PARISH NEWSLETTER. St Andrew s Anglican Church DIOCESE OF JOHANNESBURG DECEMBER cnr West Ave & Albert St Ferndale Randburg

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1 PARISH NEWSLETTER St Andrew s Anglican Church DIOCESE OF JOHANNESBURG DECEMBER 2013 cnr West Ave & Albert St Ferndale Randburg Tel: or standrew.randburg@anglicanjoburg.org.za Parish website: Dear Family of St Andrew s I truly thank God for you in joining and supporting our faith journey this year. Changes have taken place and you have remained faithful, grown and supported. We are reminded in this Advent and Christmas season that change is here to stay. Advent, a time of repentance, means change as we focus on some of the spiritual disciplines and seek to grow more and more into the likeness of Jesus and to do His will here on earth. The Family Crib service, 24 December at 17:00 and the Family Christmas Day Eucharist at 08:30 remind us again that God came and dwelt among us revealing His glory that we may grow into a people that will reflect who He is. The New Year will start with a focus on prayer and training; more details will be made known. We do however want to set aside 40 days of prayer from 13 January 2014 which will finish the week after our Vestry Meeting on 17 February I join with the Pastoral Leadership Team, Wardens and Parish Councillors in praying that you will enjoy a very blessed Christmas filled with the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit and that entry into 2014 will be a close walk with God. Love in Jesus, Chris

2 GLOBAL NEWS Christians in the Middle East and Africa are being slaughtered, tortured, raped, kidnapped, beheaded, and forced to flee the birthplace of Christianity. Entire villages and communities are being wiped out. Churches are being attacked and destroyed and most people in the West are not paying any attention to the vicious attacks, including the Church. That may be partly because of media blackout from the big global news organisations, but there is also little spiritual discernment to recognise the spiritual battle that is taking place. Among those assaulted with violence on a horrific scale have been the young, fastgrowing churches of Nigeria and South Sudan. But ancient churches, including Iraq s Chaldean and Assyrian churches and Egypt s Coptic churches, are under attack as well. When one reads reports from Christian news sites detailing 80 churches being destroyed in Egypt within 48 hours or a whole village obliterated in Syria, it is easy to lose the personal impact that individual lives are at stake. This is not about statistics! Raymond Ibrahim, an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum keeps tabs of the global Muslim persecution of Christians in monthly reports in agonising detail. In his report about December of 2012, for instance, Ibrahim wrote of dozens of Christians slaughtered in Church attacks in Nigeria, the throats of several victims cut; of a Christian man beheaded in Iraq, his remains fed to dogs; of a 70-year-old Bible school teacher shot in front of her home in Pakistan; of a 55-year-old convert to Christianity gunned down in Somalia; and of an explosion that killed two at a Coptic Christian church in Libya. Then there is the story of the child shot on the way home from Sunday school in Egypt. Todd Nettleton, spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs USA, said recently, "The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has declared that it is 'necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.'" Winston Churchill once said: The farther backward you can look the farther forward you are likely to see. In 1938 throughout Germany and parts of Austria a series of attacks took place against the Jews. It became known as Kristallnacht - the Night of Broken Glass referring to all the smashed windows of shops, synagogues, homes and other Jewish buildings targeted for systematic, co-ordinated vandalism. The actual crimes were committed by Nazi paramilitary groups and civilians; the National Socialist government did not intervene on behalf of Germany s Jewish citizens. The Kristallnacht marks the first chapter of the Holocaust. It also declared the intentions of the Nazis to systematically rid all of Europe of the Jewish people (and the UK and US had Hitler won the war).

3 The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Sheikh Hassan al- Banna, who was a great admirer of Adolf Hitler and who formed an alliance with the Nazis. What happened in Egypt on 14 and 15 August 2013 is being compared to Germany s Kristallnacht. More than 90 churches, monasteries and church buildings have been attacked across the country. Dozens of Christian homes and businesses were set alight and looted while Christians feared for their lives. In Cairo, Franciscan nuns saw the cross over their school gate torn down and replaced by an al-qaeda flag while the school was burnt down and three nuns were frog marched through the streets while mobs showered them with abuse. The Economist reported that nowhere had the police thought to reinforce security, and nowhere did they intervene promptly or with sufficient force. Lela Gilbert is the author of Saturday People, Sunday People, which details the expulsion of 850,000 Jews who fled or were forced to leave Muslim countries in the mid-20th century. The title of her book comes from an Islamist slogan, First the Saturday People, then the Sunday People, which means first we kill the Jews, and then we kill the Christians. Gilbert wrote recently that her Jewish friends and neighbours in Israel are shocked but not entirely surprised by the attacks on Christians in the Middle East. They are rather puzzled, however, by what appears to be a lack of anxiety, action, or advocacy on the part of Western Christians. It was Martin Luther King who said, In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. PRAY THAT MUSLIMS WILL COME TO KNOW CHRIST PRAY FOR GOD S INTERVENTION AND PROTECTION FOR CHRISTIANS PRAY AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF JIHAD AND THE SPIRIT OF ISLAM There are many more examples, yet there is no outcry from the Western Church. "If one part [of the body] suffers, every part suffers with it." 1 Corinthians 12:26 -Jill Laschinger-

