ST COLMAN’S KILROOTMAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2015

www. Stcolmanschurchkilroot.org.ukRector: Rev Mike McCann 93362387Hon. Treasurer: Alan Hibbert 93329160P/T Administrator and Secretary to the Vestry: Andrene Walker 93329818 or 07917198034

RECTOR’S LETTERDear parishioner,

It is a funny thing but in the modern world we feel the need to make progress. In our own lives we need to feel we have accomplished something. This impacts us even in the life of the church. However one of main problems is that we have forgotten how to be present in the present moment. We are looking to what’s ahead or fretting over the past and aren’t “present”.

One of the monastic vows is stability, staying where you are so that the change that God wants can happen. Stability has been what has enabled us to build a deep connection with Eden Village over the last 10 years and it is our stability that will continue to build that connection in the years ahead. Our continued presence has enabled confidence to build that we are truly there for the village. That was our heart from the beginning but also it must be seen to be true. Thanks to all who give their time and energy week by week and also thanks to those who contribute to the ‘Basket of Hope’. These things really matter!

Our journeying with Gateway Church has come to the point where our 11.30am congregation and their congregation are now meeting together each week. Steve Ames, their pastor, will be commissioned as a Diocesan Reader by our bishop on the evening of Thursday 5 March (time to be confirmed). Elsewhere in the magazine Steve sets out the vision for developing the use of our two sites. It could be described as exciting progress but it comes from a deep desire to be more effectively present here in Kilroot but also in the town centre. God is ever present but many people have lost a sense of that, and we hope to offer new ways for people to discover God’s presence.

As I said a year ago many people find that the world is cold and unwelcoming and in the last year there is more of a sense of fearfulness. However our conviction remains that each person is a unique creation of a loving God and he would have them know that they can be in his family and that whatever their fears, God’s perfect love will settle their hearts, casting out their fear. We have the privilege of encouraging them to believe all of that and through us to experience that sense of coming home.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

May God bless you and yours,

Mike McCann

SABBATICAL

March 2015 will mark 16 years with you in Kilroot and Templecorran and 21 years in the Diocese of Connor. If one has 15 years+ service in the Diocese it is possible to apply for consideration for a Sabbatical. At the bishop's discretion two clergy each year can take such a sabbatical, with some financial support funding from the Diocese for me and for the parish.

I applied for a possible sabbatical in 2015 and this has been approved by the bishop. With our children all being adults now it has become possible for Sarah and me to consider being away for an extended period. As they say, a window of opportunity has opened and circumstances may change in the future which would make it difficult to be away so we feel it is a good time to go.

All being well I will be spending my sabbatical in the Diocese of the Arctic at the invitation of Bishop Darren McCartney, who was formerly a curate in St. Nicholas. I will be based at St. Jude’s Cathedral in Iqaluit on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. I will be away for the months of June, July and August.

During my absence David Armstrong will look after Kilroot and Kathleen Brown will look after Ballycarry. Steve Ames will look after the new joint initiative with Gateway. St. Jude’s Cathedral in Iqaluit

With 16 years behind me in Carrickfergus and I hope many years ahead, this sabbatical will give me an opportunity to recharge my batteries, to have time to reflect more deeply and to seek wisdom for what lies ahead.

Mike McCann

PARISH RECORDS

Baptisms

16 November 2014 Freya Patrice McClure 4B Glassillan Grove, Greenisland

16 November 2014 Charlie Ray Thompson 49 Mournebeg Drive, Newtownabbey

7 February 2015 Charlotte Faith Mone 13 Kingsway, Carrickfergus

We offer our congratulations to the families of these children.

Funeral

22 November 2014 Laura Clark Tamlaght Nursing Home

We extend our prayerful sympathy to those who are bereaved.

