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Minister’s Letter

Dear Friends

s I write this letter to you I am very aware of the growing global refugee crisis, epitomised for us by the situation near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel at Calais. The rhetoric of certain politicians has attempted to de-humanise the

crisis, while the stories of the people trying to cross national borders tell a different tale. Three miles from the centre of Calais on a former land-fill site is a make-shift migrant camp known as ‘The Jungle’, a temporary home to around 1,500 people. Over recent months, in addition to living accommodation, the residents of ‘The Jungle’ have erected shops, a school, and, in the eastern section of the camp, a church. Built by people of Ethiopian and Eritrean origin, the church holds regular services which can attract up to 200 worshippers. Even though they are living precariously in the present with a very uncertain future, the residents of ‘The Jungle’ are people who remain hopeful of a new beginning and a stable life before them. For many of those people who have fled war, persecution and poverty, hope is grounded in a faith that reminds them that they are precious children of the God of love, justice and peace. So, a church built in a temporary migrant camp stands as a testimony to this faith beyond hope. At the same time, but in a very different place, we the people of The Church at Carrs Lane are living through a period of transition and opportunity. At the end of July we said goodbye to our dear friend and minister, Rev. Neil Riches, before he begins the next chapter of his ministry in the Swansea area. Then at the beginning of September we will welcome a new member of the ministry team, Deacon Ruth Yorke, who will dedicate time to develop a helpdesk service in our church centre. Alongside these plans to establish the helpdesk, we are considering who will be our partners in the opening up of Dale House as accommodation for vulnerable people.

By seizing the mission opportunities before us we are being faithful to our motto as an ecumenical congregation, ‘United in Jesus – Serving the City’. The city we serve is a place of transition and opportunity, where migrants have become citizens, and citizens can build new communities. And the Jesus who unites us is the personification of the God of love, justice and peace, in whose eyes all people are precious children. So, a church built at the centre of a city like ours is a testimony to our faith, hope and love.

Peace be with you Neil

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Sunday Worship during September

The Big Hoot swoops into Birmingham

resented by creative producers Wild in Art, working in partnership with Birmingham Children’s Hospital, The Big Hoot has brought

businesses, artists, schools and the local community together to create a public art trail of stunning owl sculptures on display across Birmingham from 20 July until 27 September. With 89 giant owl sculptures to see – each one individually and intricately created by artists from Birmingham and beyond – this ‘owl-spotting’ experience is inspiring fun for everyone and is completely free. Follow the trail from the City Centre to Sutton Coldfield; Winson Green to Bournville and many places in between and enjoy beautiful open spaces; inspiring buildings and Birmingham’s cultural heritage along the way. All the giant owls have been sponsored by companies and organisations and at the end of the trail, they will be auctioned to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Children and young people from Birmingham’s schools have also been busy creating over 120 owlets. These are displayed in ‘parliaments’ across the city as part of The Little Hoot education programme. We hope you have fun discovering all the owls and now…let the ‘owl-spotting’ begin! My granddaughter and I have found 22 – so far – our search goes on, so does the fun! Ed.

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Sunday 6 September 10.30am Morning Worship led by Richard Becher Worship followed by First Sunday Lunch – All welcome 1.15pm Concert – Anna Downes (violin) and Tony Bridgewater (piano) 3.00pm Service to welcome Ruth Yorke to the ministry team at Carrs Lane Sunday13 September 10.30am Morning Worship led by Neil Johnson 2.00pm Kids Aloud Does Holy Habits – ‘Eating Together’ - join us for lunch. Sunday 20 September 10.30am Morning Worship led by Ruth Yorke Sunday 27 September 10.30am Morning Worship led by The Worship Group

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Notices

Wednesday 8 September at Carrs Lane at 7.30pm – a group meeting to plan worship on the theme of Making Disciples for the Holy Habits service on 27 September. Thursday 10 September The Traidcraft Autumn Roadshow at Carrs Lane. The day runs from 10.00 am till 4.00 pm with talks, demonstrations and lots to browse from the new Autumn Catalogue. Do come for all or part of the day. There is a poster and flyers available with further details. 13 September Racial Justice Sunday: Hospitality and Sanctuary For All, from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. This year’s theme aims to prompt conversation and reflection on the theme of hospitality and sanctuary. It has been written by Inderjit Bhogal, of the Leeds Church Institute. As well as an order of service, it contains material for Bible study, group discussions, activities and worship. www.ctbi.org.uk Monday 14 September Birmingham City Centre Retail Chaplaincy AGM 5-7pm at Carrs Lane. For more info contact Revd Elaine Hutchinson – chaplain@carrslane.co.uk, 0121 643 6151. RSVP by Monday 7 September Saturday 19 September 4.00pm and 7.30pm at Shirley Methodist Church - Composer Roger Jones’ 22nd Christian musical, Barnabas, following the story of Saul and Barnabas as they journey across Cyprus, as found in Acts 13. This official premiere will feature the Christian Music Ministries choir, soloists, instrumentalists and dancers. Tickets £8 (£5) from Helen Pollard at the Christian Music Ministries office on 01527 576 440 or www.cmm.org.uk.

Saturday 19 September, 10.30am - 4.00pm National Justice and Peace Network: open networking day. Warwick Road URC, Coventry CV1 1EX. Francisconomics: The Saint, the Pope and the Economy of Enough, speaker Paul Bodenham. Contact admin@justice-and-peace.org.uk or www.justice-and-peace.org.uk Saturday 26 September Multicultural Celebrations 2015 ‘Journeys – Drinking From Many Wells’ 10.00am – 4.00pm at Carrs Lane. Keynoting John Ellis in conversation with Zaidie Orr. Saturday 26 September Fairtrade Foundation Supporters Conference - at Birmingham University Campus. For more Information and to register go to: fairtrade.org.uk/supporter-conference. Fairtrade Association Birmingham, formed 10 years ago to promote fair and ethical trade, invites you to a celebration at Harvestide to mark the 10th Anniversary of Birmingham becoming a Fairtrade City at Carrs Lane on Wednesday 14 October at 6.30pm. Tea/coffee will be served from 6.00pm and after the event. We would like people from every community in Birmingham to feel warmly welcome Friday 18 September, at Coventry Cathedral, Tuesday 20 October at All Saints Church, Kings Heath and Thursday 22 October at St Johns, Wolverhampton. Riding Lights Theatre Co – Baked Alaska, Time to Change the Temperature – towards the 2015 UN conference on Climate Change in Paris. Other dates/venues also available, see www.ridinglights.org. Box office 01904 613000.

