oouuttrreeaacchh - st john's ce primary school home · as a member of the ministry team at st...
TRANSCRIPT
St John’s Church the Heart of the Wood
OOuuttrreeaacchh
The Parish Magazine of
St John’s Church
The Parish Church of St John Walsall Wood
St John’s Church the Heart of the Wood
The Parish Church of St John
High Street, Walsall Wood, Walsall, WS9 9LP
01543 372284 or 01543 360558
email: [email protected]
www.achurchnearyou.com/walsall-wood-st-john
Worship at St John’s
Sunday
8 am Holy Communion
9.30 Sung Eucharist and Sunday School and Crèche
Or Family Service (normally 2nd Sunday)
Or Morning Worship (normally 4th Sunday)
6.30 Evening Worship
Wednesday
10.15 Holy Communion with St John’s School
12.00 Prayers for Healing and Wholeness
Thursday
12.30 Holy Communion
Welcome
2016
.
A New Minister for St John’s e are delighted to formally welcome the Revd. John Pretty
as a member of the Ministry Team at St John’s. Along with
his wife Angela, John has been worshipping with us and
supporting us for nearly a year now and we were delighted when,
following a request from the Church Council, the Bishop of
Wolverhampton kindly agreed to license John as an Ordained Minister
for our Parish.
A granddad and former head teacher, John has served for a number of
years in ministry already; formerly as a Reader in the Diocese of
Birmingham, and more recently as a Priest in the parish of Draycott and
Forsbrook in North Staffordshire.
John will be licensed as an Ordained Local Minister for our parish by
the Archdeacon of Walsall, the Ven. Dr Sue Weller, at our Celebration
Praise Service which will take place on Sunday, 28th February at 6.30.
We are all looking forward to having him working along-side us. Do
come and support him if you can.
* * * * *
Salt, Yeast and Statistics uring a short reflection in a recent Newsletter I ruminated on
the fact that, with the exception of those who love figures, the
early days of the New Year can hold a few frustrating moments
for parish clergy. For these are the days when we are required to
submit our annual statistics (our key performance indicators, if you like)
to the diocese for perusal.
The areas covered by the analysis include the Average Sunday
Attendance (adults and children), the number of baptisms (by age
group), the number of weddings, the number of funeral services (at
church or at the crematorium), a count of anyone who attended any
service (Sunday or weekday) in the month of October, the number who
attended Easter and Christmas Services, the number who took Holy
W
D
Communion at Easter and Christmas services, the number on the
Church Electoral Roll, membership of the Church Family (by age
group), the number who joined the Church Family during the year (and
why), the number who left the Church Family during the year (and why)
and the number who came to special services during the season of
Advent. All good fun.
A separate financial statement is then forwarded to the diocese a little
later in the year.
To be sure it does no harm to use a few figures to help to gauge the
health of a local church but there is a great danger that we can slip into
the “performance management” mind set or the success culture which,
if taken too far can cause more harm than good.
In terms of the statistical analysis by most measures, other than
financial, St John’s is doing reasonably well. We are seeing a
broadening of our age range and we are witnessing growth in some
areas of our worshipping life. Of, course, we can always try to improve
but many good things are happening at St John’s, for which we can,
and must, thank God.
But there is a danger that we start to focus our attention on those things
which can be measured, but which have only marginal significance for
the Christian life.
For the Church stands, as did the Lord we worship, at the bridge
between the secular and the sacred; and by “the Church” I mean not
the denomination, the institution or the building which stands in almost
every local community. The Church is the whole community, the
gathering, the congregation, the family of people who draw together for
worship and service in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the role of the Church to live the sacred in and among the secular
and to offer the life of home, community, nation and world before God.
Now, if there were a particular way of doing this which worked in all
places and in all situations, we could be sure that most people would be
doing it, and others would be measuring it. But there isn’t.
