July 2024 Magazine

A big thank you to all who responded to our plea for articles to include in the magazine.   There must be others who can send us something!!!

We would like to think there is a lot of interest in the articles we have chosen and that it is ideal for you to dip in and out of and not read them all at once !!!   Due to problems obtaining photos and cliparts there will be less of them.

Pauline & Bob - co-editors..   

Updated  26th  June 2024

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Dear Friends,

 It was a pleasant surprise when I received a sample copy of Pray Your Part, a pamphlet issued by the two archbishops that provides prayer and reflection for twenty-one days up to the General Election.  Not least the speed of its publication is striking, since this election was announced unexpectedly. But more important from our point of view is its novelty. For there is no precedent for the Church of England to issue such a booklet prior to a General Election, and therefore none for its call to us that we should pray with an eye to the Election.  But what shall we pray – indeed, why should we pray?

The first thing to say is that our Church, the Church of England, is the established Church. That is to say, it is the Church recognised by the law as the official church of the state; and that recognition brings with it both position and calling. Its position is that the King is our supreme governor and its bishops – including the two archbishops, of course - sit in the House of Lords. The Church is privileged in this way so that it may do the work to which it is called.  Its calling is to give spiritual counsel to our rulers and to the whole nation. It is natural, then, that the Church should pray for the state and the nation. To what prayers, then, do our Archbishops call us?

They call us to pray for the nation’s life.  The prayers in our pamphlet cover matters from environment to social care, from education to the NHS, to immigration issues; and, of course, it calls us to pray for parliamentary candidates.

Establishment and these prayers alike tell us one thing. The Christian faith is no mere private thing, like enjoying football or line dancing, but a call to serve the nation. Our faith is that Jesus Christ redeems the world and brings salvation to mankind.  He came into the world to call human beings to repent, to follow Him, to love God and to love one another.  To serve the nation is an obvious expression of this love.

So it is that we should pray for the candidates, whose personal commitment is to serve the nation and uphold the justice and righteousness. In this way, we commend the nation and those who would be the Members of Parliament to God, who is the source of all goodness, and justice.

A parliamentarian who was interviewed on the Radio 4’s Sunday programme recently told of his own experience.  Once he had been asked to write a job description for an MP. After some research and reflection, he found no way of capturing this that was better than the words of a parliamentary prayer:-

Lord, the God of righteousness and truth, grant to our King and his ministers, to the judges, to the peers, temporal and spiritual, to parliamentary candidates and to all those in positions of authority, the guidance of your Spirit. May they never lead the nation astray through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy goals, but, laying aside all partialities and prejudices, keep before their minds their duty to maintain and improve the condition of your people, and especially of this nation, so that your Kingdom may come and your name be hallowed here forever. Amen.

The prayer expresses perfectly what the nation expects our leaders to be, the purpose of their role, and what they should do - or rather not to do - as leaders of the nation.  So, I wish that all of us, in this period of time, should pray and call upon God for the sake of the British nation.

Norma.

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 End of an Era.

On the evening of Sunday 28^th of July 2024, the last Evensong will take place at St Mary’s.

Sung Evensong has been a part of St Mary’s since at least 1874, with a succession of Organists and Choristers playing their part in worshipping God via music over the ensuing years.  In recent years there has only been two churches in the whole of Teesside which had a sung Evensong every Sunday, these being St Mary’s and St Peter’s Stockton, a sad reflection on these times. 

In 1939 St Marys joined the Royal School of Church Music, one of the first to join this national organisation, and still a member.

I joined St Mary’s choir in 1984 with Geoff Hill as Organist and Choirmaster, and a few years later he introduced girls into the choir to swell the ranks of ladies who had held the fort since the demise of boys’ attendance!!  Pauline joined at the same time to support her two daughters, and has been a member ever since. 

There have been a lot of good singers passing through the choir’s ranks which enabled Geoff to have the choir sing difficult anthems, psalms and settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, which are normal cathedral choir repertoire.

Andrew Hirst took over from Geoff when he retired, but unfortunately Andrew suffered from ill health and so Geoff came back, until he too suffered ill health and had to step down.  Jack Thompson then stepped in, as he said, “until an organist and choirmaster is appointed”.  He’s never stopped playing since!!! 

As is said, all good things eventually come to an end, and as the North East suffers from a chronic shortage of organists and choirmasters, we have been unable to find a replacement.  Jack is now unable to continue playing in the evenings, so the decision has been made to close the Evensong choir down, which is a shame as it has attracted singers from other churches to come and bolster the choir..

From August, said Evening Prayer will take place at 6.30pm each Sunday instead of Evensong.

At the moment there will be an organist for the 10am service, with Julia Armstrong stepping in to share the role with Jack, and the faithful few will be in the choirstalls to lead the congregation as best they can..  After that it will be CD’s I’m afraid..  Unless there is a pianist out there who can play hymns ????

