It's good to talk

Last week Dave, the postman, delivered no less than four church publications through the manse letterbox on the same day; so, I had more than enough to browse through over the morning coffee.  Lots of words!

It’s significant that the Pandemic hasn’t made us talk less!  We’ve been able to fill our own church magazine with interesting articles even when we were hardly meeting at all in person.

I rather like the phrase the ‘Chattering Class’ describing folk who love nothing better than to chew things over in conversation (it currently happens after every Sunday morning service in the car park in groups of six!).  Of course, we can over analyse or descend into gossip.  Yet talking things through often brings an unexpected solution or at least sheds a different light on a subject giving us a broader perspective. 

Listening to others is an important ingredient in discernment.

I was talking the other day to a colleague who told me he hadn’t, and these were his words: ‘read anything in years’.  Well, I read – both the periodicals that came through the door last week and the tomes recommended by the two book groups to which I belong - because it’s a way of me avoiding a life that is just ‘self-referencing’.  I need the bigger horizons and reading books and talking with others helps give me that.

It’s good to talk, and in the process listen.

Training Seminar from the Thames North Synod

A message from the Revd Bridget Powell.

If you would like to attend this seminar do let me know and I will pass on your name to Bridget.

 "Sacred Spaces for Worship - Disciples not Consumers!"

We will discuss rooting and deepening our worship life when alone with God and in corporate public worship. As we enter this 'new normal' season of our lives and our congregations is it going to be possible to navigate this time of transition without falling for style, practicalities, and format over substance and foundations?

We will be encouraged to deepen and develop our worship life as active disciples rather than passive consumers and in doing so we will, no doubt, deepen our community and mission life as well.

                        Eddie Boon, Thames North Discipleship Enabler.

Please pass this on to your churches.

There is a choice of two sessions - 11am to 12 noon or 7,30 to 8.30pm on Thursday 6th May.

Please can those wishing to attend let me know asap and then I will send out the links the day before the meetings.

Revised notice from Chesham Methodist Church

Chesham Methodist Church are looking for a community worker to work with their Church2Community project for 16 hours per week.

Please see www.cheshammethodist.org.uk for more details and for an application pack please email Lu Gigg on amcircuitmethodist@gmail.com.

The deadline for applications has now been extended to 17 May. 

Thanks

Revd Nigel Wright

Minister of Chesham Methodist Church

sunday 18th April 2021

 On Sunday 18th April 2021 our Junior Church held an Eco session after morning service in our church grounds.

Doing the Appropriate Thing

We have all got used to the mantra Stay 2 metres apart, and I guess all of us have developed different ways of measuring that in our heads to ensure we are compliant! 

Last week whilst on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales we were intrigued, and amused, by the National Park poster which measured this distance in 9 red squirrels, 2 Swaledale ewes or one Landover!!  It was all very culturally relevant to that beautiful part of the world.

The Church has always had a big task on its hands to seek to communicate using terms, images and ideas that speak in an appropriate and accessible way to the culture of our hearers.

Maybe today that might mean describing prayer as a Zoom call with God (or maybe not!!).

On Sunday, after church and in the glorious sunshine of that day, members of our Junior Church came together outside for what I thought was an entirely appropriate gathering.  Mary led them in planting up sunflower seeds and looking around the site for signs of wildlife.  All part of our Eco-Church commitment to value and look after our land.

Both personally and corporately that task of sharing our faith in culturally relevant and appropriate ways stays before us and encourages us to be creative!

Spring Life and Faith Groups at AFC

 

Wednesday 7th April 2021: In a Garden

 

Last week, on Good Friday afternoon, as I was dog walking in the sunshine on Chorleywood Common, I heard singing from the grounds of Christchurch.  It was lovely to see this Christian community take advantage of recent Government guidelines enabling them to sing outdoors on their own premises at a special service remembering the cross.

Since then I think a lot of people have been meeting up outside with family and friends, even in the snowy conditions of recent days; gloves and blankets at the ready!

Part of my upbringing was attending an open-air service, every year, at dawn on Easter Sunday.  My church organised it and I suspect if you were keen enough to be there at 5am it became something of a badge of honour!  It did have the unfortunate consequence of some of us then sleeping through the minister’s sermon at the 11 o’clock service later that morning.

I was amused by a comment in the Church Times stating that from Easter we would be allowed to meet up in gardens.  It struck me as entirely appropriate as such a meeting was part of the very first Easter, with Mary thinking the risen Lord was indeed a ‘Gardener’!
 

Last spring and summer taught many of us, or at least acted as a poignant reminder, that being outside and close to nature can be very comforting in times of anxiety.  I’d always thought it rather sentimental, but during that first lockdown it was certainly true for me at that time that one felt ‘closer to God in a garden than anywhere else on earth’.

With all good wishes at this Easter season,

 

Ian

ps Blog Holiday next week

Message from The Revd Nigel Wright of St John's Methodist Church

Community Worker for Church to Community (C2C) Project at Chesham Methodist Church 

Hours: 16 per week 

Salary: £10.40 per hour (FTE £20,280) 

Length of contract: 3 year fixed term but it is hoped that it may be extended subject to finance 

Start date: to be agreed 

A Community Worker is needed for the C2C Project at Chesham Methodist Church, to reach  out to the community with the love of Jesus Christ by facilitating a range of projects to meet the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of local people. The role includes facilitating activities to support older people and others, including those living with dementia. Candidates should have experience of organising activities and/or events and of working with older people. A requirement for the candidate to be a practising Christian is an Occupational Requirement for this role in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.  

For an application pack please email Lu Gigg on amcircuitmethodist@gmail.com The deadline for applications is 19 April.  Interviews will be held on 30 April. 

Ministers' Letter: 31st March 2021

 

Wednesday 31^st March 2021

Dear Friends,

We are now almost at the end of our Lent journey as we begin to look forward to the Easter weekend of 2021.

Over the last six weeks we’ve held Night Prayer (A Service of Compline) every Monday evening at 9pm on Zoom.  Between twenty to twenty-five have joined us week by week, including a regular five friends from other COTHA churches.  We are very grateful to everyone who has taken part in this and made it such a happy and worthwhile event.

On Easter Sunday the Chancel Singers will be able to increase their number under new government guidelines.  We will also be able to gather outside, in groups of no more than six, for a time of fellowship after the service, something that hasn’t been possible for many months.  So, there is much to look forward to and if you intend to join us for in person worship can I remind you to contact either your elder or the church office, so that we can keep track of numbers.

This week our church magazine, Family News, is published, and you will be receiving a copy either on-line or in hard copy.  We are very grateful to the editorial committee who make this publication so full of interesting news articles reflecting our church life together months by month.

This weekend Michael and Sara have helped us in putting together not one, but three Audio Services; Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day.  That represents an enormous amount of hard work so our sincere thanks to the Auttons.

As we approach the Easter weekend there are many reasons to be hopeful.  The advance of the vaccine and the new opportunities to meet up outside gladden our hearts.  Yet, most of all, as Christian people, on this, of all weekends, we give thanks for the abundant life we find in God.

Erna joins me in wishing you all a very Happy and Blessed Easter,

 

Ian