The Elisa Times

9 Albert Parade, Old Town

Tel: 01323 720650

Advent: Advent:

The Countdown to The Countdown to

ChristmasChristmas What does it mean to you?

Inside this edition: The Vicars Desk ~ Christmas Quiz ~ What’s On? ~ The Lounge ~

Esuubi News ~ The Lounge ~ St Elisabeth’s 80th anniversary ~ Totz @

11, Kidz @ 11 & Youth @ 11 ~ Christian Book and CD reviews

Getting into The Word ~ Church Diary

Christmas 2013

“Loving God, being His People”

50p

The Vicar The Revd. David Gillard

St Elisabeth's Vicarage, 11 Baldwin Ave.

649728

The Curate The Revd. Jill Preece

2 Osborne Road

638020

Churchwardens Vera Donnison 734252

Russell Langley 749235

Readers Mavis Relph 734252

David Carey 505240

Community Arts Workers Fenya Sharkey 430667

Clem Jackson 728571

Centre Manager Mark Jones 07582 470017

Brownies Jane Yeoman 723116

Caring & Sharing Christine Baitmansour 643307

Car Transport Rota Romy McCabe 643731

Children’s Society Sarah Doble 469272

CMS Jean Wright 639507

Family Support Worker Christine Baitmansour 643307

Group with no name David Gillard 649728

Julian Group Dorothy James 728721

Kidz @ 11 Ann Eyre 411470

Leprosy Mission Mavis Relph 734252

Magazine Editor Mandy Mulford 500070

Missions to Seafarers Ann Harris 723753

Mothers Union Verena Leppard 502712

Parche Group David Carey 505240

PCC Secretary Pam Yarnton 729102

Publicity Officer Mandy Mulford 500070

Rainbows Becca Miller

Scouts Bev Levett 749640

Totz on Thursday Jill Preece 638020

Treasurer Malcolm Preece 638020

US Representative Judy Williamson 731715

TNT Youth Group Jeanette Laing 731128

Working Party Bruce Williamson 731715

Our Mission statement

St Elisabeth’s is an expression of God’s Kingdom

We are a community which:

Worships God and seeks to both tell people about Jesus

and to share his love practically

Our Aims

To provide a broad mixture of worship styles which allow

people to meet with God in a way that is helpful to them.

To show practical expressions of God’s love to the wider

community.

To build community through various social events and

seeking to share our lives together.

To be a healthy church that is growing spiritually and

numerically.

Find us on

St Elisabeth’s, Eastbourne

www.sainte.co.uk

Victoria Baptist Church. Thursday

21st November by Mandy Mulford

On Thursday myself, Jeanette, Sandy,

Janet, Clem, Emily, Sue, Julie and Ann

went along to Victoria Baptist Church

for this inspirational and eye opening

event. So, just how do you get your

children through church without

them ending up hating God? Rob

Parsons suggests that one of the ways

is by getting them ready for

disappointment. Rob stresses that

there are three disappointments and

five faith-wreckers that parents need

to be aware of!

Disappointment No.1

Thinking they have let God down.

They have to know, there is always a

way back. Rob used the word

‘prodigal’ often to describe how the

door is always open and God’s arms

are always there, open wide and ready

to welcome his children home

Disappointment No.2

Disappointment with others.

Some of our deepest hurts will be at

the hands of people inside the church.

Sometimes the things we do to each

other are unspeakable. “Kids are

affected by leaders who fall – maybe

their pastor or their youth leader.

Sometimes we build them up too

much, and when these people fall, a

whole bunch of kids fall with them. We

have to say to our children: ‘You can

admire people, you can look up to

them, but these people are not Jesus.’

Disappointment No.3

Disappointment with God.

When they are little, they pray: ‘Give

me a fine day for my birthday’, or

‘Make my hamster better’, but the

time is coming when they will ask God

to make their best friend well from

cancer, and next year they will be

praying by their graveside, crying in

the rain. “So many people never

recover from that day. We don’t tell

them the truth about unanswered

prayer because we don’t want to put

them off.

Cynicism ~ Hypocrisy.

