Issue 122 December 2013/January 2014

Transcription

1 Issue 122 December 2013/January 2014 No sooner had the Back to School products disappeared from supermarket shelves when Christmas goodies started to arrive. By the time you read this, the Christmas lights will be on and Ormskirk will be awash in festive cheer. Before we know it, we will be wearing Santa hats or twinkling reindeer hair bands as we shop for that ideal present along supermarket aisles or mall arcades submerged in tinsel and Christmas Muzak. Parties and prezzies, time with family, abundant food and special treats... there's a lot to enjoy. I really do hope you have a fantastic Christmas and enjoy all these good things. This really is a season to be jolly. Christmas is when we celebrate the greatest event that ever could have happened - God himself coming to live among us, to bring peace and good things in every way to everyone who cares to take notice. Jesus didn't seem anything special at the time - an apparently insignificant baby, born to an unknown mother in a remote village in the Middle East. But shepherds, angels and wise men recognised something different and saw in that baby the one who brings hope and peace to us all. Nothing's changed - that's still what Jesus does. If you want to find out a bit more about this Jesus, do feel free to join us for some of our special advent activities - Christmas tree pizzas at Messy Church on the afternoon of Sunday 8 th December, our Nativity Play on the morning of the 15 th, or mince pies at our carol service on the evening of the 22 nd. We'd love to have you with us. But whatever you do, don't miss out on Jesus this Christmas. It doesn't matter where you are at, what your fears or deepest needs might be, Jesus is God's greatest present for you, to bring peace, hope and true meaning into your life - and not just for Christmas, but for the rest of your life on earth, stretching through into all eternity. God bless you this Christmas.

2 3 In This Issue Page 5 Page 6/7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10/11/12/13 Page 14/15 Page 16/17 Page 18/19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22/23/24/25 Car Fun Beyond the Compost Bin - Ted Whitfield Children s Page Prayer & Praise Neil s Notes Ahoy there sailor (Tribute to Bill Smith) Gospel Choir Where are they now? - Lucy Mitchell Christmas at CLM Kenya Education Sponsorship Abyssinian Adventures - Page 26/27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 CLM Sponsorship - Ronald Madero Children s Page Cottage Lane Mission What s On? HANDYMAN SERVICES Why pay the higher prices for the smaller jobs? No job too small Bobby RAY LAWRENCE PAINTER & DECORATOR 19 Scott Drive Ormskirk Lancashire t: m: bobby-ams@blueyonder.co.uk rayang.wwjd@uwclub.net Handyman

3 4 5 Home Cleaning tailored to your individual needs By Mature CRB Registered Female For further information please ring Mary References available Parbold Equestrian Centre Horse Riding Lessons for all ages and standards Family Specials from 12 Specialised tuition by British Horse Society Qualified Instructors For details of safe and friendly instruction come and see us at: Bradshaw Lane, Parbold or contact us on West Lancashire Debt Advice This is a free service run by trained volunteers from local churches. The service can be accessed by - debtadvice@wlda.org.uk, telephone (answer phone) or drop in sessions on Thursdays 2pm 4pm at The Boiler Room, 37 Burscough Street. We provide superior crafting opportunities through workshops, masterclasses & tutoring. We also design imaginative themed birthday parties for children. We take time to listen to your ideas and offer you a unique and creative occasion. Monthly workshops 12 per person, Masterclasses from 25 per person. Birthday parties from per child. Call to enquire or book: Suzy / Gail On the dual-carriageway a police officer saw a car crawling along at 22 mph. Knowing that the car is just as dangerous as a speeder, he turns his lights on and pulls the car over. He notices there are 5 old ladies, two in the front and 3 in the back, wide eyed and looking like they had just seen ghosts. The driver, obviously confused, said, "Officer, I don't understand, I wasn't doing over the speed limit! What s the problem?" "Madam," the officer said, "you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be dangerous." "Slower than the speed limit? NO SIR! I was doing exactly 22 miles an hour," the old woman said proudly. The officer, stifling a chuckle, explains that 22 was the road number, not the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the woman thanked the officer for pointing out her error. "Before I go madam, I have to ask, is everyone OK? These women seem badly shaken and haven't spoken a word all this time." "Oh! They'll be alright in a minute. We ve just got off the A142." This dreamer was having problems selling his car, because it had 250,000 miles on the clock. He mentioned his problem to a friend who told him, "There is a way to make your car easier to sell, but it's not legal." "That doesn't matter," replied the dreamer, "as long as I can sell the car." "OK," said the friend. "Here's the address of a friend s car repair shop. Tell him I sent you and he will turn the milometer in your car back to 50,000 miles. Then it shouldn't be a problem to sell." The following weekend, the dreamer made the trip to the mechanic. A month later, the friend asked the him, "Did you sell your car?" "No," he replied, "why should I? It only has 50,000 miles on it." Car Fun

