Christmas Greetings from Caversham

Christmas greetings from Caversham. I hope that you and your family are well, have had a good Christmas, and that you will enjoy the rest of Christmas and then be looking forward to the New Year 2010. What a year 2009 has been, with such dreadful flooding and other natural disasters, as well as the unbearable casualties brought about by war in various places across the world. Yet in all this, as Christians, we find good news and hope. So I look forward to hearing your latest news.

I have been celebrating Christmas as usual with Tony and Caroline and their family in Derbyshire, including Anna and Carl’s 2-and-a-half year old daughter, Louisa Isobel, and their 3 months' old new baby, Toby James.

I’m thankful to have had a second whole year free of cellulitis, but I have not enjoyed quite such good health as last year, though nothing in particular to complain about (I have two months’ iron tablets just now for anaemia). This is probably because I’ve had to work really hard all the year, with little let-up. We continued studying the Disciple 4 course until July and 2009 has been the Centenary year for our church, Caversham Heights Methodist Church. There has been a very full programme of events and special guest preachers throughout the whole year. Since I am the Media Publicity Director, it has meant a lot of work for me – advertising each event or preacher beforehand in the three local papers and two local radio stations, and writing about them afterwards (with photos) for the same papers.

As well as the Centenary, I have had several really good celebrations elsewhere. At Easter, I returned to Llandudno for the second ECG Event (‘Equipping, Calling, Going’) which took the place of the former Easter People and, although run by different people – ‘NXT Ministries’, ‘Youth for Christ’, and ECG – was very similar, especially in regard to the in-depth Bible Studies so popular at ‘Easter People’. A main emphasis at ECG is in catering for the 20s and 30s age group and the provision of events and activities specially geared to their needs and aspirations. This year I looked after the MET (Methodist
Evangelicals Together) stand in the exhibition, and I am eagerly looking forward to doing the same, again in Llandudno, when ECG 2010 will be held on 6th to 11th April with Steve Brady as the Theatre Bible Teacher – see www.ecgevent.org.uk.


As last year there was a family gathering at Bethany School in Kent for my great
granddaughter Louisa’s second birthday on 10th May, which was much enjoyed by all of us. At two, she was able to entertain us with all her newly acquired skills.

I took turns in leading the experimental Wednesday afternoon midday services during
May at our church, but not too many people came, so we decided to re-think this later.

My cousin Jack Baul died in May and, since he never married and had no family except
cousins, we had to arrange the funeral at Ripon Methodist Church by email and I found it necessary to print the orders of service myself. John David gave a warm eulogy to his uncle, and it was good to meet so many of my nephews and nieces whom, because of distance, I had not seen for years. They also had not met each other for years. One nephew, Nigel, was unable to be there because his IT business had expanded so much that he was in the middle of moving it to larger premises. So those who were there decided that it was time to have a big family get-together and they joked that it would have to be in Pontefract to make sure that Nigel could come.

I went to the Methodist Conference in Wolverhampton in July where I was thrilled to be present at the ordination of our Deacon, Becky Bawden, and I was also glad to be able to step in once more to run the MET (Methodist Evangelicals Together) stand in the Exhibition, which gave me a unique opportunity to meet old friends from far and wide as well as listening in to the debates when not busy.

This year Churches Together in Caversham decided to carry out Street Evangelism in Caversham at the time of the Reading Pop Festival sited nearby, with a Welcome Café in the New Testament Church of God opposite the shopping precinct, and a number of us worked on a rota basis to hand out Bible reading booklets. After several interesting conversations with lovely young people from far and wide, I was startled to find that the greatest need was right on my doorstep! The CTC had been taken down but I was still sitting outside the Black Church (the NT Church of God) when a neighbour saw me and, thinking I must be ill, came to see if she could help! We offered her a cup of tea and explained why we were there. At first, she argued against what we were doing but she continued to ask questions, breaking down after a while and then being very reluctant to end the conversation! The NT Church of God were holding a regional convention that weekend, with their Bishop and 3 speakers from America. So it was a shock to me when I was pressed into addressing (by interview) their Sunday afternoon session about serving God in your 80s! Quite scary, but they begged me to ‘Come again!’

Finally, the year ended with the death and December funeral of my sister-in-law, Alice Mary Morgan, who will be much missed because she was never happier than when helping others and writing letters of encouragement.

