1. Art and Diseño

IN THE
COMMUNITY
February
March
2015
Trinity
Unitedto
Church,
Ringwood
Methodist and United Reformed
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TRINITY UNITED CHURCH, RINGWOOD
Minister:
Rev. Mike Shrubsole
Tel: 473407
20 Top Lane, Ringwood
email: [email protected]
Church
Mrs Joyce Ayles
Tel: 474033
Secretary:
email: [email protected]
Treasurer:
Mr David Ayles
Tel: 474033
Worship
Mrs Alison Fry
Tel: 471882
Co-ordinator:
Trinity United Church Notices:
Email: [email protected]
(These are printed fortnightly)
Office for both Trinity and Wesley Centres:
TRINITY CENTRE,
Christchurch Road, Ringwood, BH24 1DH
Website: www.trinityringwood.co.uk
Centres Manager: Mr John Birch
Office Telephone: 01425 461440
Office email: [email protected]
PLEASE NOTE
All bookings and booking queries for both Trinity Centre and Wesley
Centre are to be done through Trinity Centre office.
Front Cover Photograph:
New Forest – John Birch
2
From the
Minister
A gentle approach
to the big picture
Dear Friends
Meaning of Life – The Big
Picture’, and they asked for
contributions from a wide range
of famous people from all fields
of life to respond to the question:
“What is the meaning of life?”
The writer and broadcaster and
humourist Garrison Keillor wrote
a much re-quoted answer:
At the start of a new year we are
faced with severe news of hurting
people, angry people and violent
people
across
our
world.
Thankfully life in Britain seems
generally peaceful, but we are
aware of the tensions thrumming
in the air for us too. Life is not
relaxed and slack. The approaching general elections,
violent news from abroad,
financial struggles for some, all
pull at us like tensioned wires, we
fear to pluck at them lest the
vibrations set off something even
more unpleasant. How do we
cope?
“To know and to serve God, of
course, is why we’re here, a clear
truth that, like the nose on your
face, is near at hand and easily
discernible but can make you
dizzy if you try to focus on it hard.
But a little faith will see you
through. What else will, except
faith in such a cynical, corrupt
time? When the country goes
temporarily to the dogs, cats
must learn to be circumspect,
walk on fences, sleep in trees
and have faith that all this
woofing is not the last word. Time
to shut up and be beautiful, and
wait for morning. Yahooism,
when in power, is deaf, and
It helps to discover what certainty
you can have in your life. The
things that you hope for, and
have faith in, can act as a sure
foundation when everything else
feels like shifting sand. In
December 1988 Life Magazine
published an article called: ’The
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neither satire nor the Gospel will
stay its brutal hand, but hang on,
another chapter follows. Our
brave hopes for changing the
world all sank within view of their
home port, and we have become
the very people we used to make
fun of, the old and hesitant, but
never mind, that's not the whole
story either. So hang on. What
keeps our faith cheerful is the
extreme persistence of gentleness and humour.
he explains what that means in
practice, and his answer is
humble and gentle: “to see the
campfires of gentle people.” I
hope you sense what he means.
Can you remember ‘campfire’
occasions on your life? Times
when you sat round an open fire
with family and friends, to eat and
drink and chat and relax?
Perhaps someone played your
favourite music? Perhaps you
gently
made
life-changing
decisions together? This is what
life is about. Not violence or
hatred or Kalashnikovs, nor on
the other hand the gesture
politics of frightened and aggressive responses to the
attitudes of strangers. It is the
simple nurturing of relationships
which matter. A simple treasuring
of basic pleasures, a crackling
fire, a juicy burger, a funny joke,
a richly aromatic glass of wine,
children melting marshmallows,
and the company of friends old
and new to share these simple
pleasures.
Gentleness is everywhere in daily
life, a sign that faith rules through
ordinary things: through cooking
and
small
talk,
through
storytelling, making love, fishing,
tending animals and sweet corn
and flowers, through sports,
music and books, raising kids—
all the places where the gravy
soaks in and grace shines
through. Even in a time of
elephantine vanity and greed,
one never has to look far to see
the campfires of gentle people.
Lacking any other purpose in life,
it would be good enough to live
for their sake.”
When the Teacher explored the
meaning of life thousands of
years ago he came to similar
conclusions. “God has set
eternity in the human heart, yet
no-one can fathom what God has
done from beginning to end. I
Garrison Keillor’s answer is as
relevant now as it was in 1988.
He chooses to begin with a big,
broad, theological answer: “To
know and to serve God.” But then
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know that there is nothing better
for people than to be happy and
to do good whilst they live. That
each of them may eat and drink
and find satisfaction in all their
toil, this is the gift of God.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11-13
Pastoral News
We start the New Year with some
good news items!
remembered with much love and
affection by all who knew him.
Geoff & Patsy Ridgway were presented with a baby granddaughter in December. Congratulations to the whole family.
John Birch and Deirdre have become grandparents again. Congratulations to the new parents
as well.
It is good to report some wonderful Christmas services. 24 Trinity
people swelled the congregation
at Crowe Hill on Christmas Day.