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Tuesday 20 October 19.00– 21.30 Fortress Europe: pulling up the drawbridge. Central England Quaker Asylum Group and the Church at Carrs Lane invite you to learn about and discuss worrying developments in the European Union, from the thousands drowned in the Mediterranean, to the camps at Calais, to the fence which Hungary is constructing along its border with Serbia. As well as looking at these situations and discussing what action we might take, we will consider the founding principles of the European Union and how we, the peoples of Europe, can bring back our leaders to the original goals of justice and solidarity. Something Good, which culminates in a two day festival on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, forms part of Birmingham Cathedral’s year long Come & See programme, celebrating 300 years of the church which became a cathedral. The Very Reverend Catherine Ogle, Dean of Birmingham, said: “2015 marks 300 years since the consecration of St. Philips Church which is now Birmingham Cathedral. The festival programme draws upon our city’s vast history of innovation and creative thinking. Something Good will bring together people of all faiths and backgrounds, just like the city of Birmingham.” United in Jesus – Serving the City 23 to 24 January 2016 - Save the Date. Following the success of last year’s 24 hours of prayer hosted by Birmingham’s Anglican Cathedral, The Church at Carrs Lane is delighted to invite you to once again share in an ecumenical day of prayer during the week of prayer for Christian Unity. We hope that a wide range of different churches and groups from across the city will come and lead an hour during the day and that many of you will come and drop in or stay for a while to pray with us. If you have any questions or want further information please contact stephanie@carrslanelivedcommunity.org.uk.

September Events at the Windermere Centre 5th Retreat Association Training Day: What is Spiritual Direction? 7 – 11th Painting in Autumn. 13 – 17th Autumn Walking. 14 – 17th Group Decision Making. 21 – 25th Card Mania Contact windermere.centre@gmail.com, or call 015394 44902 for details.

About People

ongratulations to Julie Grove who is now 'A Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire' , in her capacity as 'Chair of the Free Church Education

Committee, and for services to education.'

e send our sympathy to Marilyn Hull and family. Although John worshipped with Marilyn at All Saints C of E in Kings Heath he remained a member of

Carrs Lane – a non-conformist to the end.

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Kidz Aloud

Does

Holy Habits!

(Christian worship and activities for 5-10 year olds)

Sunday 13th September 2015 At The Church at Carrs Lane

'Eating Together' (Join us for lunch at 2pm)

Children's Story

Young People's Bible Study

Cake Making

FUTURE EVENTS:

(2.45pm-4pm)

11th October - 'Prayer'

8th November - 'Making More Disciples'

13th December - 'Gladness & Generosity'

For further information please contact

The Church at Carrs Lane, Carrs Lane, Birmingham city centre, B4 7SX

(0121) 616 1800 bfrancis@birminghammethodistcircuit.org.uk

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Events at Carrs Lane

Something for the Soul Concert…….

Wednesday 30 September 7.30 pm tickets £10 (concessions £8)

and ……..Silent Voices Exhibition

An exhibition of thought-provoking photography with images showing everyday life in the village of Bil’in in the Occupied West Bank of Palestine seen through the eyes of children who live there. Exhibition open 29 and 30 September and 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9 October 11am – 3pm.

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Carrs Lane Lectures in Radical Christian Faith BELONGING without BELIEVING? Saturday 10th October 10am - 4pm with Canon Brian Mountford and Revd Dr Harriet Harris - price £15 Brian Mountford is Vicar of the University Church, Oxford where he ministers to an eclectic congregation, the university and the city, and is responsible for one of Oxford's principal tourist attractions with 400,000 visitors a year. Ordained at St Paul's Cathedral in 1968, he served his curacy at the end of the ‘swinging sixties’ at Christ Church, Lancaster Gate and after six years as Fellow and Chaplain of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, he served in Southgate. In 1986 he was appointed to his present post, where he is also a Fellow of St Hilda's College and an honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral. Brian is interested in issues of modern philosophy and theology, particularly questions of faith and doctrine. His writing has been varied, ranging from the weekly sermon to a collection of short stories and five books on religion, the latest of which is the best-selling Christian Atheist. He is currently working on a follow-up with a working title of ‘Impressionist Theology’, and preparing material for a memoir. His portfolio also includes seminars on leadership and ethics in corporate life for the Said Business School and the Academy for Leadership in the Netherlands; he is also now a regular speaker on Swan Hellenic Tours. Harriet Harris is the principal Chaplain to the University of Edinburgh, where she has developed and oversees a large Multifaith and Humanist Chaplaincy team. She is a priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church, and Convenor of its Doctrine Committee, involving her in numerous topical debates including same-sex marriage, assisted dying, and national identity. She takes part in ecumenical and interfaith activities nationally and internationally, including the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Building Bridges dialogues between Muslims and Christians. Harriet was formerly a University Lecturer in Theology at the University of Exeter, and a member of the Theology Faculty at the University of Oxford, where she was also Chaplain to Wadham College, and Assistant Curate at the University Church. An Honorary Fellow of the Divinity School in Edinburgh, she continues to teach and write in her specialist areas including fundamentalism and philosophical theology. She is currently editing a volume on Atheisms, and has been commissioned to write a narrative of evil! We look forward to listening to what both of our speakers have to say... and we hope you will enjoy the day with us! Full information/ time table available on our website. If you would like a printed copy of the leaflet please contact Carol at office@carrslane.co.uk or call 0121 643 6151.

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Professor John Martin Hull M.A. Ph.D. Litt.D.

