The Magazine of Bethesda Methodist Church, Cheltenham - April 2019
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
The Magazine of
Bethesda Methodist Church, Cheltenham
April 2019 No.119
Thoronet Abbey, Provence
“And once again I look upon the
cross …”
StF. 274
1
Rev’d Naomi Cooke co-habiting couples, single people,
Bethesda Methodist Church divorced people and those who have
Great Norwood Street entered civil partnerships.
Cheltenham
As Methodists we have been called to
a Pilgrimage of Faith for the past 25
years, seeking to develop our
understanding of relationships and
human sexuality. We need to
acknowledge that at times this has not
been an easy journey and somewhat
ironically, we have not always treated
each other well.
Pastoral Letter April 2019 In 2006 the Conference produced a
report called ‘Living with
Dear Friends,
Contradictory Convictions’ which if
As many of you know, over the past you have not read then please do.
three years I have been working https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-
with the Conference appointed us/the-methodist-church/marriage-and
Marriage and Relationships Task -relationships-2018/talking-of-
Group. We were asked to write a marriage-and-relationships-overview-
report concerning relationships in 2018/
general and marriage in particular; as (You will find other helpful and
the last time the Methodist Church interesting reading material on this
produced a statement on such things web page concerning this subject).
was back in 1992. Much has
changed since then, not only in how Inevitably we do not all see things the
people live out their relationships, same way as we hold differing
but also because the law has changed opinions and theologies, and as we
in regard to the creation of civil bring to the table our rich and varied
partnerships and the introduction of lived experience. And yet we need to
same-sex marriage. be able to disagree well, treating each
other with respect and dignity. In
We will all know people both within doing so, we have an opportunity to
our families and beyond, who are grow and to flourish.
living in an extraordinary variety of
relationships, such as single-parent The report from the Task Group will
families, those who are married, come to Conference in June this year,
2
and should it be received, will then What to Give Up For Lent
come through the Districts for
consultation in 2019/20.
In preparation for this and because
it’s important we continue the conver-
sation amongst us, I have asked the
Revd Jayne Webb to come and lead
an evening of conversation and
reflection at Bethesda on Monday the
17th June 2019 at 7.30pm here in the Give up complaining …… focus on
church. Please do make a note of this gratitude.
in your diary and come along to join
in, to learn and to grow. Give up pessimism………… become
“Beloved, let us love one another, an optimist.
because love is from God; Give up worry……………… trust
everyone who loves is born of God God.
and knows God.” 1 John 4: 7
Give up bitterness………… turn to
With every blessing, forgiveness.
Naomi
Give up negativism………be positive.
* * * * * *
Give up pettiness…………… become
mature.
Give up gloom……………… enjoy the
beauty all around.
Give up jealousy…………… pray for
trust.
Give up gossiping……………control
our tongues.
Give up giving up……………hang in
“We all need to treat each other with there!
dignity and respect.”
With thanks to the magazine of
…. Madonna Mickleover Methodist Church
3
Interview
Simon Monkton answers questions
about his life and links with Methodism
Where were you born?
In a Hospital in London, just about within the sound of Bow Bells. We lived in
22 Jebb Street, Old Ford rather more definitely in the sound of Bow Bells.
What was your first contact with Methodism?
Obviously with a Father who is a Methodist Minister, I have never not known
about Methodism.
Tell us something about your near or wider family roots.
My Father comes from Netherton in the Black Country. My Grandfather was a
tailor (I never knew my Grandmother). He and his father had been involved in
setting up an independent Church. My Father got involved with Bert Bissell’s
Vicar Street Young Men’s Bible Class and hence into Methodism. My Mother
was an RE teacher and came from the Potteries. On her side, my Grandfather
was a miner and my Grandmother was a gilder on a pot-bank. My Parents met in
Coventry while dad was a Probationer. After marrying they moved to Old Ford.
From there we went to Saffron Walden where my sisters were born. After 5
years there we moved to Lincoln where we spent 6 years after which we went to
Shetland. I went to University in Edinburgh while we were there. And I came to
Cheltenham after graduating.
How do you see Bethesda developing over the next few years?
I think that Bethesda will continue to strengthen its links in the wider
Cheltenham community through activities like Bethesda at Six and the various
groups that use the premises, providing a witness to God’s care for the world and
a form of outreach. I suspect we will continue to be challenged in the running of
the Church by age profile and the changing patterns of life that mean people are
more often away over weekends.