36 attended the Christmas Eve
communion at Trinity with visitors
and family joining our own people
for a very moving service
featuring the WW1 Christmas
Eve Truce. Thank you to Mike
for such a special service. The
Church was packed out for the
Christingle Service and the
RMDS Christmas Concert. Over
90 attended the Nativity and
Carols. Thank you to Louise and
Malcolm for leading and the
Choir/Music Group for their
songs. It was good to have
Anthea and John Turner back
with us at that service.
On the 9 January, George
Heaton celebrated his 91st
Birthday. It was also Joyce and
George’s 70th Wedding Anniversary on the same day! They
celebrated with a weekend away
joined by family and friends. Our
very best wishes to them. Also
Congratulations to Mark and
Sheila
Priestley,
who
are
celebrating their Golden Wedding
Anniversary.
Sadly, Frank Gardiner died at his
care home on Sunday, 18th
January. Family were with him
and we pray for Jean and the
family at this time. Frank is
A few people are facing changes
in 2015. We pray for Ray and
Sylvia Rudge as they prepare to
move nearer family. Mic and
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Service on Sunday, 8th February.
This is a good opportunity to remember the work of our 16
Pastoral Visitors and Louise
Shrubsole our Pastoral Assistant.
Mary Gooding need our prayers
as the family assist with settling
Mic into a care home and giving
support for Mary.
Our Annual Pastoral Visitors Rededication Service will take place
as part of the Communion
Pauline Sunderland
Pastoral Secretary
Lent Course 2015
Churches Together in Ringwood and District
From the Ram to the Lamb
The Lent Course 2015 course material takes us on a journey to
discover some ways in which Jesus fulfils Old Testament prophecy
and the sacrificial system.
The course material is available for download from the Scripture
Union, Wordlive website at www.wordlive.org
The full link is:
https://www.wordlive.org/Otherstuff/WordLiveforgroups/FREEgrou
pstudyguidesforLent/147961.id#.VL9qZkesVip
The dates for the meetings are as follows.
Monday 23rd Feb – Ringwood Parish Church
Tuesday 3rd March – Crowe Hill Methodist Church
Wednesday 11th March – Poulner Baptist Chapel
Thursday 19th March – St Ives and St Leonards Parish Church
Friday 27th March – The King's Church
All meetings to commence 7:30pm and are led by the host church.
6
Easter Services
Maundy Thursday (2nd April) Seder Meal and Communion
6:00 pm at Wesley Centre Upper Hall
led by Revd Mike Shrubsole
Good Friday (3rd April)
10:00 am at Trinity Church led by Revd Christopher Dean
11:00 am Walk of Witness beginning from outside the
Salvation Army to be led by Ken Turner
Easter Sunday (5th April)
7:00 am Open Air Communion at Picket Post
led by Revd Mike Shrubsole
10:45 am Easter Communion Service
led by Revd John Walker
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Lent and Easter – What’s in a name?
Spring – an old English word for the season when new things spring
up.
Lent – named after the “lengthening” of the days in springtime; therefore originally another word for ‘Spring’. Now a period of forty days
and six Sundays when people prepare to celebrate Easter through
prayer and fasting.
Easter – originally another word for ‘Spring’; a northern European
word for both Spring and a goddess of Spring: ‘Eostre’.
Shrove Tuesday – named after the old English word for ‘writing’.
Confessors on this day would hear and forgive the sins of people,
after exacting a penance and/or a payment from the people. They
would then write down the confession and the penance and the forgiveness offered in the form of a certificate. This was one of the
excesses of the medieval church which Luther spoke out against. Also
a day for eating and clearing out any fatty or rich foods forbidden
during the time of Lenten fasting (hence the consumption of
pancakes).
Mardi Gras – is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, another name for Shrove
Tuesday.
Carnival – from the Latin ‘carne vale’ meaning ‘goodbye to meat’,
also another name for Shrove Tuesday. Nowadays Mardi Gras and
Carnival can sometimes extend into a long season of festivals and
street processions.
Ash Wednesday – a day of fasting and penitence at the start of Lent,
when people put on ashes as a sign of their penitence.
Mothering Sunday – the fourth Sunday in Lent when people
traditionally pay a visit to their mother and to their mother church
where they grew up in the Christian faith.
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Palm Sunday – the sixth and last Sunday in Lent when people
traditionally celebrate the Bible story of the entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem when the crowds laid palm branches on the ground before
him.
Passion Sunday – a name for either the fifth or sixth Sunday in Lent,
normally used if the church chooses to enter more fully into a commemoration of the passion of Jesus at that time. If so, the time
between Passion Sunday and Easter Sunday is called ‘Passiontide’.
Passion – from the Latin, meaning ‘suffering’, and referring
specifically to the story of the sufferings of Jesus in his last week.
Holy Week – the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
Passover – from the Bible story of the exodus of the Hebrew people
from Egypt, when the Lord ‘passed over’ the homes of the Hebrews.
(Exodus 12:23) This story is at the heart of the Jewish celebration of
Passover.
