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and . . . Messy Church
BANNSIDE BUZZ January 2015 This month’s articles Prison Fellowship Craft Group Reflections on Belonging Belonging Pairs
Dan Beeby and Belonging I have an old friend, who died in 2013 as an old man well into his 90s. Dan Beeby was a railway worker’s son from Hull, but in the 1940s went as a missionary to China, travelling out to the Far East on one of the troop ships just after the end of the Second World War. He hated it. Looking back on the experience from a distance of many years, he realized he had suffered massively from culture shock: everything was alien, he didn’t understand any of it and he didn’t belong. The fact that he had diarrhoea (or as one of our Malawian students wonderfully misunderstood it, writing ‘dire rear’ in an essay) for two years didn’t help. Then Mao and the Communist Party took over. Dan left on one of the last boats out of Amoy, watching communist shells land in the harbour behind the boat as it pulled out to sea. The boat was heading for Taiwan and so, therefore, was Dan. He landed and loved the island, which is also sometimes known as Formosa, from the Portuguese phrase ‘ilha formosa’ or ‘beautiful island’. He loved the land, its people, their culture, the food and the language. He loved the church in which he worked, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. He settled and was content. When he left in the early 1970s—or more accurately was expelled by the authorities for speaking out against the oppression of the native Taiwanese by the mainland Chinese—he says he dreamt in Taiwanese for the first five years he was back in England. He had put down deep roots in Taiwan and he belonged. Dan was not able to return to Taiwan until 1990, when the regime softened its attitude to those it regarded as dangerous dissidents; but his sense of belonging never wavered. Welcome to this edition of Bannside Buzz, which explores the important theme of belonging.
Yours, Mark
Prison Fellowship Christmas Hope night at Bannside 29th November 2014. (an initiative of Bannside’s All-‐Ages Church Events group, or A.C.E.)
Christmas HOPE is Prison Fellowship’s annual project to provide hampers and toys for the families at a time of year when prisoners’ relatives can feel alone, forgotten and under extra financial pressure. Christmas HOPE is a very real way of demonstrating God’s love to these people.
After the hamper donations and toys were collected, we gathered to help decorate the Christmas greeting cards that will be delivered with the hampers. The theme word to be added to the envelopes was ‘hope’. There was lots of creativity and buzz in the room, and it was good for the children and indeed all of us to acknowledge others difficulties at this time of year. Afterwards we enjoyed lots of yummy hot food and Chris Thompson of Prison Fellowship NI talked to us about the work they did, who they served and shared some of his experiences with us. The kind donations made by the Bannside Congregation will contribute towards a total of 350 hampers to be delivered to families this Christmas. Bannside was pleased to be involved in this project and thanks to all who contributed and made it such a success. By Janine Compston
Another Reflection on the Christmas Hamper Workshop
I went down to the church to leave a gift for the families of prisoners. Whilst there, I was asked if I would stay and help in wrapping up some items. I t imidly answered, “yes” as I am hopeless at wrapping up. I sat down at a table with three other members of the congregation and we were then given numerous rolls of Christmas paper, scissors and cellotape. A pile of books was put on the table and we all started cutting and wrapping the books which went into every hamper. Needless to say, the “crack” was good.
When we thought we were finished, along came Betsy with another pile. When all the books were wrapped, leaflets and cards were brought to the table. We had to put a leaflet and a card into envelopes which had been beautifully decorated, mostly by young people. No mean achievement—they did a fabulous job!
Chris from Prison Fellowship NI told us about their work distributing hampers to families of prisoners. We then enjoyed tea, coffee, cocktail sausages, chicken goujons, sl ices of pizza, mince pies and chips. Simply delicious and enjoyed by everyone there.
What a lovely way to end a happy and busy afternoon, hoping we have helped to make it a happier Christmas for prisoners’ families and thanks to all the church members for contributing gifts and hamper goods so generously.
By Florence Bennett
Belonging in a Church
A group of young people from Bannside attended the Presbyterian Church’s MAD (Making a Difference) Weekend in Coleraine University last autumn. The theme this year was “Belong”. Lauren Stoops and I attended a seminar by Rick Hill. He talked to a group of the young people about belonging to a church. First, we looked at what the Bible has to say to us about being a church. The Church is about people. The Church is the place where people of all ages can come together, young and old, spending time together learning from each other. The Church is a place where people love each other. And the Church is a place where people look out for each other. Being in a church can be like being part of a coal fire where we burn brightly among others – warning young people that when they leave their church they may be like a hot coal fallen out of a fire and find themselves going cold very quickly! This reminds us of how deeply we need each other. We can’t be the Church on our own. Then we looked at the Church as a body or a team. What part of the body are you? Not all gifts are seen up front in a church. There are many people working behind the scenes. If you are not part of a church, we are missing you. He concluded that a church is not a club or somewhere you attend. It is bigger, deeper and wider than that. He then asked the young people why they go to church. It was really good to hear the views and experiences of young people in Presbyterian churches today. Their comments included:
“It is real, not fake.” “I feet content there, whether I am happy or sad.”
