NEWS

Loving Jesus, Serving Jesus, Sharing Jesus

July / August 2014

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From the Pastor

Jesus was raised from death to provide life in the immediate presence of God

As we come to the end of a teaching series on “Why the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything” it seems appropriate to end by looking at how the resurrection brings about the future new heaven and new earth described at the end of the bible in Revelation chapters 21 and 22:-

‘And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for

the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:3-4

‘ I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.’

Revelation 21:22

‘Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.’

Revelation 22:1

I have see one or two amazing sights during my lifetime. Niagara Falls would be one of them. Another would be a view of the Great Rift valley in Kenya. But these sights pale in comparison to the final astonishing vision recorded by the apostle John at the end of Revelation. This vision gives us a glimpse of the new life to which we will be raised in the new

heaven and new earth.

Once again, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is responsible for this. All the magnificent blessings of the new creation in this vision, recorded in Revelation 21:1- 22:5, are possible because Jesus is the risen Messiah reigning now from heaven who will return for the final time to renew the created order and to finally consummate his kingdom reign. Quite frankly, a lot of visions of life in the new heaven and earth

are boring. Popular pictures of heaven include people playing

● Resurrection brings about the new heaven and new earth

● Resurrection of

Jesus makes

possible the new

July / August 2014 Page 4

harps, wearing white robes, floating on clouds and sporting halos around their heads. Or we envision heaven as a retire-ment home, or worse yet, as an unending church service. But N.T. Wright observes this about Revelation 21:1 – 22:5: “We glimpse not a static picture of bliss, but a new creation bursting with new projects, new goals and new possibilities.” Life on the earth in the new Jerusalem is the life you have always wanted – without the tears, death, mourning, crying and pain that make life miserable. This is possible because it

is life in the “unfiltered presence of God.” At last, “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God (Revelation 21 v 3). Previously, no one could see God’s face and live. But now, God’s people will see his face and experience the full, massive dose of his glory! There will be no temple in the city “because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (revelation 21 v 22). That’s stunning, because a temple was the place where God chose to reveal himself and dwell among his people on earth. By saying that the Lamb – the resurrected Messiah and Lord – is the temple, the vision communicates that there are no barriers to shield people from his full presence. This is paradise restored. A river runs through it, flowing with the water of life. The tree of life nourishes its banks. The garden of Eden has been re-established, although this time it “encompasses the entire geography of the new creation.” Now what will God’s people do in this paradise? They will serve him (Revelation 22 v 3) and reign as kings (Revelation 22 : 5). This ruling takes place over the new creation, much like Adam was to do over the original creation as the “image of God.” Imagine your work – creating, designing, writing, researching, recording, building – in a life minus all the frustrations and heartaches! We need this vision when we have to face what life dishes out to us – everything from the mundane to the frustrating to the devastating. After talking about the glories of our future existence, CS Lewis wisely observed, “Meanwhile the cross comes before the crown and tomorrow is Monday morning.” We can face Mondays because of what Jesus did on Friday and Sunday. His death and resurrection make possible our resurrection to new life in God’s restored creation. May that hope purify us and make us more effective in living the resurrection life now as we wait for Christ’s return! Martin

● We are given a

glimpse of a new

creation bursting

with new

● The Lamb is the

temple

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Pastoral Page—July / August We pray for Andy & Jennie Butler and Simona as they anticipate their move to Hampshire in the next few weeks. Roger & Angela Clover: Many congratulations to Roger and Angela as they celebrate their 50th wedding anniver-sary on 26th July. We ask God’s blessing over them for that special day and the years that follow. Pam & Caroline Bonner: Congratulations to Caroline having completed her medical degree and qualifying as a doc-

tor. Please pray for her as she commences work as a junior doctor at Halifax Hospital.

Pam and Caroline will be moving up to Yorkshire later this month, so please pray that the

move goes smoothly and that they know God’s blessing over their new beginnings.

Simon Parish: Simon and Mary would like to thank everyone for their prayers. Simon is now in the mid-dle of his third 3 week cycle of chemotherapy and there have been some positive signs of improvement. The treatment is for 10 cycles in all so on going prayer over the next few months would be very much appreciated. Walter & Joan Taylor: Their daughter, Ann, has Alzheimer’s and she is currently in a care home at Frimley for assessment. This is very distressing for Walter and Joan, and of course her husband Chris. Do please pray for them all at this most difficult time. Janine Windsor: Janine sends her heartfelt thanks for the prayers, love, support and kindness extended to her and the boys and, for the answer of prayers that the surgery was less invasive than the surgical team anticipated. For many of our young people there is the anxious wait for exam results over the summer. Please continue to pray for them and especially as next steps or choices often hang on results. The key dates are: A Levels on 14th August and 21st August for the GCSE results. For all those who put in a lot of time and effort into the youth, children’s and toddlers’ work week by week. We thank God for their commitment and passion to serve and trust that there will be renewal and refreshment for each one as they take a break. For some the long summer break is not so eagerly awaited, as it may mean isolation and loneliness with nowhere in particular to go.