4 6 7 Beyond the Compost Bin Moving house, they say, is stressful. Moving garden is too. There are plants in the garden which evoke memories as strong as any sepia photograph or personal memorabilia. There is that pink magnolia and those bush roses, those azaleas and the clematis around the arch. Then there are trees, particularly the enormous one with three beautiful trunks where we hid the mini-eggs for the annual Easter egg hunt. No, we can t take the trees. And there are the sheds. Especially those two sheds! But also there is Amy a gift from friends a statue of a demurely-clad lady holding flowers. Most of all, of course, there is Queen Doris, a less than demurely-clothed, female water feature previously mentioned in these ramblings. Doris has provided much discussion as she has stood, shocking the grandchildren, illuminated in her arbour with climbing plants adorning her trellis. It was an impossible thought to leave her behind, or her front, come to that, so last weekend it was time to pack her cellulite and for her to join the mountain of belongings for the move. She has stood like a soldier at the palace in her sentry box for over a year now. (A Christmas Cracker question for you: Why is a soldier outside Buckingham Palace like my Queen Doris? Answer: One has a bearskin, and the other a bare skin. Sorry!) Queen Doris is named after King Herod s wife, well, one of them anyway. Possibly, like Taylor and Burton, she may have married him twice. This was somewhat brave, as he was known to do away with family members from time to time. Although her name is not mentioned in the Bible, Herod of course is infamous, especially at Christmas-time. After the birth of Jesus, wise men from the East visited him to ask where the one having been born king of the Jews could be found, because they had seen his star in the east. Herod, the appointed King of the Jews by the Romans, was alarmed at this fearing a challenger in the area, and assembled the chief priests and scribes of the people to ask them where the Saviour was to be born. They answered, in Bethlehem. Herod therefore sent the "wise men" there, instructing them to search for the child and, after they had found him, to "report to me, so that I too may go and worship him". However, after they had found Jesus, the wise men were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod. Similarly, Joseph was warned in a dream that Herod intended to kill Jesus, so he and his family fled to Egypt. When Herod realized he had been outwitted, he gave orders to kill all boys of the age of two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Joseph and his family stayed in Egypt until Herod's death, and then moved to Nazareth. So Jesus, from his earliest moments on earth, never had a proper house to live in; a place of security and peace. Even my Queen Doris has an arbour to call her own. Perhaps that fact should be at the front of our minds this Christmas-time. In spite of our worries and cares, if we have a roof over our heads we have much to be thankful for. We should remember Jesus who, in Matthew s gospel, told someone - "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head." Don t forget those who have no home this Christmas - the child homeless through the disaster in the Philippines, or the families destitute through war in Syria, or the man selling the Big Issue each month in the cold town centre. To you, patient reader, a very Happy Christmas, and to them, a Better New Year. Ted Whitfield

5 8 9 At the age of 95 years, Bill Smith died in Southport Hospital on 16 November. Our sympathy and prayers go out to his daughters, Joyce, Helen, Jenny, Viv and Barbara and their families. See tribute on page 14 to 15 Many congratulations to Barbara Bampton, who celebrates her 100th birthday on 11 January. Roy Regan s consultant is pleased with the progress he has made since his operation. Also pray that the sore on his heel will heal soon. Mirjam Lasarus is going home to Namibia on 10 December. She hasn t seen her family for 8 years. She will return on January 13 and will continue her MSc studies at Edge Hill University. Iain Mackenzie s recent scan has shown that there is no more cancer evident, other than the small nodules already found in his lungs. If the next CT scan shows any change in them, a decision will then be made about a possible course of chemotherapy. Jane Durban is leading the Ladies Craft Evening now and would like to encourage more ladies from the fellowship to come along to get to know some of the visitors, who come regularly. The next one is on Friday 6 December and we will be making bird box Christmas tree decorations. Doreen Orritt is in hospital with an infection and there is concern about her heart as she is very breathless. Pray for Doreen.