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

BISHOP’S LENT COURSE 2015

The Theme for 2015 will be the third strand of our vision strategy:‘EFFECTING CHANGE’

Dates and venues:Tuesday 17th February Jordanstown Parish CentreTuesday 24th February Bushmills Parish CentreTuesday 3rd March Christ Church, Lisburn (Church Hall)

Monday 9th March Jordanstown Parish CentreWednesday 18th March Bushmills Parish CentreTuesday 24th March Christ Church, Lisburn (Church)

Each evening will commence at 7.30pm

For further information and booking details, contact:Rosemary Patterson (Bishop’s Secretary)Tel: 028 90828870Email: rpatterson@diocoff-belfast.org

HYMN SING-IN

Our Church choir are planning to hold a hymn-singing day in the church on Saturday 14 March 2015. We hope that many parishioners (and others) will come along for at least part of that day to hear their favourite hymns, and if they wish, join in the singing.

At this stage, we would like to ask for suggestions of hymns which parishioners would like to hear sung. The choice can be from any of the hymn books we use: Irish Church Hymnal (ICH), Irish Church Praise (ICP), Hymns Old and New (HOAN) or the newer songs used in the 11.30 Service. Copies of the books are available at the back of the church for consultation.

As one of the aims of the day is to raise funds for the church, we would like to receive a donation of £2.00 per hymn or song chosen. Please indicate on the forms available at the back of the church the first lines of the hymns you would wish us to include, the book containing each hymn and the hymn number in that book. You may select as many hymns as you wish, within reason!

This form can be returned to any member of the choir, along with your donation. More details of the event (the programme, the availability of refreshments etc.) will be given closer to the time.

MOTHERING SUNDAY 2015

The 11.30 congregation will be at Gateway on Mothering Sunday, 15th March this year and all are welcome.

Any children who come with their families to the 10.15 Service that morning will have the opportunity to make a small gift for their Mothers and/or Grandmothers.

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LITTLE LIGHTS : CMSI CHILDREN’S RESOURCE 2015

The Little Lights Children’s Resource explores global mission, with a particular focus on DR Congo. Using stories from the bible and examples from around the world today, the material looks at how we can all shine as little lights.

BackgroundEvery year, CMS Ireland produces a Children’s Resource (also known as the ‘Annual Project’) for use by Sunday Schools, churches and school groups in Ireland.

The ObjectivesBy producing and promoting the Children’s Resource each year, CMS Ireland seeks:

1. To help children and young people understand more about global mission – and their part in it.

2. To help inform and educate churches about the work of our Global Partners and to encourage support for these Partners through prayer, friendship and finance.

3. To educate children and young people about a particular country and share something about how the Church (our Global Partner) in that country is sharing God’s love.

4. To raise funds for a particular mission project of the featured Global Partner.

The children will be using this year’s resource at the 11.30 services. Boxes for donations throughout Lent will be available to all the congregations.

TIME FOR TOTS

Time for Tots continues to go well with nearly 20 adults there some weeks including new faces. We are very pleased that Diane has joined the team, but we are still in need of some extra helpers on Tuesday mornings to share the load and especially to cover when the regulars are not available. Please speak to Gina or Anthea if you can help.

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GATEWAY AND ST COLMANS UPDATE 2

This is the second update letter regarding our shared journey together as we continue to explore how it might be possible for us to join together as one congregation and what that might look like. If you haven’t already, please read the first letter here: http://tinyurl.com/p92kqem

Central to this journey will be the question of how we understand church and what that means for us as a reimagined faith community. Unfortunately, for many people today, “church” is effectively just a building or weekly service that you “go to” or “attend”. What sadly tends to flow from this mindset is that a disproportionate amount of leaders time and effort is centered on getting the Sunday service “just right” - so that attendance can grow. For us though, this is missing the point and we want to take this opportunity to redress the balance. We need to remember that church is not something you attend but is actually something you are. We don’t go to church, we are the church. This is not just playing with words but is a genuine attempt to get back to a biblical understanding and practice of what being church actually means. We want to be bound together not by a focus on filling pews on a Sunday morning - but by a rule of life inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus. Yes buildings and services could help that vision, but they can also hinder it depending on how they are used.

What is our shared vision? As a general guiding principle for all our activities and as a way of describing ourselves to others, we are proposing the following summary statement:

“We are a contemporary Christian faith community based in Carrickfergus. Together we are committed to following the example and teachings of Jesus as we discover what it means for us to live as authentic disciples in today’s world.”

