St Thomas’

Trowbridge

St John’s

West Ashton

Kingfisher Church

The Mead School

Holy Trinity

Trowbridge

Monthly News July 2020

St John’s in

bloom

Church… but still not quite as we know it!

In response to the latest guidance from

Government and Church, Services will begin

at St Thomas’ from Sunday 19th July.

Numbers will be limited to approximately 30 and, for now,

there will be no singing. We propose to hold three short

services at 9am, 10am and 11am (depending on demand)

serving St Thomas’, St John’s and Kingfisher congregations

– until it becomes possible for us all to have our own

services.

Services will last around 40 minutes and arrival, seating and departure will all be

in accordance with the social distancing guidelines; so you will need to book a

place, via the Church Office, during the week before. The first week (19th July)

will be a Service of Thanksgiving and Prayer, and in following weeks we hope to

offer Holy Communion. YouTube services and Zoom meetings will continue as

they have during full lockdown.

In line with Church of England guidance, we will only share the bread (wafers) at

Communion and these will only be touched by the celebrant who will make

frequent use of hand sanitiser. It is entirely your decision whether to come to

any of these services (even if you have previously been shielding), but please do

not come if you have symptoms of Coronavirus or have been asked to self-isolate

by NHS Test and Trace.

Some of you will be excited at the prospect of getting back into the church

building; others may feel understandably nervous; and still others will be sad that

it’s all so different from what we’re used to. I hope we can see this as a very

positive step forward, when we can explore some different aspects of worship,

which can be developed and added to as time goes by, always paying heed to

everyone’s safety. We will issue more detailed instructions on all this nearer the

time.

Allan Coutts

Remembering Sylvia Mills

It is with sadness that St John’s has lost a committed

member. After some years of ill health, Sylvia Mills

passed away, at home, on 22nd May, 2020. She had

always lived in West Ashton, as a child, through

adulthood and during her married life.

Sylvia had many happy memories of attending the

village school, and later became a dinner lady at the

school. She married John and celebrated 61 years of

marriage, raising one daughter and two sons.

Sylvia was always keen on involvement in village life

and attended Skittles, Wives’ meetings, Village Hall events, was a member of the

PCC, a keen flower arranger and an accomplished knitter, especially of baby

jackets. She supported many charitable causes and was very involved with St

John’s church life, serving as a Churchwarden for 18 years.

The last few years had been difficult with deteriorating health, and John looked

after her faithfully. She would have celebrated her 81st birthday in September. A

family funeral was held at Semington Crematorium on 17th June. Our

condolences go to John and family.

Jean Robertson

An Update on St Thomas’

Jamie recently wrote this update for the PCC:

After a rather protracted period, exacerbated by lockdown, we have agreed the

final account with Emery, thanks to Michael Vaughn's careful support, and paying

attention/good record keeping on our part. The final contract sum was

£128,772 (excluding VAT which Pat has been able to reclaim nearly all of, via the

Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme). We are pleased with this outcome.

The Contract value targeted at the outset was £127,621 excluding VAT. (At one

point Emery's contract manager was telling us it would rise to £150,000!)

We obviously had to omit some works (like the full repairs to the baptistery roof)

in order to divert funds towards replacing the rotten floor. A few other smaller

items were not able to be completed either, but we can come back to those

perhaps. We probably ought to come back to the baptistery roof in time and we

are actively looking at a grant opportunity to help with that. There are some

relatively minor but important repairs needed to the inside roof of the church

that need to be attended to next winter, a grant to help may be possible.

Mandi has organised for the broken window glass to be replaced and the Dais

step has recently been carpeted also. There are one or two finishing jobs to do

that we can organise ourselves once we are able and ready to make use of the

building again i.e. checking fire extinguishers and organising service

paraphernalia and musical instruments. The sound system and audio-visual

system sound and look great, although we have only tried using them once! The

chairs are very comfy although a cleaning test remains to be undertaken.

Finally, the lights were ordered before the price hike at new year and have been

delivered. They are stored safely, and we hope to be able to move toward their

installation in due course, soon, if we can. That will require a further expenditure

to Enlightened Lighting. Pat has reviewed the funds available and we are not

very far off being able to proceed with that, however we do need to be mindful

of those high level repairs inside the roof and factor the cost of those into our

plans - for discussion in due course. We may need a final push to find funds for

the lighting!

Jamie Farnell

Allan sent Jamie this email recently:

“The Standing Committee met this morning and would like to join me in thanking

you again for the huge amount of work you have put in over recent weeks, in the

midst of all the other demands on your time, to get us to this wonderful financial

outcome. I know this is isn’t quite the end of Phase 1, but it is a very significant

milestone and testimony to the resilience and attention to detail which has

characterised your leadership of this project throughout.

