THE OPEN DOOR

Myriad web

The Magazine of the

Lymington United Reformed Church

JULY/AUGUST 2011

FROM AN ELDER I was requested by the Elders—and this is what happens when you miss a meeting—to ask people to write a little bit for the magazine. These people were the ones who did little jobs around the church; often ones that went almost unnoticed. I set about making a list and found to my surprise at least 30 jobs, some quite onerous, like that if the church Treasurer and others like sending out birthday cards or ordering fresh stocks of coffee. Everyone of the jobs carefully done makes for the smooth running of the church. It is good that so many people are able to use their talents and work together for the glory of God, and as a result create a church that is able to help those who are needing a boost either financially, physically or spiritually. One of the first lessons to be learned is that there is no-one who can do God's work alone. Not only can no person do God's work alone, God never intended for us to even try. God has given each of us unique and special gifts for which to serve Him. Some people are more gifted than others, but there is no one that has all of God's gifts. Some of the most successful sports teams in history have been teams where there were no real superstars, but teams where everyone did their job and played their role. In a film, there may be some actors who are more prominent than others, but it takes the entire cast to make the film successful. More than that, it takes the behind-the-scenes people such as make-up artists, set designers, writers, producers, and technical people all working together to make a successful film. God's people must work together for significant things to happen in the lives of people.

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Bill Keller, an American evangelist says: My prayer for you is that you never forget that it takes all of us working together to make things work in the Kingdom of God. I pray that you will use your talents each and every day to help further His work at home, school, work, in your church, community, and all the places God has placed you. When God's people work together, there are no limits to what can be accomplished in His name and for His glory! And in Corinthians 3 we read: After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are simply God's servants, by whom you were led to believe. Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do:

6 I planted the

seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow.

7 The one who plants and the one who waters really

do not matter. It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow.

8 There is no difference between the one who plants

and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done.

9 For we are partners working

together for God, and you are God's field.

Judith

SECRETARY'S NOTES JULY/AUGUST 2011

At our July Communion Service Rev'd. Alan Green will ordain David Bywater and induct him with Catherine Bowell, Margaret Clark and Jenny Henderson to bring the Eldership team to 8. We are grateful to all 4 of them for their willingness to make this commitment. Our July Church Meeting returns to lunchtime on Sunday, 17th July, so don't forget your sandwiches etc..

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It's summer holiday time so there aren't many organised events but you can enjoy tea/coffee and a chat in the Open Door Cafe every weekday and, from 29th July, you can indulge in a Cream Tea every Friday afternoon, thanks to Margaret Clark. Go on, treat yourself!! Please support the Annual RNLI Service at the Bath Road bandstand. It's further on in August this year on 21st and at an earlier time, 4.30 p.m.. It's good to meet together to recognise the RNLI and pray for their work. The speaker is Rev’d Alex Russell, Vicar of St. Mark’s, Pennington and chair of Churches Together. Hope you have a happy summer and can take some time off to rest and relax, especially our young people who have had to cope with all the trials and tribulations of sitting exams. At least it's over and you can chill out for a while.

Sandra

BASICS BANK

Over the last few months, there has been an average of 2 parcels a day going out. We have seen an increase in young people who have had to leave home for some reason and are, basically homeless, and relying on friends to let them sleep on floors and settees, wash, and use cooking facilities. There have also been more families asking for help where one or other or both parents have lost jobs. This accounts for well over 100 children each month in our Basics Bank figures. The economic situation isn't improving! Thankfully, we continue to receive donations of tinned, packet and dried goods, toiletries, baby goods etc.; and people - individually and as part of a Church or organisation - have been

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very generous with money contributions. There is often a story attached to these contributions. Probably, the most amusing has been the cheque for £100 from our M.P. Desmond Swayne from the sale of one of his bow-ties! See our autumn newsletter for the details. We really rely on your support to enable us to keep going and to meet the needs of some of our community. Thank you in anticipation!

THANKS Thank you very much to the people who collected loose change during Lent. Just over £70 will be sent to WaterAid and will go some way to helping families across the world gain access to safe water and sanitation. (Counting all the pennies reminded me of the barrow loads we collected when we were raising funds for our new buildings! That seems a long time ago now, doesn't it?) Thanks for taking part and, every time you turn on a tap, spare a thought for those who don't know such a blessing. You might even consider giving regularly to WaterAid, perhaps by a monthly direct debit. They can be contacted at WaterAid, 2nd Floor, 47-49 Durham Street, LONDON, SE11 5JD or telephone 0845 6000 433.

THANKS 2 Thank You to everyone who helped at the Church during the Lymington Arts Festival in June. You will all be happy to learn that one visitor described us as a very friendly Church whilst another actually said “You’re really famous now, aren’t you “!

