’The Journey’ by Alister McGrath (March 2008)

Dear Friends

This is being typed by Moira – my wife and best friend. (I told her to type that!)

Thank you for the lovely cards, gifts and messages of support. We appreciate them very much.

I saw my consultant on 7th March and he is concerned about the severe spasms which continue to affect the left side of my neck. He is therefore arranging a more extensive MRI scan and has told me I may well require further surgery. In the meantime I have been told to rest and have regular, light physiotherapy.

In many ways the last few weeks have been frustrating. However, I know that God is in this situation, and it is all part of ‘the journey’. When we go on holiday we look forward to our destination, and the rest and recreation that we are anticipating. The journey itself may be long and tiring, but often we look forward so much to the destination- the end of the journey- that we miss the sights and sounds of the journey itself! This point was made very well in one of the books I have read during my recuperation – Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. The book is based on the trip they made from John O’Groats to Cape Town. On several occasions both men realised that they were racing towards their destination and failing to appreciate the people they were meeting. The people, the conversations and the experiences made the journey! I am so pleased to have read this book. Thank you Sara, Roy and Frances for the gift.

A couple of days ago I finished reading ‘The Journey’ by Alister McGrath. It was short and easy to read and one of the most helpful books I have read for a long time. I bought it for £1 in 2001 whilst studying at Trinity College in Bristol. It has taken 6 and a half years for me to finally read it, but the timing has been perfect. It has been God’s perfect time to read it!

McGrath talks about the Christian life as a journey with a wonderful destination to look forward to. A Christian’s final destination is what the Bible refers to as the ‘New Jerusalem’ (heaven); where we will enjoy a heavenly banquet – the feast which awaits us. The New Jerusalem is the place and the time when we shall be with God forever, and we shall enjoy his presence with our fellow travellers forever and a day! We shall be with God and with our loved ones.

Before we reach the New Jerusalem there is a journey to undertake and we do not do it alone. Our fellow Christians travel with us, as do those who have travelled before us. In his book McGrath refers to the writings of Christians through the centuries who have travelled the road of faith in Jesus. Christians who have experienced joy, despair, doubt, fear and wonder. Christians who can help us today as we travel together. Further, our fellow Christians today travel with us! That is why it is so important to meet together for worship, for food, for friendship and for encouragement.

We cannot undertake the journey alone.

‘The Journey’ has helped and encouraged me to thank God afresh for what he has done for us in the past, and to look forward to the future God has for us. I have experienced once again the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, and I look forward to sharing our journey together.

Why not get hold of a copy of McGrath’s book? The ISBN is 0-340-73532-5.

With my prayers for you.
Warner
 

“Farewell” from the Knightbridges (March 2008)

We, John and Sylvia, would like to thank the family of Christ at Christ Church, Billericay for being our ‘home’ church for almost 37 years. Throughout our time spent worshipping and being at Christ Church we have come to know and meet such a wide variety of great people past and present, and will find it a hard wrench to leave our friends behind. However, we have prayed about our future leading up to John’s retirement and feel the Lord has made the way straight and smooth for us to move to Claverdon in Warwickshire.

We remember our first service at Christ Church was a snowy evening and we walked from Crown Road [our first home] and all who spoke to us were so friendly and pleasant we decided that this would be our church. Joanna was born in 1973 and christened at Christ Church. Andrew was born in 1975 and also christened at Christ Church. Shortly after he was extremely ill with meningitis and his life was in the balance, so much so that we asked Peter Sandberg, the vicar, to come and lay hands on him and pray. This very brief prayer time took place, but the next bulletin from hospital was that Andrew was much better. We did not then know how seizures and brain damage would affect him, but we thanked God for sparing him.

We decided to move into Christ Church parish and took up residence in Hares Chase. In 1979 Elizabeth and Peter were born and so many Christ Church people quietly helped us in so many ways. We knew we were at the right church at the right time. Elizabeth and Peter were christened at Christ Church in 1980. All four of our children attended various Sunday Schools and were all confirmed at Chelmsford Cathedral. John’s parents were also regular attenders. John was church warden for 3½ years. Both of us have been on the DCC, PCC and Deanery Synods. Sylvia has also been a member of Women’s Fellowship and CTB. We have both led home groups, taken ‘Junior Church’ and been involved on many Alpha courses since the 1990’s.