As I have said before, I hope it won’t be too long before we can thank you

‘properly’ at a gathering of St Thomas’ church family, but for now please hear

again our sincere gratitude and admiration for an outstanding piece of work.”

New Wine 2020 - United Breaks Out

30 July – 3 August 2020

New Wine will be gathering the family together online this summer.

They have been working closely with inclusion teams to ensure the event is as

accessible as possible.

Here's a taste of what you'll be able to enjoy, for free, from your sofa, a tent in

your garden, your local park or even your bed!

In the mornings, Bible Teaching will be led by Pete Hughes and Bishop Jill Duff.

Pete leads KXC, which has been described as 'one of London's most innovative

churches'. His recent book All Things New is about God's relentless passion to

redeem lives, heal the nations, rewire the culture & bring renewal to all of

creation.

Bishop of Lancaster Jill Duff will be speaking in Impact, the urban venue, on

Friday, Saturday and Monday mornings. As bishop, she oversees mission,

evangelism & church planting in the Diocese of Blackburn. Previously she was

the founding director of St Mellitus College North West and served as an urban

parish priest, school chaplain & pioneer minister.

Evening sessions will be led by a different guest speaker each night. Confirmed

so far are Miriam Swanson of Fusion, Gary Haugen of IJM, leadership coach Jo

Saxton, author, speaker & advocate Danielle Strickland, Chris Lane of St Mellitus

North West and New Wine National Leader Paul Harcourt.

Each afternoon will be TED-style seminars led by experts in topics that are

relevant and important at this time: grief, loss & lament; Holy Spirit ministry;

leading in changing times; race; mental health & well-being; apologetics; creation

care; parenting; and prayer. These will be followed by sofa sessions, Q & As &

webinars for further discussion and questions.

Each morning at New Wine Kids: Space Agency, 0-11s & their families will

encounter God through songs, challenges, stories, teaching & gunge! In the

afternoons, join Stomping Ground live for fun, games, challenges & general

craziness. New for 2020 is an Augmented Reality App packed with stories,

games, crafts, activities, prayer & worship.

Luminosity is an exciting programme for 11-18s including breakfast time

devotions and chat; challenges; afternoon workshops on mental health &

anxiety, evangelism, apologetics, calling, leadership, social media & the world we

could create; Evening Celebrations with high energy worship & guest speakers;

and After Parties. For more info go to weareluminosity.org

Members of the New Wine Leadership Network will be able to access a

programme of 1-2-1 prayer slots, mission consultations & international

gatherings via Zoom as well as discussions with special guests about 'What’s next

for the local church?’, 'Leading & well-being' and 'Mission & planting'.

Throughout the event you can browse the online Resource Venue where you’ll

find St Andrew’s Bookshop and other shops including Christian Gift Co and Wee

Sparrow, and opportunities to connect with Christian organisations including

BRF, CAP, Open Doors and Hope for Justice. Using the interactive map you can

also access charity experiences from Mercy Ships, MedAir, Compassion and MAF.

Over 300 people have volunteered to be United Breaks Out Community Makers,

tasked with modelling the same fellowship and connection in homes and

communities that is seen across the campsite each summer.

LINKS:

Event website: new-wine.org/breaksout*

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/NewWineEngland

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewWineEngland

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NewWineEngland

Instagram: www.instagram.com/NewWineEngland

#UnitedBreaksOut

Youth:

Website: www.weareluminosity.org

Insta: @weareluminosity

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/WeAreLuminosity

Twitter: @Luminosity2020

#LSL2020

When I first prepared this article, I was planning an opening evening event on the

30th July. I thought the regulations would have eased and we could gather at

7pm for a bring your own picnic, followed by watching the opening event of

worship live, a talk and prayer ministry. We would then finish with the obligatory

hot chocolate mountain and a doughnut.

But it has become clear to me over the last few days

that actually this is still not the best thing to encourage

people to do. So after prayer, a chat to the inside of

my head, a chat to Allan and a chat to Simon I have

decided the thing to do is encourage you all to have a

mini New Wine in your own homes over the weekend.

We could have a photo competition of chocolate mountains, a zoom “bake your

own doughnuts” (will have to look up a recipe!), and a photo/video compilation

of our own mini New Wines. The choice is endless!

When it is published, I will email out all the details of speakers, seminars, and

after hours events, such as the Gospel Choir evening, and hopefully we can have

many homes joining in. During the weekend we could have a zoom coffee for

people to share what they enjoyed the most. For the last 20 years, New Wine

has been for the Wright family an event that has inspired, encouraged, taught

and entertained us, so go for it and see what you can organise in your own home.

Yours in Christ

A very excited Lyndsey Wright!

THURSDAY 30

OMF Prayer News Bulletin from the Powells

Dear All,

I attach the most recent communication from Brian and Laureen Powell, the

couple working for OMF whom we support. They are trying to return to the UK,

but are having problems on several fronts, not the least of which is the British

Embassy's reluctance to grant a visa to Laureen (she's from the Philippines). I feel

for this couple now. Please remember them in your prayers.

