Hollywood Bowl - FAFF - Friendship and Family Fun
What a great night - do we really want to know who won as usual? It was me... just kidding!
I mean Esther. Well done to everyone!
church of the nazarene knowle park bristol bs4 2rd
Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26
church of the nazarene broadwalk knowle park bristol bs4 2rd
Hereford Diocese bucking national wedding trend
The Diocese of Hereford which covers the most rural part of the country, is defying national trends by announcing an increase in the number of weddings taking place in their churches. Nationally, the proportion of Britons choosing to marry is at the lowest level 
since the figure was first calculated in 1862.
“Despite other non-church venues being available, we have seen an increase in the number of church weddings over the last few years," said Anni Holden, Director of Communications for the Diocese.
In 2005, the latest year the diocese has figures for, 710 church weddings took place, building on the 640 in 2004 and far higher than the 540 church weddings in 2002.
The Diocese of Hereford has more than 400 churches, most of them Grade I and Grade II listed buildings across Herefordshire, south Shropshire, parts of Worcestershire and twelve parishes in Wales. They have been venues for weddings for hundreds of years and provide a superb backdrop for 21st century photographs.
“The diocese also recently staffed a stand at a local wedding show, one of the largest in the county of Herefordshire,” added Ms Holden. “It was an idea we have been thinking about and after that experience, well look out for us at other shows. We felt it was very worthwhile.”
The decision to take part in a local show coincides with the development of a new National Weddings Project in the Church of England co-ordinated from London. This includes the provision of materials for wedding stands. It also coincides with a proposed change in the rules, giving more flexibility in the church or churches couples can choose to get married in.
“The national figures are perhaps a reflection of more urban trends and that while we have such beautiful buildings in such superb settings we can easily compete in the wedding market,” said Ms Holden. “I think the Church in rural areas also still plays a bigger role in people’s lives; we have as many Rogationtide services,when people walk the boundaries of the parish, as carol services in a rural diocese like Hereford.”
church of the nazarene broadwalk knowle park bristol bs4 2rd
Bowling TONIGHT!!
Don't forget the bowling tonight!! Meet at the Church at 6:15 or 6:30 no one is quite sure but if you get there at 6:15 you wont be late. Then off to Hollywood Bowl for a great time. Pictures to follow.
Robert Leighton - Jewels
Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.
Robert Leighton
Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD
Grave Situation in Germany
BERLIN (Reuters) - A vicar in Germany who had the novel idea of helping parishioners escape the stresses and strains of daily life by letting them lie in an open grave was upset when intrusive journalists spoiled the atmosphere.
"I meant it as a meditative exercise," pastor Thorsten Nolting told Reuters. "I wanted people to think about what weighs on them down in the darkness and gather the energy to resist it."
Nolting, from the western German city of Duesseldorf, said his plan went "horribly wrong" when journalists' persistent questioning as parishioners were "laid to rest" earlier this week ruined the serenity of the occasion.
"It wasn't silent, as it should have been. They ruined it. (They) would not go away, even when I asked them," he said.
Extraverts who could cope with the incessant questioning were happy to climb down into the two meter long hole, and then rave about their "resurrection," Nolting said.
But a local newspaper said one man was still shaking, 20 minutes after his seven-minute spell in the dank grave ended.
Honour in Bingo - Why can't more of us be that way?
A 38-year-old cleaner from South Lanarkshire has won what bingo bosses claim is the game's biggest ever win. Mother-of-four Soraya Lowell, from Hamilton, scooped just under £1.2m at the Club 3000 bingo hall in Coatbridge. National Bingo Game bosses said they believed Mrs Lowell's win on Sunday could be the biggest in the world. She has pledged to give half of her winnings to her 68-year-old neighbour and bingo 
companion, Agnes O'Neill, who was there when she hit the jackpot. Mrs Lowell said: "We always share whatever either of us wins and this time will be no different."
Mrs O' Neill added: "I have had a rough time the last three years - I have been very ill and Soraya has cared for me which meant my husband did not have to retire early. "She has been wonderful to me. "What she has done for me is absolutely something else."
Mrs Lowell won the National Bingo Game and its Platinum Jackpot, netting £1,167,795. Her win beats that of Christine Bradfield, from Merthyr Tydfil, who won £1.1m in January. The bingo hall erupted when Mrs Lowell called house on the last number, 90. Players jumped up and down cheering and shouting and the party continued through the night, as Mrs Lowell celebrated at her home with family and neighbours until 6am. Despite her win, Mrs Lowell has vowed to return to work. She said: "It just won't sink in yet. "I haven't slept at all, but I will be back at work on Tuesday as usual. "I clean offices until 1.30am and I don't intend to give up my job. "I like the girls I work with, and they have already told me not to pack it in."
'Worth waiting for'
Mrs Lowell said her husband Frankie did not believe her when she telephoned him to break the news of her win. "He handed the phone to our eldest daughter, who heard the shouting in the background and told him I was telling the truth," she added. Mrs Lowell, who has been a member at the club since it opened 16 months ago, first went to bingo as a young child with her grandmother. "This is my first ever win and it was worth waiting for," she said. She added that her three daughters, aged 13, 15 and 21, and her 19-year-old son had already offered to help her spend her winnings. "They have all put in wee orders already," she said. "The two oldest want convertibles and don't even have licences yet."
Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD
Hannah Montana - The Evangelical
“Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus and her best friend Mandy Jiroux recently declared their love for Jesus, saying everything they do is for him. In their Easter instalment of "The Miley and Mandy Show" on YouTube, 20-year-old Jiroux, who performs as a back-up dancer for the popular teen star, reads a question from a fan who asked if the girls were Christian.
The squeaky-clean duo emphatically respond, "Yes!" "Yes! We love Jesus!" says Cyrus, 15, as she nods her head in agreement. 
"Happy Easter, by the way. He died for our sins. That's how awesome he is.
"Jesus rocks! That's why we do what we do," the Hannah Montana star adds. "She (Mandy) dances for Jesus. I sing, dance and act for Jesus! ... Now that I think about it, I do everything for Jesus. We make the YouTube videos for Jesus. We’re all about it."
Her comments should come as no surprise to fans who have been following her career.
Cyrus, who plays a high school teen with an alter-identity as a pop singer on the hit Disney Channel show, has been very vocal about her faith.
