Shepherd’s Watch The magazine for and by the people of the Good Shepherd www.goodshepherdbrighton.org.uk March 2015 60p Responding to Religious diversity... pg 4 Our visit to the mosque ... pg 6 Food Bank ... pg 11 Knowing me, knowing you … pg13 The 5 W’s … pg 21 Holiday Impressions .. pg 22 Victor and Constance, pg 24 Good News ..., pg 25 Programs, news and details of other events
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Shepherd’s Watch The magazine for and by the people of the Good Shepherd
www.goodshepherdbrighton.org.uk
March 2015 60p
Responding to Religious diversity... pg 4
Our visit to the mosque ... pg 6
Food Bank ... pg 11
Knowing me, knowing you … pg13
The 5 W’s … pg 21
Holiday Impressions .. pg 22
Victor and Constance, pg 24
Good News ..., pg 25
Programs, news and details of other events
Page 2 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Vicar
Revd. Felix Mascarenhas
The Vicarage, 272 Dyke Road Brighton BN1 5AE Tel (01273) 882987 [email protected]
Parish Office The Parish Office is open on Wednesday and Friday mornings
from 9.30 to 10.30. The Parish Office telephone number is
While every effort is made to ensure all information in Shepherd’s Watch is cor-
rect, neither the Parochial Church Council nor the individual contributors can
be held responsible or accept liability for any errors and/or omissions.
The PCC does not endorse the companies, products and services that appear in
Shepherd’s Watch. Responsibility for any loss, damage or distress resulting from the use of or reli-
ance on any information in Shepherd’s Watch, however caused, is disclaimed
by the Parochial Church Council.
Introspection, Extroversion and Retroversion
Lent is here; and all that follows, if guided by the Holy Spirit, can blos-
som into a very fruitful season. It is a moment of grace for an "MOT" of our spiritual and even of our physical life.
It is a season of seasons, teaching us how to live the whole year round:
facing the winter blues, sowing better seeds in spring, enjoying the warmth of summer and seeing around with grace when days shorten
and leaves begin to fall.
Entering into oneself, or introspection, would be this season's age old
guiding principle. We are called to look at and into ourselves . "Then
he came to his senses" Luke 15.16b. Such moments of silence and contemplation are essential in Lent.
In the same parable, Luke depicts the picture from the other end:
"While he was still far away, his father saw him" Luke 15.20. It is an extroversion, a part played here by God. We need that confidence that
someone is welcoming us and accepting us. On our part, we are invited
to look at others, in mercy, forgiveness and solidarity. Fasting and almsgiving therefore form part of the discipline.
Retrospection is a sine qua non in our life if we want to change our life for better. "He would have eaten of the husks ..." Luke 15.16a. Though
planning and foresight is needed, a change of one's mindset can only
follow if we look back into our life and check what exactly went wrong.
At times people regard these exercises as foolish and useless. But the
test of truth and the fruits of the season can be gathered, only after the
experience. That is what it means when we celebrate Easter.
Fr Felix
While every effort is made to ensure all information in Shepherd’s Watch is correct, neither the Parochial Church Council nor the individual con-tributors can be held responsible or accept liability for any errors and/or omissions. The PCC does not endorse the companies, products and services that
appear in Shepherd’s Watch. Responsibility for any loss, damage or distress resulting from the use of or reliance on any information in Shepherd’s Watch, however caused, is disclaimed by the Parochial Church Council.
Page 4 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
"Responding to Religious Diversity” -A personal perspective
The first session
I joined the Engaging Christianity course not knowing what to expect but ready to engage with my fellow participants and to explore how we,
as Christians, can make sense of the diversity of religions being fol-
lowed in the world today.
About 14 people sat around the large tables in the Green Room with
Father Felix, Michael and Helen facilitating on that first evening as we started the first of seven sessions. We began with a prayer as we were
to do in every session. Michael put forward some suggestions that we
should commit to being open to listen to each others’ views and to keep
the discussions, in terms of what individuals said, completely confiden-tial. We all did our best do be open and honest as we each explained
what our early experiences with other religions had been. We had each
bought a copy of the course folder and this first session, as every sub-sequent session, was facilitated with tact and a genuine interest in
what everyone had to offer.