As St. Augustine said   ‘He who sings God’s praises prays twice’.

Bob and Pauline.

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FESTIVAL TEESSIDE

On Saturday 8^th and Sunday 9^th of June, Festival Teesside came to Stewart Park.

It was a free Family Festival that had live music, family fun and most of all a Christian Message of Hope.

Between 2pm and 6pm on both days there was loads of things going on for children and families.

Bouncy Castles. Helta-Skelta, Climbing wall, BMX Displays, Sports, Youth Tent, Face Painting and Lawn Games.(which I was leading with my Fab Festival Friends Team).

Then in the evenings from 6pm there was live music on the main stage from various Christian Bands/Singers including Leah McFall, LZ7, Ellie Limebear and many more.

I have to admit that I didn't stay for the bands (but Norma attended on Saturday Night) as after doing 4 hours of lawn games I was rather shattered. However, people who saw the bands were very impressed with the Christian Message along with the Gospel Message of Hope.

It was amazing to be part of such a special event and to engage with the children and their families from all over the country, and I can say that lots of fun and laughter was had by all.

Margaret Morrell

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Is God calling YOU to serve on diocesan synod?

It may not sound like the most exciting of vocations, but your contribution may all the same be of real, substantial help to the churches in our diocese.

Diocesan synod elections are soon underway this month, and this time people of many different backgrounds and ages are being encouraged to stand for election.

Some dioceses are especially urging the younger people in their churches to consider standing. They want them to express their hopes for the church, and also, in turn, to benefit from the skills they will learn from being on a diocesan synod: debating, learning to shape a policy, what advocacy involves, and what a good financial scrutiny looks like.

As one diocesan-synod member explains: “We can’t have decisions being made that aren’t being contributed to by the very people who are going to be affected by them in the long term.”

Some dioceses are running multi-media campaigns to raise awareness of the elections, including leaflets, newspaper stories, parish magazine articles, posters and PowerPoint slides.

Timetables are set by individual dioceses, but all elections must be completed by 15^th July.

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King Charles accepts the patronage of National Churches Trust and Bible Society

Queen Elizabeth II was the patron of both charities, but following her passing, her patronages underwent review. Now King Charles has agreed to continue with his mother’s legacy, saying he would be “delighted” to accept them both.

King Charles said his faith is “deeply rooted” in the Church of England. On his accession to the throne, he told faith leaders that he was “a committed Anglican Christian” and promised at his Coronation to “maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the gospel.”

Chief executive of the National Churches Trust, Claire Walker, said: “We are honoured to welcome King Charles III as Patron. This highlights the significance of UK churches and the important role of the National Church in keeping these wonderful buildings open and in good repair.”

Bible Society’s chief executive, Paul Williams, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with this news, and very thankful. This is an affirmation of the value of Bible Society’s work in sharing God’s Word at home and abroad.”

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26th July          Anne and Joachim, parents of Blessed Virgin Mary

One thing is certain – Mary the mother of Jesus must have had parents. Beyond that, nothing is certain – but church tradition offers some details.

The first mention of Anne and Joachim as being Mary’s parents was found in the apocryphal Gospel of James (second century) which has no historical validity. James says that after years of childlessness, Joachim was praying in the desert one day when an angel appeared to Anne to tell her that she would conceive. Anne then promised to dedicate the child to God, as Hannah had done with Samuel.

Certainly Anne, mother of Mary, has been honoured from as early as the sixth century, when a church was built in her honour in Constantinople. Other relics and pictures of her found in Rome date from the 8^th century.

The sad truth is that, as the Bible is silent on the subject, we will never really know about Mary’s parents. But one thing we can assume, because it is based on the character of Mary herself. Her gentle humility and graciousness and informed knowledge about her faith point to a childhood spent among devout believers in God.

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July Diary Page

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SPONSORSHIP

A big Thank You to all my church family who kindly sponsored me for my Step into Spring Challenge in aid of Teesside Hospice.

With your help I raised £350 which will go towards the work of the Hospice, which is very dear to my heart.

Thanks again.                                                                                  

 Margaret Morrell

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THE HUSTLER VILLAGE SCHOOL

My grandmother’s maiden name was Mallory. Her father was schoolmaster to William Hustler of Acklam Hall. 

The Hustler family built the Village School on Acklam Road, in 1871.  My great-grandfather and family lived in the School House next to the school.  It was built to hold 70 children but didn’t reach this capacity.

Years after, the school was pulled down, but the School House is still there (it was the Doctor’s house until recently.  It is now private premises.

My grandmother, Annie Elizabeth Mallory, attended the school aged 6/7 years. It was reported to William Hustler that she had Scarlet Fever (she actually only had a cold!).  Due to this, her father was dismissed as schoolmaster.

William Mallory then opened a private school in Linthorpe with his wife Elizabeth as a teacher.

