ONE OF MY DREAMS FOR THE CHURCH

 Dear friends

 I have recently returned from the annual “Greenbelt Festival”, held on Cheltenham Racecourse over the August Bank Holiday weekend.  Usually I come home wondering whether perhaps next year I will book into a B&B in order to get a good night’s sleep, rather than camp and take my chances with the weather, which this year felt particularly freezing at times!  Yet each year I once again pitch my tent with friends to enjoy all that this Christian festival has to offer.

 What is it that is so special about this annual event?  What is it that makes me want to go back for more?  Perhaps it’s the opportunity to meet up with friends, some of whom I only see once a year at Greenbelt; or it may be the music, comedy, visual and performing arts, the opportunity to experience new forms of worship, or the varied programme of talks.  Often I find that I gain the most from hearing someone speak on something slightly unusual, so rather than heading for the ‘big names’, I try to hear some lesser known speakers who look as though they may have something interesting to say.  And this year was no exception. 

The speaker that made the most impact on me was Andrew Graystone, with his talk entitled “Parts of me are dying”.  Andrew spoke movingly – and even at times with humour – of his experience of being diagnosed with cancer, and what that has meant for his faith and his experience of life.  (Let me know if you’d like to borrow the CD and listen to his talk). 

 Andrew was not afraid to speak out about a subject that many find painful, and to do so in a way that freed up others to do the same.  And this got me thinking.  Sometimes our conversations never move beyond the superficial, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could learn to trust one another a bit more, so that we felt able to be more open and vulnerable with one another about the real issues that we were facing in our lives?  One of my dreams for the Church is that it be a place where people can be themselves, able to talk and listen and be real with one another about their deepest fears and longings; in doing so, we demonstrate something of the nature of God, God who is interested in every single detail of our lives, and knows and cares about all the issues and difficulties that we each face.

Hazel

PRESTIGIOUS APPOINTMENT TO DEANERY POST for VIVIEN

 Revd. VIVIEN ELPHICK

We are pleased to announce that as from 1st October Vivien will take on the duties of Area Dean of the North West Leicestershire Deanery. These responsibilities are additional to those she holds as Team Rector of the Woodfield Team and require her to chair Deanery Synod meetings and Clergy Meetings and have a general oversight of the Deanery as a whole. She will be licensed at a meeting of the Deanery Synod on 1st November. Please hold her in your prayers and support her as much as possible.

 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

 MRS. NORMA MORRIS-CHAPMAN

We’re delighted to tell you that Norma will be licensed as a lay reader at Leicester Cathedral on Saturday 8th October at 11am. Norma has been working hard at her academic learning through the East Midlands Training Scheme based at St John’s College in Nottingham, and her licensing will be the fruit of all that hard work. She still has the practical learning to do in terms of preaching and leading worship in the churches but it will be good to have Norma on board in this new role. Do pray for her.

 HARVEST FESTIVAL ALL AGE SERVICE: OCTOBER 2nd AT 11am

Come along and enjoy this year’s Harvest Festival Service – a chance to give thanks to God for all his goodness to us. We will be receiving harvest gifts which will be distributed to those in need through the Marlene Reid Centre in Coalville.

 Ready. Steady, Stick!   -  Half Term Holiday Club

 ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’

 For children aged 4+                                                                                         £ 1 per child

 Tuesday  18th October, 2-4pm at St. Lawrence Church Hall, Measham

Wednesday  19th October, 2-4pm at The Holy Rood Church, Packington

Thursday  20th  October, 2-4pm at The  Church Hall, Appleby Magna

 Offers of help or to book a place contact:

Revd. Karen Thomas  01530 272651 karen.thomas7@sky.com

LIGHTS OF LOVE: SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE

Saturday 29th October at 2pm at Measham Church or

Saturday 5th November at 2pm at St John’s Church, Donisthorpe

This is a simple service of hymns, prayers and readings, during which we can remember those whom we’ve lost and to whom we still want to say ‘We love you’. There’s a chance to light a candle and say a prayer for your loved one. Feel free to come along if this would be helpful to you. You’ll see there are two service times so if you can’t make the Donisthorpe one, then there is one a week earlier at Measham

TIDDLYWINKSwill be meeting on 11th October in St John’s Church. The theme will be ‘sky’. It runs from 9.30am-11am and costs £1.25 per family. There’s a mixture of songs, a Bible story, craft and toys, and is open to pre-schoolers plus their carer.

