1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

WITHAM
UNITED
REFORMED
CHURCH
"The Lord will keep you from all harm,
He will watch over your life;
the Lord will keep watch
over your coming and going,
both now and forever more"
Psalm 121 : 7-8
Newsletter
FEBRUARY 2015
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Ministers and Elders 2015
Minister
Associate Minister
Youth Pastors
Revd
Revd
Mrs
Mrs
Paul Ellis
Lorna Bantock
Tara Russell
Viv Sollis
517495
571757
500958
500958
Church Secretary
Mr
Tony Deighton
500958
Pastoral Oversight
Mrs
Gerry Moscrop
Pastoral Elders
Mrs
Mrs
Mr
Mr
Mr
Maureen Barry
Sarah Campbell
Lorne Campbell
Sally Harrison
Alan Russell
Discipleship/Growth
Finance
Property
Outreach/Mission
Worship
Youth/Children
Mrs
Mr
Mrs
Mr
Mr
Mr
Elizabeth Whitten
Rod Gayton
Muriel Heppinstall
Foster Asamani
Chris Lawrence
Gavin McCall
Pastoral Team Leader
Prayer Chain
Co-ordinator
Mrs
Eve Murfitt
500958
Mrs
Rosemary Stinson
516602
Centre Directors
Mrs
Mrs
Deborah Robinson
Eve Murfitt
500958
500958
Centre Managers
Mrs
Mrs
Rocio MacDonald
Bridgit Eichbaum
500958
500958
Newsletter Editor
Mr
Chris Heather
2
Kelvedon and
Hatfield
Peverel
North
South
South
West
East
513836
01787 473439
Pastoral Letter
Incomparable! !
A wonderful move of recent years has brought Worship leaders and
song writers together with theologians and thinkers. Why is this so
important? Theology matters because it fuels worship.
We have the responsibility and joy to allow God to continue to
shape, reshape and fuel our worship. In Romans 12:11 we read
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the
Lord.” We constantly need fresh revelation and understanding of
who God is. The Hymn writer John Newton spoke for so many of us
when he wrote,
Weak is the effort of my heart and cold my warmest thought.
But when I see thee as thou art, I’ll praise thee as I ought.
When we catch a greater glimpse of our Most High God we are left
amazed, stunned, humbled, convicted, exhilarated, excited,
refreshed and inspired. When we encounter God - uncreated,
all-powerful, self-existent, unconfined, unbreakable, unfathomable
and infinite - we find perspective. We learn to embrace the
smallness of who we are and marvel in the vastness of who he is.
Earthly pleasures can no longer take the place of knowing God and
being known by Him. We are left ruined. Satisfied and dissatisfied at
the same time.
We begin on a journey, thirsting for more of God, desperate to
understand more clearly the character and nature of God. When we
encounter the reality of God, true worship is the
outcome.! !
Our view and understanding of God will have a significant impact on
our worship. As Graham Kendrick said, “Worship is a response and
will grow or shrink in direct proportion to our view of Him.” ! !
So let’s continually dig a bit deeper and press on into the mystery
and character of God.! !
Alan
(adapted from a foreword written by Tim Hughes for the book
“Incomparable - Explorations in the character of God)! !
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With a Grateful Heart
To our wonderful church family,
As most of you know, an experience in our lives almost 2 years ago
led us to fundraise over the last six months in support of the Teenage
Cancer Trust (TCT) and the Afro Caribbean Leukaemia Trust
(ACLT), who support teenagers suffering from cancer and promote
blood and bone marrow donation, respectively. These two charities
mean so much to us – they’re very close to our hearts.
The Biyi family would like to thank YOU ALL - members of our
fellowship at Witham URC - for your kind gestures, love and
support over the past two years, and for also supporting the
fundraising events.
We are so blessed, not only as a family but also as a fellowship.
We've certainly experienced the love of Christ in action through you
all.
A huge ‘thank you’ goes to all those who helped organise various
events, such as the concerts and barn dance, and to those who
thought of other ways to raise money - the calendars, quiz and cards
for the two charities. We really appreciate you!
The total amount raised to date through the various events and
donations on Femi's JustGiving pages is £6,750. We will confirm the
final total at a later date.
Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to you all! We couldn't have done
it without you!
We couldn't leave this without a scripture...
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are
blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared
for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something
to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes
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and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in
prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to
drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing
clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and
go to visit you? ’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
(Matthew 25:34-40 NIV)
Sarah
SAMARITANS PURSE
This years' appeal brought another very generous response to
this worthy cause. We were able to send 271 shoe boxes
together with other contributions of money and miscellaneous
articles for distribution to children in Ukraine.
Over 1200 boxes have been sent to various destinations in
Europe, Africa and Haiti in the past 5 years - a wonderful
effort. Many thanks to all who support this appeal.
