Standard Bearer High Wycombe Salvation Army December 2018 Year 18 Issue 10

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undays ondays WEEKL EETNG PLN eetings at 9.50. 10.30 a.m. 4-30 p.m. 1st unday Praise meeting 4.30 p.m. 2nd unday Bible Explore 4.30 p.m. 3rd unday No afternoon meeting.

Thompson Captain Jo Thompson 01494 471847 Wonderful Counsellor; ighty God among us Everlasting Father Prince who rules in peace

1 undays ondays WEEKL EETNG PLN eetings at a.m p.m. 1st unday Praise meeting 4.30 p.m. 2nd unday Bible Explore 4.30 p.m. 3rd unday No afternoon meeting. 4th unday essy Church p.m. 5th unday No afternoon meeting. pen Door 10 a.m. to 12 noon. ver 60 s Club Fortnightly Lunch p.m.. eeting 2.00 p.m. Tuesday Parents and Tots 10 a. m fternoon Fellowship 1.45 p.m..p and enior Band ehearsals tandard Bearer High Wycombe alvation rmy December 2018 ear 18 ssue 10 Commanding fficers ajor ichard Thompson Captain Jo Thompson Wonderful Counsellor; ighty God among us Everlasting Father Prince who rules in peace Wednesday Cameo Club second Wednesday monthly 7.30 p.m. Thursday Friday Community choir 8 p.m. pen Door 9.30 a.m Luncheon Club E LL CHLDEN F THE LGHT ND CHLDEN F THE D WE D NT BELNG T THE NGHT T THE DKNE 1 Thessalonians 5:5 Editor: Carol Gibson. ob carol@standardbearer.info agazine Website To us a child is born To us a son is given To those who walked in darkness The light has come. Chick uill

Dear Friends, There is a moment after the clocks change that the dark nights set in earlier and earlier making everything seem tired and miserable, especially with the onset of the cold wind and rain

s advent sets in and Christmas approaches, the street becomes alive where once it seemed cold and uninviting, the scene changes and suddenly becomes warm, bright and good.

We invite others to come and share with us as we celebrate Christmas as family, friends and community.

That is why the angels shared with the shepherds, bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people Luke 2:10-11. nd the response of the shepherds when they saw Jesus?

2 Dear Friends, There is a moment after the clocks change that the dark nights set in earlier and earlier making everything seem tired and miserable, especially with the onset of the cold wind and rain of November but then lights begin to appear, one by one in the houses, around the houses and even out to some gardens. t seems that the decorating of houses connects one home with another. s advent sets in and Christmas approaches, the street becomes alive where once it seemed cold and uninviting, the scene changes and suddenly becomes warm, bright and good. miles take over the cold winter air and hats, gloves and two pairs of socks make us feel toasty warm. We invite others to come and share with us as we celebrate Christmas as family, friends and community. December November s think and prepare my heart and mind for this season, am reminded that in this message of Christmas, God came to share his story, and joy came through a door to earth from the outside and invited us into his heart. Jesus came from Heaven to reach down and embrace earth with a message and invitation of hope & redemption in other words, Joy is the gift that is given bringing God s love in human form. That is why the angels shared with the shepherds, bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people Luke 2: nd the response of the shepherds when they saw Jesus? Well, they glorified and praised God as they were invited to share in the gift of joy. s we ponder on this, we surely cannot help to see Christmas for what it is. way from the consumerism, we focus in on the fact that our response to this message of love is to worship and adore the gift from God for you, me, & all generations as we are connected together by the light of the world. Dear Lord God lmighty, thank you for your divine message and gift of Christmas. s we prepare to get ready for this season, may we remember that the true gift for us is wrapped gently in a manger. ay that always be our focus in all the busy-ness of this month. Thank you for coming to earth, for gifting joy to us and inviting us to share with heaven both now and for eternity. Help us in your grace to be willing to receive this gift men. Wishing all readers of tandard Bearer very happy and blessed Christmas and a good New ear. Page 15

