Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
2
FROM THE VESTRY
Catherine Westren shares news from the stewards
I have completed my first year as a Vestry Steward. Having a�ended Museum
Street for 60 years (with a 3 year break in Cheshire) it was the first (me I had
placed a bauble on the Christmas Tree or put the hymn numbers up on the
board. There are so many things I did not know about it that makes church life
more interes(ng! It is a team effort and nothing happens without someone
behind the tasks of unlocking, locking, preparing and clearing - whether it be
for service, christening or funeral. It is a chance to meet and greet circuit
ministers and local preachers.
We welcome the new stewards - Marjorie and Stuart Deering (as one), Ian
Hunt and Be�y Lindsay. Many thanks go to Grahame Lindsay, who re(res
officially from the team! It is daun(ng ge5ng to know the rou(nes but it will
become natural and the responsibility is spread over the team the senior
steward now being David Welbourn.
There are exci(ng (mes ahead as Rev Derek Grimshaw takes on Bramford Road
and Elmse� in addi(on to Museum Street , Bramford and the Circuit
Superintendency. A pastoral lay worker has been employed to help share the
workload. Nicky Seabrook has been in to coffee and introduced herself.
We are grateful to John Goodhand for compiling the new directory which
should help us all to communicate.
Arrangements have been put in place for
any who would like communion at home,
please contact stewards for this.
District Synod was hosted at the University
and thanks go to all who helped at that.
By the (me you read this, we will have
celebrated Harvest and enjoyed catching up with Rev Stuart Veitch and Brenda.
At the Church Life Team we discussed some of the Church Mission Statement :-
Whether we are offering relevant worship, encouraging and enabling life-long
personal discipleship, respec(ng and welcoming individuals into the
community of fellowship whatever their background. If you have any views on
this please talk to a steward.
3
FINANCES
A summary of finances from Colin Westren, ac�ng Treasurer.
MWIB
Catherine Westren reports on Methodist Women in Britain
Final reckoning for the church year showed that the amount donated from the
Ipswich Circuit to the World Church through M.W.I.B. had fallen.
Easter Offering contribu(on from Museum Street this year was £177-50 an
increase of £12.85 on last year. Thank you very much to all who contributed. If
you wish to give a dona(on to World Church or to the current President’s
charity which is E.A.C.H. please contact Catherine Westren or Be�y Lindsay.
District Day on 11th
October at Ely Methodist Church will include the
inaugura(on of Ruth Arnold as District President of M.W.I.B. for 2 years. There
will be a mini bus going from Ipswich, please contact Catherine or Be�y for
details.
4
DON’T WAIT FOR SPRING
Now is the �me to get ahead—get spring cleaning in early
With some shops already thinking about Easter eggs (well, I should be allowed
to eggs-agerate on this one), why shouldn’t the church also help you get in on
ridiculously un(mely ac(vi(es? Un(diness shouldn’t keep
un(l the Spring, so why not join in with the
church cleaning par(es and have
a summer ball.
Cleaning par�es: Friday 6th Oct 2-4pm
Friday 15th Dec 2-4pm
Extra value DIY party:
Friday 3rd Nov 10am-4pm
Includes LUNCH
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
Mike Parker draws a4en�on to a search into our past
I am trying hard to produce some detail about the History of the church for the
website and was amazed at what I found.
This item was produced by Alastair Macartney in 2010 for the 150th
anniversary
of Museum Street Church. I have transferred it to the website under the
HISTORY tab. It is well worth another viewing.
5
On a wall at the back of Museum Street Methodist Church in Ipswich is a
bronze plaque which has gone rela(vely unno(ced for the best part of
ninety years.
On the plaque are inscribed the following words:-
Twelve names. Twelve lives. Twelve histories - all linked by Museum Street
Church. I’d passed the memorial many (mes and wondered what was
behind the names. Where were they born? What were their stories? Where
did they die?
I decided to go about trying to answer some of these ques(ons. This was
partly out of my increasing curiosity and partly because of the 150th
anniversary of Museum Street in 2010/11.
