Message from Bucks Safe Haven

 

Wednesday 17th March 2021: Nothing to talk about?

 Whilst listening to the radio the other evening, as I cooked supper, I was struck by a phrase used by one of the programme contributors who reflected, with some sense of both frustration and sadness that as the pandemic rolls on: we are all running out of things to talk about!  I thought it contained a grain of truth, especially on wider family weekend Zoom calls when we are asked the question: How’s your week been?  It is sometimes tempting to respond: Well, it’s been just like last week and the one before that!

Yet, the reality is that most of us keep talking, even when there’s not too much to say!  And that’s good, because keeping the lines of communication open in a family, church or community is always so important.

Sharing our ‘silence’ is not quite so easy on Zoom as we, quite naturally, are eager to fill the gaps.  And this, perhaps, is where Zoom isn’t a complete substitute for in person conversation.  The silences, alongside the ‘off camera’ looks punctuate and deepen our dialogue.

Maybe the greatest downside of Zoom is that often it feels a little ‘prescribed’ and lacks a certain spontaneity.  Sometimes, no often, the best in life is unplanned.

During Lent we, as it were, follow Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem and, along the way, the gospel writers chronicle one encounter after another.  None of it seems like a planned and sterile campaign but a chaotic and spontaneous journey full of challenges that brought both joy and despair.  W learn the most about Jesus in his responses to these unplanned moments.

I’ve never really subscribed to the spirituality that believes God has a ‘perfect’ plan for my life and all I must do is ‘discover’ it.  Instead, I think the greater challenge, and more honest understanding of life, is for us to recognise that we can never predict or plan life, all we can do is respond to these challenges with love, integrity, courage, and conviction.

If God does have a plan for our lives, surely it is this: that we reflect the grace of Jesus in all the ups and downs that come our way.  And maybe it will be in the gaps, those unplanned moments, that both our love and God’s strength, will become most apparent – and be something that’s really worth talking about.

Ministers' Letter: 10th March 2021

 

Dear Friends,

We were delighted to welcome thirty-nine folk to In Person worship last Sunday.  Behind the scenes much continues to be done to make such services possible and safe.

We are also delighted that the Audio Service continues to be produced.  I thought you might be interested to see our ‘listening figures’ for the month of February:
Feb 7^th                  98
Feb 14^th                108
Feb 21^st                103
Feb 28^th                107

After Church Zoom Fellowship will continue this coming Sunday, that’s the 14^th March, at 12 noon, and then on Sunday 21^st March 2021 we’ll be holding our AGM and March Church Meeting on Zoom, once again at 12 noon.

I’m told that even though we won’t be able to have Junior Church distribute Mothering Sunday posies this weekend, Norma and Beryl are making it possible for posies to be in place on every chair in the Sanctuary before the service begins.  We are grateful to them for doing this.

It was lovely to be able to offer Mrs Andy Welsh a heartfelt round of applause last weekend as we said farewell to her. Andy will be moving down to Sussex on Monday to join her family there.

We are beginning to think of Easter Day worship at AFC.  There will be an audio service available, but if you hope to attend In- Person we would love to know that is your intention so we can make the appropriate social distancing measures.  To help us collate the possible number attending your Elder, rather as they did over Christmas, will be contacting you to enquire of your intentions.  Whether we attend In Person or join in with the Audio Service, we are looking forward to celebrating the resurrection on Easter Day.

And finally, our thanks to everyone on the Family News editorial team for such a splendid March edition of our church magazine.  If anyone thought nothing was happening at AFC because of Lockdown they only have to read Family News to get the real story – and I think it’s very impressive – so ‘well done’ to everyone who is working so hard to keep our church going!! 

As Lent continues its journey, may you continue to know God’s blessing and peace in all you do this day. Erna joins me in sending you our love and best wishes.

Ian

Update from Hector

 

You might recall that Hector told us of this project earlier in the year - he has sent in this update.  It is particularly good to see the provision being made to work with the Mission Employable group that seeks to enable those with disabilities to have fulfilled lives.

Exciting News  -  Bowled Out  !

Providing the Roadmap is implemented according to the Government’s plan you will soon be able to travel along the A404 to Junction 18 on the M25, or you may decide to take a walk on Chorleywood Common, where you will see the old cricket pavilion has been demolished and building work on a new pavilion has started. The following is a recent notification sent to the members of Chorleywood Cricket Club .

 

In partnership with Excitement As Work Starts On The New Building A computer generated image of the new pavilion and café “  We know you will share our excitement that work is about to begin on the new Cricket Club pavilion and Mission EmployAble training café. The original 1960s building which is in bad repair will be demolished in March. The new pavilion will enable the Cricket Club to grow and to extend opportunities to play cricket to girls, women and people with disabilities. It will also house a café run by Mission EmployAble, which, in conjunction with Bucks College, will train young adults with learning disabilities, via supported internships. The café will be open every day to all comers, serving delicious home-made food for snacks, light lunches and afternoon teas, all with magnificent views of the Common. The café will also have a small gift shop. Keep an eye out on the website's new buildings page which will show you how we are doing. The building site will be protected by the contractor Boom Construction Ltd from day one by secure and newt fencing as recommended by the ecologist, and parking and welfare facilities for the contractor will be provided on-site. We especially wanted to thank all of you who have supported our fund-raising efforts so far. The Cricket Club and Mission EmployAble's joint scheme was launched to raise £2m, £1.7m of which has been raised already. We will have plenty of new events planned during 2021 and the new building is due for completion in late 2021/early 2022.  “

Due to the pandemic planned fund raising activities have been curtailed, and a planned grant from the English Cricket Board is not now available, but they suggested an application to Sport England may prove worthwhile. SE have now said that they will give a grant of £100,000. This means that CWCC has to raise a further £100,000 to complete their portion of the overall cost.

