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The Magazine of Ashbourne Methodist Church

February 2007

How Green are you? The answer is - probably not green enough. Not green enough if we are to save our planet from global warming. You might ask "Why bother?" or "What has this to do with being a Christian?".

To answer that question I begin with the Bible. In the story of creation, Genesis chapter one, God created everything "good". He created a world that was in harmony, in balance. And over all of his creation he placed human beings, male and female. These are to "rule over" all living creatures (Genesis 1 v 26). And they are "to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2 v 15).

We are to "take care" of God's creation. That is the role God assigned to us. What a responsibility!

People who walk closely with God often seem to have a special affinity with God's Creation. St. Francis of Assisi "talked" to the birds and tamed the wolf of Gobbio. In our own shores the Celtic saints and Celtic Christianity always carried this strand of caring for creation, walking in harmony with nature as part of our walk with God.

Sometimes we in our 21st century technological and materialistic age lose sight of this. So we need to ponder our responsibility. We need to make technology work to enhance the planet, not to destroy it. We need to think about our own lifestyles. What can we do to play our part to help save the planet?

So I ask, "How Green are you?" Do you -
Recycle all waste?
Switch off unnecessary lights and use low energy bulbs?
Avoid using the car when you can?
Switch to a more fuel efficient car (would that electric car technology would save us this cause of pollution)
My friends in drought-hit Sussex put me to shame by re-using all their waste water.
Should we be buying luxury air freighted produce at all? (often there are other ethical and justice issues linked with these as well - have they used water that should have grown crops for local people?).
Is your furniture made with wood from sustainable forests? - How do we stop the rainforests being chopped down?

Thank God that more green technology is becoming available. B&Q report huge sales of their domestic wind powered electricity generators. Sadly not all houses are suitably sited to have these fitted. Have you checked whether yours is?

When I was in up-country Sierra Leone I had a solar panel that supplied all my electricity needs. It is an obvious solution for countries where sunshine is plentiful.
Some of the issues are more controversial. Should we build more nuclear power stations as these have zero carbon emissions but come with the legacy of radioactive waste?

What else can we do? Tune in to the Christian Ecology Link website or the Arocha website.
Start a column in this magazine of "How to go Green" tips.
And encourage one another in our personal efforts to go Green.

Powersource Link

At a recent Powersource meeting, we felt that we would like the church family to keep up to date with what our young people have been up to and also find out what we shall be doing during the following month.

We are going to call it 'Powersource Link' and we hope that it will be informative for all our church family.

This month we asked the young people to think about the last academic year (2205/2006) and think of their highlights.

BUBBLES AND SPLASH , XSTREAM - 'I enjoyed playing games', 'I like making real bread and biscuits and made 5 loaves and 2 fish', I enjoyed making the little box that we filled with sweets', 'I like making a Christmas stained glass window', 'I liked the Elijah story', ' I like playing with the parachute'

THE GRID - The group enjoyed planning the dance and drama for the Powersource service and enjoyed being involved in the service. They enjoyed taking the photos and exploring 'The Kingdom of God', the mural was a favourite and it was great to see their work up outside church for a while'

The Half term holiday is on 18th and 24th February. We will continue with the theme, but the groups will be altogether.

We hope this gives you an idea of what we will be doing and next month we'll let you know what we did to explore the theme 'Jesus the Friend'.

It is super to report that our Circuit is now linked to the Hill family, Methodist Mission Partners in Zimbabwe. Here is an introduction to the family: Jonathan Hill writes:
"I am originally from Burton-on-Trent and when we are in England we still return to my Mum's place and our home society of St. Thomas's. I have been a Mission Partner with the Methodist Church in Britain and the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe since 1985. I married Isabel in 1989 at Main Street Methodist Church, Bulawayo, and we have three children, Tony, 26, Stephen, 12 and Susannah, 10. (Tony has been living in England since 2000.) I met Isabel at Pakame Secondary School, Shurugwi, my first posting in Zimbabwe, where she was working in the office. We now have a house in Bulawayo, so that the children can attend a primary school where the teaching medium is English. I drive 120 km to work at Thekwane Mission near Plumtree at 5 a.m. each Monday and come back each Friday afternoon and most weeks I manage to get home on Tuesday afternoon as well, returning to work early on Wednesday morning."

