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Epsom United Reformed ChurchNewsletter for March 2008 |
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Alan Wood Many people were captivated by what our two Street Pastors said during the Morning Worship of 17th February. They had a presentation to run from a computer, which was shown on the screen as they talked about their work and their training. Some of the text of Sheila’s article on page 14 is taken from this presentation, it being the best way to tell people what they do. I commented to them afterwards that I thought that photographs of them at work could well enhance a presentation, and in a rash moment, offered to go out with them one night with my camera. They haven’t called me for this Friday, otherwise this NewsLetter would have been somewhat delayed! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - During January and February, while we have been holding Morning Worship in Unity Hall to save heating a large church, we have been having the words of the hymns, and even of responsive readings, projected onto the screen mentioned above. I have been asking members of the congregation whether they approve of this use of the technology for services. I am pleased to say that the response has been very positive. Some say it helps their singing, as they can sing with heads up, instead of down into a book. Others find the books rather heavy to hold, and find the words on the screen much easier to use. There are a few who still prefer to use their hymn book: they like to know how many verses there are in a hymn, so they know when they are coming to the last verse; there are quite a few who use the hymn book to read the music, and these people are very useful when the tune is unfamiliar. All in all, then, I will try to continue with projecting the words when we return to the church next month. This will no doubt be appreciated by some, and those that want to can still use their books. So everybody’s happy. To Marjorie, Mary and Sonia, we remember them with our love and prayers. It was great that Frank and Dorothy were able to join with us as we celebrated Peggy and Joe Wilson's Diamond Wedding Anniversary, with a lunch in Unity Hall. Colin is adjusting to his dietary changes following the diabetic diagnosis. Lily Moody remains in the New Cottage Hospital. We hope she will progress enough to have a ‘change of scene’ ere long. Lynne is always pleased to have a chat on the ’phone so if it is difficult to visit her, do give her a ring. Our sympathy we extend to Linda Jeeves and her family on the death of her father recently. We remember Sheila and George who will soon be back with us after a wonderful holiday with Simon, Sara, Abbie and Joel. Terry came home from St Thomas’s on Wednesday (20th Feb), and thanks everybody for their good wishes. Epsom Choral Society Concert - 8th March I believe that the church has never been so full!
With over a hundred performers and over
two hundred in the audience,
Fortunately, everything was OK in time for Sunday morning. I dropped in one day to see the Pre-School group in Unity Hall. I was warmly welcomed by the teachers, and the children were pleased to have a visitor. It is so good to have Unity Hall full of the sounds of children again, isn’t it? Best wishes to the group, and I look forward to meeting you again soon. By the way, have you noticed the state of the walkway down the side of the church to Unity Hall? It is full of weeds and other trash. I don’t think that we should leave it like that, do you? It gives a poor impression. What if we pulled the weeds and picked up the bits and pieces of paper, etc? Perhaps we could do something, like put in a few flower boxes? Who will look after them, I hear you asking. Well, perhaps we could ask a few of the regular users of the premises to sponsor one each, and be responsible for its upkeep. It is worth a try, isn’t it? The Brownies already do something toward this. I want to thank all those who have made worship in Unity Hall possible over the past two months. As with last year, it has been such a positive experience, largely due to the efforts of those who set up. And isn’t it wonderful, having the overheads with the words of the hymns? I especially want to thank Sheila Stredwick and Kathleen Hodgson for the keyboard accompaniment. Well done! Thanks also, of course, to Malcolm Saunders and Dennis Sexton who have helped us out over the past few months with keyboard and trumpet. We are nearly halfway through Lent, traditionally a time of reflection and self-denial. There is no one right way to observe Lent. I know that some of us do so by giving up something we like. Others prefer to ‘do something’. I think that there can be value in both, the most important thing is knowing when each is appropriate. However you choose to observe Lent, I hope that it is spiritually fulfilling and uplifting for others. Pat