Certainly, it is not the Church’s role to be constantly lecturing society in
a judgemental manner; nor should the church simply bless, in God’s
name, everything which goes on in the world as if, somehow, God
always wanted it to be that way. God is not to be mocked.
But if you look in the gospels you will see that Jesus had a gloriously
simple way of teaching about how the life of the Church can improve
and even sanctify the life of God’s world; and he often taught about
doing things on a small scale.
Jesus used words like light, salt and yeast to describe the potential
actions of Christians: simple but powerful metaphors which indicate the
ways in which the love of God can be brought alive in our relationships.
Light, and indeed enlightenment, changes lives and helps individuals to
find direction. Salt, when used appropriately, preserves goodness,
prevents deterioration and enhances flavour, whilst itself becoming
invisible. Likewise, as any baker will remind you, a small amount of
yeast in a batch of dough is the magic ingredient for a well-baked loaf.
Ideally, a major role of any church community, (whether it meets in a
huge cathedral, a parish church, a front room, or wherever else), is to
equip its members to be salt and yeast in the places where they live
and work from Monday to Saturday, as well as at worship on a Sunday.
How do you measure such things? I don’t know. But whilst strength of
numbers has many advantages indeed, it is in the quality of lives lived
that we will find our true meaning.
A final thought which I have shared many times, having first heard it
from a wise priest some years ago now: Our Lord does not call us to be
successful, but to be fruitful. There is a difference.
And we might add that, in addition, our Lord calls us to be faithful –
whatever the statistics say.
Nigel
SSuuddookkuu
WWoorrdd SSeeaarrcchh
Answers can
be found at
the rear of the
magazine
WWoorrddsseeaarrcchh ffoorr FFeebbrruuaarryy 22001166
February is the month of romance. Millions of Valentine cards will be
sent in the next week or two, as we celebrate our romantic love for that
special person in our lives. But there are other kinds of love to
celebrate: and on Candlemas we remember Mary and Joseph taking
their baby son to the temple to present him to God. Jesus’ whole life
was a loving present to us from God. Through his death for us on the
cross, and his resurrection, his love can now transform anyone’s life.
Romances can die, but God’s love for us is always there. But it won’t
do us much good – unless we accept it!
Valentine
Rose
Romance
Love
Present
Restaurant
Hearts
Kiss
hug
girlfriend
boyfriend
fiancé
worship
repentance
angels
baby
temple
Mary
Candlemas
presentation
Do come and join us for our next
Celebration Praise An informal service where you choose all the hymns and songs
Sunday, 28th February at 6.30 pm. At this service we are delighted to be licensing
The Revd John Pretty as an Ordained Local Minister
to join the team at St John’s.
Hymns and songs are chosen for Celebration Praise using the request forms which can
be obtained from the church and returned to our Director of Music, Mr Brian
Worrallo.
‘‘AArrrryy’’ss BBiitt
Hello folks hope you all had a peaceful Christmas. We had some
happy news in the family just before Christmas as our eldest
granddaughter Amie got engaged. They were on a visit to York (before
the floods) when in the grounds of the minster her boy friend Greg
popped the question - what a lovely setting. We wish them every
happiness and hope they will be as happy together as Jenny and I have
been. The lucky lad’s surname is Bishop, I always said we would have
a Bishop in the family one day and it appears “it shall yet come to pass”.
I suppose this means I will have to buy a pair of shoe laces now
because Jenny says the string I have in at the moment will not look right
at a wedding! Oh dear more expense.
I had a very interesting book as a present for Christmas, it has the title
‘We good…We no shoot’ by Andrew Hamilton and Alan Reed. In it they
have correlated the story of the Christmas truce in 1914 using extracts
from letters and Diary entries of the soldiers who were actually there.
Although I have read many accounts of the remarkable events that took
place that Christmas but this book has had quite an effect on me.
