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Issue 16 September-October 2011 Issue 32 May — June 2014
Congratulations to the newly weds
Mr and Mrs Watson
F riday 28th March was a glorious day for the wedding of
Cathie Mayes and Aidan Watson, our St John’s Student
Worker. The whole day was filled with a celebration of
God’s amazing love and faithfulness, whilst guests were
filled with cupcakes after the church service before a reception
in Windsor.
Photograph by Sheila Wattley
Left from top : Norm Beers speaking to the congregation, Curt Hopkins
leading and social time featuring Duncan Reid & Caroline Butlin from St
John’s Ekklesia in Windsor….
Susan and Norm Beers explain more about the Windsor Fellowship
I n the New Testament, the word “church” (ekklesia in Greek) refers to the
gathering of God’s people in a particular location. So ekklesia is what’s happening
in Windsor! People who live in or near Windsor, from various congregations,
including St John’s, Egham, St Mary’s, Maidenhead and Christ Church, Virginia
Water, are meeting once a month on a Friday evening as the “Windsor Fellowship” for
a worship service and social time afterwards.
The emerging objectives of the Windsor Fellowship are to: 1. Worship God, 2. Build
community, and 3. Have a meaningful outreach to seekers and those not currently
attending a local church.
All of the churches represented at the Windsor Fellowship have excellent ministries
which have blessed us and prompted us to think of bringing that same blessing to the
community where we live. We have become more and more convinced that if we
could get believers in Windsor, Eton, Datchet and Old Windsor together in an
evangelical Anglican fellowship, we would have a vibrant, relevant ministry that could
positively impact our community with the love of Christ. Since our first meeting at the
end of February, we have drawn 75 people (including 16 children) from the Windsor
area. We are very excited about what God might have in store for our Windsor
Fellowship. We don’t know whether it is leading to a new church in Windsor or
something else, but we would ask you to join us in prayer that God will guide and
direct us.
Jeff Wattley will be speaking at the next Windsor Fellowship meeting on Friday,
30th May, at 7:30pm, at the home of Curt and Janice Hopkins, Beech House,
Hermitage Lane, Windsor, SL4 4AZ. Meetings planned for the summer are on 27
June, 18 July, and 29 August (also at the Hopkins’). All are welcome! If you plan to
come to one of our meetings or if you would like further information please email
Norm Beers ([email protected]) or Susan Beers([email protected]).
Editor’s Bit
transform May—June 14 Page 2
I ’m writing
this having
spent 5
days at Spring
Harvest in
Minehead; there were many highlights
including listening to the teaching of Dr
Paula Gooder, hearing of the growth of
the church in Cambodia from Barnabus
Man, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge’s
killing fields, one of the morning Big
Start all age gatherings where over
half the congregation turned up
wearing pants on their heads (all to do
with Christians being superheroes!)
and celebrating Good Friday with 4000
other Christians and When I Survey
the Wondrous Cross being sung with
the “guts” it deserves. Being at Butlins
also meant spending a lot of the time
in Splash Waterworld, probably being
exposed to more chlorine in a short
space of time than is actually healthy!
Picture the scene (if you can bear it!)
….flumes, rapids, a wave machine and
death defying pursuits such as the
“Thunderbowl” or the
“Masterblaster”….imagine the place full
of children, parents, grandparents,
teenagers….hear the cacophony that
comes with a combination of water,
people and life-guards blowing their
whistles. As I was dragged round the
rapids with one of our children for the
37th time, I was struck by the number
of children calling out “Mummy” or
“Dad”; sometimes in adrenalin fuelled
excitement, sometimes simply wanting
to get their parents’ attention to show
them their latest feat or swimming
achievement, sometimes looking for
reassurance that there was a parent
close enough to grab onto and
sometimes calling in pure fear! What
struck me was how hard it is
sometimes to distinguish your own
child’s voice amidst the screeches,
laughter and noise. One child’s high
pitched “Mummy” can in one moment
sound like your own child; do you turn
and check they’re ok, or do you
assume it’s someone else’s child and
you don’t need to be concerned?
Does God ever have that problem
when we cry out to him? When so
many call on his name at the same
time, how does he distinguish one
voice from another? When we call out
to him in praise and excitement “Give
praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what
he has done” (Psalm 105:1), when we
call on him for reassurance “Call to me
and I will answer you, and I will tell you
great and mighty things, which you do
not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3), when we
call out in fear “In my distress I called
to the Lord, and he answered
me.” (Jonah 2:2), or when we call on
him to save us “And everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved” (Joel 2:32)
Fortunately, God never has a
problem hearing us through
the cacophony; God is
Omnipotent (with unlimited
power) God is Omnipresent
(he’s present everywhere) and
God is Omniscient (with the
capacity to know everything
infinitely).
transform Editor, Alison
When I call on your name…..