So do continue to look out for one another. Bill Eldridge

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SAT-7 is a unique and strategic ministry that uses satellite TV to reach into millions of homes across the Middle East and North Africa, helping to share the love of Christ and to encourage Christians in their faith. Through SAT-7, viewers are able to watch Christian television programmes in their own language in the privacy of their own homes. With over 90% of the Arab world having access to television and large numbers of people who cannot read, the need for SAT-7’s high quality Christian TV service is clear. Conservative estimates put SAT-7’s audience at approximately 15 million people. Viewers can watch a wide range of entertaining and informative television programmes that are culturally sensitive and relevant. The network of five channels caters for Arabic, Farsi and Turkish speakers. They also recognise the importance of encouraging children so they have the only Arabic Christian channel, SAT-7 KIDS, specifically for them.

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Since its inception in 1996, SAT-7’s vision has been to see a growing Church in the Middle East and North Africa, confident in Christian faith and witness, serving the community and contributing to the good of society and culture. They try to do this by providing the churches and Christians of the region with an opportunity to witness to Jesus Christ through inspirational, informative and educational television services. Without SAT-7’s programmes many people in the region would have little opportunity to hear of the love of Christ or to have meaningful Christian teaching to help their faith grow. Through the thousands of messages they receive, viewers tell them how much being able to watch SAT-7 means to them. “Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. Five years ago, I started seeking for the truth in different religions. I was lost, confused and wanted to reach out to God. I really needed comfort and peace. Thank God I found peace and the truth through the programmes and songs on my favourite channel, SAT-7.” – A viewer in Saudi Arabia “Dear SAT-7. I accepted Christianity and now I am a disciple of this religion but I have a big problem with my family. They don't agree with my faith and they’ve said that they will never accept me as a member of the family. I am in a really difficult situation and I need your help.” Raziq from Afghanistan. “A few weeks ago I found SAT-7 on TV. My words cannot express my joy; you have refreshed and blessed me. As I was watching I couldn't stop my tears because of the joy I felt when I was watching your wonderful programmes. I felt the presence of God.” An email from a man in Sudan. How you can help SAT-7 and the Christians of the Middle East and North Africa? There are many ways you can contribute to Sat-7 including:-

Pray you can sign up to receive the monthly Prayer E-letter by e-mail.

Give I t costs SAT-7 £1 to broadcast 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to each viewer. SAT-7 does not charge its viewers to watch, nor does it ask for money on air. SAT-7 is entirely funded through voluntary donations.

If you want to find out more please see the SAT- 7 website http://www.sat7uk.org/

Sally Coulter

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How do you RESPOND?

You may not consider yourself especially wealthy or influential, but if you earn more than £6 a day you are already in the top 20% of richest people in the world!

In a society where we are confronted with so many different messages, images, news headlines, disasters, political tensions and social issues how do we RESPOND? Compassion’s sponsorship pro-gramme is one answer, which lifts a child out of poverty by meeting their physical needs while also sharing the message of Christ’s love for them. The focus on the individual in this model brings dignity and grace to people trapped in poverty, who are so often spoken about only as impersonal statistics.

While an individual focus is refreshing and needed, poverty is a large-scale issue that undeniably

affects whole communities. It would be poor development policy to try to address safe water issues by building a well for each sponsored child, rather than considering the wider community and their collec-tive needs. Poverty is a global issue that affects people of all cultures, ages, races and genders; it is dy-namic and therefore our approach to it must also be dynamic, determined by local contexts.

The best way we in positions of relative wealth and security can respond, is to resist the tempta-

tion to prescribe a solution, and listen to what people actually need. This is why working through the local church is so important. Compassion’s RESPOND Initiatives meet critical needs which sponsorship alone cannot, and they often have a community-wide impact. Life-saving heart surgery (Health RE-SPONSE), alcohol de-addiction camps for caregivers (Child Protection RESPONSE), safe water provision (Stability RESPONSE), and library construction (Education RESPONSE) are a few examples of what RE-SPOND does. But how does it work?

Compassion’s local church partners determine what is most needed in their communities.

Each Compassion country office assesses the areas of greatest need and develops a country strategy for the year. If improved education is the priority for example, then many of the proposals from that country would be education-related.

Proposals from projects all over the world are made available to Compassion supporters, who can choose where they will RESPOND, either by country, by the number of people affected or by category (Health, Child Protection, Stability or Education).

RESPOND supporters are varied: churches, individuals, schools, bake-sale champions, and

marathon runners, because anyone can support an initiative, whether it is £50 for a water filter,£4,000 for a library or £20,000 for a pineapple farm.

