Issue
No.83
Family Friendly Churches
Rev. Dr. Mike Bossingham with Sue Le
Gresley and Richard Quenault during a training weekend at St. Helier Methodist
Centre at the start of March.
Mike is the director of the Family
Friendly Churches Trust and has produced much material that makes good use of
modern projection facilities to enliven worship. He listed a number of signs of
a family friendly church. These are
* A gentle good-humoured atmosphere
* A balance of traditional and
modern, where no-one has a veto and small changes are made but applied
consistently week by week
* An overall approach to children's
and young peoples work, including weekdays
* A tolerance of little children
* A high level of lay involvement
* Teenagers involved in worship to
a high degree
* Jesus centred preaching
* Good use of modern technology
* Presence of adults with special
needs
Reflecting on these, I can see we
do meet some of these but not yet all at Georgetown,. With our community worker,
Bev Waller, we shall continue to develop them. Mike guided a group to prepare
all-age worship at Bethlehem on Sunday.
Preparing the All Age worship on Saturday
The church at Bethlehem was full, with groups
from Georgetown and St. Aubin also present. It was an inspiring service and
further ventures are planned involving children from several churches.
Mike also shared some of the
websites with good resources available such as
He warned us to beware of copyright
issues but there are many resources now available. He has produced digital
hymnbooks covering all seasons of the year. We hope these resources will become
available through a circuit Resources library, planned to be located at
Ebenezer. It will become active once Billy Slatter has returned from his
sabbatical in July.
Mike also shared practical tips
about the use of video projectors and demonstrated a number of different ways of
using them in spells of worship. The statistics he shared about the decline in
membership, particularly for young people, are well known. However, as he
showed, they are not inevitable and he has left us with fresh ideas and new
hope. Thank you, Mike.
Ed Le Quesne
Dear Friend
'Methodism on the Move' was the
headline in the Methodist Recorder following a weekend conference with the title
'Holiness and Risk'. I have lived with some words printed on my mind from a very
early age, 'attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God'.
Like many of you reading this I have witnessed a massive slump in numbers of
church members and an ever increasing age profile in our congregations. We have
lived with the story of decline and grown used to chapels or churches closing.
But that is not the whole story. For most of my ministry I have been in churches
which have been growing and here in Jersey despite our continuing decline there
are to be seen 'green shoots of renewal' not least in people responding to the
Is God calling you ? initiative. The
preachers meeting is revising it's method of providing tutorial help in training
because we have an increasing number responding to the call to preach. It's a
challenge we delight to have to face.
Across the connexion there is a new
mood emerging. When Rev Dr Mark Wakelin the Connexional Secretary for Internal
Relations comes to District Synod* at the end of April he comes he says not as a
bureaucrat but as one who seeks for a Kingdom building vibrant Methodist Church.
His theme will be 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God'. That is what must drive us
all and because I see many people around the Circuit driven by this theme I am
hopeful rather than pessimistic about the future.
Let's celebrate the Good news
stories from around the circuit. The growth of the St Ouen congregation and
Sunday school in this their bicentennial year, the new and successful ventures
in worship at Samares and at Ebenezer, the innovative youth work at St Aubin,
the well attended Alpha course at St Helier, the exciting Mothering Sunday
service at Georgetown, the puppet ministry team at Bethlehem and so I can go on.
Please forgive me if for the sake of brevity I have missed out your particular
good news story. As I visit the churches I hear about these positive things and
my spirits are lifted. Some will say to me, 'But David can you not see that we
are finding it difficult to get people to do this and that and some are so
resistant to change that if they have their way the church will surely die'. Yes
I hear that story and others about declining congregations and I don't ignore
them but it's not the whole story and its best for all of us to hold on to the
stories that encourage and inspire. Certainly it is these stories that we need
to share with others. After all who wants to join a sinking ship. I believe
there are people out there who will want to join churches that are bold and
courageous in what they do and say without being arrogant and there are many who
will find faith attractive if we show a greater degree of confidence in the love
of God and his capacity to change individuals and transform situations.
It would be foolish of me to
pretend that all in the Jersey Methodist garden is rosy but we have lived with
the negative story so long that it has taken upon itself a self perpetuating
dynamic. Now is the time to tell the new story in which God is at work. The old
story brings in its wake fatigue and death. The new story brings in its wake
energy and life.
Methodism is on the move. So let's attempt
great things for God and expect great things from God!
In
Peace and Grace
David
* Synod meets on April 25th at St
Aubin. Rev Dr Mark Wakelin will lead the session 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of
God' from 2.30 pm.
27th
September 2009 is Back to Church Sunday,
with the theme, Come as you are
The Methodist Church is this year backing
this initiative started some 5 years ago by some Anglican churches in
Manchester. It was tried in 2008 by St. John Parish Church and reported in the
Jersey Link, winter 2008 edition. It provides a simple method of inviting people
who have dropped out of attendance to come back.
The Essential pack with posters, invitations
and a DVD is available for 20 Register by 31st May with Methodist Church House.
Details on the website
www.methodist.org.uk. You can download a registration form from this site
Well worth looking at!
Christian Aid in Jersey
Christian Aids area rep., Susan
Barry, came to Jersey at the start of March. She spoke in churches and
schools and met Christian Aid supporters at St. Johns School on March 3rd
Susan spoke about her recent trip
to Kinshasa in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). DRC will be the focus of
C.A. Week ..
In an opening quiz we learnt of a
vast country, the size of Western Europe, of 60m people with a life expectancy
at birth of 43 years, On average they make one visit to doctor every 7 years,,
have only 600 km of paved roads in the country and 8 million children not in
school. They regard the period 1998 to 2003 as the African World War, 8 nations
involved, 5.4 million killed and 45,000 still die each month as a result of that
conflict. Mobutu stole $4.8 billion during his 30 years in office.
Christian Aid is working with 40 partners.
They are focussed on accountable government, getting people to speak up for
themselves. so that when people pay tax, they will ask what are you doing with
my money.