What will it look like? Typically to be part of a church has essentially meant to attend weekly services on a regular basis. As has already been mentioned in our case we are proposing an alternative model whereby we want to provide multiple and varied points of entry for those wishing to journey together as a faith community. For example:

The Front Porch

As a newly forming community we are blessed to have two venues at our disposal to help us with our vision - one at Governors Place and one in Kilroot. We have been thinking about how best to make use of what we have and would like to make the following proposal:

Governors Place: We propose that we re-work the building at Governor’s Place into a kind of community “honesty cafe” based on the model of the Dock Cafe in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. Quirky furniture, free Wifi, a prayer corner, good coffee and a warm atmosphere are the order of the day. ( http://www.the-dock.org/ )

The idea is that we set it up essentially as the day to day “hub” for our new community from which we can run activities such as:

●  The Inspire Group on Thursday nights

●  A Base of operations for admin and outreach work.

●  Alpha courses or similar activities

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●  Theological discussion groups such as “Labs”

●  A “weekly/daily office” - brief and regular devotional times for our community

●  Lifegroups or study groups could be based here

●  Prayer and worship/contemplation evenings

●  Some youth events as appropriate

●  Drop in for older teenagers after school/between exams etc

●  Parent and toddler groups

●  Musician rehearsal/performance space

●  Smaller services/meetings at weekends or mid-week

●  Social events based around food

●  Operational meetings such as children’s work, reviews etc.

●  ??

It will also be open for the public to use alongside our community as a “quirky cafe” where you can bring your own lunch or make donations for soup and rolls or coffee and buns, or you could also spend some quiet time in the prayer corner or join with the devotional practice of our community. Other uses could include:

●  Soup kitchen Saturdays

●  Christmas dinners for the homeless

●  As a “Freegan” outlet serving food that would otherwise be discarded by local supermarkets.

●  As a base for School castle tours

●  Informal Business meetings

●  As an outlet for the YMCA cookery school

●  Art gallery for local artists to display their work or sell craft

●  As a music or other performance venue

The idea is that much of what we actually want to do together could be hosted in a multi-purpose venue such as this while at the same time providing some public social space that benefits the wider local community.

Kilroot Venue: It is proposed that the Kilroot venue is used for the majority of our Sunday Services. The premises here are in a more residential area than Governor’s Place and have better public facilities and more breakout room for children’s activities. In addition to this the building already gets a good amount of community use (Scouts

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etc) and already hosts a few traditional and semi traditional services a week. Of course our activities won’t all be attached to these two venues. The Eden House and Restore project for example are based in other areas. There are also lifegroups which sometimes are based in peoples’ homes.

What will it mean to be part of this? As we have mentioned before, we don’t want this community to be Sunday service focused. For one person, being part of this could mean helping at the Eden drop in, meeting a prayer partner for breakfast and joining a fortnightly lifegroup. For another it might mean joining one Sunday service in a month, attending a Labs evening and maybe volunteering to to do dishes at the community cafe. For still another it might mean serving as a musician at weekly services and helping with the parents and toddlers group. The point is that we all have different pressures and life patterns, not to mention the realities of parenting, living with illness or working shifts - and there needs to be a way in for everybody who wants to share the rule of life with us. Does this excite you? We hope so! Can you help with any aspect? Please let us know! We have a way to go yet and really what we are painting here is only an “artists impression” and of course there is room for change and improvement along the way. How will we get there? We are starting now to get people together to talk about how to put this vision into practice and to listen for improvements and better ideas along the way. We are also getting together to pray and to listen to God’s Spirit as we take each step. In terms of Sunday services we will be meeting together weekly over the next number of months initially rotating between the 2 venues but from April we will focus on Kilroot for services whilst we begin to develop Governors Place into a community hub, codenamed “The Front Porch” for now.

What will this take to work? It will take a desire to follow Jesus in authentic community over and above the desire for a nice church to go to. We want this to be the real thing, warts and all.

