What a wonderful service today!! Everyone had a wonderful time and the table was full of cans and dry goods. It was also a new members service, with Sharon and my family, Patti, Cara and Chloe all joining. After the service we sat down to a harvest lunch with all kinds of treats including some wonderful Brazilian treats brought by Delzie.
Men and women who refuse to acknowledge God's existence do so, in the final analysis, because it is contrary to their manner of living. They do not want to bow to the moral claims of a holy God on their lives.
-- Sproul, R. C.
"Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray. "
Charles Henry Brent (April 9, 1862–March 27, 1929) Born in Canada and educated at Trinity College, Toronto, Brent was originally stationed in a slum parish in Boston. In 1902, after the Philippines were acquired by the United States during the Spanish-American War, the Episcopal Church appointed Brent as Missionary Bishop of the Philippines and arrived on the same ship with the American Governor, William H. Taft. Brent focused on non-Christians, including the Igorots in Luzon, the Muslims, and the Chinese in Manila. He served on several international commissions to stop narcotic trafficking. During World War I, he was the Senior Chaplain for the American Armed Forces in Europe.
He declined three elections to bishoprics in the United States in order to continue his work in the Philippines, but in 1918, he accepted the position of Bishop of Western New York. He helped to organize the first World Conference on Faith and Order, which met in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1927, and died in Lausanne in 1929.
Sometimes we want to shut the door on the world and get a moment's peace. With all the pressures we live under, that's perfectly fair. 
But in life, open doors are almost always more valuable than closed doors. In many societies it would be unthinkable to lock one's door. In Jewish communities it was a mark of honour to leave the door open and lay an extra place at the table so that the poor should feel welcome. It's really fear which stops us doing so now.
Maybe it's fear, too, or plain insularity, which often prevents us from opening our doors to those who are different from us. How frequently are our houses, schools, places of work really places of meeting?
We all know the commandment, first stated in the Torah then repeated by Jesus: "Love your neighbour as yourself". The trouble is that many of us practise it as if it read: "Love your neighbour who is like yourself". But that isn't what the Scriptures say.
Last year, we invited Muslim friends for an Iftar meal, with which the fasts of the Islamic month of Ramadan are concluded. We ate in our Sukkah, a hut roofed with leaves in which Jewish people live during the festival of Tabernacles. It was a lovely occasion, full of food, laughter and questions: "What do Jews do when..?" "How do Muslims celebrate if..?" Today Ramadan and Tabernacles again coincide.
When our doors are shut to people different from ourselves, we cease to be a society and become a proximity of semi-ghettos, where distrust and fear inevitably grow.
God, help us to open the doors of our homes and offices, school rooms and meeting rooms, minds and hearts to many and different people.
Radio 4 Jonathan Wittenberg
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
If more people did this the world would be a much gentler place.
Father, I wait thy daily will, Thou shalt divide my portion still, Grant me on earth what seems thee best, Till death and heaven reveal the rest.
Isaac Watts
Born July 17, 1674, Southampton, Hampshire, Eng.
Died Nov. 25, 1748, Stoke Newington, London
English Nonconformist minister, regarded as the father of English hymnody.
Watts, whose father was a Nonconformist, studied at the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington, London, which he left in 1694. In 1696 he became tutor to the family of Sir John Hartopp of Stoke Newington (a centre of religious dissent) and of Freeby, Leicestershire, and preached his first sermons in the family chapel at Freeby. He was appointed assistant to the minister of Mark Lane Independent (i.e., Congregational) Chapel, London, in 1699 and in March 1702 became full pastor. He was apparently an inspiring preacher. Because of a breakdown in health (1712) he went to stay, intending a week's visit, with Sir Thomas Abney in Hertfordshire; he remained with the Abneys for the rest of his life.
Watts wrote educational books on geography, astronomy, grammar, and philosophy, which were widely used throughout the 18th century. He is now best known, however, for his hymns. The famous hymns were written during Watts's Mark Lane ministry. His first collection of hymns and sacred lyrics was Horae Lyricae (1706), quickly followed by Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707), which included “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “There is a Land of Pure Delight,” and others that have become known throughout Protestant Christendom. The most famous of all his hymns, “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” (from his paraphrase of Ps. 90), and “Jesus Shall Reign” (part of his version of Ps. 72), almost equally well known, were published in The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament . . . (1719). He also wrote religious songs especially for children; these were collected in Divine Songs for the Use of Children (1715).
Two of the most important phrases in any language are "Thank you" and "I'm sorry". All our relationships depend on the ability to say them and mean them.
