WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER

On 7th March, Ickenham’s United Reformed Church hosted this year’s Women’s World Day of Prayer service.  Themed ‘Streams in the Desert’, it was prepared by the Christian women of Egypt for observance by women in churches throughout the world.  

Some 70 women, and a few men, from five local churches (the URC and St Giles’ in Ickenham; St Martin’s, the Methodist and Sacred Heart Catholic churches in Ruislip), were welcomed by the sounds and pictures of Egypt.  The service was led by Anne Whitlam.  Representatives of the various churches including Heather Piper, Celia Miller, Patricia Potter and Diana May, with others ladies in a variety of Egyptian dress, took part in a tableau focussing on the importance of water for everyone, whether in the desert or anywhere in the world.  Afterwards, Egyptian-inspired refreshments were served in the church hall and a vote of thanks was given by a member from St Martin’s to all those involved in the service and catering.
PMP

“GOD KNOWS ABOUT MAGNETICS”

So Glyn James informed us at the latest Men’s Breakfast, when he told us his story of the ‘race’ he has been ‘running’ after becoming a follower of Jesus, thirty one years ago!  Glyn was quoting from Hebrews, where St Paul encourages us to, “Run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”   Glyn’s “race” began aged 6, when he went to his local Salvation Army church.  Captivated by the brass band, and inspired by his parents’ love of jazz, he learnt to play the cornet, trumpet and guitar, and co-founded a Jazz Band at secondary school that is still playing 37 years later!

Whilst studying electronics at London University, Glyn was invited by some American missionaries to attend a series of talks called "Basic Christianity".  Over the 10 weeks’ course, Glyn became convinced of the truth of the story of Jesus.  And whilst working on his first research assignment for the Plessey Company, post graduation, Glyn experienced God speaking to him.  His project was not going too well and his experimental results were not as expected or predicted.  Panicking, Glyn went for walk and prayed to God for His help.  That's when the thought, "Glyn, do you think I know nothing about magnetics?" came into his head, followed by a deep sense of peace that all would work out well.  Glyn believes God then helped him uncover the flaws in his research which, when corrected, produced the results expected.  Since then Glyn has asked God for His help and guidance in his work on many occasions, believing that God is interested in all aspects of our life, not just what happens on a Sunday.

Glyn ended by summarising the key things that kept him “running the race”:  the knowledge that God loves and knows him and he knows God; the sense of fulfilment that comes from "making my life count" in serving others inside and outside the church; and finally, the anticipation of receiving the “end prize”, which is seeing God face-to-face.  

 AFN

BEWARE OF FRAUD!

Lloyds Bank in Ickenham has warned customers that fraudsters have been active in the area recently, targeting customers and duping them into making large cash withdrawals, sometimes thousands of pounds, which the fraudsters then take from them, or make transfers to a fraudster’s account.  A spokesperson from Lloyds Bank said, “Typically the fraudsters convince the customer that they are phoning from the branch or the Police, and need them to make the withdrawal or transfer in order to help us test our processes, but it’s important to understand that we will never contact customers and ask them to withdraw or transfer money in this way.”

The Police have already been involved with a number of these cases in Ickenham and Lloyds Bank is keen to support and protect its customers.  The spokesperson continued, “The safety and protection of our customers is always a priority and we urge anyone who suspects they may be being contacted in this manner not to comply with the instruction but to contact the Bank immediately on 0845 425 5724, or Lloyd’s Head Office on 08453 000 000”.