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Woodhall Lane & Welwyn Garden City Free Church Magazine December 09 & January 10
Citation preview
Welwyn Garden City
United Reformed Churches Dec 2009 & Jan 2010 Magazine
FREECHURCH
CHURCH ROAD
WOODHALL LANE
Page 2
MONDAYS
Hatfield Tai Chi Chuan Club Tel Pat 01707 331526
6:30 to 10:00 pm Not in August
Chinese Health Exercise Classes
Puppy Training Classes Tel Gill Tel 07967 226 796
7:00 to 9:00 pm
TUESDAYS
* Dinky Dancers Tel Lorry 01438 831281
9:20 to 10:20 am and 10:20 to 11:20 am
Activity classes for children under 4 years.
Mind Drop In Coffee Morning Tel Rhoda 01707 654633
10:00 to 12 noon Drop in coffee morning for those with
mental health issues, but open to all.
*Pat Reid School of Scottish Dancing
Tel Pat 01707 338478
5:15 to 8:30 pm Scottish Dance classes ages 3½ & above.
WEDNESDAYS
NCT Bumps and Bundles Tel 01707 320422
2:00 to 4:00 pm Drop in sessions for pregnant mums and
babes in arms.
* Girls and Boys Brigade Tel Glenys 01707 336433
6:15 to 8:00 pm For children aged 4+
* Denotes term time only.
Page 3
THURSDAYS
*Chatter N Tots Tel Ann 01707 327277. 9:45 to 11:15 am Parent/ Carer and child group.
Play, arts and crafts, music and refreshments.
New Thursday Club Tel Rosemary 01707 330660
2:30 to 4:00 pm Alternate Thursdays but not in August.
Activities, Trips etc for the over 50’s.
The Cellar
4:15 to 6:30 pm Drop in centre for vulnerable people.
Providing snacks, tea and social contact.
English Country Dancers Tel Terry 01707 320299
8:00 to 10:00 pm Not in August Folk Dancing.
Trefoil Guild
8:00 to 10:00 pm 2nd Thursday in the month.
Not in August.
FRIDAYS
Welwyn Archaeological Society
Tel Daphne 01707 335729
7:00 to 10:00 pm Sept. to April. 2nd & 4th Friday in the
month. Talks, slide shows etc.
WGC Art Club Tel Bryan 01438 714528
8:00 to 10:00 pm September to May 3rd Friday in the
month
Meetings, Talks etc
* Denotes term time only.
Page 4
MINISTER
Rev Jane Weedon
01707 375133
Freechurch Woodhall Lane
CHURCH SECRETARY CHURCH SECRETARY
Mrs Joyce Nicolson
Tel 01707 326829 TBA
email :- [email protected]
HON. TREASURER
John Meers 12 Brockswood Lane
Welwyn Garden City
AL8 7BG Tel 01707 327277
e mail :- [email protected]
CONFIDENTIAL REGISTRAR
Mr Alan Tyler
23 Harmer Green Lane
Digswell
AL6 0AS
Youth Worker
TBA email :-
Page 5
Letter from the Manse
Looking for inspiration for something different to give this
Christmas I came across an ‘on line’ game called the Christmas
Challenge. This title was so close to our Bethlehem Challenge theme for Advent this year I was intrigued and looked more
closely to see what it was all about. It was simple – match up the
Christmas Gifts, score points and gain lives!
That could be a parable all by itself!
Christmas came about out of a longing in Gods heart to be
reconciled with people again. The separation had gone on far too
long. It was so painful something had to be done.
Reconciliation always requires a giving of oneself out of love and a desire for peace. That first Christmas God gifted himself to all
humanity. Hope and truth and light slipped into the world wrapped
in human form, born of Mary, in a draughty stable in an
unremarkable town called Bethlehem.
Only a few people recognised the enormity of this birth at the time. As the child became a man whose message was heard by
many, the remarkable openhearted generosity of Gods Christmas
gift was realised. It matched exactly the needs of the people and
simply receiving and accepting this gift brings an added bonus; eternal life.
And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, the
one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. John
17:3 (The Message)
Jesus birth was a watershed moment for all humanity. No longer
walking in darkness, struggling on alone. Because of Jesus Christ, the one sent by God, God is Immanuel – God with us. Present in
the lives of all who seek his truth we are truly never alone.
Page 6
The Christmas Challenge for us never changes. And I don’t mean
getting the shopping, card writing, parcel wrapping and cooking done on time – although that is a challenge enough in itself!
The challenge for us it to continue to receive Gods gift, to spend a lifetime unwrapping it
and enjoying it. As we uncover deeper
meaning and renewed possibilities within than precious present, the biggest surprise is
to find Jesus born anew in us each day.
Roger joins me in wishing you all the love,
peace, hope and joy of Christmas as you
celebrate this special season and every blessing for 2010.
Happy Christmas!
