mission or fellowship? - museum street
TRANSCRIPT
2
MISSION OR FELLOWSHIP?
Rev Derek Grimshaw shares his thoughts for the summer months
A new phrase was coined in the 1990’s when churches became iden�fied as
“Mission or Maintenance” the inference being that they were one or the other,
of course where this thinking got a bit lost was that most Churches easily
iden�fied themselves as being “Mission and Maintenance” accep�ng that
maintenance was necessary to do mission, the whole thing disappeared down a
hole somewhere, forgo%en by most and remembered only by a few sad people
like me.
In the twenty odd years that have passed, the general spiral in Church has been
downwards and recently this whole issue has become a subject of discussion
again, the second word has now been changed and Circuits are being advised
to iden�fy Churches as “Mission or Fellowship?” again the inference is that we
can only be one or the other, not both and again the sugges�on is that mission
is posi�ve, Fellowship is nega�ve.
I would argue that a good fellowship Church can be doing mission, the problem
comes when our emphasis in “In reach” rather than “Outreach” and ministers
are o,en condemned for not looking a,er those within the community of the
Church. Certainly, a model of ministry where we just look a,er the flock is very
Biblical and would be easy and very nice and so I would possibly defend the
model of Fellowship Church, while I know a lot of colleagues who would
condemn it.
The problem is that a key component of my theology degree focussed on
missiology and we were constantly reminded that Methodism in its birth was
an evangelical movement and a core part of our being is about taking the
Gospel out to people where they are. A huge part of my work in Ipswich has
centred on ensuring that the Methodist Church is si1ng amid the Chris�an
community where God’s word is being taken out of our Church buildings.
It is exci�ng to see that whilst we minister to on average around six hundred
and thirty people in our eighteen churches (thirty-five people per Church) we
are reaching hundreds every week through chaplaincy work and our outreach
ini�a�ves. For the Chris�an Church in Ipswich to grow, we need to do two
things, a) work with the other denomina�ons in the area and b) reach out to
where people are looking for God.
It is possibly a per�nent �me to be asking the ques�on “are we a Mission
Church or a Fellowship Church?”
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CONFERENCE MUSINGS
Chris & Maggie share a perspec�ve from Methodist Conference
A bell rings! 2.15pm. Saturday 24th
June, The Monarch Suite,
Hilton Metropole Hotel (Birmingham), and over
500 Methodists stand for the Past Presidents & Vice Presidents followed by the
singing of And Are We Yet Alive. So began the 2017 Methodist Conference.
The induc�on of the new President and Vice-President of the Methodist
Conference then took place and civic, ecumenical and World Church guests
were welcomed. In her Presiden�al address, the Revd Loraine Mellor asked:
“How are we disturbing the present in the Church today?” sharing her vision for
taking radical risks to change its culture of the church. Jill Baker, the Vice-
President, reflected
movingly on the need for
both laughter and lament in
the Church’s life.
Sunday morning saw the
Conference Worship &
Recep�on into Full
Connexion of 35 Presbyters, 5 Deacons & 9 (including Rev Alan Palmer)
“Received by Transfer”. Later in the day seven Ordina�on Services took place in
Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Shirley.
From Monday through to Thursday lunch�me the 330 Conference
Representa�ves worked their way through an agenda of 597 pages plus 36
Memorials and 23 No�ces of Mo�on!!!
T he Assistant Secretary of the Conference. The Revd Dr Jonathan R Hustler
was appointed Assistant Secretary of Conference from 1 September 2017.
C onnexional Finances. The Conference adopted the Connexional Central
Services Budget for 2017-18, The budget for income in 2017-18 is £36.6m
and the expenditure £41.3m, a net deficit of almost £4.7m. This reflects a
deliberate policy of reducing reserves on some funds in order to release
addi�onal amounts for grants.
S upervision. A programme of supervision, with one-to-one support for
ordained ministers was confirmed by Conference. This supervision will
mainly be carried out by Superintendents or District Chairs.
