Chris and Linda Haines after the March Circuit meeting. Chris and Linda will be moving to the Torbay Circuit some time in August with the prayers of the Jersey Circuit..

Chris writes:

I will have pastoral charge of two churches, Goodrington in Paignton and St Andrew's in Torquay. These churches have not been linked previously, and are geographically separated by a few miles of housing or ring road, depending on the route taken.. Goodrington is a large church of 146 members (probably more by the time I arrive, already it is larger than any church in our Circuit) with a large community roll. Much like Bethesda, they have strong lay leadership, which their minister has actively encouraged. They have a strong Junior Church, with some youths, and active Boys' and Girls' Brigades, and links with a pre-school which uses their (large) premises, along with many other activities. There is also a good music group (who use Songs Of Fellowship 1-3 like us) and a computer system. We attended evening worship at Goodrington.

St Andrew's in Torquay has 48 members. We attended morning worship there - their Covenant service, which was very poignant as we were missing ours at Bethesda by being there.

They have a good number of youths and a similar number of younger children. The morning worship appears less modern than at Goodrington, though there is apparently a monthly evening praise service. They have a good range of rooms in the building, which are used during the week for a range of activities.

Both churches are in residential areas - Linda kept commenting on the huge number of houses as we were driven round the area on our visit.

The people I have met in both churches all seem really lovely, and were very welcoming. We also met all the Circuit staff, who come across as very helpful and friendly.

The manse is a 4-bedroomed detached property on the hillside above, and next to Goodrington. Linda is already thinking about interior design, furniture arranging, and transforming the garden (which is currently a 'wildlife garden' replete with voles and newts)

My welcome service will be on September 5th. I'm sure it will come round quickly, though there is still much to do here. Even after what will have been five years of interviews and training, it's still a little scary leaving Jersey and starting a new life and ministry in England. However, we know that the Lord will equip those whom He calls.

Please pray for our churches and for us, for Linda as she preaches in unknown churches and lives away from Jersey and her family for the first time, and for me as I learn by experience what it is to be a Methodist minister. I'm on probation for two years, after which I'm ordained at Conference and continue in Torbay another three years (or more if re-invited).

Maybe we will see some of you some time on the 'English Riviera'!

Island reflections

It's been eight months since Charmaine and I arrived on this Island's fair shores - and we still love it!

The first Harvest Festival services, Remembrance Sunday, various Chapel Anniversaries, Advent, Christmas and eight church council meetings are behind me, with much more to come. At the time of writing we are in the middle of Lent, and looking forward to going into the deeply moving Passion Story before we enter the joy of Easter morning and the fullness of our Christian faith.

It has been a real privilege to enter into many people's journey of faith, both on a personal level as they share their stories; and on a corporate level, as churches explore their vocation and where God is leading us.

I think the church has a strong position here in Jersey. Not everyone wants to hear our voice, not everyone agrees with what we say and stand for. But there is a real freedom here to express ourselves which was certainly not my experience in the UK. Christmas was celebrated here without the restrictions of political correctness of having to change the season to 'wintertime' and have 'winter lights' - Christ was put back into Christmas. I think we should value and cherish that freedom, and thank God for it. I think we should also make sure that we grasp every opportunity of sharing our own faith and 'letting our light shine' (Matt 5:16), in whatever way we are able.

The churches in the west are all strong and enthusiastic. All are seeking growth, both numerically and spiritually, and there is an eagerness to explore how this can happen. Two of the churches have had 'away days' to think about our strengths and weaknesses and share our vision of where we would like to be, and what we would like to see happening. Perhaps the greatest challenge we face is what we can do outside the church doors, instead of looking inwardly. Many of us have our own ideas (and agendas) and it does us good to stop and listen sometimes to what God (and others) are saying. The greatest thrill comes not from seeing what we want materialise, but from what God surprises us with. But we need to be open for that to happen.

The Methodist circuit has a strong leadership who meet regularly for support and prayer. We are looking forward to our 'time of renewal' from the weeks between Easter and Pentecost when there will only be one Methodist evening service on the island, focusing on that theme of renewal. We pray that God will bless us and surprise us.

Malcolm Bailey

March Circuit meeting at Georgetown

The opening worship was led by Maureen Rayson and Charlotte Hunter, who spoke of the Unity Group trip to Kenya. There was much good news from the churches, two away days in the West, St. Aubin’s new Hall is being used for the Youth Group and a toddlers group, the Bay are celebrating 160 years in June with a special service on June 3rd., Georgetown and St. Nicholas are sharing evening worship once a month alternating the venue, Samares are a distribution centre for the Grace Trust and will soon have a Portuguese steward, Eden have a monthly toddler group. Chris White reported that the 3 churches merger plans had ended. A new scheme for Sion is being investigated with developers and Planning.

Deacon Malcolm Salmon spoke of his call to the Presbyteral Ministry, which was deepened by his 10 months in pastoral care at St. Martins in 2004 following the death of Derek Mellor. A large majority supported his call, which will be tested further at higher levels in the Church.

Senior steward Di Toole reported that the manse at Croix-au-Lion had been sold for £485k. Work has been done at the new manse and at Seaward House and next year work will be done at Blenheim Ave. Ownership of the Gorey Church building was passed to Circuit and its funds transferred to the Circuit general fund. Maison Binet is now managed by the Superintendent, the Circuit Stewards and Peter Luce.