Judgementalism ~

Over-Familiarity ~ Busyness

The evening was full of insight,

fantastic advice and amazing

worship courtesy of Nathan and

Lou Fellingham

careforthefamily.org.uk 24

5 Faith-Wreckers

St Elisabeth’s Church

Services and other activities

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Advertising Christmas? This piece has been written several

weeks prior to publication. It’s still

two weeks before Advent and the

hike towards Christmas has begun

with almost every advert on

television seemingly about buying

things for Christmas! With such a

lengthy build-up it’s no surprise that

for many the focus of Christmas are

presents, parties and pleasure.

Everyone likes to celebrate and have

the best time possible and

advertising influences how we

celebrate Christmas. The Christmas

advert with the bear and the rabbit is

very cute (do you know the one?)

and is designed to pull at the heart-

strings. It’s as if the advertising

executives are reaching our deeper

emotions suggesting that their

particular store can meet those

needs. Yes, it is cute that the rabbit

sees her bear friend at Christmas but

that shop certainly cannot meet our

deep expectations in life!

So, Christmas. Shops. Presents.

Expectations. Or shepherds.

Angels. Wise men. Baby.

I believe the

Christian

story can

meet life’s

deepest

expecta-

tions. That’s

what Jesus’

birth heralds – fulfilled life (which

doesn’t mean trouble free). The

reason for the season is to encounter

the one who brings sense out of

chaos, who gives peace when other

hopes have ended. Yet there is no

advertising hype. Okay, an awesome

angelic host announced good news

to shepherds sitting on a hillside.

Other than that, and later some wise

men also having an angelic

encounter, there was no sustained

Christmas advertising campaign. Yet

we can safely say that Christianity will

be around far longer than the store

the bear and rabbit represent, and

Christianity’s strong survival through

the passage of time says something

about the authenticity of its story.

The Christian claim that knowing

Jesus makes life fulfilling has been

told throughout the centuries. So, as

you watch yet another Christmas

commercial (or if reading this post

Boxing Day, then holiday

commercials promising the best

experience ever) do pause to

remember that we’re not simply

celebrating a birth of a child at

Christmas, but are celebrating an

encounter with God that truly brings

fulfilment and peace throughout life.

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From The Vicar’s Desk

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1950’s Christmas Celebrations by Ron Shotter

It usually said that Christmas is for

children, and I suppose that’s right;

they do get more out of it than

adults. Christmas at school meant a

Christmas party and when I was

aged 6 in 1953, I was cast in a play

featuring the nursery rhyme,

‘Cockadoodle Do.” I was the

cockerel so I didn’t have too much

to remember, just a few

‘COCKADOO’S’ in the right place.

When my parents took me home

the sky was covered with stars and I

still have a fascination for them.

At junior school the headmistress,

after giving us our work

assignments then spent the

afternoon spreading rolls with

butter and various meat and fish

pastes ready for the party after

school. It would probably be

frowned on today as unhygienic;

but as far as I know, no one had any

health issues from it.

Games of course were pass the

parcel, blind mans bluff, pinning the

tail on the donkey and musical

chairs. Miss Calnan, the

headmistress gave everyone in her

class a sixpenny piece, which in

those days was quite a lot of

money. I can remember buying two

Christmas cards with mine, they

were 3d each.

I think the worse Christmas party I

went to was when I was 8 years old.

My aunt worked for Lyons bakery

and the workers could bring their

children along. Usually I went with

my elder brother Richard but that

year he’d been invited to a friend’s

birthday party and so I went on my

own. I didn’t know anyone there

and apart from the food I sat on the

periphery of the party for most of

the evening, feeling too shy to take

part. Just before the last event, a

conjuror; a little girl sat with me, I

befriended her and we both went to

see the conjuror’s act together.

I do remember that shops didn’t put

up Christmas decorations until

November. I don’t know whether

that was because until 1954 we still

had rationing or whether they didn’t

wish to put them up too soon. It

was certainly a more festive time,

without the commercial hype we

have today.

