October 2008

Dear friends,

‘DREAMING DREAMS’

Last month in Church I shared my dream for the Church. It’s a dream based on the picture of the Church as a choir, or orchestra, with God as the conductor. In a choir, it’s vital that the singers watch the conductor and don’t just sing their own line regardless of what anyone else is singing, or of what the conductor wants. If they watch him and take their tempo and dynamics (speed and volume) from him and listen to the other singers, then the net result is glorious harmony. If they don’t, the result is discord and chaos. In the same way, if each of us seeks what God wants, not just what we want, the result will be a harmonious and beautiful Church. This is my dream.

My dream is of a Church where:

-The presence of God is tangible in the worship

- We talk about our faith as freely as we talk about the weather

- We are free to worship how we feel without being inhibited by what we think others will think

- We are able to be honest and open about our feelings and cry and laugh together

- There is an underlying sense of joy because of what God has done, no matter what we may be facing

- Anyone will sit next to and talk to anyone else (even if that means sitting in a different place to normal!)

- Newcomers are welcomed sensitively without fail and the welcome is followed up appropriately

- No-one is left standing on their own at coffee

- There is a widespread familiarity with the Bible which we all read regularly

- Everyone is seeking to grow as a disciple

- Prayer is as natural as breathing and praying out loud in your own words is totally normal

- As a Church we are deeply involved in compassionate care for those on the margins of society

- It is natural for us all to talk without embarrassment about our faith to friends and neighbours and invite them to Church activities

- Children and young people are valued every bit as much as adults and play their full part in the life of the Church

- Old people are valued every bit as much as younger people and play their full part in the life of the Church

- Very different people share common life and worship together with full love and respect for each other and their views

Much of this is already beginning to happen in St. John’s, but we’re not there yet. Keep your eye on the conductor!

With love

CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER

1 Weds 10am Holy Communion followed by coffee & lunches

2 Thurs 9.30am Toddler Service

7.30pm Family Service planning for October 12^th Family Service

4 Sat 9.30am Prayer at the Vicarage

10am – 12 noon Parish Coffee Morning

5 TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

8am Holy Communion

10am Confirmation with Tony Robinson, Bishop of Pontefract

8 Weds 10am Holy Communion followed by coffee & lunches

11 Saturday 6pm Harvest Supper – Caribbean evening

12 HARVEST FESTIVAL

8am Holy Communion

10am Harvest Thanksgiving Family Service

14 Tues 7.30pm Parochial Church Council meeting

15 Weds 10am Holy Communion followed by coffee & lunches

19 TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

8am Holy Communion

10am Parish Communion

22 Weds 10am Holy Communion followed by coffee & lunches

26 LAST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

8am Holy Communion

10am Parish Communion

28 Tues 7.30pm Julian Meeting in St John’s Church

29 Weds 10am Holy Communion followed by coffee & lunches

Material for the November issue to the Editor, Tina Dixon, please by Sunday 12^th October (43 Walker Avenue WF2 0HH or tinaoflaherty@blueyonder.co.uk) Internet users may view this magazine at the Church Website: http://www.wakefield-stjohns.org.uk

FROM THE REGISTERS

BAPTISMS:

31^st August Chloe Foster     Madison Goodall

14^th September Eve Hunter     Rebecca Gregson

WEDDINGS:

19^th September Richard Holey & Gayle Crombleholme

Macmillan

Coffee Morning

at St John’s School, Belgravia Road

on

Friday,

26^th September, 2008

8.30 to 11.00 am

Everyone Welcome

St John’s Guild

June welcomed 26 members to our first meeting after the summer break, and we began with the Guild prayer.

She then introduced Kathleen's stories about the halls and houses, Edwin showed his lovely paintings of them all on slides. He is a very talented artist.

The history of Sandal Castle was told by Kathleen, and again Edwin's painting of the ruins as they are today were excellent. I do believe that many of us did not know that some of the buildings (now long gone) had ever existed.

A very enjoyable evening was had by all, and I hope when Kathleen and Edwin have completed their next project we will invite them again.

June announced details of the Dinner on 13th October, Brasserie 99 at 7pm, menu's were available to select your courses before hand.

NEXT MEETING Monday 10th November, Parish Centre 7.30pm-Speaker our very own Mary MacQueen.

Stall for the evening Christmas Items

NOTE OF INTEREST

Castle and Hall - 10 (in and around Wakefield)

Halls still standing - 15

Houses still standing – 5

MH

St John’s CE (VA) J & I School

During a recent Religious Education lesson at school Class 6 (10-11year olds) were considering what worship means. Here are some of their responses.

Mrs L Hanson (Headteacher)

Christmas

Coffee Morning

at

St John’s School, Belgravia Road

on

Saturday,

6^th December, 2008

10.00am to 12.00 noon

Cakes, raffle, tombola, bric a brac, books, plants, Christmas gifts, silent auction, hoop-la stall. Any suggestions for our stalls will be most welcome.

Tickets £1 – including cake/mince pie, - children under 15 Free entry. Prize for winning entrance ticket,

There will be boxes in the church reception room for your contributions for items for sale. Tombola and raffle prizes, from Sunday 26^th October. More information from Joan and George Mitchell (Tel 257088)

We don’t give up because we know God is with us"

Ed Beavan meets Canon Andrew White from St George’s Baghdad

IT IS HARD not to be moved by Canon Andrew White’s commitment to the people of Iraq, such is his determination to stay with them, come what may.

The Chaplain of St George’s Baghdad, has spent three years ministering to his congregation and engaging in wider conflict-resolution. He first built up links with the Middle East when he was appointed director of the Centre for International Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral in 1998.

