1REV GAVIN HANCOCKS

Tel: 01803 615480email: minister@centralchurchtorquay.org

MINISTER IN PASTORAL CHARGE

CORNERSTONE

JUNE 2015

MAGAZINE OF

CENTRAL

ST. ANDREWS

AND

VICTORIA PARK

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CHURCH CONTACTS - CENTRAL

Secretary Barbara Lawton 01803 296990lawtonbarbara75@yahoo.co.uk

Treasurers John Coatham 01803 323212 Paul Sherriff 01803 298603Envelope & Gift Aid SecretaryOrganist & Choir Director Clive Bastin 01803 325142Magazine Editors Hazel Nightingale 01803 613345 Philip Kay 01803 323551

philipkay393@btinternet.comBooking Secretary Hazel Nightingale 01803 613345

hazel_nightingale@hotmail.comPublicity(Posters) Barbara Gissinger 01803 328407Caretakers Darrell Sanderson 07719 099901 Keith Read 07719 099901Website www.centralchurchtorquay.org

CHURCH CONTACTS – ST ANDREWS.

Church Secretary. Sue Jarvis 01803 325501wheezy1@sky.com

Senior Steward Sue Masheder 01803 873258sue@masheder1.freeserve.co.uk

CHURCH CONTACTS – VICTORIA PARK

Lay Pastoral Assistant Irene Cochran 01803 842542leeathookhills@aol.com

Church Council Secretary Myra Wise 01803 327145myrawise456@btinternet.com

Senior Steward Mavis Paul 01803 291895

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THE MINISTERDear Friends,

I am busy preparing three new members, two here at Central and onefor Victoria Park, to join the ranks of the faithful. We are using a brandnew 8 week course prepared by the Methodist Discipleship Departmentcalled Compass and together we’ve been exploring a number of issuesrelating to our discipleship today. Just this past week we considered ‘OurLife Together’ as we looked at the Church. This quote from John Wesleyappeared: ‘Such a [Methodist] Society is no other than a company of[people], having the form, and seeking the power, of godliness; united,in order to pray together, to receive the word of exhortation, and towatch over one another in love, that they may help each other to workout their salvation’¹ It certainly challenged us to think about the Churchas more than simply something that we attended on a Sunday.

We found ourselves, especially as the quote was linked to Acts 2:42-47,thinking about the Church in a far more dynamic way than perhaps wehave become accustomed to. Perhaps our focus on a Sunday as the ‘mainevent’ has left us a little short in terms of the possibilities and theopportunities belonging to the Church is meant to bring into our lives.As we read about the early Church’s invigorating fellowship we ponderedwhat part we might be able to play in empowering each other’sdiscipleship of Jesus today and we recognised that if we were to do thatwe needed to go beyond just an hour on a Sunday!

What really enthused us though, was, that just maybe the Church wasmeant to be a fellowship of people who had discovered the joy of sharingthe bounteous resources God had placed in their own hands becausethen they truly reflected the face of God.

Gavin

_____________________

¹ Rules of the Society 1743, CPD Vol1

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FAMILY & FRIENDSFamily News & other Bits & Pieces

CONGRATULATIONS· To Edna Schofield who was 90 on 13�� May· Happy Birthday to Margery Vaughan on the 5�� June· Happy Birthday to Mary Jakes on the 30�� June· To John Coatham who will be 70 on 2ⁿ� June

AROUND THE FAMILY AT ST ANDREWS.

Hugh George

Diana and Rachel and all the George family wish to thank  our friends atSt Andrew’s for their loving support during the long months of Hugh’sfinal illness. For the Memorial Service our immense gratitude goes toClive Bastin for playing the organ, to the friends who provided thebeautiful floral arrangements, assisted as stewards and undertook thehard work of dealing with the catering afterwards, and to all whoattended.

A very special thank you to Gavin and Angela for coming to Mullion forthe funeral, and to Gavin for officiating at that service and the service atSt Andrew’s.

Sheila Denham

EASTER OFFERINGS AT CENTRAL

I would like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who supported EasterOfferings, by returning the envelopes. £188 was raised.

Enia Dunn

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BIRTHDAY SOCIALS AT CENTRAL

A little while ago the Caring Team talked about reviving the old HouseSocials. Some folk might remember these from the past and, whenmentioned at the Church Meeting, there was a good deal of support.When we started looking into basing the plan around Birthday monthswe realised we didn't have everyone's detail.   If you think we may notbe holding your birth month but would like to be involved in this idea, orperhaps you would like to be invited with a friend who does not shareyour month, please let me have the details (preferably in writing as Icannot guarantee remembering a 'quiet word'!)

