- NUNEATON UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

Christian witness in the local community for over 300 years

NEWSLETTER

April 2018

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PASTORAL LETTER

The following is an extract from a letter written by Lawrence Moore on his departure in 2016 from the URC Windermere Centre after 14 years as Director.

The message is especially fitting as we celebrate the joy and promise of the resurrection and accept the challenges of discipleship in the 21st Century

“What’s the point of church?”

I don’t think there’s a more important question to ask if we are going to invest the resources of time, energy, personnel, money and organisation that being a church demands

Neither do I think that the answer is as obvious as it might initially seem: it is very easy to frame our anxieties about the future of the church in the face of decline and apathy in terms of mission, when what is actually driving us is how to maintain as much of our current setup as possible for as long as possible.

There is only one good reason for the existence of the church, and that is to make a Jesus-shaped difference to the life of the world - and when I talk about “Jesus-shaped”, I mean “Easter-shaped”.

Jesus is defined by the Way of the Cross – dying and rising.

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I am convinced that what we need to discover most urgently as individuals, local churches and a denomination is what needs to die in order to for us to be resurrected to the New Life that God has for us in Jesus through the Spirit.

We need to find ways collectively of discerning what the key choices are that we need to make, and the risks that we need to take

That is how we will become faithful and effective – which may or may not prove to be the same thing as having a long-term future.

But it is the same thing as discovering Life and being part of the Good News we proclaim.

May the God who has brought us all to the place where we are be with us and bless us as we navigate the next bend in the road – wherever that may lead.

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REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY READINGS APRIL 2018

April 1 Easter SundayActs 10:34-43 ; Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; ; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ; Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18; Mark 16:1-8

April 8 Second Sunday of EasterActs 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31

April 15 Third Sunday of EasterActs 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48

April 22 Fourth Sunday of EasterActs 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18

April 29 Fifth Sunday of EasterActs 8:26-40; Psalm 22:24-30; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8

May 6 Sixth Sunday of EasterActs 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17

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THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

“On a hill far away stood an old Rugged Cross”

This well-loved hymn was written by a man called George Bennard in 1913.

George was born in Ohio and was the eldest of six children. When he was 16 years old his father died, leaving George to support the family.He became a miner, attending Salvation Army Meetings in the evenings.

At the age of 24, George became a Methodist Minister and was soon conducting revival meetings.Some years later he resigned from the ministry to become an evangelist and it was during this period that he began to write hymns.

His favourite scripture verse was John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

When quoting the verse, he seemed to always have a vision of a cross, a crude Roman instrument of death. It was stained with the blood of Christ, who gave his life in order that we might become Christians

He was later to say “I really didn’t write it. I was merely the instrument God used.”

"I seemed to have a vision of Jesus Christ on His cross and while watching my Saviour on that lonely hill at Calvary, the words and the tune just came into my mind.I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable,"

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Easter in the Early Church

In the early church, the Jewish Christians would very naturally from the beginning continue to celebrate the traditional Passover, but in the light of its fulfilment by the sacrifice of Christ and would dwell chiefly on the aspect of the crucifixion.

The Gentile Christians, for whom the Jewish Passover had no meaning except through reflection on the cross, would chiefly celebrate the Lord’s resurrection as they did on every Sunday of the year.

The early Christians commemorated the entire period between the death and resurrection of Jesus with vigils, fasting, special devotions, meetings culminating in a resurrection feast celebrating the whole work of redemption. The feast of the resurrection gradually became the most prominent aspect of the Christian Passover (Easter celebration), but the crucifixion continued to be celebrated on Good Friday”

The celebration of “Easter” as a special festival is an invention of the church around the second century when records show that Christians were celebrating Pascha (derived from the Hebrew word for “Passover”).

A document from the third century describes how Christians fasted on the Friday and Saturday before Easter, finishing with an all-night vigil on Saturday night. During the vigil, new Christians were baptized, anointed with oil, and received their first Communion.

This may have been the only time of year when baptisms occurred.

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In the late fourth century a famous Easter sermon by archbishop John Chrysostom gives clues about both the length of the vigil service and its meaning.

The archbishop told those who had waited to join the vigil until the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and even the eleventh hour not to be afraid because of their delay,

“for the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.” and that both those who had joined in the fast and those who hadn’t should “rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!”

The Easter vigil began in the dark of night and ended in the light of day, powerfully symbolizing how Christ’s death and resurrection moves us from darkness into light. There was also a practical reason for this time frame. Before Christianity became the religion of the empire, there was no weekend, so believers had to finish their celebrations before the workday began.

