Focus
Tottenham Baptist Church Magazine
February/March 2003
Dear Friends,
In the next few weeks and months the church will be taking practical steps to appointing a minister. There will be people 'preaching with a view', and perhaps interviews by the whole church.
It is one of the exciting times being a member of a Baptist Church, when there is a Pastoral Vacancy. It is that time when the church members come into their own, for every member will have the privilege of sharing in the appointment of the new pastor. But with privilege comes responsibility.
Sometimes it is said that a Baptist Church is very democratic, since every member has a vote. But we are not a Democratic Community but a Theocratic Community. 'Demos' is the Greek word for 'People'. Democracy is rule by the people. 'Theos' is the Greek word for God. Theocracy is rule by God. We are not seeking the will of the people, but the will of God. The question we need to ask is not 'Do I like this person?' but 'Is this God's person for our church at this time?'
We may have very clear ideas about the kind of person we believe our church needs, and that is good, but do not be blinkered by your preconceptions. Sometimes God surprises us. Sometimes he enlarges our vision. Sometimes he wants us to do, and to be, people we had not dreamt of before.
These are exciting times when God is working. All we need is to be in tune with Him.
God bless you all,
In Christian love,
Roger Collins
Congratulations go to Victoria Plunkett on her engagement - come soon and introduce us to the lucky groom! Congratulations go also to Rebecca McGlynn and Adam Hatchett, who have both turned eighteen. Many Sunday School children, Youth Group members, and Brigaders had a great time at a Peter Pan pantomime at Millfield Theatre recently as a legacy of the late Eileen Wood. Thanks Eileen!
Please pray for Jill, Albert Ryder's wife, who is unwell again. Junior Deane's longstanding swelling of the joints condition has been acting up recently, and has been receiving painful treatment - please pray for him also.
Several people are convalescing, with Grace
Tyzack now being able to do most things as usual as she recovers from
having cut her finger recently after helping out. Let's also be thankful for the recovery of Mr Melvin
Priam from the recent operation, which has been a success! Kath Hatchett has been diagnosed with
a slight fracture in her fibula (about a month after walking with the
condition!) but is practically as strong as ever on her feet... Please continue to pray for Mabel Johnson and Mrs Ward, mostly housebound, as well as those helping
them, and for Miss Olive Persson, who has now developed grout in a leg.
We will be
continuing studies in the Gospel of Mark by our moderator, Rev. Roger
Collins, over most of the next Sunday morning sermons until February 23rd. During the evening services our approach
will be much like a Bible Study on that Gospel: you will have a chance to pose questions also. Did you know that that Gospel involved only
two parables, and focuses more on what Jesus did? Find out why and answers to many more questions by joining us.
Christmas season was particularly special for the family of Ivy Legore's grandniece Liyah - sister of Sunday School pupil Remiah and daughter of Tracey Telfer - as she had a blessing by Thornton Reid. It looks like Alexander and Lauren Hatchett are about to get a new brother or sister in February from mum Ruth! May the Lord bless your family too!
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 Tel:
George
Wheeler Tel:
Grace
Tyzack Tel:
Hilda
Gosling Tel:
Clare
Lee Tel:
Margaret
McGlynn Tel:
Gloria
Bipta Tel:
' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
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Sunday Preachers |
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2nd
Feb - am & pm: |
2nd
Mar - am & pm: Mr John Ellis |
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Rev. Roger Collins |
9th Mar - am & pm: To be arranged |
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9th
Feb - am & pm: |
16th
Mar - am & pm: To be arranged |
|
Mr Leroy Burke |
23rd
Mar - am & pm: Mrs V Baptista |
|
16th
Feb - am & pm: To be arranged |
30th
Mar Mothering Sunday |
|
23rd
Feb - am & pm: |
- am &
pm: To be arranged |
|
Rev. Roger Collins |
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' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
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
E-mail: tbceditor@hotmail.com
You can also read Focus online at:
http://freespace.virgin.net/jamesimac.mcglynn/tbc.htm
United Service for
Christian Unity
On
Sunday 26th January, this service will be held at West Green Road
Baptist Church from 4:30-6:30. It is
being held as part of the 2003 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, with 2 Cor
4:3-18 as theme verses ('We have this treasure - this gift - in earthen
vessels...') and is organised by Christians Together in Tottenham. Ministering will be Mark Sturge of the
African & Caribbean Alliance. See
Mrs May Richards for further details.
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Sunday School Prayer
Meeting
Feel
free to join those already attending these recurring meetings if you have a
burden for any or all of our children.
It is next being held on Sunday 9th February at
10:15 am in the side room.
