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Contents Pastoral Letter ........................................................................................ 3
Worship during September 2017 ............................................................ 4
Notices .................................................................................................... 5
The URC West Midlands Residential Synod ......................................... 13
About People ........................................................................................ 15
An Appeal for Research Assistance ...................................................... 15
Local Church Cafés .............................................................................. 18
Aston & Nechells Foodbank .................................................................. 18
Sponsored Walks .................................................................................. 19
Local Music Events ............................................................................... 20
Notes from the Organ Bench ................................................................ 20
In Every Corner Sing............................................................................. 22
Why the Fairtrade Mark is important (but isn't everything) .................... 24
Chaplaincy @ Aston University ............................................................. 27
Commitment for Life: Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory ....... 29
Question Time ...................................................................................... 34
Handsworth Park .................................................................................. 36
Solution to the Summer Quiz ................................................................ 37
Please submit any articles for the October issue of Journey to the church
office by Friday 22nd September. Email to [email protected] or hand in
to the reception at Carrs Lane.
3
Pastoral Letter
Dear friends,
September always feels like the start of something! All back after August
when many will have gone on holiday, but even in work or staying at home,
there is a different feel to life in the UK – children are not in school, more
families are out and about, most meetings cease to meet, the roads are
quieter at usually peak-times, and there is a general feel of things being a little
more relaxed.
With September comes that ‘back to reality’ feeling! For University
students, September can mean a move back to Uni, or a move away from
home for the first time to a place which may bring with it adventure, new
things, study, new friends, new church, and for most, some trepidation.
For us all God promises to be with us always and that God’s strength will
be sufficient for us.
So whether you’re a university student and here in Birmingham to live for
the first time, a returning student, or a general ‘student of life’ (everyone!),
these promises hold true, and we hope that in this ‘new year’ as September
comes and Autumn begins, you will know God’s presence and strength, and
that we’ll all also know the company and support of this Church as we travel in
life together as God’s people.
Peace to you,
Ruth
4
Worship during September 2017
Sunday 3rd September
10.30am Morning Worship, including the Lord’s Supper, led by Rev Steve
Faber (Moderator of the West Midlands Synod of the URC). Followed by First
Sunday Lunch.
Sunday 10th September
10.30am Morning Worship (including the Annual Business Meeting / Monthly
Church Meeting), led by Neil Johnson and Ruth Yorke.
Sunday 17th September
10.30am Morning Worship led by Diana Cullum-Hall
Sunday 24th September
10.30am All-age Worship led by Ruth Yorke
5
Notices
Sun 10 September, 12 noon: The Church at Carrs Lane Convention. A
celebration of the life of TCaCL (to coincide with Annual Business Meeting),
with an opportunity for the various groups of the church to showcase their
activities. Followed by a bring-and-share lunch.
Sat 23 September: Commemorating the Protestant Reformation. An 18-
mile pilgrimage walk is being organised to take place on 23 September from St
Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham, to Lichfield Cathedral, to commemorate the
500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, whose official anniversary is
31 October 2017.
Pilgrims will be sent on their way at 9.00am by Dean of St Chad’s
Cathedral, Gerry Breen, and welcomed at Lichfield Cathedral around 5.00pm
by Dean of Lichfield Cathedral, Adrian Dorber. Senior church leaders from
across the West Midlands will be taking part in the pilgrimage for some if not
all of the distance), including the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, Anglican
Bishops of Lichfield and Birmingham along with Methodist, United Reformed
and Baptist Regional leaders.
Sun 24 Sep: The Beacon Church Centre, Rubery, is delighted to welcome
the Moderator of the United Reformed Church. Friends from other churches
are welcome to join us for worship at 4pm.
Thurs 28 September-Mon 2 October: Carrs Lane / Ernstweiler Exchange:
we look forward to hosting our friends from Germany. Further details to come
– see updates on our weekly notices sheet (also on the website).
6
Mon 2 October: Introduction to Voluntary Workplace Chaplaincy. A 6
week training course for voluntary chaplaincy, Mondays 5-7pm starting 2
October 2017. Led by Churches and Industry Group Birmingham & Solihull.
CIGB’s Voluntary Workplace chaplains are people who want to give
about half a day a week, to visit a local organisation or enterprise, befriend the
workers, answer questions, e.g. “What has God go to do with us?”, and help to
discover what ‘faithfulness’ means in that context.
More info: www.cigb.org.uk/home/training-courses
Fri 13 Oct, 7pm-9.30pm & Sat 14 Oct, 10am-4pm: Carrs Lane Lectures,
with Rev Gretta Vosper. ’Creating a World Beyond the Beliefs that Divide’.
Tickets via office (£15 / £20 / £30 depending on event combination). See flyer
towards end of these notices.
