The Children’s Society ‘Making Childhood Better’

The Children’s Society is one of the charities which St Martin’s supports with its Mission giving. This year in December we will focus on the work of the Children’s Society in their aim to make childhood better for all children in the UK.

The Society has been caring for the most disadvantaged children in our society for 128 years ever since Sunday School teacher Edward Rudolf found two boys from his class begging to make ends meet. Since 1881 a lot has changed but still about 100,000 children and young people run away from home or care for a variety of reasons.

Children like Sam and Zoe who ran away after suffering vicious beatings from their mother’s new boyfriend. One freezing December day last year they made their escape by boarding train to get as far away as possible. When they got off the train it was dark and cold and they were hungry. Passing shoppers ignored them as they huddled together in the icy rain. Eventually a local Children’s Society Project Worker heard about them and found them. We were able to get them emergency accommodation and offer them care and counselling to rebuild their lives.

This is just one problem we encounter and many of these young people join the ranks of those who get into trouble with the law trying simply to survive on the streets. There are many other areas to our work including disabled youngsters, young asylum seekers and young carers.

In February this year Penguin published the landmark report on Childhood from the independent enquiry commissioned by the Children’s Society. This has given us much food for thought and the Children’s Society is committed to additional works to help restore the childhoods of disadvantaged children in this country. This will mean changing our communities and their attitudes to young people and each other.

It is something that we do in the strength of our Christian foundations of Love, Justice and Forgiveness and of our support from parishes like St Martins.

‘Then he took a child, set him in front of them and put his arm around him. “Whoever receives a child like this in my name” he said “receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me”.

Mark chp. 9 verses 36-37

God Bless—Allan Baldwin on behalf of the Children’s Society

Next Week will be our annual Toy Service, when we can show our love and compassion for some of these children by donating Christmas gifts which will be passed on to the Children’s Society. Please mark your gifts with the age and sex of the child for whom it is suitable. Many thanks

Remembrance

It’s now just four months since we heard of the deaths of the two last British survivors of the Great War. Henry Allingham (1896-2009) RN, RNAS, RAF, and Harry Patch (1898-2009) Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, were both young men who answered the call to arms and fought in the 1914 – 1918 war. Neither would speak about their experiences until quite late in their lives when they became a living record of the dreadful conditions endured in that war.

In my family we remember my mother’s Uncle, who was killed in August 1918, A/Cpl James Brandon, Royal Artillery. He was one of those companies of tunnellers who were used to undermine the enemy’s trenches prior to explosives being deployed. My mum was born two months after his death and so never knew him but his name was and is kept alive within the family.

In the past few months we have grown accustomed to hearing about more of our young men and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq who have also lost their lives. We have all read the reports of soldiers being killed as they went to help their colleagues and friends. Whether our involvement in these two areas is justified or not does not matter, these brave youngsters have continued to prove the adage “greater love hath no man than he lays down his life for his friends.”

Throughout the whole of the twentieth century there were just a couple of years when no British Soldiers were killed in action – you only have to visit the National Memorial to see the numbers. So today, as we remember those men and women who have died in the service of this country, let us pray that the twenty first century is not one in which the statistic continues and that all nations can learn to live in Peace.

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.”
Let us all pray that we can all live in the peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

God bless, John

Making a Difference

Unfortunately, I missed our Harvest Festival and Simon’s talk on 8 people who had used their lives to “make a difference”. When I heard about this piece, it reminded me of a book that I read recently in which one of the characters replied to the question why he hadn’t bothered to get out of bed that day with the answer that he only got up if he thought he could do anything to “make a change” that day. Leaving aside my questionable choice of reading matter ( It was actually quite a thrilling “whodunnit”) this made me think of our Lord’s mandate to all his followers to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). So, how often do we get up in the morning in a positive frame of mind determined to go out into the world and make new disciples of men?