My sense at the end of that first session was of relief and joy. My relief
was because nobody seemed to be judgmental towards anyone else.
Divergent views were listened to and the discussions were held in an atmosphere of mutual respect and yet we were being supported (very
effectively) to explore some very challenging questions. My feeling of joy
was because it was thrilling to discuss such issues and the prospect of meeting together every Thursday evening to share our views felt like an
unexpected privilege. It had been a powerful session and I looked for-
ward to the rest of the course.
The content and context of the course As the sessions continued this quality of open and genuine participa-tion continued. We (mostly) diligently did our homework each week
(which consisted of reading from the course folder or watching short
films). During these discussions we grew closer as a group, we listened to each other and learnt lots. With guidance we discussed questions
such as ‘Do we all worship the same God?’ and ‘What can we learn
from other religions?’ We talked and puzzled and at times it felt that my perceptions were challenged as never before. Nevertheless, the
sense was that together we were making progress; we were each able to
voice our opinions and were encouraged to be honest and expansive by
Page 5 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
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our facilitators. We had some good laughs and were asked to use our
brains and our imaginations to think deeply about where we stood on questions of religious thinking and morality. It seemed too that in re-
sponding to the questions in the course folder, we often came to a con-
sensus which seemed to suggest a shared openness to respecting reli-
gious diversity, while holding on firmly to our own convictions of faith.
This course felt to me to encourage careful thought about the world we
are living in today. A world in which, it seems that we are encouraged to view religious diversity with fear and derision. Gradually we were
led, through open discussions and the expertise of our facilitators, to
consider whether we could be humble in the face of difference and we were asked to explore together to what extent we can learn from the
way that those of other religions approach their faith. As a group we
were ourselves diverse, in terms of life experience, our individual faith journeys and, of course, our different outlooks.
Unexpected outcomes
I was deeply moved by an unexpected outcome of these shared discus-
sions of how we relate to other religions. A personal outcome for me
was a level of increased commitment and tenderness towards the relig-ion that I have grown up in and grown into. There was also a wonder-
Page 6 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
ful sense of connection with the people around the table as we worked
through the Thursday evening course. The church services on Sundays seemed to resonate with a fresh vitality on account of the deep belong-
ing that I was feeling towards my own Christian faith. In our weekly
discussions, I felt we gradually came to the conclusion that people of
other religions feel as passionately about their religions as we did and through concerted discussion we seemed to reach the consensus that it
is imperative to offer others respect and more than this, many of us felt
moved to seek to engage with those of other faiths as fellow, faithful human beings.
Why religions still attract people? In my earlier years I had always experienced some reservations towards
organized religion. I questioned how can anyone be so sure that their religion is the right one and doesn’t the fact of so many religious wars
in human history indicate that we have all got something fundamen-
tally wrong in the way that we seek to relate to our God. But today,
despite the tragedy of war and atrocities, still being carried out in the name of God, Jehovah or Allah, I appreciate my own Christian faith
and the strength it gives me and also I value the opportunity to come
together with others who also profess this faith, to share and celebrate our ties. This is a major attraction of religion; this sense of belonging to
a shared community that look to the fact of our creation with thanks-
giving and awe.
This course has offered me the opportunity to address with others what
attracts me to confess my faith and to consider how I can stand firm in my faith and still be open to those who had different faith convictions,
as well as those with no faith. Here in the UK, confessing a Christian
faith is perhaps potentially stigmatizing and may opens us to ridicule
and charges of being naïve and without intellectual sophistication. Holding a Muslim faith in the UK today however opens that individual
to potential abuse and almost certainly to suspicion and hostility. It is
my view that a strong impulse for many of us (as human beings) is to worship and offer thanks to God. People who adhere to other faiths
such as Jews and Hindus have their own challenges to deal with by the
way society views or stereotypes them. This course has convinced me that we need to respect that although our religions might differ, it is
the very fact of our faith that offers us the opportunity to make deep
and lasting connections.
A possible legacy of this course
Page 7 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Being involved in this course was a real privilege. We were able to have genuine and profound dialogue without necessarily always coming to
all-round agreement. We shared our experiences and opinions and re-
spected the rights of each other to hold views that differed to our own.
