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These are snippets and articles taken from our recent church magazine and circuit magazine. Also items which may be of interest to a wider audience.
Welcoming God, thank you for today.
Thank you for making us and loving us.
Thank you for inviting us to know you.
Help us to invite (Your friend's name here) to come to church so they can know you too.
Please bless Back to Church Sunday and bless everyone in our church.
Help us all to know you better.
We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen
Back to Church Sunday is on 27 September and is an opportunity to invite family, friends and neighbours to church.
The prayer above will be available on cards for you to add names to and pray for the person(s) you will be inviting.
Later, there will be invitation cards for you to use to invite the person(s) you have been praying for.
May God bless us all in this work of mission to the people around us.
Were you ever a Brownie or Girl Guide?
Perhaps you were a Ranger, a Cadet, or a Guider.
Whatever your links with the guide movement, we'd like to hear about it!
Girlguiding UK is celebrating its centenary from September 2009 to October 2010 and we'd like to hear about your experiences,
Did you go to camp and sleep on a straw-filled palliasse?
Were you a Brown Owl who took her pack on Pack holiday?
Did you travel abroad as a Ranger or Cadet?
Girlguiding Shropshire would love to hear about your guiding memories, good or bad, whether they took place in Shropshire or somewhere else in the world.
to contribute your memories to our memory bank, please contact: -
Jeanette Price (Guide Guider) on jeanette.price@tiscali.co.uk or on 01743 368467 or at Belle Vue Church on Wednesday evening 7.30 - 9pm
Your stories will show our young members why Guiding has survived for one hundred years.
The Festival Cliff College 2009
Time for Change
Beautiful train journey and shared with Richard Ainsworth from Manchester. Sunshine and showers.
My Room 45 looking out again on that view. Met Ness whose room I had last year. She thinks God is calling her to Scotland. Will see her again in the Chapel.
7pm in main tent the Principal, Rev C Blake, led the welcome service. Some one spoke about a vision he had had - A JCB digging down rooting out old dead roots and a purple flower. This encouraged a ministers wife as they were moving stations unexpectedly. A lady called for us to pray for the children in our families.
Mark 8:27 - Who do you say I am?
Rev Blake had a cross made out of pews, the cross beams came out in 2 pieces which were nails - Christ’s sacrificial love - Christ at the centre, self at the edge.
Toasted tea cakes and a cuppa.
John Pickering in concert, full of humour and his faith. Sat by Patrick from Leicestershire.
9.30 am Saturday Bible Study with Paul Smith. Luke 18:35-19:10.Bartimaeus & Zacchaeus.. In Mark Bartimaeus left his cloak behind, a symbol of his begging. ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by’ will we follow Him? Can we relate to either Bartimaeus or Zacchaeus, new beginnings, transformed.
Coffee time & met Mavis, a wonderful local preacher from Broseley. I met her at Cliff last year & her grand-daughter is the first paid Youth President. Spent time with Mavis & Patrick joined us & told us of his long association with Cliff.(he was a student in 1964)
Spent time sitting at the top of the orchard in the sunshine praising God for His wondrous creation.
2-3pm seminar on Celtic Christianity. The tutor said Ireland saved civilization in 5th-8th centuries as Ireland was the seat of learning then through the monasteries. Guess where the tutor is from!!
Went for a walk along the bottom of Frogatt Edge, which overlooks Cliff.
7-9pm Word & Worship Taize style in the chapel. Taize music, bible readings, responsive Psalms, silences when we could reflect on images from Psalm 23, colourful paintings (joy), gentler coloured paintings (sorrow), various crosses. Isaiah 40:31- Paul wrote ‘Do not conform to the world but be transformed in your mind.’ If we don’t disciple people then the culture will. There is a relationship between being still before God & accomplishing great things for God.
Toasted teacakes and coffee with Patrick.
‘Principles’ - the Principal’s chat show with guests Piers Lane, Paul Smith & Paul(a student) They told us their faith stories followed by a Q & A session. Very uplifting.
Sunday bible study - 2 Tim3:10-end. last thing Paul wrote. Timothy - shy, timid, with stomach trouble! If Jesus' way is counter cultural then so be it. We must say, ‘This is how we expect you to behave, how to be.’ What shapes us? Charles Wesley wove theology into verse, theologically illiterate people learned through music.
‘East meets West’ communion in the chapel.
Unprecedented change - Jesus going to Jerusalem knowing what was to come.