6 N eil s otes Christmas is here again. I've not had my first mince pie of the season yet, but I imagine it will be just around the corner! I've no doubt you'll get your fair share of turkey, cake, chocolates, pudding... Christmas seems a time when most of us are surrounded by a veritable banquet, all sorts of scrumptious yummies available on demand day and night. But in the midst of the onslaught that our stomachs will have to endure, we don't want to forget our spiritual lives, do we? So here's a recipe for fattening up your soul too! Let's start at the beginning. Christmas starts with Christ. The rest is, well, an added extra. All good stuff, but incidental. Parties are fun, but have to celebrate something. Take away that something and the party is a bit meaningless. The same goes for Christmas. Enjoy everything that Christmas throws at you, but remember what it's all about -Christmas marks the time when God invaded our humanity, sent into the world the person who was going to change history for ever, your life and mine included. Christmas starts with Christ. I'm glad we've got that straight! Then, over the twelve days of Christmas - or through Advent, whenever really - take your pick from the following recipes for spiritual health. One a day for a couple of weeks - in any order - and you will emerge in the new year with a good few extra inches on your spiritual waistline! Read Matthew's account of the visit of the magi. Drawn by a mysterious star (comet? planetary conjunction?...) they came to Jesus, opened their treasures and worshipped. What treasures do you have? What is closest to your heart? What do you have that you can offer him? Your talents and gifts? Your time? Your home and hospitality? Your friendly disposition? Whilst you may not be able to kneel before him physically, take a moment to open your treasures to him and to offer him the best that you have. Draw close to Jesus. And worship. Think of 5 people that you can encourage through your words, either spoken or written on a card. Don't go for the spectacular, but the simple things that stand out to you in others. Plan what to say to them, where and when. Then go and do it! (And no, they don't have to all be on the same day!) Enjoy the smiles and thank you you get in return One clear night (haha, let's hope we have one!), wrap up warm and go outside. If possible, get away from the lights of the town. Then look up at the sky. The heavens declare the glory of God. Count the stars if you can. Think of the majesty of God, the creator of all that you see. The billions of stars that make up our galaxy, the billions of galaxies, and he knows them all by name... yet still loves and cares for you. Thank him for being your God, your saviour, the one who cares for you, tiny insignificant you in the huge vast universe... wow, what love. Joy to the world... Christmas is about joy. So choose one day as joyday. Make it your conscious aim to smile, to deliberately pursue and experience the joy that God gives, and to pass it on to others. Allow the truth of Christmas to push away the cobwebs and live that day under the heady influence of joy. Read Luke 1: There was nothing special about Mary. The answer to her question of How? was nothing to do with her, her ability, holiness, special powers or anything that depended on her. The work was God's. In the same way, each of us have our own opportunities to serve God, and it is his power that will accomplish these things. The key is to have an attitude like Mary's - willing to serve God, and trusting that his word would be fulfilled. Take some time to allow God to show you a little more of the work that he has for you, and respond to him in willingness and trust for him to work through you. Clear snow off your neighbour's path. If there's no snow, or if they've already cleared their own snow (and maybe your path too) you'll have to think of something else! Make someone a cake, clean their shoes, polish their brass door handle. Whatever! Just dream up one Act of Random Kindness by which you can bless 10 11