Christian Aid is not taking food.
They are helping with teaching skills, diversifying farming from a reliance on
cassava, which tastes like wallpaper paste, Susan joked. She met a young man, a
law graduate who said we have hope but not for now. People were working hard to
shore up road and clear drainage canals but need investment and Govt support
C.A. partners are also working with AIDs sufferers, to get rid of the stigma,
bring hope through drugs. Congo is one of the places where women suffer from
violence by soldiers and within the family They are working with young people
and women's groups, giving skills for employment. She met a pastor there working
to support his people, who said suffering becomes a path to glory One of
their big wishes is a need for roads, heavy downpours closes roads for up to 2
weeks.
Susan thanked all the Christian Aid
supporters in Jersey for their work in Lent lunches and Christian Aid Week
collections. It is making a difference to many people.
We also learnt that in Jersey
Christian Aid week will be a week behind the U.K., being May 17th to 23rd as the
collection permit was not applied for in time.
Women's World Day of prayer went bananas
On Friday March 6th, women from all
denominations took part in this annual service, prepared this year by the women
of Papua New Guinea. It was held at St. Helier Methodist Centre and its theme In
Christ there are many members but one body was very appropriate for a country of
many languages and islands. Through the service we learnt something about the
country and the way women are playing an increasing role in developing their
society and building strong communities. The service was organised by members of
Network led by Barbara Coote, Lynn White and Barbara Rumfitt. It was led by Rev.
Christine Legge and the speaker was Sarah Prothero, wife of the recently arrived
Baptist minister, David. It was a very moving service, with a wide range of
people sharing the readings.
On the way out, ladies were invited
to Go Bananas and take part in a world record attempt for the most people
eating a Fairtrade banana in 24 hours. 130 were taken and eaten, contributing to
the Jersey total of 4812 and the national total of over 430,000, easily breaking
the previous record. Fairtrade bananas now account for one quarter of all banana
sales in UK, up from zero nine years ago. 1000 has been sent to the Fairtrade
Foundation from money raised through this and other banana events held on the
day.
Ed Le Quesne
Silent
Retreat
I have
recently been very fortunate to go on an 8 day silent retreat at St Beuno's
Ignatian Spirituality Centre in North Wales. Some of you may be wandering how I
managed to keep quiet for eight days but I did!! I have spent weekends in
silence run by the Retreat Association in Jersey so knew a little bit of what to
expect.
I arrived on
a cold winter's night in the pouring rain to a place shrouded in darkness. The
man at the door welcomed me by torchlight as the whole area was experiencing a
power cut. The place at first seemed extremely forbidding but I can remember the
feeling of warmth and welcome from within as I stepped over the threshold. The
first evening the thirteen of us were able to share a little of our journey of
life but from breakfast the very next day the silence began. I wondered at first
how I was going to fill my time but was surprised at how much there was to do.
We had been advised not to bring any work with us but just to allow ourselves to
be open to God's spirit.
Each day I
saw my spiritual director for an hour and she would give me a passage from
Scripture, a poem, or maybe a picture to reflect on and the rest of the time was
for me to spend however I liked. I found I would read what she gave me and then
go for a walk around the most wonderful lanes and countryside and this enabled
me to process the various thoughts and feelings that were bubbling up. I spent
every afternoon in the art room surrounded by books and all kinds of art
materials to experiment with. I found I had an urgency to put down on paper what
I was experiencing in my head but became continually frustrated with my
inability to draw. As time went on it didn't seem to matter that it didn't look
like anything specific. The idea of being on retreat was not to become a great
artist but to express myself, my feelings and try and allow God to speak to me
through what I was drawing. After a few hours I felt absolutely drained and hate
to admit that I went to sleep for an hour every afternoon.
Being on
retreat was about experiencing a different rhythm of life, shutting out the
outside noise and just being able to listen to the 'still small voice' of God.
It sharpened my senses allowing me to become so much more aware and soak up
God's beauty.
It
was an amazing experience and I hope this little account might encourage others
to experience something similar.
Lz Lambotte
The clip art at the head of this article
is a symbolic picture, chosen by Liz
Facing In Facing out
I recently
attended the Lay Employees, Children & Youth workers Conference at High Leigh
Conference Centre. Each day was full with a mixture of guest speakers, small
group work and workshops together with prayer, worship and time for networking.
Guest speakers included Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, the President and Vice President
of Conference. I experienced a guided retreat from the Carrymeela Community and
took part in a percussion session led by the Psalm Drummers. I attended
workshops to do with schools work and Journey Centred Models helping us discover
new ways of preparing children and young people to become lifelong disciples of
Christ. I experienced the Breathe installation, a unique experience designed for
use in schools as an informative spiritual zone with iPods for meditation and
reflection and at meal times I was able to talk to many other children and youth
workers about work that they were doing in the churches. It was a very busy and
extremely valuable week
Liz Lambotte
Sunshine in Alderney!
After
several days of dreadful weather in Jersey, the staff had a retreat on Alderney
from the 10th to the 12th of February this year, arriving to discover sunshine!
They were joined by Methodist staff from Guernsey and Alderney but unfortunately
David Hollingsworth was prevented from travelling from Sark due to the sea
conditions. There is a definition for the word retreat in the dictionary which
reads a period of seclusion for religious contemplation. Whatever definition we
individually felt however, when the bugle called we were all to be found on
board the Blue Islands jet bound for the package paradise of the Bray Beach
Hotel, Alderney.
This newly
restored Hotel overlooks Bray beach and lies next door to the very lodging house
in which John Wesley himself once stayed after a stormy crossing into the
harbour. Now called Divers this lodging house served food and drinks in a busy
atmosphere in which even Wesley might have felt at home.
As for the
Bray Beach Hotel it had magnificent views of the harbour and the rooms were
beautifully decorated and furnished. During the day we had a timetable which
began with prayer and moved into discussion and a series of lectures given by
Rev. Professor David Dunn-Wilson from Eastbourne. These lectures were designed
to help us reflect widely on the role and direction of the church in the present
age. Alongside lectures there was also time for personal reading and for
strolling along one of the smoothest beaches on the island. The cuisine just has
to be experienced, especially the pan fried scallops and sea-bass followed by
heavenly puddings.