A Tribute

ohn died on 28th July 2015, just 3 months after celebrating his 80th birthday, a milestone occasion he joyfully admitted he did not expect to see. Always unfailingly cheerful and optimistic, his manner belied the considerable health

problems he overcame throughout his life, not least the loss of his sight at an early age. It was a very happy party on 22nd April 2015; John was on fine form, surrounded by family, including his sister from Australia, and some of his many friends. We were all invited to write something about our first meeting with John in a book divided into the decades of his life. Ours went into his fourth decade when he became a member at Carrs Lane. John, a trained teacher, came to the UK from his native Australia in 1959 to study theology at Cambridge. He wanted to follow his father into ministry but, as the Methodist Church in Australia had done previously, the then Congregational Union in England rejected his attempts to train for ordination. Instead, finding a different vocation, in 1966 he became a lecturer in Divinity at Westhill College. He moved on two years later, taking up a post as lecturer in RE in the University of Birmingham, an institution he served for 36 years. He was the first person in the country to be offered a Chair in Religious Education and was subsequently made Dean of The Faculty of Education. In 2004, when he had to leave the university and the life-support machine that was his specially adapted office, he offered himself in a voluntary capacity to The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham. He was eagerly welcomed and appointed to a teaching and tutoring position as Honorary Professor in Practical Theology, where he spent the last years of his life, training students for ministry and continuing to fulfil his voracious appetite for work. Everyone knew he would never retire! John was best known for his work in the field of religious education where he was acknowledged as a leader and a visionary. He was a pioneer, one of the most influential thinkers on the subject in the last half-century, having made an immeasurable contribution to its development. As a key contributor to the ground-breaking Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for RE published in 1975, he advanced the move from confessional Christian nurture to a broader religious education curriculum in British schools. His concern was always to explore and model a Christian faith that allowed for multi-faith teaching, which he saw as an exercise in practical theology. He energetically – and successfully - challenged those who thought otherwise, whether in the classroom or in government, most notably with The Act Unpacked in 1988! Although he was at heart an academic and justly eminent in his field, he was truly grounded and, as a religious educator, he was superb. A gifted teacher anyway, he made the most profound material accessible. He was successful at any level, just as much at home bringing the sacred alive for 3 and 4 year olds as he was working with adults, whether non-specialist primary teachers or PhD students. He was convinced that even the youngest learners could respond to explicit religious ‘stuff’ when it was

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introduced in an appropriately concrete way and, furthermore, the benefits of the encounter went beyond the material itself, promoting pupils’ human development through the learning process. Thus it was that, long before the ‘learning about religions/learning from religion’ dynamic was born, ‘Religion in the Service of the Child’ had become the title of the University’s primary RE project. It was John’s initiative and for five years, I was enormously privileged to work with him in the team that developed a new pedagogy for primary RE, informed by theories of psychological development and summed up in the publication’s title: A Gift to the Child. In those years, I was constantly challenged, inspired and supported. It was a life-changing experience for me, personally as well as professionally and, at his birthday party, 25 years on, I was able once more to thank him. But John’s interests in RE, and his reputation, went far beyond the University of Birmingham and the UK. He was Emeritus President of the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values which he co-founded in the late 1970s. He travelled widely in response to invitations to speak and was always enthusiastically received and greatly respected. The esteem in which he was held was evidenced by the warmth of the greetings he received at his 71st birthday when he was presented with a Festschrift: Education, Religion and Society - Essays in Honour of John M. Hull, the work of eighteen of John's international colleagues and former students, commissioned to mark his 70th birthday. John was a prolific author, always researching and writing the next book. He edited two professional journals, wrote for a wide variety of other educational and theological publications on a range of topics; he published studies in biblical theology early on in his career, moving into religious education, collective worship and spiritual development; he studied and offered insights into children’s God talk; he went on to adult theological education, mission and ecclesiology, and into politics, money, disability, most especially of course, blindness. Of his latest book, Towards the Prophetic Church: A Study of Christian Mission, The Church Times said, ‘There are many who regard John Hull as a prophet. This is a timely book’. The same could be said of all he wrote, whatever the subject. It was his experience of blindness about which John wrote extensively and most movingly. He had begun to suffer eye problems at 13 years of age, finally losing all light sensation in his forties. He spoke of the years of adjustment to a distant ‘other’ world, the loss of treasured visual memories, the disorientation and, finally, a new awareness of himself as a ‘whole-body-see-er’, finding beauty and wholeness again. He developed a theology of blindness, challenging negative images in hymns and the Bible, where it was metaphorically equated with ignorance. Becoming blind had given him a sense of solidarity with other marginalised minorities, especially those with disabilities. Blindness tested him but it never defined him. He said blindness was only his hobby, not his work; it was theology that required so much effort because it really was hard work. John was passionate about issues of social justice and campaigned energetically on theological grounds against the economic system, nuclear weapons, the sale of UK armaments, human trafficking and the military use of drones. He joined a protest

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demonstration at the Faslane Nuclear Base in January 2007 and again later that year when he preached to all those gathered. In 2008 he led a group of students in a protest at Aldermaston, conducting a 'Service of Lamentation' outside the main gates. He was back there in February 2010 blockading the gates and was arrested. As an activist, he was courageous and resolute but unfailingly courteous and cooperative. In May 2012 John became the first patron of the Nuclear Education Trust, having been one of the founding trustees from 2007 to 2012. John was a fine man. As a person of deep Christian faith he was principled and compassionate, always sensitive to the needs of others. He was imaginative and creative, always able to think outside the box, a non-conformist at heart. He had a delightfully mischievous sense of humour. He was an inspiration to all who knew him, brilliant in so many ways yet naturally self-effacing and modest. In an interview with the Church Times in 2013 he described himself as ‘really a jumped up RE teacher, or a jumped down one, depending on your values’. Hardly! He was a lovely friend, now deeply, sadly missed.