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Once a proposal is confirmed, the initiative will begin. If the timescale is longer than a year, an interim report will be provided with an update of the progress made. When the initiative is

finished, a completion report is put together with pictures of the real impact made, and interviews with various community members, children and project staff – it works!

This may look painful, but, through this RESPOND Initiative 126 children in this project in the Philippines received essential immunisations against diseases like measles, pneumonia, hepatitis B, polio and tetanus .

Taken from blog.compassionuk.org/2014/06/respond

Ineke Clewer

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Ms Sally Coulter 99 Dartnell Park Road WEST BYFLEET Surrey KT14 6QE Dear Ms Coulter 07 May 2014 We really appreciate the kind gift of £300 from Heathervale Baptist Church. Please pass on our thanks to the whole fellowship and let them know their support is helping people in many of the isolated places to which we fly - destinations such as Kodike in Uganda, the remote village where MAF Flight Follower Fred Lokana was born. Fred, his wife Jocelyn and Dr Anna Cleminson, a palliative care specialist, received a warm welcome when they returned to run a mini-clinic. As dawn broke on the first day of the medical mission, the team saw a queue of villagers waiting for assistance. As well as fungal infections, malnutrition, and anaemia, a large number of patients were treated for chigoe fleas, or 'jiggers' - parasites which regular-ly enter the hands and feet of Kodike's villagers and cause intense irritation. Many of the people seen had as many as 50 jiggers in their skin and nails. The medical team taught parents how to remove jiggers from their children with a local wild thorn - enabling them to keep healthy, even when medical help isn't available. Our flights save the medical teams a 13-hour drive on extremely poor roads. Praise God for a successful nine-hour clinic, which concluded with a heartfelt prayer for the health and livelihood of everyone in the village. Yours sincerely

Ian Oliver Supporter Relations Manager

Registered Office: 1st Floor Castle House, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone CT20 2TN

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK. A Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England and Wales, Number 3437446. Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107)

One heart: Amaraa

Amaraa was two years old when he first came into our lives. Although his cheeky little smile depicted a lively and adventurous spirit, Amaraa was not like the other nomad children who cheerfully play in the endless countryside. Instead of excited bursts of energy, inquisitive outdoor games and rosy pink cheeks, chapped from playing in the sun, Amaraa's cheeks were blue. He was born with a critical heart condition. Even crying caused him to suffer low oxygen levels and become extremely weak. His moth-er Odnaa was powerless. 'He gets sick so often,' she told us. 'He can't run. He coughs. He cries. It's very difficult.' In the isolation of Mongolia's infinite countryside, there was no help for Amaraa. Left untreated, he had only a 30% chance of surviving to the age of 10. We had to do something to help. Through MAF's connections, a Children's Heart project identified Amaraa as a high priority patient. Knowing that together we could repair his little broken heart, we set about finding a hospital that would pay for Amaraa's surgery, and someone who would have him and his mother to stay. We contacted our church back home in Canada and told Amaraa's story. Our family town is near Niagara Falls, which is where Ryan’s dear Aunt Barbara lives. 'Hosting a family to help Mongoli

Mission Aviation Fellowship T (01303) 850950 W www.maf-uk.org E maf-uk@maf-uk.org

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children - now that is something I can do!' Barbara told us excitedly. We were all prepared to go the extra mile. Arrangements with MAF, the hospital and family in Canada were made and, in early 2013, Amaraa and his mother boarded their first plane. Thanks to our small aircraft, they were able to catch an international flight to Canada - a trip that would change their lives forever. After 17 hospital visits and many hours spent in waiting rooms, the little Mon-golian received his gift of life. Cautious at first of the strange doctors in white coats and long medical tubes, Amaraa endured six hours of heart surgery. Eventually he emerged, for the first time in his life, with bright, rosy cheeks. Together, we had helped mend a broken heart. But the story doesn't end there - his mother also returned home with a changed heart. Through her translator and the warmth of our church in Canada, she made a commitment to follow Je-sus. 'I have a joyful heart now, too!' Odnaa told us when we visited the family, sitting around their brightly painted table and sharing a traditional meal of stew, dumplings and dried yogurt. 'We are thankful and joyful. It has changed our family's life.' This is what MAF's ministry in Mongolia is all about - sharing life with local people who need friends that care, and going the extra mile to show the love of God. We are touched by those who have prayed and supported us for years to make this happen - one life among many that MAF helps around the world every day.

Amaraa chases his older sister now, and is learning to ride the family horses.