New treasurer Sue De Gruchy received a warm round of applause for the excellent way she presented next year’s Budget. It sees expenditure rising to over £300k

David Coote explained that the ‘Time for Renewal’ between Easter and Pentecost would have 3 elements:- 24 hours of prayer on 23/24 May, a renewal prayer in morning worship and a circuit evening service.

Invitations committees were set up to look this summer at the invitations for Chris White and Malcolm Salmon for Sept 08

Discussions are starting with the United Reformed Church about building stronger links. with us.

Helen Toole reported that the Good Friday Film was in its 39th year and she hoped soon to announce the film chosen. The committee is down to 3 and more help is welcome to maintain this unique initiative.

Chris White spoke to a general resolution on Sunday trading and it was passed with a small amendment. Others were urged to get a copy of the consultation and make a response before the end of the month.

Barbara Coote proposed a memorial to Conference requesting the Network continue to have representative seats at Conference. Billy Slatter spoke against, preferring more space for ordinary members. However the meeting backed the memorial by a large majority.

At the end of the meeting a paper asking for comments about the Derby resolutions was handed out for comments to be sent to the Connexion.

Ed Le Quesne

A tipping point

While preparing the next edition of the Jersey Link, I reflected on how many of our Methodist chapels have replaced their pews with chairs. It is nearly half, seven chapels.- Bethlehem, Communicare, Georgetown, Samares, St. Aubin, St. Helier and St. Ouen have all taken the plunge and removed their pews and at the same time carried out a major refurbishment.

The other eight chapels, Bethesda, Ebenezer, Eden, La Rocque, Philadelphie, Sion, St. Martin and The Bay retain their pews but have made some changes at the front as at Eden and La Rocque. Some have changed their entrance like Philadelphie and Sion.

Have you any views on the matter? Do you like the flexibility of chairs or do you prefer the stability of pews? Is the cost a major factor.? Please let me know in the next month if you have any views. We shall include a debate on the edition due out at Pentecost.

Staff and circuit stewards are actively investigating what changes will be allowed by the Planning Dept in our buildings, most of which are listed as worthy of preservation, but it should not mean keeping every last feature of the original building. Meanwhile what about this strongly worded view.

Church Seating - Extract from “Re-Pitching the Tent” (by an Anglican author)

Because the Place of the Word is where the community will be seated and 'at home' for the greater part of the liturgical action, the seating plan is of the utmost significance.

Just as the 'feel' of a committee meeting will be determined to a large extent by the way we set out the chairs beforehand - round a table, or in a semicircle, or in rows facing a platform - so the nature of a liturgical assembly will be determined by the seating plan. An assembly sitting in tidy rows facing the same way will expect to be instructed and entertained, whereas an assembly sitting in a semicircle, or facing one another in choir formation, will expect to participate and to exercise ministry.

Flexible seating is therefore essential if a real process of liturgical formulation is going to be stimulated every time the assembly meets for worship. Not only do we need to break free from centuries of captivity in serried ranks of pews, but we need also to be frequently ringing the changes in our seating plan to denote different 'moods' of the assembly appropriate to different seasons of the Church's Year, and to ensure that we never settle down for too long in any one place, but instead, as God's pilgrim people, are constantly re-pitching the tent. For large parts of the year an antiphonal arrangement may be appropriate, at other times an arc of seating embracing the ambo (the reading desk), at other times a complete circle. For all these reasons, the removal of fixed pews is a non-negotiable top priority.

The above is an extract from “Re-Pitching the Tent: re-ordering the church building for worship and mission” by Richard Giles, published by Canterbury Press, Norwich.

Ed Le Quesne

Changes to Evening Worship

The present plan has a change to Evening Worship. In the 7 weeks between Easter and Pentecost, it reads 6.30 RENEWAL at ... with a variety of venues. It came as a surprise to many including Rowland Heaven at Georgetown. He wrote to the Leadership team making these points

* Georgetown is building up its evening worship and doesn’t want this new scheme brought in without consultation

* Circuit Services are poorly attended and many of ‘our’ congregation don’t travel around the Island

David Coote sent a personal response, though one affirmed by the Circuit Leadership Team. He explains that the idea of a circuit time of renewal developed from a discussion within the Staff meeting and out of a conviction that the church, however active it may be, even growing, will grow tired and weary, unless it is renewed by the Spirit which , as Wesley puts it in his great hymn ‘Father of everlasting grace’, is the Spirit of life, and power, and love. The Staff and the CLT concluded it was a theme to be shared across the whole Circuit with three components.

First, a 24-hour of prayer, based on one church (St. Aubin) but with an encouragement to all Methodists across the Island to participate. The Staff will be taking an early morning slot to affirm our commitment to prayer, to the churches in our pastoral care and to the Circuit as a whole.

Secondly, recognising that for the most part our congregations are morning based, on each Sunday a prepared prayer on the theme will be used by the leader of worship in each congregation.

Thirdly we believe that a Circuit service which gives opportunity for all to gather for worship will focus the hearts and minds of the circuit on the theme of renewal in a way that nothing else can. Admittedly the worship will take place in a variety of churches across the circuit and no doubt each will have a distinctive feel. I hope that rather than contracting out we shall be able to rejoice in the diversity of worship across the circuit.

. Following the period of renewal, which will hopefully stimulate interest in evening worship, we will return enthusiastically to doing what we can as a circuit alongside the people of Georgetown and Chris White to build up the evening worshipping congregation.

