Focus
Tottenham Baptist Church Magazine
April/May 2003
Dear Friends,
We are in the period of Lent. Easter is almost upon us. For Christians this is by far the most important time of the year. The world outside celebrates Christmas, but that is relatively unimportant. After all, two of our Gospels do not have any birth stories in them, but Easter is a very different matter.
Easter tells us that when God became Man, He became really Man. Not just entering this world as we all did, through a mother's womb, but more importantly leaving this world, as we will all have to, through death. If He had not died our death He would not have been one of us!
Easter tells us that when God became Man, He knew all about our sufferings. He experienced real physical suffering, mental torment and agony, loneliness and separation, betrayal and injustice, and above all the agony of separation from the Father.
Easter tells us that God will not leave His children alone in the tomb. Just as He came to share our life, and share our death, so as Jesus was raised from the dead we will share in His resurrection.
Yet this is not just a future hope, it is a present experience. New life comes through death and resurrection. We have to learn to die to self, so that we may be raised with Christ. That is not for some vague time in the future, but can be our experience today. That is the symbol of our Baptism, buried with Christ and raised to newness of life.
Christians should know it, experience it and rejoice in it! May it be so for each one of you this Easter.
In Christian love,
Roger Collins
Moderator
A member of our church, Mr
Bertram Charley, passed away recently.
Bertram had supported the church choir during the years that he had been
with us and he sought to keep the faith.
Thanks for your fellowship, Bertram!
Please support Mrs Shirley Peart in prayer as her daughter Pauline
died tragically recently. Many in our
congregation knew Pauline from her Girls Brigades and Sunday School days. Please also bear Mr Verley Hughes
with sympathy in your prayers as he recently lost a sister and a cousin. Another member of our music group, Mrs
Norma Hernandez, should be especially borne in our prayers as her brother
passed away in March. Another faithful,
Boys Brigades Officer Mr Paul Ambler, bid farewell to his father, Mr George
Ambler, left to meet his Lord.
Please hold Paul in your prayers also.
Let us pray with
thanksgiving as the Lord kept Jaap van der Weerd from serious harm in a
bicycle accident involving two buses.
The Lord is protecting us! Let
us also be thankful that Jaap and Louise have expressed the
desire to become members of our church!
Let's also pray for any young ones whom they may raise in our midst as they
have one on the way!
Ivy Legore was temporarily homebound due to a car accident
but she is also doing a quick and successful recovery let us be
thankful! Do please remember Mrs Grace
Tyzack, who is going through a medical condition that had not enabled her
to walk recently, but which is improving.
Others to remember in prayer are Jim Tarrier, who has also been
unwell, as well as those with ongoing health challenges. Thanks be to Jesus that Albert Ryder's
wife Jill is recovering so well, and they are looking forward to a good
holiday.
Let's remember to support Mrs May Richards with offers of help and with prayer as she labours for the Lord preparing the Family Gospel Festival in September. May plenty of ushers, organisers, and ministers in music, dance, and helpers grace your work and may our communities learn plenty more of the Lord's grace through it! Thanks for your work, May!
People have been missing the fellowship of the homebound
during our services and activities, including that of Mrs Ward, Mabel Johnson and Miss Olive Persson. Do
give thanks for their example in faith, and support them in prayer.
Please do give thanks and pray that our church will always help in the spiritual growth of new people in our congregation, including Mr Mensah, who has also moved into our area and is a Baptist faithful from South London, near Spurgeon's Grace Tabernacle. Remember Kobi and Cecilia Appiah, who have recently moved nearer to us. We pray you will be blessed in your new home daily!
Congratulations to Ruth King-Sparke on the birth of Holly Ann at 7 lbs on February 8th, a sister to Lauren and Alexander. We trust you and your baby will be graced with the Lord's bounty!
Our Pastoral Care Team
is available to help and any member of the Team would be glad to know of anyone
in the fellowship who needs a visit or prayer or spiritual encouragement. They are:
Thornton & Leola Reid
George Wheeler
Grace Tyzack
Hilda Gosling
Clare Lee
Margaret McGlynn
Gloria Bipta
|
Sunday Preachers |
|
|
6th
Apr am & pm: Mr I Powell |
4th
May am: Mr R J Scott |
|
13th
Apr am: Rev. Roger Collins |
pm: To be arranged |
|
pm:
Easter Carol Service |
11th
May am & pm: Rev. Roger Collins |
|
20th
Apr Easter Sunday |
18th
May am: Sunday School Anniv. |
|
am & pm: Mr M Kilby |
pm: Mr M Kilby |
|
27th
Apr am: Holiday Club |
25th
May am & pm: Mr J Field |
|
pm: To be arranged |
|
Spring Cleaning Day Saturday 5th
April
This is a great way to give thanks to the Lord 'doing works worthy of repentance'
(Acts 26:20) if you are able, and to encourage members of the
congregation: joining in on cleaning
the worship premises! It's a fun time
of fellowship and a beautiful way to deepen our bonds.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are both needed! All supplies will be provided:
just come in your cleaning clothes at 9 am ideally, even if you can't
stay for the whole morning.