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Christmas Quiz 1. What date is St Stephen's Day? 2. In “A Christmas Carol” who was Scrooge's dead business

partner? 3. The song White Christmas was first performed in which

1942 film? 4. London's Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is traditionally

given by which country? 5. In “The Twelve Days of Christmas”…’my true love gave to

me nine...' what? 6. Name the original eight reindeer from the 'Twas the night

Before Christmas' poem? 7. Which Christmas carol includes the lyrics '...To save us all

from Satan's power, when we were gone astray..'? 8. What colour are the berries of the mistletoe plant? 9. In the inspirational 1946 film, It's a Wonderful Life, what's

the name of George Bailey's guardian angel? 10. What Christmas item was invented by London baker and

wedding-cake specialist Tom Smith in 1847? 11. From which country does the poinsettia plant originate?

12. Who is credited as the author of Auld Lang Syne?

1. 26th December 2.Jacob Marley 3.Holiday Inn 4.Norway 5.Ladies dancing 6.Comet, Cupid, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donner, Blitzen 7.God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 8.White 9. Clarence (Oddbody) 10. Christmas cracker 11. Mexico 12.Robert Burns

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A small communion service was

held in what is now the Harfield

Room on 18th February 1934. God

has faithfully kept his church going,

although, as our history tells us, it

has been a challenge at times! We

are going to celebrate and make

the most of the opportunity our

anniversary provides to tell local

people why we are here and what

we are about. In other words, this

is going to be a year of mission.

Now don’t run for cover at that

point! The events we are

organising will both celebrate and

advertise who we are. They will be

fun and accessible to all and we’d

love you to take part and to join

the challenge. The challenge is to

live out our Christian belief in ways

that show others what we believe

and why. Those ‘others’ are

family, friends, neighbours, casual

acquaintances that we encounter

during the day. The challenge isn’t

to ‘bible bash’ them, rather to

simply pray for them, and to pray

for opportunities to naturally

demonstrate why you follow Jesus.

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Now, each follower of Jesus is part

of God’s advertising campaign,

showing others how powerful an

encounter with Jesus can fulfil our

lives. 2014 is this Church’s 80th

anniversary and we are going to

celebrate! Events begin in

February. The year will give us a

fresh opportunity to demonstrate

to those who know little or noth-

ing about Christian belief about

what we believe. We have no

major advertising campaign, no

bears or rabbits, just ourselves. We

do that by demonstrating to those

amongst whom we live the

positive difference following Jesus

makes to us. And you know that

as we live out what we believe,

so people will notice and some

will want to know more. That is

the power of advertising! So,

enjoy your celebration of

Christmas and let the vast amount

of Christmas advertising cause you

to think about how you will

advertise what you belief in Jesus

during our anniversary year.

Happy Christmas !

Celebrating our 80th

Anniversary

You’ll know that 2014 is our 80th

Anniversary year, but do you

know where the first service was

held?

Church Chortles

Thank you Don Young for this rib tickler!

The children were lined up for

lunch in the cafeteria of a

Catholic school. At the head of

the table sat a large bowl of

apples, to which the Sister had

attached the following note:

"Take only one, God is watch-

ing."

At the other end of the table

was a large platter of chocolate

chip cookies to which one clever

young boy had attached this

note:

"Take all you want. God is

watching the apples."

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One Sparkly Christmas Night Julia Stone £5.99 This is a beautifully illustrated children's board book that tells the story of the little shepherd boy at Christmas. It's simply narrated as it follows the shepherd boy as he is visited by an angel, meets the wise men and then finds the baby Jesus. What is truly delightful about this book are the illustrations by Angela Muss. They are bright, engaging and tactile wherever it sparkles and are sure to capture the attention of its reader. What's also wonderful though is

that it is sparkly without leaving glitter all over your hands, as any parent will tell you this is a huge plus in its favour. Overall a great book for younger children during the Christmas period.