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CHURCH FAMILY NEWS It's celebration time this summer as Rev'd, Lawrence Squires receives his telegram from the Queen to mark his 100th birthday on 6th July. Well done, Lawrence! We hope all goes well with the various get-togethers that are planned. There'll be excitement in the Bowell household, too, at the end of August as Alice reaches adulthood with her 18th birthday. Congratulations and love to you both from us all. God bless!

CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY In July we send our “Happy Birthday" wishes to Carli Wildschut (12) on 1st Esther Bowell (15) on 29th and in August, it's many congratulations and 'Happy Birthday to you' to Alice Bowell, who celebrates her 18th birthday on 31st!! We hope each of our young ladies enjoys their special day.

CORRECTIONS TO THE DIRECTORY

Please note Janet Taylor’s new e-mail address is: j-d.taylor@sky.com

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LYMINGTON URC DIARY EVERY WEDNESDAY the Prayer Group will meet in the Church from 9.15 a.m. until 10.00 a.m. Everyone welcome.

COFFEE MORNINGS

EVERY MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, from 10.00 a.m.—12 noon, in the Open Door Café. On Tuesday 19th July and 16th August, Carers' Café. Every Tuesday the Open Door Cafe proceeds support the Good News Children's Home Mombasa and local charities and Groups

The Open Door Cafe will also open on Fridays during the summer and will be staffed by members of the Fellowship and Fundraising committee.

EVERY SATURDAY, from 9.30 a.m.—11.30 a.m., in the hall.

SUNDAY WORSHIP JULY 2011 3rd 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship including Communion and Ordination and induction of Elders led by Rev’d Alan Green 10th 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship led by Sandra Jackson 19th 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship led by Rev’d Margaret Tilley Followed by BYO lunch and Church Meeting 24th 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship led by Mrs Mary Ann Jardine 6.30 p.m. Solent Mead Service

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31st 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship led by Mrs Brenda McCarron 6.30 p.m. 5th Sunday Service at All Saints, Woodside Led by the Methodists.

SUNDAY WORSHIP AUGUST 2011 7th 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship including Communion led by Rev’d Valerie Chapman (Methodist Church) 14th 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship led by Sandra Jackson 21st 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship led by Mrs Mary Ann Jardine 4.30 p.m. Annual RNLI Service at the Bandstand, Bath Rd. 28th 10.15 a.m. Elders’ Prayer Time in Vestry 10.30 a.m. Worship led by Dr Rob Bowell 6.30 p.m. Solent Mead Service

EVERY WEEK there will be Junior Church and coffee/tea after the service.

OTHER EVENTS EVERY FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH, New Forest Disability Information Service Outreach Session in the Open Door Café, 10am to 12noon, with Jean Reece (not on Bank Holidays though). Free Wi Fi connection to the internet available in the Open Door

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Cafe, Balcony and Main Hall areas. Just ask for the required password!

EVERY SATURDAY MORNING: Car Boot Sale in the Forecourt from 8 a.m.

JULY 2011 Tue. 5th 7.00 p.m. Elders’ Meeting Mon. 18th 7.30 p.m. United Prayer and Praise Fellowship meets in the Church led by River of Life Church.

AUGUST 2011 EVERY FRIDAY AFTERNOON at 2.30 p.m. Cream Tea in Open Door Café. Sun. 7th After church Summer BBQ at Cathy Bowell’s. Fri. 12th 12 noon Basics Bank committee meets in BB. Mon. 15th 7.30 p.m. United Prayer and Praise Fellowship meets in URC, led by URC.

CLOSING DATE FOR SEPTEMBER 'OPEN DOOR’: 14th

AUGUST

THANKS 3 I would like to thank all of you for your support and prayers following the loss of my father. It is especially comforting to have the love of a very caring church at this sad time. Your cards and letters were really appreciated.

Jill Haslett

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UNSEEN WORK NUMBER FOUR PASTORAL CARE If you were at the service on June 5th you would have heard the Revd Paul Holmes emphasizing the importance of Pastoral Care. Subsequently Judith asked me as "convenor" to outline the work of our own Pastoral care team. Pastoral care visitors are normally invited to be a visitor by the Minister. We currently have twelve visitors, some of them Elders. We currently meet every two months as we are again in Interregnum and it is so important that we need to be aware of any concerns that our congregation may have. I must emphasize that these meetings are totally confidential. If there are any concerns which are worrying we do refer them to the Elders for guidance. Pastoral visiting depends very much on individual needs. Some people welcome visits whilst others prefer to be kept in touch by the delivery of the magazines. Some will welcome one to one prayers, others would find this intrusive. It is all about caring through sharing and is a very privileged opportunity to look after each other.

