A reflection on prayer Page 3

News of the Church Family Page 4

Letters and Emails Page 5

Dates for your Diary Page 7

The Church Garden Page 8

GDPR, GDPR, GDPR Page 10

Geoff Harper Page 11

David vs Goliath - revisited Page 12

When did a bee ever send you an invoice? Page 15

Classic Cinema Club Ealing Page 16

Collection Point Page 18

Rotas Page 20

W5 5QT

May 2018

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EALING GREEN CHURCH

(Methodist and United Reformed)

Ealing, London W5 5QT

Telephone (020) 8810 0136

Web site http://www.ealinggreenchurch.org.uk/

Email egcadministrator@btconnect.com egcsecretary@btconnect.com

Contributions to Unity unitymagazine@hotmail.com

Ministers Rev. Rachel Bending 07986 461787

Associate Pastor Mrs Penny Pedley 07484 542879

Church Office Manager Mrs. Sarah Hunter (020) 8810 0136

Church Secretary Position Vacant

Church Secretariat Hector Chidiya

Choir Leader Mrs. Fleur Hatherall (020) 8248 6774

Organist Mrs. Fleur Hatherall (020) 8248 6774

Communion Steward Ms Nora Masih

Unity Magazine Mr. Lee Horwich (020) 8567 2851

Unity Distributor Mr. Peter Chadburn (020) 8537 1966

Ecumenical Officer Mr. David Groves (020) 8933 8315

Bible Reading Rota Church Administrator (020) 8810 0136

The Church Office is open on weekdays between 10am & 3pm except on Wednesdays, when it is open 1pm – 6pm.

UNITY contributions:

All contributions gratefully received. Please email them to: unitymagazine@hotmail.com

Last date for contributions for June Sunday 13th May

If you are new to the church, the following groups meet on a regular basis, either weekly or monthly: Afternoon Bible Study Thurs (date TBA) 1.30 pm Monday Fellowship (fortnightly)

2nd & 4th Monday of each month

2:00 pm

Choir Practice Friday 7:00 pm Luncheon Club Thursday 12:00 am-1:15 pm

Full details can be found in the weekly notice sheet

You are welcome to come to any meeting.

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A reflection on prayer from Penny

I am writing this on the balcony of our hotel room in Sorrento, soaking up a bit of Italian warmth and sunshine. In front of me is an olive grove on a hillside, and the birds are singing all around. Apart from the background noise of traffic, which in Italy never seems to exist without the roar of motorbike engines and horns blaring, it is all very peaceful!

A couple of days ago we did the almost obligatory trip from here to Pompeii, to visit the ruins of that ancient city, devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79, almost 2000 years ago, a time when the Christian church was in its infancy and parts of the New Testament were being written. I found it a profoundly moving experience.

What is striking as you look around is how well-preserved the ruins are for somewhere so ancient – a place dating back to the 6th century BC. You can still see floor mosaics and wall paintings, statues and pottery, marble shop counters, with holes that would have held bowls of food, and grooves on the thresholds into which they would have placed planks as sliding doors.

Also striking is how sophisticated they were in creating systems to assist them in daily tasks – heating water, milling flour, cooking pizza – and also in art and culture. In many ways it was a very modern civilisation. They also had a propensity for over-eating and too heavy a reliance on things they didn't realise were causing them harm, like lead pipes!

When Vesuvius erupted, the initial wave of molten lava engulfed Herculaneum, but stopped short of Pompeii. Many people fled Pompeii in terror, but some 2000 people stayed, believing the worst was over. However, during the night, a change in the wind direction brought a vast cloud of ash and poisonous gases which descended on the city, burying it 10 metres deep, killing everyone there, mostly while they slept. Over centuries the ash hardened, hiding, but also preserving the city which then lay undisturbed for 1700 years, until people began to excavate the ruins. That work of excavation is still continuing, and the remains are revealing a great deal about the lifestyles of the people of Pompeii.