The Word’s Out: Speaking the Gospel Today David Male & Paul Weston

£8.99 Evangelism is something that most Christians are good at talking about but, when actually confronted with or challenged about doing it, feel apprehensive and anxious. Male and Weston suggest that, at a time when most people do not attend church and have little idea of what the Christian Faith is about, evangelism is more important than ever. However, what they propose is that traditional views and methods of evangelism need to be reassessed in the light of what is actually found in the New

Testament. Their book sets out to show that evangelism is a team game for the whole church, not just those supposedly ‘gifted’ that way. The authors suggest that evangelism needs to be re-imagined in terms of living the Gospel in everyday life in order to reconnect with those on the church fringe as well as those who are well outside. Very readable, this book will set you thinking, whether a church leader or someone who sits in the pew.

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For Love’s Sake Andrew Walkington £9.99 This is a rare modern-day Christian feature film set in the UK. The story revolves around a family which includes a preacher father, a depressive mother and two lively young boys. Dad dies in a motor cycle accident, the day after the youngest son tells him he wants to be a Christian, and Mum descends into a depressive state. Enter friendly social worker who seems to really care about this family, ultimately

putting his own job at risk. Kids get sent to non-believing paternal grandparents – who then find they can’t cope. With the help of a friendly Christian psychiatrist Mum begins to get it together but not before kids are sent to a children’s home. The story contains many strands coming together including a problematic social services operation, abusive children’s home and how the kids deal with all that is thrown at them – both badly and positively. A good home group discussion starter, well told. But why does it always snow in films at Christmas!

Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas 47 mins + extras £9.99

The Veggietales gang are back with another Christmas tale. This time it’s set in a shopping mall and sees Larry and Bob on other sides of the divide about what the ‘True Light of Christmas’ is all about. Larry, the Christmas Elf, ‘gets’ the idea it is about doing something for

others whereas Bob, who’s into Christmas lights in a BIG way, just wants to make the biggest light display he can. As usual, it all turns out well in the end but not before some good lessons have been learned. . There’s a silly song too “I wrapped myself up for Christmas” (say no more) and a really great song from Toby Mac “Light of Christmas” which is one that could be used for children of all ages.

What’s New? Christian DVD and Book Reviews

with Clem Jackson

Celebrating our 80th Anniversary

So back to our anniversary schedule. A full list of ‘official’ events

can be found in church. Please do sign-up to help organise these

events. You may also want to organise an event for a church

group you are involved with. What are those events?

Here are a few…….

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Sunday 16th February United Anniversary Worship @ 10.30am The Harfield Room, followed by ‘Bring & Share’ Tuesday 18th February Communion @ 10.30am The Harfield Room; Evening Worship in Church @ 8pm Tues 18th to Thurs 20th February Space Invaders Holiday Club Tuesday 4th March Community Pancake Events. April Delivering Easter advertising, knocking on surrounding houses asking for prayer requests.

May Special Anniversary Magazine Delivered across the parish Saturday 7th June Big Summer Fair Sunday 15th June United Service for Trinity Sunday followed by BBQ in Abbot’s Wood September 27th & 28th Harvest Flower Festival including Evening Harvest Bring and Share Meal and entertainment. Sunday 2nd November Patronal Festival Wednesday 5th November Fireworks and Sausage Sizzle to mark end of year.

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jANUARY

Church Diary

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Born on the edge We have a heart for people “on the edge”, who miss out on what everyone else seems to have, either physically or

spiritually.

With the birth of Christ comes God’s incarnation; he reaches out to the world and invites us to become part of his kingdom. Now there’s an offer for anyone on the edge! This year, the UK celebrated the birth of a royal baby. Every preparation was made for Prince George’s arrival; the hospital ward was prepared, all the equipment was checked and medical staff were on standby. The princess had eaten a good diet, attended antenatal clinic and rested. We waited and heard the news: mother and baby were well. In Uganda another “princess” recently gave birth. She had no antenatal care, her diet was thick porridge and a few beans. Her daily routine included hard labour. No preparation was made for her baby. We gave her a kit containing materials to help with the delivery. Then we waited to hear the news: a beautiful baby born safely, but sadly named Anguyo which means “no place.” Our Ugandan princess is Mama G. She has been in Arua women’s

