28

“Confirm, O Lord, your servant with your Holy Spirit.”

(Common Worship, 2000)

September, 2015September, 2015

2

SERVICES AT ST. OLAVE’S

St Olave’s is a member of the Finsbury Park Ecumenical group

of churches that includes the

Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church

and other Anglican Churches.

VICAR’S REST DAY :

The Vicar’s rest day is Monday. Please try not to disturb him on

that day, unless it is urgent.

SUNDAY WORSHIP :

10.00am PARISH COMMUNION followed by refreshments.

All ages and families welcome.

2nd Sunday in month :

Parish Communion including Anointing and Laying-on of hands.

Sunday School and Crèche in the Parish Room

MIDWEEK SERVICE : Communion Service

10.00 am every Wednesday.

BIBLE STUDY: Every Wednesday (except last Wednesday) in Parish Room

7.30pm—9.00pm

REVIVAL SERVICE: takes place every last

Wednesday of the month 7.00pm—10.00 pm in church.

POWER NIGHT/NIGHT VIGIL: Every second Friday

of the month at 10pm-2am

SERVICES IN SEPTEMBER:

6th September: 10.00am Sunday Parish

Communion and Anointing

14TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

SUNDAY SCHOOL PRESENTATION

13th September:

10.00am Sunday Parish

Communion and Anointing

15TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

20th September:

10.00am Sunday Parish

Communion and Anointing

16TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

CONFIRMATION

27th September:

10.00am Sunday Parish Communion and Anointing

17TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

27

THE BREAD FOR LIFE PROJECT

Since Monday 16th August 2010 The Bread For Life Project

has been providing hot meals (150 containers of jollof rice and chicken)

to homeless people, under the direction of Mrs Folake Roberts

and the support of some dedicated volunteers who help with cooking

and distribution of the food as well as those offering financial support

Our vocation as Christians and human beings is to love and be touched

by the pain of other people. Your support would be appreciated in order

to enable the continuance of this important work.

Please make cheques payable to the "Bread For Life Project"

and addressed to Ven. Preb. Tunde Roberts or Mrs Folake Roberts.

If you prefer to pay directly into the account, the details are as follows:

BREAD FOR LIFE PROJECT

BANK : METRO BANK

ACCOUNT NO: 11062571

SORT CODE: 23-05-80

Thank you and may the good Lord reward us

for all that we do in His name.

Amen

26

Down:

1, Sketch. 2, Priest. 3, Samizdat. 4, Shalom. 5, Wept. 6, Breast. 7, Embers. 12, Art. 14, Limassol. 15, UNA. 16, Salome. 17, Adverb. 18, Decade. 20, Clever. 21, Height. 23, Tear.

FROM OUR RECORDS

CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS

THOSE WHO CELEBRATED THEIR BIRTHDAYS IN AUGUST

Mrs Funmi Olubodun Mrs Rosemary Obilana Sarah Rebeca Wider

Ven. Preb. Tunde Roberts

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK

Chief (Mrs) Felicia Fakorede Mrs Jose

Mrs Susan Laleye Ms Sonia Smith

Mrs Clara O. Adeleke

Mr Vincent Osun—1st Fedora Fasheyitan—6th

Chief ( Mrs) Felicia Fakorede—7th Mrs Bukola Osun—7th Mr Kelvin Ugbodu—8th

Akosua Affiyie – 8th

Mrs Bolaji Ewenla—9th Mrs Clara Adeleke—12th

Victoria Akinmolayan—15th Mr Magnus Adewunmi—18th

Chinasa Onyugwu—19th Dapo Ladipo—20th

Mr Ishmael Borde-Kuofie—21st Seun Sojinrin—23rd

Mrs Olubukola Oluwasakin—23rd Claudia Adu-Gyamfi—26th

Mrs Funmi Nwachukwu—27th Joseph Koumah—27th

Mr Adesina Falade —29th

Across:

8, Kiriath Jearim 9, Toe. 10, Ill at ease. 11, Hated. 13, Miletus. 16, Started. 19, Micah. 22, Leviticus. 24, Eli. 25, Mary and Joseph.

3

VICAR'S LETTER

Dear Friends,

EXCITING TIME AT ST OLAVE'S

This is an exciting time but busy time at St Olave's. We have been trying to start

a Youth Service for some time but it has not materialised, mainly because of the

lack of space for the time we require. However, there is availability in the

Church on Sunday evening at 7.00 pm which the youth believe is an ideal time

for them. We are planning and hoping to start by the end of December 2015. It is

going to be led by the young people, with support from me and other adults and

we are praying that it is going to be the beginning of a wonderful and long jour-

ney. Like many other projects, there will be challenges at the initial stage and on

the way, but we are determined, with the help of God to make it work. In the

weeks before the start date, which has not been confirmed, I will be having

meals and meetings with the young people to map out the way forward.

Another exciting news is the planned Sunday Evening Service that will begin in

January 2016. It is a short service that will start at 5.45 pm and is designed to

cater for parishioners and members who unavoidably cannot attend our main

Sunday Morning Worship because of work and other commitments. It has not

been possible for the 16 years I have been at St Olave's, again because the space

was not available. It will involve extra work and time commitment on my part

and some members of the church but I believe that we live in a society where

one main service cannot meet or satisfy everyone's need. We therefore have a

duty to provide choices, with all the other services we currently hold, for our pa-

rishioners in light of the massive regeneration of Woodberry Down.