One step: Sogarbaatar

Often when God is involved, everything comes together perfectly for one more life to be changed - a miracle we've witnessed many times working for MAF in Mongolia. Sogarbaatar, another two-year-old boy, hadn't taken his first step and it was doubtful he ever would. Sogarbaatar has muscular dystro-phy, and had never received specialist help. But he wasn't alone. Thousands of Mongolian children live so far from medical care that they may never have the chance of a normal life. But at MAF, it's part of our mission to bring change - and we are privileged to serve others who feel the same. Ryan flew a team from Reaching the Light (RTL) to a remote region in the west of Mongolia, where Sogarbaatar lives in a traditional ger, a Mongolian felt tent. RTL's vision is to offer specialist attention to physically disabled children - a service that simply doesn't exist in this vast, empty land. The little boy was seen by Margie, an occupational therapist who is as passionate as we are about serving Mongolia's poor, isolated children. 'He was a bright and active little guy,' said Margie. 'But he had never walked because his leg muscles are too tight and his legs turn in.' Sogarbaatar needed special exercises and equipment if he was ever going to walk - and it was fortunate that we met him early enough for therapy to change his life. Tragically for so many in Mongolia, treatment comes too late if at all. Ryan, who always does his best to fill his nine seats with those who need them most, was delighted he could offer Sogarbaatar and his grandmother 'Mama' a seat on his return flight to the capital two days later. Dressed in her finest, Mama arrived at Altai Airport with Sogarbaatar in her arms. The elderly woman, who had lost hundreds of livestock in the severe winter, was incredibly excited. This is such a good opportunity!' Her voice carried hope and expectation as we lifted her bundle of joy onto our plane. What Mama didn't know was that her life was also about to change. After two weeks in Ulaanbaatar, Sogarbaatar and Mama had learnt specialist exercises that would help his legs to work. The little boy's big moment came at the end of the training. Slowly pulling himself up on a walking frame, Sogarbaatar bravely took his precious first step. The room exploded with joy - it was one of those mo-ments that make the challenges we face truly worthwhile! But then a second person stood up, ready to take her first step. It was Mama. 'My little grandson may be walking,' she said emotionally, 'but I have received the best therapy of all!' Thanks to Mongolian therapists in Ulaanbaatar, she had come to know the true God that loves her. What a moving way to spread the Gospel - all thanks to one plane, one God and a group of passionate believers. One Heart and One Step articles selected from correspondence by Dorothy Denton.

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Boko Haram militants have killed at least 200 more people in a wave of attacks launched across Borno state in northern Nigeria. Three Christian villages - Attagara, Agapalwa and Aganjara - were reduced to ashes. Local media claimed that attackers killed, looted and stole cattle before burning homes and churches. In at least one village, gunmen in military uniforms forced people to gather (by appearing to offer protection) before spraying them with bullets. The villages are located a few miles from the Cameroon border, near the Sambisa forest, which hides several militants' camps, and where some of the missing Chibok girls are believed to be. Some 270 schoolgirls were abducted in April and are still being held with possibly hundreds of others abducted from villages across northern Nigeria over many months.

It was late in the evening when the seven Toyota pickup trucks emerged from the dense Sambisa forest and rolled into the north Nigerian town of Chibok. They drove to the senior secondary school, where the men on the trucks - heavily armed members of the Islamist guerilla group Boko Haram - overpowered the security guards. They herded some 270 female students, aged between 16 and 20, onto the trucks and drove away deep into the forest, into the darkness, into the night.

When news emerged, the international media went into overdrive. World leaders expressed their outrage. The social networks were full of celebrities posting or tweeting their indignation.

A new video (which has not been released to the public) is said to show hijab-wearing girls speak-ing into the camera. Four stated they were taken by force and that they were hungry. A girl, estimated to be about 18 years old, apparently said tearfully, "My family will be so worried." Another said in a soft voice, "I never expected to suffer like this in my life." Dr Stephen Davis, an Australian Anglican cleric appointed as the Nigerian President's envoy in the negotiations with Boko Haram, remains hopeful that there will be success in getting the girls released. "There are many, many, many more than the Chibok girls," said Dr Davis. "This has been going on for a long time."

Over 1700 supporters responded to our online writing campaign for the grieving families in Chibok, emailing in prayers and messages of support. These have been delivered to the com-munity, along with practical support. Open Doors is also bringing aid to victims of bomb and gun attacks. For God's comfort for bereaved Christians in

Borno state For wisdom for Dr Davis and all negotiating

the girls' release For the Spirit of truth to be working in the

hearts and minds of Boko Haram leaders.

And all the time, from Chibok, the sound of lament. The sound of weeping. Everyone shout-ed that something must be done. But what could be done? The children were gone. What comfort could there ever be?