Paschal – from the Latin or the Greek ‘pasca’, which in turn comes
from the Hebrew ‘pesach’ which means ‘pass over’. It is used to refer
to anything concerned with the Jewish Passover or the Christian
Easter, such as Paschal Lamb, or Paschal Candle.
Seder Meal – From the Hebrew, meaning ‘order’ or ‘arrangement’, it is
the ritual meal at the start of the seven-day festival of Passover.
Last Supper – another Christian name for the last Passover meal
which Jesus and his disciples celebrated together.
Maundy Thursday – from the Latin for ‘commandment’. This is the
day on which Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and re-issued the new
commandment that they should love one another.
Good Friday – probably from an archaic meaning of the word ‘good’ =
’holy’. The day on which Jesus was crucified on the cross.
Holy Saturday – the day on which Jesus’ body lay in the tomb.
Easter Sunday – the day of resurrection! “He is risen! Hallelujah!”
Mike Shrubsole
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Give up something for Lent?
Lent is used by Christians as a season of preparation for
the coming of Easter. Every Easter, Christians remember with thankfulness the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The annual
remembering of the death and resurrection of Jesus is at the very
heart of the Christian faith as the central sign of God’s love for the
world and the hope that we can have that God’s love overcomes all
the evil, hatred and sin in the world. This is such a challenging and
life-changing thing to proclaim and celebrate. Christians have
discovered that it is a great personal aid to prayer and worship to use
the season of Lent to contemplate the meaning of Easter and to
spend some time, physically, spiritually and mentally preparing for the
coming of Easter each year.
Many people give up something for Lent. If giving up something
involves saving money, the money is usually given to a charitable
cause. If giving up something results in a release of time, the time is
usually devoted to Bible study or prayer. So the question is: have you
chosen a charity to support for Lent, or have you chosen a book to
read or to pray with for Lent? A visit to a Christian book shop will
show you how many different resources are available. Increasingly
there are on-line resources available for you to use during Lent. You
will certainly be able to find an answer which suits you.
Try these examples:
The Stewardship campaign has a set of resources called ‘40 Acts Do Lent Generously’ at http://www.40acts.org.uk/
Christian Aid has a ‘Count your Blessings’ Lent project available on
computer or as print material, or as an app for your smartphone at
http://www.christianaid.org.uk/getinvolved/lent/count-your-blessings/index.aspx
Many other Christian charities and organisations will be producing
Lent resources over the next few weeks. Watch out for your
favourites as they become available.
Mike Shrubsole
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A double celebration...
On 9th January George
Heaton celebrated his
91st birthday, but important though that was, it
was also the occasion to
celebrate 70 years of marriage to his wife Joyce.
Regularly seen at Trinity
services,
the
popular
couple are also active
members of several local
associations and clubs, so
many folk wanted to share
in the celebrations.
George served in the RAF
as a wireless operator/air gunner during the war and although shot
down in a Halifax bomber, he not only survived but was rescued by a
French family who shielded him until he could get back to England.
George served in the RAF for a total of 38 years and indeed for a
considerable time was stationed at Sopley.
The couple have lived in Ringwood for the past 34 years and have
two daughters, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
On 9th January the family held a birthday/anniversary celebration at
Hayling Island, but the Conservative Club in Ringwood held another
celebratory get together on 17th of last month, thus giving an opportunity for more folk to share their joy. Always cheerful and full of
boundless energy (George was recently to be seen getting the tables
out for Trinity's Monday Lunches while others considerably younger
had their coffee!),
The couple are an inspiration to all.
Brian Walters
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Christchurch and Wimborne Circuit
Staffing News
To support the Methodist Churches at Blandford and Wimborne the
Circuit Leadership Team is pleased to announce that a probationer
Deacon, Alison McMillan will be joining the staff team in September.
Alison is currently finishing her training at Queens, Birmingham and
comes to us with the previous experience of teaching RE in
secondary schools and she is also a local Preacher.
Alison will be a valuable addition to the team and will no doubt join us
at Trinity at some point.
Impossible God - The Passion Play
Tickets cost £5
available from the Trinity Office or duty Stewards on a Sunday.
Written by Revd Frank Topping the play is performed
by his son Mark, who is a professional actor.
The drama is based on Frank’s book ‘An Impossible God’
and tells the Easter story through the eyes of ordinary people
caught up in the events.
Soldiers, servants, scribes, disciples, friends and enemies
of Jesus portray the drama of Holy Week.
Act 2 starts at the empty tomb with Mary Magdelene
and finishes with Jesus on the Mount of Olives.
This is being organised as a Circuit event
and we hope as many people as possible will come
and see this every special event.
Tickets are on sale now.
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Tuesday 24 March, at 7:30 pm
at Trinity United Church, Ringwood
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Church Meetings
Sunday 22nd February at 12:00 noon
Our next lunch-time meeting will have a special agenda. We will only deal with
essential business and then most of the time will be devoted to a presentation
and discussion on the URC Same-Sex Marriage material. We will be ably
guided through this by two Synod enablers. Revd Mary Thomas and Mr Peter
Thomas (no relation). Please do come to listen and learn and discuss. This is
not a decision-making matter and there are no resolutions or voting required,
but it should be a very interesting meeting. Followed by a Bring-and-Share
Lunch as usual.