As part of reaching out to our community, we recently made genuine contact

with Mr Tim Clark, the Principal of Skinners Academy, on Woodberry Grove,

which is very much within the St Olave's Parish. Mr Clark's father was a Church

of England Priest and he grew up in a vicarage and is really keen to develop a

flourishing and fruitful relationship with the church. He is an organist in his lo-

cal parish church. We have agreed to have an Academy Carol Service at St

Olave's on Thursday 17th December, which will involve two year groups of

about 350 pupils. This relationship is quite exciting.

Another exciting news is the progress we have made recently regarding the pro-

posed redevelopment of our cottage and church hall. Even though we are at the

beginning of a long process, which will involve initially obtaining a planning

permission from the Hackney Council, the Parochial Church Council (PCC) has

made a clear decision on how they want to proceed. We have been on this jour-

4

ney for about 7 years with promises which have resulted in disappointments.

The PCC and the church have committed the project to God in prayer and are

aware that many mountains still remain but we are more hopeful. Let us con-

tinue to pray asking God to direct us to follow the path that will benefit the

church, our community and bring glory and honour to Him.

Other exciting news are the services and activities lined up for the rest of the

year.

In October, we are looking forward to celebrating our Harvest Thanksgiving

Service and the party afterward on Sunday 18 October. It has in recent years be-

come very popular, with about 400 people, in attendance. It is usually a whole

day affair that begins with the service at 11.00 am, followed by other activities

including, bazaar, raffle, live bands and party that usually finishes at about 10.00

pm. The preparation for this Harvest Thanksgiving has been intense over these

past weeks, with meetings and lots of planning by the Harvest Committee.

We look forward to welcoming families and friends on the day and pray that the

God of harvest will richly bless us all.

CONFIRMATION

Confirm, O Lord, your servant........ with your Holy Spirit

This too was exciting, as six members of St Olave's ( Mrs Akosua Afriyie, Mrs

Oluwatimileyin Bello, Master Jacob Daniel, Mr Adewale Idowu, Ms Oluwafun-

milayo Ogunnaike, Miss Angel Ojumobi) and Mr Alexander Duffy from St Paul,

Winchmore Hill were confirmed by Bishop Adrian on Sunday 20 September,

2015. It was a joy for the congregation to welcome Bishop Adrian. We are grate-

ful to him for his fellowship.

NEW AREA DEAN

I am happy to inform you that the Bishop of Stepney has appointed The Revd

Rosemai Brown, Vicar of St James’ Clapton, as the next Area Dean of Hackney.

The Revd Brown has accepted that invitation and will be commissioned by the

Bishop at the Stepney Area Council Meeting on Wednesday 4 November 2015.

As we rejoice with her, let us continue to hold her in our prayers.

We thank God for His protection and safe return of the members from their vari-

ous holidays during the summer months. We welcome you back and hope you

have had an enjoyable and fruitful time away. Please do share your stories with

us on the pages of this magazine.

With blessings,

25

WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND?

September is the time when we get back to our normal routines after the summer break. It’s a good opportunity to think how God could use us to make a real difference in our workplace, school, family, friends and commu-nity. God equips us with everything we need to complete this work of showing love and establishing justice. In the film Chariots of Fire Eric Liddell, says, ‘I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure’. If we are doing what God wants us to do, we can really feel the joy and power of the Holy Spirit. When God gave Moses the job of bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, he asked the question, ‘What is in your hand?’ (Exodus 4:2). Moses was hold-ing his staff, which represented his livelihood (what he was good at); his re-sources (his flock represented his wealth) and his security (which God was asking him to lay down). God asks the same question of us: What has God given you? Our gifts, temperament, experience, relationships, mind, educa-tion can be used in the work he has given us to do. Are we willing to offer them to him to make a real difference in the places where he calls us to serve him? John Ortberg in his book ‘It All Goes Back In The Box’ tells the story of Johnny the bagger. Johnny, 19 years old with Downs syndrome, worked at a supermarket checkout, putting people’s items into bags. After a training event on how to make a difference, he decided that he wanted to do some-thing special for his customers. His idea was to put a thought for the day into every bag; something positive about how good it is to be alive or how much people matter! Every night his dad would help him carefully prepare the slips of paper and sign every one. Each time he bagged someone's groceries, he would put his saying on top of the last bag. Then he would look the person in the eye and say, ‘I've put a great saying in your bag. I hope it helps you have a good day. Thanks for coming here.’ A month later, the store manager no-ticed that the line at Johnny's checkout was three times longer than anyone else's! People wanted to get hold of Johnny's thought for the day. He was doing more than filling bags with groceries; he was filling lives with hope!

Parish Pump

24

SAILING WITH THE SPIRIT

It was a calm, windless day. Despite the weather, members of the sailing club were hopeful they would be launching their boats. Their sails were ready, but ...! with no wind and only calm waters, no-one was going anywhere!

Some sailors tried to manoeuvre their crafts by paddling into the open water and propel-ling with their hands, but soon realised their efforts were being wasted. They decided to join the people in the club house and wait for the wind. It was only after a good while that a gentle breeze began to blow and soon people were in their boats. Now, with full sails, they skimmed out towards the open sea.