With encouragement from Christ Church members we have grown spiritually and prayerfully. On a regular basis several people met with us to pray for Andrew, who had profound physical and mental disability. From these prayer times and with divine and human help we were able to set up Anvil Trust. It was launched in 1990 and Anvil House established in 1993 with Andrew able to move there a month after his 18th birthday. The prayerful and practical support for Anvil Trust has not diminished and we leave Billericay knowing a 4th project is underway.

We would like to thank all who have helped our family in many different ways. We thank our home groups of past and recent years and all who were so kind following Andrew’s death in 2005 shortly after his 30th birthday. Again we say THANK YOU for being part of our lives over 37 years and thank you God for placing us in this town where we have had so many wonderful opportunities.

God Bless,
John & Sylvia Knightbridge
 

Spiritual Uplift (March 2008)

I am close to my 85th birthday, and the leaflet which comes with my pills says “a review is due”. So here goes…

Looking back to age 40, I find that I am the same weight as I was then but seven inches larger round the waist. Hmm…that suggests sagging.

At about that age I was being gently guided from C of E to D of J. That was and is a continuing process from our creator God, and now Jesus, whose disciple I am, is standing by to straighten me up when I begin to sag spiritually. This verse from an old hymn was special to me at that time:

Holy Spirit, truth Divine,
dawn upon this soul of mine.
Voice of God and inward light,
wake my spirit, clear my sight.

I commend it to all other honest seekers. It will be answered.

Mollie Roots
 

Retreat (March 2008)

A few weeks ago, at half-term, I decided I would like to go away for a few days to draw breath in what is proving to be a very busy year. I managed to get a place on a Lent Retreat at Launde Abbey in Leicestershire which was being led by John Bell of the Iona Community. I have met John on several occasions and always found him to be challenging yet compassionate, a man with a dry sense of humour and a wonderful musician (though music was not the main part of this course). There were about 25 people present.

Each day was divided into 4 or 5 sessions. We covered many aspects of Jesus’ life and image. We looked together at Jesus’ relationship with the Law and its purpose in human society, and how Jesus breached and radicalised the Law, deliberately flouting it to challenge its proper meaning. We looked at Jesus’ disciples both male and female – the women who played an important role in Jesus’ ministry. We discussed the attributes of prophets and whether Jesus fulfilled these – by endorsing their witness and taking aboard their visions in his ministry. We looked at the events of Holy Week and learned how to re-enact them using role-play in small groups of 2 or 3 people. We also had a look at the Psalms and were reminded that Jesus would have known them really well - we looked at particular ones and how they would have fitted into Jesus’ life and ministry.

We discussed the meals Jesus took with his friends and people he met, and the many sayings (e.g. ‘I am the bread of life’) concerning food both real and spiritual. There was always controversy or surprise when Jesus met people! We discussed Christian family values and what Jesus had to say about family life.

As well as these learning and discussion sessions, as Launde Abbey has a Community, there were several services every day which we could go to, and it was wonderful to be part of the discipline of community life for a few days. There was space within each day to just sit, stroll among the snowdrops in the beautiful wintry gardens, or be still – or to chat with new friends especially at meal times (the food was fantastic!).

Our Christ Church weekend away in October will be an opportunity to come away for a couple of days and learn and discuss or just be still!

Cathy Fulford-Jones
 

Jane Writes (February 2008)

It's now just over 40 days since Christmas! (“that's all folks” as they say in cartoons!) No doubt you're still finding Christmas cards in odd places and eating the chocolates and biscuits left over from the Seasonal celebrations!

So it may have come as a surprise to you to find that Lent has begun already! This is the earliest that Lent, and therefore Easter, can and will be for at least the next 30 years!

Lent is the time in the Christian calendar when we remember Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert. Jesus overcame his trial by turning to the word of God for his defence.

Like Jesus, we need to be turning to God’s word, the Bible, as we weigh up the decisions we have to make in our daily lives. Sometimes it can be quite straightforward to find a part of the Bible that can help us. Bookmarks, posters, notes and books can be helpful reminders as to where the Bible can help us. The Psalmist wrote “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” Psalm 119 vs 11. Wise and very sensible advice!

In our lives we have to make difficult choices and decisions as we try to follow Jesus. We're not always right in those decisions and don't always make the right choices but God carries on loving us despite our slip-ups!