3 The Great Christmas Quiz 1. Who told ary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem? 2 True or False: ary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus because they were following a star. 3 What form of transportation did ary and Joseph use to get to Bethlehem? The answer is not a taxi cab. 4. Which ld Testament prophet had the most to say about the birth of Christ? 5 n the accounts announcing the birth of Christ (atthew 1 and Luke 1 and 2) how many times did an angel or angels appear? 6 Who told Joseph the baby s name was to be Jesus? 7 Can you list 5 names of Jesus found in the Bible? ome are from ld Testament prophecies. 8 What are the meanings of the names Jesus and Emmanuel? 9. The shepherds and the wise men went to see Jesus. Which group followed a star and which group went to find the baby because an angel told them where to look? 10 What did the angels sing to the shepherds? 11 When the shepherds went looking for Jesus, what was the sign they were to look for? 12 How many wise men or kings or magi came to see Jesus? 13 atthew 2:8 says that Herod asked the wise men to inform him where the baby Jesus was. Why does this verse say he wanted to know? 14 How old was Jesus when the wise men found him? 15 What are the three gifts which are mentioned being given by the wise men? 6 Which emperor ordered all the young children be killed? 17 What animals does the Bible say were present at the birth of Jesus? 18 What was the name of the unkind innkeeper who would not allow the pregnant ary to lodge in his inn? 19 What is the name of the priest who was told he would not die until he saw the aviour? 20 Two of the four Gospels do not mention the birth of Christ. Which two? nswers Next onth Page 14 High Wycombe Corps Council inutes 26 th November 2018 Present: ajor ichard Thompson, Captain Jo Thompson, Keith orris, Barrie liver, Georgina Harkcom, Trevor teventon, Harold ichardson, Denise tratford pologies: ay ounsher, Carol Gibson, Hazel orris, Tendai Chiwara Devotions: These were led by ajor ichard Thompson afe ission: The DB information is still in the process of being completed for all local leaders Property: The cracks that are appearing in the walls throughout the building have recently been inspected. t is thought that there is nothing structural about them although an investigation may be required for the one above the office door and there could be a link with that and the railway nearby. plasterer will be employed by the property department to do this work. The damp on the wall in the main hall behind the drop screen could be down to a roof tile falling away and so the property department are looking into getting a roofer to investigate this and fix it. The way the alvation rmy now does property repairs has changed. We are now in a position to be able to get repair work at both the hall and the quarters (provided that it has been budgeted for) using local companies as long as the work is not structural. With this in mind, we can now hire a local company to replace the lighting in the hall, band room, basement and corridors without seeking permission from the property department. Georgina raised the issue of the shelves and cupboard space in the songster area. They are in urgent need of being replaced as they are not safe. Work for this can be done as soon as possible. Finance & aising oney: The corps is on mission support from The alvation rmy, currently we receive 16,500 and so we are looking at ways of reducing this. Barrie and the C s have been through the budget with the Birmingham centre and will receive confirmation of the final figures in January for the next 3 years. This will determine how much mission support is projected in this time. There may be funding available to the corps depending on what mission activities we propose that we do in this time and so a missional journal will be put together identifying short term, medium term and long term goals for the corps. This means that we will need to write down on paper the things that we have already done over the last two years as well as aspirations for the future. The mission development plan will be discussed and shared as part of ongoing corps council meetings. Page 3

4 nnual ppeal: The target that was set for our corps was 2,300 and we raised just over that figure through standing days at orrisons, and the Tesco stores in mersham and Loudwater. tephen Peddle also did door to door and Hazel organised a coffee morning which contributed to us being able to raise the target. Harvest: The harvest weekend went well with Paul Fey leading the aturday quiz and the unday led by ajors ndrew & ngrid Diaper-Clausen (DHQ). We did mention about the possibility of doing something different from a quiz, but acknowledged that the harvest supper and quiz was well attended, raised money and was enjoyed by those who attended. t was suggested that we could invite the Central outh outh Chorus to lead an event but perhaps on a different weekend to harvest and think of an alternative idea for the harvest weekend. Christmas Fair & Christmas Programme: The Christmas Fair was an excellent success and the total figure expected to raise from that event should be While very much a corps effort, special thanks go to Lucy Leonard who organised the event and made it such a success. any comments came about the fact that it seemed like Christmas and the band playing outside was a good attraction as were the quality of gifts on the stalls. The Christmas carolling programme is about to commence and although there is an extra aturday in December this year, and the band being asked to play at Wycombe Wanderers on the 8 th Dec in conjunction with other churches, a decision by the ayor to cancel the carol service has meant that the band will not be playing at ll aints Church as it has in previous years. Corps Calendar: This was put forward as to the events that will take place in nce this has been agreed it will be published on the notice board and will be available for people to take away with them if they wish. oldier Classes: The C s propose that in the New ear, (perhaps on a onday early evening), that the start of soldier classes will commence which will be an invitation to all (soldiers and non-soldiers). We do have a number of people who have expressed an interest in becoming a soldier, current soldiers wishing to look again at soldier classes and others who have no desire at the moment to be a soldier, but are interested in what it entails. This was met with approval and will commence in January ission Development Plan: n order to start a mission journal, to evaluate what we are doing, what we have done and looking at potential new ideas for the future. The starting point requires us to consider where we are, and what is our purpose and where do we want to be so that we can as a corps be as effective as we possibly can be. There is considered to be 6 steps for a cycle of a journey for each activity that we undertake as a corps ensuring that we keep Christ at the centre of all that we do at the corps. Page 4 Christmas 2018 Christmas is coming.. nd with it comes... Toy ervice unday 2nd December10.30 a.m. outh Chorus Party onday 3rd pm. ver ixties Party Christmas Lunch onday 10th 1 p.m. Lunch Club Friday 14th p.m. Nativity Presentation unday 16th December10.30 a.m. Community Carol ervice Tues 18th December11 a.m. (tea and coffee served from a.m.) Candlelight ervice unday 23rd December4.30 p.m. Christmas orning ervice10 a.m. Watchnight ervice December 31st p.m ll these events are an integral part of our Christmas Celebration, remembering that it is not all about anta Claus and presents and stress. ts all about Jesus. Please try to be at as many of these meetings as possible and make sure your family and friends come too. an out of space on pages 8 and 9 Does the greeting erry Christmas give you cause for concern, the work merry often being associated today with being a little worse for wear from alcohol use. long with many other words the word erry has changed its meaning over the years. Think of the very old carol God est you merry, gentlemen. The meaning of the first verse in today s parlance is actually Good people, be confident of God s provision at this time of uncertainty. est, means remain, merry means pleasant, and comfort in the chorus means with strength. Page 13