This scene can be a reminder of how the Holy Spirit can work in our lives. The Bible sometimes describes the Spirit as wind and sometimes, like the sailors we may have to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. There are occasions, from a spiritual standpoint, nothing seems to be happening – for weeks and months on end. During these waiting times we may wonder what purpose God has for us.

The impatient sailors are a reminder to us that we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit. Those sailors soon discovered that without the directing power of the wind, they were wasting their time and energy. It can be tempting for us to think we can go it alone, and not be guided by the Spirit.

The people in the sailing club might have left their boats to do other things, but they were also watching for signs around them of the coming wind. No one was packing up and go-ing home! They were waiting with a purpose.

In our times of stillness and waiting, we can watch for the signs of God as he works in the Church, in the community and in the world. We pray and worship together, and enjoy social times with each other, in readiness for God to move us into the course he has planned for us.

Our waiting times may have come on us due to various circumstances. The outlook may not be encouraging. But God is with us and he knows what we need now, and how he can use us in the future.

Those sailors on the shore anticipated their time afloat. Similarly, in our waiting times we anticipate to do the things of God! The season may soon come when we are guided, prompted, incited and directed by the wind of God who will move us in the right direction.

Let’s put up the sails to let God blow afresh into our lives!

Lester Amann

5

HIGH DAYS, HOLY DAYS

8 The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary In both eastern and western churches, Mary has always been held as pre-eminent among all the saints. The unique, extraordi-nary privilege of being the mother of the One who was both God and

Man, makes her worthy of special honour. Thomas Aquinas believed she was due hyperdulia, or a veneration that exceeds that of other saints, but is at the same time infinitely below the adoration, or latria, due to God alone. The gospels of Matthew and Luke give Mary most mention. Luke even tells the story of Jesus’ infancy from Mary’s point of view. Her Song, or Magnificat appears in Luke 1:46-55. The virginal conception of Christ is clearly stated in the gospels. But after Jesus’ birth, Mary fades quietly into the background. During Jesus’ public life, she is mentioned only occasionally, as at the wedding at Cana. She reappears at the foot of the Cross (John’s Gospel), and is given into John’s care. In the early chapters of Acts, Mary is with the Apostles, and received the Holy Spirit along with them on Whitsunday. But her role was not the active one of teaching and preaching. Mary’s significance grew with the centuries. By the fifth century she was called Theotokos, The Mother of God, and from the seventh century on-wards, she was given four festivals: the Presentation in the Temple (2 February), the Annunciation (25 March), the Assumption (15 August) and her Nativity (8 September). Marian devotion has played an enormous role in the church down the years. Mary has been the object of countless prayers, accredited with performing many miracles, and the subject of thousands of artistic en-deavours. She has had hundreds of chapels or parish churches named after her. During the Reformation many images of Mary were destroyed. The Second Vatican Council 1962 made an extended statement on her, stressing her complete dependence on her Son, and regarding her as a model of the Church. Principal Marian shrines of today include Lourdes (France), Fatima

6

(Portugal), Walsingham (England), Loreto (Italy), Czesochowa (Poland) and Guadalupe (Mexico). 14 Holy Cross Day On Holy Cross Day the Church celebrates the Cross as a symbol of tri-umph, as the sign of Christ’s victory over death. Holy Cross Day goes right back to 14 September 335, and we have the mother of a Roman Emperor to thank for it. Helena was a devout Christian, and after her son, Constantine, was con-verted, they agreed that she should travel from Rome to Israel, and seek out the places of special significance to Christians. Of course, much of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans around 135 AD. But even so, Helena finally located what she believed to be the sites of the Crucifixion and of the Burial (and modern archaeolo-gists think she may well be correct). The sites were so close together that she built one large church over them - the Church of the Holy Sepul-chre. That church, built in honour of the Cross, was dedicated on 14 Septem-ber 335. The sign of the Cross has been used by Christians since early times. Tertullian, writing his De Corona (3:2) around AD 211, noted that Chris-tians seldom did anything significant without making the sign of the cross. What is its significance? Well, people often put their initials or some sort of personal mark on something to show that it belongs to them. The Cross is the personal mark of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we mark it on ourselves as a sign that we belong to him. Even in the book of Revela-tion, we read that the servants of God are ‘sealed’ or ‘marked’ on their foreheads as a sign that they are his. A preacher once put it this way: if you were explaining to someone how to make a cross, you would say: "Draw an I.” That is you standing before the Lord, saying, ‘here I am’. Then cancel that vertical stroke with a hori-zontal stroke – as if to say: “Lord, I abandon my self-will and make you the centre of my life instead. I abandon myself to your love and service.” On Holy Cross Day, we recall Jesus’ wonderful promise: “And when I am

23

GROWING IN PRAYER

Prayer is essentially all about our relationship with God, and it is this relation-

ship that is at the heart of the Christian faith. Prayer should be one of the easiest

things in the world—after all, it is surely only a matter of talking to God—and

yet many of us struggle with it.

How can we grow in prayer? If we take the example of a tree, we find that it

grows from a small seed to a large tree if the roots are in good soil, are watered

by the rain and receive light from the sun. We need the same things to help us

grow in prayer—food, water and sunlight.

Our food will include having a time with God each day on our own to talk about

what is on our heart as well as meeting to worship and pray with others weekly.