“It makes me feel close to God.”
"If I don't go, there is no beginning or end to my week."
“I am challenged, encouraged and pointed to God.”
By Gillian McNaugher
NEWS FROM THE PEWS
Love is in the air! Congratulations to our four engaged couples . . .
Karen and Neil Danielle and Kyle
Lynn and James Sarah and Matt
MORE NEWS FROM THE PEWS ……………
CONGRATULATIONS to Robert Nesbitt
. . . for receiving an award at Banbridge Council Community Awards on Tuesday 25th November for voluntary services to the community for his Captaincy of Boys’ Brigade, Archery Coach, Judge, GB Team Manager, Ballyvally Archery Club fundraiser, Banbridge Sports committee and work in Uganda with Abanna. David Meade presented the award and Christine photo bombed the shot! WELCOME WELL DONE
Jake William, son of Linda Jane Hudson presenting and Stuart McNeice an enjoyable P.W. program! baptised on 14 Dec. 2014
Craft Group On 7th January the Craft group presented a cheque to Carol Murray of the Alzheimer's Society for £500. This money was raised by the Group's Christmas coffee morning and sale.Thank you once again for your support. Carol's commitment to the Society was very evident and she would like to come back to Bannside at a later date to talk about Alzheimer’s. She is both informative and interesting and we look forward
to that. From its inception the Group has had the primary purpose of all age fellowship and fun, so don’t be put off if you’re not into fund raising. The Group is not a fund raising organization. Please consider coming along to do your craft or hobby with us. The Group now meets every Wednesday. ___ ...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...__...___ Belonging in Church Feels Impossible (We found this thought-provoking piece on ‘belonging’ in a blog by Ed Cyzewski and decided it was worth sharing. It has been edited slightly to fit.) Stepping into the car one Sunday morning three years ago, I had no desire to go to church. It was the last place I wanted to go in fact. Back then, church was where you went to be ignored. And if you weren’t ignored, you’d be worked to death, made to jump through hoops called “discipleship,”and discarded when you failed to prove yourself useful or willing to play the game. If you don’t know what “the game” of church is, you need to keep reading. Before my falling out with church, I used to be that guy who volunteered for everything—well, everything except children’s ministry. I mopped, taught, facilitated, strummed, drove, listened, trained, and typed season after season at church. I knew what it was like to give and give and give.
When I’d had enough and the system stopped making sense, I only heard condemnation for bailing on the people of God. I didn’t really want to leave, but I also didn’t see how I could be a healthy person in the church. I didn’t see how all of my input paid off. I just felt hurt and frustrated, when I was promised hope, community, and salvation. I had no choice but to walk out, since staying just made the pain worse. Years outside of the church meant a lot of griping, but they also sparked healing—just enough that I could start thinking of going back to church when we moved to a new town. I didn’t know what I wanted from the church that Sunday. I knew what I didn’t want. I knew what I feared: I expected it to be a big production lacking authentic human interaction and a meaningful connection with God. What would a positive Sunday morning experience look like? Perhaps I longed for some experience of God among people who cared enough about me to learn my name. In the past, I’d belonged to some wonderful churches. In many ways they were healthy and strong. They did so many things right. God used them to teach me from scripture, to introduce prayer and fasting, and to provide glimpses of heaven on earth. By the time we pulled into the parking lot at our new church, worst case scenarios passed through my mind. Would anyone talk to us? Would the worship feel forced or too self-centered? Would the sermon lambast liberals and the godless people outside the church? Would there be a laborious exercise in rigorous biblical interpretation? The service passed, and I survived it. However, we hadn’t yet spoken with anyone, and I realized that, more than anything, I wanted to connect with someone, anyone at this church. Everyone had a friend to chat with at the end of the service, and standing in place, unsure of whether to stick my hands in my pockets or by my sides, I caught a glimpse of what I wanted from the church: I wanted to belong.I ached for community, for people who were going through the same things. For people who could say, “I know what you mean; I’ve gone through that too.” Our awkward waiting paid off. I made myself a beacon of loneliness and someone noticed it. Another young couple walked over to us and introduced themselves. They offered us a faint glimmer of hope that we could belong there. We could worship God with them. We could experience community with them. Of all the things God had taught me over the past seven years, I kept returning to the idea that people matter most. As this couple reached out to us, something shifted in my heart. Perhaps I could deal with my other church issues if I could at least find a place to belong—a safe haven to work them out. The impossible act of going to church became a possibility once again.