Perhaps God's challenge to all of us this Lenten time is to learn to carry God's Word in our hearts and minds; maybe to pick 1 or 2 verses from the Bible to learn as memory verses. Perhaps you might consider trying this if you haven't already begun Lent. Unless, of course, your waistband is challenging you to give up chocolates and biscuits for Lent...?

Jane Tolaini
 

DCC Meeting – 21st January

The meeting was chaired by Graham, starting in prayer, particularly for the success of Warner's operation.

The following points were discussed and voted on:

a. A small reduction in hall costs for the uniformed groups, to underline our desire to show friendship to them b. A cabaret evening is being planned to raise funds towards the Church Weekend Away. (Discounted prices already published in previous Spotlight) c. Our Annual District Church Meeting will be held on Sunday 27th April. d. Derek Corps has agreed, in liaison with the church office, to co-ordinate the removal/replacement of church chairs for school visits and other/similar bookings e. Shrinking the Footprint meetings due to re-start soon f. Good news items included: Confirmation service to be held at Christ Church on 11th May (Bishop Laurie to officiate) Kate and Jeremy Ellis received our October gift of money, and send their deep gratitude to the church. They will be visiting us again in the summer 70 letters received from Ciamanda School in reply to Buttsbury letters delivered during the autumn visit. 65 toddlers, 25 more than booked, attended party – catering sufficient for them all The New Year party was greatly appreciated by all who attended

All minutes of DCC Meetings can be viewed via the church office. Next meeting: 14th April 2008

Warner Writes (January 2008)

2008 is now well and truly underway. My hope for all of you is that 2008 will be a year full of the peace and joy which comes from a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just before Christmas I watched the video of Songs of Praise which took place here at Christ Church in 1982. As the cameras revealed familiar faces it was interesting and at times amusing to see how appearances have changed in the last 25 years, but I found it just as amusing over Christmas to watch some video of myself from 1995! Yes indeed, appearances have changed, and whenever my children see pictures taken at my wedding in 1990 they often say, “Daddy, why did you wear those big square glasses?” I have to confess, my spectacles back then were extremely large – fashionable back then, perhaps? Talking of appearances there will, as always, be many people worried about how they look as a result of a larger than usual intake of food and drink during December. For many, keeping up appearances will be something of an obsession; but as the videos and photos reminded me, the changes in our external appearance cannot ultimately be avoided. They are part of life.

Of course appearances can be deceptive. The Bible (1 Samuel chapter 16 verse 7) tells us that God does not focus upon the outward physical appearance of men and women. Rather, the Lord our God looks upon our hearts. What is the state of your heart right now? By ‘heart’ I don’t mean the one that beats, I mean your ‘spirit’, your ‘self’, the person that you are; including your attitudes, your motivations – the real you!

At the start of this New Year and indeed at the start of each new day God desires to renew and refresh and change our hearts because that is what he looks upon. There is very little that we can do about our outward appearance in the long run, but our inner selves (our hearts) can be transformed daily. In the Bible (Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2) we find these words of St. Paul: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” (New Revised Standard Version of the Bible).

If we are open then God will change us this year. Our bodies may wear out a bit more but our hearts can be strengthened, transformed, turned inside out and conformed to the will of God! When that happens Christians find that they are being renewed by God, and that always leads to the Church becoming more and more the place of welcome, community, and worship that it is designed to be; a Church that receives the lost, the broken, the orphan, the widow, the man or woman or child who has realised their need for God.

I am praying that we will all be open to God’s transformation in our lives and in his Church this year. Are you open?

Warner
 

Setting Sail (January 2008)

Many of you may have heard by now that this last Sunday 13th Warner and I announced that at the end of July when my contract comes to an end then Lou, Jaden and I will be leaving.

It is with a mixture of sadness, excitement and faithful expectation that we have made the decision. Over the last year and a bit God has been challenging Lou and I and stirring within us passions that have drawn us elsewhere to see where it is God might be leading us, and for now those plans and thoughts are very vague, but we continue to seek God that he might reveal more as the year rolls on

Why move on when we don’t know what we’ll be doing or where we will be especially with a baby? It may seem to be irresponsible but our confidence is in God for all our needs. We actually believe it would be wrong to stay when God is quite clearly saying to Go. The best place for us to be in is where God wants us to be.

I read this out on Sunday as it sums up where Lou and I are, please continue to pray for us and for the church’s appointment of the next youth outreach worker.