Our water will be the nourishment we receive from reading the Bible and mak-

ing it part of how we live our lives. Our light comes from God’s love as we open

our lives to the fullness of all that God wants to give to us as we pray and care

for those around us. God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—will provide all that we

need to help us grow in our relationship with him through the ups and downs of

life.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Try starting with five minutes on your own with God—it could be in the car,

in the bathroom, on a walk. Mull over a Bible passage, for example Psalm

42:1–2, or a hymn/song or recent talk/sermon. Talk it through with him. Pray

the Lord’s Prayer.

2. Make friends with stillness and silence. Turn off the radio, TV, computer and

ipod - and listen to the sounds around you. Rest in God’s love.

3. Try praying ‘as you go’. As you walk out of the house ask God to walk with

you through the day. As you meet people through the day pray for God to

bless them.

4. Reflect by taking a few minutes to run through the day in your mind, learning

to recognise and give thanks for where you can see God at work, as well as

saying sorry for when things didn’t go as planned. This simple discipline

really helps me to grow in prayer.

Let’s remember ‘The prayer of a person living right with God is something

powerful to be reckoned with’ (James 5:16, THE MESSAGE).

Parish Pump

22

MOST POPULAR BIBLE STORIES:

NO. 1 - THE FEEDING OF THE 5000

This month sees the start a new series on Scripture Union’s Top Ten Must Know

Stories. These were voted by parents and teachers as the most important Bible

stories to share with the next generation. We begin with the feeding of the 5000,

a story found in all four gospels and telling us important truths about Jesus and

our relationship with Him.

Jesus and His disciples were confronted with a huge crowd (at least 10,000 in-

cluding the women and children) in a lonely place with no food! When the disci-

ples suggested that He send them away, Jesus challenged them: ‘you give them

something to eat’ (Matthew 14:16). When we see the spiritual needs of own

community, Jesus challenges us with the same words! So how do we respond?

Look with compassion: ‘When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had

compassion on them’ (14). Do we see people in the same way, as those in all

kinds of need, often lacking meaning and purpose in their lives? Unless we feel

the needs as Jesus did, we cannot respond to those we meet at work, school, or

in our community.

Respond in obedience: The disciples simply offered what they had to Jesus:

‘Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave

thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disci-

ples gave them to the people.’ (19).

When meeting the needs of others we simply offer to Jesus what we have, how-

ever insignificant it may seem, for Him to multiply to feed the crowd. He will

use our plans, skills, time and energy. However, it is often only when we come

to the end of ourselves, that God’s power can be released through us.

Paul Hardingham

7

lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) 21 St Matthew Matthew was one of 12 apostles. But he began as a publican i.e. a tax-collector of Jewish race who worked for the Romans, before he left all at the call of Christ. From earliest times, he was regarded as the author of the first of the four Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew is in correct, concise style, very suitable for public reading. His usual emblem as an evangelist is a man, because his genealogy em-phasised the family ties of Christ. In art, he has been represented as ei-ther an evangelist or as an apostle. As an evangelist, he has been de-picted sitting at a desk, writing his gospel with an angel holding the ink-well. In the Middle Ages he was even given a pair of spectacles. Matthew was martyred by a sword or a spear, some think in Ethiopia. 29 Michael and All Angels Michael is an archangel, whose name means ‘who is like unto God?’ He makes various appearances throughout the Bible, from the book of Daniel to the Book of Revelation. In Daniel, he is ‘one of the princes’ of the heavenly host, and the special guardian of Israel. In Revelation, he is the principal fighter of the heavenly battle against the devil. From early times, Michael’s cult was strong in the British Isles. Churches at Malmesbury (Wiltshire), Clive (Gloucestershire) and Stanmer (East Sussex) were dedicated to him. Bede mentions him. St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall was believed to commemorate a vision there in the 8th cen-tury. By the end of the Middle Ages, Michael had 686 English churches dedicated to him. In art Michael is often depicted as slaying the dragon, as in the 14th cen-tury East Anglican Psalters, or in Epstein’s famous sculpture at Coventry cathedral. Or he is found (in medieval art) as weighing souls, as at Chaldon (Surrey), Swalcliffe (Oxon.), Eaton Bishop (Hereford and Worcester), and Martham in Suffolk. Michael’s most famous shrine in western Europe is Mont-Saint-Michel, where a Benedictine abbey was founded in the 10th century. The ‘All Angels’ bit of this feast-day was added in 1969 when Gabriel and Raphael were included in with Michael.

