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CONTACT

Magazine of Erdington Methodist ChurchStation Road - March 2012

ContentsMinister’s Letter 3In CONTACT this month . . . 4Everything you wanted to know about . . . Mothering Sunday? 5For your diaries 7Lunch Club SOS 8PM urged to take strong action on alcohol pricing 8Project Update 9Ida and Louise Cook 10Erdington Methodist Church 40th Anniversary Celebrations 11Lent Course 12This Winter’s Garden 13Sent away 14QUIZ at Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church 15Children’s Pages 16Is letter writing a dying art? 18From my Sketchbook – ‘The Dovecote’ 19Christian CPD 20Could you live on £1 a day? 21The day Lesley and Eric visited us 22Action for Children's Young Methodist Voices Network 23How God works 23Rough sleeping highest in areas where housing is most unaffordable 24Foodbank 25The campaign for The Real Easter Egg continues 26BBC’s Olympic plans offer open door for churches 27Pilgrimage 28How many words does it take? 29Prayer for Syria 30March 2012 Regular Meetings 31Weekly Church Activities 32

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Minister’s LetterDear Friends

The question often asked at this time of year is “What have you given up for Lent?” The answer I hear most often is, of course, chocolate. I’ve never really understood why the giving up of chocolate should be seen as such a virtue – yes, it might help in losing weight and will certainly save money – but has it got anything to do with travelling to Jerusalem with Jesus? I guess those who find it helpful to refrain from chocolate at this time of year would say it is a discipline. But is it a spiritual discipline?

In the early days of the church the season of Lent was the time when candidates for baptism were prepared for their initiation into the church on Easter Sunday. It was the most important time in their lives.

I wonder how important we think this season is today?

If Lent for us is purely about giving up things then it is probably a pretty miserable time. But if, on the other hand, we see it as a time to take on something extra, such as reading a spiritual book or setting aside more time to read the Bible and pray, or even giving more time to others or more money to good causes, then it can be a beautiful time.

The choice is ours. How will you spend your Lent?

Jane

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In CONTACT this month . . .We learn about the traditions of Mothering Sunday

We are all challenged to get involved in many different things in numerous ways

There is an update on our Church Project

And information about our 40th anniversary celebrations

Ann tells us about her winter garden that isn’t so ‘winter-like’ and shares another of her beautiful drawings with us

Barbara asks us is letter writing a dying art?

We learn what Lesley and Eric have been getting up to

We are challenged to live on £1 per day

We learn about potential new initiatives in the Erdington area

We are asked to think of buying Easter Eggs that actually celebrate Easter!

Your prayers are asked for Syria

As always we hope you find plenty to interest you in this month’s CONTACT and if you think that you have better ideas then please write them down and hand them to any of the team listed on the back page or email us of course . . .

You may also like to know that the Church Website has undergone a revamp. Take a look at www.mine.org.uk

Enjoy . . .

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Everything you wanted to know about . . .Mothering Sunday?Mothering Sunday is a time when we all give thanks for our mothers.

Many churches give the children in the congregation a little bunch of spring flowers to give to their mothers as a thank you for all their care and love throughout the year.

Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) is always the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Mothering Sunday has been celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent since at least the 16th century. It was also known as 'Refreshment Sunday', Pudding Pie Sunday (in Surrey, England) or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. It was a day when the Lent fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the 'Feeding of the Five Thousand'.

No one is absolutely certain exactly how the name of Mothering Sunday began. However, one theory is that the celebration could have been adopted from a Roman Spring festival celebrating Cybele, their Mother Goddess.

As Christianity spread, this date was adopted by Christians. The epistle in the Book of Common Prayer for this Sunday refers to the heavenly Jerusalem as "the Mother of us all", and this may have prompted the customs we still see today.

It is known on this date, about four hundred years ago, people made a point of visiting their nearest big church (the Mother Church). The church in which each person was baptised. Cathedrals are the 'mother church' of all other churches in an area ('diocese') in the Anglican church.

People who visited their mother church would say they had gone "a mothering."

Young British girls and boys 'in service' (maids and servants) at the local manor house or in a mansion, were only allowed one day to visit their family each year. This was usually on Mothering Sunday.

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For some this could be a significant journey since their mother may have lived some distance away, indeed another town altogether from the Manor where they were put in to service. Often the housekeeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home for their mother. Sometimes a gift of eggs; or flowers from the garden (or hothouse) was allowed.

