IN FOCUS
March 2006
Challenge and involvement
I think most of us often say “how time flies” and to me it doesn’t seem that long ago since I was taking down Christmas cards and decorations and, as they say, “getting back to normal” after the festivities. Here we are now at the beginning of Lent, a time of reflection and preparation for Easter Day and there is quite a lot happening in the city centre during this period.
The City Centre Churches have organised their annual Lent course, which takes place at St Matthew’s Church in Carver Street commencing on Wednesday 8th March, meeting each Wednesday up to 5th April. We meet at 7.15pm for a light snack before the meeting which will be finished by 9pm.There will be a different topic each week on the following themes, each one led by a different member of the clergy.
Week 1 - Examine the birth narrative
Week 2 - The place of Mary
Week 3 - Jesus history
Week 4 - Christ’s faith
Week 5 - Crucifixion and Resurrection
These are opportunities when we can meet together with our fellow Christians from the different denominations in the city centre. Then, of course, there is the Lent Lunch, which is being hosted by us this year at Central on Sunday 12th March, another occasion for us to meet together.
You may or may not be aware that for many years Stannington Parish Church has organised and performed the Passion play in their village; this has drawn many crowds to watch the story of Jesus’ Passion unfold through to the Crucifixion. This year the people of Stannington have decided that the time is right to perform the plays in the city centre and the City Council has given its permission for this to be done. Having heard a brief resumé of what is involved, it does sound very exciting.
The plays will be performed in various locations around the city centre and at the moment the sites include Tudor Square, the Peace Gardens, Barker’s Pool where the trial scene will take place on the steps of the City Hall, with the crowd then following Jesus the cross down Fargate to the crucifixion site outside the Anglican Cathedral.
The organisers are asking for people to take part, not in an acting capacity, but in a small way by perhaps being involved as part of the crowd scenes or acting as stewards.
If, like me, you have not been to Oberammergau to see the Passion Play, this is a wonderful opportunity either to see or better still to be involved. It will, of course, be a great witness of our faith to the people of Sheffield particularly at this time of year.
Anne Judge
From Sylvia
I would just like to say a really big thank you to everyone for all your thoughts, cards and prayers. The support I have received from my friends at Central has been completely overwhelming and I feel incredibly grateful. My quick recovery is proof to me of how powerful prayer is and I thank God for His presence over the past weeks. I am now feeling much better, so thanks again to everyone.
Love, Sylvia
Church Directory
As the Church Directory soon gets out-of-date, we will shortly be producing an up-to-date copy. So, if you have had a change of address or telephone number, or now have an e-mail address, please pass the information to us and we will get busy!Margaret and Michael Riley
Something a bit different that we have done before.
Have you made any firm plans for mornings in August? Well Central has. When it was discussed at Elders, Management Committee, Church Meeting and Catering Committee they each agreed that we should provide a limited catering facility during August as a trial. That is all except for the first few days, when the building will be completely closed to enable cleaning to take place. It’s not a new idea, we used to do it years ago, but a fresh challenge. (That’s what happens when you get a new minister with ideas you see). Are you up to it? Those of us who voted in favour of it were challenged at one meeting to put our names on the list, quite properly so, too. So I volunteered to organise and co-ordinate it, and Pauline was the first to volunteer to join me.
Full details later in the year, but in outline it is Norfolk Room only from Friday 4 August to Saturday 2 September, not including Mondays. It will be from 10 till 12 and we won’t do sandwiches on Tuesdays. Just Coffee mornings with scones, teacakes, buns, et cetera, et cetera, as the King of Siam used to say. We might have a different name for it, (can you think of one?), we might sell a bit of pork pie some days, we might … well, we might do all sorts.
It’s separate from what the Catering Committee organises the rest of the year, so we have the opportunity to try new things for the odd day or two, to give them a rest from organising for a month. Some people have already volunteered to do the odd one or two, or bake scones, and a money taker has also volunteered to do the whole lot. So just hold back your enthusiasm for a while until the list is ready, but don’t ever come to Central without your pen or you might miss the chance to get your name on a list.
Albert
Wednesdays 1pm – 3pm
Needed – people to make tea, coffee, conversation occasionally on a Wednesday afternoon whilst the ASSIST clients are waiting to collect their money. This is not a hard task but can be very rewarding because of the people one meets in the course of the afternoon.
If you would like to give it a go see Hilary, who will be delighted to add your name to the list.
Christian Aid Week 14-20 MAY 2006
I have now received information of the activities planned for the lead up to Christian Aid Week and beyond. Here are some of them -
1 March Count Your Blessings leaflet - Many people found this was a way of making Lent meaningful last year.
24 March An invitation to a get-together for Fun, Finding Out and Food evening.
1 May Christian Aid Walk - 5, 10 or 15 miles through the Peak District - an ideal way to spend your Bank Holiday and raise funds.
1-2 July Night Hike - 17 miles circular route to Hathersage - sunset to sunrise
Other walking and cycling challenge events - UK and global.