8

29 ALL THE ANGELS, LED BY MICHAEL

What is an angel? Easy, people think. A shining figure with glorious wings, who appears from time to time to do some mighty work for God or bring a very special message from him. Well, that’s right in one sense (apart from the wings, which owe more to stained glass windows than the Bible). But the fact that not all ‘angels’ in the Bible are ‘glorious’ or ‘shining’ should make us hesitate to categorise them in this spectacular way. After all, the three apparently ordinary men who visited Abraham and Sarah to tell them that she would have a son even though she was long past child-bearing age had none of those outward embellishments. Nevertheless Abraham recognised them as divine messengers. The Bible is full of angels, from the early chapters of Genesis to the last chapter of Reve-lation, and often they had a key role in crucial events. It seems, from just two instances, that Michael was their leader, an ’archangel’. In stained glass he’s often seen with a sword, because in a vision in Revelation he led the angelic host who fought and defeated Satan and his army. In the Gospels an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah in the Temple, to tell him that his elderly wife was to have a son, the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. An angel - Gabriel - appeared to Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of the Mes-siah, the Son of God. . An angel appeared ‘in a dream’ to Joseph, the village carpenter in Nazareth, to tell him to go ahead and marry his fiancee, Mary, and later - also in a dream - warned him not to go back to Bethlehem. A ‘young man’, whom we take to have been an angel, was sitting in the empty tomb on Easter morning, waiting to tell the startled women that Jesus wasn’t there - he had risen (Mark 16:5). Without going into every biblical reference to angels, those should be sufficient to show that the word covers an enormous diversity of experience. So the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of those who practice hospitality as sometimes ‘entertaining angels unawares’. Sometimes people recognised angels for who they were, and sometimes they didn’t. An-gels, quite simply, are God’s agents or emissaries, messengers and ministers of his will. Sometimes they are human; sometimes they seem to be spiritual beings. Perhaps we could even say that anyone, in any situation, who is at that moment God’s ‘messenger’ to us, or serves us graciously, is an ‘angel’. So when we say, ‘Oh, be an an-gel and pop up to the chemist for my prescription’, we may be nearer the heart of the matter than we think!

Canon David Winter

21

DON’T ALLOW THE MODERN CULTURE

TO RULE YOUR LIFE

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his pre-cepts have good understanding. (Psalm 111:10)

“Remember,” said W.C. Fields, “a dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream.” This quotation, reproduced on T-shirts and in management books, appeals to our sense of nonconformist individuality. The reality, though, is that most of us want to belong and win approval. We fear the consequences of challenging toxic organisa-tional cultures, disagreeing with accepted workplace wisdom, or showing any weakness. To go against the flow, to be distinctive in God-honouring ways, takes courage,

The psalmist emphasises that ‘the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom’. This godly fear is not to be placed alongside our fears of the opinions of our colleagues, important though they are, but takes prece-dence over them. Paul puts it starkly: ‘If I were still trying to please peo-ple, I would not be a servant of Christ’ (Galatians 1:10).

The biblical wisdom is not merely intellectual capacity, but is linked with discipline and discernment, shrewdness and skill. It’s also profoundly countercultural, as Jesus’ own teaching illustrates: in order to live we are called to die; the first shall be last; giving away leads to being entrusted with much (Luke 6:38). In our relationships, Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Moreover, God’s wisdom, which looks foolish and weak in the world’s eyes, is seen supremely in the cross, where it is shown that ‘the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength’ (1 Corinthians 1:25).

The phrase ‘fear of the LORD’ uses the covenantal name of God, imply-ing a committed relationship of reverence and awe. If we allow the cul-ture of our workplaces and the time pressures we experience to squeeze the fear of God out of our ‘wisdom’, we risk becoming ‘practical atheists’, where our responses to situations are barely distinguishable from those of our non-believing colleagues.

Parish Pump

20

HYMN: THE STORY BEHIND...

ABIDE WITH ME

One of the most famous hymns in the world came out of Brixham, near Torbay, Devon, in 1847. In those days it was a poor, obscure fishing village, and the vicar was the Rev Henry Francis Lyte. It was a discouraging place to be a pastor, but Henry felt that God wanted him there, and so he stayed, though it was lonely work, and he suffered constant ill health. By the time he was 54, Henry had contracted tuberculosis and asthma, and he and his family knew he was dying. It would have been so easy for him to look back on his life and feel a complete failure. What had he ever much accomplished? And yet – and yet – Henry knew that in life it is not worldly success that matters, but how much we respond to Jesus Christ, and how much we follow him.

In September of 1847 Henry was preparing to travel to the south of France, as was the custom for people with tuberculosis at that time. One day before he left, he read the story in the gospel of Luke about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were met by Jesus on the day of his resurrection, and they invited him to stay with them because it was getting late. “Abide with us”, they said “for it is towards evening.” “Abide with us - for it is toward evening.” These words struck a chord with Henry, who knew that it was getting ‘towards evening’ in his life. So he sat down and wrote this hymn as a prayer to God – (the following are just some of the verses)

ABIDE WITH ME Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide! When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;

Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Shortly after Henry wrote that hymn, he preached his last sermon. He was so ill he prac-tically crawled into the pulpit to do so. A few weeks later, in Nice, France, he died, and so of course he never knew that his hymn would go on to become world famous.

Parish Pump

9

ACROSTIC

RESCUED FOR PURPOSE

Reason ought to prevail over feeling in times of decision-making,

Embodied in Christ are real answers to all challenges of godly-living;

Source of empowerment indwells us as our stronghold of strength and victory.

Control of our lives, we should humbly surrender to the Deity.

Understanding of God’s rescue plan for our fallen race, we dare not lack!

Employ knowledge of the implementation of God’s saving grace through Christ, to

Determine your decisions in favour of Jesus’ bidding: Go and Do.

Father Creator made us for Himself – for fellowship, for partnership;

Obedience out of love for God is essential, to be in divine relationship.

Respond to God positively, to become a fulfilling agent of God’s purpose.

Pursue Jesus’ ways of love and service - how only you can – by God’s grace,

Under the Spirit’s control and guidance, you’ll be led daily to seek God’s face;

Rid yourself of contempt for God’s Word, walk aright in response to God’s goodness.

Positive attitude towards Jesus and His works, is a sign of gratefulness!

Overcoming old habits can happen through one’s delight in living for Jesus.