When I began this research, I had no idea what I’d find. Looking back on it
now, I shouldn’t have been surprised that the stories of these twelve men
encompass poverty, wealth, happiness, sadness, extreme heroism and,
ul(mately, tragedy.
Alastair dedicated the booklet of some of the church’s history with the
words:
This is for the twelve.
6
GETOGETHER
Jackie Wells encourages you to book the date for the new season
Tuesday October 10th at 7:30pm
Katharin Gosling, General Manager and
co—founder of the Teapot Project,
will open the new “GET TOGETHER” season.
With a warm personality and a real
sense of humour she will tell us how this
award winning project began, and how it
benefits the whole local community.
They divert perfectly edible food that
would otherwise be sent to a landfill, to
where it is appreciated and most
needed.
7
MISSION PROJECT
We mark the closing of one chapter….
In the last 12 months we have contributed £1500 to the Zambesi Mission
project, thanks to the inspira(on and leadership provided by Ella to the church.
At worship on Sunday 8th
October we will be celebra(ng this achievement and
giving thanks for the work this will enable.
8
MISSION PROJECT
…. And the opening of the next—Colin Westren provides the introduc�on
Following the great success of our Zambesi Mission
project, we take up TWAM—Tools With a Mission—
for the second half of our mission challenge. As
the main sponsor and ac(vist for this project, Colin
Westren provides some background, (together with
a slightly worrying image—Ed)!
TWAM always has been, and con(nues to be, a Chris(an
based Charity and the vans’ liveries proudly
proclaim this fact. We believe that we have to bring the love of God to all. We
preach the message of God‘s love, not only in words, but through what we do.
A prac(cal demonstra(on of “faith in ac�on”.
BACKGROUND and HISTORY
The Charity was formed nearly 40 years ago at a Southend Bap(st Church. It
started in a very simple way making incubators for chicken eggs for a
Missionary in Zaire (now Democra(c Republic of Congo). Soon a need for tools
was iden(fied, mainly to enable the recipients to grow their own food crops.
Requests from overseas were coming in from all over the world. Nowadays
there is a comprehensive list of tools that are requested and nearly always
supplied.
This then escalated un(l in 1984 when the name “Tools With a Mission” was
adopted and separate charitable status was obtained.
As the work expanded, greater storage facili(es were needed and aQer moves
from various barns the head office was established in a warehouse on Hadleigh
Road Industrial Estate in Ipswich.
From satellite facili(es and collectors around the country the goods are bought
to Ipswich for packing and despatch.
“The tools project was originally conceived as a means of supplying sets
of general and cra"smen‘s tools to missionaries overseas at rela�vely
low cost.”
9
WHAT WE DO The mission is to collect unwanted tools,
refurbish them, sort them into trade kits
and send them across the world. The goods are mainly despatched by container
the majority to various countries in Africa. Most years 20+ containers are
shipped, in total weighing over 300 tonnes.
WHY WE DO IT To support local people suppor(ng
their own communi(es through
livelihood crea(ng projects. There is dignity through work and the ability to
provide for themselves and family. En(re communi(es can be transformed
through training and the provision of tool kits and equipment. God’s heart
reaches out to the poor and he calls us to follow his example giving a HAND UP
and not a HAND OUT.
BENEFITS The Charity provides “employment” for over 300
volunteers, many over normal re(rement age. Most
enjoy the comradeship; for some it is an alterna(ve to walking the streets;
home workers who want some occupa(on but are unable to get to the
warehouse or other refurbishment centres and there is usually one Hollesley
Bay prisoner on work experience in Ipswich.
WHY SUPPORT? Running the Charity is a very
expensive. There are four paid staff,
maintaining proper(es in Coventry and Ipswich, running the vans and paying
shipping costs, although some contribu(ons are received from the recipients to
defray these costs.
As a Church we have adopted TWAM as our Charity for the next eleven months
and we launch this on Sunday 22 October with a visit from Rev Mike Griffin who
is the Chief Execu(ve Officer for the Charity. He will preach at the morning
service and aQer lunch will give a presenta(on on the work of TWAM.
Book the date, join in the morning worship, enjoy the lunch and learn from the
aQernoon session.