I would hope that in this case all the circuit churches and all who hold office may be thankful for the leadership the CLT has taken in supporting the Renewal period. It is a modest attempt for the circuit to seek for renewal.

Edited from Rowland Heaven / David Coote letters

Open Doors Jubilee Appeal completed

Over fifty years ago a Christian called Brother Andrew wrote God’s Smuggler, an inspiring book which many Christians have read. Brother Andrew went on to form Open Doors which today is “an international ministry serving persecuted Christians and the Suffering Church world-wide”.

The grace and providence of God has been seen over and over again in the ministry they have provided, see the Open Doors website, www.opendoorsuk.org, for more information.

As part of their Anniversary celebrations in 2005, Open Doors launched a Jubilee appeal. One of the projects was to provide safe houses in countries where Christians are in grave danger due to their commitment to Jesus. One safe house typically costs £7000. We at Samares Methodist Church felt that the Christians of Jersey should be able to raise this amount to provide funds for a safe haven and so launched an appeal to this effect in June 2005.

Over the past year and a half we have seen funds come in through a general appeal to all churches, two "Safe House" cafes and finally a Dine 'n' Shine evening where 88 people met at Bethlehem Methodist Church for a sumptuous meal of Shepherd's Pie and Apple Turnover followed by a talent show of singing, dancing, magic, poetry... you name it and someone did it (OK, a slight exaggeration but it was very varied!).

The good news is that our target has been reached and the appeal is now closed. A big "thank you" goes to all those who helped in any way to relieve some of the needs of our persecuted brothers ands sisters in Christ through this project.

The final amount raised was £7,038.60

Stephen Higginson

Resurrection cookies

The cookies (biscuits) are delicious and making them together as a family is a great way to experience the Easter message…….

Read the whole recipe before beginning…..try to do this together Saturday night before Easter Sunday.

Preheat oven 300º

Ingredients:

1 cup whole pecans mixing bowl

3 egg whites wooden spoon

1 cup sugar

Bible

1tsp. Vinegar poly snappie bag

1 pinch salt baking sheet

sticky tape

Place pecans in bag and let children beat them with wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the roman soldiers. Read John 19: 1-3

Let child smell the vinegar. Put 1tsp. Into mixing bowl. Explain that Jesus was thirsty on the cross and he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19: 28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life for us. Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand, let them taste it, then brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that it represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetising. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with mixer on high speed for 11-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the colour white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by tsp. onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt 27:65-66

Put the biscuits in the oven. Close the door and TURN oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape to 'seal' the door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt 27:65-66

Go to bed!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the biscuits in the oven overnight. Jesus followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 & 22.

Next morning…. Easter Day, before the children come down, unseal the oven. Let them open the door to find the biscuits cooked and RISEN.

Read Matt 28:1-7

From SHMC magazine, not tried by the editor. Let me know if they turn out to be tasty !!

A Splash of Faith

On the afternoon of Sunday 11th March, St. Paul's Church in the heart of St. Helier was filled with Methodists! Why? Because two delightful people had invited dozens and dozens along to witness a unique event .I was there simply because Graham had grabbed me in his usual rugby style manner outside W.H. Smith and invited me along! There were also Christians present from the Community Church, the Church of England and no doubt every other denomination present in Jersey!

Enhanced by the music of Cornerstone the gathered congregation heard stories of Testimony from Graham Bisson and Carolyn Lake. In each of these moving stories were experiences of how God had touched the lives of these two people at crucial points.. Out of great sadness and struggle both speakers had emerged with a faith which now delighted in the God who had found them and rescued them. In a packed Church there was a hush of silence as both Graham and Carolyn spoke with heartfelt emotion. Theirs were moving testimonies, seldom heard.

With the help and prayers of Rev Elizabeth Hunter and Local Preacher John Perkins, Graham was fully immersed in water and received adult baptism. All of this was seen by the congregation with the aid of cameras and digital projection. Graham came up from the water arms raised in a joyous spirit.

Then Carolyn, also helped into the water by Rev Elizabeth Hunter and John Perkins, re-dedicated her life to Christ in this very public act. She too expressed excitement and joy as she stepped out of the baptism pool. Needless to say there was a need for a lot of towels and time to dry off. This is an event we are privileged to see only a few times and so it had quite an impact on those who had gathered. Afterwards, both Graham and Carolyn met with everyone as they slowly left the Church.

If there has ever been a time when you have begun to wonder if God is still at work changing lives then this particular service restored a lot of faith. Well done Graham and Carolyn for such an act of public courage and obvious faith in the remarkable God we worship and perhaps doubt more often than we should!

Rev Chris White.

Prayers can’t be answered unless they are prayed….

Life without purpose is barren indeed -

There can’t be a harvest unless you plant seed,

There can’t be attainment unless there’s a goal,

And man’s but a robot unless there’s a soul.

If we sent no ships out, no ships will come in,

And unless there’s a contest, nobody can win.

For games can’t be won unless they are played,

And prayers can’t be answered unless they are prayed.

So whatever is wrong in your life today,

You’ll find a solution if you kneel down and pray

Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health,

Not just for honours, prestige and wealth.

But pray for a purpose to make life worth living,

And pray for the joy of unselfish giving

For great is your gladness and rich your reward

When you make your life’s purpose the choice of the Lord.