Study the Bible prayerfully with openness to learn as the Spirit teaches,

Ever ready to apply moral standards to God’s Glory, while serving others.

Elsie Pabs-Garnon

10

GOD NEVER FAILS

When talking about the unfailing power of God, the wordings of this song read-

ily come to mind. ‘Amen, Jesus never fails, amen Jesus never fails, amen Jesus

never fails, Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails, for evermore’

YOU need deeper understanding of God's word and support of the Holy Spirit

not to fall into the trap of Satan, especially when you seriously needed divine in-

tervention regarding any unpalatable challenges you may be faced with.

The solution the world may offer may sound genuine and not harmful. You can-

not be very sure of its repercussion in the nearest future. More importantly, God

is a jealous God. He will not share his glory with any graven image or mortal

being.

We are blessed to have the Bible at our disposal. In case you come across any-

body promising deliverance, protection, prosperity, peace, healing, etc. outside

Jesus Christ, this is what the word of God says about them. "For the wrath of

God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of

men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that when they knew God,

they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain in

their imaginations, and their foolish hearts was darkened. Professing themselves

to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God

into an image made like to corruptible man, to birds, and four-footed beasts, and

creeping things" - Roman 1:18-23.

There was never a time in the Bible that God encouraged seeking assistance in

lesser gods. God is never tired of helping whoever is sincere in seeking His help.

He wants His people to acknowledge Him by taking their troubles to Him alone.

Cast your burdens upon Jesus, for He cares for you.

There was a king in the Bible that needed information about his wellbeing while

on a sick bed. He decided to abandon God, his Maker so he sent to the god of

Ekron. 2Kings 1: 2-6 says: "And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his up-

per chamber that was in Samaria and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said

unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover

of this disease. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, the Tishbite, "Arise, go

up to meet the messengers of the King of Samaria, and say unto them, ‘Is it not

because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub, the god

of Ekron?" Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from

that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

19

FORGIVENESS? IT’S A WAY OF LIFE

‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ (Matthew 18: 21) A national newspaper poll was conducted in Egypt some years ago. Readers were asked, ‘Of all the good things you could desire in life, what would be your greatest wish?’ Easily top of the list was: ‘To know that I am forgiven.’ Would that have been our priority? Here is Jesus, speaking about forgiveness and the part that the Church has to play in the releasing (the ‘loosing’) of unforgiven people. The disciple Peter comes back with his question - imagining that you can quantify forgiveness, not understanding that forgiveness is a way of life. Jesus puts him straight. 1. Real forgiveness never gives up. It even takes the initiative in looking for reconcilia-

tion (v.15) – for the aim is to ‘win’ the transgressor. So, no whispering campaign, no let-ters or accusing e-mails. Learn from Jesus!

2. Real forgiveness never goes soft (v.15-20). Sin is the most expensive thing in the universe – for how can God, in the face of appalling deeds, say, “It doesn’t matter; let’s say no more about it”? It cost the Cross of Jesus to make it possible for us to be put right! Even so, there are many who don’t wish to receive forgiveness. For our own part, we should be more than ready to forgive, but realise that no one is forgiven in fact until they have repented.

3. Real forgiveness never keeps count. Some Jewish teachers had said that you could forgive three times. Peter thought that he was being generous! Jesus says, Stop count-ing! (v.22). Archbishop Anthony Bloom has written, ‘To forgive one’s enemies is the first, the most elementary characteristic of a Christian. Failing this, we are not yet Christian at all, but are still wandering in the scorching wilderness of Sinai.’ Forgive-ness means total cancellation; you don’t then record it in a book!

4. Real forgiveness never looks back. In verses 23-35, Jesus tells the terrifying story of a man who, having been forgiven his debt, continued as an extortioner himself – and ends up in a prison of his own making.

“I never forget a friend or forgive a foe.” So said a certain sea-captain once to John Wesley. The preacher replied, “It is to be hoped, sir, that you have never sinned against God!” Once we have been forgiven at the Cross, forgiveness is to be our new mind-set.

Preb Richard Bewes

18

PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER

A white man opened fire in a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June this past summer. He killed nine people during a prayer meeting. What was amazing in the church’s response was their willingness to pray together and forgive the perpetrator, Dy-lann Roof. Here is the power of praying in operation, as James says, ‘The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective’ (James 5:16). He encourages us to ‘pray for each other’ (vs 16), especially for those who are ‘in trouble’ (vs 13), especially sickness, difficul-ties or setbacks. Pray with expectation: James addresses specifically praying for the sick: ‘And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (vs 15). But what about those who are not healed? He calls us to pray with expectation for healing, as God hears and an-swers prayer.

However, James is not just talking about physical healing. He liter-ally talks of the sick person being ‘saved’, indicating that he is talk-ing about prayer for wholeness, including emotional and spiritual healing eg. guilt and hurts, unforgiveness and sin in our lives. Pray with faith: James also calls us to pray with faith, following the example of Elijah, who was human just like us: ‘Elijah was a hu-man being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.’ (vs 17). We can pray powerfully and effectively, not because we are righteous, but on the basis of our relationship with Christ.

Did you know that the apostle James was nicknamed ‘camel knees’, because he spent so much time praying! ‘The prayers a man lives on his feet are just as important as those he says on his knees.’