Tuesday 10th March at 7:30 pm
This is our Annual General Meeting. The Book of Reports is being currently
compiled by Sharon Sunderland. Please send her any reports for any church
group or committee. Reports should briefly summarise the past year, its highs
and lows, and if possible say something about your group or committee’s plans
for the future of the group and the church.
If you are an office holder or a volunteer in the life of the church, this is the
occasion for us all to thank one another for service offered over the past year
and for us to renew our willingness to serve for another year or a term of office. If
you are considering making a change please let Joyce Ayles our Church
Secretary or Mike Shrubsole our Minister know.
The church is looking for some significant new office holders at this AGM. We
need a new Church Secretary and a new Church Treasurer as we say our
thanks to Joyce and David Ayles for all they have done for the church. On the
Leadership Team Bob and Elsa Clark are coming to the end of a one year term
of office and Brian Walters is coming to the end of a three year term of office. On
the Executive Council Roger Sunderland comes to the end of a three year term
of office as Secretary of the Property and Finance Committee. (Re-elections are
possible.) There are also additional vacancies on both the Leadership Team
and the Executive Council for other new people.
We also need to conduct a review of our chosen communion charities and
other charitable connections for 2015-16, and we need to adopt a policy for
end-of year tithing from our church accounts to other charities.
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You can select, on the registration form, the number of lengths you wish to
swim. Swimming must be continuous without breaks and lengths will be
counted for you.
Entry is free but a sponsorship minimum of £10 is suggested.
Currently, Action for Children supports over 250,000 children and
their families annually and the Children’s Centres at
Ringwood and Wimborne are Action for Children projects.
15
URC Synod Report
On 8th November the Wessex
Synod of the United Reformed
Church met in Camberley and I
accompanied Mike for what was
to be an interesting day. Having
only recently taken over from
Eileen Meyer as Trinity's representative, it was my first experience. The Moderator, Revd.
Clare Downing guided the morning session through a number of
reports, some of which included
resolutions that were duly
passed, mostly without dissent.
churches to offer at least 1% annually above the amount requested by their Synod, the meeting
agreed to support this concept
and voted in favour of the challenge 'according to the Synod formula'. In the discussion leading
up to the decision, it was noted
that the Ministry and Mission
Fund offers to meet with churches that are having financial difficulties.
The afternoon session provided
an opportunity for delegates to attend a 'workshop' of their choice
and I opted to find out what would
arise from that entitled 'Affirming
the Future of the United
Reformed Church'. Contrary to
often expressed dismal considerations of our future, there
was widespread agreement that
the URC is distinct from its
ecumenical partners in that it
enjoys more freedom and flexibility than most. The importance of
church meetings was also
stressed.
The Finance & Property Committee's report detailed an impressive list of grants, loans and permissions to churches in our region, indicating that it had been
kept busy.
The report noted the sale of 12a
Middle Lane in Ringwood, the former manse when Trinity had the
luxury of two ministers. This has
now been superseded by the current manse at 20 Top Lane. The
sale raised £357,236; our URCowned properties are clearly in
good hands.
Returning to the full meeting, an
item from the Synod Youth
Executive stimulated much discussion on a proposed resolution
Referring to a General Assembly
resolution that challenged all
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regarding Mental Health. This
arose from two resolutions, passed at the 2014 URC Youth
Assembly and the 2014 General
Assembly. That the proposed
resolution was rather long doubtless explained why discussion
was prolonged; references to
'mental health' giving way to
'mental ill-health' for example.
However, the resolution calling
on all local churches to take
further steps to end the stigma
around mental ill-health amongst
their community was passed.
We are a United church and
therefore
both
URC
and
Methodist matters are of concern
to us all. If you would like to know
more of the Camberley meeting
please ask me for a copy of the
agenda and proceedings.
Brian Walters
Flower Rota
February
1st
Janet Dormer
th
8
Doreen Wood
th
15
Sylvia Hiscock
22nd
Lent
No flowers required until Easter Day, April 5th because of the Lenten
Cross.
Women's World Day of Prayer
The 2015 Women's World Day of Prayer (Inter Denominational)
Service will be held on Friday, 6th March 2015, at Trinity Church,
Ringwood, at 10.30am. This year’s service has been prepared by
the churches of The Bahamas, West Indies and is being led locally by
King’s Church. The service is celebrated all across the world on the
same day. All people, ladies and men, are welcome.
