Parish of Esher's Newsletter: Edition 10 -
Easter 2018
|
|
 Easter: An exposé on the Emptiness of Power
Trevor Dennis in his book Speaking of God evokes a scene of desolation. I have not read it firsthand, only second-hand in Samuel Wells’ book, Hanging by a Thread: The questions of the Cross.
A retelling, based on the one in Wells’ book, of Dennis’ story might be:
There is a canal. It is fetid and stale. Around the canal are flats, derelict and boarded up. There is no grass, no trees. The graffiti shouts. Thirty years prior, during the war, an explosion had ripped through the landscape, killing Mabel and Arthur who were sleeping in a downstairs room of one of the flats. Their bodies had never been recovered. For years, nothing had grown there, until one autumn day the beginnings of a seed breached the earth.
At first unnoticed, it grew, and grew. Until, it stood, five or six feet tall with the proud, yellow crown of a sunflower. Noticed it was, and indeed for some it changed them. Moved by its beauty. For others, it was a source of puzzlement, clearly out of place amidst the bleakness of its surroundings.
At first they ignored it, then they grew to resent it. For it showed up the desolation of the area for what it was. A place of emptiness, of ugliness and death. Their resentment turned to bitterness. Their bitterness to anger. This provoked a group of them to gather around one evening and trample the sunflower into the ground. First, this way. Then, another. Back and forth, until its stem was flattened, distorted and its petals crushed. Satisfied, they left in silence.
But the people had destroyed the sunflower plant in the summer months, when its flower was pregnant with the seeds of new life. The destruction they wrought spread the seeds of the sunflower far and wide across the scene of desolation with its stinking canal, derelict flats, and screaming graffiti. Time passed. Summer, turned into winter and winter into spring. But this spring was different. For what had been a scene of desolation had been transformed by a blanket of sunflowers that had burst forth from the ground.
Finally, there were flowers on Mabel and Arthur’s grave.
It’s a powerful story. A story which captures something of the mystery of the Easter story which our community shall shortly celebrate. It challenges the often shared theology – talk of God – that God sent Jesus to achieve our salvation – to fix a problem. Wells offers an alternative theology, arguing that it was always God’s intention to send Jesus among us. This was not in response to a problem – to fix it, rather to embody, to make known God’s love for us.
But, as Wells’ says in his chapter on power, “incarnation came with a risk – a risk that Jesus would be treated like a sunflower in the story. When that risk was realized, God did not slink away, lash out, or call time. Instead, God underwent the full and horrifying consequences of that risk. But God also did one more thing. God disclosed the way the story ends. The way the story ends was decided before the story began.”
I think what is being said is: God knew the risk of embodying his love in Jesus. He knew what he would do if the risk became a reality. He knew he would raise Jesus from the dead, and in this way expose the emptiness of worldly power which achieves desired outcomes.
This theology is subtle or, maybe, I do not really understand it. But, if I do just a little, then, it seems to offer an authentic picture of the reality of our existence. On the one hand, there is the futility of the way we often exercise power in life, of which the destruction of the sunflower is a sign. While on the other hand, there is the forever of God’s love with us in this futility which one day will finally come to an end, witnessed in the blanket of sunflowers that emerges from the desolation.
This, it seems to me, is good news. Easter news.
Wherever you are in this story, I pray you may hang on, as Wells’ says, to the “narrow, fragile, but precious thread” which is Jesus with you – the sunflower – this Easter. And in hanging on notice the blanket of flowers which are bursting up from the ground all around you.
With our love and prayers,
Stefan
|
|
|
Outward giving update
Advent Appeal
A big thank you to all who contributed to our Advent Appeal. The collection at the Christingle Service formed a large part of our donation to The Children’s Society, details of which were outlined in the last edition of InSpire.
The money will be used in their ongoing work with vulnerable children and young people.
Lent Appeal
This year, as you may have seen from recent pewsheets, our Lent appeal aims to raise funds for Elmbridge Rentstart, a local homelessness charity.
