In this issue:South Wales report

A meditation by Pete Hollinsworth

River Twyi 2015

Spring 2015

MAINSTREAM AGM AGENDA

To be held at 8pm on 16th May 2015 at Viney Hill Christian Adventure Centre

1) Opening prayer

2) Apologies

3) Minutes of Last Meeting

4) Matters arising

5) Financial report

6) Membership Secretary report

7) Events Coordinator/Newsletter report

8) Chairman’s report

9) Election of Officers; Treasurer

10) Training Weekend 2015

11) Overseas Support

12) The Future for Mainstream

13) AOB.

If you are at the Training weekend or live close to Viney Hill please do try to attend the AGM. If you are unable to attend but have any item you would like raised or wish to offer to serve on the committee please contact Ed Humphries by email kayaked7@gmail.com or write to Ed Humphries, Barnfield Cottage, Dursley Road, Cambridge, Gloucester, GL2 7AB

PASSIONATE!

Here's an actual website quote: 'At BP Insurance Brokers we're passionate about

providing a thorough insurance service...' Similar claims, such as 'We're

passionate about bringing you the finest orange juice', are occasionally

encountered.

Really? Claims to be 'passionate' about the mundane, about the necessary

but intrinsically dull, are risibly insincere. Yes, an insurance broker; a jam

maker; a bus driver may well care about providing a valuable service or

product...but such concern is hardly ardent, fervent, emotional, fierce, burning, -

words synonymous with 'passionate'. Bob Dylan sings, 'I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue, I'd go crawling down the avenue, there is nothing that I wouldn't do,

to make you feel my love'. ('To Make You Feel My Love') That's passion! Here's a

convincing definition of passion: to love something or someone with 'all your

heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength'. Some will recognise

these words, and know they are preceded by 'Love the Lord your God...'

Together they form the principle commandment, taught by Jesus himself; (Luke

10:27, Mark 12:30) to paraphrase: 'Be passionate about God'!

Ouch! Being passionate supporters of a football team, or a pop group; or

being passionate about gardening or sailing; even about a political party...is

socially acceptable, laudable even – but passionate about God? That will

raise eyebrows and trigger warnings of the dangers of extremism; it's really

not 'cool'! And in any case, the world demands, 'Why?' - or, being persuaded

atheist, is dismissive. Yet for multitudes, reasons to be passionate about God,

the God who explosively revealed himself in Jesus, abound. Here are two:

PASSIONATE...because our deepest needs are met in God. Now

this statement will be largely meaningless to the many barely aware of such

needs – our longings for intimacy, transcendence, and significance. Materialist

culture would have us believe our primary needs are met in possessions – and

we 'buy into' (literally) this credo. Jesus understood this: our greatest needs

are fundamentally different. His claims profoundly address them: 'Man shall not live by bread alone...' (Matt 4:4)

The need for intimacy. In his extraordinary interaction with the Samaritan

woman at the well (males Jews did not speak to strange women, let alone

Samaritans), having asked for a drink, Jesus says, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks...you would have asked him and he would have given you

water'. As dialogue continues, he tells her directly, '...the water I give...will

become...a spring of water welling up to eternal life'. (John 4) She, intrigued, asks

for this water. 'First', says Jesus, 'go and fetch your husband' – though she is a

stranger, he knows her history of serial relationships. He sees, in today's

parlance, a 'wild child', indifferent to the cultural mores of the day, passionately

searching for transcendent intimacy. He knows too, such deep longing

cannot be satisfied in a merely human relationship, however rewarding - as

she is discovering in successive liaisons that just do not work out.

When, during the 'Last Supper', Jesus tells his disciples, 'One of you is about to

betray me', they are horrified and dare not ask, 'Who?'. (John 13, 21) Even Peter,

who's impetuosity is evident in the gospels, dares not ask...but he knows

John, of them all, enjoys the greatest intimacy with Jesus. So he nudges

John, whispering, 'You ask him'. John's love and trust was such that he found

the sublimest peace and security in, literally, leaning against Jesus – leaning

intimately upon God.

The need for the transcendent. 'There has to be something more' is an

observation we hear from the disillusioned, the cynic, or the simply bored. The

Beatles, at the height of their popularity and possessed of fame and fortune,

looked to the philosophies of the east in search of the transcendental.