One archaeologist had the foresight, during the excavations, to stop the digging down through the ash about a metre above ground level, and then check, by sound, for hollow spaces in the ash below. These had been created by the decomposition of bodies in the hardened ash. When cavities were found, holes were drilled and liquid plaster was poured into the hollows. When the ash was removed, the plaster casts revealed figures, human and animal, and the positions in which they died. These are very moving. The one that touched me most was of a person seated on the ground, knees pulled up to his chest and his hands held in front of him on his knees, as if he died in prayer.

I found this a very powerful time to visit Pompeii, perhaps because there have been times recently when I have been reminded of how precarious life can be. For all our technical advances and apparent control over our lives, we are recognising our dependence on an environment that is being seriously

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threatened by human exploitation, and also our vulnerability, when we hear world leaders, who seem more concerned with power than responsibility, boasting about and threatening to use weapons that could cause devastation against which the eruption of Vesuvius would look like a minor incident! Just as Vesuvius is still active and could erupt again at any time, so other dangers hover in the background.

I don't want to depress you, but I am aware that it is easy to feel anxious and helpless in the face of these kind of issues. But there is something that we can do that can lift us beyond fear and anxiety and that is prayer. There was something about that figure in Pompeii that spoke to me of prayer as a power that we share with people down through the ages, a source of strength, of comfort and of peace – not a false sense that 'everything will be ok', but a sense that there is a reality that transcends everything we know here and holds us secure so that, whatever happens here, all will be well. 'Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' (Philippians 4: 6, 7)

I would love to see that kind of peace flowing through the lives of Christians and having an effect on people around us, so many racked with anxiety and fear. We have such a gift to offer. As we hover in the waiting space between Easter, when we have been reminded that in Christ death has been disempowered, and wait for Pentecost when we will remember the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit being released in the world, let us pray that we may be empowered to make the love, joy and peace of God real where we are.

News of the Church Family

Please pray for a speedy recovery for Peggy Allaway who is in Ealing hospital.

John Collingbourne is having surgery at the end of April. Barbara Hawkins and Colin Hatherall are also expecting to undergo surgery shortly, so please support them all with your prayers.

Well done Liz Clarke in obtaining a new job. The sad news for us, is that it is in Singapore! Liz and Mauricio will be moving there in June. We will miss you both but hope that you will soon settle happily in your new job and surroundings. Please keep in touch.

Our love and sympathy to Caroline Cummings-Palmer and to Valerie on the death of another of Caroline’s sisters-in-law, the second in a month.

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At beginning of May, Colin and Merle Paige are coming on another visit to the UK, from South Africa. As they will be here for 6 weeks, we look forward to welcoming them when they come to Ealing.

Many of you will remember Carien Du Plooy, another South African, who was a member of our church for many years. She moved to Twickenham when she got married. Now, she and her husband Chris are very excited, as they emigrate to USA – for them, a dream come true.

Gill & Colin give thanks that they were able to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary at the end of April.

We pray for those mentioned above and for all who carry the burden of illness and for their families and friends.

Sarah now prints 2 large copies of the Service Sheet each week. If anyone would find this helpful, please do ask the door steward for a copy. Large copies of “Singing the Faith” are also available.

Gill Hatherall

Letters and emails

From Helen Harper:

On Thursday April 5th, Fleur and l travelled to Reading. We were met at the station and driven to Sonning Common to join Mike and Sheila Eggleton who were celebrating their Diamond Wedding anniversary where we met up with several old friends, Chris and Christine Follett and Liz and David Monsey among others.

What a lovely party it was with a buffet tea and lots of laughter. Mike cut the cake with a flourish and we all drank their health with a glass of champagne. Sheila’s health is not good but she managed a smile when we raised our glasses with congratulations on their 60th anniversary.

Helen Harper PS. A sad postscript to this email – Sheila died a few days ago at the end of April.

We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives. Gary Zukav

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When I started this I was standing up at my desk (no, not one of those expensive ones, actually a board I rigged up about waist height in the baby’s room) in jeans and a sweater with the window firmly closed against the rain and cold outside. A week on and I am in shorts and a t-shirt with the window wide open to let as much air in as I can. Outside it is hot and 40,000 people are struggling through the hottest London Marathon ever. One that I am happy to be missing (apart from the fact that I am simply not fit to enter).