Maids were put in to service for the Landed Gentry and paid a small salary but boarded free of charge. They dealt with everything from cleaning and washing to cooking, so to have a day of rest and be able to visit their mother was quite a privilege.

Mothering Sunday is also sometimes know as Simnel Sunday because of the tradition of baking simnel cakes.

The most favoured cake was - as it still is in some families - the 'simnel cake'.

‘I’ll to thee a Simnell bring‘Gainst thou go’st a mothering,So that, when she blesseth thee,Half that blessing thou’lt give to me.’ Robert Herrick 1648

The Simnel cake is a fruit cake. A flat layer of marzipan (sugar almond paste) is placed on top of and decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas, who betrayed Christ.

It was not eaten on Mothering Sunday because of the rules of Lent, instead it was saved until Easter.

The word simnel probably derived from the latin word ‘simila’, meaning fine, wheaten flour from which the cakes were made.

A Simnel is still made in many parts of England today, although it is now more commonly made for and eaten on Easter Day.

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For your diariesE100 Bible ChallengeCongratulations if you have made it to the end or are almost there. There will be a celebration at Nechells on Wednesday March 7th at 7.30 pm where people from the three churches can share in some worship and look at what we have gained and what we might like to do next. All are welcome.  Quiet DayYou are invited to a Quiet Day will take place on Saturday 31st March at Kingstanding Methodist Church, 10 for 10.30 am - 3.30 pm

This will involve short input sessions and then some quiet times for reflection. Bring your sandwiches and drinks will be provided. Easter services

Maundy Thursday 5th April 7.30 pm - Holy Communion - United service at Erdington to include simple meal of bread and soup. Good Friday 6th April 10.30 am - Churches Together hold an open air service on Erdington High Street (by the Co-op) Good Friday 6th April 7.30 pm  We hope you can join us for a Taize service at Erdington Easter Sunday 8th April 8.00 am - Holy Communion followed by Easter breakfast Easter Sunday 8th April 10.30 am - Easter Morning Worship including Holy Communion

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Lunch Club SOSPlease can  anyone help us. We seriously need of helpers, ability to cook not essential. If you are unable to help, perhaps you know someone who could , they don’t have to be a Church Member or even attend our church.

We serve dinners on the first and third Wednesdays in the month.

It’s getting very serious now and sadly if we can`t get any help we may have to close.    Thank you

Elizabeth Livingstone

PM urged to take strong action on alcohol pricingA coalition of national Churches and charities has written to the Prime Minister asking him to introduce a minimum unit price on all alcohol sold in Britain when the government’s alcohol strategy is announced later this month.

The group is also encouraging individuals to write to their MPs, highlighting the problems caused by cheap alcohol in their local area and asking them to support per unit minimum pricing.

A survey conducted in December last year revealed that 61% of UK adults believe that excessive drinking is a problem (from minor to major) in their neighbourhood. The survey commissioned by the Methodist Church, United Reformed Church and Baptist Union of Great Britain asked people to judge the effects of alcohol on the area within walking distance from their home, or where they use local facilities.

from the Methodist Church News Service

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Project updateOur thanks to everyone who contributed to the many ideas put forward for this project. At our first meeting we sorted the suggestions into areas of the church and whether we thought they would be low or high cost. These are displayed on a white board which most of you will have seen by now. We also identified tasks that can be met by the church family at little or no cost. This includes some tidying up, making notices neater and replacing hand written ones with printed copies, and removing those which are ‘tired looking’. Ongoing notices should be replaced regularly.

By now the next stage of the process will be under way. Continuing our policy of including the whole church family in this project, Gerald has produced a form for you to complete based on the whiteboard information. You have been asked to list what you feel are the priorities in this venture. From your earlier response we know that several of you came up with the same ideas.

Make sure you note the following dates of fund-raising efforts:-

March 10thProject launch coffee morning. There will be a raffle, cake stall and gift stall and the opportunity to make a donation. Please note that we do not want any bric-a-brac, only new or nearly new for the gift stall. It is hoped to have a bric-a-brac coffee morning later when you can bring it all then. The idea is to buy a plastic bag (or bring your own and pay at the door) and fill it with whatever you want.

June 23rdBric-a-brac coffee morning

October 6thSmarty’s Ladies Fashion ShowThe one held last March was enjoyable and successful and we hope that this one will do even better.

