1. Art and Diseño

THE REVIEW
FEBRUARY 2015
Mont St. Michel, Normandy, France.
WADDINGTON STREET UNITED REFORMED CHURCH,
DURHAM CITY DH1 4BG
Minister: Reverend Steven Orange
Church Website: www.durham.urc.org.uk
2.
MINISTER’S LETTER - From Reverend Steven Orange
My Dear Friends,
I hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas, and I hope that Santa Claus was
generous to you. He was certainly kind to me. I hung up my stocking in the
church on Christmas Eve and at our service on Christmas morning the children
who helped me open it found that Santa had left me some unexpected
surprises. Thank you very much, Santa!
You have possibly heard the old cliché that if Easter eggs are in the shops it must be Christmas.
Well, I actually did see some chocolate Easter eggs for sale in December. However, now that we are
genuinely able to look ahead to Easter, we will have discussion groups again this year during Lent.
Provisionally these have been booked for Wednesday lunchtimes, with soup, and we are awaiting
confirmation that North Road Methodists will be joining us again this year. Look out for further
details during February.
Although we have a service on Maundy Thursday this year, I have felt that it was a gap that we did
not have any provision within our church for Good Friday. There is, of course, the Durham Churches
Together March of Witness in the Marketplace, but that is not for everyone. I have been giving our
Easter services a lot of thought, and the Elders have agreed to the church being open on Good Friday
from 12 noon to 3.00 p.m. The purpose would be to have the opportunity for anyone who wished to
call in for reflection on the Passion as presented in one of the gospels, prayers, perhaps some other
readings. People might like to drop in or out for some part of the time, rather than staying for the full
three hours, for reflection and prayer. I will be able to tell you firmer information next month.
At an early point in the ministerial review process last year, I was asked to set out my vision for
where I hoped to be able to lead our church over the coming five years, which I duly did. In the
months that have followed since then the future has become more clear, and it is now plain that the
situation has changed somewhat, so that the emphasis should no longer be my vision but the
church’s vision. Let me explain. Our Synod Moderator, Revd Lis Mullen, and one of the national
Moderators, John Ellis, recently hosted a two day conference for Elders in the Synod. Kath Ogilvie
and Yvonne Melville represented our church. It was made clear at the conference that the number of
Ministers serving in the Synod is likely to continue to reduce, so that when the time comes for me to
leave Waddington Street it is unlikely that much ordained ministry will be available for our church.
The message was therefore that each church must look to its Elders for leadership and that Elders and
members together need to accept the challenges and find resources within.
It therefore seems to me that it would not be doing the church a good service if we proceed on the
basis of me trying to lead us in directions and impart skills and development of individuals or groups
of people if it turned out by the end that that was not where the church wished to be. I am therefore
suggesting that together we (the Elders and members) need to form a vision for where the church
wants to be when I depart, so that we can then work together towards those aims, and be developing
skills and experience collectively and amongst individuals to prepare the church to be ready for that
future.
Yvonne and Kath will be leading the Elders Meeting in February to explore these points further with
our Elders, and the process will gather momentum over the coming months. The points that people
made at the Church Meeting in January about things that they feel have gone well in 2014, and how
the church would be “Even Better If ….”, will be helpful ingredients in this whole process.
We are not alone in having to face a future which will look different in some ways from what we
have been used to. Our Moderator has written with the following invitation:
“I am inviting you and interested members of your congregations to join me in a ‘Thinking Day’ on
Saturday 28th February at Jesmond United Reformed Church, Newcastle, from 9.30 a.m.– 3.45 p.m.
3.
Ordained Ministry is being spread ever more thinly over an increasing number of congregations,
which are getting smaller and more elderly. I believe it cannot be sustained for much longer in its
present form and would like you to be involved with me in an exercise to imagine new possibilities
for our future.
The day will be facilitated by The Ven. Peter J A Robinson, Archdeacon of Lindisfarne in the
Diocese of Newcastle and the purpose of this day is to explore widely and without inhibition the
future shape of Northern Synod and how we can utilise ministry (lay and ordained) to its best
advantage in a way that is realistic, practical and sustainable.
We will begin with coffee at 9.30 for a 10 a.m. start with a Bible study and will close with worship at
3.30 p.m. A sandwich lunch will be provided.