By the fourth century, Easter rituals had expanded to something similar to our modern Holy Week. The “Great Fifty Days,” the season of Easter joy lasting until Pentecost, emerged during this time.

Saint Augustine wrote, “These days after the Lord’s resurrection form a period, not of labour, but of peace and joy. That is why there is no fasting and we pray standing, which is a sign of resurrection.”

From this time period up until the Middle Ages, the main aspects of the Easter vigil remained the same (and are very similar to how the Easter vigil is observed by Catholics and some Protestants today).

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LADIES SOCIETYOn Monday 26th February - our first meeting of 2018 it was decided that the Ladies Society would only hold a meeting on the last Monday of every month at 2-30pm.Here are the dates of our meetings for 2018.Monday March 26th - AGMMonday April 30th. Monday May 28th. - No meeting. Monday June 25th.Monday July 30th.Monday August 27th. - No meeting. Monday September 24th.Monday October 29th. Monday November 26th.

Our speakers will be announced during the meetings.We extend a very warm welcome to any lady wishing to join us.Dreida.

MINISTRY OF FLOWERS

April 1 Doreen Spare 8 Pearl Burnett15 Susan Thoume 22 Ladies Society29 Liz RathboneMay 6 Caroline Phillips

Offertoryfor Sundays in February £879.37Communion offering £21.95

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Easter Eggs

For most children (and many adults) Easter is all about chocolate, mostly in the form of eggs of different sizes.

Decorating and colouring eggs for Easter was a common custom in England in the middle ages. It is said that King Edward I ordered 450 eggs to be gold-leafed and coloured for Easter gifts in 1290.

The eating of eggs was originally forbidden during Lent and so their return at Easter was welcomed and led to the tradition of giving dyed and painted chicken eggs, the custom of the Easter egg,The church regarded the eggs as symbol of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Christ.

In the eighteenth century, pasteboard or papier mache eggs with small gifts inside became popular. Faberge made its first jewelled egg in 1883,the most famous are those made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers.

The first chocolate eggs were made in France and Germany and were hard and solid. Cadbury first introduced moulded eggs in 1875 although they continued to produce cardboard eggs filled with chocolates until the 1930s………. and the rest as they say “is history”.

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St George

We commemorate the Feast Day of St George, the Patron Saint of England on April 23rd although this is generally a low key event compared with those relating to the saints of other nations in the United Kingdom.

References to St George can be found as far back as 735 AD in the writings of the Venerable Bede and he was popular as a warrior saint during the time of the Crusades and the “Hundred Years War”.

During the English Reformation, St George became the Primary Patron Saint when all religious flags, including all saints' banners except for his were abolished.

The flag of St George, with a red cross on a white background remains the flag flown by Anglican Churches by ancient and historic tradition.The flag of St George is also part of the Union Flag combined with the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland and the red saltire of St Patrick to represent Ireland.

St George was born sometime around the year 280 in what is now Turkey. He was a soldier and rose up through the ranks of the Roman army, eventually becoming a personal guard to the Emperor Diocletian. He was executed for being a Christian on April 23rd, 303.

There are many legends associated with St George, the most widely known being that of slaying a dragon.According to folklore, the inhabitants of the town of Silene in Libya had to offer a human sacrifice every day to the dragon which guarded the water supply. The person to be sacrificed was chosen by lots. On the day that St George was visiting, a princess had been selected to be sacrificed. However, he killed the dragon, saved the princess and gave the people of Silene access to water. In gratitude, they converted to Christianity.

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FROM THE CHURCH SECRETARYSnow againSunday March 18th saw the return of wintry conditions - although seventeen of us were able brave the elements to attend worship. We were grateful to Richard for leading our worship when our expected preacher was unable to make the journey from Birmingham, and Richard’s own service having been cancelled.

AGMOur AGM on March 21st was well attended by 19 members and we are grateful to Rev Colin Offor, who, with the agreement of the members acted as Chairman.Post holders 2018The list of Post holders for 2018 was considered and those listed indicated their willingness to serve. There was special appreciation for Ruth, who had stepped so seamlessly into the role of organist under sad and difficult circumstances and to the choir for their contribution to worship over many years.Election of EldersThe two elders who had completed their three-year term, Diana Collett and Janet Newborough, having submitted their names for re-election were duly re-elected for a further term of three years. Diana Collett agreed to continue as Church Secretary and this was confirmed by the meeting.FinanceHoward Burrows, retiring treasurer, presented a Finance Report for the year ending 31st December 2017 with an explanation of the figures and a comparison with the previous year.Howard was thanked for his care of the church finances.In the absence of offers from anyone prepared to take on the role of treasurer, the Elders have agreed to manage the finances as a team.Jenny is continuing in the important role of Gift Aid secretaryRobert Kinghorn has kindly agreed to help prepare the 2018 annual accounts