In a sense these outcomes from the course mirror those that we should hope for in relation to inter-faith discourse; mutual respect, attempts to
understand and appreciate our differences and genuine dialogue.
Whatever our faith or beliefs, it is an appreciation of our shared hu-
manity and our appreciation of the everlasting loving kindness of God,
that can be the catalyst that can bring us together.
It was wonderful to be able to have the opportunity to explore how
much we have in common with others and how we, as committed Christians, are obliged, by virtue of our faith, to hold open our minds
and our hearts to connect to others, especially in these difficult times,
to take us into a more unified future.
Yaa Asare
Our visit to Brighton Al-Quds mosque on 22nd January 2015
As we neared the end of our 12 week religious diversity course the group decided we should experience religious diversity first hand . We
decided to visit our neighbours at the Al-Quds mosque as we had
looked at some length at the Muslim faith and Islam is the second larg-est religion after Christianity which is the first . Many of us had never
visited a mosque before but we knew the ladies amongst the group had
to cover their heads , apart from that we had no expectations .
Upon arrival we took our shoes of at the entrance and were very
warmly welcomed by the Imam and two fellow worshipers. Once in the
prayer hall there were chairs laid out on the prayer carpet and a table laden with Biscuits ,Chocolates , Tea and other refreshments in readi-
ness for our visit. The hospitality and greeting was such that we knew
immediately that we were not only welcome but we were wanted in the same way that you might welcome a much loved guest or friend, the
rest of our visit was characterised by this warmth.
The Imam had prepared a presentation and was very ably assisted by
two fellow worshippers one of whom stood out as a learned scholar
Page 8 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
with a PHD, he was erudite and spoke eloquently about Islam and Is-
lamic affairs. The Imam told us that worshippers pray on the prayer mat facing Mecca and we saw a section of the room had been parti-
tioned off for women to pray separately, this avoids distraction and en-
hances the devotion of the prayers to Allah. There were no images or
pictures of Allah on the walls as there is no evidence that anybody knows what Allah looks like. The mosque itself was simple and unpre-
tentious devoid of signs of worship, again to keep the minds clear of
distraction during worship. This particular mosque is also used as a community centre enabling it to serve the important function of sup-
porting the varying needs of the Muslim community and from our hos-
pitality it serves to promote also community engagement and thus fos-tering the harmony so essential to the multi cultural society that we
live in.
We learned of the five Tenets at the core of Muslim life which are as
follows :
Faith . Religion dominates a Muslim’s life and is always upper most in their
minds.
. Monotheism - belief in one God is the most important and founda-tional concept in Islam. God or Allah in Arabic created everything in
the world and has power over everything within it. Allah is the only one
deserving of any worship and the ultimate purpose of all creation is to submit to him. Mankind was created to worship God. God sent mes-
sages to guide people in fulfilling this purpose. Some of these messen-
gers include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad peace be upon all of them. The final prophet was Mohammad peace be
upon him (pbuh)
Prayer . For Muslim’s worship is a comprehensive concept consisting of spe-
cific rituals as well as general actions that promote good. It encourages
people to conduct every aspect of their lives with God consciousness. The Quran is the central religious text of Islam which Muslims believe
to be a revelation from God to Muhammad peace be upon
him .Muslims pray five times a day at Dawn, Noon, mid afternoon , sunset and nightfall. Friday is a special day for Muslims and many will
try to the Mosque to pray together get .The importance of prayer at the
heart of Islam cannot be overstated, hence the presence of a digital clock on the wall in the Prayer Hall setting out the times of prayer.
Page 9 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Muslims pray to Allah who is held in the highest esteem and revered.
The life of a Muslim is based on trying to please God and form a very good relationship with God so that one may gain degrees of respect and
friendship with the All Merciful. We saw the devotion to prayers whilst
the group presentation was taking place when a worshipper prayed to
Allah undisturbed by our presence. Before prayer worshippers perform Wudu which involves using washing
facilities to clean parts of the body usually in preparation for formal
prayers.
Concern for the needy and charity
This is important as Muslims believe that everything belongs to God and are possessions are purified by setting a proportion for those in
need of one’s capital income.