Jenny

CROQUET ANYONE?? Moore Blatch contacted the Church about entering a team for a croquet match and tournament in support of Oakhaven Hospice. The team must comprise of 4 players, played on a week day evening and is against another local firm or organisation from the Lymington area. The match

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fees are £30.00 per team and will be donated to Oakhaven Hospice. Now... due to the fact we had to reply quickly 4 of us got together and entered a team to play - Me, Kate, Gerry & June! Our game date is Wednesday 10th August, 5.30pm start. Supporters and taking a picnic are welcome and if any one wants to come along and see us lot make a fool of ourselves please let me know as I have to confirm names to Moore Blatch (knowing our luck we'll be up against professionals!!). The event is subject to the weather of course and if cancelled the fees will still be donated to Oakhaven. There are other match dates so if anyone else would like to enter a team from the Church then please contact Jennie Baxter at Moore Blatch on 01590 625814 and have a chat with her for an update on availability. Better go and practice swinging my mallet then......:-).

Helena

UPDATE ON CONVERSION OF THE PARKING SPACE The Church has contacted the NFDC Transportation Section WITH regard to the current situation on converting the parking space between us and the Old Manse to motorcycles only. Here is that update.....

"Dear Helena, As a consequence of having to undertake further consultations to revise the proposals at several of the sites in the traffic order, a revised timetable will affect introduction of the changes (no change to the Church item). The order

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will now be ‘made’ next week, and come into operation on 29 August. Later than initially hoped but, should assist you when in place.

Allan Ellis - Traffic & Lighting Engineer Transportation Section."

FIRST AID BOXES

A reminder where the first aid boxes and fire blankets are located in the Church. Firstly look out of for the standard first aid signs (white cross on a green background)... 1) Large box AND blanket are found in main hall kitchen cupboard near the serving hatch. 2) Small box is found in the Open Door Cafe tea point. 3) An additional blanket is in the Minister's glassed area on the balcony on shelf under glassed top coffee table.

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LADY ZING CHOIR We are very pleased to report that the concert raised £789.35 for our Open Door Project. The concert was enjoyed by around 120 people. It was wonderful to see the church so full. Our thanks go to our team of ladies who helped in the kitchen and particularly to Helena for her support both prior to the event and on the day of the concert.

Peter and Jill

Editor’s note: I’m sure everyone would agree that the success of the evening was due mainly to the hard work put in by Peter and Jill in arranging everything from advertising to ticket sales. Many thanks to you both!

CHRISTIAN AID

Thanks are due to the following members who collected for Christian Aid this year: Lorna Barbour Peter Haslett Maureen Kerr Jane Saqui Shelagh Richardson Together with the church donations, Christine Luxon’s plant sale and the proceeds from the Zanzibar supper evening this enabled us to send a total of over £750 to Christian Aid this year.

Shelagh and Peter Richardson

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CHURCH UPDATES Cruse Bereavement New Forest Cruse Bereavement New Forest outreach has started again at the Church using the Open Door Cafe every 3rd Thursday of the month 10am to 12noon. Death is a part of life, and grieving a natural process. Cruse is committed to breaking the stigma around grief and ensuring that everyone, no matter how old or young, can access the highest quality support following a bereavement. Trained Cruse Bereavement volunteers will be on hand in the Open Door Cafe to offer help. A helping hand and a fast fold?? The Church has purchased two new "Fastfold" tools to assist in folding the main hall Gopak tables - one for each table trolley. So, if you have difficulty in handling the tables please use them. Happy folding!!!!

KEYHAVEN SONGS OF PRAISE Having heard the Boscombe Salvation Army band indoors in the Autumn, you might like to know that they play each year on the Quay in Keyhaven The date & time is dependent on the tide – we watch it coming or going - but this year it will be on Sunday 31

st July at 5.30 pm

Bring a chair, come early to park and enjoy singing familiar hymns and worshipping God in a wonderful setting. The proviso is always “if wet, in All Saints Church, Milford” but

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despite dark clouds hovering this has never happened in ten years.

Christine Luxon

NEWS FROM AMERICA For those of you who remember Jim and Melody Bell, the American Pastor, his wife and family who exchanged with Jane and Roger back in 2000, here is an extract from his latest family news after their son, Andy’s recent wedding: The wedding was a wonderful and glorious event. The beautiful weather allowed the wedding to be held outside as planned, in the West Point on the Eno (River) Amphitheatre, a rather isolated park in the city of Durham. The temperature during the time of the wedding was ~ 75 degrees F. The humidity was much lower than it could have been. There were approximately 100 people present. Andy and Erin had rented a large tent which served as the place for the luncheon and the festivities that followed. Under the tent, with an occasional breeze, it was very comfortable. The Rev. Dr. Marty Cauley conducted the wedding ceremony. He was the Director of Ministries with Young People at Lake Junaluska Assembly in the mountains of western North Carolina. Andy had worked under him for three summers during his college years. Dr. Cauley now pastors a United Methodist church located approximately 75 miles from Durham, so it was convenient for him to officiate at this wedding. This enabled me to only have the role of father of the groom, which was a blessing for me. During the wedding our daughter, Sarah, read the

