There are a number of paradoxical ideas in the bible, which have caused considerable head-scratching for Christians, for example, the idea that God is one God and three persons and that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.
Throughout the Bible, there are a number of indications that God is fully in control of everything that happens, and that therefore, God chooses which of us will be Christians, and which of us will not. At the same time, we also see a strong emphasis on the importance of our choices and that we will be held responsible for our actions. So, which is true? Since both ideas are clearly expressed, we must hold these two, apparently contradictory truths, in tension with each other. If we do not, we miss out on important implications that are vital to our faith. In Exodus during the plagues, we sometimes read that Pharaoh hardened his heart e.g. Exodus 8:15,32 and sometimes we read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart e.g. Exodus 9:12,10:20. In Job chapter 1, we are told that Satan has to ask permission of God to inflict suffering on Job. In Matthew 10:29, we read “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father”. In Romans 8:29-30, we read “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” For me, this is comforting, because, it tells me that if I am truly a Christian, there is nothing that can change that fact, and God will keep me spiritually safe, even though I get things wrong, so often and in so many ways. Kevin Haigh It has been a pleasure since the New Year to get to know the new Hall Manager at St James', Gerald Lee, and his wife Mariana. Gerald is an ordained minister in the Methodist Church and has already been called on to lead worship and a Lent Group session.
Gerald was ordained in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1991 and was a Youth Pastor at the church where Val and Dale Gravett were members. Gerald and Mariana first came to England in 1999 with their two teenage children (now grown up and married with children themselves), and for a time Gerald was based in Guernsey, while Mariana was working in England. However in 2014 they settled in England running a coffee shop in Clapham whilst living in High Wycombe. Mariana has a background in catering so there were home-made cakes! Eventually the strain of the hours and travelling became too much and they sold the business. They then spent time in France and Spain, hoping to set up a retreat house, but when things didn’t work out, they finally returned to England. When Dale and Val decided to retire to Lincolnshire they mentioned to the church that Gerald might be interested in the post of hall manager at St James’ and everybody is delighted with the outcome. We look forward to many happy years of working together in the mission of the church at St James’. It was probably the unusual title that first attracted me to sign up for this 24-hour retreat - and as it was at The Royal Foundation of St Katherine in Limehouse, I knew it would be interesting.
The retreat was led by Ivor Moody who is a Dean at Chelmsford Cathedral and very interested in the potential link between secular music and “the sacred”. It is Ivor’s belief that there is a very deep meaning in many popular songs that we as Christians often miss. For this retreat, Ivor developed an extended reflection/ meditation on the Emmaus Road story, using well known popular songs as markers to illustrate various aspects of the story. We began to read the story of Cleopas and a companion walking deep in sorrow and confusion away from Jerusalem, not really listening to the questions the stranger was asking them about recent events in Jerusalem, so bound up were they in their bereavement. Who would have thought “Don’t let me be misunderstood” sung by Nina Simone would have echoed so much of that conversation? We then worked through a total of six songs, including “Message in a Bottle”, “Blowing in the Wind” and finally “Let it Be” before we ended this really insightful meditative study 24 hours later? Within our own prayer and quiet time we were asked to draw our own Emmaus Road, charting the highs and lows of our own faith journey and at a final Eucharist, we laid our papers alongside each other, showing the uniqueness as well as the similarities of our own journeys. Seeing that road stretched out across the beautiful Chapel was a special, serene moment for us all. Ivor has written a book “Songs for the Soul” which can be used as a six week course - possibly next Lent? Margaret Minoletti Traidcraft was established 40 years ago in 1979 and it was the pioneer of Fairtrade.
