Weekly Diary

Sunday

Family Service & Sunday School - 11 am

Evening Worship - 6.30 pm

Communion: 1st Sunday   Evening                        3rd Sunday  Morning

Weekdays

Wednesday      Midweek Meeting     8 pm

Thursday         Girls' Brigade            6.30 pm

Friday               Boys' Brigade           6.30 pm

 

Dear friends,
I trust you are all aware by now that Maria and I will be spending our last Sunday at TBC on 26th May, and I will be beginning a new ministry as Associate Minister at West Croydon Baptist Church on 8th June. When I decided last year that it seemed for me a good time to make a "fresh start", I didn't anticipate such a perfect opportunity opening up for me in Croydon. A strong calling from the Deacons and Church Members there convinced me that this was where the Lord was leading me. This means that I am convinced too that the Lord is already preparing the right person to come and replace me here at TBC.

It was on 1st October 1993 that I began as Minister here and so much has happened over those years. I thank God that it has been such a fruitful time for me and we have been able to accomplish great things in the Lord's name. I have always valued the love, support and prayers of people here without which I could not have sustained the vision that has moved us forward. I must especially mention Miss Vi Maddison, Mr Les Paskell and the other Deacons. In our meetings we have shared many hours praying together, seeking God's guidance in all things.

Thornton Reid has been a valued partner in preaching God's Word, and Belinda Plunkett and Janette Whitehead have been great partners in the work of sharing God's love with the youngsters in our church and beyond.

The list could be endless because so many of you are earning your crowns in heaven because of your quiet labours in our Lord's name here on earth. Some of you are quietly encouraging others, some are visiting, some are peacemakers, some sharing their insights into spiritual matters. and some carrying vital practical responsibilities. When people say that you can't find workers these days I look around at all those sharing the load here at TBC and thank God that there are so many.

God is faithful and will bring the right person to lead you on. Keep praying and keep encouraging one another in the love of Christ. Those of you who are Members should support the Church Meetings so that decisions made reflect the views of everyone. Value and encourage the visiting preachers who will come week by week and most of all, do nothing to hinder little ones who want to follow Jesus too. Then the God who blessed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David, Ruth, Esther, and Hannah, Mary, Joseph, Peter and Paul, will be pleased to bless you too.

Sincerely yours,
Malcolm Patten.

Church family news...

We begin with sad news. We have recently mourned the passing of two old friends of the church and one of our members. Revd David Thomas was Minister of TBC from 1950 to 1955 and was remembered affectionately here for the way he encouraged the children to stand up in the service and recite verses of scripture from memory. Four from the church attended a memorial service in his honour at Worcester Park Baptist Church on 21st March. He had continued preaching right up to a few weeks before his death, being one of the few remaining Welsh-speaking preachers in London. Many at the service were from the Welsh Baptist and Welsh Presbyterian churches around London and needless to say the singing was glorious and "did the valleys proud!" The funeral service of Horace Persson was held at the Bush Hill Park URC on 27th February where the tribute included mention of his work with Boys' Brigade, St John's Ambulance, and his commitment to pacifism.

Mrs Gordon has been a Member of our church for many years and until recently was always in church Sunday mornings, even when it was a struggle for her to get there. We have just heard as we go to press that she passed away peacefully on Wednesday 3rd April. These faithful servants shall surely receive their reward in heaven.

On a happier note, congratulations to Les & Val Paskell who celebrated their Ruby wedding anniversary on Easter Sunday. When presented with flowers and a card on behalf of the fellowship, Les gave testimony to the love of Jesus being the secret of their success. Having courted each other across the balcony when in the brigades, they married in the church and have continued to give unstinting and sacrificial service. We wish them many more years of happiness together and God's richest blessing.

It was a joy to witness the baptisms of five of our folk on Easter Day. Norma Smith, Veronica Mitchell, Clare Lee, Jose Jurado Aranda, and Junior Deane all shared what God had done in their lives and testified that Jesus was their Lord and Saviour through the waters of baptism. May they stand strong in the armour of God. We assure them of our continuing prayers.