DISCOVERY
In early December, Discovery was introduced to Bannside during a Sunday morning service. Discovery, a program developed by
Tearfund, is a creative process which enables churches to show God’s love through action in their community. Here are some words
that help describe Discovery: fun, dynamic, enabling, empowering, confidence-‐building, spiritual, reflective, active, prayerful, loving, understanding, organising and long-‐term.
We have taken our first steps in the Discovery process and have celebrated who we are as a people of faith. We have shared what Bannside means to us, we have identified what gifts and talents we have and we have reflected on how we view the community God has placed us in.
March and April will see us moving forward another few steps in the process as we begin to see our community through God’s eyes and understand better how we can be salt and light in this place.
In the meantime, here are some contributions to the question, “What does Bannside mean to you?” for you to ponder and reflect on.
WELCOMING supportive inclusive happy
A place of reflection an uplifting congregation
Gives friendship and support in life and a sense of belonging
Buzzing with events enthusiastic and positive open-minded
A place where I feel at home and able to use my talents
Loving and giving committed to children and young people
Good at bringing all ages together
A church changing in nature and growing as a response to its congregation and community needs
A family in Christ a place where peace dwells
BELONGING PAIRS Knife and fork, salt and pepper, fish and chips, Adam and Eve. We are all familiar with common word pairs. Perhaps the late Frank Sinatra had word pairs in mind when he penned the sentiment “love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage”. When I
think of the theme for this edition of Buzz I would also see it as part of a word pair. I cannot think of “belonging” without thinking of “acceptance”. To put it another way acceptance and belonging to me are two sides of the same coin. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that acceptance and belonging are one and the same -‐ to be accepted is to belong and to belong is to be accepted. To quote the late Frank Sinatra again “you can’t have one without the other”.
Generally speaking people talk of belonging to a club or organisation or some group where a common interest is shared. In attending they get to mix with like-‐minded folk and friendships can be made and fellowship enjoyed. However before a person can belong to a group, that individual must first be accepted by the group. If I am not accepted into an organization, I will have no chance of belonging to the organisation. Belonging and acceptance are intertwined.
It has to be acknowledged, however, that because of man’s brokenness the hand of friendship may not always be offered. There are many reasons why a person, because of their brokenness, may not be able to accept another and the alternative will be rejection -‐ hurting people hurt other people. It can't all be bad, however, and some degree of belonging can be had in joining with people of like interest. Indeed it may not be recognised that the basic need for acceptance and belonging is to some extent being met within the group.
Whilst a sense of acceptance and belonging can be had in human relationships, people who look solely to fellow humans for these needs to be met may not be acting in their own best interest. Human nature can let us down. The question arises then where can one find acceptance and belonging that is true, that is genuine, that will stand the test of time? Scripture assures us that He has called us by name and that we are His. “Fear not for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine” to quote Isaiah. This tells me that I belong to Him.
It is in Him that my need for belonging -‐ and acceptance -‐ is fully met. It is in Him I find acceptance and belonging that is true, that is genuine and that will stand the test of time. There is also a sense of ‘coming home’ when I realise that I belong to Father God. Incidentally during the Christmas holidays I was doing a bit of window shopping. In a shop I noticed a cushion with the words printed on it “home is ..........where you belong“. Perhaps the old cushion had discovered something that was quite profound! True, a sense of acceptance and belonging can be had in human relationships and this is no bad thing. However, I feel that any experience of belonging to be had from human interaction has to built upon the sense of belonging that one gets from knowing that one is accepted by Father God. “............ I have called you by name, YOU ARE MINE” By Boston Kydd -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The
old things have gone; everything is made new!
2 Cor. 5:17 -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Point to ponder . . . . We belong to God . . . but God does not belong to us.
Secret Island by Enid Blyton is this month’s mystery member’s favourite all-‐time book. She knows parts of the book off by heart. She got it from the library when she was little and checked it out again and again. Then her mum found an old copy that she had had when she was a girl. She really liked the films Tangled and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which was full of drama. She recently started trampolining and has already progressed through several badges. She likes lots of different types of music, with particular favourites being The Script, The Vamps and Ed Sheerin. Her favourite food is Italian, and she loves past carbonara as well as chicken and bacon pizza. She had the opportunity to go to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Paralympics. She has a vivid childhood memory of getting a button stuck up her nose and having to go to A&E. It was so high up that the doctor couldn’t remove it, so she was put under a general anesthesia and got to choose the needle colour—pink! She greatly admires her mum because, “She is really busy but never forgets anything and stays on top of it all.” (aaaawww!) Her dad is also a hero because he always manages to fix everything that goes wrong. She would be most embarrassed if anyone read the old diaries she kept when she was little because all she managed to record was what she’d eaten for breakfast or dinner and she thinks this would look very silly. Her claim to fame is when her family was interviewed by a television news team after a strange UFO-‐like object had been spotted in the vicinity. Her most treasured possession is a painting that her grandad did just before he died. And she is also very fond of her pink watch, a much-‐loved item from her early childhood. She would love to invite Enid Blyton to dinner and find out more about her. She describes herself as chatty and a good listener and acknowledges that she also has her teenage moments (don’t we all!). Her motto is, “if you don’t ask, you’ll never know!”. It’s about not being afraid to ask questions or try new things. Her favourite verse is Romans 8: 38-‐39 and she is comforted by the reminder that nothing can separate us from the love of God. She loves the song, covered by Randy Travis, Shout to the Lord. Bannside has helped her grow in her faith because she has lots of people her age around her and she knows she isn’t the only person trying to have a faith. Who is she?