Isabel is involved in a Women's Ministry course at the Theological College of Zimbabwe and has recently been appointed by the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo District, as District Child Care Coordinator - helping children in need.

In the next magazine you will be able to learn more about the Hills and their work. They are expecting to be in England on furlough from early June to early September this year and we hope they will accept our invitation to visit our circuit.Meantime you can read more information at:
http://hillfamilychristmas2006.blogspot.com

JMA
Thank you to Chris Eddy for sharing so positively in our JMA member's lunch in November. It was great to have Matthew, from Sierra Leone, with us too.

We appreciated Sandra Lewer sharing about Korea at our January lunch event. If anyone would like to share about the world church and be our guest at another informal lunch it would be good to hear from you.

A letter to our Circuit from Steve Pearce (Methodist Children's Secretary) says, "We do appreciate the good work you are doing. It is thanks to people like you that we are able to help so many projects in this country and worldwide. The recipients are grateful not only for the financial support but also for the knowledge that children (and adults) in Britain care."

World Mission Conference
"The Earth is the Lord's so what are we doing about it?
Swanick, Fri June 1st - Sunday June 3rd.
Conference partners - Methodists for World Mission, The Methodist Church, USPG,
Christians Aware and Christian Aid.
For further information and booking form contact: Meg Bailey 0161 432 3854 or
Email: meg@baileymm.fsnet.co.uk or see www.mwm.org.uk

Prayer
Gracious God,
We thank you that you give us more than we need,
Forgive us more than we deserve and offer us more than we can imagine.
You are amazing. Thank you.
Alison Judd, Connexional Women's Network President 2005-06.
From the Methodist Prayer Handbook.

Quote "A man who loves his wife will love her letters and her photographs because they speak to him of her. So if we love the Lord Jesus, we shall love the Bible because it speaks to us of him. - John R W Stott

From Sandra Lewer, Connexional President of Women's Network in the Methodist Church

3 months have already elapsed since my commissioning service in Ashbourne and I wanted to both say a huge thank you for the gifts I received on that day and the fantastic support but also to let you know some of my activities thus far.

Any new President is met with an immediate challenge to chair the weekend residential Connexional committee of Network and this year this was in Prestatyn as guests of the Welsh speaking church in that area. A wonderful weekend of hard discussion and decision making was rounded off by the local church changing 80% of its morning worship to accommodate the non welsh speakers.

Immediately following this weekend I became a grandparent for the first time with the birth of William who is now a bouncing 12lb but a placid little chap.

I was privileged to join Cumbria District for the commissioning of their new President Jan Harrison in early October, followed by the commissioning of Monica Sanders as President for Nottingham and Derby District.

West Yorkshire were the first District to invite me to speak at their District Day held in Bradford and this gave me the opportunity to visit the first of what I plan to be 9 visits to projects who successfully bid for grants from the Annesley House fund. This project - The Blenheim project is for abused women, it is working well and I was made most welcome and was briefed on their work.

The first World Federation meeting of the year was also held in October coincidentally quite close to my home and it was wonderful to share in reflections of the World Conference in Jeju earlier in the year and contribute to how we can all work towards the Millennium goals.

North Lancashire District meeting in Blackburn was my next appointment followed by my own Circuit in Ashbourne when I was able to reflect on my trip to Antigua for the Conference of the Caribbean and Americas Methodist Church.

November brought the service in Westminster Central Hall of the London District to create a new beginning for the new District; this was a very well attended day of celebration.

Each Year the Past President, Current President, President Elect and the General Secretary meet for retreat in mid November to assist in their working together and the overall planning of the work, this year we again met at Offa House in Leamington Spa and enjoyed our time together very much.

Holidays, family events and Christmas and New Year have punctuated the period and now the beginning of 2007 is here with planning meetings for Swanwick conference in September and the 20th Anniversary Celebrations in Blackpool in July.