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Lastly we encourage you to think of ways to raise money and hold your own event towards this. The organizing group are Gerald Peel, Hilary Price, Jan Payne, Jacky Scott and Lesley Morgan.

Ida and Louise CookNever heard of them? Well neither had I until I read about a new book celebrating the 27 British men and women who were given the Hero of The Holocaust award. This was the UK Government's rather belated award to honour those who had very daringly and, at great personal risk, saved Jews during the Nazi period.

When Ida and Louise heard about the plight of the Jews in Germany shortly before war broke out, they used their love of opera as cover to travel into and out of pre – war Germany. In various and innovative ways, these remarkable sisters provided a lifeline for a number of desperate Jews to escape to England, using their own money to pay, not only for the travel but also as support when the people they saved arrived in England.

In 1965, Ida and Louise were named Righteous Among The Nations by Israel's Holocaust memorial authority. They were two of only 14 Britons so honoured.The sisters were described as having the finest qualities in the British character; decency, kindness and fairness. Ida put it differently; “We called ourselves Christian” she said, “and tried to do our best.”

Anthony Griffin

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Erdington Methodist Church Centre40th Anniversary Celebrations 1972 – 20122012 heralds 40 years since the opening of the current Church building at Station Road/Wesley Road which marked the amalgamation of existing Methodist Chapels in Erdington and their congregations. The Church, in the New Testament means the ‘people of God’ and therefore an Anniversary is a time for celebrating the life and witness of the people within the church both past and present, as well as the building as a venue for worship and community service. Throughout the coming year we are planning a series of events which we hope will be inclusive of all who are connected with the church or use the church building in any way both past and present as a community resource.

Please put the following dates in your diary:

Saturday 21st April 2012 - Circuit Coffee Morning with the usual range of refreshments including bacon baps. This will also include a car wash organised by the Uniformed Organisations, Cake, Book & Craft stalls, Raffle, Tombola, and a variety of additional stalls provided by some of the groups who use our rooms for their meetings. We will also have a ‘Games’ area and other activities for younger children.

Sunday 8th July 2012 - The Church Anniversary Service for which Rev Dr Richard Jones has been invited to preach. This will be followed by a three course Dinner. Invites are being sent out to previous members and Ministers of the church to join us on this celebration day.

Further information and Tickets at a cost of £5.00 per person will be available in due course.

There will also be a display of memorabilia showing us some of the history of the church, its members and its impact on the local community

Sunday 15th July 2012 - Picnic in the Park. Weather permitting

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Saturday 15th September 2012 - Harvest Supper and ‘Revue’. Following a shared tea we plan to put together some light entertainment from within our church family. Not to be missed! Details to follow.

We encourage you to look out for specific details in the weekly notices and the monthly Contact for each event or speak to one of the 40th Anniversary Planning Team – Jan Payne, David Hewitt, Moya Farley & Christine Rankin

Lent CourseThere will be opportunity to share in a Lent Course at Kingstanding during March. On Fridays 2nd, 9th, 16th and 30th we will meet from 7.45 pm to approximately 9 - 9.15 pm. The sessions will be completely non-threatening and no one has to either speak or pray if they don’t want to!

We will be studying the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3 - 10) using the same course material as the ecumenical groups in Erdington. The introduction to the course includes the following explanation -

“Christianity is essentially a “lifestyle” religion. It is as much about what and who we are as about what we say or believe. The Scriptures are not primarily books of doctrine, but rather stories of how the revelation of God has made an impact on and shaped the lives of those who have heard its message.

We live in a rapidly changing world. Increasingly, ours is a culture where people are less interested in religious activity than in “spirituality”, and more interested in“resources for living” than in doctrines or creeds. In a climate where lifestyle and well-being are major preoccupations and where values and codes are judged by whether they work, the challenge for the church is twofold: to equip its members to more wholly live their faith; and to demonstrate to those outside the church that a knowledge of God makes sense of the whole of life. The Beatitudes focus our minds on what makes us truly happy. These eight short verses are a rich mine of resources for living. They call us to “live the kingdom now” and to encounter God’s blessing as we do this.”