Julie Grove

A very big ‘thank you’… for gifts, cards and best wishes received on the occasion of my ‘moving on’ from The Church at Carrs Lane. I have read and reread what folk have written – and have already put tangible gifts to good use! I appreciate the fact that you respected my desire for a minimum of fuss, and have been moved to read comments relating to my ministry over the last nine years and more. So – I wish you well in coming days. I am an avid follower of church magazines, whether received ‘virtually’ or in the post; out of sight will not be out of mind, and I will continue to follow developments at Carrs Lane prayerfully and with interest unabated! The manse in Swansea is spacious – and the main rooms all have sea views! Visitors genuinely welcome. With love, Neil

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About Thinking Allowed ….To fellow travellers on a faith journey

Are you absolutely certain that what has stood the test of the last 2000 years of

Christian faith and practice is sufficient for ever and ever, amen? Or do you have some - any - doubts about how the Christian message relates to people in the 21st Century? Do you wonder what goes on in the ‘Thinking Allowed’ sessions on the first Thursday of each month, tucked away in Dale Lounge? We are a small group of individuals from the Church at Carrs Lane and other Christian communities who want to embrace our doubts, ask questions and search our new understanding of familiar teachings. We look for frank and open discussion in a place where ideas can be explored without fear of judgement or reproof. We use material from both inside and outside the Christian canon in an attempt to follow the way of Jesus, with love and compassion for all as the bedrock of the journey, but with a breadth that is relevant to the world in which we now live. We give each other permission to think anything, and to express our thoughts. Carrs Lane Thinking Allowed Group is the name we have chosen for our discussion group. Several other phrases would have done just as well: ‘All are welcome’ or ‘In defence of Doubt’. This latter is the title of a book by Australian theologian, Val Webb which we read and talked about earlier in the year. In summary, this book posited the idea that, without doubting (and the thinking that it invoked) we would still believe that we live on a flat earth; that the sun goes round the earth and all sickness is inflicted by evil spirits and demons. Doubts come when what we experience does not fit with what we are taught to believe. For most of Christian history, doubt has been presented as the opposite of faith and belief, as authoritative truths that cannot be questioned have silenced doubters, convincing them to blame themselves for their ‘unbelief’. Doubting is seen as a failing, rather than a blessing, rich in opportunity. We need to pay attention to our doubts, rather than shamefully hiding them and squeezing our feet into someone else's certainty. They are positive nudges pushing us to question, rather than leave our minds at the door. In the context of the 2015 theme: ‘With or without God?’ we have asked who or what is God? We have pondered, with Neil Riches’ help, what difference God makes? With Neil Johnson, we considered whether we could become a fellowship hospitable to doubt, being faithful to the great traditions of theological debate and rising to the intellectual rigour that would demand. What would it take to become a congregation that would welcome doubters? We think of ourselves as searchers, travelling together in our spiritual quest. We are all on a journey from the moment we are born, or even before. The journey has brought us all to this minute now and made us who we are, warts and all. Where it

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will take us we’re glad to say we have no idea. We do not expect to find conclusive answers to our questioning and doubts but we do have a shared feeling of great thankfulness that we can express our doubts, question others’ orthodoxy, share our vulnerability in this warm, supportive group. So, in all humility we share and ponder ideas and thoughts that may be – often are – somewhat different from the expected, face value statements meted out to be unquestioningly accepted. Some would view us as the awkward squad! You may agree. In our July session, we questioned whether the church would give hospitality to our thinking. Could doubting go public? We are ready to challenge the church to hear us; we are asking to be listened to, to be included. We ask for doubts and questions to be heard; we want to be included as part of church life. We ask that this right is extended to anybody who walks through our doors, in a totally unconditional and non-judgemental way, reflective of the man who, 2,000 years ago, showed us how to live. So, let's eat together as often as possible; let’s learn to listen, which is not the same as hearing. Listening is an activity, it involves skill and, as such, needs practice! Let’s recognise explicitly the context of the words we use in worship, by introducing hymns with detailed accounts of their origins, and exploring biblical texts as metaphor and poetry. Let’s challenge the received literalistic wisdoms and open ourselves to greater possibilities. Let’s help each other to find life in all its fullness…as Jack Spong says, the Christian Church must always be a 'Come as you are' party! And we are: Gill Barfield; Michael Carr; Pat Davies; David Lambourn; Robin Powney; Joan White and Julie Grove -------

PS After a subsequent conversation between us, Joan and Julie want to add that we are grateful for the openness already evidenced here in the understanding we experience and the support given to the Lectures every year, even by those of you who don’t share our theological perspective…thank you!

Thinking Allowed

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A Verse to Religion

The way we construct Christianity

Can drive anyone to insanity.

Instead of hierarchies

And other malarkies,

Let’s find the divine in humanity.

When discord and strife are reported

And peaceful existence is thwarted

The Quran and the Bible

Can both become tribal

And weapons of war when distorted.

Competing religions aren’t needed,

With statements dogmatic and creeded.

Life’s too short a smidgeon

To spend on religion;

‘Love your neighbour’

must always be heeded.

Chris Avis

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An Open Letter to all the Churches from the Chief Executive Dear Friends

raidcraft has placed editorial in the July editions of the church press with a simple message – we’re telling the Church and the wider community that we urgently

need help. We need your help because the world's poorest small-scale farmers, struggling to feed and support their families, need our help. Sound like a familiar plea? It should. It's the same message as when we first started our mission over 35 years ago – to practically apply the love and justice which lies at the heart of Christian faith to international trade, and so give the world's poorest farmers the opportunity to trade fairly and thrive. Given we’re about to publish our accounts which show a trading loss for the fourth consecutive year, we are taking the unprecedented step of trying to communicate directly with Church leaders and members, to try and reinforce the work that we and our supporters have been battling to do. There are two general misconceptions. The first is that the Fairtrade battle is won. Chocolate, tea, coffee and many more products with the now familiar Fairtrade Mark are stacked high on our supermarket shelves – something Traidcraft and our supporters can be proud to have helped bring about. However, it is a myth that the job is done. Unfortunately, injustice in trade and its resultant poverty is as much of a scandal now as it was 35 years ago, and right now we're still doing everything we can to tackle it directly. The second misconception is that Traidcraft and Fairtrade are the same. They are not. Traidcraft is an independent trading company, with a linked development charity. We do not benefit from the sales of Fairtrade products in the supermarkets. Traidcraft trades with and supports the most vulnerable farmers and artisans (who could not cope with the demands or scale required by big business or the supermarkets.) We pioneer to bring new commodities into the fair trade arena. Our linked development charity runs projects developing peoples’ potential to trade their own way out of poverty in their own countries; and we lobby big business and government for fundamental changes to the way trade works so that it benefits the poor. We believe this is the ‘best of fair trade’. But we urgently need help to keep doing it because, despite the growth of total Fairtrade sales, we've seen Traidcraft sales significantly decline. Why? People are

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buying Fairtrade products from the supermarket and not from Traidcraft or its supporters. This means our original pioneering mission is now under serious threat. Our plea is simple...

