Tottenham Baptist Church Magazine
June/July 2002

 
 
 
 
 

Weekly Diary

Sunday

Family Service & Sunday School - 11 am

Evening Worship - 6.30 pm

Communion: 1st Sunday   Evening                        3rd Sunday  Morning

Weekdays

1st Monday      Music Group             7 pm

Wednesday      Midweek Meeting     8 pm

Thursday         Girls' Brigade            6.30 pm

Friday              Boys' Brigade            6.30 pm

 

Church Address: 699 High Road, London, N17 8AD.
 

Dear Friends,

Writing to you for the first time as your moderator, I thought you might like to know a little more about me. I have preached at High Road a number of times but you might be interested in a little background.

I am married to Pat, and have three boys of my own, and another who we picked up along the way. The four boys are all married and we have nine grandchildren. When I retired we came back to London to help look after my 94-year-old mother-in-law.

Both my wife and I are Londoners. We met at Vernon Baptist Church Kings Cross (now Kings Cross Baptist Church) where I was working as pastoral assistant for a year before going to Spurgeon's College.

I have had four pastorates. I was six years at the Downs, Hackney. I spent fourteen years as minister of London Road Southend. I was twelve years as minister of Milton, Weston-super-Mare, and I was seven years in Penrhiewceiber in the South Wales valleys. I was nineteen years a Justice of the Peace.

I have been moderator three times before, and have always found them to be exciting times. It is during a Pastoral vacancy that the church member really comes into their own!
Each and every member has a part to play, both in maintaining the church, and in sharing in calling, under God, the right person as the next minister.

I will be preaching at the church the first Sunday in June. That day, both morning and evening we will be looking at a person who the New Testament calls "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." That is what I believe God wants each one of us to be at this special time in our church's life.

God's richest blessing be with you.
In Christian love,

Roger Collins.
 

Church family news
Our fervent prayers of goodwill go to our outgoing pastor Rev. Malcolm Patten and wife Maria Patten, as he cared for us for over eight years. They go on to minister to the faithful and to reach out for new believers in their new placement in Croydon on 8th June. Be assured of our best wishes and thanksgiving for your service in the Lord and your fellowship at Tottenham Baptist Church! We've started missing you already!

Let us also pray with thanksgiving while we seek our next pastor and welcome our moderator, Rev. Roger Collins, and wife Pat as he helps to guide us.

Pray for Mrs Gordon's family in their bereavement. Please pray also for Hannah Deveneaux and for Amy Dixon, who have both returned home from hospital. Others in the fellowship continue to be unable to get to church but especially pray for Miss Olive Persson as we miss her playing for us. (And thanks of course to Vi Maddison and Val Paskell who been wonderful stand-ins for us!). We have had a letter from Mrs Hobourn who has been very ill and is now convalescing with her son in Huntingdon.

On a happier note, we have shared the joy of the families who have brought their infants for blessing recently: Hannah and Daniel Kajue Adolphe brought Stephen, Chanel Jackson brought Kyrna, and Ndidi & Peter Odele brought Chika. Jesus said, "Let the little ones come to me".

Thank the Lord for the men in our church: Congratulations are extended to Ian Lee who turns 21 on 27th May!

Keep in mind to pray for our Sunday Schoolteacher, Ivy Legore, as she is visiting her father, who fell ill, in Jamaica.

Remember to pray for our young people who are doing exams during these next few weeks, especially David Bennett at university in Luton. We wish you all good results!

Please remember to pray for those who are largely housebound in our fellowship, including Mrs Eileen Wood, Miss Mabel Johnson and Mrs Hazel Whitehead, as she lovingly cares for her mother at home.

Give thanks for our new gardeners David and John, friends of Kathleen's, who are taking care of our garden. They are succeeding Lena Starling's remarkable work, as she has had to leave her gardening due to health.

Our Pastoral Care Team is 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

This magazine is your magazine! Help shape TBC whichever way the Lord leads you. Write, tell, e-mail or dictate to the editor any articles, quips, etc. that you want to share, or speak to him about any issues you would want in these pages!

Jose Jurado Aranda First Floor Flat 63 Becket Avenue London E6 6AE Tel: (020) 8471 8289 or leave message E-mail:tbceditor@hotmail.com You can also read Focus online at: http://freespace.virgin.net/jamesimac.mcglynn/tbc.htm

Coming events
Meeting - choosing our next pastor
There will be a special meeting at 8.15pm on Wednesday 29th May to guide us through the process of choosing the next pastor. Anyone who comes to our church is welcome! Church membership not required.

