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of the volunteers being older and hence advised to stay at home during the current crisis, it has been difficult to get to the children with the e’pap. In one area God led some young men to volunteer to go round the villages and take the e’pap to the children in their homes and you can see how popular this was on this short video clip! https://www.facebook.com/theo.dejong.18/videos/2995611470518075/?t=72 (For some reason, the clip opens towards the end so you may need to slide it back to the beginning.) Of course, these are only a few of the more than 5,000 children we would normally feed on a school day so we are praying schools will be able to reopen soon.

Calling all primary school age children. Here is a competition for you set by Felicity, Guestling’s Sunday School teacher: Choose a Bible story and write it up in your own words. You may illustrate it if you like. There will be a prize for the best one. When you have written it send it in to Rev Joy by Friday 15th May. Thank you

Contact information Rev Joy Collins, Priest in Charge of Westfield and Guestling Email: revjoycollins@gmail.com Phone: 07437 797553 By post: 23 Croft Road, Hastings TN34 3HP

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THE BENEFICE OF WESTFIELD AND GUESTLING A letter from Rev Joy

I hope I have remembered to thank everyone who sends in contributions for this newsletter. Please keep them coming in. I’d also like to thank you for the emails and cards you send me and the phone calls you make to check that I’m alright in the midst of everything. As a bit of a natural self-isolator I have been surprised by just how much I miss you all, so these communications have been very precious and encouraging.

Clem and I have noticed that the novelty of having all three of us at home every day is wearing a bit thin with our dogs who are going off and finding a sunny bench in the garden for a snooze or another space where they can eat their carrot in peace. We lost our cat Puzzle some time ago now and next door’s cat Thomas is elderly and overweight so our garden is cat free for the first time in many years. We have put up two bird feeders and have my father’s binoculars at the ready in the kitchen. The garden is tiny but they are a reminder of a lovely man who shared his knowledge of nature generously. So far a noisy gang of sparrows have moved in and are assessing the situation. ….

Some verses from Psalm 84: 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young- a place near your altar. We could each of us have a part to play in making sure nature has a home, as God intended, and encouraging others to do the same, even if it means our gardens and

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green spaces look a bit untidy or a little on the wild side. Giving nature a home might make ‘a bit of a mess’. Some-times it’s when our lives can feel less than tidy, a bit of a mess, when plans have turned out differently from what we’d hoped, that God has space to be in our lives, finding room to make them his home. This comes with my love and prayers for you all, Joy Juliette writes I first heard this Blessing from Bishop Richard Jackson (then of Lewes), he who rode the Harley-Davidson, and was a special guest speaker at Crowhurst Christian Healing Centre's Thanksgiving Day a few years ago.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE BLESSING May the Spirit bless you with discomfort at easy answers, Half truths and superficial relationships, so that you will live deep in your heart. May the Spirit bless you with anger at injustice and oppression, And exploitation of people and the earth, So that you will work for justice and peace. May the Spirit bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer, So that you will reach out your hand to comfort them. And may the Spirit bless you with foolishness to think that You can make a difference in the world, So that you will do all the things which others say cannot be done. Be with us Lord, now and for the rest of the day; FILLED WITH YOUR SPIRIT, MAY WE JOURNEY ON WITH YOU

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These were not merely the words of a little prayer to send Jacob on his merry way. The blessing spoken to Jacob was particularly important to him at the time. Blessings are applied to make whole or set apart, invoke divine favour, wish the person well, invoke prosperity and make one happy and glad. Israel’s divine destiny was embedded in this wily young man and he need-ed God’s blessing. God knew that, despite his actions, Jacob needed encouragement to embolden him and empower him for his journey and destiny that lay ahead. God is committed, devoted and faithful. He is committed to bless-ing the world through you. He is devoted to blessing you so that you can be a blessing to others. He is faithful to fulfilling every promise he has made to you. Perhaps, while we cannot visit each other or our families, we could think about praying a blessing into the lives of those we love. Of course, we want them to stay safe and their wellbeing will be part of that blessing, but a specific blessing from God? What might that look like for each indi-vidual we pray for? Something to think about as we pray for others this week. Love from Cathy PS: Some of you may remember the charity of which I am a trustee, The Garden Route Children’s Trust (www.grct.org.uk). We fund feeding projects amongst dis-advantaged children in Southern Africa. Usually, the e’pap, a nutritionally fortified porridge, is delivered by volunteers to schools where the children are given a hearty breakfast before lessons start. However, with schools shut and many

