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JESSOPP ROAD NEWSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
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FEBRUARY 2014
THE MAGAZINE OF
The United Reformed ChurchJessopp Road
AND
St Peter’s Methodist ChurchNORWICH
Minister St Peter’s Methodist
Rev Helen Freeston, 13 Blackhill Wood Lane, Queens Hills, Norwich, NR8 5GGTelephone 01603 742299E mail: [email protected]
Editor
Keith Poltock, 127 Connaught Road, Norwich, NR2 3BSTelephone 01603 622805E mail: [email protected]
WEDNESDAYS 10.00 am - 12.00 midday
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Do come and support this community venture
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Jessopp Road News February 2014
Minister Jessopp Road URC
Rev Alison Davis, 28 Norwich Road, Wymondham, NR18 0NSTelephone 01953 609971E mail: Davis Alison [email protected]
Copy for next issue as soon as possible or by Wednesday 12th February at the latest please. Keith E Poltock.
St Peter’s News is published by Keith E Poltock for Jessopp Road URC and St Peter’s Methodist Church, Jessopp Road, Norwich.
CCLI - Copyright Licensing Church Agency Licence. No. 2133280
St Peter’s News
Ian Fostenwrites *
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Dear All
Over the past four months I have enjoyed visiting and preaching in all seven of the NAURC (Norwich Area United Reformed Churches) churches and look forward to this pattern continuing. Something very striking occurs to me when I reflect on those experiences - just how varied and distinctive those seven churches are. What has also been encouraging is the renewed sense of local mission and purpose which is apparent in them. That being so, and mindful that within the next few months both Liz and Alison will be moving on, discerning just what is an appro-priate pattern of paid and volunteer ministry for NAURC is a task which is equally pressing and far from simple!
If the local church situations are diverse here are a couple of principles which apply to all and which we all need to grasp firmly if we are to flourish.
Firstly: the success of a local church does not, has not, nor will it ever depend upon the presence and contribution of a minister. No doubt those with long memories will ‘remember’ golden eras when Revered So-and-so preached to hundreds, the Sunday School was bursting at the seams and Young Wives were young! Such memories are not wrong so much as distortingly incomplete, for such past con-gregations also had a large number of able, committed folk who taught children, ran youth work, managed finances, stoked the coke boiler and a thousand other tasks which contributed to the whole. Today’s mainstream churches often face a ‘double-dip’ situation wherein small and older congregations come up against a prevailing culture in which deferring to the expert is the norm. This places an unre-alistic expectation upon ‘the minister’ and undermines the actual skills and abilities of folk who make up the congregation. When faced with a large, hungry and, pos-
sibly, intimidating crowd Jesus says to his disciples ‘You, your-selves give them something to eat .....’
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Rev Helen Freeston returned from her Sabbatical on 1st February 2014.
In contemplating present and future ministry provision the fist question for a local congregation is not ‘what do we want ? ’, but, ‘what do we already have ? ’ - then, and only then is it appropriate to ask the enabling and creative question, ‘What can additional ministry add to our situation?’
The second principle is to value and make good use of the decision-making oppor-tunities that we have. I honestly believe that seeking collective understanding and wisdom through church, elders and other gathered meetings can be unsurpassed as a mature means of discerning God’s intention. When such meetings work well they can be inspirational as well as efficient and effective. However, this well-work-ing depends upon participants being prepared and attentive, being as enthusiastic about listening as they are about speaking, holding convictions yet also keeping a purposefully open mind, and understanding that the ‘right decision’ is not synony-mous with ‘getting my own way’!
Over the coming months in meetings, worship and conversations I look forward to our growing understanding and delight in discerning God’s way for us all.With every good wish
Ian Fosten.
* Rev Ian Fosten has been appointed to the ministry team which looks after seven United Reformed Churches in Norwich and surrounding areas. Ian is no stranger to the area having served in Norwich and Wymondham between 1981 and 1996. He subsequently worked on Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and in Lowestoft where he still lives and is a director of the Seagull community theatre. Source: Network Norwich.
Women’s World Day of Prayer
Thursday 20th February 2.30 pm Preparation and Rehearsal for the
Women’s World Day of Prayer at Jessopp Road URC
Friday 7th March 3.00 pm Earlham Branch Service
on the Women’s World Day of Prayer at Jessopp Road URC.
Speaker: Rev Helen Freeston
The BuzzFour more exciting initiatives from Methodist churches
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WORSHIP Space for GodLongton Methodist Central Hall, Stoke-on-Trent
Longton Methodist Central Hall provided Christmas Day meals for the first time this year, on a “pay what you can, if you can” basis.