Ensure there's a Traidcraft Fair Trader in your church, offer them as much support as possible and buy Traidcraft products through them.

Don't just serve refreshments with the Fairtrade Mark on; make sure they’re from Traidcraft.

Watch out for our Autumn “Show you care” campaign and place whole church orders at Christmas time.

We hope our approach galvanises support. That’s really all we’re asking; for support. Together, we will continue to make trade fairer for the world's poorest producers who still desperately need our help. If you already have a Traidcraft Fair Trader in your church please speak to them to see how you can help. There’s more information about how to take action at www.traidcraft.co.uk/churchaction. Thank you for your ongoing love and support and please keep us, and those we strive to help, in your prayers.

Yours faithfully, Andy Biggs

Chief Executive Are you coming to the Traidcraft Roadshow here at Carrs Lane on Thursday 10 September? Catalogue launch is an exciting time and you will be able to see the new range of crafts and cards and get 10% discount when you order on the day. You will be able to taste new grocery products, watch a Ready Steady Cook demonstration using Traidcraft ingredients, hear about Traidcraft and Swaziland, and much more. Why not come along and bring a friend or two to this special opportunity?

Joan Davies

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Birmingham Heritage Week: 10-17 September

rom exhibitions and concerts to trails and talks, Birmingham’s first Heritage Week from 10 - 17 September will offer visitors and participants a fascinating insight

into the diversity of the city’s culture. A programme of events and activities will give everyone the chance to celebrate the city’s diverse heritage in an entertaining and enlightening way. The week will also celebrate significant anniversaries taking place this year, including the 300th Anniversary of Birmingham Cathedral. Throughout Birmingham Heritage Week, visitors will be able to explore venues that are rarely open to the public, enjoy open top bus heritage tours, take part in workshops and be involved in both the installation of a new blue plaque and the naming of a street after celebrated local residents. The wide range of events will appeal to people of all ages. Birmingham Heritage Week will coincide with this year’s Heritage Open Days from 10 – 13 September, the UK’s biggest heritage festival. The full range of activities will be published over the summer. Anyone wishing to contribute and get involved should contact the Culture Commissioning service at the city council: 0121 303 2434 or arts.team@birmingham.gov.uk , visit www.biminghamculture.org for further details.

Hall Green Churches set up Child Contact Centre

n England, Northern Ireland and Wales there are about 13.1m children under the age of 16 of which almost 1/4 are living in Single Parent Families; a family where

one parent is not biologically related or are being looked after by the Local Authority. In 2011 Churches Together in Hall Green decided to set-up a Child Contact Centre under the chairmanship of Clive Jones - the organist at The Church of the Ascension and himself a retired family lawyer. Since that time, the centre has gone from strength to strength and has brought together children with a 'non-resident parent' on nearly 2,300 occasions. We now have a second centre on the Chelmsley Wood estate near to Birmingham Airport. We charge no fees in the belief that many families enduring this phase of their lives have little disposable income, nor do we receive much funding from the 'public purse' Hall Green Child Contact Centre (HGCCC) provides Supported Contact for what is supposed to be low risk cases. Where there is a thought that the child could be in danger at a contact session or where there is a history of abuse Supervised Contact is called for. Such contact is delivered by centres employing professionally or vocationally qualified staff, which costs in the region of £1,000 for just 6 x 2 hours sessions. This can be paid for by the Family Court or by a parent. HGCCC have introduced a pioneering and unique scheme, whereby if Supervised Contact is required but is not happening due to the absence of funding we will pay the fees to enable contact to take place. This has been enabled by a grant of £5,000 from Yardley Great Trust towards the first years running costs expected to be in the region of £20,000. Further sources of finance are being sought.

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Holy Habits - Prayer

his is a personal reflection on prayer which the Birmingham Methodist Circuit is exploring from the middle of July to the end of September as the second in the series of Holy Habits.

A work colleague in my first job; a friend and local preacher, invited me to a prayer meeting every Friday evening. He described prayer as “waiting on the Lord”. I don’t think there is a simpler, more evocative, phrase to sum up what we do when we spend time in prayer. In it, there is reflection and activity, passivity and action, listening and responding. The word ‘wait’ is counter-cultural; as is so much of our discipleship. To wait is to pause and be still and expect something to happen. To be asked to wait is counter-cultural because we want everything to happen now, and we strive to fill our lives with purpose and action. Yet to wait is also to act with purpose, to bring good things to those who need them, to enable the celebratory feast to happen. To be asked to wait, though, is again counter-cultural because we all think that we should be at the table and the call to wait is to serve, to be available, to act in a way that puts others first. Many times Jesus is recorded as engaging with people through healing or teaching, followed by withdrawal into the desert or across the sea for prayer. The Gospels recognise that characters and relationships are as important in the stories as the actions, and above all, they tell us about the nature of Jesus. Jesus’s prayer is as important as the healing and parables, because it speaks about his relationship with the Father which forms the foundation and inspiration for all that he does. Prayer is waiting for a word, listening carefully, emptying ourselves, being patient, expecting something to happen. “Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me.” The waiting passive prayer leads inevitably to the waiting active serving prayer. There is a famous piece of spiritual writing from the seventeenth century called the “Practice of the Presence of God” about Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk. The basic theme of the book, and of his life is summed up in this short passage: "That he had always been governed by love, without selfish views; and that having resolved to make the love of God the end of all his actions, he had found reasons to be well satisfied with his method. That he was pleased when he could take up a straw from the ground for the love of God, seeking Him only, and nothing else, not even His gifts." "That in order to form a habit of conversing with God continually, and referring all we do to Him; we must at first apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty."

