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February 2013

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FROM ST GILES’ CLERGY



It’s got nothing to do with lending something, or leaning on something, so what is Lent?  Well it’s a season, but not like Autumn or Spring.  It’s examination, but not a test.  It’s study, but not for a qualification.  It’s preparation, but not for an event. 

It’s easier to say when it is than what it is.  Beginning on Ash Wednesday, it lasts until Easter Sunday, and when you don’t count the Sundays it is 40 days long.  This year it runs from Wednesday 13th February, to 31st March. 

Christians do less of some things during Lent and more of others.  We give up something to make space for something we don’t normally do.  Not just anything - we aim to do something that will help us grow as Christians. 

Stopping, slowing down, resting and reflecting are often overlooked in our busy lives.  People who live in convents and monasteries are experienced at this and have much to teach us.  This is what one Sister has written about LENT:


Learning to listen
Entering into the quiet
Noticing what is in my heart
Taking time to just ‘be’ and not always ‘do’

Just ‘being’ can seem difficult and almost frightening, particularly if you haven’t discovered that when you are on your own, you are really not alone.  God is there.  Being with God on your own might also seem frightening unless you know him, but you can know him through faith in Jesus Christ.

When we learn to listen to Jesus, when we enter quiet with him, when we notice the way our lives make sense when our heart beats in time with his, we will find that just ‘being’ can be as productive as ‘doing’.  This is the spirit of Lent – examining where we are in our relationship with Christ, and being prepared to follow him. 

To assist us, we have several groups meeting each week during Lent where we study the Bible and encourage each other to grow as Christians.  Contact the church office if you want to know more.  At a special Lent talk on Thursday 14th March at 8pm in the URC we will be thinking about God’s concern for the environment.  The speaker will be Revd Dave Bookless of A Rocha, the Christian environmental organisation.   And there will be short reflective services of Night Prayer in St Giles’ every Wednesday at 8pm during Lent too. 

The discipline of Lent is ancient, but still much needed in our contemporary world.  What could you do this Lent?
God bless, Adrian

 

CONFIRMED BY BISHOP PETE

The Bishop of Willesden, The Right Reverend Peter Broadbent, recently confirmed six new candidates in St Giles’ church.  They were: Jackie and Andy Child, a young couple with three children; Dan Turner, a teenager and member of Pathfinders; Dennis Brownlie, aged 80 and member of St Giles’ Church Watch team; Jack James who attends Youth Alpha and his mother, Marcia James-Patterson. 

Marcia has been active in St Giles’ for the last year or so and is known to be quite a character.  During the confirmation service Adrian asked her what had first attracted her to St Giles’.  “You did,” she replied, “When I first came here to my brother’s wedding two years ago, you were very funny and charming!  I came back to a service and liked the way it was conducted and organised, so decided this is where I wanted to be”.  When Adrian asked about her ambitions, Marcia said, “Possibly to be a Woman Bishop!”  It certainly seems likely that we will hear from her again! 

In his Sermon, Bishop Pete spoke of the reading from John’s Gospel, where Jesus, on being interrogated by Pontius Pilate, admitted that He was in fact a King – but not of this world.  The Bishop told the candidates that when confirmed they too would hold two passports – one for the United Kingdom and one for the other - eternal - Kingdom of Jesus Christ.  As the Bishop put it, “Jesus shows that He is Christ the King and God made us human beings to be in conversation with Him.” 
AFN

 

FROM THE URC MINISTER

On 13th January we received our first visit from Rev. Dr. Andrew Prasad as Moderator of Thames North Synod of the United Reformed Church.  He wanted to come to get to know Ickenham URC, and for us to get to know him.  This is particularly timely as he has a part in the process for seeking new ministry after I retire at the end of May. 

But that is not all he does.  He sees his job as having four main parts: strategic leadership; oversight of the Synod’s resources in terms of personnel, property and money; pastoral care of the ministers; and ecumenically representing the URC. 

Andrew brought greetings from the Synod to the congregation at the start of his sermon; by “the Synod” he means the 140 local churches working together in the URC Thames North area.  That includes Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, as well as London north of the Thames.  While the Anglicans have Bishops in each of those areas, Andrew has to meet with all of them, and the leaders of other denominations, in five different regular ecumenical gatherings.

The share of URC ministers that Thames North can have this year is the equivalent of 40 full-time.  To serve 140 local churches, this means an average of more than 3 churches per minister.  Some ministers serve a church part time, and may have other work, like I have an ecumenical job.  I will be retiring from that post as well, and will not be replaced. 

So during the next few months Ickenham URC will be reviewing its sense of purpose, its mission with St. Giles’ in the local community, and what sort of ministry will help to fulfil the objectives identified.  A partner from another church will help in this process of church life review.  The West London Area Committee of the Synod will help to coordinate this with the mission, needs and resources of other local churches in the area.  And the Synod Moderator adds a national dimension, as well as his own strategic perspective.

What about Andrew’s own background?  He told us he was born in Allahabad.  He worked as a minister of the Church of North India in local and national posts, and came to London in 1989 to be Executive Secretary for Personnel and Training in the Council for World Mission.  (That was how Gwen and I first met him, when we returned from service in Papua New Guinea.)  After 11 years in that role, he was Coordinator of Asian Ministries in South London, and then Minister of Dulwich Grove URC and other local churches until he was called to be Thames North Moderator in 2008.  You can read more about him on the Synod’s new website www.thamesnorth.net.
Bernie

 

WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER

The Women’s World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions, who come together to observe a common day of prayer on the first Friday of March.  Each year, the programme is prepared by a different group of women.  This year, the women of France have prepared a service entitled “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

The service for Ickenham and Ruislip will be held at 12.30pm on Friday 1st March at St Martin’s Church, Ruislip.  Although the service has been initiated by women, the invitation to attend is warmly extended to all – men and women, young and old.  The service will last about an hour, but please stay on afterwards if you can, and enjoy a lunch ‘French style’ in the church hall. 

For further details, please contact Anne Whitlam on 01895 678169. 

 

ST GILES’ CHURCH STREET PRAYER LIST

Each Sunday at St Giles’ Church we pray for all the people who live or work in a particular road in the Parish.  During February we will pray for the following roads: 

Feb 3rd              Summer Gardens
Feb 10th            Sussex Road
Feb 17th            Swakeleys Drive
Feb 24th            Swakeleys Road

If you live in one of these roads why not join us at our 8am or 9.45am services?  You will be most welcome. 

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