Images on a screen, sitar playing. large brightly coloured cross flat on the floor, we were invited to light a candle & place it on this cross. Brightly coloured materials draped around the chapel, reflections on suffering, Psalm 23, Servant God. We helped ourselves to Naan Bread & wine & could be blessed with oil , taste a bitter herb for those in need & light a candle & pray, ‘Jesus be my light.’ This was very peaceful and very moving.
2-3pm the President of Network spoke about Human Trafficking. ISAIAH 42:22-23
3.30-5pm Rheima Theatre Co. performed 3 fast moving short plays about Esther, Joseph and Jesus. A cast of only 3 young people. Lots of humour and excellent, amazing how they remembered all their lines.
7-9pm Interactive Storytelling led by tutor Ron Willoughby. ‘Communism in the Bible’ - Matt 20:1-16. The Workers in the Vineyard.
Invited to make something from Playdoh that we had learned that day. Each volunteer had less and less time. The rest chose a winner. The young boy who made a castle in 3 minutes won. The principal protested because he had spent 15 minutes making his deeply theological model! We were asked for our immediate reactions to the Bible passage - unfairness, guilt, generosity were some of the replies. Ron talked about God’s generosity and about not putting the generosity others receive into our own contexts eg I wish I’d been or Why wasn’t I etc. Ended with prayers
Coffee and cake followed by ‘Principles’ with Rev Anthony Clowes, a young minister in The Wirral, Anneka, a student, and Rev Judith Rossall who trains ministers. They spoke about their faith journeys and what changes they feel should be made within the church. The Principal promised to show us his puppet tomorrow.
Monday am Bible Study on Col 3:1-17.Something has already happened(tenses), what has happened and what is going to happen?
1. Hearts - set our hearts on things above, not on earthly things, Feet on the ground, hand on the plough and heart in heaven.
2. Minds - Reason/thought, mind set, the programme of your mind.
3. Put to death self centredness
4. Let the word of God percolate your soul, let God change you, your heart and then what He asks of you will not be a burden.
11.15 am - Keith Garner spoke on 2 Cor 5:11-21 - To be in Christ. God will pour out His Spirit on the church , as on a parched land. It doesn’t take much rain to make the land green.
2-3pm Inspirational talk by Rev Phil Meadows on Mission & Spirituality
3.30-5pm Celtic style worship in the Chapel . Based on Mark 2:13-17. Dramatic telling of the story - the Calling of Levi. Jesus is for ALL. He said ’Come & follow me.’ You would never be the same again - transformed. We could make small crosses, dip bread in wine & write prayers.
7-9pm Word & Worship with Rev Ian White on Luke 1: 26-38 & 2: 25-35 Mary is greatly troubled but she says ‘Yes.’ Gal2:20 Crucified because you say yes.
What would it mean if the whole tent said ‘Yes’, wholly available to God with every fibre of my being. Availability = exposed, vulnerable.
An Egyptian Muslim lady said ‘Yes’ to Jesus, her husband divorced her & took their daughter away & her father & brother want to kill her, but she says that she is free.
9.30-10.30 Final Principles Chat Show and got to meet the puppet although he was very quiet (unlike Clarence the Frog!)
Tuesday morning an early walk up Cliff Lane to gaze at all His beauty in creation. A wondrous strong wind blowing, I can feel it even as I type this. Praise the Lord for this special place and His love manifest here.
Di Harmer
Rock Solid After School Clubs continue to meet in 5 schools. A party for all the members was held in the summer term at Belle Vue Youth Club.
A drop in session incorporating ‘The Quest’ course exploring faith issues began in the summer above Illuminate Christian book shop on Wyle Cop.
In August SYFC held a summer activity week with the theme ‘Taking up the Challenge.’
SYFC has a lot of Christian input into the RE syllabus in our schools. They also support the Christian Union at the Sixth Form College and are involved in the Chaplaincy there.
Prayers are being said for a gap year student to come forward for the new school year.
Assemblies are held in all schools, including involvement in One World Week.
Mentoring continues at The Grange School with Michelle.
Monthly prayer breakfasts continue at the supporting churches to pray for the work of SYFC and for all involved with this Christian work in our schools.