Blessings,

Stuart Brown, St Thomas' OMF rep

Dear Partners in Prayer, June 2020

Hello again from Singapore.

I have delayed writing to you because I was hoping to have happy news to share.

However, we are still in limbo, waiting for a visa for Laureen. According to my

2020 planner we were due to be flying on 25th June back to the UK, but Covid-19

changed all that.

The visa office here in Singapore is slowly re-opening (dealing first with existing

customers), but we have yet to receive an e-mail inviting Laureen to fetch the

‘decision’ on her application. We have had various cryptic / unhelpful e-mails

from the UK visa offices, but no concrete news. So we wait on. Our plane tickets

are on hold and we believe we can re-book at relatively short notice, so when we

do get the visa we can travel within a few days.

Meanwhile, we are busy packing up stuff, sending some to the Philippines, giving

some away here, scanning, junking etc…. Please do pray for us in this time of

uncertainty.

The team at the national office in Borough Green have been busy preparing the

house for us so that we can move straight in from the airport (in order to serve

our 2 weeks quarantine there). We are extremely grateful for all the help from

them and from family. Please do pray that all will be well and that the house will

be a place of blessing for us and all who visit.

We are also still praying for places for the girls in a school in Sevenoaks. They

had a possible place available for Anwen but were unable to offer it since we are

not yet resident and don’t have an arrival date. Please join us in praying that it

will work for them both to be at Trinity School. They are coping well with the

transition so far, but do please pray for them as they say goodbye and then have

the prospect of trying to make new friends again.

Orientation Courses for May and July were cancelled (and November is still

currently undecided). However, since a few of the candidates are able to go

directly to their new fields of service, it has been decided to run a Virtual OC

(part A), with the hope that the participants will some day return for a short part

B face to face in Singapore. We were a bit involved in some of the preparation

for the virtual course and in helping the presenters think through what can be

done. However, we have now given up our role completely, so Mark & Beth

Bradley are the ones who are heavily involved in arranging the course which will

involve a couple of hours on Zoom each day for 4 weeks.

Please do pray for the virtual OC to go well, so that the participants will be well

equipped and prepared for their initial ministry in their new countries. Pray for

the presenters as they adapt their material for an on-line format, and pray for

the internet to give good signal for all.

We praise God that a couple has been found to take on the role of OC

coordinators. They will start the role in the middle of next year, and Mark & Beth

Bradley are able to continue as interim coordinators until then. We see God’s

hand in this, since it would have been extremely difficult for new coordinators to

step into the role in the midst of the virus crisis, but Mark & Beth have

experience in the role (they deputised for us before) and are very able to make

the necessary changes as the situation develops. Thank you for your prayers for

them.

We hope to be able to update you all again soon, hopefully from Kent.

Thank you all so much for your prayers.

Brian, Laureen, Ruth & Anwen Powell

Stay alert: Colossians 4: 2-6

This is a shortened version of the talk Ed gave to Kingfisher Church on 7th June,

which has some really helpful thoughts for the time we’re living in:

I was listening to Steve’s sermon last week and I wrote down “There’s always

something you can do”. Paul in prison, world in lockdown, no church meetings,

but there’s always something you can do. Paul writes this letter whilst being in

prison in Rome (about 60 AD) after he had appealed to Caesar (Acts 28).

Problems, yet opportunities. Paul is just so positive. He refuses to be

constrained by his circumstances. I would be counting the days until I got out.

Paul didn’t even have that to do, as his detention was open-ended. We can see

that at some point in the future things will return to some kind of normality. In

the meantime we should let Paul’s words challenge us.

Keep praying Colossians 4 v2

One thing we can do at the moment is keep praying. Paul enlists the help of the

wider church community because he knows that prayer changes things. Paul the

great leader is saying, “I need your help if I am going to make the most of the

situation I am in”. I served overseas and knew that many people were praying

for us. Sometimes I could feel it, and that made a big difference.

It’s easy to think that the only way to pray for persecuted Christians is to pray

that God will keep them safe. That is a perfectly good prayer, prayer rooted in

psalms, when David frequently prays for protection from enemies. The NT, and

particularly the apostle Paul, challenges us to go further. It challenges us to see

all persecution as an opportunity for the spread of the gospel.

Keep alert v2

If you know someone called Gregory, he may not know that his name was coined

by early Christians from the Greek gregoreo ‘I am awake, I remain alert’. When

Jesus was in Gethsemane he urged his disciples to “watch and pray”. That was

physical wakefulness. Here Paul is giving a ‘stay alert’ message.

1 Thessalonians 5: 6 “So let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be

alert and self-controlled”

1 Peter 5: 8 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like

a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.”

