by Rev John Hookway
What do you want for Christmas?
Faith
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The Vicar Writes... by Rev John Hookway What do you want for Christmas? |
Faith |
There is a great story about a government minister who was asked this question by a newspaper who were running an article on what famous people wanted for Christmas. Not wanting to appear too grasping, he said that he rather liked those bottles of stem ginger that you see in the shops around this time of year. And so the article ran: ‘We asked leading figures what they wanted for Christmas. The Archbishop of Canterbury said he wanted an end to the violence in Iraq. The Dali Lama said he wanted peace in the Middle East. The Pope said he wanted an end to poverty. The Minister for Trade and Industry said he wanted a jar of stem ginger.’What is it that you want for Christmas? This is the question asked time and time again at this time of year, and yet so often it is a really hard question to answer. TV adverts bombard us with the things that we should need to make it a really satisfying Christmas, to live up to the perfect world that they portray, to add to the stuff that we already have. But what is it that you really want this year, what truly brings you joy and comfort. In the midst of the busyness, why don’t you stop and ask the question, what is it that I really want?
And when you stop, why not ask the question, what is it that God, wants for me? Advent is a time of waiting and preparation, a reminder of Jesus first coming and an anticipation of his return. It reminds us of when history was changed; God in Jesus became one of us, to save us. This Christmas time let’s stop to ask him. In The First Christmas the answer is that he gave us Jesus, what does God want to give you this Christmas, what are you wanting to truly receive from Him. I pray that as you stop and listen, that God will speak and reveal more of himself to you because God thought you’re worth it, and so he sent Jesus.
May you receive Jesus blessing and joy this Christmas.
John
| Messy Church |
 Bridge |
As many of you will know we had the pilot for Messy Church on Sunday 20th November. This event was invitation only, from contacts mostly made through the toddler groups, and a few Christ Church school families.It was difficult to know in the end how many people would turn up but at 4:00pm we had a steady stream of people coming into the Centre, to register and to begin to have some fun.
There were lots of different craft activities to choose from, along with some very ‘boy’ things to make. We also ran a sporting activity over in the school hall (many thanks to Anya for giving us permission to use the school).
When we came to the Celebration time "Lucy" and "Grandad" (puppets) made an appearance. Apart from the two toddlers who were very worried about these puppets the response was good, with lots of people waving "Goodbye" to Lucy when she left.
As to the tea....well, it was amazing. Thank you to everyone who made cakes, they were much appreciated. It was a wonderful moment to see 70 people of all different ages sitting down to tea together making new friends and chatting away animatedly.
We are hoping to put together a dvd which we will be able to show in Church to give everyone a ‘flavour’ of Messy Church, but I just want to say a big ‘thank you’ for your prayers and cake and help. It was a truly amazing afternoon.
Everyone who was there would like to come back in January and so now our only worry is that the Centre may not be big enough when we open our doors to all comers!
I know many of you have expressed an interest in helping over the next 6 sessions. The dates are up at the back of Church on the Messy Notice Board. Please let us know by ticking the dates you are available to help. There will be more planning and training to follow, when we have evaluated all the feedback forms.
We are very excited to think of all the new families we may reach with the gospel in this ‘messy’ way, please keep praying for us, and join in wherever possible.
Thank you, Alison.
| Christ Church Ware Parish Away Day |
Faith |
23rd June 2012
Please book the date in your diary. More details to follow in 2012.
| Random Acts |
Bridge |
This is of course an idea from the across the pond, but quite a nice one.
For the run up to Christmas do something nice for someone else (I know we all do this anyway - all the time!), for a neighbour, for the check out lady in Tesco, for a random person in the street! Bake biscuits for the ticket lady at the station, take the Salvation Army Band a tray of hot chocolate next time you are out Christmas Shopping. Give a Christmas card to a complete stranger.
Why?
Well why not?
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Ware Christian Community Workshop Bulletin Number 1 – LoveWare:LiveWare |
Bridge |
However at a recent meeting it was felt that we also needed better communication with the congregations in our churches. To that end we are proposing a series of monthly bulletins for church notices and newsletters, each highlighting one particular area of outreach to the community supported by the churches jointly.
This first bulletin is to update you on the recent activities of LoveWare: LiveWare.
LoveWare:LiveWare is organised by Christians from local churches who want to do useful and fun things in our community that celebrate life and bring people together. We aim to serve our community by bringing people together, providing positive role models for young people and providing fun things to do that increase social capital for communities in Ware.
All events are open to everyone in our community, there are no hidden catches and it’s all free.