Remember that the Church has adopted this as their Charity which means that
we are all commi�ed to support their work.
During the next few months, I will be arranging some fund-raising ac(vi(es, but
this will not preclude anyone else taking the
ini(a(ve and organising something amongst
their own friends and acquaintances to spread
the news of TWAM and raising funds for them.
10
NEVER TOO MUCH
I’m talking COFFEE! Lots of coffee!
FAIR TRADE
There’s a job going for all you fair trade supports with �me to spare!
Part (me shop manager wanted—16 hours a week paid
posi(on.
Applica(ons by 15th October.
More details on the no(ceboard.
11
VACANCY
Please share this with anyone you know might be interested
The Methodist Church - Ipswich Circuit
is seeking a part-�me (10 hours a week)
Children and Families Worker
for Bramford Road Methodist Church
to support and work with the families and children involved with the Church
or who use the premises.
Salary £ 8.45 per hour plus addi�onal points dependant on
responsibili�es, qualifica�ons and experience
Ini�ally for 2 years with a possibility of extension subject to the needs of the
Church and addi�onal funding
There is a genuine occupa�onal requirement for the post holder to be a
Chris�an. An enhanced DBS cer�ficate will be required.
Further Informa�on and Applica�on form from:
Circuit Office, 17 Black Horse Lane, Ipswich IP1 2EF
Tel: 01473 254781
Email: circuitoffice@methodis�c.org.uk
Closing date 31st
October 2017
Interviews to be held November 2017 to commence January 2018.
12
CREATE NEW CHAMPIONS
Diana Sawyer writes about new ini�a�ves from the Leprosy Mission
Some of you will know that one of my favourite chari(es is the Leprosy Mission
and I always give a GiQ for Life at Christmas and oQen buy giQs and cards from
them. Many of these giQs have been made by people who have been cured of
leprosy but are not accepted back in their own villages. There are s(ll many
archaic laws in India, many of which were introduced by the Bri(sh Raj and
some of these prevent those diagnosed with leprosy ge5ng married, ge5ng a
job and they are s(ll used as grounds for divorce.
There is a new project CREATE which is bringing together leprosy affected
people and others with disabili(es to CREATE strength in numbers. One aspect
is training CHAMPIONS – leprosy affected people to speak up for others and
challenge injus(ce. CREATE has won funding from the EU and for every £10
raised will release a further £20 from EU funding.
Leprosy can be cured if caught at an early stage and the drugs are not
expensive but so many people do not go to the hospital un(l they are quite
disabled and have been thrown out by their family and village. Munia is a good
example. She was found begging at a train sta(on when a kind stranger took
her to the Purulia hospital where her leprosy was treated. She was in a terrible
way her family had set fire to her and chased her from her home with knives
leaving her trauma(sed
and believing she was
unlovable. Thanks to
the care and kindness
she has received at the
hospital she has
blossomed and now
helps other pa(ents on the ward and has taught herself craQs including
embroidery and making rag rugs.
One of the big fundraising things has been for a brand new Outpa(ents
Department for Purulia Hospital. The department was no longer fit for purpose
with up to 300 pa(ents a day queuing to see 2 doctors. Because of the
reputa(on of Purulia Hospital and the fact that leprosy pa(ents, usually the
poorest of the poor cannot afford to be treated elsewhere, pa(ents travel for
hundreds of miles to its Outpa(ents Department. There is not enough room
13
for sick and disabled people to rest and there are only 2 toilets. There is li�le
privacy when being examined by a doctor. However, thanks to the generosity
of people construc(on of a brand new department is scheduled for October in
(me for a grand opening in mid-2018.
So thank you all when you gave to the Leprosy Mission last year. If you feel you
would like to buy cards or giQs or give a giQ for life (a special pair of sandals
costs £10) look on the internet under TLM Trading – their Christmas Catalogue
is on the website!
ITS NOT UNUSUAL
How many of you burst into song? I’m kidding! Actually, it is most unusual!
This is an unusual paragraph. I’m curious as to just how quickly you can find
out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would
think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly
unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you s(ll may not find anything
odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any
coaching!
