Standard Bearer High Wycombe Salvation Army November 2017 Year 17 Issue 9 Commanding Officers Captains Jo and Richard Thompson

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1 Sundays Mondays Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday REGULAR CORPS EVENTS Meetings at a.m p.m. Messy Church every 4th Sunday 3.30 p.m. Open Door 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Over 60 s Club Fortnightly Lunch p.m.. Meeting 2.00 p.m. Next time, 30th Oct, a trip out. Parents and Tots 10 a.m not in school holidays Afternoon Fellowship 1.45 p.m. Cameo Club second Wednesday monthly 7.30 p.m. Bible Study 8 p.m. at Lucy and Mike s home. Tea, Toast and Toys 9.30 a.m a.m. Songsters/community choir 8 p.m. Open Door 9.30 a.m. Luncheon Club Together for prayer 10 a.m. First Friday each month. November and December. Fri 3rd Together for Prayer 10 a.m. Sun 5th Songs of Praise 4.30 p.m. Sun 12th Remembrance Sunday p.m. Bible Explore Sat 18th Christmas Sale See page 10 Sun 26th Messy Church Standard Bearer High Wycombe Salvation Army November 2017 Year 17 Issue 9 Commanding Officers Captains Jo and Richard Thompson Northern Ireland Divisional Youth Chorus In High Wycombe On a busy Saturday afternoon Fri 1st Sun 3rd Sun 17th Tues 19th Sun 24th Mon 25th Sun 31st Together for Prayer 10. a.m. Toy Service. Nativity Service Community Carol Service Candlelight Service Christmas Day Service Watchnight Service Corps Directory The Corps Directory is now completed. If you wish to have one, please contact Carol Gibson who can provide you with a copy Editor: Carol Gibson. Tel Mob carol@standardbearer.info Magazine Website Singing. Hallelujah! Jesus Is Alive

2 Dear Friends, I remember very well my very first jumble sale as a Salvation Army officer. As the people were getting the hall ready I remember looking at the array of bric-a-brac, the second hand clothes, sheets and various other items. I could not see how anyone would be interested in such items. I then came across a brand new black leather jacket that had been donated. That will go very quickly I thought, but as for everything else, that to me was junk, I was not convinced. How would anyone see value in that? That was my judgement. I was amazed to find a huge queue waiting to get in a fully thirty minutes before we were schedule to be open and I recall the rush of people barging through as soon as I had said Amen to conclude the prayer for the jumble sale. I think I prayed for a miracle as I could not see how anything would go except for one item. On that day we raised a lot of money and I was shocked to find that all that was left on the bric-a-brac table was the table cloth on which everything had been resting. I looked at the clothes and all I saw was a few pairs of shoes and on the clothes rack was one unsold item, yes, you guessed it, it was the brand new leather jacket!!! It would appear that I am no judge as to what will sell. It was clear, what I thought was valuable was not, but what I thought was not valuable, clearly was. I am so glad that we serve a God who sees value in everybody. It challenges me to strive to see what God sees even when I am struggling to find the beauty of people and creation around me. 1 Corinthians Consider the nature of your calling. Not many of you were wise in human term; not many were important; not many were well born. God, however, chose the foolish of this world in order to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong, the lowest and the despised those considered as nothing to quash those who consider themselves something, so that nobody may boast before him We can too easily write people off, judge them by our own set of values and conclude that they are worthless. It is strange, but we can do the same of ourselves as well, there is no way God could use us, but useless is not a word God uses for those around us or even towards us. He sees value in us. The challenge is to see people as God sees them, and if we struggle, then we need to pray that we will see the world and people as God sees them. It could be a prayer that we make for ourselves, that we would see ourselves as God sees us because he loves you and cares for so much that he died for you. There must be something special about you for him to do that!!! Dear Lord Jesus, Teach me that my judgement and yours are not the same and that everyone, myself included, has a purpose and contribution to make to your kingdom. Lord, help me to see the world, people and myself with your eyes and love them with your heart. Amen. October Puzzle Kevin s My Saviour Sudoku.. O Y S I M A U R V A I R U Y V O S M M U V O S R A I Y I A M Y O U S V R U S O R V I M Y A V R Y M A S I O U Y M A V I O R U S R V I S U M Y A O S O U A R Y V M I Page 11 Y O S M A V S R U A O V O V U I U V M R V U S I M V M November puzzle Mystery words Join the grouped letters to make the answers to the clues. Use each group once only. 1. Up high 7 letters 2. Who waves the arms 9 letters 3. Make a.noise to the Lord 6 letters 4. In four parts 10 letters 5. The words. 6 letters 6 Deep 4 letters 7 All together 5 letters so ri io con ss ba joy pra ch har du no us ly cs mon ct ful or oir R 1. Scatter 2. sheaves 3. harvest 4. thankful 5. sowing 6 faithfulness 7 field Last Month s Answers