Its slogan of “Fighting poverty through trade” gave it its mission of seeking out small producers and helping them develop better production methods and ensuring they had a fair price for their products. We tend to forget that Traidcraft is a business and though never intending to make large profits, by last summer, like so many other commercial companies, its losses were so great that it was decided that Traidcraft would cease trading. This news caused such dismay among its many Fair traders and supporters that a new business model was worked out to see if this could save the company. As a first step it involved reducing its staff from 64 to 12; selling their warehouse and offices in Gateshead and having a sale of all their craft goods. In its new form, Traidcraft will sell mainly food products and only those craft items which have already been purchased by another fairtrading company. This will cut out transportation costs and the losses which are made when craft goods bought are imperfect and not suitable for sale. However, this meant that Traidcraft could no longer buy directly from its small producers, which was a devastating blow for all concerned. New outlets have now been found for most of these small producers and this process continues. Traidcraft’s new business model is based on a transparent trading system which means that the buyer will know where each of the ingredients or materials used in the product comes from and that at each step of production a fair price was paid. Just as Traidcraft was a pioneer of Fairtrade it is now intending to be a pioneer of this new business model. Traidcraft has not abandoned its original mission to help small producers. This work is still carried out by Traidcraft Exchange, which is the fundraising arm of Traidcraft though financially quite separate from the business. It will still continue to help small producers and help them find new outlets for their products. www.traidcraft.co.uk Synod Moderator’s Opening Remarks
Four years ago, in March 2015, the synod saw a vision of our local churches as “vibrant and relevant, purposely engaged in God’s mission”. Most of our churches are, which we celebrate. We continue to support the churches striving to be effective in mission. In the same year, we chose Discipleship to be our primary mission- to grow as disciples and make new disciples. However, the first step is to regain confidence in our faith narrative. Discipleship is radical because it requires change, first within us. A good disciple is more alert to the world and its needs. Bishop Newbiggin wrote, “The only effective hermeneutic of the gospel is the life of a congregation which believes it” (The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, 1989). Mark Greene said that the whole life discipleship is an intentional activity. We must be intentional about teaching faith and how to apply our faith in life. My experience of visiting churches and meeting people in the last few months tells a beautiful narrative. I returned home from visits with amazement. How our churches live out their calling, irrespective of their size, strength or resources and continue to engage with God’s narrative. For example, St Andrew’s Borehamwood celebrated its 60th anniversary on 10th Nov 2018 at the same time announcing a merger with Chesterfield Road, Barnet. The church was packed, and people had travelled from long distances. They gave testimony of how their lives had been touched and changed for the good by being part of St Andrew’s. A building may close, but the church would continue because the people are the Church, and they have been spread out widely. The church had successfully created a ripple effect. I attended the retirement services of two ministers: David Bradburn and Elizabeth Welch. I heard incredible appreciation of their ministry. People spoke of how they were personally touched by these ministers’ ministries, things that the ministers were often unaware of. Servants of God retire but their labour has not been in vain. Their ministry has left evidence of transforming lives. I went out with a little hope; I returned filled with hope. Brexit, the Mexican border, wars, the greenhouse effect, selfish and greedy nations! We live in a wounded world; a spiritually depraved world. We often forget that our planet is our life and our future is bound up with one another. People seek answers in yoga, self-declared gurus, organic food, cotton clothing, gym, recycling, cleaning the ocean and so on. There is a desire and need for peace, contentment and joy. What hope can the Church bring in this context? Do we have faith in our Christian narrative? This is an era of narratives, not doctrines. God’s Kingdom is God’s narrative. We join in and lose ourselves in it. Our identities or denominations aren’t important. Because it is God’s narrative. But the Christian presence in our villages and towns makes sense. In the URC, we usually close a church where there is no congregation left, but I am pleased to say we have taken a different step this time, in faith. Totteridge Union would have closed last summer. But now it has a mission project to replant a congregation there- with support from 2 local area groups, Trinity, Harrow and the synod. I have noticed a trend in recent years in our synod of large-scale projects, whether building or mission. We currently have a few multi-million-pound church building projects and mission projects of tens of thousands of pounds, which involve paid staff. Larger congregations can pull together large projects and that is good. However, most of our churches are small, with membership below 40. They do not have the capacity or pool of skills to engage in large scale projects. However, we should not lose the notion of small initiatives, small steps, small-scale impact. These small churches would engage in projects which are relatively small and manageable and thereby make a difference. Issues like climate change, food banks, fair trade or care for the elderly are massive. A small step, if taken by many, will make a difference. We should consider creating a fund focused on small-scale mission or social activities, such as a little support towards a drop-in centre, coffee mornings, language study and so on! Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Rev Dr Andrew Prasad The Synod was held at Chingford URC, and our Minister, Revd. Ulrike Bell led the Opening Worship and gave a short presentation about the Forest Group of Churches and its mission. After that, we sang the Forest Group Hymn, which Anne Sardeson wrote for us some years ago.