Whilst the government want us to stay alert for danger, Paul is urging us to stay

alert for opportunities. The danger for us is that we go to sleep. The devil is still

at work, whether churches are meeting or not.

Paul has confidence that God will work through our prayers and reminds us that

as well as watchfulness we need to remember to be thankful. “Thank you, God, I

know you answer prayer. Maybe not in the way I expect, but you promise that

you will answer, so I trust you”.

In 2011 the charity I am involved with (Al Kalima) was approached by some

friends who wanted a large shipment of Scriptures to go to Sudan. The container

got as far as the capital before the government got wind of it. For weeks there

was no news and then we heard that they had ordered it to be returned to

Beirut, but not before 2,000 books had disappeared. That was good because no-

one would steal Bibles unless they thought they could make money selling them.

The container was back in Beirut and it had been an expensive exercise and

prayer had seemingly not been answered. Then a friend of ours in Yemen, a

country with only a few believers and no churches meeting openly, said he could

arrange the legal importation into that country. That took many weeks and

much prayer, but eventually about 17,000 hardback Gospels and Acts were

legally imported into Yemen. We actually have no idea what happened to them.

Those who had risked a lot to get them in would have made sure they made a

profit. Prayer was answered, just not how we had expected. Seeds were sown

and a few years later the civil war erupted.

Be bold v3-4

Paul prays for an open door. In his Rome situation he was under house arrest,

and would have had many visitors, both Christians and unbelievers. But he

recognises that even though he is constrained in his movements that God can

use him, because the Holy Spirit isn’t limited by time or space.

People today are over-connected and simultaneously disconnected, they spend a

lot of time on social media, yet in this virtual world they have fewer real

relationships. This effect is heightened by the experience of isolation through

lockdown. Add to this the fear, both of coronavirus and the economic effects of

lockdown, and people are more open to spiritual things.

Many of you are familiar with the work of Open Doors, the organisation founded

by Brother Andrew in 1955). At the height of the Cold War he smuggled Bibles

into eastern Europe. I remember being at an OM conference and praying in 1981

for the successful delivery of 1m Bibles to China. It was an amazing answer to

prayer and one that had an impact on the growth of the church in China, a

church which now face renewed persecution.

These days Open Doors is more active in the Muslims world, supporting

persecuted believers. There is still a great need for Scriptures in some difficult

countries.

Be wise v5

People have sometimes been put off the Gospel message because of the

insensitivity of Christians. More often they are those who wear a Christian

badge, but have no real allegiance to Christ and there are plenty of those in

history, and they usually trotted out as the ‘usual suspects’ by those who oppose

Christ. People may say that religion has been the source of many wars and many

deaths. The great slaughters of the 20th century were perpetrated by atheists:

Hitler, Stalin and Mao.

Scripture warns us that the greater danger is in being lukewarm. I think the

sense of what Paul is saying here is ‘pick the right moment’ not ‘keep quiet’.

Be gracious v6

Paul tells us to be wise in the way we act. We are called to be salt and light in

our world, which means we should be interested in what’s going on around us.

All of us have things which we are passionate about and this may lead us to

quickly support one side in any debate. This might have been Brexit, or climate

change, or more recently what the death of George Floyd means for our country.

Whatever our instinctive reaction, we should be wise, look at the question from

different sides, be gracious even when others are shouting abuse on social

media.

Most of all, we should realize that our words should be seasoned with salt, the

salt that comes from trying to apply biblical truth to current affairs. Paul prayed

in Romans 12: 1 that our minds be renewed, that we should not be conformed to

the world’s standards.

Conclusion

Paul has urged us to focus on what we can do, not what we can’t. To look

beyond circumstances to what God can do with his limitless resources. Let’s

devote ourselves to prayer, keep praying, keep alert, be bold, looking for

opportunities, be wise and gracious. Let’s focus on what we can do, on God’s

promises.

I’d like to close with the words of Graham Kendrick’s “Rejoice! Rejoice!”

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Christ is in you

The hope of glory

In our hearts

He lives! He lives!

His breath is in you

Arise a mighty army

We arise

Though we are weak, His grace

Is everything we need

We're made of clay

But this treasure is within

He turns our weaknesses

Into His opportunities

So that the glory

Goes to Him

Ed Greening

Can Christians have a laugh?

I was asked this question many years ago by a friend. As you may have guessed

this friend was not a Christian. Momentarily I was taken aback, not quite sure

what to say and how to reply. After a brief silent prayer everything became

clear, the words that I needed fell into place. This is the answer that I provided

" Yes, they can and what is more, they do! "

" Oh, that's alright then "

The short conversation was at end. I know now that I should have taken the

subject further, but at the time I was a young Christian. If I had been asked to

provide evidence in order to support my reply I would have, without a second

thought pointed my friend to the words of Adrian Plass!