What is your main form of activity these days?
My employment keeps me fairly busy and generally involves at least one day a
4
week travelling away from Cheltenham. Preaching commitments are also
currently increasing, getting close to being every other week. Couple this with
visiting my father in Nottingham every couple of months and I sometimes find
myself a stranger to Bethesda.
Have you any pastimes or hobbies?
I am very keen on model railways and have a reasonable collection of models
although at the moment only a basic small oval to run them on.
What things challenge your faith?
The suffering of the innocent at times challenges my faith.
What is your favourite food?
Chilli Con Carne
What is your favourite piece of music?
I guess it would be a toss up between Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto and Elgar’s
Pomp and Circumstance March No.1.
Who has influenced you most?
I find it difficult to identify the individuals that have influenced me most. I am
not sure that one always realises how you are influenced and I don’t spend time
looking back like that.
Have you an amusing anecdote you would like to share?
I have a number of stories of flights to and from Shetland including one that
was due to make a stop in Orkney one winter’s evening. The pilot came over
the intercom saying there had been a report of ice on the runway but there was a
light aircraft about to land so he was going to see how it got on before attempting
a landing. A few minutes later he came on again. The pilot of the light aircraft
had had the same idea and had been waiting for us to land. Our pilot then
decided we were going straight onto Shetland.
Do you have a favourite hymn?
I always feel favourite hymns are dangerous for preachers. Ideally we should
choose the most appropriate hymns for a service. But when pushed I plump for
“There’s a light upon the Mountain”.
5
Church Community Weekend
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 7-9th June 2019.
Life
Costs: by donation. in the
Everyone is invited to sign up for the forthcoming stay-at- Spirit
home church weekend. It feels like we’ve been waiting for
this event all year … remember that you’ve already saved
the-date?
I’m delighted to announce that our guest speaker and
preacher for the weekend is the Rev’d Gary Hall. Gary is
the Methodist Oversight Tutor and Lecturer in Practical
Theology at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham. He
is an inspirational person and will be a blessing to us all.
A full schedule of activities will be available soon but in
brief there will be teaching, worship, creative groups, lots
of food (including a fish ‘n chips supper), fun and games,
and the opportunity for deepening friendship and growing
together in the Spirit.
If you sign up, the expectation is that you join in the whole weekend, so that we
can journey together. There will be free time planned into each day to recharge!
Sign-up sheets are in the vestibule and the Willow.
Naomi
* * * * * *
God of mercy and love let us serve you in our world
Loving Lord let us not stand aside and tolerate
lack of basic human resources,
dehumanising practices,
or the use of violence to disempower your people.
Give us strength to act and challenge hatred,
and instead bring your justice and mercy.
In your name we humbly ask that we may be a channel for your peace and love.
Amen.
www.methodist.org.uk
6
CHRISTIAN
ARTS
FESTIVAL
Cheltenham
Encounters: 23 April - 12 May 2019
Easter Holiday Workshops 12 - 17 April
Music - Art - Comedy - Drama - Dance - Film
Over 80 events in some 44 locations - Festival programmes available at
Bethesda.
Encounter the beauty of Christian heritage alongside fresh expression.
Encounter belief which gives hope to many in a confused world.
Encounter Jesus afresh through drama, music and live testimony.
Encounter solidarity and respect for each other as different communities come
together.
Encounter unique people worshipping in many diverse and imaginative ways.
Enjoy learning new skills in creating extraordinary art, drama, words and
music.
Find out how artists encounter God’s calling on their lives through their
God-given gifts.
* * *
‘This Christian Arts Festival is an
invitation to everyone including those of
different faith backgrounds and those of
no faith, to celebrate, explore and dis-
cover more of life in many vibrant ways.’
Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of
Gloucester, Patron
7
JIGSAW
Jigsaw, a new book by Chris Lammiman, is available
as a paperback from Amazon, price £4.65 (free UK
delivery) The following is an extract from Chapter 6 -
Methodism at Oxford
I initially tried to avoid Methodism when I arrived at Oxford. On the first
Sunday I sang in the College choir for the morning service and in the evening
went to St Mary’s for the 8pm Oxford inter-collegiate Christian Union. The latter
was a very significant group and had a strong evangelistic and fundamentalist base
which was not necessarily where I wanted to be.
