Outlook. Exodus. Monthly Newsletter of St Barnabas. July Parish Church of Linthorpe and Ayresome

Transcription

1 Outlook Monthly Newsletter of St Barnabas Parish Church of Linthorpe and Ayresome July 2015 Exodus The number of refugees fleeing war, conflict or persecution reached almost 60 million last year, according to a recent UN report. It is reckoned to be the highest number of refugees the world has known. Conflicts in the Middle East, and most particularly Syria, Iraq and Libya, and in several A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s, h a v e precipitated this human tragedy. European countries, particularly those on the Mediterranean, have been overwhelmed. Politicians struggle to find solutions. Even the head of UNHCR has given this very gloomy prognosis: The world is a mess. The drama is that

2 people think that humanitarians can clean up the mess. It s no longer possible. We have no capacities to pick up the pieces. More and more people are suffering, and unfortunately for many of them there is no chance to support them. The difficulties are compounded by the fact that genuine refugees have become a Trojan horse amongst whom terrorists and would be economic migrants mingle. The Australian Government has said more countries should follow their example in dealing with this problem. They pay Papua New Guinea to detain potential refugees on one of their islands with a view to returning them in due course to the country they have come from. This has greatly reduced the numbers of people willing to risk their lives on the hazardous sea journey. But are we really to send men, women and children back into the jaws of conflict? Echoes of the difficulty many Jews seeking to escape Nazi Germany had in finding a country that was willing to allow them entry resonate loudly. History will likely prove unkind in its judgement of countries that refuse genuine refugees entry, no matter what difficulties they may be trying to avoid. The world is indeed a mess - a mess that is beyond the wit of even the wisest, most powerful and compassionate humans to sort out, let alone those who lack any or all of those qualities. All this has made me realise how much the story of the Exodus describes the human condition. Throughout history there have been mass movements of people precipitated by conflict, famine and

3 natural disasters, to say nothing of those who have overtaken other lands to exploit their resources. There is evidence that the human race originated from one mother in Africa. As we migrated north so our hair and skin became fairer and our eyes bluer in order to compensate for the lack of sun. Toward the end of the account of creation in Genesis Chapter 1, God commands humans, made in His image, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. We have been journeying out to fill the earth ever since. It is perhaps no surprise then that the New Testament describes what God has done for us in Christ in terms of a new Exodus in which we are journeying from slavery to sin toward the freedom, fulfilment and joy of God s new creation. Deep within us, consciously or unconsciously, is a restless yearning for the wholeness and fulfilment that is found in Christ alone. But what of those who face the kind of exodus described above? What are we to do about them? Few of us will be able to offer direct practical support, though there a re so me in our congregation who work in agencies that support refugees and asylum seekers. They need our prayers and support. Those who join our fellowship should be welcomed with open arms as brothers and sisters in Christ. Finally, we should pray to our Sovereign Lord, ruler of the nations. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says: I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Erik

4 Times of change We first undertook to help support Alejandro Mesco several years ago when he was a vicar in Arequipa, Peru and also in charge of several social projects in that area. Besides those projects he had the vision of a Christian School which would reach out both to the children and their parents. This project involved a lot of work and use of the church and his own home for classroom but when I visited it six years ago it was a large independent building and still growing, taking on older children and very well thought of in the area. However, there had been earthquakes in that part of Peru and, when assisting with the relief efforts, Alejandro saw a real need for outreach to the villages in the Andean foothills. With this in mind, the Bishop moved him to Cabanaconde, a larger village in the foothills from which he made contact with the villages which could often only be reached by foot or mule and built up a successful church in Cabanaconde itself, which is now run by his then assistant, Justo. Because of his wife s poor health Alejandro was moved back to Arequipa and put in charge of Mission Santiago Apostel. The Church was really just a shell of a building and over the last two years Alejandro put in earthquake proofing, managed to get electricity, water and sanitation connected. Much of the unskilled work was done by Alejandro himself so he was no stranger to digging ditches etc. to cut the cost of the project. It is a very poor area with much social need. For the past few months he has also been asked to be in charge of arranging meetings etc. so the churches in a large area around Arequipa were in regular communication and could better support and encourage each other. This involved covering large areas by public transport besides running his own church. For some time it had been planned to appoint 3 suffragan Bishops to assist the Diocesan Bishop as Peru is a huge area to cover. It came as a great surprise to Alejandro to find that he had been chosen as one of them to cover the area of Southern Peru from a base in Arequipa. The three are to be consecrated in the capital, Lima, on 25th July. Please pray for Alejandro as he gets to grips with his new role and for strength as he seeks to oversee this really large area.