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FEBRUARY
Sunday 1
10:45 am
Morning Worship at Trinity
led by Revd Robert McBain
Tuesday 3
7:30 pm
Executive Council Meeting at Wesley
Thursday 5
7:30pm
Music & Singing Group meets at Wesley
Saturday 7-
7:00 pm
Quiz Evening and Ploughman’s Supper
Proceeds go to the HEAL Project
Sunday 8
10:45 am
Morning Worship and Communion at Trinity led
by Revd: Mike Shrubsole
Pastoral Visitors
Annual Re-dedication Service:
Monday 9
7:00pm
Sunday 15
10:45 am
Synod URC Area Gathering Meeting at Wesley
Centre
Morning worship at Trinity
led by Revd Janice Morgan
4:00 pm
Messy Church at Wesley Centre
led by Messy Church Team
6:00 pm
Prayer Walkers (CTIRD) meet outside
Parish Church gates
7:30pm
Music & Singing Group meets at Wesley
7:30 pm
Circuit Meeting at Wesley
Local Preachers Meeting at Wesley Centre
Saturday 21
7:00 pm
Acoustic Concert at Verwood Methodist Church
Youthwork fundraiser
Sunday 22
10:45 am
Alternative Worship at Trinity
led by Revd Mike Shrubsole
12 noon
Open Congregational Meeting followed by Bring
and Share Lunch
6:00 pm
Communion Service at Wesley
led by Revd Mike Shrubsole
7:30 pm
7:30 pm
Reflections on St Matthew Passion at Trinity
Church
Pneuma Worship at Verwood Methodist Church
Tuesday 24
6:00 pm
Churches Together Meeting in Wesley
Thursday 26
7:30 pm
Circuit Meeting at Wesley
Thursday 19
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MARCH
Sunday 1
10:45 am
7:30 pm
Friday 6
Morning Worship at Trinity
led by Mrs Cathryn Malmberg
Reflections on St Matthew Passion at Trinity
Church
Women’s World Day of Prayer
Saturday 7
10:00 until
12:00
Fordingbridge URC Open Morning
Come and see the new building:
Sunday 8
10:45 am
7:30 pm
Morning Worship and Communion at Trinity
Led by Revd Mike Shrubsole
Reflections on St Matthew Passion at Trinity Church
Tuesday 10
7:30 pm
Church Annual General Meeting at Trinity
Saturday 14
10:00 until
1:00
Circuit Training Day ‘Evangelistic Preaching’ at Trinity
led by Revd Tom Stuckey:
Mainly for preachers and anyone interested.
Action for Children Sponsored Swim
at Ringwood Health and Leisure Centre
5:30 pm
Sunday 15
10:45 am
4:00 pm
7:30 pm
Morning Worship on Mothering Sunday at Trinity led
by Deacon Glenda Sidding
Messy Church at the Wesley Centre
Reflections on St Matthew Passion at Trinity Church
Friday 20 to Sunday 22
Church Weekend at Sidmouth
Saturday 21
URC Wessex Synod Meeting
Sunday 22
10:45 am
7:30 pm
7:30 pm
Alternative Morning Worship at Trinity
led by Mr David Daniels
(No evening communion this month)
Reflections on St Matthew Passion at Trinity Church
Pneuma Worship at Verwood Methodist Church
Tuesday 24
7:30 pm
‘Impossible God’ one man play at Trinity
Performed by Mark Topping
Sunday 29
10:45 am
Palm Sunday Morning Worship at Trinity
led by Revd David Langford
6:00 pm
United Evening Worship at Trinity
for Churches Together in Ringwood
and District
7:30 pm
Reflections on St Matthew Passion at Trinity Church
19
Free Church Chaplaincy
for Higher Education
in Bournemouth and Poole
The idea of supporting and funding Free Church Chaplaincy to
Higher Education in Bournemouth began in the early 1990’s.
By February 1995 a constitution
had been drawn up which was
supported by the Free Churches
of Bournemouth and Poole and
other Christian organisations. A
management committee was
formed comprising one representative of each sponsoring
body. Attending the meeting was
a representative from Bournemouth University and the former
Arts College, now a University.
From time to time a student representative would attend too.
organisations
and
churches
unable to provide representatives. The pursuance of continued sponsorship is becoming
more and more an issue and demands a real need to ‘keep a
finger on the button’ and maintain
continued contact and updates
with those sponsors who continue to view this ministry as a true
expression of the love of God at
work in the real world.
Over the years we have been
truly blessed with the appointment of Free Church Chaplains
who each have, and still do, play
a very important role in the care
and spiritual oversight of both
students and staff at the Universities. Sharon Hartwell is our current Chaplain and our monitoring
committee continue to be full of
praise and admiration for all that
she does and achieves in her
work.
In 1997 I was asked if I would join
the management committee as
secretary, a position I was told
was expected to be for three
years. Some seventeen years
later, I am still there and, I have
to say, enjoying the responsibility.
Over the years committee membership has fallen with several
Sharon writes: ‘I have been
Free Church Chaplain at Bourne20
mouth University and The Arts at
Bournemouth for six years. We
have about 20,000 students
across the two institutions and
several thousand staff, so our
small Chaplaincy Team are kept
quite busy.
As a multi-faith
Chaplaincy we look after all the
faith groups, but our role goes far
beyond this. We also provide
pastoral care for students and
staff alike, and many of those we
support do not have any
particular faith affiliation, but just
come to Chaplaincy because
they know it to be caring and
supportive. More than half my
time is spent in pastoral care,
with the rest spent running
events such as free lunches, selfawareness courses, etc.