Christmas Fair... Probably the biggest event in the Corps during the month of November. very successful sale once more.

atmosphere. arious attractions for children proved to be very popular, an igloo into which through a snowy tunnel, children could crawl to find a prize.

There was also the possibility of having their faces painted.

Well filled stalls attracted a lot of attention and well done to all those who spent weeks making all sorts of inviting things to attract customers.

5 Christmas Fair... Probably the biggest event in the Corps during the month of November. very successful sale once more. The hall was decorated with Christmas trees, dressed to represent the various activities which happen at the hall during every week, and there were colourful tablecloths to enhance the overall atmosphere. arious attractions for children proved to be very popular, an igloo into which through a snowy tunnel, children could crawl to find a prize. The quiet room beside the front entrance became a secret place where children could purchase their own gifts and secretly wrap them out of sight of parents! There was also the possibility of having their faces painted. To top it all a beautiful anta s grotto tucked away at the very rear of the building with a very gracious anta, who afterwards said he was humbled and blessed by the things that children said to him. Well filled stalls attracted a lot of attention and well done to all those who spent weeks making all sorts of inviting things to attract customers. nd the band, with some help from willing volunteers from other places, played carols all the while outside and Page 12 proved to be a lovely signpost to the rmy hall and an attraction in itself. Well done to all involved and particularly to Lucy whose organisational skills kept us all highly motivated. Too many others to mention, but thanks to everyone. Financially too a very successful day around 1800 The corps council started a discussion based on 3 questions. What love about our corps and community: t is welcoming, there is enthusiasm from the young people, encouragement to the young people, good opportunities for people to get involved & help (Christmas fair and essy Church for example). usic sections are in place, there are good mid-week activities that are varied. There are open doors for any one of varying ages to come and be a part of something that we offer at the corps. (community choir, Parent & Toddlers, Coffee drop in, over sixties, knitting group, lunch club etc,.) What dreams do have for our corps and community To fill the age gap that we have from youth to under fifties and have things in place to cater for their needs. The unday congregation to continue to extend and this would include the unday school. To perhaps focus more effectively on the who do not already attend a place of worship. To see more of people following a process to come to worship (attend parent & toddlers to then be invited and attend messy church and then make the step to attend regularly on a unday as a family for example) To make the corps a place that is exciting so that we would want to invite our neighbours to attend and express our faith more openly. ustainability was also mentioned and to write articles for alvationist. Page 5

What could we do better Communication was the key word of what we could do better.

For example, 15 children (with their parent(s) attended messy church the question asked was would it be possible to show photographs (with permission) to show to the rest of the corps what has

This would also extend to what happens at over sixties and maybe even put this on the video slide before the meeting so that it would connect the corps better and give a fuller picture of what we are