Mark Pape

The Prayer of St Brendan: Shall I abandon, O king of mysteries the soft comforts of home? Shall I turn my back on my native land, and turn my face towards the sea? Shall I put myself wholly at your mercy, without silver, without a horse, without fame, without honour? Shall I throw myself wholly upon You, without sword and shield, without food and drink, without a bed to lie on? Shall I say farewell to my beautiful land, placing myself under Your Yoke? Shall I pour my heart to You, confessing my manifold sins and begging forgiveness, tears streaming down my cheeks? Shall I leave the prints of my knees on the sandy beach, a record of my final prayer in my native land? Shall I then suffer every kind of wound that the sea can inflict? Shall I take my tiny boat across the wide sparkling ocean? O king of the Glorious Heaven, shall I go of my own choice upon the sea? O Christ, will You help me on the wild waves? An excerpt from 'Navigatio Pocket Liturgies' published by proost.co.uk

Book Review - Too Busy not to Pray
(Slowing down to be with God) (January 2008)

(Bill Hybels, Inter-Varsity Press, ISBN: 0-85111-329-X)

I read this book as part of the preparation for the week of prayer at Christ Church. Both Monday and Tuesday rely on material from the book. Warner recommended it. The back cover overview starts "Why should we pray? How can we when we are so busy?" That covers some of the reasons why I wanted to read it. Others include the questions of technique - just exactly WHAT can you do that will help you engage with God. The clue to this is in the sub-title, of course. I also wanted to know about hearing God's word. Many years ago I read "Listening to God" and found it very helpful. Applying some of the suggestions in here improved my prayer life, but over a period of time things get stale, that's how I am (and how most people are, I think). So its is good to find a book that addresses things slightly differently, and allows me (and us) to take a new approach. Bill starts his book with three chapters about God. What you understand about God, and how much you really believe it will have an impact not only on how you pray, by also on your motivation to pray at all. Then there are some techniques, based around the ACTS acronym - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Bill recognises that we will not simple jump into a new way of praying and find that it works brilliantly, he suggests that practice is required. I agree.

The book ends with some discussion on listening to God, and evaluating what you hear - to be sure that the source of the message is indeed the Holy Spirit, and not just our own internal cravings, or something much worse. As a pastor of many years understanding, he has some good examples to share. They may well make you think of some "What if I'd .." situations in your past.

As a way to improve or perhaps establish your personal prayer life this is a useful read. I am currently trying some of his suggestions to see how they work for me. Everyone, is of course different, but most of us aren't THAT different, so its likely there will be something useful for you too.

The above article is also on my blog (web diary):

http://3cephas-notes.blogspot.com/2008/01/too-busy-not-to-pray-slowing-down-to-be.html

I hope you have been able to attend the week of prayer, and have found it useful. Do please fill in the feedback sheets and return them to me (or the office). Let me know how you get on, if you are trying any of the ideas!

Yours in Christ,
Pete Fisher
 

‘Transformed’ – the Autobiography of Linvoy Primus (January 2008)

For Christmas my mother-in-law did not buy me a pair of socks, but she did buy me the autobiography of professional footballer and committed Christian Linvoy Primus. Linvoy is a central defender who has played for Charlton, Barnet, Reading and Portsmouth, and his face is known to many Christians as he was the footballer on the 2006 Alpha television and cinema advert which asked the question, “Is there more to life than this?”

Just in case you are wondering, I am not a fan of Portsmouth Football Club. However, I do love football, I once played cricket with Andy Rimmer (a former chaplain at Portsmouth), and I am a big fan of biographies, especially those which tell the ups and downs of the Christian life. I also have a Christian friend called Steve King who is part of a group called ‘Pray up Pompey’. Football fans should appreciate the humour of that one!

This book tells the story of a young man who was brought up in London’s East-end; a young man who lacked confidence and was regularly fearful of letting people down; a young man who often felt he was unfairly criticised. After moving from Reading to Portsmouth Linvoy Primus came to a personal and living faith in Jesus Christ. Over time he grew in confidence as he placed his trust and confidence in God and he puts his vastly improved performances on the pitch down to a more peaceful and trusting life off the pitch.

Linvoy’s story is well worth reading. It encouraged me and I would recommend it to football fans, perhaps especially if you know someone who loves football but does not (yet) love God.