William Mallory and his brother Robert Mallory, schoolmaster at Marton School, were both educated at Bede College, Durham University.  They were both enumerators for the 1881 census.  On this census were details of the Hustlers and their nine servants.  Also, details of the Reverend Charlesworth at Acklam Vicarage.  He was the first Vicar at West Acklam Church.

Jean Bivens

A member of St Mary's congregation

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David Pickup, a solicitor, considers the coming General Election….

Going to the Country

 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. …  For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities …Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. (Romans 13)

When will you go to bed on 4^th July?

This month we have a chance to vote for our Members of Parliament, and the leader of the party that can command a majority will form the government. There is a concern that ‘voter engagement’ is low, meaning that we are not very interested any more. The turnout at the 2019 General Election was 67.3% which was slightly up from 2015. The lowest turnout in a General Election was recorded in 1918 at 57.2%, due to the end of the First World War.

Between 1922 and 1997 turnout remained above 71%. At the 2001 General Election the turnout was 59.4%. For people under the age of forty it is much less.

Should we be concerned? Voting turnout has been fairly stable since 1918 at between 60% and 70%. The numbers that vote in this country are similar to most other countries.

For the first time at a UK general election, those voting at a polling station will need to show photo ID. Voters should check now if they have an accepted form of ID, and if not to apply for free ID, called the Voter Authority Certificate .

To answer my own question, I am not sure when I go to bed on election night. I do not always stay up all night. Election excitement begins to wane in the early hours! Politics seems to be a spectator sport for most of us. We enjoy the shocks and surprises and the live results when the spotlight is a constituency.

The Christian teaching on politics is clear. We should respect those in authority and admire those who seek it. Most people enter politics for good reasons. Perhaps we should remind them they are God’s servants.

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 Of wet and waterproofs and our old motorbike

Let’s have a ride out on the bike! It was October and the sky became ever more threatening the further we got from our home.  When we reached Blakey Ridge the black clouds boiled over and spewed first sleet. then hailstones, then snow.  I had considered myself well prepared by donning cord trousers over woolly tights with my trusty anorak over a duck down liner.  Sadly, these were no match for this sneaky ambush by the weather gods.  Leonard was clad in his Big Green Coat which was demonstrating just how waterproof it was as I had a close up of raindrops running merrily down his back to land squarely in my lap where they stayed.  Not only was this cold and uncomfortable but then we headed steeply downhill and I slid along the wet seat like nobody's business. Never again so unprotected, I thought. Time to buy waterproof trousers. 

Now we are definitely dry weather bikers, but I put the waterproofs into the box on the back of the bike just in case we should get caught out again.  Sure enough we found ourselves heading out of Stokesley one day when all the signs were that there was a whole lot of rain just waiting ahead of us. We pulled up under an old bridge spanning the road so we could don our waterproofs for our cowardly retreat home.  Easier said than done.

Here's how it goes.  First roll down over-trousers from waist to foot hole, then shove foot through while balancing on the other leg. Ha! Disaster very close, better hold onto the wall, but it's a wet and slimy wall. The roadside is also muddy, hence my boots are now muddy and introducing a fair dollop of wet sludge onto the inside of the garment intended to keep me dry.

It gets worse, the booted foot gets jammed sideways across the leg and, believe me, rubberised nylon over-trousers are the most unyielding of garments, no stretch, no elasticity, no chance. But why not take the boot off before the foot is introduced to the trousers?  Because it's a long way down to the zip and you have to wriggle the boot off and risk the (rather fetching) purple hooped tights dipping onto the wet ground. 

By this time passing motorists were gawping at this strange one legged figure doing a Zulu war dance under a bridge while the rain thundered down.  So, the moral is, put the dratted things on before you go out and risk rain and before the boots go on.

Edna Reddy

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Sea Sunday – 14th July

Look around your home. How much of the contents of your bedroom, kitchen, living room and even garage came to you over the seas, via the great merchant ships? What would your home be like without them?

Yet when did you last give a thought to the people who bring them to you?

It is a curious fact that seafarers are one of the most important, and yet invisible, people groups in our society. We depend on them to bring us more than 90% of the world’s goods and fuels, yet we rarely even remember their existence.

It suddenly makes Sea Sunday seem a very good idea: an annual opportunity to give thanks for the 1.89 million seafarers of the world, and to pray for their personal well-being. For going to sea is a lonely occupation. It separates families for up to nine months on end. It is also one of the world’s most dangerous occupations, with physically demanding work as well as the threat of piracy, shipwreck and even abandonment.

So this Sea Sunday, let’s pause and give thanks to God for the seafarers of the world. Let’s remember how their work so enriches our lives. Let’s pray for them, for their families, and let’s support the organisations that offer them care and support through their chaplaincy work.

One such is The Mission to Seafarers, which has Seafarers Centres in 50 countries, and offers not only practical support such as access to Wi-Fi and a place to relax, but also emotional and spiritual aid through its ordained Port Chaplains, who are constantly visiting the ships.