I would hope all serving Ministers will attend this day and that you will pass on my invitation to any
church members who might be interested in thinking for the future. Please send names to Wendy by
February 25th so we have an idea of numbers attending for catering purposes.”
As you will see, this invitation is extended to all members, not just Elders, and it would be really
helpful for our thinking and preparedness at Waddington Street if a good number from our church
were able to attend. Even if you are not able to make it to the event, please remember it in your
prayers, asking that those who attend, especially from our church, will be blessed and receive helpful
insights and ideas.
With warmest blessings,
Steven
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.
[2 Corinthians 4:6]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER - FRIDAY 6th
MARCH 2015
Prepared by the Christian Women of the Bahamas.
Theme: Jesus said to them: Do you know what I have done to you?
There is no Speaker this year as the Bahamas National Committee
thought it would interrupt the flow of the service.
The Durham & District Service is to be held in St. Cuthbert’s Church, North Road, Durham.
(Time to be confirmed – watch our Church Weekly Notice sheet)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jesus said,
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.” [John 8:12]
4.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY AND CHURCH NEWS
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ministerial Services – Anyone requiring the services of a Minister should contact the
Church Secretary – Donald Mackay: Tel: 0191 – 383 2110
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE NOTE: The Church now has an updated website, view at: www.durham.urc.org.uk
- If anyone has news or dates or photos that they want included they should send the information to
Steven Orange by phone (0191-519 1057) or by e-mail to [email protected]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COPY DATE FOR THE MARCH 2015 ISSUE OF THE REVIEW IS –
SUNDAY 15th FEBRUARY 2015
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WEEKLY NOTICE SHEETS Please forward details of items and events for the weekly notice sheets to
Peter Galloway - telephone 0191 386 3652 or email [email protected]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special CHURCH MEETING – SATURDAY 7th FEBRUARY 2015 – 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
to discuss the General Assembly resolution on same sex marriage.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SUNDAY 22ND MARCH - CHURCH AGM – In the hall after the service.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Our Christmas Card Appeal
– Supported the
Christian Aid Christmas Appeal
which was to boost a ground breaking
new maternal health scheme in Kenya and Malawi. £151 from
the Christmas Lunch at Church was added to the Card Appeal
money and a total of £300 was raised for Christian Aid. Thanks
to all who gave to this appeal and thanks to all who prepared and
served the lunch and cleared up afterwards. Excellent fellowship
was enjoyed during the lunch. (Picture - Judy hard at work.)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Fundraising update: The Christmas Concert by The Caprians Choir raised £215 and the Concert by
Bearpark & Esh Brass Band raised £206 for the Church Future Project. Thanks are due once again to
Win Surtees and the other members of the Fundraising Team for all their hard work.
_________________________________________________________________________________
CHANGE OF ADDRESS – On 1st March 2015 Sue and Andy Duncan are
moving to
Redroof, 10 Redhills Lane, Durham DH1 4AJ
Tel: 0191 386 9041 Mobile: 07941 820454
Please amend your Church Directory.
_________________________________________________________________________________
West End Refugee Service (WERS)
Kath Ogilvie thanks all those who gave scarves, gloves, hats, chocolates or toiletries to
the appeal for Christmas goods to be given to the West End Refugee Service. WERS
greatly appreciated the support. There is an ongoing need for clothing which can be
left under the table on the right side just as you go into the hall.
5.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY AND CHURCH NEWS
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Mrs. Maisie Hughes, a former member of our church, died on Monday 12th
January 2015 and her funeral service took place at Richmond Methodist Church.
She was the widow of the late Revd John J. Strachan-Hughes and worshipped at
Waddington Street for a number of years following her husband’s retirement,
until she moved to Richmond about 20 years ago.
____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________
ROTA TO TEACH CHILDREN …
We are hoping to set up a rota to teach children during the
Sunday service. At the moment, we have only six volunteers
and we need a few more to make a rota feasible. The task is not
onerous: Yvonne has some excellent materials prepared and
you would be working in pairs. If we could find another six
volunteers, your turn would come round, at the most, only once
every six weeks. You would require a CRB (police check) but
this is now a relatively simple procedure.
If you feel as though you could help out,
please contact Yvonne Melville.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Help required from around 9.45 a.m. to prepare vegetables for
the Day Centre lunch on Thursdays.