The truce began when following the singing of carols the Germans
invited the British over to their lines for wine. After some messages
The happy couple on their engagement day with York Minster in the background. (The photo was taken by friends)
back and forth, a meeting half way between the lines was suggested.
One brave British soldier ventured into no man’s land and was met by
two Germans where warm greetings were exchanged. I thought of the
great courage shown by the British man, he didn’t know if the enemy
would take a pop at him, or if he would be charged with the crime of
fraternising with the enemy and being shot at dawn. The spirit of
friendship and goodwill spread along a section of the line. I thought of
the shepherds in the fields on that very first Christmas. They were afraid
when the Angels first appeared, but afterwards they ventured into
Bethlehem I would think they would be concerned about what would
happen to the sheep if they left them, was it a trap to lure them away?
One thing that really stood out as I read the book was the spirit of peace
and good will that shone through that day. In the darkness and horror of
war a glimmer of light was shining. The soldiers exchanged gifts of
cigarettes and tobacco - just small gifts, but to them they were precious
and a much needed comfort. The Magi brought gifts to baby Jesus but
told Herod of the birth during the journey. We all know what Herod’s
reaction was and we know what the outcome was when the higher
officers heard of unofficial truce. The darkness of war descended again.
One however, is certain ‘the light still shines in the darkness and the
darkness does not overcome it’.
I don’t have time to go into all the details of the events but one sentence
written by a soldier sticks in my mind “A DAY UNIQUE IN THE
HISTORY OF THE WORLD” Equally when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem it surely was a unique day, wasn’t it?
I am reminded that July this year marks the one hundredth anniversary
of the first battle of the Somme in World War One. For twenty four
hours over a period of seven days we bombarded the German lines
with thousands of tons of shells and then sent our troops ‘over the top’.
Out of their fortifications came the Germans and machine gunned them
down! We suffered sixty thousand casualties in one morning. The
bombardment was supposed to have completely destroyed the enemy
lines. While I was reflecting on this, news came through that our
politicians had decided that the best thing to do in the Middle East is to
carry out air strikes. Some things never change do they?
We must keep the light of Christ shining through whatever the darkness
brings.
Harry Jackaman
“You are the Light of the world” Matthew 5:14-16
CCeelleebbrraattiinngg tthhee QQuueeeenn’’ss 9900tthh BBiirrtthhddaayy
–– ssppeecciiaall bbooookk The Queen has served
the country and
Commonwealth for more
than 60 years. From 10-
12 June 2016 her 90th
birthday will be
celebrated.
To mark the unique
occasion, HOPE, Bible
Society and the London
Institute for
Contemporary
Christianity are
publishing a ‘very
special’, 64-page book focusing on the Queen’s Christian faith as a
tribute to her life of service.
The Servant Queen - and the King She Serves is a beautifully illustrated
short book, which uses the Queen’s own words to draw out the central
role of her trust in Jesus Christ, offering an inspiring, multi-faceted
insight into a life well-lived for others.
In her 2014 Christmas broadcast the Queen described Jesus Christ as
‘an anchor in my life’ and a ‘role-model’. It is the most recent of many
public references the Queen has made to her Christian faith.
Advance orders for The Servant Queen have already reached more
than 60,000 with Anglican dioceses and denominations ordering copies
to give away.
TTiimmee ttoo rreettrreeaatt?? Lent is how the Church offers you a 40-day period of renewal each
year. So this Lent, if you feel tired and stressed by the demands of daily
life, why not consider a retreat?
In simplest terms, a retreat is simply stepping aside from your daily
routine for a period of time, usually to reflect and pray about your life, all
within the context of being in a welcoming and peaceful place. You can
go it alone, or with a group. It can last from half a day to a day, to a
week, or even longer. During this time, you can seek God’s presence,
grow deeper in your faith, and come to see yourself and others more
clearly.
