Congregational Federation FAITH IN ACTION AWARD Your Area Needs YOU! Issue No.8 October 2014

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1 Issue No.8 October 2014 Words are powerful, what we say matters and what we choose to listen to will have great impact on our lives and those around us. Words can build up and tear down. Ever been torn down or built up by someone s words? I bet most of us can think of a time when words that were read or said had great impact. Words have the power to change what we think and how we understand things. Words create images in our minds, engaging both the good and bad in us. The most powerful word we have been given is Jesus, the Word made flesh and the Word of God came to live among us. His name has the power to save. One word Jesus can bring strongholds crashing down and new life all at the same time! As we see the leaves of the trees turn to those fiery colours this season and our journey leads us on to Christmas let s not forget that there is power in the name of Jesus. Speak his name at every God-given opportunity to bring his salvation to bear on someone s life. And may the words in this edition of CONNECT bring you encouragement. Yours in Christ, Clemy Gilmore. Your Area Needs YOU! All officers of the South East Area are up for re-election. The following positions need to be filled if the South East Area is to continue being a resource and support to the churches in the Area: Chair Assistant Chair Secretary Assistant Secretary Treasurer Assistant Treasurer Nomination Forms will be sent out soon. Please let your church members know and encourage them to prayerfully consider volunteering for these positions. For more information about the specific duties of each role, contact Malcolm Boulter, Congregational Federation FAITH IN ACTION AWARD 2015 James 2:26 If the faith of your church can be seen at work in your community we want to hear from you. No matter how big or small, whether your project depends entirely on volunteers or has paid workers, there is a category for you. Up to four prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the judges on the selection committee from a 7,000 pot. Applications forms need to be in by 12 January For further details or to download the application form go to: Or contact Clemy Gilmore on or clemy.cf@gmail.com 1

2 Dates for your Diary Woodford Wells Ecumenical Church Stepping Out Sunday12 th October Our main out-of-the-ordinary event this autumn will be the End of Woodford Festival Service on October 12th. This has become a tradition. Included within the worship will be contributions from performers in the Festival, including, this year, a local choir, a ballad singer with guitar, magic with a message, a reading from the Koran by members of the local Muslim community and some dances by members of the local dance school. The service is part of the festival and is open to people of all faiths and none. We celebrate together the community and its talents. It is part of our programme to reduce our invisibility, hidden away in the school chapel, as we are. The service is very well attended, with a buffet lunch for all afterwards in the dining room. This year the local Methodist minister will be our link man, with prayers and readings led by members of the church. Union Chapel on the 100 th Anniversary of WWI Who Would Jesus Shoot? Wednesday 12 November at 7 p.m. In response to the 100th Anniversary of the First World War, several Christian organisations and two churches have come together to lead a debate on issues of war and non-violence from the Christian perspective. Canadian Mennonite Prof. Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld will be taking the pacifist stance whilst Prof. Nigel Bigger, from Oxford University and author of 'In Defence of War, will be the opposing voice. The title, Who Would Jesus shoot? although at first seemingly ironic, is perhaps a more serious question when considered within certain contexts. This debate will not aim to polarise the arguments, but to explore them closely together in order to create a better understanding of both those Christians who choose to go to war, and those who choose not to; and to ask the question whether sometimes we have a choice at all. Union Chapel, Compton Ave, N1 2XD London Organised by: The UK Anabaptist Network; The Mennonite Trust; ekklesia.co.uk; Union Chapel; Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church; Greenbelt Festival. Bunyan Meeting Summer Exhibition Lest we forget Commemorating the start of World War I in On until 1 November in the Elstow Room Tuesday - Saturday 11.00am pm (last entry 3.45pm). The summer exhibition Lest We Forget was opened poignantly by Peter Barratt on 14 July and has been very popular with visitors. It has been a fantastic project, and has allowed the sharing of some wonderful stories from the people of Bunyan, old and new. 2

3 Caterham Community Church Invite you to this joint Christmas Event for all the Family! Friday 28 November Saltmine Theatre Company are returning to the Oasis Academy in Old Coulsdon on the evening of Friday November 28th with their performance of Beauty and the Beast. Saltmine are a Christian professional drama company whose re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast is a story of deep dark woods, a forbidden castle and the monster that lies within. They invite you to join Belle as she tumbles into a world where the unexpected comes to life and stories are told which will delight! Giggle, gasp and adventure with our beauty this year, to discover the truth as you look beneath the surface and see the world through the eyes of the Maker. Ticket 6 and 3 concessions; free refreshments. More information from John Bowdery on Via the Grape Vine Penge Congregational Church Pot-bound or Outward bound? Today we asked ourselves whether, as a church, we are a pot bound bonsai or if we were ready to be re-potted. On the assumption that we were ready to be lifted out of our comfortable little pot so that our roots can spread, we finished our service by singing the last hymn loudly on the steps of the church to proclaim our presence to passers-by. Newport Congregational together with the Salvation Army - Church without Walls Open Air Service 3