Penny’s piece, which you have probably read before getting this far, gives us thought about the things that remain the same in this world, despite the changes, both long term, if you think of 2000 years as long enough, and those happening in the short term, that we can do something, however little about. I would invite you to think specifically about that with regards to this month’s Communion Collection appeal for Christian Aid.

On the subject of the Communion Collection, my personal thanks to everyone who contributed for Chinhoyi in April. As most of you know this is a cause close to my heart. The money, hopefully, will be with those who need it by the time you read this. If not, in a couple of days. Each time, and there have been many since 2008, that I think things can’t get any worse, the limits of my imagination are shown up in the starkest manner. The situation in Zimbabwe of late is that all, or virtually all, doctors and nurses have gone on strike. The nurses, I can’t tell you what has happened to the doctors, have all been sacked, despite the High Court declaring this sacking illegal. So Zimbabwe now has virtually no doctors or nurses to run their resource starved hospitals. However bad things are here, we are living in a medical paradise in comparison – hence the importance of those at the Chinhoyi clinic who we are helping support. It is a drop in the ocean, but as Stanley wrote in last month’s Unity ‘it’s everything to those who they can help’. Thank you – and if you feel like you could help any more or have any questions on the subject, please let me know.

Another thing you may (or may not) want to contact me about is to do with GDPR (see page 10). I have names and addresses of all those who receive this newsletter. If anyone has any queries about what information I have (actually only your name and email, but ask if you need), please let me know.

I was a bit disappointed that no one asked me the originator of the quotes last month. I guess those of you who were interested enough to wonder whose philosophical musings they were resorted to Google, doesn’t everyone these days? For those of you less interested, this paragon of reason and concern about man’s role in everything was none other than our favourite bare-chested symbol of all that is ‘good’ and ‘strong’ in the world, Vladimir Putin. What was it about actions speaking louder than words?

God bless you

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Dates for Your Diary

13th May Hunger Lunch for Christian Aid, after the normal service.

20th May Cake/bake sale for Christian Aid

Pentecost Party

The Circuit is organising a Pentecost Party at Acton Hill on Sunday 20th May from 4:00pm. The idea is to bring us all together to party and worship in a way that enables us to get a feeling of the energy of God. Everyone in the church is invited – you will be receiving individual personal invitations nearer the time. Church representatives will be invited to meet together to discuss and make food for the party together. In addition, musicians from around the Circuit will be invited to join a workshop and to provide worship music on the day.

July 28th Church Open Day - save the day.

May/June Summer Series 2018

The Summer Series is based on the book ‘Holy Habits’ by Andrew Roberts, a Methodist Minister serving as a Discipleship specialist in the Discipleship and Ministries Learning Network, which explores what discipleship means in the 21st Century.

Rachel Bending is leading the series and involving as many people as possible. The first meeting was held at the beginning of March, but in May or June a creative arts workshop will be organised so that people can develop materials for use in the series at the same time as having fun together – watch this space for further details as they become available.

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck,

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The Church Garden It was suggested to me (and suggestions from yourselves are always welcome) that I take a few pictures of the Church Garden which is coming into bloom. We are very lucky to have such a garden to retreat to amidst the noise and hurly burly of most of our lives.

Of course, when I went up to the church to take some pictures, the sun suddenly went in and it soon began to rain, so, with dark clouds looking I took what pictures I could, gave up and returned home.

The garden is a tribute to Hazel, who did a great job of designing and overseeing the changes along with everyone else involved. It has changed from what was a lovely, but sorely under-loved piece of ground that happened to be alongside and part of the church grounds. In the next couple of months I expect the trees to be more colourful and the wide variety of plants to make their own bid to attract the

pollinators that will ensure their survival for the future. It should be a colourful scene, which I will try to capture in a later issue of the newsletter.

Our thanks again to Hazel.

Lee

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GDPR, GDPR, GDPR

Many of you have heard that the European regulation GDPR is coming into effect in May. But, what is this, how does it affect our local church and how can I find out more? Some key FAQs and answers follow below:

What does GDPR stand for?