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CONFERENCE GOES ON..
Chris & Maggie share a perspec�ve from Methodist Conference
S afeguarding implementa�on - Past Cases Review The Conference noted
that significant progress has been made on implemen�ng all 23
recommenda�ons from the 2015 Past Cases Review (PCR) into non-recent
abuse and a change of culture within the Church is becoming increasingly
apparent.
T he Gi& of Connexionalism. Conference reaffirmed the importance of
being an interdependent and diverse Church. In a report en�tled ‘The Gi�
of Connexionalism in the 21st Century’, Conference discussed and upheld the
fundamental importance of connexionalism to how Methodists understand
their own iden�ty. Originally referring to the way in which individuals, socie�es
and preachers were “in connexion with” John Wesley, connexionalism has
developed significant and theological meaning for Methodists. It is elaborated
and expressed through hymns, liturgy and the Church cons�tu�on as well as in
the faith and prac�ce of the Methodist people. Conference adopted the report
and commended it for study and reflec�on throughout the Connexion.
S ta�s�cs for Mission. The Conference received a report se1ng out a 3.5%
year-on-year decline in membership over the past decade, with the number
of members standing at 188,000. The sta�s�cs also revealed that engagement
in local churches through cafes, clubs, alterna�ve forms of church and other
bodies reached over 500,000 people each week.
Conference was reminded that while these sta�s�cs make for a challenging
read, it’s important to remember that membership figures alone don’t tell the
whole story. Across the country, thousands of Methodist communi�es are
impac�ng the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every week in a wide
variety of ways.
5
AND ON..
Chris & Maggie share a perspec�ve from Methodist Conference
3 Generate Con�nues to Grow. The Methodist Youth President, Tim Annan,
told the Conference about the con�nued growth of the Church’s annual
gathering for young people and adults aged 8–23, including a move to a new
venue to meet increasing numbers. 3Generate will move to Pon�ns in
Southport in November to accommodate more than 900 young people and
leaders – a massive growth in the five years of the event.
E quality, Diversity and Inclusion. The Conference recognised the
considerable amount of work s�ll required by the Connexion in order to
achieve greater equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
Conference also urged all churches & Circuits to engage with the EDI Toolkit
and to take steps to enable the Church to become a ‘more inclusive and
mul�cultural community of faith’.
T he 2018/2019 President and Vice President. The Conference designated
the Revd Michaela Youngson to be
President and Bala Gnanapragasam to
be Vice-President of the Methodist
Conference 2018/2019. The President-
Designate is one of the Chairs of the
London District. The Vice-President-
Designate is a Representa�ve from the
London District and serves on the
boards of Chris�an Aid and MHA and is
a trustee of the London HIV/Aids Chaplaincy.
S o on Thursday lunch�me, having concluded its business, the Daily Record
for each day was a%ested, the Conference Journal signed and with the
singing of Captain of Israel’s Host & Guide the 2017 Methodist Conference
adjourned (on the instruc�on of John Wesley the Methodist Conference never
“finishes”) to be reconvened in No1ngham next June.
“Connexionalism is not something that happens at Conference or in
Methodist Church House. It should be happening in every Church, Circuit &
District throughout the country. Every one of us is part of the Connexion”
6
FROM THE VESTRY David Welbourn shares thoughts from Church Life Team mee�ngs
The Church Life Team (CLT) has met twice since the last magazine was
published. It is perhaps worth a reminder how we look to officers and
volunteers to ensure that we have a safe and secure church in which to gather
for worship and other mee�ngs. We are blessed with good premises and
rela�vely healthy finances, both of which are served well by their respec�ve
commi%ees, and everyone can know that the business of managing the church
is in good hands.
CLT is the place at which those involved in church leadership come together to
look in more depth at the life of the church. Our aim is to be confident that we
have a clear purpose that is God-centred and s�ll relevant to the place and
�me in which we live. It is at CLT, that we should be revisi�ng our purpose, and
making sure that the work we are doing is helping to fulfil that purpose in
God’s name.