“Space for God” prayer sessions have also been popular at the hall. Evening meetings have seen 80 or more people gathering for quiet reflection. A new prayer room is cur-rently in development along with the crea-tion of “quiet spaces” inside the hall.
Support for the Christmas meals came from local councillors and businesses, as well as church folk. Longton Methodist Central Hall already hosts a fortnightly pop-up cafe called “Feed ‘em Freedom” which oper-ates on the same basis. Earlier this year, the church opened a school uniform re-cycling exchange and community hub in one of the shops at the hall’s front entrance. Items of uniform are donated, washed, pressed, re-paired and sold for a nominal amount from the shop.
The Revd Jeff Short said: “We are also hosting a Filipino Church, a Messy Church, University of the Third Age classes, various clubs and groups, choirs and bands, tea and toast mornings, and we have teamed up with the local children’s centre to run a weekly toddlers group. There is a growing sense of anticipation about the place, which has also has some extensive refurbishment in the recent past.”
Email: The Revd Jeff Short [email protected]
LEARNING AND CARING
Les MisBladon Junior Church, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Bladon Junior Church recently showcased the schools’ edition of Les Miserables.
The show ran to six full houses and received standing ovations every night. Many patrons compared the performance standard with that of a West End production.
Phi l ip Rumsby, t r e a s u r e r a n d property steward, said: “The chil-dren put on a t ru ly fan tas t ic show and we are extremely proud of them. It was great fun to rehearse and perform and the audiences loved it.”
Last year, Bladon Methodist Church staged
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the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar with a cast of almost 40 children and young adults from Bladon and neighbouring villages. The church was transformed into a theatre with an ambitious set constructed with scaffold-ing and the artistic use of stage lighting.
Other previous performances have includ-ed The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Annie, The Wind in the Willows, Oliver! and The Pirates of Penzance.
Email: Philip Rumsby [email protected]
EVANGELISM
St Mark’s went baaahmy at ChristmasSt Mark’s Church, Epsom Downs, Surrey
Sheep took over St Mark’s Church in Tat-tenham Corner this Christmas. It all started when families’ worker, Liz Townsend, sug-gested a touring nativity for Advent. As she
and the minister, the Revd Des William-son, tossed ideas around, they came up with a “baaaahmy” idea: knitting a nativity set. Thanks to church member Gill Keens,
an avid knitter, the plan was put swiftly into action.
Mr Williamson, minister of St Mark’s Church of England and Methodist United Church, said: “The team knitted over 30 sheep in just four weeks! Keeping track of the sheep became an issue and Liz renamed the old church thermometer gauge a “baaahrome-ter”. The launch was accompanied by three life-size lookalike sheep made by Liz from fleeces donated by a friend. The knitivity flock rose to 127!”
The knitivity flock travelled around the com-munity from 1 December. Hosts were en-couraged to record their experience in the diary that travelled around with the sheep. Liz launched the venture with an account of the Knitivity story.
Email: The Revd Des Williamson [email protected]
SERVICE
Towards a greener buildingStratford-upon-Avon Methodist Church
The new Chair of the Birmingham District, the Revd Ian Howarth, paid an impromptu visit to the Christmas Festival of Cribs at Stratford–upon-Avon Methodist Church.
During his visit, Ian inspected the comple-tion of phase one of the £1.1 million re-mod-elling of the 1960s building. The redevelop-ment includes a number of energy saving measures using the latest technology and energy-saving materials.
A ground heating system has been installed in the new annexe which has replaced a temporary 1939 building. Rainwater har-vesting has been placed under a new chil-
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dren’s playground, providing water for all toilet flushing. And 36 solar panels have been erected on the south sanctuary roof thanks to funding by Scottishpower Green Energy Trust Fund.
The Revd Ian Howarth said: “I was delighted to see the work done at Stratford. The care taken to ensure that the new buildings are environmentally friendly was most impres-
sive. I hope and pray that these improve-ments will help the church in its service to the community, and help build up the church community as it seeks to share its faith in Jesus Christ.”
Work on phase two will commence this month. Plans include the creation of a large communal welcome foyer with a refresh-ment area and folding walls linking the hall to the sanctuary. Three condensing boilers, all “A” rated with controlled timers, will heat four different zones of the building, replacing a 20 year old single loop system. An extend-ed kitchen has been fitted out in sustainable stainless steel.
Care is being taken to ensure minimum dis-ruption to community bookers, with church members providing a daily “meet and greet” service. The project is due to be completed in May 2014.