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CV19 Homegroup week 7 My daily Scripture Union bible notes have been following the story of Isaac in Genesis and, on Saturday, the note writer’s title was, Blessed to be a blessing. The writer, Elaine Roberts, talked about what it means to be blessed by God and, consequently, what it means for one human be-ing to bless another person. In Middle Eastern culture, the blessing was, and still is, an invocation of the supernatural power of God into another as spoken by his delegated authority. Genesis 27 and 28 Isaac, the son that God promised to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, is now an old man himself. God has guided Isaac all though his life. He had chosen a much loved wife, Rebekah, for him (chapter 24), blessed him with twin sons after a period of childlessness (chapter 25 v 19 onwards) and rescued Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage from disaster (chapter 26 v 1 to 16). At this point in the story, God speaks to Isaac personally and assures Isaac that the blessing God had given to his father Abraham was for Isaac as well (chapter 26 v 24). Now, in chapter 27, we read the sorry tale of Isaac’s twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau had already forfeited his inher-itance to his younger brother for the sake of a tasty meal (chapter 25 v 27-34) and now, egged on by his mother Rebekah, Jacob fools his elderly father into giving him the blessing from God that should have gone to Esau, the firstborn son. It is a strange story, but it shows us the power and importance of a blessing from God given by one person to another. Elaine Roberts again;

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Fourth Sunday of Easter May 3rd 2020 Collect

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life:

raise us, who trust in him, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness,

that we may seek those things which are above, where he reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen

Westfield Sermon Series: By the Spirit: Praying to Serve 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 John 10:1-10 BCP Readings Third Sunday after Easter 1 Peter 2:11-17 John 16:16-22 Guestling Lectionary Readings Acts 2: 42-end John 10:1-10 The Good Shepherd

Please check the website on Sunday for services Westfield http://www.westfieldchurch.co.uk/online-srevices-for-westfield-church/ Guestling . https://www.westfieldchurch.co.uk/online-services-for-guestling-church/

Holy Shepherd, you know your sheep by name

and lead us to safety through the valleys of death. Guide us by your voice,

that we may walk in certainty and security to the joyous feast prepared in your house,

where we celebrate with you forever. Amen.

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Remembering Molly in the Year’s Mind Molly Townson, our lovely Oirganist and Choir Director at Guestling sadly passed away last year on May Day, 1st May. It hardly seems possible that a whole year has gone by since

then. I know she is still missed by so many of us as a dear friend, teacher and inspiration. My thanks to her children, Melanie, Wesley and Emma , who have given permission for us to share Molly’s own poem, Bluebell Heaven, which was read at her funeral. Melanie also sent this lovely photo-graph of Molly with her be-loved Ken taken last year in Guestling Woods. The other photographs were taken by

Neil last week and I’ve sent copies to Molly’s children who all live abroad as a reminder of the place Molly loved so much.

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Bluebell Heaven

Walking today in a place called Bluebell Heaven, Bluer than blue as far as the eye could see,

And after the carpet of white which we had beheld Only a week before. It seemed as if

No other thoughts could fill my mind, No worries or fears assail me,

Drenched and drowning in that blue sea Of ringing bells engulfing me.

Ringing loudly only hope, only love. Nothing else in the world.

Blue skies above me Bluebells around me

Bluebell Heaven in Guestling Woods.

Postscript: Sue Moore tells me she has been putting fresh bluebells on Molly’s grave in recent weeks. She will lay fresh pale pink roses to mark her first anniversary on Friday.