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The Parish of St Paul, Kersal Moorand St Andrew, Carr Clough
Our aim is to KNOW God through JesusTo GROW in faith
To SHOW God’s love in our communit
Easter 2011
Easter Article: After the Tsunami
What must it be like to survive? To be left standing; no family, no home. No business. No work. And soon… no water, or food. To know that a mile away a nuclear reactor is spewing poisoned air. To have no control. No base from which to be yourself; nothing to offer or to trade for help.
This is how we stand before Almighty God when books are opened and we feel the word ‘repent’, and know that ‘all that I can do is nothing worth’ (King Henry V: Shakespeare). This is what we are when all that mattered – all that made us mutter – soaks into the shadows cast behind the glory of the risen Son of God.
Tragedy in this life is always present at some time, in some part of the world, to somebody who spent their time on ordinary tasks, who did no more than go about their business, with no special interest in or fear of God. Ordinary people who said to themselves “the Lord does nothing, one way or another” (Zephaniah 1:12).
Tragedy happens equally to Christians and non-Christians both. Both are undeserving, and no-one is exempted from the freedom of a broken world. But for the Christian it need not be devastation - rather opportunity to trust the Lord and, knowing the mighty acts of God in history, to act out within our history the power of the resurrection of a dead man, Jesus.
‘The Lord does nothing, one way or another’ is a thought unworthy and sterile, compounding the misery of ‘this vale of tears’. At Easter we rehearse the story of the world’s attempt to silence the Word of Life… and our Father God’s reponse: refusing to comply, and raising Him to life again. How God refused to let us close down hope and would not let the powers of evil ‘win’. For life ‘in Christ’ is not "nasty, brutish, short" (Hobbes, 1651), but rather wonderful, enloved, and very long.
So what of tragedy? It is not God who sends the earthquake and tsunami – or sends the Saviour to the cross. It is creation marred by sin that does this: but the Lord is present still, and is not bound. The Lord sends people
in to help – he sends His people in to help - when people let themselves be sent.
When China was invaded by the Japanese, destroying all that Gladys Aylward had, she did not sit there, stunned and devastated. She got up and led 100 orphans over the mountains to safety. Children who thereon could never claim ‘the Lord does nothing’. It was the ‘frontline’ of her calling. What is yours? Where are you called to work out your salvation?
This Easter may you serve as you are ‘called’ to. May you live, cheerfully and with confidence, knowing the power of God ‘at work in you to will and work His good desire’(Phil 2:13). May you be at peace, and may you sing with joy however grim the world around, for our great Lord has overcome the curse of death (John 1:5), and He has made us overcomers, too (Rom12:21).
Revd Lisa
25.3.11
Pages 3,4&5
Poem
Whatever is lost – Jesus is always there,An ever-abiding presence at your side.Your pain and sorrow he is ready to shareAnd comfort you, uphold you and provideThe hope, though it be a heavy cross you bear,So heavy a cross- yet Jesus is always there.
Whatever you long for – Jesus is ever nearTo give of the inexhaustible fount of his love.He waters the garden of every groping prayerWith showers of mercy and blessings from above.That hope might flower though it cost a life so dear.Yet, to him, those he loved were still more dear.
Whatever threatens – Jesus is always near;Our Saviour, protector and friend whose matchless mightIs the power of God which made and placed you here;And all that thwart you he will put to flight,And make the way for you both safe and clear.-Say only the word and his Spirit shall appear.
Stuart Lester
March 2011 6
You are invited toAn Evening with
Bishop Christhe Bishop of Bolton.
at Claremont Tennis & Social ClubDoveleys Road Salford M6 8GN
on Monday 11th AprilDoors open 7 pm for 7.30 pm start
There will be a bar.
First half will be a talk by Bishop Chris2nd half will be Bishop Chris answering the questions we put to
him. Please feel free to bring a friend
PilgrimTravel (UK) LtdA personal invitation to join
a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Led by Revd Lisa BattyeDec 1st - 8th , 2011
£1169.00
(Including fuel surcharges, flight taxesand APD @ 21/01/10)
Book with Brenda, 07769673305or [email protected]
7
Dates for your Diary in April
Tonight -Sun 10th, 6pm, Flourish Celebration Service (Circuit Praise) – St Paul’s.