Jane and Roger
=============================
The year beginning Advent 2009 is the second year in the Vision
4 Life process which encourages us in the URC to re engage over
the next year with prayer. The purpose of this process is to bring transformation to the way we engage with the Bible, with each
other, with God and our community.
On Advent Sunday we launched our Prayer Challenge for the next
year and there will be many opportunities to participate. The
challenge is to achieve 50 hours of shared prayer during the year.
Page 7
There are so many possibilities and different ways to do this.
Some ideas include
. Prayer in church 9.45-10.05 prior to the morning service
. Monthly prayer meeting (prayer and praise?)
. Expand the Sick Register to an intercession book where
anyone can record people’s names or situations in the world
they would like included in the prayers. . A display board for anyone using the building to post requests
for prayer and where we display which group, using our
building, we are praying for this week. . Prayers for the other churches in WGC.
. Prayer breakfasts
. Bible studies and services on Prayer
. Prayer days – say 2 in the year.
. Prayer shawl ministry
. Meditation
. Prayer stations
. Prayer walks
If you have any thoughts or ideas about this please let one of the Elders know.
The Prayer Group prior to the morning service will begin on 29th
November at 9:45 am in the Vestry and that same day we will
launch the Intercessions Book.
We hope you will make use of this if you have people you would
like us to pray for or situations in the world that are causing particular concern. It will be available each Sunday in a prominent
position and will be included in the prayers.
It will be interesting to look back at Advent 2010 to see what
effect this year of prayer has had on our fellowship and our town.
Page 8
Bethlehem today
Christian voices speak out
Canon Naim Ateek (Director of Sabeel, ecumenical liberation theology centre, Jerusalem), Wisam Salsaa (tour guide from Beit
Sahour, nr.Bethlehem) and Bishop Riah Abu El Assal (former
Bishop of Jerusalem) write about Christmas behind the Wall.
Canon Naim Ateek (Director of Sabeel, ecumenical liberation
theology centre, Jerusalem) A Christmas message - Fear Not!
I think we need to challenge churches to be more courageous this
Christmas; today more and more people have some knowledge about what’s really going on in Bethlehem yet fear makes people
keep quiet….
But the message of Christmas is ‘Fear not.’
We have the good news, and the good news does not allow people
to be encircled in a big prison. This is not good news. So it places
greater responsibility on us to say, ‘what is happening in
Bethlehem today is bad news, not good news’.
One of the first sermons of Jesus was about release of the captives,
and in Bethlehem today they are all in captivity they are prisoners.
If we do not speak up, who is going to speak? How can we celebrate Christmas when people are in captivity -when Bethlehem
is in prison?
And yet, in spite of all of this, I would stake my life and say my hope is in God. He is a God of hope. We are people of hope. Our
hope begins with a birth in a stable at Bethlehem. Our hope helps
us overcome our fear. And we will continue to address these issues prophetically - as often as we can - until freedom
comes.
Wisam Salsaa (Tour Guide from Beit Sahour, (meaning the
Shepherd's Fields), nr. Bethlehem.)
Page 9
I’m very angry, I don’t like it, I hate the wall, I hate the
settlements; I think that we no longer have any chance for the
future in this prison because, as you see, Bethlehem is completely
closed.
I think that the situation will get worse and worse, because even
though they talk about peace and they talk about solutions, look
what’s happening on the ground. How can we live in peace if there is a wall going around us and there are even settlements behind
these walls and they are still building settlements. So we are
talking about peace today and the bulldozers are taking more land and pulling up trees around here and making something permanent
on the ground. That means that we’ll never have peace. At least,
where I live, we�ll never have peace. Peace for me is freedom.
Peace for me means justice. Peace does not simply mean smiling and saying ‘hello’ to the Israelis.
This is not peace.
I don’t think the future will be good over here unless something
happens…..
…The best way is for people to see with their own eyes what is
going on. It is more important than anything else. People here are very peaceful people. People want to live. People want to love.
People want to dream. That’s why I’m still here because people
are good. ….
Bishop Riah Abu El Assal (former Bishop of Jerusalem)
My message for the churches at Christmas is – ‘Stop mentioning
the word Bethlehem unless you care about us. Stop singing ‘Oh
little town of Bethlehem’ unless you come and visit with its people, unless you do something about protecting the holiness of
the place, and the Christian history of this wonderful place.
Why continue to sing for Bethlehem when Bethlehem is in prison. How can we sing joyfully when people are being killed, being
harassed, being humiliated. It is true that Jesus Christ did not find
Page 10
a place at the inn, but you are not told that he was humiliated - not
told that he was stopped from entering Bethlehem.
I’m sorry to say that the way the church today relates to the
Christian community in the land of the Holy One and to the people
of Bethlehem, causes me to wonder whether we are of the same family. I ask the question, Are we really of the same family? What
are you doing? Singing? Praying for peace?