It has been
some years since the staff have experienced a retreat like this and been away to
relax and share ideas and hopes for the future. It is one of the very few times
we actually have time to talk to our colleagues face to face from the other
islands rather than hear a voice at the end of a telephone. How does one measure
a retreat I don't know but I do know that I personally came away feeling valued
as part of a team which works together in good times and in bad times across a
busy church year. I would want to say a big thank you to the circuit for the
investment of three days and giving us that most precious commodity, time. Thank
you!
Rev Chris White.
Christians against Poverty (CAP)
This group
has for the last two years won a national award for The best small company to
work for. It was founded by John Kirkby in 1996 in Bradford. It has a network of
92 centres based in local churches and aims to have a centre in every major town
and city by 2021. It focuses on helping people struggling with debt. It claims
one family in nine is struggling with debt causing them to miss meals or suffer
health problems. It says that debt is a goliath sized problem but hope is just a
stones throw away, in the local church.
CAP is a
national charity that works in partnership with local churches to provide the
highest quality debt counselling. The service is free to the user and offers
hope and a practical solution to families struggling to provide their families
with life's basics. CAP offers the CAP Money Management course which teaches the
basics of money management. Not only does CAP offer hope for people struggling
with money problems but crucially they offer eternal hope as well. Every person
they speak to about money is also offered prayer and a Why Jesus? booklet.
There are partnership Brochures available
for people who want to know more about opening a CAP centre.
There is a
revolutionary 3-week DVD-based money management course for churches to educate
existing members and reach out to people in their community For a one-off fee of
100, CAP provides your church with all the resources you need to run the course
and train three people to become Money Coaches. The contact phone number is
01274 760720 or e-mail
timbrown@capuk.org. Their website is
www.capuk.org.
Could this
be your way of responding to the circuit challenge Is God calling you?
I have more
information for anyone interested, but haven't personally got the time to carry
it forward myself.
Ed Le Quesne
Manse moves
This is the new manse on the right
hand side near the sea end of Causie Lane as you drive down from St. Clements
Church end.
It is at the start of a small close
and the name of the house is on the side
The Circuit meeting agreed to its
purchase for £700,000 from the Circuit Advance Fund. The meeting also agreed to
a bridging loan of £200,000 from Methodist Chapel Aid until such time as Chris
and Lynn White have moved and their manse in Blenheim Avenue has been sold.
As Rev. Graeme Halls is having a
sabbatical shortly, he, his wife and his mother will be moving to Jersey well
before August so they have time to settle in..
Nearby, in Le Hocq Lane is
Bethel which has been for a good number of years the HQ of the Girls
Brigade. It will cease to be used by the G.B. after August and will then be
advertised for sale. The G.B. will share Les Freres with B.B. as their joint HQ.
There will be special events to mark its closing. Perhaps some of our Methodist
ladies would like to share memories of events at Bethel that they have taken
part in or sleepovers that stick in the memory!
Circuit Meeting at Ebenezer
We met in the refurbished Hall at
Ebenezer on March 25th. Chris White illustrated his opening prayers with a model
money box he had made, in the form of a small beach house, to remind us of our
concerns for buildings and finance in these uncertain times.
Rev. David Le Seelleur reminded us
that Jean de Quetteville was born on 22nd May 1761 so the 250th anniversary is
due in two years time. (see separate article)
Rev. David Hinchcliffe, currently
Supt. in the Woking circuit has been invited to be Chair of the District from
Sept. 2010 when David Coote retires. He will be based in Guernsey.
The Methodist Ministers Housing
Society acknowledged a gift of £1123.50 from the Maison Binet Fund which is now
closed.
The circuit accounts were explained
by Sue De Gruchy and generally agreed. There was a query whether funds assigned
for charitable causes, by a 10% fund for example, should be counted as part of
the church income but John Le Gresley argued successfully that the church itself
is a charity and the current system was felt to be fair.
Rev. Liz Hunter reminded everyone
that the Is God calling you? initiative is not just about work with young
people. There are many needy older people in our community, who would welcome
friendly contact from local churches and this could be an opening for someone to
consider.
Rev. Chris White proposed a grant
of £11,200 p.a. (40% of total salary) for 3 years from the Circuit Advance Fund
to support a lay worker, Andrew Bird, at Samares. All agreed.
Richard Dupre said he had been a
lifelong member of Sion, baptised and married there. He remembers times with
over 50 in the Sunday School. Now, sadly, the upkeep of their large building had
become a burden and young people had moved on to other places. Their qualified
nursery leader had left last year and Mrs. Liz Blampied had been given a
temporary licence to continue till July 2010. When the nursery closes the
finances would be unsustainable so the decision had been made to close for
worship from the end of June 2010. The meeting sadly agreed. Norman De La Haye
pointed out that maintaining a large building like SHMC (Wesley-Grove) cost 40k
to 50k a year.
John Le Gresley said that the
stewards were employing Mr. Stuart Fell on an occasional basis to help them put
a case for realistic changes to some of our listed buildings. He felt, and
Deputy Anne Pryke agreed, that a constructive rather than a confrontational
approach to finding new uses for historic buildings would be most fruitful,
though there were 3 votes against the use of Mr. Fell, a former member of the
Planning Dept.
The meeting agreed that Bethel
should be put up for sale after August, when it is no longer used as a G.B. HQ.
One member of the meeting was still unsure where Bethel is. (La Rue du Hocq,
Brian!) Two chapels are listed as Grade 1 (SSI). They are Sion and Les Freres.
St. Ouen is in the process of being formally listed as an SSI. Georgetown and
SHMC are proposed as SSI. All the remaining chapels are Grade 2 listed (BLI)
Gladys Renouf gave a lively account
of her 3-day experience at the Stationing Matching Group, where 175 profiles
from circuits awaiting ministers had to be filled by 129 available ministers.