Sometimes what we do seems a long way from prayer yet we are called to offer all of our lives to God in prayerful service. And the experience of Christians throughout the ages is that time spent listening to God in prayer enables difficult situations to be

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worked through, the daily drudge to be enjoyed, and for each person to feel that a worthwhile contribution has been made. Recently the Church Times ran some pieces on church growth. There were boxes headed “my tips” from various people, including the Bishop of Willesden who concluded with “Pray, Pray, Pray, Pray. And Pray. Nothing will work unless it’s rooted in God and the life of the Spirit.” So as we explore our own prayer life and that of the Church, let us wait on the Lord with diligence and expectation, faith and hope, joy and love. Finally, the Bible Study in the Holy Habits material finishes with these suggestions:

If you are a good talker take 15 minutes every day for 7 days just to hear God.

If you are a listener take a few minutes each day simply to speak your heart to God.

Peter Woodall

Restore: supporting refugees and those seeking sanctuary Training - Restore’s training is offered to all those interested in becoming volunteer befrienders of asylum seekers and refugees and anyone wishing to gather further information on asylum and refugee issues. We will be hosting two training courses in the autumn: - Daytime course on Thursdays 17& 24 September & 1 October from 10am - 12pm - Evening course on Thursdays 8, 15 & 22 October from 7.15 - 9.15pm (venue still to be confirmed). Global News - As media coverage focuses on the flight of people across the Mediterranean and the Channel, may we draw attention to the following information released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in mid June: ‘Worldwide displacement hits an all-time high as war and persecution increase.’ The number of people forcibly displaced at the end of 2014 had risen to 59.5 million compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million a decade ago. Syria is the world’s biggest producer of both internally displaced people (7.6 million) and refugees (3.88 million at the end of 2014). Afghanistan (2.59 million) and Somalia (1.1 million) are the next biggest refugee source countries. Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iran are the world’s top refugee-hosting nations. In the EU the biggest volume of asylum applications in 2014 was in Germany (166,800) and Sweden (81,300). The figure for the UK including dependents was 31,400. “For an age of unprecedented mass displacement, we need an unprecedented humanitarian response and a renewed global commitment to tolerance and protection for people fleeing conflict and persecution.”

(UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres). For further information please contact – info@restore-uk.org or 0121 236 0069

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Commitment for Life (from Moving Stories 184) Transcending the challenges of business in Palestine

he unique and challenging situation in Palestine has given birth to a ground breaking solution. A new approach transcends the separation wall, which makes

physical exports difficult, and is bringing jobs, skills and hope. Unemployment in the Bethlehem area is the highest in the West Bank. Tourism is vulnerable to the political situation and olive oil and agriculture have been hit by land take. Movement restrictions increase transport costs and leave products vulnerable to damage or deterioration as a result of security checks and delays. However, education standards are high with excellent universities. And there are strong language skills, with schools in the area offering education in a variety of European languages. In February 2005, Jerry Marshall (now CEO of the Arthur Rank Centre), Nader Abu Amsha (we have told the story of Nader and his work within the YMCA many times) and several others came together in Bethlehem to explore ideas to create “robust jobs”, jobs that would survive even in the most challenging political situation. The Big Hairy Audacious Goal that emerged was to establish a world class contact centre and create a whole new sector in the Palestinian economy. This would have the potential to offer a substantial number of jobs, exports unimpeded by border security and skills in customer interaction. Furthermore, it was recognised that as staff move to other companies they would bring with them their improved language and customer care skills. After several unsuccessful attempts, the vision finally came to fruition when Jerry and two Christian business friends (a Palestinian and an American) formed a partnership, investing their own funds. Transcend Support (www.transcendsupport.com) was formed in 2011, and a modern 80 workstation centre was built with fibre optic Internet connectivity. The first agents were recruited and trained in April 2012. The first year was very tough: generating sales and gaining credibility to find international customers took time and the business had very limited capital. “We were running out of money and it was a miracle that we managed to attract a minority share Venture Capital investment, giving us the capital to expand,” said Jerry. Today, Transcend has an all-graduate team offering bi-lingual English / Arabic services, such technical support, telesales and research, to companies in the Palestine, Israel, the wider Middle East, Europe and USA. Most recently, Transcend has extended into software development for a US client. In 2014, sales grew over 60%, and the company is negotiating to acquire a 300 workstation premises.

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Transcend provides jobs, skills, exports and links across the political divide. The directors are modelling a company with gender equality (the CEO and half the staff are female), integrity and high staff care standards. Some of the early recruits have developed rapidly with the company. One of the first was Mowahad Daras, who explained: "When I first graduated, I wasn't sure I will ever find a job in which I could grow and excel. Yet in Transcend, I was able to grow very fast from a customer care representative to a team leader, working with local and international clients". “It was a white knuckle ride,” said Jerry. “But there was a strong sense of God’s grace and direction. It has been enormously fulfilling, and a great privilege to work with such a vibrant, dynamic and entrepreneurial people.”© Jerry Marshall (may be reproduced with credit)

Concerns from B’Tselem

Christian Aid, Israeli partner B'Tselem is very concerned about free speech for organisations opposing the occupation in Israel. In June, the UN released its 2014 Gaza Conflict report which cited figures and findings by B'Tselem more times than those of any other non-governmental organisation. A few hours later, at a plenary session of the Knesset, Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett publicly denounced those citations.

It looks as if there will be an advancement in legislation that would put restrictions on B'Tselem, and other organisations, from continuing to document and expose human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory. This would be through imposing severe financial constraints

B'Tselem's extensive and meticulous documentation and research is vital and often quoted by governments, academics and journalists. B’Tselem say they will continue to champion human rights for all.