3 Hilary asks Would you consider sponsoring me please in support of Wycombe Homeless Connection The Big Sleepout 2017 I will be sleeping outdoors In a cardboard box on Friday 24th November 9 p.m. To Saturday 25th November 7 a.m. The Big Sleepout is a sponsored event outside All Saints Church, High Wycombe, to raise a worthwhile sum to support Wycombe Homeless Connection s vital work. We help homeless people who do not qualify for council assistance and have nowhere else to turn. In the last year 500 individuals have come to WHC for help. Homelessness can affect anyone. Want to help? You may sponsor Hilary either online at Or use the sponsorship form on the noticeboard. Any support, and of course prayer, would be much appreciated. For further information contact Registered Charity Incorporating Wycombe Winter Night Shelter Christmas/December Standard Bearer For an extra puzzle, please send me a picture of yourself as a child and we ll play Guess Who It Is. Quotable quote.. Only insofar as Christians live in union with Christ do they experience the vitality which marks them out as the new people of God. Major Stephen Perkins Page 10 H-E-L-P Our Christmas Fayre is on Saturday, 18th November. Please come along and bring family and friends. It is a time for buying Christmas presents at bargain prices. Time for inviting people to our church for special Christmas services and time to chat over a cup of tea or coffee and bacon roll. Your help is needed to make this a success. Help is also needed on Thursday and Friday for setting up and especially on Saturday, post sale, for clearing up. Please speak to Gladys, Lucy or Melinda. Prayer Matters Please continue to pray for Captain Jo who is still unwell. Bryn Bennell has been admitted to Shelbourne Lodge. Please remember him in your prayers and perhaps call in to see him or drop him a line. He s sure to want to be pleased to hear from you. Remember the next Together for Prayer meeting is at 10 a.m. on Friday 3rd November. All are welcome. Page 3

4 Three for the price of one this week. Henry Alford Matthias Claudius Knowles Shaw The joy of singing the wonderful harvest hymns has passed by for another year. For me, and perhaps for many others, singing Bringing in the sheaves and We plough the fields and Scatter revived all sorts of nostalgic memories. I don t think any other time of the year is so evocative of the past. In the old days and you ll notice I didn t say good old days when I was nowt but a young whippersnapper, our corps, in common with most of the chapels in the town, made much more of harvest than is the case today. The interior of our hall would be miraculously transformed, the centre piece being the platform where sheaves of ripe corn and greenery of all sorts were draped over and around a wooden trellis framework specially erected for the purpose. In front of this magnificent edifice and over the penitent form, were tiered platforms, upon which were pretty well every known variety of fruit and vegetables, including grapes, apples, pears, plums and nuts and spuds, you name it. All home grown, of course although I m not sure about the grapes. Even lumps of coal were lovingly placed on this alter, as were huge sculptured harvest loaves. Does anybody make them anymore? A unique feature of our own harvest festival was the display of chairs donated by local factories. On the following Monday, all of this would be auctioned off. This too, was great fun and it was fascinating to me because it was a rare opportunity to watch the grown-ups, usually so solemn in uniform on a Sunday, revelling in the occasion and letting their hair down. All of this was part of the tradition of our corps and the fact I m speaking of the period from 1939 to which coincided with the dark days of the second world war, when food was severely rationed - says much for folks who saw to it that the grim realities of the time would not prevent them from giving praise and thanksgiving to a merciful God. Unlike Christmas (preceded by Advent), or Easter (including Holy Week), the harvest festival is not a major festival in the church calendar, so our chance to sing harvest songs is limited, usually, to one Sunday. To my mind, there are just three traditional must sing harvest hymns, each dating back to the nineteenth century. Come ye thankful people, come (SB9). This wonderful hymn was penned by Henry Alford who was the fifth generation of his family to become a clergymen. Like quite a few hymnists covered in previous a rticles, Henry Alford was a precocious child who, before he was ten, had written several Latin odes and