Our purpose is summed up
in three statements:
• We are a town centre
Chris�an church
commi%ed to enriching
individual lives and the
wellbeing of community,
and we will achieve this
in two ways:
• we are a Chris�an community seeking to promote wholeness of life and
affirming the relevance of God within contemporary society;
• we seek to represent God in society, using our resources to draw alongside
wider communi�es and promote wholeness and jus�ce for all.
Far too o,en, the day-to-day logis�cs of keeping everything on track stops us
from commi1ng the quality �me we should be spending on these deeply
profound ques�ons about our worshipping life, suppor�ng the spiritual life of
our friends and members; offering prophe�c service to the community and
being representa�ves of God in this place, and encouraging others to meet
with God and commit their own lives to him.
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In these last two mee�ngs, the one aspect of our purpose we have been able to
explore, is the challenge of becoming a demen�a friendly church.
Instead, our �me has been diverted on the challenge of finding enough
volunteers who are not just keen to come to worship each week, but will also
help with some of the essen�al tasks. We rely heavily on income from the
premises to keep the finances sound, and a considerable part of our Chris�an
witness in this community happens because we do offer great mee�ng facili�es
used widely by many good causes. All of that
can only be maintained if we have people
willing to join the locking and unlocking rota –
for the coming winter, we can’t easily see a
workable solu�on. Can you help? On top of
that, since Mike Howell resigned as treasurer,
we s�ll urgently need to find someone to step
into that role. Don’t forget that the magazine
will need a new editor in three issues �me!
FINANCES A summary of finances from Colin Westren, ac�ng Treasurer.
WEEKLY COLLECTIONS
May June
Date Collection Budget Date Collection Budget
7 May £214.00 4 June £257.00
14 May £113.50 11 June £474.00
21 May £189.00 18 June £115.00
28 May £207.00 25 June £197.00
Direct £1,020.00 Direct £1,020.00
Tax Refund £500.00 Tax Refund £500.00
Month Total £2,243.50 £2,596.00 £2,563.00 £2,596.00
In the 10 months to June 25th giving is approximately £2400 short of budget
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WHAT IS SYNOD? Be8y Lindsay explains the mystery of Synod, and why you should help
SYNOD - A word that crops up at least twice a
year! What is it? Where it is held?
Who a%ends this gathering? Firstly.
It is the District mee�ng which includes representa�ves from every circuit
drawn from the East Anglia District. This includes all presbyters and ministers
unless given a dispensa�on from the Chair of the District not to a%end. Circuit
stewards from each Circuit, those who hold a posi�on within the District and
visitors for the day. Yes, it is possible to a%end just as a visitor.
The Synod deals with business sent down from Conference, reports from
groups or working par�es, and people share their stories following an
a%endance at Conference or anybody who has represented the District at
relevant weekends such as Youth Weekend, (MAYC) or local preachers retreats
etc. There are usually guest speakers. Not long ago Father John Thackray,
Priest at St. Mary in the Elms was invited to speak. Though not present I
understand he went down a storm. There are moments of fun and laughter and
the opening devo�ons are a privilege to a%end. The Synod is held at different
circuits throughout the District, from Fenland in the north to St. Neots in the
east of Cambridgeshire and Ipswich in the south.
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SYNOD: YOUR CHANCE
Be8y Lindsay explains the mystery of Synod, and why you should help
The Synod this September (16th) is to be held at the University of Suffolk here
in IPSWICH. This takes a lot of organisa�on and needs volunteers. COULD THIS
BE YOU? There is a need for people to deal with the car parking arrangements.
Other people are needed to make tea/coffee from 9am un�l Synod starts at
10am., then again to supply the above at lunch�me. A light a,ernoon tea is
provided before the final clear up and another Synod comes to a end.
New friends will have been formed and many will renew past friendships.