Other news -
Sheffield raised £80,000 in the week last year, which is a record amount.
Christian Aid would like to thank everyone who supported the Child of Africa Appeal and Present Aid - money is still coming in.
It was a great year for the MakePovertyHistory Campaign: millions of people took some kind of action. Just sending a post card can make a difference, helping to keep up the pressure on government. The G8 members were forced to make amazing pledges, but as yet the promises remain only words. The campaign this year is Trade Justice - Turning Words into Action and I have a copy of the campaign guide, which will inspire us to keep up the pressure.
Leaflets on the notice board or see me for sponsor forms or further information.
Margaret Riley
ALPHA Course
The new Alpha Course has started and we are meeting together for the Alpha Meal in Room 3 followed by the video presentation in Room 1. We have a smaller group than we had in the autumn but that has not prevented interesting discussions taking place and we got off to a good start on 21st February. If anyone wants to join us please let Bob or Hilary know.
What is disappointing is the lack of volunteers to support the course by being willing to prepare the Alpha meal so that the participants can enjoy the course without undue delays. There are still several Tuesday evenings where no-one has come forward to help out and I would urge some of you who are not participating in this course to consider helping out. We are not looking for anything elaborate but it is an integral part of the course and sets each meeting off to a good start. If you can help in this way please add your name to the list on the church notice board. Many thanks.
MAY DAY TREK – Christian Aid Sponsored Walk
Some of you might feel able to rise to the challenge of either a 5, 10, 15 or even 17 mile sponsored walk on May 1st this year and raise funds for Christian Aid. The walks all start from St Luke’s Church, Blackbrook Road, Lodge Moor, 10-10.30am with check-in from 9.45am. They take in the Hallamshire Moors on the edge of the Peak District and it is an ideal way to spend your Bank Holiday. For further details please pick up a leaflet in the rack at the foot of the Notice Board.
Mystery Play– 1st April
Plans for this major event are now at an advanced stage, with full co-operation from the city authorities, and all we have to do is turn up and be part of the crowd – and we want everyone who is capable of walking from Tudor Square to the Peace Gardens, to the City Hall steps and finally to the Cathedral to come along and make up the numbers!
There are a number of acting parts required but the requests for these will be made elsewhere, and there is also a need for up to thirty stewards, from the city centre churches.
This is going to be a major Christian event in the city centre and is not to be missed. It is also a great privilege for us to be so heavily involved in something so significant yet all the planning and the hard work has been done for us.
Please make an effort to support this event which will start around 2pm outside the Lyceum.
Staffing the Cross
This year the rota will include people from different churches each day. Let Ann Hammond have your list of the times that you can offer so that the plan can be put into action for Easter week.
Minibus Trip
The next Mystery Minibus Trip will take place on Friday 17th March and if you are interested in having a gentle ride through the countryside, plenty of friendly chatter and a pleasant lunch somewhere suitable, please put your name on the list on the Notice Board. We will set off at 10.30am and we usually get back around 3.30pm. There is a charge of £5 each for the minibus but in addition you will need to buy your lunch and the “almost obligatory” ice cream!
Bob.
Dates for Church Meetings
It was decided at the Church Meeting held on 1st March that Church Meetings would be held on Sundays after the morning service. The dates set are 30th April, 9th July, 10th September, 12th November 2006. They will commence at 12 noon and finish no later than 1.30pm. This change will be reviewed at the meeting in November to assess its success or otherwise in the numbers attending.
Ideas Meeting – what a great response!
Well done to all who came along to the Ideas Meeting and contributed a whole range of suggestions which will now be deliberated and prayed about. They are very varied, as you might imagine, and there has been a lot of thought put into them, which will give a few headaches to those who are going to try and develop these thoughts.
Thanks particularly to Ann and Rosie who took it upon themselves to provide tea and coffee that morning in the Norfolk Room to enable the meeting to be short and sweet without undue delays and without any mishaps with hot coffee cups being carried down the stairs.
Palm Sunday
The Service of Witness at the Cross on Palm Sunday will be followed by lunch for all the congregations at Central. This is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship with our fellow Christians in the city centre. Do join the witness on what for so many people now is just another shopping day. Let us make an impact that will build on that of the Passion Play on 1st April.
Easter Day
We will start the day with a Communion Service at 9am, which will be followed by an Easter Day Breakfast at 9.45am. The morning service at 10.45am this year will comprise hymns, songs and readings appropriate to this the most important occasion of the Christian calendar. In the afternoon, for those who are so inclined, there will be an Easter Party for all ages at Bob and Sylvia’s, which will include an Easter Egg hunt, Easter Bonnet competition and other seasonal activities. Please bring your home made bonnet with you (optional) and be prepared to have a good time.
The Leprosy Mission
Last year Central raised £281 for the work of the Mission. Lynda King, the Yorkshire Area Co-ordinator, has written to thank us for our efforts.