The meeting will be addressed by the Regional Minister (Team Leader) for the London Baptist Association, Revd Pat Took. She will discuss the process With us. Have you a vision for TBC? Do come and give your input. Have you questions and are not sure what it will be like? Come and learn. It will also bean occasion to pray together for our fellowship.

While we seek our new minister, Revd Roger Collins, retired, will chair Deacons and Church Meetings, preach occasionally, take any funerals or weddings, and guide the Church until a successor to Malcolm is appointed.

Do get involved in giving a helping hand or voice as we begin seeking a new minister for the church! As our moderator has indicated, this is a great opportunity for us to develop our God's given gifts - and everyone can really chip in gifts (1 Cor 12:7-11) to keep TBC a gentle place to grow in Him!

Malcolm at West Croydon Baptist Church
The induction will be held on 8th June at 3pm and for those of you who haven't been able to get a seat on the coach but still wish to be there, it's located at I Whitehorse Road, Croydon CR0 2JH.

Family Day to Hastings
Here's a great chance to get to know one another so much better, and to free yourself and your family from the city for a day! There are still some tickets for our Family Day Out to Hastings on Saturday 29th June.

Hastings is a beautiful and historic seaside town. There are various attractions, beaches, a promenade walk and fun-fair. The coach will leave at 9am and return at approximately 7pm. Tickets are £8 Adults, £5 children. Under 5s not occupying a seat travel free. Family and friends are welcome! Clare Lee is the person to ask for.

Parades
Your next chance to see our brigades on display will be on Sunday 7th July, a joint Boys and Girls Brigade parade. Bring your whole family to worship and let these children set an example to yours!

GB News
17-24th August, the Girls Brigade will be off to camp at Littlehampton Baptist Church, Sussex. There will be 16 of us going including Mrs Joan Stokes and some of the 1st Chelsea girls. We hope for a week full of sunshine and learning for the girls. We will ask for your support and prayers nearer the time.

During the first week of June we shall be collecting for our Camp Funds. The Juniors have already collected £50.00. from their sleep over. We also have 'home made' cards for sale. Please ask to see them.

Tuesday 4th June, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Warrant Officer, Victoria Plunkett, and Senior Danielle Flood-Coleman will be taking part in the parade in London. A total of 255 GB members for England, Wales and Scotland will be there. Hopefully, it will be shown on TV.

Belinda Plunkett
 

Dear friends
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the prayers and support! had during the time of the death of my husband. The fellowship prayers card was a great strength to my family and me. These words were very comforting to me:
"Do not be afraid, I am your God; I am with you. Let nothing terrify you; I will make you strong, and help you. I will protect you, and save you." Isaiah 41:10

Muriel Grant

40th Anniversary
Thank you to all those kind friends who presented us with a beautiful bouquet at the morning service on March 31st, sent cards and congratulated us on 40 years of marriage. We had a great time with our family at lunchtime on 'The' day and also the next week on our trip with them all to Disneyland Paris. We have had many blessings during our marriage and must give thanks to the Lord for all He has done for us.

Val and Les Paskell

Singing group
We'd like to start an acapella singing group of 6-8 people. We especially need an alto and a tenor to join us. Rehearsal dates to be agreed upon later. If you like singing, please contact us!

Jaap and Louise

Once your heart is in the right place, what's a way to make a church grow? We need musicians! At the moment, we have people who have offered to sing. But we still need more offers for instrumentalists to practice regularly! At the moment, we have four musicians although unfortunately we are losing one, of course, Malcolm. So we could certainly use more instrumentalists! Guitarists, keyboardists, flute players, whatever the Lord has called you to! We might need to start another group if we have 'duplicated' skills, so do come forward even if you have talent in any instrument which is now being used!

We plan to practice on the first Mondays of the month and for special occasions. Please tell me or any deacon even if you're thinking about it but have some doubts, or if you could offer!

Jose Jurado Aranda

Baptist Missionary Society News

BMS Birthday Scheme

JUNE   MRS A HATCHETT  3rd  MR L PASKELL  4th  MR J HATCHETT  10th  MRS S HATCHETT  12th  MR J JURADO ARANDA  13th  MRS L REID  17th  MISS L STARLING  23rd  MISS K HATCHETT  29th  JULY  MRS H WHITEHEAD  29th

Mrs Hazel Whitehead, our BMS Birthday Scheme secretary, indicates that £100 was forwarded in early May to the BMS Medical Mission. Fuller report of the mission's work in the next issue.