There are stalls available – an excellent bookstall which is always present from
Soham - Traidcra,, All you can, and lots of general informa�on from around the
District and Connexion.
This might look like just a day out, but I'm sure you would come away having
been informed, cheered by good news from the circuits and of being upli,ed by
the worship at the beginning and the end of Synod. Every Synod is different
and there are �mes when it seems like treading treacle and other �mes it will
be great. Please think hard about this and speak to any of the church stewards
if you can help.
ACTION FOR CHILDREN
Brian Pipe, AFC Box Secretary has a �mely reminder
With the old £1 coins being withdrawn in the
middle of October, could all Ac�on for
Children box holders please give their boxes
to Brian Pipe and
also any dona�ons,
no later than
Sunday 24th
September 2017.
Your co-opera�on is
much appreciated.
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CAR PARKING Grahame Lindsay encourages considerate parking
The beginning of a new Connexional year
seems a fi1ng �me to remind members of
the car parking scheme at Museum Street,
and those who park solely for Sunday
Services and to a%end events, of some
general rules regarding the use of the car
park.
Parking outside the designated parking
spaces at any �me is strictly forbidden as this
can cause great upset to those who are
blocked in by inconsiderate parking and
prevents easy access or exit in the case of an emergency. If there are insufficient
spaces on a Sunday morning the Church Stewards have permits which allow
parking in Blackhorse Lane. The permit needs to be placed on your car
windscreen so that traffic wardens can see the details. At any other �me I’m
afraid that you will have to use the public car parks.
The five reserved areas outside the house are for the use of people carrying out
Church/ Circuit Office du�es and are not for general use at any �me. The spaces
along the wall of the Black Horse Inn are for the sole use of Scru%on Bland on
Mondays to Fridays during office hours.
I would also remind you that the upper car park belongs to Birke%’s. They have
sole use Monday to Friday during office hours. Museum Street has sole use on a
Sunday. Both par�es have shared access on evenings & Saturdays.
Finally, please ensure that, if you have paid for a yearly parking permit, you
display your �cket in the front of your car. These are only valid for the car stated
on the permit. If you do not have a current parking permit you may only use the
church car park whilst a%ending a church event. Cars in the parking areas are
regularly checked by Property officers to ensure cars are not parked illegally.
Thank you for your help in using the car park considerately.
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TEA & TALK I wonder if Chris & Maggie got a souvenir for David & Jennifer
We have now reached the ‘half-way’ point in
our third year and will not be mee�ng again
un�l September.
Please look out for new posters, which will
be posi�oned in the usual spots, confirming
our mee�ng dates to the end of 2017.
On looking at the finances that we have
garnered through the generosity of our
patrons, we decided to donate a further sum
of £70 towards church funds.
We very much appreciate the support we
have received from everyone who has
‘dropped in’ for a,ernoon refreshment and ‘conversa�on’ and look forward to
seeing you again soon.
RIDE & STRIDE John Goodhand wants support for the historic cycle ride—September 9th
Saturday 9 September
2017
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Any poten�al riders or walkers can
obtain sponsor forms from John
Goodhand.
John has agreed to look a,er the administra�on at Museum Street this year.
We will need people to sign in visitors, ideally two per hour. No experience is
necessary. Please sign on the list on the no�ce board if you are able to help.
Remember: you can be sponsored. Please see John if you have any queries.
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MORE TEA! Jackie Wells encourages you to book the date for the new season
Tuesday October 10th at 7:30pm
Kathryn Gosling, General Manager of the Teapot
Project will open the new GET TOGETHER season.
With a warm personality and a real sense of
humour, she will tell us how this award winning
project began, and how it benefits the whole
community.
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QUIZ NIGHT Ella Macartney invites you to show your compe��ve spirit for a good cause
Museum Street Methodist Church
Friday 8 September 2017 at 7.30pm This is the final event for our Zambezi
Mission Project.
Why not enter a team and help raise our giving to
this important project still further?