You are not alone. You belong It gets better. These are a few of a handful of powerful messages that an elegantly designed “belonging intervention” by social psychologist and Stanford assistant professor Gregory Walton conveys to study participants who are going through a difficult period. The intervention uses a technique known as “attributional retraining” to help people shift blame for negative events from “It’s just me” to “ I’m not alone, and there are others going through it.” The goal is to convey to the subjects that when bad things happen, it doesn’t mean they don’t belong in general. Why is this important? “We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life.” So began a stunning meditation by Marina Keegan, a 22-‐year old Yale graduate who died in a tragic car accident. What is the opposite of loneliness? Is it belonging? Because as humans we need to belong. To one another, to our friends and families, to our culture and country, and to our world. Belonging is primal, fundamental to our sense of happiness and well-‐being. Belonging is a psychological lever that has broad consequences, writes Walton. Our interests, motivation, health and happiness are inextricably tied to the feeling that we belong to a greater community that may share common interests and aspirations. Isolation, loneliness and low social status can harm a person’s subjective sense of well-‐being, as well as his or her intellectual achievement, immune function and health. (This extract was taken from an article by CNN journalist Amanda Enayati)
Over the past couple of months you have been hearing about Messy Church. You may have forgotten exactly what you heard, you may still have a few questions or you may have missed it completely! So to bring you up to date ……….. What is Messy Church? Messy Church began in April 2004 in an Anglican church near Portsmouth. It is a church for people (families and individuals), to come together and enjoy being together. We will make things together; eat together and celebrate God together through his word, through music and through prayer. Everyone will be made very welcome. What is special about Messy Church? The most important thing about Messy Church is its central aim of welcoming individuals and whole families together. A sense of belonging awaits everyone who comes to Messy Church. This is for all of us in Bannside (men and women, girls and boys, young and old) as both participants and leaders, and for people in the community who have another church connection or no church connection. If someone has not attended church for a long time or indeed has never attended, they will find a place where they can explore and grow their Christian faith in a warm, safe and fun place. What will we be doing?
Ø Arrival and registration Ø A welcome and short introduction Ø There will then be a range of craft and other activities to choose
from, all related to the theme or Bible story which we will be focusing on.
Ø We will come together again for an interactive celebration with music, stories and worship.
Ø Food is always important! We will share a hot sit-down meal (with vegetarian options). This will provide an opportunity to get to know one another a little better.
Ø Home or you may wish to help clear up. When is the first Messy Church in Bannside? Sunday 29th March from 3.00pm to 5.00pm – Please bring your friends and neighbours and join us for an afternoon of fun, of hearing Bible stories, making crafts and sharing a meal. We look forward to seeing you there !
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY IMPACT Coffee Club @ Captain Cooks. 30th January, 13th and 27th February, 13th and 27th March. 3.45-‐5.00pm. All Year 8s and above welcome! Presbytery Youth BIG NIGHT OUT for IMPACT. 15th February. Meet at church at 6.30 to travel to Loughbrickland Presbyterian. League of Church Loyalty Service 22nd February PW Service 8th March Discovery Service 22nd March Lenten Bible Studies: The Church in the Middle East. 22nd February—Bannside: Christians in Syria 1st March—St. Therese’s Parish Centre: Christians in Egypt 8th March—Holy Trinity C of I: Christians in Israel 15th March—Non-‐Subscrib. Presbyterian: Christians in Lebanon 22nd March—Methodist: Christians in Palestine Good Friday Service 3rd April. 7.45pm Easter 5th April Messy Church 29th March. 3.00-‐5.00pm. Church Hall. Come see what this exciting new ministry is all about! All ages welcome to come and participate. Bring a friend!
Mystery Member
The theme for the March issue will be Good Relations
The deadline for submissions is 25th
February 2015 Email: [email protected]
Emma
Doherty
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