Monday, 11th “An Evening with Bishop Chris”, 7 for 7.30pm start, at Claremont Tennis and Social Club (See full page advert for details.)
Thu 14th, 8pm, St Andrew’s Ladies’ Circle, - Bingo (Thu 28th, speaker: Leita Donn).
Thu 14th, starts 6.30pm – 8pm, Espresso Church in Costa Coffee, Longfield Precinct. (2nd Thu in the month) Interesting speaker, coffee & conversation in a relaxed environment.
For Holy Week and Easter Services see insert.
Wed 20th, Parish Passover Meal, 6.45 for 7pm in Social Area, St Paul’s. To book see Maureen (792 4873) by 17th April. Minimum donation £3. *If you are going to Spring Harvest you need to book before you go!!
Thurs 21st, St Paul’s School Easter Service, 2.15 pm, St Paul’s Church
Easter Bank Holiday Mon 25th, Ramble from Rivington. Meet at Rainsough Community Centre 9.15 for 9.30am. More details from Judith or Rick (0753 927 5834).
Wed 27th, 11.30am, Luncheon Club, in St Paul’s Social Area
Fri 29th, Royal Wedding ‘Street Party’ at St Paul’s Church. We will be open from 10.30am, the ceremony is at 11am. We will show the wedding on 2 big screens in Worship Area followed by a bring and share ‘street party’ style lunch in the Social Area. People are encouraged to wear their best patriotic or red/white/blue clothes if they wish. Volunteers are needed to help set up the building from 9.30am, and wash and / or clear up too. If anyone has any ideas on how to add to/improve the event please contact Justine (0161 792 6782). Anyone willing to assist in any way is welcome.
8
Future Events
Bank Holiday Mon 2nd May, there will be a ramble . For details see Judith or Rick (0753 927 5834; [email protected])
Tue 10th May, 7pm, St Paul’s Spring Fair
Sat 14th May, Salford Deanery Rogationtide Walk, departs from St Thomas, Ford Lane, at 9am. Visit 15 churches on an 18 mile walk. More details on noticeboard.
Sun 15th May, Gift Day, St Paul’s. May 15th – 21st Christian Aid Week.
Wed 18th May, 6.15pm, Public Meeting at Butterstile School – to learn more about credit unions. See full page article .
Sun 22nd May, Deanery Confirmation will be at 6pm, St Luke’s, Weaste - corner of Liverpool St / Derby Rd Salford M6 5YD.
Advance Notice:Barry Woodward evening in St Paul’s, Sat 17th Sept. For more details visit www.salfordstories.com
9
The Imagine Project – what it means for you.
I've been asking the following questions of people in my work with the Imagine Project. They are key questions for anyone who wants
to grasp and live out what it means to be a whole-life, full-time, every-place, sold-out, missional disciple of Jesus. It's amazing how the spiritual temperature in the place goes up when you go round a room asking these questions and people begin to see that the witness of the 'scattered church' in the seemingly ordinary tasks of everyday life is actually immense. I'd love to hear YOUR answers. I think this may be the great untold story of the church. Instead of simply looking for a wave of revival in the future, we need to ride the wave of God's loving involvement with his world right now.So, please, give it a few minutes prayerful thought and let me hear your answers.I suspect we might begin to see some patterns of what God is doing nationally and internationally in and through the lives of his people. And I'm sure we'll be challenged to whole-life discipleship. Where's your frontline?
In other words, where do you spend most of your time?That's the WHERE of missional discipleship - realising that your mission-field is right where you are. What's God doing there?
This one tends to stop people in their tracks, and their initial response is often negative. But when they think about it - when they start looking for God - some interesting insights begin to emerge.That's the WOW! of missional discipleship - realising that God is already at work right where you are. What part do you have to play in what God's doing?