Please remember in prayer Mrs Eileen Wood, Miss Mabel Johnson and Miss Olive Persson and Mrs Hazel Whitehead who have not been able to get out to church recently. We have greatly missed Miss Persson's contribution on the organ and so hope she becomes stronger and able to lead our singing again soon.


Remember that our Pastoral Care Team are available to help and any member of the Team would be glad to know of anyone in the fellowship who needs a visit or prayer or spiritual encouragement. They are:
Thornton & Leola Reid
George Wheeler
Grace Tyzack
Hilda Gosling
Clare Lee
Margaret McGlynn

You can contact the Minister at the church on 020 8808 3484.
You can also read Focus online at:
http://freespace.virgin.net/jamesimac.mcglynn/tbc.htm
(Our apologies to anyone who tried the internet address in the last edition of Focus. It was incorrect. Please do try this new address - it really works!)

At the moment we do not have an Editor for Focus. It is a time consuming responsibility that also requires an ability to ensure that everything that needs to be included is included. There is little typing to be done as many items come ready typed and Rosemarie Griffiths kindly types the rest. But it needs to be formatted and arranged and edited using appropriate computer software. If you think you can help, let Malcolm know as soon as possible. For those who receive Focus by post, please understand if there are delays in production or if Focus is not published for a time.

We also need help with the church garden. If you have green fingers and can spare an hour or so each week, please let one of the Deacons know as soon as possible!

Pause for thought
A businessman well known for his ruthlessness once announced to writer Mark Twain, "Before I die I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud at the top." "I have a better idea," replied Twain. "You could stay in Boston and keep them."

Coming events

Cricket
Saturday May 18th is the date for our annual cricket challenge. Everyone is invited to come and join in the fun (and tears) as we take on Campsbourne Baptist Church, Hornsey. For more details see Allan Bennett.

Come and celebrate
.... our Sunday School's 171st Anniversary on
Sunday 19th May at 11.00 a.m.
We have invited a guest speaker - Mr Neil Poole - who will bring his own unique way of sharing Jesus' love with young and old alike. So, please come along and help us celebrate this special occasion.
We look forward to seeing you.
Janette Whitehead

Malcolm & Maria
You are invited to an Open House on Saturday 4th May from 3pm - 9pm. Come and sample our hospitality one last time.

The service for Malcolm to be inducted as Minister at West Croydon Baptist Church will take place on Saturday 8th June at 3pm. There will be refreshments to follow. The address of the church is I Whitehorse Road. The nearest stations are East Croydon for overground, and Brixton (change to bus) for underground.
Malcolm Patten

Meeting with Regional Minister
To begin the process of seeking a new Minister for the Church there will be a special meeting at 8.1 5pm on Wednesday 29th May. Anyone who comes to the Church may attend this meeting. It is not just for Church Members. Revd Pat Took, our Regional Minister will address the meeting and discuss what needs to happen next. Please make this meeting a priority for you so that you know what is going on and can ask questions and pray. During the time that we do not have a Minister, Revd Roger Collins, a retired Minister who lives in Highbury, will be our Moderator. This means he will Chair Deacons and Church Meetings, preach occasionally, take any funerals or weddings, and guide the Church until a successor to Malcolm is appointed.

Family Day to Hastings
Tickets are now available for our Family Day out to Hastings on Saturday 29th June. The coach will leave at 9am and return at approximately 7pm. Tickets are £8 Adults, £5 children. Please purchase your tickets early to avoid disappointment!

