by Rev John Hookway
Faith
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The Vicar Writes... by Rev John Hookway |
Faith |
If we wish to grow the answer is straightforward - stay close to Jesus. So often we focus on those things that are around us, rather than on Jesus and His Kingdom purposes. For his kingdom life is unstoppable. In the same way that a river is unstoppable, so is the life from Jesus by His Spirit. Just look at John 7: 37 -39;‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
There are many things that happen at this time of year and it can easily feel overwhelming, however there is a real importance for each of us to stop and pray, to reconnect with the source of life. It may be that you want help to read the Bible each day – there is a display of notes at the back of the church or you can use one of the daily e mails such as: www.wordlive.org The reality is that we as a church and as individuals need to be dependent upon God, and the way to do that is by prayer. We need to start from the place of knowing that we are loved and chosen by Jesus, allowing God to refresh us and His Spirit to flow from us. It is from this place that we grow, rooted in the scriptures and prayerfully dependent on the Holy Spirit. The question for us each day is: are we staying close to Jesus, Are we listening to his voice, are we available for His purposes rather than our own, are we allowing His Spirit to flow out from us? For when we do, we will be surprised at the result!
Thank you - A huge thank you to all those of you who took part in any way in enabling both the Holiday Club and love ware-Live ware to happen over the summer. Thank you for taking the time to communicate Jesus’ ; life, love and hope to the community of Ware and beyond.
Growth points in the church - There are currently a number of exciting things that are growing and developing to help us as a parish flourish in God’s kingdom.
The first being that we are in the process for receiving a new curate next summer, please do be praying that the right person will come and join the team here.
Are you wishing to be Led more by Jesus, Lead more like Jesus so that you may Lead more to Jesus? The Growing Leaders Course is coming to Christ Church Watch this space.
The PCC - are continuing to pro-actively support the church in all areas: each member is specifically taking an interest in one of our hub areas as listed below.
Alison Jackson – Mission and Outreach
Louise Douglas – Children and Young People
Caroline Tiffen – Pastoral Support
Christine Evans – Hospitality and Welcome
Mark Hallett – Worship and Teaching
Sam Woodward – Resources and Administration
Children’s Church - As we start this new academic year I want to say a huge thank you to all our leaders and helpers that work so amazingly with all our children week by week. The discipleship, nurture and care of our children is of high importance to us. The children are now also joining us for the start of the 11.00 service on the 1st and 3rd Sundays, to allow us to more easily worship together.
As a church we want to continue to meaningfully connect with those outside the church, Messy Church is continuing to be explored with more details to follow.
Prayer - please see the term card for details of the church prayer meeting, and look out for the e-mail/ letter for when the staff team is specifically praying for you.
These are just a few of the growth areas; please do be continuing to pray for whole life of the church and for the growth of God’s Kingdom, here in Ware and beyond.
With my prayers for you all, John.
| Dear Friend |
Faith |
I saw you yesterday as you were talking with your friends. I waited all day hoping you would want to talk with me too. I gave you a sunset to close your day and a cool breeze to rest you – and I waited. You never came. It hurt me – but I still love you because I am your friend.
I saw you sleeping last night and longed to touch your brow as I spilled moonlight upon your face. Again I waited wanting to rush down so we could talk. I have so many gifts for you.
You awoke and rushed off to work. My tears were in the rain. If you would only listen to me! I love you! I try to tell you in blue skies and in the quiet green grass. I whisper it in leaves on the trees and breathe it in colours of flowers, shout it to you in mountain streams, give the birds love songs to sing. I clothe you with warm sunshine and perfume the air with natural scents. My love for you is deeper than the ocean and bigger than the biggest need in your heart.
Ask me! Talk with me! Please don’t forget me. I have so much to share with you! I won’t hassle you any further. It is your decision. I have chosen you and I will wait – because I love you. Your friend.
Jesus
| Harvest at Christ Church Ware 2011 |
 Bridge |
Harlow foodbank work to restore dignity and revive hope, seeking to combat hidden hunger in Harlow by supporting local people in crisis.
MRCT officially opened the Harlow foodbank on Monday 20th April 2009 and works in partnership with churches, schools, businesses and front-line professional care agencies to provide valuable community resources.
Their aim is to engage with communities, introducing sustainable projects that enable marginalised people to break through their cycle of poverty.
Tinned and dried food is collected from the public, churches, schools and other local groups and “banked” in a warehouse. Food is then given to people in crisis as a result of referrals from registered care professionals such as social services, health visitors and other carers working in the front line.
