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BAMFORD CHAPEL & NORDEN United Reformed Church
Charity - Reg’d No 1128387
(FAIRTRADE CHURCH) Norden Road, ROCHDALE, Lancs. OL11 5PQ
The Manse, Norden Road, ROCHDALE,
Lancs OL11 5PQ
Telephone: 01706 369622 www.bcnchurch.org.uk
Minister : Rev Richard Bradley Email: [email protected]
Church Secretary: John Lapworth Telephone: 01706 632460 Email: [email protected]
Wedding Secretary: John Lapworth Telephone: 01706 632460 Email: [email protected]
Lettings Manager: Linda Kerford Telephone: 01706 624256 Email: [email protected]
Times of Services: Family Worship : 10.30 am : Holy Communion 1st Sunday in month Evening Worship : 6.00 pm : Holy Communion 3rd Sunday in month
1
Bamford Chapel
and Norden URC
2
BAMFORD CHAPEL & NORDEN URC
MISSION/VISION STATEMENT
Worship
In our devotion we will come together to express our joy, love and
thanks through worship.
We shall share our praise and dedicate it to God.
Ministry
Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit we will show compassion
and love by understanding, supporting and meeting the spiritual,
the physical and the emotional needs of others.
Evangelism
We are called as Christians to share the good news; living as
examples of Christ in our everyday lives we can spread the word
and love of Jesus.
Discipleship
We as a church have a responsibility as Christians to encourage
people to know God and to enable them to develop their
relationship with Him through prayer, discussion, study and
learning.
Fellowship
We welcome to our church family those who want to belong. We
show our love for others by sharing acts of fellowship in God’s
name.
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BAMFORD CHAPEL & NORDEN URC MAGAZINE
EDITOR:
Linda Peacock 01706 522593
SECRETARY:
Joan Ashton 01706 360395
DATES FOR THE FEBRUARY MAGAZINE
Articles to be handed in by: Sunday 17th January
Magazine to be completed by: Thursday 28th January
Magazine distributed: Sunday 31st January
28
For our Children & Young People
1
DECEMBER 2015
Thursday
3rd
December 7.30 pm Elders’ Meeting
Saturday
5th
December
10.30 am
– 1.30 pm Christmas Fair
Sunday
6th
December
10.30 am Family Worship with Communion
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
6.00 pm Evening Worship with Communion
Led by Joanne Ackroyd
Sunday
13th
December
10.30 am Family Worship
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
6.00 pm Christmas Drama
Presented by Food for Thought
Tuesday
15th
December 6.00 pm
Christingle Service
For Rainbows and Brownies
Saturday
19th
December
12.00 –
1.00 pm
Carol Singing at Cutgate Precinct
(followed by coffee & mince pies at
Cutgate Baptist Church)
Sunday
20th
December
10.30 am Family Worship with Nativity
Led by Junior Church
6.00 pm
Carol Service (refreshments after)
Led by Richard & the Choir (see p8)
NB At St. Andrews Church Rochdale
Thursday
24th
December 11.30 pm
Christmas Eve Midnight Communion
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
Friday
25th
December 10.00 am
Christmas Morning Celebration
(please bring one of your presents)
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
Sunday
27th
December 10.30 am
Family Worship
Led by Walter Brisk
No Evening Service
There will be no Watchnight Service on 31st December this year
2
Sunday
3rd
January
10.30 am Family Worship with Communion
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
6.00 pm Evening Worship
Led by Dot Craig
Thursday
7th
January 7.30 pm Elders’ Meeting
Saturday
9th
January
9.30 am –
11.30 am
Session for Preachers & anyone
interested in finding out more about
leading worship. Theme: Sermon
Construction (see article on page 7)
Sunday
10th
January
10.30.am Family Worship
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
6.00 pm Evening Worship
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
Tuesday
12th
January
7.30 pm Churches Together in North West
Rochdale Meeting (venue tbc)
8.00 pm Home Group in the Manse
Sunday
17th
January
10.30 am
Parade Service (children remain in
the service)
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
6.00 pm Evening Worship with Communion
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
Tuesday
19th
January 7.30 pm
Worship Core Group Meeting in the
Manse
Thursday
21st
January 7.30 pm Youth Council Meeting
Saturday
23rd
January
9.30 –
11.30 am
Session for Preachers & anyone
interested in finding out more about
leading worship. Theme: The
Sacraments (i.e. Baptism and
Communion) (see article on page 7)
JANUARY 2016
27
DID YOU KNOW?