Rentstart is a strong cause with a practical social impact in our local area. In their own words, they “... are a charity helping local people who are homeless or sofa-surfing. Each year we house and support around 130 people and help them move on with their lives.”
“Elmbridge Rentstart continue to be one of the real innovators in the homeless sector. As an organisation they see the real problems homeless people face and think imaginatively and realistically around solutions and then get the resources to trial those solutions. Elmbridge Rentstart have a consistently positive empowering and confident approach in helping people who become homeless.” Sarah Gorton, Strategy and Partnership Manager, Homeless Link
Please give generously to this obviously worthwhile cause via our envelopes, which you will find on the pews in church. Don’t forget, if you are a UK tax payer, to complete the information for Gift Aid as this will increase the amount received by Rentstart.
Elmbridge Rentstart is a local charity that has been housing and supporting single homeless people with a connection to our borough for over 15 years. Every year we provide advice to around 300 local people, and go on to house and support around 130 people who have nowhere to call home.
“I am so grateful for your help. Thank you very much for helping me through a bad time in my life. I am now in a situation where I can look forward to a new start.”
Those we help are termed “non-priority homeless” they are single people or childless couples aged 18-65 who are not eligible for assistance from their local councils. The private rented sector is their only option, but finding a property and securing a deposit puts the rental market firmly out of reach for our clients.
Our aim is not only to help secure private rental housing, but also to support our clients to move on in life and get back into work, training or education. We have a small staff team of seven, supported by two peer mentors, enabling us to form strong connections with the people we support, and tailor provision to meet their needs.
"Simply having a place to call my own is unbelievably comforting." Client 2017
The current challenges we are facing for the coming year are:
- Awareness – with homelessness on the rise locally, we want to local people to know that they can turn to us for support with any homelessnes issues.
- We are keen to meet more landlords who want to partner with us to provide properties for people who struggle to raise the deposit/rent in advance.
- Funding – we are always looking for financial support to enable us to have further reach locally. This will enable us to bridge the gap between the support we can offer, and the support we would ideally like to give.
We are extremely grateful for the support of Christ Church, Esher for supporting us during your Lent appeal this year. Please do get in contact should you have any questions or concerns.
|
|
|
The children are our future
Dave Whymark brings us up to date on his work with the youth of our Parish
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first term and a half working with the youth of Christ Church and alongside the staff and students at the High School and have much to share with you!
Christ Church Youth Work
It has been a real privilege to join the team who have served and are continuing to serve the youth of Esher Parish. The team has been led by Kate Roux and also comprises Emily Worthington, Dawn Ellins and Nate Kurz. I am so grateful for all they continue to do as there would be no youth work without them! Please do remember them all in your prayers.
We have been trying something new since the beginning of January: we have split our youth work across 2 distinct age groups.
Voyagers is for all in school years 4-6 and runs every 2 weeks. It is a mix of games, quizzes, pizza and a short Bible talk. Recently we have been looking at the theme of creation, and how we are all made in the image of God. The young people have listened well and have come up with some great questions! So if you, or anyone you know, has a child in those school years why not encourage them to come along and see what it’s all about. A good time is guaranteed!
The second age group is for those in School Years 7+ and is called Pioneers. Although this will normally run every 2 weeks it is running weekly up to Easter as our young people complete the Youth Alpha course. We have 6 regulars who have been attending and looking at subjects such as “Who is Jesus?”, “How can I have faith” and “Why and how should I pray”. We have had some very lively discussions and we have received good feedback from the youth.
 Please do pray that they will continue to enjoy the course and come to know Jesus for themselves. Please also prayerfully consider whether you might like to come and volunteer occasionally even if it is just to help with refreshments or sit with the youth. We have a fantastic team but it is small and not everyone can make every week. Please let me know if you would like to help we would love to have you!
Chaplaincy at Esher High School
A lot has happened since my last report on my work in the High School. I had the privilege of leading the whole school Christmas celebrations during the final week of half term and I have also been able to lead my first full week of assemblies looking at the theme of forgiveness.