MOTHERS’ UNION

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 26th October at 7.30pm in church.  The speaker will be Mr. Ian Hingley, and his subject will be “Girls of the big house”.  Come along if you are interested.

REFLECTION

 Holding the Clothes

Acts: 7: 54 – 60

‘Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.’ (v58)

The apostle Paul was a man with a past. The first time Paul is mentioned in the New Testament is in connection with a judicial murder. Without doubt Paul is the greatest figure in the Early Church after Jesus, but when we first catch sight of him he is implicated in a crime. Stephen had defended himself with great skill before the members of the Sanhedrin, but something he said stung them so deeply that they rushed him out of the city and stoned him to death. It was a form of execution almost as terrible as crucifixion. The victim was flung against a wall and huge stones hurled at him until he was literally pounded to death. And Paul was there, holding the clothes. No one could accuse him of throwing a stone, and there was not one wound on the martyr's body that was the result of his involvement. But he was an accessory before and after the fact. Though he might have walked away saying, 'I did not do it; yet the blood of Stephen was on his hands. Paul was a sensitive man. Do you not think, therefore, that following his conversion he regretted his involvement in Stephen's death? Yet after he had found forgiveness he put his past behind him and wrote, 'But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus' (Phil.3:13-14).

If Paul could do this so can you. Make sure you are right with God, forget the things which are behind, and press forward towards the goal. The secret is to know without a shadow of doubt that you have been forgiven by God. You have to take His word on this matter. He means what He says when He tells you, 'I forgive you: Never doubt this.

FOR ALL THE SAINTS - STEPHEN (DIED C 35)

 All we know of Stephen's life is in the Acts of the Apostles, (6-7). He was one of the seven deacons, probably a Hellenistic Jew, appointed by the apostles to look after the distribution of alms to the faithful, and to help in the ministry of preaching.

He was learned in the Scriptures and the history of Judaism, besides being eloquent and forceful.

The gist of his defence of Christianity was that God does not depend on the Temple, in so far as, like the Mosaic Law, it was a temporary institution and destined to be fulfilled and superseded by Christ, who was the prophet designated by Moses and the Messiah whom the Jewish race had so long awaited.

He finally attacked his hearers for resisting the Spirit and for killing Christ as their fathers had killed the prophets. They stoned him for blasphemy, apparently without a formal trial, and while he saw a vision of Christ on God's right hand, the witnesses placed their clothes at the feet of Saul, who later became Paul, who consented to his death.

There are forty-six ancient churches dedicated to Stephen in England, most of them being built after the Norman Conquest.

His feast day is the 26th December, Boxing Day.

Written and contributed by Phillip Lloyd

CHURCH TREASURERS BEWARE!

A Big Funeral

A Methodist minister was walking through his town the other day when he spotted a rather unusual funeral procession. Behind the hearse walked the local vicar holding her very large dog on a lead. Behind the vicar came a multitude of other clergy of all denominations. This intrigued the minister who approached the vicar and asked what was going on.

"It's like this," the vicar explained, "Two weeks ago I met with our Treasurer and asked for a few extra pounds, just for heating, lighting and a drop of Communion wine but as usual our discussion got a little heated and my dog, suspecting the Treasurer was about to attack me, leaped over the table and got him by the throat. Before I could do anything the poor man was dead. As you will imagine, I was mortified."

The minister, a little shocked by this sad tale stopped, said a few prayers and watched as the procession continued along the road.

After a few moments he rushed along the pavement, caught up with the vicar and said, "Would it be possible to borrow your dog for a few days?"

Looking over his shoulder at the procession, the vicar replied, "Of course it would, but you will have to join the queue!!!"