“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me
and hear my prayer. Show me the wonders of your great love, you
who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their
foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of
your wings.” Psalm 17:6-8
about
The magazine for members of St John’s
Church in Egham. It is produced bi-monthly,
with the aim of helping to connect and build
our church family. Its purpose is to provide
information and encouragement on church life
and our family – specifically to show how God
is transforming situations and people.
It’s not designed for people who don’t yet
come to St John’s. But, if when you’ve
finished reading your copy, you’d like to pass
it on to a friend or neighbour, then that would
be great too!
Editorial
We welcome items for inclusion or ideas for
stories. Ideally these should be submitted in
an MS Word document, hi - res JPGs or
other el ec t r onic f or m , an d s en t b y
e m a i l t o [email protected]
The team
transform is edited by Alison Berry and
Laura Evans-Jones, with the support of a
wider team. New skills are always welcome!
Advertising
We accept adverts each issue both from
within the church family, and a small number
of external advertisements. Acceptance of
any advertising is at the discretion of the
editing team, and the acceptance of an
advertisement in transform magazine is not
necessarily an endorsement by the editorial
team of the service or product offered.
Deadlines The deadline for submissions to be
considered for the next edition of transform
(July / August 2014) is 13th June.
Yet our God who is so big has the
intimacy and attentiveness better than
the best parent; “Before they call I will
answer; while they are still speaking I
will hear.” Isaiah 65:24. He will never
lose his grip in a crowded swimming
pool, look away even for a moment, or
struggle to hear our voice amidst the
cries of many. What should our
response be? “Because he turned his
ear to me, I will call on him as long as I
live” (Psalm 116:2). Splash Waterworld at Butlins, Minehead
Two recommended reads:
“Heaven” by Paula Gooder
“Church Behind the Wire” by
Barnabus Man
transform May—June 14
Small Acts Big Impact
Page 3
40 acts is an annual Lent challenge; 40 days of giving back, doing
good and living generously. Here are 5 favourite ones for us all to
try...just don’t wait until Lent next year!
Definitely do try this at home!
An attitude of gratitude
There’s something rather wonderful about genuine grati-
tude: it impacts both the person who says thank you and
the person who hears it. Grab a pen and write a thank
you note to someone. Thank someone who doesn’t usu-
ally get thanked such as your bus driver, local postman.
These people need to be appreciated, and being thankful
is a great way to start the week!
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will in
you in Christ Jesus.' 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Always talk to strangers
Your challenge is to turn an old adage on its head. Don’t ignore
strangers, make a point of talking to them. Just a simple smile,
a comment about the weather and a ‘how are you doing today?’
can open up a really interesting conversation.
Treasure hunt
Let God lead you for half an hour. Put aside your
lunch break, go to a public place (a park, a pub,
plant yourself in a Tube carriage...) and ask God
to do something through you. Start small and see
what happens. You might end up buying a meal
for a homeless person and eating it with them, or
offering to pray for someone. Pray for those
around you, and conversations will follow. This is
about seeing what God can do with a chunk of
your day, when you give him the space to work.
'The gifts you've sent...they are a fragrant offering,
an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.' Philippi-
ans 4: 18
Domino
Likely to be visiting a coffee shop soon? Buy the next person in
line a latte (or a Panini). Or go bigger. Pay for someone's shop-
ping or petrol. The generosity of God is constantly being passed
along: The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Spirit. We are
loved, and then we love. 'Paying it forward' can be a micro-version
of this abundant grace that we get to be a part of. Generosity be-
gets generosity. Start something you won’t be able to finish, and
feel GOOD about it.
‘Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes’ Mark 4:25
Soapbox
Find a petition for change that resonates with you
and sign it. The online ones usually have a social
media sharing feature. Alternatively, write a letter
to your local councillor about an overlooked wrong
in your area. Whatever you do, wear your heart on
your sleeve about an injustice that gets you riled
up.
Transform
Family Focus
Page 4 Transform March
Page 4 transform May
..REPENT AND BE baptised every one of you
Christ FOR THE forgiveness of your sins.
Following their baptisms in March, Oliver
Edey & Tracy Ayley share their
encouraging stories of their journeys to
faith in Christ….
I ’m a theoretical physicist at Royal Holloway. I’ve
been a Christian for about 3 years, but it wasn’t
until recently that I could say that I had a
relationship with God.
My family had drifted away from church, and it wasn’t
until I was about 15 that we started looking at it again.