Substance abuse, in all it's forms, is not confined to the dispossessed or

marginalised, but runs through every strata of society, endemic to the human

condition and driven by the desire for the transcendental, for 'something more'.

Into this hunger, Jesus declares, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will

never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.' (John 6, 35)

The need for significance. 'I always wanted to be a

nurse/teacher/policeman...' A sense of vocation, a 'calling', a belief in things

worth doing in which is found purpose and satisfaction...runs deep in the

human psyche. Many whose lives profoundly benefited mankind were so

motivated: William Wilberforce, Florence Nightingale, William Booth, Dietrich

Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, among them. Their lives, like those of Old

Testament heroes – Joseph, Daniel, Joshua, David – could hardly have been

more significant...yet none sought significance of itself. None of them sought

to leave their mark on this world, striving for power and influence, at whatever

cost. And there are countless others who's passion is not for their own

significance but for the wellbeing of their neighbour, their colleague, their

fellows. Unsung, and content to know purpose without fame, they find

significance nonetheless. Such lives are beautifully captured in this, the most

widely known of all Psalms:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23)

PASSIONATE because love begets love. There's a widely covered

'pop standard', 'To Know Him Is To Love Him'. Written by Phil Spector, it was

inspired by words on his father's tombstone. Jesus, proclaiming 'God is Love',

submitted to Calvary's cross in a wild demonstration of his passionate

redemptive love for mankind. He had earlier told his disciples, '...I, if I am

lifted up, will draw all men unto me'. (John 12:32) As we begin to understand our

deepest needs are met in God, a response of gratitude begins to well up, it's

focus on Jesus. John understood this progression, writing 'We love him

because he first loved us'. (1 John 4:19) To know him is to love him, to know him

intimately is to love him passionately.

Those words from the Dylan song, 'I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue, I'd go crawling down the avenue, there is nothing that I wouldn't do, to make you feel my

love', are arrestingly descriptive of the events of Easter – which the church

worldwide celebrates on 'Passion Sunday'. Let's respond to the one who

knows our need for intimacy, transcendence, and significance, and loves us

with such impassioned love. Let's not baulk at responding with like passion.

'The chief end of man' states the Westminster Catechism, 'is to glorify God and enjoy him for ever'.

PDH Jan '15

A thought from Mike Beatham:

I'm sure we've all enjoyed wave-riding on a downstream trip, well when we find that wave train Of 4 or 5

breaking waves it's special and can give hours of pleasure. Trying to ride that front wave usually requires a lot of

determination and persistence. The downstream waves are easier to access The memorable time for me was

on holiday in France with the family near the "golf de Morbihan" I discovered a culvert which drains a lake into

the sea at lowering tide time. The lake fills up on rising tide, the sun warms the water all day, then the outflow

begins and gets bigger and bigger The first wave becomes just about impossible , but waves 2 ,3,4,&5 are well

formed. After getting thrown off and rolled several times I tried the easier waves and had time to apply some

scripture to the experience. "He gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and

some to be pastors and teachers...to prepare God's people for works of service.." I saw the first wave as the

Jesus wave ( can any of us ride like He did! )

Wave 2 apostles, some of us could ride that one when we've practised enough. Wave 3 prophets, do-able so

long as you keep your boat angle under concentrated control Wave 4 evangelists, this was like a revelation to

me .The evangelist wave is easy to ride and feel the lift of the up - flowing water. A beginner could enjoy this

one, it's easy to access. Wave 5 pastors and teachers, there to give all who come out into the steam a lift.

Sea Kayaking in New Zealand.

Ken and Penny have just got back from a trip to New Zealand, Imagine missing South Wales for that, honest I'm not envious, well only a little bit. Here is their account but first this should paint 1000 words....

On a recent trip to New Zealand Ken and I hoped to be able to do some sea kayaking. Unfortunately it was quite difficult to find someone prepared to hire boats but after corresponding with Sea kayak Adventures, Aaron was prepared to hire boats and Ken and I spent 5 days exploring a very small but beautiful part of Marlborough Sound.

The area was to a small extent reminiscent of paddling in the Scottish sea lochs especially when the wind got up but was truly stunning. The flora was also spectacular with giant ferns along the shore line and the air seemed to have a constant perfume onthe wind. We camped on Department of Conservation “campsites” which meant we hadaccess to a posh long drop loo and usually a tap or stream for water. With approximately 2000 kilometres of coast line in the area the only problem was shortage of time. We didn’t see much in the way of dolphin but plenty of bird life and the only negative was the theft of our tea bags by the Weka bird!

http://nzseakayaking.com/ - for more information if you are venturing over seas!