I have continued to proofread translations of Scripture in strange languages for Wycliffe Associates and I have just returned Mark Chs. 4 – 6 in Zapotec Miahuatlan (a Mexican Language). I am still a representative to the Circuit Meeting, I prepare Prayer Guidelines each month and, as I have already said, I am Media Publicity Director at my church.

Tony and Caroline continue with their very full programme of teaching and concerts, etc. Caroline teaches reed instruments at the South-East Derbyshire Music Centre at Heanor, is a peripatetic teacher in local private schools and arranges concerts for ‘Music in Duffield’ Tony’s own professional chamber orchestra, English Pro Musica (based in Nottingham) is still in great demand. The orchestra sometimes works with his choir, the Ryton Chorale (based in Bassetlaw), which is very well established. Tony continues teaching Music at Nottingham University and High School and the Leicestershire Youth Orchestra, as well as running a thriving business selling instrument cases worldwide – see www.bassbags.co.uk .

David, their eldest son, has been completely transformed by the miracle ‘cure’ for his illness. He has regained his former energy, as he works for Bassbags, and even has a steady girl friend. Richard is now at Cambridge, training to teach science. Anna and her husband Carl moved in the summer to become house parents at a much larger school – Old Swinford Hospital School in Stourbridge. They are thrilled with their little daughter Louisa and new baby Toby. Youngest of the family, Emily is still working for the accountancy firm KPMG in London, and has now moved in with her boy friend. So this Grandma is eagerly wondering if there are likely to be any more weddings before long. (I must stop counting chickens …)

Sheila is in good health and spirits in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she is head of a University English Department. The apprentice hairdressing project (Vuon Len) set up there in her father’s memory continues to give new hope to ever more apprentices - see www.vuonlen.org.uk.

I continue to blog on www.octomusings.blogspot.com and to enjoy the rich blessings of being part of the Methoblogosphere, though the frost was too severe for me to go to the recent DigiMission day conference in London.

2010, should prove to be an easier year for me, without the Disciple Course and all the centenary events, but I have already booked for the MET weekend conference in January in Torquay (which gives me the chance to visit Dermot and Charlene), the ECG Event in Llandudno at Easter and I hope to be able to help with the MET stand at the Methodist Conference in Portsmouth in June. Also, after the sadness of funerals this year, I am looking forward to the wedding in Pontefract on February 5th of my
nephew, John David, to Annaliese, another member of the West Riding Police Force, especially as this will unite two families who have both suffered bereavement in recent years. So there will be a happy family gathering in Pontefract after all.


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Snow Relief Centre

Reading had never known anything like it until last Monday! It kept on snowing until the early hours next morning. At 12.30 that morning there was a queue of cars moving at 1 mile an hour up Hemdean Road because whichever way they went at the top end of the road there would be some kind of incline and the gritters couldn't get out because there were so many abandoned cars on Vastern road and the IDR. The local BBC was saying that Church Road Caversham was blocked off - still is - both ways and the Caversham to Henley Road was impassable. Tilehurst was even worse.

Thousands of cars were abandoned in Reading and the radio said that they had opened up rest centres in the Oracle shopping centre and the Town Hall and a church in Caversham Heights had opened up as a rest centre. I wondered if that was ours. It was!

Soon, I was listening to our Minister, Jenny Dowding, speaking on the radio saying that they opened up at 6pm and people were still there. 'People came out of the woodwork and brought milk and food, and where there were children they were taken to local homes. Other people brought bedding to make the others more comfortable. We managed to do breakfasts and we're just wondering if we are going to have to serve lunches as well. The trouble is that people are still coming in from the North, having already been held up several hours and not knowing that they can't get any further.'

Help was offered to more than 100 drivers and the road was not opened up until mid-afternoon the next day, so lunches were also needed. So our church people here were fulfilling the Presodent's message, even before thet received his message. It is still extremely cold, with lying snow on the gardens and hills but the roads and footpaths are clear. The main hazard now is ice and more snow is forecast. This time we hope the the Reading Borough will be more prepared and so pevent too many roads being blocked.

Methodist President’s Christmas Message

The President of the Methodist Church has challenged people to look beyond the romanticism of the Christmas story in search of the reality.

Revd David Gamble Christmas said Christmas was actually much more about the real world than it was about a lovely story of far off places in far off times.

“It's about a young unmarried mother,” he said. “And our country has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the European Union. It’s about a homeless couple and their young child out in the cold. Look on the streets of our cities. Think of the television pictures of refugees.”