Yes, I know it’s difficult, especially for those of us still in the workplace environment, and one that seems virtually impossible in the face of the cynicism, indifference and occasional outright abuse with which many of our fellow men regard the Christian faith. But Jesus never said it would be easy, in fact he knew that it would be difficult to the point that many disciples would suffer both mentally and physically for their faith. Still it remains our Christian duty to approach each and every day with the positive thought that this might be the day that we can ,make a difference- the day when our continual public example of good Christian behaviour influences somebody, even somebody we hardly know, that they might be led to embrace Christian beliefs. It won’t be easy, but it’s surely better than staying in bed!

God Bless

Keith

Keep a Roof over Our Heads

In 2007 St. Martin’s architect carried out our statutory Quinquennial. This identified a number of area’s where repair and maintenance of the church fabric is required. The most important, and costly, of these is the replacement of the shingles on the north slope of the church roof. In total our maintenance bill is likely to be in the region of £70,000.

DCC are currently discussing a re-ordering of the church. Having consulted widely on this DCC is working with the Diocese to formulate more specific proposals prior to the involvement of architects. When these proposals have been costed DCC will seek funding from external sources.
Both the ongoing maintenance and re-ordering are considered important in St. Martin’s “Building for the Future”. It is important that we all have an opportunity to contribute towards the cost of these proposals. We have identified St. Martin’s Day (November 8th) as our “Gift Day” when we can all contribute in addition to our regular giving. All donations received will go towards “Building for the Future”. Please pray for guidance and contribute what you can, however small. Let us make St. Martin’s church an exciting and vibrant place to carry forward our mission of growing God’s Kingdom.

Wherever possible please Gift-Aid your donation. Gift-Aid rules mean charitable donations can qualify for tax relief. If you are a UK taxpayer, your donation is worth 28% more at no extra cost to you. Simply sign the Gift Day envelope and we’ll do the rest.
God Bless
Roger

Harvest

A few weeks ago, I spent a wonderful weekend away in Wales. The weather was glorious and, driving home through the beautiful countryside of Brecon, Hereford and Worcester, evidence of harvesting was everywhere. Harvest is the time in our church calendar when we make a conscious effort to thank God for his wonderful generosity in providing us with everything that we need to sustain our lives. In this country we have abundance beyond measure and need never worry about crop failure, drought or famine. The same is not true for some parts of the world where hunger is a constant worry.

I’ve just read an amazing account about a dalit (untouchable) woman named Chandramma Moligeri. She was struggling to exist on the margin’s of society until Christian Aid’s partner, DDS, stepped in to help her. DDS helped Chandramma and her women’s group to clear an area of drought-prone wasteland. Slowly, using traditional methods, they restored it to life and over time have produced bumper harvests. DSS now work with 5000 women in total. Rather than keep all the excess from the harvest for themselves, these women have done something amazing. They have shared their good fortune and helped 50,000 of the poorest people in their communities!

Similarly, Tearfund and its partners work tirelessly to help the poor of the world. The emphasis at the moment is on providing clean water, hygiene awareness and decent sanitation to prevent diseases like cholera and dysentery. Let us be thankful for the unlimited access to clean water and decent sanitation that we enjoy.

These and other Christian charities demonstrate the harvest of the spirit which changes people’s lives for ever. They provide hope, health, security, independence and a future free from fear. Thank God for this harvest of good people who work so hard to improve the lives of others, and thank you if you have ever given money or time to support such charities.

God bless, Jackie

Priorities

Kath and I often go to church when on holiday, but earlier this year we went away with friends who always go to church when on holiday, even looking on the internet to find one suitable. So it had been agreed that we would travel approximately ten miles to church on the Sunday, but on the Saturday evening we went for a walk and just round the corner was a church. But this church hadn’t appeared on a website, the notice board didn't look as if it had been changed for ages, and the overall impression was far from inviting. A discussion ensued about a twenty mile round trip versus a ten minute walk. The walk won, so on Sunday morning we walked round the corner to church, I personally thought we would be sitting with about six old ladies. I couldn't have been more wrong, there were lots of people, in fact they had so many attending that they had two services to fit them all in. Due to the out of date notice board we had arrived between the two services, but we were encouraged into the community hall next door where they served coffee and made us very welcome while we waited for the second service. The actual church was old, in fact they still had pews with doors on. They did use PowerPoint and had a small music group, but it was the worship, the message and the atmosphere that was so striking it was alive and buzzing.

