News & Views. There Will Be Peace

Transcription

1 News & Views There Will Be Peace There will be peace: when attitudes change; when self-interest is seen as part of common interest; when old wrongs, old scores, old mistakes are deleted from the account; when the aim becomes co-operation and mutual benefit rather than revenge or seizing maximum personal or group gain; when justice and equality before the law become the basis of government; when basic freedoms exist; when leaders - political, religious, educational - and the police and media wholeheartedly embrace the concepts of justice, equality, freedom, tolerance, and reconciliation as a basis for renewal; when parents teach their children new ways to think about people. There will be peace: when enemies become fellow human beings David Roberts 1999 News November & Views 2013 Elmers End Free Church, Goddard Road, Elmers End, November Beckenham, Kent 2015

2 Minister Rev. Bill Bowman B Th. FCIBS Telephone: Office E.mail: wfbowman@hotmail.com Monday is the Minister s day off. Please do not disturb him except in the case of real emergency. Services The Sunday service is at 11am. Holy Communion is usually held in the morning of the 3rd Sunday of the month. Junior Church at 11am. Children from 3 years old are welcome. A crèche is available for younger children. Weekly Activities Brownie Guides Monday 6.30pm Leader Miss Katherine Bayley Telephone: Langley Pre-School Monday Friday Please contact Mrs Jenny Jupp Telephone: E.mail: langleypreschool@hotmail.com 2

3 Services in November 1st 11am Morning Service led by David and Katie Hall Organist Peter Dowling 8th 10.45am Remembrance Service led by Rev. Bryn Thomas Organist Peter Dowling 15th 11am Morning Service led by Marion Bayley Organist Anne Clements 22nd 11am Morning Service led by Rev. Bill Bowman to include Holy Communion Organist Peter Dowling 29th 10.30am Joint Service at Beckenham URC Please note, there will be no service at Elmers End Dates for your Diary 5th Jenny s Craft Evening 18th Elders Meeting 7.30pm 20th Final of Top of the Pew. 8pm Bromley Methodist Church 28th Christmas Crackers evening with Jenny Once more I am appealing to our generous congregation. Jenny is requesting items suitable for Hamper prizes for her Christmas Crackers evening ie tins, chocolates, biscuits etc. Also on December 6th our Junior Church and Brownies will lead our Gift Service so gifts suitable for any member of the family would be most acceptable. Hopefully Marion and Angela from the Bromley Children s Project will attend the Service. So a big Thank You from me in advance. Eunice 3

4 Pastoral Letter Dear Friends, When Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, returned from Munich in September 1938 with a worthless piece of paper signed by Hitler in his hand he declared to a relieved British public that he had achieved, peace in our time. In a speech in the House of Commons, Christopher Mayhew, an MP at the time and like Churchill a strong opponent of appeasement, referring to Chamberlain s agreement with Hitler called it, the peace that passeth all understanding!! Sadly history tells us that Chamberlain did not achieve peace and a year after his abortive trip to Munich this country was at war with the Nazis. Although Christopher Mayhew in his parliamentary speech was being sarcastic about the then government s appeasement policy, many a true word is spoken in jest!! It was no less a brain than Albert Einstein ( ) who observed, Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. As Remembrance Sunday approaches we pray for a dawning of understanding among warring peoples, between differing ideologies and hostile nations. At the same time we remember with profound gratitude the brave members of our Armed Forces who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of freedom. May we never take what they did for us for granted and may we live in such a way that we help to build a society worthy of them and the cause for which they 4

5 gave their lives. At the going down of the sun and in the morning - we will remember them. After the poignant sadness of Remembrance Sunday and amidst the continuing areas of tension and violence in the world, the last Sunday of November sees the beginning of the season of Advent with its wonderful message of hope. Let us remind ourselves of God s reassuring promise, spoken by the prophet Micah, as he too looked out on a troubled world in his day but saw beyond the ensuing chaos to the coming of a Saviour the Prince of Peace. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, although you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord, his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. (Micah 3:2-5) Shalom Bill Wise Words These wise words are always worth being reminded of In War: Resolution In Defeat: Defiance In Victory: Magnanimity In Peace: Good Will Winston S Churchill ( ) 5

6 Advent Calendar He will come like last leaf s fall. One night when the November wind has flayed the trees to bone, and earth wakes choking on the mould, the soft shroud s folding. He will come like frost. One morning when the shrinking earth opens on mist, to find itself arrested in the net of alien, sword-set beauty. He will come like dark. One evening when the bursting red December sun draws up the sheet and penny-masks its eye to yield the star-snowed fields of sky. He will come, will come, will come like crying in the night, like blood, like breaking, as the earth writhes to toss him free. He will come like a child. Rowan Williams Church Meeting The monthly Church Meeting according to our Congregationalist forebears and the Basis of Union of the United Reformed Church is The place where members of the church gather together to seek the mind of Christ. The Church Meeting is not a business meeting, although there is business discussed, it is rather a gathering of God s people to discern 6