The Twelve Days of Christmas start on
Christmas Day and finish on the Eve of the
Epiphany, a feast celebrating the
appearance of Magi at Bethlehem.
January 5th is the “Twelfth Night” made
famous by the Shakespeare play of the
same name. The song “Twelve Days of
Christmas” first appears in the 1500s and
the words recorded in the 1780s. It is said that the song was
penned to help Roman Catholics learn about their faith at a time
when being a practising Catholic in England was punishable by
death. In the song “My True Love” refers to God and each gift has
a secret meaning.
♥ The partridge is Jesus.
♥ The two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments.
♥ The three French hens refer to the Theological Virtues – Faith,
Hope and Charity.
♥ The four calling birds are the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John.
♥ The five golden rings are the Pentateuch, the first five books of
the Old Testament which describe man’s fall from grace.
♥ The six geese a-laying is code for the days of creation.
♥ The seven swans a-swimming are the seven Sacraments.
♥ The eight maids a-milking are the eight Beatitudes from the
Sermon on the Mount.
♥ The nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
[Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Kindness, Goodness,
Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control]
♥ The ten lords a-leaping clearly refer to the Ten Commandments.
♥ The eleven pipers piping are the faithful apostles.
♥ And the twelve drummers drumming are the doctrinal points of
the Apostles’ Creed.
26
Painting Club
The Painting Club is under way and those who have been coming
have enjoyed the learning and quiet of the classes. Attendance
has been spasmodic and so we would really like to see more
people attend and join our little band.
We are currently learning how to paint water – the sea initially,
to be followed by rivers and waterfalls. We have already learned
how to paint sky and dabbled a bit with autumn trees.
This is not just for members of Bamford Chapel but for the
community at large, so please spread the word. If you are
interested or would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to
contact me.
Linda Kerford
Thank YouThank YouThank YouThank You I would like to thank my friends in Ladies Fellowship for the cards, flowers and good wishes given to me during my recent visit to hospital for a medical procedure, which thankfully was successful. Your kindness was a great comfort to me. Thank you.
Bernice MillerBernice MillerBernice MillerBernice Miller
3
As well as Sunday Worship at Bamford Chapel & Norden URC
there are weekday groups for Adults, Children & Young
People; as an opportunity to meet together to learn and to
share Fellowship.
Focus on Prayer, Home Groups, Joy Group, Stillness &
Sharing, Community Coffee Morning,
Young People’s God Squad
If you would like further information about any of the groups
that are available and when and where they meet, please
check the weekly notice sheet or visit the website at
www.bcnchurch.org.uk
Or speak to Richard Bradley or to an Elder
Sunday
24th
January
10.30 am Family Worship
Led by Sarah Fitton
6.00 pm
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Service at Cutgate Baptist Church
A Churches Together Service
NB: No Evening Service at Bamford
Chapel & Norden URC
Tuesday
26th
January
8.00 pm Finance Meeting
8.00 pm Home Group in the Manse
Wednesday
27th
January 1.15 pm
Midweek Communion Service
In the Lounge
Sunday
31st
January
10.30 am Family Worship
Led by Revd Richard Bradley
6.00 pm Evening Worship
Led by Anne Fitton
4
Message from the Manse
As I write this article I do so having
returned from a 2 day conference for
ministers. It was a conference entitled
“Refreshing Your Ministry” organised
by GEAR (the Group for Evangelism and
Renewal in the URC). It was indeed
refreshing and inspiring.