Rev David Gamble reminded people to consider the hungry, the hurting, the oppressed and the abused this Christmas.

“That's the central part of the Christmas message,” he said. “God is with us. And behind and within the lovely Christmas story is the truth of God with us in our world and in our lives.”

The full text follows:

“I wonder how we shall remember Christmas 2009?
I have to admit that I don't always remember Christmas for very Christmassy reasons. Sometimes it is things to do with home or family. For example, 1995 was the Christmas we got a new cooker. It was delivered at the beginning of December. Eventually someone came to disconnect the old one on the morning of Christmas Eve, which seemed like good news, but wasn’t so good at 3.00 in the afternoon when still no one had come to connect the new one. They did come eventually – but not until very late.

Or I remember Christmas 1988. My wife, Liz, was pregnant and our baby was due in the middle of March. But then, just after Christmas, Liz went into hospital and our son, Joe, arrived two months early. When they came home at the beginning of March, I’d been so busy going to work, taking family members hospital visiting, doing the washing and so on, that the Christmas decorations were still up.

Or 1980, when my mum, who was housebound, asked to be taken out Christmas shopping on the last weekend in October. She bought and wrapped all our presents. The next day she contracted pneumonia and she died on the Monday. We opened her presents on Christmas Day. Many people associate Christmas with the death of someone special to them.

Other memories relate to work. In my first Circuit I was chaplain to an open prison for women. One Christmas we took a small group from the prison carol singing around the local village. Unfortunately, when we got back the group was one short!

So, many Christmas memories don’t seem to have much to do with the Christmas story itself. They’re not about the carols or the Christmas Day sermon, but about things – happy and sad - that were going on in our lives and the world at the time. Who will ever forget Christmas 2004, when, in the middle of the season of goodwill, the tsunami struck?

But that is part of the paradox of this time of the year. On the one hand is the Christmas story, which we like hearing again and again. On the other hand we have the real world; things going on for us, our neighbours and friends; things on the news, new cookers not turning up, people in prison, people being born too soon, people being ill, or dying. The real world.

But that’s the whole point! Christmas is actually much more about the real world than it is about a lovely story of far off places in far off times.

It's about a young unmarried mother. And our country has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the European Union. It’s about a homeless couple and their young child out in the cold. Look on the streets of our cities. Think of the television pictures of refugees.

It's about shepherds who didn't go to church and weren't all that respectable being there to witness how God was doing something new - while the churchgoers and the religious leaders weren't there.

It’s about wise men looking for a new king and finding him not in a palace but behind a pub.

It’s about Mary and Joseph having to escape with their baby, as sanctuary seekers. Who is to say they wouldn’t have been desperate enough to hide themselves in the back of a lorry coming through the channel tunnel in their attempt to save their precious son? And what kind of a welcome would they have received here in 21st Century Britain? And for those who didn’t escape, it's about innocent children being brutally killed. You don’t get much more real than that! And for Bethlehem in 2009 you could also read Baghdad or Afghanistan.

Christmas is about the real world – as we know it. And it’s in that real world – at times very cruel, painful and dangerous – that God acts. Not in heaven. Not even in the temple. But right in the middle of human life at its toughest. People being born, people dying, people on the run, people with nowhere to go, people for whom there is no room.

Remember the meaning of the name Immanuel in Isaiah’s prophecy? God is with us. That's the central part of the Christmas message. God is with us. And behind and within the lovely Christmas story is the truth of God with us in our world and in our lives. In good parts and bad, joys and pains, hopes and fears. Remember, too, that some people won’t be able to suspend normal life for a few days over Christmas. If you are literally starving; if you are a refugee or a sanctuary seeker; if you are a child being abused in your own home, worried sick that your dad’s going to be around more over the next few days – you can’t suspend normal life, however much you’d like to.

If the gospel is really the good news it claims to be (and I believe it is) then it has to be good news for the hungry, the hurting, the oppressed, the abused. Good news. God is with us.

Sharing that good news is a huge challenge – but it’s also our great joy. God be with you.”

Source: Metodist News Service 22/12/2009

Special Christmas Celebrations

During Advent at Caversham Heights Methodist Church, we had a Mitten tree in our church porch on which members of the congregation hung children's mittens, hats and scarves that they had knitted - though a few were bought, and last week all these gifts were taken down and dedicated together with the gifts of toys brought to the church on Toy Sunday. Then all the gifts were taken to Christian Community Action, the local ecumenical charity helping families in need across greater reading.