Picasso of Palestine Thirteen-year-old Mohammed Quraiqe has gained notoriety as the “Picasso of Palestine” for his portraits and landscapes. A resident of the Shujaiya, the area hardest hit by Israel during its summer 2014 offensive against Gaza, Quraiqe often reflects images of war and suffering in his work. Quraiqe’s work has been exhibited in several countries, such as Turkey, Iran, and Tunisia. Despite the blockade, he was able to travel to Tunis over the summer for an exhibition of his work. His work was also exhibited in Gaza City in December. To see examples http://blog.palestine-studies.org/2015/02/01/picasso-of-palestine/ Contributed by Wendy Firmin

Please send your contribution for next month’s Journey to the Editor, Mrs. Pat Davies, The Church @ Carrs Lane, Carrs Lane, Birmingham, B4 7SX

or by email to office@carrslane.co.uk.

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On This Day … From the Chronicle of the London Missionary Society September 1915 An analysis of the world situation in the second year of the war The Hope of the World – and the Horror The Chastisement of Peace The men at their long stern watch on the North Sea and the men in the trenches of Flanders and Gallipoli are today, in a profound and awful sense, bearing “the chastisement of our Peace.” As really as though they stood at guard on our very doorsteps they are living and dying in our defence to give us the protected peace in which we live. For our peace they have accepted wounds and privation, hardships and the agony. In all reverence, then, we repeat “The chastisement of our peace is upon them.” They and we are involved in a cause the ultimate issues of which cover the whole world and stretch forward into eternity. And in that cause the men whom we know have, as a matter of simple, historic fact, enlisted not for pay nor to gain territory or trade for Britain, but under the spur of a great deal of freedom and justice, humanity and honour. The profound conviction under which they are giving their lives is that they are fighting to secure and establish a righteous and everlasting peace. They and we say, “This is the war that will end war.” The Chastisement of War In a deeper and more wonderful sense the chastisement of our war is upon Him whom Europe is today crucifying afresh; upon Him who sees as none else sees the mingled hate and greed and sacrificial love and vicarious sufferings of our battlefields and of our bereaved homes. We are at one another’s throats nearly nineteen centuries after He died that we might all be drawn to Him and might learn to love one another. We long for peace to “break out” – peace aggressive and militant, the peace of the missionary God, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. For His sake and for our men’s sake, then, “This must be the war that will end war.” Any other conclusion is intolerable. But how? The answer comes – bugle-clear out of the heart of the world situation itself. For even as, with set lips and a gleam of hope in our eyes, we bend our energies to a second year of war, whispering encouragingly, “This is the war that will end war”, we pick up our Peking newspapers and see under the strange headline, “The Salvation Fund”, that the leadership of China and its student life is pouring free- will offerings into a fund to uphold the government and strengthen its armaments. For China looks upon the new treaty with Japan as a deep humiliation. That fund the Chinese call the Salvation Fund. The Menace of the Facts We need not elaborate the menace of the facts that underlie the situation. If China with her incalculably great resources of men and metals wills to mobilise them in order to command the Pacific – perhaps the world – while Britain is the ally of Japan, and Germany, Russia and America are all involved on one side or the other, we are faced (it may be in a decade or so) by a hideous welter of international slaughter with its centre in the Pacific and its circumference everywhere – a war on a scale that will dwarf even this war. “This is the war that will end war,” we say. The answer rolls back: “You cannot make a final peace without Asia.”

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From the Carrs Lane Journal September 1965 Now, if you are watching or participating in a quiz and a question comes up about cordwainers, you will be able to answer it! Plus a comment on the survival of the Guild system and inspiring standards of craftsmanship and trading… The Guild of Cordwainers (by J.E. Payne) Since my installation in June this year as Master of the Guild of Cordwainers, many people have asked for further information what it is all about and so forth. A Cordwainer, in this country, is a man or woman who is in any way loosely connected with the use of leather, be it in tanning, merchanting, shoe-manufacturing, distributing, repairing, and members of the Trade Press, who have dedicated (and I quote from the order of service) “the work of our hands so that the mysteries of our craft shall be worthily practised and maintained by us. Further, we of the Guild of Cordwainers acknowledge ourselves bound in special honour to good craftsmanship and faithful dealings, so that we profit not by another’s loss, but, by our labour gain at once our own living and our neighbour’s goodwill.” The name Cordwainer originates form a town in Spain, Cordova, and according to records, a peculiarly suitable skin was produced from native goats for the making of boots and gloves. The workers of this material became known as Cordovaners, Cordonniers in France and Cordwainers in England. Watford, in his History of Guilds, dated 1888, lists 15 Guilds and places the Cordwainers third in order of precedence, thus showing the early origin of this Guild. Records in the National Library of Wales establish beyond all doubt the antiquity of the Welsh Guild, and show that a grant of privileges was given to the Corvisors of Brecon in 1625. Bristol has also established the antiquity of that city’s Cordwainers’ Guild. There were also among others the Cordiners of Edinburgh, for long the most flourishing incorporation of Portsburgh. In the Guilds there were no social barriers, the wares were of good standard or quality, while the principle of just wages was held as universally as just prices. Those of us who believe that all good craftsmanship is beautiful and much that is worthless is produced today because industry has lost its one-time religious association, are trying to recover again the ideals that inspired the craftsmen of bygone days, to once more bring together industry and religion, and realise the satisfaction that comes when excellence of craftsmanship has created a thing of beauty, whether it be a chair or a poem, a symphony or a shoe. To be honest I can’t think why I should be chosen to hold the office of Master and in my “oration to the Trade” I could only liken the experience to other great moments in my life such as getting married and my conscientious objection to war, come what may, in 1939. The credit is undoubtedly due to my firm or the unswerving policy which we have always endeavoured to follow.

contributed by Wendy Firmin

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Responding to the Lord's Prayer

ry using the Lord's prayer as an agenda, rather than a complete prayer in itself

Our father in heaven - we bless you and thank you for watching over us

Hallowed be your name – yes your name is holy, almost too holy for us to utter. Help

us to come closer to you as we pray to you and with you.

Your kingdom come, we pray your kingdom will come. Please give us enough faith to

trust in you as we do our bit to bring it closer

Your will be done, on earth as in heaven – Lord this is so difficult – it does not seem

to be in our nature to trust that we will allow your will, rather than our will.