prison for six months, where I

have been helping teach an Alpha course for 50 – 70 women. The Alpha meal is a mug of black tea with sugar and a roll of bread. The women are delighted with it. Several women like Mama G have given their lives to Christ. It is a privilege to walk with them on their journey. It is sad to see young, beautiful women in prison; 10 of them have babies with them. Yet they have such joy when they sing and listen to scripture. They usually welcome us with a song. Many of the songs have moving words: “Our mothers and fathers will forsake us but Jesus never will. Our husbands may abuse us, but Jesus never will…He is with us always. He is with us in prison…” We have heard testimonies from those released from prison; they have gone to their local churches and testified how the Church came to them in their distress. Some have walked 18 miles to thank us for being with them in prison. This Christmas, as we celebrate Jesus’ birth, please pray for people on the edge, particularly for this baby boy Anguyo in Uganda, that he will know he has a special place in

God’s heart

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2013 has been a challenging year for

fundraising and finance. In the midst of

this it has been a challenge to think,

despite the economic climate, how can we

achieve our vision for every child to know

the love of a mother, the support of a family and a hope of a future. As

a result we have been struck once again by the difference one person can

make. One story that demonstrates this is that of Sanyu, a child for whom

hope seemed to be lost.

Sanyu was abandoned by his teenage mum who could not afford to care

for him. She left him with grandparents who equally could not afford to

feed or clothe him. Each night the grandparents would leave Sanyu

outside in the hope that an animal would come and take him so they

would no longer have to live with the burden of raising him. When he

arrived in the care of Esuubi Sanyu had very little life left in him. He was

extremely small and malnourished, with little hope of a fast recovery.

But Sanyu is resilient. With the help of his foster mother he became

stronger and healthier and is now a much loved member of the

Ekiwumolo family. For Esuubi this is just one story of the difference

many people can make by each playing their part. It reminds us that one

person can make a difference. One person bought Sanyu to Esuubi, one

mother now cares for him, one teacher inspires him and one sponsor

cared enough to support him.

Esuubi needs individuals who believe in

the difference one person can make.

Working together they can make a

difference to the lives of many like Sanyu.

We are in need of more sponsors to aid

Esuubi in providing food, clothing and

healthcare to children like Sanyu. For more

information on sponsorship visit the

website

www.esuubi.org.uk/sponsor

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BEGINNING OF 80TH ANNIVERARY CELEBRATIONS

fEBRUARY

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In the Community #5local Eastbourne's Town Team

has a new campaign called #5local

where they're encouraging

everyone to buy 5 Xmas presents

from local traders. We’re calling on

everyone to buy five gifts from local

Eastbourne retailers. It's a huge

Christmas present for Eastbourne

because the money you spend will

stay in our local economy and

benefit all of us. Rather than

spending money online where the

money leaves EB faster than Santa’s

sleigh. #5local is an Eastbourne

Town Team project, backed by the

Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of

Commerce.

The Keep Albert Parade Special campaign Recently a

group of supporters from the

campaign visited the London Head

Office of Sainsbury's to deliver a 4300+

signature petition in opposition to the

retail chain opening a new supermarket

at the Drive Pub in the Old Town area

of Eastbourne. The campaign has been

led by the local MP, Stephen Lloyd. He

said: "What makes Albert Parade Spe-

cial is that it is almost unique across

the whole South East in that it retains

the key four traditional shops— a

butcher, Fishmonger, greengrocer and

baker - and we believe that if

Sainsbury's push ahead with opening a

new store just off Albert Parade, these

wonderful, independent shops could

face a devastating knock-on effect.”

Cliff Heath, second generation Albert

Parade Butcher added: "Heath's

Butchers was founded by my father in

Albert Parade many decades ago.

We're proud to serve the residents of

Old Town. Its’ time these massive su-

permarket goliaths recognised that just

because they can, doesn't mean they

should! Hand's off Albert Parade!" Old

Town Councillor Carolyn Heaps said:

"Our customers have been fantastically

supportive since Sainsbury's

announced they were building a

supermarket on the site of the Drive

Pub. With over 4000 signatures

collected just from Old Town, it

demonstrates the strength of feeling

we have to keep Albert Parade special.”