Refreshments will be served.
Palm Sunday
Easter Carol Service 13th April
Do you want to
participate in the Bible readings and follow the story of God's ultimate
sacrifice in song? Offer your help with
the readings well in advance of the service, or else simply join us for this
moving service at 6:30 pm.
Good Friday High Road March of
Witness
A great way to
throw in your witness to our community is just to join the march made up of
Christians from throughout Tottenham churches and beyond!
It is
organised by Christians Together in Tottenham and begins with a joint prayer
and song time at 9 am on 18th April at St Ignatius' on the High
Road, just off St Ann's Road, before heading off at about 9:15 am. We will walk up the High Road with banners
and arrive at our church at about 10:30 am for the joint Good Friday Service.
If you would
like to participate in spirit but are weary about holding out during the march,
why not join Mr Thornton Reid, our lay preacher and deacon, as he conducts a
prayer service during the march at our church, starting at 10:15 am.
Good Friday Joint Service 18th
April
Christians
Together in Tottenham is also organising this service in our Church, which
starts at 11 am, following the March of Witness.
It's a great
opportunity to share in worship with local Christians and build up the body of
Christ in our community. This is always
a fascinating and very edifying communion service, when all can enjoy God's
gifts to different ministers along with the dedication of Christians from local
churches.
Easter Sunday Services
Do come and
reflect on the Lord's generous gifts to us during these services, held at our
regular service times: 11 am and
6:30 pm. The Music Group will be
ministering in song during the morning!
Holiday Club 22nd-25th
April
Kids are in
for a treat again! Children aged 5-11
from all backgrounds and beliefs are welcome to share Lion King stories and
games this holiday week. We'll also get
a chance to learn about another great king in fact, the King of Kings! the
Lion of Judah... and we'll go through other
similar stories in the Bible and take crafts home! The fun starts at 10 am, until noon.
If you have
any time to help, please tell with Janette or Janis! Your help would be gratefully appreciated...
Sunday School Prayer Meeting
To support the
work of the Sunday School, Youth Group and Brigades, you may join this meeting
in the side room on Sunday 18th May at 10:15 am, immediately
before the Sunday School Anniversary service.
Sunday School Anniversary 18th
May
The school is preparing a morning service through which the Lord could
give a blessing to the whole family bring any youngsters to whom you would like to show what our Sunday School and Youth Groups are like...
Church
Meeting Tuesday 20th May at 8 pm
Come and help build God's church as the Holy Spirit works through
you. Suggest projects; don't be shy to offer your help (it's easier
than it sounds!) when it comes to deciding who will visit prospective members,
do special cleaning jobs, setting up lists, etc. Speak your mind so that our decisions will fully reflect the
opinions of our membership and we will all be in touch with each other's
inspiration!
Home Mission Spirit
Rejoice as you contributed from your heart to the Home Mission Appeal
last year. Rev Paul W Martin, London
Baptist Association's secretary, wrote to thank us for our church's
contribution of £1,344: 'Last year
London's giving worked out at £16.95 per member. The average across the country was £23.41 per member'. TBC's average was £26.88. Let's keep up the healthy giving!...
This magazine is your magazine! Help shape TBC whichever way the Lord leads you. Write, tell, e-mail or dictate to the editor any articles, quips, etc. that you want to share, or speak to him about any issues you would want in these pages!
Jose Jurado Aranda
E-mail: tbceditor@hotmail.com
You can also read Focus online at:
http://freespace.virgin.net/jamesimac.mcglynn/tbc.htm
BMS Birthday Scheme
APRIL
MISS JESSICA ROSE HATCHETT 11th
MR T BENTLEY 20th
MISS V MADDISON 26th
MAY
MS JANETTE WHITEHEAD 27th
£35
have recently been sent to support medical work abroad due to the contributions
made via the BMS Birthday Scheme!
Uganda
Food Relief
A BMS Relief Grant sent to Uganda last November is helping to feed and
clothe thousands of refugees fleeing from an internal war in northern Uganda.
The £7,700 grant
was channelled through the Baptist Union of Uganda to support a feeding
programme providing food for 4,000 refugees over a period of four months and
BMS worker in Uganda Mark Barrell helped with the distribution of food and
clothes. The refugees are escaping from a war taking place between Ugandan
government forces and Lord's Resistance Army rebels (LRA).