Thank you all for your prayers and support as I attempt to do justice to the office to which you have appointed me, I trust that we can together in 2007 continue to work for the Lord as Women of the Methodist Church and raise awareness of the evils of this world and in particular the evils of Trafficking Women and Children in Europe.
Sandra

FEBRUARY
A MOZAMBICAN EVENING - Mozambican Buffet Supper and talk by Rev. Ben Humphries "Faith, Hope and Despair in the face of HIV/AIDS in Africa"
Thursday Feb. 8th. - 7-30pm. in St. Oswald's Church Hall. £4-00.
Tickets are available from Steve Parker, Natural Choice (tel. 300318) Stuart Green (tel 300338) Jean and Gerald Humphries (tel 342658) or any member of the One World Group

Please get your tickets in advance if possible as this will help with the catering. Everyone is welcome to join us.

MARCH
FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT February 26th. - March 11th.
The theme for the Fortnight this year is "CHANGE TODAY - CHOOSE FAIRTRADE"
What's it about?

The FAIRTRADE MARK on a product means that it is independently certified to internationally agreed Fairtrade standards. It means that producer organisations have received a fair and stable price and a social premium that they can invest for the future.Fairtrade Fortnight is a unique opportunity to help shoppers understand how Fairtrade brings about tangible change for communities struggling against poverty and unfair trade. With thousands of products available, Fairtrade already contributes to improving the lives of around 5 million people across the globe. But that's not enough - much more change is still needed.
That's why the theme is "CHANGE TODAY - CHOOSE FAIRTRADE",
focussing on positive actions to get more people to choose products with the Fairtrade Mark, in order to help more people in more countries around the world to change things for the better for their own families and communities.

In Ashbourne all events celebrating the Fortnight will be arranged by the members of Ashbourne Fairtrade Town Initiative which includes members from the One World Group and details will be given in due course so watch out for exciting news!

APRIL
TUESDAY APRIL 17th. - - 7-30pm. in St. Oswald's Church Hall We are now pleased to be able to confirm that Ms. Judith Green will give a talk about her experiences as an Ecumenical Accompanier in Palestine and Israel.
We will give more details nearer the time, but please put the date in your diaries now. It will be a unique opportunity to learn more about the work done by a group of very brave Christian volunteers.

This Christmas's shoe box project finished at the end of November with a total 835 boxes being sent to children abroad. In the end the boxes taken to Derby from Church went to Belarus and, probably, the rest to the Ukraine. Difficulties were experienced with transport so that destinations were switched in order for the boxes to arrive before Christmas.

As usual, the majority of boxes checked were in the 5 - 9 age group (442), with the 10 - 14's coming next with 222, and the 2-4 's way behind again with 171. This trend is reflected nationwide.

An excellent Sunday blessing service was arranged by Heather Garbutt, with the worship teams taking part. Sister Merle also led a blessing service at Kniveton chapel the following Sunday with many of the villagers attending.

A number of us enjoyed 2 morning sessions checking each and every box. 350 boxes were checked at church, with a further session the following week, when the rest dealt with, at my home. This is hard work but enjoyable.

Thanks are due to Geoff Ffoulkes, Michael Hadley and Eric Williams for transporting all the boxes to Derby and Chesterfield. Thank you to everyone else who played a part in this very enjoyable project in so many ways and throughout the year. Without your help it would not have been possible. A full report is available on the table in the vestibule, along with thank you cards. Please help yourselves.

If you would like me to speak to a group about shoe boxes I would be happy to arrange a date. If you need wool for knitting projects please contact Marianne Matthews, 01334 343208. Lastly, 2 or 3 people have asked if the shoe box crafts morning will run again this year. I am happy to arrange this if others are interested. Please ring me, or Margaret Heaton.
Betty Hadley 01335 300699
______________________.

Love

God give the joy and God the love
To those who are lovers true,
Shed down benediction from above
As in one are joined the two.
From Poems of the Western Highlanders

News of the Church Family

As we report on the situations described we would also ask for appropriate prayers for those mentioned.

For all our members and friends who during the winter months find it
difficult to leave their homes and may feel isolated.

Gareth and Val Rutledge as they mourn the passing of Gareth's Mum.
The Hall family as they mourn the passing of Judith's brother, Jim Harrison.