The Caring Team will be getting together on June 12th and will be puttingsome meat on the bones of this idea and we would hope to start sendingout invitations as soon as we can.

We have high hopes for this socialising and look forward to some BirthdayMirth!

Tessa Goodwin and the Caring Team.

Descriptions

Dust: mud with the juice squeezed out.

Inflation: cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

Raisin: grape with a sunburn.

Mosquito: an insect that makes you like flies better.

Beauty salon: where women curl up and dye.

Cannibal: one who is fed up with people

Committee: a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

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DAVID MANLEYThe second of an occasional series profiling members of Central

David is a Devonian born in Berrynarbour (do you know where that is?),where his parents ran a small holding. The family moved to Ilfracombewhere David began his schooling at a Convent. He later went to collegewhere he took his O and A levels. He left when the college closed – infact he was the last pupil – and he was then 17.

His working life began with the Electricity Board and lasted for 30 years– eventually becoming a Senior Business Sales Executive. While livingand working in Ilfracombe he met Pat – they were running a Youth Clubat the church – and there they were married. David took earlyretirement, but then began a new career working for an auction housewhere he was involved with antiques, fine art, railway and engineeringsales. During this time he met a number of personalities, and was twiceon Bargain Hunt!

In 2006 David and Pat went to live in a fruit growing region of Spain whichthey greatly enjoyed, but returned to England when the economicsituation in Spain became difficult.

David and Pat were blessed with five children, and now have tengrandchildren. One daughter lives in Australia, and they have had twolong visits there. We at Central are always pleased to see twograndchildren, Abbie and Charlie, at Sunday Club.

Two of David’s passions have been playing tennis and enjoying steamrailways. He was a choirboy at the age of eight, and was head choir boywhen he was thirteen. He was a member of his Church Council for fiveyears and he ran a Church Youth Football Team, which did a great dealto foster Inter-Church Fellowship.

David and Pat came to Torquay in 2012, and a week after moving cameto our Christmas Fair, which was how Pat became a ‘Busy Bee’ and they

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decided to join Central. Soon they were both members of Central’s Choir– so good to have another male voice! David keeps busy – he is oftenseen working in the Church gardens, and he takes the minutes at ChurchMeetings – not an easy job!

We are certainly blessed to have David and Pat in the life and work ofCentral MML

VERNA STUCKEY – VICTORIA PARK.

It is with regret that we heard that Verna Stuckey had passed away onthe 5�� May after a short illness. Verna will be sadly missed, for she wasnot only a Door Steward, but she was our Flower Secretary. She wasconstantly aware that flowers were placed on the Communion Table eachweek by those folk whose names were ‘on the list.’ Verna would be thelast member of the Chapple/Stuckey family to have connections withVictoria Park, as their families go back many generations. Her funeralwas held on 22ⁿ� May.

Keep it short

The minister stood up and said: “Good morning, ladies andgentlemen. You’ll be glad to know that when I asked mysecretary to type this sermon out for me I asked her toeliminate any thing that was dull or confusing. So inconclusion….”

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The Women’s Fellowship are holdingan afternoon tea party at Centralon Monday June 8th. 2p.m. – 4p.m.in aid of Marie Curie cancer Care.

Please come and join us,everyone welcome[that includes gentlemen]

There will be a selection of sandwiches, crumpets,cream scone, teacake, fancy cake, and of course a

“cuppa” tea all for the price just £4.TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM SHEILA LAWRENCE

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WHO ARE THE HEROES?

‘Hero’ has become a familiar word in modern life – much more so thanI can remember from 20 or 30 years ago. We are all familiar with the‘Help for Heroes’ charity, supporting our military personnel who havebeen injured and the families of those who have been killed serving theircountry. That one’s simple. ‘Hero’ seems entirely fitting. But then somefootball fans have insisted on a new category of ‘hero’ – a highly paidfootballer who sacrificially decides to stay with a club and stagger alongon a mere £50,000 (or more) a week. Banners in the stands proclaimsuch ‘heroes’! It really is quite difficult to regard the two examples assimilar in any serious way.