That's the WORK of missional discipleship - realising that it's not all about what you do, but that you do have a part to play right where you are
Pages 10&11
‘Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream’ Amos 5: 24
In times of recession debt is an ever greater threat... Debt cripples people, especially when it carries exploitative interest
rates. Christians are called to help lift yokes of economic injustice which cripples people spiritually. Credit Unions are an
ethical alternative to banks, owned by the members, with interest rates capped by law; they are also a great way to gain skills, challenge unemployment and build communities. Some
Churches, not just individuals, are now banking with Credit Unions.
Everyone is invited to a Public Meeting at Butterstile School on Wednesday 18th May – 6.15pm – to learn more about credit
unions and how they could benefit this area. For more details ask Revd Catherine, 0161 773 9859 OR 07711 611201 OR
12
Simnel Cake
Simnel cake was once made to mark Mothering Sunday, as it was on this day that the devout parishioners went to the Mother Church of the parish, or the Cathedral of the diocese, to make their offerings. Sometime during the seventeenth century the day became the festival of human motherhood when the whole family met together and apprentices and servants were given the day off – probably the only holiday in the year – and took flowers gathered from the hedgerows and, sometimes the gift of a simnel cake to their mothers from their employers.
‘I’ll to thee a Simnell bring‘Gainst thou go’st a mothering,So that, when she blesseth thee,Half that blessing thou’lt give to me.’ Robert Herrick 1648
Simnel cakes had been known from mediaeval times and the word simnel
probably derived from the latin word ‘simila’, meaning fine, wheaten flour from which the cakes were made. There were local specialities and Shrewsbury, Devizes and Bury made large quantities to their own special recipes and shapes – all were very rich with ingredients similar to those in Christmas cakes. It was the Shewsbury version that became widespread. The fourth Sunday in Lent is still known as Simnel Sunday in some areas.
Simnel cakes are now also eaten at Easter when eleven balls of marzipan are placed around the top layer to represent the eleven true disciples but the really good cake has a layer of delicious sticky marzipan in the centre.
13
The Bible – what it is and what’s in it .
This year Spring Harvest has the theme “Route 66”.
It’s all about the Bible and what it contains.
The Bible is a whole library in itself, consisting of 66 books split into two sections, the Old Testament (before Jesus) and the New Testament (about Jesus and early Christianity).
Like any library it has all kinds of writing in its books – poetry, narrative, histories, prayers, songs, letters, information, stories, instructions, myths, words of wisdom……………
It also has lots of different characters - kings, queens, teachers, prophets, lepers, beggars, soldiers, priests, good and bad fathers, eunuchs, mothers, prostitutes, devils, angels and of course…………..…God.
It has lots of different themes, too - love, hate, faith, greed, friendship, sex, trust, hope, despair, redemption, and salvation to name but a few!!
We know roughly when the Bible was written, the earliest parts possibly dating from about thousand years BC to the most recent parts written about 120 years after Christ’s death.
But what we don’t know is who wrote much of it. We know that there are many different authors, most of them men, and nearly all of them Jewish (Luke was a Gentile) and we know who
wrote some of it, like the letters in the New Testament, but much of the Old Testament remains anonymous.The first five books of the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are known as the Five Books of Moses, or the Torah. They are traditionally thought to have been written by Moses, but modern scholars have proposed that there were four or five authors. To investigate this, let’s take a look at the creation stories in Genesis. Read from 1:1 – 2:4, then from 2:4 – 2:25. There are two distinct stories, both explaining the creation of the world and humankind – if there was only one author why tell the story twice?Now look at the story of Noah (Genesis, Chapters 6–9) and there are two different stories there as well. One version states that God told Noah to take two of all the animals, birds and reptiles, (6:19) whereas the other says God asked Noah to take in seven pairs of each clean animal (7:2). Noah enters the ark twice, once in 7:7 and again in 7:13, and there is some confusion as to whether he sends out a raven or a dove.