The whole process was done in a co-operative basis and she was very impressed by
the gracious attitude of the District chairmen. She said the C.I. District had
been given some preferential treatment in the past but it is likely to be harder
to recruit staff in the future.
It was good to learn that the Good
Friday film is continuing, at the Arts Centre this year, following the closure
of the Odeon (New Forum). Thanks are due to Henry Le Ruez and Sally Bester.
David Coote made a brief report to
the meeting about the continued commitment of Methodist churches to Christian
Aid. He is promoting a visit from the director of Christian Aid and the regional
rep, Susan Barry next month to clarify the relation between C.A. in Jersey and
UK. Some in Jersey churches had been upset by a recent meeting in Jersey
addressed by a Christian Aid speaker among others. A busy meeting closed with
prayer shortly before 10.
In written reports, the BB and GB
said that they held a Beetle Drive at St Martins on March 6th, a joint annual
dinner on March 21st and are working on the display for the President in May.
Andrew Bennett and Ann Marett are working on a job description for the new
development officer role. It should be ready shortly. Just after redecorations
were completed Les Freres suffered a flood from a water tank in the ceiling,
made much worse because the stopcock was frozen!! It has meant replacing
ceilings in the dining area and main hall and much more redecoration and
attention to the flooring. It will hopefully all be ready for the first campers
who arrive in May.
Chris White, in his last Church and
Society report, has some perceptive things to say about Sunday Trading and
gambling which will both be the subject of draft laws this year. He also took
part in a discussion of religious practice in hospitals following new NHS
guidelines. His wise counsel will be missed
Ed Le Quesne
Jersey Women's Network
The Year of the Child
Saturday 10.0 12.00
31st January 2009 at Ebenezer Methodist
Church Hall
Barbara Coote
welcomed about 50 people to this special event on a sunny morning.
New Home Affairs minister, Ian
Le Marquand spoke first, confessing he had had a difficult week with
inaccurate headlines to deal with. He said we are dealing with a changed world,
with more family breakdowns, less people with a strong faith and more moral
challenges. Jersey has a long-standing alcohol problem and an estimated 900
people using heroin.
On the other hand there is much
less racism, discrimination against Catholics or women and we have more wealth
and better health and housing.
In 1995 he became Magistrate and
dealt with the Youth Court. The young people he saw there were at the end of the
line, failed by the system, with much sexually transmitted disease and underage
drinking. There was a revolving door of persistent offenders, sentenced,
released then committing more crime. By 2001 there was a crisis and Dr. Kathy
Bull was called in to write a report She then stayed to implement it. The Youth
Action team was set up and the Bridge started at the former St. Marks School.
The Williamson report has set out a way forward though it is going to the States
in a difficult financial climate. There is a focus on more professional
fostering and early intervention to break the cycle of poor parents producing
difficult children who then become poor parents too. He said churches
needed to pray for those working in this area and also welcomed the toddler
groups that churches run as helping to promote spiritual values.
Lynn White, Fiona Vacher, Liz Lambotte, Ian Le Marquand, Barbara Coote at
Ebenezer
Liz Lambotte,
youth worker at St. Aubin, said that spirituality was hard to explain, but she
felt every child had a spiritual dimension. God is already in children in their
very honest response to situations and their awareness of the atmosphere in
their family. They live very much in the present moment and have a great
capacity to wonder. They need time to play with simple things using their
imagination and to explain things in their own way. She quoted from Barack
Obama's book The audacity of hope He said his mother was the most
spiritual person he knew as she was full of wonder about the world around her
and daily events.
A child is very willing to give
love and needs to be loved in return. A child's way of looking at the world is
set by the age of seven. They need boundaries set, but are damaged by adults who
say No time for that or make promises they don't keep.
Fiona Vacher
was trained as a nursery nurse. She has worked in a nursery and in a play group.
where there were generally privileged children from good homes. She has also
worked in the children's service, working closely for six weeks at a time with a
child's family to try to improve their parenting skills. The Childcare Trust (JCCT)
was set up over ten years ago by the States and now has offices at the Bridge,
with just over 3 employees. Jersey has nearly the highest proportion of working
women with 79% of women between 19 and 60 in employment. They have to find
childcare to help them balance family and job. JCCT are trying to encourage
employers to be family friendly with a flexible approach to family emergencies.
Day nurseries are cheaper than
nannies, with one adult for three children, though it may be in a room with 30
children. Day nurseries are open from 7.30 to 6 pm for over 51 weeks of the
year.
Nannies with families are usually
employed for 40 hours per week. In the recent tax form, couples can claim tax
relief for the cost of a nanny only if she is accredited, a process that takes
up to two years. There has been a rush of people recently seeking to be
accredited!
There is now a budget for special
needs support for children to have intensive help for one or more hours per week
to overcome problems before they start school and in school too.
Fiona is pleased that from September,
vulnerable children, who have had limited contact with other children, will get
20 hours per week in a free nursery place. This will give them a positive start
to their schooling. Fiona's commitment to doing everything possible for our
children is very evident and we hope she gets the necessary financial resources
for her job.
Barbara Coote thanked all three
speakers and ended with prayers taken from the Year of the child website. It was
an informative start to the Year of the Child in Jersey.
Ed Le Quesne
Junior church update at SHMC
Our Junior Church continues with an
enthusiastic group of young people; ten members in the secondary school age
range and six to eight younger children. Apart from our regular lessons, the
youngsters got busy preparing for Harvest Festival. With enthusiasm they started
to make decorations for the church and to practice a short sketch to help make
the festival memorable.
After a few weeks of regular
teaching, Advent arrived and the usual lighting of the candles of the Advent
ring was part of the young peoples contribution. We had excellent attendance in
the lead up to the Carol Service as the children rehearsed We cant see Jesus
- a modern nativity sketch. This was Charlotte's baby and she put a lot of
hard work into producing a very good presentation.