For more information on the

campaign check out the facebook

page www.facebook.com/

groups/albertparade

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in

pictures

www.thelounge.org.uk

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Y@11 & TNT

By Jeanette Laing

A few changes have occurred

over the last few months with

both groups.

Y@11 has some new members,

these were the older children

from Ann Eyre’s group. The

Youth have adapted well and

the group is now split into two.

Younger members 10-14 are

studying The Grid using a

Lifestyle Magazine which

encourages colourful pages of

God related activities. The older

members 15-19 are developing

their faith and gaining more

from the 11 o’ clock service

worship and sermons.

A new group for the older

members “Group with No

Name” meets every fourth

Sunday 5-6pm for a God focused

slot with refreshments to help

them engage.

Unfortunately for me TNT has

had to reduce to meeting

fortnightly. This is due to me

having a career change and

studying at college a Level 2

Supporting and Learning in the

Classroom and then later on in

my five year plan going on to do

a degree in Primary Education.

So my journey is only just

beginning.

I am excited to see what

God has in store over the

coming year!

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Old Town Children’s Centre,

Ocklynge Junior School

Monday-Thursday

9am until 3pm

All Children's Centres can provide help or advice on a range of services for children up to age five and their families. Old Town Children's

Centre can also help you with:

Swimming groups

Baby club

Breastfeeding peer support

Young parents' group

Grandparents group

Emotional health and well being

Speech and language

They offer training on a wide

range of topics, including

regular sessions on:

English as a second language

First Aid

Cookery

In the Community

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9

Farmers Market at

Community Wise

Last Saturday of month

10-12pm

———————————————————————-

January 25th

February 22nd

March 29th

The Good Book is still the best seller but this yearThe Bible might be a way to help more of us get into reading God’s Word regularly,

suggests Clem Jackson.

2014 is just around the corner. Before long we’ll all be singing Auld Lang Syne and making New Year’s Resolutions. Time for a new start, giving something up or starting something new. What will be your resolution(s) for 2014 and how long will they last?

New Year, new start.

One of the most popular resolutions people make is joining the gym in January, resolving to get fit, detox the effects of Christmas over-indulgence and commit to a healthier lifestyle. But I wonder how many people decide on 31st December that the coming year is the one in which they will read through the Bible, start using Bible reading notes or just decide to have a regular quiet time for the first time ever? Well there are probably no hard and fast statistics prove the point but it’s more than an even possibility that many do. I decided that in 1994 I would read through the Bible but I didn’t ask anyone for help or guidance. By the middle of February I’d given up in the morass of Numbers (or was it Leviticus – I’m not sure). I tried again in 2006 but this time I used Selwyn Hughes’ Every Day With

Jesus as my guide, following the guidance at the bottom of every page to complete the Bible in one year. Why did I use this? Because I asked a Christian bookseller for advice and that’s what they suggested! And I would hazard a guess that I’m not alone.

Too much choice; where to start?

For people who make a similar sort of decision to mine at the beginning of the year the main problem may well be deciding what ‘tools’ to use in helping them develop their knowledge and understanding of the Bible. It might often be trying to decide on which version of the Bible to use. Of course church members are more likely to use the version used in their church. But that might not always be the right one for them. The first Bible I ever bought for myself was the Living Bible back in 1973 because I didn’t like the one we used in our church at that time (and no I’m not telling which version that was). More recently one of our home group was having difficulty using the NIV so we suggested she try the Message Bible. Now she is happily reading her Bible every day. There are just so many version of the Bible in English available nowadays that it’s hard to choose. It’s a bit like a friend of mine’s view on potato crisps in supermarkets; “Once the choice was plain with a blue salt bag or cheese and onion, now it’s a major exercise to decide which packet to buy.”

Getting into

The Word by Clem Jackson

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How many people decide on 31st

December that the coming year is

the one in which they will read

through the Bible?