Unknown

Book Review- Lucky – Alice Sebold

One of the most talked about books last year was a novel by Alice Sebold called The Lovely Bones. I would recommend it – although be warned it revolves around a very emotive storyline, so is not for the faint hearted. Neither is Alice Sebold’s own story in Lucky.

As a freshman college student she is attacked and raped on campus in the final week of her first year. The book tells of her personal struggle to come to terms with what happened to her and how her life changes following these events. At no point does she allow herself to become a victim of her situation and finds incredible strength and depth of character to get her through each and every day. She returns to college and by chance encounters her attacker which leads to his prosecution and conviction for her attack.

This sounds a bleak and depressing read, but Sebold’s writing draws you in. I found it very hard to put down once I began reading. Her narrative style is very well crafted and you have to remind yourself that you are sharing her own story not a fictional one. It is not always easy reading, but she does not dwell on the horror of her tale, rather she gives a fascinating insight into the continued daily traumas she faces on her road to re-building her life. She is angry about the changes in people’s reactions to her and writes of her inability to deal with the pity and comfort that well meaning friends and family try to offer.

At times, there are moments of black humour and very dry wit, which lift the potentially leaden subject. This is truly a tale of triumph. You are drawn in and experience her battles, both large and small and are left feeling embattled, but somehow stronger.

Traumatic events are cataclysmic – lives are irreparably altered and can be ruined forever. Alice Sebold is a survivor – her indomitable spirit propels her through the horror to be able to rebuild and heal. Read it and be embolden by her perseverance and tenacity. Somehow her spirit rubs off on the reader and you feel privileged that she has shared her experiences with you, giving a new perspective on a difficult and very personal crime.

Helen Toole

Working from Canada

Marcia Lee has been able to continue her work as a conveyancer for Le Gallais & Luce while living in Canada thanks to the modern power of the Internet. With the public registry now available 'on line' she is able to continue with the preparation of contracts of sale from this distant location (although her colleagues have to do the site visits!) At the same time she is able to enjoy skiing and gain another qualification to add to her fencing certificates. This is an e-mail dated March 25th to Jersey Methodist readers .

“Often when you leave school each year has a similar rhythm and whilst it is impossible to foresee the details, the overall pattern is familiar. This year, however, I am having an adventure: I am spending 12 weeks in the Canadian Rockies, living just outside of Banff about an hour from Calgary and going skiing!

As I write this I am about half way through my time and despite being the “granny” of the course have successfully completed my internationally recognised Level 1 ski instructors qualification and am now a member of the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance.

I have also had the opportunity to share worship at the United Church in Canmore and experience the warmth of being part of Christ's family (as well as their turkey pies!)

Being here for such an extended period of time is giving me the chance to experience life in the mountains as the weather and seasons change and the view, as my Canadian friends would say, is “awesome” and awe-inspiring.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

(Isaiah 40: 12&5)

Clos des Charmes

Over the past 3 months, the CTJ Housing Trust have allocated 31 units at this new development at St. Peter. Built by Dandara, they are located opposite St. Peter’s Primary School in a mixed development with 41 first time buyer homes. The 16 three-bedroom houses and 3 two-bedroom houses were all allocated by the start of January and tenants began moving in February. At the end of January we began interviews for 12 one-bed flats. We could have filled these twice over and hard decisions had to be made. Tenants are moving in during March. The whole estate will be officially opened in the summer when it is completed..

We currently have no further projects in hand, pending a review of housing policy by the Housing Minister. We have in the past two years expanded from 3 units in Lempriere St, to 16 in Pier Rd (Bas du Mont), to 73 in St. Clement (Le Bénéfice) and 31 at St. Peter (Clos des Charmes), a total of 123 units! The whole process has been a steep learning curve for our Trustees and a busy time for our managing agent, David Letto at Bull & Co in Colomberie. We still have waiting lists and people are welcome to collect and fill in a form but with little prospect at the moment. It will still be wise to get onto the Housing waiting list.

Ed Le Quesne

ART & ALLELUIAS

We are a church of words! We have a Worship Book to cover all occasions in the life of the Church and an individual - WORDS! We have 823 wonderful hymns in our hymn book - WORDS! We have 66 books in the Bible - poetry, prose, history, amazing stories of the good news of God's love for his creation - WORDS! Words are great! I love to read, to write, to talk (!), to communicate through words, but there are times when I struggle to understand what the words are trying to tell me, what it is I'm being encouraged to think about. I often need some other stimulus to help me to reflect on words. That's why I found the visit to Jersey of the Methodist Collection of Modern Christian Art such a powerful experience.

Through visual engagement with Scripture I found myself moved and challenged in directions that words don't always take me. It was like having an illustrated Bible commentary in front of me! And, of course, just as a biblical commentary is an individual's interpretation and understanding of what Scripture has to say to us so too the 44 pieces of art were visual interpretations. I didn't always agree with how the message was presented, nor indeed did I understand some of the interpretations, but that's what makes Christian discipleship so exciting. The Bible is a living and evolving book. What we read today might speak to us differently tomorrow because of what we experience in between.

And for some people words are not their automatic means of communicating. For those whose sight is impaired the ability to hear words becomes more significant but so also do the senses of touch and smell. For individuals who have little, or no, hearing the need to be able to see people's lips, or hands in the case of sign language, becomes paramount. And there are many others who struggle with the written or the spoken word for various reasons and for whom pictures are their words.

So yes, I love words. I read, write, sing and shout my alleluias to God, but after a month of being able to spend every day immersed in the images that are the Methodist Collection of Modern Christian Art I now know that pictures can express my alleluias just as loudly! And I am indebted to the Jersey Circuit for making this possible.