5 The Prayer Course Prayer is the essence of the spiritual life, without which all ministry loses its meaning. It is the fulfilment of The Great Commandment... Henri Nouwen Starting on Sunday 26th July we will be running the Prayer Course on Sunday evenings at 6.30 p.m. The Prayer Course journeys through the Lord's Prayer with six short videos and time for discussion. The six sessions are: Adoration Our Father in heaven Petition Give us this day Intercession Your kingdom come Perseverance Your will be done Listening Our daily bread Warfare Deliver us from evil It s been designed as a resource to help people go deeper in their relationship with God and to unlock the power of prayer in their lives.

6 Stuart Lee Stuart died very suddenly in May whilst doing something he loved - walking in the countryside with friends. Stuart, the younger son of Ron and Nancy, was brought up in St Barnabas. He spent most of his working life with ICI. Stuart was a keen Scouter and served the Scouting movement faithfully for many years, receiving their Silver Acorn award for distinguished service. Stuart was a cheerful and uplifting presence at our 8-00 a.m. Sunday Communion service. He married Jenny 3 days after his 65 th birthday. They were blessed with a very happy, albeit far too brief, marriage. Please continue to pray for Jenny and the family. Michael Parkin Michael, the son of Bob and Margaret, went through our Sunday School and youth work, sang in the church choir, and met his future wife, Tracy, at our Sunday evening CYFA group. Their son Luke travelled to Ghana with our Scout Group in Michael served an apprenticeship with British Steel, and worked in the beam mill at Lackenby since qualifying. The church was filled to capacity for his funeral, following his untimely death. He was well liked and highly regarded. That is no surprise to those of us who knew Michael. Please continue to pray for Tracy and Luke, Bob and Margaret and the wider family. Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 1 Chronicles 29:10,11

7 PCC in June The PCC began to think about the freewill offering to be given to the Diocese. This will be decided at the July meeting. A report was received from the Facilities Management Group on the buildings. Allison Ward, safeguarding officer, gave a report. It was agreed that legacies would be included in calculating the 10% of voluntary giving which is given away as Kingdom Mission Giving. From the Registers Baptisms 7th June 14th June Joshua Stuart Sophie Anne Miller Annie Gregory Freya Mae Goodyear Confirmation Sunday 7th June Evangeline Grace Alberti Jessica Sophie Myrna Fletcher Rebecca McGarry Joshua Stuart Athene Wherrett Jolyon Peter Wherrett Funerals at St Barnabas 4th June Stuart Martin Lee aged 70 17th June Michael Parkin aged 46

8 Diary Week beginning 28th June Monday 29th June Monday 6th July Tuesday 14th July Week beginning 12th July Monday 13th July Monday 20th July Sunday 26th July Monday 27th July Wednesday 29th July Friday 31st July Sunday 2nd August Life groups meet PCC meets, 7.15 p.m. in the Reid Room Men s fellowship meets, 7.30 p.m. in the hall Life groups meet Prayer ministry team meets, 7.30 p.m. in the Reid Room Prayer Course begins, 6.30 p.m. in church Wellbeing group meets, 7.30 p.m. in the Dales Vestry. Lydia group meets, 2 p.m. in the Reid Room Summer morning service patterns begins.; a.m. All Age Praise Together St Barnabas Church Office, 1A St Barnabas Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, TS5 6JR Phone: office@st-barnabas.net Website: