Newsletter of Bromley Common Methodist Church Bloomfield Road, Bromley BR2 9RZ

To see ‘Common Ground’ in colour and for news updates please check our website.

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Please note that Alex will not normally be available on Fridays. Should you require a Minister during this time, please contact Rev. David Gillman on 01689 825129, or our Senior Steward,

Monica Killpack, on 01689 857490.

Our Lent and Easter celebrations are complete.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. When I awoke at 6am ,

everywhere was very quiet, dark and misty, not dissimilar to

that first Easter morning, I would imagine, when the women

arrived to find an empty tomb.

Those women didn’t recognise Jesus that morning.

I wonder what makes it difficult for us to recognise others: a change of hair

style, or clothes or perhaps something as simple as new glasses. I wonder, if

someone described you, if you would recognise yourself?

Sometimes seeing people out of context can be confusing. Members of the

public find it difficult when actors from soaps are nothing like the people they

portray in real life. I can remember being disappointed when Daniel Craig smiled

when he was interviewed for TV - nothing like James Bond.

I think the key if we’re looking for Jesus at work, not just in our own lives, but

also in others, is to open our eyes and ears and be alert to what’s going on

around us. I am often asked ‘where I see Jesus ‘. In all truth, I see him constantly,

in the faces of the people I meet.

As we continue to look at what the future may hold at Bromley Common

Methodist Church, hold us in your prayers, remember we are all part of the

family of God, and therefore all valued & loved.

Alex

New Prayer Meeting 8pm Thursday evenings at the church from 1st May - a time to

meet and pray together for our church and our mission in Bromley

Common. Ralph Brandhorst

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John Wesley was born in 1703 and was the 15th of 19 children born to Samuel Wesley, Rector of Epworth, and his wife Susanna. John was baptised at his father’s church, St Andrew’s in Epworth, and worshipped there as a child. He attended Charterhouse school in London and Christ Church College, Oxford, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1724 and a master’s degree three years later. He became a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford in 1726, where he helped establish the Holy Club, dubbed 'Methodist' due to its members’ prescribed method of studying the Bible. He was ordained a deacon in the Church of England in 1725 and a priest in 1728. So he could have enjoyed a comfortable, establishment life. But he didn’t. John Wesley brought about change.

Wesley was vocal about ordinary people being excluded from the church. Although he was always fiercely loyal to the established church he was often barred from the pulpit for his opinions. So, beginning in Bristol, he began to address the public in open areas, giving rise to ‘field preaching’ as a feature of Methodism.

For the rest of his life Wesley would preach to crowds, often numbering many thousands, throughout Britain and Ireland. As early as 1739, he evaluated and approved men who were not ordained by the Anglican Church to preach and do pastoral work. This expansion of lay preachers was one of the keys of the growth of Methodism. From 1739 onward, Wesley and the Methodists were persecuted by clergy and magistrates for various reasons. Though Wesley had been ordained an Anglican priest, many other Methodist leaders had not received ordination. Wesley flouted many regulations of the Church of England concerning parish boundaries and who had authority to preach. This was seen as a social threat that disregarded institutions. Wesley and his followers were attacked by clergy in sermons and in print, and they suffered physical attacks by mobs, but they continued to work among the neglected and needy.

John Wesley travelled generally on horseback, preaching two or three times each day. He is said to have preached 40,000 sermons and travelled 250,000 miles. He formed societies, opened chapels, examined and commissioned preachers, adminis-tered aid charities, prescribed for the sick and superintended schools and orphanages. Wesley believed he was commissioned by God to bring about revival in the church, and no opposition, persecution, or obstacles could prevail against the divine urgency and authority of this commission. Until his death in 1791 he continued to tirelessly campaign on social issues such as prison reform and universal education.

His last known letter described black slavery as 'that execrable villainy'. Wesley famously said "I look upon the whole world as my parish”

Today there are 300,000 members of the Methodist Church in Britain. World-wide, it is estimated that there are around 70 million Methodists, so from small beginnings in Epworth, John Wesley’s influence has indeed reached every corner of the globe.

John Wesley - Agent of Change (During a recent church meeting, Jisola reminded us that the Methodist Church began as a

movement for change. As Wesley Day is on 24th May, perhaps this is a good time to remember John Wesley’s achievements.)

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During the first week of April the girls enjoyed an Easter egg hunt; they have been making Easter decorations, including wooden ’Happy Easter’ signs and decorations for Easter eggs. The older girls have been looking at the Easter story as well as playing some sport and planning their items for the display. Ceri, who has returned from her work at the Hogar el Alba orphanage in Buenos Aires, told the girls about her experiences and showed them a video. While she had been away, the girls had sent video messages to her, and she had returned with messages from the children at the orphanage. Following the Easter break we shall all be working on our items for the Display. Our display this year will again be a joint Display with the Boys Brigade company. It will be on 10th May from 6.30pm, and this year’s Chief Guest will be local MP, Colonel Bob Stewart, DSO. We do hope that you will come to the display and bring your friends and family. Don’t forget to check our website: www.1stbromleygirlsbrigade.co.uk

Visuals Rota We would like to organise a rota for showing and/or designing the power point slides used during services. Might you be interested in this? It’s not difficult, so why not have a go? Please contact Christine Bate (cgeditor@bcmc.org.uk) if you would like to join the rota or need more information. Thank you.

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Anchor Boys Over the next few weeks we shall be rehearsing for the BB/GB Display, which is on Saturday, 10th May, so please keep this date free. As usual, the Anchor Boys and Explorers will be performing their item together. Maggie Draper Junior Section: Over the last few weeks before Easter we have been doing lots towards completing the badgework with the boys making Pancakes and one very noisy evening with musical instruments including Drums, Bugles, Tambourines and Xylophones. Finally, the boys all made their mums a colourful 'bird card' to celebrate Mothers Day.

Over the next few weeks we will be rehearsing towards the Display Day. There is a great deal to undertake and we look forward to seeing many of the parents, friends, relatives and the wider church community to show your support for the Boys and Girls.

Andy Butler | Leader

brigades@bcmc.org.uk

From the Company Captain:

Display 2014 Our joint annual display with the GB takes place at 6:30pm on Saturday 10th May. This is an event for all boys and I hope their parents and many church members will be able to attend. The display this year is centred on the theme of Teamwork and should be highly enjoyable. Important presentations will also be made. There will be the usual opportunity to see the officers making fools of themselves in the officers’ item. Night Hike and Company Camp At the end of May (23rd – 25th May), we will be talking the older boys and girls on a night hike and camp for two nights. This follows the success of a similar event during recent years. Battalion Parade Service This took place on 27th April in Orpington.

Dates for your Diaries: Saturday, 10 May Display Day Sunday, 11 May Church Parade Fri.23 - Sun. 25 May Senior camp Sunday, 08 June Church Parade Fri. 13- Sun.15 June Junior Section Weekend Camp, Carrotty Wood, Tonbridge Thursday 26 June Anchors, Explorers & Junior Sections Open Evening John Bayes, Captain

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Kreative Kangaroos Maggie Draper and Sue Luxford organised our Kreative Kangaroos Easter event on 10th April. This was a great success, with thirty children taking part and clearly enjoying themselves.. Many thanks to Maggie and Sue for all their hard work in preparing and running this event, and to Sue for taking the photos.

Maggie Draper comments: Thanks to Alex and Joe Terrett (the children sang Happy Birthday to Alex as it was her birthday the next day). Thanks, too, to Amber Jellett and Mike Killpack who also gave great support. Lastly, thank you to all the parents who stayed to help. Maggie also commented that, if we are to run these events in future, we do really need more helpers - even if it is just to sit at a table and make sure the children are OK.

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Congratulations to Maggie Draper’s daughter Louise (pictured right) , who ran in the London Marathon on Sunday 13th April to raise funds for Macmillan Nurses. She completed the course in 4 hours and 20 minutes. Well done, Louise! Maggie adds “Well done Lou- we are really proud of you!”