There are other ways in which we can help. They offer a collection service for used ink and toner cartridges and mobile phones. Recycling boxes are available should there be sufficient interest amongst the congregation for them to be placed on site.
It is also suggested that those of us who are knitters could knit a sponsored 6" square and support two charities. The aim is to make as many 3 foot by 4 foot blankets (made up of 6 inch squares) as possible in the month of April. Each participant is invited to obtain sponsorship per square, which will be in aid of the Leprosy Mission, the completed blankets and any extra squares will go to Feed the Children to be used world wide. If you already knit blankets for another charity perhaps you would consider being sponsored for the Mission for your knitting in April. The target is to raise £2000 for physiotherapy equipment to help those whose hands have been affected by leprosy to regain mobility after surgery.
Talk to Christine Holland if you would like to be involved.
Focus on Fairtrade
A MORI poll carried out in 2005 showed that half the British population now recognise the FAIRTRADE mark. This mark is the only guarantee that farmers and growers in the developing world have been paid a fair price for the goods that they grow. Under the conventional trading system many coffee growers, for example, receive less for their crop than the cost of growing it.
The FAIRTRADE mark also guarantees that workers have safe working conditions – for banana growers this means not using the dangerous chemicals used on conventional plantations and clearly that’s better for the environment, too.
In addition to the price paid directly to producers and growers, the Fairtrade scheme pays a small “social premium” to be used for the benefit of the community. These premiums had been used to fund, amongst many other things, schools, healthcare facilities, clean water schemes, electricity – all in direct response to local need.
There are now over 1,000 products bearing the FAIRTRADE mark and they are available in all major supermarkets. It isn’t just tea and coffee either – you can buy Fairtrade jams, mangoes, pineapples, nuts, rice, roses, chocolate, footballs, wine and beer and many other products. The first clothes and other cotton products bearing the FAIRTRADE mark became available last autumn.
The Fairtrade Mark was first introduced in 1994 when total sales of products bearing the mark were £2.7 million. In 2004 (the latest year for which figures are currently available) sales were £2.7 million per week, with total sales of £140 million.
From small beginnings of committed individuals selling Traidcraft products to their congregations after Sunday services, Fairtrade is now a significant commercial force (comprising one fifth of the UK roast and ground coffee market) and has improved the lives of over 5 million people in the developing world. This is the parable of the mustard seed in action – we may feel helpless in the face of world poverty, but God can use our small actions to transform the world.
Sheffield is now a Fairtrade City, meaning that Fairtrade products are readily available in local shops and cafés/restaurants.
To find out more visit www.fairtrade.org.uk or www.fairtradesheffield.org.uk
Jesus said : “He has sent me to bring good news to the poor” Luke 4:18
There are more references in the Bible to responding to the poor than any other topic. And it is the poorest people in the world who are suffering at the hands of unfair trade. So what might “good news” mean for them? The verse goes on to talk about liberation of captives, protecting the week, and the coming of justice so that all can be included in God’s Kingdom. Fairtrade has justice at its heart – a fair system that frees producers from exploitation, enabling them to lift themselves out of poverty.
Subject: what is love? This is so good!
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love. Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss al the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt." Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image) Karen - age 7
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."Jessica - age 8
And the final one –
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry".
When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need.
Father, God bless all my friends in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! And may their life be full of your peace, which transcends all understanding. Amen.
Prayer Focus
Week One
Next Wednesday, 8th March we are beginning the Lent Studies at St Matthew’s Church. There is more detailed information about them in the front page article. Last year they proved to be both interesting and stimulating, as well as being a great opportunity to meet with members of the other city centre churches. Pray that they will be well attended and another good meeting and discussion place for Christians in Sheffield. Better still, why not come and be part of something special?
Week Two
We are in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight. We should all be aware of how important the movement for fair trade is for so many farmers and growers in the Third World, as it has begun to make a difference in their lives. Pray for the continuing growth of this awareness that more people will buy things with a conscious effort to support fair trade.
Week Three
Next weekend is the beginning of British Summer Time. This almost inevitably catches someone out! Clocks go forward. As we, hopefully, move towards the better weather of spring, pray for those both in our fellowship and in the wider community for whom winter is always a difficult time. May they feel better and more able to get out into the community. Make us aware, also, of those for whom increasing infirmity makes going out difficult. Pray that we do not allow them to be shut-in and cut-off from life outside their four walls.
Week Four
Elsewhere there are details about the Passion Play to be performed in the city centre next Saturday. This is an incredible opportunity for witness, which has been sanctioned by the city council. Pray that it will be a chance that we will take and use with all the power and will that we can muster. This could be the beginning of something that will grow and flourish over the years to come. Let’s be in at the start!
This Sunday is Mothering Sunday when we think about mothers in general and mothers in particular. Pray that no mother will feel forgotten or neglected today; where distance or disagreement has caused a rift; pray for healing, understanding and forgiveness.