If I get the chance I will say, ‘There is something wrong with us. Christians make up 2 billion people in the world in the Christian
community and we can’t resolve the issue of Bethlehem?’
http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/christmas/bethlehem-today
Claire Ross and John Taylor would like to
announce their marriage to be held at the Free
Church on Saturday 12th December at 4pm.
Claire and her family are long standing members of
the Free Church and many of you will have known
Claire's grandfather, Denis Jones. Claire and John
would like to invite any members of the
congregation whom would like to celebrate their
marriage with them to attend the ceremony at 4 pm.
Page 11
Find the following hidden words:
christmas, stockings, tree, mary, jesus, nativity, presents, baby, shepherds, kings, santa, chocolate, robins
Quiz Time 1. What gifts were presented to baby Jesus?
2. What city was Jesus born in?
3. In what direction did the kings see His star?
4. In the song, what was given on the 7 th day?
5. What might a Canadian say on Christmas day?
Competition Time
Write a poem or draw a picture about Christmas to win a prize. Hand them into Allison by the 2nd Sunday in January and maybe you will win the prize. MERRY CHRISTMAS
What is the best
Christmas present in
the world?
A broken drum – you can’t beat it!
What do you call an
old snowman?
Water!
Why are turkeys wiser
than chickens?
Ever heard of Kentucky
Fried Turkey?
A O M E C L S P M S S Y E A M E
J E N Z L Y E O E F E S C H A E
E Q Z C E Q C I G K I J S A A U
S D R E H P E H S O I H E G O C
U M E F N R E R O B I N S I S A
S M D S A A I E T C Q W G K X N
I P E T T R A S H Q O M R S A E
P S G N I K C O T S Z L D T J S
S F A E V X A N R M X O A V O E
B S E S I O A P E T A E I T U N
D P L E T P E T K E V S S D E I
F B I R Y B A B R V R S D K P T
G S E P H R P M R Y S T H S T N
E C G H E E A E S U M P R S C J
I M F S S F C M H H N J V F M F
O F A U S O C F B E C E I N A S
Page 12
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bow'd my head: "There is no peace on
earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."
'Til ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
first published in 1863
Page 13
Free Church Secretary’s Note
I overheard a conversation this week where two young women
were discussing their Christmas shopping purchases One mentioned she had bought an Advent Candle. “Why did you
buy that it’s a religious thing?” I was heartened to hear the
friend reply “ Christmas is a religious thing . If it hadn’t been
for the birth of Jesus we wouldn’t have Christmas.”
Throughout our world people look forward to Christmas .
Why? Is it because it is a time for them to meet up with their
family and friends and enjoy each others company? Is it because it is a peak selling time for those in the retail business?
Is it because it is a time to show their love and affection for
each other by giving and receiving gifts and cards? I don’t know the answer but I wish there were a few more people
around who , like the young woman I overheard, were brave
enough to convey the true meaning of Christmas to the unenlightened. Why don’t we all make an effort to invite
people to join us in our Christmas Celebrations at the Free
Church so that they can experience the true meaning of
Christmas first hand.
We will be lighting our first Advent Candle on the 29th of
November. Advent comes from the Latin “adventus” meaning
arrival. Advent is a time when we prepare for the arrival of the Lord into the world through the birth of Jesus. It is a time to
celebrate light in the midst of darkness and to look forward to
a time when Jesus will come a second time.
As a Church we have already started planning for the
coming of Christmas and I do hope you will all enjoy taking
part in the activities and services which lead up to this very special celebration in the Christian Calendar. The most
important service for me personally is the Christmas Eve
Candlelight Communion which sadly is very poorly attended.
Page 14
I do hope a few more of you might consider coming along to
this service which marks the arrival of Christmas Day. I find this service in the stillness of late evening peaceful and
spiritually uplifting as I am sure you would.
The 29th of November also sees the launch of our Prayer Challenge and I do hope you will be able to participate in some
of the prayer sessions being held in Church over the coming
year. Please watch the notice board for dates and times.
Last but not least a very big thank you to everyone who
contributed to the success of this years Christmas Fayre. We
raised £2,200 on the day and hope to swell this figure with the sale of Draw Tickets and Promise Auction Bids by the end of
the year. Can we hit £3,000? Let’s try! Our final figure will be
in the February magazine.
With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year
Joyce Nicolson.
The Legend of the Robin's Red Breast
A little brown bird shared Bethlehem's
stable with the holy family. One night as
the family lay sleeping, she noticed their fire was going out. So she flew down
from the rafters and fanned the fire with
her wings throughout the night in order
to keep the baby Jesus warm. In the morning, she was rewarded with a red
breast as a symbol of her love for the
newborn king
Page 15
HELPERS REQUIRED
Friday 11th December 10 am onwards to set up the first stage of the Church decoration for Christmas and Carols by
Candlelight. Please come along armed with suitable foliage to
decorate the window sills etc. No expertise required just a willingness to help make the church look festive for the
Christmas period. Your reward will be coffee, mince pies, time
to chat and the satisfaction of seeing our Church looking really festive. If you are unable to help but can provide suitable
foliage please arrange with me a suitable time for you to bring
it to Church.