If you would like to join this group just turn up for the sessions you can manage. Jane

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This Winter’s GardenThis winter has seemed all topsy-turvy in my garden. I have had a penstemon in full bloom alongside the primroses. Hardy cyclamen began flowering in autumn as expected, but instead of them dying down and experiencing a short spell without any before the spring ones open, there seemed to be a continuation of flowering right through. Penstemons usually bloom in July! And this particular penstemon ‘Apple Blossom’ is not particularly hardy, and was grown from a cutting I managed to get going during the summer. It must enjoy its location. The first snowdrops began to thrust their brave heads above the soil on January 6th, a full month earlier than usual, and by now, the final week into January, a veritable carpet spreads around the base of the shrubs. The crocuses are up and bursting and the tete-a-tete daffodils a full three inches above ground.

I have to say, I don‘t like it when things come too soon! I look forward to spring in its proper time, not all through winter. Perhaps it’s a good thing that a spell of cold, frosty weather is forecast for the coming week. It might, at least hold them back a bit.

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Have you noticed too that there have been a number of flowering cherries blossoming? I know there are some which are intended to flower early, but I’m sure not this early!

It’s been so mild that I have been keeping an eye on the pond to see if the frogs have decided to take up residence. Fortunately, they haven’t, so maybe their spawn will stand a chance if they leave it a bit. I hate to see frog-spawn frozen solid on the top of the pond.

The structure of the winter garden gives pleasure as the evergreens keep winter interest going, and it is great to walk round on a clear frosty morning and see the patterns of skeletal plants frosted. It’s a pleasure to study the different shapes of grasses, evergreen ferns, leaves and twigs alongside evergreens silvered with frost.

After last summer, when I was recovering from my hip replacement and anticipating an arthroscopy on my knee, the garden became rather neglected. I hate to see it like that, as I’m a keen gardener. I will have a lot of ‘catching-up’ to do this year. It was quite a challenge when I decided to open the garden two years ago, raising money for the church, and I would love to do that again. But it takes stamina and continual effort throughout the year on my part, so we’ll see how things go. One thing is certain I can hardly wait for spring to begin so that I can get working again! And the joy of seeing it all come back to life once again is more than sufficient reward.

Ann Tomes

Sent awayAn irritated mother complained to her friend: “When I was a kid, my parents sent me to my room without supper if I misbehaved. But my son has his own TV, telephone, computer, and every computer game and CD player in his room!"

"So how do you handle it?" her friend asked. "I send him to MY room!" she replied.

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QUIZat

SUTTON COLDFIELD METHODIST CHURCH

Saturday, 17 March(7.00 pm for 7.15 pm start)

Do join us with a team of

4 to 6 people or individually

To register contact 323 3425

The cost is £6.00 per person and includes a baked potato supper

Proceeds for the Church Community Project, St Giles Hospice

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Is letter writing a dying art?This is a question of some concern, particularly for those of us who are of a certain age. Since computers and mobile phones became a part of everyday life, many of us cannot fail to notice that handwritten letters arrive on our doorsteps only very infrequently. Life moves on at an ever increasing pace and let’s face it, emailing is so much quicker and more convenient than picking up a pen and writing by hand. Messages arrive instantly and typed mistakes are easily and quickly eradicated. Yes, emails are useful … very useful! Chain letters and photo files are sometimes used now as a means of saying ‘Hi, I’m thinking of you and wish to keep in touch with you’.

So what are the benefits, if any, of handwritten letters?

Your unique style of handwriting connects with the reader on a far more personal level than any email is capable of doing. Receiving a handwritten letter from a friend is tantamount to receiving a gift. Furthermore, and most importantly, a handwritten letter can be the most wonderful, treasured keepsake.

Some employers insist on handwritten applications for a new job and reasons for their insistence are sound. There is reliable evidence, however, that quite a large percentage of teenagers have never written a letter.

Back to the title … Is letter writing a dying art? It appears that it is. In this age of fast moving technology there is still a place, and always will be a place, for the considerably slower process of writing letters by hand and sending them by pigeon post. Contemplating their demise is not only uncomfortable, it’s unthinkable.

Barbara Rawson

Barbara makes a very compelling argument - would a young person like to take up the challenge and argue the benefits of email and instant messaging? - ed

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From my Sketchbook – ‘The Dovecote’This was a very complicated drawing to achieve in pencil and I had to have a couple of attempts to draw it. Firstly, drawing a round(ish) shape in perspective is not an easy thing to do, sitting, as I was, on a slope looking up to the building. To make things harder, there was a small dormer window to one side of the conical roof and the roof tiles were gradually reducing with each layer. The rough stone was another challenge along with the small window and doorway approached by steps. The foliage, which if you are artistic enough to notice, is drawn in the negative; that is I have drawn the

shadows behind the leaves, leaving the white paper as the leaves, making them stand out, which was how I saw them. The ‘Doocot’ as the Scots call this quaint building, was used, as the name suggests, to house doves and pigeons kept for food during Lent.