Solu(on is accompanying this month’s wordfind!
TIME TO CHUCKLE
Ian Hunt was �ckled by this
A man was in court for theQ, the judge asked what it was he stole. “A can of
peaches” he replied. The judge asked how many peaches were in the can. “6”
he replied, so the judge sentenced him to 6 days in jail.—one for each peach
Hs wife then said to the judge “He also stole a can of peas, my Lord.”
14
WORDFIND
Harvest is the theme of this edi�on’s Wordsearch from Ray Sawyer
There is no haystack, so don’t bother looking for the needle this month, but
you might find some hay. This edi(on has a harvest theme. Find the following
harvest related words:
Barley; Bread; Coal; Crops; Cucumber; Fields; Fish; Flower;
Greenhouse; Harvest; Hay; Le4uce; Orchard; Ploughing; Rain;
Reaping; Sowing; Sunshine; Sweetcorn; Tomato; Thankful;
Unusual Answer. As the le�er E is the most used le�er in the English
language why isn’t there one in this passage!?
15
BIBLICAL YOGHURT
Mary Haggar finds the bible echoed in her brand of yoghurt. Is jam next?
About a year ago, I was interested in reading on the insides of a certain make of
yoghurt, li�le quips which were to “feed our inner smiles”. I am not sure they
ever really caught on, as the other day it was just a blank flap wai(ng for me to
lick.
I must admit, they didn’t quite feed my inner smile, but I found myself dwelling
on them (for a few seconds) linking their ideas perhaps to a similar text from
our Bible.
Here’s a few:
“I try to look for the best in every situa(on”.
Now this reminded me of words from St Paul, found in chapter 4 of his le�er to
the Philippians, where he says he finds contentment in every situa(on in which
he finds himself. Quite an achievement when you consider that he was in jail
when he wrote these words to the Philippians, but they were full of
confidence.
Another read:
“I wake up every morning and remind myself how lucky I am”.
Certainly, we ought to think this, no
ma�er which side of the bed we
get out of, for whatever situa(on
we have to face, we know we are
surrounded by God’s blessings
which are numerous and well able
to meet our needs of the day.
The last one I remember says:
“Treat each day as a new
day”.
16
The hymn immediately springs to my mind:
New every morning is the love
our wakening and uprising prove,
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.
What about too, the hymn we oQen sung in morning assembly in our school
days:
Morning has broken,
like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken
like the first bird
And you know, the last verse ends:
praise with ela(on,
praise every morning,
God’s recrea(on
of the new day”.
Incidentally, I have discovered a jam manufacturer has adopted something
likewise in their mini jars!. I’ll perhaps save those for further study”
WHO WROTE THAT?
John Goodhand can’t decide how to stand whilst siOng!
Growing up in a wide country circuit I encountered a great variety of local
preachers, some of them very entertaining. One I remember was Dr. E.
Swindale, a G.P. from a village some miles away. A tall, rather severe looking
man, he was a very able preacher, but his speech was hampered by some
defect with his palate which resulted in his sibilants coming out with a slight
hiss and whistle – a sort of ‘sch’ sound; it didn’t happen every (me, so it s(ll
had the power to startle and amuse.
One Sunday evening, Dr. Swindale was preaching, and announced that we
would remain ‘scheated’ for the next hymn, then proceeded to read the first
line: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus.’ The Goodhand pew somehow managed to
keep a straight face, but we chuckled all the way home.
17
Don’t worry, it can’t happen again. Neither of those hymns is in Singing the
Faith and ‘Rise up O men of God’ did not even make it into Hymns & Psalms.
Both hymns were wri�en by Americans:
George Duffield Jr. (1818-1888) was the son of a
Presbyterian minister. He graduated from Yale and the
Union Theological College in New York before serving
as a pastor in numerous ci(es, mainly in the state of
Michigan.
He was a zealous advocate of Aboli(on and the Union
causes during the US Civil War.