It might be nice to have a comfortable attractive building but as we consider reordering our church, and struggle with the problem of the Parish share it seems to me the really important thing is the spirit and attitude of the people who make up the congregation in that building.

Mick

Bishop calls on Christians to wear crosses in run-up to Christmas

The Bishop of Lichfield has entered the debate about the right of Christians to wear crosses or fish badges while at work with a call for Christians to demonstrate that they “aren’t going to disappear quietly from the market place.”

In a pastoral letter published in November’s Parish Magazines across the Diocese of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill says: “The Christian roots to our governance should not be nibbled away without discussion. Sometimes I think it wouldn’t be a bad thing if in December we all wore a fish badge or cross necklace and sent out a loud message that Christians aren’t going to disappear quietly from the market place or put away our crib figures in a hurry.”

But he also challenged Christians to demonstrate a far more costly sign than lapel badges and necklaces, saying: “The mark of a real Christian community is not so much the lapel badges and crosses we wear as the spontaneous, generous and practical love we show to the world. Christians should not be intimidated into putting away their neck crosses or lapel badges, but in the end these are not the badges that matter. The mark that matters is far more challenging.”

He said he had been reminded of this recently when he met two new Christians during a mission weekend in an urban parish in the diocese. He said: “both of them said that they had joined the church because they had come along as a result of a back-to-church Sunday invitation and similar and had been overwhelmed by the open welcome, the practical help and the sustained friendship they had received.”

In his letter, he says that companies’ decisions to sack those who want to wear a cross or fish lapel badge; and local councils deciding to rebrand Christmas out of fear of offending ethnic minorities are decisions made out of “sheer ignorance.” He says: “Ethnic minorities are far more anxious about the rampant secularism and commercialism that erodes all Christian standards than they are about their host country properly celebrating its Christian foundations.”

ENDS

What is the mark of the Christian?
A pastoral letter by the Bishop of Lichfield for November Parish Magazines in the Diocese of Lichfield

We’re just getting to the season when the papers like to report on local councils who, out of concern for ethnic minorities, have banned Christmas in favour of Winterval or another silly name. This year that kind of story is likely to be more than matched by stories of big firms sacking those people who want to wear a cross or a fish lapel badge or some other sign of the Christian faith. It is sheer ignorance of course.

Ethnic minorities are far more anxious about the rampant secularism and commercialism that erodes all Christian standards than they are about their host country properly celebrating its Christian foundations. No one goes to a Muslim country and expects local councils to silence the mosques out of sensitivity to Christians. The Christian roots to our governance should not be nibbled away without discussion. Sometimes I think it wouldn’t be a bad thing if in December we all wore a fish badge or cross necklace and sent out a loud message that Christians aren’t going to disappear quietly from the market place or put away our crib figures in a hurry (Though personally I am waiting for someone to invent a retractable fish badge before I put one on the back of the car — my driving is not always something to be proud of).

Recently I shared in a mission weekend in an urban parish in this diocese. The church had thrown open its doors to the wider community and schools, uniformed organisations and many others had come along to take part in the events. There was the wonderful atmosphere of a praying church at the heart of the community. During the Harvest Festival service on the Sunday two newish Christians were interviewed; both of them said that they had joined the church because they had come along as a result of a back-to-church Sunday invitation and similar and had been overwhelmed by the open welcome, the practical help and the sustained friendship they had received. I was reminded of another church and someone saying that they had come to faith because the joyful and self-giving way the people looked after the children in the Sunday School had so touched them that they knew God was real.

