The Magazine of the Launceston Area Methodist Church April 2021 Edition 207
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The Magazine of the
Launceston Area
Methodist Church
April 2021
Edition 207
1
Dear Friends
It is a great privilege to be asked to write an Easter message this year
to you. We have all had a difficult year because of COVID 19 and I
believe that the last three months have been especially difficult. The
long days of restrictions have been hard for all of us and we have all
probably wondered when they will come to an end so that life can go back
to normal.
I find it a great comfort to go out on walks with my dog Sam. Sam’s
favourite place to go is wherever there are woodlands and if there’s a
river as well that’s even better! He loves to chase after sticks and if
they go in the water he loves to swim after them. Frank and I get a
great deal of pleasure from watching Sam but we also enjoy hearing the
birds singing, the golden heads of the daffodils, the snowdrops, the
primroses and the trees bursting into blossom; all these things are signs
of new life and the promise that warmer weather is on the way.
The message of Easter is all about new life, love and hope. It is about
the true story of God’s love and forgiveness of sins shown to us through
the death of Jesus, His Son; it is also a celebration that God raised
Jesus to new life so that our joy may be complete as we trust in Him and
follow in His ways. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his
Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be
destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”
John 3:16
I found this Easter prayer, written by David Flynn, in one of the books
on my shelf – I hope you find it as helpful as I did:
May the risen Christ who called Mary by her name come to reassure you
That he knows you and loves you as if there was no one else.
May the risen Christ who walked with his friends all the way to Emmaus,
Interpreting the scriptures for them,
Come to you to guide you in your pilgrimage and to lead you into truth.
May the risen Christ who sat down at the supper table and broke the
bread
Come to you to bless you at your tables; And may he come to us all,
gathered at his table, to feed us with the Bread of life.
2
May the risen Christ who breathed his peace on his disciples
Come to give you peace in the assurance of his forgiveness,
That you may be a channel of his peace in and for a troubled world.
May the risen Christ who showed his wounds to his disciples
Come to you to give you that healing of your wounds
Which will be for the strengthening of your life with him and to glory of
his name.
May the risen Christ who met Thomas in his doubting
Come to you to give you the happiness he promised
To those who have never seen him and yet believe.
May the risen Christ who prepared breakfast for his friends
While they fished on the lake
Come to you in your places of work to help you honour God
And serve your neighbour in all you do there.
May the risen Christ who sent his apostles to make disciples of all the
nations
Come to you to strengthen you in your witness to him day by day.
May the risen Christ who has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us
Come to you at the hour of your death to take you to your eternal home.
The Lord bless you as you keep the Easter season
And fill you with his life and his love,
For your own sake, in the service of others,
And above all to his everlasting glory.
© Churches Together in Britain and Ireland 2002
Happy Easter everyone and I hope you enjoy a feeling of freedom and new
life as the lockdown restrictions are gradually eased and we can hopefully
meet together a lot more!
God bless from Revd Cathy
3
Bridge
We have had a really positive time of evening worship and prayer through the
beginning of this year which has seen our live stream reaching up to 2000
views a week and has given us the opportunity to connect in with people who
do not normally regularly attend church. The Facebook chat feed also enabled
people to connect with each other during the service and has been a real place
of encouragement and inspiration for those logging on each week.
As we reach Spring we are moving our streamed services back to the mornings
as we look forward to Easter. We have plans to reopen our church building to
hold an evening of Worship on Good Friday and after Easter we are excited
and hopeful that we will be able to begin fully opening our church to in person
services again.
We have also just launched our new website www.bridgechurchuk.org which
we hope people will find easy to use and help everyone stay connected in and
encourage people to get involved in the different areas of church family and
ministry.
We are excited for what God has instore for our community this year and
continue to pray that we are now moving out of the current COVID19 pandemic.
Lucie Worth
SHIFT XL
‘What a crazy start to the year for our young people! Hopefully now there is
some light at the end of the tunnel with the joy of being back in school, seeing
friends, and things looking brighter for the summer months.
We have continued to meet weekly online for our bible studies where we have
been studying ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’ in our junior sessions, and then tackling
some of the harder questions facing teenagers today in our senior group. We
have discussed creation, relationships, stewarding money amongst other top-
ics and it has really been a fruitful time as we develop as disciples.
4We have also started to support on a one to one level with young people
being ‘championed' by a young adult for prayer, support and encouragement.
I believe developing these relationships will be key in seeing more spiritual
growth for our young people.
I am extremely excited at the glimmer of hope that we may be able to meet in
larger groups this summer and believe it or not there might even be a summer
camp to plan for!!
Please continue to lift our young people up in prayer and especially how we
navigate our way through this time.
If there are any questions, or young people you have in mind who would
appreciate joining in with anything we are doing, then please do be in contact
on jordan@lamc.org.uk'
Jordan Duke
Coads Green
Hello Everyone,
Spring has sprung! The season has well and truly begun. Birds are singing,
buds bursting, lambs skipping and so many flowers are donning the hedgerows
with primroses, celandines and dandelions to name but a few, all reminding us
of the new life we have in Christ and the greatness of our Creator. It never
ceases to amaze me how the spring flowers push their way up through the
hard soil after the winter and the joy they bring.
Sometimes it might feel like we are pushing our way through difficult times but
with God's help he will pull us through. Let's keep the spring flowers in mind
and see what joy we can bring to others. A smile can be all it takes or even just
the words 'hello' or 'thank you'.
God Bless you all
Margaret Venning
SPRING HARVEST HOME 21
Spring Harvest Home 21 will be streamed on
their brand new, custom-made platform.