EASTER AGAIN! And mighty early it is, too. Fancy celebrating it when, as the Book of Proverbs states, ‘March comes in like a lion...’ Why the festival can't be fixed on a Sunday, say towards the close of April, I cannot presume. But here's something to make you smile: A women's group were asked to bring eggs for an Easter service. The minister explained, “As you enter the church, ladies, will you please lay your eggs before the pulpit.” An ancient legend tells of a monk who is said to have found the crown of thorns that had encircled Jesus' head on the cross. It goes on to tell how this saintly man carried it into a church on a Good Friday morning and set it upon the altar. It looked ghastly, being rugged and stained with blood. It was no wonder his congregation turned away sick at its ugliness. But it was a true symbol of Good Friday. All the grave things of people's hearts which crucified the Lord, all the physical terrors and spiritual torture through which our Lord passed were indicated in the crown of thorns that he wore. Very early on Easter morning the monk hurried to the church to remove the symbol of suffering and death. He knew it would be strangely out of place in the glory of the resurrection day. Imagine his surprise, when entering, he found the place full of beauty. At first all he saw was the sun shining through a window directly upon the altar where the thorns lay. But the crown of thorns had undergone a marvellous transformation; the whole thing had blossomed into roses of the most delicate fragrance. The symbol of crucifixion and death had become the emblem of joy and life. Why does the date of Easter move around so much? Because the date of Passover moves around, and according to the biblical accounts, Easter is tied to the Passover. Passover celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and it lasts for seven days, from the middle of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which equates to late March or early April. Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first to use the Hebrew lunar calendar to come up with firm dates for Good Friday: Friday, 7th April, 30 AD or Friday, 3rd April, 33AD, with Easter Day falling two days later. Modern scholars continue to think these the most likely. Most people will tell you that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which is broadly true. But the precise calculations are unbelievably complicated and involve something called an ‘ecclesiastical full moon’, which is not necessarily the same as the moon in the sky. The earliest possible date for Easter in the West is 22nd March, which last fell in 1818 and won’t fall again until 2285. The latest is 25th April, which last happened in 1943 and is next due in 2038. MEETING OF CHURCHES TOGETHER ON JANUARY 21st This was held at the Baptist Church and was, as usual, a busy, friendly meeting, beginning with a short Worship period, including some hearty ‘song-singing’. The first part of the meeting was the 2008 Annual General Meeting. Sue Ball, a Chaplain amongst Health workers was elected as our new Chairperson. The Rev. Adrian Esdaile is our new Vice-chairman. Margaret Nightingale was elected Treasurer after Isobel Wood's retirement to have her baby. And Adrian will serve as Treasurer for one more year. Among the reports the Treasurer announced that following the decision to omit expensive seasonal newspaper advertisements, the individual church's levy would be cut by 50%. The new Chairman appealed for active outreach to the local community. We were actually in the middle of the Week for Prayer for Christian Unity. To this end churches had been asked to set up their own prayer groups with the help of a pamphlet. The Prayer Room at St. Barnabas, used for the 24/7 Prayer last year has been set up as a permanent local base for Prayer for the Community. We must continue to have visible presence like the Christmas tent in the Market Place. Worship in the Park 2008. Churches have all been circularised to find a suitable date. That settled on is the afternoon of 28th September. We shall have to be careful with our Harvest arrangements. There is some discussion as to whether this occasion should be just a public celebration of all the churches or whether it should have some definite outreach element. There is a planning meeting at St.Barnabas on 18th February at 8.00 p.m. Gathering for Prayer for Peace on West Hill Green is set for 26th October at 3.00 p.m. Last year a number of people came from a distance to join us. There was a plea from the new Bookshop set up in the entrance to the Methodist Church to order your book needs from them and not directly on line. They have catalogues. Churches Together in Epsom now have their own Web Site - www.epsomchurches.org Other dates announced are well known to you, e.g., Christian Aid Week, Women’s World Day of Prayer, the Easter Celebrations. Do give these your support. Please support the next meeting which is at our own church. Date of Next Meeting: This will be held at the United Reformed Church in the Longhurst Room on Thursday 22nd May at 7.30 p.m. for worship; meeting after refreshments at 8.15 p.m. Good Friday Walk of Witness – 21st March The Churches of Epsom follow the cross in a Walk of Witness - leaving from the car park near the Baptist Church opposite the Fire Station and concluding with a service in the Market Place (opposite the Assembly Rooms near the Clock Tower). Meet in car park from 10.00am. If walking is difficult, join the assembly in the Market Place at 10.30 a.m. The Service will be followed by Hot Cross buns and refreshments at Epsom Methodist Church. St Martin’s Pre-School We are pleased to welcome the St. Martin’s Pre-School to their new premises in Unity Hall. After about twelve days of information-gathering and detailed negotiations, the Pre-School opened its doors again on 11th February, having had to leave their previous premises at fairly short notice.