7 12 13 someone else. Nothing fancy, just a practical expression of love, for no reason other than you can. And if you find a smile on your own face in the process, don't feel you can only do this once. Rinse and repeat as many times as you like! At church one day (yes, that means you'll have to come to one service at least!), find someone you don't really know that well and go and talk to them. (I mean after the service, not during the sermon...) Find out about their family, their history, what they like and don't like, which is their favourite song or Bible verse, how you can pray for them. Bless them and remember to pray for them occasionally over the next few days. Read Luke 2:1-7. Now read it again. Now get a different translation and read it again. If you use the internet go online and look at a few different ones. As you do this, ask God to let the absolute wonder of this event hit you right between the eyes. God, coming to earth, to be born and live amongst us. How amazing is that?! As the awe begins to sink in, make the prayer of the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem your own: O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today. When you've written all your thank you letters (or not!), don't put your paper and pen away. Start a new letter, a thank you letter to God. Think about all that he has given you. Count your blessings, and then write to him to say thank you. Yes, I know, you don't need to write, you could just mutter them under your breath. And the Post Office probably wouldn't know quite where to deliver it to if you did get round to sending it! But writing things down makes them so much more real to us. So take some time to put pen to paper. Dear God. Thank you so much for... Read Luke 2:8-20. Now, with all the imagination you can conjure up, live for a moment as if you are one of the shepherds. Put yourself in their place. There you are, huddled out on the hillside guarding your sheep. Suddenly, there's a messenger from God (white robe? wings or no wings?) telling you all about the promised Messiah, coming to a town near you, now, tonight!! You blink, and the sky's full of them, making the hallelujah chorus look like a nursery rhyme. You blink again and they're gone. So you decide to go and see if they were telling the truth, and there, right before your very own eyes, you find the Messiah. God's salvation, come to earth. For you. Now. Wow, wow and wow. Go on your way praising God. Let the praise run deep... Build a snowman. Or have a snowball fight. No, not by yourself, with people you love and appreciate. In the absence of snow, do something else. Turn your mobiles off for a few hours and take a walk by the canal or through Formby woods. Play a game of Monopoly or Pictionary. Go through old photo albums together. Something that brings you into meaningful contact with these significant others in your life. Laugh together. If you can, laugh so much that you cry. Celebrate togetherness. Write a New Year's resolution. Then tear it up, it won't last long anyway! No, seriously, do what you like with a New Year's resolution. But put together a New Year's prayer list instead / as well. New Year's resolutions are all about what we plan to do, how we want to improve our lives. Rather than this, think about what you would like God to do for you through Don't rush it. Take your time. Think about the things that would really make a difference to you in the coming year. Things beyond your reach, maybe. Changes in attitude in yourself. Changes in circumstances. Blessings you'd like to see coming to others, not just yourself. Write your list, let God know about it, then tuck it in your Bible. Let God surprise you over the course of the year as he works his way through your list.

8 14 15 Keen to do his part to serve his country, a young lad, Bill Smith, joined the Royal Navy in 1940 to work as a signalman until the end of the Second World War. Serving on minesweepers and Atlantic convoys he faced danger with courage. We remain impressed by his capacity to tell stories from the war with amazing recall of the details of his numerous dramatic experiences. Many of these were retold for over eight years in Mission Times, much to the appreciation of countless readers. Some of these tales showed him to have a mischievous sense of humour and, like most of us, feet of clay. Bill s family at the funeral While serving his country Bill left his wife, Ivy, at home in Litherland with baby daughter, Joyce, the first of their five daughters. Born in 1918 and one of three children, Bill spent most of his life in Litherland. He was one of the first pupils at the new Liverpool Boys Central School - now long since demolished. From school he joined his father working in the Litherland Tannery. Romance blossomed when he set eyes on Ivy at Linacre Methodist Mission, which they both attended. Ivy wasn t so keen at first but Bill persisted and won her over. After their marriage in 1939, their first home was a rented cottage in Sefton Road, Litherland. It wasn t long before Joyce was born, with Helen, Jenny, Viv and Barbara following. Bill was very proud of his family and with eight grandchildren producing twenty great-grandchildren, he would take a new-born in his arms and say Look what we started, Ivy! Bill was a great family man and when he became a commercial traveller, selling shoes to shoe shops, he had a company car, the only family in the road to have a car. On Saturdays all the family would pile in and go off to one of his favourite places in North Wales, where he could fish while the children played. Other places were visited such as Blackpool Lights in September and these are recalled as fun times. In 1968 the family moved to Ormskirk and eventually bought their own house. Always attending church, Bill and Ivy faithfully loved and served God, ensuring that all the girls attended Sunday School each week. Bill was also very committed to visiting patients in Ashworth high-security psychiatric Hospital, where for many years he ran a Bible Study for them and organised quizzes involving teams from local churches going in to the hospital to pit their wits against a team of patients. We thank God for the privilege of knowing Bill, for his sincere and close walk with the Lord and for his faithfulness in prayer for his family and friends. Bill died on 16th November aged 95 years. Bill and Ivy celebrated 72 years of marriage in May 2011 before Ivy died the following September. Ivy s 90th birthday After such a long time together, it is not surprising that Bill missed Ivy greatly. Now they are reunited in the presence of the Lord. They have left a great legacy for their family, that they will all continue to love and serve the Lord, as Bill and Ivy and the generations before them have done. Barbara McCormick with Iain & Beryl Mackenzie