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Dr Peter Brierley reflects on Britain’s Prime Ministers 

Prime Ministers

Britain had its first Prime Minister (PM) in 1721 when Sir Robert Walpole took the job; he was a Whig. In total thus far we have had 81 Prime Ministers; this excludes First Ministers and doesn’t count separately an existing PM who wins the election and continues in office. If s/he loses but subsequently wins another term, each term is counted separately.

We have had 56 different people as Prime Ministers.

The longest serving one was Sir Robert Walpole, who was PM for 21 years. In length he was followed by the Tory William Pitt the Younger in 1783, then by Robert Jenkinson, the Earl of Liverpool in 1812, also a Tory. These are the first three of PMs who have served over 7 years.

There were 16 PMs in the 18^th century, 33 in the 19^th, 25 in the 20^th and so far seven in the 21^stcentury. Labour and the early Tories had slightly more time in office than the number of Prime Ministers pro rata. Rishi Sunak is the first British Asian Prime Minister.

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July Crossword

CLUES

Across

1             Relating to the Jewish day of rest (10)

7             Point of view (Matthew 22) (7)

8             20th-century Brethren philanthropist whose construction company became one                 of the UK’s biggest, Sir John — (5)

10          Girl’s name (4)

11          Peter was accused of being one in the courtyard of the high priest’s house

               (Luke 22) (8)

13          The fifth of the ‘seven churches’ (Revelation 3) (6)

15          ‘Now the famine was — in Samaria’ (1 Kings 18) (6)

17          Banned by the seventh Commandment (Exodus 20) (8)

18          Insect most closely associated with itching (1 Samuel 24) (4)

21          Bantu tribe which gives its name to tiny landlocked country in southern Africa (5)

22          Familiar material in churches that use an overhead projector (7)

23          Last book of the Bible (10)

Down

1             The young David’s favourite weapon (1 Samuel 17) (5)

2             ‘Your vats will — over with new wine’ (Proverbs 3) (4)

3             Once yearly (Exodus 30) (6)

4             Milled it (anag.) (3-5)

5             Region north of Damascus of which Lysanias was tetrarch (Luke 3) (7)

6             Comes between Philippians and 1 Thessalonians (10)

9             Lake where the first disciples were called (Luke 5) (10)

12          Abusive outburst (8)

14          Are loud (anag.) (7)

16          Printing errors (6)

19          ‘Take my yoke upon you and — from me’ (Matthew 11) (5)

20          Jacob’s third son (Genesis 29) (4)

Answers to June Crossword

 ACROSS: 1, Ambush. 4, School. 8, Tired. 9, Famines. 10, Citadel. 11, Endor. 12, Atonement. 17, Avert. 19, Oracles. 21, Married. 22, Lance. 23, Rhythm.

                  24, Hyssop.

DOWN: 1, Attach. 2, Biretta. 3, Sided. 5, Compete. 6, Owned. 7, Lustre. 9, Falsehood. 13, Ostrich. 14, Talents. 15, Farmer. 16, Asleep. 18, Early. 20, Alley.

Winner    Peter Warren.

Crosswords reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon (£6.99 BRF)

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 July Anagrams

HEADGEAR

Rearrange these letters to form the names of 12 kinds of headgear to suit people from all walks of life. Answers may consist of one or two words. And here's a tip: a number of them include the words 'hat' or 'cap!' 

 1.     THAT OP    2.     BING HAPCAT    3.     SAM THE CHERL    4.     WHAT LORBE    5.     SEARCH FAD    6.     A FORDE    7.     RED RAT LEEKS

8.     TRY A BLITH    9.     CLOPCHAT    10.   THAN US    11.   AH A TAPMAN    12.   CALM LEVEL ABATHA

Compiled by Peter Warren

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June  Anagram Answers    

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July Soduko Puzzle

June Sodoku Solution

Winners   Jack Thompson

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The Revd Dr Jo White continues her series on the meanings on Church Buildings.

 Reflecting Faith: Commissioner Churches.

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 by Tim Lenton

1984 – the burning of York Minster

Forty years ago, on 9^th July 1984, York Minster was struck by lightning, which set fire to the roof and destroyed the south transept.

It was the most recent of five fires that have occurred there over the years: the causes have ranged from workmen burning coals (1753) through arson using torn-up hymnbooks (1829) to an unattended candle (1840) and a tarpaulin catching fire (1971). Although night lightning was the official explanation in 1984, some suggested that God might have been reacting to the very recent appointment as Bishop of Durham of the Rt Revd David Jenkins, a famously controversial cleric whose comments had seemed to cast doubt on the virgin birth and the Resurrection. He had been consecrated at York Minster three days earlier.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Habgood, described that idea as “ridiculous”, though some – including a few members of the fire service – felt that arson by objectors could not be ruled out. As many as 114 firefighters from over North Yorkshire were involved in tackling the blaze. Insurance cover on the Minster had just been increased by its treasury department: the damage to the south transept, with its wooden vaulted roof, amounted to £2.25 million.