Liz Hunter

David Coote speaks about ‘The ascension’ by Peter Rogers in a special service at the Arts Centre. Pat Bougeard is signing his words

Fool of God (Christ in the garden)

This painting by Mark Cazalet is only 7 inch square. It was on a wall at the far end of the Art Centre gallery display, yet it captures the despair of Jesus as he spends time at prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, leaning against a rock. The artist said he has tried to capture the ‘moment of Christ’s most profound incarnation, fully in dread at the fate he knew would come as a man, yet faithful and obedient in his divine fulfilment of the sacrifice’ The title refers to the idea of Holy Fools from Russian literature and history as those who ‘set God’s will above worldly wisdom, even to the point of martyrdom’

Cain and Abel

This picture by John Reilly is on a much bigger canvas, about 3 ft by 4 ft. On the left is the tall figure of Abel with a sheep at his side and flocks of sheep behind him. On the right is Cain, digging in his vegetable patch, looking with envy at his brother. Abel is bathed in the light of God’s acceptance of his gift, Cain is darker with his rejected sheaf of corn behind him. His anger and hatred are clearly visible.

Ed Le Quesne

Comments on other paintings for future issues would be welcome.

Giraffes, kangaroos, koalas and bunnies!

No, this isn't an account of a day trip to the zoo! I just wanted to share with you some of the activities that are associated with the church and Giraffes, Kangaroos, Koalas and Bunnies are the names of the different groups that make up our Nestling Day Care Nursery. How many of you are aware that the Nursery existed and what do you know about its day-to-day running ?

Staff in the Koala section

You should actually be very interested because without the facility of the nursery St Helier Methodist Centre would not be able to do many of the things to which we are now committed. Why? Well because of the financial input that the nursery makes to the church. But that's something for another day. For now I would like to just explain how the church is involved in the Nestling Day Care Nursery, because despite what many seem to think it is not a separate concern but is very much part of our work here.

Overall responsibility for the nursery is taken by a management committee which is made up of church members, all of whom are volunteers. I chair that committee but it is the members who really do all the hard work! The 'team' are Peter Luce, Gill Luce, Nance Hicklin, Hilary Bullock and Enid Davis. Enid is our treasurer and deals with everything from invoices for orange squash to drawing up the salary cheques for the nursery staff every month. Her meticulous bookkeeping (all done by hand!) means that we are always on top of the finances and Enid gives many hours and much energy to maintain her high standards. We owe her more thanks than she gets.

The whole team work closely with our nursery manager, Sue, who deals efficiently and professionally with the day-to-day business of the nursery. She keeps us up to date with all the requirements laid down by the Education Department concerning the provision of nursery education and then we work together to help her to be able to fulfil these. You wouldn't believe how complicated and involved some of these are!!

Just ask Hilary about staff to child ratios and health and safety regulations!

Painting in the Kangaroo room

Sue is always prepared to help to find ways of linking church events into the nursery. All the parents will be receiving an invitation to our Mothering Sunday service and the Open the Book team now go into the nursery once a term and present a Bible story to the Giraffes. There are currently 47 children on the nursery register and I would love the church to be more involved in this aspect of the life of SHMC. Please include the children, the staff and the parents in your prayers and if you would be interested, why not see me, or one of the other committee members, or even speak to Sue, and arrange to go and have a look around the nursery. I guarantee you will be impressed.

And Giraffes, Kangaroos, Koalas and Bunnies? Well the Bunnies are our babies.

The Kangaroos are the 1-2 year olds.

The Koalas are the 2-3 year olds and

the Giraffes the 3 year olds - school age.

And can I just say a big THANK YOU on behalf of us all to our hard working Nursery Committee.

MHA JERSEY- Quarterly newsletter

As mentioned in our last article Reg Jeune CBE retired as a director of our company, having given 40 years service. Reg was one of the five founding directors (an all-male board) along with Sam Ferguson ( Deputy Sarah Ferguson's grandfather) Donald Picot ( Rodney Picot's father) Hedley Luce (uncle of Peter Luce) and David Le Seelleur ( Rev. David Le Seelleur's father). It is therefore interesting to see that the church is still being well served by descendants of the above named.

The Board of Directors held a retirement dinner for Reg at the Greenhills County Hotel attended by all the past directors, Miss Margaret Queree, Mrs. Doreen Perchard, Mrs. Nance Picot, Messrs. Arthur Le Ruez, John Green and David Le Cornu and most of the current board together with the Superintendent- Rev David Coote , the Senior Circuit Steward Di Toole, Peter Luce our lawyer, and their spouses. The matrons and administrator were also present. .A special invited guest was Sue Jeune, Reg and Monica's daughter. Reg was delighted that the board had included her on this very special occasion for them both. Tom Perchard gave his usual amusing speech and quoted some of the comments and discussions from previous board minutes that Reg had given to him. In the early years, fund-raising was very important. and Reg had fitted it in with many other interests as lawyer, States member, local preacher, Circuit steward and at Connexional level with N.C.H. It showed that if you want something done, ask a busy man.! Tom stressed the support that Monica and the family had given Reg throughout his Career. Reg responded, again with amusing comments of his time serving the company and having made the decision to retire he wished MHA well for the future.