"THEY ARE THANKFUL FOR OUR PRESENCE" Quickly, Open Doors staff made contact with the community. "Almost every house has a child in this school," said an Open Doors worker, who spoke to Christians in Chibok after the abduction. "Cries of parents could be heard all over the town as they prayed for God's intervention." Then, through the Open Doors website our sup-porters and friends left over 1700 prayers and messages of hope and support to Christian

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families affected by the outrage. They knew that they were not alone. Just a little while after the event, Open Doors workers visited Chibok, taking with them the first batch of messages from interna-tional supporters. "They are thankful for our presence, prayers and all offers of help," said an Open Doors worker. "All they long for is news from their daughters. Please contin-ue to pray that this suffering is not in vain, but that it will lead to the fulfilment of God's purpose and plan." Your messages were able to reach the community for the simple reason that Open Doors was already present in the area. For nearly 20 years, Open Doors has worked alongside persecuted Christians in northern Nigeria, providing Bible distribution, training, emergency and ongoing support and trauma counselling. In recent years, much of the persecution has come from Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group which is seeking to create an Islamic state in Nigeria and which sees it as 'haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to adopt Western practices such as voting in elections, secular education and Christianity. The shocking fact is that these girls are by no means the first Christian girls to be abducted. What happened in Chibok was nothing new. It was just the scale of it that was different. In September 2011, for example, the Ministry of Education of Bauchi state ordered that the Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Tafawa Balewa should be closed. Seventeen female students, aged between 15-22 years, were transferred to another college some distance from the town. When their parents went to visit their daughters' 'new' school, they were told by the school authorities that they had no knowledge of the whereabouts of these students. They have never been seen since.

"I DO NOT FEEL ALONE" On 25 April 2012, armed Boko Haram insurgents forced their way into the Shettima family compound in Maiduguri. They shot Deborah's husband in front of her and abducted her two young daughters, Tabitha (7) and Sarah (9). Three months later they broke into the devastated widow's home again and shot dead her remaining 20-year-old son. She has lost everything. "I am living a difficult life," Deborah said, when Open Doors workers visited her. "I have been ask-ing God to please show me if my daughters are still alive so that I could at least have a minute to smile again." Open Doors helped with accommodation costs. But we also organised a letter-writing campaign which saw thousands of letters arrive for Deborah from all over the world. "I am not worthy for people to care for me this much," said Deborah, when Open Doors visited her earlier this year. "Now I am aware that people are praying for me I do not feel alone. I am so glad to know that people care about me. This love alone will keep me going and strengthened to live for Christ." What can be done? We cannot bring back her family. But we can look after those who remain. And we can let them know they are not alone. "HAVE HOPE IN THE LORD" Damaris Atsen lost her husband in March 2010. He was murdered as he helped a blind man home during riots. What could be done? Chickens, for one thing. Open Doors helped Damaris establish a firewood business to raise funds and later a farm breeding chickens. We also provided other forms of support. "When my husband died, I was in a state of total despair,"

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she says. "I felt useless and hopeless but God sent you people as angels to raise me up and give me hope. I have been provided with food, clothing, school fees and most of all prayers." Now, Damaris has become a powerful speaker on behalf of Open Doors, and advocates for the wid-ows and children who have been left behind by Boko Haram. "I share my story and encourage the brethren to have hope in the Lord no matter the situation they find themselves in. They have bombed and burned down many churches, killed many people and destroyed many properties. Some children who have lost their parents have become slaves. A lot of widows find it difficult to attend to the needs of their family ... " It is hard for her to forgive those who have shat-tered so many lives. But she does. "If I do not for-give, the Lord Jesus will never forgive me. So I have forgiven and God will help me to love evervbody It is not easy, but it is God that will give us the grace to love." "I CAN FEEL PEOPLE PRAYING" Nigeria is in the grip of almost unimaginable trage-dy. Some four weeks after the abduction a video was released purporting to show around 130 of the kidnapped girls. They are wearing the full-length hijab, reciting the Qur'an and holding their palms upwards in prayer. According to the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, the girls had converted to Islam. He says: "These girls, these girls you occupy yourselves with ... we have indeed liberated them. Do you know we have liberated them? These girls have be-come Muslims. They are Muslims." Meanwhile, while governments meet, and the me-dia discuss 'what can be done', with your help, Open Doors is bringing support and encouragement from the body of Christ throughout the world. We cannot bring back their loved ones. But we can help them to stay strong. Your prayers, your messages of support, your gifts ensure that those who grieve will know that others care for them. They know that, although they have been left behind, they have not been abandoned. "I can feel that people are praying for me," Damaris told us. "We as believers in Nigeria are appealing to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to continue supporting us through prayers because we are con-fident that whatever we are facing now, God will make a way and the entire situation will work out for the glory of His name." THE CHURCH IS HERE TO STAY Damaris Atsen loves to sing in her church choir. "Songs always strengthen my faith. Anytime I'm singing, I feel I am complete," she says. But it takes courage to sing in church these days. "Christians are frightened whenever Sunday approaches, because they are not certain if they will go to church and return to their homes." Attending church in Nigeria can mean facing enormous risk. In January, assailants forced their way into the church in the little town of Chakawa and opened fire on the worshippers. Outside, other terrorists gunned down those who fled, or cut their