a History of the Jews. In 1827 he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge and, in by which time he had already taken Holy Orders - he was made a fellow of Trinity. He was vicar of Wymeswold from His chief claim to fame rests on his monumental edition of the New Testament in Greek (eight volumes) which occupied him for 20 years. Page 4 Christmas is Coming! You will be only too aware of our annual Toy Service, which this year will be on 3rd December. What you may not be so aware of is that it is not only toys that go into the Christmas parcels, but food items such as jellies, angel delight, tinned custard or rice, tinned fruit, sweets, biscuits, long life milk and individual soft drinks, as well as toiletries. This goes for the One Can Trust also. Wycombe Homeless Trust, which works for homeless people all year round and not just with the night shelter in the winter, also need compact sleeping bags, radios, kettles, toasters, frying pans mixing bowls, duvets, etc. They are trying to settle homeless people into accommodation and all these things are needed. Our own Christmas parcels go to Women's Refuge hostels, families known to Social Services and families known to the Corps Officer. Toys in particular go to the Child Bereavement Trust and Dr. Barnardo s and wherever they are needed. As we plan and give good gifts to our families and friends at Christmas time, let us also remember those who are so much less fortunate than we are. A Reminder. Keep your eyes on the notice board in the foyer. There are all sorts of things which appear there and there s not enough space to put them all in Standard Bearer. Christmas is coming and at the moment there are details of carolling schedules and a request for help. Please make sure you take note. There will also be a sponsor form for the Big Sleepout where you can sponsor Hilary. Do you know this man? You may have seen him in the hall last weekend. Let me introduce you to Tom, who is the manager of the Salvation Army Charity shop in White Hart Street. Tom is friendly and very hard working, always looking for volunteers to help in the shop and doing a great job for the Army. He is not a Salvationist, but does give a good impression of the Army with his friendly and helpful service in the shop. Visit him there and make a donation, or but something. It s a good way of supporting the work of the Army. Page 9

5 Harvest Celebration Majors Stephen and Christine Perkins, who led our harvest festival celebration meetings in September. It was a good day with what we would expect in thanksgiving for God s provision, but as Major Stephen spoke about Jesus illustration of the vine and the branches and brought the spiritual aspect of being joined with Christ in our everyday lives. Apart from me you can do nothing. Don t waste your time. The youngsters were well catered for too as can be seen in the photo of Charlie who gradually and surprisingly turned into a farmer! He s always happy to oblige when it comes to illustrating a point! The supper and quiz on Saturday evening was most enjoyable. Paul Fey, who has become well known to us as quizmaster, brought, not only an intriguing quiz, but his own sense of humour and style. We enjoy his company, even if he does spend the evening trying to trip us up with obscure and tricky questions. Thank you once again for coming Paul. And here we have the winners. Didn t they do well! I didn t notice them taking the prize a tin of chocolates all around the hall, but surely they must have done! And here is the team that provided the supper. We owe so much to them for this occasion and for many others, when they bring delicious food to our plates. It s not easy cooking for so many and they do it week in and week out for the lunch club on Fridays as well as for these special occasions. Thank you ladies. Alford was also a talented artist and musician, but although he was a prolific poet and hymn writer, there are critics who find his works lacking in originality. There are just two examples of his work in our songbook, the other one is Forward! Be our Watchword. Based on these, I cannot help thinking he has been harshly judged. We plough the fields and scatter (SB70). The German writer of this hymn, Matthias Claudius, was born in Reinfield in Holsten in He studied theology at university but later changed to law and languages. At Wandsbeck he earned his literary reputation while editing a newspaper, called The Wandsbeck Messenger in which he published a large number of prose, essays and poems. They were written in pure and simple language and appealed to popular taste. Although his poems are distinctly Christian in spirit, none of them were intended to be used as hymns. Many of his early works were light-hearted and humorous, but after a serious illness in 1777, he is said to have realised the spiritual emptiness of his life and his poems thereafter changed and were characterised by quiet meditation