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Women's World Day of
Prayer - March 7th
This
annual event is again held locally at High Cross URC Congregation, on the High
Street (across from the Arriva Garage).
Men and children are more than welcome to attend both Friday services at
2:30 pm and 7:30 pm. See Mrs Grace
Tyzack for more details.
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Mothering Sunday
Come
prepared to give special thanks to mum on March 30th, with the kids
handing out a gift to their mums!
Speaker to be announced.
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Church
Meeting - Tuesday 18th March at 8 pm
Here's
a great chance to propose events or to put yourself forward for any activity,
members! Do bring up suggestions on how
to make our church a better place - don't be frightened to speak up!
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Spring Cleaning Day -
Saturday 5th April
Keep
this morning clear to get our church building into a nice clean state. Have fun as we banter and varnish the pews,
wash windows, clean banisters and more...
Men and women are needed alike!
Refreshments will be served.
Cows for Kosova
The final total of our 2002
giving for Cows for Kosova resulted in a total of £705.21 being sent to Smile
International to be used for one family being able to buy a cow and a calf.
A big 'Thank you' to those
that gave throughout the year and we trust that the message that God's love
goes to that family.
The recipient of our 2003
special giving will be decided at our January church meeting.
Les
Paskell
Coupons...
Coupons...!!!
Once
again I have to thank all those kind folk who have given me 'money off'
coupons, which I can exchange for cash at a supermarket. With this, together
with money friends give towards Sunday morning tea and coffee and other gifts,
I have been able to give our Treasurer £135.00 during 2002 which goes into
our Building Fund.
If
you are not sure about 'money off' coupons just see me and I will explain them
to you.
Val Paskell
Gift Aid
Just
to remind you that if you pay income tax on your earnings either from salary,
wages, dividends or pension and you give a gift or gifts to a charity, i.e. the
Church, we are able to claim back from the Inland Revenue the tax you paid on
your giving.
All
you have to do is to give your name and address and sign to say you pay tax and
give by cheque, by our envelope scheme, or by bank transfer and we can reclaim
the tax.
If
you want to know more let me help you.
Les
Paskell
Music Group Members
The music group will be meeting every other week on the first and third
Mondays of the month beginning 18th February. At 7pm we will mostly be doing songs in
parts and from about 8 pm we will be practising with band instruments. Feel free to join - especially men! See you all at 7 pm.
Jose Jurado Aranda and Jaap van
der Weerd
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Home Mission --- Used Postage
Stamps What do you do with the postage stamps on letters you receive? Have you ever wondered what the stamp box in the lounge is for? This is an easy way to help raise money for Home
Mission at no cost to you. Just cut the used stamps from the envelopes you
receive - leaving some paper all
around the stamp without damaging it in any way. Then put them in the box in the lounge. They will be sent on and
sold to stamp dealers. We have members and friends from lots of different countries so we
should be able to gather together a good selection. Also old and foreign
coins and old postcards in good condition can be accepted. From August 2002 to January 2003 £240.00 were raised - not just by us
but with contributions from other BU Churches too. Please see me if you would like any more information. Val Paskell |
BMS Birthday Scheme
FEBRUARY
MISS LAUREN ELIZABETH KING-SPARKE 6th
MRS G TYZACK 14th
MASTER MICHAEL GEORGE HATCHETT 17th
MRS V PASKELL 26th
MARCH
MRS S LOVE 10th
MRS E BENTLEY 30th
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Meeting Action Teams in Brazil
Last issue we saw how Georgie and
Stuart Christine were about to set up an IT initiative in the country where the
Dyers - Tottenham Baptist's own Link Missionaries - are in: Brazil.
These reports, beginning last December, were sent by Julie Kemp-Harper.
Stuart was her host in Sao Paulo!
Brazil 1
At night you can
see the city lights and pick out the precarious favelas by the dimmer
closer-knit lighting in clusters. I have during my four days in Sao Paulo
visited several favelas and seen close up people's daily struggle for survival.
Houses are cobbled
together from bricks, cardboard and metal sheets. The small Baptist church is
like a lighthouse in the centre of the favela - lending books for education and
running a PEPE (pre-school). The pastor told me that out of his congregation of
80 only three were working and it was difficult to pay the bills. Time and
again I have seen Brazilian Christians committed to the 
hardship and joys of favela life. BMS
teams are so appreciated here - an encouragement to the local Christians and a
ticket into people's homes to pray.
