Newsletter No. 305

June 2020

Minister

Jeanie Cooper

655790314

E-mail: jeaniec3147@gmail.com

Hon. Minister

Rev. Alberto Araujo

Minute & Administrative Secretary

Email: secretarylasiesta@gmail.com

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June 2020

Hello everyone I hope you are managing to cope with what seems like an interminable lockdown. Even though some of the restrictions have been lifted we are now faced with compulsory wearing of masks when out and about and social distancing is difficult. But at least we do have a little more freedom to be out and can now travel all over the Alicante region. I am sure, especially for those who were on their own, this extra freedom has meant they are able to meet up with friends for coffee, provided they still remember social distancing. I received two emails from Ryanair stating that our flights to the UK in early July have been cancelled and then the flights I booked for my daughter and family for their summer break over here have also been cancelled. I am so disappointed and even more disappointed when I learned that the family would also not be able to enjoy the heat of Spanish summer this year. I suspect I will not be alone in feeling sad that I will not be seeing my family for a while. Its something many of us will have to put it up with until this virus is sorted: not being able to visit family or for them to visit us. We still need to remember when we pray those who are suffering from the virus and those who have lost loved ones and friends due to the virus. Its not been an easy time for anyone but hopefully things will start to improve and perhaps we will be able to see our families over Christmas. Unfortunately church remains closed for us because so many of us are aged 70+ and therefore should not put ourselves in a ‘risk’ situation. Cleaning the church is vital for everyone’s safety and that puts a huge onus on the elders to ensure it done properly. At the moment we are not allowed to sing hymns, or use hymn books. Masks have to be worn. I am not sure how easy it will be to speak through a mask so everyone can hear. Current guidance from the IEE is that we do not resume services until such time as the restrictions are lessened. That way we are protecting our congregation from any risks. So, when we eventually get the go ahead from the IEE and the Presbytery to open the church and can meet as a whole church and not half a church that will be a wonderful day...we will need to celebrate this with thankful praise that we have successfully come through such difficult times. In the meantime I will continue to write a short service for each Sunday until we meet again. We really do need to trust in the Lord to help us cope and to guide us when we feel despondent with the way the lockdown is going. He is there for us all if we only ask Him for help. We have just celebrated Jesus’ ascension into heaven. He left His disciples with strict instructions of what they should do when He is no longer with them. They were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit that would give them special powers to continue His work. We know that day as Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, landed on the disciples. As a result they began speaking in many tongues so that the gathered crowds, from many different places, could understand the message. We are now approaching a time in the church’s year when all the exciting events of Jesus’ life have been written and read about. Events such as Christmas, the crucification and the resurrection. We are approaching a time referred to as ‘Ordinary time’ in the church’s year. A time when we learn more about Jesus’ teaching through His parables, and more about the miracles He performs. A time to really learn about how to be a good Christian. A time to learn about loving thy neighbour as thyself as this is one of the most important commandments. A time for one that we of course need to continue developing is our love Jesus. I am sure this long period of lockdown has helped many of us to think more of our neighbours and those who are vulnerable and in need of support, be it through phone calls or even financial support. We need to remember in our prayers all those suffering with the virus, all those who have lost loved ones and friends, Tracey and her children in Mozambique and all those who work in hospitals, shops and provide food for us. We now also need to think of those running the restaurants and bars that they keep all the necessary restrictions in mind when they run their businesses. We also need to pray that the Lord will continue to keep us safe and free from harm and trust that He will help the world to come to terms with this awful virus. May the Lord bless you, may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and grant you peace. Keep safe God bless

Pastora Jeanie

La Siesta Evangelical Church

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Please remember in your Prayers

La Siesta Evangelical Church

Newsletter 305

June 2020

Alison Ledwith John Doonan Michael Thompson Linda Perry Laura Loft Sheila Rayner Myrna & Roger Coleman Jo Simkiss Stuart Ray Eva Tucker Kelly Blackwood Malcolm Skivington Sue Howells Joyce Curtis Maxine Rudd Bryan O’Leary Andrew Jeffrey Christine Dunn & Family Kathy Walton-Brown Roxanne Gillespie Hayley Ward

Sherri-Lee Beryl & Bill Jones & Debra Marion Smith Children of Zimpeto Beth (daughter of Rick) Jo Jennings Leslie Harris Dennis McCaffery May Hurst Jean & Bob Gulch Susanna Gareth Pugh John Collis Christa Hofheinz Stephen & Nina Treseder Bernard Cox Sandra Garman David Williams Paul Rudd Susan Payne John Taylor & Family