I have read many of his books, often laughing out loud! After reading that God

had enough faith to move mountains Adrian is sure that he (Adrian) had enough

faith within himself to move something as small as a paper clip . His thwarted

efforts to move this small every day object are hilariously described - still brings

more than a smile to my face.

In my eyes Adrian is the Bill Bryson of Christian literature

Neill Cadmore

Safeguarding issues in Lockdown

Alison Bennett received an email

from Lyssy Bolton – Executive Head

Teacher at The Mead Academy,

regarding everyone in the

community being alert to

vulnerable children and adults.

“Apart from being alert and having

the attached guidance, perhaps we

could make it a specific prayer item

asking God to highlight to us

through his Holy spirit anyone in

our neighbourhood /wider circle of

friends and family who is in need?”

Alison Bennett

What is St Swithin’s all about?

St Swithin’s falls on 15th July every year, a day on which, or according to folklore,

the weather for a subsequent period is dictated. It is believed that if it rains on St

Swithin’s Day, it will rain for 40 days, but if it is fair weather, 40 days of fine

weather will follow. The origin of this legend was due to St Swithin, a Saxon

Bishop.

He was born in Wessex (800) and educated in Winchester. He was famous for his

charitable giving and for building churches. He was chaplain to Egbert (the 802-

839 King of Wessex). Egbert’s son, whom Swithin educated, made him Bishop of

Winchester in 852.

One miracle was attributed to him, when he was alive, that an old lady had some

eggs which were accidentally smashed by workmen building a church. Swithin

picked the broken eggs up and, it is said, they miraculously became whole again!

Swithin died on 2nd July, 862 and his wish was to be buried humbly. His grave

was just outside the west door of the Old Minster, so that people could walk

across it and the rain could fall on to it – all as he had wished. It is recorded that

on 15th July, 971, the Bishop of Winchester (Bishop Ethelwold) requested that

Swithin’s remains be exhumed and moved to a shrine within Winchester

Cathedral.

According to legend, when the removal of St Swithin remains had been

accomplished on that day, a ferocious rain storm began and it lasted 40 days and

40 nights. It is said this indicated St Swithin’s displeasure at being moved. This

was first recorded in the 13/14th century,

in a manuscript housed at Emmanuel

College, Cambridge. St Swithin is still seen

as the patron of Winchester Cathedral.

St Swithin’s day if thou dost rain –

For forty days it will remain.

St Swithin’s day if thou be fair – For

forty days ‘twill rain na mair.

It’s a 50-50 chance!

Jean Robertson

Book review: Defying the holocaust

Defying the holocaust by Dr Tim Dowley

The stories of ten courageous Christians who supported

the Jews

One of the most surprising things for me, reading this

inspiring and challenging book, was the diversity of the

Christians who risked their lives against the systematic

murder of the Jews during WWII.

From a smoking, drinking nun, Mother Maria of Paris; a

Scottish farmer’s daughter who died in Auschwitz-

Birkenau as a result of her bravery; to perhaps the most

well known to most of us: Corrie Ten-Boom of “The Hiding Place” fame. All these

and more showed extreme courage and bravery against all the odds and at great

risk to their own lives, defying the anti-Jewish, vehement hatred of Hitler and the

Nazi regime during the war.

The greatest challenge to me after reading this book was of course the obvious

question – what would I have done? Remained silent? Ignored what was going

on as the majority (not all) of Christians, did? And finally, in these modern times

of increased anti-Semitic activity, will I speak out now on behalf of God’s chosen

people, and above all of my Jewish Saviour, Yeshua Messiah.

Anyone wishing to read this encouraging, inspiring and challenging book, please

let me know – I would love to pass it on loan.

Phil Hancock

Update from Calne Christian Bookshop

We are pleased to be able to let you know that Calne Christian Bookshop is open

on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10.00am - 12.30pm. Social distancing will be

observed at all times in line with Government rules. We look forward to seeing

you again. Kind regards,

The Bookshop Team, Calne Christian Bookshop Calne Wilts Tel 01249 823265

Creation care: waiting decades for fruit

Andrew and Maria Leake have been mission partners in the Chaco region of

northern Argentina for more than two decades, monitoring deforestation and

standing with indigenous people on land rights issues. Here, Andrew reflects on

being in it for the long haul:

Jesus said that “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for

service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). There is a logic in that statement,

particularly for those who engage in Bible translation and for those whose

missional calling is to environmental advocacy and action. These interventions

are often only successful over the long-haul. Ironically, one of the ways we can be

aware of this is by taking a quick peek backward to see where we have come

from.

If I just look at what I am doing today, especially now that Covid-19 restricts

travel, it would be easy to despair. I get the sense I am doing nothing. Yet,

looking back over 30 years of service, first with Tearfund, then SAMS, CMS, and

more recently Compassion International too, it is abundantly clear that the fruits

of our service, combined with that of many other people and organisations, have

rarely been immediate. Significant fruits tend to

come over the long haul.