Friday 18th December 10am onwards stage two of decorating
the Church for Carols by Candlelight. This session will be
mainly putting candles in place for the Sunday service.
Friday 8th January 10 am The bit no one enjoys! Packing
away all the candles etc and getting the Church back to normal for the Sunday Service.
Please try to offer help on all or one of these occasions.
Thanks in anticipation
Joyce Nicolson and the Flower and Decor Team.
Page 16
The Legend of the Holly Wreath
A young orphan boy was living with the shepherds when the herald angels
appeared announcing the glad tidings of
Christ's birth. On the way to Bethlehem, the child wove a crown of holly branches
for the newborn king. But when he lay it
before Jesus, the crown looked so unworthy that the little shepherd became
ashamed of his gift and began to cry.
Then the Christ Child reached out, touched the crown, caused its
leaves to sparkle shiny and green, and turned the orphan's tears
into scarlet berries.
The Legend of the Donkey's Bray
After hiding in Egypt for some years, Joseph decided to move his family back to Nazareth. During the night they camped along the
side of the road. One night while
they slept, their donkey heard the soldiers' horses coming from afar.
Afraid that the soldiers were
coming to kill Jesus, the donkey
neighed to wake Joseph. He neighed and neighed, again and
again, but his voice was just too
soft to wake the sleepers. Finally, as the soldiers approached, the donkey prayed for a loud voice to
wake the family. When he neighed again, he was rewarded with
the loud bray such as donkeys have had ever since.
Page 17
New Sound System
Some of you may have noticed a change in the sound at the church, and that the audio
loop is working again. The old system was
about 15 years old and showing its age so
we have replaced it.
The new system is quite similar, but we
have added a second lapel radio microphone
and a hand held radio one as well so we can have up to 3 people talking without having
to hand round the microphone.
We can also connect the laptop to the main system so we don’t have to have separate speakers for it, and have
a CD player so we can play music in services or, as you may have
noticed, at the Fayre. We also now have a socket in the centre of
the hall for times when we ‘turn round’ the church.
We are still fine tuning the volumes, so tell myself or Ade if it
sounds wrong.
For those of you who set up the audio for services etc, there are instructions in the cupboard. All you really need to do is switch on
and off at the mains switch and plug microphones etc into the
sockets in the hall. Please, Please do not twiddle knobs or switch off individual equipment in the cupboard otherwise the next
person will be in trouble.
John Meers
Page 18
October Money Free Church Woodhall
Income £6,933 £4,982
Expense £8,108 £1,670 FC includes Fayre money and expense
for sound system WHL includes Nursery rent up to end of the year
Visit us on the web at:
www.freechurchwgc.org.uk
For updated and exciting content and the latest
information about the Free Church
Specialising in the following treatments:
Corns & Callous Remova l Elderly / Diabetic Foot Care
Routine Nail Care Fungal Nail Treatments
Louisa Munch MCFHP MAFHP Judith Munch MCFHP MAFHP
01707 325592 01707 332270
Registered Member of The British Association of Foot Health Professionals
ACORN FOOTCARE Qualified Foot Health Professionals
Page 19
PC HOME HELPER
Computer health check Full data backup service
Emergency call out
Home tutorials
New Computers Old computer recycling
Broadband installation
Wireless networks Internet security check
Your local friendly computer home help service!
01707 690468 / 07768 055906
SUNDAY COFFEE
ROTA
Please, please, please can we have some more
volunteers for the Sunday
coffee rota. The more
people on the rota the less often your turn comes
round. Any volunteers ring
Kathleen Muir on 01438 880382 as soon as
possible. Many thanks in
anticipation!!!
Page 20
MOIRA NEWLANDS
It may come as a surprise to learn that Moira’s official name was Mary
after she was born 15 May 1917, in Largs, Ayrshire, to Mary and
Alexander Morris.
After the local primary and higher schools in Largs, Mary Muir Morris, as she was then, progressed at the age of 14 to Ardrossan
Academy, where she travelled by train. It was at Ardrossan that she first met George Newlands the boy who was to become her husband
13 years later. Moira completed her formal education at Skerries College, Glasgow, afterwards working at the Dalry and Greenock
labour exchanges – mathematics were Moira’s forte and she had won
the Dux Medal for Maths at Largs Higher Grade School.
It was in a group of friends travelling into Glasgow to train for their
college and university studies that she got to know George better. George and Moira married on 14 February 1944 – one reason being
that the fishmongers being run by Moira’s parents would have been
closed for the half day anyway!
Their first home was at Dalbeattie where George worked for ICI Nobel Division, but a year later in 1945, George was transferred to ICI
Plastics Division in their Tewin Road research labs.in WGC. It was a huge decision to cope with as neither George nor Moira had lived
anywhere else but Scotland. Moira certainly missed her native hills
and seascapes. Shortage of accommodation in WGC after the war meant that life continued in lodgings followed by a flat in Park House.
