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Deo Gratias
We all like to be thanked. If we hold open the door for someone and they pass through without a word we take exception. To thank a person is to acknowledge a service they've rendered to us. Life would be much the poorer if no one ever said thank you. And yet, like everything else, this worthy custom is open to misuse. For example, "Thank you for not smoking" and "Thank you for using your library" appear on notices locally. In the one we have done nothing and in the other we have received a service. Or again, we read on road signs "Thank you for driving carefully through our village." Why? It implies we do not normally drive carefully. Should we be thanked for stopping at a traffic light on red? Of course not! It is our duty as a responsible driver to do so.
Jesus told how a servant doing his duty does not get thanked. That this is appropriate in modern labour relations is debatable. But Jesus was illustrating our relationship to God about which there need be no dispute. We can never put God in our debt. Whatever we do for him is in response to a love which can never be repaid. Despite what is often done on religious radio and television, it is plain wrong to thank those joining in worship. It introduces a relationship of indebtedness to another that rightly belongs to God. Suppose, along with others, we've been invited to a social event at a home. In the presence of the host we shouldn't dream of thanking another guest for coming. All thanks are due to the host alone. In worship, when others are thanked, God is usurped.
In the New Testament, there are a number of accounts of worship taking place but in not one are participants thanked.
By contrast, God is thanked repeatedly. Thanksgiving to God underlies all true worship. Another name for Holy Communion is Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. In our tradition we are familiar with harvest thanksgiving. This is good in so far as it serves to remind us that all worship is thanksgiving. Pratt Green in his harvest hymn begins: For the fruits of his creation, Thanks be to God.
But ends: Most of all that love has found us, Thanks be to God.
Indeed! Deo Gratias.
Look up: Luke 17 v.9, I Corinthians 4 v.7. HP342
Keith Horton
8 O’Clock Club
During the summer we have had a few events to raise money for our new Charity for this year, the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The first was a walk across the meadows, raising a donation of £46.40.
Then on the 20th July we had a bring and buy sale and a coffee evening held at St. John's hall, by Daphne Harris, Carol Whiteman and Rita Burnham.
A further coffee evening was held at the home of Iris and Tony Clare - an extremely pleasant evening in beautiful surroundings.
The final coffee (bring and buy) evening for this summer was held at the Manse and of course, hosted by Ann and John Boardman. This was a very successful and enjoyable evening.
The total amount raised was £201.10, giving a good start for our new charity.
The new season starts on Tuesday 7th September, when we will have Susie Rice giving an enthusiastic talk about the Teenage Cancer Trust.
We hope you have had an enjoyable summer and we look forward to seeing you on the 7th.
Peggy Courteen and Rita Burnham
WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP
Since our closing meeting in June we have sadly lost one of our members. Dear Joan Button died very suddenly and she will be greatly missed. Joan was a very faithful member for many years, attending regularly and we will have fond memories of Joan.
27th July was our outing to a farm at Semer for a cream tea. Paul Martland kindly drove us in a mini-bus and 'shepherded' us very ably. The bus was not in the very best condition and coming home in a mid-country area the engine failed. We all had visions of being marooned there all night, but thankfully Paul managed to get it going again. Then, when going along the narrowest road possible we came face to face with the longest Juggernaut possible, so there was no option but for Paul to reverse for a long distance to allow the monster to pass. Eventually we arrived home, thankful that we were in the hands of an able driver!
17th August we were all invited to Geraldine's for tea. The weather was not very summer-like, but we all managed to fit into Geraldine's dining and sitting room.
We commence our next session on the 7th September with our Minister as speaker.
Mavis Townsend
TO ALL FLOWER ARRANGERS
There is a special container situated just beyond the Wheely bins for all flower refuse.
Thank you
LOVE IS BLIND
We love our Church. But love can be blind! We miss seeing things which other people might interpret as a lack of care. Stewards and worship leaders have been looking at Gateway to God, which amongst other things, emphasises the need to make our church a welcoming and inviting place, attractive to anyone who comes through the door. With this in mind some of us have looked critically at the Church and feel that some areas could do with a clearout as well as a thorough clean. We have started clearing out some parts and those responsible for different activities are being asked to review what they have stored around the Church and see if we can make the church look tidier.
This still leaves the subject of cleaning. If you are not frightened of spiders and feel that you could help with cleaning various parts of the church as a one-off exercise, could you please sign the list in the Link. Dates will be arranged later.
Gill Phillips
AN INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY
The Playbox Nursery School is one of several groups that are a part of St John's Methodist Church and its outreach into the community. At a recent inspection by OFSTED the Playbox was rated 'Outstanding', which is the highest level. After 15 years of faithful service the Treasurer, Mick Goddard is standing down, and a successor needs to be appointed.