At the start of the conference on Tuesday afternoon we heard
from a URC minister who had written a book on discipleship
during his sabbatical. He spoke at two sessions of the conference
on the topic of discipleship.
On Wednesday we heard from Revd John Proctor, the General
Secretary of the URC, who is also a New Testament scholar. He
spoke at two sessions on 1 and 2 Corinthians.
On Wednesday evening we had Gavin Calver who works for the
Evangelical Alliance speaking on Mission and Evangelism. He
took us through the results of a survey carried out by a
professional surveying company.
All in all it was a very refreshing and hugely inspiring conference;
one that I hope to share information from over the coming weeks
in worship. I met many new ministers whom I have never met
before and saw one or two people I have not seen since my
college days.
We were led in sung worship by two URC ministers and I came
away energised and like I had truly met with God. There are
times, I have to admit, when I work greatly for the denomination
and its future. There were many things that challenged me over
25
BROWNIE COFFEE EVENING
WATER FOR KIDS PROJECT
TUESDAY 1ST DECEMBER
6pm – 7.30pm
Each year the brownies arrange and
Organise a coffee evening at Bamford Chapel
to raise money for the church project
THE EVENING WILL INCLUDE:-
BRING & BUY
RAFFLE
QUIZZES
GAMES
The brownies work hard organizing games
making posters etc.
PLEASE COME ALONG AND SUPPORT
OUR BROWNIE COFFEE EVENING
EVERYONE WELCOME
ADMISSION £1.00 WHICH INCLUDES
TEA/COFFEE AND CAKE
24
Items Borrowed from Church
With so many items stored in different places because of the
modification works in the church, we are experiencing some
difficulties in keeping track of items that may be ‘borrowed’ from
our premises, in most instances for only a short period of time.
To help everyone who uses items regularly or from time to time,
we need to avoid the frustration of searching, only to find that
the item or items concerned have been borrowed, on most
occasions with permission.
A book has been provided to note down
any item(s) removed from our premises,
for whatever reason.
The book is situated in the coffee area
on the shelf that currently has the notes
from the Core Groups and the folder for magazine articles.
Whenever possible first seek permission
before taking any items from the premises
Always enter in the book provided:- your name; the item; the
date taken and the date returned.
Thank you for your cooperation—The Elders
Christmas: Why was Jesus born in a barn?
Perhaps because the King of Kings being born in a foul stable
is a perfect picture of redemption. Jesus came from glory
into a world filled with the dirt, filth and darkness of sin. And
Jesus was not put off by darkness in the least – instead, He
came to be the Light of the World. Thank God for his
unspeakable gift. No wonder the angels sang “Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
(Luke 2:14)
5
the three days we were there
and one was the need for us to
look outside of ourselves. When
I say that, I mean that the
resources and expertise outside
the walls of our church are immense. There are many gifted
people who can help churches think through what it means to be
Christians living in 2015. I hope that the info that was shared
with me will also inspire you. I hope that we, as a church, will
also get the opportunity to invite some of these speakers that we
at the conference were blessed to listen to, to come to speak to
us as a Church.
I left that conference with great hope….. but also with the
thought that there is much work for the URC denomination to
do. I came away with the sense that God has not given up on the
URC and I hope and pray that none of us have given up on God!
At the conference the ministers that gathered not only prayed
together, learned together, worshipped together, broke bread
together…. we listened together for what God was saying to us in
our respective ministries.
I can only speak of my own experience but I felt I left with my
“batteries” charged ready for the next few weeks and months of
ministry. I am excited about what God wants from us, His
Children.
I hope over the coming weeks and months that we will spend
some time listening for the will of God to be made clear to us
about what He wants us to be doing in our lives at Bamford
Chapel and Norden URC and also as individuals.