* * *
Faith Guiding Course – Autumn 2017 – 12 Week Evening Course: An
opportunity to get to know people of different faiths and gain an accredited
qualification as a Faith Guide.
Start date: Tue 12 September 2017
Location: Faithful Neighbourhoods Centre, 10 Court Rd, Sparkhill, B11
4LX (just of Stratford Rd)
For more information, visit: www.faithencounter.org.uk
National Youth Ministry Weekend – between 10th and 12th November
hundreds of Christian youth workers from across Britain are coming to
Birmingham for a national conference. If you would be prepared to host a
youth worker for the weekend please let Neil know (0121-616 1800 |
[email protected] ) and he will pass on your
details to the organisers.
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9
10
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Constance Coltman Centenary
Celebrating 100 years of women’s ministry
Constance Coltman
Ordained in 1917
The first woman minister
In the Congregational Church
Wednesday 18th October 2017
3pm to 5pm
At Barnes Close
See the film
Enjoy Afternoon Tea
Share stories
Further information and to reserve you place:
Ian Ring, [email protected] 01562 710231
Barnes Close,
Chadwich,
Bromsgrove,
B61 0RA
12
13
The URC West Midlands Residential Synod
Fri 13-Sat 14 October 2017, at Holiday Inn, Birmingham.
Vision4Mission: ‘Missional Discipleship / People of the Way’.
Like the other residential Synods it will have inspiration and resources. It
will aim to bridge the communication gap between local church, Synod
and the whole church.
Our theme draws on the URC’s “Feast and Festivals” year of
celebration and commemoration, and looks forward to our new focus on
“Walking the Way: Living the life of Jesus today.” 2017 is a year of
several significant anniversaries, including the 500th year since Luther
started the European Reformation, and 45 years since the formation of
the United Reformed Church – both remembered particularly in
October. As we remember our roots, we will also be looking forward to
the next phase of our growth as disciples. Through “Walking the Way,”
we are seeking to re-energise the church, so that we can once again
centre on our calling to be disciples and to make disciples.
This will be a ‘24 hour’ event, from 5.30pm on Friday 13th to
5.15pm on Saturday 14th October 2017, to be held at the Holiday Inn,
Birmingham City Centre. The formal autumn meeting of Synod will run
on the Saturday, be attended by the churches’ Synod representatives,
be much abbreviated and run alongside other events for those who are
not Synod representatives.
Our plans include:
A Friday evening meal with guest speakers Richard Church and
Francis Brienen, Deputy General Secretaries.
A choice 0f options on Saturday morning and afternoon to offer
inspiration and resources
Worship threaded through the 24 hours partly led by Steve Faber.
Quiet room available to allow you space to think and reflect
14
Who’s it for?
1. Those that normally come to Synod but also….
2. The planning group this time are especially keen that as many
Elders as possible attend. One of the key roles of Elders is to be a
bridge between the local church and the wider church. This is an
opportunity for Elders to increase their awareness of and
engagement with the wider church to better enable them to
represent the wider church to the local church and vice versa. It
can be seen as an informal Elders’ training event as well as a
support to the discipleship of all.
3. Any who are interested – this is an open event for anyone to come
to and gain from the resources and the friendship and
encouragement on offer.
The venue needs an early indication of numbers – so to help you in
estimating them here’s some information about finance.
1. First the bad news. The inclusive cost of bed, breakfast, dinner on
the Friday evening, lunch on the Saturday, coffee and tea breaks,
room hire etc is £150 in a single room and £212.00 for a double or
twin room.
2. The better news is that the Synod expects to pick up the cost of a
good bit of this, maybe up to half as well as paying all travel as
usual.
3. However we would be grateful (and will separately ask Church
Treasurers about this) if churches could consider paying at least
£75 towards the cost of each person attending and staying
overnight.
4. Individuals, who feel willing and able to contribute, can pay
whatever they wish towards the cost too.
5. For those coming on the Saturday only, the cost to Synod is £49
(inclusive of lunch) and we are asking for a minimum contribution
of £25 towards this.
6. But please don’t be put off by the cost – if there’s a problem, talk to
us.
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As indicated above we need your help to gauge numbers attending so
please consider this invitation and let us know the names of people from
your church including your Synod representative and Minister, who will
be coming. Please let us know by 21st July 2017 and tell us who wants
overnight accommodation and who will be a day visitor on the Saturday
only. Please fill in the enclosed form with the details.
It would also help us if payment could be sent in advance
wherever possible with a note of what and who is being paid for. Please
send payment to the Synod Office for the attention of Helen Cavaco at
Synod Office, Digbeth-in-the-Field URC, Moat Lane, Yardley,
Birmingham, B26 1TW OR speak to your Church Secretary.
We have had as many as 230 people at previous events on the
Saturday who seem to have got a great deal from the occasion.