You may greatly benefit from a retreat if:
- you need time to get back in touch with your inner self
- you want to learn more about prayer and reflection before God
- you need to prepare for some big challenge/decision in your life
The range of retreats on offer is enormous. There are beginner days,
hobby-based retreats (art, poetry, gardening), retreats for particular life
issues such as bereavement, relationship breakdown, marriage
enrichment, stress and trauma, or simply prayer and Bible reading with
a spiritual director to guide each day. Retreats are also held with
seasonal themes – Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Advent, or on major life
themes: forgiveness, waiting, letting go, peace, justice, contemplation,
the Cross, Resurrection, hope or despair. Others focus on inspiring
believers of all kinds down the ages. Retreats have only one thing in
common: they are offered to nourish and enrich you.
Retreat houses vary from monasteries to modern building complexes.
Most are set in beautiful grounds, with lots of space to wander about in.
Some have libraries, art rooms and prayer rooms. Almost all provide
home cooked food, and many can welcome people with disabilities.
What is the point of it all? Like pilgrimages, retreats are really a journey
with a sacred purpose that can become transformational for you.
Someone once described a retreat like this: “When we allow ourselves
time, new insights are given… new and old places in our hearts are
visited. Blessings are received and healing acceptance of memories
can take place…”
It is too easy to avoid ourselves, to live life on a shallow basis, and not
ever to allow ourselves time to simply renew our inner selves. Jesus
frequently went off to be alone and pray; He just wanted to be with his
Father. We, too, will benefit from time alone with God.
Retreat information at: www.retreats.org.uk
Where are people getting married
these days? In the year 2000, some 270,000 couples were married in England and
Wales. Almost half these weddings took place in a Registry Office
(47%), and over a third (36%) in a church, with a sixth (17%) taking
place in an Approved Premise.
But the dislike of people marrying in Registry Offices in the 21st century
has grown hugely, while the popularity of Approved Premises has
boomed, so that in 2015, when some 280,000 couples married, only 5%
took place in a Registry Office and over two-thirds (68%) in an
Approved Premise. A quarter (27%) still took place in a church.
The number of people marrying in a church (including all
denominations) has dropped from 97,000 in 2000 to 75,000 in 2015, a
decline of 22%, which is rather larger than the 16% decline in numbers
attending church in those two years. This presumably means that some
couples, about 6,000 in 2015, preferred their wedding in an Approved
Premise rather than a church.
The trend is likely to be true in other denominations. More and more
Christians are marrying non-Christians, which means that passing on
the faith to their children will become more difficult and could provide a
tension point within the marriage.
CChhiillddrreenn ttoooo ttrruussttiinngg ooff oonnlliinnee wwoorrlldd The number of children who believe everything they find on Google and
social media sites has doubled, according to a recent Ofcom study.
Eight-to-15 year olds may
be ‘digital natives’
(children who have grown
up with the internet) but
they often lack the ‘online
nous’ needed when
deciding if what they see
is true or impartial, Ofcom
says. Hence, almost a
fifth of 12 to 15 year olds
believe that all
information returned by a
search engine such as
Google or Bing must be true, and only a third of them were able to
identify paid-for adverts.
The study also found that children turn to YouTube for ‘true and
accurate’ information about what is going on in the world. Less than half
of the children were aware that advertising is the main source of income
for the site, and that therefore video bloggers are often paid to
favourably mention products or services.
Join us for
Come along and join us at St John’s for
Hol y Week for Kids Daily activities and fun for children, centred on the Easter theme.
Monday, 21st March to Thursday, 24th March
3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
Good Friday, 25th March
9.30 am – 11.30 am
Everybody Welcome
Join us for our
Family Service for
Mothers’ Day Everybody welcome
on Sunday, 6th
March at 9.30 am
Mary Tudor – the first Queen of England Mary Tudor, the first undisputed Queen of England to reign in her own
right, was born on 18 February 500 years ago.
The daughter of Henry VIII and Catharine of Aragon, she reigned for
five years and after her death was known as Bloody Mary, because of
her execution of hundreds of Protestant leaders in a bid to turn England
back to Roman Catholicism following the death of her half-brother
Edward, an ultra-Protestant.