She recently credited her family and faith for keeping her grounded in an interview with TV presenter Barbara Walters that aired for the Oscars.
“Some people don’t have a family to fall back on, like I have, and that’s when something greater than even that comes in – and that’s faith and that’s what I have for me,” Cyrus told Walters, according to ABC News. “That’s what keeps me strong.”
In an appearance on Oprah last year, Cyrus had also mentioned church as the source of her strength.
When asked to name her favourite Bible verse, she referred to Ephesians 6:10-11, stating "Finally, my brother, come close to the Lord for if you put on the full armour of God you can stand against the wiles of a devil."
Her most recent movie release, "The Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour", has grossed over $63 million. Cyrus' next project will be "The Hannah Montana Movie”, slated for a May 2009 debut.
Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD
Romans 12:20
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
Ship of Fools
I only just found their website on line but check out their list for things to do during Lent. I know this is out of date now but these are all things we should do during the rest of the year.
Here are examples from the first two days:
1. FIND LENT READINGS WED 6 FEB Take some time to find online resources you can use throughout the days of Lent. Here are websites which provide prayers and readings for Lent and for every day of the year:
Church of England – services of daily prayer
Forward day by day – daily readings and meditations
Northumbria Community – morning, midday, evening prayer
Pray as you go – daily prayer for your MP3 player
Sacred Space – sacred space at your computer
Idea by: Rossweisse
"If you knew the whole Bible off by heart, what good would it do you without the love and grace of God?" – Thomas à Kempis
2. GIVE... AND KEEP GIVING THUR 7 FEB Today, choose someone in your church or community and give or do something tangible for them at least once a week during Lent. Don't tell them, just plan it, and then put it into action.
Idea by: Gloriamarie
"Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can." – John Wesley
Shopping and Wordly Things
It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand." – Madeleine L'Engle
Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD
Ship of Fools celebrates 10 years online with 'Christian classic'
The self-styled magazine of Christian unrest, Ship of Fools, will celebrate 10 years online on 1st April by making a cult classic booklet available for download for the first time.
In his 'Knowledge for the Growing Boy', first published in 1941, Sid G Hedges asserts in all earnestness, among other things, that wet dreams are the result of too much supper, too many clothes on the bed and 'sleeping on the back'.
The booklet, is long out of print but has turned into something of a cult classic,.
Hedges suggests a fail safe way to prevent nocturnal emissions -
thread a piece of string through a cotton-reel and tie the reel round your waist.
"If you chance roll from your side it will press into your back and wake you up," suggests Hedges, a regular contributor to magazines like Boys' Own Paper, Chums and Scout. He died in 1974.
"I was given the booklet when I was 12," admits Ship of Fools co-editor Steve Goddard. "My family wondered why I began rummaging around in the sewing box."
The booklet provides an intriguing insight into the friction between contemporary culture of the war-time era and the church and is "inadvertently hilarious", says Ship of Fools editor Simon Jenkins.
"It's a discussion we are still having today," he adds, "though, thankfully, the scenery has changed."
The London-based webzine attracts more than 150,000 unique visitors a month accessing more than 2.5 million pages. Iconoclastic and debunking but also committed to the ultimate value of faith, Ship of Fools attracts readers more interested in searching questions than simplistic answers.
Following a major project called the Laugh Judgment, discussing humour and offence, journalist Julie Burchill said of Ship of Fools: "If one must choose a modern symbol of what is so good about Britain I would choose this website."
In his 'Knowledge for the Growing Boy', first published in 1941, Sid G Hedges asserts in all earnestness, among other things, that wet dreams are the result of too much supper, too many clothes on the bed and 'sleeping on the back'.
The booklet, is long out of print but has turned into something of a cult classic,.
Hedges suggests a fail safe way to prevent nocturnal emissions -
thread a piece of string through a cotton-reel and tie the reel round your waist."If you chance roll from your side it will press into your back and wake you up," suggests Hedges, a regular contributor to magazines like Boys' Own Paper, Chums and Scout. He died in 1974.
"I was given the booklet when I was 12," admits Ship of Fools co-editor Steve Goddard. "My family wondered why I began rummaging around in the sewing box."
The booklet provides an intriguing insight into the friction between contemporary culture of the war-time era and the church and is "inadvertently hilarious", says Ship of Fools editor Simon Jenkins.
"It's a discussion we are still having today," he adds, "though, thankfully, the scenery has changed."
The London-based webzine attracts more than 150,000 unique visitors a month accessing more than 2.5 million pages. Iconoclastic and debunking but also committed to the ultimate value of faith, Ship of Fools attracts readers more interested in searching questions than simplistic answers.
Following a major project called the Laugh Judgment, discussing humour and offence, journalist Julie Burchill said of Ship of Fools: "If one must choose a modern symbol of what is so good about Britain I would choose this website."
To download the booklet from April 1st go to http://www.shipoffools.com/,
Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD
Easter Service 2008
Gifts for the children
Pastor was sick today so Chris lead the prayer (including one for you Pastor)
and Sandra did a great job reading the sermon.
 |
| Easter 08 |
Click chick for more pictures.
Church of the Nazarene Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD
Easter - Biggest Painting by Numbers!
The greatest story ever told could become the biggest painting-by-numbers picture ever made. That’s because more than 500 people from across Loughborough have just completed a massive picture telling the Easter story as their contribution to Hope08, and it’s going to be verified for a possible entry in the Guinness Book Of Records.
Nine different scenes – depicting the main Easter events from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Day – are coming together. Sections will be added each day, on a huge scaffolding frame that has been put up just outside Emmanuel Church.
Longer than a football pitch and taller than a two-storey house, The Bigger Picture – as it is called – has been done in numbered sections by schools, community groups, churches and families, with even the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens wielding a brush.
This community creation will have taken 2,500 pots of paint and two miles of scaffolding to come to life. And hundreds of people are expected to descend on the site on Easter Monday for a huge party, as the last board is put in place.
"It’s taken on a life of its own," said project co-ordinator Euan Lockwood. "Everyone’s blown away by how it’s come together. We’re constantly reminded that God is in charge – and he’s opening doors in a massive way."
The idea emerged from a meeting of Loughborough church leaders who wanted to link in with Hope08. Phil Weaver, pastor of New Springs Centre, challenged his colleagues, "Let’s go for the world record!" And so the project sprang into action.