We will need a genuine love of our neighbour if we are to look beyond simply what’s good for us and look more towards what’s going to help us point people to Jesus. We will need humility. If we start asking “what’s in this for Gateway” or “how will this benefit me in St Colmans” - then really we are finished before we start. It’s called a service not because we gather to be served - but because we gather to practice serving others.

It will take participation. Now is not the time to lean back and see what happens, but to lean in and engage with the journey. Who knows, this might be just the moment you’ve been training for. (Est 4:14)

It will take patience, and a sense of humour. This is going to be a long journey and we will make mistakes along the way. Let’s have patience then and bear with one and other. Let’s also not take ourselves too seriously and even be ready to laugh we get it wrong. After all it’s not up to us to build God’s kingdom - that’s His job. Our role is to build for the Kingdom as we work (and play) in tandem with what He’s already doing in and around us in our ordinary, everyday lives.

Whatever happens, let’s take this journey together and encourage one another along the way - “and all the more as you see The Day approaching”. Heb 10:25 “Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Grace & Peace Mike & Steve

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PRAYER GROUPS

A Prayer group meets on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays of the month in the home of George and Pearl Moore at 33 Larne Road. All are welcome to these meetings.

STUDY GROUP FOR LENT

On five Thursday evenings during February and March there will be a Study Group at the home of Alan and Gina Hibbert, 13 Downshire Drive. We will meet from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and will be using the York Course materials below. All are welcome to join us as we listen to the CD containing five sessions of 14-minute radio-style starters for group discussion, with former BBC broadcaster Canon Simon Stanley putting questions to Archbishop Justin Welby, Sister Wendy Beckett and actor David Suchet. Each session closes with a Reflection by Moira Sleight, and we will then have a time of open discussion when all contributions are valued, followed by refreshments.

PRAISE HIM – songs of praise in the New Testament

We are used to singing hymns of praise in church but often miss the hymns and poems that are there in the New Testament. This course explores five different Songs of Praise from the New Testament – what they tell us about God and Jesus, but also reflecting on what they tell us about ourselves and our faith.

1. Gratitude (Ephesians 1.3-14) Feb 12th2. Image of God (Colossians 1.15-20) Feb 19th3. Humility (Philippians 2.5-11) March 5th4. New birth (1 Peter 1.3-12) March 12th5. Word made flesh (John 1.1-14) March 19th

LADIES GROUP

In 2015 the group has been out both evenings.  In January we went to the pictures in Carrickfergus, some of us went to see "Night at the Museum 3" and the others went to see "Paddington the movie", I think from the reports this was maybe the best choice.  Then of course it was on to Springsteens for a cuppa - mostly hot chocolate with mallows and flakes, yummy!!

Then last week, 4 February we had our Christmas dinner at the Golf Club and a lovely meal was had by all.  Thirty-five members and friends attended and the volume of the chat was good to hear.  Our meal was followed by a real challenge, to remember hymns with only the second line to guide us, we sang lots, remembering the tunes, but the first lines were not just so easy.  Leslie and Gina were the winners!!

I would encourage any ladies out there who want to join us at any of our activities to come along and join the fun, you will be made very welcome. Our next meeting is Wednesday, 4 March when we will have a talk by Leslie Killen from the Alzheimer's Society.  Maybe I'll see you there at the minor hall for 8.00 pm.