A date for your diaries!....

On Sunday, 4th August, our world link missionaries, John and Maria Dyer and their son Joao Marcos, will be visiting us for the day and, taking part in the services. They live and work in Natal, North east Brazil, and John is involved in planning and running church leadership courses for lay people and pastors. Maria has been organising and leading literacy courses for local people.

John and Maria will be visiting our church during their home assignment time back in England. Please come and support their work and make a special effort to attend both services on these days so that we can make them feel a welcome part of our church family.

Thank you!

Janette Whitehead
 
 

Angola

After 26 years of war, the signing of a cease fire in April prompted BMS World Mission nurse Mary Parsons to recount: "I heard the speeches and ceremony of the peace signing on the car radio, driving back from town with some pastors of the Evangelical Baptist Church in Angola. . .There is an air of optimism and hope, and anticipation of a better tomorrow. The despondency is beginning to lift. For years, Angolans have waited anxiously for this moment."

The conflict in Angola has killed more than one million people and displaced a further six million. The capital, Luanda, was built originally for I 20,000 people - it is now home for five and a half million. There is desperate lack of water, food, health care, electricity, employment and education. Many Angolans are dying daily from malnutrition and starvation.

Mary works chiefly in an advisory capacity, travelling to health centres in Luanda and surrounding areas, supporting Angolan doctors in their daily practices. She also works in a small health clinic in Terra Vermelha, a shanty town on the Luandan outskirts. Here, BMS and Operation Agri help to develop the health clinic, a new church, a school and adult literacy classes.

"Rebuilding the nation will take time but this peace agreement is the beginning and a good foundation. My hope for the Angolans is that they will keep the spark of hope and peace alight, while the long process of rebuilding happens."
 
 

Korea

Doctor Helen Johnston was set to become the next BMS World Mission worker in DPRK (North Korea) in May.

Helen said: "I do wonder why I feel God wants me to be concerned with North Korea, but I know that he does, and that is why I am excited and challenged to respond."

Her stay is timed to coincide with the visit of a medical team drawn by International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches. She will work alongside the team, which expects to meet specialists from hospitals where last year a BMS Relief Fund grant of £30,000 helped to buy and distribute medicine, medical equipment, children's clothing and food.

Last November, the BMS World Mission's General Director and a Baptist delegation met the DPRK Vice Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who invited BMS to send further food, medical aid, and personnel as part of a joint Baptist initiative named 'Christian Response'.

In recent years, famine and floods have devastated the DPRK with around two million people dying from starvation. Additionally, the communist bloc collapse has virtually crippled the country: food is in short supply, medicines unavailable, electricity limited, industry and transportation nearly at a standstill.

A chief part of Helen's work will be to help distribute vital food supplies that arrived there recently. Helen, from the Isle of Skye, has worked with BMS in Sierra Leone and then four years in Nepal.
 
 

Tottenham Baptist v Campsbourne Baptist

Once again this year, TBC played their annual cricket match v Campsbourne at Grovelands Park. The match took place on Saturday, 18 May 2002. This year, though there were two major differences. Steve Turner did not play, and WE WON!!! (n.b. The writer does not infer that the two circumstances are connected!)

Even just before the start, we were unsure of how many players we would have, as two Sunday School members failed to meet as planned. However, Ian Lee was cycling past the church when he was "press ganged" by the Pastor, and brought along. The significance of this was apparent later in the match.

Captain Peter won the toss and elected to field ("to make the game last a bit longer") Such confidence!

We made what can only be described as a dream start, with Pete taking our first wicket with only 2 runs on the board. (Well to be totally accurate, there was no board, but sporting clichés are expected in all reports). After that wickets fell fairly regularly, with fielders actually catching the ball this year! Ian's significant contribution came when Trefor Jones, Pastor of Campsbourne, (known to play very competitively) amazingly chased after a ball that would have been called wide. He hit it straight at Ian who held a fantastic catch. With Trefor gone our visitors soon crumpled and they were finally all out for just 44 runs. A fantastic fielding performance all round, as you will see when I tell you that Richard Bracewell scored 23 runs and there were 11 extras, so that the other 9 Campsbourne batsmen scored just 10 runs between them.

However when it was our turn to bat, it did not look as easy as we at first thought. Neil and Tony Plunkett opened the batting and put on 10 runs before Neil was caught without troubling the scorers.