LoveWare:LiveWare came into being following a recognition that many people feel isolated from their neighbours and the wider local community. We exist to provide space, time and an atmosphere that enable people to connect with each other.
This August we were at Grange Gardens on Friday 25th August where despite heavy rain, over 30 children as well as parents attended and lots of sand jars were filled, felt wrist corsages made and home made cakes consumed. On Saturday at King George Field we were blessed with lovely weather and we had a steady flow of families attending, not so many lone children as in the past. Popular activities included face painting, cushion decorating and insect collage as well as games and the bouncy castle, and there was a real spread of ages present. Many elderly people came just to sit at the café and enjoy the sunshine and the LoveWareLiveWare band playing. There was a truly busy but peaceful atmosphere prevailing.
Our next major event will be a repeat of the highly successful ‘Ware’s Got Talent’ held for the third year running at the end of February, based at Chauncy School and we have big plans for Olympic related events in 2012. If you would like to be part of the team helping to plan these events, we would be delighted to hear from you!
Over the last few years that LoveWareLiveWare has been running, we have seen many of the same people from the community come to LoveWare events and there is a truly unique atmosphere which has to be experienced rather than described.
We invite you to come in person and see for yourself how much fun is had by the community and how relationships are being built without any pressure as we get to know them and they get to know us. Once you have experienced it for yourself, we hope that this will inspire you to come along and join the ecumenical team from the various churches to help us to celebrate life and God’s love without strings.
As we reach out to the community, many of whom are disadvantaged and for whom free events like ours are a welcome and exciting way to relax and enjoy themselves, we also learn to work together as Christians in fellowship and love. The benefits are amazing. We’d love you to be part of it! Look out for future requests for help in various ways.
More information can be found at www.lovewareliveware.org
Mary, Leaside Church
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Dial M for Ops by Martin Dudley A Christmas gift better than Chocolate!! |
Faith |
What’s your favourite chocolate? A smooth creamy bar of milk? A bitter, dark and expensive bar, rich on cocoa solids? Or maybe a box of melt-in-the-mouth truffles, extravagantly packaged to be a real treat? The Ops Managers favourites are Lindor milk chocolate truffles, what about you?We can’t get enough of the stuff - in Europe 2008 figures showed that only the Swiss spent more on chocolate (£111 annually per head) than us Brits (£57 per head)- Oh well I suppose the Swiss had to be best at something other than making cuckoo clocks.
That all added up to a massive £3.5 billion worth of chocolate bought in the UK that year, up on the year before despite tough economic conditions. Now I know Mrs Dudley spends a lot on chocolate, but I am sure it isn’t that much!
What is it that we love so much? The taste, obviously, and the sweetness. But it’s also seen as a bit of a treat and a pick-me-up: something to look forward to and which makes us feel better when we’re having a rough day.
Chocolate has a clear physiological effect on us, stimulating the brain to release mood-lifting chemicals like endorphins and serotonin. And scientific research is now proving that dark chocolate can indeed be good for us because it is high in flavonoals, which help reduce blood pressure, strengthen the cardiovascular system and increase blood flow to the brain. Other medical disciplines like dentists enjoy the financial benefits of our obsession with chocolate and its effect on teeth.
So it’s hardly surprising it’s popular!
I am sorry to say that research by a popular chocolate manufacturer shows that for most women chocolate is a more essential ingredient for a happy life than sex, sorry chaps! And other research suggests they would choose it over wine and designer cosmetics.
Yet, wonderful though chocolate is, it isn’t the answer to all our problems. Deep down, each of us needs to be loved, to be valued and to know we matter. These are problems the greatest bar of chocolate can’t begin to deal with.
Only God himself has the answer to our deepest needs, and it is his love for us shown in the gift of Christ at Christmas even though he knew his only son would be killed, that demonstrates the purpose and future he has for us.
Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man (or women) who takes refuge in him.” While chocolate can give us a temporary lift, God promises a permanent lift that lasts for ever, hope for the future and an assurance of heaven. Chocolate’s effects are fleeting, but God’s presence in our lives sees us change in a way that lasts.
So at this Christmas time, why not give somebody you know, who doesn’t know Christ as their personal saviour, chocolate and the chance to meet the risen Lord. Why not bring them to one of our Christmas services, give them a book to explore faith (I am sure John can recommend some) or invite them to one of the seeker events happening in 2012.
Wishing you a Christ filled Christmas,
Martin
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An Ordinand’s Journey Alison Jackson |
 Body |
Monday morning ....
Get up, and leave my children before they have gone to school.
