilical cable was passed
along the drainpipe, about as far as the side door to the flower room,
a distance of some 32m. Also investigated was the outflow pipe to the
main sewer running down Church Street. A VHS recording of the
condition of the inside of the drainpipes was made, for later viewing. Initial reports are good, in that the drainpipes
appear sound, that the tree roots are currently only growing through
the brickwork of the manhole, and that the pipes themselves appear
sound. We await official confirmation of this following further
analysis of the CCTV evidence. However, we expect that we have been
saved from having to dig up the car park and replace the drainpipes! We have caught this threat in time, before too much damage could be caused: but the situation will not improve, and the tree roots will continue to grow. The F&GP will shortly be planning the removal of the bay tree, so that expensive drainage repairs can be avoided. It’s rather ironic, after trying to prune it, then being told that we couldn’t touch it as there was a Preservation Order on it, then being told to prune it following a complaint from a member of the public, and then getting the tree surgeons in to do the pruning! And now . . . ! So the word is . . . GET YOUR BAY LEAVES NOW!! JOIN THE PEACEMAKERS! Even the best of neighbours can fall out with each other. The Mid-Surrey Mediation Service helps them resolve their differences. Mediators work in pairs, so they are never without support and back-up. Could you become one of them? Qualifications:
Training: Training is provided at weekends and at Surrey Police Headquarters. The next course starts in September. Want to know more? Please telephone 01372-363744 and speak to Joan Macalpine. COFFEE MORNING - Unity Hall, 17th July at 11:00 At last! The long-awaited Coffee Morning in
Unity Hall is almost upon us.. This gives the chance for those
who find difficulty in accessing the Longhurst Room to meet with their
friends over a cuppa on Church premises. Matches Made in Heaven [I am indebted to the BBC On-line Magazine for permission to reprint this article.] We're increasingly deserting the church in favour of the pitch. Players are gods, the stands are the pews, football is the new religion, and here's why. It was the national anthem that did it for me. The sight, before the latest English match, of crowds of fans, hands raised to the skies, some of them with eyes closed, singing their hearts out (and, as it happens, imploring God's salvation, though the words were probably irrelevant), it looked for all the world like worship in a Pentecostal superchurch. Admittedly, Christians tend to wear their crosses round their necks rather than on their faces, but otherwise it might easily have been a charismatic praise meeting where an unusual proportion just happened to be in red and white.It was then I realised - football is a religion. It doesn't just look like worship, it has taken over almost all the patterns of British life and behaviour that used to belong to Christianity. Hymns to sing Football provides the ritual of a weekend gathering for those who are truly committed. Those who are less devout can stay at home and watch Match of the Day, soccer's Songs of Praise. Football offers its adherents the annual calendar of fast and feast to shape their lives like the church year used to. September is football's Christmas, a joyful celebration of new birth after a season of expectant waiting that seems to begin earlier every year. The close of the season brings Easter's mix of grief and - if you're lucky - triumph, followed by the long Lenten period of summer. (Though as Euro 2004 reminds us, no one seems to fast very much these days.) The great festivals of soccer, like the FA Cup and European Championships, allow Christmas-and-Easter believers to get all the football we need for another year.Football has inherited all the tribalism of religion, giving followers something to belong to, bringing nations and communities together, and uniting them against the enemy - whether in physical violence or just chant. 'Gods' to worship Of course, churches tend to be rather friendlier to each other than rival soccer fans these days; but if you go to the right kind of church - the ones where worshippers act like England fans singing the national anthem - you can often hear songs that amount to telling the Devil "You're going home in a - ambulance". Football has liturgy ("They think it's all over..."), mysterious language (4-4-2, set pieces, sitting midfielders), songs of praise ("There's only one David Beckham") - and the terraces have even commandeered the church's tunes. There are holy mysteries for the initiated (the offside rule), and special clothes to set the professionals apart from the laity. The difference is that few Christians go to church wearing the vestments of their favourite priest. Football has its own mythology too, those stories that believers tell to explain their identity and history. Christians have the garden of Eden and the first Easter, England fans have Wembley 1966. You might assume one does not need any particular beliefs to be a football fan, but really it's all a matter of faith. Stadiums attract just as much superstition as churches, from pre-match rituals to lucky scarves. (Red) Devils to fear Strikers are told they have to believe they will score. And supporters of every team with the right number of syllables recite together the creed: "And it's [football te-am], [football te-am] FC,/We're by far the greatest team the world has ever seen". Every church is the one true church. Football even has its sacraments. There's the ceremonial bathing where defeated teams and disgraced players can wash away the stain of their fall - perhaps after televised confession and repentance. And when God's representative on