Our party is rather late this year
as many young people went away for the holiday season and also some of us
succumbed to the virus, but we will be having a party for the younger children
on
28 January followed by a bowling session for
the teens group. We look forward to a happy few weeks leading up to Easter and
to be able to share with the church family on All age worship Sundays.
The teachers put in a lot of hard
work. It would be lovely to share this with any members of the church who feel
they could lend a hand. We get very good feed back from the congregation which
is rewarding and encourages us in our aim to bring our youngsters closer to
Jesus, our Saviour.
Maureen Rayson
Prayer for Creation Time
Since there will be a last time when I will
feel a warm spring rain on my face,
a last time when I will smell the perfume of
a flower,
a last time when I can embrace my lover, that
makes life and everything that lives so infinitely precious.
Since there will be a last time, let me live
daily life with open senses, clear thinking and a careful presence.
Since there will be a last time, let me be
aware that I am woven into the eternal becoming and being of life, in which God
holds everyone and everything in her/his hands.
Since there will be a last time, I would like
the beauty and preciousness of life which is given to me to be preserved for
those who will live after me.
My mortality, my being limited, is a source
of my capacity to love.
Our condition as limited beings has within it
a value which points to the future, which is urgently needed by us who live in
economically rich countries.
From Creation Time resources, CTBI
(Churches Together in Britain and Ireland )
Lorraine Wheeler - a preacher on note
Lorraine is originally from Staffordshire. She
came to Jersey seven years ago via Peterborough, Bermuda and Switzerland. She
didn't go to church as a child and only started by accident at the age of 13
when she stayed a friends house. She works full time as a Trust Director,
similar to John Perkins, in fact they used to work together.
Lorraine writes:
Sadly, I did not have an upbringing
involving the church. I am originally from Staffordshire, although my job in the
trust industry has taken me to Peterborough, Bermuda, Switzerland and I came to
Jersey 7 years ago. My family and I have put down roots on your lovely island
and we hope to be able to stay here permanently. I have been married to Alan for
15 years - Alan has not yet come to faith although I pray for him on a regular
basis. I have two wonderful children - Hayley (12) and Charlie (6). I teach
Sunday Club at Bethlehem and Charlie is in my group. He is a delight to teach
and accepts that Jesus is his Lord and Saviour. Hayley, like her father, is more
cynical.
I first went to church after being
kidnapped. Perhaps I should explain this! I stayed at a friend's house for the
night at the age of 13 and the next morning, the whole family went to church - I
had no option but to join them! I enjoyed the service and went to church
sporadically over the next 10 years or so. I felt an amazing sense of peace
during the services and this feeling remained with me for a time. I was
determined to be married in that same church - I had my wish even though Alan
would have preferred to be married on a desert island somewhere! If I had been
asked during this time if I were a Christian, I would have responded in the
affirmative but I had no personal relationship with Jesus -shamefully - if I
prayed it was if I was in need - and never to give thanks.
All this changed on the birth of my
son in 2002 here in Jersey. I felt so blessed and thanked my husband but I felt
a greater presence in the operating theatre that day - it was God who I should
truly thank for the wonderful blessing of my family. Over the next few months, I
read my bible, attended St Peter's Parish Church every week and enrolled for
confirmation classes with Martin Poolton. I enjoyed these classes immensely and
felt a greater connection with God but it was not until I began worshipping at
Bethlehem a few years later that I first knew the presence of the Holy Spirit.
What an amazing feeling! I didn't really understand it immediately but I
couldn't read the bible enough - my thirst for knowledge of the bible and the
New Testament in particular was insatiable! I joined a House Group and grew
spiritually week by week. Several people from my house group went to Israel in
2006 and I was so jealous not to be going. I didn't feel the time was right -
particularly with a young son and lots of travelling with my job - I vowed that
if the opportunity came again, I would go. This opportunity came in April 2008
and my mother also came with me.
Before we left for Israel, we were
asked whether we would be prepared to do readings at predetermined places we
would visit. I said I was happy to do this and was astonished to be given my
readings from Isaiah and Luke - the two chapters we studied in detail in
Religious Education O level. I prepared for my readings and was excited to be
able to read in a synagogue. Unfortunately, the visit to the synagogue was
cancelled and I thought I had lost my opportunity but at Nazareth village I had
my chance and instead read the passages in the little synagogue there - when
Jesus read from Isaiah in the temple and declared himself to be the anointed
one. Although I had prepared to speak about the reading, I found that a greater
force was instead speaking through me and I had the most amazing sense of the
power of the Holy Spirit working through me. Several people commented on how
powerful this had been and suggested that I think about becoming a local
preacher - in fact, Nola was one of those people!
I then had a similar experience in
the Garden of Gethsemane and felt that preaching was something I could really
enjoy. After all, if we see a good film or read a good book or hear about a good
bargain, we want to share this with our friends and family - how much more
important is it to share the gospel with the greatest reward possible - eternal
life.
A few days later, we were at
Beth-al-Licq in Bethlehem - a school for all denominations but with Christian
teaching - a most fantastic and tranquil place. In the midst of Bethlehem - a
walled city under siege. While having lunch, I heard a voice This is where I
want you to be. I looked around and there was no one behind me and it took a few
seconds to understand that it was God who was speaking to me. I started a
conversation in my head - That's impossible - what about my husband and
children? This is where I want you to be and what I want you to do. Again the
excuses and on the third time of hearing this, my excuses weren't as ready
although I had trouble reconciling how I could be useful in Bethlehem - such a
dangerous place with no preaching experience and only a degree in Financial
Services to offer!
I shared this experience with
several people in the group and over the next few months, I thought about this a
lot. It was inconceivable for me to drop everything and move to Israel and I
would surely lose my family. However, I began to think seriously about local
preaching, I would watch local preachers getting up and speaking at Bethlehem
when I wasn't teaching the children and I was so in awe of them. I really wanted
to do this. There were 2 things stopping me - lack of time and a feeling that my
husband would not agree - Having his blessing to join a House Group was
difficult enough!