Steve Monk Robin & Linda Watkins Jackie & Chas Garratt Joan Waddington Angela Wigley Tracey Williams John Smith Jimmy Sybil Crossman & Pete Roy and Mandy Capewell Pamela Meeham Sam Sterling Jean McNulty Emily Norman

Marie Cundall, Charlotte Paker , Sindy Newnham & all front line

people in UK

Staff in DWP & other civil service

offices

Minister’s Letter

1

Services Prayer List

2

Mozambique 3

Letter from Northern Ireland

4-5

Quiz Finances

6

Edith Petchey 7-8

Rivers 9

Diary 10

Church Information

11

In this edition

READINGS FOR JUNE 2020

Sunday 7th June - Trinity Sunday

1st reading: 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 11-13

2nd reading: Matthew chapter 28 verses 16-20

Sunday 14th June 2020

1st reading: Romans chapter 5 verses 1-8

2nd reading: Matthew chapter 9 verse 35 - chapter 10 verses 8

Sunday 21st June 2020

1st reading: Romans chapter 6 verses 1b-11

2nd reading: Matthew chapter 10 verses 24-39

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MOZAMBIQUE

Here is the recent news and some pics from Tracey.

May 13th. Tracey’s birthday!

At the risk of being mushy and sentimental (!!) I want to say thank you to EVERYONE who contributed to my xxth (yup - old I know!) birthday. No presents to open, no cards except via email but I think it is a birthday that will stay with my memories forever. Ok, THREE (!!) cakes was INCREDIBLE but what touched me more than anything were the tias and staff who worked together to prepare an extravagant (surprise) Mozambiquan meal (with all my favourites), buy a cake, present a special capulana - cook and clean (and dance and laugh!) - and make it a day to remember. Not to mention my girls who insisted I stay in my room until they had hung balloons at 6:30 AM !! The blessing of being loved and recognized as "belonging" to this family. That gift was and is priceless!

At the moment it is a REAL blessing to be able to sit at Taverna once a week for lunch and soak in the "change of scenery"! Most weeks the flamingos are just down the Marginal too - but not today! With CV19 cases rising this may change soon - so appreciating it while I can!

May 14th

May 21st

Last might I cried - twice! I had driven back to the centre , past our city market - the streets were packed, the traffic was crazy, no social distancing , people jammed onto "my loves" (the alternate to buses), some without masks. A normal Friday afternoon.

I walked into my room and I cried.

Two hours later I received a call from a friend - a child in her community had tested positive for CV19. Quarantined "em casa".

Tears welled up again.

Then I sat and prayed with the girls on my verandah - prayed that we would not lose hope, not let fear creep in. Prayed for peace to reign in the community - and for our eyes to look up!

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La Siesta Evangelical Church Newsletter 305

June 2020

LETTER FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

Greetings from Northern Ireland

As we sit at home in Lisburn - or at least as we are at home - not that there is much sitting, we think often of our friends in La Siesta. I hope you are all keeping well and that you have been free of COVID19. It must be very difficult for you in this present pandemic situation not to have been able to leave your homes since March except for the basic necessities of life. I trust you have not had too many ‘down’ moments and ‘cabin fever’ has not set in. Your lockdown seems to have been very strict but I see from the news and hear from my friends that you can now go for some limited daily exercise albeit at a prescribed time of the day. That must be such a relief to discover there is still a world out there beyond your four walls. We are sad that so many Spanish lives have been lost but the good news is that the peak seems to have now passed for you and we can only pray that in the not too distant future your economy will pick up again, folks will get back to work, businesses will reopen and some sort of normality will return to our beloved Spain.

Now, thinking of La Siesta

We must say a very sincere thank you to Jeanie for so faithfully writing her sermon and putting together a time of worship for us each week. I find those thoughts really helpful. Of course it would not be possible for us to get the benefit of Jeanie’s writing if it was not for the diligent work of Howard who so tirelessly forwards it and the prayed needs week by week. The monthly magazine also helps us to feel not so far from our church in Spain. Thank you Howard. Thanks to Sharon who continues to keep us up to date in her usual efficient manner with prayer needs and requests and the progress made by some of those remembered.

Our church here is Lowe Memorial in Finaghy. We have been getting our service on YouTube each Sunday morning at 11.00 (that would be midday your time). If you would like to ‘join us’ you can go to our website lowe.church and follow the link. If you wish to watch at a later time then go to YouTube and type in Lowe Church Finaghy and all the services are saved there. We were a bit amateurish at the beginning but the last 3 have had a praise song, a children’s address and the sermon. We started studies in the book of Esther last week. Mind you will not be able to see the viewers. However on a Tuesday evening we have a led prayer time on Zoom when we can see each other. Amazing to see how long everyone’s hair has got!