4 PARISH NEWS Membership courses Some folk have been asking why there is increased emphasis on membership in our parish. There is also some confusion about the different membership courses presently being offered in our parish. So I was asked to give more clarification on this matter of membership. Membership of the church is inclusion into one body, the Body of Christ. This is both an honour and a responsibility. In my experience, membership in the Anglican Church has seldom featured prominently in its life. Hence many Anglican parishes suffer from sporadic attendance, low involvement and lack of commitment to its growth. A cursory reading of the Scriptures speaks of membership of the church in very lofty terms, such as being of a body. I, for one, am very happy that parts of my body don t decide periodically to take leave of the rest of the body and refuse to be involved in the overall life of Tony Farrell. I mean, what if my thumb should decide it was tired and needed to spend more time in bed, to rest, whilst the rest of my body wanted to play golf on my day off? Paul spoke about this in 1 Corinthians 12 (and in other passages). I am referring you to just two passages: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NIV) We belong to one another in St. Andrew s. I cannot function efficiently without you and nor can you function efficiently without me. So when parts of the body are missing, or not functioning, or uninvolved, the entire body of Christ in St. Andrew s is not as effective as Jesus designed it to be. In another passage, Paul is addressing the life of the church and comparing it

5 to that of a marriage. Many think that Paul was speaking about marriage as the main subject. Actually he was speaking about membership of the church. More correctly, he was speaking about membership of Jesus. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for we are members of his body. Ephesians 5:29-30 (NIV) Therefore, we are stressing that membership of this parish is important and it has a responsibility to be expressed in tangible terms. It is the function of the clergy to make sure that the various parts of the body are being cared for: that they in turn, are expressing concern for all the other parts of this body which makes up the expression and experience of Jesus resurrected life, today. This cannot be accomplished without that one word, COMMITMENT. We believe that a great commitment is necessary for a great church to grow. Without this commitment, no church will experience the life of Jesus flowing through it. There are four levels of expressing the life of Jesus in our midst. We have divided the expression of membership into four interlocking emphases. The idea is as follows: Membership 100: Here we ask people wanting to explore membership of this parish to make a commitment to Jesus and to the parish of St. Andrew s. Membership 200: Here we encourage members to make the commitment to the habit necessary to grow as an individual member of the Church Membership 300: Here we discover and explore with the members what are the gifts of the Spirit and encourage the member to commit to using these gifts to grow the parish of St. Andrew s. Membership 400: Jesus established a mission church. In this section we encourage each member to join in this commitment to the mission of the church to make disciples of all nations. Hopefully, the following will also help to shed more light on what we are trying to achieve through our emphasis on membership. -Tony Farrell-

