editor

August 2010

I am sure those who watched the programme on Haiti would have been concerned that most of the aid promised from the major agencies has not got there mainly because of Government red tape. It has been my experience that often raising the donations is much easier than the business of transporting or transferring the aid to the right place and to the right people in need, which is why I have always taken the principle to look after that side with great diligence , aiming support to areas that the major agencies do not reach… small communities off the main routes and build very direct links with that local community often using trusted partner charities to ensure sustainable follow up support and communication..

We have planned support with our partner organisation in Walsall to provide cataract camps in the hills of northern Pakistan in October and in Walsall provide the usual free meal at sunset at St pauls probably on 10th September where Christians will join our Muslim friends to give out an outdoor meal to those invited disadvantaged in Walsall.

Other projects will involve a health project in Malawi  and more water wells with seed provision in Niger… that project has been very successful in an area currently nearly in famine conditions..

I have been a bit busy with my daughter’s wedding this month which did go well. It is to me magical when two people make those vows before God and two families also come together...sadly the numbers marrying is falling…

However we must as a church outreach to especially those young  people who unfortunately see religion ( and politics!) as not relevant to their future. I hope at Blakenall we can be guided to find a successful way to attract this part of the community

we celebrate 40 years this year… maybe the secret is always to have the last word…’yes dear’             I hope we all enjoy the summer break.

Regards

Ian

Editor… links to web sites and newsletters are as follows

 http://www.stone-home.demon.co.uk/

http://blakenallurc.blogspot.com/

http://findinggod.co.uk/

August notices

Notices August  2010

Pulpit Arrangements     Services start at 11.0 am

Sunday  1st August                      Ges Murray

Sunday   8th August                  Ges Murray

Sunday    15th August  Cynthia Dunn

Sunday    22nd August Ges Murray  

Sunday 29th August Rev Franziska Herring Communion

You will be most welcome to join us.

Porch and Offertory  

    Bernard and Audrey Wright

Elder Duty

 Ms Wayde Taylor  

 

Communion Servers 

 Kath Phillips and Jean Harper

Coffee Rota  

 1st August Cynth Murray

8th August Sheila Wooten and Doreen Boucher

15th August Ray and Chris Moorhouse

22nd August Lilian Mason

29th August Kath Phillips

August newsletter

Notices August  2010

Pulpit Arrangements     Services start at 11.0 am

Sunday  1st August                      Ges Murray

Sunday   8th August                  Ges Murray

Sunday    15th August  Cynthia Dunn

Sunday    22nd August Ges Murray  

Sunday 29th August Rev Franziska Herring Communion

You will be most welcome to join us.

Porch and Offertory  

    Bernard and Audrey Wright

Elder Duty

 Ms Wayde Taylor  

 

Communion Servers 

 Kath Phillips and Jean Harper

Coffee Rota  

 1st August Cynth Murray

8th August Sheila Wooten and Doreen Boucher

15th August Ray and Chris Moorhouse

22nd August Lilian Mason

29th August Kath Phillips

  August 2010

I am sure those who watched the programme on Haiti would have been concerned that most of the aid promised from the major agencies has not got there mainly because of Government red tape. It has been my experience that often raising the donations is much easier than the business of transporting or transferring the aid to the right place and to the right people in need, which is why I have always taken the principle to look after that side with great diligence , aiming support to areas that the major agencies do not reach… small communities off the main routes and build very direct links with that local community often using trusted partner charities to ensure sustainable follow up support and communication..

We have planned support with our partner organisation in Walsall to provide cataract camps in the hills of northern Pakistan in October and in Walsall provide the usual free meal at sunset at St pauls probably on 10th September where Christians will join our Muslim friends to give out an outdoor meal to those invited disadvantaged in Walsall.

Other projects will involve a health project in Malawi  and more water wells with seed provision in Niger… that project has been very successful in an area currently nearly in famine conditions..