On the second Sunday, I attended worship at Wesley Memorial Methodist
Church with my new friends Peter Stanley, Russell Hindmarsh and Margaret
Harrison, Russell’s girlfriend. In the afternoon I went to the Fellowship Group
led by Margaret, of which Peter was already a member. As a sign of strength of
Methodism in the university at that time, there were fifteen such groups, each
containing twelve to fifteen members. Each Sunday, we met in the rooms of one
of the members so that we shared the responsibility of hosting. The host
provided tea and coffee, but we each brought cakes and sandwiches, and
whatever was left over remained with the host, a bonus supply for the rest of the
week. There was always plenty of food so that after prayers and a lengthy
discussion we had a bumper feast. We started at 3pm and left at 6 to get to
college in time for dinner. After dinner, most of us went on to the manse for
more coffee and tea, and hymn singing round the piano. The whole thing
finished by 10pm. That became the programme for all my Sundays at Oxford
over the next five years.
The opportunity to discuss religion in depth was a new one for me and I heard a
lot of theology, both in and outside the group, especially as Peter was going into
the ministry and Russell was already an experienced local preacher. During the
five years, my own faith grew in knowledge and experience and the Oxford years
set me on the path of involvement and service to the Church which continues to
the present day. By 1952 I had decided to train to become a local preacher.
Following the discipline of the Methodist Church, I was given a ‘note to preach’
which meant I could conduct a service in the presence of an already qualified
preacher. In fact, the minister of St Giles arranged for me to take the Watchnight
Service on New Year’s Eve in December 1952. However, I was ill and unable to
8
do so. He then took me with him to a small village country church one Sunday
morning and I must have been ok, for I was then put ‘on trial’ which meant I
could take services by myself and start training.
The training was carried out at Oxford as there were several of us in the John
Wesley Society who were following this path. The chaplain, Reg Kissack, had
now moved on and replaced by Reverend Donald Lee, a lively, shrewd, inspiring
minister who at times could be outspoken, if not a little eccentric. He was my
tutor and played an important part in my life as well as being rewarded by the
Church by becoming President of Conference later on. The training was
focussed on three written exams, on Old Testament history, New Testament
history and finally Worship. Successful results paved the way for an oral
examination in front of the circuit’s Local Preachers meeting. However, as I was
away at Oxford, my oral examination became a chat with the Superintendent
minister in his front room. He reported satisfaction to the LP meeting and I was
ready to go on ‘full plan’. The service of recognition was held at St Giles in June
1955, just one week before my wedding!
The Fellowship Group conducted a service in an Oxfordshire chapel most terms
and also occasionally led early morning prayers at Wesley Mem on Thursdays at
7.45am. All of this helped towards my preparation as a preacher.
Members of the Fellowship Group shared in social events, making a visit to the
theatre during most terms. In my third term, we had a special outing on May Day
morning. It was all Margaret’s idea. She hired a punt so that we could all go to
the May Day carol, sung from Magdalen College Tower at 6am. This meant
getting up at 3.30 and joining the punt at about 4.30. My roommate, David,
thought that this was a crazy idea and challenged me to a game of squash at 11pm
that night, sure that I would be unable to stay awake.
When we all got into the punt, the water level seemed to be only about an inch
from the top. For me, who could not swim, it was very alarming. However, we
successfully punted to the Bridge, where other punts, so many of them, were
moored side by side, filling the breadth of the river and stretching some distance.
The situation was made worse by dare-devils who made a point of crossing the
river from one bank to the other by leaping from boat to boat. As somebody
landed on our punt, we seemed dangerously close to sinking - the water was but
a few millimetres away. In addition, the Bridge and the banks were filled with
people. Anyway we heard the carol, at the end of which the choristers threw their
mortar boards in the air, making sure they landed at their feet and not in the
river!
9
A Place of hospitality for a people
of pilgrimage
Later this year St Philip and St James Church will
be closing its doors…
But only for a year to enable a radical redevelopment
of the Church to create a more flexible space that will
enable greater creativity in our worship and greater
hospitality towards our local community.
The plans will see the removal of the pews,
introduction of flexible seating, underfloor heating and a new wooden floor to
create an open, flexible space in the nave. Towards the back of the side aisles
there will be a small servery and office contained within self-standing pods.
