Newsletter: May, 2004

Home

Jesus said, “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14.23)

It is interesting to notice the advertising for new housing developments. Whether in the property sections of the newspaper, or on hoardings on the site itself, the wording is almost always the same. It is not new houses, flats, maisonettes or bungalows that are being offered for sale. Whatever the shape, size or style, it is new homes.

“Home” has far more appeal than words that describe a bare building. In many instances, the builders seek to justify the use of the word by including much of the equipment and appliances that we would otherwise have to install ourselves. Even so, no matter what fittings and furnishings are included, however imaginative and comprehensive they may be, it is only people who can create a home. A home is an extension of the people who live in it, of their tastes and personality, who they are and what they are. A home cannot be bought “off the peg”, whatever the builders may provide and whatever the agents may claim. The decision to make a home involves a great deal of time, commitment and emotional energy.

We find this process, which is so familiar to many of us, reflected in Jesus’ teaching that we read in St John’s Gospel. “Those who love me will keep my word”, he says. The disciples have to make up their mind about Jesus. Does he have the words of eternal life, as he claims? Not everyone thought so. At one point, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him”. However, some were ready to commit themselves to Jesus. His was the way of life they wanted, with all that it entailed — just as we may see a property, decide that we want to live there, with all the risks and unknown quantities involved.

Whether we actually manage to acquire the property we have set our hearts on can depend on any number of unforeseen difficulties, including the integrity of the vendor. But, there will be no such difficulties in our dealings with God. “My Father will love them”. There is the unequivocal guarantee, followed by a change of dynamic: “We will come to them and make our home with them”. Notice the use of the plural. It is God who now takes the initiative. In all his fullness, he comes to us and begins the home-making process within us. Just as a home expresses the personality of the people who live there, so our lives will express the presence and personality of God. This is the essence of the Christian life. We are right to emphasise the community aspects of Christianity that affect so many areas of day-to-day living, and raise so many areas of concern. Yet the faith remains essentially an intensely personal encounter between the individual person and God. It is one which involves a degree of commitment on our part, comparable with that of setting up home, a commitment that will be more than matched by God as he comes to us and makes his home within us. We find ourselves enriched and fulfilled by the experience.

In his book Crossing the Lines, Melvyn Bragg completes his trilogy about Joe Richardson, born and brought up in Bragg’s own hometown of Wigton in Cumbria. The two previous books describe how Joe grows up and develops in the immediate post-war years. Now he is at Grammar School, and wins a scholarship to Oxford. However, his young life is transformed by his deep love for Rachel. The relationship opens up new horizons within him, areas of his deepest self that he was hardly aware of before. Perhaps it is not too much to describe our relationship with God in similar terms: a love affair which brings with it a new awareness of ourselves and of God, and the one in relation to the other. It is something we know that we can never fully comprehend, something above us and beyond us. Sometimes it may seem out of the reach of our earth-bound aspirations. Yet as so often in his teaching, Jesus expresses the greatest truths in the simplest way. He grounds our one-ness with God in everyday terms that we can easily understand. In doing so, he also earths the mystery of his incarnation in an image that is common to people everywhere, for we all need somewhere to live. His words have meaning for us all: “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them”.

Lorna Smith

NEWS IN BRIEF
The service on Saturday 24th April to celebrate women’s ministry for the last thirty years and particularly the tenth anniversary of the ordination of women priests in the Diocese of Guildford, was a very happy occasion. We are very grateful to Professor Lionel Pike and the singers from Royal Holloway who performed the Byrd Five Part Mass.

PARISH CENTRE APPEAL
Total raised so far £89,001
Total expenditure so far £9,181
Total promises so far £17,688
Money available for project £97,508
Balance needed £402,492

Receipts during April included a donation from the Teddy Bear Club.

ANNUAL MEETINGS
The Annual Meetings took place on Sunday 25th April immediately after the 9.30am service. At the first, Geoff Chew and Brian Hooker were returned as Churchwardens for another year.

At the second meeting we had an opportunity to look back over the last year and say thank you to all those who work so hard for St Jude’s Church. In particular, we say thank you to Mr Eric Carr, L.V.O. who is retiring after being our Independent Financial Examiner for a number of years.

Diana Bendall, Jenny Chew, Robert Pitt and Kathleen Weldin were returned to the PCC and we are delighted to welcome Guy Bunce and Karen Mullins as new elected members of the Council.

AUCTION OF PROMISES
There will be an Auction of Promises (and items) in aid of the Parish Centre Appeal on Saturday 26th June at 7.30pm. This makes money for the Appeal by having as many promises as possible which are then auctioned and sold to the highest bidder. Think of it as Englefield Green’s local answer to Ebay.

Nearer the time there will be a leaflet showing details of all the available items.

Now is the time to make your offer of either an item you would like to donate for auction or a promise of time/effort you would like to make available for someone else to bid for. This could include items such as being a chauffeur, cooking a meal, going shopping, decorating a room, gardening, any privileges available through one’s place of employment etc. Please supply details of your offer either by email to auction@stjudes.info or by post to The Auction of Promises, St Jude’s Church House, Kings Lane, Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey TW20 0TZ.

FROM THE REGISTERS
Holy Baptism:
(10th April, Holy Saturday Evening) Emma Kate King.

Funerals:
(29th March) Stella Durban; (2nd April) Alan Bryant; (5th) Marjorie Butler; (15th) Peter Leslie Keywood; (19th) Pamela Rose Cox; (22nd) Edward Robert Hatcher; (23rd) Mark Gifford Puttock.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

AFTERNOON TEAS
Cream Teas will take the place of Coffee Mornings for the next few months. The first one will be on Saturday 8th May from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. There will also be cakes, biscuits, preserves etc on sale. Offers of help would be appreciated.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK
9th – 15th May 2004.
Christian Aid week is here again. We have a wonderful core of about 19 people who have been regular collectors for many years but there are many roads that we are unable to collect from so more collectors would make a tremendous difference. If you can't collect, there is another way you can help. We also need a small group of helpers to count the money on Saturday morning 15th May. If you are willing to help please ring Roy and Cassandra on 01784 435602 or see them in St Jude’s Church.

SUMMER FAIR
We have decided that there will be a Summer Fair this year. It will be (by kind permission of the Head Teacher) in the grounds of St Jude’s School in Bagshot Road on Saturday 10th July from 1.00pm.

A meeting to discuss this will be on Tuesday 4th May at 8.00pm at the Vicarage, 21 Willow Walk. All welcome.

ORGAN RECITALS AT RHC
Sunday 9th May at 7.30pm
Oliver King
Chapel Organist at King William’s College, Isle of Man
and Asst Organist at Oxford City Church


Sunday 23rd May at 7.30pm
Henry Parkes
Organ Scholar at
St George’s Chapel, Windsor


Sunday 6th June at 7.30pm
Tim Uglow
Organist and Head of Academic Music
Cranleigh School

Parking spaces are available.
Entry is FREE.
All donations will go to the
Chapel Choir fund.
For more details please call
the Royal Holloway concert office
on 01784 443853.
www.chapelchoir.co.uk

CALENDAR FOR MAY 2004