£4 per person to include light refreshments.
Maximum of 6 people in a team
or come and join a team on the night
Please sign up on sheet in corridor
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ANOTHER QUIZ Whilst you are in quiz mood—see if you can name this dame on the right
AN APOLOGY The editor sheds some tears
In the last edi�on, I unwi1ngly shortened
Jennifer Job’s name. I can’t tell you what
name I used, because I promised not to
use it again, but I am full of remorse!
From Dave the prostrate one!
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ENTERTAINMENT Ray Sawyer takes us to conference for the word search in this edi�on
Always helpful to have a guide to conference. Buried in the square below are
lots of words associated with conference. See if you can find your way around
conference.
Agenda; Annual; Birmingham; Church; Circuit, Conference; Connexion;
Deacon; District; Johnwesley; Methodist; Memorials; Minister; Lay;
Ordina�ons; President; Speaker; Structure; Vicepresident; Youthassembly.
Did you recognise Jim McNally on the opposite page ?
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WHO WROTE THAT?
John Goodhand bowls a new hymn writer at us!
A short while ago, while looking through the hymnbook, I no�ced number 122,
and wondered if we had ever sung it. It’s quite short so I reproduce it here:
God, whose farm is all crea�on,
Take the gra�tude we give;
Take the finest of our harvest,
Crops we grow that all may live.
Take our ploughing, seeding, reaping,
Hopes and fears of sun and rain,
All our thinking, planning, wai�ng,
Ripened in this fruit and grain.
All our labour, all our watching,
All our calendar of care,
In these crops of your crea�on,
Take, O God: they are our prayer.
The writer was Leslie Thomas John Arlo%. Yes, that John Arlo%, doyen of
cricket commentators. Cricket lovers of a certain age will always remember his
dis�nc�ve Hampshire burr when describing events on Test Match Special on
the radio.
John Arlo% was born in Basingstoke in 1914. He won a scholarship to Queen
Mary’s Grammar School, but became embroiled in a feud with the Headmaster
as the school was not ‘wholly recep�ve to his young, independent, enquiring
mind’. He eventually le, of his own accord. He worked briefly at the local
town hall, then as a records clerk at a mental hospital in Basingstoke before
serving for twelve years in the Southampton
County Borough Police Force, a%aining the rank
of sergeant. He enjoyed cricket at club level but
while not skilful enough to play for the
Southampton Police cricket eleven he was
some�mes called upon to use the public address
system
He joined the BBC in 1945 and was asked to do
some radio commentary on the warm-up games
of India’s tour of England in 1946; he was so
successful that he was invited to con�nue to
commentate on further matches, including Test
matches. From 1946 un�l he re�red in 1980 he
covered every single home Test match.
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He was a regular journalist, a writer on cricket and on wine, and a poet. In 1981
he re�red to Alderney in the Channel Islands where he died in December 1991.
It seems hard to believe that he re�red in 1980, nearly forty years ago. He had
a dis�nc�ve turn of phrase, and was so popular that we would frequently turn
down the volume on the television and watch the picture while listening to his
commentary on the ‘wireless’. What wonderful images he would conjure up:
“The umpire signals a bye with the air of a weary stork”…”Clive Lloyd hits him
high away over mid-wicket for four, the stroke of a man knocking a thistle top
with a walking s�ck”… and, my favourite, “He (Asif Masood) approaches the
wicket like Groucho Marx chasing a pre%y waitress".
SLEEP TIGHT Mary Haggar responds to John’s contribu�on in the last edi�on
Thank you John for your input to Museum Street Connec�ons about Thomas
Ken, the hymn writer. The first verse of the hymn is a prayer that I quietly sing
as I ascend the stairs each night.
“Glory to Thee my God this night…”
If I’m feeling a bit weary, which can slow me down, I then manage the third
verse which I know by heart.
“Oh may my soul on thee repose, and may sweet sleep mine eyelids close”
By that �me, I have safely reached my bed.