Email: David Loader [email protected]
ChangeBrian Claxton writes
Change is a fact of life for time changes all manner of mortal things. If something appears to be just how we think it ought to be, then anything treated differently can be resented or regarded as inappropri-ate. However, if change occurs in connec-tion with circumstances that we previously found not to be in accordance with our pref-erences then such alterations may be more acceptable, or even to be looked forward to
with welcome
We can, many of us look back, sometimes with rose tinted spectacles to much differ-ent times, But those times in themselves had been subject to change, sometimes gradual, occasionally quite drastic. Many earlier generations would have witnessed drastic change as different church denomi-nations evolved and this is not some recent
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phenomenon but one spread over two thou-sand years
Our Dear Lord, through his most precious Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit do NOT CHANGE but remain constant. It is our per-ceptions, attitudes and cultures that undergo continual change. Our surroundings, moder-nity and the very world that encompasses our mortality, are constantly subject to al-teration. Just as the seashore is continually altering, so too are our mortal lives. I was rather shocked to overhear someone say,
‘’the church will be dead in another twenty five years” O ye of little faith. There are now more Christians worldwide than ever before. Faith and belief are not about being com-fortable, a good sermon and a fine Sunday roast! The path to our Heavenly Father, through his most precious Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will always be the subject of change and challenge.
The Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are our eternal foundation, defence and pathway to life eternal. Though we may be as count-
WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYERINTERNATIONAL AND INTERDENOMINATIONAL
Press Release
Streams in the Desert
Women’s World Day of Prayer is an international, inter-church organisation which enables us to hear the voices of women from all parts of the world: their hopes, concerns and prayers. The preparation for the day is extensive. An international committee works from New York and each participating country has its own national committee. Regional conferences meet to consider the service and then local groups make their plans. Finally, at a church near you on March 7th, women and men will gather to celebrate using a programme of worship offered this year by women in Egypt.
The theme of our service is ‘Streams in the Desert’ and we are asked to reflect on our Chris-tian role of being a ‘stream in the desert’ for those who experience spiritual ‘drought’. We believe that the service from Egypt has universal appeal. One of the oldest civilisations in the world, Egypt has long been home to Coptic Christians. Since the uprising in 2011 there has been conflict between religious groupings. Political change affects individual lives and we pray with the women of Egypt for peace.
We envisage a great wave of prayer, rising with the sun over the island of Samoa and sweep-ing across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, coming to rest in Ameri-can Samoa some 36 hours later. By then WWDP services will have been celebrated in over 170 countries.
All are welcome to attend, men and women and people of all ages. For further information and resources, together with details of services in your area.
See the WWDP website: www.wwdp.org.uk
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less grains of sand, yet somehow we are all known, loved and accountable. Is it not mind blowing that somehow amidst the countless legions of people over many, many genera-tions including the past, present and future, each and every one of us are loved by our creator.
There is a fantastic constancy in the Trinity of Father. Son and Holy Spirit. We can be certain in the knowledge that although we sometimes feel quite alone the agency of God is with and about us at all times. Just
how can all of our sins be known by God? unless we are constantly watched over? In that certain knowledge we must continually seek and pray for the will of God.
We must seek the will of God, not that which is the most comfortable or convenient to us. We must all of us seek to change to a ever greater awareness and a sense of duty toward our Dear Heavenly Father, through his most precious Son, Jesus Christ and the all embracing presence of the Holy Spirit.
Brian Claxton.
WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER7th March 2014
Extracts from Background Information
RELIGION
Egypt is predominantly Muslim with an im-portant Christian minority. There are also very small numbers of Bahá’is and Jews. Islam was defined as the state religion in 1980; before this the state was defined as secular. The Ancient Egyptian religion, which gave rise to the famous temples and tombs, is no longer practised but traces of ancient beliefs survive in modern Christianity and Islam.
The size of the Christian community is un-certain but thought to be around 17 million, or 12% of the population. There are more than 2,600 churches in Egypt.
Christianity in Egypt is said to have been founded by St Mark and its theological schools produced many great Christian thinkers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century and Origen in the 3rd.
According to tradition, the first Christian monastery was established in Egypt by St Anthony the Great. By far the largest Church is the Coptic Orthodox Church, which is also the most ancient in Egypt. It is headed by the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa on the Holy See of Saint Mark. On 19 November 2012 His Holiness Theodoros II was enthroned as the 118th Pope.
The next largest is the Coptic Catholic Church (9% of the total Christian popula-tion). The other Christian groups of Egypt make up less than 1%.