Today I have
arrived in Porto Alegre where the BMS Action Team Richard, Caroline, Sarah and
Helen are working as part of a circus outreach. I have only been here a day and
the shower exploded on me, and I have been attacked by a hungry mosquito
(bennylongo). Please continue to pray
for my travels and the teams in Brazil.
Brazil 2
'It's a great feeling seeing an Action
Team on location. After all their training and fundraising I had the privilege
of seeing Richard, Sarah, Helen and Caroline in action working with an outreach
team in Porto Alegre, south Brazil. This team are based half a mile from the
Circus Tent, which is an evangelistic centre based in a poor community for two
months. By day the team prepare and play games with children who come from all
around to hang out 
with the 'Ingles'. They also visit them
in their homes and pray with them if they get a chance. As part of the outreach
they offer free haircutting and a dentist and masseur come and offer their
services too. Sarah has learnt the art of haircutting, and Richard has adopted
the Brazilian look by getting himself a number zero haircut!
The team work with
four Brazilians who, despite the language barrier, have become good friends and
lots of laughs are a regular occurrence. In the evening the team take part in
evangelistic services using drama, song and sometimes clown shows. It was
wonderful to see the relationships that they had built up with children whom I
am sure it will be hard to leave. The team will be working in January in Sao
Paulo until they go to the next Circus location in Santa Catarina - I have no
doubts that they will make even more of a contribution there as they learn the
ropes - literally! Please continue to pray for them. I am now travelling to
north Brazil to visit the BMS Action Team in Natal.
Brazil 3
Sarah, Claire and Suzi are a dynamic
BMS Action Team. It has been wonderful to enter their world of many friendships
for a few days and now I am worn out. The Igreja Batista (Baptist Church) here
in Natal have really embraced them and their appointment diary is never ending.
Most evenings the team are attending a church event 
and always asked to take part with a
song, sketch and quite often preaching, using Sarah's Portuguese language
skills. In the day I have accompanied them to PEPEs and other social action
projects supporting children from poor communities. One morning we had the
privilege of accompanying some community health workers around a favela,
spending time in people's homes. This was eye-opening and also upsetting as you
see large families trying to exist in one room.
In the New Year, they are due to run
the children's programme at the BMS mission workers retreat and from there
spend time in Trapi· with BMS missionaries Mike and Daveen Wilson and also at a
project in Mossoro (time to get the map out). I have no doubt that this team
will be a blessing wherever they go. I left them industriously making sock
puppets and eating chocolate - of which there is an endless supply from various
sources in the UK. Please pray for health as each team member has had one thing
or another.
*
* *
A BMS Relief Fund grant of £7,000 has
been sent to support a winter food programme for displaced Afghan people
returning to their homes.
The
grant will help fund a wheat seed programme in the Balkh region near Mazar in
the north of the country. The intention is to enable farmers to sow seed before
the full onset of winter and so produce a harvest next year.
With the change of regime, over 1.5
million internally displaced people returned to homes in rural areas last year.
Many of these places had been devastated by the conflict. BMS sent a grant of
£16,500 to help with the rebuilding of houses to enable people to return. In
2001, BMS grants totalling £57,500 were given for food relief following
consecutive crop failures and drought.
Just before the New Year BMS sent a new
Relief Fund grant of £3,770 to the Baptist church in Sarajevo, supporting their
charity 'My Neighbour', which works with refugees in Bosnia. The grant is being
used to supply urgent requirements for fruit and vegetables in the refugee
camps and will continue to do so for a period of three months. An earlier grant
of £5,000 was given to My Neighbour and this helped with food, clothing, and
building work.
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A Woman and a Fork
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.
'There's
one more thing,' she said excitedly.
'What's
that?' came the pastor's reply.
'This is
very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in
my right hand.'
The
pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.
'That surprises you, doesn't 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, something wonderful, and with substance!
So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand
and I want them to wonder, 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell
them: 'Keep your fork... The best is yet to come.'
The
pastor's 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 woman's 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 symbolized 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!
Submitted by Jim McGlynn
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For
really young ones - discover the hidden verse!
Would you discover a Bible verse here? Someone has started crossing out every other
letter... Now, you continue!
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Did you finish?
OK! Now, write down all the
leftover letters below. Someone has
started putting some down also:
O G I
V
, . (Psalm 118:1)
Did you do it?
Check your answer over the next page and go tell a friend what the Bible
verse says!
For 11 year
olds and up - A young king grows up to please the Lord
Do you know who became a king in the Bible as a
boy? Josiah became a king at the age of
eight! Would you know what the Bible
teaches about how to rule a nation, had you been born a king or queen, or how
to best obey God for that matter? Well,
Josiah set a good example in his time!