In 2005 he became president of the Foundation for Reconciliation in the Middle East.(FRME) and he has been working to negotiate the release of various hostages, which has lead to threats to his life. At the moment he is trying to free five different hostages in Iraq.

When I met him in London last month, he was accompanied by seven Iraqi children from St George’s. They are just some of the 500 children who attend the church, whose congregation is made up of Chaldeans, Syrian Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, as well as members of the Ancient Church of the East. Services are in Aramaic, and the church is dominated by women, as many of the men have been killed in the violence after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Canon White explains the reasons behind his present trip. "We needed to give a few of the children a holiday, and it’s also an opportunity to raise funds for the church, which now costs $50,000 a year to run."

This is because the church supports the living costs of every child there, and has just opened a medical clinic.

"The reason I keep going is because of my people. They are the most wonderful lovely people I’ve ever met. Even though we are in the most dangerous place in the world we don’t give up because we know and believe God is with us." Canon White says.

Things have improved, but for Baghdad that means 1000 people killed a month instead of 10,000.

"My hope for the future is increasingly theological and less political - the political solutions have not arrived, but we mustn’t give up. The Iraqi government hasn’t given up, and the Americans have been outstanding, after making mistakes in the beginning."

Does Canon White, who has MS and admits that his health is "not great", ever think about returning to the UK. "I’ve no plans to leave. The children are the ones who keep me going."

He says that St George’s is the only place in Iraq that brings together the coalition forces and the indigenous population - a phenomenon he describes as "amazing".

During their visit to the UK, the children are visiting supporting churches and organizations, such as the Mothers Union, which has a branch of 1400 members in Baghdad.

One of them, 18-year-old David Dawood Jaju, now works at St George’s, having mastered English after living with US troops on the streets of Baghdad. He explains that life for the Christians is difficult because people automatically associate them with the coalition forces.

"Church is my family; we have provisions, food and worship, we have a new clinic and the internet. It helps us to forget the war…

"It’s important for people to pray for us. We thank the British People who pray for us."

How To Clean Your House

1. OPEN a new file on your computer
2. Name it "Housework
3. Send it to the "Recycle Bin"
4. Empty the recycle bin.
5. Your computer will ask you: "are you sure you want to delete

Housework Permanently"?

6. Calmly answer "Yes" and press mouse button firmly…..
7. Feel better? Works for me"

Classified Adverts

Dance Classes:

Ali Greenwoods Dancecentre (IDTA Qualified, CRB Approved) – sessions held Saturday mornings at St John’s C.E (Aided) J. & Infants School, Belgravia Road, Wakefield, For more information visit : WWW.aligdancentre.co.uk or Tel: 01924 314539/07966946077

Driving Schools:

David Petty – Learn to drive with friendly professional driving instruction in the Wakefield Metropolitan area. First Lesson free for NEW DRIVERS! For more information Tel: 07851 406344

Green Grocers:

M E Slack - For the freshest fruit and veg. Orders delivered. 53 Bradford Road, Wakefield Tel (01924 369213/364268)

Jewellers:

Brook Street Jewellers Ltd, 27 Brook Street, Wakefield. Tel (01924 372148)

Plasterers:

Master Plaster – Your friendly local plasterer for all your plastering needs: re-skims, dry lining, rendering, boarding out, patching and making good. We also cover over Artex. All work is Fully Guaranteed A quality job at affordable prices. No job too big or too small. For a free no obligation quote, please call (01924 380266/07984603622)

If you would like to advertise in the parish magazine please email: tinaoflaherty@blueyonder.co.uk

DIARY OF A CHURCH MOUSE….SIR JOHN BETJEMAN

Here among long discarded cassocks,

Damp stools and half split open hassocks,

Here where the vicar never looks

I nibble through old service books.

Lean and alone I spend my days

Behind this Church of England baize.

I share my dark forgotten room

With two old lamps and half a broom.

The cleaner never bothers me,

So here I eat my frugal tea.

My bread is sawdust mixed with straw;

My jam is polish for the floor.

Christmas and Easter may be feasts

For congregations and for priests.

And so may Whitsun. All the same,

They do not fill my meagre frame.

For me the only feast at all

Is autumn’s Harvest Festival,

When I can satisfy my want

With ears of corn from round the font.

I climb the eagle’s brazen head

To bury through a loaf of bread.

I scramble up the pulpit stair

And gnaw a marrow hanging there.

It is enjoyable to taste

These items lest they go to waste,

But how annoying when one finds

That other mice with pagan minds

Come to my church my food to share

Who have no proper business there.

Two field mice who have no desire

To be baptised, invade the choir.

A large and most unfriendly rat

Comes in to see what we are at.

He says he thinks there is no god

And yet he comes …It’s rather odd.

This year he stole a sheaf of wheat

(It screened our special preachers’ seat),

And prosperous mice from fields away

Come to hear the organ play,

And under cover of its notes

Ate through the altar’s sheaf of oats.

A Low Church mouse that thinks that I

Am too papistical, and high

Yet somehow doesn’t think it wrong

To munch through Harvest evensong,

While I, who starve the whole year through,

Must share my food with rodents who

Except at this time of year

Not once inside the church appear.

Within the human world I know

Such goings on would not be so,

For human beings only do

What their religion tell them to.

They read the bible every day

And always night and morning pray,

And just like me, the good church mouse,

Worship each week in Gods own house.

But all the same it’s strange to me

How very full the church can be

With people I don’t see at all

Except at HARVEST FESTIVAL

(Jackie Terry)

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