throats. Over 50 Christians died in the attack. When Open Doors worker Isaac" went to the region in the aftermath of the attack he found a fright-ened, traumatised Christian community. "When we located the church leaders, they didn't want to open the door until they were sure we were Christians who had come to help them. We spoke about the situation and how we could give practical assistance by supplying food, clothes and other goods." The demands are high on these church leaders. They have to help Christians make sense of their suffering; they have to comfort the bereaved, while often carrying the burden of their own sorrow and loss. Their homes and churches have been de-stroyed, their congregations reduced to a few, faithful believers as many leave for safer areas. In Maiduguri, one of the main cities of the region, there were 450 pastors before the Boko Haram cri-sis. Today only 230 remain. Some have been killed, some abducted; others closed their churches as their members fled. The situation is even worse in the villages around the city where hundreds of churches have been destroyed. Those left behind now gather for worship in homes and under trees. With your help, Open Doors is supporting pastors with emergency food aid and clothing, schooling assistance for children and replacement of their

personal property and study materials. You are helping them to stay and share the gospel. "We have become lambs to be slaughtered by the enemies of the gospel; yet, we shall continue to uplift the name of Jesus Christ," Reverend Moses Tafarke told Isaac. "It is time to show love to our enemies. Who knows? The terrorist might be defeated through love. We pray that the blood of these martyrs will not go in vain. Christianity has come to stay in northern Nigeria. The church is marching on." Selected from the Open Doors magazine for July by Mary Papworth

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Where? When? Meeting at the Heathervale Baptist Church, Heathervale Rd, every Tuesday evening for 7 weeks commencing on September 30th to November 11th. Starting at 7.30pm with coffee and cakes, we will aim to finish around 9.00pm. If you would like to come or want to find out more, please contact Mrs. E Gunn, Church Administrator on Tel: 01932 343588 or visit the web site: www.heathervale.org.uk

Christianity Explored gives you time and space to consider the big questions of life and to ex-plore the life of the person at the heart of the Christian faith - Jesus Christ.

You don't need to know anything about the bible.

You won't be asked to read aloud, pray or sing.

You can ask any question you want.

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TRAVELS IN CAMBODIA - at Seniors’ Coffee Morning in June

Outside, there had been thunder, lightning and torrential rain. Inside 24 senior citizens were transported to a contrasting world of extreme poverty, ornate temples, smiling barefoot children and phut-phuts There were beautiful tropical flowers, lots of bicycles and motorbikes, all overloaded with goods and people, and some very intricate stonework. The morning started with tea, coffee and the usual selection of delicious home made cakes before Lesley, looking elegant in South East Asian dress, presented a brief history of, and background to, Cambodia, with a slideshow to follow. During the interval, in between enjoying more drinks and cakes, we were invited to examine the various artefacts brought back by Adrian and Lesley from their travels, and there was a short quiz to complete too. Then we returned to Cambodia and continued the fascinating insight to life there. Lesley finished by reminding us that, just as she had journeyed to such an interesting country, life is a journey. Are you confident God is with you on your journey?

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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. Jeremiah 29:11

Where can I go from your spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast. Psalms139:7-10

We closed with a prayer, remembering those who were unable to be present on this occa-sion. Everyone agreed it had been a thoroughly enjoyable morning.

As numbers grow, we could do with some more names on our rota for either setting up, putting down, cakes or transport. If you feel you could help occasionally, please talk to Simon or Lesley.

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Come along and join in the fun and games, and BBQ tea.

Are you free on September 20th from 4.00-6.00 pm?

Heathervale Baptist Church, Heathervale Rd, New Haw,

KT15 3NW Tel: 01932 343588.

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Messy Church

Come & join in the fun on September 20th

from 4.00 – 6.00 pm. (please note

revised times). Plans for the launch of the Messy Church are progressing

well. We need to collect some bits for the craft session and the collection box

is in the Copier Room. So far, we need: milk bottle tops and sweet wrap-

pers (e.g. like those from Quality Street boxes etc.).

If you would like to help :-

with the crafts & activities, please speak to Helen;

or with the food, to Joan;

or the setting up and breaking down, to Dave.

Publicity will be available shortly and if you would like to take a poster to put

up, then please speak to Evelyn for a spare.

Please pray for this event, and for all those helping and all those attending.

Andy, Jennie and Simona will be moving from their current address on 31st July. At the time of going to press they are not sure whether the new house will be ready for them at that point but they should be in by mid August at the latest.

Their new address is:- Gable Cottage, Biddesden Lane, Faberstown, Ludgershall, Andover, Hampshire. SP11 9PJ.

If anyone finds themselves travelling that way down the A303 do feel free to visit.