I’m also impressed, however, with another kind of ‘hero’, one that canbe recognised in every community. These are the heroes (or heroines,to be pedantic) who make it their duty and joy to serve and care forothers. I’m thinking of the vast army of ‘carers’, people who week in andweek out dedicate their lives to someone who without their help wouldlive a very diminished life. Such carers do it for love, not money. Theymay be supporting a seriously handicapped child who needs constantloving attention, or an older person with dementia who is physically wellbut incredibly demanding in terms of acceptance and emotional care.

The carer-heroes also include many who are paid to do it, the homehelps. So many love the job and are loved by the people they visit day byday. Often they are not a clock-watchers, but seem to become like afriend who pops in to see how people are.

The dictionary defines a hero as ‘a person who is admired for theiroutstanding achievements’. By that definition our men and women inAfghanistan qualify. So do the military medics who recently risked fatalinfection to fight ebola in West Africa. And so do all those unsung carers.But not, for me, a well-paid footballer.

Extracted from an article by David Winter

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ALL IN THE MONTH OF JUNE.....................it was

800 years ago:- on 15th June 1215 that King John signed the Magna Cartaat Runnymede in England.

125 years ago:- on 16th June 1890 that Stan Laurel, the British comedyfilm actor, was born. (Laurel and Hardy)

80 years ago:- on 1st June 1935 that driving tests became compulsory forall new drivers in Britain.

75 years ago that many dramatic things happened in WW 2. Eventsincluded: 4th June: Evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk was complet-ed. 18th June: Winston Churchill gave his ‘Finest Hour’ speech to Houseof Commons.

60 years ago:- on 11th June 1955 that the Le Mans 24 Hours race disastertook place when a car spun off the track, killing the driver and 83 specta-tors, and injuring more than 100. It was the greatest loss of life in thehistory of motorsport.

50 years ago:- on 11th June 1965 that the Beatles were awarded MBEs bythe Queen.

40 years ago:- on 5th June 1975 that the first UK-wide referendum washeld. Voters decided that Britain should remain in the European Econom-ic Community by 67%.

Also 40 years ago:- on 7th June (to 21st) that the first Cricket World Cupwas held in England.

15 years ago:- on 10th June 2000 that the Millennium Bridge in Londonwas opened. It closed two days later when it was found to sway whenpeople walked in step. (Reopened Feb 2002)

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THENEXTMEETINGWILL BE

Friday 26th June 2015At Central Church4.00pm – 6.00pm

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REFLECTION FROM CENTRAL

On 2ⁿ� June, 1953 our Queen was crowned Queen Elizabeth II, at theyoung age of 25. Of course, she actually became our Queen on 6��February the year before, when King George VI died. She is now 89, soshe has reigned for 64 years.

On 9�� September she will have reigned longer than Queen Victoria (hergreat great grandmother), and will be the longest reigning monarch inBritish history. And, at the time of writing this, it looks as if she will makeit. Her health seems to be holding out.

That is quite an achievement isn’t it. And she is still carrying out manyengagements now, at that great age. From my point of view, I believeshe has been a very good Queen, and represented Great Britain very well.So, well done, Ma-am!

We are destined to have a King in the fullness of time. Be it King Charlesor King William, we will definitely have a king. King Charles will certainlynot reign as long as his mother, and who knows how long King Williamwill reign.

Our King of kings has reigned supreme for thousands of years. He is Kingof Heaven, and King of ALL the earth -- not just Great Britain.

He is our Lord, who God gave us to be our Saviour.

Our Queen, although we are one of her subjects, does not know us at all.But the King of kings knows us completely and intimately. We cannotring up our Queen for a chat, but we can talk to the King of kingswhenever we like. We cannot go and live in Buckingham Palace withour earthly Queen or King, but we shall go and live with the King of kingsone day.

However good our Queen is, there is no way that she will out-shine theKing of kings.

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So, God save our Gracious Queen, Long live our glorious Queen. But, “Praise my soul the King of Heaven, to His feet thy tribute bring”. And,“Him serve with mirth, His praise forth-tell, Come ye before Him andrejoice”.

Speak to you again next month.Margaret Newman.

Mother-in-law

Young man asked to describe his mother-in-law: “Generallyspeaking, she’s generally speaking.”

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JEAN BAKER.A letter from her sons Iain & Andrew to

Barbara, Gavin, the Council members & the Central Congregation,

Many thanks for your letter last month; it is heart warming to know thatMum is still in your thoughts and prayers.

There does not yet appear to be any positive signs of improvement in herhealth and well being, but at least the decline, which was quite markedover the Christmas & New Year period, appears to have been stopped.