However, the opportunity arose for their own house to be built in Roundwood Drive and the family, now augmented by the arrival of
daughter Mary and brother George, took possession in 1953. This was
to be Moira’s home for the next 45 years.
As part of the settling-in process, George and Moira joined the Free Church which was to become a large part of both of their lives. Moira
joined women’s groups and George was involved in various committees – he became Session Clerk in 1965 and, after the URC
was established in 1972, the first Church Secretary until 1986. For
many years Moira organised the flower distribution rota.
Page 21
A Caledonian Society was very active in the town and they both became keen members. Moira was also a WRVS volunteer, working
in the QE11 hospital teashop for 25 years. Frequent visits were made to Scotland and reciprocated by friends and family visiting WGC and
following George’s retirement they were able to enjoy this activity
even more.
For many years Hogmanay was celebrated in true style including
George, uniquely, being attired in a kilt.
Moira bore George’s death in 1986 with great stoicism but, with the
help of friends and family was eventually able to move on in her life. She took great delight in watching her family grow up and progress,
and continued travelling at home and abroad.
Moira moved into Woodside House in 1998 but in 2003 went to live at
Stanborough Lodge residential home; not an easy decision but one
helped greatly by the family and the caring and attentive staff. Her 90th birthday was celebrated in some style at daughter Mary’s in 2007.
Moira became a great-grandmother to Evie, born in Australia, in 2008 and to her great delight the family travelled to the UK in September
this year when a face-to-face meeting was achieved.
After this, however, Moira’s health took a rapid downward turn and
she sadly passed away on October 16th. Moira always had a ready smile and a cheerful word for all about her. She was non-judgemental
and accepted the decisions made by her children and grand-children. Generous with her time and money she had her favourite charities but
could not pass a collecting tin without making a donation.
------
As Moira’s Elder for a number of years I knew personally what a
wonderful lady she was. I’m very grateful to Mary Sartin for the biographical notes which formed part of Moira’s memorial service on
October 28th and on which the above piece is based. At this service a collection for the RNLI was taken up and it is perhaps fitting that a
letter of thanks from the RNLI received by Joyce Nicolson is referred
to here.
Roger Simpson
Page 22
THURSDAY CLUB
We start this month with our CHRISTMAS
PARTY on 10 December at 2.00 pm.
There will be the usual festive food and drink,
followed by another lovely reading of poetry by our talented performers and finishing with some
of the old traditional carols which we love to sing.
Mrs Jennifer Newton will again accompany us on
the piano and we look forward to that. She has
been doing this task since the Club started 7 years ago this month.
Everyone is very welcome. We charge a small sum of £1.50 to cover expenses and it would help
with the catering if you could contact me should you want to come. We are always glad to see a
good number at our special events. Do come.
We start up again after Christmas on 14 January 2010.
Rosemary Craig (330660)
Page 23
Freechurch Family Corner FREE CHURCH FAMILY CORNER Congratulations To Iris Waite and her husband on the birth in September of their great-
grandchild, Charles William.
To Claire Ross on her marriage to John on 12th December in our
church. Many of you will remember Claire as she is Doris & Dennis Jones’ grand daughter and grew up in our Junior Church.
To Janna Hansen on her 95th birthday in September and Marie Machen on her 85th in November.
We were very pleased to see Cathy Clark and her fiancé Chris when they came to help at the Christmas Fayre. They are getting married
next July and hope to live in Cambridge where Cathy works in Diabetes Research.
We have heard on the grape vine that Heleen and Greg Schmidt are expecting their first child in the Spring.
Cherylle & Michael’s daughter Michelle & husband Jamie are expecting an addition to their family in March. They are living in
Cyprus for 3 years.
Some of us enjoyed the show “Les Miserables” at Campus West
recently when Abi Giles, Nicola Ashman and Sophie Washington were taking part. Nicola had a solo part at one performance.
We are very pleased that Alan Tyler is at last out of hospital and we send our prayers and good wishes to him and Evelyn for a speedy
recovery.
Please remember those mentioned in our sick register. Margaret Ansell
keeps this list up to date and also organizes the distribution of the
flowers following Sunday Worship so she is always grateful for any news of members of our congregation who need our prayers and good
wishes.
I should be grateful for any items of news for inclusion in the next
issue which will be in February.
Thank you. Ann Meers
Page 24
Inter Faith Matters
Half way through Inter Faith Week, I can report that the session I
led on Faith and Creation at the Backhouse Room was well-attended and led to a lively and thoughtful discussion. Several
participants, including a Jew, told me afterwards that they had
found the topic very interesting and worthwhile.
The shared meal at the Focolare Centre also proved popular and
helped people of different faiths to get to know one another better.