If Elwin Cockett (chaplain at West Ham) gets to read this, I’m sure even he will enjoy my favourite bit of the book. Portsmouth had just won 2-0 away at West Ham on Boxing Day. Linvoy had not scored for exactly two years but in this 2-0 victory he had scored both goals. When interviewed afterwards a reporter said, “Linvoy, you’re a man of faith so what do you put your two goals down to?” Linvoy replied, “It’s surely not a coincidence that I’ve scored at Christmas again. What a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus!”

A quote from Linvoy’s manager Harry Redknapp: “He’s improved as a player one million per cent.”

The ISBN is 978-0-9526760-2-7

Warner Pidgeon
 

Phil Sheldrake’s Story (January 2008)

At the age of 14, a school friend of mine kept pestering me to attend an event called Festival ’89 held on Sun Corner in Billericay and hosted by the preacher J. John. That night, I found personal faith in Jesus Christ. I remember feeling something inside of me - a happiness and lightness - like I’ve never felt before.

With my best friend, I then attended Pathfinders and CYFA groups at Christ Church, led by the Church Army Captain, Ron Bradford. Ron was instrumental in my attending Confirmation Classes. It was here, whilst attending Christ Church that our group was later confirmed at Chelmsford Cathedral, in May 1990.

I won’t say I was the finished article at this point - who is? - as the pressures of adolescence kept me on the fringe of church from 16-18; yet I still attended youth club and the occasional Sunday service. What I will say though, is that the patience and love shown through the members of Christ Church was priceless. I didn’t have a family who loved and spoke to me about Jesus; but here in Billericay there were people who did.

At university, I got hooked into a very loving Church that gave me opportunities to explore leadership, develop skills and talents, make mistakes, celebrate success and be further discipled. After college, I went out into the world and worked in various places in my early 20s, later returning to Higher Education at aged 25 to do a year studying Theology, Music & Worship at the London School Of Theology. I then went on to become Music Director of a church in Central London, and then worked for three years alongside the songwriter and worship leader, Graham Kendrick. I have been with Youth for Christ for the last two years, dividing my time between leading worship at UK events and writing discipleship material for 14-18yr olds.

I am 33 years old, living in Bromley, Kent and happily married with a beautiful baby boy. I’m currently exploring Anglican Ordination and looking forward to the next chapter of my life.

I look back at my early teens and thank God that there actually were a set of people bothered to take an interest in my life. In their own small way, they set me on my big adventure in Christ. Don’t underestimate what might sometimes feel insignificant input into the lives of your teenagers - both compliant or unruly! I was an unruly one, and look what you did for me. Thanks!

Phil Sheldrake
 

All is Thine (November 2007)

Prompted by Warner’s article on ‘losing faith’ in last month’s Spotlight, Phil Drake was reminded of something he wrote some years ago:

Thou makest the rain fall,
The sun shine,
The wind blow,
And all,
All is Thine

And what is mine
I give to Thee,
My heart,
My soul,
My destiny.

Whenever things get tough I like to quote this to myself as it reminds me of the commitment that I made to God many years ago – whatever life throws at me
 

Was it really that long ago? (November 2007)

Greetings from Paul, Warner’s predecessor. I’m now leading a church on the Surrey/Hampshire borders. Warner has invited me to put down a few words in the form of a news update.

Moving to Yateley (almost 18 months ago now) was coloured with pleasure and pain, but has, of course, been an example of God’s work of refreshing, redeeming, renewing and reviving:

Leaving good friends behind is always hard. Saying adieu to Billericay friends was no different, but Yateley quickly became “home” with new friendships to make. God clearly had his hand in paving the way for this to be the right place at the right time.

Moving also brought death and new life. My cat, Spud, died days only after arriving here. His successors are two ginger rascals – Oliver and Stanley (as in: another fine mess…). My faithful car also “died” (my 1980 Scimitar, if you remember) – condemned last August by the MoT man – until I rebuilt it on a new chassis over the winter. It’s now in full health, set for another 10–20 years of life (I pray)!

Some of you have picked up my family’s tough year – dad’s heart operation and brother Mark’s months in ICU. We’ve been sustained by huge prayer support and thrilled by God’s answers to our prayers. Mark is now getting stronger by the day.

St Peter’s has been doing a lot of the things we did at Billericay – considering how we develop and grow our buildings and how we develop and grow the faith and numbers of our members.

We’ve started new things – including one of my highlights each month – our “2:42” midweek gathering for worship, prayer, learning and fellowship (see Acts 2:42). It’s becoming a rewarding time of growing and finding new ways of doing familiar things as we meet with God.