Goodnight all and sleep
well!
Editor’s mischief!
Can you see Mary singing
up these stairs on her way
to bed in the top bunk?
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FRIENDS Jim & Eileen McNally send news from Auchlochlan MHA Village
Lovely to hear from you. We are here now over
five years and don’t ask where that �me has flown
to as life here is busier than ever. Auchlochlan is
the most beau�ful re�rement village and indeed a
community of caring and loving people. Many
ac�vi�es are arranged - we had a Ceilidh with
accordion band, Quiz night, a,ernoon
ac�vi�es. There is a choir on Tuesday a,ernoons
whether or not one can sing but the cuppa and chat
a,erwards is not to be missed. The Chaplain is a
Bap�st Minister but originally from Salva�on Army -
a great guy from Northern Ireland !!!
We live in the last one of the co%ages before hi1ng the road which runs along
the back of our garden. It has two bedrooms and bathroom and en suite
downstairs and two more bedrooms upstairs - lounge - big kitchen - laundry
room and super conservatory, so we are not actually living in a li%le re�rement
property.
Jim and I belong to the nearest Methodist place
of Church which is actually about 15 miles from
here. Need I add that I am the organist there
with one other gentleman from Northern Ireland
who shares the Services with me on
occasions. We have from 60 - 90 folk a%ending
and up to 12 kids who go out to the Sunday
School during the Service.
You can imagine the decision we had to make
a,er 24 years in Ipswich but we have Graham
and his family nearby and when Philip and
Deepa come back from San Francisco, we are all together and that has been a
wonderful bonus for Jim and me a,er years of travelling 403 miles up and
down to Scotland and being so far from all our family in Ipswich.
The only drawback is the poli�cs but then the country is in a total mess
everywhere. Give our love to everyone at Museum Street.
Eileen and of course Himself
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GENEROSITY IN ACTION
Andy Taylor shares a good side of humanity
The circus had come to town! Jim announced to his family that they were going
tonight.
With moun�ng excitement, Jim, Dorothy and the children arrived at the site
where the circus was. A,er he had parked the car, Jim said “You wait here and
I’ll queue up for the �ckets”
In front of Jim in the queue was an obviously poor family, who were very
excited about seeing the circus. When the father got to the �cket booth, and
found that he could not afford the �ckets, he was very distraught. Seeing how
excited the rest of the family looked, Jim had great compassion on him. He felt
God saying “You pay for them, now”. Not wishing to embarrass the man by
giving him the money, Jim had a flash of inspira�on. “Look!” he said to the man
“You have just dropped this 20 dollar bill”, and he gave to the �cket seller. The
poor man was stunned. “Thank so much” he said to Jim, with tears in his eyes.
Jim felt good as he saw how
excited the poor family all
were with their �ckets. But
then it dawned on him! How
was he going to explain to
Dorothy and the children
what God had told him to
do? A,er all the build up,
how was he going to tell
them that they were not
going to see the show a,er
all?
As he was thinking about his
dilemma, he felt a tap on his
shoulder. Turning around he
saw a very smart gentleman.
“Good sir” said the man, “I am the owner of the circus, and I always like to mill
among the audience before each show. I saw what you just did for that poor
family, so I would like you and your family to be my guests for tonight’s
performance”.
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A very happy Jim gathered his family. They sat in the VIP sec�on, where there
were seemingly endless supplies of hot dogs, ice cream and lemonade.
A,er the show the owner took them to meet the performers and some of the
animals. “Mum, Dad that was fantas�c” chorused the children, before they
quickly fell asleep in the back of the car.
On the journey home a very
though[ul Dorothy asked,
“Darling, how did you managed
to get those seats in the VIP
sec�on, and all that went with
it, with the 20 dollars you
had?”
Jim just smiled and said. “I’ll
tell you one day”
PREACH THE NEWS Mike Parker mixes it up with bible and newspaper
I have just completed the Sermons page on the website and would welcome
your comments.