May God bless us all - Richard
6
News of the Family
As mentioned in a previous magazine,
pastoral concerns are no longer
included in News of the Family, unless
specifically requested by the church
member. There are also issues around
permissions and confidentiality for
sharing family news, due to the fact
that the magazine is now published on the web-site. Most family
news has been picked up from family time in Sunday Worship,
which makes an assumption that permission has been given to
share it in the magazine.
It would help, in future, if details of any family news (special
birthdays, other celebrations, achievements etc.) were passed to
me by e-mail: [email protected] or by hand. Then we
will be sure the correct permission has been given for it to “go
public”.
Thank You - Linda Peacock
In recent Sunday family time we have heard of our gifted and
talented young people using their gifts:
• Daniel Gordon played the Last Post on Remembrance Day
at Ashbourne Care Home, Norden, where three of our
members—Jack Roberts, Freda Lowes and Dennis Doyle
are residents.
• Callum Day was given some coaching along with 39 others
by the England Lacrosse coaching team.
• Rebecca Baines (along with others) slept overnight in the
grounds of Manchester Cathedral to highlight the plight of
23
Worship Leaders Training
Richard and Joanne will be leading some sessions to update our worship
leaders’ team on 4 areas of worship and the sessions we plan are as follows:
All sessions are on Saturday mornings, from 9.30 until 11.30 – so croissants
and coffee will be provided!
Everyone is welcome to join us, there is no preparation required, so even if
you have never led worship, come along. No commitment implied – honest!
Joanne Ackroyd
# Session Title Leader Date
1 Sermon Construction Joanne Ackroyd 9th
January
2 Sacraments Richard Bradley 23rd
January
3 4 funerals and a
wedding
Joanne Ackroyd 6th
February
4 Contemporary and All
Age Worship
Richard Bradley 27th
February
Carols Misheard by Children:
Deck the Halls with Buddy Holly
We three kings of porridge and tar
On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me
22
FoodFoodFoodFood
ForForForFor
ThoughtThoughtThoughtThought
presentspresentspresentspresents
Fun sketches to remind us whose
presence is important this
Christmas
Sunday 13 December 2015
6 pm
Bamford Chapel and Norden URC
7
I want to say a huge thank you to Sarah
Finnigan who has served on the eldership
but has felt the need to step down, due to
the demands on her time. I am sure I
speak on behalf of us all when I say a huge
thank you to Sarah for her input and wisdom. The Elders
discussed the sharing of Sarah's duties and also the sharing of
her pastoral list. Each of the remaining Elders (with a pastoral
list) will take an extra person/family on to their list. Each of
those Elders will let you know which list you are on. If you
have any questions please speak to Richard or one of the Elders.
Thank you - Richard
homelessness and to raise funds.
• Zoe Davies has been offered a PGCE starting in
September 2016. Teaching is something Zoe feels is her
vocation and we celebrate with her in this achievement.
This is not Bamford Chapel and Norden URC family news – but
Synod news:
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to have a meeting with
our new Synod Moderator the Revd Andrew Mills. Andrew and
his wife Ruth have moved up with (I think) three of their four
daughters from London. Not only has Andrew taken on a huge
role within the URC, he has also moved some distance to do it! I
hope we will all pray for Andrew, Ruth and their family as they
settle into a new home and Andrew into a new ministry.
Richard Bradley
8
Celebrating Christmas
at Bamford Chapel & Norden URC
As the church modification works are still ongoing, Christmas
worship and celebrations will be a little different this year.
Most of the dates and times are recorded in the calendar at the
front of the magazine but just a reminder that:-
• There will not be a Family Tea this year
• Sunday 20th December - The Carol
Service will take place at:- St Andrew’s
(Methodist & United Reformed) Church,
Entwistle Road, Rochdale OL16 2HZ with
refreshments after the service. Anyone
requiring transport please sign up on the
Car Ferry list on the notice board under
the clock in the coffee area.