It stands for General Data Protection Regulation.

What is it for?

The Regulation is designed to give individuals more rights on how an organisation may use their data.

When does it come into force?

It comes into force in the UK on the 25th May 2018.

Who does it affect?

It affects all organisations that hold data on European Union Citizens. Organisations that are not compliant when the Regulation comes into force may face heavy fines.

How does it impact me as an individual?

Under GDPR, individuals have extended rights to access their data, ask for correction or deletion.

How does it affect Ealing Green Church?

Ealing Green Church, as an organisation, needs to be compliant with GDPR. This involves making changes in how data is collected and handled, including deletion, stopping processing where applicable and handling of data breaches.

The UK is leaving the EU, so surely it doesn’t matter?

Brexit will not make a difference. This is because GDPR is going to be enshrined in UK law on the 25th of May in the form of the Data Protection Act 2018. This is currently a Bill.

Where can I find out more?

The official online portal is https://www.eugdpr.org/

EU GDPR Information Portal

This website is a resource to educate the public about the main elements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) After four years of preparation and debate the GDPR was finally approved by the EU Parliament on 14 April 2016.

www.eugdpr.org

The portal provides useful information and links. Additionally, you can contact Sarah, the Church Office Manager, for further information specific to Ealing Green Church.

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Geoff Harper

On the 8th of April, after the main service, Helen led a group of members and some of the church family for a small ceremony at which Geoff’s ashes were buried in the church garden. It was a short celebration of his life and brought together all of his family right down to the little ones who wondered about the whole thing, but who had been brought by their parents as a mark of respect for someone who had figured so significantly in their lives.

Penny led the proceedings with some prayers and then Geoff’s ashes were laid to rest. Geoff would have appreciated the occasion with groups huddled around in the rain and his ashes getting to spend eternity next to Ken, his best friend.

Everyone there was involved and, I think, everyone, relatives, friends and members of the church, appreciated the opportunity to say one final farewell to Geoff.

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David vs Goliath Revisited – and Unequal Match?

Within the Old Testament there are many stories - well known by both church goers and those who have never set foot in a church. Stories such as Noah’s flood, Samson and Delilah, Daniel in the lion’s den and David and Goliath to name but a few. Although non-church goers cannot recount all aspects of the story they, never-the-less, know the rudiments. Those who go to church – particularly those brought up in Sunday school - are well versed knowing, for example, not only knowing the names of Daniel but his three friends as well, the sons of Noah or the origins of Delilah.

Being very familiar with the stories often means that we tend to gloss over them when we encounter them again whilst reading the Bible or during sermons – particularly the 15 minute “chat” sermons which have become the norm in recent years. For example, when the story of David and Goliath is the subject, the preacher will usually take about seven minutes telling the story (yet again) in terms of the underdog winning against all odds. This is then followed by a further eight minutes discussing the “giants” in our lives which we must fight. These “giants” are usually envisaged as the everyday problems that we face during work or dealing with others - hardly giants as understood in the context of Saul or David.

Recently I was reading the story of David and Goliath (Samuel 1 Ch 17) again and thinking about it I found there were several factors which I had never really thought about or appreciated before.

Consider Goliath. Samuel tells us that he was a Philistine living in the city state of Gath and a key element in the Philistine army - at least until he encountered David. Samuel records that he was extremely tall – a giant of a man – and of considerable strength. His height is quoted as being around 9 feet 9 inches (I refuse to use metric measurements unless it’s a scientific issue) and the weapons he carried showed he was of considerable strength as the iron tip of his spear alone weighed 15lbs whilst his armour tipped the scales at 125lbs.

This prompted me to use the web to research examples of recent tall men to make a comparison. I find that, according to the Guinness book of records and other resources, the tallest man ever, whose height has been verified, was Robert Pershing Wadlow born in Alton, Illinois, USA on 22 February 1918. His last measured, and verified, height on 27 June 1940 was found to be 8 feet 11.1 inches. The current tallest man in the world is a Turkish man named Sultan Kosen who, in 2009, measured 8 feet 1inch. These are less than the height given for Goliath although the height quoted in Samuel would not have been measured with the full rigours of the Guinness book of records. Never-the- less Goliath was clearly an exceptionally tall man.