Give us today our daily bread – Lord, we are so fortunate to have so much, even far

too much of all that we need. Please make us aware of so many who have little or

nothing, that we may take care of the earth's resources and also give generously to

help those in need.

Forgive us our sins – especially when we pretend we have done nothing wrong –

and that is often the trouble – we did nothing, when a kind word, a smile of

appreciation, a helping hand – would have meant so much to a friend or stranger

As we forgive those who sin against us – or as we should forgive others – we are so

quick to judge and slow to forgive – so easily annoyed – so impatient and lacking in

understanding.

Save us from the time of trial - this is hard Lord. I'm not sure what it means – you

spent 40 days in the desert, facing all sorts of trials and temptations. You asked us to

follow you, but you said it would be a narrow and difficult road. So I pray that you will

help me through the trails that I am bound to face

And deliver us from evil – Lord, we seem to be

surrounded by evil in our world, so please give me

strength to resist all evil and also help to me to see

where I can work to overcome evils in this world

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours

– help me Lord not just to say this but to truly

believe it that I may praise your name and give

thanks for all that you are to me

Now and forever

Amen

Contributed by Andrew Veitch

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The Harvest of the City

The harvest of the city we lift to you today, who call us all to celebrate, to labour and to play. You only are the maker in all we make and do, you share with us the labour, you share the music too. Holy is the maker who lives in all we do and holy is the liberty to be a maker too. We share with you the river, we share with you the road, the driving of the lorry and the lifting of the load. We share with you the timber, we share with you the steel, the lifting of the hammer, the turning of the wheel …. By Sydney Carter © Stainer and Bell Suggested Tune: We plough the fields and scatter.

Answers to Summer 2015 Quiz 1. Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27.15) 2. Shiphra and Puah (Exodus 1. 15) (midwives who spared Hebrew boys) 3. Sarai, Sarah (Genesis 17.15) 4. Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 16.15) 5. Issachar (Genesis 49.15) [predicts is a char med] 6. Benjamin (Genesis 42.15) [a mean jibe, man] 7. Joseph (Genesis 39.15) [hopes just] 8. Cain (Genesis 4.15) [in case] 9. Eden (Genesis 2.15) [need] 10. Noah (Genesis 7.15) [no – have] 11. Rebekah (Genesis 24.15) [he break] 12. Lot (Genesis 19.15) [told] 13. Bethel (Genesis 35.15) [the belief] 14. Laban (Genesis 29.15) [universal ban] 15. Moses (Exodus 2.15) [some son]

2.1. 1215 (Magna Carta signed on 15 June by the king) 2.2. 1415 (Agincourt) 2.3. 1715 (Jacobite rebellion) 2.4. 1715 (Louis XV succeeds Louis XIV) 2.5. 1515 (Birth of Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII) 2.6. 1815 (Waterloo!) 2.7. 1815, July 15th (Surrender of Napoleon) 2.8. 1815 (Birth of Bismarck; film: Sink the Bismarck!) 2.9. 1915 (Gallipoli) [Gallipoli li] 2.10. 15th [Ides of] March, 44BC (Assassination of Julius Caesar) 2.11. 15th August (Assumption of the Virgin Mary) 2.12. 1115 (Bernard becomes abbot of Clairvaux) 2.13. Uranus (UR A SUN) has 15 times the mass of the earth 2.14. A rugby side has 15 players 2.15. Omicron is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, final letter omega

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Open here in the city at

The Church at Carrs Lane Tuesday to Saturday 10.30am - 2.30pm

and after morning worship on first and third Sundays Visit us for your Fair Trade needs

- Traidcraft foods, gifts and much else - 0121 643 6151 fair-trade@carrslane.co.uk

www.carrslane.co.uk

Room Hire at Carrs Lane

Carrs Lane Conference Centre Ltd is in Birmingham city centre and within a few minutes walk of New Street and Moor Street train stations and the National Express coach station. Public car parking and bus stops are also nearby. The Conference Rooms on offer are of several sizes and situated on three floors. We can support most types of events. Rooms can accommodate from 6 up to 350 delegates. You will find that our prices are very competitive. Our staff will be pleased to discuss ideas for your event with you and advise on the suitability of our facilities. Hot and cold drinks can be supplied in the meeting rooms as often as required. Buffet meals can be pre-ordered. These range from a simple sandwich menu to a full buffet Full details and prices are available on our website, www.carrslane.co.uk., or you may call the conference team on 0121 643 6151 if you have any questions or email booking@carrslane.co.uk.

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The Church at Carrs Lane Regular Activities

SUNDAYS

Morning Worship Every Sunday at 10.30am with Holy Communion on the first Sunday of the month

Children’s Church Second Sunday at 2.30pm

Radical Worship Fourth Sunday at 6.00pm

First Sunday Lunch First Sunday each month at 12.30pm

Church Meeting Second Sunday at 12 noon

Singing Group Third Sunday 9.45 – 10.15am

WEEK DAYS

Carrs Lane Lived Community meet for Prayers - Monday to Friday 7.30am and 7.00pm, all are welcome to join them

Lunchtime Healing Service Every Wednesday 1.15pm

Prayer Group First Wednesday at 7.00 pm

Thinking Allowed First Thursday at 10.15 am

Harborne House Group Fourth Tuesdays 2.00pm (various locations)

Central House Group at Carrs Lane Third Wednesdays at 6.30pm

Coffee Drop-in Fridays from 10.30am-12.00pm

Carrs Lane Choir Practice Fridays at 7.00pm

Carrs Lane Players (drama group) Fridays at 7.45 pm

Charity Knitting Circle First Tuesday 10.00 am - 1.00 pm

Carrs Lane Walking Group usually meets monthly, see notice board

Fair Trade Shop First and Third Sunday after morning worship and Tuesday - Saturday 10.30 am - 2.30 pm

Counselling Centre Monday - Friday 11.00 am - 1.30 pm and Monday to Wednesday evenings 7.00 - 9.00 pm

Contact details for The Church at Carrs Lane

Carrs Lane, Birmingham, B4 7SX Telephone 0121 643 6151

Fax 0121 631 2118 www.carrslane.co.uk