Web resources
Ever wondered where you could find out what a word written in that beautiful language, Hebrew, in the Bible meant in English? Although we may only get a perfect understanding in Heaven, in the meantime, there are resources that could help you understand what a word written in that language, or in Greek or Aramaic means: Strong's Dictionary. You can get a copy of Strong's Dictionary to use with some computer software called 'e-sword', and you can get both of these downloaded from the internet for free! You can also read a commentary on any particular passage. This software can enable you to search various scripture translations (RSV, KJV, etc.) for all the appearances of a word too, for whenever we can't remember where a verse appears but we remember some of the words!
Click on 'Download' at: http://www.e-sword.net/

You can also search for all the verses which contain one or more words at several other web-sites instead. An impressive site which can search the New RSV, RSV, KJV, NIV versions among others is:
http ://bible.crosswalk.com/
That site has an amazing selection of commentaries, concordances, dictionaries and what not, available to be read for free! Praise the Lord and be thankful!
To search or read through the Amplified version or various others, try:
http://bible.gospelcom.net/
That site also allows you to look up a passage by typing in the chapter and verse reference. Isn't it mind-boggling what the Lord can provide?
Happy reading!
Jose Jurado Aranda


Baptist Missionary Society News...

BMS
Birthday
Scheme
APRIL
JESSICA ROSE HATCHETT 7th
MR T BENTLEY 20th
MISS V MADDISON 26th

MAY
DAVID BERRY 17th
REBECCA TIDMARSH 22nd
Mr N LOVE 26th
MS JANETTE WHITEHEAD 27th

Recent Relief Fund grants
The Democratic Republic of Congo
BMS World Mission acted quickly following January's massive volcanic eruption in Goma in east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by sending a Relief Fund grant of £3,500) to help those affected by the disaster. The BMS grant was channelled through Baptist World Aid to supply emergency food parcels and cooking utensils to the tens of thousands made homeless after the Nyiragongo volcano engulfed Goma and surrounding villages with lava on 17 January. A Relief Fund grant of £2,400 has also been approved to cover the cost of HIV kits that are supplied periodically by ECHO International Health Services Limited for the IME Hospital in Kimpese.
Nicaragua
In November, Hurricane Michelle wrought havoc along the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, destroying crops and making around 100,000 people homeless. BMS sent a Relief Fund grant of £12,700 to help purchase and transport bean seeds to 500 families. At harvest, these seeds will be returned to a 'bank' as part of a project for sustainable development.
Bosnia
BMS recently sent a grant of £5,000 to "My Neighbour", a charity run by the Baptist Church in Sarajevo working with refugees in the country. The money will be used in various ways, including the purchase of winter clothing, fresh fruit and vegetables for Kosovan refugees; and nappies for an orphanage in Sarajevo.

Church-plant challenges for Martins in Croatia
BMS World Mission workers in Croatia hope to see fruit from evangelism initiatives in the coastal town of Dubrovnik. BMS couple Reuben and Katie Martin arrived in Dubrovnik 18 months ago to being a church plant, along with a Croatian couple, Daniel and Lidija MacKenzie, also supported by BMS.

The evangelistic work focuses on meeting people around town, as Reuben explained, "We've continued to build friendships, but have met few people who are interested in exploring Christianity. We believe that there are people here seeking God - we pray that we'll be able to meet and witness to those who are searching."

The work is made difficult by the fact that Dubrovnik is a small, close-knit community where there is a subtle opposition to anything not Roman Catholic that would be considered sects.

A successful way in which the Martins and the MacKenzies have met with people over the last year has been through English-language teaching. "Many were interested in a month-long intensive English-language course we held last spring, so Daniel, Lidija and I decided to continue teaching English one night a week", said Reuben. "This has continued to be a really good way to meet people and an average of ten people come each week".

Reuben and Katie try and organise a large evangelistic event in the town every four months. The last one, just before Christmas was a concert and art exhibition, displaying the work of a talented local pastor who is also a singer-songwriter. Katie said, "Despite being a cold drizzly night, 34 people came to the concert, which packed out our church room. Several commented on the power of the words of the songs."

The Dubrovnik church plant remains in its infancy as Katie explained, "On a typical Sunday, eight adults and two children meet for worship". In December, Katie started up a Mums' and Toddlers' Group with the other mother at the church (Katie gave birth to Naomi last June). She continued, "Nothing like it existed in the town, but we thought we'd see if there's interest in such a group. So far, four mothers have come, including a British and Czech lady. We will continue to see how this work develops".


Thanks...