Diamond Anniversary for the Fenlons!

Warmest congratulations to Kathleen and Dennis Fenlon who celebrate their Diamond Wedding (60 glorious years) on May 22nd. Kathleen and Dennis were married at the Salvation Army in Bromley. We send them our love and hope they have a wonderful day of celebration. Joan Ungemuth

And so say all of us - Kathleen and Dennis have been much loved members of our church for many years. They are pictured above at their Golden Wedding celebrations; we celebrated with them then, and at their Ruby Wedding twenty years ago. We hope to be celebrating with them for many years to come.

This issue of Common Ground unusually covers two months; this is due to time

constraints and was agreed with Alex. The next issue will also cover two months,

July/August, as this is normally the case for those months. Please remember this

when submitting notices /copy/dates etc. for the next issue. Thank you.

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Would you like to produce this magazine? I have been producing Common Ground since 1992, and feel it is time for a change, for someone new to bring some fresh ideas. Perhaps there is someone who can make better use than I of the splendid computer publishing programs now available. If you think you might be interested, or just want to find out what is involved, please let me know. My contact details are on the front cover. I look forward to hearing from you! Christine Bate

Methodist General Secretary Resigns On 15th April, the Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church and Secretary of the Methodist Conference announced his intention to step down from his current post in August 2015, and issued the following statement: “I will be leaving my current post as Secretary of the Conference and General Secretary at the end of the next Connexional year, 2014-15. I have requested the permission of the President of the Conference to this effect, and she has kindly agreed. By that time, God willing, I will have served in this appointment for seven years, and will have reached the age of 60, enabling me to offer a handful of years to a further appointment of some sort prior to retirement. My decision has been made over a period of time, in a spirit of prayerful discernment and arising from conversations with a small number of people, not least my wife, Helen. “Many months of hard work still lie ahead and the Council can be assured that I intend to continue to undertake my responsibilities as best I can and with integrity, vigour and passion: indeed there may well now be an even greater sense of urgency about my work in relation to those issues about which I believe progress and transformation is critical to the life of our Connexion at the present time. This work will continue to be enabled by my close colleagues who are among the finest and hardworking people it has been my pleasure to know, and to whom the Connexion and this Council should rightly be proud and care for. It has been - and will remain for some time yet - a deep privilege to serve Christ, among the people called Methodists and beyond, through this significant appointment. Thank you.”

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Pentecost This year, Pentecost falls on 8th June. Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated on the Sunday fifty days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth"). It is also called Whitsun, but does not necessarily coincide with the Whitsun Bank Holiday in the UK. Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that is the way Christians understand God. Celebrating Pentecost

Pentecost is a happy festival. Ministers in church often wear robes with red in the design as a symbol of the flames in which the Holy Spirit came to earth. Pentecost Symbols The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove. The first Pentecost Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. It sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit. People passing by at first thought that they must be drunk, but the apostle Peter told the crowd that the apostles were full of the Holy Spirit.

The Pentecost Poem below is written by Malcolm Guite, and is drawn from his collection, ‘Sounding the Seasons’, published by Canterbury Press.

Pentecost

Today we feel the wind beneath our wings Today the hidden fountain flows and plays Today the church draws breath at last and sings As every flame becomes a Tongue of praise. This is the feast of fire, air, and water Poured out and breathed and kindled into earth. The earth herself awakens to her maker And is translated out of death to birth. The right words come today in their right order And every word spells freedom and release Today the gospel crosses every border All tongues are loosened by the Prince of Peace Today the lost are found in His translation. Whose mother-tongue is Love, in every nation.

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Our love is with, and our prayers are for:

All those who are facing the stress of exams, whether at school, university or else-where. We wish you all success in achieving your aims.

We continue to pray for: Jill and Dennis Barkway, Gwen Bayes, Dennis and Kath Fenlon, Judith and Alan Goldsworthy, Norah Griffin, Pat Hards, Peter Killpack, Evelyn Payne, Martin Pollock, Gynette Sumners, Michael Thair, Ray White and Barbara and Tom Williams. All our members and friends who are facing problems or difficulties at this time.