They are open for 4½ days a week, leaving Tuesday afternoons available for the very long-running Toddlers’ Group, run by Gwyneth and Pamela. The church is grateful to the Pilates Group, which only started in January, for their understanding and co-operation in moving to the Longhurst Room while they look for accommodation more suitable to their requirements.
St Martin’s Pre-School have a lot of equipment – you may have noticed! Extra shelving has been erected in the gallery to store some of their boxes, and they have been allocated two of the cupboards in the foyer. There will soon be an extra shed outside the foyer fire door. But don’t worry—there’ll still be room for our barbecues! If you want to contact the pre-school (apart from visiting them at Unity Hall), they have a website, www.stmartinspreschool.com. So far, they have been open for one week, followed by half-term(!) We look forward to a long and happy association with St Martin’s Pre-School; they are certainly pleased to have found such good premises where they can carry on their excellent work, and by all accounts, the parents and children are delighted, too. From Joe and Peggy We would like to express our gratitude to so many good folk, Phemie in particular, who made the occasion of our Diamond Wedding Lunch in Unity Hall on 2nd February so memorable. We would also like to thank Pat and Peter’s VIP Transport, and all those who sent special gifts and cards.
After the lunch we took a piece of cake to Lynne, bright and breezy as ever, recalling ‘twas she who welcomed us so warmly many moons ago into the church – Del was minister then, lovely man, lovely couple.
As I write this, a feature has come up on TV about an outdoor swimming pool in Battersea. When I started teaching there I asked my class if there were a pool anywhere near, and got the reply, “Yes sir, the ‘Penny Barebums’ – sorry, sir that’s what we call it – a penny swim, no cozzies, no girls!” Things have changed now, of course, but the water is icy cold, as of old! Once again, our great appreciation for a great occasion. There is an old Jewish saying: God could not be everywhere … and therefore he made mothers. Mother Church, Mother Earth, Mother of the Gods—our human mothers—all of them have been part of the celebration of ‘Mothering Sunday’ - as the fourth Sunday in Lent is affectionately known. In Roman times, great festivals were held every Spring to honour Cybele, Mother of all the Gods. Other pagan festivals in honour of Mother Earth were also celebrated. With the arrival of Christianity, the festival became one honouring Mother Church. During the Middle Ages, young people apprenticed to craftsmen or working as ‘live-in’ servants were allowed only one holiday a year on which to visit their families—which is how ‘Mothering Sunday’ got its name. This special day became a day of family rejoicing, and the Lenten fast was broken. In some places the day was called Simnel Day, because of the sweet cakes traditionally eaten on that day. Street Pastors in Epsom Last Sunday morning, 17th February, at Epsom URC we shared our morning service with two Street Pastors, Nizam Mohammed and Peter Mugford. They came to tell us about their work on the streets of Epsom. Now, there might be some people who, when you say you live in Epsom, will say “That’s a nice place to live” and for a lot of Epsom for a lot of the time, this is true. But in some parts, at some times, Epsom is not so nice! There are taxi drivers who would rather go home to bed than work the late shift; there is too much ‘action’ going on in the town. This is just when the Street Pastors put on their heavy warm and clearly labelled jackets and start their long night’s walking of the streets of Epsom town. They are a visible presence of love in action – no judging, no preaching, just listening, sharing, supporting. They are available to help anyone being threatened, they go into situations which most of us would walk away from for our own safety. They go where there is violence, drugs, drunkenness, gang gatherings; they go into challenging and confrontational situations. Dangerous for them, one might think, yet we were told that the number of injuries to Street Pastors countrywide was nil. Not one had been harmed in their voluntary patrolling in the community. A Street Pastor is a Church leader/minister or member with a concern for society – in particular, young people who feel themselves to be excluded and marginalized – and who is willing to engage people where they are, in terms of their thinking (i.e. their perspective of life) and location (i.e. where they hang out - be it on the streets, in the pubs and clubs or at parties, etc). Street Pastors work with fellow activists, church and community leaders, and with agencies and projects, both statutory and voluntary, to look at collaborative ways of working on issues affecting youth, and initiatives that will build trust between them and the Street Pastors. As the Street Pastor gets to know people in the community he/she will find out what their needs are and what can be done to help. A