York Minster is a huge landmark and tourist attraction in the city: many consider it to be one of Europe’s most impressive Gothic buildings. The glass in its famous 16^th century Rose Window, which had recently been renovated, cracked into 40,000 pieces, but the new lead edges held it all together.

Queen Elizabeth attended the rededication ceremony in October 1988. This year a new exhibition called Out of the Ashes tells the story of the blaze and marks its anniversary.

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125 years of Gideons and Bibles

It was 125 years ago, on 1^st July 1899, that Gideons International was founded.  The evangelical Christian association places free Bibles in hotel rooms, hospitals, schools, military bases and prisons around the world.

It started when two traveling salesmen from Wisconsin in the northern USA – John Nicholson of Janesville and Samuel Hill of Beloit – met in a room at the Central House Hotel in Boscobel, Wisconsin, to talk about forming an association to strengthen the faith of people they came into contact with by distributing free Bibles “through designated traffic lanes of life”.

Most people encounter Gideon Bibles through their placement in hotel rooms, and research by Gideons International shows that about 25 per cent of travellers read a Bible when there is one in their room. The Gideons are exclusively Protestant evangelical businessmen with a belief in the Bible as the inspired Word of God and Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

In 2018 the UK section of Gideons separated from Gideons International over the issue of women’s full membership, which is not allowed by the international organisation, but which received nearly 80 per cent support in a UK members’ vote. After losing a dispute about the use of the name Gideons UK, they are now known as Good News for Everyone! They have links with Gideons in Canada and Sweden who have made similar decisions.

A very small number of men in the UK still belong to Gideons International. They are known as The Gideons International in the UK, and still remain a men’s ministry.

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The Revd Dr Roger Roberts considers Doubting Thomas…

Doubts about the Christian faith? – take action now!

Do you have doubts about the Christian faith? July is the month for you to decide what to do about them. This month the Church remembers Doubting Thomas, and there IS action you can take, either way.

You know the story: Thomas was the only apostle not present when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of His resurrection. When the rejoicing disciples later told Thomas that Jesus was alive, he flatly refused to believe them. He had seen the crucifixion.

The gospel goes on to relate that a week later Jesus indeed appeared to Thomas, and invited him to put his hand into the holes in His hands and feet. Thomas was utterly overwhelmed. His response was ‘My Lord and My God!’  He saw, he believed.

Then Jesus said something which is relevant to us today. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  (Jn 20:29) Jesus KNOWS it can be hard for you, who have never seen Him, to believe that He is indeed alive, and Lord of all

.

Which is, of course, where we are today.   Perhaps you really struggle with doubt.   Well, there are two courses of action you can take.

1. Don’t read the Bible. Begin to forget what Christianity teaches. Don’t go to church. Don’t ask God, or anyone else, for help. Your ‘doubts’ are perfectly honest questions, but stop looking for answers. Assume that because you have questions, there are no answers.

1. Look for some answers. Find out what the New Testament actually says about Jesus – by reading it! Do not be confused into thinking that you ‘doubt’ something which you may not even really ‘know.’ Pray – remember that Jesus said that those who believe without seeing are ‘blessed’. So, ask God that, if He is there, please would He ‘bless’ you by opening your eyes to spiritual realities. Go to church. Yes, the Christian faith demands that we take God at His word, with no evidence other than His Word. But though we believe in Jesus without seeing Him, we do NOT believe without considering Him. Faith is not blind credulity and unthinking naiveté. We have faith in the historic person of Jesus Christ. 

Peter writes some real encouragement in his first epistle, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

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Nigel Beeton writes:  I’m actually quite fond of those meals that you get in sealed in film, you can even wash the film and recycle it these days!  

If, that is, you can get it off in one piece…

Peel the Seal

I purchased a meal for my tea,

That looked rather tasty to me.

The film must be peeled –

But it would not yield!

How hard could this really be?

I searched for a corner to peel

I searched by sight and by feel,

I searched round and round

It could not be found

No edge could I find for that seal!

But I was concerned not to fail

And I caught up an edge with my nail

And with time and with care

I had enough there

To pull, but it tore and I wailed!

With the film I could not get to grips,

And a knife just tore it to strips,

There was really no way

To cook it that day

So I went for some nice fish and chips!

By Nigel Beeton

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Canon Paul Hardingham looks forward to Paris… 

The Olympic Games

This month sees the start of the Olympic Games in Paris. In describing the Christian life as a marathon race, the writer of Hebrews (12:1-2) challenges us to finish well.

‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’ (1)

As in a normal race, we have to get rid of any burdens that weigh us down (eg possessions, worries, what others think of us) and besetting sins (wrong habits or attitudes). We can cast our burdens on the Lord (Ps 55:22) and be assured of His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

‘run with perseverance the race marked out for us’ (1)

The Christian life is like a marathon not a sprint race, which calls for endurance. The course is marked out for us, as we all have a unique race to run, with its opportunities and difficulties. God knows our path and will provide all that we need to complete the race.