What I have discovered afresh this month is that the mark of a real Christian community is not so much the lapel badges and crosses we wear as the spontaneous, generous and practical love we show to the world. Christians should not be intimidated into putting away their neck crosses or lapel badges, but in the end these are not the badges that matter. The mark that matters is far more challenging.

Jonathan Gledhill
November 2009

All Saints Day – In Memorium

Later today we will be holding our annual Memorial Service, where we particularly remember those we have loved who have gone before us. I know several people whom I have invited in the past to attend this service, telling me, ‘O, I can’t. It upsets me too much. I shall just cry.’ My own answer is, ‘Yes. It can be sad, you may cry, but it also can be uplifting and comforting; a quiet time to remember, not just the sadness or the loss, or the emptiness in our lives now, but the good and happy times shared. What matter if tears are shed. They can be cleansing and healing.

Many people get angry, and blame God for taking away the person they loved or causing them to suffer intolerable pain, and to a certain extent that is understandable. But we cannot continually blame God for all that happens. Wasn’t it Jesus, God’s Son who said-

'Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11;28)

‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him shall have eternal life.’ (John 3:16) Just trust in Him.

I well remember words spoken by Reverend Vernon Nicholls, then Vicar at St. Matthew’s, when preaching at an Evensong service here at St. Martin’s. He said, that if we just kept saying ‘Why? Why, did that good person have to suffer so and die before their time? Why did that bad person, who did evil things prosper and live? We might just as well stand by the wall and hit our head against it, and that that would be all the answer we might get.’ He went on to say, we should take something from the life and love for the person who is no longer with us here on earth, and make ourselves better persons; more caring, more useful and helpful. This is extremely hard to do I know, but there are many people who have been able to do this, and although I have failed miserably, I do try. With faith in God and his undying love, I am sure we can all gain comfort and peace in our hearts to go on alone until we are reunited with our loved ones.

Doreen

Do you feel valued?

What is man that you are mindful of him,

The son of man that you care for him?

Psalm 8 v.4

The tutor stood in front of his class. They were of mixed ages,ethnic and educational backgrounds. Some had physical disabilities and others had mental health problems.”Hands up if you would like this £20 pound note?” he asked as he held it in the air. A forest of hands shot up – everyone wanted it. He then folded up the note. “Who wants it now?” he asked. Again all the hands went up. The tutor picked up the board marker and marked the note. “Hands up if you want it now ?” he asked. Once more, all the hands were raised. Next he tore a piece off the corner of the note. “Anyone want it now?” Again, everyone indicated that despite the note not being in pristine condition it was still wanted. Finally the tutor screwed it up into a tiny ball. “Look at it now” he said. “Does anyone want it?” As you can guess, everyone still did! All knew that the £20 note had retained its value even though it was imperfect. We may be imperfect but we are still valued by God. Our heavenly Father does not love or care for us any less however we may feel about ourselves or what we have done ( or not done). His love is unconditional.

Today here at St. Martin’s, along with other Anglican churches we are keeping Back to Church Sunday. This is an opportunity for us to invite friends and neighbours to come and worship with us – a reminder that all are welcome. If you are a visitor to St. Martin’s this morning –welcome! I hope you find the church family friendly, that you can follow the service, know at least one hymn and that it is a positive experience. You are valued and loved by God. As Jesus said in Matthew 10 v.30, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Perhaps you might like to come again or maybe you would be interested in the Alpha course starting in October?

Liz Dunthorne

Stop doubting and Believe

Picture the scene. Jesus had already appeared to all of the disciples except Thomas and he was not about to believe what his friends were telling him without him seeing and touching the evidence for himself. A week later, Thomas is confronted by the risen Christ, being challenged with all the evidence he needs. “Stop doubting and believe” are Jesus’s words to Thomas and I wonder how he felt after this encounter.