To complete the picture Yao Defen, from China, is currently claimed to be the tallest woman in the world at a height of 7 feet 8 inches.

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What do all of these people have in common apart from being exceptionally tall? The common factor which is known is that they all suffer from a condition called acromegaly, usually referred to as “Giantism”.

Acromegaly, or giantism, is caused by a benign tumour, or adenoma, in the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is a pea-sized structure located at the base of the brain. It is part of the endocrine system and produces critical hormones - chemical substances that control various bodily functions. One of these hormones controls growth. The presence of the benign tumour causes excess growth hormone production, resulting in such features as abnormal height in children and adults, coarse facial structures, excessively large hands and feet, thick fingers and more. At the moment, what causes the benign tumour in the first place is unknown. What is known is that the conditions are complicated further by disorders like diabetes, high blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome, and issues relating to vision.

In the past many believed there was no cure for acromegaly however, recently, there has been some success in the case of Sultan Kosen. Sultan Kosen did not start his growth spurt until he was 10 years old. Revolutionary gamma-knife surgery, on the tumour controlling his pituitary gland, at the University of Virginia, USA, in 2010, has halted his production of the growth hormone which in turn has halted Sultan’s growth further.

Clearly, we do not know if Goliath’s height was a result of acromegaly, however studies of skeletons from the past tend to suggest that all cases of giantism to date have been due to this exceedingly unpleasant condition which usually leads to an early death.

Some further confirmation that Goliath suffered from acromegaly is also found in Samuel. Apart from his abnormal height Goliath appears to have suffered from issues regarding his sight. Whilst this is not stated directly, as David approaches Goliath a brief conversation takes place (1 Samuel 17: 41-48). The fact that the account in Samuel describes both David and Goliath as “saying to each other” and not shouting, as one might expect if they were some distance from each other, suggests that they were fairly close to each other before the exchange takes place. We note that the exchange is initiated by Goliath who sees that David is but a “youth armed with a stick”. That Goliath only realises this when they are fairly close to each other does suggest that Goliath may have been near sighted - another feature of giantism. To a man used to fighting others at very close quarters this does not represent a problem, but if larger distances are involved, it can become a critical issue. I should stress that near sightedness in Goliath is something I have surmised. However, poor eyesight is a known feature of acromegaly.

Looking at David we find here we have a youth of considerable courage, strength and experience. He tells (Samuel 1 17:35-37) of how, whilst looking after sheep, he fought and killed both bears and lions. As a shepherd he would have developed agility in movement as well as skills in using a sling. It is the use of the sling which requires special mention. This was not a slingshot (which we call

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a catapult) but a sling. A sling consists of a small pouch, a few inches long, made of either leather or twisted braid. Into this pouch was held a stone or pebble. Nowadays the stone is replaced by a marble or a round lead weight. Either side of the pouch are cords each about two feet long one of which has a loop at one end. In use a finger – usually the index finger - is passed though the loop and the other, free, end held in the palm of the same hand. A small stone is placed in the pouch and the sling is rotated around the body for a few times at high speed. At the appropriate moment, the free end of the sling is released from the palm of the hand allowing the stone in the pouch to fly free.

Research in recent years has shown that the pebble from a sling can travel at up to 230 mph and can reach distances of up to 400 yds. In practice, the range at which slings were used in anger was rarely more than 100 yds.

Archaeological evidence shows that slings were in use during 2500 BC and probably well before that. Slingers were an important component of ancient armies. Homer records in his history of the Retreat of the Ten Thousand (401 BC) how the Greeks suffered severely from the slingers in the army of Artaxerxes II of Persia and, that due to the missiles from the enemy’s slings, the Greeks were unable to get within effective range of the enemy with either their arrows or javelins. Usually the sling ammunition was not a stone but a lead “bullet” which sometimes had inscriptions written on them such as “Ouch”, “Take this” or, in one case, “For Pompey’s backside”. Some of these lead bullets have been found which had a hole drilled through them so that they would “whistle” as they flew through the air to frighten and intimidate the enemy. This is something repeated in recent times in the German Stuka dive bomber (World War II) which had a wind powered siren attached to the undercarriage struts to frighten and lower the morale of those under attack.