The first of these martyrs was the printer of the “Matthews-Tyndale
Bible”; also executed was the former Archbishop of Canterbury,
Thomas Cranmer, who was primarily responsible for the printing of the
Great Bible, as well as bishops Ridley and Latimer.
During her reign from 1553, Mary thwarted a bid to put Lady Jane Grey
on the throne and then crushed a rebellion led by Sir Thomas Wyatt. To
help her restore Roman Catholicism in England, she married Philip of
Spain.
This marriage was not a success, however, and she was childless –
after several false pregnancies she died of what is believed to be
uterine or ovarian cancer. Her husband showed little long-term interest
in her or in England, except to drag it into a conflict with France that
cost it the area around Calais, its last toehold in France. As a result the
country became disillusioned with her and was ready for a return to
Protestantism when she was succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I,
daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn.
Mary’s body was interred in Westminster Abbey, and when Elizabeth
died, in 1603, she was buried next to her. With Elizabeth’s backing, the
radical Protestant John Foxe tracked down the stories of those killed
under Mary and published them in his Book of Martyrs, which was
enthusiastically received and widely read.
AAllll yyoouu nneeeedd iiss lloovvee!! The Beatles’ song ‘All you need is love’ is very fitting in this month, as
we mark St Valentines’ Day. If love is all we need, what does real love
look like?
Paul describes it like this: ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy,
it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’
(1 Corinthians 13: 4-8).
Love is unconditional: The agenda of one bride on her wedding day
was ‘aisle-altar-hymn’ (think about it!). Entering into love on the basis of
changing the other person is dangerous! Paul talks about loving
unconditionally, rooted in our experience of God’s love through Christ
for us: ‘We love, because he first loved us.’ (1 John 4:19).
Love is forgiving: According to the film Love Story, ‘Love means never
having to say you’re sorry.’ This is rarely true in our experience!
According to Paul, love is saying you are sorry and hearing that you are
forgiven. Love ‘keeps no record of wrongs’. We can only forgive as God
forgives us, and who does so from the arms of
Jesus stretched wide in love on the Cross.
Love is sacrificial: Paul describes love as not
selfish or self-seeking, but selfless and self-
sacrificial. It is a love that puts the needs of the
other person first. Take the words from 1
Corinthians and instead of the word love,
substitute your own name. Now substitute the
word Jesus. This is the Jesus who is available to you to make your love
for others grow that will bring true Valentines’ joy!
Recent report on religion and belief
in Britain ‘seriously misguided’ A recent report led by Baroness Butler-Sloss which said that Britain is
no longer a Christian country has been criticised by cabinet ministers
who said it was ‘seriously misguided’, and by the Church of England
which claimed it appeared to have been ‘hijacked’ by humanists. The
report into religion and belief in Britain, calls for a ‘new settlement’ for
religion because the religious landscape has been ‘transformed’ by a
growth in non-Christian religions and numbers of people with no
religion.
In response, a spokesperson for the Church of England said: “We
welcome the call in this report for greater religious literacy and the
highlighting of the scale of social action by the Church – as well as its
recommendation that where a religious organisation is best placed to
deliver a social good, it should not be disadvantaged.
“We also welcome the acknowledgement that the establishment of the
Church of England has helped the integration of non-Christian
perspectives in British society and helped them to make their voices
heard in the public sphere. The Church of England, through its
dioceses, parishes and at national level has been at the forefront of
work to increase understanding between the different faiths.
“We are however disappointed that the report misunderstands the role
of Church of England schools in providing a rounded education to more
than a million pupils from all backgrounds as part of our commitment to
the common good. If there is a significant problem with our schools it is
that many of them are so popular that they are oversubscribed and not
every parent who wants to can send their children to one.