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Katie BranaghSecretary

VIVI VISITS THE MCCANNS

From the 16th to 20th January my family and I had the huge privilege of meeting our sponsored student from Honduras, Vivi Peralta. We sponsored Vivi for 3 or 4 years through the Compassion Uk. Vivi was visiting her mother in Spain and was able to join us here in Northern Ireland for four nights. My biggest concerns were keeping her warm and communicating across the language barrier. January is not a great month to be visiting the UK, due to the cold and poor light levels, not to mention the unremitting grey skies. Thankfully Vivi stayed warm and we managed to communicate despite our lack of Spanish. When we got stuck Google translate was a help too. My youngest daughter got on particularly well with Vivi, which was a great help. It snowed during the visit which was great fun as Vivi had never seen snow before. We took her to see our local castle in Carrickfergus, up past Belfast Castle to see views over Belfast, church (of course) and a bus tour round Belfast. I think the part she enjoyed most was when we stopped at the Titanic centre and walked around the dock where the Titanic was built. Even in Honduras, Titanic is famous due to the film with Kate Winslet and Leo de Caprio.Vivi is a lovely young woman with big dreams. She would like to do more studying and sponsor a child herself through Compassion. She does some work with Compassion in Honduras, although her day job is a very good one with the Minister for Social Security.Meeting Vivi was very positive. I have very mixed feelings when I give money away. Firstly I give money to be obedient, because God tells us as Christians to be generous. Secondly I give out of some guilt. I am very grateful for the life God has given my family and me, but how much is enough to give away? However meeting Vivi left me feeling that what I am doing is very positive and I feel better about myself. I also want to keep helping children and young people through Compassion. Vivi’s first sponsor was an American who never wrote to her. So even though I only wrote twice a year, she was delighted to connect and we have kept in touch via email and Facebook since she graduated from the LDP. Finally, different languages can be a real barrier. Even though she doesn’t use English at all in Honduras, Vivi’s English was quite good and I think I am just going to have to try and learn Spanish!

Vivi’s story.I was in compassion from 6 years, then enter the LDP program.I grew up in a broken family but with three brothers and two wonderful grandparents I believe that life could not give me a better family than them, especially a struggling mother who has never given up.Since children were selling food on the streets and then we were going to a school, when I get my 10 years my mom decided to go to illegal united states to give us a studio and a better life for me and my grandparents in Honduras opportunities she had were very few. Only telling you this so you can see the change they have made in my life Sarah and Michael, my family could never have me college.I can only say that I am grateful to God and to my sponsors for their support and confidence I am surprised that took my forever, because how can you trust someone you do not know? It's great for me.I'm ready for life after so long I'm doing in my professional goals, spiritual and social life. Thank You!

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The photo shows Vivi with Eloise and John.1 ST EDEN GUIDES, FEBRUARY 2015

We have been very busy since we last reported. The girls all finished their ‘upcycled’ cushions in November and everyone was very pleased with the finished product. We enjoyed a Christmas outing to Vertigo – the girls spent the evening climbing above us on the high level ropes course and on the climbing wall beside us. Ice cream was available at break-time to boost the energy levels!

We are delighted to report that we have 3 guides who have been selected to attend International Guide camps this year. The girls attended a selection weekend last September at Lorne, where they participated in a variety of activities (including gutting and cooking a fish!!) designed to test their suitablilty to represent Ulster as part of a group. They were notified just before Christmas and since then they have been busy writing letters and trying to organise fundraising, as the camps are expensive to attend, but a fantastic opportunity to experience. Courtney and Rebecca will be attending the Vendelbo Jamboree in Denmark, and Holly will be attending the Peak 2015 camp in Derbyshire. The Unit will be heading to the North Coast this summer to stay at Dunluce Guide house, from where we hope to explore the myths and legends surrounding Dunluce castle as well as Surfing in Portrush and of course a visit to Barrys amusements. All our girls are filling smartie tubes with 20ps during February to help with fundraising for camps and activities. You can look forward to hearing more about all the camps after the summer.

5 TH CARRICKFERGUS SCOUTS (News from recent newsletters)

Beaver Remembrance Sweet collection: As part of the programme around Armistice Day Beavers adopted war-time ration amounts of sweets for a week, and saved the money which would have been spent (or did some jobs round the house) to raise £13.50. Well done.

Cub Scouts Camp: We have booked our Summer camp at Share Centre Lisnaskea from Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th May. We shall be sleeping in the new tents, (bought with last year’s fundraising money). 4 activities using qualified instructors will be available.

Scout section: You may be aware of some recent changes to the leadership team in the Scout section of 5th Carrickfergus Scout Group. Vic Wootton has resigned from his position in the troop and we thank him for the work and commitment he has put into the group over the recent years. The other scout leaders and broader group leadership team have met to fill the space created by this departure, and I am please to announce that Leony Jordan has agreed to take on the role of Scout Leader at this time. Leony will work with the wealth of scouting experience, along with new volunteers in the section to deliver a challenging, fun and adventurous programme for the Scout section. The proposed summer camp, most recently to be centred at the Northern Ireland Scout Council National Activity Centre at Crawfordsburn will go ahead as planned, and these details will be confirmed once again in the near future.

