CARL BEECH

Carl Beech, International Director of Christian Vision for Men, was the guest speaker at a recent Men’s Breakfast.  He told us that he supports West Ham, been married for 20 years, has 2 teenage daughters. 3 chickens, a cat and a dead hamster!  He’s also been around the world with a mission to introduce as many men as possible to Jesus Christ. 

He told us about addressing a men’s club on their curry night.  “In the audience was a skinhead with tattoos all over his neck, looking at me aggressively.  At the end he came up to me, right up to my face, and said, ‘Are you telling me your Jesus Christ can forgive anyone – even Nazis who gassed people in prison camps?’  I promised him that was true and he burst into tears!”  He told Carl he was a General in one of the most violent of civil movements but was now ready to put all that behind him and give his life to Jesus.  And years later, quite by chance, Carl came across him giving tips to others on how they could share their lives with Jesus too. 

Carl’s wasn’t the most religious of upbringings.  His father, a member of the Police Flying Squad, was hardly ever at home and his motto was “Never trust anyone.”  Carl’s first real brush with Christianity came in his late teens when a man distributing Gideon’s Bibles gave one to him, telling him. “This book changes people’s lives.”  Carl promised to read it, did so – and it certainly changed his. 

Dared by a friend to go to church – and realising there were some attractive girls sitting in the back row – Carl started to make church-going a habit and eventually “became what many describe as a ‘God Fearer’.”  Not only that, he is now happily married to one of those ‘attractive girls’. 

Carl’s journey with God has been strongly influenced by Hebrews 13:5 where the Lord says you are not alone any more.  This passage has cropped up regularly in his life and he commended it to us with the advice “Don’t procrastinate your way through life.  At least take the trouble to investigate any thoughts you might have about Jesus and talk to somebody in the church about them.” 

AFN

LIBRARY STAFF HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS

Well, they had more of the answers than any other team at the recent Ickenham Festival Charity Quiz Night!  The November evening in the Village Hall was the usual sell-out and all enjoyed pitting their wits against questions prepared and presented by Nikki Summerfield and Doug Neilson. 

From the proceeds of the evening, the top five teams won cheques for their nominated charities totalling £300. 

RUKIGA REVISITED

Come Boxing Day, the TV adverts will begin, encouraging us all to turn our thoughts to planning for a break in 2014, hopefully in warmer climes.  Well, a group of eleven from our two churches already have their tickets booked: in February they are off for a ten day visit to Rukiga in Uganda. 

Over the last seven years, our CLICK Rukiga project has been developing links between this area and the Ickenham community, with fundraising helping to improve water provision, provide child sponsorship, and improve facilities in local schools too.  A number of smaller group visits helped to set all this in motion, with project leader Mike Whitlam accompanying others on these trips. 

This one, with the larger group (all travelling at their own expense) is more of a fact-finding mission, giving more Ickenham folk the chance to meet some of our new friends, learn about their lives and tell them something about ours. 

During the visit, the group will join in Sunday worship at St James’ Church.  Their services tend to be longer than ours generally, but Wendy Williams (who has been to Rukiga on one of the earlier trips) has warned her fellow travellers that, as the congregation will be keen to welcome them, they should expect the service to last about 3 hours! 

Other planned highlights during the stay will include a real ‘African home welcome’, meeting families of some of the children sponsored by our project in their own homes.  There will be a trip to Kamwezi School, which is benefiting from its link with Vyners School, and a chance to meet Florence Tumuheirwe and the women’s groups she champions.  The local football team are due to demonstrate their skills – and since the visitors are eleven strong, perhaps a challenge will be made?  (In this case, we think our money is on the home team!)  And there will be a visit to a game park before returning to Kampala and the homeward journey. 

Joint leaders Wendy and Liz Wadland have been coordinating plans, and everyone has been getting numerous vaccinations.  Group members will be taking small, easy to transport, but useful gifts with them – solar lights, wind-up torches, reading glasses and some Ickenham tea towels!  These have been bought with donations from both Ickenham congregations and the group members send their thanks for that. 

Everyone is raring to go.  And as the group includes regular ICN newshound Alan Noad, you can be sure you will read all about the trip on their return.  

LIZ WADLAND