If you would like to help with this
– or with the washing up at around
1 p.m. - please contact –
Judy Banister.
_________________________________________________________________________________
CONGRATULATIONS
To Ros Graham on her 90th birthday
from everyone at Waddington Street URC.
Ros and Ian enjoyed a family party at their
home on 12th January, with the different
generations who hid until Ros came into the
room. Judging by the photographs, a rather
sumptuous buffet was enjoyed by all!
“Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.”
LOVE simply. LOVE generously. CARE deeply. SPEAK kindly.
LEAVE THE REST TO GOD.
6.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY AND CHURCH NEWS
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Robert Glowacki was welcomed into membership at the service on 4th January 2015.
Personal Profile:
“I was born in 1965 in Gnowroclaw, a town in northern Poland. My parents were nominally Roman
Catholic and I remember my mother sometimes going to church. I was the eldest of five children but
we did not have happy childhoods as my father was an alcoholic. He was a coal miner and I was to
follow him in the same trade. When I was eleven we moved to Knurow in southern Poland. I was a
bad boy then and eventually ended up in prison. We had Pentecostalists who ran weekly services in
the prison chapel and it was there that I converted and gave my life to Jesus. When I got out of
prison, I went back to work in the mine, met my first wife Yola, and for a time had a settled family
life. We had a little girl called Ada.
Unfortunately, the mine closed down and in September 2005 I came to England with my family to
look for work. I found employment in a food factory in Consett and for a time was happily settled
there. Then Yola met another Polish man and decided to leave me. Ada went back with her to live
in Poland. I then moved to Durham and took up residence in Brandon. Through the Internet I made
contact with my present wife, Veny. We married in Indonesia in November 2013. Unfortunately,
Veny was unable to get a Visa to come to Britain. She subsequently went to live with my mother in
Poland but, while there, was again refused a Visa to come to England. She is now back in Indonesia.
I miss her very much and am desperate to get a steady job and to settle down with her here in
Durham.
I have been greatly encouraged by joining the Church here at Waddington Street and very much
appreciate the friendly atmosphere that you have in your fellowship. God bless you all.
Robert.
(Thank you to Robert for providing this very frank profile. We wish him well in the future. Editor)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Melanie Eve was welcomed into membership at the communion service on 11th January.
Melanie writes: “I was so happy that the date was the eleventh as this was
my mother's birthday, which made the event even more important to me.
It became a family event when my husband and mother-in-law came
along to the service. I was delighted that my dear friend Ian McCulloch
got suited up to support me. We have known each other for years as
members of Durham City Folk Club, where he is the chairman. I have
been looking for a spiritual home for around five years. I had been with
the Durham Quakers as a member for 30 years!
Around five years ago I was involved in a fatal car accident as an innocent
party. I saw death flying at me in the shape of a large blackened car. I said to myself, 'thy will be
done' as it flew over me, missing my car by centimetres! God saved me for a reason and I started
looking for that reason.
I did not find it in the Quakers, and started to look further afield. Now
there is a saying 'if you can’t find happiness in your own back yard ...' Well, I took myself to Fogo
Church in the Scottish Borders, where we have a small cottage. The minister there brought me to
Jesus through his preaching of God's love and intelligent view of the Bible.
Living in Durham the next best thing to the Presbyterian Church is the URC. So I asked Ian if he did
not mind me coming along to a service to see if I liked it. I found here a lovely congregation to
worship with, and a fantastic organist playing the hymns so well. After years of silence with the
Quakers I am enjoying singing hymns and bringing my untrained talent of being able to sing, I am
Welsh after-all despite the name. Now there is another story... M.”
(Thank you to Melanie for providing this profile and already being very active within the Church.
Editor.)
7.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY AND CHURCH NEWS
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Dear Lucille,
David and I had a lovely weekend in Cambridge to attend Andrew’s congregation. The ceremony
was on 25th October 2014 in the Senate House and he received his Doctorate of Philosophy.
Weather was wonderful so a dress and jacket without a coat proved very suitable attire for one of us!
Afterwards we headed off to Brown’s for lunch with his friends and attended a dinner at Peterhouse
College on the evening. Andrew finished his studies over a year ago and continues to work as
Curator of Numismatics at the York Museum Trust. The official photos take us back to a happy and
proud occasion in our family life and we now have a second ‘Dr.’ in the family.