6 St Andrew s Through the lens Admission to Communion Family Time Kids Fellowship

7 The young Drummers Jonathan Meintjes Celebrates

8 Youth Masterchef St Andrew s Dance in His courts with praise -Anne Taylor-

9 WHERE WAS GOD? It was a year not to be forgotten A year of challenges would be the best way to describe it. In April my mum made a trip to India to finalise the furnishing of her retirement home. Yes it was finally here. She was going to be 65 in October. She landed in Jhb on Friday night. She was going to stay with us for a few days before heading back to work in Polokwane. She wanted to drive back on Tuesday so she could settle at home before going back to work on Thursday. I convinced her to stay one more day. God was with us - she agreed. On Tuesday she called me at work to say she had fainted & her left side was paralysed. I rushed home & took her to the doctor. She didn t faint while travelling back from India. She didn t drive back to Polokwane on Tuesday & fainted while driving alone. God was with us. The doctor wanted some tests done & we got an appointment on Thursday to do those tests. On Wednesday I left mum with a friend who works from home so that she wasn t alone. On Thursday I could see her left side weak again so I asked her to come with me to drop the kids at school & then we ll go back to the doctor. She preferred to stay home & promised to stay in bed until I got back. God was with us. She changed her mind. We left home & within 5 minutes mum had a mini seizure in the car. I made a u-turn & rushed her to Olivedale Casualty. They did an MRI & mum had a major seizure during that process. God was with us. Doctors were at hand. The MRI results gave us news that made our world crumble. Mum had a growth on her brain. The neurosurgeon confirmed she had the most aggressive brain tumour. My brother & family flew in from the US to be with her when she went in for the operation to remove the tumour. It was scheduled for 23 April (my 40 th birthday) but it was postponed on the morning, to 3 May. While mum was in hospital my day literally involved running between the children & the hospital. From the day she was admitted I never worried about cooking. The care meals ministry team became my angels as they catered for all our meals. God was with us. Two weeks later I wanted to talk to the doctor so I dropped the kids at school & went back to the hospital. Mum had recovered so well so she was now in the general ward in a room on her own. God was with us. While I was with her she had a seizure. I was able to call for help. If I wasn t with her, no one would ve known. God was with us. Mum went through 7 weeks of radiation. My brother flew back again to be with her as she started this journey. She was discharged from hospital & made a remarkable recovery which surprised doctors. God granted me the opportunity to care for her & spend precious time with her. My manager allowed me to make mum my priority. God was with us. However things turned quickly. She started to dip & became bedridden. On the evening of Wednesday 31 July (Salil s 13 th birthday) I called for an ambulance. She was admitted that night but I was told that this was the last leg of her journey. My brother & family flew back to SA on Saturday. On Tuesday 6 August Chris came to pray with mum... her last prayer. At 18:15, with her children & grandchildren around her bedside, she peacefully crossed over to eternal life. God was with us. She was so eager to retire so God chose to give her a retirement better than the one she imagined having... she hasn t retired to India but to heaven... God was with us. Matthew 1:23 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us ). -Bindu Cherian-

10 PORNOGRAPHY Tweens, Teens and Twenties: Galatians 6:7b and 8a says: A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to pleasure his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction... Parents: What to do if you find out your child is watching porn? Firstly, tackle the topic quickly and frankly. Do not beat around the bush. Do not be shy. Tackle the problem head on and with straight talk. If you try to sugar coat your words, you will not be taken seriously as it will look to your child as if you are embarrassed. Do not be. Your child s health and spiritual well-being are at stake here. Secondly, assure your child that you do still love them but that their behaviour is unacceptable. It is the deed that is wrong. Try to give healthy alternatives as to ways of spending their time. Sport, especially team sport is a healthy alternative to learn valuable life lessons such as responsibility, reward in effort and reliability. As the adage goes: healthy body, healthy mind. Thirdly, put measures into place that will help your child not to fall into the trap again. You probably paid for their phone, pad or computer. You actually own that device. Put new rules and boundaries in place whereby you check the history of that device on a regular basis. You are not encroaching on your child s privacy. There is no such law. You may even choose to remove that device completely. Trust will be regained in time as your child proves to you that they are not participating in porn. A promise from your child is not good enough in this instance. Too much is at stake here. It is up to parents to take back control of the Internet. One may need to install a reputable net nanny. Fourthly, lead your child in prayer. Encourage them to confess and repent. 1 John 1:9 and 10 says If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make

11 him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. One must be aware of the crowd that your child hangs out with. It is not good enough if they can simply go to a friend s house and watch porn there. Consistently communicate with your child. Express your concerns in a reasonable, firm and unapologetic manner. This is not an issue to compromise on. Lastly, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for your child. As parents we all want to protect our children from the evil one. He is at work, and as Prayer Warriors, we can place a hedge of protection around our children in this terrifying world that we live in. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 8: Finally brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. Sources: Crosswalk Christian Magazine. Kids, Teens, Young Adults and Porn (Catholic) Findings from BBC Radio Four s Bringing up Britain Pure Intimacy Fatal Addiction: Ted Bundy s Final Interview -Meredith Laschinger -

12 MEMORIAL TO A SON A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Cambridge, and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks, had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge. We'd like to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted. "Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave," she said to him. He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus." The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. "Madam," he said, gruffly, "we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery." "Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard." The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own? " Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about. You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.