Group fundraising : A grand total of £319.00 was raised at the group collection at the end of November - thanks to all those who helped!

New logos, brands and badges: There are new badges, new resources and new section brands for the UK Scout Association – the Programme for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and

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Explorers is refreshed with an increased outdoor and adventure focus; there’s even a badge for making a community impact.

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PETS CORNER

Hello! My name is Mitzi and I am my owner’s wee rascal, but she loves me really. I am five years old. After I get fed I just know that I’m going walkies even though she whispers it cos I can spell W-A-L-K. I love paella and spicy chicken and I just ADORE liquorice caramels - I get a little share of all three, but when my owner says “ALL DONE”, well that’s a wee fib cos she hides the caramels behind the cushion, but clever me retrieves them.She thinks that I’m silly, but KNOW WHAT?? I’m more than that, I’m MITZI and I love my owner too. AH!! It’s a dog’s life. I’ll just go and lie down in my comfortable soft bed, after I get some lovely chicken – mmm! Lovely!Irene

Hi! These are my two dogs Archie who is 1 1 /2 and Rosie who is 13 years old. Rosie can’t go walks now. She just likes to lie and relax. Archie loves to go up to the all weather pitches where he likes to chase the birds round the fields. Their favourite treats are ‘Smackos’. When you mention ‘Smackos’ their heads go right round.

Archie is very loveable and he is Grace’s wee baby. She just loves him. He loves cuddles from Grace. Rosie is just old and likes to be by herself. Rosie doesn’t like our cat Casper. She chases him and Casper strikes her back. Archie likes to play with Casper but he isn’t amused and hits him.

They are two great dogs and we love them very much. Diane

A couple of very strange ‘pets’ seen at the party after this year’s Carol Service in Eden the week before Christmas!

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THE WINDMILL

Amos 2:9,”Strong as an oak”. Ephesians 3:17, “Having your roots deep and your foundations strong”.

Here and there, up and down the country, you occasionally find an old windmill. As a rule, it has been converted into a comfortable (though oddly shaped) cottage. But some are still as they were, more or less– either “show places”, or fallen into ruins. You will find a number in Sussex, some turned into houses, some in their original condition. It is about one of these that I want to tell you.

It stands on a high hill, on the edge of the Downs outside Worthing, and it is two hundred and fifty years old. It is in exceptionally good condition, and even has all its machinery –made of wood, of course– in proper working order. The first thing I noticed inside was that, running from floor to ceiling- down through the floorboards into the room below, and up into the loft above where the huge millstones were- was an enormously thick, round pole of wood, rather like an exceptionally thick ship’s mast, or a very, very fat telegraph pole. I asked the man in whose garden the windmill stands about this, and he explained that windmills were built in different ways: this was the Sussex way. What I thought was a pole was not, in fact, a pole at all, but a tree trunk.

Sussex windmills were always built around oak trees. When the men of those days wanted to put up a windmill, the first thing they did was to look for a hill, or part of the Downs, which had an oak tree on its crest. When they found one- and it had to be straight and tall- they simply lopped off the branches, stripped off the bark, smoothed down the trunk, and then built the mill round it. They built it, that is, round this strong “centre-post” which had its roots still in the ground. In that way, they could be absolutely sure that, no matter how fierce the storms might be, or how powerfully the wind might blow, the windmill would never blow over. Come what might, the deep, unseen roots would hold. Any other building erected in such an exposed position might be demolished by an exceptional gale; even an ordinary windmill, with its ungainly “Sails” and its two millstones upstairs to make it top-heavy (for each millstone weighed a ton!) might collapse in time; but one built in this way would stand almost for ever, they thought.

It seems they were right- for there it is, two hundred and fifty years later, as strong as ever. The centre-post, upon which the whole mill could be turned to face the prevailing wind, would never shift, because of its deep roots.

