Histon
Methodist
Church
May 2015
NEWSLETTER
REGULAR ACTIVITIES
SUNDAY
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
Services
Craft Club (alternate weeks, see Diary for dates)
Community coffee shop
Thursday Group (1st Thursday in month)
Community coffee shop
10.30am and some evenings
2.00pm to 4.00pm
9.00am to 5.00pm
2.45pm to 4.00pm
10.30am to 11.30am
MINISTER’S MESSAGE
Dear Friends,
We began the month of April by celebrating Easter,
the Festival of the Resurrection. In May we celebrate
Aldersgate Sunday, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday.
These are important days so I have adapted some
reflections which I originally wrote for the
forthcoming June to August Circuit Plan.
Appropriately this year our celebration of the coming
of the Holy Spirit with power at Pentecost, falls on
24th May, which Methodists also observe as
Aldersgate Sunday. On this day in 1738 John Wesley
went somewhat reluctantly, to a religious meeting in
Aldersgate Street in the City of London. There he
found his life transformed by the liberating truth of the
gospel. In his journal he tells how someone was
reading from Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the
Romans‘ when, at ‘About a quarter before nine, while
he was describing the change which God works in the
heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely
warmed.I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for
salvation; and an assurance was given to me that he
had taken away my sins even mine, and saved me
from the law of sin and death’.
After that meeting John rushed to see his brother
Charles who, a few days before on Pentecost Sunday,
had experienced something very similar. Thus began
a mighty work of the Holy Spirit, which not only led
to the worldwide Methodist movement but also
greatly influenced Christians in many denominations.
The magnificent hymns of Charles, and the dynamic
theology of John have led many to discover Christ for
themselves. They believed they were preaching New
Testament Christianity and often spoke of the need for
‘knowledge and vital piety’. Doctrine and experience
came together and so equipped people to live their
discipleship and relate it to the whole of life.
The Holy Spirit has often been described as ‘God in
the present tense’, or ‘God in action now’. The
Creator of the Universe reveals himself supremely in
the life and work of Jesus and in his death and
resurrection. These truths become real for us through
the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
This
threefold understanding of the nature and work of
God is summed up in the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity,
and celebrated on Trinity Sunday, one week after
Pentecost. This year it falls on 31st May. It is the
only Sunday in the year that celebrates a particular
doctrine. But that doctrine is so important that we
rightly call it ‘Sum up Sunday’. Its message is
briefly expressed in the chorus of a modern hymn,
There is a redeemer: ‘Thank you O my Father for
giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit till the
work on earth is done’.
The great Theologian Karl Barth, described the
Trinity as ‘God’s three ways of being God’ If we want
to experience God in all his fullness we need to
remember that he is our Creator, Redeemer, and the
one who not only enables us to discover him, but also
empowers us to live our discipleship.
As we then move into the Sundays after Trinity, we
will explore the relevance of our faith to every part of
our lives. May God enrich our faith, enlarge our
vision, and inspire us to serve him now and always.
Your friend and minister,
Peter C. Graves
Editor: Jenny Phillipps, 57 Lone Tree Avenue, Impington, Cambridge, CB24 9PG.
Phone: 01223 234835. Email: [email protected]
Minister: Revd Dr Peter Graves. Old Ness Farm, Ness Road, Burwell CB25 0DB
Phone: 01638 724928. Email: [email protected]
Histon Methodist Church Newsletter
May 2015
DIARY DATES FOR MAY
Sun 3rd
Preacher: Rev Dr Peter Graves
Wed 6th
Service at Bramley Court
Thu 7th
Thursday Group. Speaker: Martin Thompson on the Besom Project 2.45pm
Sun 10th
Holy Communion. Preacher: Revd Jean Simmonds
10.30am
2.45pm
10.30am
Sun 10th – Sat 16th Christian Aid week
Mon 11th
Craft Group
2.00pm
Science meets faith at Wesley church: Rev Dr Alasdair Coles
7.45pm
Broken brains and God: what neurological disease teaches us about the religious human
Thu 14th
Housegroup at 13b West Rd
Sat 16th
Yard Sale (see notice)
Wed 20th
Service at Etheldred House
11.00am
Sun 17th
Preacher: Revd Dr Peter Graves
10.30am
Sun 24th
Preacher: Revd Simon Oliver
Material for June Newsletter please
10.30am
Thu 28th
Housegroup at57 Lone Tree Ave
2.30pm
Sun 31st
Preacher: Revd Dr Peter Graves
10.30am
2.30pm
Also please note:
Sat 13th June,
Garden party at Old Ness Farm, Ness Road, Burwell,
by kind permission of Peter and Tricia Graves.
Thurs 25th June 7.30pm, Planning meeting for Big Issues
Sun 5th July
6.30pm, Circuit service of thanks to Peter Graves, Robert Dolman
and John Barrett, at Wesley.
th
Sun 16 August Peter’s final service at Histon and farewell lunch. (Please note change of date).
CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 10-16TH MAY 2015
YARD SALE 16TH MAY
Christian Aid Week runs from 10-16 May this
year. Most churches in Histon and Impington
help with the house to house collection.
Suitable items to be sold at our yard sale on
Saturday morning 16th May, can be left in the
church any time after morning service on Sunday
If you can spare an hour or so to help cover the
roads we have been allocated please let me know.
10th May. Help will be needed to sort on Friday
afternoon and to set up and serve on the stalls
Saturday morning. We plan to sell a slice of cake
along with coffee, contributions gratefully
accepted. Please add your name to the list on the
table in the church in front of the vestry if you can
help in any way. All proceeds to our
Development Fund.
I am always short of collectors!
Christine Pooley
-2-
Histon Methodist Church Newsletter
May 2015
FUTURE DATES WHEN HELP WILL BE NEEDED
EASTER OFFERING SERVICE 7TH JUNE
We will be hosting the Easter Offering Circuit
Service on Sunday 7th June at 6pm, which will be
preceded by tea at 5pm. This is an annual event
which dedicates money donated in the Easter
Offering Envelopes, please come along and help
us to make this a successful circuit get together.
MUSIC GROUP FOR CIRCUIT SERVICE
6TH SEPTEMBER
Do you play an instrument? Any kind, and at any
level? Do you enjoy singing? Yes?
Then in addition to the excellent circuit choir, we
will be forming a group of “instrumentalists and
singers” to lead any of the newer songs in Singing
the Faith at the Circuit Welcome Service on 6th
September.
GARDEN PARTY 13TH JUNE
We are most grateful to our minister Revd Dr
Peter Graves and his wife Tricia for providing the
venue for a Garden Party on 13th June. Lots of
help will be required, setting up, baking cakes,
providing transport etc. This is a fundraising
event for our Development Fund, please book the
date and help to make this a memorable occasion.
There will be a rehearsal on 6th September and
one during the preceding week.
To register your interest, please let us know your
contact details, instrument or voice (Soprano,
Alto, Tenor or Bass) and a guide to your level.
Musical parts will be written to suit everyone,
from beginners to recitalists!
FEAST SUNDAY 5TH JULY
Contact Phil Howie on [email protected] or
Robin Walker on 07956 338750
There will be a Feast Festival in the High Street
again this year, an opportunity for us to be
involved in the community by serving teas on
Sunday afternoon. Please keep the date free if you
can, cakes and help will be needed.
Sheets to sign up to offer help for these events
will be available a few weeks beforehand, please
keep your eye on the table near the vestry.
HOLIDAY CLUB 27TH – 31ST JULY
We have been asked to provide lunches again this
year, but we can only agree to do this with a firm
commitment of help throughout the week
Please let me know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if
you are able to help, we can then arrange a
meeting to see if we have sufficient numbers to
cover the week.
Rosemary Watson
-3-
Histon Methodist Church Newsletter
May 2015
be sure, she’s planning to enlarge her business
once more and open another branch….well table,
of ‘Miriam’s Best Veg’ in another part of the
slum. 400 families have been helped through this
scheme so they would join with us in saying
‘thank you for making it possible’.
NEWS FROM
THE TURNING POINT TRUST
Like many of the people who live on Kibera,
Miriam’s life story tells of some joy but also great
tragedy and unspeakable poverty. After being
happily married and having six healthy children –
and that’s important if you live in a country where
you probably don’t have a pension scheme – her
husband was killed in an accident in 2009 and
without his wages Kibera was the only place they
could live. Life became very hard as Miriam had
no skills to offer an employer. She found work as
a house help but her wages were just 3,000
Kenyan shillings a month; equivalent to about
£24. Her priorities after the rent for her shack
were food and education for her children, she
longed for them to be better equipped for life than
she was but the money was not enough for both
needs. A friendly neighbour told her about the
Turning Point microfinance scheme and before
long Miriam found herself part of a group of five
women who had similar problems. Together they
learned how to identify business opportunities
and successfully run a small business and then,
Miriam and the others were all given a loan of
2,000 Kenyan shillings. Here it would seem
laughable to try to set up a business with £16 but
Miriam got an old table and as many vegetables
as her £16 would buy. She set her stall up in a
busy part of the slum and in two days had sold
them all and made 2,300 Kenyan shillings – not
far short of a whole month’s pay as a house help.
Her group of five met each week to encourage
each other and paid back a very small amount
each week with no interest charged. They knew
that once all their debts were paid they could
borrow more to enable their businesses to grow
and there would still be no interest charged and
plenty of time to repay.
Jean and Michael Simmonds
To cut a long story short, Miriam’s children
became healthier because they were well fed and
she is seeing her dream come true as they fulfil
their potential. The eldest is about to qualify as an
engineer and the next three are working their way
through secondary school…..something many
slum children are unable to experience. The two
youngest are at primary school and, with her
business flourishing Miriam is confident that they
will go on to secondary school and be well
equipped to live life beyond Kibera slum. Just to
-4-