A key part of Andrew’s work has been supporting

local people to raise their concerns, as at this 2015

hearing concerning a gas pipeline

Planting a seed that saved a forest

With Tearfund, we spent four years in Honduras. Our mission was to establish

and develop a programme that would enable indigenous communities to secure

legal rights to their ancestral lands and forests. We did what we could, but no

land titles had been acquired by the time we left. Unbeknown to us, and some 23

years later, those claims we helped start resulted in the Honduran state ceding

communal land titles to more than 10,000 square kilometres of jungle-covered

territory in the region of La Moskitia. Some of our work even contributed to the

creation of the Patuca National Park (3,700 km2), something we did not consider

even in our wildest dreams at the time!

Land rights landmark

A similar pattern has just occurred in Argentina. A struggle of more than 50 years

for indigenous land rights is only now yielding results. This process, which began

with initial land surveys conducted by SAMS mission partners Bishop Pat Harris

and Kevin Bewley and was often led by Anglican missionaries, has just recently

yielded a high profile ruling by the Inter American Court of Human Rights. This

puts significant pressure on the Argentine state to provide not only land titles but

also to ensure the ecological restitution of

forests degraded by cattle and illegal lumber

extraction.

Andrew in 2012 debating a deforestation

project with a local landowner

Finding identity in Scripture

Bible translation is another of those tasks that require a commitment to the long

term. My grandfather started to translate portions of the Bible into Toba back in

the late 1930s. Here again, these efforts, with support from SAMS and CMS, have

yielded significant fruits only after decades of effort. The New Testament has

been translated into Toba and Chorote, and the whole Bible into Wichi.

Interestingly, the work around these tasks, which in the case of the Toba

translation of the Old Testament is still ongoing, has also served to strengthen

the recognition of indigenous languages and cultural identity within national

society.

Encouragement for challenges ahead

So, a little peek over one’s shoulder now and then may not be bad if it serves to

encourage us going forwards. When rowing I have often looked at the boat’s

wake as a means of keeping a straight line and gauging the distance I have

travelled. My sense, therefore, is that Jesus does indeed want us to commit to

the long haul. He certainly does not want us to look back in terms of “going

back”, but a little peek over the shoulder now and then can provide the

reassurance we may need to keep going forward.

Submitted by Colin Turner, from the Church Mission Society website

Education and Training in Benin

You may remember Dr Agbessi, Mercy Ships

alumna and Benin's first and only reconstructive

surgeon. Now, in partnership with Mercy Ships,

Dr Agbessi is working to educate Benin's

remote rural communities to the risk of COVID-

19 and the preventative measures that they can

take to stay safe.

“For us in Benin, the most important thing is prevention… We lack ventilators and

also supplies for resuscitation units. We do not have enough. When you face

danger and you do not have anything to fight back, you just put yourself in the

hands of God. So, we are just praying and educating our population”. Dr Odry

Agbessi

This work is only possible because of the generosity of you and the Mercy Ships

community and we are so grateful for your support.

Received in office from Mercy Ships

Hope for the homeless

The latest blog from Azaria Spencer:

It is a Monday morning in May 2020, lockdown has been

our ‘norm’ for over two months now and so many things

are different, and some are unfortunately the same and

perhaps even intensified.

I am with a work colleague and he is driving us through

zone 1, one of the poorer and slightly more dangerous

parts of Guatemala City. We are on our way to a

‘comedor’, food kitchen, where we will join with a small

team to help prepare food for the homeless and

vulnerable.

Life seems to be going on as normal here in zone 1, shops are open, even ‘non-

essential’ businesses are operating, business as usual. I wonder what that even

means, ‘non-essential?’ Most of these people will view their businesses as

essential, because if they don’t work, they and their families don’t eat. That

seems pretty essential to them and to me. I would understand more if the

government were more willing and able to provide compensation.

One thing I do see is everyone in masks, one of the enforced rules here in

Guatemala from early on in our lockdown, and curfew restrictions. I can see all

manner of masks, colourful, patterned, different shapes - it’s nice that people

can still express themselves a little through them.

We stop at some traffic lights and I look to my right, a small ‘tienda’, shop, is

open and in the small entrance two men stand drinking beer and chatting, their

masks pulled under their chins. A bit early for alcohol and any sign of social

distancing is out the window.

To my left I see three ladies stood on the opposite street corner. It is obvious

from their dress and stance that they are prostitutes. It might be the first time I

have seen ladies so openly standing on a street corner at this time of day, in such

a public place. I imagine times are especially hard for them. ‘Business’ must be

slow, and they still need to feed themselves and probably children. Something

inside me breaks as I see one of the ladies, maybe 20 years old, approach two

men on a motorbike that has stopped just in front of them. She leans into the

driver and speaks into his ear, resting her hand on his lap. I will refrain from

describing in further detail what went on as she tried to entice him into doing

business with her. Some sights are better forgotten, although it is unlikely that I

will forget quickly.