• Thursday 24th
December from 7.30 pm - Christmas Eve
Party to be held this year at the home of Clair Gooding,
1 Milne Grove, Milnrow, Rochdale OL16 3TY. Bring your
family and friends for a get together with music, games
for children and a chocolate fountain. Please eat your tea
before you come but nibbles/small snacks will be
provided. Soft drinks will also be provided but bring your
own alcoholic drink. If sparklers are available at this time
of year bring a coat for outside! All welcome - End
time....... when the last person leaves! Again there will be
a list on the notice board under the clock for you to sign if
you would like to join us.
• Please note that this year there will not be a Watchnight
Service on New Year’s Eve.
With the true meaning of Christmas in mind… Christmas is
the day that holds all time together. Alexander Smith
21
been joint editor now for two years and as mentioned last
month, Martyn James has retired as joint editor after ten years.
As yet no-one has come forward to join the production team, so
perhaps now is a good time to consider the future of the
magazine, it’s content and how it is produced. Does the
magazine meet the needs of its readers? Your
comments/suggestions would be appreciated, so please
complete the questionnaire available with this magazine or in
church and place in the box provided or hand to me.
Thank you – Linda Peacock (Editor)
20
Magazine and Editor
The Bamford Chapel magazine has been produced
for many years by several different editors and has
been prepared, edited and printed in many
different ways. Articles have been typed, some
photocopied and printed both in-house and by a
local printer. The style and content has changed
slightly over the years.
With the advancement of technology the production of the
magazine is now all in-house and it can also be transferred
directly to the Bamford & Norden URC website. It is currently
prepared on a computer programme “Publisher” by one of the
editors and can be edited and amended where necessary.
There is more scope for having different layouts, different font
sizes and also pictures can be added. Articles are now
submitted mostly by e-mail, which again allows for original
articles to be adjusted to fit the magazine. The second editor
currently agrees the content and proof reads on computer
before printing.
The magazine pages are then printed in-house and a small
group meets with Magazine Secretary Joan Ashton to staple
and fold the magazine. Joan also sends out copies to people
who have left the area and still
wish to keep in touch.
The Editors rely heavily on
individuals for the content of the
magazine, with additional ideas
for articles coming mainly from a
Christian multi-denominational
website “Parish Pump”. I have
9
Church Flowers
Donations for flowers in November
have been received from
Ron Ford
Barbara Redmond
Margaret Riley in memory of James Fred Riley
Magazine Information
As this magazine went to print in November, please be aware
that some dates and events may be subject to change.
Please check the weekly notice sheet or website at
www.bcnchurch.org.uk
for the most up-to-date information. Thank you.
Talent Auction for Sanctuary Chairs
The Talent Auction held on 14th
November was
a great success and a much enjoyed evening of
fellowship. The total raised towards purchasing
new chairs for the sanctuary was £1,863 and
there are still some talents awaiting bids.
These will be offered at the Christmas Fair.
For anyone wishing to make a contribution towards the cost of
a chair, and if you are a tax payer, please remember to ‘Gift Aid’
your contribution.
10
Bamford Chapel & Norden URC
Ladies Fellowship 12th November Meeting
Two days before the meeting on the 12th November, our
guest speaker Jeff Roberts was taken ill! At the suggestion of
Margaret Ogden [via Lesley Hynes], Joan Warner and Pat
Anderson agreed to step in. Joan worked very hard to put
together a presentation of their recent trip to Turkey. See the
article below about their amazing
holiday. They were each presented with
a Poinsettia in grateful thanks for their
efforts.
It was a super evening and all there said
how much they enjoyed themselves.
The next meeting will be the Christmas meal at the new venue
of The Pavilion, Birtle and on the 14th January our speaker will
be Elizabeth Callan telling us about Chetham’s School of Music.
The Fellowship wishes everyone a very Happy Christmas and
Peaceful 2016.
