We have all been invited by the Boys and Girls Brigades to their Display and Awards Evening. This will take place in the Hall on Tuesday 21st June starting at 6.30p.m. There will be a display which normally consists of various sketches, Music and Singing. This is followed by the presentation of Badges and Awards. The awarding is normally done by the respective district commisioners of the Brigades.
More details can be found at
http://hedgeendgb.org.uk/Home.html
We all really enjoyed the Caribbean Evening at Northam yesterday. As usual we had a massive amount of food. This year we had five musicians, who were really cool (was that hot). The atmosphere was fantastic. Thankyou Gordon. Thankyou ladies in the kitchen.
On Sunday 26th June at 3 p.m. we will be hosting the Southampton Circuit Farewell Service for Rev. Terry Hudson and his wife Rev. Dawn Hudson. Rev. Hudson is retiring from his role as the Circuit Superintendent Minister. He joined the Southampton Methodist Circuit as Superintendent Minister in 2009.
The Service will be followed by a Faith Tea. Everyone who knows Terry and Dawn is very welcome to attend.
On Sunday 12th June the BBC “Songs of Praise” will be showing a programme which was recorded at the “Big Church Day out”. The “Big Church Day out” is a Christian Festival which took place in West Sussex over the May Bank Holiday Weekend ( 27th to 29th May) The Festival was attended by approximately 25,000 Christians.. The Programme will be broadcast on BBC1 Between 12.40 and 1.15 p.m. If you look carefully you may be able to spot several people from Hedge End Methodist Church who attended the Festival.
Everyone who went from our Church had a good time and came back full of Enthusiasm and with ideas for Worship, outreach and Charity Projects They are looking forward to going back next year and hopefully taking more people with them.
If you miss the programme we presume that the programme will be available after broadcast on the BBC Catch up system, but this is usually only available for 30 days.
Greetings everybody,
Last week there were demonstrations about Electoral Commission findings and the opposition party rallied their members and marched through town – it was a bit rough although the scuffles were well away from our offices. There were demonstrations in provincial cities as well – they were shown on TV. Kenya is definitely a democracy and the papers regularly expose bizarre events in government and evidently there is lively debate in the chamber, some of which you see on the evening bulletins. There is the usual malarkey that opposition local administrations complain they are discriminated against the ruling party administrations for funding. Nothing new there then.
Today at LUC it was lively singing – the chorus-signing warm up was as enthusiastic as ever and during the announcements, the Choirmaster, spoke about the Mission the choir are having to Malawi in mid-summer. [One member of the congregation had personally donated KShs 200,000 [about £1425.]] He said that Malawi [where the Mission is going to] has no Anglican or Methodist Churches in the country, so it was a genuine ‘Mission Field’. The choir are organising this in faith and it is for them to raise the money, not LUC itself. They have raised about KShs 1.4 million of the 2.5 million costs. The main choir has about a dozen members but there are also other choirs within the church community.
The sermon today was about the principle of reward in a series of sermons on Stewardship. Look on the LUC website under Pastors Corner to read a synopsis on today’s topic. It takes about a week to be loaded up on
http://www.lavingtonunited.org/index.php/about-luc/pastor-s-corner.
If you are interested in hearing the recorded sermons, for May; go to [recordings go back a couple of years!]
http://www.lavingtonunited.org/index.php/about-luc/sermon/messages/year/2016/05
The Super said that in his home village there had been a faithful Christian man who built up several businesses and properties in the area and he became quite prosperous. Some time back he gave some of his land for a Church and then land for a school as well. He had died awhile back and sadly, all his children had totally squandered all the proceeds of the businesses and properties and were all now quite destitute. However, in effect, the father kept his reward as the Church is still flourishing and the school is still flourishing, even though his children are now impoverished.
He also said prudent businesses everywhere put back some of their profits into their business in order to continue to prosper; if they do not, they will fall away. Nothing wrong with Christians becoming prosperous, only that they must demonstrate their faith by sharing their prosperity in a Christian manner. If congregations do not put back sufficient into their churches [in my own view, effort and goodwill as well as money], they too and their churches will fall away. [Lesson here?].
The Church Minister led the main prayers and it was interesting that when prayers were about Kenyan life, the government and public life events, then there was a general swell of murmuring among the congregation as people obviously felt deeply about the issues in the prayers and the way the prayers were presented. There seemed to be a common consensus that these were major problems in Kenyan life. We do not often hear congregations in the UK muttering their agreement with any prayers being said. Interesting point is, whilst we in the UK recite the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday, it is only said at monthly Communion Services at LUC. Personally, I like having the Lord’s Prayer each week as it is a very good opportunity to publicly yet personally ‘wipe the slate clean’ and start the following week afresh.