In tutor times all students have been encouraged to consider engaging with the 40acts challenge for Lent. The idea is that instead of giving something up, students are challenged to carry out a random act of kindness each day that will enable them to contribute positively to the school community.
In terms of Religious Education I have been able to teach a number of lessons which has really helped me in getting to know many of the students. I was able to tell the story of how I became a Christian to Year 8 as part of their module on “Religion: What’s the point?” and also teach Year 9 on the topic “Does God exist?” It is a continuing challenge to engage students in the subject of RE as many just do not see the point in studying it. Please pray for me later this term as I will hopefully be teaching some Year 7 classes when they start the module “Who is Jesus?”
Finally there are 3 upcoming events which I would like you to pray for. In the High School we have a small room called the “Soul Space” which is supposed to be available for students who wish to pray or just take time to meditate and reflect.
In conjunction with the youth workers at Holy Trinity Claygate the aim is to redesign the Soul Space to make it more attractive to students and also to have a week where we will be available in the space if anyone wants to talk. Please do pray that by raising the profile of this Soul Space it will encourage students to consider spiritual issues.
Secondly, on the 22nd March Year 9 will be visited by Reggie Dabbs, a motivational speaker form the US who has spoken to millions of young people worldwide.
Please pray that the presentation will really be of great spiritual benefit to the students.
Then one week later there will be the Easter services for the whole school that will be held in Christ Church. Please pray for me as I plan those services, that they will be relevant to the students and will help them to understand the significance and importance of the Easter message.
Thank you all for your support and prayers!
Dave Whymark
|
|
|
Still looking for that special Easter Egg?
The Traidcraft Real Easter Eggs will be on sale after both the 9:00 am St George’s service & the 10:30 am Christ Church service up until Palm Sunday. It costs just £4 for the standard milk chocolate egg, which means everyone is a winner if you buy one. Thank you to Will Stevens for organising this once again.
|
|
|
Flowers for our mothers
Alison Mohamed explains how we get our daffodils every Mothering Sunday
It has long been a tradition in our parish that all mothers are given a posy of daffodils at the Mothering Sunday services. When we took over Noah's Ark nine years ago preparing these posies was one of our first jobs!
On the Saturday before Mothering Sunday, a small group of Noah's Ark volunteers get together in the Leopold room to do exactly that. We separate the daffodils, which have been very kindly donated by Buds and Blooms and Waitrose, into smaller bunches and tie them with colourful ribbons. It is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with each other while we work and of course coffee is an essential item for the morning!
After a night in water the posies are ready to be distributed to everyone on Mothering Sunday.
|
|
News from St George's, West End
Andrea Lindow and Bridget Williams bring us up to date with the activities at West End
It seems such a long time ago now since we wrote about our Christmas services, but it was as vibrant and busy as ever.
The Crib Service on Christmas Eve was as popular as ever with at least 100 people there. After listening to each reading, the children had to collect the appropriate figures to be placed in the crib. It all went remarkably smoothly until the tragic decapitation of a shepherd, following his untimely fall from a table onto the floor. Fortunately during the chaos no-one seemed to notice. He is now undergoing restoration and will be back again next year.
The Village Carol Concert followed and feedback from villagers was as good as ever. We are thankful that the entire village supports these two lovely events every year. Our grateful thanks also go to Keith Howell-Jones, our wonderful organist.
The Eucharist on Christmas morning was joyful – and for the second year running we were joined by two young trained sopranos, who sitting at the back of the church sprang into beautiful descants and harmonies during our Carols. It was a completely uplifting start to Christmas Day. If they are reading this – thank you both, from us all.
Now we are moving into Spring and Easter.
Having said that, the end of February and beginning of March turned the clock back to winter and this beautiful image of St George's was forwarded to InSpire by James McCann - a true Christmas Card photograph.
The Church Calendar now moves us through to Palm Sunday and into Holy Week. Services for this period are as follows:
Sunday 25th March at 9.30am PALM SUNDAY (clocks go ON 1 hour!)