One of my biggest motivations was that when I looked
at Christians I could see that they were full of God and
I thought if there was a God and he gave such joy and
peace to these people, and he was so great as to
create the universe, then why wouldn’t I want to get to
know him.
I was introduced to the Alpha Course but it proved to
be more detrimental than anything as people around
me were falling on the floor and I was left standing
there feeling rather awkward, thinking that I was a
failure that this hasn’t happened to me. However,
working on the theory that “if at first you don’t
succeed…” I soon found myself on a second Alpha
course….over this period and up to my third Alpha, I
tried putting science and religion together and it
occurred to me that even though I could never prove
God with physics, I could see God in physics. To
quote Galileo “Mathematics is the language with which
God has written the universe”.
The next obstacle was that of talking with God. I
prayed, but heard nothing and didn’t ever feel God’s
presence.
Going on a 4th Alpha course didn’t kick start my
relationship with God, and I at this point of was starting
to feel like an “Alpha-holic”. Meanwhile I became
aware of someone with depression. I didn’t know them
very well but I hoped I could help. Despite them having
a tough time, their faith was still strong, and as I
prayed about their problems, I did hear from God. He
gave me the words to say and the courage to help. It
was the first time speaking to God, and knowing I
wanted this relationship. Even though I still struggle
with communicating with God, I remain steadfast that
he is the way. Now I’m confident in God’s love for me,
and want to take the next steps with him. Oliver
I ’m one of four children and as we were growing up, we were not
introduced to any faith or God. From a young age I was never satisfied
with what I had. I was irritable, restless and discontent. I learnt to fill this
hole in the soul with “things”; fantasy, relationships, illegal substances and
money – this was an instant fix for while, but the consequences to my
behaviour became unbearable. I was selfish, self centred and didn’t want to
live. I thought these things would combat the isolation and loneliness I felt. I
was introduced to a group of friends who had felt the same and I was taught
to pray. I asked God for help and I felt an enormous peace fill me for the first
time as I had contact with God. I kept talking to God, and I realised that the
things I had been using didn’t work. It has taken some time for me to chip
away at these old behaviours, but with the help of the loving support and
help from my
wonderful friends in
church, with whom it’s
been a privilege to
walk shoulder to
shoulder, I am starting
to build a relationship
with Jesus Christ. I
feel that I will find
myself lost and lonely
no more.
Tracy
Tracy Ayley
Oliver Edey “ If God gave such joy and peace and he was
so great as to create the universe, then why
wouldn’t I want to get to know him.
Page 5 Transform September-October 13
Page 5 Transform March—April 14 Page 5
Transform September—October 12
transform May—June 14
baptised every one of you IN THE NAME OF Jesus
FOR THE forgiveness of your sins. AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE
Holy Spirit” ACTS 2:38
The God that Changes Lives in Egham
L ast June, my daughter, Sarah, who’s 18 went to Costa in
Staines with her cousin. A man in a wheelchair came to her
seemingly from nowhere, and he said to them “Jesus loves
you”. They looked round that instant and he had gone. They looked
all round the shop, but he had vanished into thin air. When she told
us about it we said it could be an angel from above giving you a
message. We left it at that. In January this year she dreamt that she
was sleeping out in the open and this bright gold light came towards
her with a man in a white robe, who sat next to her bed and said “do
not worry, everything will be alright”…then disappeared.
We live in a cul de sac off Chertsey Lane. On 11th February, the
water level on our lane was waist high, and we had to be rescued in a
boat. The water was still rising, and when we left, the water had come
up to the front step of our house. We left everything as it was and
went to stay in a hotel then with some friends. After 5 days, we spoke
to a neighbour who said that the water was knee high so we could go
and see our house, but that all the properties had been flooded
inside. So we went back, and saw that the properties had indeed
been flooded inside. As we arrived at our house we were amazed to
see that the drive was totally dry as it wasn’t like that when we left it!
So we went further, went into the house, and Sarah gave a scream
and said “the house is totally dry”…when we left it, that couldn’t have
happened, as the water level was waist height everywhere. I know
that this is God working. My heart goes out to all those who have
been affected, and I don’t understand why, but what I’ve learnt has
been humbling; the prayers of our friends, church family has brought
us closer to God and closer as a family. When fear comes knocking
at your door, answer with faith!
Philip
Marianne, Philip & Sarah Oomen
….and the Oomen family share their
testimony of God’s protection of their
home during this year’s floods.
“ When fear comes knocking at your
door, answer with faith!
Siobhan Elliot MCFHP MAFHP Registered Foot Health Professional and
Reflexologist. Based in Egham.