Self-Purification
This is important and each year in the month of Ramadan when all
Muslims fast from first light until sun down abstaining from food and
drink. There are notable exceptions including the sick and elderly. This fasting is seen as a method of self-purification.
The annual pilgrimage to Makka- the Hajj Those that can afford it and are well enough to travel are expected to
travel at least once in their life time.
There are a number of commonalities between Islam and Christian-
ity .The Quran acknowledges that during his prophetic mission Jesus
Performed many miracles. It is not surprising then to learn that Islam tolerates other beliefs, this is specifically provided for in the Quran, Is-
lamic law protects the privileged status of minorities. We were referred
to a number of examples of Non Muslim places of worship in Islamic
countries.
Islam teaches that ones life doesn't end on earth, rather it is followed
by the eternal life of the hereafter. Muslims believe that they will return to God when they die, therefore instead of the end death becomes part
of a continuum which stretches in to eternity.
Muslims seek salvation in the hereafter by living a god conscious and virtuous life in this world. The fear of accountability in the hereafter
along with hope in the promise of Gods ultimate justice motivates them
to orient their present lives around the comprehensive worship of God, this being the true purpose of human existence.
Page 10 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Muslims believe in the day of judgement, resurrection, Heaven and
Hell.
At the end of the presentation ,our questions were answered honestly
and openly, the Imam and his fellow worshippers present was kind enough to commemorate our visit by taking photographs with us. The
Imam has since sent us these lovely photographs. Each member of our
group was given their own copy of the Quran to keep as we left, we were genuinely surprised at this generosity.
The visit was significant and memorable for many reasons ,as we
walked back a number of our group expressed their surprise at how different Islam as stated in the Quran and those who pray in the
Mosque really was from the stereotypes and perceptions that we see
and hear in the media. Our visit to the mosque underlined the fact that Islam is a religion of peace, love and generosity. We fail to under-
stand how what we have just witnessed could in some quarters be so
grossly misrepresented and would urge others to raise their awareness of other faiths by looking in from the inside, rather than relying on oth-
ers misconceptions and perceptions. We understand that there are
various interpretations of the Quran as practised in different countries but the interpretation that the Imam has placed on the Quran as prac-
ticed in the mosque is that which I have recounted herein.
Augustina Tetsola
=======================
Afternoon Tea in style, or Treasure in heaven.
Matching china - cups and saucers, side plates, supper plates, three
tiered cake stand, sugar basin, milk jug, all carefully collected and
added to the original "half tea set" wedding present. Larger cups for breakfast, jam dishes. I was so pleased that the "For Export only" no-
tices had gone from so many things.
Utility items were no longer acceptable in plain
white. We had left boring shortages behind and
could have more choice.
Grandma's china was well known and so present
giving was easy. The patterned china filled the cupboard - and then -
it could not go in the dishwasher because it had gold rims.The family gatherings were getting bigger.
Page 11 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Now, after all that collecting, even the charity shops don't want it ! I
would like the cupboard space for other things but .........well, piece by piece it must have cost a lot of money.
Now, a mug of coffee and a biscuit is great and the mug can go in the
dish washer.
Daisy Walpole
=======================
Food for those in need
Every couple of weeks I take about 8 full bags of food from the basket
in the church porch to the Basics Bank near the fire station in Brigh-
ton. I’ve been doing this since May last year when I took over the task
from Janet Annis when she moved to Goring. I am amazed how
quickly the food mounts up and I am humbled by how grateful the staff
at the centre are.
The Basics Bank is the social welfare arm of the Brighton & Hove City
Mission. They support people who are in genuine financial crisis that
isn’t a result of their choice of lifestyle. They offer practical support
with food. They are able to give up to four weeks support with food
parcels to the value of £25 per week. Those with particularly difficult
situations can receive help for longer.
It might seem incredible that there should be a need for food parcels in
our mostly affluent and advanced society today, but the reality is quite
different. Clients say to them that they have not eaten a meal for days
and they say that it’s a humbling experience to see their reaction when
they visit and see the full shelves on display in the Basics Bank.
The Basics bank operates by referral only from recognised agencies.