You can watch and interact with exciting live worship celebrations,
transformative teaching, insightful Bible study, fun kids sessions and so
much more, all from the comfort of your own sofa.
For more information visit: https://springharvest.org/springharvesthome21
5The Lenten Cross
I
n spite of the current restrictions it has still been
possible to set up the Lenten Cross and
photograph it to be used in the online Easter
services.
The various elements symbolise some of the stages
of Christ’s journey to the Cross.
First Sunday of Lent: - Stones. The stones symbolise
Jesus’ triumph over temptation, tribulation and
hardship.
Second Sunday of Lent: - Coins. The coins symbolise
Jesus’ betrayal for thirty pieces of silver. They remind
us to be charitable to those less fortunate than we
are. In the Law in Exodus thirty pieces of silver was paid in restitution for a
gored slave.
The Third Sunday of Lent: - Scourge and Red Robe. These symbolise Jesus’
suffering, reminding us of the continued physical suffering, loneliness and
injustices in our world. The red represents Jesus’ blood flooding down the
cross.
The Fourth Sunday in Lent: - The Orb. The Orb symbolises God’s love for the
world. The red orb with the white cross declares that the love of God reaches
the whole of the world and reminds us of our duty to spread that love around
the globe and to care for the perfect creation God gave us.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent: - Passion Sunday. The Scourge, Crown of Thorns,
Purple Robe. The mocking of Jesus’ kingship but the symbols of salvation.
They remind us of the horrendous torture, brutality and humiliation Christ
suffered for us.
Sixth Sunday of Lent: - Palm Sunday. Palm branches to symbolise Jesus
riding into Jerusalem to the adulation of crowds waving these and shouting,
“Hosanna!” They were hoping Jesus was their saviour from the Romans, not
understanding He is the Saviour of the world.
6Maundy Thursday: - Jug, Basin and Towel. Jesus the Servant of All. The jug,
basin and towel remind us of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and telling us
to “wash one another’s feet”. We are here not to be served but to serve.
Good Friday: - Nails, Hammer, Sign “The King of the Jews”.
These symbols remind us of the sheer physical torture of the crucifixion and
of Christ’s final words, “ It is finished!” At that moment the Veil of the Temple
was torn in two demonstrating God’s new relationship with us through the
death of His beloved Son.
It is very sobering placing these symbols at the Cross and remembering the
awful physical, mental and emotional torture Jesus suffered for us.
But we know the reality of the Resurrection and Easter Morning.
Wishing you all a joyous Eastertide.
Irene Stanbury
DO WHAT YOU CAN
Boris Kornfeld, a Jewish surgeon, was imprisoned in Siberia where he
treated staff and prisoners. There he met a Christian whose daily reciting of
the Lord's prayer had a profound impact on him. One day while repairing the
slashed artery of a guard, he seriously considered suturing it so that the
guard would die slowly of internal bleeding. His hidden anger so shocked him
that he found himself praying. 'Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive
those that trespass against us.' After that he refused to obey any inhumane
or immoral, prison camp rule, even though doing so could cost him his life.
One afternoon while examining a patient, who'd undergone an operation,
Kornfeld saw in the man's eyes such a depth of spiritual misery that he told
him his entire story, including his secret faith in Christ. That night Boris
Kornfeld was murdered as he slept. But his testimony wasn't in vain. That
patient's name was Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nobel Laureate, whose writings
exposed the horrors of Russian prison camps and ultimately saved the lives
of multitudes.
It's a mistake to do nothing because you can only do little! Greatness
seldom seems great at the time. Usually, it's just somebody seizing the
moment and doing the best they can with what God's given them. What has
he given you to work with today? Start using it and see what happens.
Paul said “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if
we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6: 9.
Help me Lord to go the extra mile for the people around me that cause
me misery, even for those who speak against me or just make me mad.
Help me have your love from them and may it become a lifestyle in me.
Source: The Overcoming series, UCB, Stoke on Trent - ucb.co.uk
7World Day of Prayer
S
oft, golden sands fringed by lush vegetation and tropical blue sea- a
holiday brochure? No, Vanatua in the South Pacific.
With 54 other viewers I joined the Falmouth & Penryn Churches
Together presentation of this years Womens World Day of Prayer service on
You-Tube and a virtual choir from the Baptist Church. With plenty of on-line
services to choose from this year you could easily find one to suit your diary!
The beautiful scene and lovely singing by the women drew you into their
service. The theme was "Build on a Strong Foundation" and the front picture
was of a mother crouching over a baby. Why the title? The island experiences
hurricanes, tsunamis, 3,000mm rain pa, Trade winds and humidity with
temperatures in the high 20 degrees. No wonder they need firm foundations.
Psalm 27:1 and the parable in Matthew about building on the right foundation
is certainly real to the people. With only2% arable land malnutrition and
stunted growth in children is a problem along with junk food and powdered
milk.
There is no mixed schooling and boys education comes first. Teaching is both
in English and French as Vanuatuan gained independence from France and
Britain in 1980. Originally they were called the New Hebrides when Captain
Cook discovered them in 1774 because they reminded him of Scotland.
Tourism, construction and offshore financial services are the main industry
which means that girls are often excluded because they do not have the
education. Churches help girls to develop skills from which they can earn a
living. There is a growing population and quite young children are sent away
to boarding school from the rural areas. They see it as something they have
to do rather than a privilege as in this country and don't look forward to
leaving home.
We were left with the message that our choices can affect our lives and on
what foundation do we want to build. What is the house God would build of
me? Windows-looking out to the world, Doors-that are open, Mortar-binding
us together and a roof-sheltering us from the storms.