By
request we also run a Bible study
group specifically aimed at South
East Asian students. What I aim
to foster in Chaplaincy is a safe,
warm
and
non-judgemental
atmosphere where people come
into contact with God’s love,
whether they realise it or not, and
where they always have the
opportunity to ask questions or
respond.’
Because
Ringwood
Trinity
continues to offer financial
support to this Free Church
Chaplaincy, I felt both an update
and reminder to us all that we are
supporting Sharon, will help to
keep this community ministry in
focus.
Mark Priestley
From out of the mouths of babes…
Our children can be the source of great delight, especially
when they don’t intend to be funny!
For example my twins used to go to Sunday School and one day
my daughter declared that God’s name was ‘King
Hallowedbe’ (as in Hallowed be thy name).
An early example of feminine logic?
Brian Walters
21
Commitment for Life 2015
——— Stories for change 106 ———
West Bank depend on both
agriculture
and
a
second
employment. 25% of West Bank
Palestinian families’ main income
is from home agriculture. With
three sons and twin daughters he
needs that income to put them
through university. Like so many
Palestinians, education is vitally
important as it is seen as a way
out of their current situation.
The one who gives thanks
Hamdan
Abdellatif’s
name
means 'the one who gives
thanks' and 'servant of the gentle
one’. Hamdan certainly gives
thanks for the expertise shared
Hamdan proudly displays his
crop of green beans that is
irrigated from water collected in
his reservoir during the dry
months. This was built with the
help
of
PARC.
Hamdan’s
reservoir has empowered him;
he knows he has benefited from
signing the contract and charter
with PARC to build it on his land.
with him by Christian Aid partner
PARC (now called the Palestine
Agricultural Development Association) to build a water cistern on
his land. It means he is no longer
a slave to the land or the
weather.
He explains: "During the winter
the reservoir is very useful. In
summer, around May, I close the
pipe and use the water from the
local well to irrigate my crops.
When that gets low I can use my
reserve rain harvested water.
This gives me around 20 days’
supply. The tank will water 3
dunums in the greenhouse. Last
Hamdan, originally a teacher of
English, has a small produce
business, selling vegetables at
the local market in Tulkarem in
the West Bank. He and his wife
Suadahmed are retired, so their
crops are their main source of
income. 70% of people in the
22
year I was able to supply my own
water from November to April.
This has saved me money too.”
scheme’. We hope the spirit of
the farmers comes through. The
32 cisterns in this area are
making the greenhouses an
independent force out of season.
Instead of pumping directly to the
greenhouse the water goes into
the pan (reservoir) and then can
be used for irrigation later.”
PARC normally supplies 100 or
200 cubic metre capacity tanks. If
the farmer feels he needs more
than this he must pay the full cost
for that extra part. PARC pays
75% of the costs of building the
reservoir. They have received
match funding from the Dutch
government for this project.
Christian Aid supports PARC with
core funding which allows them
to train and employ skilled
agronomists to work with farmers.
Hamdan’s story is one of hope
but, when he says that his
biggest regret is that neither he
nor his family have ever been
able to obtain a permit to worship
in Jerusalem, the reality of his
situation comes into sharp focus.
Image: lmead/cforl Hamadam,
and
his
wife
Suadahmed,
showing the difference the well
has made to their crops
Other members of the local cooperative spoke of their thanks
for all PARC has achieved.
“We would like to thank PARC for
implementing
the
‘building
cisterns for rainwater harvesting
CforL 2014
(from the Internet)
Fordingbridge United Reformed Church
Open Morning
Saturday 7th March 10.00 – 12:00 noon
You are invited to come and see the bright clean church
after its refurbishment and improvements.
Refreshments will be served.
23
Sandham Memorial Chapel
Last year Carol Swift kindly
offered me a lift to Burclere near
The chapel re-opens on 28
March but bearing in mind the
warning that entry will be
by pre-booked timed ticket
only (somehow Carol and I
got in) it would be prudent
to
follow
the
rules
(something that does not
come naturally to a non
conformist). It would be
disappointing to drive all
that way and then not get in. So if
you plan to go please call
Newbury where the Sandham
Memorial Chapel attracts yearround visitors – except it is not
open all the year. Hence this
article now rather than in the
December edition which I originally had in mind. In many respects the memorial chapel is
unique in that it features the
mural paintings of a single artist Stanley Spencer.
01635 278594 or go to www.
[email protected].
If you are a National Trust member and used to gaining entry just
by showing your Membership
card, be prepared for a bit of
hassle here, so just book in
advance.
But don't be put off – the chapel
is an interesting building and the
murals are unique.
An eccentric character (but then
many artists are), Spencer
served with the Royal Army
Medical Corps in Macedonia**
during the First World War and
his paintings reflect his Christian
faith in many ways. The murals in
the chapel are known worldwide,
so it receives many visitors each
year.
**Where is Macedonia do I hear
you ask?! It is in the north of
Greece and many casualties
there during the First World War
were the result of sickness rather
than enemy action.