Good wishes and thanks for the recovery of Gwilym Roberts, Betty Hadley and Becky Dutton from surgery.

Thank you to Kerry Hall and Mrs Chris Morris for the Manger silhouette which adorned our Communion area over the Christmas season.

Gwilym wants to give a very big 'thank you' to all who sent cards, flowers and visited, but feels without your prayers and encouragement given both in hospital and at home he would not have made the progress so far achieved with his knee replacement.

CONGRATULATIONS!
To Mrs Purdy who was 95yrs on Jan 16th and to Mrs Kirtley who is 90yrs on Feb 1st.
To Naomi Lowe on being selected at an International guide selection weekend to represent Derbyshire and England. The International Guide Camp will be held in New Zealand over the Christmas and New Year holidays 2007/8.
To Joy and Arthur Watts on the birth of their first grandchild, Pippa Rose.

NEW WORSHIPPERS
We offer a warm welcome to several new worshippers with us and trust they
will soon feel at home within the church and it's activities.

We continue to think about Ruth Perkins who has now had her lung transplant in Newcastle and following complications has had to undergo two
further operations. We pray for strength for her and John and other family members as they face each new day and what it brings.

WOMEN'S NETWORK

District Day - Monday 12 March
Our next District Day will be held at Trinity Methodist Church, Long Eaton.
Coffee will be served from 10.30 am (Registration £2.00) with the meeting commencing at 11 am. Lunch will be taken at approximately 12.30 pm (packed lunch required). The Service will commence at 2 pm when the speaker will be the Rev Bill Murphy on The Karibuni Trust. The District President, Monica Sanders, is taking this Trust as her project during her period of office. The Trust aims to raise awareness and money to support projects caring for children in Kenya who live on the streets, in the slums and in rural areas of extreme poverty. I am sure the day will be very interesting and informative. Please have a word with Alma if you would like to go. (343751)

Willersley Week - 26-30 March
Willersley Week (organized by the District Network Committee) is five days of Fellowship (all the same because so many usually want to go!) with a Leader, held at the Methodist Guild Holiday Centre at Willersley Castle, Cromford.
Places have been booked for Monday 26 March, but if you would like to go on another day this can be arranged. The leader will be Mrs Irene Sayer, a former Connexional President. Her theme will be 'The Big Five'. The cost for the day is £11.00 which includes coffee, lunch, and conference expenses. Irene is a very lively lady who has been to lots of places and done lots of things, and I am sure we are in for a very enjoyable day with much to think about. If you would like to go, please contact Alma as soon as possible (343751).
Alma Swan

Methodist Youth Conference prompts the Church to pray, and pray again.

When the Methodist Youth Conference urged the Church to Pray Without Ceasing http://www.praywithoutceasing.org.uk/, that prompting generated 14 months of continuous prayer across the Connexion from June 2005 until the end of August 2006. Reports indicated that over 22,000 hours of prayer were offered to God and that people were encouraged and uplifted by their experiences.

Then, the Youth Conference did it again! The young people were so concerned about the state of relationships between people of different faiths and the "hostile and untrue" things being said about some faiths that they spurred the Church to dedicate a month to prayer for improved inter faith relations.

During February, churches are being encouraged to pray and to do something to encourage better inter faith understanding in their locality. Youth Groups are invited to enter a photo competition. The http://www.face2faith.org.uk/ website contains more information about the prayer initiative and includes study resources, ideas for action and details about the photo competition.
___________________

Current hot topics on the Interface include an article on immigration from Eastern Europe and another about legalising prostitution, entitled Green Light for Red Light Zones? There is also an interesting, ongoing discussion about stem cell research.

The site was created with the aim of providing a friendly space for Methodists to discuss hot news topics and their implications for our faith.
___________________

WOMEN'S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER Friday, 2nd March
This year our Order of Service has been prepared by the Christian Women of Paraguay and they have taken as their theme "United Under God's Tent". Services will be held at
2.00 p.m. Holy Trinity (CE) Church, Clifton
7.30 p.m. All Saints (RC) Church, Ashbourne

EVERYONE IS WELCOME and if anyone requires transport to either service (or both!) please contact Carole Thorpe
Betty Douce

HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE

As I walked along "Life's Highway", I saw something I'd not seen before,
I saw a sign above a door that said, "Heaven's Grocery Store",
As I got a little closer, the door came open wide,
And then, before I knew it, I was standing just inside.