Paul Hardingham

11

And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye

now turned back? And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and

said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus

saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to

inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down

from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

On the other hand, as many that sought God in times of need and waited pa-

tiently for Him had testimonies. Indeed, they enjoyed God's favour.

One day, King David was in a serious trouble yet he called on God for the solu-

tion. God did not fail him "When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found

it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So,

David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's

two wives had been captured. David was greatly distressed because the men

were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and

daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. Then David said to

Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the Ephod." Abiathar

brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, "shall I pursue this raiding

party? Will I overtake them?" Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly

overtake them and succeed in the rescue"- I Samuel 30:2-8.

There are others like Hannah; she waited on God for a miracle child (1Samuel 1:

1-20).

Jabesh did not give up waiting on God through prayer to have a divine turn-

around regarding his destiny (1 Chronicles 4:9 & 10)

King Hezekiah and King Jehosaphat ran to God when faced with an impend-

ing trouble beyond their control.

Whatever your need is, God can meet all your needs. Go to Him in prayer. Seek

His face with sincerity in fasting. Find His will in the Scriptures and He will an-

swer you.

As you journey on in life, it is my prayer that we shall all continue to seek the

face of the Lord with sincerity and prayers and it shall be well with us.

Have a wonderful month in His presence.

Ifeoluwa Banjo

12

A LUTHERAN VIEW

I feel thankful for the warm sunny days of late September and early October days. These make me want to be out as much as possible, in order to make the most of this weather; I have been visiting my favourite parks and gardens. One of which is Osterley Park which is easy to reach as it is on the Piccadilly line and since I found the foot path I can avoid the main road. The house is one of the only few country estates in London, there are hundreds of acres of parkland. There is a large lake and river running through the estate. The part I enjoy the most is the garden laid out in its original style. My first move is to find a deck chair on the temple lawn, where I can eat my lunch and relax. Eventually I have to drag myself up, and walk around. Starting with Temple of Pan built for relaxation, with a view of the meadow, which has never been ploughed so wildflowers are able to flourish. After this I take the long walk where ladies used to exercise down to the boat house. After walking through the woods I follow the stream back towards the house and lake. Back to the garden to admire the flower beds which Mrs Churels had laid out in semi cir-cles in front of the summerhouse. I continue on pass the American gardens laid out in honour of Thomas Jefferson who vis-ited the estate in 1786. Other parts of the gardens involved a walled garden and a Victo-rian flower bed. The parkland is also very pleasant in a wilder way; I have made my last visit for this year to Isabella plantation. The first thing to catch my eye is the bright red leaves which are startling in their intense colour. While there is plenty of green still to be seen some trees are turning shades of yellow and orange. The Rhododendron surprised me, with lots of dark red flowers and another with salmon pink flowers. This garden is famous for these azaleas which flower in April /May. I was also attracted by other Rhododendron bush with its blue/grey pointed leaves; another attraction is Luke wood which is left to be covered in different mosses. On my way through Richmond park I noted the stag deer, shooting on the way back I tried to steer clear of the females but found myself being eyed by many stags, this caused me to make a detour adding at best half an hour to my walk.

17

ABIDING IN JESUS

This is the time of year for many churches to hold their Harvest Festival ser-

vices. No doubt, there will be displays of food, some bought with others grown

in gardens and allotments. While gardeners can have pleasure growing fruit and

vegetables it can be hard work tending to them and dealing with pests.

Jesus knew about the care given to vines. In John 15:1-8 Jesus compared Him-

self to a vine and referred to God as the gardener. These verses are both chal-

lenging and reassuring. In this parable, God is responsible for pruning the vine.

He sees what parts are useful and what parts are useless. The unproductive parts

are cut away, so that growth is encouraged. Jesus is telling us that God will

prune our lives, not to harm us, but to encourage our spiritual growth.

God’s pruning cuts away wrong attitudes and wasteful behaviour, all of which

serve no useful purpose in our lives. This pruning is required so that we become

more fruitful. And the fruit God wants is love, joy, patience etc. (see Galatians

5:22-23) These holy qualities are intended to influence the world to change it

from the bad to all that is good.

Too encourage its growth a vine has to be regularly cut back. The effect looks

drastic, but essential. When God cuts away the dead wood in our lives He does it

because He knows how our lives can grow. The pruning knives are in the hands

of our Father God who only desires the best for us. This pruning process can be

painful, but Jesus says that it is vital if the Holy Spirit is to flow through us to

produce the fruit that God wants.

Also in this parable, Jesus said He was the vine and we are the branches. We

have no existence apart from Jesus. We can do nothing for God on our own and

must be joined to Jesus. In the same way a vine utilises the life-giving sap to

flow into the branches, so we need the Holy Spirit to flow His life into us. It is

only by remaining in Jesus can He give us the inner resources for an effective

fruit-producing life.

Jesus said ‘Abide in Me’ (John 15:4 King James Version). Abiding speaks of

sustenance, being upheld and supported, enduring and withstanding. So, if we

are to reap a harvest of holiness, may we be prepared for God’s pruning, and

continue to abide in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

Lester Amann

16

THE WAY I SEE IT: WHAT IS BEAUTY?

When we look at a landscape, mountains or lakes and describe the scene as

'beautiful', what do we actually mean? That it is pleasing to the eye? That it

speaks to some inner sense of order, tranquillity and peace? That it arouses in us

feelings of admiration or joy? That it evokes a sense of awe?