“The report also misunderstands collective worship in schools. We
believe that if the law on collective worship were repealed schools
would risk losing this vital element of shaping a community that reflects
the full breadth of human experience. We know, for example, that the
response of many schools to the horror of the Paris attacks will have
been in the context of collective worship.
“The report is dominated by the old fashioned view that traditional
religion is declining in importance and that non-adherence to a religion
is the same as humanism or secularism.”
After recent “overwhelming public support for the Church of England
over the Lord’s Prayer cinema advert, it is important to remember that
most public opinion is strongly opposed to the marginalisation of
Christianity."
To read a blog by Nigel Genders, Church of England Chief Education
Officer see http://cofecomms.tumblr.com/post/134520796697/church-
schools-make-a-diff...
Read more: Christian Today 7/12/15Read more: The Telegraph
7/12/15
LLeeaapp YYeeaarr –– 2299tthh FFeebbrruuaarryy 2016 brings us a Leap Year. We need to add this extra day every four
years in order to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s
revolutions around the Sun. The problem is very simple: our calendar
has 365 days, but it actually takes 365.242199 days (a tropical year) to
circle once around the Sun. That means we are ‘out’ by nearly six hours
a year. Four times six hours is 24 hours - hence an extra day every four
years.
Adding the extra day in February goes back to Julius Caesar in 45 BC.
In his Julian Calendar, February was the last month of the year, and
24th February was Leap Year Day.
SShhrroovvee TTuueessddaayy –– PPaannccaakkee DDaayy –– 99tthh
FFeebbrruuaarryy It’s odd, really, that confessing one’s sins to God should ever have
involved making pancakes. And yet the beginning of Lent brings us both
– Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Day, and is followed by Ash Wednesday,
and so Lent begins.
In centuries gone by, the pancakes were made to use up the milk and
eggs before the fasting of Lent. More recently, many readers will have
childhood memories of the wonder of watching our mothers break an
egg, mix it with milk and flour – and out of that gooey mess, to produce
a light and delicious pancake.
These days more and more of us buy pancake mix, or even ready-
made pancakes. It seems we prefer the certainty of ending up with
pancakes - to the
risk of having
made nothing
BUT a mess of
the kitchen.
In many parishes
they used to hold
pancake races on
the day. Why
anyone would
want to run
around a field
while holding a
pancake is not
clear, but in Olney, Bucks, they have held a pancake race almost every
year since 1445.
IIddeeaass ffoorr VVaalleennttiinnee’’ss DDaayy Valentine’s Day is named after an early Christian
martyr, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in
496, in honour of St Valentine, who showed such
kindness and love to all who crossed his path. It
has become the day when we celebrate the joys of
human love.
If you have a romance in your life, how about
getting out your best crockery for a romantic
candlelit meal? Or go through your photographs
together, or write the one you love a love letter?
Can you return to the scene of your first date? - or
perhaps plant a shrub together, to celebrate the day?
Even if you do not have a romance in your life, that need not stop you
enjoying Valentine’s Day (after all, the saint had no romance in his life).
Instead, why not seek out and show love and kindness to several
people? How about hosting a Valentine’s meal to enjoy each other’s
company and to share God’s love for us all? At the very least, why not
be on the ‘look-out’ to do people a random act of kindness this month?
Ask God to help you be sensitive to even a stranger who needs a
helping hand.
RReemmeemmbbeerriinngg GGaalliilleeoo –– aanndd hhooww tthhee
eeaarrtthh rreevvoollvveess Galileo Galilei found himself at the centre of controversy 400 years ago
this month, when he was ordered by the Catholic Church on 26 Feb
1616 to abandon his opinion that the Earth and planets revolve around
the sun. He was banned from holding the opinion, promoting it, or
teaching it.
Highly respected as a scientist, Galileo has been called the father of
observational astronomy, of modern physics and of science generally.