Children in the BC, and later, periods were taught to use the sling from an early age and became proficient by the time they were introduced into an army. Ancient armies had their battalions of slingers who, as the above quote by Homer shows, were a powerful weapon capable of outreaching the opposing archers of that period.

Today slings are still used by Arabs, Bedouins and nomadic tribes to fight off animals attacking their flocks. They are also to be found in the Middle East conflicts by youths fighting government and other armed forces. During the past week alone (2nd - 8th April) I have seen four TV news reports from the middle east in which several youths can be seen using slings to hurl stones at police and army personnel. In the USA I have found clubs who practice hitting small targets (about 4” x 4”) at ranges of up to 50 yds with their slings. In short, slings represent a long-range weapon which could be used to strike an enemy with a fairly high degree of precision and, if striking a vulnerable part of the body such as the forehead, could deliver a fatal blow.

Thus David, fighting Goliath, was possessed of a formidable weapon which he knew how to use and was able to deliver a knockout blow whilst he was well out of the range of Goliath’s spear, sword or bodily might. Far from being a story of

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an underdog winning against all odds it is really a story of a duel in which the result was a forgone conclusion - Goliath did not stand a chance.

I am now waiting for someone, amongst the very liberal ministers in our society, to include in their sermons the complaint that Goliath was a victim of an unfair fight! Alan/Larry Parsons

When did a bee ever send you an invoice?

“Not a single bee has ever sent you an invoice. And that is part of the problem, because most of what comes to us from nature is free, because it is not invoiced, because it is not priced, because it is not traded in markets, we tend to ignore it.”

“We use nature, because she is valuable, we lose nature because she is free.”

Pavan Sukhdev, President WWF International

“Of air-born honey, gift of heaven”.

Here is a poem by Carol Ann Duffy, our finest living poet. The title refers to Virgil’s Georgics IV (written 23 BCE). It begins “Protinus aerii mellis caelestia dona exsequar” (which Dryden translated as “the Gifts of Heav'n my foll'wing Song pursues - Aerial Honey, and Ambrosial Dews.”)

Virgil's Bees

Bless air’s gift of sweetness, honey from the bees, inspired by clover, marigold, eucalyptus, thyme, the hundred perfumes of the wind.

Bless the beekeeper

who chooses for her hives a site near water, violet beds, no yew, no echo. Let the light lilt, leak, green or gold, pigment for queens, and joy be inexplicable but there in harmony of willowherb and stream, of summer heat and breeze, each bee’s body at its brilliant flower, lover-stunned, strumming on fragrance, smitten.

For this,

let gardens grow, where beelines end, sighing in roses, saffron blooms, buddleia; where bees pray on their knees, sing, praise in pear trees, plum trees; bees are the batteries of orchards, gardens, guard them. Jonathan Morris

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Classic Cinema Club Ealing , Ealing Town Hall, Fridays 7:30pm

May’s films fall into the category of Just the two of us? Couples, love triangles, friends, doppelgängers – all feature in these romantic comedies, dramas, satires and fantasy films. There’s visually extravagant movies from visionary directors, with a focus on auteurs.

4th May Strictly Ballroom 1992 94 min Director: Baz Luhrmann Starring: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter A rebel contender partners with a plain, clumsy beginner to perform his own steps in Australian ballroom dancing championships. This feel-good hit is now a West End musical.

11th May The Wedding Banquet 1993 106 min Director: Ang Lee Starring: Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua

Simon and Wei-Tung are a gay couple living together in Manhattan. To defer the suspicions of Wei-Tung's parents, Simon suggests a marriage of convenience between Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei, an immigrant in need of a green card. When Wei-Tung's parents come to America for the wedding, they insist upon an elaborate banquet, resulting in several complications.

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18th May Delicatessen 1991 99 min. Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet Starring: Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon, Pascal Benezech

Food is scarce in post-apocalyptic France. A butcher and landlord’s shy daughter finds love with the new handyman in this stylish, surreal, deliciously dark comedy.