Would you read his story in 2 Kings 22-23, or even
this summary? See if you can answer all
the questions correctly afterwards!
'He did what was right in the
sight of the Lord' (2 Kings 22:2) and when Josiah became 26 years old he
ordered repairs done to the temple, where people prayed. While working there, a priest then
discovered a copy of the Book of Law.
It was read out to King Josiah, and he was so sad that he tore his
clothes because the instructions had not been followed in the land! He sent for instructions from the Lord
through a prophet, a woman called Huldah.
X
She
confirmed that the Lord was angry that the laws had not been kept. But the Lord
also
said: 'because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before
the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place, and against its
inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and because you
have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the
Lord. Therefore, I will gather you to
your ancestors, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes
shall not see all the disaster that I will bring on this place."
(2 Kings 22:18-20).
So Josiah was spared, and the land was saved from
God's wrath for the time being. Yet
Josiah was so zealous to love the Lord with all his heart and soul (2 Kings
23:25) that he had the Book of the Law read out to the people of Jerusalem and
renewed the covenant to follow the Lord and to keep all of those
instructions. The people pledged
themselves to it also. Josiah also
wanted to please the Lord by tearing down ungodly practices from the land! There were many things to clean up: some of the things he did, as mentioned in
Chapter 23, included: -
He had all the vessels made for Baal and
Asherah (two foreign gods) and for all the host of heaven brought out of the
temple of the Lord. He burned them
outside Jerusalem and carried their ashes to Bethel. (v 4)
He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained
to make offerings in the high places (that is, places of false worship) at the
cities of Judah and around Jerusalem.
He did that also to those who made offerings to Baal, to the sun, the
moon, the constellations, and all the host of the heavens. (v 5)
He brought out the image of Asherah from
the house of the Lord outside Jerusalem to the Wadi Kidron, burned it there,
beat it to dust and threw the dust of it upon the graves of the common
people. (v 6)
He defiled the high places where the
priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beer-sheba, and those made by kings in
Samaria. (v 8, 19)
He defiled Topheth, a place in the valley
of Ben-hinnom, so that no one would sacrifice there to Molech, another foreign
god. (v 10)
He pulled down and broke in pieces the altars
in a kingly chamber and in the courts of the house of the Lord. (v 12)
The king defiled the high places that were
east of Jerusalem, which King Solomon had built for Astarte, for Chemosh, and
for Milcom, abominations of foreign peoples.
He broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and covered
the sites with human bones. (v 13, 14)
He pulled down the altar at Bethel, the
high place erected by Jeroboam I (a former idolatrous king in the northern
kingdom of Israel), crushing it to dust;
he also burned the sacred pole. (v 15)
He put away many unholy things, like mediums, wizards and idols that
were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. (v 24)
Phew! He did a lot of good things, didn't he? In this way, the Bible teaches that 'he
established the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest
Hilkiah had found in the house of the Lord' (v 24) and 'Before him there was no
king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul,
and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him
arise after him.' We can learn of
Josiah's heart for the Lord and, thanks to God's Holy Spirit, we can apply
God's instructions in our own lives as well!
Questions:
1. How did Josiah react when he heard God's law had not been
followed?
2. What was the next thing King
Josiah did when he heard the Lord's response?
3. Fill in the sets of words (a), (b) and (c) to describe three things
King Josiah did to remove wicked practices from his land.
3.1 He _____ vessels and images made for
foreign gods and hosts from the temple of the Lord and burned them.
3.2 He _____ the idolatrous priests.
3.3 He _____ and/or broke down high places,
altars and sacred poles of foreign gods.
(a) defiled (b) brought out (c) deposed
See solution next
page!
Answers - For really young ones - discover the hidden verse!:
'O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is
good.' Psalm 118:1
Answers - For 11
year olds and up - A young king grows up to please the Lord:
Answer 1:
Josiah tore his clothes and sent to find out God's instruction about the
Book of the Law from a prophet (2 Kings 22 v. 11-14, 19).
Answer 2:
King Josiah had the Book of the Law read out to the people of Jerusalem
and had the covenant to keep the law renewed (2 Kings 23 v. 2, 3)
Answer 3:
3.1 (b) He brought out vessels (2 kings
23, v 4) and images (v 6) made for foreign gods and hosts from the temple of
the Lord and burned them.
3.2 (c) He deposed the idolatrous
priests. (v 5).
3.3 (a) He defiled and/or broke down
high places, altars and sacred poles of foreign gods. (v 8, 12-15, 19)
Christmas Parties and Pantomime
On Friday 13th December,
Explorers, Anchor Boys, Junior GB and BB and the Sunday School had their party
in the school hall. The children that attend the party all had a very
enjoyable time, playing games and being fed before going home with their
Christmas cards and presents.