But the Church at the time feared that his championing of heliocentrism
and Copernicanism cast doubt by implication on the authority of
Scripture. Galileo himself argued for a non-literal interpretation of Holy
Scripture to solve the “problem”.
Galileo was born in 1564 near Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence.
The first of six children of a famous lutenist, he started studying
medicine but became fascinated by mathematics and became
Professor of Mathematics at Pisa in 1589, then moved to a similar
position at Padua in 1592.
In 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland.
Without having seen one, he built a superior version and made many
astronomical discoveries, including mountains and valleys on the
surface of the moon, sunspots, the four largest moons of the planet
Jupiter and the phases of the planet Venus.
In 1632, he was again condemned
for heresy after his book Dialogue
Concerning the Two Chief World
Systems was published. Galileo was
summoned to appear before the
Inquisition, was convicted and
sentenced to life imprisonment –
later reduced to permanent house
arrest at his villa in Arcetri, south of
Florence. He was also forced to
publicly withdraw his support for Copernican theory.
Galileo died in 1642. In 1758, the Church lifted the ban on most works
supporting Copernican theory, and by 1835 dropped its opposition to
heliocentrism altogether.
Join us for our
on Sunday, 14th February (Valentine’s
Day) and 6th March (Mothers’ Day)
at 9.30 am.
Join us for
at 11 am on
Saturday, 5th March
Faith, Fun, Friendship and Food for everyone.
ALL welcome.
St John’s
Baby & Toddler Group
meets Mondays and
Fridays (term-time)
at 9.30 am in the Hall
�
Every Sunday at 9.30 (Except during Family Service)
During Term Time.
You’re Invited!
The Ark is our Children’s Club
for 8s to 12s
Friday evenings
during term-time
at 6.30
Just come along!
TThhee ssttoorryy bbeehhiinndd tthhee HHyymmnn ––
‘‘WWhhoo WWoouulldd TTrruuee VVaalloouurr SSeeee’’ Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather.
There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.
Who so beset him round
With dismal stories,
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He’ll with the giant fight,
But he will have a right
To be a pilgrim.
Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
Can daunt his spirit;
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away;
He’ll fear not what men say;
He’ll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.
By John Bunyan (1628-88)
John Bunyan wrote these words while a prisoner in Bedford jail. They
appeared as a poem in his great work, The Pilgrim’s Progress. He
would have been astonished to learn that his poem would ever go on to
become a well-loved hymn.
What was Bunyan doing in jail? He had got caught up in the
religious/political tensions of the times, and suffered for it.
John Bunyan was born in 1628, only a few years after the Pilgrim
Fathers fled England for America, and religious freedom. Those were
troubled times in England, with great tensions between King Charles
and the Royalists, who were Catholic and believed in the divine right of
kings, and the Parliament, as represented by Cromwell and the
Roundheads.
Bunyan had been brought up a Roundhead, and even became a soldier
for a while in Cromwell’s army. When another soldier died in his place,
Bunyan was stricken with grief, and went on to become a committed
Christian.
After the Restoration of the monarchy and the Established Church in
1660, Bunyan was viewed with suspicion as a Puritan sympathiser. He
was ordered to stop preaching in public, but refused. He was convicted
and altogether spent 12 years in prison. They turned out to be the most
fruitful years of his life, for he took up the pen, and in the end reached
far more people than he could ever have done by preaching locally.
The poem appears in Pilgrim’s Progress at the point where Christiania
and her four sons meet and help Mr Valiant-for-Truth on the road. They
wash his wounds, give him food and drink, and learn his story. Mr
Valiant-for-Truth was on his way from the City of Destruction to the
Celestial City. He relates the obstacles and battles along the way, and
then launches into ‘Who would true valour see…’
The poem/hymn has been praised as ‘calculated to inspire the most
doubtful spirit; the most disconsolate soul and to rekindle the fire of zeal
and enthusiasm for the pilgrim journey.” … it was born out of Bunyan’s
own struggle… to be a pilgrim.’ And it is the same faith, in the same
Lord, and the same
journey, that keeps
millions of Christians in
the Persecuted Church
of today strong and
looking forward… to the
Celestial City!