The lights changed to green and we drove on, and as quickly as that, life goes on.

We arrived at the comedor and started preparing breakfast in the form of ‘café y

pan’, coffee and sweet bread.

As I folded bread in napkins, I couldn’t help but be

saddened by the things I had seen on the drive into

the kitchen. The truth is, that at times like these, it is

always the poorest who suffer the most - and how

unfair it is that they were already suffering, and now

that is heightened, intensified, and increased.

I think of the families we work with, and am pleased

to know that they are getting food supplies and rent

paid through our generous supporters and donors. Yet, there are so many more

people who are not.

As the day goes on, we prepare lunch for over 150 people. As 12:30 approaches,

the line in the street grows. People of all ages, even whole families, gather to

receive what might be their only meal of the day. It warms my heart to know

that people have been coming together to help the less fortunate. To see that

people are willing to volunteer their time and resources to bless others in these

challenging times is a real encouragement and sign of hope.

But I still question and doubt, I battle the niggling thoughts, these people that we

serve here today were already suffering before Covid-19, and most will continue

to struggle after all this is over. I push those thoughts aside because it is great

that people are helping today, right here, right now. It gives me hope, hope that

these new projects to help the more vulnerable, that I have seen pop up all over

Guatemala City, and I imagine in many other places too, that they will continue.

I have seen several food kitchens, projects that are providing food parcels for

families, the white flag movement -

where people can ask for food and

support in the street with a white flag,

shelters for homeless people, which

are especially important because of the

curfews here. At first no one could be

outside after 4pm-4am, now it is 6pm-

5am, with no thought on a

governmental level as to where

homeless people would go. Projects

and movements like these give hope to

vulnerable families, hope to the

homeless and hope to me.

I hope that they will inspire lasting change and support for those who need it. I

choose to be hopeful instead of cynical. It is not always an easy task, when I see

so much brokenness and so many hurting people, but I choose hope because God

gives hope.

Azaria Spencer, submitted by Colin Turner

Growing up – Listening More

A shortened version of a message given to Kingfisher Church by Alison Bennett:

“we have much to say about this, but it’s hard to explain because you are slow

to learn!” Hebrews 5 v 11

Growing Up

A couple of weeks ago, I asked two questions:

• How’s it going for you and me spiritually at the moment?

• Are we finding that our new way of living & being is strengthening our faith? …Or is it a tough challenge faith wise? …Or somewhere in-between? This morning I want to build on that and ask us:

• How can our current situation help us to ‘Grow’ in faith, whatever our starting point?

The parable of the sower has been on my mind recently. The word of God is the seed which is sown into lives with God’s potential in each life for growth and fruitfulness, but it depends on the heart environment the seed is sown into. So how’s my heart environment at the moment? And how’s yours? Am I good soil in which God’s word can be planted and grow, or not? Jesus explains that ‘good soil’ ‘refers to someone who hears the word and understands it’. My own experience is that even with the privilege of church life in which we regularly share God’s word, and when I have a good routine of reading the Bible each day, really HEARING from God and understanding what he’s saying is an ongoing challenge – but one that so worth it when we do! Let’s remind ourselves what the parable of the sower says about hearing and

understanding God’s word and use it as a bit of a spiritual health check for ‘such

a time as this!’

• Some seed falls on the path and the birds come along and snatch the

seed away - Jesus explains that this is ‘the word of God’ that isn’t

understood and is quickly snatched away by the devil. All the potential in

that seed is lost.

My question is ‘are we really listening to what God’s saying and taking it in, or are

we letting God’s truth go in one ear and out the other, only to be snatched away

by the birds around us?’

Our current circumstances mean that we’ve been shaken out of our usual

routines, but God’s word remains the same yesterday, today and forever, so

who’s words are we listening to? There are plenty of cynical and critical voices

out there – and some will snatch away God’s truth – if we let them.

On the other hand, sometimes change can give help us see things from another

point of view – so maybe NOW is the opportunity to really listen to what God’s

saying and gain His perspective!

• Other seed fell in rocky places with shallow soil. With no roots the plants withered and died in the hot sun. Jesus tells us that this is the word of God that is heard, but not taken fully on board, so that when trouble and persecution comes, instead of being sheltered under God’s wing, life comes crashing down around our ears.

• The rainbow is God’s beautiful image and of course for Christians, it’s our

reminder that God ALWAYS keeps His promises.

So my question to myself and to you is ‘at this moment in time, are we trusting in

God’s promises? The old hymn said ‘standing on God’s promises’ and it says to

me that there is a decision to be made about where I stand – on God’s promises

or somewhere else? However, wobbly and uncertain things and people are

around us, have we chosen the rainbow – belief and trust in God’s promises?