Apparently Jean-Pierre Jeunet got the idea for the movie in 1988 while vacationing in America. He said after staying in America's hotels he felt the food was so bad that "it tasted like real humans". Then came the idea . . .

25th May The Lady Eve 1941 94 min Director: Preston Sturges Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn

Con-artist Barbara Stanwyck tries card games, seduction and false identity to get millionaire Henry Fonda’s money. This Hollywood screwball comedy is classy, witty and sexy.

This is another Preston Sturges masterpiece! With "The Lady Eve", Mr. Sturges proves he was at the pinnacle of his career. Rarely do all elements mesh together into films that are pleasing as well as showing intelligence to the viewer. This comedy has its heart in the right place.

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Collection Point This month’s Communion Collection goes to the invaluable work that Christian Aid does all over the world

Christian Aid says:

Poverty is an outrage against humanity. It robs people of their dignity and lets injustice thrive. But together we have the power to transform lives.

Christian Aid is active in all parts of the world where their help is needed. I have highlighted a few of the campaigns that they are actively involved with. Please, with May being Christian Aid month in the church’s calendar, consider helping and contributing to its work. If you have any questions at all whether they be on what Christian Aid is doing or how to help, please see Deb Lovell who is our coordinator.

Please help vulnerable Rohingya people who desperately need food, water and shelter.

More than 850,000 refugees are stuck in camps on the border of Bangladesh, in what is now the fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world.

Escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late August 2017 forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, including many Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh, fearing for their lives. Many remain displaced in Myanmar.

Those who fled walked for miles, and for days on end, some with newborn babies. Conditions in the camps are incredibly difficult. With limited medical facilities, people are sick and at risk of serious disease.

Thanks to your support, we’ve reached 12,819 people with essential healthcare. Our local partners are on the ground, providing urgent shelter kits and ensuring

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access to safe water and sanitation. You’ve helped us raise more than £1.4m, but with further support, we could do so much more.

South Asia Floods Appeal Flood survivors urgently need shelter, food and clean water.

More than 40 million people across South Asia have been affected by relentless flooding. An estimated 1,200 lives have been lost, while survivors’ homes and livelihoods have been destroyed.

Two months of persistent monsoon rains have caused widespread flooding in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. These are the worst floods to hit South Asia for years.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from the worst hit areas and are living in temporary shelters. As the monsoon season persists, numbers affected will rise. With millions at risk and in urgent need of shelter, food and clean water, we need to act now.

Sierra Leone Mudslide Appeal Please help families who have lost everything.

Torrential rain in Sierra Leone caused fatal flooding and mudslides in mid-August, killing more than 1,000 people, including many children.

In Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, many houses were submerged or swept away, leaving 3,000 people without a safe place to call home.

People were temporarily relocated to schools, churches and mosques in the aftermath of the disaster. They have lost everything: their loved ones, homes, belongings and food supplies.

We are on the ground in Freetown, providing urgent supplies to survivors, but with your help we could do so much more.

Please give generously.

Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come.

Thomas Carlyle

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May Rotas Could we have some volunteers for readers and the prayer rota – Please see Sarah or

myself if you are interested/willing to help. Thanks, Lee

May Event Preacher Reader Prayers Communion

Stewards

6th 11.00 am 6th of Easter C.Samuel Charles Calvin CH, AK, EL,

CO’C

13th 11:00 pm Ascension Luke Sears Elspeth Colin

20th 11:00 am Pentecost Penny Pedley Pat Helen

27th 11:00 am Trinity Esther Ackah Alicia Colin

Readers for next month: TBA

From an anonymous, at least I think he would like to remain anonymous, contributor:

The inventor of throat lozenges has died. He has requested no coffin at his funeral.

A widow is seated at her late husband’s funeral. A man approaches and asks her, “may I say a word?” “Certainly,” she replies. He clears his throat and says, “Plethora.” She nods and says, “Thank you. That means a lot.”

I know a guy that lost his whole left side in an accident. He's alright now.

What's red and smells like blue paint? Red paint.