Rufus Daniel joined Tony and proceeded to slowly but surely eat away at the very modest total. With 3 overs left and only 6 runs to get, Rufus nobly gave way to his grandson Riaz, who hit the winning four in the next over.

The result was met with shocked silence, mainly from the TBC team who couldn't quite believe what had happened. A first ever victory over Campsbourne. A true team performance, with special mention to "Man of the Match" Tony Plunkett with bowling figures of 1 for 7 (The wicket of Trefor Jones) and batting for 22 not out.

We now need to take our efforts to the football field later in the year.
 
 

TBC Bowling : -	Pete	3 overs	-1 maiden	- 3 wickets	- 2 runs
	Rufus	3o	-1 m	-3w	-7 r
	Riaz	3o	-O m	-2w	-6r
	Tony	2o	-O m	-1w	-7r
	Roger	2o	-O m	-1w	-6r
TBC Batting	Tony P	Not out	22
	Neil H	Ct	0
	Rufus	Ret. N/O	7
	Riaz	Not Out	6
	Extras 12		Total 47 for 1

Allan Bennett

People needed to run churches - cleaners, secretaries, treasurers, brigade officers, Sunday School teachers, ushers, singers, pianists... On and on it goes...As wonderful a work they are carrying out, one day we might all need you to fill one (or some!) of these positions. The Lord calls. Let's move!

Meeting Nicodemuses today

This new section is for us to share our witnessing with each other to this needy world beyond our church walls, in order to encourage us and to inspire each other to keep witnessing.

You may have heard my witness at a recent Bible Study on evangelism. Sitting at the back of a double decker, I was reading the Bible when the Lord must have been working on a man sitting opposite. 'Isn't that the book with all the dead people in it?' he asks. Perhaps he was testing my faith. 'Nah,' I quipped. 'All the people in it are alive - those who believed in Jesus are.' That got him thinking. I should have gone on, but I'm no expert yet.

It's amazing how reading the good book can be a witness - there's more to life than trying to stay updated to the likes of the tabloids. I've had people strike up other conversations simply while reading the Bible on a train. Many commuters there seem to think that believing in Christ is something that has gone with the past. We can remind them what a motherlode of joy and a mighty fortress the Word is. One Christian approached me while I was reading and helped build my faith by pointing out things about the Holy Spirit from the Bible.

Another witness occurred walking in Upton Park. I couldn't resist when someone from a group handed me a leaflet about a Muslim political rally without walking back to witness to him. I quipped something like: 'Pass this onto someone else if you think it's worth it, but I know that Jesus is the Way.' We discussed Jesus' divinity and other important points about Him. Although we can't regularly get conversions there and then, these small steps are the small seeds or watering which the Lord uses to bring people a big step closer to getting to know Him.

Let's help each other to witness about the Lord and encourage each other by writing about any mission inspirations or thoughts, or by telling some of the witnessing you have done in your community or beyond on these pages. Please write or tell your witness stories or thoughts on evangelism to the Focus editor
 
 

Specially for young people

Learn your Bible!

Question 1: Who baptised Jesus?

Question 2: Name four of the first disciples

Question 3: Who was the very young king who discovered an old and dusty 'Book of the Law' when the temple was being repaired? (Clue: Old Testament, 2 Kings)

Question 4: What is the eighth commandment?

Question 5: Jesus often taught the people by using stories to show what He meant. What does the Bible call these stories?

Answers next page
 
 

Letters to God From Children

Dear God,

Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident.

-Norma
 
 

Dear God,

In Sunday school they told us what you do. Who does it when you are on vacation?

-Jane
 
 

Are you really invisible or is that just a trick

-Lucy
 
 

Dear God,

Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you just keep the ones you got now?

-Jane
 

Dear God,

Who draws the lines around the countries?

-Nan
 
 

Dear God,

What does it mean you are a jealous God. I thought you had everything

- Jane
 
 

From the Hope Community Church Minneapolis MN website

http://www.hopecc.com/
 
 

Learn your Bible! .... Answers:

Answer 1: John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1 & 13-17 - not to be mistaken with John the Disciple, who wrote the Book of John and three letters and Revelation.