We were asked to have a pebble for the service and we looked at it - each
pebble is unique with its colour, shape, flaws. Foundations are made of
stones and pebbles which together make firm foundations. Let God make us
like a house with firm foundations, with doors,
windows and a roof and being unique in our way
and making the right choices.
Ann Foster
8Aquila Christian Bookshop
During Lockdown
We will continue to operate behind closed doors. Customers can phone the
shop on 01566-772047; Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9.30-2.0, email
stearM5@aol.com or message via our Facebook page – Aquila Christian
Bookshop – with your requirements and we can arrange to pass over at the
door, post or deliver within the immediate town area. Easter cards are selling
well and there is a window display to help you choose. For birthday, get well,
sympathy, thinking of you cards we can arrange for you to collect a selection
(list will be enclosed) and return those not wanted with cash or card payment
for those you decide to keep. Many thanks to everyone who has supported us
during the lockdown.
After Lockdown
Hopefully – along with other non-essential retail – we will be reopening on
Monday, 12 April (yes, unusually we WILL be open on that Monday)., or
whenever the Government allows non-essential retail to open. There will be a
number of special offers to allow you to restock greetings cards and replenish
your bookshelves. During the summer we will look forward to inviting new local
authors, Sarah Yardley (lead for CreationFest) and David Flanders (Pastor of
Souls Harbour, Camelford) to book signings. You can pre-order their books.
Mike Stearns
NOTES AND DIAMONDS
T
o understand how God sees you, try to think of these two things:
1) A five-pound note. What makes it more valuable than any other piece
of paper of equal size? The wealth and stability of the government
whose signature is on it. You can crumple that five-pound note up, step on it,
even tear it in two and tape it back together again, and its worth is still the
same.
2) A diamond. If you rub a diamond in the dirt, it's still a diamond, albeit a
dirty one. But it has not lost its value. Now, we must point out that in order to
truly appreciate the beauty of the diamond, you would have to get the dirt off it
and then restore it back to its original lustre. What's the point of these two
illustrations? That your value in God's eyes as His redeemed child doesn't
change or diminish when you get dirty, or stepped on, or torn apart by life and
circumstances. That's because your worth is determined not by your own
efforts but by the price Jesus paid in exchange for you on the cross. There,
the great exchange took place. All your sins from the cradle to the grave were
laid on Him. And when you accept Him as your saviour, all His righteousness
is transferred to you. You don't have to strive for it; it's a 'gift'.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God". (Ephesians 2:8).
Source: Word for Today 2021, United Christian Broadcasters, Stoke on Trent -
UCB.co.uk
9Returning, but NOT going back…
I
assume you will read this on or close to Easter Sunday – last year I heard
a lot of talk about “an Easter like no other” and “when will things get back
to normal”. How innocent, even naïve, those comments now sound! A
year on, we have learned much about living more physically distant, even
isolated lives. We have glimpsed just a little of the restrictions the eldest
among us embraced for six long years during the Second World War
believing their sacrifice would be worth it for the freedom that would come.
Accepting the cross
For Jesus and His disciples, the freedom His resurrection would offer could
only be obtained by also embracing the pain of His self-sacrificial death. This
is true for us, too, personally and as the Church. What was in the past is in
the past, it cannot be returned to. This is always true, but a time like the past
year makes it plain for all to see. We must embrace the pain of letting go of
old models of behaviour we have clung on to; the 19th Century Circuit
focussed on maintaining a pattern of church life already in decline compared
with population growth will not serve the 21st century. In the past, many of us
have had conversations containing comments like “if only we could stop what
we’re doing for three months and start again…This past 12 months has given
that opportunity in a way we never expected.
Embracing the resurrection
The heart of the Gospel includes death and resurrection; I read recently a
comment that “All churches are now church plants – we’re all starting again.”
For our chapels to thrive we will need to do what our Victorian forebears did;
accept the planned abandonment of some activities and practices which no
longer speak of the life of Christ and embrace the moment to rise renewed to
explore the opportunities before us rather than wistfully yearn to “go back”.
Who thought 2 years ago, we’d have 200 people meeting online for worship?
Or work so closely as a circuit in providing fellowship, study and prayer
groups? Who knew a year ago, we’d be helping feed nearly 100 households
across the town?
‘The Lord is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!’ we declare at Easter. But, we
believe not only in the resurrection of Christ, but also in the ‘general
resurrection’ when people and Churches heed the call to be born again, by
water and the Spirit. So, as we prepare to return to Church we do so not to
go back but to go forward in the Name of Christ and the power of The Spirit!
Hallelujah!
David Miller, March 2021
10My Calling
I
f you ask any local preacher about their calling you will probably hear
something different each time. It may be that they saw a need or heard
the gospel message being explored in a new way, or a hymn or prayer felt
as if it was speaking directly to them. It might have been that someone saw
in them the potential gifts and graces of a preacher. It could even have been
borne out of frustration in worship and a sense that they could do better.
(Called to Preach, The Methodist Church).
Continuing the short series, looking at God's calling, we have asked Andrew
Baker to share how God called him to share in the Church’s mission:
Why am I a local preacher? The short answer is that I responded to a call
from Revd Steve Emery Wright to attend a meeting of those interested.
However the longer explanation, is that I had been feeling for quite some-
time that perhaps I could say a few words on various Bible passage and had
on occasions meant to say something to Steve, but one thing or another
always seemed to get in the way. So eventually when he announced the
meeting it felt like a ‘super charged’ moment – my time had come
When I was a youngster at Central I remember sitting in the pews (yes I am
old enough to have sat in them!) and listening to Revd Ellis and thinking I
could never do that. However it was after an Alpha course that I really put my
trust in God, and attended and partly led a House Group for a number of
years. Gradually I realised that maybe I had something to say, that I could
present the Good News in a reasonably understandable way, and such
thoughts kept nagging away. However on the other side thoughts like I’m too
shy, I’m no good at public speaking , what if I freeze in the pulpit kept going
through my head. Ultimately there was only going to be one winner, God
kept calling and eventually I had to respond.