Brian Walters
24
Crowe Hill Methodist Church
Fellowship of Healing
February
Monday 2
7:30 pm
Service of Healing and Renewal
Led by Revd Janice Morgan
Thursday 19
1:00 pm
2:00 pm
Light lunch is served
Service of Healing and Renewal
Led by Mr Terry Lowe
7:30 pm
Service of Healing and Renewal
March
Monday 2
Led by Canon Steve Pittis
Thursday 19
1:00 pm
2:00 pm
Light lunch is served
Service of Healing and Renewal
Led by Revd Mike Shrubsole
Easter at Crowe Hill
Good Friday
3rd April: 4pm service led by Mr James Frampton followed
at 5pm with a high tea
6.15 Crowe Hill music event
Easter Sunday
5th April: 8am communion Service followed at 9am with an Easter
breakfast
If you want happiness for an hour
take a nap
If you want happiness for a day
go shopping
If you want happiness for a year
inherit a fortune
If you want happiness for a lifetime
help someone else
25
“I'll believe it when I see it”
This is a very old saying, first
recorded in 1639. Many of us are
likely to have said it some time or
other. When the weather has
been awful for a long time, and
someone tells us that it is likely to
be good tomorrow, we might well
say “I'll believe it when I see it.” A
friend has borrowed a sum of
money from us, so long ago that
we have almost written it off, and
then he comes to us and says:
“I'll repay that money that I borrowed next Friday,” you might
well use the old saying, if only to
yourself. The use of these words
implies a degree of scepticism.
We find it hard to believe what
we are told. To believe it we need
to see it happen. We need to see
it with our eyes.
ing at one end, her legs at the
other. She is in two! But she isn't
really and the adult section of the
audience knows it. It's all done by
mirrors!
The human eye doesn't always
tell the truth. What we see with
our eyes can often be interpreted
in different ways. Seeing is not
always believing. On the other
hand it is possible to believe without seeing. Christians call this
FAITH. The author of the Book of
Hebrews wrote:
“To have faith is to be sure of
things we hope for; to be certain
of the things we cannot see.”
Jesus once said “Blessed
(happy) are those who have not
seen and yet believe”. It is certainly true that our eyes are not
the only part of us from which we
get information. Men and women
are complex beings with inner
faculties, mental and spiritual,
which also helps us to make
decisions.
However, there are times when
eyesight itself does not guarantee belief. The man on the stage
performs trick after trick, to great
applause. In one of them he
seems to have cut a woman in
half while she is lying in a box.
You see the saw go down the
middle of the box. You see the
two halves of the box separated,
the top half of the woman show-
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 –
1543) was a Polish astronomer
and mathematician. He amazed
the world and frightened the
26
church authorities by announcing
that the earth was not the centre
of the universe, as had previously
been thought, but that the real
centre was the sun. This discovery, later proved correct by
Galileo and others, had nothing to
do with the eyes of Copernicus
but resulted from the studies of a
man who had come to understand more of the workings of the
earth and universe.
William Wilberforce, these men
laboured in Parliament for 11
years and finally got an Act to
abolish the trade.
In September 1928 Alexander
Fleming (1881-1955), a Scottish
scientist, came back from holiday
and discovered one of the
bacterial cultures in his laboratory
contained
a fungus which
seemed to have destroyed an
amount of the bacteria. He “saw”
the possibility of developing the
fungus in large quantities as a
cure for many diseases. With the
help of two other scientists,
Florey and Chain, the drug was
patented with the name Penicillin,
in the 1940s.
It is from the eyes of faith that
good things often come. The
dreadful Slave Trade between
Britain and the new lands of the
west went on for two centuries,
with no protest from church or
state. Were not black people less
human than white folk? So,
people who questioned the trade
eased their consciences. But then
a group of White men, taught by
the New Testament “saw” that the
colour of a person's skin had no
bearing on their humanity. Led by
Our physical eyes can tell us a
great deal about the world in
which we live, though they are
not infallible. They are not a great
deal of good when it comes to the
world of the Spirit. Then the eyes
of faith are what we need.

“Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a
Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make
you a car.” ― Garrison Keillor
27
Trinity Guild
February
March
3rd
AGM with Competitions
17rh
Pauline Sunderland – “Memories of holidays in
Devon and Cornwall
3rd
“Welcome to Spring” – Mrs Brenda Bush will
Entertain us.
17rh
St Patrick’s Day –Louise Shrubsole
“The Life and Work of St Patrick”
31st
Revd Mike Shrubsole – A talk on Holy Week
Acoustic Concert
To help us with raising funds for the youth work in our
circuit projects, we have decided to run a fundraising
evening at Verwood Methodist Church, suitable for all ages.
The evening will consist of music from professional acoustic
musician John Prockter, who has toured the country on
numerous occasions and is always greatly received. We also
have entertainment from local musicians and a raffle for
some fantastic prizes.
The evening will be held on Saturday 21st February 2015
from 7pm and ending about 9pm. Tickets are £5 and £15 for
a family of four. If we are able to raise £500 from this
evening, we will be able to start new projects in the spring
term.