The following Friday we
held the party for the Senior GB & BB and the Youth Group. Yes, we still played games, including what
has become a firm favourite - 'Murder in the Dark' (and yes,
Miss Whitehead does scream the loudest) followed by a supper of Mrs McGlynn
chicken, rice and salad. The older ones did not want the night to end,
and we had to send them home.
Wednesday the 8th January
(a very cold night), we took a group of GB, BB and Sunday School to the
Pantomime 'Peter Pan' at the Millfield.
Despite the very cold night, all had a wonderful time on this night!
Belinda Plunkett
Captain
B.I.B.L.E.
- Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
Sunday School / Youth Nativity Service
Thank you to everybody who came along to support the children and young people
of the Sunday School and Youth Group who presented the Nativity Service on 22nd
December. The Youth Group performed a sketch entitled, "The Advent
Calendar", which reinforced the amazing truth and meaning of the birth of
God's Son in an unusual way. The Sunday School, for its part, acted out the
more traditional story of Christmas including more modern dialogue and
accompanied a couple of carols with percussion instruments, as well as singing
their own Christmas song.
A special
"Thank you" to Rochelle Billey for being brave enough to sing a solo
during the Nativity play and for learning all her words. "Well done,
Rochelle!" Larry Bohan and Christian Kajue-Adolphe, also, deserve a
special mention as they learned the words for their parts in both the Sunday
School play and the Youth sketch. Thank you too, Les, for creating a great
stable scene!
All the youngsters practised hard during rehearsals including midweek
practices, which were well supported by the parents and carers, to whom we were
very grateful. The rehearsals were quite amusing at times, one example being a
shepherd who - having practised brilliantly - decided that he would use
his crook as a walking stick and be a very elderly shepherd who hobbled on to
the platform and recited his words in a very croaky (and quiet) voice. It was a
relief that, on the day, he decided against being an OAP shepherd and acted as
usual (although I'm sure that everyone would have enjoyed his geriatric
interpretation!).
We were all very proud of the Sunday School and Youth Group members.
We're now back
to more regular Sunday lessons and, hopefully, will soon be starting a Bible
Exploration series, which will be something different. The children (especially
the younger ones) are keen to discuss and offer ideas so, hopefully, we should
be in for a stimulating and rewarding time. Please pray that the children and
young people will come to know the love of Jesus for themselves during this
special study of the Bible.
Thank you and
best wishes,
Janette
Tottenham Churches FC Scoops
This season has been good for the
team with the introduction of some new Turkish players Tarkan, Appo and Tarik,
who have strengthened the defence. The
rest of the team has continued in good form and our league game results so far
this season are as follows: -
TCFC 6 Oakhill College 0
( We were on form; I think they'd had too much porridge for breakfast )
Cockfosters 5 TCFC 5
( I still say we should have had a penalty
in the last five minutes )
Peoples Christian Fellowship 3 TCFC 2
( Bit of a local derby game - Bah,
humbug... )
Oakwood 1 TCFC 5
( Osi gets yet another hat trick )
TCFC 2 All Saints 4
( Yes, we were beaten by a proper
football team, not a female pop group )
For further information see the website at: http://freespace.virgin.net/jamesimac.mcglynn/football
Steve Turner
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Meeting Nicodemuses
today
It's great to have some CD or cassette tapes on you to
listen to when you are travelling, and to be able to share. I was delighted to be able to share my faith
with an Argentinean junior football player on my holiday flight to Spain: I
shared how great and relaxing some spiritual soul tracks are because of the
peace the Lord brings. It also gave
this fellow a chance to practise his English as we translated the titles. He got the opportunity to have someone
clarify beliefs of 'Protestants' and an inkling of how good it is to believe in
Him! All it took was a willingness to
share one's musical tastes and to carry a CD and CD player.
Do you have enough devotional material and ever wonder what
to do with those devotional short courses you get in the mail sometimes? I was carrying one of these in booklet form
and the football aficionado started translating titles from that pamphlet using
the English he had been improving on during his stay playing footie in
England! I left it with him and figured
it would be a chance for him to learn more than just English.
CDs were again a useful vehicle to share the Good News when
I got chatting to teenage Moroccan immigrants in Granada after asking for
directions. I asked them about their
lifestyle there and when I asked them about their musical tastes, they got
listening to a vibrant gospel choir song from my CD on the CD player they were
carrying. What a delight to translate
into Spanish the opening verse from the song:
'God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power, and a
sound mind.' (2 Timothy 1:5-7). They enjoyed the song and despite them being
Muslim, music could be used to share how good the Lord is!