No action is too small for a "thank you". When we don't give it, we treat others as tools.
None of us is too important to say sorry. We should say it to our children when we're wrong; it shows humanity, - and humility.
Saying sorry is on the minds of Jewish people because Saturday was the Day of Atonement.
If apologising is hard, forgiving is even harder. I don't believe in 'forgiven and forgotten'. The mind doesn't work like that; we remember plenty of things we wish we didn't. Equally, there are many matters in any human life, and in history, which mustn't be forgotten. Forgetfulness condemns us to repetition, of our worst mistakes and greatest atrocities.
At the heart of forgiveness is the ability to let go of anger and bitterness. That's why, as Judaism teaches, we can only forgive wrongs done to ourselves. Otherwise, forgiveness is a meaningless word.
That still leaves plenty for us to do. We all bear wounds, inflicted by other people or by life itself. Do we nurse thoughts of vengeance? Or do we try to accept and comprehend, or even enter in imagination into the minds of those who hurt us and, without justifying their deeds, ask "Why?"
I admire those who use their very wounds to create understanding and healing, like those bereaved Israeli and Palestinian parents whose grief has brought them together. They don't forget, or romantically forgive. They listen and strive for peace.
God, give us the courage to make our hurts our teachers.
Jonathan Wittenberg Radio 4
It cannot be over-emphasized that we have not seen the full meaning of the cross till we have seen it... as the center of the gospel, flanked on the one hand by total inability and unconditional surrender and on the other by irresistible grace and final preservation.
-- Packer, J. I.
Most Christians are not over-fond of hearing people exclaim, "Jesus wept!" as it's a form of blasphemy, using the name of Jesus in a casual and inappropriate way.The words come from one of the most moving stories in the four Gospels, where Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, has died. As Jesus is shown the tomb of his friend, he begins to cry. "Jesus wept" is also the shortest verse in the whole Bible. Here it is...
The devil never tempts us with more success than when he tempts us with a sight of our own good actions. ... Bp. Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson (1663-1755), a saintly figure described by John Henry Newman as “a burning and shining light”, was Anglican Bishop of Sodor and Man between 1697 and 1755.
He was born in Burton, in the Wirrall, Cheshire, in December 1663. Having studied medicine at Trinity College, Dublin, he was ordained priest in 1687. In 1692 the Lord of Man, the Earl of Derby, appointed him as his chaplain and as tutor to his son. Five years later, at Lord Derby’s urging, Wilson reluctantly accepted promotion to the vacant bishopric of Sodor and Man. In 1698, he married Mary Patten.
Bishop Wilson's relations with the people of the Isle of Man were marked by mutual affection and esteem. His conspicuous personal piety expressed itself in energetic charitable activity and he often intervened to shield his flock from the demands of the temporal authorities. He declined preferment to the much wealthier see of Exeter, reputedly saying to Queen Caroline, “I will not forsake my wife and children because they are poor”. When he died on 7 March 1755 at the age of 93, it is said that his funeral was attended by nearly the whole adult population of the island.
I couldn't find anything today that was more upbeat than the abolishment of the guillotine in France or the beginning of the Berlin Airlift which I think has the wrond date anyway. And while the abolishment of the guillotine is a great thing, with all the bad things in the news lately, I felt a more uplifting entry was more appropriate.
Picture taken after the earthquakes in Peru, this was taken from the Mann's website which has much more information regarding the latest events. The Mann's are one of the missions we support.
1960
London introduces Traffic Wardens onto the streets of the capital.
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 18:10-14
"In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, never in want."
Irish Proverb
Friday Friendship is an adult ministry for people who have some time during the day for a get together and an activity or two and is held every other Friday in the Church Hall.
Friday Friendship was started 20 years ago by the Church and Helen Williamson was the first "main leader". Since then we have many great leaders of the group including, Carole Parsons and Kathline and Mervyn Willing. The current Friday Friendship leader is Sheila Collins who has put together a terrific programme for the coming year.
The meetings are held from 1:15pm until 3:30pm, are FREE and usually attract at least 15 people. The programme is quite varied and fun and include such activities as:
Flower Arranging
Glass Painting
Qiuzzes
Special trips e.g. Garden Centre at Christmas
Guest Speakers from various organizations
Everyone is more than welcome to join us!
You know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it.
-- Buxton, Thomas
2001
Two hijacked planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Thousands of people were killed by the impact, and by the dramatic, and tragic collapse of the buildings. Many more are injured in an almost simultaneous attack on the Pentagon in Washington DC. It is the single largest terrorist attack that the world has ever known, and sends shock waves across the world.
