Please share your news and photos for ‘News from the Pews’ so that we don’t miss any celebrations or big events. Don’t be shy! (Use the address below.)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 6 December Gift Sunday

20 December All-Ages Service morning 11.30

Carol Service at 6.30 pm

3 January Communion, morning and evening

The theme for February issue will be ‘Truth’. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, 17th January ‘16.

Email: bannsidemagazine@gmail.com

BANNSIDE BUZZ December 2015

This month’s articles Rejoicing and Weeping Join a Conversation with IMPACT! and . . . Lots of News from the Pews Thinking about Islam

Rejoice on the Journey

As you might expect, the Bible has a thing or two to say about rejoic-ing: it encourages us to rejoice when life is good and when it is not; it warns us that if we stray too far from the ways of God, our reasons for rejoicing will fritter away; it reassures us that, irrespective of our thoughts, feelings, struggles, actions or inclinations, God is for us—and when we realize that, there is always room for rejoicing. Of all the Bible says about rejoicing, I want to ponder just two aspects: rejoicing in the God we know and know enough about to worship; and recognizing that many different types of people respond to the mys-tery and prompting of God as on their journey they are led to know God more deeply. So, in Deuteronomy: God has led the people to freedom across the Red Sea; settled them in their own land; and established a dwelling place in their midst for God’s presence. It is to this location people are called to worship and rejoice: “rejoice before the Lord your God at the place God will choose as a dwelling for God’s name—you, your daughters and sons, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the orphans and the widows living among you” (Deuteronomy 16 v.11). This is solid, regular, inclusive worship. All you have to do is turn up and sing. But it is expected that you turn up. Attendance is a requirement as together everybody celebrates the blessings God has given. But what if you are outside a community where the story of God’s lib-erating love is told again and again? What if, without this story, you are still searching and searching and searching? Then, I think you are a bit like the Magi—the so-called wise men—in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. They followed the signs, lis-tened to different voices—those of power and politics—but found them lacking. So they returned to the star that had guided them until it stopped over the place where there was a child. Then we are told, “…

our panellists highlighted the role that questioning and searching has had in the development of their faith.

We would now like to turn this over to the wider congregation. Could you consider your answers to the question “What does it mean to be a Chris-tian?”

Please continue the conversation by emailing your thoughts to bannsidemag-azine@gmail.com for inclusion in the next issue of Buzz. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you!

More photos from Messy Church . . . thanks to the great team who worked with energy and im-agination to put it all together! Please remember to pray for all who involved in this exciting minis-try and all whom we welcome through our doors.

MYSTERY MEMBER

Kim McAnespie

IMPACT Invites You to Join Our Conversation

Our young people in IMPACT have been con-sidering the question “What does it mean to be a Christian?” We recently had a Panel Dis-cussion and listened to four people from our congregation tell a bit about their faith jour-ney: Billy Ferguson, Alex Huey, Ben Matson and Joanne Potter. They each had so many

interesting things to say about their faith and soon a lovely and deep picture of the Christian life emerged. We then reflected on what we’d heard a couple of weeks later, and these are some of our thoughts.

Being a Christian does not mean just one thing but a combination of things: what we know, what we believe, what we do (or don’t do) and the living rela-tionship that we have with God.

What we know: the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, John 3:16 and other Bible verses, the words to songs and hymns, the things we learn in Sun-day School

What we believe: that God is love, that we are forgiven, that we are made in the image of God, that God is the person who guides our life, that Jesus is ful-ly God and fully man, that we’re here for God to live through us and to let our little light shine!

What we do (or don’t do): we sing and worship, we pray, we have fun, we read the Bible, we serve others, we help spread God’s word, we unite with other Christians, we help strengthen each other’s faith in times of weakness, we don’t judge or steal and we are not rude to our elders

Our living relationship with God: we rely on God who teaches us to trust, love and hope, we communicate with God and God communicates with us, we don’t give up on God and God doesn’t give up on us, our relationship with God is our foundation!