earth raises up the cup for the adoration of the masses, is he the priest at Holy Communion, or the captain at the cup final? The sign of the cross There are sports specialist schools these days where, as in church schools, children can study in an environment that nurtures the values, principles and knowledge of football. But still the most common way of getting the religion of the pitch must be growing up in families where a love of the beautiful game is passed on from parents to children. The family that plays together stays together. And "parents to children" it is, these days, rather than "father to son". Both patriarchal institutions have opened their turnstiles to women to an unprecedented degree in the past couple of decades. The only question is which will be first, a woman bishop, or a woman commentator on Match of the Day? At his induction as player manager of the Church of England in 1991, George Carey quoted a saying of the great guru Bill Shankly, "Some people think football's a matter of life and death. I can assure them it is much more serious than that". He then went on to claim that Christianity was a bit like that too. The moral of the story? Christianity is almost as much a religion as football. Story from BBC NEWS: Published: 2004/06/22 09:27:57 GMT © BBC MMIV Evening Fellowship The AGM on 7th June was a very happy and successful affair, and was rounded off by excellent refreshments. The outing on Wednesday, 7th July, is to Denbies’ Vineyard for a Cream Tea; we will be leaving the church at 2 p.m. Transport will be available and everyone will be most welcome to join us. Please sign the list in the foyer on Sunday! As you will have seen, the curtain rails have been replaced in
the Longhurst Room and the curtains have been rehung.
Women’s Church Council The June Coffee Morning realised £100:00 for the Macmillan Nurses; our gratitude to all who generously gave their support. On 13th July, between 10:30 and 12:00, the chosen charity to be supported at our Coffee Morning will be the ‘British Kidney Patient Association’. We would like to give a worthy amount, it being the first time this charity will have received our support. I attach a message from the President, Mrs. Elizabeth Despard Ward, OBE, Hon LLD, gleaned from their website, http://www.britishkidney-pa.co.uk: ‘I founded the British Kidney Patient Association in 1975
after my son Timbo was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 13 years. At
that time there was no national association concerned with the plight of
Britain's kidney patients, many of whom were struggling to survive bitter blows
to their health, pride and finances by the need for thrice-weekly dialysis.
Kidney patients young and old now know they can turn to the BKPA for support,
advice and perhaps more importantly, financial help and a much needed break with
their families. Sadly, Timbo died following his third transplant but the work of
the BKPA continues and relies upon the caring and generosity of the many members
of the public anxious and willing to give their practical support. 12th Epsom Brownie Guide Pack The Brownies have been bringing in their plants and photographs of their plants so that they are able to earn their Gardener’s Badge; most of them have been doing very well. We have had an evening when the girls were told about garden safety and the use of some of the garden tools and how to store them. For Fathers’ Day the Brownies each made a card with a splendid car on it and decorated a small jar containing various chocolates for their Dads. Our Assistant, Katie Lardner, as part of her assessment to become a Guider, ran our meeting on 23rd June. She planned an evening of games, which we had intended to take place at the Court Recreation Ground, but as the weather had become very doubtful we held it as usual in Unity Hall. The Brownies all enjoyed the evening and Katie managed very well. For our meeting on 30th June, we had sent invitations to the 8th Epsom Brownies to join us so that our Brownies could act as hostesses and thereby earn their Hostess Badge. Our Brownies brought decorations and simple food to the meeting, and in their Sixes they planned some games that both Packs could play together. It was a very enjoyable evening and our girls all gained the badge. I was very surprised when Elaine Edwards, our District
Commissioner, also came to the beginning of the meeting; she came to present me
with my 20 year Service badge! Anchor Boys We were very disappointed to have only two boys at our meeting after half term, but the two we had spent a very enjoyable evening planting seeds and playing the percussion instruments. The following week we had our usual three boys, and for the first half hour two under-fives who wanted to see what we did. As Fathers’ Day was approaching, the boys each made a Fathers’ Day card, and using fabricrayons they each decorated a handkerchief. On 21st June we again had our usual three boys and they spent the evening learning about the life cycle of the butterfly, and then they each made their own fluttering butterfly, which they flew from the gallery. At our next meeting we had two boys and they
discovered a bit about various currencies, rubbed some coins and then
they each made a moneybox with a face on it. Well, not a Caption Competition exactly! But can you hazard a guess at what Sheila - suitably decked out for a wet Family Day - is holding in her box? Just one rule: use the STL form Sheila's box as initial letters for your guess as to what is in the box, for example, Steamed Trout's Legs. But I'm sure you can do better. A selection of entries will be published in the next issue.
Copy for the next issue of the NewsLetter should be with the Editor by 8th August for publication on 15th August 2004.
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