Above these there will be glassed-in meeting rooms. They will also open up the
west end as a new entrance which will connect with a landscaped piazza/carpark.
As a congregation we faced the challenge of owning two buildings, neither of
which were fit for purpose and neither of which had adequate disabled access.
Our Church Council decided to sell one, to enable the remodelling of the other.
At one level we are combining a Church hall and a worship space but at a
deeper level we are rediscovering the model of our great cathedrals and abbeys
which have hosted sacred and secular events under the one roof. Interestingly,
our cathedrals are currently experiencing something of a renaissance with
growing visitor numbers and growing congregations. The secret of their success
seems to be that people see them as open public spaces which are also spiritual
places where it does not seem odd to light a candle, say a prayer or reflect on
life.
In many ways pews have stolen the Church of England from the people of
England creating privatised religious clubs for the faithful few rather than
enabling a generous space which can offer fullness of life to all. Recently we had
to spend over £300,000 fixing the roof and that is a lot of money to spend on a
building which only a few people are able to use, for a few hours a week.
Our new flexible space will enable both our worship and our mission.
In terms of worship we plan to change the layout of the seating with the seasons
of the church year. We might be in the round for Eastertide and Christmastide,
as we celebrate God in our midst and ourselves gathered as his people. We
10might be in a ‘choir’ format with chairs in long rows facing inwards to a long
central nave for Lent and Advent. We might move our Communion table
eastwards week by week, as we journey towards the great festivals of Christmas
and Easter.
For disorienting festivals of Good Friday and Ascension Day we can clear the
nave as we come face to face with our sense of loss. Funerals could be gathered
around the coffin, weddings might allow couples to be in the midst of their family
and friends.
Together, this will allow us to experience worship which involves everyone and
moves us physically and spiritually, enabling our bodies to reflect our words.
This flexibility will create a level playing field in our worship, rather than have a
sense of a minister at the front doing it for us. It will also help us to use our
worship space more readily as a rehearsal space in which we use words, gestures
and movement to practice living in the Kingdom of God.
In terms of mission we also hope that the flexibility of our space will enable us to
host several events each and every day. In this way, we are merely catching up
with what you have been able to do at Bethesda! I hope that our larger space will
complement the range of smaller spaces that Bethesda is able to offer. Perhaps
we will host a food bank, or blood transfusion sessions, concerts, exhibitions,
Cheltenham Festival events, toddler groups, barn dances, wedding receptions -
the list goes on!
Hopefully this will increase our footfall, make our walls more permeable and
enable more people to realise that ours is as a God who is interested in the whole
of our lives and fullness of life and not just what we might happen to do for an
hour on a Sunday morning!
We would love to hear from you, our sisters and brothers at Bethesda, what your
thoughts are about how we might use this space and the activities and events we
might offer. It would be great to build a greater sense of complementarity in how
we serve our local community. Do please hold us in your prayers as we journey
out of our building for what may, at times, seem like a wilderness year. Like the
Hebrews fleeing from Egypt, we may sometimes wish we’d never set out and
whilst we may not come back to a land flowing with milk and honey, we will
hopefully be taking a step closer towards the church God calls us to be for the
21st century.
Rev. Nick Davies MA, MTh
Team Rector
Associate Chaplain, University of Gloucestershire
11OUR CHURCH FAMILY
as at
21 May 2019
Please pass on to us all those situations where we can celebrate with, or pray
for, Bethesda people and their families.
Congratulations to Dilys Harrison who celebrated her 94th birthday in March
and to David Rundle and John Collins, both of whom celebrated their 90th.
Congratulations also to David and Margaret Tattersall who are celebrating
their 60th Wedding Anniversary this month (March).
Keith and Lorna Gregory would like to express their thanks for all the prayers
and get well messages they have received following Lorna’s hip replacement
operation. It is good to see them at church again. They also are looking
forward to their 60th wedding anniversary, at the end of March.
David Henderson is now worshipping with us again and expressed in
church his thanks for all the support he has received.
We wish Margaret Davies a speedy recovery from her knee operation and are
glad that Moira Anderson is now home and recuperating from her hip replace-
ment operation. We hope that they will both be fully mobile again very soon
Following the death of Robert Crawford, we remember in our prayers his
family, especially his wife Margaret and daughters Alison Bradley and Lindsey
Williams.