The rest you could say is history, but a study group led by Brian Tunbridge
and later by Revd Howard Curnow with Wenda Gilbert, Tony Howe and
Jenny Parnell was a great blessing.
Once I was up in the pulpit or equally likely these day behind or by the
lectern, I soon had a deep sense that this is where I was meant to be.
Without God’s help and Spirit I never could have coped, but he gave me
strength to overcome my fear of public speaking and soon I felt ‘reasonably’
at home in the pulpit.
I’ve been asked for a favourite Bible verse. From the Old Testament I
particularly like Isaiah 40 a great turning point in the Bible and verses 29-31
which are great encouragement for those who are tired and weary. I am
currently rather keen on Psalm 139 and would recommend Bernadette
Farrell’s lovely setting (STF 728). In the New Testament there are so many
verses I could chose, but Luke 15v20 is one that I often find myself
contemplating. It tells us of God’s love, and that he is looking out for us, and
doing all he can to encourage us back into his family even when we are
wayward and seemingly a long way off.
11The English Language
T
here is a two letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any
other two letter word, and that is UP.
It’s easy to understand UP, meaning towards the sky or at the top of
the list, but when we awaken in the morning why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?
Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it
UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends.
And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the
leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP
excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the
dictionary.
In a desk –sized dictionary, it takes UP almost ¼ of the page and can add UP
to about 30 definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is
used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but don’t give UP, you may wind UP
with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP. When it doesn’t
rain for a while things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so…… it
is time to shut UP!
Now it’s UP to you to do what you want to do with this.
A Note from Karen Everett
“To all at Central Methodist Church and Elmslea.
Thankyou all so very much for my lovely hand-
made bookmark and my card. That really made
my day and I’m thinking of you all as well. I miss
you all and Church coffee mornings and I look
forward to seeing you all when Church opens.”
Karen
12SPRING IN THE GARDEN
W
hat a special pleasure to watch the new growth of the many spring
bulbs and trees budding. The 1st sight of spring when snowdrops
arrive, many here, followed swiftly by swathes of the many varieties
of narcissus, some flowering until the middle of April. The tete a tete variety
have become popular, developed as long ago as 1949. Ours grow well both in
the ground and in pots, increase profusely, and being short withstand stormy
weather.
Under a big oak tree Neil planted from an acorn when a schoolboy, grow a
collection of snowdrops, crocus, hardy cyclamen, primrose, hyacinths, old
fashioned double daffodils and tete a tete ones. These produce our annual
treat of spring flowers with no more input from us around its large trunk.
For the first time we have had colourful anemones to pick from February
onwards. Neil planted 450 corms in September. Apparently we can expect 10
blooms per corm. The first flowers are rather short.
Looking out of my window, I enjoy seeing several flowering camelias, pink,
deep red, double pink (unless caught by frost) interspersed between a dainty
magnolia stalata, and a large magnolia that dominates that area. Between
these a zebrina conifer sits, two toned yellow and green in colour, planted from
a cutting. The nearby tree fern survives in a sheltered spot. Our arum lily
flourishes in the green house, flowers profusely. Mahonia is another favourite,
green hellebores grow semi-wild. We grow hostas in pots to protect them from
slug attack.
Hyacinths are colourful in our tubs by the house interspersed with short
tulips, viola and a central Christmas rose.
Many of us strive to grow exotic plants, but what’s better than a lesser
celandine, its sunshine yellow petals appear so perfect and shiny as if nail
varnished, interspersed with primroses or that blue haze created by a carpet of
bluebells.
We also have a good variety of wildlife habitat with weeds a plenty. Brambles
house sparrows enjoy, nettles for those caterpillars, so rather ahead of fashion
on re-wilding issues. Frogs spawn a plenty on the pond where 3 shy moorhens
have made their home. A cultivated pussy willow towers over it. The gunnera
(giant rhubarb) a big feature.
We grow apples, pears, cherries, plums, raspberries, tayberries, blackcurrants,
damsons and figs. Great success with cherries last year with all that sun.
When the apple blossom appears, summer has come. Coping with the amount
of apples in our large orchard another mammoth task.
Suddenly spring is over after a few hot sunny days and Granny’s bonnets,
roses and the perennial borders bloom.
Ruth Burden
13Popular Easter Hymns, and some facts about them
Ride On, Ride On In Majesty is a Palm Sunday hymn which refers
to Matthew 21:1-17 and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Henry Hart
Milman wrote it in 1820, but it wasn’t published in a hymn book until 1827
when it was published in Bishop Reginald Heber's Hymns Written and
Adapted to the Weekly Church Service of the Year.
There is a Green Hill Far Away was originally written as a children’s hymn
but now usually sung for Passiontide. The words are by Cecil Frances
Alexander, and the most popular tune by William Horsley. The text was first
published in Hymns for Little Children (1848), and the text remains well known
today due to its “clear presentation of the redemptive work of Christ”.
Scholar John Richard Watson noted that, since it was first publicised, “it would
be hard to find a major hymn book that has not included it”.
Were You There? is an American spiritual that was first printed in 1899, and
likely composed by enslaved African-Americans in the 19th century. It was first
published in William Eleazar Barton's 1899 Old Plantation Hymns. The song
was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourites, and has been recorded by many
artists including Paul Robeson, Johnny Cash and Harry Belafonte.