Our building project is still a few years down the line but is shaping up (being in a conservation area slows down the consultation process), and we’re making plans for reshaping and improving our existing buildings too.

We’ve just welcomed Matt, our new Youth Worker, and are starting to dream and pray towards appointing a Children and Families Worker next year. Meanwhile we’re preparing to take on a curate in training in July too. We’re also flooding the diocese with trainee Readers – 3 last year, 2 more this year. We’re praying towards a target of ten in the next five years! That may seem a lot until we do the sums of how often our lay ministers need to lead and preach for six weekly congregations. So the team is growing rapidly, and not a month goes by when I’m not talking about new ministries and vocations with someone, somewhere: Praise God!

As the next two terms pan out, we’re beginning to put in place some strategies and plans to take on the national challenge to “grow younger” as a local church – encouraging and supporting younger people in their role in leading our church into the next era. The study part of my Sabbatical was spent researching how we can invest in younger people and pass on the faith to the next generation. The study was absorbing and inspiring – now we start to put things in place to move from theory into practice. (And yes, I did finish the 270 miles of the Pennine Way during the “rest” time of my Sabbatical!)

Thanks to all who’ve kept in touch and those who continue to pray for me and the ministry here. At this end I offer this: Though you might be out of sight, you are not out of my mind or my thoughts or prayers.

With best wishes,
Paul Hinkley
 

Christianity - The Scientific and Logical Choice (Nov 2007)

or Why I Chose Christ

I became a Christian when I was 17 and at sixth form college. It took me quite a while to work through the reasons at the time and finally after all the intervening years I’d like to explain why I accepted Jesus as my saviour.

When I was at junior school I had two close friends and the three of us were inseparable. Then came secondary school – I went to one school, the others to a different one. It took a while to get used to it, but I made new friends and that was that. In Hadleigh where I lived the schools did not have their own sixth form colleges, with all sixth formers going to SEEVIC (South East Essex VI Form College). It was here that I met up again with one of my old friends, who in the intervening years had become a Christian. We talked a lot about Christianity but, as a firm believer in logic and scientific proof, I could not accept what he was saying. This started to change after I watched a BBC2 2-hour special ‘The Key to the Universe’. Within the programme an equation was shown which discussed how you could determine the possibilities of life on another planet. It had a lot of variables: how many stars are there; the fraction that are the right size; the fraction that have planets; the fraction that have a planet the right distance from the sun; etc. Some sample figures were applied which came up with the answer of 10. I strongly disagreed with the sample figures used and by my reckoning we were incredibly lucky to be here at all – too lucky. Many scientists would have you believe that we came to exist by chance – pure luck. However as a result of that programme I started to seriously believe that it could not be luck – it was too unlikely, to the point that I believe that it would be more likely for me to win the lottery every week for many years running.

So what did I believe? And if there is a God, what’s He like?

I spent many weeks working my way through it and came to the conclusion that God exists and that He created the universe and everything in it. Did He do it in the way specified in Genesis? To that I simply say that the ‘how’ is irrelevant, what matters is ‘why’. Genesis was not intended to be a science textbook, but to give us an insight into the nature of God. God loves us and He gave us the free will to choose whether to love Him back or not – he did not want robots – but we (humankind and many of the angels) chose to turn our backs on Him.

God wants us to be with Him in Heaven, but God is perfect and because we are no longer perfect this is impossible. I like to use the analogy of Heaven being like a pure white sheet. If there were but the minutest speck of dirt on the sheet, it would no longer be pure white. In the same way because we are not perfect, we cannot by ourselves go to Heaven. We can work our hardest, we can give to the needy, fight for justice in the world, etc, but at the end of the day we are soiled goods – not perfect. It is here that I came to realise just how much God loves us – he found a way to resolve this, He found a way to make us clean – the Holy Detergent so to speak.

Now I came to see just how important Jesus was and is to us. He did not have to come, but came because God His Father asked Him to. He demonstrated the nature and power of God to those around him, but still they rejected Him and crucified him – the perfect sacrifice. On reading the Bible it became obvious that were I the only person to ever exist, God would still have done this for me, to redeem me. He cares that much.

And so I gave my life to God and accepted that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was for me. Something must have changed about me because soon afterwards my friend asked me “have you become a Christian?” I answered “yes”. It was sealed; I had admitted it in public.

Since that time life has been a bed of roses literally – full of thorns – but in all things I can truthfully say that I know that God is looking out for me. When I stumble (and it’s often) He holds out His hand to support me.