South Wales Weekend.Various authors.

No trip really begins on the first day, there is planning to do, accommodation to be booked, the trip to be announced to potential participants... But jumping forwards to the 27th an earlyish start saw Luke and I meeting up in the Pritchard's kitchen around 1, perhaps a little late to go and recce a new river

by boat but not too late for a bit of a drive to find access and egress points. So off we went in Luke's car in search of the Gwilli. It turned out to be a longish trip but when we saw the river I was delighted, it looked like non threatening continuous fun, just what I like. So that was our -1th day we then returned to the bunk house to unpack before popping down to the Croes Y Ceiliog pub for a meal out.

The day began with dark brooding skies - it was Wales. It was cold, wet and windy - It was Wales in February. The rain lifted and the Mainstream group cheery eyed and blinking stepped out into the fresh air and loaded up the boats.

The clouds rose, and the rain abated. Under grey skies the two hopeful groupsset-out. One for the Twyi and the other for the Gwili.

The Gwili Group.

So, we wound through the wooded roads for an hour or so to the drop off by a small but hardy stone church overlooking the river.

The latter part of the route followed the Gwili, so I could glimpse through the trees to see the Gwili in the valley below. As we whizzed (actually ambled) down the road, the Gwili seemed plugged by trees, there were banks of freshly sawn trees all lying at random angles on the steep banks. Would be able to paddle this river, would this be safe?

The Gwili, narrow at about 24 feet or less wide, babbled invitingly to the dropped off paddlers. The flow was a gentle grade 1. The waiting party stomped around in their dry suits for an hour before the shuttlers returned.

The group of 6 set-off. 5 kayakers and one very bold canoeist in a spanish fly.

The river was behaving. No trees in the flow yet. But we know what rivers are like, they will lull you into a very false sense of security, and when you are least expecting, will trip you up with some lurking rock. If you look very carefully sometimes you can see these rocks hiding and grinning in the flow. Rocks tend to congregate but it's the strays that will really catch you out.

John, in the Spanish Fly was a determined eddy hopper, and soon the both of us were eating up as many eddies as we could without separating us too much from the group. Together, we yo-yo'd down the river from eddy to eddy. The flow was picking up and the river broadened - still a comfortable grade 2.

The Gwili Heritage railways runs alongside the river but sadly we were not treated to any steam trains. I was hoping for the sound of distant chuffs and puffs, and of smoke above the trees or for a steam locomotive to round the corner into view.

As the river grew in size, so did the features. There were some very nice

grade 2 surfing waves that carved the river. The river was being good to us - the trees were passable and not so many lurking rocks.

The thought of lunch began to gnaw away and discussions of lunch began. We nearly stopped for lunch at a big mossy rock, but decided to press on to the White Water Consultancy canoe shop on the river below. 30mins later we pulled out at the WWC and up some steps down to the river - very civilised. We sat on the bank and chomped our lunch.

Chris bowed out from the rest of the paddle, and the rest of us set off again . Immediately we faced a decent wave. Chris watched us from the road bridge immediately above as we deftly klonked into one another as we hustled together on the wave.

As the group paddled off Chris returned to the shop to discover it was only officially closed and spent both time and money looking at canoe paddles... After a leisurely shop and coffee, on the house, Chris then had to hurry off to the get out just in time to see the rest of the group portaging the main road back to the car park.

After more eddy hopping, the rest of the group came upon today's special feature - 'The broken weir' at Grade 3. This consisted of a series slightly offset 3 foot drops. Nothing too man eating, but there was certainly the opportunity for some serious man chewing. Luke, our leader showed us the route and shotthrough with ease. The first lip into this feature was a bit shallow, so there wasthe chance of running aground and a boat turn right on the precipice. The Spanish Fly, hopped down with skill and dexterity. My turn came, on the edge my boat grounded, turned and I plopped down the first drop sideways, I steadied myself with a low brace before a sharp turn, and a deep draw stroke to line myself for the final chute and eddied out. All through OK, no capsizes.