Welcome to Pastor Paul, Delzie, Kristian and Eric Phillips from Brazil who are studying at Bristol University for four months.
Thank you again to everyone who helped make the sale a great success. The next sale will be on the 13th October between 10-12 with great cakes, coffee, company and goodies. See you there!
I would put it to you, my dear hearer, have you been fruitful? Have you been fruitful with your wealth? Have you been fruitful with your talent? Have you been fruitful with your time? What are you doing for Jesus now?-- C.H. Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, commonly C.H. Spurgeon, (June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892) was a British Reformed Baptist preacher who remains highly influential amongst Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known in various circles as the "Prince of Preachers." He also founded the charity organization now known as Spurgeon's, that works worldwide with families and children.
Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000 — all in the days before electronic amplification. At twenty-two Spurgeon was the most popular preacher of the day.
Mao Zedong, Chinese revolutionary and statesman, dies at the age of 83. In 1934, during his long civil war with the Nationalists, he broke through enemy lines and led his followers on the Long March to northern China. There, he built up his Red Army and fought against the Japanese invaders. In 1945, civil war resumed, and in 1949 the Nationalists were defeated and Mao proclaimed the People's Republic of China. As leader of Communist China, Chairman Mao launched the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, programs that reformed the Chinese economy and society at the cost of millions of lives. Nevertheless, he maintained fanatical followers all across China and remains one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. After Mao's death, Deng Xiaoping emerged as China's leader.
Today
Top government officials no longer recite the Marxist saw that “religion is the opiate of the masses.” In a speech at a religious affairs conference last December, President Jiang Zemin said religion “may outlast the party and the state,” a stunning acknowledgement from a man supposedly committed to wiping out religion.
Christianity’s growth has been rapid all over China, however, from the richer east coast to the central plains to the rust belt in Manchuria. In Heilongjiang, in the far northeast, for example, there were 5,000 registered Protestant worshipers in the early 1980s. Today there are 1.3 million, according to a government-authorized pastor in that province.
One of the signs of ageing not mentioned in the cosmetics adverts is to sense that everything's going downhill. A man wrote, "We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit pubs and have no self control."
This was not written in a paper today but is from an inscription on a 6000-year-old Egyptian tomb.
I've found that I also tend to become an angry, grumpy old man when faced with the new; or so my children warn me. I harrumph at music, fashion, exam results, changing standards. The decline seems so real. Perhaps every generation, as it gets older, suspects that the world's going to pot and it makes us so angry! Grumpy old men and women swap stories that reinforce their sense of 'the world's decline' and we feel the impotence and fear of not being able to do anything about it.
We've had some truly sad stories about young people in the press recently. How tragic; to read of such violence sometimes fuelled by drunkenness or a desperate need to belong. It's easy to feel that this is a new reality, but in the main it isn't. Reality is far more complex. If young people have in fact been getting worse since 6000 BC then we would be in an even worse state than we are!
The truth is that so much of the new is filled with creativity, hope and life, and the young people of our nation are by and large hard working, moral, caring, creative and extraordinary human beings; a real credit to their ever more elderly parents and grandparents.
Lord God, creator of all things new, help me to see the world more as you see it; to rejoice in the good, and to think upon whatsoever is lovely and of good report. Amen.
Mark Wakelin Radio 4
1504
Italian sculptor, painter and poet Michelangelo unveils his 'Statue of David ' in Florence.
The history of Michelangelo's David precedes his work on it from 1501-1504, as far back as 1464. At that time the Overseers of the Office of Works of the Duomo (Operai), comprised mostly of members of the influential woolen cloth guild, the Arte della Lana, had plans to commission a series of twelve large Old Testament sculptures for the buttresses of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Until then only two had been created independently by Donatello and his assistant, Agostino di Duccio. Eager to continue their project, in 1464 they again contracted Agostino to create a sculpture of David. He only got as far as beginning to shape the legs, feet and chest of the figure, roughing out some drapery and probably gouging a hole between the legs. His association with the project, for reasons unknown, ceased with the death of his master Donatello in 1466, and Antonio Rossellino was commissioned to take up where Agostino had left off.