The encounter of representatives of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Ba’hai faiths with about a hundred girls at Bishop Hatfield
Girls School was a success. They had more questions to ask than
we had time to answer. How would you have answered ‘Does your faith ever make you feel uncomfortable?’; ‘Why do you think God
exists?’; ‘What does a religious marriage ceremony achieve?’;
‘What does your faith forbid you to do?’. Interestingly, those of
other faiths mentioned more prohibitions than the Christians, especially about what they can eat. We Christians were able to
tuck into the roast pork they served for lunch, whereas the
vegetarian alternative better suited the rest. Over lunch we had a good discussion with the school’s RE teacher and argued the case
for inter faith matters to be part of the curriculum.
Two of us went to County Hall to attend the Herts SACRE (Standing Advisory Committee on Religious Education) meeting
as observers. It was disappointing to note that the SACRE Annual
Report for 2009 makes no mention of Inter Faith matters, or of the IFG’s representations that Inter Faith issues should be included in
the curriculum. Afterwards, I spoke to Paul Goggins, the Chair, but
made no progress in persuading him to engage with any IFG in the
county – unlike most SACREs elsewhere, which collaborate. The Herts SACRE decided not to mark Inter Faith week in any way.
Bertie Everard
Page 25
You are invited to attendYou are invited to attendYou are invited to attendYou are invited to attend a Free Church Servicea Free Church Servicea Free Church Servicea Free Church Service in The Lady Chapel on: in The Lady Chapel on: in The Lady Chapel on: in The Lady Chapel on: Wednesday 2nd. December 2009 at 11a.m. Preacher: The Reverend Anne E. Brown, the Chair of the District,
of the Methodist Church Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and
Essex.
– At Noon join a Christmas Lunch in the Abbey Café. Wednesday 6th. January 2010 at 11a.m. Preacher: The Reverend John E. Churcher, M.A.,
The Methodist Covenant Service including Holy Communion.
– At Noon join a Fellowship Lunch in the Abbey Café.
Special Services:
Carols on the Hour - Saturday 19th. December 2009.
Abbey Choirs singing on the hour from 11a.m. – 4p.m.
The Blessing of the Crib – Christmas Eve at 3p.m.
This service is intended mainly for children and families.
All ARE WELCOME TO WORSHIPAll ARE WELCOME TO WORSHIPAll ARE WELCOME TO WORSHIPAll ARE WELCOME TO WORSHIP
Reverend Peter Hudson Free Church Ecumenical
Chaplain
Email:<[email protected] >Phone: St Albans: 812076
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FREE CHURCH DIARY DATES FOR Dec 09 & Jan 10
Date Day Time Led By Event
6th
Dec
Sunday 10:30 Jane Communion (Toy Service)
4-5 pm Come and sing Carols with WGC
Churches outside the Howard Centre
8th Tuesday 7:30 pm Elders Meeting
10th Thursday 2:00 pm Thursday Club Christmas Party
12th Saturday 4:30 pm Claire Ross Wedding
13th Sunday 10:30 Bertie
Everard
Morning Service
20th Sunday No Morning Service
Sunday 4:30 pm Carols by Candlelight (Tea Coffee and
Mince pies from 3:45)
24th Thursday 11:30 pm Jane Christmas Eve Candlelight
Communion
25th Friday 10:00 am Invitation to join Panshanger
Christmas Day Worship
27th Sunday 10:30 am Christmas Worship for all ages
Sunday 4:00 pm Robert Afternoon Communion
3rd Sunday 10:00 Jane Communion
10th Sunday 10:00 am TBA
12th Tuesday 7:30 pm Elders Meeting
14th Thursday 3:30 pm Thursday club
17th Sunday 10:30 am Jane Morning Service
24th Sunday 10:30 am Jane All Age
Sunday 4:00 pm Robert Afternoon Communion
28th Thursday 2:30 pm Thursday club
31st Sunday 11:00 am Jane Joint Service at Woodhall Lane
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Woodhall Lane Corner
CHRISTMAS SERVICES
A Service of Lessons and Carols on Sunday 13 December
will be led by Robert Harvey at 11 am.
Midnight Communion at the Free Church Thursday 24
December will be led by Rev Jane Weedon at 11.30 pm.
Christmas Day Service will be a combined service with the
Free Church and Panshanger Church held at Panshanger at
10 am.
Sunday 27 December will be a joint service with the Free
Church at the Free Church.
Epiphany Celebration led by the Elders will be held on Sunday 3 January 2010 at Woodhall Lane.
A New Year Social afternoon will be held on Thursday 7 January 2010 at 2 pm at Woodhall Lane.
Visit us on the web at
www.woodhalllaneurc.org.uk
For updated content and information about Woodhall Lane
If you have a problem or need to discuss something that
requires pastoral attention please contact one of the Elders
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Woodhall Lane Dec 09 & Jan 10
.