July / August 2014 Page 20

Congratulations to Roger and Angela on the occasion of their Golden Wedding 26th July 2014.

HOLY DATES

ADVENT

ASCENSION DAY

ASCENSION OF JESUS

ASH WEDNESDAY

CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS DAY

CHRISTMAS EVE

EASTER

EPIPHANY

GOOD FRIDAY

HARVEST

HOLY WEEK

LENT

MAUNDY THURSDAY

PALM SUNDAY

PASSION SUNDAY

PASSOVER

SHROVE TUESDAY

TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY

TRINITY SUNDAY

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

HANUKKAH

PESACH

PURIM

ROSH HASHANAH

SABBATH

SHABBAT

Page 21 July / August 2014

HOLY DATES WORD SEARCH

C H A D G S H O L Y D A T E S A M H K B T

H T C I B H P Y E H J C J L D Y G E I W S

R A F K N E A O L O R O F R N A P S E T U

I B M S P M L M T H Y T X V Z D U L W R K

S B U Z H I M K V A A A F B Y S V C E I K

T A S C E N S I O N D A Y D G E E Y A N O

M S H A P I U P A U N J H P D N H A S I T

A B R E I A N P D K U P K A S D A D T T I

S D O C P T D U V K S E Y S H E N I E Y L

D F V H H Z A R E A N S M S A W A R R S M

A K E I A E Y G N H O A O O B H H F N U A

Y E T K N R T J T F I C R V B S S D P N U

S E U T Y E U N C L T H S E A A A O T D N

P W E S M T R H O T A X V R T U H O W A D

V Y S O W M R Z X B R A H B K Y H G Z Y Y

V L D C Y I Y A D N U S N O I S S A P F T

A O A E S R A H D F G G L C J E O D I M H

B H Y T C U G C H R I S T M A S R N S P U

A E M N I P K O J M F A U O T W X R V B R

H A L E Q A S C E N S I O N O F J E S U S

S P U P S N Y V R T N T U B S H E V A T D

I W S H A V U O T X A Y T S E V R A H C A

T E V E S A M T S I R H C D I F K E J L Y

Z E H K A H A R O T T A H C M I S G S O H

July / August 2014 Page 22

News from the Girls’ Brigade Thank you to everyone who contributed to our fundraising stall at the Midsum-mer Event. It is always a good way to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We raised a magnificent amount of £247 and this will be used to-wards our trip to Paultons Park in July. Prayers required Girls and leaders sleeping over in the church on 11 July and then going to Paultons Park on the 12th for our last activity before breaking for the Sum-mer. Help Required The person who serves God will be ready and will have everything he needs to do every good work - Timothy In September are you available to help our rota team for our older group Sen-iors and Brigaders from 7.15 to 9pm on a Friday evening? This is because of staff changes and new jobs on the horizon. At present we already have a rota team of five and a further two volunteers would be very helpful. Due to staffing guidelines at Girls’ Brigade it would be a maximum of two sessions per month. We currently have nine girls on a regular basis be-tween these two groups and it is a great opportunity of sharing your love of Jesus with these girls. We need to hear from you for us to continue working with these girls aged 10 upwards at Brigade. Please contact Carol Lofthouse – email philiplofthouse1@virginmedia.com or telephone Carol or Barbara Walden, contact numbers available in the church directory.

HOLIDAYS

ACTIVITY

BANK

BED AND BREAKFAST

BUSMANS

CAMPING

CARAVAN

CHECKIN

CRUISE

FLY DRIVE

FULL BOARD

GET AWAY

GUIDEBOOK

HALF BOARD

HOLIDAY

HOLIDAY CAMP

HOTEL

MID WEEK

MINI BREAK

NATIONAL

PACKAGE

PUBLIC

SAFARI

SEASIDE

SEASON

SELF CATERING

SIGHT SEEING

Page 23 July / August 2014

HOLIDAY WORD SEARCH

A D G J H O L I D A Y S B E H K C C F I Y

L B N R W T Z U X S O A M V Y P H G A Q O

B U E D F H C J G E L F I K O M E N M C U

N S V D N P S F U W R A X T G V C I I I T

Y M I Z A B S U M M E R A C N E K E D L H

D A R E T N G L F J H I L K I M I E W B H

N N D O I R D L T P V S X U R W N S E U O

Y S Y Z O A C B F E D I S A E S B T E P S

C E L G N D H O R F J L I K T M P H K N T

O R F T A P V A S E L U Z B A W Y G A C E

D F H J L E G R I L A K V A C A T I O N L

M O R K N T U D P V S K T W F Z X S A Y C

C B E C R R O D F I J G F E L H J N L P M

A A D R T A V U S W U Y K A E R B I N I M

M B R P D V P C R A G E I C S F N A H J N

P A A A B E D R C I E G T T F T O H N I K

I J O C V L L N E P S M S I I R S U W K T

N A B K B A E C G L D T F V M G A H J M I

G K F A L G N C R U I S E I W E E K E N D

N R L G O E T V X P S A O T U T S W A C Y

Z D A E B N E L E T O H R Y F A I H G J L

K M H O L T N R T P W S U T Y W X V A Z A

B D H F G U I D E B O O K C E A G K I R M

J N L Y A D I L O H O L I D A Y C A M P E

July / August 2014 Page 24

Page 25 July / August 2014

Thank you very much to all those who have contributed to this month’s magazine.