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epistle lesson from Romans 12:9-18. A number of Andy’s friends and classmates from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT, attended. He also had some former classmates from NC State University attend. There were a couple of former classmates from Topsail High School in Hampstead who came to the wedding. One young man drove with his wife and their three children from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a journey of over 21 hours driving time. Andy’s new wife, Erin, graduated from NC State University in 2008 with a degree in biomedical engineering. She is working in the management department of Newell Rubbermaid at its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Now that Andy has graduated from Yale Divinity School, he is seeking a position as a research librarian in one of the theological seminaries in the Atlanta area. Given the current economic climate, he realizes that he may have to accept another position on a temporary basis as he searches for what he would prefer to do. Thank you very much for your email and your thoughts and prayers. Grace and peace to you, Jim. Editor’s note: I love the American approach to travel, 75 miles is a “convenient” distance! Judith and I were invited, but 3000 miles seemed just a little too far. Jim Bell can be contacted at Rosemary United Methodist Church: e-mail: rosemaryumc@embarqmail.com Web site: http://www.rosemaryumc.org/

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ROTAS FOR JULY COMMUNION SUNDAY: 3rd COMMUNION ELDERS: Mary Ann and Sandra DUTY ELDER READING IN CHURCH 3rd: Judith Baker Jenny Henderson or Brenda Green 10th: John Wiseman Margaret Clark 17th: Mary Ann Jardine Wyn Davies 24th: Sandra Jackson Glenys Bradshaw 31st: Margaret Clark Mike Saqui STEWARDS SOUND SYSTEM 3rd Janice Perkins and Jenny Henderson Gerry Copperi 10th Ann Longney and Kate Noon Peter Richardson 17th Ann and David Hooper Wyn Davies 24th Norma and Mike Bell Mike Saqui 31st Liz Griffiths and Steve Turberville Margaret Clark COFFEE MORNING ROTAS Saturday Sunday 2nd Mary Ann Jardine 3rd Helena Carr 9th Judith Baker 10th Jenny Henderson 16th June Copperi 17th Ann Webber 23rd Ann Webber 24th Shelagh Richardson 30th Mary Ann Jardine 31st Ann Longney

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ROTAS FOR AUGUST COMMUNION SUNDAY: 7th COMMUNION ELDERS: Margaret and Jenny DUTY ELDER READING IN CHURCH 7th: Catherine BowelI Mary Ann Jardine 14th: Judith Baker Kate Noon 21st: John Wiseman Gerry Copperi 28th: Mary Ann Jardine Wyn Davies STEWARDS SOUND SYSTEM 7th Shelagh and Peter Richardson Gerry Copperi 14th Jill and Peter Haslett Peter Richardson 21st Gill Wiseman and Ron Parker Wyn Davies 28th Janice Perkins and Jenny Henderson Mike Saqui COFFEE MORNING ROTAS Saturday Sunday 6th Judith Baker 7th Ann Hooper 13th June Copperi 14th June Copperi 20th Ann Webber 21st Janice Perkins 27th Mary Ann Jardine 28th Margaret Clark

OPEN DOOR FELLOWSHIP AND FUNDRAISING

Forthcoming events:

We have an outline calendar of events for the year as follows:

• Fridays—Open Door Café*,

• Cream Teas, August 5th to August 26th. (note

change of start date)

• Sunday BBQ, chez Bowell, August 7th,

• Hard back book table sale, September 24th,

• Anniversary lunch, October, tba,

• Aires and Graces concert, November, tba.

*If anyone can spare 2 or 3 hours on a Friday to serve coffee, please let a member of the Fellowship and Fundraising Commit-

tee know.

Jane and Cathy’s BBQ,

7th August after church.

at the Bowell residence; 7, Forest Gardens,

Lyndhurst.

Turn left opposite the Penny Farthing Hotel.

Minister: Vacancy Secretary: Sandra Jackson. Tel 01590 676306 Editorial Team: Wyn Davies. Tel 01425 616384 e-mail: WynBDavies@sky.com Church: Web site: http://www.lymurc.org.uk/ Tel 01590 676306 e-mail: adminurclym@btinternet.com Basics Bank web site: http://www.basicsbank.org.uk/ Tel 01590 610008

PLEASE NOT: This magazine is printed on paper from re-newable sources out of our concern for the environment.