Alex Wanyama, General Secretary of the
Baptist Union of Uganda, reported: 'So far we have served 5,850 families. The
distribution has basically been maize and beans and also some clothes and
blankets. The population of displaced people is overwhelming. Please continue
to pray for these people.' The LRA is the remnant of a 1986 rebellion in
northern Uganda. It has been conducting a campaign of violence there aiming
overthrow the Ugandan government and has attained an international reputation
for brutality and for forcibly recruiting child soldiers. The war has had
widespread and systematic violations of human rights, increased economic decay,
and national and regional insecurity. Both sides are talking to try and end the
conflict but violent clashes continue.
* * *
Albanian Church's Eighth Birthday
Rev Mat Wilson, BMS church worker and pastor of Way of Hope Baptist Church in Tirana, Albania, was set to have a special service in February to mark their eighth anniversary: 'The Baptist church in Albania is very young in age even though we are only eight years old, Way of Hope is considered to be one of the oldest churches in the country!'
Way of Hope
Baptist Church began in 1995 and is situated in the centre of the capital city,
Tirana. It has 40 regular 
attendees, mostly aged between 15 and 30. Mat arrived in September 2001
with wife Hannah and baby son Ben. Both Mat and Hannah have become increasingly
more involved with church activities.
Mat says, 'Since our arrival here, our call to serve in Albania has been strengthened and refined. Our vision is to help with the development of the church and for it to eventually be led by Albanian leaders.
'It is absolutely vital that the church in Albania
moves away from foreign dependency and 
becomes truly Albanian.
For many churches this goal is not yet realised. We hope to support and
encourage future leaders within Way of Hope church to emerge and go on to
cultivate a call to full-time ministry through biblical training and pastoral
experience.'
'We make mistakes but people are quick to forgive. We experiment with new ideas. Some work, some fail, but we move forward.' BMS World Mission has 15 long-term personnel in Albania, working in areas of health, education and church planting.
This year's BMS Annual Project entitled
Future Positive focuses on church planting in Albania. It invites churches to come on a journey of
discovery, aiming to raise money for world mission and extend knowledge of what
God is doing through BMS. Project materials include a documentary-style video
introducing Albania, its people and the issues they face, written materials
that explore the issues of training, caring, proclaiming and community, and a
12-month presence on the BMS website (www.bmsworldmission.org)
will provide latest news from Albania.
* * *
Killer Flu strikes Congo
A deadly flu epidemic has killed over 100 people and left around a million others unwell in D R Congo's capital city, Kinshasa.
The Congolese Ministry of Health reports that around one in six people in Kinshasa are suffering from the flu, believed to have been brought into the country from the Central African Republic (CAR) by refugees, rebel soldiers and traders, where the strain was first reported last September.
At least 2,000 people in four Congolese provinces have already died from
the virus before it spread to Kinshasa. The civil war which officially ended
with a peace deal signed in December has left many clinics and hospitals in a
poor condition, lacking both doctors and medicines.
Other recent epidemics include HIV/AIDS, polio, meningitis and Ebola.
Malnutrition, inadequate sanitation and unsafe drinking water are all too
common.
BMS gives grants to support a number of other hospitals and health
initiatives, aiming to improve medical conditions and alleviate suffering and
pain for Congolese people. BMS World Mission currently has five long-term
workers in D R Congo. They include Adrian Hopkins, an eye specialist
seconded by BMS to Christoffel Blind Mission, who works across central Africa.
Adrian explains, 'Like all cases of flu, for most people it is a matter
of a few days with fever and headaches. However the real problem is for those who
are not in the best of health, with a low immunity. Many people in Congo,
including Kinshasa, are on the borderline of malnutrition; most have chronic
malaria, and most children also have intestinal parasites. A disease like flu
becomes all the more lethal than it would normally be.'
The majority of those who have died from the virus were infants and old
people living in isolated and impoverished jungle communities. Adrian
indicates, 'People in the north west of Congo are very much poorer than in
Kinshasa, as I have noticed in my recent visits. This means they are all the
more susceptible to any other disease. With the current fighting in Central
African Republic the population there is also in the same critical state of
health.'
Adrian says,
'It was estimated last year that about the same number of people are dying in
the east of the Congo every day as died on 11 September in New York. These
people do not die of the violence of war but rather from malnutrition and
disease. Unfortunately, without dramatic TV pictures it is a statistic that has
been largely ignored. Like other varieties of flu which pass around the world
at times, it does seem as if this will affect other African countries too.'
3rd Tottenham Boys Brigade
It
is some time since our Company won any Competitions. So, when on Friday 7th March the Battalion Junior
Section Team Games were held in our Hall, we were delighted when our Junior
boys won.