Local companies have donated the paint and the scaffolding.
"Most churches have had some involvement in putting it together," said publicity co-ordinator Steve Burgess. "This is a tremendous evangelistic tool."
Luke 24 - The Resurrection
Luke 24
The Resurrection
1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8Then they remembered his words.9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
On the Road to Emmaus
13Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him.17He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
19"What things?" he asked.
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
25He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
33They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
The Ascension
50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.Easter - Just another statistic? What does Easter mean to you?
Over half of Britons believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, according to new research published over the weekend by Theos, the public theology think tank. The publication of the research coincides with the launch of The Passion, the major new drama for Easter on BBC One which begins this Sunday. The series - which unusually deals in detail with Jesus' resurrection - will inevitably raise questions as to whether he really did rise from the dead. The survey suggests that, for the majority of the population, this question has already been answered.
57% of people questioned in the ComRes poll said they believe that Jesus was executed by crucifixion, buried and rose from the dead, with over half of those (30% of the total sample) accepting the traditional Christian belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ and the rest (27%) believing that Jesus rose in spirit form. This widespread belief clearly informs people’s more general attitude to life after death. Over half of people said they believe in some kind of existence after death, although most of those (44% of the total) believe that 'your spirit lives on after death'. Only 9% said they believe in a personal physical resurrection.
The Theos research also examined who people thought Jesus was. Two in five (40%) said they believe that Jesus was the son of God and nearly half (47%) that he was a holy prophet. When asked whether they thought Jesus was a good man and wise teacher, 66% of people agreed. Only 11% disagreed. Surprisingly, 13% of people claim that Jesus never existed, despite the fact that respected historians unanimously agree that he did.
On the question of Easter’s significance today, 43% of the public believe that the Easter story is about Jesus dying for the sins of the world while only 26% think that the Easter story has no meaning today. Only 1% think the story shows that violence can only be defeated through violence.
The opinions of atheists are especially interesting. 23% of respondents identified themselves as such, but 14% of these think Easter was about Jesus dying for the sins of the world, 12% believe he rose again from the dead, and, remarkably, 7% think he was son of God.
Teens go the North Pole
The teen group had a visit from Danny Munden last week. He was brave (?) enough to go to the North Pole for charity click link to find out more. It was a really interesting talk and great fun to try out some of the expedition gear!
Church of the Nazarene Knowle Park Bristol BS4 2RD
Gregory Nazianzen
"Let us not ask of the Lord deceitful riches, nor the good things of this world, nor transitory honors; but let us ask for light."
Gregory Nazianzen
Cash Machine - If only that would happen with tithing!
LONDON (Reuters) - A cash machine became a big hit this week after it started paying out twice as much money as it should. The ATM, outside a supermarket in Hull, began spewing out double the money on Tuesday afternoon and continued doing so for several hours, drawing a crowd of hundreds eager to cash in on the mistake.
Those requesting the maximum daily withdrawal of 300 pounds were being given 600 pounds and a receipt for 300."People were calling their mates up and telling them to get down there," the Hull Daily Mail quoted a passer-by as saying. After several hours the machine finally ran out of money. Payzone, a company that administers ATMs, would not comment in detail on the incident but said it appeared one of its machines had malfunctioned.
Police said those who had benefited could face charges but only if the operator complained.
Romans 4:25
Jesus Christ was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:25
Crucifixion - I think I will just go to church!
Health Officials in the Philippines have issued a warning to people taking part in Easter crucifixion rituals. They have urged them to get tetanus vaccinations before they flagellate themselves and are nailed to crosses, and to practise good hygiene.
On Good Friday dozens of very devout Catholics in the Philippines re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is something that has become a huge tourist attraction, although the Church frowns on the practice.
Disinfect
The health department has strongly advised penitents to check the condition of the whips they plan to use to lash their backs, the Manila Times newspaper reports. They want people to have what they call "well-maintained" whips. In the hot and dusty atmosphere, officials warn, using unhygienic whips to make deep cuts in the body could lead to tetanus and other infections.
And they advise that the nails used to fix people to crosses must be properly disinfected first. Often people soak the nails in alcohol throughout the year. Every Good Friday, in towns across the Philippines, people atone for sins or give thanks for an answered prayer by re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Giving thanks
In the northern city of San Fernando alone there will be three separate improvised Golgothas - the biblical name for the hill where Jesus was crucified. Four people there have pledged to have their feet and hands nailed to wooden crosses, while others will flog themselves while walking barefoot through villages. Sometimes people repeat the penance year after year, like the fish vendor who will be nailed to the cross for the 15th and last time on Friday to give thanks for his mother's recovery from tuberculosis.
With long hair and a beard, wearing sandals and a crown of thorns, he is tied with cloth to the cross but also has nails driven through the flesh of his hands and feet, avoiding the bones.
Early and Cold Easter - even a little snow tomorrow!
This year, the Holy day of Easter occurs on the second earliest date possible. In fact, Easter will not be celebrated this early again until the year 2228, or 220 years from now. Only our congregation members who are 95 or older have experienced Easter as early as March 23.Early Easters are typically chilly affairs for those of us in the Northern latitudes. Some sunrise services will remind participants of the connection between the physical elements of 
Creation and God’s incredible intervention in the Resurrection. Easter celebrations in the warmth and beauty of churches remind us of the symbolism so frequently associated with this event. The altars and platforms of some of our sanctuaries will be lined with Easter lilies. For some worshipers, the trip to church this Sunday morning may even include the sighting of daffodils, the harbingers of spring.In reality, the early spring chill will serve to remind us that the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus really occurred far from the pleasant confines of warm churches filled with smiling people. Jesus’ entire ministry was on the margins. Within the temple perimeter, he ruthlessly engaged those who had turned the Father’s house into a marketplace. In the Synagogue, His teachings often challenged the conventional wisdom of the participants. It was out on the mountainside where people heard Him gladly. It was in the middle of a storm-tossed lake that men realized He was the Master. It was alone in the darkness of night in an olive grove that He accepted His fate with submission to His Father’s will. It was on a wind-swept hill that He offered Himself as our eternal sacrifice.The first Easter morning may have been tinged by the chill of night, as early, before the sunrise, Mary Magdalene went alone to the tomb, only to see the evidence of His resurrection. May this Sunday remind us all of the cost of His life, ministry, and sacrifice as we greet the dawn of an early Easter. May it also remind us of His triumph and eternal victory so graciously shared with us as well!