Rosemary Woods
[Thank you for sharing this news with readers of The Review. Editor]
(Left – Peterhouse College –
Cambridge’s oldest College.)
(Below – Andrew hard at work.)
8.
Good Society – General Election
The newly formed Synod Mission Committee feel that the General Election in May of this year is
something that we, as Christians, should be seriously considering. The attached article, written by
Helen Stephenson, a member of the Mission Committee and Church Related Community Worker in
the Sunderland and Boldon Partnership, is here to help point congregations towards becoming
actively involved in promoting what is just and fair in the run up to the Election in May.
Is the General Election on your church agenda? Are you wondering what role your church could be
playing in the run up to May 2015 elections?
Your new Synod Mission Committee are looking to support churches who wish to explore this further
by informing you of resources that are being produced to help churches prepare for the issues of the
General Election in May.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland are offering the resource ‘The Good Society’ with the
intention of provoking discussions in advance of the elections. The Good Society challenges
congregations, churches together groups, regional faith bodies and others to ask questions such as,
o WE as people of faith think a ‘good society’ looks like?
ard?
An event was held in November at St James URC Newcastle for all the North East Churches to
enable part of this discussion. Several ideas on how to continue this work were suggested including:
n our local church groupings and
encourage the churches to have a voice in the local community and neighbourhoods in the lead up
to the elections in May
want to join you.
many church groups come together anyway
society
questions
s, as a collective voice we can
influence policy makers and as a church we need to be a prophetic voice.
community (e.g. zero hours contracts)
with your MP after the election to continue to hold dialogue expressing concerns and hopes
and creating local relationships that can make a difference.
This is a real opportunity for the church to be visible and active in issues that are concerning and
impacting on all people, on and off the pews.
Are you a church that wants to be seen to practise what you preach by tackling injustice, by standing
up for the marginalised, by being a voice and witness of a God of love, hoping that people can see
the Church as relevant to today’s society?
If you are interested in doing more contact the Synod Mission Committee or look at the following
websites www.ctbi.org.uk and www.agoodsociety.org
In addition the Joint Public Issues Team are going to be producing resources linked to their
‘Love your Neighbour – Think, Pray, Vote’ Conference in February 2015 see
www.jointpublicissues.org.uk
Our Synod Clerk, Melanie Campbell, and convenor of the Mission Committee, Revd Meg Robb, will
be attending this conference.
9.
EDITOR’S LETTER
DEAR READERS,
Welcome to the first edition of The Review for 2015. I hope to provide you with all the Church
news and details of events, as well as some items of general interest. I am always delighted to have
news and articles from Church members, so please keep sending them to me.
Les and I spent New Year in a hotel just outside Fort William. The coach tour took us to Spean
Bridge to see an exhibition called “Treasures of the Earth” and it was well worth visiting. It
professed to be Europe’s finest private collection of Crystals, Gemstones and Fossils, gathered from
Great Britain, America, Mexico and South Africa. We saw 7 feet tall Crystals and Geodes, fossilised
remains of insects and prehistoric monsters, Gold and Silver, ancient Petrified Wood, Rubies,
Diamonds and Emeralds. There was even Fluorite from County Durham but none of our wonderful
Spar Boxes such as can be seen at the museum at Killhope Lead Mine in the Durham hills – another
place well worth visiting if you are steady on your legs!
Lucille Thomson.
The next issue of The Review will be published on Sunday 1st March 2015.
Contributions please to Lucille Thomson at church or BY POST or Tel. 0191-3861052
or e-mail [email protected] - no later than NOON on Sunday 15th February 2015.
10.
When 8 year old Myles Eckert of Ohio gave his
newfound fortune away to a U.S. soldier he didn’t
realize his investment in kindness would yield such a
great return.
Myles found a $20 bill in the snow in the parking lot of
a Cracker Barrel restaurant when going there for lunch
with his mother, Tiffany. He thought of buying a video
game but changed his mind when a man in military
uniform entered the restaurant. He was obviously a
soldier and this reminded Myles of his dead father who was also a soldier.
Myles wrapped the $20 in a note that read,
“Dear Soldier,
My dad was a soldier. He is in Heaven now. I found this $20 in
the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my
family. It’s your lucky day!