He was a great friend of Dudley Tyng, a powerful and
fearless preacher and a fellow aboli(onist. Tyng died
as the result of a tragic accident in 1858, and it is said
that his last words to his friends were: ‘Let us all stand
up for Jesus.’ Duffield took that prayer and used it for
his hymn.
William Pierson Merrill (1867-1954) was also a
Presbyterian, a clergyman, pacifist, and author as
well a hymnwriter. He was born in Orange, New
Jersey, his parents being of English descent.
He was ordained in 1890, and served as pastor in
Chestnut Hill (Pennsylvania), Chicago, and New
York before resigning to become pastor
emeritus.
He was named as the first President of the
Church Peace Union. Andrew Carnegie
described his sermon ‘The Making of Peace’,
delivered in 1914 as ‘one of the greatest sermons
on peace that he had ever heard.’
He was elected Moderator of the Presbytery of
New York in 1940, a posi(on which he held for
two years.
*****
On reflec(on, perhaps it could happen again. AQer all, we’ve s(ll got ‘Soldiers
of Christ arise…’
18
WISDOM
Andy Taylor asks if we are ready to listen to advice
“The way of the fool seems right to him, but a wise man
listens to advice” Proverbs 12 :15
What you don’t know can leave you vulnerable
to making mistakes as this illustrates.
I was reading a story about Tommy Bolt, who was
an excep(onal golfer. Unfortunately he had a
very bad temper, which oQen brought him into
conflict with others. The day aQer a disastrous
round, he was s(ll very angry. He called his caddy
and said that he wanted to speak to him before
today’s round. Now, as you well know, a caddy
does not just carry a set of golf clubs. He
supports and gives valuable advice to golfers,
especially as he oQen has specialist knowledge of
the golf course.
Tommy told him that he was to only answer any
ques(on with “Yes, Mr Bolt” or “No, Mister Bolt” Apart from that Tommy told
him that he was not to say anything else. The surprised caddy agreed.
The round started quite well, un(l off the fiQh tee, Tommy hit his ball offline
and it apparently landed in an awkward place behind a tree.
“Shall I hit the ball with a five iron?” Tommy asked the caddy. The caddy,
complying with instruc(ons, just replied “No,Mr Bolt”.
Ignoring the caddy’s advice, Tommy used a five iron and hit a tremendous
shot, with the ball landing to within a few inches of pin. There was rapturous
applause from the amazed spectators.
“What about that then?” Tommy said to his caddy “Some shot eh! Just as well
that I did not take your advice”
The caddy picked up the bag of clubs, and started walking towards the green.
“That wasn’t your ball, Mr Bolt!” he said.
If you do not want to finish up making mistakes you will
regret, always be open to listening to advice.
19
POETRY CORNER
Be4y Chicken shares another of her delighPul poems with us.
DQRQSTU
Searching for the roots of my family tree
I unearthed you,
grandma of my grandad.
Found you in the Parish Records,
the merest details of your existence
filed on a fiche. It’s true
your portrait was never painted in oils
by a famous ar(st,
no verses composed to your many a�ributes.
Yet kneeling here in your village church
I feel we are acquainted.
Is it that I have in me
a more than average por(on of your genes?
AQer genera(ons of sons
have you waited this long to communicate
with me, a woman. Am I to be
your voice from the past?
Will some mystery, some truth so far unknown
be wri�en at last?
GRUMPY EDITOR
Last edi�on I gave an apology—this month the tables are turned!
I’m cross! I’m disappointed!
My telepathy skills, notorious though they are, have let me down. I have many
diary entries for events that the organisers think are not sufficiently important
to include in the magazine. If your event is missing, or I’ve misrepresented it as
I’ve tried to invent some details to include in here—you know which mirror to
inspect. Now David—go back to t’ top of t’page and chill on t’calming poem!
20
FROM THE ORGAN STOOL
John Wearne comes down from the loV.
In my last epistle, I men(oned that, although I had passed some piano exams, it
was not un(l the family moved from North Shields to Whickham and took
membership at Sunniside Methodist Church, that my musical life expanded in
drama(c form.