We also heard from our panel stories about how they came to faith or how their faith was deepened. For some, faith started in the practice of regular and faithful attendance at church from childhood. And for another, the expe-rience of grief and loss was a catalyst to faith. Older mentors also played a role in developing and deepening faith for everyone in the panel. Finally,

“…they rejoiced” (Matthew 2 v.10). In the seasons of Advent and Christmas this year, wherever you are on your journey, may you follow a star and find your stable, with a manger and a child; and like the Magi encountering the amazing depths of God’s love in Jesus, may you too rejoice on your journey. Welcome to this edition of Bannside Buzz. It explores the theme of rejoicing. Peace and Joy, Mark

Rejoicing . . . and Weeping Life is made up of a myriad of emotions and to rejoice is no bad thing if you have something to rejoice about! I was recently talking to some-one whose wife had given birth to a baby son - he said that they were "over the moon". They certainly had experi-enced something for which to rejoice. The stu-dent's success in an examination is a matter for rejoicing. The teenager who passes the driving test has reason to rejoice. Landing a new job can be a moment for rejoicing. Seeing the whole world open up in front of you - for whatever rea-son - is a time to rejoice. Conquering something that previously had you held in its clutches can also be a time for rejoicing. There are many things in life that can give us a sense of excitement and joy and happiness and for which we can rightly rejoice. However we not only can enter into the joy of our own experiences but it would be my understanding that scripture asks me to share in the joy of other people in their walk through life. In Bannside on Remembrance Sun-day morning the song "Oh how good it is" was sung and it echoed the words from Romans "Rejoice with them who do rejoice, and weep with them that weep" These are familiar words found in scripture and as I see it it is a command to me to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. But (there is always a but) as well as entering into the mountain top ex-perience of folk I am also to journey with people who are going through the valley. I am not only to rejoice with those who are rejoicing, but also

to weep with those who weep. It says to me that as well as entering into the joy of others I am also asked to enter into the sorrow of oth-ers. One is to share in the happiness and suc-cesses and also in the despondency, hurt, trial, and heartbreak of fellow man. The Christian is meant to be a companion to his fellow man re-gardless of the road on which his fellow man is

travelling - be the road a happy one or a sad one. This surely is a chal-lenge. It is also an exercise in acceptance.

By Boston Kydd

prostrations), alms (taken as a tax in some officially Islamic countries), fasting (the lunar month of Ramadan, during which Muslim believers fast during daylight hours but can eat while it's dark), and pilgrimage (the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim believer should make once in his or her lifetime). Muslims are not terrorists. Normal Islamic religious law forbids the intentional killing of non-combatants in battle. It also forbids suicide. A small, radicalised minority engage in terrorist activities. Mus-lims make great neighbours and great friends. No Christian should be afraid to build a relationship with a Muslim. Like everyone else, Muslims need salvation through Jesus Christ. And finally, God loves Muslims, and so should we. We should love them enough to befriend them, love them enough to make them wel-come in our homes, and love them enough to share the gospel with them.

By George Derby

We held our 3rd Messy Church on 29 Nov. We welcomed in families representing a variety of ages and enjoyed exploring the richness of the season of Ad-vent.

ISLAM: GOING BEHIND THE HEADLINES

In light of the recent Paris atrocities, it may be helpful to under-stand a bit about Islam as a faith. “Muslim” and “Arab” are not the same thing.“Muslim” is a religious term whilst an Arab is from the group who speak the

Arabic language. Islam originated among the Arabs, and the Qur'an was written in Ara-bic. However, some Arabs have historically been part of the ancient orthodox Christian churches. The word “Islam” means submission. A Muslim is someone who submits to God. The Islamic conception of who God is, and how he is to be worshiped and served, is based on the teaching of Muhammad. Thus the Islamic creed is: “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his prophet.” There are two major denominations of Muslims. Sunnis make up 85 percent of all Muslims and Shi’s the rest. The split occurred in the first generation after Muhammad's death and was based on a dispute over who should succeed him as leader of the Islamic community. Islamic theology could be summarized as belief in one God, his prophets, his books, his angels, his decrees, and the final judgment. Islam teaches that humans are born spiritually neutral, perfectly capable of obeying God's requirements completely, and that they remain this way even after they've per-sonally sinned. The need of humanity, therefore, is not salvation but instruction; hence Islam has prophets, but no saviour. Islam teaches that Jesus was a great prophet. Islam affirms that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he lived a sinless life, that he per-formed mighty miracles, and that he will come again at the end of history. It even calls him a word from God. However, it explicitly denies the deity of Christ and repudiates the title “Son of God” as blasphemous. It also (according to the majority view) denies he died on the cross, claiming that Jesus' visage was imposed on someone else, who was then crucified, and that Jesus was taken up into heaven without tasting death. Islam explicitly denies the possibility of substitutionary atonement. Islamic practice can be summarized by the Five Pillars of Islam. These are composed of the confession of faith (“There is no God but God, and Mu-hammad is his prophet”), prayer (the ritual prayers said in Arabic five times a day while facing Mecca and performing the prescribed set of bowings, kneeling, and