Each time I met up with my friend
Kathy Elvy, the spiritual leader on our trip to Israel, she would ask me what I
had done about becoming a local preacher. Each time I would make excuses. Then I
found out that I needed to have an operation on my knee, which would necessitate
6 - 8 weeks off work so I would have time to start these studies - but what
would my husband say? One day as I was going to meet Kathy, I told him how
rewarding Kathy had found the course and the ensuing preaching so fulfilling and
how I was envious of her as I would love to do the course. He simply said that
if this were what I wanted to do, I should go ahead and do it on three
conditions - as long as it didn't mean giving up my job ( Al does not work and
looks after the children and our home); him having to come with me to church and
that I felt it would not be too much to take on. Although I would love for Al to
be here with me today, I know him well enough not to try and force the issue.
I was so excited and got in touch
with Christine Legge, who came to see me with the first three units of the Faith
& Worship course to read in hospital and through my recuperation and David Coote
came to see me and gave me a note to preach. Recently Nola called me to tell me
that she had been asked to become my mentor and was delighted to help. For my
part I am so pleased to be able to work with Nola, who is very encouraging and
has already imparted much valuable information. I feel so privileged to be
working with Nola Webster and have been greatly supported by her and my church.
I am really excited about this
calling as I feel like Paul that this is a Commission from God. I know that in
my own strength this would be an uphill battle in terms of time and commitment
but I also know that through the power of the Holy Spirit, I will be able to
make time and do the best job possible. Quite simply, I do not want to let Him
down.
I strongly believe that it is the
job of every one of us to share the good news of Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Saviour wherever and whenever we can, whilst being careful not to make people
feel uncomfortable or in the presence of a mad woman! It is a daunting task but
I know that God will equip me for the road ahead.
Return to Nyalkinyi
After I returned from India where
we had started building an orphanage, I was all set to return to Kenya to see
how the project we, the Christian Unity Group, had started in 2006.
I was very excited about the trip,
as I'm sure those who knew I was going were aware! I went with another member of
the original group Elizabeth Mullane and her family, as it was half term.
The first part of the trip was a
safari. We had a wonderful time with some unique experiences in the Rift Valley.
One of the pictures that stays in my mind is that of an hyena frolicking and
swimming in a pond, like an excited child! Our guide had not seen anything like
it in fourteen years or so as a safari guide. There were many other beautiful
sights too; a topi just a few minutes old; a cheetah with two babies trying to
show them how to hunt and all they wanted to do was play! And many zebras and
wildebeest doing the river crossing to the Serengeti, battling against
crocodiles and hippos, where they breed and stay until May. This was a great
holiday but I wanted to get to Nyalkinyi!
Arriving in the village was like
going home. Many of the villagers turned up to welcome us and greet us. It was a
lovely warm feeling that they were so appreciative of what we had done and what
they hoped we would continue to do. The Clinic looked very good and was almost
finished. We have to provide hot water as it will be a maternity hospital, and
apparently the beds were waiting in Nairobi, otherwise it is almost ready to
have government approval to open. There are clinics run three times a week by
doctors and health workers from the nearest town, Homa Bay, helped by the local
community worker, Sammy. We will be getting a manager in to run the Clinic and
hope that in six to eight months time it will be self-funding. It was a very
exciting time.
As far as the farm was concerned
things were not quite so rosy. There had been crops which were used to feed the
children in the school but, when we were there, there was only fallow land. We
saw the oxen who were used to for ploughing but we did not see our cows, which
was disappointing. We were told some eggs and milk had been sold to provide food
for the children but had not been enough to give to all the children.
Overall it
was a very good trip and we now have an idea of what needs to be done to get the
farm up and running. We need lots of prayer for this work so that we can achieve
our aim!
Maureen Rayson
John Le Cornu
John Edward Le Cornu was born on
December 31st 1929, an inauspicious date, which nevertheless enabled him to
celebrate his 70th birthday on the last day of the millennium in 1999. He was
the second son of Cyril and Maud who at the time they were raising their family
lived first in St Mark's Road and then in Stopford Road. John and his older
brother David were raised in the Methodist tradition; their parents moved to
Aquila Road from Wesley Chapel at the end of the war but John and David remained
at Wesley where they were active members. Both boys contributed to the musical
life of the church, David becoming an accomplished organist and John developing
a steady bass voice within the choir at Wesley Chapel and at Grove Place. It was
his interest in music which was eventually to play a role in his introduction to
Florence. Florence had come to Jersey in the mid 1950s to take a post of music
teacher at the new Rouge Bouillon School. When others might have done the round
of churches to find one with good preaching or pastoral ministry, Florence
attended Aquila Road on account of the musicianship of the then organist,
Leonard Herivel. She sat in the pew in front of Maud who invited her home for
Sunday lunch and introduced her to her son John. John was quickly smitten and
the couple married on April 18th 1957 at Wesley Grove; the service was conducted
by the Revd E. Ecclestone Potts.
Life had not been plain sailing for John to that point. During
the occupation years his schooling, like that of all the children on the island,
had been disrupted. He won a scholarship to Victoria College but the family did
not have a tradition of university education and as John approached leaving age
his father went to London with the intention of finding a good post for him in
the insurance business. Cyril had also arranged to have an operation for a
medium-term stomach condition that doctors had thought might be appendicitis.
However, when they came to operate, surgeons discovered that he had advanced
cancer and he died on the operating table. John was aged 17. David had already
left the island and John then stayed behind to begin work in the Judicial Greffe.
He worked in the Greffe for the whole of his working life, retiring after 42
years on his 60th birthday having worked under five different Bailiffs.
Marriage brought a family of three children in quick succession:
Alison was born in 1958, Hilary in 1959 and Howard in 1961. The family moved
from Don Road to Runnymede Court, just off the Route du Fort, in 1966 and John
walked to work in Hill Street each day. He became Judicial Greffier in 1984. It
was a job he was well suited to, although in his later years he admitted that he
would have preferred to have worked with his hands as a watchmaker. Nonetheless,
his meticulous attention to detail, his methodical approach to record keeping,
and his reasonable competence in French equipped him with the necessary skills
to perform his role excellently and gain recognition as an expert authority.