A very enjoyable Garden Party, AGM and evening BBQ were held in July at The Old Hall, Cruckmeole. Young people provided a variety of good music
The fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is empty and from time to time works of art have been shown on this plinth. Following a competition to select the next art work to go on the plinth, the sculptor, Anthony Gormley, was the joint winner. His art work is called One and Other and involves the people from this country spending an hour on the plinth doing whatever mattered to them, being themselves. When I heard about this I thought how wonderful and exciting this was and I also thought that I would want to be part of this and to express my Christian faith.
So I applied in April and was successful - my ‘slot’ was on Tuesday 21 July at 7-8am. Then I began to think and pray about what to do, but it had always been in my mind to simply make this hour my morning prayer time. So I gradually wrote prayers about people and situations that really matter to me and are a part of my life. I found Bible passages to go with the prayers and small items, like photos of my family, to place before the wooden cross from church.
On 20 July I got the train to London and booked into my hotel near Trafalgar Square. Then straight out to look at the plinth. A marvellous char lady was on there scrubbing the plinth and getting a lot of applause from the crowds. Another lady followed her blowing all kinds of bubbles and throwing sweets to the children. The plinth looked quite small and high!
I enjoyed an afternoon at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the evening watching As You Like It at The Globe, then back to the hotel and bed. Amazingly I did sleep, although restlessly, and woke at 4.30 am thanks to my alarm clock plus an early morning call (to make sure).
I had to be at the Welcome Centre for 5.30am and arrived with 10 minutes to spare. A young man was on the plinth talking into his mobile. The lady for the 6-7am slot was knitting a many hued, pretty blanket. It began to rain quite heavily. I had some forms to fill in and was made very welcome by the enthusiastic young people in their red and white One and Other shirts. Then the knitting lady, with brolly, got on the cherry picker for her turn and the young man came back. He loved the experience and said the hour flew by. Then I was taken into a separate room and interviewed about myself and my faith and 10 photos were taken-not your usual ‘model shoot’! Part of the project is that The Welcome Trust will archive the interviews/photos of the 2400 participants for future research.
The next participant arrived, Emma, who would be dressed as a polar bear for her hour.
Then it was my turn to get on the cherry picker and swop places with the knitting lady from Sheffield whose blanket had landed in a puddle and was very wet! It stopped raining but lots of puddles on the plinth. Wow- was this just wonderful, looking out over the centre of London. I couldn’t believe how quiet it was and few people about- so no audience, except on the web. I set everything up, the cross looked wonderful, and I felt such a peace and calmness and The Lord’s presence with me. A few people waved to me and I waved back. I read the Bible standing up and knelt for the prayers which included our town and it’s leaders, our country, the church, young people (I wore my Rock Club T Shirt), the needy, my friends and family. I finished with The Lords Prayer and the Doxology and then it was time to leave. People were arriving as I left and I did lift high the cross before 2 coaches of Japanese tourists and heard a few cameras click! This hour was a great blessing to me and I know that God will bless those I prayed for.
I had a prayer tree and some Christian cards at the base of the plinth for people to use/take but no-one did. So perhaps my Christian witness to London was very little, or even nothing, but maybe the sight of that cross spoke to someone as they walked by and I leave that with Our great and mighty God who loves us and calls us by name.
Di Harmer
The Rock Club continues to meet each Wednesday in term time at Belle Vue Youth Club at 7.30-9pm.
Michelle, the club youth leader, plans the programme for each term in the holidays. During the summer term we enjoyed movie nights, the ‘Quaser’ at the Bowling Alley, games on the local rec, canoeing on the river, taking part in the Bell Boat Regatta and a BBQ at Michelle’s home in Wem. Some nights were just ‘normal nights’ with nothing specific planned, but Michelle always seems to have some fun games , crafts, discussions ready. The weather has been so lovely that we have had several nights outside playing various very hilarious and exhausting games!
Sometimes we have Christian based discussions and there is usually Christian books/literature on the tables.
Most of us now have Rock tee shirts, black with an orange ‘Rock Youth Club’ logo. Some have their names on the back, also in orange. One says ‘Annoying aka Keiron’!!
Donations have raised £15 for the 2 schools we support in the Dominican Republic.
Next term the young people will be advertising the Club using business type cards and postcards as we seek to recruit more members.
There are about 20 young people ‘on the books’ and usually 8-10 each Wednesday. Most of them have been taking their exams this summer, but the ‘regulars’ always make time for the Rock which is very encouraging.
Sarah, who helps care for her Mum, has just received a‘Young Carer of the Year’ award from the MS Society and there was a lovely photo of her in The Chronicle.
We are very blessed with the young people who come to the Rock.