Phil Drake
 

Audrey Hilton

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou for ever wilt be.

This hymn was written and published in 1923, and has become a great favourite of many Christians over the succeeding years.

I am certain that I will never forget that time when some 180+ of us joined in singing those words at the Thanksgiving Service for my dear Audrey. We have spent 60½ years together and have always found these verses and chorus true in every way. Yes, our Heavenly Father is still the faithful God we sought to follow, even before our wedding day on 1^st February 1947,

I just want to say again a very big “thank you” from all the Hylton family to you all in the Christ Church family, and to those many other friends beyond the parish boundary. It truly was a blessed time for us all as we experienced the love of Jesus that flowed throughout that afternoon. May we go forward into the unknown together, assured of our Father’s presence with us by his Holy Spirit.

The bible passage read to us was from 1 Peter 1:3–9 and was headed “Hope”. It is a great call to put our hope and trust in our Maker in every area of our lives until we meet with him face to face.

Love ‘in Jesus’,
Phil
 

Warner Writes (October 2007)

Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Spotlight’! There is a lot happening over the next few weeks including our Alternative Christmas Gift Fair on Saturday 10^th November during the day, and a visit to Christ Church by Bill Legend (drummer with T-Rex 1970 to 1974) on the evening of Saturday 1^st December. Bill has a strong Christian faith and his band will be performing some T-Rex numbers along with other blues and gospel songs. As part of the evening Bill will talk very openly about his time with T-Rex and his faith in Jesus Christ, so please put this date in your diary and bring your friends! Tickets will be available soon from our Church Office for £5.

Poor health, redundancy, sickness, bereavement and other times of difficulty can strike at any time and Christians are in no way immune to these situations. I was taking a lesson at St. John’s School recently and a pupil asked me this question: “Do some people lose their faith when they get sick or things go badly wrong for them or for people they love?” My answer was, “Sadly, that is sometimes true. I know people – and I have friends – who have turned their backs on the Christian faith as a result of going through tough times.”

Sometimes people ‘lose faith’ because they have come to believe that faith in Jesus produces a simple answer to all of the challenges of life, and they may have come to believe that Christians should not get sick or experience difficulties. At this point I need to say that such a faith is not consistent with the Bible, or with the life of Jesus, or with the experience of most followers of Jesus through the centuries!

Jesus himself experienced bereavement, hunger and rejection. He also experienced an agonising death which means that he knows about really tough times. St. Paul experienced imprisonment and being beaten up severely. He was shipwrecked three times! He was in danger from bandits and he often went without sleep. He knew hunger and thirst and often went without food, and St. Paul knew what it meant to be cold and to be without clothes (see 2 Corinthians Chapter 11 verses 16 to 33). However, Paul did not wish to either wallow in self-pity about this, or even to boast about all of this! Indeed, he continued to give praise to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have realised afresh recently that my faith in Jesus is a bit like the marriage vows which I made to my wife Moira 17 years ago. My faith in Jesus is for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, for all of the days of my life. I also know that through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ God shows us that death is not the end. Through our faith in Jesus, God promises life in all its fullness (now and for all eternity) to all who trust in Him.

God-willing, I am due to travel to Rwanda on 5^th November and I look forward to being able to share something of that experience with you. Undoubtedly, I will meet many people who have very little in terms of material possessions, but a great deal in terms of their faith in God!

All of this comes with my prayers for you

Warner
 

Youth Ministry (October 2007)

"Equipping" - for all current and prospective voluntary youth leaders.

This is a 12 session training course delivered over 2 years, with the purpose of preparing voluntary youth leaders with key skills for youth ministry. Participants may sign up for the whole course, which will lead to the Bishops' Certificate in Youth Ministry, or attend individual sessions. It is aimed at those looking to begin youth ministry, experienced youth workers and teams seeking further training.

Celebration of Youth Ministry – 11^th January 2008

This is a one off event in order to celebrate all that God is doing among young people in the Chelmsford diocese. It promises to be a joyful and significant evening, with participation from the London Community Gospel Choir, Dennis Pethers of Viz-a-Viz, as well as the launch of the Equipping Course.

In February 2008 the second Essential Calling event will take place. An opportunity for young people in School Year 10 and above to explore how God may be calling them to serve him.

For more information, speak to Mark or see:

www.chelmsford.anglican.org/youth