As I am sure you are aware Mum is now in Belle Vue Nursing Home inPaignton and after a difficult initial period she appears to have come toterms with her surroundings a little better in the last few weeks.

Please send our heart felt thanks to all those who continue to visit herunder what we are well aware are trying circumstances.

When people visit Mum is more alive and alert, the impact however isfleeting as her memory remains completely fractured and as those whohave experienced it will no doubt confirm, she has limited attention span.It is all very sad.

Both Andrew & I are regular visitors, but have not found time to thank allher well wishers, for which I apologise.

As the situation unfolds over the next few months we will try to keep youup-to-date with any progress or major events.

Best Wishes & ThanksIain & Andrew

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9.00am – 12.00pmTables @ £5.00 Customers 20p

In aid of Central Church FundsRefreshments will be on sale.

Please call Barbara G on 07773 987670 to reserve a table.

THOUGHTS FOR JUNE

· Pray for a good harvest – but keep on hoeing.· One way to be angry and not sin, is to be angry at nothing but

sin.· Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure. (Browning).· It is possible to have a low purpose in desiring a high place.· Righteousness in the heart will produce beauty in the character.· You can’t put your sins behind you until you are willing to face

them.

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SUNDAY SERVICES FOR JUNE 2015.(HC) = Sacrament of Holy Communion (WG) = Worship Group

CENTRAL

Date Morning 10.30am Evening 6.30pmJUNE

7�� Revd Gavin Hancocks (HC) Mrs Barbara Vond14�� Revd Gavin Hancocks Revd Gavin Hancocks (WG)21�� Deacon Jane Verrall Revd Gavin Hancocks (HC)28�� Revd M Parsons Mrs Helen Barrett (WG)

ST ANDREWSDate Morning 10.30am Evening 6.00pmJUNE 7�� Revd D Bament Revd Gavin Hancocks (CP)14�� Mr Adam Hills AA21�� Revd G Hancocks. CA.HC28�� Deacon Jane Verrall Revd Gavin Hancocks (BS)

VICTORIA PARK

Date Morning 10.30amJUNE 7�� Mrs Irene Cochran14�� Mr David Welsh21�� Mrs Irene Cochran28�� Revd Gavin Hancocks (HC)

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CALENDAR FOR JUNE 2015.

ST ANDREWS CENTRAL VICTORIA PARK

Monday 1st 6.00 Brownies 6.30 Flexercise Fun 7.30 Guides 7.30 Lydwell Park HousegroupTuesday 2nd 9.30 Midweek Prayers

9.30 Toddler Group 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 10.00 Busy BeesWednesday 3rd 9.30 Toddler Group 2.30 Healing Group 6.00 Beavers

7.30 Ladies Club: Janet Cottey on theArctic Circle

Thursday 4th 9.30 Central Tots 5.15 St Johns Badgers

6.00 Cubs 7.15 St Johns Cadets

Friday 5th 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 10.00 Catering Meeting

11.00 Belleplates 6.00 Choir AGM

7.00 Choir Practice 7.00 ScoutsSaturday 6th 9.30 Contact Centre 10.00 Table Top Sale

10.00 Pop in for a CoffeeSunday 7th See separate pages for services - all churchesMonday 8th 2.00 Women's Fellowship Tea Party

6.00 Brownies 6.30 Flexercise Fun 7.30 Guides

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Tuesday 9th 9.30 Midweek Service-Margaret Newman 9.30 Toddler Group

10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 10.00 Busy Bees 7.00 New Life HousegroupWednesday 10th 9.30 Toddler Group 6.00 Beavers 7.30 Bon Marche Fashion Show

Last day for items for Cornerstone &our own Newsletter for July &August to Myra

7.30 Ladies Club: Bridget Hill – McMillanCancer Support

Thursday 11th 9.30 Central Tots10.00 Church Council AGM 5.15 St Johns Badgers

6.00 Cubs 7.15 St Johns Cadets

7.30 Worship Mission MeetingFriday 12th 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 11.00 Belleplates 7.00 Choir Practice 7.00 ScoutsSaturday 13th 9.30 Contact Centre

10.00 Special Coffee Morning -church fundsSunday 14th See separate pages for services - all churches

Last day for CornerstoneMonday 15th 6.00 Brownies 6.30 Flexercise Fun 7.30 Guides 7.30 Lydwell Park HousegroupTuesday 16th 9.30 Midweek Prayers