‘fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith’ (2)

The runner keeps their focus on the finishing line and avoids all distractions. Our focus is on Jesus, who has run the race before us (‘author’), but is the one who can show us how to finish well (‘perfecter’).

We are also surrounded by a ‘great cloud of witnesses’ (1). These are God’s people, both past and present, who are cheering us on!

During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the British athlete Derek Redmond was running in the 400 metres semi-finals. About 250 metres from the finish his hamstring tore, and he fell to the ground in pain. However, his father ran on to the track to support him in completing the race. Let’s not forget that whatever we face, God is there beside to enable us to finish the race!

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When the police will come after your dog

Keep your dogs on a lead around livestock, or it could be seized by the police.

Under laws being drawn up, police will be given more powers to seize and detain dogs who they believe have ‘terrorised livestock’ on farms.

The move follows increasing tensions in rural communities since Covid produced many unsocialised ‘lockdown puppies.’ Farm animals worth an estimated £2.4 million were severely injured or killed by dogs in 2023 alone. That was up nearly 30 per cent from 2022, according to figures from the insurer NFU mutual.

Under current laws, only the owner can be prosecuted when dogs worry livestock. Police have not been able to deal with dogs who attack farm animals while out roaming on their own. But under the new law, they can be seized.

Former environment secretary Therese Coffey says, “No longer will victims of this crime feel helpless after suffering devastating attacks. Those who carelessly let dogs attack livestock will no longer get off scot-free.”

David Barton, the NFU’s livestock board chair, said livestock worrying can have a significant financial impact on farmers, as well as causing them “stress and anguish” to see their animals suffer.

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Remembering the faith of Eric Liddell – 100 years ago at the Paris Olympics

The 2024 Paris Olympics (26 July – 11 August) will soon be here. It was 100 years ago this summer, also at the Paris Olympics, that a young science student at Edinburgh University, Eric Liddell, ran an astonishing race that caught the imagination of millions worldwide.

Liddell had been born in China in 1902, to Scottish missionaries there. Early on, he had made a deep commitment to Jesus Christ, and sensed he was being called to spend his life in serving others. But Liddell was also an outstanding sportsman, playing rugby for Scotland before settling on athletics.

When he was chosen for the Paris Olympics, he expected to run his preferred 100m. But then came the news that the race would be run on a Sunday, and Liddell refused. Quickly, he trained for the 200m and 400m. He took bronze at the 200m, but no one expected much from him at the 400m. Instead, he won, and even broke the world record in the process.

After the Olympics, Liddell felt God calling him to his life’s work. He went back to China, to teach in a Christian college. As the Second World War loomed, he sent his wife and children home, but stayed on himself. By 1943 Liddell was confined to a brutal prison camp, where he shone among the fellow prisoners – encouraging them, teaching Bible classes, and praying for both his fellow inmates and the prison wardens.  Deeply malnourished, his health failed and in 1945, just months before the war ended, he died, aged only 43.

In 1981 his story was made into the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire.

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Demand for foodbanks increases

The demand for emergency food parcels distributed by the Trussel Trust’s foodbank network has nearly doubled in five years, with a record amount being handed out over the past 12 months alone.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, 3.1 million food parcels were given out; 65 per cent of which went to families with children.

Now the chief executive of the Trussell Trust, Emma Revie, has called on political leaders to set out polices that ensure that foodbank use will become obsolete in the UK.

She urges: “We must not let foodbanks become the new norm. A supportive social-security system is the bedrock on which we end hunger for good. Building on this, we need much more effective employment and financial support for parents, carers and disabled people. And action to ensure everyone can have the security we all need to access opportunities and have hope for the future.”

Families with children and working-age adults are among the most frequent users of foodbanks, but there has been a 27-per cent increase in the number of pensioners needing emergency food in the past year.

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Do you need a new painkiller?

Do you ever take pain killers? If so, do you take one for your shoulder, and another one for you knee? Of course not – once the painkiller enters your bloodstream, it goes everywhere, soothing and damping down the pain, and hitting all the right spots.

God works a bit like that on the pain in our lives. He has a prescription for ALL the problem areas of our lives. Most of us carry emotional scars, or a burden, or some heartache, around with us. It may be the trauma of loss; it may be anxiety for our family. It may be uncertainty over our jobs, and our futures.

Whatever it is, God offers us a prescription to help the pain. The psalmist writes: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)  Jesus added: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

(Matthew 11:28)

This kind of help is real and immediate and there for the asking. We don’t have to put up with our dis-ease and struggle alone. God, our heavenly Father, is only a prayer away. Not just twice a day, after meals, but whenever we need Him.

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Alcohol harm is costing England billions

The harm caused by too much alcohol consumption costs the NHS £4.9 billion a year – enough to pay the salaries of almost half the nurses in England.