Mary Leman has now moved to Thirlestaine Park Care Home in Humphris
Place, off Sandford Road, where she would be pleased to see visitors from
Bethesda.
We are delighted that Nancy and John Goss have transferred their
membership to Bethesda.
12Meanwhile we look forward to the upcoming christenings of Sophie, daughter of
Steve and Caroline Hemmings and Benjamin, son of Caroline and Ally Deacon.
Finally, an advert - Chris Lammiman's autobiography 'Jigsaw' is now complete and
available from Amazon. See pages 8 &9 of this issue of ‘Outlook’.
Annette Turner & Ros Terry
In the Making; the Bread of Life.
(for Liz, and the bread making group, past and present)
Outdoors the clouds are dispersing
in the early warmth of the sun,
indoors, the key ingredients
for bread — flour, yeast, salt, sugar and
water, are brought together by
hands deep in a large plastic bowl,
fingers clogged with the stickiness
of the mixture, the glutinous
dough to be kneaded by forces
under the soles of the palms.
The sound, the huff puff of a lion
asleep luxuriating in the midday sun.
The dough must rest
in a warm place until twice
its size, then ready for baking.
The hollow tenor of the cooked loaf
the smell intoxicating and
the desire to taste euphoric.
The bread of life ready to feed
the thousands, bread of harmony.
Rowenna Hulton
Anyone welcome. Contact Rachel Simpson
01242 269803
13Championing Women in Trade
A key part of Traidcraft Exchange’s strategy to transform trade
for the better.
For many years, Traidcraft Exchange
charity has been working with women
in developing countries. With the
help of supporters’ donations, the
charity enables the women to run
cooperatives, build successful businesses, get elected into local government and
find new ways to use the power of trade to change their communities.
Often, women living in poverty are denied these successes and their potential
goes to waste. In the tea sector, although 80% of tea is picked by women , they
are still not seen as critical to that supply chain. Women are not valued because
they have no assets of their own or means of production. They are socialised
into thinking of themselves as 2nd class citizens, subservient to men. This acts as a
barrier to education, skills and opportunities, restricting the kind of roles they
can play in society.
Traidcraft Exchange believes that if trade is to be fair, then every person playing
a role in it needs to be recognised and recompensed equally for the same work.
One of Traidcraft Exchange’s success stories is that of the 4300 women jute
workers in a recent project in Bangladesh, 95% have increased their wages by at
least 30%, 93% say they have increased decision-making of their home income
and 10% have leadership roles in local government.
To read more about Traidcraft Exchange’s valuable work or to make a
donation, please go to www.traidcraft.org.uk
(taken from Traidcraft Exchange literature)
Helen Davies
* * * * *
“Demand quality, not just in the product you buy, but in the life of the person
who made it.” Orsola De Castro
14Half Way
I am now half way through my contract here at Bethesda and I cannot believe
how fast the time has gone!
I have been looking both back and forwards on my time here and I have met
many lovely people and been part of many great projects not least
Bread@Bethesda (See Rowenna Hulton’s poem on p.13), the Dementia
Project ‘Creative Age’ and the new Lent course where we are viewing and
discussing Jimmy McGovern’s TV series, ‘Broken’. This is a hard-hitting
drama on the life and ministry of a Priest who despite his own inadequacies
and brokenness attempts to bring the ‘Light of Christ’ to his local community
which is also broken.
This course is now full but if you would like to borrow the DVD and the
course notes then please see me.
It is with much sadness that after 20 years of ‘VIPs’ the club will be closing its
doors for our visually impaired friends whose numbers have been declining to
a level where it cannot be sustained. Much thanks go to Roger Lee who has
been looking after this club for the past 10 years.
I have recently been on an ‘Advanced Safeguarding ‘ training course with the
Gloucester Circuit where we focussed on the very important issues of
recruiting volunteers and employees safely and providing safe space in our
churches for all the activities we provide. The Methodist Church is committed
to safeguarding as an integral part of its life and ministry by promoting the
welfare of its children and adults, working to prevent abuse from occurring and
seeking to protect and respond well to those who have been abused.
We all have a role to play and safeguarding is a shared responsibility in order
to maintain a safer environment for all and I will be looking more closely at
our room booking systems to ensure we fulfil our legal obligations to this end.