Thank you for your service.
Myles Eckert, a Gold Star kid.”
Army Reserve Sgt. Gary “Andy” Eckert (PHOTO LEFT) was killed
in Iraq just 5 weeks after Myles was born, so all Myles has ever had
are photographs, dog tags, other people’s memories of his father,
and Myles’ imagination of the kind of man his father was.
After going home
from the restaurant,
Myles asked his
mother if he could
go and see his Dad
and he wanted to
speak with him
alone. His mother
(RIGHT) took this
photograph. Myles
stood behind the flag, presumably telling his Dad all about his day.
Lt. Col. Frank Dailey is the soldier who got the note. He ‘paid it forward’
by giving away the
money and that $20
has been multiplying
ever since.
After the story
appeared on T.V. a lot
of people wanted to
give Myles back his
$20 but the family
decided to direct the
donations to
Snowball Express – a charity that helps children who have lost a parent to war.
So far donations total more than a quarter of a million dollars.
11.
SMILE TIME …
A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English,
nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. 'House' for instance, is
feminine: 'la casa.' 'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.' A student asked,
'What gender is 'computer'?' Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two
groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether ‘computer' should be a
masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.
The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender –
('la computadora'), because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other
computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for
possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself
spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ('el computador'),
because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems,
but half the time they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had
waited a little longer, you could have got a better model.
The women won.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second
person.
4) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
5) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.
GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge ... mostly sweet, with a few nuts
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.
GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food - I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got
from a roller coaster.
5) It is frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.
12.
Notes from Elder’s Meeting held on 3 December 2014.
1. The meeting opened with a reading of Psalm 121 and prayer.
2. The coffee morning held for the Ebola crisis raised £1230.
3. Steven, Kath and Yvonne will meet in January 2015 to take forward
information gained at the Moderator’s Synod Elder’s Conference.
4. Steven, Judy and Arthur to meet with Keith Mollon of the Samaritans to progress the offer of
counsellors and listeners.
5. Arrangements for the social event arranged for 18 December in the hall for students are complete.
Advertising fliers are being issued this week.
6. District Reports were received and prayers offered for those whose names were included in the report.
7. Catey Morris has been allocated by Synod as our facilitator for discussions on Same Sex marriage at
the meeting to be held on 7 February at 10 am. Booklets and Steven’s notes are to be available for
those interested from the beginning of January 2015. Ron apologised for his article on this topic in
the recent Review.
8. The Elders refresher meeting on 10 December has been cancelled.
9. Elder’s duties – When bringing in the Bible at the start of the service, it was agreed that the duty elder
could stand outside the sanctuary or sit on the seats near to the organ when the Church news was
being delivered.
10. Malcolm raised the need for more volunteers (now and in the New Year) to join the rota of people to
deliver teaching to youngsters attending Church.
11. The meeting agreed that Melanie Eve should be admitted to membership of Waddington Street at the
next Communion Service on 11 January 2015. This to be put to a special Church meeting on 14
December.
12. Minister –Terms of Settlement – The meeting agreed that the minister should have one day a week
free of Church business and contact. Thursdays were agreed (unless he is on Day Centre duty) plus a
further 5 weeks holiday. Steven is to advise of the exact dates.
13. Sale of the manse – Discussion was postponed and it was agreed to put this question to the Church
meeting. Keeping the running repairs of the manse up to date was a huge task. The financial
implications of selling are to be checked with Synod.
14. The appointment of a caretaker/administrator. – A description of duties has been obtained from the
Methodist group. This is to be studied and a group set up to look into the possible hiring of an
administrator /caretaker role within Waddington Street.
15. Church Project 2015 –It was decided to take this to the Church Meeting. Kath Ogilvie also advised
that we should be promoting our involvement with Commitment for Life.
16. It was agreed that Lent courses will continue in 2015. Dates and material needed to be agreed.
17. Paperwork for the new notice board will be referred to the property committee for discussion.
18. Banners – It was agreed to approach Michele Woods, Jean Graham and Joyce Harling regarding
designing and creating new banners for the Church
19. The date of the next meeting was agreed –Wednesday 4 February 2015 at 7 p.m. Yvonne Melville
13.