Alongside work and family John continued with a strong commitment
to church. The family attended Wesley Grove where John was church steward for
many years, as well as acting as Circuit steward. He was actively involved in a
number of charities, regularly collecting for Christian Aid and taking on the
role of Christian Aid treasurer for a number of years, as well as for the Jersey
branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society. With the help of an aid agency
he and Florence 'adopted' a young Kenyan girl, Judith, and contributed towards
her schooling for many years. They maintained contact with her as she grew up
and had her own family and he recently agreed to support her son through
college. John and Florence were also active members of Amnesty International,
welcomed a number of Amnesty-supported guests to the flat under their house at
La Mare, and were always conscious of a responsibility to take a stand for the
poor and oppressed. For leisure, he sang with the Sylviidae Choir (which
Florence conducted) for many years, and, in part motivated by Howard's enjoyment
of the sea, built a small dinghy from a kit in his garage. Although not a
natural boatman, he bought two more small vessels and took friends and family
fishing, sailed on a few occasions over to St Malo, and generally took to
pottering around the harbour.
John first noticed a potential health problem in 1981 when he
went to the doctor to report difficulties in swallowing. After investigation,
the consultant diagnosed ocular pharyngeal myopathy, a weakening of the muscles
throughout his body, and a rare and incurable condition that would worsen over
time. Florence too was seriously ill with rheumatoid arthritis, and John became
her principal carer as her disease took its toll. They moved to Avalon Park in
1996, a very successful move as it was close to Samares church which the couple
had joined partly to relieve pressure on Florence to play the organ at Wesley
Grove, partly because of a real desire to support what was at the time a
struggling chapel. Their apartment had a small study and John had been given a
computer as a retirement present, which he took to like a duck to water!
Computing became one of his main activities: designing and printing greetings
cards, maintaining the records and minutes of the different committees he served
on, publishing the weekly Samares newsletter, working on a branch of his family
tree... His magnum opus was an historical survey of Samares Methodist Church to
coincide with the Chapel's 100th anniversary which he compiled himself and
published under the name 'One Hundred Not Out!'. Given
his increasing physical limitations, he appreciated being able to continue
contributing to the different circles in which he moved through his computer
skills. Florence died in January 2004 and John remained at Avalon Park, for the
last three years of his life wonderfully supported and cared for by his team of
'girls' who came to help throughout the day. He became a familiar figure
trundling around the neighbourhood in his electric buggy-originally bought for
Florence but much more extensively used by John-and more recently bought a
second hand Renault Kangoo which had been adapted to take wheelchairs. Friends
and family could take him out in his 'popemobile' and he much appreciated not
living an entirely housebound existence.
He lived at Avalon until a month before his death when, following
two falls, he decided he needed more constant care and moved to Silver Springs
care home. His admittance to hospital was for a routine assessment, but he
deteriorated rapidly and passed away peacefully on December 9th. Howard and
John's niece Susan were at his bedside.
John leaves a hole that will be hard to fill in Jersey Methodism.
He will be remembered for his generosity, patience, humour, integrity and gentle
courtesy and leaves behind many, many friends.
Alison and Howard Le Cornu
When John Le Cornu left this world on 9 December 2008 I felt our
church had lost one of its parents. Not true, of course, but it felt like that
because John was everything a parent was to Samares. He was our elder statesman,
who was one of the longest serving members in the church, although by no means
the oldest in the congregation. He had been Senior Steward way beyond the 6
years maximum, and it was unthinkable not to consult him on everything. He also
had a view on everything and was generous in his willingness to accept new ideas
and ways of doing things, as long as it was honouring to the Lord. Very much
involved in the remodelling of the church premises leading up to the millennium,
John set about an excellent book detailing the history of the church 100 Not
Out - The Story of a Mission. In my tenure at Samares John saw more open
worship, seeker services, the introduction of a full time Youth & Community
worker, Cafe style worship, as well as a move to larger premises. He hung in as
we made a transition to less hymns and more worship songs. In everything he was
gracious, prayerful, open with his advice and opinions and willing to move with
what we all believed God was guiding us to.
John was the most committed person I have yet met. He came to
everything - from 24 hours of prayer to film nights and pool parties. Even when
it was freezing cold outside or when his physical abilities were diminishing he
would say in response to my doubtful face I don't see why not. He was deeply,
deeply generous to the church - and to others - more than we shall ever know. He
trusted in His Lord and loved this church. Yes, and we all got an individually
styled, computer produced, birthday cards, children as well as adults. He was
interested in everyone, and, in respect of Jersey people, needed to know their
pedigree!
The loss of Florence robbed John of the complementary aspect of
the couple: Florence chatting with people and John getting the work done in the
background. They had been such an inseparable couple, always at everything
together. I had wondered how John would function without her, but he did so with
characteristic practicality. The couple are now back together again, and Heaven
is richer for that. For us, we have a big example to follow.
Henry Le Ruez
Sing for Life at Bethlehem
A Sing for Life event in aid of
Jersey Friends of The Anthony Nolan Trust was held at Bethlehem Church, St Mary
on Friday 27th February 2009. Bethlehem invited members of the churches in the
West Section and St Mary's Parish Church to join them for an evening of music
and song.
Bethlehem's Music Group led the
singing of favourite hymns chosen by the congregations of St Ouen, Bethlehem and
St Mary's Parish Church. Bethesda's musicians and singers performed a selection
of lively hymns and favourite songs by Abba and Lloyd-Webber.
During the evening, Kate Baigent
and Doreen Reed of Jersey Friends talked about the Charity and its local support
group and showed a DVD called Two Lives about being a donor, from the point of
view of both the donor and recipient. Angela Le Vogeur also spoke about the Help
Save Julie campaign. Well-earned refreshments were enjoyed after the event.