LESLEY SUTTON
PS: At the time of writing no one has submitted a logo for
Bamford Chapel and Norden URC Ladies Fellowship. There
was to be a prize for the winner. Now there will be a prize for
whoever hands in an idea … to Linda Kerford before 10th
December, please. You needn’t be a member of the
Fellowship nor be female!!
The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless baby, unable to do
more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be
fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child…. The more
you think about it, the more staggering it gets. - J I Packer
19
SO: FORGOTTEN MESSAGE NUMBER 9 FROM GIAM:
PEACE, PEACE, to those far and near (That’s in THE BOOK- Isaiah 57: 19)
Well I don’t think the mice are clued up on peace with all the squabbles they
sometimes have. But as the Main Man Jesus was called the Prince of Peace, I
think it’s probable that it’s an important part of ‘The Message’. I told the mice to
find the peace message in their letter and there was nearly a riot.
Thessi, instead of looking in her letter, has unbeknown to me found the
Concordy thing. And she yelled –“‘HA, Jesus didn’t talk about peace. Come look
ye here in Matthew 10:34” (Thessi is very pretentious). Lo and behold it said ‘Do
not suppose I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring
peace but a sword.’ How smug Thessi was, thinking she’d caught me out!
However if you read on, it seems Jesus meant real peace only comes to those
who ‘lose their (own self-centred) life’ for His sake.
‘Mice, please go look in your own letters’, I said, ‘while I do some Jesus & peace
research’. So they did and we had RESULTS! Romi found 6 messages but I made
it clear to all the mice that they could only choose 1.
Rom 12: 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone
2 Cor 13:11 Be of one mind. Live in peace
Gal 5: 22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…………
Eph 2: 14 He (Christ) is our peace
Phil 4: 7 The peace of God which passes all understanding, will guide
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts
2 Thess 3:16 Now may the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times
and in every way’
All agreed ‘peace’ is an important message. BUT WHAT DID THE MAIN MAN
SAY???
John 14:27 ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to
you as the world gives’.
OK said Thessi – the peace of Jesus is different from ‘worldly’ peace. Maybe, said
I but can we also have a bit of ordinary peace instead of all
your squabbles.
Remember: Message 9: peace to those far and near. SIMPLES!! (but not easy)
Love from Meerkat Moses (and the absent furniture mice) –
pp Giam
18
Greetings, or grace and peace to you from the GIAM (as my hero Paul would
say)! I know this is a ‘double issue’ for December and January but I’m still only
giving one message, MM rule – one message per issue! Did you see how
friendly I am with my cameraman?
A ‘year-end’ reminder of who I am: I’m the ‘Lookout’ at BC&N & my helpers are
the 7 furniture mice, named after the places Paul sent letters to. The Chair
mice are Romi, Cori, Gali, Ephi, Gali and the flower stand mice; Coli and Thessi.
I’m here to remind you of the important messages the GIAM sprinkles
throughout the BOOK because you keep forgetting or ignoring them. I hope
that’s clear. Below are the messages up to now:
1. Love the GIAM, (God’s description of Himself) Love everyone and
love yourself!
2. Do not go compare – BE what GIAM has created YOU to BE!
3. Encourage one another!
4. Fear not!
5. Forgive and you will be forgiven!
6. Pray continually!
7. Be thankful!
8. Trust in the Lord
SIMPLES, SIMPLES, SIMPLES!
Fear not, The S-squad (Simon, Stuart & Steve) are making great progress with
the Sanctuary modifications and RB is keeping a photo record of all the
changes.
I bet you’re all expecting a message about the birth of the ‘main man’ Jesus and
how He was born, so that we would be able to understand completely what the
GIAM is like. And how He would be the Hope and Light of the world and bring
us so close to the GIAM that it would be as if His Spirit was living in us and
helping us to live & love & laugh.