So warns the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) in a new report. Overall, it says that alcohol harm costs England £27.4 billion a year. This includes the £14.6 billion cost of alcohol-linked crime and disorder, and £5.1 billion costs in employees missing work or being less productive.

The data also found that there has been more than a 40 per cent increase in the cost of alcohol harm since 2003. Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the IAS, says: “As a country we cannot afford to sit back and do nothing. The Government should develop a comprehensive alcohol strategy to tackle this rising harm.”

Since the pandemic, there has been a big escalation in alcohol deaths, with deaths rising by 33 per cent between 2019 and 2022.  Dr Severi warns: “These figures show that this is a very wide social issue and we’re all paying the price for it.”

The book of Proverbs observes: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (Prov 20:1) 

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Weekly Church attendance up five per cent in third year of consecutive growth

Average weekly attendance at Church of England services rose by almost five per cent in 2023 – the third year of consecutive growth, preliminary figures show.

Meanwhile weekly attendance by children was up by almost six per cent last year, according to an early snapshot of the annual Statistics for Mission findings.

While total attendance is still below 2019 levels, the analysis suggests in-person attendance is drawing closer to the pre-pandemic trend.

In 2021 all-age Sunday attendance was 22.3 per cent below the projected pre-pandemic trend, but the new figures reveal that the gap had narrowed to 6.7 per cent last year.

All-age weekly attendance rose to within 8.3 per cent of the trend last year, compared with 24.1 per cent in 2021.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said “This is very welcome news and I hope it encourages churches across the country.”

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Be careful of the sun this summer – melanoma is on the rise

Skin cancer cases are expected to top 20,000 for the first time this year, according to a recent study by Cancer Research UK.

While the increase in skin cancers has occurred across all the ages, it is highest in the elderly, who enjoyed cheap package holidays to sunny countries during the 60s and 70s.  They were exposed to higher ultraviolet radiation without realising the dangers.

The numbers of people aged 80 and over who develop skin cancers has soared by 57 per cent in 10 years. And while younger people are more likely to take precautions against the sun, those aged 25 to 49 are still predicted to see a seven per cent rise in skin cancers this year. Anyone who notices any unusual changes to their skin should contact their GP.

Cancer Research UK has partnered with Nivea Sun to advise the public to stay in the shade between 11am to 3pm, cover up with clothes, a hat and UV-protected sunglasses, and use sunscreen with protection levels of at least factor 30.

Finding safety in shade goes right back to biblical times. The book of Jonah even tells us that: ‘the LORD God prepared a vine, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his discomfort. So, Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine.’ (Jonah 4:6)

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by Tim Lenton 

The Lord of the Rings turns 70 

Seventy years ago, on 21^st July 1954, the first part of J R R Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings was published.

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of a trilogy later published together, was a much more adult-oriented sequel to The Hobbit, published in 1937. It occupied the same ground – the fictional Middle Earth – and followed the quest of a hobbit, Frodo Baggins, to Mount Doom to destroy a powerful ring that symbolised evil in quite a subtle way.

The fantasy world was peopled not only by hobbits but by such creatures as wizards, elves and the malevolent orcs, among others.

 Tolkien, who was born in Bloemfontein in 1892 but moved to England with his English parents at the age of three, became a professor of Anglo Saxon at Oxford, where he met and befriended C S Lewis. Tolkien was a convinced Roman Catholic, and it was partly as a result of this friendship that the sceptic Lewis became a Christian. They had a strong common interest in myths and ancient stories, which of course came out in their writing – though in different ways.

 Tolkien, who wrote much of The Lord of the Rings during the Second World War, saw his book as fundamentally Christian – Catholic, in fact – but in no way an allegory (an idea he revolted strongly against). He saw myths as “splintered fragments” of a greater story and his own creative work as a kind of worship. The parallels between Christ and Frodo are obvious to many, but not explicit, and the book stands without that interpretation as a masterpiece.

It was filmed in 2001-2003 in three parts by Peter Jackson and enjoyed great success.

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The Rectory

St James the Least of All

My dear Nephew Darren

You should not complain about doing duty in other churches when their clergy are on holiday. It is only in other churches that you will be appreciated. Beatification only comes from your own church on the day you leave – which is a way of firing a shot across the bows of your successor. I remember being greeted by a churchwarden on my first day here at St James the Least of All with the encouraging words: ‘I’ve seen six Rectors of this parish; each one was worse than the last.’ As the years have gone by, I am sure I will have entirely fulfilled his expectations.

No; when you visit another church, you will be told all the many defects of their own vicar, and whatever you do will be praised. Store up these memories for the day you return to your own patch – when you will then be told how outstanding your own temporary replacement has been and how congregations thrived in your absence.