About People
I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the prayers and
cards I have received during my illness. Thank you very much!
Wendy Firmin
An Appeal for Research Assistance
David Hallam has written to the Church with the following request:
Dear Friends,
Your colleagues at the soon to be closed Newton URC have asked me
to help them write a history of their church. I wrote the history of the
Asbury cottage opposite which eventually led to the building of the first
nonconformist chapel in the area.
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Unfortunately this Methodist project failed and the
Congregationalists bought it in 1823 when Carr's Lane was led by John
Angel James. This cause also eventually closed and by 1908 was held
in Trust by Carr's Lane Church but had again reverted to a Methodist
Reading Room. In 1916 a group of Congregationalists returned to the
building restarted a church and then moved to a new building in the early
1930s.
I am wondering if there is anyone in your congregation who could
help me piece together what happened during the time that the building
was taken into ownership of Carrs Lane and its later use?
I attach a press cutting from 1908 which may be helpful in locating
information from your archives [see over – Ed.].
Any help or assistance you are able to provide will be
acknowledged.
David Hallam
[David can be contacted via the church office:
0121 643 6151 | [email protected] ]
Departing summer hath assumed
An aspect tenderly illumed,
The gentlest look of spring;
That calls from yonder leafy shade
Unfaded, yet prepared to fade,
A timely carolling.
William Wordsworth, September
17
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Local Church Cafés
Birmingham Wellbeing Service: Free Community Lunch every
Thursday at 12 noon at Stanhope Hall Community Centre, Ketley Croft,
Highgate, Birmingham, B12 0XG. We also provide a free lunch most
Mondays at 12.30. All welcome. For further info, call Monica Lee
(Community Development Projects and Initiatives Coordinator) on 0121
446 5389
Bethel Welsh Presbyterian Church: Sowing seeds of kindness
when life seems hard. Come and enjoy a FREE breakfast on the last
Sunday of every month, 9.30am-11.30am. 33 Windmill Street,
Birmingham, B1 1DR (next to Clydesdale Tower, near petrol station).
For further enquiries and to avoid disappointment please text or ring
Merline on 07824 694 071 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm).
Solihull Methodist Church Thursday Café. This new cafe has just
opened at Solihull Methodist Church on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of
each month. All are welcome to join them between 2pm and 4pm for
coffee, cakes, activities and games.
Aston & Nechells Foodbank
Aston and Nechells Foodbank have seen a rise in the numbers of
people bringing emergency food vouchers to our distribution centres
through the school holidays.
We are currently running short of the following items :-
Toiletries including soap, shampoos, shower gel, deodorants, feminine
19
hygiene, razors and toilet rolls. We also need powdered potato, long life
milk, dried milk, jam & bottles of squash.
Cash donations that we can use to buy food lines we run short of would
also be appreciated. Cheques should be made payable to our hosting
charity. "CanDo 4:13" & posted to the St Matthews Church address.
Donations can be left at the back of church at Carrs Lane during Sunday
services, or else with reception staff during the week. For more
information contact Christine & Simon Rowntree, or visit the website:
www.astonnechells.foodbank.org.uk
We are grateful for all the donations we receive from The Church at
Carrs Lane. Thanking you in advance for your ongoing support.
Rosemary Cripps
Aston & Nechells Foodbank
Sponsored Walks
Amos Trust’s Just Walk to Jerusalem
This 3,183km walk started in London on 10 June and arrives in
Jerusalem on 2 November. Helen and Peter Woodall joined the first
week to Dover, will continue for a week in Italy in August, and partake in
the final week in Israel / Palestine, totalling around 400km. Please
consider sponsoring them, either via sponsor forms in Church, or via
their Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Peter-
WOODALL1
Find out more at www.amostrust.org/just-walk
20
Local Music Events
The Church at Carrs Lane
Sun 8 October, 2pm: The National Flute Orchestra, conducted by
Tony Bridgewater. Free admission, retiring collection. Programme:
Handel Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Tchaikovsky Little Overture
Amos Hampton Court Palace Suite
Uber Sonnets
Anderson Showtime
Sorrentino A La Maniere de Pat
Kessner Symphony in Silver
Elgar Chanson de Matin
Bizet La Garde Montante
Notes from the Organ Bench
After the traditional August break, there are a number of music events
early in the autumn term to look forward to. The Choir have been invited
to participate in the Birmingham Weekender on Sun 24th September;
we’ll be singing on stage – the ‘Culture Catwalk 2017’ – by the Bullring
Shopping Centre, at 12:45. Come and see us!
From Thursday 28th September to Monday 2nd October, we will be
hosting our friends from Ernstweiler in Germany, as part of our long-
standing exchange programme. We will be taking them to Blists Hill
Victorian Town and Ironbridge on the Saturday, having a party on the
Saturday evening – which is open to all from Carrs Lane – and they will
join us to sing a choral feast as part of our Harvest festival on the
Sunday (1st October). There are a few fundraising events taking place to
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help offset the costs of the day trip – any contributions would be very
much appreciated.
On Sunday 8th October at 2pm, we will once again host a concert
by the National Flute Orchestra in a varied programme of music. Hope
you can make it!
In August, we said
farewell to Laetitia Van
Wyk, a cellist from
South Africa who had
been studying a
postgraduate course at
Birmingham
Conservatoire. Laetitia
played during a number
of services throughout
her two years in
Birmingham, and we were moved by her incredible playing. We will miss
her, and wish her all the best for the future.
I have also contributed an abridged article, ‘In Every Corner Sing’,
by Andrew Reid, Director of the Royal School of Church Music, in which
he reminds us of the many benefits of singing. If you would like to have
a go yourself, remember that new members are always welcome to
either the Choir or the Singing Group – I’d be delighted to talk to anyone
interested.
Wishing you a very musical month!
Contributed by Tim Batty
Church Musician
22
In Every Corner Sing
Adapted from an article in the June 2017 issue of Church Music
Quarterly, published by the Royal School of Church Music, Andrew Reid
(Director of the RSCM) reminds us of the many benefits of singing.
A Wonderful Health Regime
If I told you that I had come across a wonderful health regime which
could significantly improve your physical, mental and social health,
would you be interested? Imagine if it could tone particular muscles;
improve your cardiovascular health and respiratory functions; alleviate
depression, stress and loneliness; help you relax; make you confident,
calmer and more focused; develop your brain; help you connect with
your emotions; make you physically more attractive, better able to
express yourself and live longer; while being eco-friendly, sociable,
community-focused and free; might you be very interested?
These are some of the claims made on the internet about singing.
Singing apparently releases chemicals with positive outcomes such as
endorphins and oxytocin, helps lungs and circulation, opens up our
sinuses and respiratory tubes, and builds healthier breathing patterns
getting more oxygen to the brain. By reducing stress we are told it helps
relaxation and sleep. It improves our posture, and enables us to
exercise our facials muscles, allegedly improving attractiveness. It
seems it helps brain development, including linking the cerebral
hemispheres, as well as mental awareness, concentration and memory.
Socially it apparently builds confidence, creativity, community, a sense
of belonging, trust of those around you, and a feeling of safety. It unites
generations, enables self-expression and stimulates emotional learning.
Educational Outcomes
When the English government invested heavily in the ‘Sing Up’ project
from 2008 to 2011, the organizers were able to list some 40 or more
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positive educational outcomes for children from singing. It might said to
support development in different ways in maths, reading, languages,
musical education, semiology (signs / notation), the arts generally,
history, cultural heritage and expression, public speaking, performance,
leadership, team working, and in building community roots. As I write I
have just seen children singing in a school where 88% have English as
an additional language: singing certainly seems to help them feel more
confident in using it.
Singing is an activity which can join physical and mental
development, through the physiology of singing itself, the emotional
communication of music, and sometimes, through movement improving
motor skills. Developing a skill for life based on a passion a child has
found may be affirming and encouraging. Integrating age, peer and
other social groups and creating a new community of care may be by-
products of corporate singing, not least since in singing we may make
ourselves emotionally vulnerable.
A Manifesto for Singing
What I’ve outlined so far is a manifesto for getting anyone singing. For
those of us who need to convince parents to let their children sing in a
choir, or persuade adults to join, such reasons may be directly helpful.
Much of this material can be found in a simple internet search for, say,
‘reasons to sing’.
Singing in Worship
But what about the Church? Of course it is interested in the welfare of
each member, but it does not usually promote fitness, brain exercises or
other ‘healthy’ activities. Most Christian denominations involve singing
in at least some of their worship. The internet has much less material on
the Church’s defence of singing, though the thoughts of song writers
such as Keith Getty or theologians such as Vaughan Roberts are
certainly valuable. The only passage in the Gospels referring to singing
is about Jesus and his disciples singing a hymn (Matthew 26.30).
24
Yet the biblical impetus for singing and music is compelling. It is a
natural means of expression for God’s pilgrim people from beginning to
end, and is mentioned many times, both literally and metaphorically.
Five main reasons to sing seem to be to: celebrate (or pre-celebrate)
victory, give thanks and praise, make lament and carry penitence, make
petition, and encourage one another.
* * *
Singing involves body, mind and spirit, infecting our whole being with
praise. It is a natural, God-given instinct developed from infanthood, a
metaphor perhaps showing that our dependency on God is like that of a
baby on its mother. Singing carries our recalling and story-telling,
helping us to memorize text and articulate belief, as Augustine, Luther
and Wesley, among others, have expressed. Poetically, it elevates
emotion and spirit, helping us to join in our Creator’s act of creation and
to rise above the mundane in our expression of wonder and praise. The
creative act and its demands on our vulnerability may help us offer a true
sacrifice of praise. It bears witness of God’s love to others and enables
us to confidently proclaim our faith.
Contributed by Tim Batty
Church Musician
Why the Fairtrade Mark is important (but isn't everything)
Campaigners, parliamentarians and journalists around the country
spontaneously leapt into action in response to Sainsbury’s recent
announcement that they were ‘piloting’ their own ‘Fairly Traded’ standard
and dropping the well-known and well-respected Fairtrade Mark from
their own-label tea.
In a matter of weeks an online change.org petition topped 90,000
signatures. Years of dedicated campaigning in communities around the
country have meant that the Fairtrade label provokes fierce loyalty.
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My Facebook page was full of requests to sign the petition from
friends I didn’t know to be interested or political in any way. And this is
the beauty, and perhaps also the Achilles heel, of the Fairtrade Mark. It
provides a straightforward route for consumers who want reassurance
that people have not been exploited for the sake of their tea or coffee. It
is so simple that my 5-year-old can spot the Fairtrade Mark on a
supermarket shelf and pester me to buy her the product (usually
chocolate!). But the understanding is often quite shallow. And
sometimes there is a defence of the label for its own sake without a real
understanding of both its value and its limitations.
Traidcraft has long been active in the wider fair trade
movement (or alternative trading movement as it used to be called). As
part of this we helped to set up the Fairtrade scheme in the UK,
including the standards, the label and the certifier (the Fairtrade
Foundation).
We did this because we knew that our own purchasing as
Traidcraft plc is clearly no more than a drop in the ocean of mainstream
trade that keeps communities in poverty around the world. Our analysis
is that injustice in trade is enabled by the huge imbalance in power that
exists between global brands and retailers and their suppliers. One
important way of tackling this (and not the only way by any means) was
to set up an independent certification scheme, developed with input from
the producers themselves, and where they had a say in the governance.
The system was deliberately designed as independent ‘go
between’ to check that both parties keep their side of the bargain – that
the farmers are democratically organised and that workers are paid
fairly, and that the buyers pay a fair price, pay on time and also pay a
social premium. The system developed an important principle of
producer ownership, so that producers have a seat at the decision-
making table - they decide what the standards are, how they are
monitored and reviewed and where the minimum price is set. They also
crucially decide how they spend the premium that they earn. These
ingredients of independence and producer governance are critical
counterweights that enable big companies, that wouldn’t ordinarily
choose to operate in this way, to cede some power and participate in
more equitable trading relationships.
26
Traidcraft completely supports these principles. We don’t expect
our customers just to ‘trust us’ but instead we participate in the Fairtrade
system and also the World Fair Trade Organisation guarantee system.
We subscribe to this definition of Fair Trade agreed by the whole
movement back in 2001:
Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue,
transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international
trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better
trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized
producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade
Organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in
supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for
changes in the rules and practice of conventional international
trade.
The real problem with what Sainsbury’s is proposing with its ‘Fairly
Traded’ tea pilot (and for that matter Mondelez’s 'Cocoa Life' scheme) is
that the standards are not independent and producers have no say in
the governance. Instead the companies themselves control and run the
schemes. They retain all the power and call the shots. And Sainsbury’s
insistence on controlling how farmers spend their premium runs directly
counter to the principle of respect, central to Fair Trade. There is nothing
to stop Sainsbury’s over time quietly changing the requirement to pay
the Fairtrade minimum price. And there would be nothing that we or the
farmers involved could do about it – not if they want to retain Sainsbury’s
business. And this potential for abuse of power is the exact opposite of
what Fair Trade is about. There may be some merits to aspects of what
Sainsbury’s are proposing, for example guaranteeing to buy a certain
volume for three years, but to call the scheme ‘Fairly Traded’ is
downright misleading.
And this is why Traidcraft will campaign to defend the Fairtrade
Mark and will support and celebrate those committed to it. We're also
delighted to see other supermarkets, including the Co-op and Waitrose,
extending their Fairtrade labelled-product range.
But we also need to remind ourselves that the Fairtrade Mark was
only ever designed as a small part of the solution. The scheme still only
27
applies to a handful of products and there continue to be systematic
abuses in supply chains globally which need to be challenged in a
variety of ways. That is why Traidcraft Exchange campaigners have
called for companies to be held to account for abuses; it is why we
campaigned for a supermarkets watchdog to tackle unfair buying
practices, and why we continue to support producers and workers to
organise and strengthen their voice in supply chains around the world.
Traidcraft remains committed to putting the principles of Fair Trade
into commercial practice - you can discover our new range online. But
we'll also continue to challenge injustice in mainstream trade and
business, and to work with people who are exploited in supply chains to
help them get a better deal. Please support us.
Liz May, Policy and Advocacy Director at Traidcraft Exchange
Traidcraft Blog, 8th August 2017
Contributed by Joan Davies
Chaplaincy @ Aston University
Martin Luther King Multi-faith Centre at Aston University, known as MLK,
is the hub for a variety of activities involving both students and staff. I
am about to be involved in my 5th Freshers’ Week as one of the Free
Church Chaplains. Preparations have been underway for some months
and we look forward to welcoming new students from near and far. As
well as a high proportion of local students Aston attracts students from
about 120 different countries and all the major faiths – hence the need
for a multi-faith centre. Welcome and hospitality are at the core our work
and some of those students who come to enjoy coffee, pizza, games
and conversation in Freshers’ Week will continue to come regularly over
the next three terms. Others will come occasionally when they need to
chat to one of the Chaplains or just need to have some quiet space.
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Pat Saunders and I, together, make up the full time post of Free
Church Chaplain. We are supported by the United Reformed Church,
the Methodist Church and the Baptist Church as well as the University.
Our colleagues include an Anglican, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Hindu,
Sikh, Jewish and Pagan Chaplain, all working in different ways with the
support of their faith leaders. We come under the umbrella of Student
Services, but are managed by a committee of Free Church Leaders and
University representatives.
I am often asked - what do you do? We are a Christian presence
in a secular institution, offering support to students and staff of all faiths
and none. So on a one-to-one basis we can offer a listening ear,
sometimes signposting to counselling, academic or practical support
(offered within the University and the Students’ Union). Sometimes
students and staff wish to explore issues of faith and justice and we can
provide opportunities for that. We hold weekly times of prayer and also
mark special events such as Remembrance Day. Our Pancake Events
always attract a crowd and Carol Singing at Christmas is enjoyed by
staff and students.
There are a range of faith societies within the Students’ Union,
including a number of Christian societies and, although these are
student-led, we can offer support. Many of the students who come into
MLK do not have any faith background but come to enjoy such activities
as board games, crafts and knitting. Many interesting conversations
emerge.
MLK is also a venue for wellbeing events. We offer stress
management drop-ins, meditation, reflexology and Indian Head
massage, and will shortly be starting Mindfulness sessions. In order to
help students with placements and jobs, we have offer help with
including faith based activities in their CV’s and interviews. We believe
that practicing ones faith is very much part of you, not something that
happens outside work. Faith-based values are very often part of an
employer’s values.
We would appreciate your prayers as we embark on a new academic
year:
29
For the many regular and special events that bring people into
MLK
For those who come for comfort and need support
For those working in the Students’ Union and the University to
make the student experience a good one.
For all the new students as they embark on the next stage of their
life - and their parents and families back home.
For the Chaplaincy Team
Contributed by Jan Scott
Christian Chaplain
Martin Luther King Multi-faith Centre
Aston University
Commitment for Life: Israel and the occupied Palestinian
territory
Women from Beit Furiq
The occupied West Bank is a challenging environment in which to make
a living, particularly for women. Local industry is subjected to movement
and trade restrictions, limited technical imports and natural resources,
and there is little physical space to develop. Farmers and producers
have few opportunities to access vital agricultural services and market
information to increase production.
Area C of the West Bank is under full Israeli civil administration
and security control. People there mostly rely on agriculture to make a
living, but face numerous obstacles, and Palestinians in the region are
becoming increasingly marginalised.
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Women are particularly affected. Many are prevented from working
due to social and cultural restrictions, which have also stopped them
gaining the necessary skills and support needed to enter employment or
set up their own business.
Christian Aid’s local partner the YMCA is helping transform the
lives of people, particularly women, in Area C in a number of different
ways. With the support of Commitment for Life, the YMCA’s Women’s
Training Program is giving women greater opportunities to earn a secure
living. They are also working with existing agricultural cooperatives,
training them in environmentally sustainable methods, as well as
building their skills and capacity to reach more people with their
products.
Earning a living for life
The YMCA team always starts by working with local communities to
carry out a Participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (PVCA).
This helps identify the risks and barriers people have faced in the past,
and any activities that could help them overcome those barriers.
Following this assessment, 50 women in the villages of Jub-Al-
Deeb and Al-Oqban attended training on agricultural production, food
processing, animal husbandry, family health and small project
management. Seeds and seedlings were also distributed to the trainees.
These training sessions give women the confidence and skills to earn a
sustainable living, allowing them to contribute to local economic
development and increase their resilience under occupation.
In the Deir Balout village, the YMCA is working with a cooperative
to increase its income through promoting, marketing and distributing
pickled cucumbers. The cucumbers were bought from women farmers,
and 31 cooperative members, including women, were trained in pickling.