7 God s will as directed by the Holy Spirit on our own lives and the life of the church and community. The high esteem the early Reformers put on the Church Meeting is diminished somewhat if a substantial number of members absent themselves from it. I warmly invite you to attend Church Meeting if you possibly can. The next meeting is Sunday 17th January 2016 after Church Bill Crafting Bee The Elmers End Crafting Bee held its inaugural meeting on Thursday 1st October in the Elmer Room. Seven ladies attended and a very pleasant evening was enjoyed by all. The next meeting will be held on Thursday 5th November, with a workshop entitled Little Christmas Trees, when we expect ten or eleven ladies to attend, so we are growing! Twelve little knitted hats for Innocent Smoothie bottles, to help Age UK, were delivered to The Crafty Needle in West Wickham this week. Thanks to anyone who produced one of these little cuties. Looking forward to the next meeting, Jenny Christmas Crackers Dear Church Family, You may recall,in a recent copy of News and Views, mention of an evening entitled Christmas Crackers to be held on Saturday 28th November? If not, here s a little reminder... As you know, we are always in need of funds, so I thought we might enjoy an evening of fun and games based on old television game 7

8 shows (and some not so old!) The evening would be suitable for those who wish to join in and those who would simply like to observe! As ever, we will be running a raffle, so I should be very grateful for any contributions of food and drink you feel able to make to the Christmas-style hamper prizes. You are always so generous and we do raise a good bit with the raffle, so many thanks for your support. Tickets will be available nearer the time, at a price of 10, to include supper. I do hope you can come and that we will all have a fun evening! Jenny Cabaret Evening If you were unable to get to EEFC on the evening of Saturday 17th October you will not know what you missed. An evening of music, both classical and modern, comedy, dance, monologues and even an escapologist! The evening was a great success and enjoyed by all. Grateful thanks go to David and Katie Hall who suggested the evening way back in 2014 and organised everything. Grateful thanks also to everyone who took part. An eclectic group from EEFC, Emmanuel and Christ Church, Anerley. Thanks also to Thelma who produced gifts and articles for a Craft Stall and to Sylvia, Elizabeth and Jane who provided tea and coffee and manned the cake stall. Thanks to all the cooks. The evening raised an amazing 903 for Church Funds. Bless you all 8

9 Emmanuel Women s Fellowship Eunice has received a letter from Sue Thomas, who is Secretary of the Fellowship, inviting us to their last session on December 1st at 2.15pm. Refreshments will be served, the Kent Gate Women s Choir will entertain and interesting Christmas gifts will be on sale. If you would like to attend please contact Sue by phone on by November 21st. Thank The Men from Elmers End During the Remembrance Day Service in Elmers End Free Church, on Sunday November 8th 2015, as is our usual custom, a wreath of scarlet poppies will be hung over the plaque which is fixed to the church wall and which bears the names of ten men. You may be aware of the plaque, but how often do you stand and read the names thereon? How often to think about those men who died? There are ten names on the plaque, but who were these young men and what do we know of them? Sadly, very little; not the place of their death nor the date. What we do know is that they were all local men, from streets not far from our church in Elmers End. The first name on the list is that of Captain Lewis de Burgh Atkinson, who served with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. He died protecting his men and was awarded the Triple Medals for his bravery. Captain Lewis de Burgh Atkinson was the husband of Louise Christine Atkinson who lived at 9, Langley Road. 9 Langley Road is the house opposite the doors of our original church which is now our Church Hall. (In recent years this house was occupied by Maureen Eggleston and her family. Maureen was for many years our church secretary, until her death in 2007.) 9

10 The address of the widow of John James Marks was 17 Langley Road, Charles Crossley was born in Sydenham and lived in Purley James Crossley was born in Beckenham Albert J Hawker was the son of George Hawker who lived at 334 Blandford Road. Up until the final demolition (c. 1990) of the Percy Jones Twinlock Factories at Elmers End, there was a street in Elmers End which has now been wiped from any but old maps. St. Margarets Road was a narrow street of small houses. A cul de sac, it ran from a point on the western side of Elmers End Road, at the bottom of the old bridge which crossed the railway lines, and was later replaced by the present bridge. St Margaret s Road ran parallel to the Hayes line at Elmers End Station, through what is now the bus stand. In later years, some of the houses on the left hand side of the road had been demolished to make way for factory buildings for Percy Jones (Twinlock) Ltd. Edward Belcher lived at 30 St. Margaret s Road. Arthur Moss lived at 38 St Margaret s Road John Wade and William Wade lived at 37 St. Margaret s Road William Wade attended St. James s Schools and later was a member of St. James Mens Social Club. William Taylor s parents lived in St. Margaret s Road possibly at 43. On the list on our church wall, there could have been two sets of brothers. A double tragedy for those families. 10

11 Stop for a moment, sometimes to read the list of names, try to think of these ten young men, together with their families, making their way each Sunday to worship in our old Church in Langley Road. Think of them, maybe singing, as they marched away from Elmers End, to fight for King and country till silenced forever on the bloody, muddy fields of France. May they rest in peace. Ellen Barbet A photograph showing part of St. Margaret s Road is displayed on the board at the back of the church. Christmas Fair Beckenham URC are holding their Christmas Fair on Saturday November 28th from to Entry is free and there will be Gifts, cakes, crafts books and woodturning on offer as well as raffles. All profits are to be shared between the Church and Crisis so come and buy some of your Christmas gifts. Top of the Pew Grand Final The grand final of Top of the Pew will be on Friday November 20th at 8pm at Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3NS and will be between St John the Evangelist Church, Bromley and St George s, Beckenham. The Charity supported by ToP this year has been Deaf Access. December News & Views Any articles or news for inclusion in the December 2015 edition of News & Views should be with Barbara by Sunday 22nd November To your article please send to b.heppell@btinternet.com 11

12