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10 18 19 Where Are They Now? Remember Lucy? A student at Edge Hill College (not University then!) from 1985 to After qualifying as a teacher Lucy taught for a couple of years in Waterloo before joining Saltmine Trust as a member of a General Evangelism Team for two years. In 1994 she married Adam Mitchell. After eight years in Freckleton (near Preston), they moved up to a small village near Castle Douglas in South West Scotland (go to Carlisle and turn left for an hour). Lucy continued to teach and Adam worked for the Youth and Community Service which he gave up three years ago as they extended their family. They now have three children plus two foster children. News from Lucy Mitchell (nee Bradshaw) Lucy writes: We're all fine - we're just coming to the end of a two week half term break & had the first week in Menorca - all 7 of us with Adam's parents too!!!! Charlotte is sitting her Higher's (A levels) & Ethan & Fergus (the twins) are second year at High School now. Sean - our eldest foster son is approaching moving onto High School next year which should be fun, but it is taking a little extra preparation as he has additional learning needs. His younger brother Steven is eight now and they have both been with us for over three years - so as you can imagine - life is anything but quiet... (although with Adam - things have never been THAT quiet). My parents have recently moved up here and are settling in well. We spend a lot of time catching up on our house facilities after expanding our family (eg bathrooms etc) and the house feels a bit like the Forth Road Bridge - in that there is always something else to do. In between working, mending and children we enjoy cycling (well Adam does and we follow!) - both road cycling and mountain biking. Whilst life does not always run smoothly (like when Charlotte broke her leg in Italy, her elbow in a judo competition and all the normal family pressures) we do feel very blessed to have our wonderful family and to live in a beautiful part of the world, with our 'lively' but loving family and good friends. We'd love to hear from any of you that remember us - Adam and I have special memories of our time at CLM. Watch the Bible on Channel 5 We hope to get down in the not too distant future! Love from us all Adam & Lucy's address is: adammitchell12@tiscali.co.uk This groundbreaking series starts on Saturday. With very good critical reviews it promises to be an interesting and informative watch. Transmission dates are Saturday 30 Nov: 9-11pm; Saturday 7 Dec: 9-11pm; Saturday 14 Dec: 9-11pm;Saturday 21 Dec: 10pm- 12midnight; Saturday 28 Dec: 9-11pm. Trailer can be viewed at:

11 20 21 CLM Sunday 8th December Messy 3.30pm Sunday 15th December Nativity 10.45am Sunday 22nd December Carol 6.30pm Wednesday 25th December Christmas Day 10.30am Kenya Education Sponsorship For almost 30 years, members and friends of CLM have assisted families in the Bukoyani area of Western Kenya to educate their teenage children. Thanks again to all those who faithfully give to the Sponsorship scheme, which is administrated by myself with support from John Rigby, and in Bukoyani by an elected committee (comprising a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and 5 other members). We are currently assisting 14 young people who are at various stages of their secondary school education or Polytechnic courses. The cost of fees, holiday tuition, registration for exams etc. is well beyond those families who we are assisting and they are so grateful for our help. Over the years, many families have been helped. In the coming year, the personal stories of some of the students we have sponsored will be featured in Mission Times. For the current sponsors and those who have ever supported the scheme in the past, I hope that these stories will be an encouragement to you. We start the series with Ronald Madero s story (in his own words). If you are not currently involved with the Sponsorship programme and would like to know more, please have a word with me. You will have a personal link with one of the students if you wish to, or you can just give. You can give as much or as little as you like, either on a regular basis or by making a one-off gift. (Regular giving enables us to plan for the medium to long term, but one-off or occasional gifts are also very welcome at any time.) Helen Murphy