IMPACT goes MAD

For me, the MAD weekend was hands down the most amazing week-end camp I've ever been on. It really helped me reaffirm my faith; I had

felt that I was drifting away from my Christianity and I had nothing to pull me back, but the MAD weekend totally changed that. To be surrounded by so many people who were all the same age as me but so passionate about giving

glory to Christ was unforgettable, and I really felt like I belonged be-cause there was no need to be shy about my faith.

In particular, the prayer room on the Saturday night really helped me see why I had become a Christian in the first place - because of God's great love. Sarah, Holly and I went there just before the Saturday night rave not entirely sure of what we wanted to find, but because it was so cosy and welcoming that we just sat down and prayed together and for each other and it was absolutely amazing; I felt revived and so deeply loved.

I would absolutely, 10/10, 100% recommend going next year to anyone our age, because even if, like me, you're not really sure where you're going on your faith journey, I know you'll definitely take something in-credible away with you and make friendships you won't forget. By Emma Doherty

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Congratulations to our newlyweds!

Adele Willis and John Ridgway 29 August 2015

Denise Auterson and

Norman Toombs

28 October 2015

Danielle Bickerstaff and Kyle Heslip 12 November 2015

This month’s mystery member has a great love for Irish writers and was nearly moved to tears when she met her favourite writer, Jennifer John-ston. Her favourite music is Les Mis (the stage production) and her favourite movie, with apologies for the non-intellectual choice (no need!), is Meet Joe Black with Brad Pitt. She has recently learned to play The Lord of the Dance on the piano. (Well, most of it.) She enjoys walking, bird watching, reading and being involved. Before she had children, she travelled all over the world with a rucksack but since having a family, she goes for Italy every time. Her favourite meals are any meals she shares with her family, and she loves all food, especially if it’s covered in chocolate.

She remembers that when she was little, she was always singing and danc-ing for anyone who would watch or listen—and even for those who didn’t want to. She met her husband, in the lyrics made famous by the Human League, “working as a waitress in a cocktail bar”, which was one of her stu-dent jobs. She admires people who rise above adversity and make good things come out of the dark moments of life. She would be most embar-rassed if people guessed who she was. She is not a sentimental person but treasures photos of her dad as he is no longer with her. She confesses to being something of grumpy old woman and is therefore entitled to be an-noyed by people who are late, who take too long to get things done and who don’t say “thank you.” The list could go on!

Her motto is “you only get out of life what you put into it” and she has al-ways wanted to sing and play the piano. Three words to describe herself are “slightly off centre.” Her favourite verse is Jerimiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” She finds these words reas-suring when she’s not sure of the path ahead. Her favourite hymn is I, the Lord of Sea and Sky and she likes the friendly people of Bannside who work as a team to make the church grow.

Who is she?

And a Very Happy 85th birthday to Alex Dale!

Happy 65th Birthday to Colleen Rimmer, who was surprised by a

special cake by Mary McMullan depicting all Colleen’s interests, family and of course the Bus Pass!

Well done to Chloe Martin!

Chloe has been selected by staff at Dromore High to

take part in a mission trip to Kenya in March ‘16. She will be working with chil-

dren aged 4-12 years.

Our newest organisation, Bannside Squirrels, enjoyed a Pirates Picnic Party recently. Aaaarrgh!

Adam Robert Derby

Baptised 25 October 2015 With parents Neil and Joanne and big sister

Bella!

Oliver Hylands Baptised 29 November 2015

With parents Jackie and Eoin and cousin Amie!

Blessings and Welcome to

Bannside Beavers enjoy making

Spooky Scary Spiders!