Rossellino's contract was terminated, soon thereafter, and the block of marble originally from a quarry in Carrara, a town in the Apuan Alps in northern Italy, remained neglected for twenty-five years, all the while exposed to the elements in the yard of the cathedral workshop. This was of great concern to the Operai authorities, as such a large piece of marble was both costly, and represented a large amount of labor and difficulty in its transportation to Florence. In 1500, an inventory of the cathedral workshops described the piece as, "a certain figure of marble called David, badly blocked out and supine." A year later, documents showed that the Operai were determined to find an artist who could take this large piece of marble and turn it into a finished work of art. They ordered the block of stone, which they called The Giant, "raised on its feet" so that a master experienced in this kind of work might examine it and express an opinion. Though Leonardo da Vinci and others were consulted, it was young Michelangelo, only twenty-six years old, who convinced the Operai that he deserved the commission. On August 16, 1501, Michelangelo was given the official contract to undertake this challenging new task. He began carving the statue early in the morning on Monday, September 13, a month after he was awarded the contract. He would work on the massive biblical hero for a little more than three years.
The renewal of our natures is a work of great importance. It is not to be done in a day. We have not only a new house to build up, but an old one to pull down. ... George Whitefield,
He was born on December 16, 1714 at the Bell Inn, Gloucester, England, and died in Newburyport, Massachusetts on September 30, 1770. In contemporary accounts, he, not John Wesley, is spoken of as the supreme figure and even as the founder of Methodism. He was famous for his preaching in America which was a significant part of the an 18th century movement of Christian revivals, sometimes called "The Great Awakening."
George Whitefield was the son of a widow who kept an inn at Gloucester. At an early age, he found that he had a passion and talent for acting and the theatre, a passion that he would carry on through the very theatrical re-enactments of Bible stories that he told during his sermons. He was educated at the Crypt School, Gloucester, and Pembroke College, Oxford. Because Whitefield came from a poor background, he did not have the means to pay for his tuition. He therefore entered Oxford as a servitor, the lowest rank of students at Oxford. In return for free tuition, he was assigned as a servant to a number of higher ranked students. His duties would include waking them in the morning, polishing their shoes, carrying their books and even doing their coursework (see Dallimore). He was a part of the 'Holy Club' at Oxford University with the brothers, John Wesley and Charles Wesley. After reading Henry Scougal's "The Life of God in the Soul of Man" he became very concerned for the state of his soul. Following a conversion experience he became very passionate for preaching his new found faith. His genuine piety led the Bishop of Gloucester to ordain him before the canonical age.
English
Husbands,love your wives,just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;
Albanian
që ta shenjtërojë, pasi e pastroi me larjen e ujit me anë të fjalës,
Arabic
1968 -Welsh singer Mary Hopkin enters the British pop charts with "Those Were The Days" which goes to No 1.
1972 - Arab terrorists, members of the Black September Group, break into the Olympic Games village in Munich and seize a group of Israeli athletes as hostages. 9 Israelis, 4 terrorists and a German policeman are killed.
I found this article about community in the USA, it is not so different from the direction the UK is heading. I feel this sense of community within our church, do you?
This past week I had the profound joy of teaching at Camp-of-the-Woods (COTW), located in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. For those unfamiliar, COTW is a century-old Christian camp that has been providing respite, recreation and ministry to generations of Christians. COTW is also a missionary organization, sending and supporting missionaries across the globe. The thing that is so amazing about COTW is the extraordinary sense of Christian community and fellowship that occurs in the span of a few days, among relative strangers who are gathered together for the first time. There is simply nothing like it! I think it is the closest thing to heaven I have ever experienced.There is an incredible level of trust and transparency that fosters real and meaningful fellowship that is unfortunately rare today. Wonderful friendships are formed and there is a sense that you are truly loved and this in turn promotes a genuine love toward others. It is a place where Christian love abounds and the family of God is existent. I spent time with so many wonderful serious-minded Christians—it was a week of great encouragement, given the spiritual apathy and cultural indifference that is pervasive in the American Church today. There was a real sadness in having to return to the “real world,” which raised several questions in my mind.Why is it that this same level of transparency, trust, and fellowship is so hard to find in our everyday lives? Certainly, outside the Church there has been a marked decrease in the sense of community. Harvard professor, Robert Putnam points out in his important book Bowling Alone that:
For the first two-thirds of the 20th century a powerful tide bore Americans into ever deeper engagement in the life of their communities, but a few decades ago—silently and without warning—that tide reversed and we were overtaken by a treacherous rip current. Without at first noticing, we have been pulled apart from one another and from our communities over the last third of the century.