David J. Felter, NCN News and Holiness Today senior editor
Wrong Profession - Time to ask for forgiveness!
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A shoplifter looking to make a quick getaway from a Dutch supermarket after stealing a packet of meat left police a crucial piece of evidence -- his 12-year-old son. 
In his haste the 45-year-old thief made a solo dash to his car, batting away a supermarket worker who had flung himself on the vehicles' bonnet in a bid to stop the escape.
Police in the southern Dutch town of Kerkrade said they managed to contact the thief via the boy, but he had refused to return and collect his son. The man told officers to get hold of the youngster's mother instead.
The thief later turned himself in Thursday, a police spokeswoman said.
Matthew 5:44
"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Brazil Nazarene College hopeful to begin classes in August
Brazil Nazarene College (BNC) is awaiting the final word from the Ministry of Education concerning accreditation in order to start classes in August 2008.The past year has been a rigorous year of examinations by the Ministry of Education. In May 2007, each department submitted a 75 page document answering 114 
evaluation aspects concerning each major. During the months of July through October, BNC received teams of examiners from the Ministry of Education for each of the five departments: business, communication, education, music education, and theology/missiology. Each evaluation team from the Ministry of Education carefully examined BNC with a list of over 100 items, scrutinizing the campus, administrative staff, faculty, textbooks in the library, and educational methodology.Within 90 days of each evaluation visit from the Ministry of Education, BNC was required to submit documents that satisfied any deficiency that was discovered by the evaluation team. Normally each department submitted an average of 12 documents to meet this requirement. An example of a deficiency would be an institutional system of evaluation for administrative staff, faculty, and graduating students according to government parameters, or the coherency of the courses in a degree program in relation to the profile of the desired graduate.Now, they are waiting on a final word from the Ministry of Education to begin classes.--NCN News-SAM (Slideshow available)
evaluation aspects concerning each major. During the months of July through October, BNC received teams of examiners from the Ministry of Education for each of the five departments: business, communication, education, music education, and theology/missiology. Each evaluation team from the Ministry of Education carefully examined BNC with a list of over 100 items, scrutinizing the campus, administrative staff, faculty, textbooks in the library, and educational methodology.Within 90 days of each evaluation visit from the Ministry of Education, BNC was required to submit documents that satisfied any deficiency that was discovered by the evaluation team. Normally each department submitted an average of 12 documents to meet this requirement. An example of a deficiency would be an institutional system of evaluation for administrative staff, faculty, and graduating students according to government parameters, or the coherency of the courses in a degree program in relation to the profile of the desired graduate.Now, they are waiting on a final word from the Ministry of Education to begin classes.--NCN News-SAM (Slideshow available)Churches in Saudi Arabia?!
The Vatican is holding talks with Saudi Arabia on building the first church in the kingdom, where some 1.5m Christians are not allowed to worship publicly. Archbishop Paul-Mounged el-Hachem, one of Pope Benedict XVI's most senior Middle East representatives, said the discussions had begun a few weeks ago. But the archbishop cautioned that the Vatican could not predict the outcome. The discussions come in the wake of King Abdullah's historic meeting with the Pope at the Vatican last November. A Catholic-Muslim Forum was also set up by the Pope two weeks ago to repair relations between the two faiths after the crisis caused by a speech he gave in Germany in 2006, in which he appeared to associate Islam with violence.
'Reciprocity'
The disclosure of talks between the Vatican and Saudi Arabia, which do not have diplomatic ties, came soon after the first Roman Catholic church in the Qatari capital, Doha, was opened in a service attended by 15,000 people. Archbishop Hachem, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain and the UAE, who attended the inauguration, said he hoped there would soon be a similar church for the many Christians in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
'Reciprocity'
The disclosure of talks between the Vatican and Saudi Arabia, which do not have diplomatic ties, came soon after the first Roman Catholic church in the Qatari capital, Doha, was opened in a service attended by 15,000 people. Archbishop Hachem, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain and the UAE, who attended the inauguration, said he hoped there would soon be a similar church for the many Christians in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
"Discussions are under way to allow the construction of churches in the kingdom," he said.
Although he made clear the outcome was uncertain, the archbishop added that a church in Saudi Arabia would be an important sign of "reciprocity" between Muslims and Christians. The Vatican has noted that Muslims are free to worship openly in Europe and demands religious freedom as a condition for the opening of diplomatic relations. About a million Catholics, many of them migrant workers from the Philippines, live in Saudi Arabia. They are allowed to worship in private, mostly in people's homes, but worship in public places and outward signs of faith, such as crucifixes, are forbidden. The last Christian priest was expelled from the kingdom in 1985.
Christians complain that rules are not clear and that the Saudi religious authorities, who enforce the kingdom's conservative brand of Islam, Wahhabism, sometimes crack down on legitimate congregations. The authorities cite a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad that only Islam can be practised in the Arabian Peninsula. A spokesman for Pope Benedict, Father Federico Lombardi, said: "If we manage to obtain authorisation for the construction of the first church, it will be an outcome of historic dimensions."
Although he made clear the outcome was uncertain, the archbishop added that a church in Saudi Arabia would be an important sign of "reciprocity" between Muslims and Christians. The Vatican has noted that Muslims are free to worship openly in Europe and demands religious freedom as a condition for the opening of diplomatic relations. About a million Catholics, many of them migrant workers from the Philippines, live in Saudi Arabia. They are allowed to worship in private, mostly in people's homes, but worship in public places and outward signs of faith, such as crucifixes, are forbidden. The last Christian priest was expelled from the kingdom in 1985.
Christians complain that rules are not clear and that the Saudi religious authorities, who enforce the kingdom's conservative brand of Islam, Wahhabism, sometimes crack down on legitimate congregations. The authorities cite a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad that only Islam can be practised in the Arabian Peninsula. A spokesman for Pope Benedict, Father Federico Lombardi, said: "If we manage to obtain authorisation for the construction of the first church, it will be an outcome of historic dimensions."
The last churches allowed in Saudi Arabia
Easter Services
21st March
10:30am- Good Friday Service followed by walk at 11:30 to Knowle Methodist 
Church for Churches Together at 12:00.