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.
I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR
Annie
Sherwood Hawks (1835-1918)
I need thee, O I need thee
Every hour I need thee;
O bless me now, my saviour
I come to thee
When you are washing the dishes, making
the beds, looking after the children and doing the other one-hundred-and-one
jobs you do as a thirty-seven-year-old wife and mother, you don't expect to be
inspired to write a hymn. Yet these
were just the circumstances in which Annie Hawks felt moved to pen these four
verses. She was nobody special, just a
New York housewife, and a member of the Hanson Place Baptist Church, but she
did have a hobby. She loved to write
poetry. Even as a young girl of
fourteen she'd had poems published in magazines and the people at the church
encouraged her talent. Dr. Robert
Lowry, an excellent musician, was the Pastor there and he composed tunes to
some of Annie's religious verses making them into hymns. I don't know which particular chore on this
particular June morning made Annie feel the presence of God around her so
intensely, but she wrote later:
Suddenly I became filled with the sense of nearness to the Master, and I began to wonder how anyone could live without him, either in joy or pain. Then the words were ushered into my mind, and these words took full possession of me: 'I need thee every hour'.
Dr. Lowry liked the hymn but he thought
it needed a chorus. He was a great fan
of the gospel hymn, as you would be if you were friendly with Messrs Moody and
Sankey, and he knew the popularity of a rousing refrain. So in 1872, the hymn appeared in a small
collection put together for a Baptist Sunday School Assembly in Ohio, but it
got its big break in Britain when Ira D. Sankey sang it in a gospel
meeting in the East End of London. All
the churches wanted copies and even today it still appears in quite a number of
hymnbooks.
Not everybody, however, liked Lowry's
tune and the editors of the 1904 Methodist Hymn Book substituted another, as
did the 1951 Congre-gational Praise and the 1973 Church Hymnary. But what do we see in the new generation of
hymnbooks? Popular opinion has won the
day because the old tune is back and the chorus can tug away at the
heartstrings just as it always did.
And so it comes as
no surprise that when Annie Hawks' husband died it was to this hymn that she
turned out of the four hundred she had written. She had often wondered why this hymn had touched the 'great
throbbing heart of humanity' but in her hour of need she felt something of the
comforting power in the words which she had been permitted to give to
others. The hymn could never be
described as a great literary work but the pleasure and reassurance that its
simple message has brought to so many people surely gives it a place alongside the all-time
greats of the gospel song.
Submitted
by Vi Maddison
(taken from 'More Hazel's Hymns')
Bible Society News
'Faith
Comes by Hearing' - Testimonies from around the world
The New Testament has been recorded onto
audiocassette in more than 90 languages by Hosanna and Bible societies across the
world have been working with them to literally make the Bible heard. Here are recent testimonies:
Burkina Faso - The Word
spurs a self-help scheme inspiring others
In central Burkina Faso, the inhabitants of
a small MoorČ-speaking village were excited when they received a visit from the
Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) programme co-ordinator and were eager to begin
participating in the programme.
Their excitement soon turned to despair,
however, when they realised that they lacked the facilities to listen to it: no
cassette player, no electricity and no money to buy batteries. Unemployment was high in the village and
many were living in poverty. But the programme co-ordinator encouraged them.
A group of young unemployed villagers
decided to start making and selling bricks in order to raise enough money for
batteries. They worked hard and soon
had enough money to buy batteries and a cassette player for the village church.
Regular FCBH sessions began at once to the delight of the other villagers.
Inspired by this achievement, the young men
formed a co-operative and continued making bricks and other products to sell.
With the money raised, they repaired the church building and helped other
members of the congregation. The enterprise flourished and had such an impact
upon the village that it was the envy of neighbouring villages and towns. 'Today, that village is a thriving centre of
self-help, and we can say that it is thanks to the FCBH Scripture listening
programme," said Paul Ilboudo, Director of the Bible Society of Burkina
Faso. "This is true faith in practice."
The FCBH programme has been operating in
Burkina Faso since 1993 and now involves more than 500 churches.
'Hard Man' in Bolivia freed
by the Word
In La Paz, Bolivia,
Miguel Pacheco worried about what becoming a Christian would do to his
"hard man" reputation in prison. He had taken part in the massacre of
seven policemen and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He said, "Other
prisoners were scared to speak to me. Now they see me as a leader working for
the Lord, not as a leader who is going to kill someone."