The weekend in Egypt is Friday and Satur-day. Many Churches, therefore, hold their main services on Fridays as well as Sundays.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
In 2006 a Supreme Court ruling stated that only Islam, Christianity and Judaism are rec-ognised religions. The Egyptian constitution allows for conversion from Islam, but con-verts report various types of harassment: for example female converts from Islam do not obtain freedom in marriage and children of converts are registered as Muslims and
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receive Islamic education in school. Authori-ties often refuse to grant permission to build new churches.
Some improvement has come in recent years. Schoolbooks now acknowledge Christianity’s important role in Egyptian history and Christmas is now an official na-tional holiday.
Since the 2011 uprising there has been an increase in violence between Muslims and Coptic Christians. In October that year, at least 25 protesters died during clashes with the army at a peaceful protest for Christian rights in Cairo. To date no one has been held responsible for the deaths, but activists promise to keep fighting until the main insti-gators face trial.
EDUCATION
State education in Egypt consists of three levels: basic education for 4-14 year olds, the secondary school stage for ages 15-17, followed by college/university at 17+. All levels of education are free in government-run schools, but education is only compul-sory between the ages of 6 and 14.
Childcare centres and homes accept infants as young as 2 months. Nursery schools accept children as young as 2 years, but 3 is the most common minimum. Those sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs are widespread and inexpensive, but lack resources and personnel. Others attached to private language schools and foreign schools are considered expensive. Some are sponsored by private organisations, es-pecially women’s societies, and some by mosques, churches, industrial factories and recreational clubs.
There are 19 state-funded universities in Egypt. Egyptians pay only registration fees
while non- Egyptians pay full tuition fees. In addition to public universities there are 20 private universities where all students pay tuition fees.
The literacy rate in Egypt was 72% in 2010: 80% for males but only 63% for females. Special attention is being given by the gov-ernment and by non-governmental organi-sations to reduce the gender disparity in education and to achieve the 2015 Millen-nium Development Goal of universal primary education.
HEALTH
As a developing country with vast human resources and a rapidly growing economy, reforming the health care sector has been a top priority for the national social develop-ment agenda. This included providing high quality care through financially sustainable health insurance, mandatory immunisation that has almost eradicated poliomyelitis in Egypt and the setting up of national pro-grammes aimed at combating tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, all of which were provid-ed free of charge to all Egyptians.
According to the Ministry of Health, around 35 million of the country’s 80 million people are in the state health insurance system and most of the rest are supposed to receive free health care through the hospitals. However, due to recent economic factors, the govern-ment can no longer afford to reimburse the hospitals, so they have withdrawn their ser-vices from anyone who does not have insur-ance or private means.
ECONOMY
Until the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971, all life in Egypt depended on the annual rise and fall of the Nile. The river, now backed up behind the dam to create Lake
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Nasser, is capable of holding several times more water than Egypt’s annual require-ments, ensuring a steady year-round flow and protecting the country from Africa’s droughts and famines.
Agriculture is very important to the economy. Crops of all sorts are grown in the fertile delta and cultivated strips on either side of the Nile: sugar cane, maize, barseem (the clover fed to animals), rice, fruit, vegetables and date palms.
Natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone talc, gypsum, asbestos, lead and zinc. The economy is based on agriculture, tourism and industry (cement, textiles, fer-tiliser and rubber). Its main revenues come from tourism as well as from traffic that passes through the Suez Canal.
WOMEN AND FAMILY LIFE
The position of women in the Arab world has long been difficult. In 2002 the first Arab Human Development Report cited the lack of women’s rights as one of three factors, along with lack of political freedom and poor education, that most hampered the re-gion’s progress. In Egypt, women may work outside the home, go to school and univer-sity and vote and run in all elections, but in education and the labour market women still lag behind. On paper, women are four times more likely to be unemployed than men; the reality is far more difficult to measure. Most women work in the home, taking care of children and elderly family members, often alongside some kind of informal work.
The large number of men leaving Egypt to work in nearby Arab countries has meant that many women are left to make decisions about the day-to-day running of their homes,
including the use of money sent home by their husbands. In Egypt, family laws, such as marriage and divorce, are exclusively governed by the different faith structures.
All Egyptian Christians are under Church law, which allows only one wife and does not allow divorce (by either men or women) except in rare cases such as infidelity or cases of religious conversion.