First difficult thing of the day.
Travel on a hot, stuffy, crowded train/tube.
Great time to read or listen to worship music or pray.
Looking around, giving my fellow passengers to God, especially the ones who seem so tired.
Smile at people. Look them in the eye. Sometimes get a smile back.
The worship music helps my heart to feel light.
Walking into St Paul’s Church/college in Kensington - Onslow square. Meeting my fellow students. So daunting at first - but by end of the 6th week, so much easier.
Amazing worship times before the start of lectures.
So blessed to have such God-filled, talented students, to lead, to worship with.
Study... so many new words, theological ideas to grapple with.
So new, so new, but so exciting, filling in the gaps in my knowledge.
Lunch - can’t feed me easily - second really difficult thing of the day
It makes me feel sad to be different in this way.
Afternoon’s... formation time...
Great, amazing, difficult, worrying.
Take your pick of any of the above... all experienced at some part of the day.
Home: To be with my family
Whom I love so deeply, who give me such joy
To sing a different song; to be a Wife; Mum:
Oh - and evening meetings: PCC, Messy Church, LW:LW...
A typical Monday for me now.
But that’s not all;
A weekend away - hard work but illuminating
A week in France - hard work but an amazing, mountain-top experience.
What a privilege to be called to serve God,
All day, every day for the rest of my life.
Alison
| A Steep Learning Curve |
Faith |
Because it was a lovely evening, I decided to do some dead-heading in ‘my gardens’ which are not mine really. At the main door I stopped to talk to John who was weeding his garden. As I walked on, my feet became ‘glued’ to the path and I gradually sat down. I shouted for John who put out his hand to help me up. I said, "this is a stroke. (How did I know?) Phone for an ambulance!" A paramedic came quickly. Then an ambulance arrived and I was told that I would be taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital. I was asked lots of questions and, as soon as I was in the hospital, I seemed to be surrounded by people who asked lots of questions and asked my permission to do various things. The last time I was asked my date of birth I said "July 21st 2010" and a kindly voice said "I don’t think so". Then I went to sleep. I shall always be grateful for the kindness and professionalism of those people.
A nurse noticed I was awake, raised me to a sitting position, made sure I was comfortable and said, ‘The senior speech therapist is coming to see you’, which surprised me. A very elegant lady arrived with a beaker of water, introduced herself and gave me half a teaspoon of water. Then she put a teaspoon of water in my mouth and then another and then she held the beaker to my mouth and said that it was good that I had no problems in swallowing. She asked me to name as many animals as I could think of. For some reason I decided I must name them in alphabetical order, which I did rapidly. I sensed her slight amusement. We chatted for a while before she left. I told her I was sure my sister and my Christ Church friends would visit me.
A physiotherapist arrived. It was then I realised that the fingers of my right hand were curled up. She straightened them out, but they curled up again. She left me saying "I will see you tomorrow." When some cereal was brought to me, I picked up the spoon with my left hand. It was a great shock that my right hand was useless and I thought about talking to my Heavenly Father, but I did not know what to say. That was really distressing.
Then David (the vicar) arrived. I was so glad to see him and of course he prayed. The previous evening my sister had phoned him because she had been told I was in the QE II. Having found out that I was not there, she had phoned Christ Church vicarage and David had tracked me down. Then Joan and Margaret came. (After mentioning their names I am not going to name any of the many other visitors from Christ Church in case I omit a name - though I don’t think I would because I valued each one so much, but Joan and Margaret were especially faithful and did many practical things.) In the afternoon my sister came and told me how kind David had been in her distress.
The next day two physios took me in a chair to the gym and I attempted to stand between parallel bars - but I could not and they told me not to worry. Instead, I just touched stars painted on the floor with my toes. Peter (the curate) came and was very sweet considering the minor skirmishes there had been - me being the fault finder! He said that I must have a radio and brought one. On the third day my sister came again, followed later by my nephew, prompting the lady in the next bed to say "You know some good blokes don’t you". I explained who my ‘blokes’ were and she told me about her unhappy relationships with men. I found the energy to say something out our merciful God and the possibility of making new beginnings.
On the fifth day I was asked if I would agree to being moved to the Herts and Essex Hospital for rehabilitation which I found to be a really pleasant environment, especially when my bed was moved near to a big window where I could see a variety of trees. I received good nursing care and the physiotherapists and occupational therapists were excellent. I was asked what I wanted to achieve, and they understood how important my right hand was to me because of my love for creative work. I was told to do the exercises with my left hand and arm as they could send messages to my right hand and arm. I spent hours making my right hand move towards a beaker until the day came when I could pick it up and days later I lifted it to my lips. I was given toys to play with - Plasticine to roll into fat sausages, so that I had to tell my fingers to be strong, and a beautifully crafted fish puzzle so that I had practice in picking up heavy shapes. I gradually learned to walk again with the physios - and even played football in the corridor.