Mission EmployAble’s cafe will occupy the ground floor, and CWCC will occupy the first floor, with a balcony for the players to watch the match.

So, in about a years time, you will be able to have a cup of coffee and / or a light meal, when you enjoy the facilities on Chorleywood Common.

Hector.

Wednesday 10th March 2021: Making an Organ!

A few years ago, when a local URC chapel closed its doors for the last time, I bought its twenty-five-year-old digital organ.  Since then both Matthew and I have had great fun playing it up until a few months ago when it started to go wrong.  What to do?  We knew that a professional organ company wouldn’t really be interested in sending out an engineer, so we decided to ‘deconstruct’ its ‘insides’ and build it from scratch!

It’s been a great project for this third Lockdown.  In reality Matthew has done most of the work and I’ve just paid for the parts!  We have used a computer system called Haupwerk and it has all gone really well giving us a ‘new’ organ at a fraction of the cost we would have paid for one in the shops. 

It’s rather been a case of ‘new wine in old wineskins’ as we’ve kept the wooden framework of the old organ, pulled out most of its interior and used the now vacant space for new speakers, monitors, cables and computer. It’s given ‘new life’ to our ‘old organ’.

All of us, I guess, are allowing ourselves to begin to look forward and imagine how our lives might develop when we enter the second half of 2021.  Some, perhaps many, of the old structures of our pre-March 2020 lives will still, thank God, be there: our families, job, community, and church.  Yet into these we will pour new expectations and fresh energy.  Perhaps much, on the surface at least, will look the same (rather like our organ), yet lift the lid and we’ll see a much more re-focused and purposeful life as we grasp and value much of what we once took so fore-granted and temporarily ‘lost’.

Well, perhaps the music is coming back, slowly, into our lives.  Now it’s a soft diminuendo – let us hope as we enter spring and then arrive at summer it will build to a full crescendo!

May God bless you in all you do this day.

Ian

Ministers' Letter: Wednesday 3rd March 2021

 

Wednesday 3^rd March 2021

Dear Friends,

Our Elders met on Monday to consider where we currently are and decided the following:

IN PERSON WORSHIP
This will resume at AFC this coming weekend, on Sunday 7^th March 2021 at 10.30am.  Our time together will be governed by the present restrictions which include no singing, save for three people leading us in The Chancel Singers and stringent social distancing.  At the moment that means no lingering in conversation either in the vestibule or car park. 

Both the front and back doors will be used on Sunday.  The Testing Centre use the Church Hall Monday to Friday every week and thoroughly clean after each session. However, they do not use the Sanctuary vestibule so, if you would be more comfortable in using the front doors to enter the building please do so.

The audio service will continue for the time being and we are delighted this is the case.  Everyone will sense when the time is right for them to return to church and so, for the moment, we will seek to offer: In Service worship, the Audio Service, and the Video Recording. 

AFTER SERVICE ZOOM
To enable those attending the 10.30am service to get back home and in front of their computers this will now be moved to 12noon.  The code remains the same. 

POSTPONMENT OF ELDERS’ ELECTIONS
One item we will not be dealing with at our forthcoming AGM is the election of elders.  We suggest this is postponed until the July Church Meeting, which we hope will be the first one held once again In Person.

This is because our constitution gives no facility for postal voting, which would be necessary on this occasion.  The advice from our parent denominations is that although Zoom Church Meetings are acceptable to both them and The Charity Commission, all major decisions made at a Zoom meeting (and we think Elders’ Elections fall into this category) would have to be ‘re-voted’ on at the next In Person gathering; that is because, technically, Zoom Church Meetings are not catered for in our constitution (something we might amend for the future) 

Well, this letter is in danger of becoming over ‘technical’!  So, let me end by saying I hope you are feeling encouraged as we go through these Lent days.  So much is improving, and ‘hope’ seems to be blossoming all around us.  We need to walk with a steady and gentle pace into the future. My prayer is that you know God’s blessing and peace in all you do this day and Erna joins me in sending you our love and best wishes.

Ian

Message from The Minister of Wendover Free Church

The granddaughter of two of our members is doing an MSc dissertation project and is looking for participants.  I am wondering whether you might be able to pass this on to your congregation, or those you think might be interested.

The granddaughter of two members at a local church is doing an MSc dissertation on “Social Isolation during COVID-19” at Brunel University and is looking for people aged 70 or over to help with her research project.  Please have a look at the attached poster for more information.  If you would like to take part or would like more information, please email Naomi Nethersole on 1935183@brunel.ac.uk