Lighthouse Update

Those of you who have been observant may have noticed that this issue of the magazine only covers two months. We have decided to change the sequence of the magazine to better reflect church activities and the seasons. The first of the new quarterly magazines will run from December 03 to February 04 (Winter).
Walk thru the Bible
We are pleased to announce that we have arranged two Walk thru the Bible Seminars for 2004.

Questions like, which came first the chicken or the egg? have teased people for years. But would we know who came first Jonah or Job?

Walk thru will help us discover the answer to Jonah or Job, and many others, as well as revealing the big picture of the Bible. This is a must for all and we strongly advise that this is not to be missed. Even if you have been to the seminars before, still come

Each seminar lasts for a whole day and will be held on Saturdays. Further information will be available nearer the time.

The dates are 31st January (Old Testament) and the 3rd April (New Testament)

Book these dates into your diary and plan now to come and be part of these exciting journeys into and through the Old and New Testaments.

Where is Bread?

"Where is bread?" the great crowd murmured -
Thousands strong, yet all in need.
"Where is bread?" your people wondered,
Faced with such a crowd to feed.
Who, Lord Jesus, could have guessed it?
One small boy brought food to share.
Taking what he gave, you blessed it;
All were fed, with much to spare.

"Where is bread?" we know their yearning;
Every day, we wish for more.
God, in time, we¹re slowly learning;
All we own can make us poor.
Our possessions can possess us
Leaving hunger deep inside
Christ our Bread, come now and bless us;
At your feast, we¹re satisfied.

"Where is bread?" the call is rising;
Millions cry who must be fed.
God, your answer seems surprising:
"You, my Church, you give them bread."
Bread to fill each hungry spirit,
Bread for hungry stomachs too!
Give us bread and help us share it.
Richly blessed, may we serve you.

This poem was written by Ivy Smith¹s niece
after seeing starving African children on TV

We are Survivors
An article for those born before 1940

We were born before television, before penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, videos and the pill.  We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ballpoint pens, before dish-washers, tumble driers, electric blankets, air conditioning, drip-dry clothes... and before man walked on the moon.

We got married first and then lived together (how quaint can you be?).  We thought "fast food" was what you ate in Lent, a "Big Mac" was an oversized raincoat and "crumpet" we had for tea.  We existed before house husbands, computer dating and ³sheltered accommodation² was where you waited for a bus.

We were before day care centres, group homes and disposable nappies.  We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, artificial hearts, word processors or young men wearing earrings.  For us "time sharing" meant togetherness, a "chip" was a piece of wood or fried potato, "hardware" meant nuts and bolts and "software" wasn't a word.

Before 1940 "Made in Japan" meant junk, the term "making out" referred to how you did your exams, "stud" was something that fastened a collar to a shirt and "going all the way" meant staying on a double decker bus to the terminus.  In our day cigarette smoking was fashionable, "grass" was mown, "coke" was kept in the coalhouse, a "joint" was a piece of meat you ate on Sundays and "pot" was something you cooked in.  "Rock Music" was a fond mother's lullaby, "Eldorado" was an ice-cream, a "gay" person was the life and soul of the party, while "aids" just meant beauty treatment or help for someone in trouble.

We who were born before 1940 must be a hardy bunch when you think of the way in which the world has changed and the adjustments we have had to make.  No wonder there is a generation gap today... BUT

By the grace of God...  we have survived!

Essex Christian Camp (girls week 2 - 9 Aug 2003)

After months of planning and preparation it was time for me to pack up my sleeping bag and hot water bottle for a week under canvas. The leaders met up and shared a lunch with the boys camp leaders, unpacked, set up our tents and waited for the campers to arrive. The girls arrived from 4.00 onwards, some pleased to see old friends and some feeling nervous wondering who they would be sharing a tent with.

Our theme for the week was "Who is Jesus?" highlighting both the divinity and humanity of Jesus.  The morning sessions were taken by Rachel Brett with the younger campers and Gill with the older ones. At the beginning of the week the girls wrote a personal letter to Jesus. This was then put in an envelope and sealed until the end of the week so they could see how their understanding of who Jesus is had changed.