I saw a host of Angels, they were standing everywhere,
One handed me a basket and said, "Please shop with care".
All a Christian needed was in that Grocery Store,
And all you couldn't carry, you could come back for more.

First I got some PATIENCE, LOVE was in the same row,
Further down was UNDERSTANDING, you need that wherever you go.
I got a box or two of WISDOM, a bag or two of FAITH,
I couldn't miss the HOLY SPIRIT, it was all over the place.

I stopped to get STRENGTH and COURAGE, to help me run life's race,
By then my basket was quite full, but I remembered I needed some GRACE.
I didn't forget SALVATION for that was offered free,
So I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me.

As I went along the aisle, I saw PRAYER, just had to put that in,
For I knew that when I stepped outside, I'd run right into Sin.
PEACE and JOY were plentiful, they were on the last shelf,
SONG and PRAISE were hanging near, so I just helped myself.

I arrived then at the checkout to pay my grocery bill,
For I thought that I had everything to do my Master's will.
Then I said to the Angel, "How much do I owe?"
He smiled and said, "Just take your basket wherever you may go".
I looked at him and said, "How much do I really owe?"
He smiled again and said, "My child, Jesus paid your bill, a long, long time ago."

District Gathering
Saturday March 3rd 2007
10am - 4pm
with
Revd Graham Carter
(President of the Methodist Conference)
at
Grangewood Methodist Church
Nottingham NG8 2SJ
Cost £5 per person

I watched the recent documentary on Channel 4 entitled 'Undercover Mosque' and like many others, was concerned at the way in which a fundamentalist brand of Islam seems to be penetrating Britain. I also read about Mahmoud Ahmadinejab, the Iranian president and his belief in the return
during 2007 of the twelfth Imam which will signal the end-times and destruction of all who do not follow Islam.

Like many others, I would like to know more about Islam and how British Muslims view these two aspects of their faith. Am I right to be concerned or is this the posturing of a small, fundamentalist fringe? Can Christianity and Islam live peacefully side-by-side in Britain?

At the District Gathering Islam is one of the subjects we shall be exploring with the help of an Imam.

We will also welcome Rev. Tim Mitchell who was the originator of the
recent Entrepreneurial Leadership course which we ran in Sutton in Ashfield.

Inspector Tony Dennis will talk to us about ways in which the church can form partnerships with the police.
Monica Heard, who has for many years been a Family Worker, will bring her insights into the spirituality of children with reference to the new CORE material.
Anne Pitcairn brings a wide range of skills in creative arts to enable people to participate in worship. And last but not least, Dave Ward, the project leader at the Malt Cross in the Nottingham City Centre will talk about how this exciting Fresh Expression of Church has developed over the last couple of years.

So there's something for everyone and the day will conclude with a 'Question Time' when we can hear the views of the workshop leaders on matters relating to 21st Century Church. Dean Robinson will be leading a parallel youth event at Kingswood Methodist Church.

Anne Pitcairn brings a wide range of skills in creative arts to enable people to participate in worship.

And last but not least, Dave Ward, the project leader at the Malt Cross in the Nottingham City Centre will talk about how this exciting Fresh Expression of Church has developed over the last couple of years.

Tues 30th Jan 12.30pm Ashbourne Church Lunch Century Hall
Thurs 1st Feb 7.30pm Stop the Traffik - Riverside Centre, Derby
Tues. 6th Feb 7.30pm Hostage to Peace - Peartree Baptist Ch Derby
Thurs 8th Feb 7.30pm Mozambique Supper - St Oswald's Hall
Sat 17th Feb 7.00pm Praise Century Hall
Mon 26th Feb START OF FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT
Tues 27th Feb 12.30pm Ashbourne Church Lunch Century Hall
Thurs 1st March 7.30pm Ashbourne Church Council Century Hall
Fri 2nd March Women's World Day of Prayer
Sat 3rd March 10.00am District Gathering Grangewood M. C
.