Church for Churches Together at 12:00.23rd March
10:30am - Easter Service followed by Easter Egg Hunt!
No Evening Service.
Thomas Brooks - The Word
The Word of the Lord is a light to guide you, a counsellor to counsel you, a comforter to comfort you, a staff to support you, a sword to defend you, and a physician to cure you. The Word is a mine to enrich you, a robe to clothe you, and a crown to crown you.
Thomas Brooks
Luis Palau
You can read all the manuals on prayer and listen to other people pray, but until you begin to pray yourself you will never understand prayer. It's like riding a bicycle or swimming: You learn by doing.
Luis Palau
Hollywood Bowl... Teens Night Out!
Everyone had a great time, we took 6 car loads of teens to the Hollywood Bowl. I think they were happy to see us arrive and happy to see us go (just kidding). Everyone was a winner and I hope you enjoy the pictures. If you click on the slideshow it will direct you to the album where you can view larger images. I will also upload to the website shortly.
Church of the Nazarene Knowle Park Bristol BS4 1BZ
Matthew 7:11
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
The Seven Deadly Sins enter the 21st Century!
The Vatican has brought up to date the traditional seven deadly sins by adding seven modern mortal sins it claims are becoming prevalent in what it calls an era of "unstoppable globalisation".
Those newly risking eternal punishment include drug pushers, the obscenely 
wealthy, and scientists who manipulate human genes. So "thou shalt not carry out morally dubious scientific experiments" or "thou shalt not pollute the earth" might one day be added to the Ten Commandments.
wealthy, and scientists who manipulate human genes. So "thou shalt not carry out morally dubious scientific experiments" or "thou shalt not pollute the earth" might one day be added to the Ten Commandments. MODERN EVILS
Environmental pollution
Genetic manipulation
Accumulating excessive wealth
Inflicting poverty
Drug trafficking and consumption
Morally debatable experiments
Violation of fundamental rights of human nature
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into Hell". The new mortal sins were listed by Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti at the end of a week-long training seminar in Rome for priests, aimed at encouraging a revival of the practice of confession - or the Sacrament of Penance in Church jargon. According to a survey carried out here 10 years ago by the Catholic University, 60% of Italians have stopped going to confession altogether. The situation has certainly not improved during the past decade. Catholics are supposed to confess their sins to a priest at least once a year. The priest absolves them in God's name.
Talking to course members at the end of the seminar organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican department in charge of fixing the punishments and indulgences handed down to sinners, Pope Benedict added his own personal voice of disquiet.
"We are losing the notion of sin," he said. "If people do not confess regularly, they risk slowing their spiritual rhythm," he added. The Pope confesses his sins regularly once a week.
In an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Archbishop Girotti said he thought the most dangerous areas for committing new types of sins lay in the fields of bio-ethics and ecology.
He also named abortion and paedophilia as two of the greatest sins of our times. The archbishop brushed off cases of sexual violence against minors committed by priests as "exaggerations by the mass media aimed at discrediting the Church".
Talking to course members at the end of the seminar organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican department in charge of fixing the punishments and indulgences handed down to sinners, Pope Benedict added his own personal voice of disquiet.
"We are losing the notion of sin," he said. "If people do not confess regularly, they risk slowing their spiritual rhythm," he added. The Pope confesses his sins regularly once a week.
In an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Archbishop Girotti said he thought the most dangerous areas for committing new types of sins lay in the fields of bio-ethics and ecology.
He also named abortion and paedophilia as two of the greatest sins of our times. The archbishop brushed off cases of sexual violence against minors committed by priests as "exaggerations by the mass media aimed at discrediting the Church".
ORIGINAL DEADLY SINS
Pride
Envy
Gluttony
Lust
Anger
Greed
Sloth
Father Gerald O'Collins, former professor of moral theology at the Papal University in Rome, and teacher of many of the Catholic Church's current top Cardinals and Bishops, welcomed the new catalogue of modern sins.
"I think the major point is that priests who are hearing confessions are not sufficiently attuned to some of the real evils in our world," he told the BBC News website. "They need to be more aware today of the social face of sin - the inequalities at the social level. They think of sin too much on an individual level.
"I think priests who hear confession should have a deeper sense of the violence and injustice of such problems - and the fact that people collaborate simply by doing nothing. One of the original deadly sins is sloth - disengagement and not getting involved," Father O'Collins said. The Jesuit professor now teaches at St Mary's University in Twickenham.
"It was interesting that these remarks came from the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary," he said. "I can't remember a time when it was so concerned about issues such as environmental pollution and social injustice. It's a new way of thinking."
"I think the major point is that priests who are hearing confessions are not sufficiently attuned to some of the real evils in our world," he told the BBC News website. "They need to be more aware today of the social face of sin - the inequalities at the social level. They think of sin too much on an individual level.
"I think priests who hear confession should have a deeper sense of the violence and injustice of such problems - and the fact that people collaborate simply by doing nothing. One of the original deadly sins is sloth - disengagement and not getting involved," Father O'Collins said. The Jesuit professor now teaches at St Mary's University in Twickenham.
"It was interesting that these remarks came from the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary," he said. "I can't remember a time when it was so concerned about issues such as environmental pollution and social injustice. It's a new way of thinking."
CS Lewis - What creature are you going to be?
Every time you make a choice, you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And, taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a Heaven creature or into a hellish creature -- either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is Heaven: that is, it is joy, and peace, and knowledge, and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.
Tony Blair Teaching Religion?
Tony Blair is to teach students at Yale University in the US when he leads a seminar on faith and globalisation. The former prime minister has been appointed as a fellow at Yale and will begin teaching next year. The prestigious Connecticut university said the work was related to Mr Blair's Faith Foundation which will be launched later this year.
Mr Blair's other appointments have included as a Middle East envoy and an adviser to investment bank JP Morgan.
Mr Blair's other appointments have included as a Middle East envoy and an adviser to investment bank JP Morgan.
'Religious values'
Mr Blair has also left the Anglican Church to become a Roman Catholic since leaving office.
A statement said: "Yale University is pleased to announce the appointment of [former] Prime Minister Tony Blair as the Howland Distinguished Fellow for the next academic year.