Chris Heather
Tuesday Praise : February
Feb 3
Lorna Bantock
10
Jo Wright
17
Irving Stinson
24
Adrian Diaper
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A song for Lent
Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began
Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth
Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all
Songwriters: Lenny Leblanc, Paul Baloche
*************************
Lent in 2015 will start on Wednesday, the 18th of
February and will continue for 46 days until Saturday,
the 4th of April.
In Western Christianity Lent begins on Ash Wednesday
and concludes on Holy Saturday. The six Sundays in
Lent are not counted among the forty days of lent
because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a
celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death.
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Lent Lunches for Christian Aid
This year Ash Wednesday is on 18th February so Lent
Lunches will start in Meeting Point on Thursday 19th
February from 12.15 – 1.30pm. They will continue every
Thursday for the whole of Lent, ending on 26th March
The lunches consist of a bowl of soup and some bread
and cheese for a donation of however much you can
afford. Three of the local churches take it in turn to
organise the lunches and this year the URC is preparing
lunches on 20th March and 10th April
We need support, both coming for lunch to the Centre on
Thursday during Lent and by lending a hand with the
preparation
Offers of help to Muriel Heppinstall (Witham 512741).
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Did you know the URC has its own monthly
magazine called
‘Reform’.
The following is the December editorial by
Stephen Tomkins:In November, I went to the Mission Council of the United
Reformed Church. It was supposed to be debating the
future of this magazine. The URC publishes Reform and
subsidises it, and that commitment was due a review.
After all, Reform has become more expensive to fund
over many years, as - in common with other Christian
publications - circulation has declined, while the URC's
finances - in common with other Christian denominations
- have become ever more thinly stretched. The argument
for spending that money on something more worthwhile
than a magazine, as other denominations have decided
to do, was strong.
So I went to Mission Council prepared to give rousing
speeches and make compelling arguments because I
believe in Reform and the ability its writers have to
challenge, inspire and change not just individual readers
but their communities. As it was, I didn't get the chance.
I said they were supposed to be debating, but, as it
turned out, the whole conversation was a celebration of
Reform. Speakers praised its quality, its breadth, its
contribution to local church life, its propensity to get
people talking and its ability to engage people both
across the URC and in other denominations.
It was thrilling to have such an affirmation of the work
we've done over the last two years to make the magazine
better than ever and a greater contribution to the mission
of the Church. But it also presented a formidable
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challenge. Mission Council's endorsement was not an
invitation to simply keep going. Subscriptions to Reform
have declined steeply every year as far back as my
records go, and, on that trajectory, it is unsustainable.
So Mission Council's endorsement was a declaration of
trust that we can change the fortunes of the magazine.
I share that belief. There have been a lot of changes in
the magazine over the last two years, but what we are
now working on may be the biggest of all: We intend to
make Reform sustainable. It is a huge job, taking a great
deal of time and effort, but my hope is that the coming
year will see the number of subscriptions rise instead of
fall for the first time.
So I'm very much hoping you can help us in this. Maybe
you can help us get new subscribers. If you'd like to give
someone a subscription as a Christmas gift, there's a
form on page 43. If a friend would like to see a sample
issue for free before subscribing, just give us their name
and address, and we can send one. Or maybe you can
let people know that this magazine is around, and worth
buying. That will help us keep it that way.
We are working very hard to put Reform on a sound
footing, so we can take it from strength to strength. But
we need the help of those who value the magazine.
We're a small team but you're a rather bigger one. If you
can put in a good word for us, I think they'll listen to you.
Thanks, as ever, for reading.
Stephen Tomkins, Editor
To subscribe to Reform:
www.reform-magazine.co.uk/subscribe tel: 020 8955 7073
received from Muriel
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News from Ignite
WE BEGAN THIS TERM LOOKING BACK AT THE
SUMMER, SEEING WHAT WE HAD GOT UP TO AND
WATCHING THOSE WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN
THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE! THIS WAS
FOLLOWED BY OUR BAKE OFF CHALLENGE, SEEING
WHOSE CUPCAKES WERE THE BEST. ROCIO
MACDONALD WAS OUR JUDGE, AND IN A BLIND
TESTING VOTED HANNAH ROBINSON, MATTHEW
VOYCE AND NICOLE EGBUNA AS OUR WINNERS.
DESERVEDLY SO... THEY WERE AT LEAST EDIBLE!
A FORTNIGHTS TIME SAW A SUBCULTURE THEME
TO IGNITE. WE HAD A SKATEBOARDER, A PUNK AND
AN EMO TO NAME A FEW. THEIR TASK THAT
AFTERNOON WAS TO CREATE AN OUTFIT OUT OF
BIN BAGS, NEWSPAPERS AND TAPE. THEY WERE
AMAZING CREATIONS!