Maison La Corderie- Matron, Liz Booth 872454

The activities room being created in the former small lounge is now nearing completion. The work has been undertaken by our new maintenance man, Eddie O'Toole, who incidentally is caretaker at Sion. Matron is very pleased with the progress and computers have been ordered to bring our range of activities offered up to date. Some of the residents who have no family living in Jersey are looking forward to be able to use the equipment, which will also have a web cam so that they can talk and be seen by their families off island. How times have changed since the above founder directors established the company and built our homes!

Stuart Court-Matron, Jan Robinson 726936

Unfortunately the dining room extension has taken longer then expected to build and will not be ready for Easter as originally hoped. Progress is now under way and very soon the dining room and lounge will be able to have a much needed makeover. Mrs. Marjorie Dodds has just celebrated her 90th birthday, with her family travelling over from the UK to be with her on this special occasion.

Denehurst- Administrator Michael Picot 852954

Matters have moved very quickly here, with the board having accepted the tender from Browne and Carter, and the work starting within two weeks of the acceptance. Work is progressing at a very steady rate and we are hopeful that by the autumn the flats will be nearly completed, and any prospective tenants being able to view them before their final decoration and completion.

It is fitting that having just celebrated our 40 years service to the elderly people of Jersey that both Homes have now had their facilities updated , and that we will now have an additional service to offer to the wider community with our retirement flats for independent living.

Michael Picot- Administrator

The present directors of MHA(Jersey) are Tom Perchard- Chairman, Ian Jayes, Jean Carrel, Dorothy Le Maistre, Hazel Le Boutillier, Brian Bullock, Ruth Heaven.

Times have changed in the way the Homes now operate, and very different decisions face the board in the operating of the homes today.

EBENEZER

Although the first months of the New Year are normally quiet months for many, we have continued to strengthen our church family experiences. On Saturday 13th January a large group of young and older members of the congregation went to the JADC panto matinee, and even though a small audience we all enjoyed ourselves and were very impressed with the talent of a young cast. Then a month later we organised a Sunday lunch at The Red Rose and had a very good meal, with the 41 people who attended enjoying themselves greatly, and most staying till 4 pm. There were some disappointed people as the restaurant was full and those requesting tickets late had to miss out. We have had requests to repeat this popular event maybe this autumn.

Our Family Services in the hall are now firmly set into our worship calendar. Whilst some of us still appreciate our service in the main church building with traditional hymns etc, spiritually some of us find that we are gaining more from worshipping together as a wider church family.

Jeannie Richardson's 'Pickles' babes and toddlers sessions continue to grow in strength. The format has slightly changed in that now it is more church based with story time geared to the bible reading for the week. New faces are always welcome, Phone Jeannie on 878999 for additional details.

Finally we await with great interest to find out who our new neighbours will at the hotel. It appears that it maybe a developer interested in turning it into apartments.

Michael Picot

Reel Issues

As we go to press this is our sixth week of Reel Issues when we will be looking at 'The Terminal' with Tom Hanks leaving one more for Holy Week. We have been using a different film each week based on the ideas from the Bible Society (http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/) and type in 'Reel Issues' in the search if you would like to have a look at the material.

We have chosen films that are very different from 'Hotel Rwanda', Pride and Prejudice, The Fastest Indian, Walk the Line to quite an unusual but very current topic at the time 'The Island'. This is a sci-fi film looking at cloning humans for spare parts. The very day we discussed this including thoughts on the use of real human spare parts people went home to the news on the television showing details of poor people in the East who sold their kidneys for money to survive.

This has been an ecumenical group and also attracted people outside the church who thought it looked interesting.

The format has been to show clips of the films and relate them to what the Bible has to say about the issues that have arisen. It has taken many hours of preparation to get the timing and content right but we have always shown the end of the film as who wants to go home without knowing how it ends!

Barbara Coote

Christian Aid

Though Daniel Wimberley has stepped down as Chairman, many people have continued to run and support Lent lunches so the income for this vital work is maintained.

Christian Aid Week , May 13th to 19th, is special this year. It is the 50th anniversary of this annual event. I think that it was the first house-to-house collection held in England and I believe I once heard Pauline Webb say that it was her idea in the first place! I am not sure that it started in Jersey that year, which would be 1957. Some of the earliest names in Jersey were George Morley and Clifford Du Feu.

It is also special because the Christian Aid worship has been written by Rev. John Bell of the Iona Community who is visiting Jersey on the weekend of April 21st/22nd. The worship uses words spoken by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, just before he was assassinated.

The theme ‘You add, we multiply’, used last year is expanded with posters showing trees growing out of the familiar red Christian Aid envelopes.

‘We believe in life before death’

Ed Le Quesne

Reflections on Fairtrade Fortnight 2007

At the start of March, we had a special visitor, Sher Ghazi. He was the first Fairtrade producer to visit Jersey and his whole story reinforced the importance of Fair Trade.

Sher was born in the town of Hunza in the Karakoram Mountains of Northern Pakistan. Supported by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) Sher decided to research the potential for the production and marketing of high quality dried apricots and other fruits. These apricots grow between 4,500 and 9.500 feet in the pure mountain environment, bordering the Himalayas during long summer days on soil fed by glacial melt water. The temperatures can soar to 47 deg C and plunge to minus 12 in winter.

UK based Tropical Wholefoods began working with Sher in 1997. In 2000, a training project was started. The company in Pakistan became Mountain Fruits Ltd in 2004. It now works with over 2000 families and employs over 100 female workers in the factory, the only place in the area where women can work, due to cultural barriers.