Now something of what we are doing. We have had restrictions but not as strict as yours. No limit on how far one can walk, jog or cycle although we must not take the car and park it to go for exercise. Since lockdown we have had beautiful weather here and that has made life a lot easier to manage. Sam is up and away about 7.30 each morning for his walk- or should I say hike? 7-10miles later he is back for breakfast! He reckons he can do 10

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in 3 hours!! Meantime I sort the house etc and have breakfast ready. Then a break and 1 short TV programme before he showers and the afternoon activity starts. Behind our block of 5 apartments each resident has a brick built storage unit with a pitched roof. Each is about half the size of a single garage. We have, at least Sam has, always intended to put a loft in ours for additional storage. Before lockdown he gathered up all materials needed and now the project is almost finished. Of course for me washing, ironing, cleaning, cooking and shopping have not been in lockdown. Because they say I am in the ‘vulnerable’ category I have been able to ‘click and collect’ my groceries from Tesco. Sometimes I am even able to get a home delivery slot. Life is at a much slower pace now and we have been enjoying coffee/lunch outside and our BBQ.

We would love it get back to Spain but hear from the news that the Spanish won’t be in a hurry to welcome UK citizens back for a while as we have had so many deaths- and I don’t blame them. Fortunately we don’t personally know anyone who had died here from the virus but that doesn’t change our very sad statistics. I reckon it will be a long time before we feel it is safe to fly again so here’s hoping we might be able to take the car and venture back next summer.

Till then take care, stay safe and God bless you all

Best wishes

Sam and Ruth

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June 2020 La Siesta Evangelical Church

Rick Boyle

Howard Cook

QUIZ

Here is an interesting quiz. It is not as easy as it first appears!

There are names of sixteen (16) books of the bible hidden in the paragraph below. Lets see how many you can find. A preacher found 15 books in twenty minutes; it took him 3 weeks just to find the 16th one, HAVE FUN!

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. A certain luke, kept people looking so hard for facts, and for others, it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of our readers. To others it was a job. We want it to be a most fascinating little moment for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help find them. I will quickly admit it usually takes the preacher to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. See how you will compete. Relax now, for there really are sixteen books of the Bible in this paragraph.

LIST THE 16 BOOKS.

HAPPY SEARCHING!!! Answers in next month’s newsletter

OUR CHURCH’S FINANCES

In a recent edition of the newsletter an Elder wrote

of how he or she was keeping an envelope in

which the weekly collection was placed so that

when the services return to normal the Church will

receive the monies collected to cover the period no

matter how much longer or shorter that may be.

Our income at present is very low, consisting

solely of the contributions of a very small number

of the congregation who make their offerings

through the bank.

Our outgoings continue as normal in respect of

ministerial expenses and contributions to the

Presbytery and the Central Treasury of the IEE.

We have recently received an urgent request from

the Presbytery for a donation to prevent it

becoming insolvent.

We are blessed that in the years of plenty we put

aside sufficient for the years of the “seven thin

cows” which are now upon us and have reserves

which will see us through the present situation

with the ability to bail out the Presbytery with a

donation of 1000€.

In the future we may also face large shortfall

between income and expenses whenever a new

Pastor is appointed.

Please bear this in mind when services resume

and if you possibly can follow the example of the

Elder so that we may recoup the considerable

losses during the contagion..

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June 2020 La Siesta Evangelical Church

EDITH PETCHEY

and

THE EDINBURGH SEVEN

Mary Edith Pechey was born in Langham, Essex, to Sarah (née Rotton), a lawyer's daughter who, unusually for a woman of her generation, had studied Greek, and William Pechey, a Baptist minister with an MA in theology from the University of Edinburgh. After being educated by her parents, she worked as governess and teacher until 1869. Lutzker notes that "Her mother also was competent in Greek and other studies and

both parents possessed - along with their questing nonconformist minds - a deep and serious love of learning.

After Sophia Jex-Blake's sole application to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh was turned down, she advertised in The Scotsman for more women to join her. The second letter she received was from Edith Pechey. In her letter, Pechey wrote:

"Do you think anything more is requisite to ensure success than moderate abilities and a good share of perseverance? I believe I may lay claim to these, together with a real love of the subjects of study, but as regards any thorough knowledge of these subjects at present, I fear I am deficient in most."

Despite her concerns, Pechey became one of the Edinburgh Seven, the first seven female undergraduate medical students at any British university, others being Mary Anderson, Emily Bovell, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Sophia Jex-Blake and Isabel Thorne. She proved her academic ability by achieving the top grade in the chemistry exam in her first year of study, making her eligible to receive a Hope Scholarship.