presence of Street Pastors will earn credibility in the community, so that people know that the Church is there for them in a practical way. The role is not about preaching heaven and hell, but one of listening, caring and helping – working in an unconditional way. Each Street Pastor team consists of at least three groups of four, each of which will work a minimum of one night a month, usually from 10 p.m. to around 4 a.m. To be a Street Pastor you need to be over 18 (no upper age limit), a church member and able to commit to a 12-session training course in three groups of four Saturdays over a year. The course includes subjects such as counselling skills, drugs awareness, sociology, knowing your community, role and responsibility, and street safety. Thus armed, the Street Pastors face people and events that most of us would try and avoid. So next Friday night when you are stirring your cocoa or putting on your electric blanket, please pray for the Street Pastors setting off on their night’s long walk. Two hymns which we sang during the service say very much better than I can what Street Pastors work for: from “Colours of Day”…go through the park on into the town… and from “Brother , sister, let me serve you” …. I will hold you in the night-time of your fear. Easter Monday Walk Join us on our Annual Saunter with members of Ewell URC. We are meeting at the Blue Ball, Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill, at 10:45 for 11:00-ish and strolling on a circular-ish route via the Sportsman, Mogador Lane, Tadworth, about half-way round and back to the Blue Ball. Then you can have lunch, or make your ways home. The walk is via woodland and heathland, and could be muddy if wet - be prepared! Our leaders will be Pat and Peter. Please ask if you need a lift to the Blue Ball. 12th Epsom
Guides Sainsbury’s ‘Active Kids’ Vouchers Do you shop at Sainsbury’s? Are you offered their ‘Active Kids’ vouchers and you have no-one to whom you can pass them? Elaine tells me that the Guides hope to collect 1,000 vouchers to enable them to qualify for a Dance/Fitness Session, and she would be grateful to receive your unwanted vouchers. A box will be placed in the church foyer for your contributions. Thanks. 12th Epsom Brownie Guide
Pack Several of the Brownies have now earned their Healthy Heart badge, and are all expert in taking their own pulse. We celebrated Shrove Tuesday, a day late, by having pancakes and playing suitable games. On the Wednesday before Valentine’s Day the girls made Valentine’s Day cards and Danish heart-shaped baskets which I put chocolates in when they went home. On the same evening we also celebrated Thinking Day by making doves of peace. We took a small collection for the Thinking Day charity and raised £8.01p.
Two Brownies, Gwyneth and I went picking snowdrops at ‘The Durdans’ last Saturday, and there were bunches of snowdrops for the congregation on Sunday. Thank you to all who donated money, raising £14 for ‘The Lest We Forget Association’. Afternoon Fellowship We meet again, following a break in January and February. On Thursday, 27th March we look forward to friends from both Epsom and Ewell meeting together, when Valerie will present a video of "Lake Garda". Evening Fellowship Sarah, the friend of Evelyn and Phyllis, from the St.John’s Ambulance was delighted to speak to those able to be present and enjoyed so much the friendly atmosphere and welcome given her, together with the donation for the organization. The next meeting, on Monday, 3rd March, we shall welcome a team of bellringers, of which our own Pamela Galliers is a member. It would be good if we could have a worthy number present. Please come if you can, for 8.00 p.m. in the Longhurst Room.
Women’s Church Council The Coffee Morning on 12th February for The Queen Elizabeth Foundation,together with the donations from the Coffee Morning on Saturday, 9th February, in Unity Hall meant we were able to send £150 to this local charity Thank you for your support. The March Coffee Morning, on Tuesday 11th, will be for ‘The Motor Neurone Disease Society’. We hope to see you any time between 10.30 and 12.00. (top)Copy for the next issue should be with the Editor by 23rd March for publication on 30th March, 2008 And Finally . . . Does This Strike a Chord? Just wanted to send you this Warning to be on the Lookout! There's absolutely no cause for Alarm. This is just to prepare you for the Event. I thought you would want to know about this e-mail virus. Even the most advanced programs from Norton or McAfee cannot take care of this one. It appears to affect those who were born prior to 1960. Symptoms: 1. Causes you to send the same e-mail twice. 3. Causes you to send e-mail to the wrong person. 4. Causes you to return it to the person who sent it to you. 5. Causes you to forget to attach the attachment. 6. Causes you to hit "SEND" before you've finished. 7. Causes you to hit "DELETE" instead of "SEND." 8. Causes you to hit "SEND" when you should "DELETE." IT IS CALLED THE "C-NILE VIRUS."
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