A study by sociologists at Duke University and the University of Arizona found that in 1985, every American had an average of nearly three close friends. Today, every American only has an average of two close friends they can confide in. Approximately a fourth of the people who were surveyed responded “they had no close friends at all” and the number of people who say they have no one to talk to about important matters has more than doubled. Americans, in general, are increasingly isolated and lonely. This is a sad reality of modern American life. This is what stands out at a place like COTW and in so doing reveals the loss of something very important to human life: community. Community is more than living in proximity to each other; real community flows from being in relationship to one another. By being in relationship there naturally follows a sense of reciprocity. In other words, relationships produce obligations. For example, if we know each other and I see you and you see me at the local Mall, there is an implicit obligation to say hello. If I were to look at you and simply pass by without a word you would be offended, and rightly so. The offense is only due to our relationship, which demands certain minimal obligations, such as civility. However, with the runaway suburbanization of cities, the advent of Superstores, the automobile, freeways, and the nomadic quest for economic security, we actually “know” fewer and fewer people. According to Putnam our lives are lived within triangles with one point representing where we sleep or live, another where we work, and another where we shop. In the last 50 years these ‘triangles” have grown much larger, so we no longer live near those with whom we work or where we shop. When was the last time you were greeted by name at the local Wal-Mart? You probably weren’t because they don’t have the slightest clue who you are! We commute with hundreds of total strangers on the freeway, who will forever remain strangers, as we sit together but isolated in cocoons of steel. Unless you live in an older urban community, who can walk to work or the market anymore? Pedestrians can engage in human contact and discussion, whereas “contact” on the freeway is to be avoided and any “discussion” is likely to be unfriendly, shall we say. We are designing cities and neighborhoods today that actually inhibit community. Much of this change in America is attributable to pernicious consumerism that has produced cookie-cutter “bedroom communities” instead of neighborhoods, big box chain-stores that displace neighborhood merchants and short-sighted city planning that elevates “economic growth” above community and quality of life. Add to this the new and ever-increasing technologies that are replacing human community with virtual community and it is no wonder we are so isolated, alone, and disconnected from one another. Human beings are made for fellowship with God and with each other. This is an innate God-given desire and a culture that inhibits the expression of this desire will necessarily produce alienated people. It is this alienation from God, which sin has wrought, that we sense in our innermost beings. Our alienation from each other is a daily reminder that we are “lost,” living in a world torn apart by our rebellion against God. We search desperately for something that will relieve this alienation: money, status, experience, etc. and yet these never satisfy us for long.Herein lies a real and tangible opportunity for the Church to bear witness to the truth of Jesus Christ. We must resist these same forces that urge us to sacrifice genuine community in exchange for individual autonomy, which often begins with “I want to be left alone” but in the end says “I am lonely.” Isn’t that how we often come to church? “Just leave me alone and let me do this Christian thing my way—don’t tell me how to live, don’t ask me to serve, don’t press me for money, etc, etc.” We can even approach the church as if it was there to meet our needs not realizing we are there to meet the needs of others by imitating Christ. We want our autonomy but the reality is we are not autonomous—we belong to the community of believers as represented by the local church. I confess that I have been guilty of this stupid thinking and my experience at COTW serves to remind me of what I am missing—the richness, blessing and need of authentic fellowship. The intentional recovery of authentic community within the Church where Christians are transparent and caring, giving of their possessions and time to others, cultivating deep relationships with one another—this, as much as anything else, will bear powerful witness to the presence of the risen Christ to an increasingly lonely world.
S. Michael Craven
He is in his third year there and we wish him well. Well he has to survive London this weekend first.
Nazarene Theological College, Dene Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2GU, United Kingdom
Nazarene Theological College’s main purpose is to prepare people for various aspects of Christian ministry. This preparation includes a threefold education: a general higher education in the humanities, the study of the theological disciplines, and vocational courses in the practical aspects of ministry.
In addition to preparing candidates for ordination, Nazarene Theological College attracts a wide range of students. Some require theological education as a preparation for teaching, for youth work, as part preparation for appointment as lay missionaries abroad or simply as an excellent course in higher education.
1885 The world's first cafeteria opens in New York.
Where would we be without the greasy spoon?
The holidays are over and the Kids Klub starts back this week and the teen club next week.
8th September is our table top sale and coffee morning.
9th September is the Alabaster Offering
21st to 23rd Discipleship Evenings
30th September is our Harvest Service with "bring and share" afterwards.
We thank God for everyone that helped with the Holiday at Home especially those working in the kitchen! It was a huge success.
A tithe (from Old English teogoþa "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a (usually) voluntary contribution or as a tax or levy, usually to support a Jewish or Christian religious organization. Today, tithes (or tithing) are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes could be paid in kind, such as agricultural products. Several European countries operate a formal process linked to the tax system allowing some churches to assess tithes.