THE SESSION BEFORE HALF TERM, THE YOUTH WERE
LET LOOSE ON THE BUILDING TO CREATE A VIDEO
ABOUT IGNITE. SOME INTERESTING FOOTAGE WAS
TAKEN, AND EVEN MORE INTERESTING
INTERVIEWS TOOK PLACE!
AFTER HALF TERM WE HAD OUR BONFIRE NIGHT,
KINDLY HOSTED BY THE UPSONS AT THEIR FARM.
IT WAS A BRILLIANT EVENING. THE FOLLOWING
IGNITE SAW US THINK ABOUT OTHERS AND THE
YOUTH COMPLETED A SCAVENGER HUNT AROUND
TESCOS WHERE THEY HAD TO BUY ITEMS FOR THE
FOOD BANK. SOME CAREFUL SHOPPING WAS DONE!
WE ENDED THE YEAR WITH CHRISTMAS TREE
DECORATING, AND A CHRISTMAS MEAL!
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PRAYS FOR, AND
SUPPORTS US!
This Newsletter from Ignite contains many pictures - look on the
Website for the full article
Viv Sollis
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Living Water…Unless You’re Palestinian – article
Posted: 06 Jan 2015 06:21 AM PST
This article was written by the Windermere Centre Director,
Lawrence Moore, following his leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
in October 2014. Please feel free to use the article in your own
publications, attributed to Lawrence Moore.
Jesus likened himself to bread and water – the staples of life. That’s
in John’s gospel, where John presents Jesus not simply as the giver
of life but the Author of Life. Jesus takes the staples of life in order
to illustrate the gift of Life in all its abundance that he brings (John
10:10). Jesus is never concerned with anything less than life
(survival) but yearns for us to discover the “something more” – the
very Life of God that ought to be our daily experience.
It’s not like that, of course. The yawning chasm between the haves
and have-nots on our planet extends to the very staples of life. We
know that. We’re a church that cares and makes ourselves aware.
We know that vast swathes of the planet don’t have enough food to
eat, let alone throw away because they’re stuffed! And we know
that clean, drinkable water is a distant dream for millions in rural
villages, let alone being able to turn on a tap whenever they need
to.
What was profoundly, horrifyingly shocking, though, was to discover
how water is deliberately being used as a weapon of war and
oppression in the West Bank. Revd Brian Jolly and I took a group to
Palestine and Israel last month to follow in the footsteps of the
radical Jesus – the Jesus who got himself crucified as a religious
heretic and a Roman political criminal. We were reading the stories
of Jesus, recognizing that they were texts written in the context of
the Roman occupation. At the same time, we were meeting our
brothers and sisters from the indigenous Christian church in
Palestine and learning what life was like for them under the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and Palestinian territories.
We met Mohammed, whose home had been destroyed that same
morning by the Israeli soldiers who had made a point of coming at
5am so that the terrified children had been forced to witness the
event. We met some of the inhabitants of Aida Refugee Camp in
Bethlehem, and were told how the women slept fully clothed
because the army regularly invaded their homes at night either on
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training exercises or for “reasons of security”, and how the children
suffered severe trauma so that they wet their beds well into their
teens. We saw the school, surrounded by high walls and barbed
wire, with the gates marked by bullet holes from the Israeli
watchtower on the separation wall at the end of the street. We
listened to harrowing tales of beatings, intimidation and humiliation
at the checkpoints, of homes and businesses broken into and taken
over by Israeli settlers who were supported by the army, and family
land stolen.
Somehow, though, what got to us most was the way in which water
is used as an instrument of subjugation and military strategy. Sister
Martha, the feisty, faithful principal of the Russian Orthodox school
in Bethany, pointed out the black storage tanks that adorn the roof
of every Palestinian home. That’s because Palestinian towns and
cities get water only twice a week – theoretically. Much of the time
there are no resupplies. In the summer, particularly, it can be 2
months before the water is turned on again for just 24 hours.
She told us, “We do our cooking using bottled water, use disposable
plates for eating and we can send our laundry and live-in students to
the monastery in the Jerusalem for a wash. But the stink of the
toilets remains a problem – we can’t just stop going.”
Ali told us about the problems faced by farmers: they are not
allowed irrigation systems. Their farmhouses do not have running
water. They are forbidden by law from digging wells without
permission (no permission is ever given to dig wells) and from
collecting rainwater. Ali had Roman cisterns on his farm: they were
destroyed by the Israeli army. Every olive tree, vine and date plant
on his farm has been planted and watered by hand.
Water is not considered a “natural resource”. Its collection and
distribution is tightly controlled by the Israelis, who allocate 1/3 of
the supply to the 1.7 million residents of the West Bank and Gaza,
and 2/3 to the 700,000 Jewish settlers who live on confiscated
Palestinian land. We visited Ma’ale Adumin, a settler city in East
Jerusalem, fresh from a Palestinian farm. It has two municipal
swimming pools, fountains, a water park, and, because it was the
weekend, the residents were out watering their lawns and washing
their cars.
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John tells the story of a Samaritan woman at a well who gave Jesus
a drink of water (John 4). Wherever we went, we were given water,
Arab coffee and tea. Families fed and watered 17 of us at a time.
We used their loos. And when we worried about how much of their
precious water we were consuming, we were told it was a pleasure
to be able to offer us hospitality. When we asked what they wanted
of us in return, they said to us, “Tell our stories when you get
home”.
We went to homes where water is made scarce to oppress the
people, and received from them wellsprings of living water. I’m still
trying to get my head around that.
Lawrence Moore
***************************************
Sunday Worship : February
Week
times
Witham URC
a.m.
Terling Chapel
10.30
12.30
6.30
Family Worship + Comm
Ignite
Evening Worship
9.00
Worship
Feb 1
10.30
6.30
Family Worship
Evening Worship
10.15
Holy Communion
9.00
10.30
12.30
6.30
Breakfast Service
Family Worship
Ignite
Evening Communion
10.15
Joint Worship with
All Saints' Church
10.30
6.30
Family Worship
SHINE
9.00
Worship
Feb 8
Feb 15
Feb 22
Park View Services every Sunday at 4.00 pm
Terling : tea/coffee after every service
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FEBRUARY 2nd : CANDLEMAS
The event is described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22–40).
According to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus
to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days (inclusive) after his birth
to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth, and to
perform the redemption of the firstborn son, in obedience to
the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12–15, etc.).
Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option
provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb)
(Leviticus 12:8), sacrificing "a pair of turtledoves, or two
young pigeons." Leviticus 12:1–4 indicates that this event
should take place forty days after birth for a male child, hence
the Presentation is celebrated forty days after Christmas.
Upon bringing Jesus into the temple, they encountered Simeon.
The Gospel records that Simeon had been promised that "he
should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ"
(Luke 2:26). Simeon prayed the prayer that would become
known as the Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon, which
prophesied the redemption of the world by Jesus:
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace;
according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen
Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the
face of all people: to be a light to lighten the Gentiles
and to be the glory of Thy people Israel (Luke 2:29–32).
Simeon then prophesied to Mary: "Behold, this child is set for
the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign
which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your
own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed"
(Luke 2:34–35).
The elderly prophetess Anna was also in the Temple, and
offered prayers and praise to God for Jesus, and spoke to
everyone there about Jesus and his role in the redemption of
Israel (Luke 2:36–38).
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ROTAS for FEBRUARY
Saturday Coffee
Feb 7
Wendy & Jim McWhirr
14
Colin & Grace Baldock
21
Jill Stone & Christine Costick
28
David &Mary Goodwin
Sunday Coffee
Youth
Feb 1
Feb 8
Paul & Marta Baldwin
Feb 15
Tony & Claire Deighton
Feb 22
Gavin & Julia McCall
Flowers
Feb 1
Gill Thomas
Feb 8
Lin Heather
Feb 15
Pat Gilbey
Feb 22
Christine Huggett
DEADLINE FOR ITEMS FOR
MARCH 2015 NEWSLETTER
MORNING SERVICE : FEBRUARY 15th
articles can be sent by e-mail to
[email protected] up to FEBRUARY 19th
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DIARY NOTES : February 2015
Meeting Point and
The Centre Shop
Monday to Saturday inclusive
from 9.30am to 12.30pm
Carpet Bowls
Monday 7.15 - 9.15 pm
Daytime Bible Study
Tuesday Praise
Tuesday 10.30 -12.00
Tuesday 12.30 - 12.50
Elders Meetings
Tuesday Feb 10th 7.45pm
Church Meeting
No meeting this month
Small Talk
Wednesday 10.00 - 11.30am
and 1 - 2.30 pm in term time
Wednesday 3.30 - 5.00pm
Milkshake after school club
Ladies Group
Indoor Curling Club
JUICE for 5-11 years old
First Thursday 2 - 4 pm
Thursday 2.00 pm
Thursday 5.00 - 6.15pm
Friday Fellowship
Friday 10.30 - 2.30 pm
Child Contact Centre Meetings
February 7th and 21st
1.30 - 4.30pm
December double anagram answers
Herod and Magi; Gabriel and myrrh, Joseph and Donkey,
Bethlehem and star, Manger and birth, Starry and Host
and Hidden words
angel, star, Herod, magi, Ramah, inn, kings and host
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