Muslim husbands have traditionally been allowed to have up to four wives at a time in accordance with Islamic religious law, but a 1979 amendment stated that polygamy was legally harmful to a first wife and entitled her to sue for divorce within a year after learning of her husband’s second marriage. The di-vorced wife was entitled to alimony equiva-lent to one year’s maintenance in addition to compensation equivalent to two years’ maintenance; a court could increase these amounts under extenuating circumstanc-es, such as the dissolution of a long mar-riage. The divorced wife automatically re-tained custody of sons under the age of ten and daughters under twelve; courts could extend the mother’s custody of youngsters until their eighteenth birthdays. However, in 1985 a new law reversed many of these rights: a woman lost her automatic right to divorce her husband if he married a second wife; she could still petition a court to con-sider her case but a judge would grant a divorce only if it were in the interests of the family. A Muslim man, however, can divorce his wife simply by saying “I divorce you” on three separate occasions in the presence of witnesses.
CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN
Millions of Egyptian children are born into poverty where malnutrition at a young age
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translates into lifelong health problems. Some families find themselves in situations where they have to put their children to work, even in dangerous jobs that jeopard-ise their health and their futures. With many families facing break-up, or a difficult exist-ence in large urban slums, children resort to street life and this has become a feature of too many cities. Hundreds of rural adoles-cent girls are discouraged from completing school, facing lives of early marriage, illit-eracy and domestic abuse. The Egyptian Church (whether Orthodox, Catholic or Prot-estant) is greatly concerned about the situ-ation of children and many Church women have volunteered their help, especially in areas of wise family planning, healthcare, nutrition and loving care for children.
HUMAN RIGHTS
On 11 February 2011, after 30 years of op-pressive rule, President Mubarak stepped down as leader of Egypt. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) took control and Mubarak was put on trial with his sons and other officials.
However, according to an Amnesty Interna-tional report of 2012, the SCAF has been re-sponsible for a catalogue of abuses includ-ing the violent suppression of protests, re-sulting in at least 84 deaths in 2011. Torture in detention has continued and more civil-ians were tried before military courts in one year than during 30 years of Mubarak’s rule. Women have been subjected to humiliating treatment in an apparent attempt to deter them from protesting. 2012 saw more of the same as military forces continued to restrict the right of Egyptians to protest and to freely express their views.
REFUGEES
Throughout the ages, Egypt has been a
refuge for strangers and refugees, includ-ing Jesus himself, along with Joseph and his father Jacob. Asylum-seekers continue to arrive in Egypt, mainly from North Africa and the Middle East. In particular, there are tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees.
Their official status as refugees is highly dis-puted and they have been subject to racial discrimination and police violence.
CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE
Egypt is proud of having housed one of the earliest civilizations of the world but, in spite of the many ancient civilizations with which it has come into contact, unquestionably belongs to a social and cultural tradition that is Arab and Islamic.
Egypt is one of the Arab world’s literary centres and has produced many of modern Arabic literature’s foremost writers. The modern theatre in Egypt is a European im-portation—the first Arabic-language plays were performed in 1870.
Music and dance have long played an im-portant part in Egyptian culture. Due to the country’s ethnic diversity, traditional Egyp-tian musical styles are quite varied yet the types of instruments used are similar to those used in other parts of the Middle East. They include a type of zither, flute, tambou-rine and a kind of two stringed fiddle. Al-though much Egyptian music suggests a minor key to western ears, there is actually a great deal of diversity in styles and genres.
LANGUAGE
Over 90% of Egyptians speak Arabic. Since there are regional variations in the dia-lects of Arabic spoken across the country, the broadcasting media treats Cairo-spo-ken language as the standard. English is the most common foreign language apart
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from French. In urban areas, one might find people speaking languages such as Arme-nian, Greek and Italian and some traces of early tribal languages remain.
CLOTHING
The favoured garment for Egyptian men is the jallabia – long and wide, with wide sleeves and a round neckline. Unless employers require it, western clothing is not worn. Even school children and office workers change into jallabias once they return home. Educat-ed women of Egypt often dress in a hybrid style, combining a modern long dress - like
a maxi - with a hijab.
FOOD
Eating is an important social activity. Food is a central feature of special events and celebrations. Bread is the most common daily food, baked by women at home in mud ovens. Commercially prepared bread is subsidised by the government and is strict-ly regulated in terms of quality and price. Beans of all kinds form the basis of many local dishes. Nuts and sweetmeats are also very popular.
STOP THE TRAFFIK PEOPLE SHOULDN’T BE BOUGHT & SOLD
www.stopthetraffik.org
It is a little known fact that over 200,000 young women and girls are trafficked to work in the cotton industry in the Tamil Nadu region of India.