SMILE LINES

A young clergyman, fresh out of training, thought it would help him better understand the fears and temptations his future congregations faced if he first took a job as a policeman for several months. He passed the physical examination; then came the oral exam to test his ability to act quickly and wisely in an emergency. Among other questions he was asked, "What would you do to disperse a frenzied crowd?"
He thought for a moment and then said, "I would pass an offering plate." He got the job.
………………..
The young man was ordering a bouquet and giving very specific guidelines. "Nothing fragrant," he instructed. "Nothing too tall or too wild. And no bright colours, please. I like my girlfriend to have flowers that remind her of me."
"Your name, sir?" asked the florist.
"Mr. Bland," the man replied.
…………………
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My mummy looked back once, while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"
……………………
Early in my marriage I was having trouble figuring out what "mood" my wife
was in. So I had a brilliant idea and bought her a mood ring - it worked
great! When she was in a good mood, it would turn a pleasant shade of blue,
and when she was in a bad mood, it would leave a red mark on my forehead!
………………………
A fellow nurse at my hospital received a call from an anxious woman. "I'm diabetic and I'm afraid I've had too much sugar today," she said.
"Are you light-headed?" my colleague asked.
"No," the caller answered, "I'm a brunette."

ASHBOURNE CHURCH COUNCIL
The full minutes and reports of the meeting held on Thursday 14 December 2006 at 7.30 pm in Century Hall can be found on the notice board in the vestibule. Date of next meeting will be on Thursday 1st March 2007 at 7:30 pm in the Century Hall.

"REVELATIONS ON REVELATION"

No doubt some of you have seen the Local Preachers Study Day on the list of events on the back of the Plan, set for Saturday 31st March 2007.
Professor G. Barrie Wetherill, from Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, will lead us in a study on some aspects of the Book of Revelation.

I would like to point out that although set up as part of the C.L.P.D (Continuing Local Preachers Development), training course we would like to invite all who like a good bible study to come along. It will start on the day from about 9.30am with people arriving and then at 10.00am, there will be a short time of devotions, then the study will commence. With breaks for refreshments, and lunch, during the day, (please bring your own packed lunch, tea, coffee, etc will be provided.) We hope to finish with a time of reflection at about 3.30pm.
If you require further details please contact me. Tom Parkinson Circuit
Local Preachers Secretary Tel 343353.

The Cornerstone:
Monday
C.A.B. 9.30 am - 1.00 pm
Children's Church 2.00 pm - 3.00 pm *
Youth Service 7.00 pm - 10.00 pm *
Tuesday
Do Ra Me 9.00 am - 1.00 pm *
Women's Fellowship 2.15 pm - 4.00 pm
Other meetings which occur monthly, quarterly or only once ---
Alzheimers Café (monthly)
Local Preachers (quarterly)
Pastoral Committee (quarterly)
ACT: Rotary: Summer Fellowship: Fair Trade: Oxfam:
Craft group for shoe boxes (5): M.P.'s surgery (2):
Church property: Guiders' Meeting: JMA Sunday lunches:
Every Sunday used by Powersource 10.30 am - 12.00 noon

Waterside:
Monday
Keep Fit 9.30 am - 12.00 noon Sept - May
Rainbows 5.30 pm - 6.30 pm *
Guides 7.15 pm - 9.15 pm *
Tuesday
Youth Club 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm *
Wednesday
Rainbows 6.15 pm - 7.15 pm *
Thursday
Brownies 5.45 pm - 7.00 pm *
Guides 7.15 pm - 9.00 pm *
Friday
Basement 7.00 pm - 10.00 pm

Gateway use of Waterside 16 evenings
Parties 10
Ministry of Transport 4 days
One day events 3
Sunday Powersource 10.30 am - 12.00 noon

Century Hall:
Monday
Craft Circle (2nd in month) 7.30 pm - 10.00 pm
Tuesday
Brownies *
Church lunch - 4th Tuesday in the month
Young Farmers - September - April
Wednesday St John's Ambulance 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm *

Extra bookings that occur quarterly or one off bookings
Ashbourne Pipe Band: Church Council: Church AGM: Patna Group:Circuit Meetings: 50+ Forum: Late-night shopping: Lent lunches:
Network Day: Playgroup Service: Women's World Day of Prayer in March: Local Preachers Meeting.