CONGRATULATIONS!

to Maxine Williamson on being named run-ner-up for HR Professional of the Year for the Healthcare People Management Awards!

Update on Bannside 150th Anniversary Celebration Progress on our forthcoming anniversary celebration is moving ahead and now the sub-committee want to involve the whole Church community in the next stage. This event will be a significant milestone in the history of the church, and we hope to involve ‘all ages’ of Bannside members as well as being an outreach to the Banbridge community. We hope everyone will be involved! The celebration will begin on the 11th September ‘16 with a special service led by guest preacher Rev Ernie Rea, a former Bannside minister from the 1970’s. Then a Choral Festival from 13-17th September will involve 4 special evening services featuring dif-ferent choirs: Dromore Male Voice, Kerygma, Accolade plus a Youth Choir. The week will culminate in a Saturday afternoon choral workshop and evening Big Sing event. The demonstration choir will be Voices Together, a cross community choir affiliated with Corrymeela.This is will be an opportunity to celebrate and affirm the role of choral singing in worship and to reach out and bring people through our doors. Bannside has an interesting history and we want to bring this together into a booklet of stories and photographs. To date we have gathered together some Banbridge Chronicle articles and photo-graphs but would love more. Have you any information or stories that could be included? This could be personal sto-ries, articles from other newspapers, photographs or memorabilia associated with Bannside. (We will copy the article/photograph and return the original). Here are some interesting facts to give you a fla-vour of what we already have: the church was originally called St. John’s, the original hall was built in 1889 for £500; the organ was rebuilt in 1982/3 at a cost of £12,000 and we have a poem which was written for the 100th anniversary. Have a rummage and see what you can find! We would love members to design a ‘Christmas card’ and submit their contribution by the end of January 2016. We will have celebrity group judge contributions and the win-ning cards printed and sold to offset costs incurred in the celebration. Contributions should be A4 or A5 size and may be hand designed or computer generated. Other events and updates will be highlighted in future Buzz publications.

The following members may be contacted: Anne Scott, Garnett Chambers, Anna Timpany or Gavin Henry

Adam Robert Derby

Baptised 25 October 2015 With parents Neil and Joanne and big sister

Bella!

Oliver Hylands Baptised 29 November 2015

With parents Jackie and Eoin and cousin Amie!

Blessings and Welcome to

Bannside Beavers enjoy making

Spooky Scary Spiders!

CONGRATULATIONS!

to Maxine Williamson on being named run-ner-up for HR Professional of the Year for the Healthcare People Management Awards!

Update on Bannside 150th Anniversary Celebration Progress on our forthcoming anniversary celebration is moving ahead and now the sub-committee want to involve the whole Church community in the next stage. This event will be a significant milestone in the history of the church, and we hope to involve ‘all ages’ of Bannside members as well as being an outreach to the Banbridge community. We hope everyone will be involved! The celebration will begin on the 11th September ‘16 with a special service led by guest preacher Rev Ernie Rea, a former Bannside minister from the 1970’s. Then a Choral Festival from 13-17th September will involve 4 special evening services featuring dif-ferent choirs: Dromore Male Voice, Kerygma, Accolade plus a Youth Choir. The week will culminate in a Saturday afternoon choral workshop and evening Big Sing event. The demonstration choir will be Voices Together, a cross community choir affiliated with Corrymeela.This is will be an opportunity to celebrate and affirm the role of choral singing in worship and to reach out and bring people through our doors. Bannside has an interesting history and we want to bring this together into a booklet of stories and photographs. To date we have gathered together some Banbridge Chronicle articles and photo-graphs but would love more. Have you any information or stories that could be included? This could be personal sto-ries, articles from other newspapers, photographs or memorabilia associated with Bannside. (We will copy the article/photograph and return the original). Here are some interesting facts to give you a fla-vour of what we already have: the church was originally called St. John’s, the original hall was built in 1889 for £500; the organ was rebuilt in 1982/3 at a cost of £12,000 and we have a poem which was written for the 100th anniversary. Have a rummage and see what you can find! We would love members to design a ‘Christmas card’ and submit their contribution by the end of January 2016. We will have celebrity group judge contributions and the win-ning cards printed and sold to offset costs incurred in the celebration. Contributions should be A4 or A5 size and may be hand designed or computer generated. Other events and updates will be highlighted in future Buzz publications.