The
finish was so close that we had to have a 'play-off' against the 10th London,
our main rivals. Now we are hoping the
winning streak will continue with other competitions.
WELL DONE, BOYS !!
The
Officers
Women's Day of Prayer
The W.D.O.P committee held this annual event on
March 7th this year. On this
occasion, it was prepared by the women of Lebanon. Despite the bad weather, we had a good turnout in the afternoon
at the United Reform Church at High Cross.
The afternoon speaker was the Rev Olive Cope.
Unfortunately, the evening speaker should have been
Lt. Royale but she had to go into hospital the day before, so I was the
evening speaker.
At this time, with all the threat of another war,
we need everybody's prayers and I would like to say 'Thank you' to everyone who
supported us and we hope to see more of you next year.
Yours in Christian love,
Grace Tyzack
Outlook of Life
Life is precious guard
it
Life is a challenge meet it
Life is a misery overcome it
Life is tense ease it
Life is cruel bare it
Life is love give
it
Life is a promise keep it
Life is a struggle face it
Life is a pleasure enjoy it
Life is complex simplify it
Life
is rough smoothe it
Life
is a joke laugh at it
Life
is short utilise it
Life
is bitter sweeten it
Life
is death accept it
Life is for living live it
Submitted
by Junior Deane
God's
armour
In
these days of wars, do you know what the Bible says we should be doing? Christians live like soldiers too, you know!
Timothy is told: 'Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ' (2
Timothy 2:3).
In
the Bible, Paul wrote a letter to the Ephesians and in Chapter 6, verses 10 and
11, he tells us to 'be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put
on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.'
So
how do we put on God's armour? Let's read on!
'Stand therefore, and
fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of
righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to
proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with
which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end
keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.' (Ephesians
6:13-17).
So
we are using Godly weapons!
When
you put on God's armour, you will always win, even if you don't feel you've
won. Why? Because when you are obeying
God's gospel you are putting Christ himself on, and letting the Holy Spirit
help you. Look at all the parts of the
armour:
THE
BELT OF TRUTH: So that you can be sure
that you are genuine 'genuine'means you really believe something you think,
say, or do. Jesus said: 'I am the way, and the truth, and the
life.' (John 14:6). So grow in Him and
obey Him so that you will be genuine.
The Bible describes how the Lord Jesus is, and when you remember to use
the truth as it is written in the Bible, you can resist whatever the enemy
brings your way.
THE
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: The enemy, the Evil One, might accuse us
sometimes, but when we are obeying God's gospel then we know that we are living
in Jesus, and no matter what happens, we will come out on top. When you put the Lord Jesus on as our
righteousness, He defends you - the Bible teaches us that: 'The Lord is our
righteousness." (Jeremiah 23:6)
SHOES
FOR YOUR FEET: That Bible passage tells us to 'put on whatever will make you
ready to proclaim the gospel of peace'. It's telling you that when you believe
the Bible and are ready to tell others how good the gospel is, you are doing
the right thing: you have put on the
right 'footwear'!
Psalm
119:165 says: 'Great peace have those
who love your law; nothing can make them stumble."
THE SHIELD OF FAITH: Have you ever felt that the enemy
sometimes sends fiery arrows your way?
Well, you can bounce those off with your shield of faith because you
know better! When you follow the Gospel
you've been taught in Sunday School and whatever you've read for yourself in
good books about Jesus, you are putting up your faith to bounce off anything
thrown at you by the enemy!
When
you know that Jesus gives you good things and peace, you want to follow Him and
not the world, and you don't want to agree with the enemy:
'The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he
leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul. He leads me in
right paths for his name's sake.' (Psalm 23:1-3)
THE HELMET OF SALVATION: Once
people like you have accepted the Lord as their Lord, the Bible tells us about
Jesus that: 'I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will
snatch them out of my hand.' (John 10:28)
By reading the Bible, it helps to clear and direct your
mind away from the
devil's lies.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT: The letter we were reading,
written to Ephesian believers, tells us that the sword is the 'word of God'. By
getting well fed on the Bible and obeying it, you are helping to accomplish
something Jesus wanted when He prayed to God the Father: 'Sanctify them in the truth; your word is
truth.' (John 17:17)
Jesus used the sword of God's word when resisting the
devil in the wilderness (Luke and Matthew wrote the story down in Chapter 4 of
their gospels). Jesus simply answered
the temptations of the devil by quoting scripture. The scriptures He chose were able to silence the devil's
temptations. Like Jesus, we can use
scripture to stop the lies that tempt us.
The devil will flee when you resist him, just as he did with Jesus in
the wilderness.