As we journey together and individually in this time of Lent, I hope you find
time for personal reflection and contemplation and know Jesus is with us,
guiding our steps and transforming our lives.
I wish you all a very Happy Easter.
Rachel Simpson
Hospitality and Pastoral Lay Worker
rachel.simpson@bethesda-church.org.uk
15Cheltenham YMCA
Sleep Easy
On the evening of 1st March,
two friends and I spent the
night sleeping outside to raise
money for and awareness of
homelessness locally. The
event is run annually by
Cheltenham YMCA and is in
its 7th year. It raises valuable
funds for the work that the
YMCA does with those in need Some of the “sleepers” with Alex Chalk MP
of housing support. Overall,
around 30 people took part and over £5700 has been raised.
I was encouraged to see that the event was well supported by local media, as I
had the opportunity to be interviewed on Radio Gloucestershire and have my
photograph taken with our MP, who had taken part in the event himself in
previous years (incidentally, I believe at least 4 parliamentary candidates took
part during the election year!).
When I arrived, my first task was to build myself my shelter for the night. I
had access to cardboard boxes, groundsheets and duck tape, and was able to
build myself something which seemed fairly cosy indoors, but when brought
outside the reality hit that it was to be my only protection from the elements of
the world for the night. My friend Mark had attended the event the previous
year, and had told stories of the monsoon which caved in the shelters of many,
so I was praying that mine may withstand whatever the weather had to offer.
We lined our shelters up together on a tarpaulin, facing a fence to offer some
extra protection from the wind.
Once our shelters were in place, we had the rest of the evening to ourselves.
We reasoned that it would be difficult to sleep, so spent the next couple of
hours deliberately tiring ourselves out by trying to kick a football through a
basketball hoop (just the three successful attempts!). When the time came, we
said our goodnights, wrapped ourselves up in layers and crawled into our
shelters.
16The sport had successfully tired me and the next thing I heard was around
6.20am when one of the event organisers started telling us to wake up,
promising bacon rolls! I crawled out of my shelter and was pleasantly surprised
to discover that whilst it had clearly rained overnight my shelter had kept me
bone dry.
The experience was one which I would thoroughly recommend as it not only
raises valuable funds and publicity for Cheltenham YMCA, who annually
provide over 50,000 bed places for the homeless of Gloucestershire, but it also
allowed me to sympathise so much more with those living on the streets. For
me, one night on the streets, with access to hot drinks, indoor plumbing and
the promise of a bed when I returned home was a challenging experience, so I
cannot begin to imagine how hard it must be to spend night after night sleeping
outside with little or no support and no foreseeable way to escape your
situation.
Thanks to all who have donated, your contributions have helped me to raise
£235, more than double my target!
Ben Norman
The speed of change
Reflecting on the first two decades of this century, it’s amazing when you think
about the speed of change. What is normal now, certainly wasn’t normal in the
year 2000! No-one had heard of a selfie. Google was in its very early stages, but
whoever thought it would come to be used as a verb? There was no Wikipedia,
no Snapchat, no YouTube and no WhatsApp. Neither was there any Spotify,
Skype or Facebook. And the list goes on - no Twitter, no Netflix, and no iPads.
There was hardly a satnav to be found and no emojis to bring a smile or two.
And what about photographs – we used to fill albums, but now a mobile phone
can take super photos at the push of a button - and good quality! Talking about
the ‘cloud’ a few years ago and you knew it was threatening rain. If this kind of
change is what a few years can bring, what on earth will it be like in, say, 2050?
Many of the people who have resisted technological change will have passed on
and every new generation will be tech-savvy.
But let’s remember there are some things that never change. Surely you don’t
need reminding what they are!