The responsibility for supervising the running of Playbox is delegated by St John's Church Council to the Playbox Committee. This consists of the Minister, several church members, the Treasurer, representatives of the parents and is attended by the Playbox staff. The Treasurer, who mayor may not be a church member, should be in sympathy with both the work of Playbox and the Church. Trustworthiness is a basic essential, together with numeracy, the ability to keep appropriate records and produce simple budgets. As well as responsibility for the Bank Account, the duty involves liaison with the Playbox staff and reporting to four evening meetings a year. Support and advice is available, and the necessary calculations of Tax and N.H.I. payments are carried out by a department at St. John's accountants, which deals with Inland Revenue matters.
This is a voluntary post, suitable for someone with the aptitudes required who wishes to contribute in a positive way to the life of the community. Anyone interested, or knows of someone who might be, please talk in the first instance to the Rev. John Boardman.
News from the North
I hope you have all had a good summer ... after the worst winter here in Yorkshire for 30 years, we have had a wonderful summer with long days of sunshine and beautiful sparkling seas.
It has been really great to have visitors from Suffolk and to catch up with news from Sudbury. I also enjoyed my lightning visit to St. John's choir practice at the beginning of July and the warm welcome I received!
The highlights of the summer on the musical front were firstly, taking part in a John Rutter Day at Westborough Methodist Church in Scarborough. It is a huge church (near the railway station) and renovated with an upstairs auditorium in the shape of a circle. There were 450 singers and the sound was just amazing. John Rutter himself, was in great form and seemed to thoroughly enjoy his first visit to Scarborough. We hope he will return in the future.
Secondly, I was privileged to sing for Yorkshire Day on August 1st with many other choirs and musical groups at Scarborough Spa in the famous Suncourt. It was incredibly moving standing in the open air on a sunny afternoon, singing famous Yorkshire songs such as Scarborough Fair and Ilkley Moor Bar T'at which apparently has Methodist origins! The Town Crier read out the Yorkshire declaration and the audience waved Yorkshire flags. Although I am a newcomer to Yorkshire (I've been here one year now) I felt surrounded by good friends and part of a great company of happy people.
So we move into autumn and for some of us, the autumn of our life span. But as long as the beautiful countryside is here on my doorstep and I have the use of my bus pass, I am very happy! Best wishes to you all
Gwen Hawes
Harvest for the Hungry
This year stewards have agreed that the church will support Harvest for the Hungry through the Harvest Festival on 3rd October and instead of bringing fresh fruit and vegetables as gifts, this year we will bring dried goods only.
The organisation describes their work as follows:-
WHO WE ARE
There are countless families living on the edge across Eastern Europe each day. Our partners help many living in terrible poverty across Eastern Europe - regardless of race, religion or background.
In brief
Children at risk: The only hot meal many children receive each day is made in a soup kitchen using food sponsored by Harvest for the Hungry.
Families living in poverty: It's hard to believe that in Europe today there are families living in terrible housing with mud walls and floors, no electricity or running water, and dependent on what they can grow to survive.
The Elderly: In many parts of Eastern Europe over half the monthly pension for an elderly person will be spent on keeping warm. After the rent and other bills are paid, there is very little money left to buy food.
The Homeless: In Romania, living in the underground pipe system is often the most effective way to stay warm, but there is still no food for the homeless except for scavenging the bins.
Some of our supporters work all year round to help us to provide aid to those in need. One such group meets every Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch, a laugh and The Big Knit.
Helpers turn up at noon with their lunch and their knitting needles ready to set about the task, producing woollen squares which are joined together to make blankets, plus hats and scarves to help keep out the cold.
For the Harvest Festival you are asked to provide the following goods which will be packed in boxes and taken to the warehouse ready for distribution.
When buying the food making sure it has a sell-by date after January 2011.
Sugar
Plain flour
Rice
Tinned tomatoes
Pasta
NOT FAR TO GO
Inevitably, there are times when the meetings of our District branch of the Wesley Historical Society are held at quite a distance from Sudbury. (They're always worth going to, though, however far away!) This month however, the autumn meeting is taking place in our own Circuit, at Stowmarket on Saturday September 18th at 3pm. You are invited! The Rev David East is to give a talk entitled 'John Wesley and his relationships with women' This is a fascinating subject, covering the immense influence of his mother - Susannah, the part played by his sisters, the various loves of his life, his women helpers and his unhappy marriage. The meeting will be followed by a 'traditional' Methodist tea at 4.15pm. Visitors are always welcome. It's not far to go is it? You'd enjoy being there!
Bill Horton
IMPOSSIBLE PIE
4 Eggs. Quarter cup of margarine. 1 cup sugar. Half a cup of flour. Quarter tspn salt. Half tspn baking powder. 2 cups of milk. 1 cup of desiccated coconut. 1 tspn vanilla essence.
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Pour into a buttered 10" pie dish. Bake for one hour at Mark 4. 350°F/180°C.
When the pie is cooked, there will be a crust on the bottom, custard in the middle and coconut on the top!
I found this in a local church magazine and was intrigued, so I decided to try it and it really does work. There really is a crust on the bottom, custard in the centre and coconut on the top. The only thing I did differently is I used almond flavouring instead of vanilla essence.