Currently they work in partnership with over 40 different agencies
across the city. By working with recognised agencies they are able to
ensure, as far as possible, that their resources are targeting those who
are really in need. The agencies include Age Concern, Brighton & Hove
City Council, British Red Cross, Social Services and Clocktower Sanc-
tuary – a charity the Good Shepherd supported last year.
Page 12 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
This is the list of suggested items for donations:
Tinned goods Packets
All meat, vegetables and fish Sugar, Cereals
Spaghetti Sweet biscuits
Tomatoes Packet sauces/instant
Fruit and Desserts mash potato Rice/Noodles
Tea, coffee, drinking chocolate
Stock cubes and gravy
Jars and Bottles
Pasta/Curry Sauce Toiletries (male and female)
Jam/Marmalade/ Shampoo/shower gel
Chocolate spread Toothpaste/brushes
Honey Deodorant/razors
Marmite Toilet rolls
Peanut butter
Fruit Juice/Squash
Long-life Milk
They will also accept fresh vegetables such as potatoes and ap-
ples – but it would be helpful if you could let me know if you put
these into the basket so that I can arrange a delivery as soon as
possible.
The Basics Bank is something most of us can easily support –
just an extra packet or tin when you shop of maybe donate the
“free” item when you Buy-one-get-one-free. The local people who
will be the recipients really do need your help – and I’ll be more
than happy to take 8 bags every week.
Pat Hunter
Page 13 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Knowing me knowing you ....
Sheena Richardson has been a regular attendee in our church for the last three years or so. She has been taking care of our hall bookings and has also joined the Social Committee.
I was born in Paisley,Scotland 54 years ago. My Father was Scot-tish and was born in Lahore, India (which is now Pakistan) My
Mother was Russian and was born in Singapore. I have 2 broth-ers. Stuart, who lives in Edinburgh, & Bruce, who lives in Kuala
Lumpur. Malaysia.
My Father worked for The Chartered Standard Bank, so a year after I was born we moved to Colombo in Ceylon (which is now
Sri Lanka). Next move was to Malaysia. We lived in Alor Star,
Penang & finally Kuala Lumpur. We moved every 2.5 years.
From the age 9 I went to a boarding school. Dollar Academy in Scotland. While I was there my parents moved to Lahore, Kara-
chi, back to Kuala Lumpur & finally to Brunei. I travelled to these country's 3 times a year during school holidays.
I left school at 16 & lived in Brunei with my parents for a year before going to college at Evendine Court in Colwall, Worcester
and completed a Cordon Bleu Diploma.
My first job was as an Assistant Chef in Blairloggie Hotel(Scotland) for 4 months before being made redundant. I
then worked as an Assistant Chef in a Hall of Residence for Ed-inburgh University for 4 years.
I moved to London & worked as a Head Chef for a Kings College Hall of Residence for 4 and half years then moved to another hall
as an Assistant Manager & worked there until I was made re-dundant in 2012.
I loved living in London but decided it was time to move. As I
have always liked Brighton/Hove I decide to move here & was
Page 14 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
lucky to find a flat in Hove which was the first of two best thing I
did. Second was coming to the Church of The Good Shepherd! I was made to feel so welcoming. I felt I had come home.
Less than a year later I was baptised & confirmed at St Marga-
ret's Church in Rottingdean by the Bishop of Chichester.
I was asked to take over the running of the bookings for the Church Hall. I was honoured to be asked as I have always loved
meeting new people & helping any way I can, which is why I
have taken over the running of the Tea Club for the over 55s and like the Church Hall am enjoying it very much.
Another reason I love Brighton/Hove are the theatres. I espe-
cially love musicals even though those of you that have sat near me know I can't sing in tune but love doing it!
I think as long as we keep welcoming new people into the
Church the way I was welcomed & keep doing all the things that
we do in the Church we will be here for a long time.
Thank you for reading my piece, I hope I have not put you to sleep.
God Bless, Sheena Richardson
Guild of the Servers of the Sanctuary
Brighton Chapter.
Guild of the Servers of the Sanctuary, Brighton Chapter,
are holding a Sung mass, Feast of title at the Good Shep-herd on Monday 13th April at 8pm. Members of the Good
Shepherd are warmly invited to join us. Refreshments will be served after the Service.