Hey Kids! come and join our
Come along to St John’s Church
at 6 pm every Wednesday (term time),
and help lead our monthly Family Service
Keep up to date with St John’s Church
Find us on Facebook St John’s Church, Walsall Wood
Follow us on Twitter @StJohnsChurchWW
or visit our web page at
www.achurchnearyou.com/walsall-wood-st-john
WWoorrdd SSeeaarrcchh aanndd SSuuddookkuu AAnnsswweerrss .. ..
NNeexxtt mmaaggaazziinnee
ddeeaaddlliinnee:: Anyone wishing to submit an article for
the April / May issue of the magazine
please do so by:
20th March by email to:
Or by hand to the church office
Thank you.
From the Registers
Baptisms
1st December 2015 Amy Nicola Cornish
31st January 2016 Jack William Lote
Kaiden Tuckley
Carter Tuckley
May Christ dwell in your hearts
Weddings
Faith, Hope and Love abide, and the greatest of these is Love.
Funerals 17th December John Brice 43 yrs
18th December Kenneth Bevan 89 yrs
21st December Patricia Harper 81 yrs
23rd December Joan Grainger 96 yrs
2016
4th January Arthur Greatrex 91 yrs
5th January Graham Dutton 68 yrs
5th January Leslie Mead 79 yrs
7th January Mandy Hughes 53 yrs
20th January John Parsons 91 yrs
May they rest in peace and rise to life eternal
Special Services and Activities
Baptism (Christening) Services are normally conducted at 2pm or 3 pm on
Sunday afternoon. Please contact us for available dates.
Messy Church meets monthly on Saturdays at 11am. For details of dates contact
us, visit our website or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Sunday School meets in the Community Hall during the 9.30 am service.
The Ark (our Children’s Fellowship) meets on Fridays at 6.30 in the Community
Hall. Please contact us for details.
Memorial Services are normally held quarterly on a Sunday Evening. Please
contact us for dates.
Choir Practice (for our 9.30am and 6.30pm worship) takes place on Wednesdays
at 7.30 pm. Please Contact the Director of Music for further details.
Junior Choir Practice (for our 9.30am and 6.30pm worship) takes place on
Wednesdays at 7pm. Please Contact the Director of Music for further details.
Children and Young People’s Choir Practice (for our Familiy Service) takes
place on Wednesdays at 6 pm. All (aged 8 or over) welcome. Just turn up.
Group Activities
Monday 9.30am St John’s Baby and Toddler Group in the Hall
5.30 3rd Walsall Wood Rainbows in the Hall
7 pm 3rd Walsall Wood Guides in the Hall
Tuesday 1.30 Walsall Wood Women’s Institute (monthly)
5.45 Brownies in the Hall
Wednesday 5.15 2nd Walsall Wood Rainbows in the Hall
7 pm Weightwatchers in the Hall
Thursday 10 am Coffee Morning in the Hall
5 pm 1st Walsall Wood Rainbows in the Hall
7 pm 2nd Walsall Wood Guides in the Hall
Friday 9.30 St John’s Baby and Toddler Group in the Hall
6.30 The Ark (our Children’s Fellowship) in the Hall
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For enquiries regarding Baptisms, Confirmation, Marriage, the Community hall or St John’s Churchyard, Brookland Road:
TTuueessddaayy,, WWeeddnneessddaayy,, TThhuurrssddaayy aanndd FFrriiddaayy 99..3300-- 1122 nnoooonn
SStt JJoohhnn’’ss CCEE PPrriimmaarryy SScchhooooll Brook Lane, Walsall Wood, WS9 9NA – 01543 452197
HHeeaadd TTeeaacchheerr MMrr AAnnddrreeww MMiillllss