OUT AND ABOUT WITH URCHIN
The January man he walks the road in woollen coat and boots of leather
The February man still wipes the snow from off his hair and blows his hands
Here we are again and it is the first time your scribe has had to open the appropriate page on the
computer since late November. So here we are again indeed, bright eyed and bushy- tailed. Last
year the final verse of this apposite song by Dave Goulder was used, this year the first two lines of the
first verse are used instead. So now it is 2015 and your faithful scribe wishes you all a good new
year with joy, health, love and peace being your companions along the way. The concatenation
surrounding the festive season is now a memory. February 2nd is Candlemass Day, so called
because the church candles for the year were blessed on this day and which marks the midpoint of
winter as it is halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Spring waits patiently
over the next hill but, as we know, the slopes of this hill can be long, slow and arduous. The hours of
daylight are lengthening and the new year stretches far into the distance, the way lit by those things
we anticipate; birthdays, happy events, holidays and suchlike. The bushes and trees along the lane
still reach skeletally to the sky and, so far, we have had snow, rain, slippery places, grey skies, clear
days and strong wind, which make your scribe’s perambulations along the lane difficult, and none of
which were unexpected as such weather is expected in winter. For some there has been the leaden
thump of the credit card bill as it landed on the doormat, for others there has been the imperceptible
whisper of the vanishing ounces as the over-indulgence of the festive season gives way to more
temperate ways. But February lies ahead, already the supermarkets have Easter eggs and hot cross
buns on their shelves, Valentine’s Day is soon for those who care about unrequited love, the Six
Nations rugby will soon begin but it was Byron who wrote –
“The English winter - ending in July to recommence in August”.
With inflation at the low level of 0.5%, with interest rates which will rise, when there will be hope for
savers (but not for mortgage holders) who have suffered for what seems like years, and the spectre of
deflation hovering near and all because there has been a decrease in government grants, economic
activity and consumer spending over the last five or so years. This only becomes problematic when
government, consumers and business think that the situation will be long-lasting which is
economically dangerous so, spend, good people, spend!
So we are in 2015 and the world still seethes with tension, hunger, disease, inequality and underprivilege. We can do little to help other than to remember the words of the prophet Micah who wrote
“The Lord has told you mortals what is good and what it is that the Lord requires of you: only to act
justly, to love loyalty, to walk humbly with your God”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three vicars were having lunch together. One said, “You know, since summer
started I’ve been having trouble with bats at church. I’ve tried everything – noise,
spray, cats – nothing seems to scare them away.”
Another said, “Yes, me too. I’ve got hundreds living in my belfry. I’ve even had the place
fumigated and they still won’t go away.”
The third said, “I baptised all mine, and made them members of the church … Haven’t seen one back
since!”
A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door
as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside.
The pastor said to him, ‘You need to join the army of the Lord!’
My friend replied, ‘I’m already in the army of the Lord, pastor.’
The pastor questioned,
‘How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?’
He whispered back, ‘I’m in the secret service.’
[From “A Box of Delights” compiled by J.John & Mark Stibbe]
14.
The Black Telephone
When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our
neighbourhood. I remember the polished old case fastened to the wall.
The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the
telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked into
it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an
amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was
nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's
number and the correct time.
My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a
neighbour. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer,
the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give
sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway.
The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlour and dragged it to the landing.
Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlour and held it to my ear. “Information, please," I
said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my
ear. "Information." "I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now
that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's home but me," I
blubbered. "Are you bleeding?" the voice asked. "No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer
and it hurts." "Can you open the icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little bit of ice
and hold it to your finger," said the voice.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and
she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk
that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then, there was the time
Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, "Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened,
and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, "Why is
it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of
feathers on the bottom of a cage?" She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly,
"Wayne, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please." "Information," said in the now familiar
voice. "How do I spell fix?" I asked. All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.
When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much.
"Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of
trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of
those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I
would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding,
and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about a half-hour
or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now.
Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialled my hometown operator and said, "Information
Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. "Information."
I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by
now." I laughed, "So it's really you!!" I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant
to me during that time?" "I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me. I
never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls." I told her how often I had thought
of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."
15.
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,
"Information." I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" she said. "Yes, a very
old friend," I answered. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally
had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died
five weeks ago." Before I could hang up, she said, "Wait a minute. Did you
say your name was Wayne?" "Yes." I answered. “Well, Sally left a message
for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you." The
note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I
mean." I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.