When I Survey was written by Isaac Watts, and published in Hymns and
Spiritual Songs in 1707. The hymn is often sung to the tune “Rockingham"
which was written by Edward Miller, the son of a stone mason who ran away
from home to become a musician, being a flutist in Händel’s orchestra.
The Old Rugged Cross is a popular hymn written in 1912 by evangelist and
song-leader George Bennard (1873–1958). After his conversion in a Salvation
Army meeting, he and his wife became brigade leaders before leaving the
organization for the Methodist Church. As a Methodist evangelist, He wrote
the first verse of The Old Rugged Cross in Albion, Michigan, in 1912 but did
not complete it until 1913. It speaks of the writer's adoration of Christ and His
sacrifice at Calvary. Bennard retired to Reed City, Michigan, and the town
maintains a museum dedicated to his life and ministry.
The Old Rugged Cross is a country gospel favourite which has been
performed by some of the twentieth century’s most important recording artists,
including Al Green, Jim Reeves, Ella Fitzgerald, Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson.
It has also been used in an episode of the long-running sci-fi drama
series Doctor Who.
My Song is Love Unknown, Samuel Crossman wrote this as a poem in 1664.
It is predominantly used as a hymn for Good Friday. The tune to which it is
usually sung is called Love Unknown by John Ireland (1879–1962), who
composed the melody over lunch one day on the back of a menu in just 15
minutes.
Thine Be the Glory was originally written in French by the Swiss Protestant
minister, Edmond Budry (1854–1932), and set to the tune of the chorus “See,
the Conqu'ring hero comes” from the third section of Handel’s oratorio Judas
14Maccabaeus. This hymn is based on the Resurrection of Jesus and uses ele-
ments of Isaiah 25:8. It is often used in Easter church services involving the
British royal family. During the Last Night of the Proms Thine Be the Glory is
played, with attendees traditionally whistling the tune.
Christ the Lord is Risen Today. Charles Wesley, the co-founder of
the Methodist Church, wrote this in 1739 where it was initially titled “Hymn for
Easter Day”. He based it on an older anonymous Bohemian hymn titled Jesus
Christ is Risen Today. The new hymn was first performed at the first service
at The Foundery Meeting House after Wesley had adapted it into the
first Methodist chapel. Following this, Wesley published it in the Hymns and
Sacred Poems hymnal. It originally consisted of eleven verses of four lines,
which were later reduced to six, and early in the 19th century “Alleluia” was
added to the end of each line. This results in “Alleluia” appearing twenty-four
times in the hymn! It is speculated by hymn analysts that this was done to
ensure that the hymn fits the tune of “Easter Hymn”. This led to a more popular
awareness of “Alleluia” being used for Easter to celebrate the Resurrection of
Jesus.
And Can it Be was written by Charles Wesley in 1738 to celebrate
his conversion, which he regarded as having taken place on 21 May of that
year. After this, Charles went on to become a prolific hymnodist, composing
over 6500 hymns. The hymn celebrates personal salvation through the death
and resurrection of Jesus, and is one of the most popular Methodist hymns
today.
The title and first lines of the hymn are framed as a question in which the
singer asks if he can benefit from the sacrifice of Jesus (the blood of Christ),
despite being the cause of Christ’s death. The hymn refers to several Biblical
events, and each verse returns to the individual's experience of faith
and personal salvation.
In 2013, following a survey conducted by the BBC’s “Songs of Praise”, And
Can It Be was voted number 6 in the UK’s Top 100 Hymns.
Compiled from Wikipedia
Christian Aid News
C
hristian Aid Week this year is from Monday, 10th to Sunday, 16th
May. There will be a national Christian Aid Quiz, with a TV personality
comparing, on Saturday, 8th May. Details of the link to join to take
part and time to follow.
On Sunday, 9th May there will be a Christian Aid Service at Central and
also on Zoom. Christian Aid will be on the BBC's Songs of Praise on that
Sunday. 2021 is Christian Aid's 75th Anniversary and we are planning to
celebrate this event later in the year. Look out for more details in future
Spotlight editions.
Chris & Julia
15METHODIST WOMEN IN BRITAIN
LAUNCESTON AREA CIRCUIT EASTER OFFERING 2021
“INTO ALL THE WORLD”
TO BE HELD VIA ZOOM ON SUNDAY 18TH APRIL 2021 at 6.30pm
B
ecause of lockdown we were unable to hold our Easter Offering
Service last year and similar circumstances will prevent the Service
being held in person this year. However, all circuits are encouraged to
hold the Service in whatever way they can and so Launceston Area Circuit
will hold theirs on the evening of Sunday 18th April. The service features
people who have made a journey, some in obedience to God’s call on their
lives and others because they had no choice. The worship encourages us to
reflect and learn from those who travel and to consider our own journeys,
both physical and spiritual.
Of course, we won’t be able to call each chapel to the front of the Church
with their Easter Offering Envelopes as was traditional but there will be a link
available during the service so you can make your donation to World
Missions that way.
Revd Jo will send the invitation to the service with the link in her “What’s On”
email on 11th or 12th April and with the morning Sunday Service on 18th
April zoom invitation.
If you have any queries, please contact Mary Tucker on 01566 775810 or Jill
Price on 01579 370835.
About Easter Offering
Each year, the Methodist Church holds an Easter Offering dedication ser-
vice. This tradition dates back to 1883, when women in Manchester collected
£32 for missionary work overseas from 'Christmas pennies' at family
gatherings on Christmas Day. In March 1884, the London Districts distributed
Easter envelopes and collecting bags asking for a penny a head, and
collected around £100. In 1900, Women’s Work raised £1,655 for the work of
overseas missions.