Ed
Bible Alphabet Quiz – Letter “E”
1. Who as a prophet, was fed by the ravens? (Kings 17:2-7)
2. Who, as a priest, taught the boy Samuel? (lSamueI3:1)
3. Who was the brother of Jacob? (Genesis 25:27)
4. Who was the first woman? (Genesis 2:21)
5. Who was the mother of John the Baptist? (Luke 1: 57-63)
6. Who, as queen, delivered the nation of Israel? (Esther 7: 1-3)
7. Who walked with God and died not, for God took him?(Genesis5:24)
8. Who was a left handed judge? (Judges 3:15)
9. Who was the mother of Timothy? (11 Timothy 1-5)
10. Who, as a prophet, did Naaman obey and was cured of leprosy? (11 Kings 5:10-14)
11. Who was given permission to return to rebuild Jerusalem? (Ezra 7:11-13)
12. What famous Christian holiday is mentioned in the Bible? (Acts 12-4)
13. What was the first name of the garden mentioned in the Scripture? (Genesis 2:15)
14. What was the name of Aaron's son, who served with Moses? (Exodus 6:25, Numbers 20:28)
15. What was the name of Naomi's husband? (Ruth 1:2)
16. Who was the son of Seth? (Genesis4:26)
17. Who fell from a window while listening to Paul preach? (Acts 20:9)
18. Who saw a wheel within a wheel, and also saw a valley of dry bones? (Ezekiel 37: 1)
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
This is a book I have loved for many years and read dozens of times. It always make me laugh although very much dated as it was written in the 19th century. As well as laughs, it also has some very thoughtful parts and this is one such :-
"The Cistercian monks, whose abbey stood there (Medmenham) in the 13th century, wore no clothes but rough tunics and cowls, and ate no flesh, nor fish, nor eggs. They lay upon straw and they rose at midnight to mass. They spent the day in labour, reading and prayer; and over all their lives there fell a silence, as of death, for no one spoke. A grim fraternity, passing grim lives in that sweet spot that God had made so bright! Strange that Nature's voices all around them -- the soft singing of the waters, the whisperings of the river grass, the music of the rushing wind - should not have taught them a truer meaning of life than this. They listened there, through the long days, in silence, waiting for a voice from heaven; and all day long and through the solemn night it spoke to them in myriad tones and they heard it not."
Sometimes life today is similar. When you can see beyond the rush and tear of our materialistic age and spend some time looking around at the wonderful place we have been given, we can see Gods work and messages all around us. If you should pick this book up, be prepared for a journey not just along a river. It is full of asides and it wanders, sometimes infuriatingly, from scene to scene and subject to subject. It is the story of three young men rowing for a week on the Thames in the 19th century. Do not watch the film, it will spoil it for your imagination.
Norman Langridge - Bradfield
BRADFIELD NEWS
The House group will begin the new season on Thursday September 9th 2010 at 7.30 p.m.
We will meet at the home of Mary and John Goddard, Lark Rise, Old Lane Stanningfield.
The Rev. John Boardman will give us a Bible Study Evening.
Our Harvest Supper will take place on September 25th 2010 at 6.30 p.m. in the schoolroom. The Supper will be followed by musical items with members of St. Johns Sudbury.
The Harvest Festival Service will take place on Sunday 3rd October at 11 a.m. - Mrs. J. Keys and at 6.30 p,m. with Rev. John Boardman
THANKYOU
Carol and John Whiteman, and Tina Mayes would like to thank everyone who supported their coffee morning on 6th August for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in memory of their niece/cousin who died earlier this year aged 38. With your help we were able to send £318.50p to the fund.
Carol Whiteman
THANK YOU
Firstly, to all those who attended the Arthritis Research tea at Inglebrook at the end of July - we made a record £418
Secondly, a big thank you to all those who attended, (and those unable to who made very generous donations) the St. John's Garden Party on 7th August. Also to all the helpers -particularly Gill and John Phillips for the very popular games. Barclays matched £ for £ for the first £750. The total raised was a magnificent £1640.
The Autumn Fayre is on Saturday 30th October at S':. Peter's Please book the date.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOE BOXES 2010
Another year has passed very qUickly, and now is the time to start preparing our boxes for November.
There are two ways that you can become part of this venture
1. Fill a shoe box yourself
2.Donate individual items from the list provided, so that shoe boxes can be filled.
A basket for the gifts and a list of ideas will be in the Link from Sunday 5th September. If you have any inquiries or would like patterns etc, please see me.
Important date for everyone's diary :-
SATURDAY 23RD OCTOBER 2010 10.00am -12.00 Coffee morning to pack boxes and raise money towards sending them abroad.
If everyone in the church could have a part in this great venture, many children will be very grateful.
Daphne Harris
Macmillan Coffee morning and table sale,
On Saturday 25th September at St. John's Methodist Church, York Road
10am-2pm
Entrance 50p
DEADLINE FOR HERALD
19TH SEPTEMBER
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EDITOR BRENDA B,J, 017878 375082
or E-mail sjmcl@btconnect.com
\iVhen I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then I am still and wait here in the silence
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
There is no life, no life without its hunger
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly
Bur when you come and I am filled with wonder
Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be.
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