My first vivid recollec(on was Christmas 1956 – Evening Carol Service: Organist
playing intro music; choir filing in to posi(on; pause – then a piece of music I
knew! (Pastoral Symphony – Messiah); then from ‘choir’ vestry came the most
glorious soprano voice singing soQly the recita(ves ending with ‘and suddenly
there was with the angel (etc) by which (me Audrey Pringle(the soloist) was in
her posi(on with full choir as she had walked slowly singing. THEN full choir
sang the ‘Glory to God’. The service con(nued with gusto congrega(onal
singing and choir giving vent to yule(de music from Messiah. (Total (me hour
and a half!)
When the soprano solo commenced/finished, tears were streaming down my
face! (no apologies), and I thought to myself, what a superb musical tradi(on
have we joined?
I was soon to find out!!
See if you can spot which one of these shipmates is John.
21
My mentor, (John Roddham) tried to teach me the rudiments of organ playing
on the ‘old’ instrument. Then I voiced cri(cism of an organist at a May
Missionary Mee(ng in Newcastle (this whispered to my Dad). So at the tender
age of 14 ½ I was appointed ‘Deputy, Assistant Organist’ at Sunniside. Yet this
was with two provisos : (1) I took organ lessons; (2) I joined the choir, both
complied with.
Both were a revela(on to me : Choir – Introit and Anthem each Sunday
evening : Organ – Brunswich Methodist Church, Newcastle – lessons, 3 manual
‘Binns’ instrument (tutor Mr Warby).
At this (me the ‘old’ organ at Sunniside became unplayable and a GOOD piano
was acquired for worship/choir accompaniment for about 2 ½ years un(l:-
Bensham Road Methodist Church closed due re-development etc. This being
an immense ‘barn’ (Victorian) of a place with a 3 manual “T C Lewis organ in
part playable condi(on. This was
purchased at auc(on (as is) for £60!
Cu5ng a long(ish) story short,
Nelson and Co of Durham were
given the contract to re-build/
renovate/re-site etc the instrument
into a two manual quite versa(le
organ. W O W !! – a pipe organ at
my disposal!!
The dedica(on of same was a
magnificent amalgam of music!!
BUT : The total cost of said rebuild
was beyond the finances of
Sunniside at the (me :- so
fundraising was the order of the
day.
Part of this fundraising involved the
whole church and a decision was
arrived at, that we would produce/
perform some Gilbert and Sullivan
operas on stage in the ‘hall’ – this
with full costume/scenery/ligh(ng
etc (more silly stories on this to
follow).
22
The choir being augmented and some soloists ‘imported’.
1st
was ‘THE MIKADO’ - ‘O’-level (me, so just sold programmes for this
2nd
was ‘HMS PINAFORE’ – see photo and spot organist
3rd
was ‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’ -
4th
was ‘THE GONDOLIERS’ – see photos and spot organist
These produc(ons were staged for 5 nights (Tues-Sat) and raised more than 6
(mes the rebuild cost! (More of this later).
For info :- Scenery painted by John Roddham (also accompanist)
Costumes by ‘Mutries Ltd’ of Edinburgh
Ligh(ng by Courtesy of Newcastle University
NOT BAD FOR A PIT VILLAGE METHODIST CHURCH!!!
What a privilege to be a part of this!!
23
DID HE REALLY MEAN IT
Harry Chicken sheds light on one of those hard to believe sayings.
“If anyone comes aVer me and does not hate his father and mother…
and sisters… he cannot be my disciple.”
Did Jesus really mean this?
Imagine a young Harry Chicken in chapel with his parents and sister, a family
who have all shown him great love, caring and understanding throughout his
thirteen years, and who taught him to love God and see the bible as a guide for
life. Imagine him listening to the lesson being read from Luke’s gospel (Luke
14:26). “If anyone comes aQer me and does not hate his father and mother…
and sisters… he cannot be my disciple.” I could not accept this as the teaching
of the Jesus I had been brought up to admire, but it was there in the Bible!! It
bothered me then, but later as I studied the Bible academically, I began to
make sense of the passage.