Sher was very interested to visit the Oxfam Shop, meet shop manager Hazel Forrest and see 4 products using apricots supplied by his company on sale. They are ;

* Sun dried apricots

* Apricot Geobars

* Divine chocolate coated apricots

* Mountain apricot kernels.

The Fairtrade Mark has been of great benefit to his area. Deciding how to spend the social premium has enhanced co-operation between communities and advanced the participation of women. He said that the model of democratic decision making needed by Fairtrade is spreading to other areas of Pakistan. Our purchases are helping to spread stability in this region. He thanks all of you for your support. Apricots have a real health benefit for us. The kernels have a pleasant almond flavour. Try them if you haven’t already!

Simeon Greene comes from St. Vincent in the Windward Islands and works for Windwards Bananas in the U.K. He is very happy with the decision of Sainsbury and Waitrose to convert all their bananas to Fairtrade this year. In 1992, 45% of the Islands export earnings came from bananas. With the removing of tariff barriers, it had slumped to 9% by 2000 with much unemployment and social upheaval. The Fairtrade Mark has revived their economy, all children are in primary school and child mortality is down to a minimal 9 per thousand births. Again the social premium is being put to good use with community facilities as well as helping farmers to diversify into other crops.

Simeon Greene talks to Dr. Lee Durell, patron of Jersey Fairtrade Group, by St. Lucia parrot cage. The parrots appeared, in the end!

In a talk to a meeting at St. Brelades Parish Hall, Simeon reminded us of these facts

* “No act of terrorism generates economic devastation on the scale of the crisis in water and sanitation. Yet the issue barely registers on the international agenda”

* “The $10 billion price tag for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) seems a large sum…It represents less than five days worth of global military spending and less than half what rich countries spend each year on mineral water”

* Aid is irritating to the donor and embarrassing to the recipient

* Debt forgiveness and more and better aid are vitally important ameliorative measures but for sustainable livelihoods trade is required.

* Bananas are cheaper now than they were 15 years ago

* Within the last 3 years, the price of loose bananas have come down by over 30%; from £1.08 per kg to 74 p per kg

In the Windward Islands,

* Discussion on Fairtrade began in 1992

* First shipment in July 2000 from 466 growers organised in 12 groups

* October 2006: 3240 growers registered in 44 Fairtrade Groups

Next steps

Are Fairtrade products in use at work places you attend?

When I asked Simeon Greene directly why he felt that businesses like Sainsbury were switching to Fairtrade, he said because it is profitable! He felt that it is possible to be fair to your supplier and make a profit. He said there is willingness to ‘look behind the label’ to see how the producers are treated and alter your purchases accordingly. This is driving a change in the market.

He also said that the setting up of the Fairtrade Foundation in 1992 was a deliberate strategy by Oxfam and others. They wanted to move on from the 1980’s when village groups made craft sold in charity shops. Fairtrade helps them to get into mainstream products through existing businesses. This strategy is working!

Ed Le Quesne

Samares moves on

From May 20th Samares will not be holding their Sunday worship in their chapel. It has become too small !! They are moving to the Eastern Good Companions Club. For the latest news follow www.samares-methodist.org.

Andrew Bird and his wife are making an impact in the local area and in schools, supported by Rev. Henry Le Ruez.

St. Martin Young People

At the end of last year St. Martin faced a critical time with it's Sunday children's work. There were not enough people prepared to work as leaders and irregular child attendance coupled with safeguarding issues made it impossible to run age group classes as had been the norm since time began. It was clear that only by re-structuring and re-focusing could any children's work be continued. The result is JAM (Jesus and Me) on Sunday.

The new format is based on the holiday club model. Children and young people are all-together in the hall for their 40 minute session. There is a regular time of prayer & share that helps everyone to feel they belong and help one another. There is a bible focus that takes a passage and draws out just the main point. Then there may be games, songs, craft or any other activities that are themed fun to reinforce the learning experience.

The programme is based on material from Children's Ministry but the planning meetings extract ideas rather than slavishly follow what is printed.

The primary focus is on the Gospels, the Old Testament is not used at all as the principle is to make knowing Jesus the priority. The children are exposed to church for such a short part of the week that we felt the one thing the church can give them that is more valuable that anything else is an introduction to a personal experienced faith through Jesus. If they want to discover Moses, Daniel and Jeremiah they can do that later in life, find Jesus first is our aim.

As for staffing, the new format only operates during term-time. This frees leaders to go on holiday or be part of the church service at other times, when child attendance can be patchy anyway.

So far, the children are enjoying it. We haven't seen new faces yet, but we do see old faces more regularly. We have many new staff who are all enthusiastic and know what is required and church members have noticed a buzz about the hall when they gather for coffee. It's early days but this is working for us. If anyone wants to know more, speak to Billy Slatter.

Billy Slatter

Jersey Kenya Group 2007

Ed Le Quesne next to Dr Hezron Mc’Obewa (in white shirt) outside the Le Quesne clinic in May 2005. It has been extended to a 35 bed Le Quesne Medical Centre serving an area of 25,000 people around Ombeyi near Kisumu on Lake Victoria, Western Kenya

Kisumu is one of the largest towns in Kenya, on the shores of Lake Victoria. It is about 4000 ft above sea level

To get to the clinic you drive 10 miles down the main road to the small town of Ahero then 5 miles up a muddy road to a village called Ombeyi. The road is impassable in the heavy rains, isolating the village.