Forty years previously, Professor Hope, then Professor of Chemistry, had instituted annual awards known as the Hope Scholarships. The four students who achieved the highest marks sitting the first-term examination in chemistry for the first time were to be granted free use of the facilities of the University laboratory during the next term. Edith Pechey came top of this group and therefore had first claim to a Hope Scholarship.

Dr Crum Brown, the Professor of Chemistry, was concerned that awarding the scholarship to a woman would provoke a backlash from the male students, who had grown increasingly hostile when they saw that women were capable of outstripping them in competitive examinations. He had also noticed that, as the term had progressed, many of his respected colleagues in the medical faculty began to express resentment of the presence of women in the University.

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He therefore decided to award the scholarships to male students who achieved lower grades than Pechey. The cited reason was "that women are not part of the University class, because they are separately taught”.

Having used the matter of separate classes as a reason not to award the scholarship to Pechey, Crum Brown felt unable to issue the women with the usual certificates of attendance at his chemistry classes. Instead, he gave them credit for attending a ″ladies″ class in the University. Only the standard certificates met the Faculty's requirements for the medical degree; the Professor's 'Strawberry Jam Labels', as Sophia Jex-Blake referred to them were useless.

The women appealed to the Senatus Academicus. Edith Pechey stated her claim to a scholarship and the other women asked that they be granted the standard certificates for their chemistry classes. The Senatus met on 9 April 1870 and, after some debate, ruled in favour of the women on the certificates but against them on the Hope Scholarship.

The episode of the Hope Scholarship had important consequences. The publicity it was given in newspapers throughout the UK drew the attention of the public to the difficulties being encountered by the small group of women studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Almost all the accounts were favourable to the women's cause.

The Times said:

"[Miss Pechey] has done her sex a service, not only by vindicating their intellectual ability in an open competition with men, but still more by the temper and courtesy with which she meets her disappointments."

The Spectator was satirical:

"To make women attend a separate class, for which they have to pay, we believe, much higher fees than usual, and then argue that they are out of the pale of competition because they do so, is, indeed, too like the captious schoolmaster who first sent a boy into the corner and then whipped him for not being in his seat."

In 1873 the women had to give up the struggle to graduate at Edinburgh. One of Pechey's next steps was writing to the College of Physicians in Ireland to ask them to let her take exams leading to a license in midwifery. She worked for a time at the Birmingham and Midland Hospital for Women, apparently on the strength of her testimonials and successful studies, despite the lack of an official qualification. Next she went to the University of Bern, passed her medical exams in German at the end of January 1877 and was awarded an MD with a thesis 'Upon the constitutional causes of uterine catarrh'. At that time the Irish College began licensing women doctors, and Pechey passed its exams in Dublin in May 1877.

To be continued

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Page 10

Our Prayer Chain addresses both concerns and joys. The information passed along is strictly

confidential.

All you need to do to be part of our prayer chain is to phone Megan Wright on 96 678 5513 or

Sharon Rippon on 96 678 6503 or suenosinspain@gmail.com

PRAYER CHAIN

CHURCH CHOIR

BIBLE STUDY

Presently suspended.

Resumption will be advised

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June 2020

PRAYER FOR JUNE

La Siesta Evangelical Church

Submitted by Sharon

Resumption of Choir

Practice will be advised

as known

La Siesta Evangelical Church

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VISITORS

OUR CHURCH

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June 2020

La Siesta Evangelical Church is an ecumenical English speaking congregation drawn from

Baptists, Methodists, United Reform, Church of Scotland, Presbyterian Church in Ireland

and several other denominations. We belong to the Iglesia Evangélica Española or Spanish

Evangelical Church, a Presbyterian Church in which we are part of the Presbytery of

Levante.

Our Membership Secretary is Helen Tudor and you should contact her or any other Elder at

any service if you are interested in joining our Church. Helen´s telephone number appears

in the Elders section on this page.

If you are a visitor we cordially invite you to sign the visitors' book at the front door. We do

have many visitors especially in the holiday months and it is very easy for "new faces" to be

missed. You will notice that the Elders and members of the Fellowship Committee are

identified by badges and we urge you to attend the refreshments after the service and to

introduce yourselves. We are really interested in meeting visitors to our services.

CHURCH ELDERS (Please contact if required)

The next issue of this newsletter will be published on June 28th . Contributions may be sent to the

editor, Howard Cook, in writing, by e-mail to thecooks@telefonica.net or by telephone to

966 700 131 or 646 921 256

Rick Boyle 69 185 9742 Gordon Newlands 96 671 8425

Howard Cook 96 670 0131 Sharon Rippon 96 678 6503

José Cueto 69 185 9742 Helen Tudor 96 671 7582

Sandra Garman 96 597 5457 Kathy Walton-Brown 96 570 6222