Since then, each successive Methodist women’s movement has encouraged
donations in support of God’s mission. Recently, Methodist Women in Britain
(supported by the Global Relationships team) have produced an annual
service of dedication, often used widely around the Connexion as a circuit
service.
All the money raised through the Easter Offering goes to the World Mission
Fund of the Methodist Church in Britain for work in our 65 Partner Churches
around the world. This money is used by overseas partners to fund such
work as: enabling young women in north India to undertake nurse and
midwifery training; supporting Brazilian women to work in their churches with
vulnerable women and children; developing women’s leadership roles and
integrating culture and art into worship across Brazil.
16In 2019, collections from Easter Offering services raised over £370,000,
thanks to the generosity of Methodist men, women and children. Let’s try to
carry on with this wonderful giving in 2021.
Jill Price
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Go to theological college’ they* said… ‘It will be fun’ they* said.
*Methodist Connexional Team
I
t was an immense honour to be accepted to train as a Methodist Minister
last summer (2020) and I thank those of you who travelled the
candidating journey with me and have continued to support me this year.
I was allocated a three-year course at the ‘Queen’s Foundation for
Ecumenical Theological Education’ on campus in Birmingham. My flat is
waiting but I am yet to move on site. The college wisely closed the campus
before the start of the academic year and I’m grateful to Launceston Central
for offering me a comfortable place to study and to the Bridge church for
graciously offering me a church placement.
The first term commenced in a freshers-week blur: I was bombarded with
so much information that I promptly forgot it all! – In my defence, this was
after all one of my first experiences of struggling with the soon to be
ubiquitous Zoom. Even worse, I had to get to grips with ‘Moodle’ a virtual
learning environment which offers a portal to lectures, course materials,
assignments, the online library and chapel. Moodle and I are currently on
speaking terms but we are yet to become friends!
The course is varied, with an interesting mix of New and Old Testament
modules, church history, mission and evangelism, and preaching skills, to
name but a few. There have been plenty of written assignments alongside
creating videos and giving group presentations. We meet for prayers every
morning and chapel worship before lunch. On campus, this would be fol-
lowed by a shared lunch - but for some strange reason we haven’t yet
sussed how to share food through computer screens!
Queen’s are hoping to reopen the campus in September and much as I
shall miss you all and am saddened by the wrench of leaving Cornwall, I
am looking forward to seeing my new friends without boxes around their
heads and shock, horror! sporting a pair of legs! Learning to be a Methodist
minister is an awesome task which is enabled by the power Holy Spirit, the
wisdom of the lecturers, the dedication of placement supervisors, and a lot
of hard work from me. I ask that you might continue to pray for me as I am
formed into the minister God has called me to be.
Thank you
Naomi Sparey
17Aggie: The Inspiring Story of a Girl Without a Country
N
early a hundred years ago, the Philadelphia
Church in Stockholm, Sweden, sent two
missionary couples to the Congo. David and
Svea Flood, along with Joel and Bertha Erickson,
macheted their way through the jungle to establish a
mission station. During their first year, they didn’t see
a single convert. The village was resistant to the
gospel because they were afraid of offending their
tribal gods but that didn’t keep Svea from sharing the
love of Jesus with a five-year-old boy who delivered
fresh eggs to their back door every day.
Svea became pregnant not long after arriving, but
she was bedridden during much of the pregnancy
battling malaria. She gave birth to a baby girl, Aina,
on April 13, 1923, but Svea died seventeen days
later. David made a casket and buried his twenty-seven year-old wife on the
mountainside overlooking the village. Grief, then bitterness flooded his heart.
David gave his daughter, Aina, to the Ericksons and returned to Sweden with
dashed dreams and a broken heart. He would spend the next five decades of
his life trying to drown his sorrow with drink. He forewarned those he knew
never to mention God’s name in his presence.
The Ericksons raised Aina until she was a toddler, but both of them died within
three days of each other when the villagers poisoned them to death. Aina was
given to an American missionary couple. Arthur and Anna Berg. The Bergs
renamed their adopted daughter, Agnes, and called her Aggie. They eventually
returned to America to pastor a church in South Dakota.
After high school, Aggie enrolled at North Central Bible College in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. She met and married a fellow student, Dewey Hurst.
They started a family of their own and served a number of churches as
pastors. Then, Dr Hurst became president of Northwest Bible College. On their
twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, the college gave the Hursts a special gift – a
trip to Sweden. Aggie’s sole purpose in going was to find her biological father
who had abandoned her first years before. They searched Stockholm for five
days without a trace. Then, on the last day before departure, they got a tip that
led to the third floor of a ram shackled apartment building. There they found
Aggie’s dad, who was on his deathbed with a failing liver.
The last words David Flood ever expected to hear were, ‘Papa, it’s Aina.’ And
the fist words out of his mouth were filled with remorse ‘I never meant to give
you away.’ When they embraced, a fifty-year curse of bitterness was broken. A
father and daughter were reconciled that day, and a father was reconciled with
his heavenly Father for eternity. When Aggie landed in Seatle the next day, she
received news that her father had passed away while they were in flight.
Now here’s the rest of the story:
18Five years later, Dewey and Aggie Hurst attended the World Pentecostal
Conference in London. Ten thousand delegates from around the world
gathered at the Royal Albert Hall. One of the speakers on opening night was
Ruhigita Ndagora, the superintendent of the Pentecostal Church in Zaire.