12 22 23 Abyssinian Adventures Ethiopia... a country known in the West for the ravages of famine and civil war. But the images of poverty-stricken refugees should not dominate our thinking; a new day is dawning in Ethiopia, not just economically and socially. Strong church growth over the last three decades has created vibrant and thriving evangelical churches across the nation. With evangelicals currently estimated at 15 million abut 20% of its 75 million population and projected growth to around 50 million believers by the middle of the century, the Ethiopian church is one of the emerging keys for the future of world evangelization. I have been visiting Ethiopia regularly over the last seven years to develop the partnership that World Horizons has with the Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers' church, an indigenous church and the country's largest Pentecostal denomination. As they are rising to the challenge of moving beyond their ethnic and linguistic borders they have asked us to help them raise, train, equip and send workers to the unreached tribal peoples of Ethiopia and to the surrounding nations of the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. With Sudan to the west, Somalia to the east, Eritrea and Djibouti to the north and the fiercely Islamic nations of Saudi Arabia and Yemen just across the waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, they certainly are a strategically placed nation. Our role has been varied: input into conference style events to envision church leaders and help them see both God's heart for the nations and their own potential to follow the Great Commission; to help the church design and run cross-cultural training to supplement the theological training and practical church-planting experience they already have; to help them think through the multiple practical issues involved in taking the gospel to other peoples, whilst in no way squashing the drive and dynamism that is behind the dramatic growth of their churches in the hands of these passionate followers of Jesus Christ. No small challenge! This was the context for my visit. This time, I was to give input on crosscultural communication to 41 workers, some pastors, some local evangelists and others messengers of the gospel, the term they prefer to use for their cross-cultural missionaries. This is part of a rolling training programme that sees these men (and one woman!) come to Addis for 6 weeks

13 24 25 of training then return to their own places of ministry for 6 months. They were a fantastic bunch, keen to learn and very open to being taught. They particularly enjoyed my approach to the subject which was not just to look at communication theory or use insights from the realm of anthropology but to take the Bible as a text book. God's word is a remarkable record of cross-cultural principles and ministry; for many of the Ethiopians, it is one of the few books they ever read so they loved pulling cross-cultural lessons out of its pages. As you read this, they will now be back in their individual situations - do pray for them to be able to apply what they have learned to the real-life challenges they face. Whilst I was involved with this group, Laura got her own taste of teaching, in a primary school near the church offices. She wanted to do something with children so we walked into the school and offered her services! They were more than happy so she spent the best part of four days helping out in nursery classes and teaching English to kids - up to 70 in a class - up to year 8. Quite an experience - more of which in another article perhaps. Apart from this teaching programme, on our first weekend we got to visit a couple of other churches, one huge place in the capital, Addis Ababa, and one heading onto the northern plateau at a place called Debre Birhan, house of light. Starting with a student group in the south-west at the end of the 1970s, the Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers' Church now numbers several millions and has thousands of churches across the country. Led from the front by robed choirs and loud keyboards (music being played using a pentatonic scale, for those who know what that is...), worship is certainly not what we get most Sundays! You won't catch me dancing too often here, but there.- now that's a different story! I was also involved on a personal level with two of the leaders of the church as they look to develop wider ministries that can empower the whole Ethiopian church for effective cross-cultural work. Research, envisioning and training are needed to help the church become aware of both the opportunities and the challenges that it has on its doorstep. Do pray for Dereje and Gille as they develop their visions and work through the practical issues involved with seeing these become reality. Dereje was not with us for the last two days of our visit as he was involved in helping some churches in the north-west of the country in setting up missionary outreach to unreached peoples along the Sudanese border. They are very aware of the need for urgent action as Sudan is becoming increasingly involved in sending Islamic missionaries across the border to these people groups. Many are ready to embrace a new faith and turn to a monotheistic religion; it is almost a question of whoever gets there first will win their allegiance. All in all, a very fruitful trip, and one that opens doors for the future too. I will certainly be going back, having open invitations to work with the church as a whole as well as with Dereje and Gille as they develop their ministries. As we think about our own missions commitment at CLM, I do wonder if Ethiopia could become one focus for us - situated in a strategic position, the church there has such huge potential and does offer us opportunities to bless and support vital mission work. Do ask God about this and if you have any particular thoughts, please do share them with me. Gzyaber ybarkachu! ( God bless you in Amharic, though if you want to be truly Ethiopian you should say it loudly three times whilst gesturing wildly!)