Well, you’d be wrong! You see, this will be my first ever CHRIST-MAS and the
furniture mice are so excited about all they’ve seen in this place over their
lifetime, that I can’t make head nor tail of it. So I’m just going to watch & listen
for myself and then I’ll KNOW what the message of CHRIST-MAS is and I’ll share
it in the next issue.
Meerkat Moses
(not the Meerkat Manor Family) Mystery Messenger from the GIAM
Things you’ve forgotten
IT’S ALL SO SIMPLES!!
11
How Does Your Neck Feel After That?
On Tuesday 10 November, Ladies Fellowship coordinator Lesley
Sutton asked whether Pat Anderson and I could ‘talk about our
visit to Turkey’ as a last minute replacement for the scheduled
speaker, Jeff Roberts, taken into hospital suddenly. Good! I
thought – that will make me sort my mobile phone photos into a
presentation in the same month as the holiday (unusual!) & Pat
can do the running commentary. And then Lesley says ‘please
will you write the article, I was too fascinated to take notes’!!!!
So there were 40 slides and 5 video clips to share the experience
of our bargain holiday - £250 for a week’s tour in the moon
landscape of Cappadocia (all 4-star accommodation, all meals, all
tours) + a week’s holiday at a 5-star hotel on the coast (£160 for
meals).
Cappodocia in central Turkey is amazing – a day’s journey across
the Taurus Mountains & along the old Silk Road into an incredible
landscape. Volcanic eruptions in pre-history and millennia of
wind & weather has created soft pinnacles & rolling hills.
Centuries before Christ, people had carved homes into the soft
rock and built complete underground cities - 36 have been
discovered and the most famous at DERINKUYU goes down to 9
levels. The HOW, WHY & WHO about the building of these
marvels remains a mystery.
St Paul travelled all around this area on his second missionary
journey. The place called ‘Monks Valley’ has towns (GOREME is
the most famous) with homes, civic buildings and churches with
frescos; all hollowed out of rock. Here the Greek Christians fled
to escape Roman persecution. We wandered through these
wonderful achievements of man, flew over the dangerous
pinnacles in a hot air balloon, stood in the Roman amphitheatre
at Aspendos and shared in a worship service with the ‘whirling
12
dervishes’ who belong to the mystic Sufi brotherhood of Islam.
The photos ran smoothly but the video clips had to be viewed
craning your neck to the left, because transfer from phone to
computer messed it up (hence the title of this article).
The one-minute clips showed:
• our balloon being fired up
• our flight over the pinnacles - rather too close for comfort. At
one point there were 100 balloons in the sky
• Sufi worship service with the most gorgeous ‘dervish’
• Pat walking up to a hillside in Monks Valley to reach a rock
formation entitled ‘virgin & child
• Pat singing ‘How great Thou art’ in an abandoned Greek
Orthodox church
Most churches were abandoned in the 1924 ‘population
exchange’ when all Greeks had to return to Greece and all Turks
to Turkey. Most churches were museums and Pat felt moved to
restore a feeling of holiness to the place.
Our ‘free’ additional week by the sea was superb – clear blue
skies, 25+ degrees. We thank RSD Travel Ltd for a great
experience. We thank Mustapha, our guide, Javesh our driver
and all the friends we made on the 413 tourist bus! And we
thank God for travelling with us.
Joan Warner and Pat Anderson
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Reflecting on Jesus in the manger is a great place to start, but
there's so much more than a cute baby lying in the bed of straw:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent
us an educator;
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent
us a scientist;
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an
economist;
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us
an entertainer;
But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Saviour.
Paul Hardingham (Parish Pump)
Debt Despair -
Don’t go there this Christmas
Christian charities are warning people not to get into debt
this Christmas, so that they will not be vulnerable if interest
rates and/or energy bills rise next year.
Instead, Christians Against Poverty urges
people to carefully plan what they will
spend, to ask relatives for help with
children’s presents, and to enjoy all the low-
cost things on offer – the lights in town, get-
togethers, making mince pies, playing family board games,
and seeing the kids in their school nativity.