Saturday Praise Service - 3rd in month 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm
Sunday Powersource 10.30 am - 12.00 noon

Church:
Friday
Choir and band practice

Other bookings: Wedding/Blessing 1
Funerals 6
Choir and band concerts )
Patna Meeting )
Easter Concert )
Maunday Service ) 11
Good Friday Service )
Women's W.D.P )
ACT )

Should you wish to book any part of the premises this should be made as early as possible by contacting me - ENID STUBBS on 01335 342810
Thank you.
Enid

Charles Wesley - Orpheus to the Christian Church
A tercentenary look at the hymns of Charles Wesley
The Rev Dr H B McGonigle is Senior Lecturer in Historical Theology, Church History and Wesley Studies at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester
Among the legends that have come down to us from the ancient Greek Myths is the story of Orpheus, the song maker. According to the legend Orpheus was so blessed by the gods with the gift of song that nothing on earth, or in the underworld, could withstand the power and influence of his songs. The story of Orpheus is of course a myth but the Christian Church has a real 'Orpheus.' His name is Charles Wesley. Three hundred years ago, in December 1707, Charles Wesley was born and for the last two hundred and fifty years, Christians around the world have been singing the hymns he composed. In this series we will be looking at a selection of his most popular hymns and noting how much Bible doctrine is found in them.
A brief sketch of Charles' life is necessary in this first article. He was born in his Epworth, Lincolnshire, rectory home on December 18, 1707, four years after his brother John. The son of the Revd Samuel Wesley and his wife Susanna, Charles was brought up in a home of strict Anglican piety, and a home where the Bible and good devotional books were constantly read and discussed. His natural gift for poetry was encouraged by the large output of Christian verse that came from the pens of his father Samuel and his other elder brother, Samuel Junior. After his years at London's Westminster School, where he laid the foundations of an excellent classical education, he went to Christchurch, Oxford. Following graduation, and then ordination in the Church of England, he spent a year with his brother John in Georgia in America and later experienced an evangelical conversion in London on Pentecost Sunday, May 21, 1738. In that year he began to write the hymns for which he is still famous. In the fifty years until his death in 1788, he published some 8500 pieces of religious poetry, making him the most prolific poet in the English language.
A year after his conversion Charles published a hymn that was destined to be among his most popular. Significantly he titled it, 'A hymn for the Anniversary Day of one's Conversion.' The opening lines are:
Glory to God, and praise, and love
Be ever, ever given.
All the hymnbook editions of this hymn begin with verse 7.
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise
The glories of my God and King
The triumphs of His grace!
Charles wrote 18 verses for this hymn but most hymnbooks use at most seven or eight of the verses. Charles Wesley longs to tell the good news of the gospel to others. He asks God for help in order
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honours of Thy name.
With his own heart warmed with the redeeming love of God, he proclaims the beauty and glory and saving power of the name of Jesus. It's the name that 'charms our fears;' it is 'music in the sinner's ears;' it brings 'life and health and peace.' As the New Testament teaches, Christ alone can
Break the power of cancelled sin
And set the prisoner free.
The hymn echoes God's invitation in Isaiah 45:22. 'Look to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.'
Look unto Him, ye nations own …
Look, and be saved through faith alone
Be justified by grace.
As with so many of the hymns he would subsequently write, Charles' main emphasis in this 'Anniversary Hymn' is the atoning work done by Christ in his death and resurrection. This is still the 'heart' of the great evangel; it is still the 'good news' that the world needs to hear in 2007! Charles Wesley climaxes this rightly-popular hymn with an invitation to look to Christ.
See all your sins on Jesus laid
The Lamb of God was slain.
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.
(I propose to include further articles in this series as space permits. Ed)