and solemn contemplation. Bringing in the Sheaves (SB58). Knowles Shaw s background is in stark contrast to that of both Henry Alford and Matthias Claudius. The writer of this harvest song, was the first son of Albin Shaw, a farmer. He was born in Butler County, Ohio, in Soon after his birth, his family moved to Rush County, Indiana, where farming in difficult conditions meant too many long hours were spent gaining a scanty subsistence to pay much attention to either moral or intellectual culture. Knowles senior, however wanted his son to have a better life than his own. Music was a passion for young Knowles and he taught himself to play on an old piano and practiced until he became quite a good musician. As his reputation grew, he was invited to play at social gatherings where much whisky was consumed. He soon acquired a taste for strong drink and began to sow some wild oats. One night he suddenly stopped playing mid dance as he remembered the last words his father said to him just before he died: Prepare to meet your God. Time and space forbids me telling his fascinating story in full. Suffice to say Knowles Shaw became reconciled to God and spent the rest of his life using his considerable talents as a Christian evangelist. He wrote this hymn when he began to preach and the melody was added in 1880 by George Minor. Tragically, he died when a train in which he was travelling derailed and plunged down an embankment. Excerpts and quotes in this article are all from The life of Knowles Shaw, the singing Evangelist, which is available to read on line. Page 8 Page 5

6 What a weekend it was! Leaving their homes in and around Belfast early in the morning the Ireland Division Youth Chorus arrived in High Wycombe full of energy and determination to do of their best. A quick rehearsal and lunch, prepared by our never failing kitchen staff, preceded a lively open air meeting outside the Salvation Army Charity shop in the town centre. Jesus is Alive was the message they brought to the shoppers and the look on their faces clearly illustrated their assurance of the words they sang. Their energy levels holding up, they then spent some time at the bowling alley enjoying some time with our own youth who joined them there. I can imagine that in the noise of that place, there would have been fun laughter and the renewing of friendships made at the Belfast Summer School. I don t know who won! The singing in every meeting was so good, whether it was a lively song, or one of quiet meditation. So much to bless and to provoke a thoughtful quietness of mind and heart as we listened. So much to make us smile and feel encouraged, and naturally times when we could all join in. There were so many songs that made special impact on me, and I m sure that would be the same for everyone present. The choir provided it s own worship band, which played with great enthusiasm, and our own Corps band provided support and provided an item of its own, as did our Community Choir on Sunday afternoon. And then there were the timbrels. I never managed to master this instrument, but the Irish group were something completely beyond anything I have witnessed before. Scripture says Praise Him with the timbrel and harp, and this was certainly a very joyful display. Blessings, Encouragement and Challenge with the IDYC However, the week-end was not only about music, there were testimonies, Scripture messages and drama. Testimonies of God s work in their lives were given by Oluchi Okoli and Andrew Pentland, a vocal solo from Taylor Wills again were thought provoking. Jacqueline Clarke also made us think with her work from the Word, as did Keith Pyper and Major Jacqui Wright. We were encouraged to go and tell, as the disciples did those many years ago, and more than that helpful hints about how we can do that in the 21st century. Then there was the drama. From attention grabbing on Saturday afternoon in the street, the illustration of good against evil, with Jesus overcoming and giving freedom from the power of abuse, loneliness, anxiety, bullying, addiction, to the powerful message of Sunday morning. The pictures below give a summary of what it was about, and I think there were more tears shed than the ones on Alice s face as she played out the drama that perhaps many of us could relate to in our own relationship with Jesus. Altogether it was a very special weekend with these young people, who themselves proved to be very special people. I m sure that in their own lives they face many obstacles, it s a difficult world for young Christians, but they showed conviction in all they did and said and sang. We need to keep praying for them and for their ministry and to pray for our own young people that God will keep them safe and close to Him. Thank you so much for coming and God bless you all, young people and leaders alike. Intention Distraction Frustration Rejection Page 6 Realisation Reconciliation Submission Page 7