The following members may be contacted: Anne Scott, Garnett Chambers, Anna Timpany or Gavin Henry

And a Very Happy 85th birthday to Alex Dale!

Happy 65th Birthday to Colleen Rimmer, who was surprised by a

special cake by Mary McMullan depicting all Colleen’s interests, family and of course the Bus Pass!

Well done to Chloe Martin!

Chloe has been selected by staff at Dromore High to

take part in a mission trip to Kenya in March ‘16. She will be working with chil-

dren aged 4-12 years.

Our newest organisation, Bannside Squirrels, enjoyed a Pirates Picnic Party recently. Aaaarrgh!

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Congratulations to our newlyweds!

Adele Willis and John Ridgway 29 August 2015

Denise Auterson and

Norman Toombs

28 October 2015

Danielle Bickerstaff and Kyle Heslip 12 November 2015

This month’s mystery member has a great love for Irish writers and was nearly moved to tears when she met her favourite writer, Jennifer John-ston. Her favourite music is Les Mis (the stage production) and her favourite movie, with apologies for the non-intellectual choice (no need!), is Meet Joe Black with Brad Pitt. She has recently learned to play The Lord of the Dance on the piano. (Well, most of it.) She enjoys walking, bird watching, reading and being involved. Before she had children, she travelled all over the world with a rucksack but since having a family, she goes for Italy every time. Her favourite meals are any meals she shares with her family, and she loves all food, especially if it’s covered in chocolate.

She remembers that when she was little, she was always singing and danc-ing for anyone who would watch or listen—and even for those who didn’t want to. She met her husband, in the lyrics made famous by the Human League, “working as a waitress in a cocktail bar”, which was one of her stu-dent jobs. She admires people who rise above adversity and make good things come out of the dark moments of life. She would be most embar-rassed if people guessed who she was. She is not a sentimental person but treasures photos of her dad as he is no longer with her. She confesses to being something of grumpy old woman and is therefore entitled to be an-noyed by people who are late, who take too long to get things done and who don’t say “thank you.” The list could go on!

Her motto is “you only get out of life what you put into it” and she has al-ways wanted to sing and play the piano. Three words to describe herself are “slightly off centre.” Her favourite verse is Jerimiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” She finds these words reas-suring when she’s not sure of the path ahead. Her favourite hymn is I, the Lord of Sea and Sky and she likes the friendly people of Bannside who work as a team to make the church grow.

Who is she?

ISLAM: GOING BEHIND THE HEADLINES

In light of the recent Paris atrocities, it may be helpful to under-stand a bit about Islam as a faith. “Muslim” and “Arab” are not the same thing.“Muslim” is a religious term whilst an Arab is from the group who speak the

Arabic language. Islam originated among the Arabs, and the Qur'an was written in Ara-bic. However, some Arabs have historically been part of the ancient orthodox Christian churches. The word “Islam” means submission. A Muslim is someone who submits to God. The Islamic conception of who God is, and how he is to be worshiped and served, is based on the teaching of Muhammad. Thus the Islamic creed is: “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his prophet.” There are two major denominations of Muslims. Sunnis make up 85 percent of all Muslims and Shi’s the rest. The split occurred in the first generation after Muhammad's death and was based on a dispute over who should succeed him as leader of the Islamic community. Islamic theology could be summarized as belief in one God, his prophets, his books, his angels, his decrees, and the final judgment. Islam teaches that humans are born spiritually neutral, perfectly capable of obeying God's requirements completely, and that they remain this way even after they've per-sonally sinned. The need of humanity, therefore, is not salvation but instruction; hence Islam has prophets, but no saviour. Islam teaches that Jesus was a great prophet. Islam affirms that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he lived a sinless life, that he per-formed mighty miracles, and that he will come again at the end of history. It even calls him a word from God. However, it explicitly denies the deity of Christ and repudiates the title “Son of God” as blasphemous. It also (according to the majority view) denies he died on the cross, claiming that Jesus' visage was imposed on someone else, who was then crucified, and that Jesus was taken up into heaven without tasting death. Islam explicitly denies the possibility of substitutionary atonement. Islamic practice can be summarized by the Five Pillars of Islam. These are composed of the confession of faith (“There is no God but God, and Mu-hammad is his prophet”), prayer (the ritual prayers said in Arabic five times a day while facing Mecca and performing the prescribed set of bowings, kneeling, and