**This is a joint service with Christ Church so please check for details on our website
Sunday 1st April at 9am EASTER SUNDAY
We have a Sunday Eucharist every week at 9am EXCEPT on the 5 th Sunday of the month.
You may notice some strenuous activity going on both inside and outside the church some time during March and April - weather permitting. It is our annual Church Spring Clean and Gardening event where we prepare our lovely old church for the events of the forthcoming year.
|
|
|
New Hymn books are coming!
We are pleased to say that after much research we have decided on and purchased a new hymn book, which gives us a good variety of hymns for our worship and complements our other resources.
We needed about 280 hymn books across our two churches (covering words, melody and music editions) and in order to purchase these as soon as we were able, a scheme was launched whereby members of the congregation were invited to sign up and sponsor a book or two.
It was so heartening to see a queue forming at the back of the Church, as those who were interested in helping signed up.
A huge thank you for your generous and amazing support in purchasing these new books. After just a couple of weeks or so, we were over the line and the books were already funded and ordered. What an amazing response - well done all!
Helen Coulson has sent out letters to arrange payment for them, together with options about how you may wish your donation to be acknowledged - anonymously, personally attributable to you or in memory of a loved one.
We look forward to using them in our services soon.
|
|
|
Christ and the Chocolaterie - a Lent Course
Jane Tyrrell describes how Chocolat and Lent go together
The author of this course, Hilary Brand, begins her book by saying that some people don’t think that fiction can teach us anything because it isn’t true. She argues that fiction may not be factual, but this does not mean it doesn’t have truths to teach us.
The course has been running throughout Lent, with morning and evening sessions led by Fiona Owen. The first session was to watch the film around which the course is set - Chocolat. For those of you who have not seen it, this film is simply charming, and having discussed many of the characters and the various goings-on in the film with a totally mixed group, it is apparent that it appeals to all ages.
The central theme of the course is “Change.” By focussing on different characters in the film, considering various questions and linking in with passages from the Bible, we have moved from the traditional giving up as a prelude to change, to giving out and the power of gifts. We then proceeded to the possibility of change, the acceptance of change before finally reaching the actual process of change.
As I mentioned, our group was very mixed in terms of age, gender and life situations, and Fiona’s gentle questioning enabled us to work well together. Some of the questions really touched on issues in people’s lives, and it was lovely to be part of discussions where we all listened to each other’s viewpoints and shared our ideas.
Thank you to Fiona for all her time and effort that she has put into running this course. It has been a valuable experience for me, and I am sure, all who have taken part - definitely providing food for thought, or should I say chocolate!
An InSpiring photo taken of Christ Church by Jane as she arrived for the Lent Course one evening in March
|
|
Car Parking at Christ Church - Update
I am sure most of you will have realised that the car park barrier at Christ Church has now been upgraded. The next step is to have the tarmac repaired. This is being carried out at the beginning of April and once this has taken place a lining company will be coming in to mark the car park with designated bays, including a specific disabled bay and no parking zones.
Unfortunately, there will only be seven car park bays in the car park and I would, therefore, urge you not to use the car park unless it is absolutely necessary thus, hopefully, leaving space for those that need it the most.
If you are using the car park, please do adhere to the new parking restrictions and use the marked bays for parking only. It is absolutely imperative for safety reasons we have enough space for emergency vehicles and so that cars can manoeuvre safely. If the bays are full then unfortunately, you will have to seek alternative parking.
With a limited amount of bays in the car park it has obviously not been possible to replace all the car park passes previously in circulation. If I have not contacted you direct with a new pass, this does not mean you cannot use the car park for dropping off items, picking things up or visiting the parish office. If the barrier is down and you have food items or other things to deliver please do use the buzzer on the barrier and ask Melanie Williams (Parish Administrator) to let you in.
Hopefully, I have managed to contact most of you who enquired about a replacement pass, if I have not, please do accept my apologies. It has been quite a challenging task whilst working full time, balancing church duties together with home and family.