It stands in the grounds of Craigievar Castle, a Jacobean Tower House in Aberdeenshire. This 17th century iconic house, with its baronial architecture, family portraits and Jacobean woodwork is among the best preserved of Scottish castles. Lived in by the Forbes family for over 350 years, it was donated to The National Trust

for Scotland after being bought by benefactors, including family members, who wished it, along with the vast majority of its contents collected over the centuries by the family, to be preserved.

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The family atmosphere endears it to so many visitors and the Trust has tried to preserve this too.

It sits in a large estate amid parkland with magnificent specimen trees and farmland overlooking spectacular views across pastoral Aberdeenshire.

Ann Tomes

Christian CPDLike many, recently I watched the programme on the telly about the Crusades. Whenever I hear the word Crusade I am immediately reminded of that fateful use of the word by G W Bush after the attack on the twin towers. My knowledge of the European Crusades was until then limited by what I had learned as an enthusiastic history scholar at the age of 12 or 13 and it mainly centred on Richard the Lion Heart, that noble King of England, who not only forgave Robin Hood but also took on the army of the Muslim general Saladin. What I was not aware of, was either the bloodbath that these battles represented or the fact that there was a third Crusade led by an equally valiant and misguided French King, Louis 9th. This third Crusade apparently ran it course and came to a soggy end in the marshes of the Nile Delta. In the end the attempt by European leaders to rule Jerusalem had to founder because it was not logistically possible, given that the only real communication was via a summer only sailing service across the Mediterranean.

In similar vein TV coverage of the Arab Spring has brought us face to face with the plight of the Christians who live in the Middle East; Orthodox in Syria and Copts in Egypt.

The first that I really knew about the Egyptian Coptic church was when I offered overnight hospitality to a doctor who was on a visit to England and who was a Copt. I now understand that St Mark traditionally founded the Coptic Christian church when he went to Egypt during the reign of Nero a few years after Christ’s ascension. Over the next 50 years his teachings spread throughout the country and they represented the entire population of

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the country prior to the Muslim invasion in around the 7th century. They now account for about 15% of the total population. Copts had a significant input into the development of modern Christianity; both Saint Athanasius who authored the Nicene Creed and Saint Anthony, reputedly, the first Christian monk, were of that persuasion.

For the latest edition of the Circuit magazine I was inveigled into writing a short piece about the Bible study run by Richard Jones. While I was trying to find some appropriate words to describe the three courses that he ran I was reminded about comments that are used as the basis for any continuing education programme. If you are not going forward, not learning, then you are going back because others are overtaking you.

Maybe my encounters with the Crusaders, Copts and Richard Jones are trying to tell me something. I need to spend more time on my religious education.

Peter Farley

Could you live on £1 a day?Surviving on £1 a day is the reality facing 1.4 billion people living below the extreme poverty line, but could you live below the line? The challenge is to spend just £5 on food over 5 days in May, helping to raise awareness of issues and to raise money for MRDF, through sponsorship. You can also host ‘Live Below the Line’ events: a cooking competition, quiz night or cake sale.

Last year, people who took part in Live Below the Line for MRDF helped to raise over £9,000 for its work with some of the world’s poorest communities.

Find out more on the MRDF website http://www.mrdf.org.uk/

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The day Lesley and Eric visited usLesley & Eric have been kind enough to visit each section (Beavers, Cubs and Scouts) of the Scout group to teach the children a little about the important job that guide dogs do.

They started with the Scouts before Christmas, and Lesley was able to engage the children in a variety of activities which allowed them to think for a short time about how it might feel to be blind. They learned about the training that a guide dog experiences and Lesley explained her part in that process. They 'acted out' scenarios for Eric, such as being in a crowd of people, and some of the Scouts were then blindfolded and allowed to handle the dog using his harness. They experienced the feeling of having to put their trust in Eric and allowing him to guide them around the room, encountering various challenges along the way!