With acknowledgements to ACE (the Association for Church Editors)
17Children’s
They sat there all afternoon eating
and smiling, but they never said a
word. As it grew dark, the boy
Page
realized how tired he was and he
got up to leave, but before he had
gone more than a few steps, he
turned around, ran back to the old
lady and gave her a hug. She gave
him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to
his own house a short time later,
his mother was surprised by the
look of joy on his face. She asked
him, "What did you do today that
Afternoon in the Park made you so happy?" He replied,
"I had lunch with God." But before
There was once a little boy who his mother could respond, he
wanted to meet God. He knew it added, "You know what? She's got
was a long trip to where God lived, the most beautiful smile I've ever
so he packed a bag with nice things seen!”
to eat and drink, and set out from
home. Meanwhile, the old woman, also
radiant with joy, returned to her
On his way through the park, he met home. Her son was stunned by the
an old lady. She was sitting on a look of peace on her face and he
bench just staring at some pigeons. asked, "Mother, what did you do
The boy sat down next to her and today that made you so happy?"
opened his bag. He was about to She replied, "I ate sandwiches and
take a drink when he noticed that drank orange juice in the park with
the old lady looked hungry, so he God." But before her son
offered her a sandwich. She grate- responded, she added, "You know,
fully accepted it and smiled at him. he's much younger than I
Her smile was so lovely that he expected."
wanted to see it again so he offered
her some orange juice. Once again Adapted from a story on
she smiled at him. The boy was www.downeychurch.org
delighted!
18BBBBBOUR MISSION: We teach, equip, and encourage believers to grow
spiritually in Christ, to serve God by serving others, to reach out with the good
news of Jesus Christ, and to minister the needs of the community and the world.
BETHESDA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, USA
Pastor: Rev. Rick Laube
The church had its beginnings under a brush arbour on a farm about a mile
from its present location. A more permanent building - a little church in the
pine woods - was completed in 1870 and was followed by a second larger
building in 1896 with a further extension in 1924.
A cornerstone was laid in 1954 and a sermon preached on the challenging
subject, “To Make Bethesda A Great Church”. In due course a Parsonage was
completed.
In the 1960’s a three storey educational building and Fellowsip Hall were
constructed. More recently a Family Life Center was planned to meet some of the
following potential needs — a fellowship area to comfortably serve the
congregation for church meetings, meals, dramas and other large group activities.
Space for sports and exercise programmes such as basketball, volleyball, aerobics,
and other activities for all age groups is also envisaged together with meeting space
for educational workshops and seminars. A commercial grade kitchen to meet
present and future needs and a nursery facility are also planned.
The United Methodist Church in the United States was formed in 1968 by a merger of
The Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren Church.
19WORTH
A well known speaker started off his
seminar by holding up a £50 note.
In the room of 200, he asked, ‘Who
would like this £50 note?’ Hands
started going up. He said, ‘I am going
to give it to one of you, but first let me
do this.’
He proceeded to crumple the note up. He then asked, ‘Who still wants it?’
Still the hands went up.
‘Well,’ he continued, ‘what if I do this?’ and he dropped it on the ground and
started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.. He picked it up, now all
crumpled and dirty.
‘Now who still wants it?’ Still the hands went into the air.
‘My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did
to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was
still worth £50.’
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt
by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel
as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will
happen, you will never lose your value in God’s eyes. Dirty or clean,
crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to him.
From A Box of Delights, J. John and Mark Stibbe, Monarch Books.
Seen on the door of a Methodist minister’s office:
Another day has gone
All targets met
All the visits done
All the congregation happy
All problems solved
All pigs fed and ready to fly.
20CAN YOU HEAR
M E ? I F S O, Y O U
A R E VERY
F O R T U N A T E !!!
Just try blocking your ears with cotton
wool.
Is there any difference?
Those of you who know me, know of my love for DOGS -
Now what on earth has that to do with hearing?????
Well . . . most of the world know of Guide Dogs for the Blind,
Less know about Dogs for the Disabled. BUT have YOU heard of “ Hearing
Dogs for Deaf People”? Then read on. . . . .
This is an organisation that train dogs specifically to undertake this particular
service, to alert their owner when a meal is ready to be removed from the
oven, or the washing cleaner finished, plus many other things we take for
granted.
That is why I, as an increasingly deaf individual, am writing this article to ask
you to consider supporting their cause because they desperately need funds to
support their on-going training of such dogs.
I actually met a VERY deaf person in a shop in Bath Road who had her
so-trained dog with her and when I smiled and spoke very, very slowly and
distinctly to her, received a mono-toned reply “Oh so you know about my
dog”, her delight was so obvious and I realised just what a benefit such dogs
can be to those who have never heard the tweet of a bird or the singing of our
Songsters!
Would you consider a donation however small towards this wonderful service?
I would gratefully receive and forward any contribution to the organisation.