To find out more please see their website: www.mrct.org.uk/foodbank
Soup (tinned or packet), Baked Beans (tinned), Tomatoes (tinned) , Vegetables (tinned), Meat (tinned), Fish (tinned), Rice pudding (tinned), Sponge pudding (tinned), Pasta (500g packs), Rice (500g packs), Noodles (dried), Breakfast Cereals, Milk (Long life/UHT/Dried), Fruit Juice (Long life cartons), Sugar (500g packs), Tea Bags, Coffee (Instant), Biscuits, Chocolate/snack bars.
For further information please contact Martin Dudley, Operations Manager 01920 318166.
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A Year On... David & Bobbie Proud |
Bridge |
The autumn of last year was largely spent getting to grips with the area and its congregations. Unfortunately we didn’t get much chance to walk round the parish when we moved in – we were too busy madly decorating! However we gradually worked out where things were and can now walk a) to the harbour (we do this a few times every week) b) to the centre of Havant (where there are basic shops) and c) to the pub... as well as to the two churches. We can stretch our legs up Portsdown Hill, too, from which we can see: Chichester cathedral spire, Hayling Island, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and the Spinnaker Tower, and as far as the New Forest, on a fine day. If we were to walk a bit further up the hill, we would get to Mick’s Burger Van, which is known for miles around, opens 24 hours a day, and offers on its menu burgers which are a pound in weight (should anyone need that much meat, which seems unlikely).
In the “Rectory”, the kitchen was replaced last November and December, during the coldest weather, which was good, but meant we spent most of the run up to Christmas freezing! It also meant there was little food preparation that could be done for Christmas eats, as our kitchen fitter worked up until 23 December (and came back after Christmas). It looks lovely now – it was worth it, even if the diocese insisted that a wall had to come down and be rebuilt half way through proceedings, delaying things significantly.
The congregations are very accepting and friendly. The medieval church of St Thomas is faithfully attended and has a traditional style service, while the congregation at St Nicholas, five minutes’ walk away, has an informal style and a wide range of ages. There are significant opportunities for outreach with both churches, and St Nicholas was packed for both the Christingle and the Crib service. The weather kept some people away, unfortunately, for the Carol Service, on a very cold and frosty night.
After Christmas we were gearing up for our big holiday to New Zealand, taken in February. We stayed with our friend in Hawkes Bay, visited the coast, the art deco city of Napier and the many wineries in the area, and experienced the razzamatazz of the Art Deco Weekend which is the yearly celebration of the rebuilding of the earthquake-shattered area after the disaster of 1931. Little did we know that only three days later we would narrowly miss being in the centre of Christchurch when that earthquake hit! We had spent an idyllic day in Christchurch the day before, and were two hours down the road driving south when we felt the tremors while our car was stopped at some road works. It was not until we got to our destination in the far south west that we heard the shocking news. We spent the next few days travelling up the beautiful west coast before crossing back to North Island for a couple of days before flying home.
Since then we have been doing even more “settling in”. We had our summer house delivered in May – see picture. This is what we have bought with some of our gift from you all – we are very grateful for it and love spending time in it, reading, writing, snoozing, or drinking g&t’s!! There have been some special occasions this summer, too – Tina’s licensing as Pioneer Minister in Portishead; Madeleine’s ordination in Peterborough; and Beth’s graduation in Norwich. We also went to Luton Hoo for a special lunch with our friend Peter who was retiring from his ministry in Lewsey and has now moved down to Waterlooville, just fifteen minutes from us.
We have made some small but important steps in the parish, too. We invited those who support church life in various volunteer capacities to “drinks and nibbles” evenings, which seemed to be both appreciated and enjoyed. St Thomas’s church is now open each day during daylight hours and there are simple leaflets for anyone interested in the history, or in following a prayer trail, as well as free giveaway books and leaflets. The summer services at St Nicholas were coincidentally (!) somewhat similar to a series we did at Christ Church some years ago, and included a “journey” service around the church centre and a DIY communion in groups. They were entered into enthusiastically by all generations and we’ve had a lot of positive feedback.
The challenge for the next year is to listen to God and to work on the next steps; if this year has been all about watching and listening, rather than changing things, we need to know what is on God’s heart for this parish and seek His wisdom for growing the faith community here, as well as reaching out to those who don’t know Him yet. We would value your prayers for us as we continue along this journey.
We love hearing news about you all. Do please keep in touch – you are all very special to us!