Here is an account by Jack Smith, one of the scouts who took part:

"On the day the guide dog visited we learnt that the first years of a guide dogs life are for learning commands and manners. We then got to see this first hand by trying some activities. Lesley gave us a blindfold and used Eric to navigate us around obstacles. He had to follow commands and ignore distractions"

The leaders would like to thank Lesley & Eric for their time; everyone had an enjoyable evening. However, judging from the yawns Eric was giving towards the end of the meeting, we think Eric would do better to wait until he is older before coming back to Scouts as he was definitely up past his bedtime!

Lisa Porter Scout Leader, 177th Scout troop.

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Action for Children's Young Methodist Voices NetworkAction for Children’s Young Methodist Voices Network is an exciting new way for young Methodists to get involved in campaigning on behalf of vulnerable and neglected children and young people. Those who join can take part in activities like being a social media ambassador, or helping to lobby politicians.

As part of their ‘Take your action for children’ neglect campaign, Action for Children has launched a new annual review of neglect, Child neglect in 2011. Child neglect affects up to 10% of UK children, yet this research shows that social workers feel powerless to help.

This isn’t right.

Your MP can help by asking the education minister, Michael Gove to take action. Please take your action for children by emailing your MP today.

from the Methodist Church News Service

How God worksA grandmother was taking her young grandson for a walk in the park. The daffodils were in bloom, and it was a beautiful Spring day. Wanting to encourage her grandson’s spiritual understanding of the world, she said: "Doesn't it look like an artist painted this scenery? Did you know God did all this?"

Her grandson replied: "Oh yes, and God did it left handed, too." In astonishment, the grandmother asked what he meant. "Well, he must have done," said her grandson, "because we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on God's right hand."

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Rough sleeping highest in areas where housing is most unaffordableNewly published Government statistics show that rough sleeping has risen in England by 23% in the last year. The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Statistical Release records 2,181 people as sleeping rough on any one night, up from a total of 1,768 in last year's count.Amongst the information contained in the release is the fact that the largest number of rough sleepers per head of population is in the South of England, especially the South West. This corresponds with the areas of the country where housing is most scarce and unaffordable.

All local authorities in England have submitted figures based either on street counts or estimates done in partnership with homelessness agencies such as outreach services. Street counts were carried out by 53 local authorities between October and November 2011 and estimates were done by 273 local authorities.

Housing Justice director Alison Gelder said: “This increase is sadly part of a familiar picture of chronic and growing housing need in society. Churches in the Housing Justice network report that more and more people are asking for help with housing, including families at risk of losing their homes because of the new limits on Local Housing Allowance.

“Churches providing practical assistance to homeless and precariously housed people are struggling to meet the rising demand. New church shelter schemes that opened up this winter, such as those in Milton Keynes and Birmingham, have quickly filled to capacity. As predicted, cuts to local authority funded services and independent advice agencies are starting to bite. And on top of all this the rising cost of food and other essentials is forcing many families into debt just to survive.

from Housing Justice The national voice on Christian action on housing and homelessness

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FoodbankCould our church start a foodbank?

The foodbank network trains churches to set up foodbanks. Each foodbank then engages the whole community in meeting the needs of those struggling in its midst.

In five years the Trussel Trust has launched over 160 foodbanks nationwide. Their fast-growing network fed 61,500 people in 2010/11, compared to 41,000 in 2009/10. But many more people are going hungry in towns with no foodbank, which is why they believe that every town should have one.

The Trussel Trust provide training, support, an operating manual, PR and branding materials, an online forum, annual audits, conferences  and access to the foodbank network’s shared ideas and experience.

The first foodbank started in a garden shed and now feeds 3,000 people every year. Foodbanks can be large or small. Whatever your size or resources you can make a big difference.

The foodbank network was founded in 2004 based on the successful Salisbury foodbank project piloted by The Trussell Trust in 2000.

The Trussell Trust recognised that if an affluent city like Salisbury needed a foodbank, then every town in the UK needed one too: the foodbank network was launched.

Churches Together in Erdington are having a meeting on Wednesday 28th March at St Chad’s Church, Stoneyhurst Road to consider forming a foodbank in the Erdington area. The meeting will start at 7.30 pm and anyone who is interested in this work or feels that they could offer help or just acknowledges that there is a need for a foodbank in the Erdington area is welcome to join them.

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The campaign for The Real Easter Egg continuesOut of 80 million Easter eggs sold in the UK every year, the Real Easter Egg is the only Fairtrade charity faith egg to tell the Easter story on the box.