The evening celebrations where everyone was together was based on the theme "Who am I?"  We had wonderful times of worship, a lot of girls feeling touched by the songs that were sung. Our camp  song was "Open the eyes of my heart Lord.. I want to see you". In the marquee where we had our meetings was a banner that said, "Let your attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus". (Thank you to the Banner Group for making this for us). How right that statement is - perhaps some of us need to look at our own lives and really think is my attitude the same as that of Christ Jesus, if not then maybe we need to spend time with the Lord praying over this.

There was a varied programme throughout the week including events such as orienteering, drama and dance workshop and tie-dying t-shirts.  We had a day at Pleasurewood Hills - we had to be up really early, (but at least that meant no washing up!) By the end of the day everyone was tired but after some food and drink were all geared up for some line dancing Yee Haa!  This was a fun night enjoyed by all, some sitting watching and others making fools of themselves.  Other activities included netball, rounders, non-stop cricket and ice skating in Chelmsford.

Friday was our last day and everyone was making the most of it even though we had not had much sleep the night before! The morning was spent making musical instruments out of junk and swimming and in the afternoon the girls performed their dances and the drama they had been practicing.

Saturday was time to go home and a lot of the girls got very emotional leaving their friends, whilst others feeling very tired were glad to be going home to their own beds.
We were blessed in many ways during the week and the weather was glorious (not one drop of rain) which is unheard of on girls camp.  We had three girls give their lives to the Lord which was wonderful and a real encouragement to the leaders.

Thank you to everyone for their prayers and support over this week - it was a real challenge but well worth it.  (Philippians Ch 2 v5-11)

    Kelly Spurgeon

Holiday Snippets

During our two week break staying at West Runton on the North Norfolk Coast, we came across a poster advertising a "Christians Together at Cromer Pier - Songs of Praise", on Sunday 29th June. As that Sunday was a glorious warm day we decided to head down to the Pier and see what was happening.

Although there were a few rows of chairs, unless you took your own (which we didn't) you had to sit on the small brick wall around the steps of the pier, or on the floor!  Luckily we did manage to find a spot facing the steps, collected our hymn sheet and waited.

At the top of the steps was a small band and whilst people were congregating the band played various choruses for everyone to join in if they knew the words.  By the time they were ready to start the entrance to the pier was packed with people, some from local churches and many, like us, just holidaymakers.

We sung several well known hymns such as "My Jesus, My Saviour", "Oh Lord my God" and "Shine Jesus Shine".  As the evening wore on it started to get chilly once the sun disappeared and as I was wearing shorts (and the wall was getting very cold!) the lady next to me very kindly offered me her jacket to sit on.

During a break from the congregation singing, we were entertained by Marilyn Baker an internationally known christian singer/songwriter who sung several wonderful songs, all written by her.  She also played the keyboard, and bearing in mind she is blind, was truly  amazing.  Some of the songs were ballads and others more lively.  She had a great sense of humour and we could have listened to her all night.

After a few more hymns and about 2 hours later, the evening came to an end.  It was a wonderful time of singing and fellowship with other Christians and was a great start to our holiday.  We finished the evening by driving up onto the cliff top at Cromer and watching the sun set over the sea.  Perfect!

    Sharon & Ray

Just a reminder.....

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.  She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.  "There¹s one more thing" she said excitedly.  "What¹s that?" came the pastor¹s reply.  "This is very important" the young woman continued.  "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand²".  The pastor stood looking at the young woman not knowing quite what to say.  "That surprises you doesn¹t it?" the young woman asked.  "Well to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request", said the pastor.  The young woman explained.  "My grandmother once told me this story, and from there on out I have always done so.  I have also always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.  In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, "Keep your fork".  It was my favourite part because I knew that something better was coming ...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.  I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder ³"What¹s with the fork?"  Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork... the best is yet to come".  The pastor¹s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye.

He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death, but he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did.  She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge.  She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman¹s casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.  Over and over the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?"  And over and over he smiled.

During his message the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died.  He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolised to her.  The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.  He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Taken from the Anglican Parish of Midland,  Australia newsletter

Who cares?

There is a God who really cares
Cares enough for you and I
He let His son alone to die
Suffered the cross for you and I
What did I do to keep Him there?
It was His love ­ His choice to care
How very great is our God now
How could He come to this dark hour
He shed his blood for you and I
It breaks me down ­ It makes me cry
A sinner wretched lost was I
But by His grace was I brought nigh
Closer to the throne of grace
Right here now before his face
Immersed in love and joy and peace
I kneel in wonder at His feet

 Barbara Moles