With the YMCA’s support, the cooperative has seen an increase in sales
to such a level that it has found it hard to meet demand. In addition,
women farmers received help to market 600 jars of their pickles through
the cooperative, helping them reach more customers and grow their
business.
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The YMCA is working with another cooperative in the village of
Beit Duqqu to help it produce an environmentally sustainable, quality
product, reach new customers and improve sales. Cooperative members
have been learning a new technique, developed and tested by the local
Adel Fair Trade Non Profit Corporation, which reduces the use of
chemical fertilisers, protecting the environment and producing fruits and
vegetables that are free of artificial preservatives and chemicals.
By partnering with Adel Fair Trade Non Profit Corporation, the
cooperative is not only gaining from its expertise in this field, but also its
market knowledge and access. According to Jihad Abddo, head of
marketing at Adel: ‘There is increasing interest in local products. The
demand exceeds the supply, especially for fresh fruits and vegetables.
July 2017/18 Mini magazine
From Moving Stories 206 July 2017
The World Communion of Reformed Churches has urged its more than
225 member churches worldwide to examine their mission, education
and investment relationships with Israel and Palestine in the light of the
witness of Palestinian Christians. In a resolution adopted by consensus
on 7 July, the WCRC’s General Council, meeting in Leipzig, Germany,
said member churches should respond to this examination,
“as they understand the Reformed communion’s commitments to human
rights and the protections of international law.”
The General Council, the highest decision-making body of the
WCRC, stated “that with respect to the situation of injustice and suffering
that exists in Palestine, and the cry of the Palestinian Christian
community, that the integrity of Christian faith and praxis is at stake.”
It urged the WCRC’s Executive Committee “to strengthen
initiatives for dialogue, civil peace services, mediation, conflict
prevention and transformation.”
The resolution adopted at the WCRC General Council stated that
the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 had a significant consequence
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of “the loss of homeland for the Palestinian people, and the creation of
750,000 Palestinian refugees.” It noted that it is also 50 years since the
1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
“It is time for Israelis and Palestinians to live alongside each other
in peace, security and justice,” the resolution stated. “Many of us have
seen with our eyes and heard with our ears the painful realities of life for
Palestinians.”
In its resolution, the WCRC general council stated that the
Christian faith has been used to justify the injustice against the
Palestinian people. It rejected any use of the Bible “to legitimize or
support political options and positions that are based upon injustice,
imposed by one person on another, or by one people on another.” It
encouraged delegations to visit the region “to connect with the present
day Christian community … to witness their situation and express
support for their desires for self-determination.”
The resolution instructed the WCRC Executive Committee to a call
from the National Coalition of Christian Organizations in Palestine urging
solidarity from Christian partners abroad.
During the WCRC’s Leipzig meeting, which began on 29 June, a
prominent Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem, Mitri Raheb, told
delegates of his experience of having been 5 years old when Israel
occupied Bethlehem. “This was exactly 50 years ago, I know what living
under occupation means,” Raheb said. It is important that “not only we
as Palestinians are liberated but that Israelis are also liberated as well,
because occupiers are not liberated,” Raheb stated. “Occupiers are
occupied by their own occupation.” The WCRC groups more than 225
Protestant churches with a combined membership of about 80 million
Christians in Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, United, Uniting
and Waldensian churches in over 100 countries. Its offices are in
Hannover, Germany.
© The World Communion of Reformed Churches. Permission given to
reproduce
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Seek Justice and Peace in the Holy Land
Half a century has passed since the six-day war when Israel occupied
East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights.
Despite stalled peace processes and the sufferings entailed by the
occupation, people still hope for a better future. In recognition of these
events, The World Council of Churches have produced a series of
stories called 12 Faces of Hope. Here is just one of them:-
Hope is an essential thing to have. If we lose hope it stops us from
doing anything. Even when things seem desperate, you still need to
have hope. My hope is that people will find holiness in life and in each
other – not sites or specific places. Only if we put people first, and then
everything else after that, we can achieve a fulfilling life together in
peace. There is a holy spark in each of us which needs to be kept alive
and nurtured. The holiness of people is the most important thing to
recognize, and from there everything else will come.
But how do we make our lives holy, and how do we work to create
holiness? The answer is that it is our primary mission to keep our lives
as holy as possible. We must overcome ethnical, religious and political
constraints. We must talk more to each other, encourage more
meetings, get to know each other, and strive to understand each other,
so that we can find reasons for hope. We must celebrate diversity and
pluralism. I believe that dialogue, courage and tolerance are critical here.
My hope is for people to be able to lead a fulfilling and complete
life which is not restricted by governments, religions, terrorism or
anything else. Human life and human dignity are the most important
things, not physical places. We should care more about how people can
find a way to pray, connect with each other and practice their religion,
rather than who is in charge or in control.