I know that some people have had experiences that have made them dislike
their parents to a greater or lesser extent. Luther had difficulty in saying the
“Our Father”, because his father had been so stern, so unbending and so
unsympathe(c. Freud, in his “Father Projec(on Theory” seems to indicate that
we project experience of our “earthly father” onto our “heavenly father.” I
think that Jesus’ experience of his earthly father fed into his image of God the
Father (but that is another subject). There seems no evidence that Jesus hated
his parents and he certainly tried to make sure that his mother was cared for
24
when he commi�ed her to John as he was on the cross, even though he was in
great pain. Also, in all three of the Synop(c Gospels, we are told that we must
honour our father and our mother.
How then are we to interpret this text in Luke?
I think that one of the things we must remember is that Jesus used exaggerated
metaphors or hyperbole a great deal, for example, “it is more difficult for a rich
man to enter the kingdom of God, than it is for a camel to pass through the eye
of a needle. In fact it is obviously impossible. This seems to me to be another
example.
Also, the problem lies in the difficulty of transla(ng the language and ideas of
another culture and age into the contemporary situa(on. Transla(ng Semi(c
languages like Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) and Hebrew (the language of
his religion) present problems. Both have no ability to express compara(ves
such as “be�er than” or “more than.” Instead, they use opposites to get over
the meaning. So “I love that and I hate that”, is the only way to express “I love
that be�er than that”. In Genesis chapter 29, in the story of Jacob he serves
Laban his father-in-law for seven years for his younger daughter Rachael, and
when he liQs her veil on his wedding night, he finds that Laban has tricked him
and given him the elder daughter Leah. The story says that he hated Leah and
loved Rachael. However, he seems to have been happy with Leah for she
rapidly bore him four sons! Scholars point out that the text really means that
he loved Rachael more than Leah. This also in the passage in Luke which we
are discussing, Jesus means “you must love your family less than you love God.”
Even so, this is a difficult saying.
25
Again, there are those scholars, among them Albert Schweitzer, take the view
that Jesus and certainly his disciples believed that he would soon return and
establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Thus they should put God’s work first
and spend (me telling of the near proximity o the coming kingdom, rather than
being concerned with family ma�ers. This was therefore just an interim
command.
As this ideas of an imminent second coming receded and family life became the
norm for Chris(ans, Paul, in 1 Timothy 5:8, says “if anyone does not provide for
his rela(ves, and especially for his own family, he disowned the faith and is
worse than an unbeliever.”
Many in the past have sacrificed to a greater or smaller extent their family life in
the service of God. There was a list on a commemora(on board in our
ministerial training college at Richmond (now alas, like the rest of our
ministerial colleges, closed) which now I think is in the Methodist Headquarters
in London. It contains the names of young men who went in the nineteenth
century to East African countries who died of the diseases they contracted
there within three, two or even one year of beginning their missionary ac(vity.
They forfeited their family life. Many others since then have made sacrifices
when they have responded to the call to work overseas, because it has not
always been convenient to have their families with them. Our church should be
grateful for such sacrifices. For some, it was a “costly discipleship.”
I think an integral part of my “discipleship” is to love and care for my family as
my parents and family loved and cared for me. If I don’t do this, I do believe as
the bible says, I have disowned my faith worse than an unbeliever.”
26
SHOEBOXES
Joy Pipe shared this tale of a shoebox
I’m just a humble shoebox And not worth very much,
But wait and see me in a while I’ll have a loving touch!
I could have been discarded Any simply thrown away,
But now I’ve been recycled And cared for day by day.
So many li�le toys and giQs Are snugly packed within,
And when I’m really filled up (ght Adventures will begin.
I’ll soon be wrapped up neatly In paper shiny bright,
And I’ll be feeling very proud So full of love and light.
Then soon I will be travelling To many distant lands,
And children will be wai(ng With eager, stretched out hands. So don’t discard your shoebox,
Just think what you can do, God bless those folk who work so hard,
God bless the children too!
Iris Hesselden
22nd October Which is all a very good reminder to
complete your Christmas shoe boxes by this
date. Leaflets and materials are available in
church for anyone who needs more guidance
or ideas. Kath Calvesbert is leading the
appeal for us and is hoping to collect 150
boxes this year, so please do help.