What caught Aggie’s attention was the fact that Ruhigita was from the region
where her parents had been missionaries half a century before. After the
message, Aggie spoke to him through an interpreter. She asked if he knew
of the village where she was born, and Ruhigita told her that he had grown
up in that village. She asked if he knew of missionaries by the name of
Flood. He said, ‘Every day I would go to Svea Flood’s back door with a
basket of eggs, and she would tell me about Jesus. I don’t know if she had a
single convert in all of Africa besides me.’ Then he added, ‘Shortly after I
accepted Christ, Svea died and her husband left. She had a baby girl named
Aina, and I’ve always wondered what happened to her.’
When Aggie revealed that she was Aina, Ruhigita Ndagora started to sob.
They embraced like siblings separated since birth. Then Ruhigita said, ‘Just
a few months ago, I placed flowers on our mother’s grave. On behalf of the
hundreds of churches and hundreds of thousands of believers in Zaire, thank
you for letting your mother die so that many of us could live.’
Sometimes going all in feels like it’s all for naught. That’s how it felt on the
Saturday between Good Friday and resurrection Sunday. But it’s not all over
until God says it’s over! The greatest spiritual victory was won on the heels of
its seemingly greatest defeat. All was lost, but not for long. Three days after
his crucifixion, Jesus walked out of His tomb under His own power.
In God’s kingdom, failure is never final. Not if you believe in the resurrection!
You won’t win every spiritual battle, but the war has already been decisively
won. The victory was sealed two thousand years ago when Jesus broke the
seal on His tomb. It was the deathblow to death itself. And we are more than
conquerors because of what Christ accomplished.
David and Svea Flood didn’t have a single convert they knew of. They
thought it was all for naught. But one seed took root and bore fruit beyond
belief. You never know which seed it will be. But if you plant and water,
Scripture guarantees that God Himself will give the increase! Never underes-
timate the ripple effect of one act of obedience. It will never be all for nothing.
Source: Aggie: The Inspiring Story of a Girl without a Country (Springfield,
Mo: Gospel Publishing House, 1986) included in ‘All In’ by Mark Batterson,
Zondervan, 2013.
To hear Aggie tell her story on video: https://vimeo.com/139868754
19Easter Outreach
D
o you remember that back at Christmas several different groups from
our churches distributed Christmas Goodie Bags in our respective
communities? Well, at Easter we are planning a ‘repeat performance’.
I’m not sure of the details of what other churches in the circuit are doing but at
Polyphant and Altarnun punnets will be distributed containing ‘Real’ Easter
eggs, palm crosses, the Easter worship CD produced by the Methodist
Church, Christian literature for both adults and children, and a special circuit
Easter Card which is being produced by Sam Beazley and the Bridge Team
and other bits and pieces as inspiration leads. I am hoping that by the end of
the month when I distribute our little boxes of Resurrection Hope, restrictions
may have lifted enough to be able to speak to at least some of the people who
receive the boxes, but if not, at least they will be another link with our village
people and then, maybe, in a few more months we can invite them to
celebrate being able to come together again. Pentecost would be a great
opportunity if such gatherings are permitted by then.
We are being told that during the pandemic nearly 25% of the adult population
have been regularly ‘zooming in’ to online worship. Before the pandemic only
about 10% attended church. What an opportunity to encourage people to draw
nearer and to encounter the risen Christ. Let’s use every chance we have to
proclaim the lifechanging Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as St Francis is credited
with saying, ‘If necessary use words!’ (Failing that – use Easter eggs!)
Doreen Sparey-Delacassa
Easter Biscuits : (makes 24)
4oz(100g) butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3oz(75g) caster sugar 2oz(50g) currants
1egg,separated 1oz (25g)mixed peel, chopped.
7oz(200g)plain flour 1-2 tablespoons milk.
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice Caster sugar for sprinkling.
Pre-heat oven to 200c/400f.Lightly grease 3 baking trays. Measure butter
and sugar into bowl and cream together until light & fluffy.
Beat in egg yolk. Sift in flour and spices and mix well. Add currants and
mixed peel and enough milk to give a fairly soft dough. Knead mixture lightly
on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a thickness of 1/4in(5mm) Cut into
rounds using a 2 1/2in (6cm) fluted cutter. Place on the prepared baking
trays. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 mins. Remove from oven, brush the
biscuits with lightly beaten egg white, sprinkle with a little caster sugar and
return to the oven for another4-5 mins or until pale golden brown. Cool on
wire rack. Store in airtight container.
20Easter Foods Around The World
Like many religious festivals, Easter is celebrated with plenty of unique and
delicious foods around the world.
United Kingdom: Simnel cake
Dating back centuries, simnel cake is a fruit cake that
was originally eaten on Easter Sunday throughout the
United Kingdom. The cake is topped with a layer of
toasted marzipan, decorated with 11 marzipan balls to
represent the apostles minus Judas, and sometimes
there's a ball representing Christ in the middle.
Russia: Pashka
Made with cottage cheese and cream cheese, pashka is a
savoury dessert that can either be eaten alone or with
bread. The cheese mound is often decorated with dried fruit
and the letters XB, which mean "Christ is risen."
Argentina: Torta Pascualina
Pascua is Spanish for Easter, so Tarta Pascualina means
"Eastertime Tart." The savoury pie is filled with ricotta, hard
boiled eggs, spinach, artichoke, and parsley. Since it is
meatless, it's a common dish during Lent, and the many
eggs used to make it symbolize the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
Mexico: Capirotada
Recipes for capirotada - a bread pudding served on Good
Friday - vary across the country, but it's usually made from
bolillo (a bread similar to a baguette) which has been
soaked in mulled syrup made from sugar, cinnamon sticks,
and cloves. Nuts, dried fruit, and sprinkles are common
toppings. Capirotada is meant to signify the crucifixion: the
cinnamon sticks represent the cross, the cloves represent the nails, and the
bread represents Christ's Body.