Revd Frances Ackroyd was one of two long-serving ministers who were presented with certificates to commemorate 50 years since their ordination. A message had been received from a minister in Christchurch, New Zealand, where the recent attacks on two mosques had taken place in which forty-nine people were killed. They will be remembered in our prayers. The 2019 Synod Year Book had recently been published and copies had been given to church secretaries. Alan Yates, a previous Moderator of General Assembly, then gave a talk on his Visions of the Future – a ten year forecast about the URC. He predicted membership would shrink by 45% and the number of ministers by 55%. There would only be four Synods and the average size of congregations would be twenty-four. Ministers would have to struggle to look after around seven churches each. He believes that we should spend more on people, with more missionary and community workers, following the Gospel message of going out and making disciples. We should centralise and spend our wealth. We might not grow in numbers but we will have followed Jesus’ teaching. We are not a poor church but we behave as if we are. We should pray and be bold. Youth outreach and evangelism were important. The moderator said that Mr Yates’ talk had been inspirational and challenging. Reports from Synod Committees James Fields reported from the Pastoral Committee, saying that we have a duty of care to others and ourselves. Bullying within the church was unacceptable and safeguarding was essential. James Wise from the Resources Committee said Synod grants for training would be considered sympathetically and guidance for applying for Synod Grants could be obtained from the URC website. Jim Dalgleish gave a report on Walking the Way - Whole Life Discipleship, which churches have been encouraged to follow. Holy Habits groups have been set up in some churches, and members are growing and learning together. Learning Hubs are supporting church Leaders and changing the ethos of churches. Anne Sardeson reported that Stepwise is replacing TLS and is helping individuals to grow in the knowledge of their faith and how to live as people of Christ. A pilot group is being set up this year and a report about it will be given at the next Synod. Lay preacher training is now given mainly through TLS Lite and Pastoral Training is also taking place. TLS is now finishing, although Gateways into Worship will continue until next year. Youth Work There is a vacancy for a Children and Youth Development Officer, and Soo Webster, the chief Pilots Officer is retiring. A new Pilots programme will be coming out in September. The Synod Treasurer, Tony Obi-Ezekpazu, gave a report on the Synod finances and told us the focus on the use of Synod funds should now be on people, not on property, Applications for Stepwise projects would be welcomed. Dr. John Parry will be retiring soon and the London Inter Faith Centre at St. Anne’s and St. Andrew’s in North London will be closed, but London Inter Faith Initiatives will continue and James Fields would be pleased to receive news on any interfaith activities going on in the Synod. After lunch, Dawn Watson, of Thirty- one Eight, formerly known as Churches Child Protection Advisory Service talked about Safeguarding within churches. She emphasised how important this is for churches, saying safeguarding is the responsibility of us all. Churches should be safe places and policies and procedures for safeguarding should be in place, with DBS checks for Elders and those working with children and vulnerable adults being done every five years. Groups hiring church premises also should have a safeguarding policy in place and this should be included in any hiring agreement. Some training is being done within the Synod this year. A final report on the M&M Review was then given by Keith Berry and John Wise. Questionnaires had been sent out to all the churches in the Synod regarding the formula for calculating contributions. It was agreed that the formula should be amended. However, there was still scope for discussion and Synod agreed with this. A representative from St. John’s New Barnet URC next brought forward a resolution on Climate Change. This church believes caring for creation is very important and the URC should not be investing in companies connected with fossil fuels. CCLA who specialise in ethical investments is asking for the opinion of the URC so it can consider the future. Climate chaos looms and stopping this is in our hands – for example we should use less diesel and gas. Mission Council will discuss this at their meeting in May and bring their recommendations to October Synod. Terry Hinks led us in Closing Worship before the Synod finished at 3.45pm. It will next meet on Saturday 19th October 2019 at Fairford Leys, hosted by Chiltern Local Area Group. Chingford URC is to be congratulated on their hard work and efficiency in enabling the Synod to run so smoothly, serving refreshments to so many people and making us very welcome. Isabel Bala There was a large congregation for Vic’s funeral service on Wednesday 27 February at our church in Woodford Green and many people shared their memories, both in the service and afterwards at the buffet lunch.