Whose life have you touched today? May you find the joy and peace you long for.
Life is a journey, NOT a guided tour. (Anon.)
========================================================================
THE BRICK
A young and successful executive was travelling down a neighbourhood street, going a bit too fast in
his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down
when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick
smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot
where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest
kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you?
Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of
money. Why did you do it?'
The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister....please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,'
he pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face
and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said, 'he
rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.' Now sobbing, the boy asked
the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheel-chair? He's hurt and
he's too heavy for me.'
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He
hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and
dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.
'Thank you and may God bless you.', the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the
man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their
home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never
bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!'
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen,
He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.
========================================================================
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds
And praise your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16)
16.
An Elder’s Apology …
I apologise unreservedly to our Minister, Steven, for any embarrassment
that I have caused to him by the premature advertisement of my
prejudices regarding same-sex marriage in our last issue of The Review.
Mistakenly (as indicated in my article) I was under the impression that
the matter was coming up for proper discussion and debate at our Church
Meeting on 18th January. In fact it is being settled at the Special Church
Meeting to be held on Saturday 7th February. In the interests of having
a period of preparation during January for an expression of views in
February, it should not have been published. With the benefit of
hindsight, this fool would not have rushed in where angels might fear to
tread.
Ron Todd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Elder’s Observation …
I was greatly taken with Steven’s incorporation of a dedication from the
Methodist Annual Covenant Service at our opening service of the New
Year on 4th January. I think the use of a public declaration of who we
are and what we are about, as a means of focussing on the journey ahead
is a great idea. How much better it might be if we had a new covenant
declaration at the same time next year, but one that was tailor-made to
reflect our commitment to spiritual renewal within our own church? It
might be a spur to progress during this year in moving from a “business
as usual” model of the church (Plan A) to a “plan for succession” model
of the church (Plan B).
Ron Todd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can you meet this challenge?
I've seen this with the letters out of order, but this is the first time I've seen it with numbers. Good
example of a Brain Study: If you can read this OUT LOUD you have a strong mind. And better
than that: Alzheimer's is a long, long, way down the road before it ever gets anywhere near you.
7H15
M3554G3
53RV35
7O PR0V3
H0W
0UR M1ND5 C4N
D0
4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3
7H1NG5!
1N
7H3 B3G1NN1NG
17
WA5 H4RD BU7
N0W,
0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR
M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H
0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG
4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N
P30PL3 C4N
R3AD
7H15.
17.
Robert Murray M‘Cheyne’s Bible Reading Calendar – D A I L Y – B R E A D
Being A CALENDAR FOR READING THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD.
R. M. M‘Cheyne (1813-1843) was the minister of St. Peter’s Church, Dundee, Scotland.
Readings for FEBRUARY 2015
1
Genesis 33
11
2
Genesis 34
12
3
Genesis 35, 36
13
4
Genesis 37
14
5
Genesis 38
15
6
Genesis 39
16
7
Genesis 40
17
8
Genesis 41
18
9
Genesis 42
19
10
Genesis 43
20
Readings for MARCH 2015
1
Exodus 12:22-51
2
Exodus 13
3
Exodus 14
4
Exodus 15
Genesis
Genesis
Genesis
Genesis
Genesis
Genesis
Genesis
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
5
6
7
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
1
2
3
Exodus 16
Exodus 17
Exodus 18
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
Exodus
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 , 12:1-21
8
9
10
Exodus 19
Exodus 20
Exodus 21
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“A greater tragedy
than a broken dream
is a life forever
defined by one.”
[Sheridan Voysey, writer,
speaker and broadcaster,
in an interview on BBC’s
‘Good Morning Sunday’]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A RIDDLE FOR SMART PEOPLE - Only 5% of Stanford University graduates figured it out!
Can you answer all seven of the following questions with the same word?
1. The word has seven letters.
2. Preceded God.
3. Greater than God.
4. More Evil than the devil.
5. All poor people have it.
6. Wealthy people need it.
7. If you eat it, you will eventually die.
Did you figure it out? Brace yourself for the answer.
The Answer is:
NOTHING!
NOTHING
has 7 letters.
NOTHING
preceded God.