Naturally, this gives you the right to make similar remarks about your own congregation in the churches you visit. Unfavourable comparisons with the bell ringers, vergers and congregational singing in your home patch to the superb standards in the church you’re temporarily serving will be much appreciated. Just make sure that the church you are staffing is sufficiently far from your own that word will not get back to your home team.

It is a mistake I made only once. After filling in for a colleague, I happened to complement the choir on the singing of the anthem. Unknown to me, a tenor was the second cousin of my organist, who received a rather embellished story that I had compared my own choir back home unfavourably with theirs. On my return the following Sunday, all the hymns were played fortissimo and at double speed and the choir in rotation dropped hymn books throughout my sermon.

Inevitably, when you staff another church, you will be told: ‘It’s the normal Service.’ It will be nothing of the sort. Hymns will appear in unexpected places, Sunday schools will enter and leave (and enter again) apparently at random, objects will be brought to you to be read from, placed on the altar or blessed – just as you were about to try and find the pulpit. In any case, wherever you are standing, you will find you should have been standing somewhere else.  But not to worry – most mistakes will be forgiven – provided your sermon is short.

So – enjoy your visits to other churches.  And above all, make sure that your temporary replacement is so spectacularly incompetent that your own people will welcome you back with open arms on your return.

Your loving uncle, Eustace

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God’s Promises for Everyone

By Shell Perris, SPCK, £9.99

Wherever you go, God is with you.

He won’t leave you all on your own.
Have courage – God is always enough.
Based on Joshua 1:9

This lovely gift book offers 50 promises of God. Each page takes a biblical promise and brings it to life in a short thought-provoking line of lyrical prose. Each page has the promise, a black and white silhouette illustration with a splash of colour, a lyrical piece of prose that inspires hope, comfort and peace and the Bible verse reference that the promise is based on.

The book would be a great gift for children and families to explore together, or for special occasions to mark a journey of faith, such as Baptism or First Communion. Or a gift to encourage a friend and to treasure for a lifetime.

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All in the month of July.

It was:

750 years ago, on 11^th July 1272 that Robert I (Robert the Bruce) was born. He was King of Scotland 1306-29.

125 years ago, on 1^st July 1899 that the Gideons International was founded. The evangelical Christian association places free Bibles in hotel rooms, hospitals, schools, military bases and prisons around the world.

100 years ago, on 11^th July 1924 that British sprinter Eric Liddell won the men’s 400 metres gold medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. He preferred the 100 metres, but the heats were held on a Sunday, and he refused to run in them.

90 years ago, on 4^th July 1934 that Marie Curie, Polish-born French physicist died. Twice winner of the Nobel Prize for her work on radioactivity. The first woman to win a Nobel prize.

80 years ago, on 20^th July 1944 that the so-called 20^th July Plot failed. The German Resistance Movement attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in Berlin and remove the Nazi Party from power in a coup. The attempt failed, and the conspirators were executed next day. The Germans went on to arrest more than 7,000 members of the resistance movement, killing 4,980 of them. This effectively ended the German Resistance movement.

75 years ago, on 27^th July 1949 that the first successful test flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first commercial passenger jet, took place. The jet went on into production.

Also 75 years ago, on 29^th July 1949 that the BBC began broadcasting regular weather forecasts on TV.

70 years ago, on 5^th July 1954 that the BBC launched the first daily television news programme in the UK.

Also 70 years ago, on 21^st July 1954 that the first part of J R R Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings was published.

65 years ago, on 25^th July 1959 that the first hovercraft crossed the English Channel.  The SRN-1 had been designed by British inventor Christopher Cockerell.

60 years ago, on 28^th July 1964 that NASA launched its Ranger 7 space probe on a missioin to the Moon.  On 31^st July it sent back the first close-up images of the lunar surface.

50 years ago, on 4^th July 1974 that Georgette Heyer, best-selling historical romance novelist, died.

Also 50 years ago, on 24^th July 1974 that the US Supreme Court ordered President Richard Nixon to surrender the White House tape recordings that had been subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee in April. The White House released the tapes on 5^th August, and Nixon resigned on 9^th August, before he could be impeached.

40 years ago, on 9^th July 1984 that York Minster in England was struck by lightning, which set fire to the roof and destroyed the south transept.

30 years ago, on 15 July 1994, that the Rwandan genocide ended. Up to 1.1 million people were killed by the Hutu-led government and other militias between April and July.

Also 30 years ago, on 21^st July 1994 that Tony Blair was elected leader of Britain’s Labour Party. He became Prime Minister in 1997.

25 years ago, on 1^st July 1999 that the Scottish Parliament was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

20 years ago, on 28^th July 2004 that Francis Crick, British molecular biologist and biophysicist, died. He was joint winner of the 1962 Nobel Prise in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the molecular structure of DNA.

15 years ago, on 5^th July 2009 that the Staffordshire Hoard was discovered by a metal detectorist in Hammerwich, a village in Staffordshire. It is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver ever found, and consists of around 4,600 items dating from the 7^th century.

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Smile Lines