But
even if you have suffering times when you do the things above, read what Peter
wrote for us in the Bible: '...do not be
surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as
though something strange were happening to you ...You are sharing Christ's
sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is
revealed. " (1 Peter 4:12-13)
OK. Are you ready to test
yourself to see how much you've remembered? Circle the best answer! It's a long lesson, so no-one should get
upset if you peak at the explanations above (but not at the answers yet!) Let's go:
'Fasten the belt of truth' because ...
(a) Jesus is the
Truth and so when you grow in Him you will be genuine and safe
(b) it will make
you look better
'Put on the breastplate of righteousness' because ...
(a) Jesus is our
righteousness and He will shelter us
(b) all good
soldiers usually carry one for some unknown reason
'As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready
to proclaim the gospel of peace' because ....
(a) leather boots
might be too tough for fighting
(b) when you carry
out the Gospel, you are doing the right thing
'Take the shield of faith' because ...
(a) it shows you
have good intentions
(b) attacks from
the enemy will be bounced off
'Take the helmet of salvation' because ...
(a) you might hurt
your head otherwise
(b) when reading
the Bible, it will remind you that no one can take you away from Jesus if He is
your Lord, and it helps to clear and protect your mind from the devil's lies
'...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God'
because ...
(a) it might be
useful but we're not sure
(b) God's word will
silence the devil's temptations
Solution next
page!
Answers:
'Fasten the belt of truth' because ...(a)
'Put on the breastplate of righteousness' because ...(a)
'As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready
to proclaim the gospel of peace' because ...(b)
'Take the shield of faith' because ...(b)
'Take the helmet of salvation' because ...(b)
'...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God'
because ...(b)
|
Funnies! Why... -
Is the third hand on the watch called a second hand? -
Is the time of day with the slowest traffic called
the rush hour? -
Is lipstick so called, when you can move your lips? Submitted by Lena Starling |
On
the Football Front
Interchurch
Football Challenge
The
church was challenged to a match by Campsbourne Baptist Church.
The game was played on Saturday 18th January at
Northumberland Park and we won a hard fought contest 4-2! The winning line
up was as follows:
Jaap,
Larry Bowan, Tony Bowan (Senior), Noel, Nathalie, Osi, Duzgen, Steve, Ismail,
Mustafa and Paul Douglas.
Under-Twelves
On
Sunday 2nd February, the under-twelves played Westbury Avenue at
five-a-side. It was end-to-end stuff and ended in a 9-all draw.
The
team included Larry, George, Antonia and Rem, and they were helped out by Tony
Bohan, John Bohan and Tony Bohan (Senior).
Steve
Turner
Meeting Nicodemuses today
Neil Honor, one of our members, returned to his hostel
with mates from his Christian Ramblers group following a night out on Mull
Island. A man staying at the hostel had
approached them about the agony in his back perhaps from a pinched nerve
when he learned that they were Christians.
The man requested, 'Would you pray for my healing?''Are you serious?'
retorted one of them, impressed by his faith.
When the man replied enthusiastically in the affirmative, they prayed,
moved by the conviction for a healing.
The man soon declared that the pain had gone! God's power had been so manifest that the man told of how as he
announced the miracle to two other men at the hostel the men had fled!
Neil also tells of a camping holiday with his friend Tony
in the Lake District. The manager at
the camp had related to them how his wife and children were lost in a car
accident some time back. The shock was
such for the man that he walked out on his flat and spent time in a tent with
his dog in the wilderness until he took on his current job at the
campsite. Neil and Tony sympathised
with this distraught man over their week's stay. They had also entrusted to God
a request that by week's end he would meet Jesus. To their admiration, towards the end of their stay the manager
declared of his own, 'I don't know how to meet God', and would they show
him. They earnestly proceeded to do
so. The following morning, the man
recounted how glad he was, and that Jesus had met him, entering his tent in
person! Witnessing by Christians like
you had made a positive impact on a man who crucially needed to meet the
Master!
Let's encourage each other to witness and share the Good News of the
Lord! You are welcome to tell your
witness stories or thoughts!
LOW IN THE GRAVE HE LAY
Dr
Robert Lowry (1826-1899)
Low in the grave He
lay,
Jesus My Saviour,
Waiting the coming Day,
Jesus My Lord
It must have been considered 'posh' to have a pump organ in
your parlour. Lesser mortals might have
to make do with a piano in the passage but then the great Doctor Lowry was no
ordinary mortal. He seemed to have been
showered with gifts, especially in the music department. An American born in Philadelphia, he was converted
to Christianity when he was seventeen and studying at Bucknell University. He graduated with flying colours and it
wasn't long before he was back there, this time lecturing the students as
Professor of Literature.