What makes something beautiful is a very difficult question to answer, because

we apply it to so many different things: a human face, a flower, a piece of mu-

sic, a painting or sculpture, a sunset and even a cover-drive at cricket. Beauty is

something we recognize, but can't really define. Not everything beautiful is

'pretty' (think of some of Picasso's paintings!). 'Beauty is in the eye of the be-

holder', we say – a matter of individual taste. In that case, it’s surprising that al-

most everyone would agree with the most common assertions of beauty, whether

scenes of nature or works of art.

My own suspicion is that beauty is linked to awe. 'Awe' is the recognition of

something beyond our normal experience. The dictionary defines 'awe' in terms

of 'respect', and that perhaps begins to capture how we feel when we encounter

beauty. This is 'beyond' us, something which we can enjoy with others without

being able to analyse it. It shares something with religious or mystical experi-

ences.

The poet John Keats attempted a definition: 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty'. There

is undoubtedly a sense in which beauty speaks of truth, because surely beauty

exists when great concepts of light and shade, form and contour, colour and con-

text - truths of our human experience - work perfectly together.

The opposite of truth is falsehood, and there is nothing false about a thing of

beauty. The Bible speaks of the ‘beauty of holiness’. Could it be that there is

also a ‘holiness of beauty’? For those who believe in a Creator God, there is

something truly awesome about the fact that the created world is so indescriba-

bly beautiful.

Is a snow-flake an evolutionary accident? Or a starry night? Or an open rose in

the garden? Why does God bother making things beautiful? It's an intriguing

question! Perhaps, like us, He simply enjoys it.

Canon David Winter

13

Even though the weather has changed I still enjoyed nature at the Royal Horticultural So-cieties, harvest festival gardeners enter in their fruit and vegetables to be judged. The size of the vegetables is amusing, with carrots, parsnips and beet root very long and leeks which have 3 inches diameter. I cannot help wondering if they taste any better for all their size. But I expect that these vegetables are grown for show rather than for the table. However this cannot be said about the fruits, which just made my mouth water. There is a notice saying do not touch the exhibits, but I suspect that many like me were longing to eat all the tempting specimens. As everything has to be grown in London I wonder how the massive bunches of grapes are produced. If you can drag yourself away from the rows of apples and pears, apple tasting is available; I joined a line of children waiting for their turn. I really enjoyed the sharp crisp one, varieties, I have never seen in the super-market. On my way back to Victoria station I passed Westminster Cathedral and noticed that there was a free exhibition, so I went in, there was a service in progress so I sat quietly at the back. When it ended I wondered around the Byzantine designed Cathedral with many pictures and the ceiling done in poshly gold mosaic, the pillars and same walls are covered in decretive marble facings, which are very beautiful. The Cathedral was finished in 1903 (had taken only 7 years to build) but couldn't be consecrated until 1910 when it was finally out of debt. The Exhibition contained, treasures mostly in gold of candle sticks and deco-rated chalices. The craftsmanship and jewels were magnificent and were intended to the glory of God. They were however not to my taste; I like churches and ornaments to be plain. I did though admire a plain chalice made in 1529, after descending to the main church, I real-ised that another Eucharist service was taking place and was at the same point at which I had entered the building, so I crept quietly away. I was glad I had been in the Cathedral, as the last time I was there was several years ago, to see a flower festival, where I was so interested in the arrangement I had not no-ticed the architecture, which is beautiful, if not to my taste .

Rosemary Warner

14

CROSSWORD

Across

8 Where the Ark of the Covenant was kept for 20 years (1 Samuel 7:1) (7,6)

9 One of the parts of the body on which blood and oil were put in the ritual cleansing

from infectious skin diseases (Leviticus 14:14–17) (3)

10 Uncomfortable (3,2,4)

11 ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have — ’ (Malachi 1:3) (5)

13 Where Paul said farewell to the elders of the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:17) (7)

15

16 ‘Jesus bent down and — to write on the ground with his finger’ (John 8:6) (7)

19 Prophet from Moresheth (Jeremiah 26:18) (5)

22 Comes between Exodus and Numbers (9)

24 and 2 Down ‘Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before

the Lord under — the — ’ (1 Samuel 2:11) (3,6)

25 There was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7) (4,3,6)

Down

1 Rough drawing (2 Kings 16:10) (6)

2 See 24 Across

3 Underground literature (including Christian books) circulated in the Soviet Union (8)

4 Lo, mash (anag.) (6)

5 The Bible’s shortest verse: ‘Jesus — ’ (John 11:35) (4)

6 ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her — and have no compassion on the child she

has borne?’ (Isaiah 49:15) (6)

7 Can be seen in a dying fire (Psalm 102:3) (6)

12 ‘Send me, therefore, a man... experienced in the — of engraving, to work in Judah

and Jerusalem’ (2 Chronicles 2:7) (3)

14 Second city of Cyprus (8)

15 United Nations Association (1,1,1)

16 One of the women who first heard that Jesus had risen from the dead

(Mark 16:1) (6)

17 Braved (anag.) (6)

18 — of Evangelism, outreach initiative in the 1990s (6)

20 ‘Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and — in their own sight’

(Isaiah 5:21) (6)

21 ‘Neither — nor depth... will be able to separate us from the love of God’

(Romans 8:39) (6)

23 What Jesus shed in 5 Down (4)

Parish Pump

Solutions on page 26