To deal with hopelessness, we must remind ourselves that we are
not alone in our struggle, and that we must work together.
The reality is complicated and it is not an easy task to make sure
that people’s lives are fulfilling and sacred. But we must continue to
convey the message of hope and holiness, and find ways to reach out to
more people. We must change the language, we must educate people
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and try to shift their focus to things that really matter. We must try to
open people’s hearts! Noa MazorRabbi
To read the other stories of hope, visit:
https://www.oikoumene.org/en/what-we-do/12 faces of hope
Contributed by Wendy Firmin
Question Time
How is it that liberal-minded people, who claim that they are open to
allowing people to believe what they want and live the way that they
want, attack people like me who stand on the Bible? How tolerant is
that?
First off, allowing people to believe what they want is
just one characteristic of “liberal-minded people.” But to
characterize liberalism as some willy-nilly-believe-what-
you-want perspective is a false claim. True, liberals are
OK with people believing what they want – but only
insofar as those beliefs respect the basic dignity of
other people and don't do others harm. That's a big
difference. I've also heard it said that liberals tolerate anything but
intolerance. I think that's about right.
And let's be clear, you're probably not being ‘attacked’ for being a
person who ‘stands on the Bible’, but for being a person whose ‘stand’
on the Bible is not in keeping with other people’s interpretation of the
Bible.
Let me remind you that people ‘stood on the Bible’ to defend
slavery; they ‘stood on the Bible’ to keep women from having the vote;
they ‘stood on the Bible’ to defend segregation. Without liberals who
opposed those racist, misogynist, and un-American practices, our world
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would be a very different place indeed (and not for the better). Many of
those liberals, by the way, were faithful Christians who appealed to the
Bible to further the causes of freedom and basic human rights. I’m going
to assume that, in these areas, you agree with them and their ‘liberal’
interpretation of the Bible.
Among today’s front line issues of defence on behalf of basic
human dignity and human rights are LGBTQ rights and reproductive
choice. Bizarre biblical attitudes toward women and sexuality
notwithstanding, neither of these (as we currently understand them) are
topics in the Bible. Similarly, although there’s no mention of cultural
practices like female genital mutilation and sex-trafficking in the Bible,
many conservatives stand with liberals in opposition to these sex-related
challenges – and do so on the grounds of that eminently liberal notion of
human rights.
Then, if you manage to filter out all the propaganda, cultural
prejudices, and superstitions from the Bible, there are plenty of
examples where scripture is clearly aligned with what you would call
today’s liberal agenda. Opposing racial injustice and the U.S.’s unjust
immigration policies are just two examples where liberals have all kinds
of biblical precedent on which to stand.
So, don't mistake the liberal tendency towards tolerance, which
allows you – in broad strokes – to believe what you want and do what
you please, to remain silent when what you believe and advocate fails to
respect the rights or freedom of others. You can claim that your stand is
the definitive interpretation of what the Bible says, but so did the slave-
owning, sexist, and racist Christians of the past – and so do the
discriminatory, misogynistic dogmatists of today.
Revd. David M. Felten
About the Author
David Felten is a full-time pastor at The Fountains, a United Methodist
Church in Fountain Hills, Arizona. David and fellow United Methodist
Pastor, Jeff Procter-Murphy, are the creators of the DVD-based
discussion series for Progressive Christians, “Living the Questions”.
Contributed by Julie Grove
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Handsworth Park
Between Grove Lane and Hamstead Road
Lies a beautiful park only closed after dark.
If you take photos put the camera in correct mode
For in the morning the wildlife is up with the lark.
Special events are sometimes on Sundays
And back to the usual routine on Mondays.
Running twice quickly around the lovely lake
Keeps you fit and healthy – make no mistake.
Others circle the lake on their mountain bikes
Or wear walking boots for their energy hikes.
After winter makes a change to warm spring
The weather so sunny and mild the flowers bring.
Tony the boatman checks out life jackets
While the geese and wild life make a racket.
Those who like to take a drink and café seat
Will helpers Amina and Andrea meet.
George Richards
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Solution to the Summer Quiz
There was an amendment to Summer Quiz in Journey (July—August
2017 edition): Have you spotted the deliberate mistake?! The final clue
is incomplete and it has TRIED both ME and US!
Magdalene
Pharisees
Spikenard
Ephesians
Boanerges
Jerusalem
Macedonia
Dayspring
Firmament
Ahasuerus
Archangel
Samaritan
Timotheus
Israelite
Sadducees
Bethlehem
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Creatures
Nicodemus
Threshing
Cornelius
Scripture
Chameleon
Elisabeth
Priscilla
Neighbour
Treasures
Demetrius
Please submit any articles for the October issue of Journey to the church
office by Friday 22nd September. Email to [email protected] or hand in
to the reception at Carrs Lane.
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