Female workers, mainly aged 14 to 23 years old, are recruited with false promises of a good job and a lump sum payment under the guise of an ‘apprenticeship’ scheme called Sumangali. Once recruited, they are essentially trapped within a factory for up to five years. The workers have limited freedom. They have to sleep in accommodation in a hostel within the factory walls or guarded by the male factory employees with only limited
contact with their families or the outside world. They are forced to work often up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week or more without the compensation they have been promised.
The cotton is spun, dyed and woven in these factories to be sold to consumer markets all over the world. It is likely to be found in most of our favourite shops and labels. It is likely to be in cotton garments in our wardrobes and drawers.
Do you want to buy traffik-free ?
It is not currently possible to know which items or which shops sell items that are
Are you a Fashion victimDid you know…that a young girl of 14 may have been trafficked to make the cotton t-shirt you are wearing ?
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made with cotton that is free from human trafficking. Most retailers and fashion labels either don’t know where they buy their cotton from or choose not to make that in-formation public.
This isn’t good enough. We believe that as consumers we have the right to know how, where and under what conditions the clothes we buy were made. We want to be able to choose Traffik-Free and help change the lives of the women and girls trapped in this scheme.
“Cotton made by these trafficked young women and girls may be in the t-shirt I am wearing today. It may be in the clothes in your wardrobe at home. At the moment we don’t know. Fashion retailers and labels don’t know.
But we can change this. As consumers we have a powerful voice, we can use it to urge companies to change their behaviour so that they can tell us that the clothes we are buying are Traffik-Free.
We hope this campaign will make people take notice and most critically, take action. We want to bolster consumer awareness
and change the lives of those working in these factories in India”
Ruth Dearnley, CEO of STOP THE TRAFFIK
Help us end the Sumangali scheme and join our campaign to Make Fashion Traffik-Free!
Make fashion traffik-free
To Make Fashion Traffik- Free and end the human trafficking of young women and girls in the cotton industry in Tamil Nadu we are asking retailers and brands to take action by:
Mapping and reporting on their supply chainCommitting to the Make Fashion Traffik-Free protocol.
We need you to help us achieve this! We know change will only happen when we join together with our collective voices and take action!
As a valued customer at your favourite brand or retailer, your voice matters. Next time you are out shopping take a signed Make Fashion Traffik-Free postcard into your fa-vourite high street retailer urging them to take action.
© Stop the Traffik.
Prayer about the global financial crisis God of all the world, give us wisdom in troubled times. As we realise how fragile our systems of security are, remind us how much more fragile they are for those who have nothing. Aswetalkoffinancialcrisis, remindusofthetruefinancialcrisisforthosewhogotobedhungry. As we face challenges over our own resources, remind us that you teach us to share what we have. Inspire us to live in a Christ-like way, and to bring your peace to a world in turmoil.
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Reconciliation in the Holy Land
Stephen Tomkins, editor of Reform, reports on a visit to Israel and the Occupied Pales-tinian Territories.
I travelled round Israel in the 1980s, and saw soldiers and heard the odd report of bomb scares. Returning there a few weeks ago with Christian Aid to see some of the local projects supported by their Christmas appeal, I was shocked by the change that had come over the country.
It was torn up and scarred with walls and barriers and checkpoints and divisions, many people on one side seeming to live in fear and ignorance of what happens on the other – where Palestinian people suffer bru-tality, deprivation and harassment.
We saw farmers’ houses that had been de-
Palestinian workers go through the daily humiliation of crossing the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah.(Picture credit: Tom Pilston/Christian Aid)
Stephen Tomkins, editor of Reform, reports on a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
molished, repeatedly. We saw shops forced to shut, with Stars of David sprayed over them, looking horribly reminiscent of An-tisemitic attack, except this time with the slogan “Arabs to the gas chambers”. We saw once-packed market streets reduced to a ghost town. We saw a small primary school which has received a destruction order for its swings and little climbing frame, on the ground of its threat to Israeli national security.
And yet we also met many people, Israe-lis and Palestinians, working together and separately to sustain Palestinian communi-ties by developing agriculture, and offering education and medicine, and to foster com-munication and understanding between the different sides, in the hope that they can achieve reconciliation, peace and justice.
You wouldn’t believe some of the rubbish I ended up buying for some members of my family this Christmas. Some of our gifts to each other can, to be honest, be a bit worthless.
I venture to suggest that if like me you make Christian Aid’s appeal a belated part of your Christmas this year, it could be one of the more appreciated gifts you give.
