Tear Fund Planting Hope, Growing Futures

Tear Fund is one of the charities which St. Martin’s supports with its Mission Giving. At our Harvest Service we were made aware of the way in which Tear Fund is helping deprived rural communities in Cambodia.

Tear Fund is working with church-based organisations, such as the Wholistic Development Organisation, to provide agricultural training. In the last three years WDO has provided vital life-saving support to more than 18.000 Cambodians through mobilising local churches. In particular we heard about Mol and Tol who have received crop seedlings and agricultural advice; an invitation to join a community rice bank; a loan of chickens and a pig to generate income, a bicycle for the children to use to get to school and fish to breed and eat. Underlying this has been unconditional Christian love, support and acceptance for this family.

The wants and needs of these communities are the same, enough food to eat and the opportunity to generate income to improve their lives. This is in stark contrast to our lives where our wants are inessential to the basics of life but our needs are met. Let us be thankful for our situation but aware and supportive of those who are less fortunate than us.

At the Harvest Service the congregation generously gave £272.07 which will be added to our Mission Giving contribution of £1100.00. I will be sending your cheque for £1374.07 to them asking that our contribution be used in supporting their work to providing agricultural training in Cambodia so that the poor have enough to eat.

‘You care for the land and water it;
You enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
To provide the people with grain,
For you have ordained it’ (Psalm 65.9).

God bless
Lilian

Treasures in Heaven

Treasure is used by Jesus to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like and to encourage us to think about building a treasure store in heaven. Treasure is easy to understand in earthly terms but I find it hard to define what treasure is in the spiritual sense. Given that we are assured of our place with God, not through our efforts but through the grace of Jesus, it is difficult to know what the purpose of this treasure is. Yet we are encouraged by Jesus to build up a treasure, where it lasts eternally.

These days it is normal for us to get points for using our credit cards and the more we use them, the more points we get. Is there a heavenly reward scheme whereby the more good we do here on earth, the more points we get in heaven? This, on the face of it, seems fair as we are rewarded in proportion to the good we do and some people may point to the parable of the talents to back this idea up. However, it leaves me with the feeling that there is more to it than that.

I would love to think that part of my treasure will be seeing family, friends and others in heaven and to know that somehow, despite my awkwardness and clumsiness, despite all my doubts and fears, I have played a part in encouraging them in their walk with God. It is always a miracle to me that God can take whatever I give Him and use it to encourage others in their faith. This not only gives me a deep sense of joy now, but it also encourages me to keep on investing through prayer and action.

I am no theologian and I could be totally wrong - usually I am (ask Jackie). However, whatever your idea of heavenly treasure is, the message I get from Matthew 6 is that it is good to keep on storing it up!

Yours in Christ

Martin

Prayer Triplets

'For when two or three come together in my name, there am l with them,' (Matthew 18 v20)

At the recent away day, one of the suggestions for 'improvements' to current Worship and Prayer might be 'Prayer Triplets'. It's self explanatory in a way but you basically meet with two others to mutually pray for each other.

How? - You meet with two others of your choice and pray in confidence for each other.
Why? - Prayer triplets is a mutually supportive way of praying. It builds fellowship, prayer life in general, friendship and trust.
When? - It can take place as often as the triplet wishes, most groups meet weekly or fortnightly.
Where? - The venue and time can be of your choosing.
Please add your name to the sign up sheet at the back of church if you are interested, or if you would like to know more please speak to either of us after the service.

Yours in Christ
Margaret and Jane

Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday is the name given to the fourth Sunday in Lent. It has also been known as Refreshment Sunday, Pudding Pie Sunday (!) and mid-Lent Simnel Sunday. Over past centuries it was the Sunday when you went back to the church in which you were baptised ie. your mother church. The service last month as part of our Jubilee celebrations to which we invited those baptised, confirmed or married at St. Martin’s celebrated the same event. The connection with mothers came from the fact that children in service would visit their mother church and also their family on that day, possibly taking a gift. One such gift was a Simnel cake (which we now associate more with Easter). A Simnel cake is a fruit cake topped with marzipan and eleven marzipan balls representing the twelve apostles minus Judas, who betrayed Jesus.

Mothering Sunday has now taken on the character of the American Mother’s Day. It is a good opportunity to reflect on the role our mothers play in our lives and to spoil them! That, of course, gives rise to all the cards, chocolates, flowers and other gifts that are marketed for us to give our mothers.

Mothers give us our roots. They accept us and love us just as we are. We can hug them, cry on their shoulder and totally rely on them in the good times and the not-so-good. The same can be said for members of our church family. God also accepts us just as we are, nurtures and nourishes us. We may reject him but he is always there for us. Just like our mothers.

Liz Dunthorne

Real or Romantic?

Have you ever thought about that long journey that Mary and Joseph took from Bethlehem to Nazareth? Well, I recently asked some year 4 children to consider just that. And as usual they amazed me with their insight and understanding of things we often take for granted. No one knew where Bethlehem was, so we looked at maps and worked out how far they would travel (about 70 miles) and thought about the kind of countryside they would have travelled through. We talked about the climate, about the difficulties they might encounter along the way. What would they take with them?

I then asked them to write a letter from Mary and Joseph to the family back in Nazareth saying what the journey was like and how they felt when they arrived. The results astonished me. Apparently it was a very boring journey with a very smelly donkey. They missed their family back home and they felt dizzy, tired and hot. They ran out of water and they were astonished to find that there was no room for them in Bethlehem. Mary was very depressed and Joseph felt redundant because an angle (yes I know that is not the correct spelling) told them it was a special baby. Mary worried about how she would be able to look after such an important baby, God’s own son. Would she be up to the task?

They also talked about the joy of the baby and how wonderful the whole experience was. They said how kind the inn keeper was to help them when everyone else turned them away. They knew they had been given a very special job- to care for the hope of all mankind. But my favourite by far was the little girl who ended her letter with a post script. “You’ll never guess, something really funny happened. Three wise men came to see the baby and brought presents. Fancy that!”

This Christmas I shall be thinking about that special baby in that special family. The romantic version of the angels singing and the night sky lit by a huge star does not really come close to the reality of 2 people obeying God and doing their best whatever the circumstances.

Diane

Different Roles

We live in a world that is rightly concerned about making things better. St Martin’s reflects this, with appointed officers to deal with health and safety and child protection.

But there’s a risk that we get so caught up in the processes that we forget the purpose. The formal requirements are so great that we can easily lose sight of why we’re doing it.

What’s worse, we have to follow the formal processes meticulously, because if anything does go wrong, officialdom looks at whether we did what they said we should, rather than whether we did the right thing.

I found I was wondering whether Jesus would have cleared a CRB check, or indeed whether any of the Apostles meet modern requirements for public figures. An iffy lot, those Christians: subversive, speaking out against the State, causing trouble making the poor and the immigrants.

Matthew records how the religious authorities tested Jesus, by asking him whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar: he replied by asking whose image was on the coins that people used to pay. He said they should render to Caesar what was his – and to God what belonged to him.

So, in making sure that we have had a costly administrative check done to ensure that leaders are “fit” to work with children, let’s not forget what it’s all about: we should look after the children – and our neighbours, the poor, refugees and migrants – as God would. Sometimes, that may involve breaking Caesar’s rules.

Just like Jesus did.

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