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Advice and treatment for fungal infections and verrucas
Footwear & Home care advice / MediPedi' Pedicures / Foot Reflexology
Daytime appointments Monday to Friday
01784 431768
Egham Reflexology & Foot Care
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transform May—June 14 Page 6
Focus on our Mission Support Partners
O n 27th and 28th February FACT (Faith Awareness in Children
Trust) held a two day event at St John’s entitled A Time To
Wonder. The event aimed at KS2 children, aged 7-11 has
as its central aim ‘To provide an opportunity for children to
pause, focus and wonder about their own spirituality,
uniqueness and value from a Christian perspective.’
During A Time to Wonder children enjoy various activities all
intended to allow them to explore two questions of themselves ‘Am I
special? Am I important? The children are divided into three
small groups of no more than 10 and each group travels around
three different tents; The Rock Tent, The Good Fruit Tent and The
Prayer Tent.
The whole atmosphere of A Time To Wonder is one of slowing
down, feeling calm and taking time to wonder. From the moment the
children entered St John’s they engaged with the awe and wonder of
the event. The beauty of the building and the anticipation of the
lighted tents allowed the children to easily step into a time of
wondering.
We are always overwhelmed by the children’s reaction to what they
experience as they journey through A Time To Wonder. Each tent
is designed to build on the last and to gently pull out each child’s
worth to God. The Rock Tent focuses on encouraging children to
look at who they are on the inside rather that what they look like on
the outside. The Good Fruit Tent
asks the children to name their
‘good fruit’; their special
qualities. The Prayer tent allows
children to think about those who
are special to them and to think
about some of the things that can
stop us from feeling special. It is
extremely poignant when we
gather the children together after
they have completed their
journey to hear their responses to
what they have experienced:
I learnt that I am special
because there is only one of
me.
The fruit tent made me wonder
about some of the qualities I
have that I didn’t realise I have.
I learnt that I am more important than I thought.
The Rock tent made me wonder about the One who made
everything.
I have bad dreams and the Prayer Tent helped me to wash them
away.
I liked talking about who we are on the inside.
Many children can struggle with self-worth and to see the revelation
on a child’s face when they are confronted with their uniqueness and
value to God is such a privilege.
We have also received excellent feedback from teachers with one
writing to us to say ‘Every child got something out of A Time To
Wonder and that’s an almost impossible task.’
We are very grateful to you all at St John’s for allowing us to use the
church for this event and for subsidising each session as part of your
mission giving. We have been running A Time To Wonder for 3
years now and are often approached by teachers and children who
attended the first events to say how special it was for them.
“ For you created my inmost being; you knit me
together in my mother’s womb. I praise you
because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:13-14
Child Action Lanka : Jumpers & blankets knitted by the Craftea Ladies!
A Time To Wonder event set up at St John’s
Avril Pye from FACT talks to transform
about the recent events at St John’s
A Time to Wonder….
F our weeks, four out of the five projects— in summary a wonderful
chance to see the ongoing work and development of the charity.!
Week 1 : After a twelve hour flight, and three hour car
journey, we were glad to reach Kandy and see familiar faces - both
children and adults. CAL have found new premises to rent offering some
outdoor space where the children can play, and big enough that, in time,
it can house the four Kandy centres bringing all the children together
under one roof. The new building needs considerable work to make it fit
for purpose, but has kitchen space so the preparation of meals can
happen on site rather than being cooked outside of Kandy and
transported in by tuc tuc. After two days we travelled through the tea
plantation area to the Little Lambs nursery in Nuwara Eliya where the
children of low paid agricultural workers are cared for. Jenny, the
manager continues to do an
excellent job and has now
organised an after-school
programme increasing the
number of children being
offered food, care and
education. At Jenny’s request
Linda (Emmett) and I worked
with the staff team to offer
advice and training on their curriculum, childcare and how best to meet
the needs of individual children. They were particularly pleased to learn
from Linda how to make play dough! It was a privilege to join their
weekly worship time and pray together.
Close to home and far away!
transform May—June 14 Page 7
Lent for Lanka
Playdough, Ice Lollies and Footcare Sue Stafford reports back on her recent trip to Child Action Lanka in Sri Lanka
W eek 2 : Whilst Richard (Emmett) offered support with financial matters and Linda
worked with the Kandy centres, I travelled to Kilinochchi in the north of the country.
It is two years since this centre opened; the programme has expanded to include a
daily meal and, in addition to the afternoon lessons, some classes at 5.00am and some
evenings. Ramesh the manager works here alone and efforts continue to find a suitable co-
worker. A simple and basic two roomed dwelling/shelter is almost completed in the garden for
Ramesh and volunteers to sleep in so Jenny (who had come to translate for me) and I had the
honour of being the first females to stay there! It was lovely sleeping in the open air as it was
very hot but better not to think about the wildlife nearby (especially the snakes) as there are no
solid walls! A highlight for me here was seeing the excitement of over 50 children when we
cycled to a shop and bought them back an ice lolly each!