IMPACT goes MAD

For me, the MAD weekend was hands down the most amazing week-end camp I've ever been on. It really helped me reaffirm my faith; I had

felt that I was drifting away from my Christianity and I had nothing to pull me back, but the MAD weekend totally changed that. To be surrounded by so many people who were all the same age as me but so passionate about giving

glory to Christ was unforgettable, and I really felt like I belonged be-cause there was no need to be shy about my faith.

In particular, the prayer room on the Saturday night really helped me see why I had become a Christian in the first place - because of God's great love. Sarah, Holly and I went there just before the Saturday night rave not entirely sure of what we wanted to find, but because it was so cosy and welcoming that we just sat down and prayed together and for each other and it was absolutely amazing; I felt revived and so deeply loved.

I would absolutely, 10/10, 100% recommend going next year to anyone our age, because even if, like me, you're not really sure where you're going on your faith journey, I know you'll definitely take something in-credible away with you and make friendships you won't forget. By Emma Doherty

Rejoicing . . . and Weeping Life is made up of a myriad of emotions and to rejoice is no bad thing if you have something to rejoice about! I was recently talking to some-one whose wife had given birth to a baby son - he said that they were "over the moon". They certainly had experi-enced something for which to rejoice. The stu-dent's success in an examination is a matter for rejoicing. The teenager who passes the driving test has reason to rejoice. Landing a new job can be a moment for rejoicing. Seeing the whole world open up in front of you - for whatever rea-son - is a time to rejoice. Conquering something that previously had you held in its clutches can also be a time for rejoicing. There are many things in life that can give us a sense of excitement and joy and happiness and for which we can rightly rejoice. However we not only can enter into the joy of our own experiences but it would be my understanding that scripture asks me to share in the joy of other people in their walk through life. In Bannside on Remembrance Sun-day morning the song "Oh how good it is" was sung and it echoed the words from Romans "Rejoice with them who do rejoice, and weep with them that weep" These are familiar words found in scripture and as I see it it is a command to me to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. But (there is always a but) as well as entering into the mountain top ex-perience of folk I am also to journey with people who are going through the valley. I am not only to rejoice with those who are rejoicing, but also

to weep with those who weep. It says to me that as well as entering into the joy of others I am also asked to enter into the sorrow of oth-ers. One is to share in the happiness and suc-cesses and also in the despondency, hurt, trial, and heartbreak of fellow man. The Christian is meant to be a companion to his fellow man re-gardless of the road on which his fellow man is

travelling - be the road a happy one or a sad one. This surely is a chal-lenge. It is also an exercise in acceptance.

By Boston Kydd

prostrations), alms (taken as a tax in some officially Islamic countries), fasting (the lunar month of Ramadan, during which Muslim believers fast during daylight hours but can eat while it's dark), and pilgrimage (the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim believer should make once in his or her lifetime). Muslims are not terrorists. Normal Islamic religious law forbids the intentional killing of non-combatants in battle. It also forbids suicide. A small, radicalised minority engage in terrorist activities. Mus-lims make great neighbours and great friends. No Christian should be afraid to build a relationship with a Muslim. Like everyone else, Muslims need salvation through Jesus Christ. And finally, God loves Muslims, and so should we. We should love them enough to befriend them, love them enough to make them wel-come in our homes, and love them enough to share the gospel with them.

By George Derby

We held our 3rd Messy Church on 29 Nov. We welcomed in families representing a variety of ages and enjoyed exploring the richness of the season of Ad-vent.

IMPACT Invites You to Join Our Conversation

Our young people in IMPACT have been con-sidering the question “What does it mean to be a Christian?” We recently had a Panel Dis-cussion and listened to four people from our congregation tell a bit about their faith jour-ney: Billy Ferguson, Alex Huey, Ben Matson and Joanne Potter. They each had so many

interesting things to say about their faith and soon a lovely and deep picture of the Christian life emerged. We then reflected on what we’d heard a couple of weeks later, and these are some of our thoughts.