To recruit good staff for the medical centre, accommodation for nurses, doctors and clinical officers is needed nearby. The medical centre, recently extended, is the only medical centre in the area. As staffing is required 24 hours a day, good accommodation nearby is needed to attract and retain key staff.

The extended centre, shown above, is run by the OGRA Foundation, a Kenyan NGO and supported by WASOT-UK, a charity registered in Jersey and England. Each day team members will work with local people on the project. There will be a chance to see other OGRA projects, educational, income generating and orphan support through a feeding centre.

This project has the support of Georgetown Methodist Church The team leader is Ed Le Quesne, a member of the church and chairman of WASOT-UK. He will be accompanied by a team of 11 people.

Tony Allchurch Ian Simpson Mike Lambotte Karen Ewing Jenny Luce Katherine Le Quesne Jenny Pryke Rebecca Le Quesne Kevan Crowell Neal Crowell Alex White

The team fly out on Monday August 6th and return on Thursday August 30th

HOW MUCH?

Team members pay their travel costs (about £550) and £700 towards project expenses. (Some of this will be raised by team fund raising events.)

Jersey Links

The patron of OGRA is Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, who comes from this area of Kenya, did his A level in Jersey and was supported in his medical training by a Jersey Trust. OGRA’s motto is

“Giving hope, saving lives”.

Doug Horley Weekend 23rd-25th Feb

A month on and there is still a ”buzz” ! In an Island wide Celebration, the venue Hautlieu, Doug Horley, a worker in youth ministry, was in Jersey for the weekend.

An enormous amount of preparation had taken place for what turned out to be a very successful programme of events. Friday evening was devoted to Adults and Teenagers when a service was held. It was great to see many Church attenders had brought their friends to share an evening of Praise in a non-threatening atmosphere and really enjoying themselves .

A seminar for teachers and for workers with children was held on Saturday afternoon. This proved helpful and fun. One particular comment which remains in my mind is that by the age of thirteen it is believed that a young person’s world view is decided! How important it is to teach the young!

We learned a few action songs, some very “active”! Doug believe it is important to use signing as young children cannot read the words on the overhead but can fit the actions to the words and so learn them that way.

The Praise Party on the Saturday evening was really exciting. About 450 people in all attended, children bringing along family members who stayed to see what went on. They were not disappointed! There were songs, stories, dance and fun for everyone, but particularly the children. The high light was probably the Puppets which children always enjoy and not forgetting the exciting air guitar session in which all ages took part. A large number of children came forward to the altar call at the end. All were given a booklet entitled Becoming a Christian.

The weekend finale was at St Helier Methodist Centre with an All Age All Island worship. This wonderful service was attended by about 360 people from churches of all denominations. It was great, and thoroughly enjoyed by all from 0 to 90 years!

An All Island All Age Praise Party is planned for September 15th! Watch this space!

Maureen Rayson

Disciple Training Day 3rd March

Disciple Course was completed! We all had great memories and experiences of our meetings with a feeling of wanting to start all over again. When the idea of leading a Course was suggested several people were interested and with a group of church members from Guernsey a seminar was planned. . Jenny Impney from the London District flew to Jersey for the day as did the Guernsey group and we met at St Aubin’s Church Hall to see what this would involve. Not all those attending had taken part in a disciple course but this not a prerequisite! We were all introduced to the segments comprising a full session:

Prayer to begin, the study beforehand (our homework) and making notes, the video segment, the Bible learning and finishing with Marks of Discipleship. We had discussions in small groups as we would at the meeting and it was a very good experience. The emphasis is that the leader is a learner among learners – you don’t have to have all the answers and learn from each other. Approach each assignment with the fresh mind of a beginner! The day flew by but I think we all felt uplifted and excited at what could be ahead. It was a good sharing experience as was the course itself.

Maureen Rayson

Local News

St. Ouen’s Bazaar

The members of St. Ouen’s Methodist Church are holding a traditional Bazaar in St. Ouen’s Parish Hall on Saturday April 14th from 10 am to 3 pm. There will be various stalls, including a FairTrade stall, and morning coffee and light lunches will be served.

Valerie Remon

A Disciple 2 course, for those who have done Disciple 1 is planned for the Autumn. It will run from September to May, with breaks for Christmas and Easter. It is called ‘Into the Word into the World’ . It is 32 weeks long, probably Wednesday evenings.. Contact Rev. Liz Hunter before April 30th if interested.

The Biarritz Hotel continues to flourish The lounges were upgraded in winter 05/06. This past winter three small single rooms with shower have been turned into two, more spacious, single rooms, both with bath and shower - a facility not available before to single customers.

The property Sandhills next door has been extensively improved on the upper level and an extension has provided two double bedroom flats for senior personnel.

A kiosk outlet is being installed at the beach end of the garden, selling tea/coffee, soft drinks and ice creams as well as snacks and sandwiches pre-packed from the hotel. This will be an excellent facility for hotel guests as well as profiting from passing trade.

The hotel opens on April 21st with at least 60 guests.

‘Little Rascals’ for 0 to 5 year olds, meets every Tuesday morning from 10 to 12. Up to 25 youngsters make use of a variety of toys in the Hall at St. Helier Methodist Centre

Items for the July issue should be sent to Ed(itor), 16, Millais Park, St. Helier, JE2 4RU by

June 18th E-mail edleq@jerseymail.co.uk