After, a while we'd completed the paddle. We scrambled up a slippery grassy bank holding on to paddles for assistance. The weather could hold back no longer and began to rain. We loaded up, re-shuttled, and headed back for some very welcome baths and showers.

Dinner was reasonably straight forward to prepare as the main dishes had been cooked in advance. There was time though to experiment with a new recipe for baked leeks, well we were in Wales and they were in season.

Sunday saw us all together heading for the Usk on the three drops section, thelevels were not high but no worries we Had done it at lower levels. Most of us were paddling on the Sunday although one or two either needed to get away early or they had decided to give it a miss. The main shoot on the first drop seemed to cause more problems than usual with several capsizes and One paddler nailing it on the second attempt. Ed decided to make everyone feel more relaxed by hopping out of his canoe after completing the drop. The second drop passed without incident but the third did cause some problems, First of all we came across a lone paddler at the bottom of the drop under a

group shelter. It turned out that he had undergone a very nasty swim and after being rescued left by his paddling buddy who had gone to retrieve his boat. Ed's boat was passed down and he took the chap downstream to be reunited with his boat. Maybe a good example of why there should always be three or more in a group. Chris was the last of us to run the third drop and it was his turn for a swim, followed by a little confusion during the rescue but no dramas, Luke being the main rescuer.

After the third drop we were all keen to get going again but as the paddle progressed everyone warmed up again. There are actually some of the most fun features of this stretch as the get-out approaches and it seemed all to soon when we got to Abrebran farm.

Chris was lucky enough to have company on the way home as Daniel had taken a break from training for the DW to be with us. I am looking forward to reading his account of the race itself in the near future.

Thames anyone?

To be realistic I am not quite sure how I can fit it in but does anyone fancy another camp by the Thames in Lechlade, camping at the Trout public house. We would go either in August or September with the ain of doing the Crickladeto Lechlade stretch one day and playing in the nearby weir bypass on another day. We could even by lazty and have a meal in the pub one evening.

If you fancy it please email chris@kvsc.co.uk and I will see if it can be organised.

The Best of Mainstream?

BallinghamJune 19th

For me the Ballingham weekend in Late June has become quite a highlight of the year. I do hope to see many old friends and new ones there this year. There is something about worshipping in the open air that is so special, enjoying the best of God's creation, his people and the natural world at the same time is just inspiring.

Simon's usual leaflet giving details of the weekend and how to book is with thisnewsletter, please do take a look and let Simon know if you plan to come with a group, as a family and if you are able to offer to coach.

Training Weekend May 15th to 17th

The training weekend is our other really big event of the year and this year we are back at Viney Hill which has been a Favourite venue for us. If you want to come to coach or be coached then please do get your booking in soon. We need to let the coaches who have volunteered to lead us know what they will be doing and also plan the catering.

There is a booking form with details of courses we hope to offer with this newsletter.

Mainstream and other Events Diary.Event Dates Contact

Outdoor First Aid 7-8 May 2015 http://www.bassenfell.org.uk/holidays/first-aid-courses.html

Sea kayak CumbriaBassenfell

11-15 May 2015 Booking and detailshttp://www.bassenfell.org.uk/

Mainstream Training WeekendViney Hill

May 15th - 17th Geoff Gedlinggeoffgedling@gmail.com

Hebridean HolidaysUist

May 24th -31st Rob BianchiRob.Bianchi@lineone.net

phone 01914170852Mobile 07769693626

Hebridean HolidaysLewis

June 6th - 13th

Mainstream Come and tryweekend

ballingham

June 19th to 21st Simon Masonsimon.mason@arqiva.com

Wild Camping TripScotland – West Coast

13th – 18th Sept Geoff Gedlinggeoffgedling@gmail.com

Sea Kayak Scottish Isles 26/9 – 2/10 2015 http://www.bassenfell.org.uk/holidays/sea-kayaking.html

Kepplewray Weekend November 13th to 15th Geoff Gedlinggeoffgedling@gmail.com

River Canoeing & KayakingBassenfell

8-13 November 2015

Outdoor First Aid 5-6 December 2015 http://www.bassenfell.org.uk/holidays/first-aid-courses.html

South Wales WeekendHiraeth Centre

Llanwrda

February 2016 26-28 February

Chris Clarke-Williamschris@kvsc.co.uk07525916344

Please note most trip organisers prefer enquiries by email do not forget your contact details if you want a reply.