He had joined the Baptist Church and after a while felt a
call to the ministry, becoming the pastor of the West Chester church. The congregation was delighted. They lapped up his Bible Studies in the week
and his sermons on Sundays. He had a
real way with words and was able to describe a scene so that his listeners
could imagine every part of it. He used
numerous illustrations and congregations would sit for hours listening to his
preaching. Even his business meetings
were a joy, there was nothing dull about Robert Lowry.
He also loved to sing, making quite a
study of the old hymns and introducing new ones that he had written
himself. He was keen that the young
people should enjoy Sunday School and many of his songs were aimed at them. So what was the secret of his success?
He said himself that he had no set
method. He described his brain as a
'spinning machine with music running through it all the time'. When anything struck him, he jotted it down
and most of his tunes were written out on paper before he tried them out on the
organ. But not 'Low in the Grave'. In Holy Week 1874, he was sitting in his
parlour studying the resurrection passage in Luke 24 for his sermon on
Easter Sunday. Then words seemed to
sing out as he read verses six to eight and, transferring the Bible to his pump
organ, he sat down and wrote the hymn.
The mood of the verses, where the words
concentrate on the grave, is subdued, but the chorus, which tells of the
resurrection, has an unexpected rhythm.
It is a brilliant interpretation of the Scripture passage.
Robert Lowry believed that a good hymn
must come from the experience of the writer, be clothed in strong and inspiring
words and easily understood by the congregation. Advice that some of today's writers could well benefit from!
Submitted by Vi Maddison
(taken from 'More Hazel's Hymns')
P.S. If you do not know what a 'pump' organ is, have a look at our organ in the church. At the left-hand side there is a long handle; this used to be 'pumped' up and down usually by a young boy to make the air to play the organ. There used to be a curtain hiding the boy and I remember one occasion when the organist went to play and nothing happened. The boy had fallen asleep! - V.M.
10 Reasons Why God Created Eve
In reverse
order:
10. God worried
that Adam would always be lost in the garden because men hate to ask for
directions.
9. God knew that
Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote. (Men don't want to
see what's ON television, they want to see WHAT ELSE is on.)
8. God knew that
Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when his seat wore out and would therefore
need Eve to get one for him.
7. God knew that
Adam would never make a doctor's appointment for himself.
6. God knew that
Adam would never remember which night was rubbish collection night.
5. God knew that
if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle
childbearing.
4. As 'keeper of
the garden' Adam would never remember where he put his tools.
3. The scripture
account of creation indicates that Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on
when God caught him hiding in the garden.
2. As the Bible
says 'It is not good for man to be alone'.
1. When God
finished the creation of Adam, he stepped back, scratched his head and said,
"I can do better than that."
Submitted by Rev
Roger Collins
Bible Society News
Prisoners
in the Philippines
In the Philippines over
100,000 prisoners throughout the nation face more than the loss of
freedom. They face rejection as friends and family turn their backs on them.
The Philippine Bible Society (PBS), with the International Bible Society, has
produced a special Scripture Portion, Is There Any
Hope for the Future?, designed to bring prisoners hope and to
answer widely-held concerns about whether they are loved by God. The Portion,
supplied in English, Tagalog, and Cebuano, is going to over 76,500 prisoners.
Response so far has been very enthusiastic and
letters received by PBS indicate that the Portion has sparked off the desire to
gain a deeper understanding of God's Word for many prisoners. One told how he
had wept when reading the Portion but that the words also brought him joy.
Another stated, "I thank Is There Any Hope for the
Future? for taking away all my hurt feelings." The
PBS reports that prisoners were 'enlightened and strengthened spiritually"
by the Portion and the distribution programme has sparked numerous requests
from prisoners for complete Bibles.
For the Bible Society, the programme has also been
of great value in forging links with the prison service, churches, local
government and fellowship groups. This partnership approach continues as the
PBS works with the Children's Network to distribute 100,000 copies to those
children at risk of becoming involved in crime in the greater Manila area.
Called Why Me?, the Portion is
about Joseph and is printed in both Tagalog and Cebuano.
Student
Cafe Outreach in Palestine
As the present conflict deepens, the Living Stones
Centre, run by the Palestinian Bible Society, is expanding its outreach to
young people in the area.
The Living Stones Centre or "Beit Al
Hajar" in Arabic was used as a Christian Bible Shop to begin with, but in
May 2000 it was innovatively transformed into a Student Cafe. It is located in the West Bank village of
Bir Zeit, the home of Bir Zeit University, and has become the most popular
gathering place for students. It provides a comfortable, inexpensive venue for
studying and socialising and students can use the internet and video equipment
for free.
The majority of students visiting the centre are
Muslim, but Christian booklets and Arabic Bibles are available and discussion
with non-Christian students often occurs spontaneously. Spiritual support for Christian
students is offered through weekly Bible discussion groups.