Baptist, Methodist and URC leaders make statement on Trident
"Our churches urge the British Government to work tirelessly to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction. The end of the Cold War gave us hope that this aim is achievable. Replacing Trident would send the wrong message to aspiring nuclear powers. Each Trident warhead is capable of delivering destruction several times that of the Hiroshima bomb, therefore the proposed reduction in the number of warheads is largely academic. Replacing Trident with a new system with a potential lifespan to 2050 flies in the face of commitments that the UK has made under the Non-Proliferation Treaty."
Signed by: -
Revd Jonathan Edwards (General Secretary, The Baptist Union of Great Britain)
Mr. Dudley Coates (Vice-President, The Methodist Church)
Revd Elizabeth Caswell (Moderator of the General Assembly of the United
Reformed Church)

Thoughts upon slavery
John Wesley, was well known as an opponent of slavery.In his then controversial tract, Thoughts Upon Slavery, published in 1774, John challenged the evils of slavery and called for the abolition of the Slave Trade Act.mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 2007, Thoughts Upon Slavery has been reproduced, with additional material, links to resources and information on the "Set All Free" campaign which aims to combat modern forms of slavery. Available from the Racial Justice Office, Methodist Church House, London NW1 5JR. email: RacialJustice@methodistchurch.org.uk

Dear Friends,
As always many thanks for your contributions, please keep them coming in. I'd like to run an occasional article on the theme," My Story" a biographical piece about members and friends. You can stick to facts if you prefer but the ups and downs of your faith journey would also be welcome and may help others too. (In my previous church it was one of the most popular features of the magazine).

Sorry about any confusion about the deadline for this issue, my fault
entirely. I hope to publish the March edition on 25th February, deadline for copy 14th February and as I'm away for three weeks, the April edition on 8th April, deadline 28th March. E-mail to
ashbournemethodistmagazine@supanet.com ,by post to 2 Hambleton Close, DE6 1NG or placed in the Newsletter pigeon hole at AMC.
Arthur Watts

Quote
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God. Anon

Issues Facing Christians Today
After Easter we are planning to do a five week series on topical issues.
Please let Chris Eddy know of any topics you would like to be the subject of a sermon during this series.

CIRCUIT CHURCH SERVICES
Sunday Ashboume 10.30am with young people's groups. - Becky Dutton (343494)
6.30pm
Brailsford 10.30am on 2nd and 4th Sunday
6.30pm United service 10.45am monthly on 1st Sunday
Hulland 2.30pm
Kirk Ireton 6.30pm monthly on 4th Sunday
Kniveton 2.30pm Family service 11am monthly on last Sunday
Milldale Special services - see Dates for Your Diary
Parwich 2.30pm fortnightly
Stanton 2.30pm
Tissington 2.30pm monthly on 3rd Sunday

Monday
2pm Children's Church: weekly during term-time, Cornerstone Leader- Rachel Glossop (330679)
7.30pm Housegroup: weekly Leader - Gareth Rutledge (344948)

Tuesday
10.00am Housegroup: weekly Leaders - John & Elizabeth Hurfurt (342859)
12.30pm Luncheon Club - Last Tuesday in month, Century Hall Contact - John & Elizabeth Hurfurt (342859)
2.l5pm Womens' Fellowship - fortnightly, Cornerstone
7.00pm Youth Club - weekly, Lower Hall Leader - Di Lambert (344503)
7.30pm Housegroup: fortnightly Leaders - Diana Whitmill (01889 590509) Trevor Staniforth (347319)

Wednesday
9.30am Walk and Talk Group - 1st & 3rd Wednesday Contacts - Chris and John Dakin(345280)
7.30pm Housegroup: fortnightly Leader - Stuart Mustow (343924)

Thursday
7.30pm Housegroup - weekly Leader David Higham (350151)

Friday
7.30pm - 9.30pm The Basement (Drop in for young people in school years 7+) Contact - Stuart Green (300338)
7.30pm Choir Practice - weekly, Church Leader - Tim Dutton (343494)

Saturday
7.00pm Praise: 3rd Saturday in Month, Century Hall Contact - Tim Dutton (343494)

Circuit Staff
Rev Chris Eddy 33 The Green Road Ashbourne DE6 1ED Tel 01335 342408