PREACHERS
6 December Christine Warren
13 December Rev Jane Weedon (Lessons/Carols) Lunch/Church Meeting to follow
20 December Robert Harvey (Communion)
27 December Joint with Free Church (at Free Church)
3 January Epiphany Service (Led by Elders) 10 January Rev Jane Weedon (Communion)
17 January Rev Brian Shenk
24 January Robert Harvey 31 January Joint with Free Church (at Woodhall)
DOOR STEWARDS VESTRY
6 December Joyce & Grace Linda 13 December Joan Owen Barbara
20 December Joyce & Grace Margaret
27 December Joan Owen Linda
3 January Joyce & Grace Barbara
10 January Joan Owen Margaret 17 January Joyce & Grace Linda
24 January Joan Owen Barbara
31 January Joyce & Grace Margaret
COMMUNION STEWARD
20 December Linda
10 January Margaret
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FLOWER ROTA
6 December Carole
13 December Barbara
20 December Margaret 27 December N/A
3 January Carole
10 January Barbara
17 January Margaret
24 January Carole 31 January Barbara
BIBLE STUDY
Friday mornings 10 am at 114 Parkway
or venue to be advised.
FELLOWSHIP CLUB - Alternate Thursday 2 - 3.30pm
12 November Make & Taste + Bring & Buy
26 November Making Christmas Cards
ELDERS MEETING
3 December 9.30am at the church.
RESOLVE
Jean King from Resolve gave us a most interesting talk on the
work they do. The team that work there are all voluntary and
they have over fifty clients on their books at this present time. Resolve is one of the charities we are committed to supporting
this year.
POSTAGE STAMPS
Please continue to save your used postage stamps especially over the Christmas period. Joyce Whiting is collecting these
for Oxfam.
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CAR PARK
We would like to say a big ‘Thank You’ to Joe Palacio for
felling the two large trees in the car park and making the area tidy and more spacious. Also appreciation to his friend Terry
who assisted him. Joe is also preparing for another role, the
Pre-School have asked him to be their ‘Father Christmas’ at their Christmas Party.
MABEL PHILLIPS
We were sad to announce the death of Mabel at the end of
October. Her funeral was on Friday 13 November and a
Service of Thanksgiving was held at 3 pm on the same day. The Service was led by Rev Jane Weedon with prayers said by
Rev Derek Jones our previous Minister who had known
Mabel for many years.
As some of our members/friends were unable to attend the
service we thought you would like to read the eulogy given by Mabel’s daughters Jenny and Gerranwen.
Jenny’s contribution….
“Our Mum, Mabel Alice Molly Turner, the youngest of four children,
was born in Woolwich Nursing Home for Mothers, and her names were those of the three nurses who attended the birth.
Her father, who was in the Metropolitan Police Force, died when she was only three years old, and sadly her young brother, Nen, who was
9, passed away just a few months later in the orphanage.
The family moved on to live in Fulham, above a haberdashery shop,
owned by her grandfather. We often heard entertaining tales of the Italian family next door who sold ice creams and about her 5 cats.
When she was about 5 yrs old Mum was sent to the Metropolitan Police Orphanage to be at school with her other brother and sister.
She left the orphanage when she was nearly 15 yrs old and went to work in an office for her cousin who was a chartered accountant.
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Then her mother, my grandmother, moved to Potters Bar, I think Kit and Bert were married by then. In about 1939 Mum sadly lost her beloved
sister Kit who had T.B.
Some of her jobs were cleaning at Potters Bar hospital, (the explanation of
this work was a little gruesome) she then cleaned again in a private home and at Burleighmead house in Hatfield as a cook and bottle washer.
Mum then moved to an office job at Murphy Radio, where she met
Dad, who also worked there. They married after only knowing each
other for a short while in 1935. I, Jennifer, arrived a year later, and they were given a council house in Knella Green where they lived for
about 26 years.
Mum had various other assorted jobs, for instance, making emery
cloth and glue, which was wartime work at B.C.R. She took in evacuees, Mrs Duff and her two boys for a while. After the war at the
Malaysian Rubber Research, she was a tea lady. The men teased her on April 1, by putting dry ice in her teapot causing havoc. She even
did homework putting hairslides together and much later packing eyelashes for Eyelure where Dad worked as a lorry driver, plus several
other little jobs. Mum also looked after Kit’s children taking them on outings, and also later to our cousins in Wales during several summer
holidays.
Mum didn’t join in many social activities, except Bingo in the last couple
of years where she won at her first visit. But Mum did teach the Girl’s Brigade, Indian Club swinging, which she remembered from her school
years.
One of Mum’s favourite pastimes was painting and she was a very good artist. Also she enjoyed calligraphy classes, where she made several
friends.
Yes! in 1959 Mum surprised us all by producing another baby girl (Gerranwen).
Gerranwen’s contribution…….
When I was growing up Mum worked at Hyde Valley House in the kitchen where she made many friends and also did cleaning at Roseanne House
with Mrs Roberts, as well as packing eyelashes for Eyelure.