The response from
the student community is strong:
"This place is amazing; no one would give us
students such comfort and 
facilitation for
free!"
"...I just can't understand the smile you people
have on your faces and that happiness you share ...despite all the difficulties
happening around".
During the day, when the cafe is closed, the team
of three full-time workers and many committed volunteers work to build
relationships with young men and women in the surrounding villages in
Palestine.
Iraq Bible
The Picture Bible in Arabic was launched at the
first-ever Children's Festival in Baghdad, Iraq. The festival theme, Children of Iraq the Future of Our Country,
prompted the Bible Society representatives from Lebanon and Jordan to comment,
"Our Scriptures are the real foundation for anybody wanting to build
towards that future, so we could not have chosen a better opportunity to launch
the Picture Bible in Arabic. During the first hour of the festival two newspaper
journalists and a TV reporter came over for interviews, which kept us very busy
trying to explain both the aims of the Bible Society and the many children's
Scriptures on display."
They continued, "There have been pictures
showing sick Iraqis, wounded Iraqis and suffering Iraqis. But we have also seen
the smiling Iraqis the ones who, despite a hard life and both physical and
psychological suffering, have found and keep on finding their hope and peace in
Jesus. Those are the pictures that we want you to remember and we urge you to
continue praying for the beautiful country of Iraq."
Gospel message
being brought in war-torn Sudan
Sudan has experienced over 20 years of civil war in
which more than two million people have died and six million have been
displaced. The Bible Society there faces many challenges as it aims to make the
Bible heard by everyone their vision is big, but so are the dangers. Despite
the difficulties, God is changing lives.
Makram Morgos,
Executive Secretary of the Bible Society in Sudan, reports: 'The war has left
the majority of people in poverty. Yet God is blessing Sudan beyond all
expectations. Every day more than 40,000 people are exposed to the Gospel
through the Jesus film and through printed Scriptures. The Bible Society is
implementing a seven-year plan to:
… 
show the Jesus
film, now in 10 local languages, to 60 million people;
… train
20,000 people to make disciples and to initiate 100,000 small groups with one
million participants;
… distribute
10 million Scriptures to meet the demand created by new converts.
'It's a big challenge, but we expect many
organisations and churches to join with us. We trust God to enable us to keep
reaching people until everyone in Sudan has had more than one chance to respond
to the Gospel and until new converts will have enough fellow disciples to help
them grow in their spiritual lives.'
Danger A Fact of Life
For Makram, danger is simply a fact of life. His
home in Khartoum is frequently visited by the police; they track his daily movements and they have taken him in for
questioning several times.
Since 1994, teams
of projectionists and evangelists have travelled the length and breadth of
Sudan, braving the war and belligerent authorities as well as spiritual
obstacles and threats to reach every village and settlement with the Jesus film
in a language people will understand. Makram explained, "When people see
the Jesus film and read the Gospel of Luke, they want a New Testament or a
Bible. Each one is given to a person who has made a decision for Christ."
He tells how the Jesus film began to be shown to
the top-security prisoners in Sudanese jails. Some accepted Christ and began to
change their lives and started Bible discussion groups.
"In one prison a convicted murderer was
causing disruption. He was due to be hanged. Then he saw the Jesus film and
accepted Christ. He was discipled and became an advocate for peace. At first
the guards did not believe him but he continued talking to others about their
lifestyles and how they needed to find peace for their souls.
"The day of his execution came and he was a
happy man. They put a red cloth over his head, as is the custom, but he kept on
singing all the way to the gallows, even when they were putting the rope around
his neck. Now the whole prison is changing. The death of this man brought many
people to Christianity. Even some of the authorities, when they saw how this
man was behaving, started thinking seriously about Christianity."
Where
are you now?
Better news this time from
Bishop's Stortford WINNIE REED's gastric problems seem to have cleared
up at last and she is feeling fine again.
Brother LAURIE is also well and they're looking forward to the
summer, in fact, have already made holiday plans. Their church is no further forward with finding a site for a new
church building but trusts that one will be found this year.
We were glad that SUSAN ELLIS
(nee KILLEY) was able to join us at the morning service on the first
Sunday in March when husband John took our services. It was good to see them both again and catch up with their news.
The previous week (23rd
February), two other 'old' friends had joined us... JANE BISSET (nee TARRIER) and husband NEIL,
over here on a visit from Toronto where they are now living, introduced us to
four-month-old MATTHEW DAVID.
Ann and Jim (Jane's mum and dad) have been training a guide dog for the
blind for some months he's always as 'good as gold' during the service but a
centre of attention afterwards. I
reckon his nose was put out of joint that Sunday morning, though
Matthew certainly stole the show! We
hope it won't be too long before we see him and, of course(!), his mum and dad
again.