I have been a bit busy with my daughter’s wedding this month which did go well. It is to me magical when two people make those vows before God and two families also come together...sadly the numbers marrying is falling…

However we must as a church outreach to especially those young  people who unfortunately see religion ( and politics!) as not relevant to their future. I hope at Blakenall we can be guided to find a successful way to attract this part of the community

we celebrate 40 years this year… maybe the secret is always to have the last word…’yes dear’             I hope we all enjoy the summer break.

Regards

Ian

Editor… links to web sites and newsletters are as follows

 http://www.stone-home.demon.co.uk/

http://blakenallurc.blogspot.com/

http://findinggod.co.uk/

Reacting to Disasters

Whenever there is a disaster in the world, we find ourselves both troubled by the suffering and loss of life involved and by the questions asked about why God allows such things to happen.

There are no ‘easy’ answers, as Job was to discover as he struggled with the catastrophes that overtook him and his family. Of course his friends were convinced that he was being deliberately punished by God. But their         understanding was discredited by God himself, who declared they had “not spoken of me what is right” (Job 42:7).

Many years later, the Lord Jesus Christ was asked about the massacre of Galileans in Jerusalem by Roman soldiers. The case of the Tower of Siloam, also in Jerusalem, was also fresh in their minds. It had collapsed and killed eighteen people. Jesus asks the rhetorical question: “Do you think that [the people who suffered] were worse sinners than all other men?” He provides the answer: “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise        perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

 Other Dates for your August diary  

Monday 9^th August        11am                      Coffee Morning

Monday 23^rd August 11am                     Coffee Morning

For those of you who wish to have a go at the internet!!!

Updated news on

blakenallurc.blogspot.com

  You can also leave comments there.

Broadway has a web site at

www.stone-home.demon.co.uk

Brownie meetings  

Thursday evening 6pm to 7.30pm

Girls between ages of 7 to 10 years

For details please ring Fiona 01922 685063

Or Yvonne on 01922 682078

Brownies is the only uniformed organisation to meet  on Thursdays..

This month the Church will be praying  especially for the people who live in the  following streets :

 Woodhall House and Woodhall Street : Church Street : Church View Close : Usk Close

July news

Other Dates for your July diary

July 1st Elders Meeting 7.30pm
2nd to 5th July General Assembly of the URC
6th July Glebe Service 1.30pm
12th Coffee Morning 11am
15th Church meeting 2pm
18th CTBB songs of praise St Chads 6.30pm
19th Area meeting Langley green 7.30pm
26th Coffee morning 11 am
31st Diana’s Farewell Service at Broadway 3pm.

Brownie meetings
Thursday evening 6pm to 7.30pm
Girls between ages of 7 to 10 years
For details please ring Fiona 01922 685063
Or Yvonne on 01922 682078
Brownies is the only uniformed organisation to meet on Thursdays..
This month the Church will be praying especially for the people who live in the following streets :

Chapel Str, Smithfield Rd, St Clements Ave, Well Lane, Lichfield Rd.

july news continued

Dear Friends,
How strange it seems to be writing my last newsletter to you after thirteen years! Earlier this month I attended Minister’s Summer School – an annual conference for URC ministers from the West Midlands Synod – and was encouraged by the enthusiasm I was hearing from the ministers. We were asked to think about some of the things that we really value about the United Reformed Church and the thoughts were flowing! I wanted to share some of them with you to remind you of the great heritage which we share in our reformed denomination.
We believe in a Trinitarian God - Creator, Saviour and Holy Spirit.
We are an inclusive church, which welcomes a rich diversity of people.
The Lord’s Supper, in the URC, is open to anyone who is a friend of Jesus and wants to know him more.
The authority of our church is the Bible, discerned under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We are committed to ecumenism. (That churches of different denominations should join together to do God’s work).
The “governance” of our church is based on the authority of the church meeting guided by the Holy Spirit. Every Church Member has a voice in the decision making of the Church.
We believe in the “priesthood of all believers” and that we are all called to various ministries – whether you are a listener, a flower arranger, an elder, an administrator, a treasurer, a minister, a singer, a welcomer or all the other jobs that are done in our church – that is your ministry.
We are a church which is committed to challenging injustice in the world and working for peace.
We have a history of encouraging education for both children and adults. (The TLS course is recognised by other denominations as being an excellent course.)
We are a church which values equality. (For instance – our stipendiary ministers all receive the same stipend, whether they are a moderator or a local minister).
Elders in the URC are ordained to their special ministry.
Lay preachers in the URC are recognised as a hugely valuable resource.
We are a part of the Reformed tradition of churches around the world. ( We sometimes forget that the Reformed Church is bigger that the Anglican Church world-wide!)
We value the traditions which make up our church – Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Churches of Christ.
……………………………………………………..continued...