If you have not received a replacement pass and feel you are in absolute need of a one then please do email me separately at sargent@mcguirewoods.com
|
|
 Esher May Fair - Sunday 20th May
Please put the above date in your diaries!
(It is on a Sunday this year so that it does not clash with the Royal Wedding)
We are hoping to open the Church as usual for visitors and other planned activities (more details to follow) and in particular, to sell teas, coffees and cakes. This has always been hugely successful in the past and we will desperately need volunteers to help not only on the day but also to bake cakes for us to sell and serve.
If you think you might be able to help either on the day or with baking then please do let me know. Sandra Argent – sargent@mcguirewoods.com
|
|
Desert Island Hymns
This month we have two desert islanders – Geoff and Betty Walker
They moved to Esher from Cambridgeshire11 years ago to be close to their two children, and their families, and promptly joined Christ Church as they have been regular church supporters for over sixty years.
Whilst they have no official role in church, Geoff is on the rota for Chalice duty. Betty used to be but her health now prevents her from serving. They enjoy sharing with friends in the Thursday morning fellowship and also “Breath”, the bible study group. In fact, they enjoy all occasions when they can come together with friends.
The first choice of hymn is Betty’s and is Amazing Grace. “Geoff and I attended the first Billy Graham rally at Wembley Stadium and this Hymn was sung by George Beverly Shea. The experience was a changing moment in my life.”
Geoff’s first choice is not in our present hymn book. It has three verses and a refrain repeated between each verse.
Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace.
Over all victorious in its bright increase,
Perfect yet it floweth further every day,
Perfect yet it growth deeper all the way.
Stayed upon Jehovah Hearts are fully blessed,
Finding as he promised, perfect peace and rest.
“I did not have a smooth journey into faith over some time. When eventually belief came, this hymn became a favorite of mine. For me it describes the peace and assurance that I was seeking for before I even knew it.”
Betty’s next choice is Love divine all love excelling. “This was the hymn sung in church at our marriage service in Alvaston, Derbyhire, 67 years ago, and it is love divine that has blessed us with so many wonderful years together.”
Geoff has gone for And can it be. “This is a cracking hymn by John Wesley. Written, in my opinion, in dramatic language we might associate with the reformer. It cries out (to me) to be sung in a most enthusiastic manner, especially lines 5 & 6 of the fourth verse.”
My CHAINS fell off, My HEART was free.
I rose went forth and followed Thee
Betty has selected Shine Jesus Shine. “Simply because I love the words and enjoy singing it - Lord the light of your love is shining.”
Geoff really enjoys singing hymns by modern composers, including Graham Kendrick who has written many. “ One of my favourites is From Heaven you came, helpless babe. This carries a wonderful gospel message of salvation, the one who chose to come as a helpless babe in order to reconcile us to God the father and was the hand that flung stars into space - the creator of the universe who invites us to follow him.”
Betty remembers singing her school hymn Jerusalem at the Abbey school in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. Whilst Geoff remembers that one he sang frequently, and which he particularly liked, was I vow to thee my country all earthly things above. “I can only remember singing this and, like Betty, Jerusalem - any others escape me. I attended the Shelton Lock elementary school and the leaving age was 14 years. After that I attended Night school to continue the basic subjects and to be introduced to Algebra for two years. This was whilst serving an apprenticeship at a well known aero-engine maker.”
Asked what item they would like to take onto the desert island with them Betty said, ”I would, definitely want to take with me Fresh Fields, an introduction to the poems of many of the poets both traditional and modern (Wordsworth to Ted Hughes), which I have valued over the past 50 years.
Geoff went for A history of the English speaking peoples - in four volumes by Winston Churchill. “I read volume one (The Birth of Britain) in the early sixties, enjoyed it and promised myself that I would buy the remaining three volumes soon. Alas, I have never seemed to have the time to put the plan into operation so this would be the ideal opportunity!!
|
|
|
|
|