As I write this, we're looking
forward to meeting up next Sunday (16th March) with another
'old' friend who 'grew up' in TBC. REV JOHN
WAGHORN is taking 'leave of absence' from his Southampton ministry to lead
our services that day before he retires later this year. I'm afraid he'll find Tottenham High Road
rather busier that Sunday than when he lived here...Spurs are playing Liverpool
at White Hart Lane at 3 pm!
Lena Starling
PRAYER CALENDAR FOR APRIL 2003
God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
Psalm 46 v.1
Pray for or about:
Tuesday 1st The Deacons & Revd Collins meeting tonight
Wednesday 2nd The family of Shirley Peart suffering tragic murder of daughter Pauline
Thursday 3rd Peace in our world and for our Forces abroad
Friday 4th Give thanks for beautiful flowers, trees and bushes
Saturday 5th Church cleaning day and all workers helping
Sunday 6th Speaker Ian Powell.- 'Bring your petitions to the Lord's table'
Monday 7th Jaap and Louise leading the Music Group
Tuesday 8th The sad people of Kosova & the outreach work going on there.
Wednesday 9th Farmers on duty 24 hours daily
Thursday 10th GB Officers, helpers and girls meeting tonight
Friday 11th BB Officers and boys as they meet tonight
Saturday 12th All attending the GB Training day at Ilford
Sunday 13th The Easter Carol Service this Palm Sunday
Monday 14th Students at Spurgeons College seeking a placement
Tuesday 15th May Richards plans for Sickle Cell meetings
Wednesday 16th Midweek Prayer and Bible Study
Thursday 17th Maundy Thursday TBC shared meal this evening
Friday 18th The Walk of Witness and the joint Communion Service
Saturday 19th Safety on the roads this holiday weekend
Sunday 20th Revd Collins and all visitors at Services today
Monday 21st Queen's birthday - remember her family
Tuesday 22nd All children coming to join the Holiday Club
Wednesday 23rd Helpers encouraging the children to learn about Jesus
Thursday 24th Children having fun as they learn
Friday 25th Blessing upon all who have attended this week
Saturday 26th Stephen Turner and the boys he encourages at football
Sunday 27th The AM Service led by the Holiday Club
Monday 28th SS Teachers attending the meeting tonight
Tuesday 29th Give thanks for Miss Maddison and all she does for our Church & BB
Wednesday 30th Starving people in 3rd World Countries.
Give thanks for God supplying our needs
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 46 v11
PRAYER CALENDAR FOR MAY 2003
I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels,
but if I have no love,my speech is no more than a noisy gong or
a clanging bell.
I Cor. 13 v1
Pray for or about:
Thursday 1st All people bereaved in past months
Friday 2nd Elderly members who cannot get to Church now
Saturday 3rd John & Maria Dyer & Son our link missionaries in Brazil
Sunday 4th Come to the Lord's table with grateful hearts
Monday 5th B.H. All Emergency Services on duty today
Tuesday 6th Revd Collins and Deacons meeting tonight
Wednesday 7th Give thanks for Mr Paskell, our Treasurer
Thursday 8th GB Headquarters staff settling in to new premises at Didcot
Friday 9th L. V. C. E. Fellowship at Ponders End tonight
Saturday 10th Mill Grove celebrating another blessed year
Sunday 11th Revd Collins taking our services today
Monday 12th Safety as we travel by road, sea or air
Tuesday 13th Janette Whitehead as she encourages children at school & at TBC
Wednesday 14th Mr Perrin & Mark who repair our buildings
Thursday 15th Home Mission and the many churches they support
Friday 16th Gardeners who look after our church garden
Saturday 17th BB & GB Open Evening for Parents and friends
Sunday 18th 172nd 55 Anniversary, Prayer Meeting and Speaker
Monday 19th The Pastoral Care Team and their outreach
Tuesday 20th Church Members Meeting and all to be discussed
Wednesday 21st LBA and their continuing work
Thursday 22nd Our elderly members who cannot attend now
Friday 23rd Give thanks for our fresh water; pray for others less fortunate
Saturday 24th Christian Police Association and their constant witness
Sunday 25th Communion --Come and give thanks to the Holy One
Monday 26th B.H. Give thanks for Blood Donors everywhere
Tuesday 27th Victims and relations of 'Road Rage' accidents
Wednesday 28th Give thanks for 'Talking Bibles' for the blind
Thursday 29th People working with homeless/' Down and Outs'
Friday 30th Animal rescue teams i.e. NSPCA & PDSA
Saturday 31st Students and Tutors at Spureons College
Meanwhile these three remain:
faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.
1 Cor.13 v13