See www.christian-aid.org.uk/christmas for details.
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TraidcraftLiz Sidebottom reports
Welcome to the first Traidcraft News at Jessopp Road ! As you probably know, Traidcraft is a Christian trading move-ment which exists to encourage and train farmers and craftspeople in some of the world’s poorest countries so they can earn a fair and realistic wage, live rewarding lives and educate their children. They are one of the founding members of the Fair-trade Foundation.
Every Wednesday morning I hold a Traidcraft food stall at the Jessopp Road Coffee Stop, and starting on February 9th a monthly stall after the morning service in the hall. This will be on the second Sunday of the month unless I can’t do it then for some reason, in which case I will publish beforehand when it will be. In fact the first time this will happen will be in April, and it will be on the first Sunday, the 6th, on that occasion.
If you are not yet in the habit of using Traidcraft food I strongly advise you to try it. You can’t help but be impressed by its de-liciousness! I keep most of the food that is in the catalogue in stock, but not everything because most things come in lots of 6, and some items don’t sell fast enough to keep within ‘Best Before’ dates. If you fancy trying something that I don’t have in stock please ask me to order it.
In the stockroom I have a varied collection of non-food goods which I have accumulated, and each month as well as a food stall there
will be some of these for sale with a different theme each month. These are the different stalls I plan to hold over 2014:
February CraftsMarch House & HomeApril Clothes, jewellery & bagsMay Toys & children’sJune Cards & stationery July CraftsAugust House & HomeSeptember Clothes, jewellery & bagsOctober Toys & children’s / Christmas
November Christmas and giftsDecember Christmas, toys and children’s
If at any time you wish to see any goods there are in stock – perhaps for a present – please don’t feel shy to ask to see what there is. I am always more than happy to sell Traidcraft products !
Catalogues are published twice a year, in February and September, so the next one is due in the next couple of weeks. These will be put on display in the Parlour. There are always a lot, and I would ask everyone to take one and perhaps keep it for future use. Everything in the catalogue can be ordered by me and will be here within two weeks. There are always some beautiful and unusual things for sale of a very high quality that make lovely gifts.
Please come and see what’s on sale in
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Jessopp Road News
the hall after the service on the 9th, or on Wednesday morning at the coffee stop.
I can’t finish my first article from my new base at Jessopp Road without thanking all
the people here for making us so welcome, and for providing such a great room for Traidcraft to function from. It is greatly ap-preciated, and we already feel at home. God bless you. Liz Sidebottom.
Snow Buntings atGreat YarmouthChris Preston writes
As another year commences for many this means a new yearly bird count. Many people on New Year’s Day purposely go out to see how many different species of birds they can see on that day. Sometimes two teams will compete against each other by going to differ-ent nature Reserves and the winners are those who spot the most species. This sets the tone for the forthcoming year and many birdwatchers keep a record of their yearly count. Depending on how fanatical or dedi-cated you are, yearly numbers can vary and I usually get about 130.
Yearly counts then become lifetime counts and figures are kept and the best figures are over 400 different species, whereas I have logged about 215 ‘lifers’. Of course the more fanatical you are and the more you are willing to travel, the more you are likely to spot. Most bird watchers have a local patch and are happy to just count the species seen in that one area.
Following on from this the highlight so far
for me this year, personally, was once more being able to see snow buntings. The same as last year a flock of these winter visi-tors have turned up on the beach at Great Yarmouth, to be more precise on the South
Denes near the Pleasure Beach. A flock of about 30-50 have been seen here and also on the North Denes accom-panied by 2 or 3 Shore Lark. Snow buntings are a small strikingly pale bird about the size of a sparrow. The male in
summer (which in this area we aren’t likely to see) is unmistakable white with black back, black and white wings and a black centre to the tail. These visitors to Great Yarmouth are of course in their winter plumage which sees the male having ginger shading to his crown and nape, and back is mottled brown and buff coloured, the female is mottled ginger brown above with a plain brown cap, fawn below and shaded ginger on flanks and breast. The flock I’ve seen are approxi-mately half male and female and the males are distinguishable by having more white on them in flight. Some of the males are now beginning to show their summer plumage,
Summer Bunting
February 2014
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especially their bright white heads. Of course the whiter they are the more they live up to their name and blend in with the snowy conditions of their northern habitats.