Whilst I am convinced and believe whole heartedly in the resurrection of Jesus, like so many, when it comes to the detail, I have my questions and doubts, particularly in my own abilities. As we continue our walk of faith, God is continually asking us to trust Him and not in our own abilities. Not only do we have this to contend with, but when we do take that step of putting our faith into action, we can always convince ourselves that we could have done better.

Faith is lived out through action, we can believe totally in the saving grace and love of Jesus Christ but without action it is dead. I have been reminded recently that this faith is lived out in the here and now, in all that each day of the week brings to us. The opportunities for our faith to be revealed come and go and God is able to reveal himself to others through our actions, despite our ineptness.

Sometimes I feel like the boy with the fish and bread when Jesus fed the 5,000. What I have to offer is totally inappropriate for the situation and I would rather Jesus ask somebody else. Yet this brings me to the place where Thomas found himself, a place where Jesus challenges me to stop doubting and start believing.

Yours in Christ

Martin

What does the Holy Spirit do for you?

Where would we be without the Holy Spirit? Well for a start, the chances are that you would not be reading this in church or at home. Having just celebrated Pentecost, I wonder if without the Holy Spirit the Good News of Jesus would have remained in a locked room, a well kept secret to a few leaderless people, in fear of their lives.

The experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit can be dramatic as in Pentecost, and we read that the disciples’ experience was not attributed to the hand of God by some of the crowd, some thought they were drunk. However, when we read Acts, we have to acknowledge that somehow the Holy Spirit turned a few scared people into strong and courageous evangelists and that through the Holy Spirit, the church, as we know it, has come to be.

The life of the church is linked to the work of the Holy Spirit within us, the church grows when the body (that is you and me) are open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not just for the individual but for the benefit of the whole church and any kind of spiritual growth at St. Martin’s is down to the Holy Spirit gently nudging individuals, who probably felt inadequate at the time but were willing to listen, to use their gifts and take that step of faith.

Your experience of the Holy Spirit working in a very real and tangible way maybe something that is not seen very often and when it does happen, it is to somebody else. For some, this may be a comfort for others it raises lots of questions. My experience, is that being open to the Holy Spirit is very rarely dramatic but a very gentle process, something that has been echoed by others I have talked to. If you desire more of the Spirit then I believe St. Martin’s should be the place where you can be continually filled with Him through prayer. If this is something that you would like to happen, then just ask.

Whatever your thoughts are on the Holy Spirit, we should all be grateful and praise God for the way He has worked, is working and will continue to work, with people like you and me, in order to bring us all closer to the love of God, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. All Christians throughout the world draw strength, guidance and inspiration from listening to Him. The same Spirit that was given at Pentecost, that encouraged the church to grow and pass on the message of God’s love down through the ages, is here and now, freely available to us. Praise God!

Yours in Christ

Martin

Giving Thanks

"Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

As a church we could not survive without the ongoing support of our members, and so in a very difficult financial climate, where many people are struggling to makes ends meet, I want to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for your ongoing commitment of time and money, without which the church could not function.

I have come to realise that I need to be more thankful – to God and to others. Thankfulness is a wonderful thing, giving thanks not only feels good it also helps us, and it lets others know that we care for them and appreciate them – just think about the occasions people have thanked you for something you have done. The more thankful we are, the more there is to be thankful for. A person cannot be complaining and thankful at the same time.

As Christians we have more reason to be thankful than anyone else, and it is good to express this thankfulness in our worship, our words and through the lives we lead. When we express our thankfulness to others and to God, it helps bring us closer to one another and to God.

As a church we have much to be thankful for. 2010 marks St Martin’s golden jubilee year, and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life of St Martin’s, and especially to give thanks to God for all that he has done through our church during the last half century. Please give some thought as to some of the things we could do over the course of 2010 to mark this special anniversary and especially to say ‘thank you’ to God who has blessed us in so many ways.