9.30 Toddler Group 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 10.00 Busy Bees

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Wednesday 17th Babbacombe Fair on the Downs 9.30 Toddler Group

6.00 Beavers 7.30 Ladies Club: Quiz Night

7.30 Quiz EveningThursday 18th 9.30 Central Tots 7.00 Cubs 7.30 Moors HousegroupFriday 19th 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 11.00 Belleplates 7.00 Choir Practice 7.00 ScoutsSaturday 20th 9.30 Contact Centre

10.00 Pop in for a CoffeeSunday 21st See separate pages for services - all churchesMonday 22nd 6.00 Brownies 6.30 Flexercise Fun 7.30 GuidesTuesday 23rd 9.30 Midweek Communion

9.30 Toddler Group 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 10.00 Busy Bees 7.00 New Life HousegroupWednesday 24th 9.30 Toddler Group 6.00 Beavers

7.30 Ladies Club: AGMThursday 25th 9.30 Central Tots

5.15 St Johns Badgers 6.00 Cubs

7.15 St Johns Cadets 7.30 Pastoral Visitors MeetingFriday 26th 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 11.00 Belleplates 4.00 Messy Church

7.00 Choir Practice 7.00 Scouts

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Saturday 27th 9.30 Contact Centre10.00 Pop in for a CoffeePier - Pier Sponsored Walk

Sunday 28th See separate pages for services - all churchesMonday 29th 6.00 Brownies 6.30 Flexercise Fun 7.30 GuidesTuesday 30th 9.30 Midweek Prayers

9.30 Toddler Group 10.00 Coffee & Fellowship 7.30 Finance/Property Meeting

The 11th Torquaywarmly invite you join them at a

COFFEE MORNINGon Saturday 20th June 10.00am – 12 noon

There will be various stalls and a raffle.Coffee & cake £1.50

In aid of Rowcroft Hospice & Guide Funds

VICTORIA PARK NEWSLETTER.

These are now printed at the Church, and will carry a fee of 50pplease, which I hope you will think is worth it! This will go towardsthe cost of the ink and paper.

Myra Wise

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VICTORIA PARK JUNE ROTA

DATE DOOR STEWARDSJUNE 7�� Betty Peachey & Margaret Collings14�� Sylvia Penny & to be arranged21�� Betty Peachey & Margaret Collings28�� Sylvia Penny & to be arranged

VP FLOWER ROTA

DATE NAMES IN MEMORY OFJUNE 7�� Pat Hawes & Carolyn Balouza Their Wedding Anniversaries14�� Myra Wise Her Parents21�� Venna Milsom28�� Margaret Russell

VP PRAYER BOARD

This is where we remember in prayer those friends who are not well,and those friends who are not able to attend Church.

Hannah who has Bells Palsy, Carl, Clive Murphy, and Jonathan. Also AmyBartrip, Audrey Avery, Doreen and Bram Moore. Barbara and Don Pugh,Jean Barret, Julie Pugh, Louise Bishop and Sylvia Diamond.

The Open Book Group – going into schools, our Minister Gavin, and LayPastor Irene and her husband Lee.

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CENTRAL’S WELCOME ROTA.

DATE 10.30am 6.30pmJUNE 7�� Sarah Ayres & Monica Lansley & Paul Sherriff

Hazel Nightingale14�� Sue & Richard Mason Barbara Gissinger & Philip Kay21�� Sheila & John Lawrence Celia & David Bolt28�� Barbara Gissinger Monica Lansley & Philip Kay

& Judith Holmwood

CENTRAL’SPICTUREUIZ no 35April 2015

‘Easter!’

This one seemed to be a subject that you knew a lot about!! Therewere 18 completed entries and 11 of them were correct.The winning name picked ‘out of the hat’ is another regular

supporter of the quiz, who often gets them all right, but hasn’t beenlucky enough to win until now! Well done Jeanne Sherington.