Last year churches across Britain joined a campaign to try and convince supermarkets that the demand for an Easter Egg, which celebrated the real meaning of Easter, was real and significant. Congregations promoted the egg, took orders, money and place a mail order delivery.

Eventually four supermarkets ordered low numbers to trial the Real Easter Egg with their customers. They all sold out very quickly.

Despite last year's overwhelming demand the supermarkets continue to refuse to place large orders, not wanting mention of Jesus on their shelves, in a significant way next Easter.

So to make the Real Easter Egg campaign a success in 2012, we need Christians to buy their eggs though mail order. Each Real Easter Egg costs £3.99 this year. Please help us make The Real Easter Egg as successful as last year and join the movement to put Jesus back into Easter.

If you want to place an order individually then visit www.realeasteregg.co.uk .

Following feedback from customers, The Real Easter Egg has undergone a make-over. There is now a copy of the Easer story in booklet form inside the box. The Easter message on the outside of the box is a colourful visual as opposed to last year’s text only version. Heavier card has been used with brighter colours and the three crosses on the front are bigger. If you open the lid you will see

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‘Happy Easter’ and there is a quote from the bible-the resurrection text from Mark. These improvements will make the Real Easter Egg an even more attractive gift and it remains a unique way to spread the Easter story in 2012.

In September 2011 more than £26,000 was given away to charity from profits made from the egg, something the Meaningful Chocolate Company promised to do as a sign of the Easter themes of hope and new life. This year 15 pence from each egg will be donated to the charity Traidcraft Exchange.

BBC’s Olympic plans offer open door for churchesThe BBC’s coverage of the 2012 Games will offer churches an open door to engage with their communities. This includes the freedom to show broadcasts at big screen events without needing a special licence.

The assurance was made by Tim Plyming, BBC Project Executive for London 2012 Digital Olympics, when addressing media professionals at the recent conference of the Church and Media Network.

Anyone with a television licence will be free to show transmissions, Tim explained, ‘so long as the content is not changed or charged for’. Even then, BBC broadcasts may be shown at an event like a barbecue, where an admission charge is made to cover food.

In addition, the BBC is to make every event available through digital ‘red-button’ technology. This offers churches a way to serve those from other countries or with an interest in specialised sports.

Tim’s Plyming is responsible for the BBC encouraging and facilitating people to watch the Games together on big screens. This includes identifying and publicising the ‘golden moments’ when people will want to share the experience.

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Tim spoke of the Games being ‘a defining moment’ for television akin to what happened at the Coronation in 1953. That was the first time people gathered round a set as families and friends. For the Olympics it will be a breakthrough in seeing neighbourhoods and communities watching together.

Tim added, ‘Through the use of large screens, the BBC will offer a Henman Hill experience in towns and cities throughout the UK. With the BBC, everyone can have a ticket’.

from the Parish Pump

PilgrimageWhen Nichola arrived in our Circuit one of the first things that she did was to arrange a party from the Circuit to visit some of the holy sites in Palestine. Sometime during the ensuing preparation, what to me was classified as a trip with a purpose, came to be referred to by many as a pilgrimage. Not a definition, which I subscribed to and certainly not a term to be banded about lightly.

An article in my paper reminded me of this transition. Was I correct in thinking that Christian pilgrimages are what people used to do long ago? When the power of the Roman church, over everyday life, was such that people believed the price of a sinful life was eternal damnation. Under those circumstances going on a pilgrimage in an effort to avoid the flames of hell was seen as a good deal. Nowadays we tend not to be so concerned about the fiery pit or the relics that pilgrims went to see or touch because most no longer seem to believe in the healing powers of a bottle said to contain some of Mary’s milk, Christ’s crown of thorns or a piece of the true cross.

Apart from the distant reward of avoiding the fiery pit, medieval pilgrimages were designed to try and separate the current and past lives of the pilgrims. A long journey, almost always undertaken on foot, to ensure that participants had to contribute significant of themselves. The time involved also gave the pilgrims plenty of time to consider past behaviour. If that is the real benefit then, what is supposed to be in the shrine at the end of the journey becomes much less important. It becomes, in effect, the gilt on the gingerbread or the

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gold at the end of the rainbow. The real prize was the making of the effort of the journey. This is similar in every way to the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which every able Muslim is supposed to undertake at least once in their lifetime. Here they process around the Ka’ba seven times all dressed in the same clothes chanting and the same words to remind themselves that they all are equal in the eyes of Allah.