Dilys Harrison
21OUTLOOK
The June issue of ‘Outlook’ should appear on 2nd
June. Contributions are invited by 19th May by
email: bernard_stradling_1980@btinternet.com or in
any format via the E for Editor pigeonhole.
‘Outlook’ can also be found on the Bethesda
website:
www.bethesda-church.org.uk
Please note that all articles reflect the views of the contributor and not
necessarily those of Bethesda Methodist Church.
The cover photograph was taken in 2009 at Thoronet Abbey, a 12th Century
Cistercian Abbey, near Draguignan, Provence.
A better use of Plastic bottle tops, all
donations welcome
The tops go to Chris Evans who runs the Butterfly
Garden at Bamfurlong, close to Gloucester. His
guys clean and sort them, they get assembled ready
for transportation to a recycler locally and from this
comes an amount of money related to the weight of
the tops (after being granulated) which then goes to Guide dogs for the Blind
(http://www.thebutterflygarden.org/).
The Butterfly Garden has a 'workforce' of approx. 200 people all with learning
difficulties. On any day there could be up to 60 at the centre; these people are
not paid but are 'fed and watered', transported if necessary and generally looked
after and given a purpose. It's probably fair to say that these people are pretty
much unemployable, so the opportunity Chris gives them is priceless. Not only
does the money go to the Guide Dogs but the people are used to clean and sort
the tops and prepare them.
At Bethesda, bottle tops may be left in the box on top of the cupboards at the
rear of the hall. Contact Elaine Bailey if you have any queries.
Don’t worry
‘Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in
Australia.’ Charles Schultz.
22Events of Interest : Coming Soon
Jerusalem Joy
Sunday 14 April, 6pm; Christchurch Abbeydale
Performed by Jubilate and starring Devon Brown as Jesus; soloist in the original
musical by Christian Music Ministries.
Pinpongathon 2019 for Christian Aid
Saturday 11 May, 9am – 9pm; Sawyer Hall, Christ Church Nailsworth
Following last year’s success we are holding the same
event this year. Groups of at least 2 can book a one-hour
slot. Entry fee per person is a donation to Christian Aid.
There will also be a coffee morning, light lunch and after-
noon tea. So come on all you table tennis players and
help raise funds for a worthy cause. To book a slot or
more information ring Revd Stuart Radford the
‘Ping Pong Priest’ on 07889 138311 or email
revstuartradford@yahoo.co.uk.
Under Five and Flourishing
Saturday 30 March, 10am – 3pm; Hartpury College
We have been invited to attend this day organised by the Diocese of Gloucester
for all who work with under 5’s. There will be a variety of experienced
practitioners who can offer insight and inspiration about this important age
group and stage of family life. The keynote speaker is Jo Gordon, the director
of Daniel’s Den, a parent and toddler organisation based in Brent, North West
London. Every year they open their doors to 300+ families from 45+
nationalities.
If you are at all interested in attending please contact Russell Buley for further
information. Tel.01242 244036, email: russell.buley@btinternet.com.
“Storytelling” with the Revd Phil Summers
Phil Summers has offered to lead four one-off sessions on Storytelling on
Saturday mornings in different venues in our Circuit. The first of these will be
at St Alban’s, Stroud on Saturday 30 March from 10 until 12.30. Others have
been planned for 6 April at Churchdown, 11 May at Bethesda, Cheltenham
and 18 May at Drybrook. Local Preachers and Worship Leaders are especially
encouraged to attend one of these sessions but knowing that the subject is not
exclusively of interest to them, I want to emphasise that anyone who wishes to
attend will be very welcome to join us. It would help to be aware of how many
intend to come so please let Russell Buley know beforehand by
email: russell.buley@btinternet.com or phone 01242 244036.
23Bread and Wine
Be gentle when you touch bread;
Let it not be uncared for - unwanted.
So often is bread taken for granted.
There is so much beauty in bread -
Beauty of patient toil;
Winds and rain have caressed it,
Christ often blessed it.
Be gentle when you touch bread.
Be loving when you drink wine,
So freely received and joyfully shared
in the spirit of him who cared.
Warm as a flowing river,
Shining as clear as the sun;
Deep as the soil of human toil.
The winds and the air caressed it,
Christ often blessed it.
Be loving when you drink wine.
Words used by Colleen Esham in 1999 at a Communion Service
held at Bethesda.
24You can also read