If you have any questions or would like to reserve tickets,
please contact our youth worker, Dan Desmond at
07791544948 or email him at [email protected].
28
Saturday, 21st February, 2015 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Verwood Methodist Church
Tickets £5.00 (£15 for families of 4)
To book tickets, call Dan Desmond
0779 1544948
29
Heal Project
When we visited the Project in October, Jeannie told us that the
Ministry of Health had visited the school and asked whether a room
could be made available for a District Nurse to use to give measles
and polio vaccinations for the under-fives, and general care and
advice on hygiene, etc. which is so beneficial to poor communities.
The nearest medical clinic is some distance away and transport is
difficult. So the right hand side of the large craft area, which formally
was used as a lock up space for tools, etc. is now being converted
into a suitable room. As you can see at the time the photograph was
taken it was being altered and they were awaiting the glass for the
windows.
Two teachers had undertaken a First Aid Course, and the school was
given a large First Aid box.
The Heal Project school is situated on the very edge of the large
Ngombe Compound, on the outskirts of Lusaka, and it is good that it is
able to be so useful to the local people.
Joyce Ayles
30
31
Update on the Ringwood
Foodbank
A huge thank you to all of you
who regularly and so generously
donate items to the Ringwood
Foodbank. Since April 2014 the
foodbank has helped over 400
people, including over 200 children. So you can see that the
need is increasing.
When people come to the distributions centres at Ringwood
and Verwood, the volunteers also
“signpost” people to other
agencies, who can help them to
overcome their difficulties, so
that, possibly, they will not need
the support of the foodbank in
the future.
Although donations of food are
still needed, the Ringwood
Foodbank costs over £15,000 to
operate. The main costs are the
rents
on
the
Hangersley
Warehouse and the distribution
centres
at
Ringwood
and
Verwood, and the heating and
lighting of both. I would be delighted to receive from you any
monetary contributions that you
may feel able to give. I have “gift
aid” envelopes available, should
you wish to use them. A new
fundraising manager for the
Ringwood
Foodbank,
Craig
Adams, has been found. He is
planning a calendar of fundraising events for the coming
year.
Valerie Grant
A father was approached by his small son, who told him proudly:
“I know what the Bible means!”
His father smiled and asked him to explain.
“It’s easy. It stands for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.”
(Parish Pump website)
32
What’s on at our Centres?
(for all Church Services, House Groups, etc., see the
centre spread of this magazine)
Day
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Time
Activity
11:00 Coffee
Trinity
12:00 Monday Lunches: All Welcome. No need to book.
Trinity
17:30 Ringwood Dancing Classes
Trinity
19:15 Al-Anon, AA and Debtors Anonymous
Trinity
09:00 Keep Fit
Wesley
09:45 Zumba Gold
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Friday
Saturday
Place
Trinity
Hampshire Family Mediation
Trinity
Alzheimer's’ Café
Trinity
14:30 Trinity Guild (fortnightly)
Trinity
18:30 Weight Watchers
Trinity
20:00 Yoga
Trinity
09:30 Coffee Morning
Wesley
10:00 Little Lambs
Trinity
16:00 BigLittle Theatre Company
Trinity
19:00 AA
Wesley
19:30 Rock Choir
Wesley
09:30 Yoga
Trinity
09:30 Alzheimer's’ Art Class
Trinity
13:00 Under Ones
Trinity
15:00 Rock School
Wesley
19:30 Self Help Group
Wesley
07:00 AA
Trinity
09:30 Pilates followed by Exercises for the over 60s
Trinity
10:00 Weight Watchers
Trinity
Other activities include: National Blood Service, Carers’ Café, Chernobyl Childrens’ Trust
33
??? QUIZ ???
In aid of THE HEAL PROJECT
SATURDAY, 7th FEBRUARY 2015
at 7:00 pm
in TRINITY CHURCH HALL
Cost: £6
Including a Ploughman’s Supper
Tickets available from Trinity Centre Office
or
Sian-Elen Fernyhough
Teams of 6 or make up 6 on the night.
????????????????????????????????????????????
34
electrical services for peace of mind
07789 123103
Down to Earth
David Rowden
inspection & testing certificates and periodic reports
portable appliance testing
domestic & commercial installations
rewiring ∙ heating systems
new consumer units
emergency repairs
security lighting ∙ showers
aerials ∙ tv and telephone points
Please support our advertisers
Tell them you saw their ad in Travelling Together magazine
35
TRAVELLING TOGETHER EDITORIAL TEAM
Magazine
Editor:
Brian Walters
18 Kingsfield
Ringwood
BH24 1PH
Tel.: 01425 837313
Email: [email protected]
Assistant Editor
and layout:
John Birch
Tel.: 01425 461440
Joyce Ayles
Tel.: 01425 474033
Mike Shrubsole
Email: [email protected]
Please ensure that your contributions
(hardcopy or email)
for inclusion in the
April/May edition of the magazine reach
Brian Walters or John Birch
by
Sunday, 8th March, 2015
Although we offer this magazine free to those who
wish to take a copy, we welcome a donation of
£1.00
towards the cost of printing.
36