Italy: Colomba di Pasqua
Sweet breads are common holiday foods in Italy. There's
panettone at Christmas, and Colomba di Pasqua at Easter.
Shaped like a dove, a symbol for peace, Colomba di
Pasqua is stuffed with candied fruit and then sprinkled with
almonds and pearl sugar.
21Ecuador: Fanesca
Fanesca is a hearty soup that consists of a variety of grains
and beans as well as bacalao (dry salted cod). The exact
ingredients differ from household to household, but
common ones include fava beans, squash, corn, rice,
garlic, onions, peas, and milk. Ideally, 12 different kinds of
beans are used to make the soup, representing the 12
apostles. The bacalao salt cod symbolizes Jesus.
Slovenia and Croatia: Pinca
Pinca is a popular Easter treat used to celebrate the end of
Lent in many Eastern European countries, like Slovenia and
Croatia. Before it's baked, the sign of the cross is carved into
the dough at the top of the bread.
United Kingdom: Hot Cross Buns
These sweet, spiced buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday to signify
the end of Lent, and have been an Easter tradition for
centuries. Currants or raisins dot the bun, and a glaze is
used to make a cross on top, which signifies the crucifixion
of Jesus.
Easter Poem
God sent His Son to take the punishment
For all the thoughtless, sinful things we do,
Jesus gave His life because He loves us;
His love is boundless, sweet, forever true,
On Easter morn He showed, He is our Saviour;
His resurrection shows He is our Lord,
That is why we tell you
"Happy Easter"
He secured our heavenly reward!
Zoom Coffee Morning
W
hose turn is it to serve the coffee? No need for that question now as
we all serve ourselves of course!
Think back a few years even a few months, could we ever have
envisaged sharing in a coffee morning surrounded by the familiar faces of our
friends old and new, but each in our own homes! Able to talk to each other
22also. Brilliant technology and we thank God for it and for those who can work
it. “Godsend” is sometimes used flippantly but in the situation we find
ourselves it certainly is.
Revd Jo usually keeps us in order because of course we can’t all speak at
once, although sometimes we try!
We always have a theme which keeps us all focussed and leads to some
very interesting recollections and thoughts expressed. Our latest theme was
“ Who would you like to share a meal and chat with (not family)”. Various
names including St Paul, John Wesley, Samuel Pepys, Michelle Obama,
David Attenborough to name a few but also a young vulnerable teenager
who had never known what it was to sit around a table and share a meal.
Another morning led us to thinking about where in the world we would like to
visit, again a variety of thoughts.
Our memory cells got in to overdrive when we talked about the T.V.
programmes we watched in our younger days, someone mentioned
“Quatermass and the Pit” and how she disappeared behind the settee it was
so scary! That’s for the more senior readers of Spotlight to remember! But
the familiar Blue Peter and Camberwick Green among others we shared
with our children were also mentioned.
The Desert Island Disc scenario of what luxury would you like to have on a
Desert Island led to some surprising ideas; Egyptian cotton sheets for real
luxury, a football with a face painted on so there would be someone to talk
to! Another request a mirror to enable this person to light a fire, keep warm
and cook the fish she caught!
Some of the recollections through the weeks have led to sharing in
experiences mostly good, but sometimes not so, that have happened.
Our coffee morning has given us an opportunity to widen our circle of friends
so do come and join us. Link on to Jo’s What’s On list to log on.
Thank you Jo for leading us so well; a lovely relaxing sharing in the week.
The Trebullett coffee drinkers miss Ruth Burden’s tasty lemon biscuits but do
not despair the recipe is below so we can make our own!
Lemon Biscuits Beat the margarine and sugar together until
4 oz soft margarine soft and fluffy.
4oz caster sugar Add the egg and lemon rind. Sift in the
flour.
Half large egg
Add a little milk if too dry or even a little
8oz SR flour
more of the egg.
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Roll thinly, cook at 175% C. Sprinkle with
caster sugar as they come out of the oven.
Mary Tucker
23If you would like to share on the circuit website something special that
happened at your church send details to David Rogerson
david@lamc.org.uk
Or post to Glebe House, Lezant, Launceston PL15 9PP (01579 370412).
Items need to be brief and a photo would be good giving a
snap shot of what is happening in your church.
Editorial Team:
Marion Allen, Pauline Daniel, Elaine Shillaber, Joanna Harley & Margaret Stephens
Collator: Richard Wright.
Production & Distribution Assistance: David & Joanna Harley,
Leighton Penhale, Sally Harvey and Philip Smith.
All articles for the May issue to spotlight@lamc.org.uk or by post/hand to the
Circuit Office no later than 15th April 2021.
Items submitted after this date may be withheld or used in a subsequent edition.
Please ensure items are clearly marked for Spotlight and include contact details.
Whilst every effort is made to print forwarded material, its inclusion cannot be
guaranteed. All items are printed at editorial team discretion.
Websites: www.lamc.org.uk www.central-methodist.org.uk
Launceston Area Methodist Circuit - Registered Charity no: 1138314
Contact Information:
Revd David Miller Tel: 01566 776603. Email: david.miller@lamc.org.uk
Revd Jo Smart Tel: 01566 782921 Email: jcsmart@me.com
Pioneer Mr Sam Beazley Tel: 07540 107655 Email: sam.beazley@bridgechurch.org
Circuit Office, Mr Richard Wright, Dingley Hall, Castle Street, Launceston, PL15 8BA.
Tel.: 01566 772797 Email: circuitoffice@lamc.org.uk Office open Tue.and Thur 9.30 am to 1pm
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