The retiring collection, donations
and sponsorship totalled almost £800. It costs £125 to tissue-type each
potential donor.
Footnote
Two very successful donor clinics
were held in St Helier and St Brelade on 5th March, when 281 potential donors
gave blood samples. The clinics proved so popular that many people were turned
away, but further clinics will be held later in the year. We thank God for the
wonderful response.
If you are aged between 18 and 41
and want to join the Donor Register, but cannot attend a Clinic, you can log
onto the Anthony Nolan Trust website
www.anthonynolan.org.uk and apply online. You will receive a kit
in the post which you can take to the hospital or your GP to take a blood sample
and send back to the Trust. We are hoping that most GPs will not charge for
this.
If you would like more information
about Jersey Friends, or your Church, Choir or School would like to hold your
own Sing for Life event, please contact Doreen Reed on 864682.
Billy Slatter's Sabbatical plans
Monday 2nd March to Friday 12th June
Weeks 1 & 2
Chaplaincy Induction course (9 modules)
Weeks 3 to 5
Visiting workplaces in England: Sport, Leisure, Industry, Transport,Commerce etc
Weeks 6 & 7
Holiday in Cyprus and exploring Eastern Orthodox influence on Easter (Their
dates don't match ours)
Weeks 8 to 12
in Jersey. Write up chaplaincy notes. Reading
Produce resources. Learn website and DVD editing
Weeks 13 & 14
Go to Zambia and help to build a house.
Week 15 In Jersey.
Write up Zambia notes. Reflect on sabbatical. Prepare for re-entry!
That is the plan as set out in the
St. Martin service sheet on March 1st. It looks a very full and interesting
programme.
I was secretary of the Ministries
committee when the principle of sabbaticals was introduced to Methodism, I think
by Rev. John Taylor, who went on to be President of Conference and Chair of
Liverpool District. There were some who questioned the idea but I think this
programme illustrates their value to a minister personally and he will bring
fresh insights back to our churches.
Read about what actually happened
in our next edition!
Ed Le Quesne
Training Course 'What every Children and
Youth Worker should know'
Good practise will always be at the
forefront of the Methodist Circuit Safeguarding policy and I would encourage
children's workers around the churches to consider the training events that are
being offered by the Circuit. The three day training course running now is being
delivered by members of the Jersey Youth Service, and partly funded by the
District Training Fund. It is excellent. As well as being kept up to date with
best practises, looking at children's current interests and how they
communicate, with 'down loads' and 'up loads', we are bonding as a group of
children's workers in Jersey. This course, packed with new ideas and
information, may be delivered again in the future.
Pancakes galore
Georgetown Methodist Church
celebrated the start of Lent with many groups making, eating and tossing
pancakes. The pre-school children and adults in the Church Toddler groups had a
pancake race, complete with chef hat and aprons. . 'Open Door' coffee morning
offered people the opportunity to make a pancake and there was much competition
in the height of the pancakes being tossed. The Girls Brigade who met on Shrove
Tuesday, invited parents and carers to join their pancake race. In a fast race
taking the length of the hall, with team members cheering each other, many
pancakes ended on the floor......the walls.....the windows.
A great opportunity to share the
start of Lent with our community.
Bev Waller
A bump in the night
Members came to Georgetown one
Sunday in February to find that during the night a car had crashed into the
front wall. The impact dislodged the granite cap stones and knocked out some of
the filler material into the car park. The driver has been identified and
insurers notified and repair work should start soon. The wall and gate had only
recently been repaired.
News from the North West Frontier
In November St Ouen's Sunday School
performed a dramatisation of the story of Noah for the Sunday School Anniversary
and later for the Church Anniversary. They will repeat the drama again at an
island concert during May.
The Sunday School has flourished
this year and we have completely refurbished and re-equipped their
accommodation. Attendance has been growing so rapidly that we will refurbish
part of the 1871 building to provide better facilities for our young people.
Mission 200,
the theme of our bicentenary year, will redefine the mission of our church and
prepare us for serving God among the people of St Ouen for the next 200 years.
Our mission programme began with the Covenant Service on 18th January 2009 when
five new members were welcomed into the church family.
Important St Ouen dates to note:
Sunday 5th April
Palm Sunday Services
The morning service includes a donkey, the
evening service celebrates our prayer labyrinth. The church will open for visits
and prayers each day during Holy Week.
Thursday 9th April
Maundy Thursday Service at 7.30 pm
Sunday 12th April
Easter Day Service 11.00 am
followed by an Easter Egg hunt
Saturday 18th April
Spring Bazaar at Parish Hall
10.00 am to 3.00 pm
Saturday 9th May
Liberation Day Service 12.00 Noon.
The address will be given by Reg Jeune CBE
Sunday 17th May
Visit of the President of the Conference, Rev
Stephen Poxon. Evening Service 6.30 pm
Friday 12th June to Sunday 14th June
Flower Festival with music and
refreshments.
We hope as many of you as possible
will be able to join our special events - and we would welcome any past Sunday
School members who might like to return to celebrate with us.
Valerie Remon,
Church Secretary 741689
A Methodist worth celebrating 250 years on
!!
The story of Jean de Quetteville,
who was converted in 1788 and became a tireless evangelist in the Channel
Islands until his death in 1843, is well worth telling Born one of six children
in St. Martin on May 22nd 1761, 2011 would be a good time to celebrate the life
and work of one known as the Apostle to the Channel Islands.
We will have a fuller account of
his life in our next issue but anyone who would like to consider a stage
production in 2011 should contact Rev. David Le Seelleur or one of the
circuit ministers.
Point
of view?
Reporters interviewing a
104-year-old woman asked, And what do you think is the best thing about being
104?
She simply replied, No peer pressure.
All contributions for the 84th issue and
offers of help by June 21st, to: Ed(itor), 16, Millais Park, St. Helier, JE2
4RU. or to
edleq@jerseymail.co.uk
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