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Christmas in a Nutshell
We’re at that time of year again! But is Christmas just about
the shopping, tree or presents? In a nutshell, it’s all about a
God who has showed up on earth. The creator of the universe,
who hands flung stars into space, cared enough to come to
earth as a tiny baby. ‘The Word became flesh and blood, and
moved into the neighbourhood.’ (John 1:14, The Message).
Every year we sing carols and
retell the same story of the
donkey, innkeeper, stable,
angels, shepherds, star, wise
men, gifts and Mary and Joseph
with baby! It’s interesting,
because when we celebrate
other birthdays, we don’t recall
the details of the pregnancy or
birth.
So why do we do all this? In a nutshell, it's about God, who has
seen the mess of this world and stepped down to meet our
deepest need of relationship with Himself:
‘When the time came, He set aside the
privileges of deity and took on the status of a
slave, became human! Having become
human, He stayed human. It was an incredibly
humbling process. He didn’t claim special
privileges. Instead, He lived a selfless,
obedient life and then died a selfless,
obedient death.’
(Philippians 2, The Message)
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Christmas Answer (Lk 2:6)
So many refugees,
So many homeless people,
So much conflict and despair and pain,
In a world without answers.
But God so loved this world
That he created Christmas
And came, in Jesus.
Jesus, born into poverty,
Jesus, who was homeless,
Who was a refugee,
Who shares our conflict and despair and pain,
Who takes it all and transforms it
By his life-giving death and resurrection
Into possibilities of peace and hope and joy,
Into life in all its fullness.
Jesus who came out of the stable
And lives.
God’s answer.
Hallelujah.
By Daphne Kitching
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Water for Kids Project: Update November 2015
By the time you read this we will be in the last four weeks of our
personal giving and fundraising for Water for Kids. At the time of
writing we have raised £821.46 and expect to raise a significant
sum of money from the project meal at Bury College, which
seventy one people are supporting. We are pleased that Natasha
Franklin, local Water for Kids Trustee, is able to join us and
provide a short talk about the progress of getting water to the
people of Katoba. The Brownies are holding their Annual Coffee
Evening on Tuesday 1st
December and the Rainbows are busy
collecting pennies, well hopefully pounds, in Smartie tubes! The
theme and proceeds of Messy Church on Sunday 29th
November
will also be for Water for Kids.
Natasha and Barrie have been to Brownies and Rainbows to tell
us about life in Katoba and the difference the provision of clean
water will make on everyone’s lives. The girls and the leaders
enjoyed using the tippy tap, carrying water on our heads and
partaking in a quiz. We are so blessed to have plenty of clean
water to use so freely.
I am hopeful that Natasha and Barrie will be able to come to
Chapel before Christmas, to provide the congregation with an
update during a service to spur us on in our giving and to see
what can be achieved with a little help from us.
Below is an extract from an email sent during the first week in
November by Edgar Mulwanda who is the project manager in
Zambia:
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“I am happy to report that the borehole in Katoba was sunk
yesterday. The depth of the borehole went up to 82 metres. I am
told the yield is also very good. I was with the engineer today and
it is now certain that the works on the road will be done next
week if all things fall in place as planned.”
All donations for Water for Kids can be placed in the small
envelopes which can be found in the school room, coffee lounge
and coffee area in transparent folders. Please use the brown
envelopes if you are a non tax payer and the white envelopes if
you are a tax payer, and remember to fill in the details to enable
the gift aid to be reclaimed. Many thanks.
Carole Greaves (on behalf of the Church in the World Group)
From the World in Action Magazine:
Have a Bible Society Christmas
Take part in a #AdventChallenge
From 1st of December visit our on line Advent
Calendar and choose which of the daily challenges
to take on: Share goodwill with those around you
and explore a new Bible theme each day.
To sign up and take part visit:
biblesociety.org.uk/adventchallengewia
Blessings, Gillian Galloway