• And then there was the seed that started growing amongst the thorns

and weeds, that eventually choked the life out of the young plant. Jesus

calls that the word of God that is choked by ‘the worries of this life and

the deceitfulness of wealth’.

Well there are plenty of things at the moment to worry about if we choose to,

but Jesus warns that the worries of this world are distractions that will choke

God’s word out of our lives and limit our growth. How are we doing clearing the

thorns and weeds? The last few months have resulted in many pristine gardens

in the UK, and maybe now is the time to do some spiritual weeding too!

I love the way the message puts Philippians 4 v 6-7:

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.

Jesus gives us deep insight into ‘growing’ in this parable; he tells us what the barriers to growth are and he encourages us to become ‘good soil’. Good soil’ according to Jesus ‘refers to someone who hears the word and understands it’

Background to Hebrews 5

I also want to look briefly at the passage in Hebrews 5 in relation to the question

• How can our current situation help us to ‘Grow’ in faith? A quick reminder then about the background to Hebrews to set the passage in context. It’s a letter written to people who are finding their faith journey tough; they’re fearful and discouraged having faced fierce criticism & even persecution from people who were previously their Jewish friends and neighbours. As a result, some of them wanted to give up following Jesus and go back to their familiar Jewish traditions and way of life. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews is encouraging them to keep going and persevere in the face of difficulties – a quick summary of the letter would be:

• Keep going - run the race with perseverance; don’t give up;

• Remember the people (that we read about in the Old Testament) who’ve gone before and showed extraordinary faith, despite challenging circumstances; and

• Fix your eyes on Jesus, who is far superior to everything that they’ve left behind for his sake. He’s worth more than anything. The writer would have loved the worship songs we sang earlier - All I once held dear - Jesus I believe in you, Jesus I belong to you, you’re the reason that I live, the reason that I sing with all I am.

Here in chapter 5 of Hebrews the writer uses the human experience to illustrate spiritual growth, Hebrews 5 v 11- 14 (MSG): I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and

go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong. This passage talks about the expectation that we ‘grow up’ spiritually and move from a recognisable baby stage, when we need someone else to regularly feed us with milk, to a mature stage when we eat meat. We all understand that transition. Spiritually too, there is an expectation that we develop to maturity. Do you pick up a hint of frustration from the writer?! Overall this letter, is positive and encouraging – but here there seems to be less carrot, and more stick: v11 but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening.

Hebrews 5 guidance

I want to pick out 3 further points from this passage to help answer our question about how we can keep growing through the current circumstances. 1. Learn to feed yourself!

I think that one of the things that might prove to be a catalyst for us to grow in our faith in this strange time we’re living through, is having to be more independent on our spiritual journeys and less reliant on the normal church routines. Seeking spiritual food and fellowship in different ways may really end up being good for us! Being good soil pretty much comes down to reading the Bible and praying, expectantly, openly and ready to be changed by the process. Let’s take the opportunity of our lives being turned a little upside-down to establish new habits where we need to make the bible and prayer a priority. 2. Listen to the Word

The reason we’re slow to learn is because we’re not that good at listening! That

echoes Jesus words too that ‘good soil’ in which the word of God can grow and

flourish is soil in which the word is heard and understood. A little earlier in

Hebrews we read that the word of God is transformational:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the

thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4 v 12

So there is every potential for positive change and growth as we listen to God’s word –as we read and study the Bible, as we pray – but listening is really hard! It’s a discipline that needs constant practice and checking. When you listen properly, you need to put your own agenda aside and focus; you need to quiet your inner voice. Really listening to God – tuning into HIS agenda and setting aside our own, quieting our inner voice, and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring true understanding of God’s word – allowing Him to sort the problem and not taking it back is hard! But I think listening like that – is what Jesus meant by good soil and the writer here meant by ‘growing up’! Let’s keep practising! 3. Fix your eyes on Jesus

The rest of the passage, starting in chapter 4, paints a glorious picture of Jesus - the great high priest - which would of course have been so poignant and helpful for these struggling Jewish believers who would have known the Old Testament scriptures and the traditions and rituals for the priest offering sacrifices for the sins of the people. The writer is driving home his central theme that knowing Jesus is worth more than anything! It seems to me that more than anything - even more than reading the bible and praying, which can all so easily become a religious ritual itself –growing spiritually is always about ‘seeing what good looks like’! Or should I say seeing what God looks like by ‘Fixing our eyes on Jesus’. And what is so incredible about Jesus – as well as being the Son of God, the great high priest, the King of kings –I could go on... is that he’s walked in our shoes… He gets it… he’s lived it, and that’s the wonderful thought I want to finish on... Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. Hebrews 4 v 14-16 Alison Bennett