Being a Christian does not mean just one thing but a combination of things: what we know, what we believe, what we do (or don’t do) and the living rela-tionship that we have with God.

What we know: the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, John 3:16 and other Bible verses, the words to songs and hymns, the things we learn in Sun-day School

What we believe: that God is love, that we are forgiven, that we are made in the image of God, that God is the person who guides our life, that Jesus is ful-ly God and fully man, that we’re here for God to live through us and to let our little light shine!

What we do (or don’t do): we sing and worship, we pray, we have fun, we read the Bible, we serve others, we help spread God’s word, we unite with other Christians, we help strengthen each other’s faith in times of weakness, we don’t judge or steal and we are not rude to our elders

Our living relationship with God: we rely on God who teaches us to trust, love and hope, we communicate with God and God communicates with us, we don’t give up on God and God doesn’t give up on us, our relationship with God is our foundation!

We also heard from our panel stories about how they came to faith or how their faith was deepened. For some, faith started in the practice of regular and faithful attendance at church from childhood. And for another, the expe-rience of grief and loss was a catalyst to faith. Older mentors also played a role in developing and deepening faith for everyone in the panel. Finally,

“…they rejoiced” (Matthew 2 v.10). In the seasons of Advent and Christmas this year, wherever you are on your journey, may you follow a star and find your stable, with a manger and a child; and like the Magi encountering the amazing depths of God’s love in Jesus, may you too rejoice on your journey. Welcome to this edition of Bannside Buzz. It explores the theme of rejoicing. Peace and Joy, Mark

Rejoice on the Journey

As you might expect, the Bible has a thing or two to say about rejoic-ing: it encourages us to rejoice when life is good and when it is not; it warns us that if we stray too far from the ways of God, our reasons for rejoicing will fritter away; it reassures us that, irrespective of our thoughts, feelings, struggles, actions or inclinations, God is for us—and when we realize that, there is always room for rejoicing. Of all the Bible says about rejoicing, I want to ponder just two aspects: rejoicing in the God we know and know enough about to worship; and recognizing that many different types of people respond to the mys-tery and prompting of God as on their journey they are led to know God more deeply. So, in Deuteronomy: God has led the people to freedom across the Red Sea; settled them in their own land; and established a dwelling place in their midst for God’s presence. It is to this location people are called to worship and rejoice: “rejoice before the Lord your God at the place God will choose as a dwelling for God’s name—you, your daughters and sons, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the orphans and the widows living among you” (Deuteronomy 16 v.11). This is solid, regular, inclusive worship. All you have to do is turn up and sing. But it is expected that you turn up. Attendance is a requirement as together everybody celebrates the blessings God has given. But what if you are outside a community where the story of God’s lib-erating love is told again and again? What if, without this story, you are still searching and searching and searching? Then, I think you are a bit like the Magi—the so-called wise men—in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. They followed the signs, lis-tened to different voices—those of power and politics—but found them lacking. So they returned to the star that had guided them until it stopped over the place where there was a child. Then we are told, “…

our panellists highlighted the role that questioning and searching has had in the development of their faith.

We would now like to turn this over to the wider congregation. Could you consider your answers to the question “What does it mean to be a Chris-tian?”

Please continue the conversation by emailing your thoughts to bannsidemag-azine@gmail.com for inclusion in the next issue of Buzz. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you!

More photos from Messy Church . . . thanks to the great team who worked with energy and im-agination to put it all together! Please remember to pray for all who involved in this exciting minis-try and all whom we welcome through our doors.

MYSTERY MEMBER

Kim McAnespie

Please share your news and photos for ‘News from the Pews’ so that we don’t miss any celebrations or big events. Don’t be shy! (Use the address below.)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 6 December Gift Sunday

20 December All-Ages Service morning 11.30

Carol Service at 6.30 pm

3 January Communion, morning and evening

The theme for February issue will be ‘Truth’. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, 17th January ‘16.

Email: bannsidemagazine@gmail.com

BANNSIDE BUZZ December 2015

This month’s articles Rejoicing and Weeping Join a Conversation with IMPACT! and . . . Lots of News from the Pews Thinking about Islam