Here are the answers to the Easter quiz …..1. EASTER 2. GARDENER 3. CROSS 4. ALIVE 5. BUNNY /RABBIT 6. SUNDAY 7.TOMB 8. EMPTY 9. RISE 10. STONE11. CHOCS 12. JESUS 13. EGGS 14. DISCIPLES15. THE 3RD DAY 16. UPPER ROOM 17. ANGEL 18. FLOWERS19. CAKE 20. MARY 21. BONNET 22. SPRING23. BASKET 24. JOY 25. APRIL

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REFLECTION FROM VICTORIA PARK

Dear Friends,Last month I wrote about the Spiritual gifts and how The Spirit gives usgifts to enable us to serve others in a special way.This month I would like to take a look at how we can be a CommunityBuilding Church.Ephesians 2:19-22 You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners,You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundationand with Christ as the most important stone. Christ is the one who holdsthe building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord.And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God's ownSpirit to live.Paul never ceased to be amazed at the miracle of the death andresurrection of Jesus. Those who were enemies of God and dead to divinelife, dead to their own destiny as people made in God's image and thosewho were intractable enemies of one another (the Jews and the Gentiles)had all been united as the people of God. Paul even dared to say thatthe Gentiles are part of the 'temple' along with the Jews. The Templewas the most important place on earth for it was the place where heavenintersected with earth, being a symbol (perhaps we should saysacrament) of the place where God resides and makes His presenceavailable. Paul knew the Gentiles were an integral part of God's new'temple' because the Spirit of God lived among them too and there isonly one Spirit.This has moral and personal consequences. The Spirit of God is able tochange the kinds of people we are and the ways we think and act.However, this only happens as we allow God's Spirit to operate in us. SoPaul writes, 'Try your best to let God's Spirit'. And 'Let the Spirit changeyour way of thinking'. It takes effort to be humble, gentle and patient, itrequires discipline to stop cursing and swearing and stealing, if thesehave been our normal ways of living. However with God's Spirit nothingis impossible. Indeed we have the life of Jesus as our focus and stimulus.God Bless. Irene.

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ST ANDREWS JUNIOR CHURCH NEWS

Happy birthday to Callum who will be 10 on 28�� June.

Cleopas was telling the eleven disciples and their friends about thetraveller he had met on the road to Emmaus when Jesus suddenlyappeared in the room with them. Our Junior Church members heard thispassage from the bible. Our younger members decorated fish on paperplates when they found out the disciples gave Jesus fish to eat. Our oldermembers were roving reporters and made up their own newspaperaccounts of the event as if they had been there.

On another Sunday we heard that Jesus is like the Vine and we are thebranches. If we abide in Jesus and stay close to him we will grow well.Jesus will give us all the nourishment we need and we will producewonderful fruit like love, kindness and helpfulness.

On that Sunday we made and decorated a vine to display on our boardin the hall.

ST ANDREWS MISSIONS

Thank you to everyone who gave money in the envelopes through EasterOffering. A total of £82 was raised and will go to help many peoplethroughout our globe via the World Mission Fund.

Rachel GeorgeApril Sunday morning coffee raised £10.58 for Water Aid.

Jean Jarvis

Advice

A minister’s advice to a deacon about to be ordained: “Remember:the longer the spoke the greater the tyre.”

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CREATION....as seen by the Revd Ron Wood

In the beginning, God created the light, clear and white, filling all that was,dazzling and pure. And he said, dance and shimmer, sparkle or steadily shine-show me in all my ways.

And from the white light God took the blue, and made the clear blue of theheavens and the deep blue of the oceans. And he said, give yourself to theeyes of men and the faces of flowers, that those who cannot see the sky or thesea may yet know me.

And from the white light God took the green, of all growing things that coverthe ground. And he said, aspire to the heavens, lowly moss and tallest tree,feed my creation, that all things may grow to me.

And from the white light God took the orange, of sunrise and sunset, and said,I am in all beginnings and all endings. Nothing is without me, and without menothing shall cease to be.

And from the white light God took the yellow, of ripeness, perfection andmaturity, and said, Only in me shall all things be complete.

And from the white light God took the red, the life of all that breathes. And hesaid, let red run hidden in all living creatures, and be not spilt without respectand regret.

And from the white light God took the purple, deep purple of the abyss, andof space, and he said, in the deepest places, I am, and in the furthest places Iam also.

And from the white light, God took the indigo, neither blue nor purple, a signof all that is between this world and the realm of heaven. And God said, not allthat is shall be known. Below read, and beyond purple, and in my understand-ing alone.

And the white light of God was complete in these, and God said,

All who turn to the light will see me, but in the colours also I may be seen bythose who have eyes to search me out.

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FRIENDSHIP CROSSES

Send bags of love and friendship,and Gods blessings

to your friends and family

And add your own special prayerPut in a card or a letter, or add to a bunch of flowers,

Add to a gift label, or put in your pocket or purse.