Blessings to you, and love
David & Bobbie.
| Men at CCW |
Faith |
As men we’re uniquely placed to help shape the church of the future because of the difference we can make if we bring our friends into a life in Christ, that’s why we launched Men at CCW.
We have had a successful launch with a very popular first evening in the pub in May, followed by breakfast in June and the traditional Cavedwellers (look at the Ware Town crest to understand the name) barbecue in July.
The autumn programme kicked off with a breakfast and watching England play Argentina at the start of the rugby world cup. October sees us return to the Navigator- please note that the date has changed to the 6th October, November may be at Mulberry House- look out for details nearer the time and the year ends with the Christmas curry on the 1st December.
At a recent talk I went to some statics where shared that were frightening about men in Church. In 2009 out of a population of 61 million living in the UK only 500,000 men attend Church on Sunday’s. Furthermore the latest indicators is that this figure is continuing to fall and best guestimates are that it could be down to 350,000 – 400,000 now. At Christ Church we are lucky that we have lots of men who know Jesus Christ as their personal saviour, but we don’t want to be complacent. Whilst we may be blest we have plenty of room for more and through all of the outreach work we do via toddlers, LW:LW, football and so we want to have a safe place that guys can come and build relationships with men of faith. If you have a husband, partner, friend or colleague who you long to see in the kingdom why not encourage or invite them to one of the upcoming events.
To offer learning, inspiration, encouragement and friendship, New Wine is hosting “Iron sharpens Iron” on Saturday 12th November in London. It is a day especially for men, with teaching worship and encouragement for you in your faith. It won’t just be a day out – during the Iron Sharpens Iron conference we will be hearing from some inspirational speakers (Carl Beech will really challenge your alpha male views), enjoying great worship, offering prayer ministry to one another, but also seeking to build on the day with some of the follow-on events planned for the rest of 2011 and into 2012 in our church. Tickets are £20 each, please let me know by Sunday 9th October if you want to come. www.new-wine.org/events/mens-days
Lastly how do you fancy spending a weekend camping in a field or dossing in a church hall in June 2012 with a load of men? Sound like heaven to you? Have a look at www.cvmen.org.uk/the-gathering.html. If interested let me know so I can gauge numbers.
Martin Dudley
| Church maintenance |
 Body |
Indeed we continue to be blessed by the small team of volunteers and if you would like to join the maintenance team please let Bruce or Martin know. To help make life easier for them to serve us we have been trying to assembly a tool kit that they can use rather than having to always bring their own tools. It also makes doing those odd small jobs so much easier and quicker if the tools and equipment are on site already. At the back of church is a wish list to fill in the gaps in our tool box; would you consider sponsoring a set of pliers, saws etc either by either buying the item or funding it so we can purchase. Many thanks.
Help Equip Christ Church maintenance team - list available from martin.
Working Parties: - We have one more morning this term to carry out odd jobs around the site and you don’t have to be an expert to help, just bags of enthusiasm and energy!
Saturday 5th November 8:00am – 1:00pm- focusing on the grounds- leaf clearing, tidying etc.
Please do try and come they are a great way of getting to know people, having fun and we will feed you bacon butties.
Martin
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Dial M for Ops by Martin Dudley The Mayonnaise Jar |
Faith |
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two beers.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes’.
The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
‘Now’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions - and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first’, he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or golf balls. The same goes for life: if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your family, visit with grandparents, take time to get medical checkups, take your partner out to dinner, go fishing or play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and replace light bulbs.
Always remember to take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter.
Set your priorities...The rest is just sand’.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked’.
‘The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend’.
I went away on holiday and just chilled, chatting to friends, eating and drinking in community and spending quality time with Jane. By not trying to cram in lots of spiritual stuff, God quietly ministered to me. The morning teaching was about Advent- a season of waiting for God- but understanding what you waiting on God for. For me I wanted to feel his gentle refreshing breeze and not to be in a violent storm. Without realizing it that is what happened. Part way through the week I had a picture (most un-Dudley like) of a petrol pump with the nozzle in my head, the discs showing how much had been dispensed clicking away. But in giving me space and time God prompted me to reflect on times when I had put the pebbles before the golf balls and what was I to do about the reversing this.
Jane and I have had talked this through and together we are building and acting on a plan to try and redress these issues and create the opportunities for the beer moments.
Why not create some time and space to check that your golf balls, pebbles, sand and beer are being put into your jar in the right order.
Martin
