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Link Letter |
Dear Friends
‘A friend was in front of me coming out of church as the vicar was standing as always to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The vicar said to him, ‘You need to be in the army of the Lord!’ My friend replied, ‘I’m already in the army of the Lord, vicar.’ The vicar questioned, ‘How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter then?’ He whispered back, ‘I’m in the secret service.’
Ha ha, well of course this didn’t happen it’s just a story!! But not far from reality very often! Sometimes we need to think through how our Christian faith affects our life during the week!
 As the football season has started (I know ‘did it ever finish?!’) here is a quote from Arsène Wenger the manager of Arsenal ‘When you go to church on Sunday, the priest says that you have to be generous and respectful, but real life starts when people come out of church.’ He then went on to make an analogy with attitudes pre-season (in church?) and during the season (out of church?).
With all due respect to Mr Wenger (which is hard for me because I don’t support Arsenal, but then as a Christian maybe ….?), if it is part of Christian faith to be generous and respectful surely it applies most of all when we are ‘out of church’ and in the ‘real’ world. Can there really be a secret service department of the Christian faith? If Christ said ‘love your enemies’ maybe that’s what he expects us to try to do!? This is quite difficult isn’t it? But let’s not give up before we start. We are intended to have ‘the mind of Christ’ (read 1 Corinthians 2 v10-16, and Philippians 2v 5-11). This means using our minds to consider carefully (remember those words from Haggai 1v5, v7?) what we hear and read from the Bible and apply it in everyday situations. It also means that we have the opportunity to act in a similar way to Christ.
Mr Wenger has another problem. If he came to St James during the next 4 months he would not actually go to church on a Sunday. At present there is a big hole in our church and we worship in the hall instead. Of course by ‘church’ we understand it is not the building.
It is the people which make up a spiritual building, or a household of faith. It is also what we do together that makes up the experience of church. So we pray, worship and grapple with scripture together. We go away and think it through and act, with God’s help, to make a difference.
Let’s reflect on our experience of being ‘out of church’ and put our faith into practice in the real world, which includes to my mind (and Christ’s) Sundays and everyday.
Phil
P.S. It’s been a while since anyone wrote a story of from your experience. How about writing something about when being a Christian made a difference ‘out of church’?
Phil |
Prayer topics from Charles and Lynn |
Thank you again very much for continuing to pray for us, our family and for those we try and help with the Bible and Gospel. Our great news is that our daughter Susan is visiting us with Karen, her school teacher friend from the same school in Switzerland. Sadly Susan’s husband Emmanuel was not able to come, as he can not get enough time off work at one time to be able to do so. However Susan and we were able to talk to him a few times free of charge on Skype. Most of the time we have had good warm weather for their visit, even though it is July which is the equivalent of January in the northern hemisphere. So Lynn has come out for a few walks, and has left the city for the first time since she became ill, to see 2 beauty spots in the mountains just out side the city. Blas, Liliana’s husband, drove us all on this occasion, which Lynn managed without too much problems. Then we persuaded Lynn to come with us on a much longer trip along a beautiful gorge where many tourists go. This time Lynn several times said ‘never again’. However she walked quite a bit in the hot sun, and I think it did her a lot of good. So we are now planning to get Lynn out more, which I think will help her.
Thank you for praying for the first young people’s camp held in Juarez, during the winter holidays in July. Church leader Ricardo from Yema brought 4 young people from Yema, and a son of Lazaro came from Chiriguanos. Several young people also came from the churches in Salta and Tucuman. Please pray for the Lord’s continued blessing on the young people’s work in the diocese, and that He may call some of them to continue to minister the Word and Gospel, in the years to come. |
Church Wardens Chat |
The outstanding event so far has been preparation for our heating alterations. It was all hands on deck after morning service on August 10th and in an hour the church was more or less cleared and the Communion Table set up in the hall. Thank you all for responding so valiantly to Phil’s call for help.
It will be interesting to see how we all manage in the hall, but aren’t we fortunate to have it? Getting the chairs out and arranged will take some organising and we should have the sound equipment up and running. If anyone has difficulty hearing, might it be a good idea for them to sit near the front? The first Sunday will be an exciting experiment. The church is empty now with plastic sheeting sealing off the chancel and when I popped in most of the wood blocks had been taken up.
 Just another little story from Texas - Do you remember Phil’s sermon on mission? It reminded me that as we were approaching the door to leave our daughter’s church we saw
a notice on the lintel
which said :
It impressed me.