Bags are £1Or threaded from 75p - £1.00 (minimum donation)

A single cross is 50p, 18 for £5 or 40 for £10

_________________ All monies received in aid of Central Church Funds

Techie trouble

The vicar at our local church experienced some technical problemswith the sound system one Sunday. Instead of starting the serviceas usual with ‘The Lord be with you’, he said: “There’s somethingwrong with the microphone.”

Not hearing this, the congregation responded: “And also with you.”

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CHRISTIANITY TODAY.

“Once upon a time”: does this sound like the start of a Story?Churches were full of people, singing hymns to God’s Glory.We live in a fast altering world and the scene has notably changed.Sunday Worship is now a fringe benefit, secular activities are arranged

Churches are no longer fashionable, few people bother to attend.People prefer to go Sunday Shopping and have a jolly good spend.What has caused the decline of congregations in our recent years?Apathy; and a lack of spiritual teaching during a child’s early years.

Christians built Churches as a Sanctuary, to help find God in prayer,There is something very special sitting quietly, asking God to share,It is in these moments, when briefly, ‘Time’ becomes almost still,Your listening to your Heavenly Father to carry out His Will.

J.H.D. Lawrence

THE GARDENS.

The gardeners are grateful to Doreen Blackler and family for the generousdonation to the Garden fund. Five evergreen flowering shrubs “the RedRobin” and Photinias have been purchased and planted behind the seatin the grassed area of the garden, in memory of David Blackler.

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FATHER’S DAY (21�� JUNE)

In the UK, USA and Canada, the third Sunday in June is Father's Day. It’s a goodtime for sons and daughters to take their father to his favourite restaurant, orto watch a favoured sport, or whatever else he enjoys doing.

How will you celebrate it this year? If your own father cannot be with you, isthere a ‘spare’ father somewhere in your church or your circle of friends whosechildren cannot be with him, and who would welcome some special treat onthe day?

How do these special days ever get started, anyway? Well, Father’s Day beganbecause way back in 1909 there was a woman in Spokane, Washington, namedSonora Louise Smart Dodd. That year she heard a church sermon about themerits of setting aside a day to honour one's mother. Mother's Day was justbeginning to gather widespread attention in the United States at this time. ButSonora Louise Smart Dodd knew that it was her father who had selflessly raisedherself and her five siblings by himself after their mother had died in childbirth.So the sermon on mothers gave Sonora Louise the idea to petition for a day tohonour fathers, and in particular, her own father, William Jackson Smart.

Sonora Louise soon set about planning the first Father's Day celebration inSpokane in 1910. With support from the Spokane Ministerial Association andthe YMCA, her efforts paid off, and a ‘Father’s Day’ was appointed. SonoraLouise had wanted Father’s Day to be on the first Sunday in June (since thatwas her father's birthday), but the city council didn't have time to approve ituntil later in the month. And so on June 19, 1910, the first Father's Day wascelebrated in Spokane.

Gradually, other people in other cities caught on and started celebrating theirfathers, too. The rose was selected as the official Father's Day flower. Somepeople began to wear a white rose to honour a father who was dead, and a redone to honour a father who was living. Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixonsigned a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Fa-ther's Day - a permanent, national holiday.

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Central will be holding a

on Wednesday 10th June at 7.00pm.Refreshments will be provided,

and garments etccan be purchased at 10% discount!

Tickets @ £5.00 from Hazel, Sarah or Barbara G

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SAINT OF THE MONTH. ERASMUS

a good saint for when you’re all at sea!

Do you like messing about in boats? Ifso, then you’ll have heard of St Elmo’sFire. It is the light that is sometimesseen on mastheads of boats afterstorms at sea.

St Elmo is another name for St Eras-mus, a fourth century Syrian bishopwho was not afraid of violent storms.Legend has it that one day when Eras-mus was preaching outside, a thunder-bolt hit the ground right beside him.That might have distracted many mod-ern bishops, but not Erasmus – he justkept on preaching. His courage wonhim the respect of sailors, who also hadto brave the elements of nature in their daily work.

But when Erasmus was made the patron saint of sailors, it led to acurious confusion. His emblem became the windlass, a kind of hoistused by many sailors at sea. So far so good, but many medieval Chris-tians, seeing the windlass emblem, assumed it was some sort of tortureinstrument. They knew that Erasmus had died in the persecution ofDiocletian, and concluded that a windlass had been used to hoist out hisintestines (which it hadn’t).