Home Mission Fund - Used Postage Stamps
A letter was received recently from the Home Mission Fund thanking us for old postage stamps, which we sent; they said these will be sorted into sacks and sold for the fund. They thanked us for our support, as this was encouraging and very beneficial to the work of the mission.
Amounts raised in recent years: -
1996 £645.55
1997 £860.00
1998 £590.00
1999 £680.00
2000 £819.00
2001 £640.00
We have a box in the lounge for your used postage stamps. Please save stamps off envelopes and anything that you receive with a postage stamp but please do not damage the stamp - cut it off the envelope well away from the stamp.
Thank you for saving your stamps.
Val Paskell

March Mission
Thanks to all who supported the extra events during March. There were some great times of fellowship, fascinating and helpful discussions in our training evenings, and a dedication to prayer that I have not seen before at TBC. We distributed 1000 leaflets and tracts between us and gave out about 20 copies of the Jesus Video for Children. Continue to pray that the word preached by our visiting preachers would not be in vain, but reap a harvest for our Lord. 14 children attended our Spykids holiday club and a good time was had by all. The children enjoyed the games, sang enthusiastically, and learnt their memory verse. They kept coming back for more which was probably the best seal of approval! Special thanks to all the holiday club helpers.
Malcolm



IT IS GOD WHO HOLDS THE NATIONS

It is God who holds the nations in the hollow of his hand;
It is God whose light is shining in the darkness of the land;
It is God who builds his city on the rock and not the sand;
May the living God be praised.

The father of Fred Pratt Green (who wrote this hymn) had intended to emigrate to America. But reaching Liverpool, he met a distant relative and decided to stay, making a new life for himself manufacturing leather goods. Fred was born in 1903, and although his father was a Wesleyan, his mother was an Anglican, and on Sunday mornings they would walk across the fields to Chidwall Parish Church. On their removal to Wallesley in 1912 they found that the Wesleyan Chapel was just around the corner and so they became members there.

The change must have suited Fred as he later became a Methodist Minister. He was first appointed to a church in Yorkshire and then, on the day war broke out in 1939, moved down to the London area. It was during this period that he began to write, inspired by the father of a boy from an Enfield Sunday School, who although crippled by arthritis had a great interest in poetry.

They met regularly to criticise each other's work and eventually, after gaining what Fred describes as a 'modest' reputation, he was contacted in 1963 by the Committee in charge of producing the Supplement to the Methodist Hymn Book and invited to submit some modem hymns.

There were scores of requests, such as one written for a church in Chicago. They wanted a hymn for their 150th anniversary, which would contain a reference to the Gospel Riders who were active in spreading the Gospel in the mid-west. Fred had decided to include a line "With Bibles in their saddlebags", until he was told that this would not do at all. In Arlington Heights, Chicago, "saddlebags" was slang for women's thighs!

A stranger story surrounds the hymn 'It is God who holds the nations'. It was written at the request of the Dean of Norwich for use at the celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Alan Webster, Inner Dean of St Paul's, happened to pass on a copy before the event to the Dean of York Minister. He in turn happened to have it in his pocket when he went to London to the committee appointed to draw up an Order of Service to be used in all the Churches for the occasion. (The printing was held up because the hymn commissioned from John Betjeman, the Poet Laureate, was felt to be quite unsuitable).

The Dean of York produced a piece of paper from his pocket and it was a very surprised Fred who received a telephone call from Lambeth Palace asking permission to use his hymn!

It is no surprise to know that his royalties (for he wrote many more hymns) go to a Trust Fund. This is for the encouragement of Church Music helping other writers to practise their craft and so join the noble line of men and women who combine to encourage such an important part of our worship.

The rest of his Silver Jubilee hymn reads as follows:

It is God whose purpose summons us to use the present hour,
Who recalls us to our senses when a nation's life turns sour,
In the discipline of freedom we shall know his saving power;
May the living God be praised.

When a thankful nation, looking back, has cause to celebrate;
Those who win our admiration by their service to the state;
When self-giving Is a measure of the greatness of the great;
May the living God be praised.