Mr Blair has demonstrated outstanding leadership in these areas and is especially qualified to bring his perspective to bear
Mr Blair has also left the Anglican Church to become a Roman Catholic since leaving office.
A statement said: "Yale University is pleased to announce the appointment of [former] Prime Minister Tony Blair as the Howland Distinguished Fellow for the next academic year.
Mr Blair has demonstrated outstanding leadership in these areas and is especially qualified to bring his perspective to bear
Richard C LevinYale president "Mr Blair will lead a seminar at Yale and participate in a number of events around the campus." Details of the course are being discussed with Yale's School of Management and Divinity. Yale president Richard C Levin said Mr Blair's appointment was a "tremendous opportunity" for the university. He said: "As the world continues to become increasingly inter-dependent, it is essential that we explore how religious values can be channelled toward reconciliation rather than polarisation. "Mr Blair has demonstrated outstanding leadership in these areas and is especially qualified to bring his perspective to bear."
Dog Crazy!
MASAYA, Nicaragua (Reuters) - Hundreds of dogs, many dressed as babies or clowns, were taken to celebrate mass in this Nicaraguan town on Sunday, an annual ritual where the owners pray for their pets to be cured or avoid 
falling ill.
A long queue of Catholics, carrying their pets or leading them on leashes, waited their turn to pass by an image of a saint in a tiny church in this town 20 miles to the south of the Nicaragua capital, Managua.
The faithful thank the saint for curing their pets or ask for the dogs to be protected from illness. The town's priest always conducts a special canine mass.
"We brought him so he does not get sick," said local resident Nora Espinosa, talking about her six-month-old Basset Hound, dressed in a soccer outfit.
Locals say the tradition goes back to the colonial period after the Spanish conquest.
Table Top Sale - Saturday 8th March
Come and get some spring time bargains before the clocks go forward this Saturday 8th March from 10:00 to 12:00. Great morning to shop and have a free cup of tea or coffee and some cake. Cake and goods donations warmly appreciated. Volunteers welcome! Church of the Nazarene Broadwalk Knowle Bristol BS4 2RD.
10 things we didn't know last week!
1. 23% of plastic bags used in the UK are from Tesco.
2. Someone is deported every eight minutes, according to the Home Office.
3. In 1752, the day after 2 September was 14 September.
4. Ugandan tribes recognise and deal with depression.
5. 70% of mental health inpatients are smokers.
6. For the first time in US history, more than one in every 100 American adults is behind bars.
7. There are 200-300 quakes in the UK every year.
8. Teenagers are having fewer babies.
9. Web browser Netscape Navigator once commanded 90% of internet traffic. Now it is 0.6%.
10. It is possible to donate half a liver.
2. Someone is deported every eight minutes, according to the Home Office.
3. In 1752, the day after 2 September was 14 September.
4. Ugandan tribes recognise and deal with depression.
5. 70% of mental health inpatients are smokers.
6. For the first time in US history, more than one in every 100 American adults is behind bars.
7. There are 200-300 quakes in the UK every year.
8. Teenagers are having fewer babies.
9. Web browser Netscape Navigator once commanded 90% of internet traffic. Now it is 0.6%.
10. It is possible to donate half a liver.
bbc
Martin Luther - Old Testament
I beg every devout Christian not to despise the simplicity of language and the stories found in the Old Testament. He should remember that, however, simple the Old Testament may seem, it contains the words, works, judgments and actions of God himself. Indeed the simplicity makes fools of the wise and the clever, and allows the poor and simple to see the ways of God. Therefore submit your thoughts and feelings to the stories you read, and let yourself be carried like a child to God.
Martin Luther
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Almost anything's possible if you put your heart in it!
LONDON (AFP) - A blind British man is to run seven marathons on seven continents in the space of seven days next month to raise money for guide dogs, he said on Tuesday. 
Dave Heeley, 50, will start his extraordinary challenge on the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic at one minute past midnight on April 7 before flying to the Chilean capital Santiago for the second stage the same day.
Accompanied by his running guide Malcolm "Mad Mac" Carr, Heeley will then run marathons in Los Angeles, Sydney, Dubai and Tunis before finishing his odyssey in the London Marathon on April 13.
"I know we're going to be exhausted by the end, but I'm determined to run through the London Marathon because that medal will be a little bit special this year," Heeley, who has clocked up hundreds of miles in training, told AFP.
Heeley, from West Bromwich in central England, was born with an eye disease and lost his sight completely at the age of 16, curtailing a keen interest in running.
He began competing again at the age of 40 when he heard of someone doing the London Marathon to raise money for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
He has run marathons seven times in the past decade, including London six times, and has already raised 200,000 pounds (260,000 euros, 400,00 dollars).
The seven-marathon challenge will take his fund-raising for guide dogs into another dimension with an estimated one million pounds pledged by individual and corporate sponsors.
Heeley said: "Hopefully it'll bring funding in for years to come. It's a lovely feeling to think it'll keep trickling in."
He and his running partner will be accompanied by a four-person support team, although his own guide dog - Wicksie, a three-year-old German Shepherd cross -- will not be making the trip.
"He's stopping at home, warm under the radiator. When I told him about what I was planning, he said 'blow that'."
Despite the gruelling challenge to come, Heeley said he was most concerned about the travelling.
"I'm not the greatest flyer in the world, so that is the thing that's worrying me the most. I'm never happier than when the plane wheels touch the ground," he said.
"But once I've done the marathons I think I'll have no trouble sleeping on the plane.
Dave Heeley, 50, will start his extraordinary challenge on the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic at one minute past midnight on April 7 before flying to the Chilean capital Santiago for the second stage the same day.
Accompanied by his running guide Malcolm "Mad Mac" Carr, Heeley will then run marathons in Los Angeles, Sydney, Dubai and Tunis before finishing his odyssey in the London Marathon on April 13.
"I know we're going to be exhausted by the end, but I'm determined to run through the London Marathon because that medal will be a little bit special this year," Heeley, who has clocked up hundreds of miles in training, told AFP.
Heeley, from West Bromwich in central England, was born with an eye disease and lost his sight completely at the age of 16, curtailing a keen interest in running.
He began competing again at the age of 40 when he heard of someone doing the London Marathon to raise money for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.
He has run marathons seven times in the past decade, including London six times, and has already raised 200,000 pounds (260,000 euros, 400,00 dollars).
The seven-marathon challenge will take his fund-raising for guide dogs into another dimension with an estimated one million pounds pledged by individual and corporate sponsors.
Heeley said: "Hopefully it'll bring funding in for years to come. It's a lovely feeling to think it'll keep trickling in."
He and his running partner will be accompanied by a four-person support team, although his own guide dog - Wicksie, a three-year-old German Shepherd cross -- will not be making the trip.
"He's stopping at home, warm under the radiator. When I told him about what I was planning, he said 'blow that'."
Despite the gruelling challenge to come, Heeley said he was most concerned about the travelling.
"I'm not the greatest flyer in the world, so that is the thing that's worrying me the most. I'm never happier than when the plane wheels touch the ground," he said.
"But once I've done the marathons I think I'll have no trouble sleeping on the plane.
The Passion on the Beeb this Easter
It's the start of Passover week. In the next few days thousands of pilgrims will pour into Jerusalem to celebrate the most important festival in their religious calendar. For their Roman masters, led by Pontius Pilate, it is the most difficult time of the year. For the High Priest Caiaphas and his Temple priests the workload will be heavy and the pressure to maintain civil order will be intense.
Then news is brought that Jesus the Galilean is approaching the city on a donkey's colt, and will be entering Jerusalem through the East Gate - thus fulfilling two of the most powerful religious prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. The one who many believe will lead them to military victory or spiritual salvation.
On the streets a crowd is beginning to gather.
And the week has only just begun...
The Passion is a bold event drama, retelling the last week in the life of Jesus Christ and written by Emmy Award winner Frank Deasy (Prime Suspect 7). The Passion will be shown throughout Holy Week on BBC ONE, drawing to a dramatic climax on Easter Sunday.
Joseph Mawle (Jesus), James Nesbitt (Pontius Pilate), Paul Nicholls (Judas), Ben Daniels (Caiaphas), Penelope Wilton (Mary), Denis Lawson (Annas) and David Oyelowo (Joseph of Arimathea) lead the cast in this unique and compelling dramatisation.
Visually arresting and rich in colour, the story is rooted in the chaotic world in which it took place - the city of Jerusalem during Passover week. Set in the political and religious context of the time, it combines both narrative tension and thematic power to convey the events that took place that week.
The Passion places the audience at the heart of the action by telling the story from three points of view - the religious authorities, the Romans and Jesus. For the first time, all the key players are intimately characterised, with Jesus (Joseph Mawle) at the centre. The drama begins with Jesus' prophetic entrance through the East Gate, following him to his crucifixion and its startling aftermath.
Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction, says: "The Passion is an example of BBC Drama's commitment to deliver ambitious and distinctive projects. It is a privilege to be making such a major piece of drama from the brilliant Frank Deasy, directed by Michael Offer (The State Within) with an amazing cast."
Award-winning producer Nigel Stafford-Clark (Bleak House) says: "The Passion is a gripping, multi-stranded dramatisation of not just the most familiar but arguably the greatest story ever told. Both truthful and simple - it gives it back to the audience in a way that will feel as fresh, contemporary and surprising as if it were happening for the first time."
The series will be available on DVD at a later date. Bible Society is producing a pack of educational materials to accompany the series for use in schools, churches and adult education. It is legal to record the broadcast for your personal use, but it is illegal to use that copy for public display.
Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction, says: "The Passion is an example of BBC Drama's commitment to deliver ambitious and distinctive projects. It is a privilege to be making such a major piece of drama from the brilliant Frank Deasy, directed by Michael Offer (The State Within) with an amazing cast."
Award-winning producer Nigel Stafford-Clark (Bleak House) says: "The Passion is a gripping, multi-stranded dramatisation of not just the most familiar but arguably the greatest story ever told. Both truthful and simple - it gives it back to the audience in a way that will feel as fresh, contemporary and surprising as if it were happening for the first time."
The series will be available on DVD at a later date. Bible Society is producing a pack of educational materials to accompany the series for use in schools, churches and adult education. It is legal to record the broadcast for your personal use, but it is illegal to use that copy for public display.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
LOVE — never fails
JOY — cometh
PEACE — rules
PATIENCE — waits
KINDNESS — tenders
GOODNESS — does
FAITHFULNESS — fights
GENTLENESS — bows
SELF-CONTROL — stops
LOVE — never fails
JOY — cometh
PEACE — rules
PATIENCE — waits
KINDNESS — tenders
GOODNESS — does
FAITHFULNESS — fights
GENTLENESS — bows
SELF-CONTROL — stops
Fruitfull Exhortation
Scripture in some places is easy, and in some places hard to be understood. This have I said, as touching the fear to read, through ignorance of the person. And concerning the hardness of Scripture, he that is so weak that he is not able to [eat] strong meat, yet he may suck the sweet and tender milk, and defer the rest, until he wax stronger, and come to more knowledge. For God receives the learned and unlearned, and casts away none, but [does not discriminate]. And the Scripture is full as well of low valleys, plain ways, and easy for every man to use, and to walk in: as also of high hills & mountains, which few men can climb unto.
"A Fruitful exhortation to the reading of holy Scripture", from the Anglican Homilies [1562] 
Homelessness - Practical Help
Homelessness does not simply mean sleeping rough or selling the Big Issue, the Blue Triangle Housing Association project in Lanark, and Wiston Lodge homeless shelter near Biggar highlighted at a Tuesday meeting of churches in Lanark, Scotland.
It is rather a problem with local roots, and which can affect a wide range of people, the groups said at the meeting to discuss ways in which churches in the Clydesdale area of Scotland could support local homeless people.
The meeting was organised by Scottish Churches Housing Action and brought together Christians from different church congregations and local projects who agreed to set up an initiative to help people who become homeless locally.
Stewart Gibb of South Lanarkshire Council gave an indication of the challenges ahead, when he told of the 600 families - including 336 children mostly undre the age of 11 - and individuals who came to the local council for help with homelessness in 2007.
Despite the scale of the need, the council has just over half the number of houses they did 25 years ago, meaning that it depends on other organisations to help make up the shortfall in council housing provision.
Val Holtom, also of South Lanarkshire Council, explained what being homeless means: “Homeless people find themselves moving from address to address, being short of money, having nowhere to cook a healthy meal, experiencing stress and anxiety, and relying on the decisions of others.”
The impact on children of disrupted education and friendships can last much longer than the homelessness itself, Scottish Churches Housing Action added.
Clydesdale churches and organisations at the meeting agreed to scale up the joint response of local churches to people facing homelessness.
They will now come together to produce ‘well-being packs’ – a set of toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant and other hygiene items to provide to people who have nothing to keep themselves clean and fresh.
It is rather a problem with local roots, and which can affect a wide range of people, the groups said at the meeting to discuss ways in which churches in the Clydesdale area of Scotland could support local homeless people.
The meeting was organised by Scottish Churches Housing Action and brought together Christians from different church congregations and local projects who agreed to set up an initiative to help people who become homeless locally.
Stewart Gibb of South Lanarkshire Council gave an indication of the challenges ahead, when he told of the 600 families - including 336 children mostly undre the age of 11 - and individuals who came to the local council for help with homelessness in 2007.
Despite the scale of the need, the council has just over half the number of houses they did 25 years ago, meaning that it depends on other organisations to help make up the shortfall in council housing provision.
Val Holtom, also of South Lanarkshire Council, explained what being homeless means: “Homeless people find themselves moving from address to address, being short of money, having nowhere to cook a healthy meal, experiencing stress and anxiety, and relying on the decisions of others.”
The impact on children of disrupted education and friendships can last much longer than the homelessness itself, Scottish Churches Housing Action added.
Clydesdale churches and organisations at the meeting agreed to scale up the joint response of local churches to people facing homelessness.
They will now come together to produce ‘well-being packs’ – a set of toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant and other hygiene items to provide to people who have nothing to keep themselves clean and fresh.
CS Lewis - Go into the world
Jesus Christ did not say, "Go into the world and tell the world that it is quite right."
C.S. Lewis
Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Although it's often called Mothers' Day it has no connection with the American festival of that name.
Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family.
Today it is a day when children give presents, flowers, and home-made cards to their mothers.
History of Mothering Sunday
Most Sundays in the year churchgoers in England worship at their nearest parish or 'daughter church'.
Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or 'mother' church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their 'mother' church - the main church or Cathedral of the area.
Inevitably the return to the 'mother' church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. (It was quite common in those days for children to leave home for work once they were ten years old.)
And most historians think that it was the return to the 'Mother' church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family.
As they walked along the country lanes, children would pick wild flowers or violets to take to church or give to their mother as a small gift.
Traditionally, it was a day when children, mainly daughters, who had gone to work as domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother and family.
Today it is a day when children give presents, flowers, and home-made cards to their mothers.
History of Mothering Sunday
Most Sundays in the year churchgoers in England worship at their nearest parish or 'daughter church'.
Centuries ago it was considered important for people to return to their home or 'mother' church once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their 'mother' church - the main church or Cathedral of the area.
Inevitably the return to the 'mother' church became an occasion for family reunions when children who were working away returned home. (It was quite common in those days for children to leave home for work once they were ten years old.)
And most historians think that it was the return to the 'Mother' church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family.
As they walked along the country lanes, children would pick wild flowers or violets to take to church or give to their mother as a small gift.
Silly record - Good cause!
NEW DELHI (AFP) - Sixty Indian chefs on Saturday cooked a rice dish weighing 13-tonne (28,600 pounds) in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records, organisers said.
Three cranes dumped 3,000 kilos of Basmati rice, 85 kilos of chilli peppers, 1,200 litres of oil and 3,650 kilos of vegetables into a giant vat at a New Delhi sports stadium in the presence of a Guinness observer.
The steel vat was mounted on a three-foot high furnace while the chefs clad in fire-resistant outfits perched on a platform to stir the biryani -- one of South Asia's most popular dishes -- with oar-like ladles.
The cooks threw "a pinch of salt" weighing 86 kilos into the 16-foot (4.87-metre) deep steel vat, organiser Gurnam Arora said.
The sponsors used a hose to pour 6,000 litres of water into the vat and sprinkled 10 kilos of exotic spices and aromatic condiments to prepare the tangy biryani, Arora said.
"This is a grea
t activity to revive the feasting and celebration tradition associated with biryani in India," New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit said.
Kaoru Ishikawa, a records manager from the British-based Guinness Book of World Records who was on hand for the 10-hour cooking session, said: "I'm here to certify them for preparing the world's largest biryani weighing around 13,000 kilograms," Ishikawa told AFP. Official recognition of the record is expected later in the year.
The dish would be divided and trucked to city orphanages once Ishikawa certified the weighing of the cooked biryani, garnished with carrots and 750 kilos of creamy yogurt, Arora said.
"This event is a one-of-a-kind endeavour unmatched by any other past culinary activity," Arora said to the cheers of hundreds of spectators.
Currently, there is no listing for the largest biriyani in the Guinness Book of World Records, Arora said.
Three cranes dumped 3,000 kilos of Basmati rice, 85 kilos of chilli peppers, 1,200 litres of oil and 3,650 kilos of vegetables into a giant vat at a New Delhi sports stadium in the presence of a Guinness observer.
The steel vat was mounted on a three-foot high furnace while the chefs clad in fire-resistant outfits perched on a platform to stir the biryani -- one of South Asia's most popular dishes -- with oar-like ladles.
The cooks threw "a pinch of salt" weighing 86 kilos into the 16-foot (4.87-metre) deep steel vat, organiser Gurnam Arora said.
The sponsors used a hose to pour 6,000 litres of water into the vat and sprinkled 10 kilos of exotic spices and aromatic condiments to prepare the tangy biryani, Arora said.
"This is a grea
t activity to revive the feasting and celebration tradition associated with biryani in India," New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit said.Kaoru Ishikawa, a records manager from the British-based Guinness Book of World Records who was on hand for the 10-hour cooking session, said: "I'm here to certify them for preparing the world's largest biryani weighing around 13,000 kilograms," Ishikawa told AFP. Official recognition of the record is expected later in the year.
The dish would be divided and trucked to city orphanages once Ishikawa certified the weighing of the cooked biryani, garnished with carrots and 750 kilos of creamy yogurt, Arora said.
"This event is a one-of-a-kind endeavour unmatched by any other past culinary activity," Arora said to the cheers of hundreds of spectators.
Currently, there is no listing for the largest biriyani in the Guinness Book of World Records, Arora said.
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