But no matter - Erasmus was still adopted by another set of sufferingpeople. Not only did sailors remember the thunderbolt, and look tohim, but soon, anyone with gut ache as well!

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OPEN DOORS

The church building is an island in a sea of tents. Seven hundred familiesare living in a refugee camp in the grounds of the church in Erbil, inKurdish-controlled Iraq. They are refugees from Christian communitieson the Nineveh Plain, evicted from their homes by the brutal Islamistmilitia known as ISIS.

‘Father Daniel’ is a trainee pastor and looks after the children in thecamp, many of whom are deeply traumatised.

With the help of open Doors Daniel set up colourful tent in the middleof the camp where they are able to be a child again.

Prayer: Lord. I thank you that you know each one of us by name.Strengthen and equip those who work with refugees. Be with thosearound the world who have lost homes for following you. May they knowthat you are their shelter in the storm.

Taken from Open Doors ‘The Step of Yes’

TEARFUND

TEARFUND’S self-help groups began in 2002 in Ethiopia with just fivegroups; today there are more than 13,000. They haven’t spread just inEthiopia; Tearfund has also helped introduce them in Cambodia, Kenya,Somaliland, Tanzania, Rwanda and Malawi. This month lets pray for theircontinued success

See the Summer Tearfund Prayer diary for more information on ChildTrafficking, conditions in Iraq and much more.

Taken from TearFund June Prayer Handbook

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THE BIBLE IN FIFTY WORDS

God made Adam bit Noah arked

Abraham split Joseph ruled Jacob fooled

Bush talked Moses balked Pharaoh plagued

People walked Sea divided Tablets guided

Promise landed Saul freaked David peaked

Prophets warned Jesus born God walked

Love talked Anger crucified Hope died

Love rose Spirit flamed Word spread

God remained.

CROSSWORD SOLUTION FROM MAY CORNERSTONE

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THE UNITED NATIONS....bring on the mediators

I wonder what you think of the United Nations? The best hope for apeaceful world? Or an expensive but ineffective talking shop?

It was 70 years ago this month that delegates from 54 countries who hadbeen meeting in San Francisco drew up a ‘Charter’ for a new world-wideinter-governmental organisation to replace the ineffective ‘League of Na-tions’. They wanted to ensure that the two devastating world wars whichhad marked the first half of the 20th century would never happen again.

In October 1945 this Charter was adopted by 51 nations and the ‘UnitedNations’ came into being. The title was an aspiration rather than anaccomplishment, of course, but their vision of a world body, eventually toencompass every nation and wielding immense moral if not legal authorityover the entire planet, was taking shape

Quite a lot of people are sceptical about the real value of the UN. Theynote its inability to influence several of the world’s notorious flash-points.On the other hand, it is easy to forget the contribution of UN peace-keeping forces in many potentially fraught situations over the years: Cy-prus, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, the Sudan. The world has got used to theblue-helmeted UN soldiers, usually drawn from a number of nations,standing between opposing factions and countries, as genuine ‘peace-keepers’. The UN has also often had a role as peace-maker (which isaltogether more tricky), its mediators working to enable dialogue andnegotiation .

Mediator: what a lovely word for a lovely human function! A mediator is ago-between, a healer and reconciler. Christianity has its great Mediator, ofcourse. ‘There is one God; there is also one mediator between God andhumankind, Christ Jesus, Himself human’, writes St Paul. That’s whatmakes the perfect mediator – someone who can perfectly inhabit eitherside of the division (in this case, both human and divine) and bring themtogether again. The Divine Mediator, ‘Himself human’, gladly undertookthat costly task. But I don’t think He ever wore a blue helmet.

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CROSSWORD

Solution in July/August Cornerstone

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Advice to young clergy on preaching

‘Consider the postage stamp. Its usefulness consists in its abilityto stick to one thing until it gets there.’

Love

They say he married her because her aunt left her a fortune. Hehotly denies it, saying that he would have married her whomeverleft her the fortune.

Request

A clergyman phoned his rural dean. “I regret to have to informyou that my wife has just died. Could you please send me asubstitute for the weekend?”

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Central Church members and friends..

On Saturday 27th June ….

there will be a sponsored walk from…

to

It will be a fun day for everyone and willend with a family picnic on Paignton Green.

More details will be available at a laterdate, but mark the date in your diary,

and start looking for sponsors,or offer to be one!!