He reminds us every sunrise that the world is ours on lease;
For the sake of life tomorrow may our love for it increase;
May all races live together, share its riches, be at peace;
May the living God be praised.

I thought this very suitable, as it is the Queen's Golden Jubilee this year.
V Maddison

Believing
Jesus said "Have Faith in God". This takes our Faith from the Unreliable and Places it in a God, who is Faithful, Dependable and Sure. We cannot see tomorrow, but we can trust the one who does. We cannot trust ourselves, so we depend on his wisdom to know what is best for us. Sounds smart to me. The simple truth is that when we walk with God, he blesses us.
Pearl Nevers.

Food for thought
I came across this alphabet in a book, and would like to share it with you:

"THE ABSENTEES ALPHABET"

I had liked to go to church but ...
A. Is for Auntie, who will come to tea;
B. Is for bed, which won't release me;
C. Is for car "we need the fresh air";
D. Is for dinner that Mum must prepare;
E. Is for enthusiasm which I haven't got;
F. Is for foursome, which golf's quite a lot;
G. Is for garden, much nearer to God's heart;
H. Is for husband, who won't play his part;
I. Is for intruders who sit in my pew;
J. Is for jealousy shown by a few;
K. Is for knitting, which mum likes so much;
L. The old language, it's so out of touch;
M. Is for money, they always want more;
N. Is for new tunes which I've not heard before;
0. Is for overtime, double on Sunday;
P. The preparing I must do for Monday;
Q. For queer noises, which come from the choir;
R. For the rector, who ought to retire;
S. Is for sermons, as dull as can be'
T. For telly, I really must see;
U. For unfriendliness, I always find;
V. For the voice of the woman behind'
W. For weather, too much rain or snow;
X. Is for extras, too busy to go;
Y. For young people who sit at the back;
Z. Is for zeal and that is just what I lack.

From Pearl Nevers.




Where are you now?
"February fill dyke" has come and gone and we're now into what many of us have always known as the season of March winds and April showers. Since Christmas I've often wondered how our "old" friends in the North and West of these islands, where the weather seems to have been doing its worst, have been faring. We do hope you've not been too badly affected by the gales, rain, floods and snow.

It was such a surprise to see JOHN AKERMAN in church the other Sunday. Now living at Swaffham, Norfolk, he was spending a few days in Tottenham with David and Margaret. His Headmistress daughter, Pauline lives not far away from him. Staff shortages in the area are so bad that she is now in charge of 2 schools, having to divide her time between them. He did not say how big the schools are or how far apart, but she clearly has very little time to herself!

JUNE APPLIN (nee Foulston-Gaw) has written from lmmingham, near Grimsby, describing some of the problems their neighbourhood and their church are facing with burnt-out cars and smashed windows. "The church has to lock the door when we have gone into service" she says.

Bishops Stortford Baptist Church where WINNIE and LAURIE REED are now members has had a setback with their search and hopes for a site for their new church centre. The local Council has turned down their application and, after a year of planning and prayer, they now have to begin again, still holding their Sunday morning services in Bishops Stortford High School and evening services at their church hall in Portland Road. I do not suppose it helped when a burst pipe during Christmas "terminally damaged three ceilings and the kitchen floor" in the church hall! 'We wish them well as they continue to seek God's guidance.

In Clacton, NORAH JOHNSON is aware of "advancing years". She is "creaking a bit" and has to have help in the garden but seems to get more and more involved in the activities of the Methodist Church she now attends. She gives out the hymnbooks and she and Bertha (the friend who now lives with her) have taken on the dusting of the church ("good thing it's a small building" she says). They have recently been to a Worship Leaders course; with a shortage of ministers to cover so many churches in the Circuit they have to be prepared to take Services occasionally.

The Nursing Home in Clacton where Nancy, Norah's sister, had been for some time, closed down just before Christmas and she has been moved to one near Colchester within easy visiting distance for her sons' families but difficult for Norah. "It is sad to see her so thin and unable to speak clearly" writes Norah. Please remember Nancy and the family in your prayers.

SJ Starling