John Holden (P.G3 Councillor
Page 15 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Choral Concert: The Esterházy Chamber Choir
Vaughan Williams: Mass in G minor
And also Rheinberger: Mass in E flat major Stanford Motets
Saturday 28 March 2015, 7.30pm Church of St John the Evangelist, Knoyle Road, Preston,
Brighton BN1 6RB
Conductor: Sandy Chenery
Tickets £10 in advance from our website, £12 on the door
(under 16’s free)
See Website www.esterhazychoir.org for more details
Page 16 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
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Page 17 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
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providing a professional service to meet individual client needs
22nd: Lent 1, Eucharist with ashes & Healing Ministry, 10.15am
28th: Lent Breakfast/Talk , by a Representative From 'Hearing Dogs for the Deaf' 9.30am
March 2015 1st: Lent 2; Breakfast for all at 9.45
7th: Lent Breakfast/Talk, by a Representative from ‘Water Aid’,
9.30am 7th : Spring Gardening, Followed by lunch 9.45am. Volunteers please!
14th: PCC Away-day. 10.00 - 15.00, All Saints, Patcham
15th: MOTHERING SUNDAY, 4th of Lent
22nd: APCM, soon after the Eucharist of 10.15am 28th: Lent Breakfast/Talk by a Representative from ’Carousel’ 9.30am
29th: PALM SUNDAY. Holy Week Program details on the next page
April 2015
5th: EASTER; Treasure Hunt for children after the 10.15am service.,
May 2015
24th : PENTECOST
11th : Easter IV Good Shepherd Sun 10.15am; Choral E Song 6.30pm 24th : TRINITY SUNDAY
June 2013
13th : Fam Fun Day 2-5pm, Festival week-end begins
Page 31 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
HOLY WEEK PROGRAM
Palm Sunday 24th March 10.15am: Procession of Palms from the Hall. Dramatised Passion
Gospel & Sung Eucharist leading into the Holy Week
We take part in the Dramatised Passion taking us back to the first Holy week. No TfG service for children in the hall on this Sunday! 6pm: Stations of the Cross.
Mon. Tue.& Wed 30th, 31st Mar. 1st April 8pm: On Mon. Eucharist at Good Shepherd; Tue. at St Matthias’ and
Wed. at St John’s
We have reflect quietly on different aspects of Jesus’ passion.
Maundy Thurs. 2nd Apr.
8pm: Eucharist & Shared Supper with Washing of Feet followed by Watch.
Our Church becomes the Upper Room; we recall the Last Supper, wel-coming Christ in Communion. The Lady Chapel then becomes our Geth-semane; we keep vigil there and respond to Christ’s call: “Watch and pray with me!”
Good Friday 3rd April, 10am: Family Service followed by Hot Cross Buns
Our young people will explore Jesus’ journey on Good Friday and build a garden to await his Resurrection.
1pm: An Hour Before the Cross: Reflections, Silence and Hymns, led by The Revd Dr Mathew Phillip
2pm: The Liturgy of Good Friday with the Proclamation of the
Cross and Holy Communion
We discover the Cross in Words (the Passion Gospel), the Cross in Wood (as the Cross is carried into Church as a focus of our devotions) and the Cross in Bread (as we share in the Sacrament).
Easter 5th April
8am: Eucharist
10.15: Easter Eucharist We light the new fire and the Easter candle symbolizing Christ, the light of the world, risen from the darkness of the grave. We process joyfully
into Church and sing the Easter Song of Praise. We celebrate the Eucha-rist of the Resurrection as we welcome Him into our lives. Treasure hunt for children at the end!
Page 32 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Mothers’ Union Spring Calendar
Saturday 7th March 9am Corporate Communion in the Holy Redeemer
Chapel
Thursday 12th March 12.45pm Talk Time led by Carole Briggs at 57
Tamworth Road, Hove. Followed by snack lunch
Thursday 9th April 12.45pm Talk time led by Beth Parker at First floor flat, 35 Hove Park Road, Hove. Followed by snack lunch
Thursday 23rd April 7.30pm Dr Sue Lipscombe will speak about her work. Venue TBA
Saturday 2nd May 9.00am Corporate Communion in the Lady Chapel
Saturday 9th May Diocesan AGM and Spring Council at Haywards
Heath Methodist Church. 10.00am till 3.00pm
Thursday 14th May 12.45pm Talk Time led by Pauline Nissen at 1
Shirley Road, Hove, Followed by snack lunch
A date for your diary: Don’t forget the Brighton District Overseas Day
to be held here at the Good Shepherd on Saturday 26th September.