W eek 3 : Another long journey this time to the east of the
country, Batticola, where Sue (Kershaw), Liz (Gamlen) and
Ali (Salmon) offered their nursing and midwifery skills whilst I
met with staff and visited playgroups. The five centres play a major role
in the lives of hundreds of children many of whom walk some distance
in the heat of the day to attend. One centre has moved location for
safety reasons and they are meeting under the shade of the tree until a
shelter can be built. Although it is mainly dry, when the rains come they
can be heavy so a covering is a very real need and itt was a joy to
donate money that had been given to me for this purpose. There are
many other needs; in one of the playgroups I visited there were no toys
at all! (note the contrast with St John’s Playtime on the back page –
Editor!) The “medical team” offered basic health screening to all the
children (around 250) over four days
as well as meeting with around 80
mothers and grandmothers to discuss
and advise on women’s health issues.
They introduced this session by
talking about footcare (many women
have cracked and painful skin) and
washing the feet of most of the
women. This led onto a range of
topics and they described a moving
moment when a pregnant Mum heard
her baby’s heart beating for the first
time!
R egi, the manager in Batti is loved by all the children and took 50 of them for an outing to
the seaside in the “computer bus” whilst we were there. This is an old bus that has been
furnished with laptops and a generator, to take around to the communities who have no
electricity to teach computer skills. He told us about their excitement and the singing and dancing
on board the bus! We were left feeling humbled by the hardship facing so many families there,
including the staff who deal with challenges both at work and in personal lives, but inspired by
their resilience and spirit. As before, I was left me with a keener awareness of the inequalities in
the world and some of the realities of poverty. I also saw what a difference it has made to them
becoming a Mission partner of St John’s. They feel supported and encouraged by our prayer and
financial support and were thrilled with the recent shipment! It was good to see how useful many
things have already proved to be; all the exercise books donated by local schools are being used
and the children in Nuwara Eliya, where it can be quite cool at times, loved the jumpers and
blankets knitted by our wonderful Craftea ladies!
Debbie is planning to visit St Johns on 1st June so she can share more about the work and the vision of CAL. I am hoping to visit Sri Lanka again in
August and am always keen to hear from anyone who has an interest in visiting or volunteering in the future. Thank you for your ongoing support !
Page 8
transform November-December 09 Page 8
transform May—June 14 Page 8
Children at St John’s
Could you be part of Playtime’s
Mission?
The real need is for St John’s parents
to come along! Most of the helpers
are of a different generation from the
people for whom the group is run and
It would be so good if some of the
young families in the church could
come and support us simply by
bringing their little ones along. You
don’t need to take on any
responsibilities but just being there is
an opportunity to truly serve the
community and welcome people in the
name of Jesus.
Plus volunteers for moving equipment
or making tea are needed too!
“
www.ataxia.org.uk
“THAT THEY MAY see and know THAT
THE hand of the Lord HAS DONE
THIS” Isaiah 41:20
Circle time
Linda Matthew talks to transform about Friday fun!
N ot to be confused with Playbox (that’s our St John’s registered, pre-school
nursery, where children are unaccompanied), Playtime is our lively toddler
group (a group for pre-school children accompanied by their parents or
carers), meeting in the church centre, on Fridays during term time, from 1 –
2.45pm.
Playtime consists of well, playing really! There are lots of toys, trains, a slide,
dressing up things, a toy kitchen, lots of dolls, play-doh, organised craft activities, a
“circle-time” with singing, celebrating birthdays, then time for parents to have a cup
of tea! We also include bible stories and Christian songs/choruses. We always
have a member of the pastoral team (led by Carol Peters) present to support and
get to know folk.
That’s what goes on – and it’s often quite noisy, generally a
bit messy, and occasionally a bit smelly! But essentially,
Playtime is mission. It is a toddler group operating at in the
heart of the “inviting” part of our church’s goals. Playtime is
about our church
being brought into
the community and
a means of Christ's
love to be shown to
everyone. Building bridges and friendships
across the spectrum of social & ethnic
groups, by which we earn the right to share
the good news of the love of Jesus.
We aim to provide an excellent toddler group
in every way, but ultimately, our aim as
Isaiah 41:20 says: "That they may 'SEE AND KNOW', may
consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done
this." We’re aiming for excellence, not just because it’s good
practice, but in order to glorify God!