May God be with you all.

Advance Notice Plans are already underway for next year's METHODIST TALENTS FESTIVAL which will be held on 7th March 2015 at Shirley Methodist Church. It is hoped that the syllabus will be available for distribution in June 2014. Many popular classes from previous years will be included and also some new ones. One of these will be "A Photography Portfolio" to consist of four black and white OR colour prints, maximum size 7" x 5" illustrating "Weather". Reach for your camera and start snapping RIGHT NOW!

Joan Ungemuth, Co-ordinator for Bromley Common

Help! As members of our former choir, we have been told in the past to sit en bloc, rather than scattered around the congregation, in order to lead the singing. In light of this - is there anyone, who can keep in tune, who is willing to come and sit in the choir pews to swell the numbers and so help the singing? We would be pleased to welcome you.

Former members of BCMC Choir

Maggie Ayres led our main (10.30am) morning service on Easter Sunday.

Our thanks to Maggie for taking on this huge responsibility and for doing it so well.

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May 7th Circuit Leadership meeting at Chislehurst 2.00pm 10th Brigades Annual Display 6.30pm 12th Pastoral Committee meeting, Minister’s Office 2.30pm 14th Worship Committee, Minister’s Office 7.45pm 20th House Fellowship at 21, The Avenue 8.00pm

June 5th Local Preachers Meeting. Chislehurst 8.00pm 17th House Fellowship at 21, The Avenue 8.00pm 17th Circuit meeting at BCMC 7.45pm 26th Brigades Junior Sections Open Evening 6.30pm

May 8th Sister Julia Crathorn, Chaplain

at St Raphael’s Methodist Home 15th Revd. Alex Terrett

Showing a film 22nd Outing to Coolings 29th Members Afternoon

June 5th Hogar el Alba Orphanage, Argentina Ceri Arkins

12th South Georgia - Peter Hearson 19th Release International

Margaret Evans 26th Members Afternoon

(Normally meets at 2.30pm)

The Methodist Amateur Dramatic Society at Orpington Methodist Church will be performing

‘Prepare to Meet Thy Tomb’, by Norman Robbins,

at Orpington Methodist Church on Thursday, 19th June and Friday, 20th June.

Tickets (price unknown) are available from Mrs Payne on 01689 831187.

The Bubbles Group normally meets on Mondays from 10.00am for play, stories and songs. All pre-school children and their carers are welcome.

Please note that the group will not be meeting on 5th,19th or 26th May.

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Please ensure that Chris Bate has all Information for the July/August issue of Common Ground on or before 15th June.

Sunday, 4th May - Third Sunday of Easter 10.30am Joan Mayes 6.30pm Service at Orpington, Rev. David Gillman Prayer, Music, Contemplation

Sunday, 11th May - Christian Aid Sunday 10.30am Gillian Dodds, Parade Service 6.30pm No evening service in the Circuit

Sunday, 18th May - Fifth Sunday of Easter 10.30am Rev. Jeanette Richardson, Holy Communion Thursday Group Anniversary 6.30pm Service at Petts Wood, Rev. Ushewokunze, Holy Communion

Sunday, 25th May - Sixth Sunday of Easter 10.30am Rev. David Gillman 6.30am No evening service in Circuit (Please note that little information on June services is available until May. The information listed is subject to change. Please check your weekly notices or our website - www.bcmc.org.uk - for news. We apologise if this causes any inconvenience.)

Sunday, 1st June 10.30am to be announced 6.30pm n/a

Sunday, 8th June 10.30am Rev Alex Terrett Parade Service 6.30pm to be announced

Sunday, 15th June 10.30am to be announced 6.30pm to be announced

Sunday, 22nd June 10.30am Rev. Alex Terrett, Holy Communion 6.30pm to be announced

Sunday, 29th June 10.30am Worship Leaders 6.30pm to be announced

We hope that you will all like our

Brigades Display and stay on to enjoy

a chat and refreshments in the hall

at approx. 8.30pm after the Display.