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“Some years ago during a home group session we were reflecting on sinfulness and how we might symbolically draw a line under all we had done wrong. Various suggestions were put forward and I chose one which involved a trip to the beach! It was a beautiful day and as I thought about my past I began to write down on

paper all the things which had separated me from God and caused

distress to loved ones, friends and colleagues. The list grew! Eventually I felt I had addressed everything-past and present-and tore out the page which I then screwed up and cast onto the sea. It bobbed about having made hardly a ripple. Arrogantly, the thought came into my mind that my confessions did not amount to much in what could be a “sea of sinfulness”. Then came the realisation, the sea represented the vastness of God’s love and compassion which through the Cross is able to absorb all Sin! Humbled, I lay back and enjoyed the Son.” Don Young

Floral Fun! With Julie Jones

About a year ago I agreed to take over the flower

arranging rota from Thelma Delmon who had

been coordinating it brilliantly for a good many

years. I felt nervous about doing this, not really

knowing anything about flower arranging, but each time it was

mentioned in church ,I felt that I was being asked and it was the right

thing to do. Since January I have been on a real learning curve and

thanks to the patience, teaching and kind words from the other flower

arrangers and other members of the congregation, I am now on the rota

myself. Arranging flowers in church is peaceful and creative taking you

away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a couple of hours. I

would like to thank Thelma, Sue, Verena, Ron and Fiona for all their

lovely arrangements and hard work over the last year. We always need

new people to join us, especially as we will have a big flower festival as

part of our 80th Birthday celebrations next year. If you are interested

please call me on 506290 or email [email protected].

Reflections

As members of St. Elisabeth’s Church Mothers’ Union, we seek God’s blessing in all we do, in our worship and fellowship, and in the service to our Church and community. So it gives me great pleasure to tell you that on the 5th December David Gillard, our Vicar, has enrolled three new members. I would like to welcome them and to thank Pat Collingwood, Glenda Deacon and Yvonne Harris, for their commitment to our ideals. Over thirty people gathered for our Christingle Service. It was lovely to see Elisabeth Rankin and Doris Jackson from St. Mary’s Church, Old Town, Kath Smith from St. John’s Church, Polegate, and Sue Stone, our Mothers’ Union Enterprise representative. We took turns in reading prayers and reflections, Bible readings, poems and singing hymns. They all helped us to focus on our Responsibility before God for the well-being, not just of all children, but

of all human kind, and that

we must reflect His unconditional love. It is also customary that during Advent the Bexhill District holds a Quiet Day every year. This year it was held at St. Richard’s Church in Langney. For me it has been quite a hectic time recently, so it was especially good to be able to spend time in the beauty and stillness of the church. It was a time to take stock and to reflect on life and its purpose, and also a reminder of what Christmas is all about. Wishing you all a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. In the words of Mary Sumner

All this day, O Lord, and every day

Let me touch as many lives as

possible for Thee.

And every life I touch, do Thou by

the Spirit

Whether through the word I speak, the prayer I breathe or the life I

live.

Amen.

14

By Verena Leppard

Mission Aviation Fellowship News with David Carey

MAF planes transport doctors, evangelists, medicines, bibles and

building materials. But they sometimes carry more unusual items

like a fridge freezer, a chicken coop and some beehives…..

Busy Bees - Pilot Christian Haak

recently helped a World Vision

project by flying a 1-ton cargo of 85

beehives from Kenya to a drought

stricken area of Somaliland. The

beekeeping project forms part of

Word Visions commitment to build

community resilience through relief,

rehabilitation and development. The

beekeepers will also receive honey

harnessing and processing

equipment so they can harvest,

process, refine and sell the honey,

along with related products. The

project will aid local pastoralists who

suffer when there is drought, increase

the villagers resilience to future crises

and help improve

their food security

and well-being.

It’s quite sobering to think that whilst we have so much choice there are still many people in the world who don’t have (or have access to) a Bible in their own language. And that’s before we even start to think about the colour of the cover or the material of the binding! One of the latest Bible Society campaigns is asking people to donate to buy paper for Bibles in Chinese to be printed on. I don’t suppose the recipients of those Bibles will worry too much about the translation/version or binding as long they can read God’s Word in their own language.