He admitted it was hard
for prisoners to leave their past lives behind. "But we are halfway there,
and the help we receive from the Bolivian Bible Society is very valuable. Sometimes
when I feel lonely and depressed, I go to my cell and listen to the 'Faith
Comes By Hearing cassettes and read the printed materials. When I get out I
want to put my life in order."
Pray that the opportunities for people to
hear Scripture will grow as the prison population changes and that it will help
the Bible Society to improve its working relationship with churches involved in
prison ministry and a positive influence in this vital government ministry!
In Nigeria A Yoruban imam
accepts Jesus as Lord
In northern Nigeria, a pastor had received a
Yoruban New Testament on cassette. The whole church listened to the cassettes
and discussed the Word of God. The village is an Islamic village, so at about 5
am each morning, the imam gave the call to prayer. It is relayed by microphone
to the entire village and consequently everyone hears.
Shortly after the Muslims' call to prayer,
around 5.30 am, the pastor began to put his cassette player on the windowsill,
turned up the volume and then played the Yoruban New Testament. In Nigeria, the houses don't always have
windows. They have openings and maybe a
little screen, the sound carries and everybody hears everything.
After playing the tapes very loudly for some
days, the pastor heard the imam was angry and wanted whoever was playing the
tapes to appear before him. Thousands of people have been killed in previous
years in this conflict between Christians and Muslims so a demand like this
could mean your life was at risk.
The pastor dressed up
well and appeared before the local imam. When
he went in, he said, "I apologise, I understand I'm disturbing you with
the playing of these cassettes and I'm sorry." The imam said "No, no,
no, no; you're not disturbing me by playing them. I'm angry because some days
you play them so quietly we can't hear them. My wife and my children and I can
do nothing but listen when you are playing them. But, sometimes we can't hear
all the words. So if you're going to play them, play them loudly."
Morgan Jackson, from Hosanna, visited to
confirm the story and was assured by the pastor that it was all true. 'While we were talking,' says Morgan, 'a
woman began to walk down the dirt road down towards us. It was the imam's wife
and she was coming, because she had heard the man with the tapes was there. She
wanted to complain that the pastor had told them that he would loan them the
cassette so they could listen to them in their own house. But he hadn't. And
she had come to make him fulfil his promise.
"As I was talking to her through a translator
something began to ring in my spirit - and I said to myself this woman is
coming across as a Christian. So I asked her if she was a Christian? She
replied, "Yes, I am and so is my husband. Both of us have come to Christ
through hearing the cassettes. In fact, we're being baptised next week."
The Imam changing faith is a huge event for
any village, and I asked her, "What changes did you see in your husband
when he came to Christ through listening?" She replied, "Before he
was always out flittering around other women, never in the house. Now he's not
out with other women, he's only with me. Before he never showed our children
any love, he just didn't care about them. Now he's in the house and he shows us
love. He loves us."
Transforming lives in the UK
In the UK, Rev Andrew
Stoker from Selby relates, 'Faith Comes By Hearing made a welcome point in
people's lives. My people listened in the car on the way to work. So it took
Scripture outside the church boundaries and to a part of their lives where they
wouldn't usually expect to be in the Bible. They enjoyed it and now they are
swapping sets to see how the other versions sound. So it was a very good
exercise for us. Very positive."
A PRAYER ABOUT FRIENDS
'I thank you for my friends, for those who understand me better than I understand myself, for those who know me at my worst and still like me, for those who have forgiven me when I had no right to expect to be forgiven. Help me to be as true to my friends as I would wish them to be to me.'
Dr William Barclay
Where
are you now?
Christmas has become a time
to hear from 'old' friends and catch up on their news - sometimes good news, at
others not so good. I was so sorry to
hear from DOREEN GLOVER that GORDON (our minister in the 1960s) has
been very ill since last May:
apparently several problems are causing the medics concern. Please remember Gordon and Doreen in your
prayers at this anxious time.
WINNIE
REED will be seeing her specialist on 16th
January to hear the results of various tests she had during November and
December to find the cause of the gastric problems she has had for some
time. Please pray that they may soon be
resolved.
There was happier news from
REV BILL COOKE and EIRWEN, in retirement in Wiltshire. Their son Stephen's sixteen-year-old son
Edward is 'a chip off the old block', according to Eirwen - winning awards,
playing the piano, organ and bassoon.
Keep it up, Edward!
What a surprise we had at
the Sunday School and Youth Group Nativity Service on 22nd December
to see JOHN AKERMAN in the congregation - demonstrating his recovery
from the heart attack he had earlier in the year! He had come down from Swaffham to spend Christmas with DAVID
and MARGARET. The eye problem
that had been causing David concern when we met in October has, thankfully,
cleared up.