Have you heard the one about an island monastery where the monks were always gossiping and criticizing one another; they even talked about the abbot behind his back. One day the abbot announced he was going to the mainland to become more Christlike but he would return. Six months later two monks sitting on the beach noticed a man walking on the water. “Oh, look it’s the abbot” they said, “He hasn’t changed – he’s still too mean to pay for the ferry”. God bless, Margaret |
World Church News |
ZIMBABWE A Zimbabwean pastor has been tortured by state militias and ‘war veterans’ and his church in Bulawayo forcibly closed. It had been sheltering many victims of political violence who had fled their homes. In a situation of increasing violence and hunger, Christians leaders in Zimbabwe have warned that the situation is deteriorating into genocide. Even a Mothers Union meeting was attacked by riot police on 19th April and 3,200 women who had gathered to pray and sing were forcibly dispersed. Pray for an end to the oppression in Zimbabwe and for a just and righteous government who will care for the people’s needs.
SUDAN “The task is very big and we are called to have hearts to lift up the broken. writes the Christian team who organise food distribution for Christians in Darfur, supported by Barnabas Fund. Because of the lack of security, no one dares to try to grow crops. Food is scare and prices are increasing. Pray that Darfur Christians may nevertheless know the joy of the Lord and that this will be a powerful witness.
CHINA Pray for the 46 members of a Chinese house church in the Xinjiang region who were arrested while holding a Bible class and worshipping on 13 April. Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials broke into the home, arresting everyone present. All but two were released on bail after their family members paid 50yuan to the PSB. The Christians were asked to confess their illegal Sunday worship activities and study the government’s handbook on religious policy. They were released on condition that they learn the religious policy by heart and return in one week to recite it to the PSB.
IRAQ The situation for Iraqi Christians remains critical. Such countries as Syria and Jordan struggle to provide for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christian refugees who are now living without any real expectation of returning to Iraq in the near future. Pray that they will not despair but will find strength in the Lord and hope for the future. Pray too for those trying to help them |
News Desk |
Our Magazine frontispiece on paper shows children returning to school after the summer holidays – something we take for granted. Pray for those for whom this will be very difficult. Education gives children possibilities – a route out of poverty, the knowledge to protect themselves from disease, a better chance of employment and a promising future.
“Imagine Yorkshire without it’s heritage ...without it’s churches” runs the introdution to this year’s leaflet about supporting the “Ride and Stride” day on September 13th. The idea is to be sponsored to visit as many churches as possible on that day. It’s not a race and you can travel on foot, horseback, bycycle or car.Half the funds raised go to Yorkshire historic chuches Trust for grant aiding Churches and Chapels, the other half goes to a church or chapel of your choice. Chris and Aprille Case have more information and sponsor forms. Our Church Hall will have to count for the visitors this year!
We shall be worshipping in the hall, with all the usual services, until the work on the church floor is completed. It would be a great reward for our faith if we prayed for, and invited, more people to join St. James’ church in this period so when we go back inside there will be even more of us!
This time last year Filey and Hull residents were still struggling with the aftermath of floods. Mothers’ Union members from around the world contributed to the relief fund. After giving grants to various people the balance of the money was used to buy ten survival kits to be used by the International Rescue Corps for future flood rescue work. A big Thank You to all who contributed.
Buying the Big Issue helps people who are homeless or vulerably housed or in need of earning an income to help themselves. They register with “The Big Issue In The North” who give advice, build up self esteem. confidence and motivation and secure an aurthorised pitch. Vendors have to buy the Big Issue magazine for 70pence and sell it for £1.50. They make 80pence profit. Would Jesus buy a copy? |
Wydale Hall |
There is a creative Writing Retreat from September 24th to 25th. Details on the notice board in the Hall. |
This month’s prayer |
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer you are manifest in the variety and unity of nature: teach us to respond in joyful obedience. Amen |
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Our theme for 2008 is "Time for Relationships"
Corporate Communion:
9.30am. Wednesday 5th March
10.30am. Sunday 23rd March |
It seems ages since we had a Branch Meeting in the upper room. That is what we are doing this month! It will be on our usual meeting day, second Thursday in the month, 9th September at 1:30 p.m. Mrs Jan Brittain will be speaking to us on our ‘relationships’ theme - that of relationship with children in day school. She hasn’t always been our Arts Centre administrator! A warm welcome to you all.
September is also the month when we show our particular concern for the people being served by Domestic Abuse Services (D.A.S.)as we provide grocery items such as UHT milk, tea (80 bag size), coffee (small jar), sugar, biscuits, cereals, pasta sauces, meals in a tin and Cup Soups, for the store cupboard. Not that they stay in store long; they are soon used up when families arrive with nothing. I know you will show your usual generosity. With Love
Margaret
Failure isn’t falling down. Failure is not getting up after you have fallen down (Richard Nixon
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