A person’s character is rather like a windmill: it is the storms and stresses and gales of life that grind down experience into something useful, something nourishing to the spirit. But if these hurricanes which sometimes strike us are not to blow us over, we too need deep roots; gales of temptation, the keen winds of sorrow, and the bitter blizzards of disappointment, which howl round us sometimes, will soon have us over unless we have deep, unseen roots to hold us upright. It is only God who can hold us, as the earth held that windmill.

St Paul speaks of the Christian who has “his roots deep, and his foundations strong”; Amos talks of the ideal religious man who is “strong as an oak”. They are both saying

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the same thing- both giving us the same tip, as we say. When you are like that, you can stand up to anything. Rev David Armstrong

THE TABLECLOTH

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm - hit the area and lasted for two days.

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity, so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the centre aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials 'EBG' were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just got "The Tablecloth". The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church .The pastor insisted on driving her home. That was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a

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housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.

One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighbourhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.

The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike?

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again in all the 35 years between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.

He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

True story submitted by Pastor Rob Reid who says God does work in mysterious ways.MIKE A

CHRISTMAS SHOEBOXES

A big ‘THANKYOU!’ once again to everyone who made up a Christmas box for needy folk in Moldova and Ukraine. The photo shows Florentin with children, women and men with some of the boxes you donated.

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GLEBE WARDENS REPORT, FEBRUARY 2015

It’s that time again when Gina requests material for the Parish Magazine and to keep all our readers abreast of how things are going with church maintenance we write what we hope is an informative note on the subject. So what to report this time?

Some subjects just keep coming back to our attention and the heaters in the main hall are once again on the agenda. After checking and resetting (or in some cases trying to reset) it was found that one was not working. However very shortly after pressing the reset button another also stooped working. This has been reported to the vestry and we are now seeking to replace these to ensure that the hall can be heated to an acceptable temperature.

Another persistent problem, this time in the Rectory, is the lounge extension. We have long known and it has been noted in the regular Diocesan surveys, that this later addition to the building has its problems. While the main structure of the house is sound and gives us no cause for concern the extension (added prior to our purchase of the property) moves. This movement is caused by inadequate foundations and adjusts its level according to the local water table. While the Diocesan surveyor was confident that it would not fall down at the same time it has been steadily deteriorating. Some of the electrics have long ceased to work and for safety reasons have been disconnected. Even when the cracks to ceiling cornice are repaired these reappear as the structure moves. The windows at each end of the room move in relation to the rest of the structure and cause drafts. This situation has now worsened due to a leaky roof which is evidencing itself in water ingress on one the inside walls of the extension. Clearly this situation can no longer be neglected and in recent Vestry meetings there has been discussion on how to progress to a lasting solution to this problem. We are, at present, seeking professional guidance on the most effective and cost efficient way to correct these frustrating and persistent problems. But we must remember that we need a Rectory that is, in the modern parlance, “fit for purpose” and to this end we need to move on this with care but haste.

On a more mundane front another potential problem, this time, with tables has been tackled. Our large banquet type tables have consisted of two types, one a very heavy and awkward steel framed table and a lighter aluminium framed type. While there may, in the past, have been valid reasons for having these heavy steel framed tables some of us were increasingly concerned that the routine handling and movement of these was hazardous. In addition several had screws missing and bent legs the latter problem meaning that they were not sitting level. A decision was made to examine the heavier type to see how many were serviceable. This revealed that after repairing the one which is more or less a permanent fixture in the kitchen and another in the corner of the main hall (both of which had quite a few screws missing) only one other was found to be serviceable. This then left a deficit in the requirement for tables of this type. To resolve this we have now purchased six new Gopak tables almost the same as the existing lightweight tables that should fulfil our needs for the foreseeable future.

As we end, we think you will agree we have quite enough to keep us busy in and around the Church building, its grounds and the Rectory but continue to do this in order that we all have safe and well-maintained premises in which to worship and have fellowship. Harold & George Glebe Wardens

Repairs & Replacements

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