Snow Buntings tend to be quite friendly and you can get quite close to them before they fly off circling round and landing 100 yards away. Their call is a plaintive ‘teeu, teeu’ or a stri-dent ‘tsweet’, tsweet’, and their song is rapid and quite musical, similar to a skylark. Their habitat in the breeding season is on the Arctic tundra and Northern Alpine zones such as Iceland and Greenland, although a few pairs do breed in the Cairngorms in Scotland, and also some birds are seen in the far north of Scotland as summer mi-grants, but they usually only visit Norfolk in
the winter months.
The majority of snow buntings leave Norfolk at the end of March or in early April but a few will linger on until early May. Some birds have been seen inland, one has been spotted down Whitlingham Lane near the Broad but the majority are spotted by the coast. A number of reports of ringed
birds including snow buntings have been seen passing through the Grampian High-lands in Scotland a few weeks before they were seen in Norfolk. The rapid speed with which they move around is illustrated by a ringed bird being seen in Salthouse on the North Norfolk coast one day and in Mab-lethorpe, Lincolnshire the next.
Chris Preston.
Winter Bunting
Bible Society Newswatch ‘Pass It On’ – Bible Society encourages parents and children to read great Bible stories
Bible Society is about to launch ‘Pass It On’, a nationwide campaign to encourage parents to read, watch or listen to Bible stories with their children. The campaign aspires to offer one million children a ‘Bible Bedtime’ throughout the year. Group Chief Executive, James Catford, said: ‘Despite being the world’s all-time best seller, the Bible today faces its great-est challenges in the UK for centuries. Its stories open the door to understanding much of our history, as well as our cultural and literary heritage. But many of us have never opened its pages and only a tiny minority read it regularly’.
Read more: The Telegraph 19/1/14
President Obama will meet Pope in March
On 27 March, President Barack Obama and Pope Francis will meet for the first time in the Vatican. According to a White House news release, they will discuss poverty, inequality and world peace. In interviews, the President has praised the Pope as a ‘very thoughtful and soulful messenger of peace and justice’.
Read more: Catholic Universe 23/1/14
Our PrayersOur prayers are asked especially for these members and friends.
Colin and Ann Clarke, Peter and Hilda Crowe, Margaret Dan, Helen Freeston,Colin Gillett, Connie Harvey, Janet Mickleburgh,
Joan Strangleman, Ken Tickle, & Doris Volbrecht.
HOLY WEEKEcumenical Compline Services at St Thomas’s for Holy Week
Monday 14th April 7.30 pm Tuesday 15th April 7.30 pm
Wednesday 16th April 7.30 pmMore information to follow.
Jessopp Road Coffee Stop Every Wednesday morning 1 0.00 am to 12 noon Come in and join us for a drink and a chatwith light refreshmentsTraidcraft StallToys available for young childrenALL ARE WELCOME
NORWICH FOODBANKPlease put any contributions you have into the box as you enter the church ante room, or give to a steward. Liz Sidebottom.
TWAM - ‘Tools with a Mission’Bring your old tools for TWAM to the Coffee Stop on Wednesday morning.
TWAM collects tools, refurbishes them and sends them for use in training projects in needy parts of the world.
Margaret Dann will collect the donated tools.
St Peter’s Church Council at Jessopp RoadTuesday 11th February at 7.30 pm
The Fresh Ground evening service at Ipswich Road URC at 6.15 pm on 16th February will be discussing the topic; ‘ Open the Word ’
Matt Stone.
Worship & fellowship dates for your diary
Weekday Communion ServiceSecond Wednesday after Coffee Stop 12.00 noon Rev Helen Freeston
Sunday ServicesAll services are held at Jessopp Road URC
2 Feb 10.45 am Rev Ian Terry, BA, • Candlemas, Ordinary 4
9 Feb 10.45 am Rev Alison Davis • Ordinary 5
16 Feb 10.45 am Rev Helen Freeston • Holy Communion, Ordinary 6
23 Feb 10.45 am Rev Alison Davis • Ordinary 7
2 Mar 10.45 am Rev Helen Freeston • Sunday before Lent
9 Mar 10.45 am Rev Ian Fosten • Lent 1
16 Mar 10.45 am Rev Alison Davis • Holy Communion, Lent 2
23 Mar 10.45 am Mr Kevin Parfitt • Lent 3
30 Mar 10.45 am Miss Joy Southam • Mothering Sunday
6 April 10.45 am Rev Helen Freeston • Passion Sunday
13 April 10.45 am Rev Alison Davis • Holy Communion, Palm Sunday
20 April 10.45 am Rev Elizabeth Bellamy • Holy Communion, Easter Sunday
27 April 10.45 am Rev Ian Fosten • Easter 2