July news

Editor’s July 2010
As a director of Comex with a long association with the Glebe centre it is pleasing that at the moment the centre is doing well.. The funding crisis has past for the moment and some really excellent volunteers have come forward. One lady called Monica who has spent some time helping at the Glebe told of her experiences at the last meeting of Comex.
She found the challenges quite inspiring and one case she had been very involved in who was a long term alcoholic, once he had been started on the road to recovery, bought a packet of sweets with his first benefit cheque and immediately shared his sweets with Monica.
No big deal you may say,
but for those who live totally disorganised lives that the achievement of filling in a form to get some line of support is a real milestone. If they do not start on that path the road down will inevitably end in premature death and a totally wasted life.
Certainly the Glebe has offered that support for a great many years and saved a lot of those lives. The support given by this church to the Glebe. If we can move along to forge closer partnerships with like minded support organisations we can be even more effective.

Regards
Ian.
Message from Jason working on our garden project in Niger

We have just distributed cow pea and peanut seeds to our women's garden participants. Once those are harvested we can plan another round of vegetable gardens. This is a crucial time right now as the sparse rains have just started. Depending on how much rain falls we will know how the food security situation will play out for the next year and if the current near famine will turn into an
acute disaster situation. We can't control the rains, but our garden interventions have certainly been a huge blessing to the families touched by the project, on the larger scale probably a key to preventing future famine. Our sincere thanks for your interest and your efforts on behalf of Niger.
Pictures at oaktreetrust.blogspot.com
Let us all pray for some good rain there in Niger!!

other dates

Other Dates for your June diary

June 1st Glebe Service 1.30pm
June 7th Elders 7.30pm
12th June Working Party
14th June Coffee morning 11 am
20th June Father’s Day service
23rd June Joint Pastorate meeting 2pm
26th June Summer Fair 2pm
27th June Memorial Service
28th June Coffee morning 11 am
July 1st Elders meeting 7.30pm
Brownie meetings
Thursday evening 6pm to 7.30pm
Girls between ages of 7 to 10 years
For details please ring Fiona 01922 685063
Or Yvonne on 01922 682078
Brownies is the only uniformed organisation to meet on Thursdays..
This month the Church will be praying especially for the people who live in the following streets :

n Rock Lane Trent Place Walker Road Shakespeare Crescent.
Gree But April never stopped smiling
April never grew up. She was born severely brain damaged and in all her 17 years of babyhood she was never able to walk, feed herself, or do any of countless things other children learn so quickly and so well
Her beautiful blue eyes were sightless, she never uttered a word. But her parents and all those who gave her loving care for 24 hours a day knew there was one thing April COULD do and that was to smile
She smiled almost every minute. She smiled when she was fed, when she was washed, when her arms and legs were moved to keep them from our stiffening.
She smiled at music, at the sound of her name, at the feel of sunshine on her face.
A few days ago April died as quietly as she had lived. I know people who never met her might think she had a rather sad existence. But every life on earth has its worth and there is a special value in the lives like April’s that are passed in innocence.
She is greatly missed by all who loved her and who now treasure the memory of that wonderful smile.
Farewell Service

A few people have asked me if they need an invitation to the Farewell Service on July 31st at 3pm at Broadway United Reformed Church.
I am hoping that as many of you as possible will be able to come and share with me at this significant time. I am delighted to be able to tell you that Revd. Elizabeth Welch will be preaching at the service and we will be sharing some refreshments after the service. We have journeyed together for the last 13 years, seeking together to find God’s purpose for the people at Blakenall, and I do hope that you will be able to come and share this thanksgiving service with me.
Diana