April 2013 Issue Deadline - March 17th Publication Date - April 7th In this edition Page two Directory Page three Clergybit Annual General Meetings Christian Aid Page four More memories of an amazing trip Burns Night Electoral Roll Revision Page five Book Review Are you lonely? Hot Cross Buns & Hot Chocolate What is your Faith Story? Page six In the News Greetings from Huntly Page seven From the Registers Charity Fun Day Page eight Lent, Holy Week & Easter Brain activity March 2013 THE MAGAZINE OF THE HORWICH & RIVINGTON TEAM CHURCHES Price 50p Members of the Open Door celebrated their 20 th anniversary in January 2013 with a cheese and wine evening in the upper school, Church Street. Open Door was created in 1993 and was an amalgamation of two ladies groups, Mothers Union and Thursday Club. Both groups met on alternate Thursday evenings at 8 pm, both had visiting speakers, but both groups also had a declining membership. The answer to the problem was to join the two which resulted in Open Door - as its name suggests - open to everyone, young, old, male or female. The group still meets on Thursdays at 8.00pm in the Parish Hall or Upper School, we still have very interesting visiting speakers and social evenings all for just £2 per meeting. Why not pick up a programme in Church or at a meeting. We need new members and you would be made very welcome. For more information please ring Jean on 01942 831719. Forthcoming meetings February 21 st ‘The forbidden Kingdom of Nepal’ March 7 th ‘Urban Outreach’ March 21 st ‘My life in Saudi Arabia’ April 4 th Social Evening Holy Trinity Church, Horwich 20 YEARS of OPEN DOOR The Editorial Team would like to wish all our readers a Happy & Blessed Easter SPRING IS ON ITS WAY!
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April 2013 Issue Deadline - March 17th
Publication Date - April 7th
In this edition
Page two Directory
Page three
Clergybit
Annual General Meetings
Christian Aid
Page four More memories of an amazing trip
Burns Night
Electoral Roll Revision
Page five
Book Review
Are you lonely?
Hot Cross Buns & Hot Chocolate
What is your Faith Story?
Page six In the News
Greetings from Huntly
Page seven From the Registers
Charity Fun Day
Page eight Lent, Holy Week & Easter
Brain activity
March 2013 THE MAGAZINE OF THE HORWICH & RIVINGTON TEAM CHURCHES Price 50p
Members of the Open Door
celebrated their 20th anniversary
in January 2013 with a cheese
and wine evening in the upper
school, Church Street.
Open Door was created in 1993
and was an amalgamation of two
ladies groups, Mothers Union
and Thursday Club. Both groups
met on alternate Thursday
evenings at 8 pm, both had
visiting speakers, but both
groups also had a declining
membership. The answer to the
problem was to join the two
which resulted in Open Door - as
its name suggests - open to
everyone, young, old, male or
female. The group still meets on
Thursdays at 8.00pm in the
Parish Hall or Upper School, we
still have very interesting visiting
speakers and social evenings all
for just £2 per meeting.
Why not pick up a programme in
Church or at a meeting. We need
new members and you would be
made very welcome. For more
information please ring Jean on
01942 831719.
Forthcoming meetings
February 21st
‘The forbidden Kingdom of Nepal’
March 7th
‘Urban Outreach’
March 21st
‘My life in Saudi Arabia’
April 4th
Social Evening
Holy Trinity Church, Horwich
20 YEARS of
OPEN DOOR
The Editorial Team
would like to wish
all our readers a
Happy & Blessed
Easter
SPRING IS
ON ITS WAY!
CLERGYBIT
by Alan Wolstencroft
3
Holy Week and Easter
presents one of the most
dramatic and powerful
expressions of sacrificial
love and redemptive
power. Terms that are
perhaps readily understandable, to
some extent, by those who have
been brought up, or come to some
basic understanding of the
Christian faith. But what of those
for whom this language and mind
set are somewhat alien?
A visit to the cinema or theatre to
see the now much acclaimed Les
Misérables might help unravel
some of the profound qualities of
love, hate, forgiveness, redemption
and grace, that we in the Christian
Churches will witness once again
from Palm Sunday to Easter Day.
The film has much to teach us
and enlighten us about Christian
virtues. The principal character
Jean Valjean a convict on parole is
pardoned by a Bishop from whom
he has stolen silver. This
unwarranted act of compassion
utterly transforms him from a
criminal filled with hate to a
sacrificial hero.
Valjean is contrasted
with the narrow,
judgemental, religious
outlook of Javert the
police inspector who
relentlessly pursues
Valjean and is devoid of grace
and forgiveness. He believes in a
vengeful Old Testament God who
will bring down plague and
pestilence on all those who
disobey the law.
The full range of human
qualities are shown in the
characters, from the disbelieving
humour of the swindling
innkeeper and his wife to the loss
of faith through life's brutalities
that destroys the heroine’s whole
idea of loving, something she
expresses in one of the hit songs
of the show ‘I Dreamed a Dream’.