WEEKLY NOTICES
Contacts for the weekly no�ces
Please remember to provide your contribu(ons for Sunday’s weekly no(ce
sheet to the relevant contact by 8:00 pm each Thursday.
October: Roger Smith. November: Ray & Diana Sawyer ,
December : Barbara Wearne
27
CHURCH DIARY
Coffee/tea are served every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:00
19th
November deadline for next issue:
The deadline for contribu(ons for the next magazine is 19th
November. It is
due out on Sunday 26th
November .
Please email them to me at [email protected].
November con�nued
Sun 5th
10:45 am Communion led by Rev Derek Grimshaw
Mon 6th
7:00 pm Safeguarding (full) training
Thu 9th
1:00 pm Ipswich Arts lunch(me lecture “Behind the Counter”
Sun 12th
10:45 am Remembrance Sunday worship led by Mr Ray Sawyer
Mon 13th
7:00 pm Property commi�ee
Tue 14th
7:30 pm Get together
Wed 15th
10:00 am Holy Communion
Sun 19th
10:45 am worship led by Mrs Gloria Theobald
Sun 19th
Museum Street Connec(ons - contribu(on deadline
Tue 21st
2:00 pm Tea and Talk
Wed 22nd
7:00 pm Safeguarding refresher training
Sun 26th
10:45 am worship led by Mrs Janet Foster
Mon 27th
7:30 pm Church life team
Tue 28th
12:30 pm Community lunch
December
Wed 1st
12:30 pm Potato service
Sun 3rd
10:45 am Advent Sunday worship
Sun 10th
10:45 am Worship
Tue 12th
7:30 pm Getogether
Thu 14th
1:00 pm Ipswich Arts lunch(me concert –
Suffolk Police Male Voice choir
Thu 14th
5:30 pm Ipswich Chris(an Central carol service
Fri 15th
2:00 pm church cleaning
Sun 17th
10:45 am Christmas Carol service
Mon 19th
2:00 pm Tea and Talk
Wed 20th
7:30 pm Holy Communion
Sun 24th
10:45 am Worship
Sun 24th
11:30 pm Midnight communion
Mon 25th
TBA Christmas morning worship
Sun 31st
10:45 am Worship
28
CHURCH DIARY
Looking ahead! Note tea/coffee served at 10:00 every Wed & Sat
CONTACTS
We’d love to hear from you
Minister: Rev Derek Grimshaw, 01473 805486
Editor: David Welbourn, [email protected]
Webmaster: Mike Parker, parker.mj@b�nternet.com
Website: h4p://www.museumstreet.org.uk/
October
Sun 1st
10:45 am Communion led by Rev Michael Cassidy
Mon 2nd
7:30 pm Church Council
Wed 4th
12:30 pm Potato service
Thu 5th
7:45 pm Flanders Recorder quartet concert
Fri 6th
2:00 pm Church cleaning
Sat 7th
“In harmony” charity concert
Sun 8th
10:45 am Worship led by Rev Derek Grimshaw including
celebra(on of the Zambesi Mission project
Tue 10th
7:30 pm Get together – the Teapot Project
Thu 12th
1:00 pm Ipswich Arts lunch (me concert:
“the Wednesday Men”
Sat 14th
10:00 am Safeguarding refresher training
Sun 15th
10:45 am Worship led by Mrs Jane Paterson
Tue 17th
2:00 pm Tea and Talk
Wed 18th 10:00 am Holy Communion
Fri 20th
h
2:00 pm Concert by Orwell singers
Sun 22nd
10:45 am World Church Service led by Rev M Griffin including
launch of TWAM mission project
Sun 22nd
12:30 pm World church lunch
Sun 22nd
Deadline for Christmas Shoe boxes
Tue 24th
12:30 pm Community lunch
Sun 29th
10:45 am worship led by Mrs Carol Almond
Mon 30th
7:30 pm Church life team
November
Wed 1st
12:30 pm Potato service
Fri 3rd
10:00 am Church DIY day, including lunch
Sat 4th
10:00 am Coffee and cakes for TWAM