14 26 27 This is Ronald Madero Osore, son to Elizabeth and late Rev. Dishon Osore. I feel much honoured to share my experiences through this programme. It was some time in the year 1998, I joined the prestigious Vihiga high school after doing well in the primary exams. My late dad (R.I.P) was a very hard-working man but there were numerous challenges, being the sole bread-winner in a family of five, with two of my brothers in college then. The entire extended family all depended on him in providing the basic necessities. It was not that easy to go through my studies, I was often sent home for lack of tuition fees, something that greatly affected my class-work performance. Ronald with his Mum, Elisabeth, and other family members (November 2007) Ronald Madero at school in 1999 Thanks to the CLM sponsorship, who came to rescue my situation during my second term. I realised back my track until Form 3 when I developed a problem with my eyes that forced me to shift to another school. Thanks to Helen Murphy who gave me lots of encouragement until I went through my O levels. My dad, having had some relief, saw me through Migori Teachers College in the year At my graduation, I emerged as the best student in Academics and recorded a distinction in practical teaching too, something that made me realise that given an opportunity, one can always realise his destination. Ronald with Ray Lawrence at the Memorial Service for his I have been in Lamu since 2009, awaiting employment by the government. I thank God that despite the challenges I went through, I have an empowerment of providing for myself and little support for my family back home. I take this opportunity to once again thank the almighty Lord for the good will of the people at CLM, and may all be blessed abundantly for helping me realise my dream. Having impressed my dad, he encouraged me to further my studies. I enrolled at University of Nairobi for a Bachelor s degree in English and Literature in December It was unfortunate, after my 1st semester exams in 2007, the demise of my dad almost sent me packing until Helen came to my rescue again! I thank God for her because she understood my situation and sourced the tuition fees at CLM that saw me through my studies and I graduated last year with the second upper class honours. Ronald at the school in Lamu

15 28 29 Date Service Leader Topic Time 8 Dec am 8 Dec 3.30 pm 8 Dec pm 15 Dec am 22 Dec am 22 Dec pm 25 Dec am Services in December & January Family Service Messy Church Evening Prayer Fellowship & Communion Family Service Family Service Carol Service Christmas Day Celebration Speaker Rachael Towell Gill Conway Roy Wynne Carolyn Hastings Revd Ross Moughtin Martin Conway Elaine Maitland Liz Wynne Advent 2 Fun church for all the family Advent 3 Advent 4 29 Dec am Family Service John Towell Mike Williams 5th Jan am Family Service Suzy Walker Keynote Sermon 12 Jan am Family Service Liz Wynne Marion Walker 12 Jan pm Prayer fellowship John Roberts 19th Jan am Family Service Paul Mackenzie Guest Speaker 26th Jan am Family Service Marion Walker

16 Sunday 30 What s CLM 10.45am Family Service 7.00pm Evening Fellowship (2nd Sun monthly) 7.00pm Praise & Worship with Music Group (4th Sun monthly) Monday 5.30pm Children s Club (ages 4-11) 7.45pm The Core fortnightly (15 yrs +) Wednesday 12.30pm Luncheon Club 2.15pm Band of Cheer Ladies Meeting Friday Saturday 10.00am Parent & Toddler Group 7.30pm Ladies Craft Evening (1st Friday monthly) 9.00am Missions Prayer Meeting (1st Sat. monthly) Men s Meetings as announced. Home Groups meet at different times and in different homes throughout the week. For more information on any of the above, please ring Beryl on or visit the website - clmchurchormskirk.org.uk Children s Birthday Parties The Mission is available for hire for birthday parties of pre-school or Primary aged children. Please contact Beryl for further details or or iandbmackenzie@gmail.com Need Prayer? Contact us and we will be willing to pray for you or with you. Doreen Williams or Alan Mapstone Principal Church Leader: Administrator: Beryl Mackenzie or Christ Church Clergy Vicar: Rev Ross Moughtin Curate: Rev Phil Weston

17 Fun for all the family Eating our own Christmas Tree Pizza Stories and competitions Enjoy Christmas crafts Lots of exciting activities Sunday 8th December 3.30pm pm Enjoy a couple of hours of fun with all the family something for everyone. Cottage Lane Mission, Ormskirk, L39 3NE Doors open at 3.15pm