The spiritual and theological
content of the film, it's music, it's
drama, it's prayers (Bring him
home & The Lord's Prayer), it's
insights into human nature and
behaviour, have resonances with
the drama of Passiontide. I
believe this gives us the
opportunity of helping to unpack
and explain something of the
generous grace of God, something
of the sacrificial nature of the death
of Jesus on a Cross of shame,
something of his forgiving
compassion as in agony he pleads
for the forgiveness of fallen
humanity, something of the cost of
loving, something of the hope that
comes through acceptance of this
redemptive love, something of
resurrection and new life that is to
be lived in the here and now.
The film gave me and I suspect
most people a lot to think about,
Holy Week and Easter presents us
with more than something to think
about; it presents life changing
events not only to think about but to
respond to.
Share in the events of
Passiontide, Holy Week and Easter
in Church this year, not just as
spectators or bystanders, but as
those caught up in the unfolding
drama of Gods greatest act of
grace and love.
The Power of Forgiveness, Grace and Love
Although there is still a month or
so to go before the start of
Christian Aid week on 12th May
plans are already in hand to try
and make this another bumper
year of giving across Horwich.
Church reps have put in their
request for resources, Lent leaflets
to make Lent Count (Count Your
Blessings) are being distributed by
churches, letters have gone out to
schools asking them
to participate in some
way and plans are
afoot for soup events.
And this is on top of
planning for coffee
IT’S ON IT’S WAY
- BITE BACK AT HUNGER mornings/evenings, a quiz, and
door to door, bucket and Bikers
at the Barn collections plus those
at stores in Middlebrook. So do
please be prepared to respond
positively to requests to take part
in any of these events. Last year
Horwich raised over £6,000.
Maybe this year with your help
we can do even better!
Mariama Said takes part in
a CA community project to
feed her own and other
poor families in Ethiopia.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS
St. Catherine’s 14th April
St. Elizabeth’s 21st April
Holy Trinity 21st April
Rivington 28th April This is YOUR opportunity to
see all aspects of the life of
your church, to stand for
election yourself, to vote for,
support and encourage those who do stand, to see what has
been achieved over the past
year and to be part of future
planning.
4
I have attempted to avoid
repeating the account of our
pilgrimage so ably given by
Vivien Rink in last month’s edition
of Below the Pike but I hope she
will forgive me if I trespass a little.
Because, as for her, this event will
linger in my memory and I was
privileged and blessed to have
shared such an amazing and awe-
inspiring experience. The special
memories she has of our visit have
been implanted in your mind’s eye,
and for me some also vividly stand
out. To be able to put into practice
a new understanding of the Bible
which had been formed from afar;
seeing places which had previously
been visions in my mind, hearing
the praying of Jews at the Wailing
Wall while being able to touch it;
listening to the sound of the waves
of the sea of Galilee being washed
up on the shore outside our
bedroom; smelling the baking
bread, which was piled high on the
stalls in the Bazaars along with
fruit and vegetables, sweets, and
the various coffee aromas;
sharing the bread and wine at
The Shepherds Field overlooking
Bethlehem; the Ecce-Homo
convent in Jerusalem; Mensa
Christi, where Jesus appeared to
his disciples after His
resurrection close to the shore of
the Lake. Touching sites thought
to be the locations of the birth
and crucifixion of our Lord defied
explanation and surpassed any
other feeling imaginable.
Three months later and it all
seems like a dream, but WHAT a
dream. Then 2 weeks ago we re-
lived that dream when many of
the 43 pilgrims, most who had left
Manchester as strangers but now
seemed more like a family,
together had much pleasure in
watching a DVD of our Holy Land
Pilgrimage accompanied by a
diary written by our pilgrims
containing each day’s events and
highlights, both excellently
produced by Rev Graham Smith
(who together with Rev David
Griffiths led our pilgrimage).
Personally looking back on this
extraordinary event in my life, I feel
my faith has been raised to a new
level, as I have been able to walk in
the same country, sail on the same
sea, see the same mountains as
our Lord did, bringing the
Scriptures into reality. Should the
opportunity arise for you to make a
similar pilgrimage, take it with open
arms and enjoy the experience of a
lifetime - even if you’ve reached 80
years of age as I have!
Allan Holden
WE WALKED WHERE JESUS WALKED
More Memories of a wonderful Holy Land Pilgrimage
The Sea of Galilee where Jesus taught, healed and appeared to his disciples after his resurrection.
ELECTORAL ROLL
REVISION Every six years the electoral
roll in every church is scrapped
and started again.
EVERYONE needs to re-apply
or you will not be on the new
roll. If you consider yourself a
member of one of our churches
and eligible you need to
complete a form and return to
the specified box in your
church. Your membership
entitles you to attend, stand
for election and vote at the
Annual General Meeting
BURNS NIGHT CELEBRATIONS Addressing the Haggis, bagpipes and whisky...
...at Holy Trinity
and at St Elizabeth’s...
CELEBRATIONS & CONGRATULATIONS Anything to celebrate? Let the editor know and see it printed here!
Email [email protected] or ring 01204 694611 before the deadline on the front page.
Groups include: Children & Young People’s interests - arts & crafts, Cadets, Mums & Toddlers, Performing Arts and more. Adults can enjoy arts & crafts too, martial arts, luncheon clubs, embroidery, line dancing, writing & upholstery to name but a few. There is a Widows club, a Stroke club & a New Heart club. Check the web site for days & times.