Although we will not be doing a house to house collection this
year please support this worthwhile cause by coming to the Cof-fee Morning on Saturday 23rd May 10.30am til 12.30pm in the
church hall. Bring your friends and neighbours! See further pub-licity nearer the time.
Christine James
Page 33 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
Are we being served?
At this time of year it is nice to get away from the cold weather and this year there was an added bonus – I was able to escape the attentions of
the media with its endless bombardment of often biased material rela-
tive to the forthcoming General Election – or should I say lottery? The
problem is that I have had to return and will have the pleasure of lis-tening to the gobbledygook that is being served up as part of our diet
by over-zealous reporters, commentators, statisticians and know-alls,
for some weeks to come.
Clearly a General Election should be taken
seriously: some would argue that it affords us the opportunity of telling elected officials
and law makers how we feel about educa-
tion, public safety, social security, health and other issues. But are such objectives
being achieved?
It goes without saying that the decisions of
a significant proportion of a fickle electorate are based on self-interest, as against the
collective good and it is for this reason that
some political parties thrive on the envy and greed that exists in society. In my view
our predicament was aptly summed up in
an article written by Michael Leapman in 1998, titled ‘Welcome to the world of weasel words’ in which, among
other things he said:
“We are living in the age of weasel words, where things thought too dreadful to be said outright are clothed in soothing euphemisms”.
“In politics the rules are slightly different. Words are chosen not to exag-gerate or shade meaning but to give an impression quite opposite to the truth”. Surely democracy is about trust and openness - not covert manipula-tion; it is also about respect for Parliamentary process. But isn’t it a
fact that politicians seem to increasingly ignore our views: they tell us
what we wish to hear today, they go their separate ways tomorrow? : we are in danger of re-electing politicians that were complicit in creat-
ing our current ills and should have been cast into the wilderness, to
engage in more of the same: we are reviled for expressing personal
views: escalating immigration issues remain unresolved: we have a situation where a party that failed to destroy the Union could now play
Page 34 The Good Shepherd Magazine Mar. 2015
a prominent role in our governance: we are at the mercy of ‘so-called’
experts presenting incomprehensible facts and figures daily that we really do not understand, let alone trust. You couldn’t make it up!
Clearly it is accepted that Governments exercise political authority over
the actions and affairs of the people but many believe that compared to its pre-twentieth century functions, government (in Western democra-
cies) has taken on new and vast roles. In this connection, it would be
interesting to know what Adam Smith, the eighteenth-century Scottish moral philosopher would say about the expanded role of modern gov-
ernment today. Smith’s views were rational; he believed the ideal func-
tions of government were few and well defined. In his classic work, ‘An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations’, written in
1776, he outlined three important government functions: national de-
fence, administration of justice (law and order), and the provision of certain public goods (e.g., transport infrastructure and basic and ap-
plied education). Clearly, government has grown beyond the bounds of
these limited duties.
Some people would argue that government has expanded because of
necessity; that modern society requires redistribution of wealth for sta-
bility and regulation to constrain the excesses of an unfettered market. Many believe it is unrealistic for government in the twenty-first century
to adhere to the limited roles envisioned by Smith. However, I am of the
view that Smith is right concerning limitation of government involve-ment, as government’s expanded roles are now crowding out traditional
and essential functions to society’s detriment and removing the need
for us to take a measure of responsibility for ourselves.
In my view the coming election will be one of the most significant elec-
tions in our history, the outcome of which could establish whether we
remain a credible force on the world stage. In the circumstances it is essential that we vote and carefully consider where we will place our
cross on polling day. We require strong leadership with trusted allies
whose track record can withstand scrutiny – not a mishmash of indi-viduals whose loyalties can be bought for thirty pieces of silver. We
need to put aside partisan issues: we need to think outside the box and
above all, think beyond our interests in the interests of the common good.