Yesterday we had two wonderful services with our new Minister. We had had a very heavy snowfall which kept many elderly people at home, but fortunately friends gingerly transported me to and from the church for both 10.30am and 4pm services. It was a traditional nine lessons and carols service in the morning, beginning with a bbrief drama in which the dialogue told of the important part angels had in the Nativity story. Each lesson was followed by teaching from Jenny on angels. Quite interesting and very educational The closing prayer (for the whole congregation) was that we might all use our eyes and ears to be more aware of angels, for we often entertain angels unawares, and that we may help our neighbours and spread the Good News of the Nativity.

The afternoon children's service was wonderful, with little angels and shepherds doing unexpected things like ripping off their headdress or running to Mummy when they should be on stage. All the children (and some older 'children' like me!) were loaned bells to ring in the choruses of the carols. Most of them were too young to act the Nativity, so one of the youth group acted as narrator and handed out presents from a sack in stages. The little ones first unwrapped a manger and it was put on the communion table; then Mary and Joseph, animals, shepherds and wise men, etc. The little ones (with supervision) put everything in or round the stable themselves. Finally, the last BIG parcel unwrapped was the world which, when placed above the stable, lit up - to illustrate that Christ, the Light of the world had come. Just before the last hymn, all the children in the church (not just those on stage) were given Stars on sticks (lit by a switch on each handle) and they all kept going round and round the church waving their stars as we sang 'Shine, Jesus, shine'. So a very happy time was had by all.

There was a good congregation of mainly parents and grandparents but the severe cold kept many of our regular congregation at home. Such a pity, because I often hear them complain that we have few children in our SS these days and I keep telling them that we have but they don't all come on the same Sunday. Today they did! As they grow older, I believe they will come more often and under Jenny's ministry will build up into something more like the SS we used to have. At present we have a good group of young people and lots of very young families. For some reason Junior age children are missing in our church families. What happy Christmas services!

The Free Churches condemn failure to reach climate deal

The Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches have condemned the world’s richest countries for failing to reach a binding agreement at the Copenhagen climate change summit.

The Free Churches have been arguing that, as the world’s biggest carbon emitters, developed countries have a moral responsibility to take the lead in agreeing a new deal to counter global warming when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

“The failure by negotiators at the climate talks in Copenhagen to agree to cut carbon emissions by 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, after two weeks of negotiations, represents an immense set-back for rich and poor countries alike,” said the Revd John Marsh, moderator of the general assembly of the United Reformed Church.

“History will judge our generation harshly for failing to act on the clear scientific evidence for global warming linked to human activity,” he added. “We therefore urge the British government to continue exerting pressure on all key players to agree the necessary cuts in emissions to reduce the risk of global temperatures rising above 2 degrees.”

The Revd Graham Sparkes, head of Faith and Unity at the Baptist Union of Great Britain, said: “No doubt people will point the finger of blame in many different directions. But the fact is that those who will suffer most have no voice and no political power. They are the poorest in our world, and are least equipped to deal with the catastrophic effects of climate change. “

Steve Hucklesby, policy adviser for the Methodist Church, said: “The reality is that the US, Europe, Australia and some others are emitting a great deal more greenhouse gases than our eco-system can sustain. The science is clear; we know what needs to done to prevent catastrophic climate change. There is no realistic alternative to a strong international treaty that commits developed nation states to deep cuts in emissions.”




Notes

The Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) is the Baptist family in England and Wales. (There is also the Baptist Union of Wales). It is made up of churches, regional associations, the national resource centre and Baptist colleges. The Union works with others in mission locally, regionally and internationally. There are some 150,000 members of Baptist churches associated with the Baptist Union of Great Britain. www.baptist.org.uk

The Methodist Church has about 295,000 members and 800,000 people are connected with the Church. It has about 5,800 churches in Great Britain, and links with other Methodist churches bring the worldwide membership up to 70 million. www.methodist.org.uk

The United Reformed Church comprises one hundred thousand people in 1600 congregations. It has brought together English Presbyterians, English, Welsh and Scottish Congregationalists and members of the Churches of Christ. Worldwide, more than 70 million Christians are members of the Reformed family of churches, the largest Protestant tradition. The name “Reformed” is used because the churches emerged out of the reform movements of the sixteenth century. www.urc.org.uk

The three denominations are the largest of the Free Churches in Britain. The Joint Public Issues Team, created in September 2006, combines the expertise of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church in the area of public issues. Through close collaboration, the churches aim to increase the effectiveness of their engagement in public life and parliamentary affairs. www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/jpitpublications.