The Bible on TV

Last year in the USA the 5-part TV mini-series The Bible was a massive hit on the History Channel, pulling in bigger audiences than American Idol. This year it is coming to the UK as Channel 5 are screening the entire series (starting 30th November). For the UK screening there is a new narrator, Robert Powell, who played the title role in Jesus of Nazareth quite a few years ago now. Ten hours of prime-time viewing means that there is likely to be a great deal of advertising going on in the lead up. And there are the inevitable ‘tie-in’ products including the Official Souvenir Guide for The Bible Series (£2.50). Another new book is based on the scripts which the authors wrote for the series A Story of God and All of Us, a novel, written by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett (£16.99). There is also The Bible Souvenir Edition (£4.99), containing the full NIV text plus 16 pages of photographs.

The Bible in a Year

As I said above, now is the time when many people might be thinking about reading the Bible in a year. There’s are plenty of books to help with this including CWR’s newly released Every Day with Jesus One Year Bible - NIV or the NIV Bible In One Year from Hodder & Stoughton

If you want something other than the NIV then a different translation can be found in the One Year Bible – NLT which has the entire Bible divided into 365 portions, each with a date. You can start any time, but the plan starts 1st January. Another option is The One Year Bible - ESV which has the entire English Standard Version arranged in 365 daily readings.

There are also the many different types of Bible Reading Notes available from a number of publishers. Whether it’s New Daylight, Every Day With Jesus, Day by Day, Guidelines, Words for Today, Topz, Mettle, Inspiring Women Every Day, Cover to Cover, Light for our Path, or many others, there’s something for everyone. So if you haven’t yet made daily Bible reading a part of your journey why not start in this coming year. Pop into the Christian Resources Centre in Seaside; they’d love to see you and will be able to help you find the right ‘tools’ for you.

11

Christmas can be a very stressful time. It is a frenzied season

season where you should experience peace and joy you may

your stress-

1. Prioritise! This is the time we celebrate the

birth of the Saviour of the world. St Luke tells us,

"The angel said, 'Don't be afraid! I have good news

for you, which will make everyone happy. This very

day in King David's hometown a Saviour was

born for you. He is Christ the Lord.'" We can

know immense inner peace , joy and salvation.

We learn to love others as Christ loves us. All

of this is because Jesus was born.

2. Get real! We all

want the season to be

filled with happiness but

the reality is that may not

be possible. There are

factors beyond our

control that can

negatively impact any

Christmas celebration.

Be prepared that things

may not turn out exactly

the way you want or

expect.

3. Watch the Wallet! Establishing a budget

for Christmas is crucial to managing stress.

Knowing how much you can afford and sticking to

your budget will make Christmas a whole lot bet-

ter. In the end Christmas is about relationships

and memories, not material things.

4. Perfection is over-rated!

Even people who are not

perfectionists can get wrapped up in

wanting everything to be perfect.

Much like a wedding, if you are not

careful you can get so stressed out

over every detail that you miss out

on enjoying the celebration.

5. Ask for Help If you feel

overwhelmed with all that you

have to do ask for help. Being a

martyr will not make Christmas

better. Let your friends and

family know that your stress

level is too high and ask for their

help!

full of expectations and obligations. It is quite possible that in a

miss out on all of it. Here are 10 steps you can take to manage

free Christmas 6. Practice Moderation! You

simply cannot attend every

party or event. You need to say

"no" to those activities that you

can't fit into your schedule.

There must be enough time to

rest. Don’t overdo it!

7. Maintain Perspective

The reality is that

Christmas lasts a fairly short

time and then life returns to

normal. Challenging

situations brought on by

family or finances will only

be for this brief season and

then life returns to normal. 8. Keep Healthy Exercising is

a proven stress reducer and

should be continue over

Christmas. Getting enough

sleep is crucial to looking and

feeling your best. As tempting

as it is, don't overdo it with too

much eating or drinking.

9. Have Fun! Make time for the

things you enjoy at Do the fun

stuff that this season provides.

Whether that is a favourite

Christmas movie, singing carols

or mince pies and mulled wine

those activities should be high-

lights of your Christmas season.

10. Remember the Reason

Jesus