For somebody who was always ready to chat, it was amazing how much we did not know about Vic and his early life. First of all his name was ‘Albert’, and secondly he was brought up in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where his father worked for the railways. Much of this was discovered when his neice, Pat, got a suitcase down from the loft when clearing out his house, and inside were photographs which nobody had seen before. There were some of him in ‘whites’ on various ships bringing him to and from England, and others with some of the household servants. And there were pictures from his war service – how we all wished Vic was there to tell us all about them. Margaret Lineker and Audrey Mendham both wished to share their memories of Vic. Margaret remembers when he married June Fuggle (sister of the late Enid) and Audrey remembered how, having lost his beloved wife, he was a great comfort to her in the loss of her own husband. Both remembered how Vic took on caretaking duties on Friday mornings, meeting up with the flower arrangers and cleaning the church ready for Sunday. Margaret remembers: ‘There he was complete with Hoover, bucket, mop and dusters and you can be sure that no wisp of cobweb or fleck of dust would escape his eye.’ There would always be tea and biscuits, and Audrey writes: ‘Sometimes with church duties completed we would reward our labours with a meal at the local carvery.’ Vic would always arrive early at church on Sunday morning to set out the cups and get the kettles ready. David Bird was always grateful for tea and a chat when he arrived hotfoot from playing at an early morning service and Vic would always make him welcome. And Vic was a regular at our coffee morning at the Manse making very insightful comments, and contributing to the discussions. We remember Vic with gratitude for all that he did for our church in so many ways. He was a good friend to many and even as he became more frail, he showed great fortitude and commitment to his church duties. May he rest in peace. Just like repentance, faith is essential to the Christian life. In the gospels, Jesus commended people for their faith with words like “Your faith has made you well”. Likewise, faith is the only basis on which we can be saved. In Galatians 3:6 we read ‘Consider Abraham: He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”’ and in verse 11 ‘Clearly, no-one is justified before God by the law, because,
“The righteous will live by faith”. Sometimes we tend to think of faith as a thing in itself, but faith is always directed at someone or something. Everyone has faith in something, but unless it is faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ, it is misplaced faith in something that will ultimately let them down. People and things don’t last forever, nor can they deal with every possible thing that could happen. If we put our trust in something or someone other than God, we are indulging in what the bible calls idolatry. How do we acquire this faith? It is not something we can drum up by sheer willpower. It is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 reads ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God’. However, God is not a reluctant giver. He gives it to us through the power of His Word, the Bible, as we read it. Let’s take Him at His Word, because, that is what faith is. Kevin Haigh The Three Faiths Forum meeting at 8.00pm on Thursday 31st January was held at South Woodford Mosque, which is very near South Woodford Station. The topic for the evening was: Violence in the name of Religion, and the speakers were Rabbi Larry Becker from Sukkat Shalom Synagogue in Wanstead, Dr. Mohammed Fahim from South Woodford Mosque and Revd. Alan Green from St. John’s Church in Bethnal Green.