An explanation for this is that the stories in the Old Testament “seem to have emerged from a long and complex process, involving countless unknown people remembering, sharing, finding significance, writing, copying, editing, collecting, preserving, transmitting & translating” (John Campbell Learning for Mission and Ministry, Module 1.3 An Introduction To The Bible and its Interpretation)Most of the Jewish law was passed down by word of mouth, and some of it still is. This oral tradition is where most of the Old Testament finds its roots.Does it matter to us if the stories differ slightly? Do we believe in them literally? After all, most people today have heard of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and many have read “A Brief History of Time” by Professor Stephen Hawking. Do you have to abandon belief that God was at the heart of any of these theories, Biblical or scientific?Which account of the creation you believe in is not important if you believe in the truth that God made the world and all its inhabitants. Does it matter if he created it in 7 days or 7 million years? It is still his creation and we are its custodians. He gave us the knowledge of right and wrong and the freedom to exercise choice, however the story is told.In the story of Noah what is important is that God wants to save mankind and the promises He makes to us in Chapter 9.
Of course, the New Testament is different: We know who wrote the gospels – or do we? The gospels are an eyewitness account – or are they?
They all tell the same story – do they?Many of us find it easier to believe literally in the events and stories told in the gospels as there is historical evidence of the existence of Jesus. There are also four versions of what happened so they are bound to be telling the truth as it happened.In fact the first gospel believed to have been written is the gospel of Mark, which was not written until 65-70 AD - more than thirty years after Christ’s death. It is widely believed that this account was used as a source for the gospels of Matthew and Luke. These first three gospels are called the synoptic gospels because they share a similar view. The last gospel, the gospel of John, presents a very different picture of Jesus and his ministry from the other three gospels.
Because it is the season of Easter let’s have a look at how that first Easter morning is portrayed in all four gospels (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24;1-12 and John 20:1-13).Even at a first reading we can see four very different stories:
How many women went to the tomb? One (John), two (Matthew), three (Mark) or more (Luke)??
Only John tells us that Peter and himself were present. Only Matthew mentions the guards. How many angels were there? Again there is disagreement.
Matthew and Mark favouring one angel, Luke two and John none at all until Mary was left there alone.
The endings differ too, In Matthew the women are joyful and run to tell the disciples, in Mark they are afraid and so say nothing, Luke tells us the apostles did not believe the women and John states the men went home leaving Mary Magdalene alone at the tomb.Who are we to believe??All the four gospels tell us one important truth:
CHRIST HAS RISEN! DEATH IS DEFEATED.
How then, does this affect our reading of the Bible? Any reading we do is open to interpretation – even a straight forward text like self assembly furniture instructions are open to many interpretations….as many peple can vouch to!
How then do we interpret texts which were written 2000 years ago in a different culture, translated from Aramaic to Greek and then to English, had no punctuation in their original form, and were put together from hundreds of manuscripts? Texts which originated from the oral tradition and passed down by word of mouth for many years before being written, about a person who didn’t write down anything at all!
When interpreting scripture I try to remember two things;
Does it contain a truth by which I try to live?
and
Where is the Holy Spirit in all of this?
I hope this helps you, too.
Kath Disley.
Pages 14-19
Service Details & Useful ContactsWeekly Sunday Services: St Paul’s - 10am, St Andrew’s - 11am Crèche, Children's Groups and Sunday School run alongside the main Sunday morning services in both churches.
Wednesday Services: St Paul’s - 10am & Coffee Morning, St Andrew’s - 2pm
Staff:Rector: Rev Lisa Battye MA MTh, 1 Moorside Road, Kersal M7 3PJ (0161-792-5362) Mob: 07539775483Curate: Revd Catherine Shelley, 94 Woodward Rd, M25 9TZ (0161-773-9859) Mob: 07711611201Churchwarden (St Pauls): Anthea Darlington, 32 Moor Lane, Kersal M7 3PZ (0161-792-1780)
Churchwarden (St. Andrew’s): Judith Walsh (0161-773-4773)Children's’ Groups Coordinator: Eileen Booth, 5 Moorside Road, Kersal M7 3PJ (0161-792-9960) Newsletter Editor: Rick Thompson, (0753 927 5834), Email: [email protected] with anything for inclusion in next newsletter by Tues 26th April
Churches:
Parish Office: St Paul’s Church, Moor Lane, Kersal M7 3WX (0161-708-9083 )St Andrew’s Church, Woodward Road, Prestwich M25 9TY (0161-798-5563)
For more information and past newsletters visit our website:
www.stpaulsparish.org.uk