Source: Methodist News Service 21/12/2009

New film, 'Nativity'

Methodist Web Radio treats listeners to an interview between actor Martin Freeman and Steve Goddard, editor of the Christian website Ship-of-Fools.com, on the new film, Nativity, playing in cinemas this Christmas.

Hear why Martin thinks the nativity story is the greatest story ever told and why he thinks religion isn’t such a bad idea:

http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.webradio


Merry Christmas!

Source: Methodist News Service 15/12/2009


My Minister tells me that our people have already downloaded clips from the film and an interview with Martin Freeman for her to use on Christmas Day. That means that I shall miss it because I shall be with my family in Derbysire. It's not fair!

Our Centenary Year

We are so nearly at the end of the Centenary Year (2009) at Caversham Heights Methodist Church that I thought I would attempt to sum it up on my blog.

It has certainly been a very good Centenary year, beginning with a Concert ‘A Hundred Years of Entertainment – something from every decade’ and the Covenant Service in January. As well as our Annual Pancake Party in February, we were thrilled to welcome the National Methodist Youth Brass Band and even managed to supply enough beds for them to sleep off-floor! Their concert (and shared worship the next day) were a real highlight of the year. March was a very special month when we had the Women’s World Day of Prayer service, followed a week later by a visit for the President of Conference, the Revd Stephen Poxon, together with the District Chair, the Revd Dr Andrew Wood.

On the following Thursday, the ‘Riding Lights Theatre Company’ performed their very challenging production of ‘Redemption Song’ which gave us much food for thought and on the next Sunday our guest preacher was the Revd Dr Mark Wakelin, Connexional Secretary for Internal Affairs. A very powerful 8 days! Following our Easter celebrations at the beginning of April, we much enjoyed the preaching of former Minister here, the Revd Terry Harris, now enjoying retirement in Devon.

In May we hosted the Churches Together United Christian Aid Service, and later were inspired by the preaching of two guest preachers, the new Anglican Rector of Caversham, the Revd Dan Tyndall, and Bishop Crispian Hollis, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth

June was THE Centenary month with ‘Items of Special Interest’ in the church’s 100 years’ history displayed all month, and a Flower/Art Exhibition in the Hall, a Reminiscences Evening, the Sunday Starters’ Anniversary, and guest preachers, the Revd Jackie Case (who grew up in this church) and the Revd Dr Lord Leslie Griffiths (a former Minister of the church), who was the preacher for the actual Centenary
Anniversary, when the cake was cut and there was a hog roast lunch in the garden of two members’ home. A day to remember!

July was concerned with saying ‘Goodbye’ to a much-loved Minister, the Revd Dermot Thornberry and his wife Charlene, with a Farewell Party and a Circuit farewell service.

We began September with our new Minister, the Revd Jenny Dowding, who was recovering after 12 weeks in a straitjacket following an accident, and our Harvest Weekend with guest preacher Professor Sir John Marsh. Then in October there were three guest preachers – Major Samuel Edgar (Salvation Army), Chairman of West Midlands Free Church Federal Council, Deacon Vic Downs (a very welcome returnee), and Mr. John Bell, former Vice-President of Conference.

November began with our Autumn Fair in aid of the Fund for World Mission and ended with a concert by the Reading Male Voice Choir in aid of the Racecourse Community School in Zambia (whose teachers are paid by our church) and where we have our twin church. In between these there were two guest preachers – the Revd Andy Moffoot, who has served as a mission partner in Kenya, and former Minister, the Revd Rosemary Fletcher and her husband James Rowley, who made a popular all day visit just before returning to Sri Lanka where they are serving as Mission Partners.

Finally, for our last guest preacher this month we were privileged to have the Revd Professor Frances Young, OBE, the eminent theologian and author, and our final service of the year will be led by the Revd Dr John Ogden, who is ‘sitting down’ now and the service will also take the form of a farewell Thank you service for his ministry here. So ends our year of centenary celebrations. (Rachel Peirce’s wedding almost seemed part of the centenary.)