If this is the case then should Christian pilgrimage still have a place in our lives and how is it different to a retreat? This also demands that we give of ourselves, maybe not in a physical sense, as well as providing space to contemplate whom we are and how we have got to this particular place.

Herein is probably the rub. Maybe we should all take more time out to consider these questions. If we all knew more about ourselves, how we interrelate with others and what effects we have on them, the world would be a far nicer place.

Peter Farley

How many words does it take?Pythagorean Theorem: 24 wordsLord’s Prayer: 66 wordsArchimedes’ Principle: 67 wordsTen Commandments: 179 wordsGettysburg address: 286 wordsUS Declaration of Independence : 1,300 wordsUS Constitution with all 27 Amendments: 7,818 wordsEU regulations on the sale of cabbages: 26,911 words

Puts things into proper perspective, doesn’t it?

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Prayer for SyriaAs we see the situation in Syria continuing to dominate our television screens the Methodist Church ask us to pray for the people of Syria.

Dear Lord,

Our hearts grieve as we witness the escalating violence and needless deaths in Syria. We identify with the sorrow of all Syrians who now see their country riven with conflict and the potential for increasing animosity between parties.

We pray for a speedy resolution to the political crisis and for a realisation by the Syrian Government that people’s aspirations for a stake in how and by whom they are governed will not go away.

Lord may Christians, Muslims and all people of faith in Syria unite to build peace and justice for all.

When you walked among us you rejected the way of the sword. May all parties in Syria realise the futility of violence, the right of peaceful protest and the need to protect civilian life in all circumstances.

We pray for wisdom and greater unity for regional and international powers, and lift before you our own Foreign Secretary, as governments determine how best to respond.

We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the author of peace, to whom all hearts are known,

Amen

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March 2012 Regular Meetings

Coffee Mornings Each Saturday 10.00 am to 12.00 noon

Tuesday Club Every 4th Tuesday in the month at 2.30 pm

Sunday Worship All worship starts at 10.30 am unless stated otherwise below

4th Mrs Liz Topliss

11th HOLY COMMUNION - Rev Jane Ashplant

18th MOTHERING SUNDAY & ALL AGE WORSHIP Mrs Sue Hall

25th PASSION SUNDAY - Mrs Lynette Jones

UNITED CIRCUIT SERVICE at Stockland Green - 6.00 pm

We are always in need of new articles - 2Many thanks to those of you who donated articles to this month’s CONTACT. We still need a steady flow so please keep sending them in so that we have a lively, and well represented magazine.

For next month, maybe your group has done something special that would be worthwhile sharing with the rest of the church - don’t be shy - just a few lines is better than nothing.

Thanks - ed

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Weekly Church ActivitiesSunday 10.30 am MORNING WORSHIP and

Young Church (with crèche : Margaret Hillman)

Tuesday 9.30 - 11.30 am9.30 - 12.30 pm2.00 pm

Stay and PlayPre-School : Karen HomerTuesday Afternoon Meeting : Valerie Long (4th)

Wednesday 9.30 - 11.30 am9.30 - 12.30 pm12.30 pm

Stay and PlayPre-School : Karen HomerLuncheon Club - (1st and 3rd)

Thursday 9.30 - 12.30 pm Pre-School : Karen Homer

Friday 9.30 - 12.30 pm5.00 - 6.15 pm6.15 - 7.45 pm7.45 - 9.15 pm7.45 - 9.15 pm5.30 - 6.30 pm5.00 - 6.30 pm7.30 - 9.00 pm

Pre-School : Karen HomerBeavers : Lynn TurnerCubs : Elizabeth BaizonScouts : Lisa PorterExplorers : Caroline JoyceRainbows : Louise RawsonBrownies : Lesley CarterGuides : Helen Rainsford

Saturday 10.00 - 12.00 noon10.30 - 11.30 am

Coffee Morning : Lesley MorganChurch open for prayer : Margaret Curzon

Please hand any items for the April CONTACT to any of the Editorial Team (Elizabeth Baizon, Peter Farley, Christine Rankin, Ann Tomes & Nick Riley) by 15th March 2012 at the latest please or alternatively email me:

nickriley@blueyonder.co.uk

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