Thank You, God, For Everything

Thank you, God, for everything,
The big things and the small.
For "every good gift comes from God"...
The giver of them all.
And all too often we accept, without any thanks or praise,
The gifts God sends as blessings, each day in many ways.
And so we offer up a prayer...
To thank you, God, for giving us a lot more than our share.

First, thank you for the little things
That often come our way,
The things we take for granted
But don't mention when we pray,
The unexpected courtesy, the thoughtful, kindly deed,
A hand reached out to help us in the time of sudden need.
Oh, make us more aware, dear God, of little daily graces
That come to us with "sweet surprise"
From never-dreamed-of places.

Then, thank you for the "Miracles"
We are much too blind to see,
And give us new awareness of our many gifts from Thee,
And help us to remember that the Key of Life and Living
Is to make each prayer a Prayer of Thanks
And every day Thanksgiving
--Helen Steiner Rice

Proclaiming the Faith

On January 6th, Twelfth night, Epiphany, we were driving on the motorway system around Madrid. We couldn’t understand why, although there were up to six lanes available, ours was the only vehicle on the road for quite long periods of time. A quick check in our trusty handbook gave the answer to our lack of understanding. It was a national holiday – it was the day on which Spanish children were given their Christmas presents.

Over the years we have spent several holidays at the time of religious festivals in Spain and other Catholic countries and we never cease to be amazed how involved the whole community becomes in their celebration. We have seen the most amazing statues carried on the shoulders of numerous men, each statue or tableau showing the important features of the festival. People seem to live their faith more openly at these times.

More years ago than I will admit our Chapel used to have three Sundays before our Anniversary when we used to parade around the village singing hymns and advertising this important time. On the third Sunday we often had a silver band to accompany us as we finished our parade. People in the village had no doubt about the commitment of the couple of dozen people who took part each year or of the strength of faith of our congregation.

On anniversary Sunday the chapel would be packed afternoon and evening as villagers joined us in our celebration of faith. Sadly, like many old traditions it no longer happens.

Perhaps we have become too self conscious about proclaiming our faith or perhaps we are too politically correct and prefer not to cause apparent offence to those of other faiths or to non believers.

Yet, if either is true, how are we going to grow God’s Kingdom? We, as a Church, need to think carefully how we can involve ourselves more in proclaiming our faith in the wider community. I have no answers – I wish I did. Perhaps we could use the weeks leading up to the Church’s greatest festival to think about how to proclaim the Risen Lord.
God bless
John

Slaughter of the innocents

Each New Year is a time of hope: particularly so in 2009, as we look forward to a new and very different President in the USA. Billions of people look to Barack Obama to uphold the highest aspirations of the American people, rather than serving their basest economic greeds, as his predecessor has sometimes done.

Like all human beings, he is doomed to fail, of course.

But I believe he will achieve a lot for all of us. America has a written constitution, unlike the UK, and this sets out ideals like religious freedom, peace, justice and welfare. These have often been ignored both hat home and abroad, and if Obama can re-establish the USA as the great and good power it aspires to be, he will have fulfilled all we can reasonably hope.

Justice. This means a lot in Palestine and Israel today. It means that it is wrong to launch missiles against civilian targets – and also that it is wrong for a powerful government to cut off supplies of fuel, food, and water to a neighbour, as the Israeli government ahs done.

Of the two, perhaps the greater wrong is that perpetrated by the Israeli government: after all, the greatest wrong of the Twentieth Century is probably the extermination of six million Jews by the Nazis. How can a nation that includes so many who remember (and even survived) the Holocaust allow its own government to strike against a nation mainly comprising the poor and innocent?

British experience in Ireland shows that it is only the costly forgiveness that Jesus preached that brings peace. Demanding an eye for an eye makes everyone blind.

We are all sinners: we acknowledge this weekly. One of the things we do not often do is examine the acts of our government – and other governments – and ask them to live up to our ideals.

2009 is the year to do this, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.