LESLEY
GOULBOURNE's (nee ANDREWES) newsletter left me
breathless after reading the list of her usual week's activities. How she fits them all in I don't know.... Who does the housework and cooking, Les?
Lena Starling
g g g g g g g g g g g g g g
Dr. Stanley Blanton, a
psychiatrist, was asked if he read the Bible:
"I not only read it, but I study it.
It's the greatest text Book
on human behaviour ever put together.
If people would just absorb its message,
a lot of us psychiatrists could close
our offices and go fishing."
Prayer Calendar February 2003
God is our shelter and strength always ready to help in times of trouble.
Psalm 46 v1
Pray for or about:
Saturday 1st All forces being deployed to war zones
Sunday 2nd Give thanks to the Lord at His Communion Table
Monday 3rd For the grieving family of Stephen Oake murdered on Police duty
Tuesday 4th Revd Roger Collins, Moderator & Deacons meeting tonight
Wednesday 5th Thanks for all Janette does & is now planning Holiday Club
Thursday 8th Guidance for seeking a new Minister
Friday 7th BB Officers & Boys meeting tonight
Saturday 8th Stephen Turner and boys he takes for football
Sunday 9th Revd Roger Collins conducting our worship today
Monday 10th Pastoral Care Team helping where they can
Tuesday 11th Children with 'special needs' who want help
Wednesday 12th Thornton Reid and all other Lay Preachers
Thursday 13th People now unable to attend church because of age or infirmity
Friday 14th GB Young Leaders weekend and all attending
Saturday 15th Settlement between Fire Fighters Union & Employers
Sunday 16th Bring your petitions to the Lords Table and be thankful
Monday 17th The Music Group meeting tonight
Tuesday 18th Thanks for 'Dial-a-Ride' for the elderly
Wednesday 19th GB Regional Executive meeting at Wesley's Chapel
Thursday 2Oth Give thanks for all contributions to BMS Birthday scheme
Friday 21st Hazel Whitehead caring for her 99 year old mother
Saturday 22nd Christians in sport everywhere
Sunday 23rd Leaders and Teachers guiding young people into Bible Exploration
Monday 24th Christians in Entertainment witnessing to the Lord
Tuesday 25th Thanks for fresh water. For those digging wells overseas
Wednesday 26th Give thanks for specialist baby units
Thursday 27th GB Commissioner Chris Hall & her Deputy with great responsibility
Friday 28th Your neighbours and friends
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 46 v 11
Prayer Calendar March 2003
People who are proud will soon be disgraced
It is wiser to be modest
Proverbs 11 V 2
Pray for or about:
Saturday 1st Safety for RNLI workers
Sunday 2nd Come to the Lords Table with thankful hearts
Monday 3rd Day School Teachers & Governing Bodies
Tuesday 4th Deacons & Revd Roger Collins as they discuss Church matters
Wednesday 5th People who live in silence because they are deaf
Thursday 6th Give thanks for all Belinda does for GB in our Company and District
Friday 7th Womens World Day of Prayer
Saturday 8th Christian Doctors and Nurses witnessing in their work place
Sunday 9th The visiting Preacher today
Monday 10th Jaap & Louise now in charge of the Music Group
Tuesday 11th Thanks for all Val Paskell does in playing the piano
Wednesday 12th John & Maria Dyer our link missionaries in Brazil
Thursday 13th All Emergency Services
Friday 14th Lea Valley Christian Education Fellowship meeting tonight
Saturday 15th Anyone with mental or nervous disorders
Sunday 16th We love Thee Lord and come to bring our thanks
Monday 17th Olive Persson who is house bound
Tuesday 18th Church Members Meeting and matters to be discussed
Wednesday 19th Jose our Editor of Focus
Thursday 20th Animals suffering through ill treatment
Friday 21st Plans made for GB camp already this year
Saturday 22nd Thanks for Gas, Electricity, Oil & Water.
Sunday 23rd Remember past Ministers and their families
Monday 24th Pastoral Care Team and their interest in Members
Tuesday 25th Bible translators and distributors of the Word
Wednesday 26th Young People studying Bible Exploration and their Teachers
Thursday 27th Safety on our streets so we can go out without fear
Friday 28th Give thanks for your own Mother and her love
Saturday 29th All children on parade tomorrow and visitors
Sunday 30th Our visiting Speaker on this Mothering Sunday
Monday 31st Malcolm & Maria now living in Croydon
Hate stirs up trouble,
but love overlooks all offences
Proverbs 10 v12