Answer 2: Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael (John 1:35-51

Answer 3: King Josiah (2 Kings Chapter 22)

Answer 4: Thou shall not steal (Exodus 20:15)

Answer 5: Parables
 
 

Meet the 'Tates'

There's Mr Dic Tate, who wants to run everything, while Mr Ro Tate tries to change everything. Mrs Agi Tate stirs up plenty of trouble with the help of her friend Mrs Irri Tate. Whenever new ideas are suggested, Hesi and her neighbour Vege Tate want to wait until next year. Then there is Mrs Imi Tate who wants the Church to be like all others and, of course, there is the black sheep of the church, Mrs Ampu Tate, who has to cut herself off from all Church activities. But not all the Tates are bad. Facili Tate is quite helpful in various ways, Cogi and Medi Tate always lend a steady hand. Finally, there is that delightfully happy member, Mrs Felici Tate, who is a joy to work (and play) with.

Submitted by Vi Maddison
 
 

SEEK AND ...
Find sixteen books of the Bible in the following passage:
'I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu; kept people looking so hard for facts, and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books are not capitalised. The truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others it was a difficult job; I want it to be a most fascinating time for you. Yes there are some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a pastor or maybe a deacon, to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. One little elderly lady says she brews a cup of tea so that she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now, for there really are sixteen books of the Bible in this text'

Submitted by Grace Tyzack
Answers overleaf

At the beginning of this century, Empire Day was a very special event in the school calendar, especially when in some cases it meant a half-day holiday.

Henry Scott Holland was a great believer in the Commonwealth and even edited a magazine of that name. His other great passions were social reforms at home, and his efforts to make Britain great again, because in his eyes she was rapidly going down hill. He'd had a very good education at Rugby School and Oxford University, had been ordained in 1872 and risen to the heights of being appointed Canon of St Paul's Cathedral twelve years later. His main concern, however, was the moral decadence that he saw creeping into society. Crime was rising as a result of congestion in the cities. The poor had to work long hours for little pay while the rich spent weekends in their country houses. When Henry Scott Holland opened his atlas, he saw huge areas marked out in red and felt proud of Britain's achievements, but this was an opportunity being missed to make all these people in those continents and islands aware of God's love.

Henry preached many sermons on the subject, and he also published a series of pamphlets, but decided that a more direct approach was needed, something that would really make people sit up and act. He formed a group called 'The Christian Social Union', which published a magazine called 'The Commonwealth' and it was in this that 'Judge Eternal' first appeared.

It was printed under the headline 'Prayer for the Nation', the inspiration coming from Isaiah: 'The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Law-giver, the Lord is our King; he will save us'.

Henry lived from 1847-1918 and the problems of his time are just as worrying now as they were then. Henry believed that the politicians had the power to change things and had a responsibility to improve the lot of all those they served.

Some have said that the hymn puts much of the responsibility on God, but looking at the enormous amount of effort that the author put in to try and bring about a change, I don't think for one minute he is asking us to sit back and let God do all the work.

Submitted by Vi Maddison
taken from 'More Hazel's Hymns')

"I want to see every church moving from maintenance to mission"

- a member of the new London Baptist Association on their expectations for the new chapter in the association. Let's be thankful that our deacons and Malcolm launched a Mission Month in March, and act and pray that we and surrounding churches will keep working at mission!
 
 

'SEEK AND...' Answers:
Mark ('remark'); Luke ('lulu; kept'); Kings ('looking so'); Acts ('facts'); Revelation; James ('jam, especially'); Ruth ('truth'); Numbers; Job; Amos ('a most'), Esther ('Yes, there'), Judges, Titus ('admit it usually'); Lamentations; Hebrews ('she brews'); Peter ('compete. Relax').
 
 

One Sentence Sermons

1. Be Fishers of Men.... You catch 'em, He'll Clean 'em.
2. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.
3. Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
4. Exercise daily. Walk with the Lord!
5. Forbidden fruits create many jams.
6. Give God what's right, not what's left!
7. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
8. God loves all, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts".
9. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
10. Kindness is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.
11. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity.
12. The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you. 
13. This Church is "Prayer Conditioned"
14. To be almost saved is to be totally lost.
15. We don't change the message, the message changes us.

Ray Kerley
ABNET (American Baptist Network):
http://abnet.ecunet.org

Bible Society News

Roadside billboards and a kiosk were part of a new initiative by the Bible Society of Egypt (BSE) last summer, as it encouraged Bible use among people on the move.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time that anything Christian has been advertised in Egypt by using billboards," commented Ramez Atallah, BSE General Secretary, who said that this method of advertising had been his dream for many years.

With the help of local business people, the Society was able to have three roadside billboards some miles before their 24-hour Bible bookstall, advertising Scriptures in print, cassettes, CD and video.

The small BSE kiosk was half-way along the Cairo to Alexandria desert highway, the busiest in the country. It served endless queues of travellers seeking rest and refreshment on their long journeys."