Whilst looking for the so,ware to run the page I came across this sermon
preached by Rev Dr Michael Paterson to the St Margaret’s congrega�on on 18
June 2017. I found it very interes�ng. It is
not the full version.
In his final speech as Archbishop of
Canterbury, Rowan Williams said that the task
of the church is to preach ‘with a Bible in one
hand and a newspaper in the other’. So taking
him at his word, I am going to interweave
what we find in today’s Bible readings with
what we have seen in this week’s
newspapers.
So let’s see what happens:
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The Bible
Abraham looked up and saw three
needy strangers standing nearby.
“Quick,” he said to his wife, “get
three bags of the finest flour and
bake some bread.” Then he ran to
the herd and selected a choice,
tender calf, had it cooked and
served it to the strangers.(Gen 18)
Suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance produces character;
and character produces hope.
(Romans 5:3b–4)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he
had compassion on them, because
they were harassed and helpless,
lost like sheep without a
shepherd.
These are the people Jesus called
as apostles: Simon, Andrew;
James and his brother John; Philip
and Bartholomew; Thomas and
Ma%hew the tax collector; James
and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot
and Judas Iscariot.
The Newspaper
A soup kitchen has spontaneously popped
up in the heart of the Borough of
Kensington to feed all those who have lost
everything in the Grenfell Tower fire.
Countless people have come from near and
far bringing clothing, shoes, bedding,
offering a bed for the night, toys for the
kids, a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on.
People of every tribe and na�on, race and
language are pulling together and pu1ng
their differences aside to bring good out of
the most awful adversity. The word on the
street is of new life rising up from the
ashes.
The tensions that have built up between
Muslims and ordinary Londoners has given
way to common expressions of humanity.
These are the people who came to help:
• firefighters and ambulance crews;
• paramedics and nurses;
• refugees and asylum seekers;
• people who voted Tory, Labour and UKIP;
• people with mental health issues and
addic�ons;
• people not at all like us and people every
bit like us;
• people who put their differences aside to
do what was needed to be done.
22
24th
September deadline for next issue:
The deadline for contribu�ons for the next magazine is 24th
September. It is due out on Sunday 1st October.
Please email them to me at [email protected].
DEMENTIA—POSTLUDE
David Welbourn reflects on his own inability to cope with demen�a
If, as we come to one we love, We meet just staring eyes
That look at us in ignorance And fail to recognise,
How can we hold on to the love From which our care derives?
We ask, we plead, we hope, we trust Our love might s�ll survive.
If as we look to those who love, Dependant on their care,
We struggle, cannot speak their name, Inanimate, we stare,
How can they s�ll hold us in love From which their care derives?
We ask, we plead, we hope, we trust Their love might s�ll survive.
O God, we come to you in love In doubt as much as faith,
With frail and faltering hands we grasp The offer of your grace;
And can you recognise the ones Who barely know your name?
We ask, we plead, we hope, we trust Your love remains the same.
Demen�a has to be the most cruel of anything afflic�ng society. We are taught
to speak of people living with demen�a, rather than the more common phrase,
those suffering with demen�a. But even that misses the point. The friends
and loved ones are indeed those truly suffering from demen�a and its cruelty.
For those in whom demen�a is slowly eroding the person, there comes a point
when it is hard even to say they are living with demen�a – for mum, it was a
long �me ago that the usual meaning of life was lost, and when she died a few
days a,er her 91st birthday, it was a blessing to know she was now safe.
Demen�a is cruelty beyond measure that keeps on removing everything you
knew – piece by piece, pain by pain, even a,er you think there is nothing le,
s�ll to lose. It places an enormous burden on the resilience of our faith. I am
grateful to Andrew Pra% for these words, that echo that pain, firstly from the
viewpoint of loved ones, secondly from the one locked in with demen�a, and
finally we fall back on faith and trust alone, as we place the burden on God
alone to have sufficient love to carry us through the pain on all sides.