Best regards,
Graham
On Saturday 11th June the theme of Jammy Church is “Disciples, the calling of the Fisherman”. This Activity will take place between 10.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. People of all ages are welcome to come along and join in with Craft Activities and worship related to the theme above. Please ensure that an Adult stays with all children. We finish the mornings activities with Lunch. There is no charge for attending, but if you wish a box is available to make a donation.
.More information can be found on the Jammy Church Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/JammyChurch
News from Graham
I arrived back in Nairobi 9 days ago. The flight was good and bad. The good news was that I had a surprise upgrade to Business Class – very nice. Next to me was an elderly African who, I discovered, was not a Kenyan and he spoke no English. However, I did discover he spoke Arabic so I was able to practice my rusty Arabic – the vocabulary comes back quite quickly – even interpreted between him and the Stewardess about his IFE system – he wanted sport and football and she was offering ancient films! At Nairobi BA had moved terminal and when I got out, it was pouring buckets, there was no shelter and the driver had gone to the former terminal. Took about 25 minutes for him to arrive by which time I was like an unhappy and thoroughly drenched rat! Never mind.
It was good to be back at Lavington. The guest preacher was Canon Rosemary Obongo who I had heard before. Heard is the word – she speaks VERY loudly and enthusiastically and it would play absolute havoc with our loop system! She is the Diocesan Secretary and the Anglicans had elected a new Archbishop the previous day so the Super took the opportunity to publicly congratulate them and to request that he preached at LUC on the last Sunday in November which is the Church Anniversary. He went on to explain that as an ecumenical partnership, the church was responsible for the spiritual welfare of those from each of the denominations and that the leaders of the Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians also had a return responsibility for the care of their flock worshipping at Lavington. Everyone, regardless of denomination or position, had a shared responsibility for mission. The Presiding Bishop of the Methodists had recent been at Lavington and the Moderator of the Presbyterians was booked in so it was fitting that the new Archbishop should also be invited. Canon Rosemary has a very senior and powerful position as the Diocesan Secretary; she is, in effect, the ‘gatekeeper’ to the Archbishop!
The June theme is ‘Stewardship’; she said that most churchgoers would immediately think that they are about to be asked for more money! Well – stewardship of money is mentioned sometimes, and rightly so…….…………., but she went on to explain many other types of stewardship for which we are each responsible and personally accountable – it included stewardship of time – do we use some of our time each day for God? The stewardship of our belongings – do we willingly offer our homes or our transport to help others or to show hospitality or friendship? The stewardship of talents – do we help out at church when there is a need, we could easily fill…………….or do we leave it all to others? The stewardship of personality – do we give of ourselves and be helpful to all………………. or are we too touchy and sensitive?
We also sang ‘Holy Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty’ but to a quite modern tune – not a ‘belter’ tune but light and melodic and a nice and easy change from the traditional tune. Perhaps we should try it one day at HE-MC?
During the service parents with small children were invited to go off with their toddlers and babies to a clinic set up for the day to administer vaccination against Measles and Rubella. On the spot, there and then. LUC had arranged this with the Kenyan Health Ministry.
The rains seem to be abating but it is cooler here than in the UK, here being winter time and Nairobi being a high altitude capital city. 300 miles away in Mombasa on the Indian Ocean coast it would be seriously hotter and more humid.
With best wishes,
Graham
The New Music Makers have a concert coming up on Friday 3rd June at the Berry Theatre in Hedge End starting at 7.30 p.m.. The concert is titled “Pop into Summer” Tickets cost £10 or £8 and are available from the Berry Theatre.
The New Music Makers practice their singing in Hedge End Methodist Church on a Thursday Evening.
More details about them and there concerts can be found at:-
More details of the concert at the Berry Theatre can be found at
http://www.theberrytheatre.co.uk/whats-on/summer-16/new-music-makers/
On Saturday 21st May Churches together in Hedge End and Botley are holding a Mini Market and Lunch. This Event will take place at the United Reform Church between 10 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. The Mini Market will include Books, Plants, Cakes, Toys and a Sweet Tombola. The Lunch will take place at Midday. This Event is in Aid of Christian Aid as it is Christian Aid week from the 15th to 22nd of May. The United Reform Church is on the edge of the “Post Office” Car Park in the Centre of Hedge End.
For More details about Christian Aid week please see the recent post Christian Aid Week 2016