Rabbi Becker spoke first, asserting that peace begins in the home, then in the street and finally in the world. He queried the idea that religion is ever peaceful, because each world religion has spread through violence, as in the Crusades and other holy wars. He claimed violence is innate in each of us, as it is in animals. This can be seen for example in road rage. However religion can teach us that others may be right and we may be wrong. Revd Alan Green, who is chair of Tower Hamlets Faith Forum, spoke next. He reminded us about the violence which had taken place in East London over the years: 250 years ago three Huguenot weavers were hanged for allegedly taking the jobs of local people, the fascist Black Shirts marched in 1936 in the Battle of Cable Street, and more recently there have been attacks on Muslim immigrants. He also mentioned violence and unrest at pilgrimage sites in the past – in Jerusalem where Jesus was put to death, in Rome where Christians were martyred, at Compostela in Spain, where St. James is believed to be buried. From there came violence against Muslims who had come to live in southern Spain in the eighth century. He said we must acknowledge violence was there in the name of religion. Dr. Fahim spoke next, claiming the Holy Qur’an has been used to justify religious violence. Martyrdom is misrepresented by Islamic terrorists, who use verses such as ‘Fight unbelievers near you’ out of context, poisoning the minds of young people and contradicting Muslin values. The Qur’an actually forbids suicidal martyrdom. Holy wars are against the teachings of Mohammad. True Islam teaches peace, justice and tolerance. A question and answer time followed with all three religious leaders agreeing that religion can be used for good or ill. However, all faiths should work together and religion should be used to enhance our lives. The purpose of the Three Faiths Forum is to find common ground and promote fairness and equality. This was a good note to end on. The next meeting of the Forum will be at 8.00pm on Thursday 21st March, discussing, Transgender Issues,.. The venue is yet to be announced. Isabel Bala Standing Together for dignity, equality and justice
Louise Woodcock, Margaret Minoletti and myself attended this year’s Christian Aid Launch at Lower Marsh Street, near Waterloo Station on the afternoon of Thursday 7th February, along with a good number of Christian Aid supporters from around the London area. We were welcomed by Mark Sturge and Rosanne Venner, Deputy Head of the SE Region. Andrew Barton, Director of Supporters and Community Partnerships then gave the Keynote Address. He told us £8.5 million had been raised during Christian Aid Week in 2018, with 57,000 volunteers helping and 12,000 churches taking part. Last year the focus had been on Haiti after the hurricane disaster there. This year’s campaign is focusing on Sierra Leone, in West Africa, one of the poorest countries in the world, with the theme around maternal health. Around 1,360 women died there while giving birth last year, 150 times the equivalent number in the UK. Many nurses also died in the Ebola epidemic and one in nine children die each year there. The richer countries need to Drop the Debt to release the government of Sierra Leone, so women can be helped to give birth safely and children can live longer. Sierra Leone is one of the most dangerous places to give birth, with ten pregnant women dying each day. Christian Aid helps by getting more nurses trained and providing better health care. Revd Kirkwood Cameron, a Methodist minister from a church in Tower Hamlets then told us about his sponsored walk in 2016, raising money for Christian Aid. He walked 73 miles along the Great Glen Way, from Fort William to Inverness and raised £2,500, showing how we can make a difference and also highlight the work of Christian Aid. We heard that Christian Aid is the only charity which now has door-to-door collecting, as it is increasingly becoming more difficult. Delivery-only envelopes are now being used, with people being encouraged to donate on-line or sign up for pay-roll giving. from wills or legacies are another important source of income which can be used to support women in countries like Sierra Leone. Luke Harman, Christian Aid’s Campaign Officer next told us how the charity challenges power, with its Drop the Debt campaign, highlighting tax dodging and putting on marches such us the one for Land Rights in India. In 2019 the main thrust will be on Climate Change - The Big Shift, trying to persuade big financial companies and banks such as HSBC, one of the largest banks in the world, to change their investments to environmentally friendly enterprises. Throughout Lent this year, Christian Aid supporters will be visiting every HSBC branch in the UK, with their Big Shift message and there will be a Climate Change Mass Lobby on 26th June. Neil Roger, Regional Co-ordinator for London then reminded us that speakers are always available to come to lead services in churches and talk about the work of Christian Aid. Volunteers are needed to go into schools to spread the message about our global neighbours and help can be given with that. At the end of Christian Aid Week, on Sunday 19th June, there will a Circle the City sponsored walk, when all the churches in the City of London will be visited. Before the end of the afternoon, we split into groups where we had some time to talk about our experiences of supporting Christian Aid and we were reminded of the resources which are available to us. The closing address was given Mark Sturge, before we went our separate ways. It had been good to meet other supporters, to be enthused by the staff of Christian Aid and to be made aware of the work of the charity and how it sees the way forward. Isabel Bala |
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