23
CHURCH DIARY
Coffee/tea are served every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:00
October
Sun 1st
10:45 am Communion led by Rev Michael Cassidy
Mon 2nd
7:30 pm Church Council
Wed 4th
12:30 pm Potato service
Sun 8th
10:45 Worship led by Rev Derek Grimshaw
Tue 10th
7:30 pm Get together – the Teapot Project
Thu 12th
1:00 pm Ipswich Arts lunch �me concert:
the Wednesday Men
Sun 15th
10:45 am Worship led by Mrs Jane Paterson
Tue 17th
2:00 pm Tea and Talk
Wed 18th
10:00 am Holy Communion
Sun 22nd
10:45 am World Church Service led by Rev M Griffin
Sun 22nd
12:30 pm World church lunch and launch of new
community project suppor�ng TWAM
Tue 24th
12:30 pm Community lunch
Sun 29th
10:45 am worship led by Mrs Carol Almond
Mon 30th
7:30 pm Church life team
November
Wed 1st
12:30 pm Potato service
Sun 5th
10:45 am Communion led by Rev Derek Grimshaw
Thu 9th
1:00 pm Ipswich Arts lunch�me lecture
Sun 12th
10:45 am Remembrance Sunday worship led by Mr Ray
Sawyer
Mon 13th
7:00 pm Property commi%ee
Tue 14th
7:30 pm Get together
Wed 15th
10:00 am Holy Communion
Sun 19th
10:45 am worship led by Mrs Gloria Theobald
Tue 21st
2:00 pm Tea and Talk
Sun 26th
10:45 am worship led by Mrs Janet Foster
Mon 27th
7:30 pm Church life team
Tue 28th
12:30 pm Community lunch
Please note that future dates are not guaranteed and may occasionally need to
be changed
24
CHURCH DIARY Looking ahead! Note tea/coffee served at 10:00 every Wed & Sat
CONTACTS We’d love to hear from you
Minister: Rev Derek Grimshaw, 01473 805486
Editor: David Welbourn, [email protected]
Webmaster: Mike Parker, parker.mj@b�nternet.com
Website: h8p://www.museumstreet.org.uk/
August
Sun 6th
10.45 am Communion led by Rev Derek Grimshaw
Wed 9th
7:30 pm Stewards’ mee�ng
Thu 10th
1.00 pm Ipswich Arts lunch �me concert: Silbury Hill
Sun 13th
10.45 am Worship led by Harry Chicken
Wed 16th
10.00 am Note: no mid-week communion in August
Sun 20th
10.45 am Worship led by Rev Jane Cassidy
Sun 27th
10.45 am Worship – Worship Leaders
September
Sun 3rd
10:45 am Covenant service Rev Derek Grimshaw
Mon 4th
7:30 pm Church Life Team
Wed 6th
12.30 pm Potato service
Fri 8th
7:30 pm Quiz night – for Zambezi Mission project
Sat 9th
9:00am – 5:00pm Ride & stride - volunteers wanted
Sun 10th
10:45 am Worship led by Rev Michael Ayden
Mon 11th
7:00 pm Property commi%ee
Thu 14th
2:00 pm Ipswich Arts lunch �me lecture:
Charles II and Ipswich Ancient House
Sat 16th
10:00 am District Synod at University of Suffolk
Sun 17th
10:45 am Worship led by Mr Harry Chicken
Tue 19th
2.00 pm Tea & talk
Tue 19th
7.30 pm Finance commi%ee
Thu 21st
7:00 pm Circuit Mee�ng at Museum Street
Sat 23rd
7.00 pm Harvest Supper – speaker Rev Stuart Veitch
Sun 24th
10:45 am Harvest service led by Rev Stuart Veitch
Sun 24th
Deadline for contribu�ons to next issue
Tue 26th
12:30 pm Community lunch
Sat 30th
10:00 am Pastoral commi%ee