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After Knella Green we moved to Cole Green Lane and I remember Mum’s encouragement to me all through my school years, always focussing on the
positive and her patience sitting with me for hours going through my school homework.
At intervals while I was growing up Mum would test out new ways to try and help Dad’s hair to grow back. One particular attempt involved the application of chicken manure to Dad’s head which, of course, didn’t work.
In the 1980’s Mum and Dad went on holiday to Scotland and we were surprised to receive a parcel from Mum whilst they were still on holiday. On opening the parcel we were even more surprised to find a Pipestral Bat,
which Mum had found and sent to us in a matchbox, with a little note for Emma.
I remember the holidays we went on, and especially our family holidays to Somerset for Mum’s 80th birthday when she climbed to the top of Glastonbury Tor, not to be outdone by the younger ones, and of course, her
90th birthday when so many members of the family got together to celebrate with her.
There are many other times that I could mention, for example, when Mum walked to my friends house in the rain to repay 2p that she had borrowed
from her in Fine Fare the previous day, but just to end I would like to say these are some of the things that I remember about my Mum:-
� Her kindness and patience were never exhausted.
� She truly believed that love could overcome anything. � She had endless compassion and empathy for those less fortunate. � She didn’t have a cruel bone in her body and despised any form of
cruelty to animals or others. � She was gentle and honest to a fault and
� Although she was shy and sometimes found it difficult to socialise, once she got to know someone, no-one could ask for a better friend.
Mum loved her family, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren - she was so proud of all their achievements and she was never so happy as
when she was at a family get together.
My sister Jenny and I feel very lucky and privileged to have had such a wonderful, unique and irreplaceable women to call our Mum.
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LOVE IN A BOX - Woodhall Lane
Once again we have exceeded all expectations. We have covered, filled
and safely despatched 139 boxes. This really is a brilliant effort and my grateful thanks go out to everyone who has made this possible. It seems more and more people are becoming involved each year, many from
outside the church but have contact with those in the church. Keep up the good work! Thanks to those busy knitters in Woodside House. Also
thanks to Shoe Zone who supply many of the boxes. This makes the project a lot easier; 139 boxes takes some collecting!
This year our boxes are destined for Bosnia and we pray God’s Blessing on the various stages and preparation these boxes go through before the
children receive them. We pray especially for these children who will receive them, may they know something of the love behind the
organisation - that God loves them.
Once again many thanks to all of you who have made this possible and I
am pleased to say that your monetary gifts have covered both the cost of the many items it was necessary to buy and the transport costs. God Bless
you all.
Carole
Family Devotions
Shortly after our family began having nightly devotions—which
isn't easy with a precocious four-year-old daughter and an impish
two-year-old son—my daughter asked, "Mommy, when are we gonna get together with Daddy and Austin to talk about God and
have family commotions?"
—Carla Crumley-Forest, Jacksonville Beach, FL. "Heart to Heart,"
Today's Christian Woman
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Free Church Rotas for Dec 09 & Jan 10 Coffee
Dec09
6th Mrs M Ansell & Mrs A Meers
13th Mrs H Kaye & Mr R Harvey 20th Mr & Mrs P Read
27th Mrs A & Miss K Onasile
Jan10 3rd Mr & Mrs A Tyler
10th Mrs S Chamberlin & Mrs K Muir
17th Mrs M Sartin & Mrs L Perry 24th Mrs J Marshall & Mrs J Spalding
31st Joint Service at Woodhall Lane
FLOWER ROTA
Dec09
6th Mary Sartin 13th Lady Menzies
20th Carols by Candlelight
27th
Jan10
3rd
10th Cherylle Cooper
17th Mr and Mrs N Muir 24th Joanne and Andre Gibson
31st Service at Woodhall Lane
Creche It’s great if all the family can come to church
together. If your child is too young to attend
Junior Church, we have a warm, safe and comfy room where parents can take their
babies and toddlers. Hey and there are loads
of toys!
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The Legends of the Christmas Tree
Several legends claim the fir is one of the trees from the garden of Eden. One says the fir is the Tree of Life whose leaves shrank into
tiny needles when Eve plucked the fruit from the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life did not bloom
again until the night Christ was born.
Another legend claims that Adam carried a twig of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil with him from the garden. This twig
later became the fir which was used for the Christmas tree and the
Holy Cross.
Deadline for February 10 Magazine
Articles requiring typing Sunday 17th Jan Articles
sent via email Thursday 21st Jan
e-mail documents to [email protected] , hand
your articles to Chris Ewer the Magazine Secretary or leave them in the magazine pigeon hole at the back of the church for
the Freechurch or hand to Linda Sutton for Woodhall Lane, and
if they can be with us before or as near to the deadline date as possible that will be much appreciated.
Please note that it is essential that these dates are respected if
the magazine is be printed on time. Magazine will be printed for Sunday 31st January
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