NOTHING is
greater than God.
NOTHING is
more Evil than
the devil.
All poor people
have NOTHING.
Wealthy people
need NOTHING.
If you eat
NOTHING,
you will die.
18.
ROTAS - SUNDAYS - PREACHERS – FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2015
February
March
1
Revd Steven
Orange
8
Revd Steven
Orange
15
Revd Steven
Orange
22
Revd Elizabeth
Cummings
1
Revd Steven
Orange
8 COMMUNION
Revd Steven
Orange
15
Revd Canon
Peter Dodds
22
Church AGM
Revd Steven
Orange
29
Revd Steven
Orange
ELDERS AND DOOR DUTIES - FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2015
FEBRUARY 1st
Mrs. K. Clasper
Mr. M. Reay
Mrs. H. Cockburn
Mrs. K. Clasper
15th
Mrs. D. Jackson
Mrs. W. Surtees
22nd
Mrs. J. Sarsfield
Mrs. J. Goodall
1st
Mr. D. Shirer
Dr. M. Munro
8th
Mr. R. Todd
Mrs. H. Todd
15th
Mrs. K. Ogilvie
Mr. and Mrs. L. Thomson
22nd
Dr. M. Munro
Mrs. H. Cockburn
29th
Mr. M. Reay
Mrs. C. Mitchell
8th
MARCH
Please note the change, as above, to the Elders duties as from January 2015.
If in doubt about your duties any Sunday, please check the list on the Vestibule notice board.
Please remember – You are responsible for arranging your own replacement.
ELDERS’ MEETINGS (1st Wednesday of month) at 7 p.m.
MEET ON 4th FEBRUARY 2015 AND 4th MARCH 2015
PROPERTY COMMITTEE (3rd MONDAY of month) at 2 p.m.
MEET ON 16th FEBRUARY 2015 AND 16th MARCH 2015.
“DENIAL …
‘I have never done anything bad to anyone. Never. And that is one of the things
that I am proud of – I have never hurt anybody. I have never been vicious about
anybody, never taken any drugs, never tricked anyone; on the contrary, I can say
that many many people have done it to me – men, husbands, business associates,
lawyers, the list is endless … I basically think that when one meets one’s maker, if
I do, there won’t be anything I’ve done that I need to be ashamed of. Nothing.’”
[Actress Joan Collins, interviewed in The Sunday Telegraph]
[From A Box of Delights Compiled By J.John & Mark Stibbe]
19.
FLOWER ROTA – FEBRUARY and MARCH 2015
FEBRUARY 2015
Supervisor Mrs. J. Graham
1st Mrs. J. Goodall
8th Mrs. F. Waller
15th Mrs. K. Clasper
22nd Mrs. D. Jackson
MARCH 2015
Supervisor Mrs. M. Munro
1st
Mr. Alan Taylor
8th
VACANCY
15th Mrs. L. Thomson
22nd VACANCY
29th Mrs. M. Waddle
To provide flowers where there is a Vacancy or join the Flower Rota or donate to the Flower Fund,
Please contact Mrs. Jean Graham or Dr. Margaret Munro.
COFFEE ROTA - FEBRUARY and MARCH 2015
FEBRUARY
MARCH
1st
8th
15th
22nd
1st Fiona Bowater, Malcolm Reay
8th Janet Thornborrow, JiSeong Kwon
15th Heather Todd, Christiane Mitchell
22nd Sue Robinson, Margaret Munro
29th Yvonne Melville, Jean Graham
Win Surtees, Joyce Duthie
Helen Cockburn, Melanie Eve
Fred Robinson, Lucille Thomson
Jessie Goodall, Kath Ogilvie,
Helen Cooper
Please decide and agree on who is responsible for bringing the milk.
You are responsible for arranging your own replacement.
CHURCH CLEANING ROTA - FEBRUARY and MARCH 2015
Saturday FEBRUARY 28th
Yvonne Melville, Stuart Melville
Saturday MARCH 28th
Kathleen Clasper, Kath Ogilvie
Properly trained, a Man can be Dog’s best friend. (Corey Ford)
God’s Love is Steadfast, Unselfish & Enduring
2 Chronicles 1:8
And Solomon said to God,
“You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place.”
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in
him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
1 John 4:16
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
Romans 5:7-8
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die –
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.