"We want to make the Scriptures known to people who are going on vacation and remind them that this is a good time to have access to God's Word."

"We would appreciate your prayers, that God would supply the Bible Society of Egypt with the money needed to rent the kiosk this year, and that any who see the billboards will be blessed and encouraged to read the Scriptures."
 

Bible Society of DR Congo depot destroyed by Volcano

Following the devastation caused by the volcanic eruption from Mount Nyiragongo last Thursday, the Bible Society of DR Congo reported its Distribution warehouse in Goma had been completely destroyed.

Revd Christophe Kongo, General Secretary of the Bible Society of DR Congo, said he had learned of the news from a contact in Goma. "The depot exists only in name," he said. "It has been destroyed by the lava."

The stock being held at the Bible Society depot was extensive: more than 30,000 Bibles, some 4,600 New Testaments and 5,600 Portions.

The lava deluge struck the area during work hours, all Bible Society staff managed to escape but there was no time to save any stock. Taken together, the losses of Scripture stock and the destruction of churches will cause a major interruption to the programmes the Society currently run, including two projects to provide Bibles to families displaced by the war.

It has been reliably reported that at least 14 villages north of the city have been destroyed. David Hammond, the United Bible Societies Francophone Africa Regional Secretary, indicated: "We shall appreciate your prayers at this trying time in the life of a country already ravaged by war."
 
 

Bible Society Launches New Identity for the 21st Century

For almost 200 years, the Bible Society has been working to help people engage with the Bible and it has recently unveiled a brand new identity to reflect a new campaigning dimension to its work, with the ultimate goal of putting the Bible back at the heart of our culture.

Neil Crosbie, the Society's Chief Executive, explains: "Our move towards a campaigning stance does not mean an end or even a diminution of our traditional Bible translation and distribution activities. On the contrary, we want to increase this part of our business. Increasingly, we need to be seen to be an advocate for the position of the Bible in cultures near and far - not least in our own land where, for many reasons, the Bible and its message lacks credibility."

"While our new logo and strapline make a statement about who we are and what we do, more importantly we are attracting the public's attention to the Bible's claims, values and aspirations."

To achieve this vision, Bible Society works through a Global Alliance of over 130 Bible Societies around the world to make the Bible available, relevant and credible in widely differing cultures. But as Ashley Scott, Bible Society's Commercial Director says, "Just as importantly, we rely on a Global Alliance of individuals and churches - supporters who share our passionate concern for the role of the Bible worldwide. Throughout our long history, our work has been made possible through the support and loyalty of hundreds of thousands of supporters, who together provide the spiritual, human and financial resources needed to make the voice of the Bible heard by all."
 
 

We are sorry to hear that our friend JOHN AKERMAN, who moved to Swaffham, Norfolk, a few years ago recently suffered a heart attack. He stayed in hospital for about a week but is now recuperating and 'pacing himself' back at home. Please continue to uphold him and his family (son DAVID AND FAMILY in Tottenham and daughter PAULINE AND FAMILY in Norfolk) in your prayers.

It was a lovely surprise to see RUTH KlNG-SPARKE (nee HATCHETT) walk into church a couple of Sundays ago with her two 'offspring' - two-year-old LAUREN and six-month-old ALEXANDER. 'Lauren is very demanding,' says Kath, 'always wanting grandma to take her everywhere,' but both children were models of good behaviour that morning! I didn't hear a sound from either of them throughout the service! Maybe we'll see them again soon?

We're looking forward to 'renewing acquaintance' with CATHERINE ORTEGA (nee LOVE), now living in Cleveland, Ohio, when she comes over on her first visit 'back home' in the next few weeks, bringing with her Michael Angelo, born on 8 March last year. I just hope their visit to TBC doesn't happen while I'm away on holiday!

How often have you said: 'Isn't it a small world?' Janette and I were representing our Sunday School at a recent Christian Education Fellowship meeting and found ourselves chatting to two members from Enfield Evangelical Church. 'Do you know JOHN and WILLA SYRATT?' they asked. Apparently, they had been friends of theirs for years. A few moments later, the representative from Lancaster Road, Enfield, URC (Les Moody) asked if I knew ROSE WEYLAND (nee GRICE). He and his wife had got to know her when visiting a friend of theirs who is now in the same home as Rose in Enfield. I certainly went home from that meeting in a reminiscent mood!! Have you had any similar experiences? If so, why not share them with us?

SJ Starling