6 What could we do better Communication was the key word of what we could do better. board with pictures to show what has been happening with all the different activities at the hall during the week that some would not know about. For example, 15 children (with their parent(s) attended messy church the question asked was would it be possible to show photographs (with permission) to show to the rest of the corps what has happened over the last month? This would also extend to what happens at over sixties and maybe even put this on the video slide before the meeting so that it would connect the corps better and give a fuller picture of what we are doing so that all would be aware. We also shared about how reserved we are as a corps and that this is something that perhaps needs to be thought about as we become more open about sharing our faith. We are aware that we should all, as followers of Jesus Christ, be able to share more readily of our faith, but sometimes we feel unable to do so. The children however seem to express their faith in prayer more readily than adults at times, so this leaves us with a challenge. These 3 questions and discussions were only the starting point and we will, as a corps council and as a corps, develop this conversation in the future. Date of Next eetings: This was agreed to be at 7:45pm at the quarters on the following dates onday 25 th February 2019; Wednesday 22 nd ay 2019; onday 9 th eptember 2019; Wednesday 27 th November 2019 Closing Devotions: Captain Jo Thompson Page 6 emembrance unday saw the band taking part in the town celebration as usual, and in our hall young people sang a beautiful song about remembering soldiers who have fought and died in conflict. Charlie and Farley played one verse on their cornets, and altogether it was a beautiful moment in our meeting. 1. ll members of the congregation planning to dash through the snow in a one horse open sleigh, going over the fields and laughing all the way are advised that a isk ssessment will be required addressing the safety of an open sleigh for members of the public. This assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly where there are multiple passengers. Please note that permission must also be obtained in writing from landowners before their fields may be entered. 2. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that jingling bells and laughter are in moderation only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance. 3. Benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs should be made available for collection by any shepherds planning or required to watch their flocks at night. While provision has also been made for remote monitoring of flocks by CCT cameras from a centrally heated shepherd observation hut, all users of this facility are reminded that an emergency response plan must be submitted to account for known risks to the flocks. 4. The angel of the Lord is additionally reminded that, prior to shining hisher glory all around, s/he must confirm that all shepherds are wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment to account for the harmful effects of, B and the overwhelming effects of Glory. 5. Everyone is advised that Equal pportunities legislation prohibits any comment with regard to the redness of any part of r eindeer s person. Further to this, exclusion of r eindeer from reindeer games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence. 6. While it is acknowledged that gift bearing is a common practice in various parts of the world, caution is advised regarding common gifts such as aromatic resins that may evoke allergic reactions. 7. Finally, in the recent instance of the infant found tucked up in a manger without any crib for a bed, ocial ervices have been advised and will be arriving shortly! E CHT! nd Finally Be afe at Christmas! Page 11

7 For our ounger eaders dvent and Christmas Extra dvent We are accustomed to the lighting of the candles on the advent wreath each unday before Christmas, but what are the origins of dvent and the wreath. riginally there was little connection between dvent and Christmas. t is believed that during the 4th and 5th centuries advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany - the celebration of God s incarnation represented by the visit of the magi to the baby Jesus. During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer and fasting. By the 6th century, however, oman Christians had tied dvent to the coming of Christ (the word means coming), but they had in mind the second coming of Jesus as the judge of the world, not his birth in Bethlehem. t was not until the middle ages that the dvent season was explicitly linked to Christ s birth. Today dvent last for four undays leading up to Christmas. dvent is intended to be a season of fasting, much like Lent, when Christians not only anticipate the celebration of Christ s birth, but also look to His second coming. Likewise the advent wreath has undergone great changes since it first appeared in Germany in 1839, created by a Lutheran minister at a mission for children. Created out of a cartwheel, he placed twenty small red candles and four large white candles inside the ring. The red candles were lit of weekdays and the four white candles were lit on undays. (Perhaps a precursor of the advent calendar of today.) The wreath we know today involves evergreen leaves and often holly berries, their red colour pointing ahead to Jesus sacrifice and death, and pinecones which symbolize the new life that Jesus brings through his resurrection. However the most common advent wreath tradition, involves four candles. new candle lit on each of the four undays before Christmas, representing four themes. 1. Hope (Promise). 2. Preparation. (waiting or prophecy) 3. Joy (peace) and 4. Love (adoration and a final candle lit on Christmas Day. Christmas Banned! Did you know...n 1644 the English Puritans forbad any merriment or religious services at Christmas by an ct of Parliament. Considered to be a heathen practice, the Puritans ordered Christma to be kept as a fasting day. However Charles revived the feast, but the cots adhered to the Puritan view and did not celebrate Christmas for several centuries. Page 7

8 Believe it or not...christmas tales f you are concerned about Christ being left out of Christmas, the term Xmas dates back to the 1500s. The word Christianity was spelled Xianity as far back as 1100, X (or Ch) in Greek as the first letter of Christ and served as a symbolic stand-in. n 1551 the holiday (holy day) was called Xtemmas but eventually shortened to Xmas. Page 8 Page 9

Session One: 1. Greet kids with Christmas greetings and Christmas music playing

Session One: 1. Greet kids with Christmas greetings and Christmas music playing Christmas Objective: To develop an understanding of Christmas tradition To develop an understanding of the true meaning of Christmas To practice dialogue and perform it Sing Christmas songs Express good