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Future of ministryThe new manse is now complete and has been handed over to the new North Warwickshire Pastorate. Responsibility will be shared by the four churches, coordinated by Brian Cartwright from Horeston Grange.As a consequence of the sale of our previous manse the Synod propose to return a proportion of the net proceeds to the church for general use in the church. This is good news for our renovation projects.

We are also pleased to report that a prospective minister has shown interest in the pastorate. Please pray for guidance at this significant time in the life of the churches.

Elders training dayOn Saturday March 24th all six of our elders attended a Synod Training Day at Warwick Road URC together with a large number elders from across the West Midlands. There were a series of 4 workshops, each of one hour so it was an intensive day but extremely informative.

Subjects included:

Elders’ responsibilities as Trustees Synod Trust Officer

Sharing the good news of Jesus Synod Evangelist

Issues of Health and Safety Synod Property Officer

Ministry with and among children and young people and safeguarding Synod Children’s and Youth Development Officer

“Walking the Way” and “Holy Habits” Stuart Scott, Synod Training and Development Officer

General data Protection regulation (GDPR)On May 25th 2018 the General data Protection regulation (GDPR) will replace the existing Data Protection Act.This has a number of implications for the church which can be summarised as a respect for everyone’s privacy.

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Further detailed information to follow.

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Lent Course and Holy HabitsMany thanks to Ken Newborough for leading our Lent meditations based on material from the Holy Habits material.

We have purchased a complete set of the booklets for the church and will be exploring further during the coming months

A prayer for Spring

For flowers that bloom about our feet,For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,For the song of bird and hum of bee,For all things fair we hear or see,Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,For pleasant shade of branches highFor fragrant air and cooling breeze,For beauty of the blooming trees,Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

From “We Thank Thee”by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1831 - 1914

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THANKS FROM THE CHOIRJust a word of thanks to the Church family for the lovely bouquets you gave to us during the service on the 4th March.It was very unexpected and very much appreciated.We are glad you have enjoyed the items we have presented over the years.Every Blessing

Pat, Ruth and Laraine

NEWSLETTERContributions always welcome

thoughts, comments poems (subject to copyright) and humour handwritten, typed or emailedurc.newsletter@outlook.com

Deadline April 29th2018For items to be included in the May 2018 issue

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CHURCH DIARY APRIL

Wed 4 Church Maintenance

Sun 8 Morning Worship 10.45am Alistair CrooksMission Aviation Fellowship

Mon 9 Lunch for the Vulnerable

Wed 11 Church Maintenance

Sun 15 Morning Worship 10.45am Johnny O’Hanlon

Mon 16 Lunch for the Vulnerable

Wed 18 Church Maintenance

Sun 22 Morning Worship 10.45am Ruth Gillett

Mon 23 Lunch for the VulnerableSt Georges Day

Wed 25 Church Maintenance

Thurs 26 Prayer Group 3.00- 4.00 pm 31, Fairway. CV11 6NP

Sun 29 Morning Worship 10.45am Margaret Marshall

Mon 30 Lunch for the VulnerableLadies Society 2.30pm

MAY

Sun 6 Morning Worship 10.45am Rev Ken NewboroughHoly Communion

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We extend a warm welcome to allSunday Morning Worship 10.45 am

Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday each monthThe Church is open for Prayer, Quiet Reflection or just to look around

on most Wednesdays between 10 am and 12 noon

Baptisms and Marriages by arrangement – contact Church Secretarywww.nuneatonurc.btck.co.uk

CONTACTSCHURCH2, Chapel Street, Nuneaton CV11 5QH024 76375010 (ansaphone)

MINISTER vacancy

CHURCH SECRETARY Mrs D M Collett 209, Hinckley Road Nuneaton CV 11 6LL024 76346175 E-mail: urc.newsletter@outlook.com

CHURCH FINANCESContact Church Secretary

FACILITIES MANAGERMr P Williams, 73 Ashleigh Drive, Nuneaton. CV11 6GQ024 76385540

NEWSLETTER EDITORMrs D M Collett 024 76346175 E-mail: urc.newsletter@outlook.com

ROOM HIREMrs R Gillett024 76383081 Mob 07879 605029

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