Cheryl

Church Members’ Meetings

16th September 18th November

Many thanks to all those who have provided flowers during June

The Coffee Stop needs you from September

Do you have a Hygiene Certificate? If so could you help one Monday morning a month

(in term time only)?

Help is needed in the kitchen for The Coffee Stop to serve the church/community.

For more details please contact Pat 01932 844021

Application forms available in reception

July / August 2014 Page 26

Dates for Your Diary Sunday 20th July 2.00 Wedding of Rob & Michelle

Saturday 16th August 3.00 Senior’ Tea Party (see p 24)

Wednesday 27th August 10.00 Jungle Jamboree! at All Saints’

(see p 25)

Sunday 7th September 12.30 Bring & share picnic Heathervale Park

Monday 8th September 10.00 Coffee Stop re-opens

Saturday 13Th September 9.30 Who Let the Dads Out

Saturday 20th September 10.00 Messy Harvest —

Launch of Messy Church

(see p 18)

Tuesday 30th September 7.30 Start of Christianity Explored

(see p 15)

Sunday Rotas

Date Duty Deacon Flowers Coffee Home Group

20th July Nigel Straker Wedding No Coffee

27th July Bill Eldridge Roger & Angela Clover Ineke Clewer

3rd August Steve Fitton Volunteer please Tim Fry

10th August Joan Pressnell Simon & Mary Parish Brian Pressnell

17th August Tony Nelson Volunteer please New Shoots

24th August Nigel Straker Lesley Cook (Pam Bonner)

31st August Bill Eldridge Volunteer please Michelle Horner

7th September Steve Fitton Yvonne & Alan Edmondston

Ineke Clewer

Date Door Stewards Collection Counting

20th July Ian Norman & Derek Walden Tracie Critchell & Janet Slocombe

27th July Alan & Eleanor Hearn Paula Straker & Pauline Lewis

3rd August Colin & Angela Arnold Tim Fry & Eleanor Hearn

10th August Rachel Eddershaw Evelyn Gunn & Celia Jaffreys

17th August Mary Papworth Tracie Critchell & Janet Slocombe

24th August Ian Norman & Derek Walden Paula Straker & Pauline Lewis

31st August Alan & Eleanor Hearn Tim Fry & Eleanor Hearn

7th September Colin & Angela Arnold Evelyn Gunn & Celia Jaffreys

All rotas are correct at time of compilation, but are subject to later changes

Page 27 July / August 2014

Services in July and August

For Services in August please see summer sheet

Sunday 20th July 9.00 10.30

Communion Communion

Martin Robinson Marc Cousins / Martin Robinson

Sunday 27th July 9.00 10.30

Early Service Morning Service

Lesley Cook Steve Fitton / Marc Cousins

JULY 14th Pam Bonner 17th Jackie Sumbler 19th Neil Jaffreys 20th Nigel Kirby 26th Val Nelson 26th Simona Parish 30th Julie Hayes

AUGUST 6th Simon Parish SEPTEMBER 3rd Doug Port 3rd Ros Weaver

BMS BIRTHDAY SCHEME

Happy Birthday to the following in

The articles contained in this magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the HBC leadership.

The September issue will be published on Sunday September 7th.

Deadline day for the September issue will be Wednesday August 20th.

Useful Telephone Numbers

National Rail — South West Trains 0845 7484950

Citizens Advice Bureau

Addlestone

08451 202919 01932 842 666

Local Police—Addlestone 101

Woking 101

New Haw and Woodham Good Neighbours

07855 680950

New Haw Library 0300 200 1001

Options (Pregnancy Crisis Support Centre)

01932 566525

Relate 01483 715285

Voluntary Support North Surrey (Volunteer Bureau)

01932 571122

Runnymede Borough Council 01932 838383

St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey (Switchboard)

01932 872000

Surrey Bus and Rail Information 01737 223000

The Samaritans 01932 844444

To obtain Citizens Card 08702 401221

Vet-Rosemount, West Byfleet 01932 341058

West Byfleet Health Centre 01932 340411

Woking Community Hospital 01483 715911

Phone: 01932 343588 Email: admin@heathervale.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1142507

www.heathervale.org.uk

Pastor: Rev Martin Robinson Heathervale Baptist Church Heathervale Road, New Haw

Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NW