Christ Church people were wonderful, faithful visitors. The staff asked me how I knew so many people and why I received so many cards, giving me opportunities to talk about church. That part of being in hospital was comforting and encouraging, but now I think I should try to describe what I do not understand, which distressed me at the time and still does.
I thought about praying but did not know what to say. I remembered Eric, a young man with learning difficulties, who told me angrily that he did not know the words when the confirmation preparation book suggested that we talked to God. Now I did not know the words - I who had prayed with children and young people and encouraged them to pray - I who had led the intercessions in church enjoying the preparation finding, I trust, the right words. My mind was a blank.
My Bible and SU Notes had been brought to me. I tried a few times to read it but did not. Was it too heavy in the physical sense? Why did I not ask for my New Testament? I was given a booklet of Christian readings and prayers which I did make sure of. Why did I not ask for another booklet? BUT I did read novels supplied by my sister. Escapist literature? I could not remember Bible verses or hymns. Quite often I silently sing hymns or canticles from the Book of Common Prayer when doing housework. (How I would love to sing the Benedicte again!) Why could I not talk to God? I cried without shedding tears. Yet I talked cheerfully to the hospital staff and as I needed a lot of help with washing and dressing there was time for them to tell me their stories and I realised again that some people have chaotic lifestyles and debt is a problem for many.
Peter gave me The Ragamuffin Gospel which is about the unconditional love of God, and I think that for the first time I realised that ‘All my righteousness is as filthy rags’ and that, ‘I am poor and wretched and blind’. When I became a Christian there was a great emphasis on service. ‘Saved to serve’ was emphasised, ‘muscular Christianity’ was a catch-phrase. For some time before the stroke I had a nagging suspicion that I was too busy doing things I enjoyed - perfectly good things but done without reference to God and probably I did not give God enough time to speak to me.
After 48 days in hospital I returned to the peace and quiet of my home. Christ Church people did all kinds of practical things, as did my nearest neighbour. A nurse came in every morning for four weeks and an occupational therapist came in to make sure I could cook a meal, advising me to aim to cook two meals a week and make do with frozen meals usually. As I did not like the frozen meals, I had them for just three months. A physiotherapist visited me to check on my mobility. I have nothing but praise for the National Heath Service.
Since I have been home the Bible has come to life again and I sing silently a lot of the time. I always enjoy having visitors and being at home more, I spend more time with Hartfield Court residents, but the peace of my flat is more precious than ever.
Many years ago, Christ Church joined in the Methodist Church Covenant Service when that church was also in New Road. Before the service began I read these rather archaic words in the printed order of service and decided not to say them aloud during the service:
"Put me to doing.
Put me to not doing.
Put me to living.
Put me to being laid aside for Thee"
And I silently shouted, "No, I want to live for you Lord." I am still saying I want to live, but I am not afraid of death.
Pam
| Gap year volunteers at Christ Church |
Body |
Many of you will remember how we were blessed at Christ Church a few years ago when Noelia spent a student year with us, helping in our various ministries. As a leadership, we have been praying and seeking God’s guidance about the possibility of hosting a gap year student in 2012/13. We are currently talking to various UK and international organisations to be clear about our responsibilities and to identify the right opportunities for the young person.
Part of our responsibilities to the young person is to accommodate them in their own room, with freedom to come and go (within reasonable boundaries) and to either be fed or have access to cooking facilities. To help us develop our plans we wondered if there is a family or person who would be prepared to offer accommodation as outlined above, either for the whole year or for a substantial part of it.
The young person would arrive in August or September 2012 and be with us until the summer of 2013. With some organisations the young people spend some weekends on training courses and also have some holidays, whereas with others the young people remain with their hosts for the whole of their time.
At this stage, we are trying to ascertain the availability of accommodation and willingness in the parish to help us, so if you think that you may be able to assist for all or part of the time (without committing yourself at this stage), would you please let me know what you could offer us. We may be able to offer some assistance with the costs of hosting a young person, and it would be helpful in our planning if you could let us know if you would need such financial assistance.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, then again please contact me.
Could I also ask that you pray for guidance for the leadership that they will hear and understand God’s will in this matter and that the right home will be found if this is the way forward.
Many thanks
Martin Dudley