4 Wimbledon - Connect youth group Adventure Our youth group meets on the first Saturday of the month and we do a number of activities. If there is any other youth group out there who wants to meet up sometime do get in touch! About 9am on 19 th July 3 leaders and 5 young people from our youth group met for a trip to Brighton. We travelled by tram and then First capital connect train to Brighton. Arriving at Brighton after stopping at every possible station (Nigel wanted to save money on the cheapest fare) we walked to the sea front via the Brighton lanes. Strangely enough none of us bought anything but just did window shopping until we got to the Sainsbury s local, where some bought lunch. It took a few minutes to pitch ourselves on the beach where we sat and sun bathed, swam and ate lunch. We were joined later by Daniel and his family who arrived just as we were about to go on the pier, to take pictures with aunt sallies. Naomi another leader had a quiz for us to do and the teams were woman V s men. This involved questions and having to trade a paper clip for something bigger. Most people had a go, and one of the girls managed to end up with a statue worth about 7! We returned to the beach, before a jog to the train station to find we were on the wrong train, but it did take us to Croydon we did all eventually get home! Higham Congregational Church Coffee Morning We have been having monthly Coffee Mornings supporting Lions Hospice, Demelza House, Mamillan Nurses, Naval Christian Fellowship & Kent Air Ambulance. We raise an average of 130 / 140. Very good for the number of members. One of our more mobile village members arranged for a couple of shops and the post office to display notices for the last one. World War 1 at Bunyan Meeting Church, Bedford On Saturday 2 August Bunyan Meeting and John Bunyan Museum held an event to recreate the church s canteen for soldiers billeted in Bedford. Margaret Ormerod and her team of wartime canteen ladies (and gentlemen) served fantastic wartime themed recipes including Trench Cake, Anzac biscuits, and corned beef sandwiches. Irene Day and her team of singers kept the troops entertained throughout the day; with music and singalongs of old favourites from the time. The museum ran craft activities, with children making their own poppy badges, and the church s three very own uniformed soldiers; Brian Stevens, Michael Thomas and Colin Day (bottom left) made the whole day feel authentic and fun. Like the real wartime version, full numbers were not recorded; but over 160 people were served with a smile and a song on the day and over 200 was raised for the British Legion. A big thank you to everyone involved in the day, and who made it so memorable. 4

5 Congregational Reflections - Trinity Church, Brixton At Trinity we are grateful to be Congregationalists, to have the freedom to decide for ourselves, with God s direction, for all our affairs. At a time when the world seems to want more localised government, it is difficult to know how to explain the fact that Christians want bigger, centralised church structures. Perhaps it is the difficulty of having to grow up and take responsibility in church meetings. Or is it rather that Christians do not pray about the issues which concern their church but want to leave these to the minister/pastor and deacons/elders etc? Nevertheless, as I read the New Testament, the first churches did not all do as Rome did and the Roman church did not claim authority over other churches. Nor for that matter did any NT church try to tell other churches what to do. Therefore they all acted independently, as the Holy Spirit directed them. That seems very close to Congregationalism to me. So maybe Congregationalism has something more going for it than we often seem to realise. Alan Argent Congregational Distinctive - An opportunity to add your comments to the discussion Looking Forward In 1972 when the Congregational Federation was born it was as a result of not wanting to go into the URC. For those involved there was a clear desire to remain part of a long tradition of living the Congregational Way. When you ask today What is the Congregational Way? most people answer by talking about ecclesiology, the way we are and how we do church. For many that will be about the way each church is self governing and how decisions are made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is a good way to answer the question, not wrong and certainly 'right'. However, if we want to talk about the Congregational Way in the 21st Century is it 'best'? The vast majority of people are not interested in church, or the way we do church, they are interested in the spiritual and often seem to assume they will not find that in church! Many people are still fascinated by Jesus, his life, his works and message. Is it time that the confession Jesus is Lord becomes the priority for the Congregational Way today? What do you think our priority should be for the Congregational way? Click on this link and add your comments! Or go to (click on resources on the green bar, then on distinctive down the left of the page) 5