September 2008

Relationships | Coffee Morning | Bookstall | Thank You | Methodist Services| Teddy Bear Party | Children's Society

Summer CDs Available | USPG | Crusaders | Harvest at St Jude's | Help | From the Registers | Calendar

Relationships

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20)

Imagine you lend a treasured possession to a friend, perhaps a special book or a recording of some music that's no longer available. Whatever it is, it gets damaged and when your friend returns it to you, or tells you that it's broken beyond repair, s/he doesn't seem to realise how special that particular item was to you. S/he seems quite casual in her/his apology; but you're a Christian, so through gritted teeth and with a forced smile you say, "Never mind, it doesn't matter."

But it does matter and you feel resentful whenever you think of it. That resentment simmers away until one day your friend asks if s/he can borrow something else and suddenly you flare up and make it clear to her/him in no uncertain terms that you won't lend her/him anything of value again after last time. Your friend, taken aback by this reaction, goes away to nurse her/his own new grievance against you.

Relationships can be damaged by such incidents and by others much more extreme. As Christians, we need to be realistic about this: loving others as ourselves doesn't mean pretending we never hurt or upset each other, that we never argue or that we always live peacefully together.

A Gospel reading shows us a more loving way to deal with rifts in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Matthew writes about the guidance Jesus gives for managing arguments and conflict within the Church.

The first step, says Jesus, is to try and sort the problem out with the other person directly, without involving anyone else at all. If that works, then the relationship begins to heal and there are no ripples from the dispute to reach and hurt others. If this first step doesn't help, then Jesus suggests that we try again but with one or two other people present who can confirm what is said by both parties.

It's only when the rift remains that the whole Church needs to be involved, and if even that has no effect then, as a last resort, the offending person is to be excluded from the Church and treated as a "Gentile and a tax collector" - a despised outsider.

However, although Gentiles and tax collectors were generally despised and excluded, Jesus thought of them as sinners, or lost sheep, who needed to be found, forgiven and healed with love and compassion. If we are to follow his example we need to remember that we are still to love those with whom we no longer have fellowship.

Jesus promises that whenever any of his followers meet together in his name, even if it's only two of them, he will be there with them. Remembering that Jesus is alongside us when we try to resolve difficulties in our relationships will be a powerful reminder that we are to love one another and to seek peace and reconciliation wherever there is conflict between us.

Many of us would prefer to avoid conflict or confrontation with others. Perhaps also many of us feel guilty about being angry with someone we think we ought to love. Perhaps we feel we should "forgive and forget" a hurt or a wrong done to us. The problem is that if self-righteousness and anger are stored up they can fester and become very destructive of our own peace of mind and our relationships with others.

The way that Jesus describes is the way towards reconciliation with other people and peace of mind within our own souls. It is the way that is healing and life-giving, and it is the way that God relates to each of us, wanting us to live rather than dying because of our refusal to accept his forgiving grace.

The way that Jesus describes is costly. It requires honesty and humility, the willingness to admit to our own failings and faults and to reach out in love to someone who has hurt us. The way that Jesus describes can be lonely when we approach someone to seek reconciliation only to be met with a refusal to talk. That is the way of the cross, and it is perhaps when we feel most alone, rejected and hurt that Jesus is closest to us as he keeps his promise to be with us always. When we meet in the name of Jesus to seek peace between ourselves, his Spirit moves among us to bring about the peace that the world cannot give.

COFFEE MORNING
There will be a Coffee Morning in the porch of the Methodist Church in Victoria Street on Saturday 6th September from 10.00am. Do come along for a cup of coffee and a chat.

BOOKSTALL
Cassandra Gouriet is planning to set up a bookstall with books on a sale and return basis with the Canaan Bookshop in Staines. Please ring Cassandra on 435602 if you would like to help.

THANK YOU
Mrs Vera Long writes -

On 20th July, after the 9.30am service, I was presented with a very handsome gift in recognition of my 17 years as verger at St Jude's Church.

May I say a very big "THANK YOU" to all who contributed so generously towards my present. Very many thanks.

ORGANIST
Sunday 31st August was the last Sunday for Sam Rathbone as our organist and choirmaster. We are very grateful for his time with us and will miss him greatly but wish him well in his new Church in London. He has promised to come back and give a recital next year as part of our celebrations for our 150th anniversary.

TEDDY BEAR PARTY
There will be a Teddy Bear Party on Sunday 7th September, 3.30-5pm, for the children (and their young siblings and parents) christened in St Jude's Church during the last year.

The celebration will start with some fun and games, followed by a special Teddy Bear's Service and ending with a Teddy Bear's picnic in the Church grounds (subject to weather and bring your own picnic).

METHODIST SERVICES
Following consultation with the Bishop of Guildford, services conducted by Mrs Linda Ashford, Methodist Lay Pastor, will now have the Revd James Rattue, our temporary curate, presiding at the Eucharist using the Methodist rite.

SUMMER CDs AVAILABLE
For only £8 (with all profits directly benefiting St Jude's) you can buy an excellent quality CD of the concert held in the Chapel at Royal Holloway in June, which raised over £1000 for St Jude's Church. It features our own professional organist Sam Rathbone, singers Ruth Hopkins, Susie Harben, Kirsty Kinge, and Emily Revie, flautist Louise Bunce and many others. If you missed the concert, would love to hear it again, or would love for somebody else to have the chance to experience it, then now is your chance! Please email cd@stjudeschurch.info for more information and to order a copy.

CRUSADERS
Tired of gazing at a screen? Nothing but homework on Mondays? If you're aged 7-11, try Crusaders on Mondays 6.15-7.45pm in the Victoria Street Church Hall. More information on 01784 436576 or 433560 Crusaders re-opens after summer break on Monday 22nd September.

HARVEST AT ST JUDE'S
Please note that the Harvest celebrations will take place at the 9.30am service on Sunday 5th October. The Harvest Supper will be in the Church Hall at 7.00pm on Saturday 4th October. Tickets will be available soon.

CHILDREN'S SOCIETY
Somewhere in the parish there are 19 collection boxes for the Children's Society which are due to be gathered, opened and counted in September. If you have one, or if you can shed any light on where they may be, please talk to James Rattue or email boxes@stjudeschurch.info.

CAN YOU HELP?
I am emailing out to local Church contacts to see if we can help with a need the university will have when the new academic year starts next month in September. Basically every year the university has international students who arrive that for some reason don't have accommodation to move into at the start of term, often this is either because they haven't arranged accommodation before arriving at university as they only enrol on arrival, or their accommodation has been double booked. This is usually for a dozen or so students, and in the past they have needed to sleep on mattresses in the same room until it is resolved.

Therefore I have said to Adam Cadoo, the new Students' Union VP education & welfare that I would contact the local churches and see if we can draw up a list of spare rooms where hospitality can be extended for a few days at the start of term is needed. Rooms are likely to be needed from Saturday 20th Sept for a few days, up to a week into Freshers week which starts Monday 22nd Sept 2008.

If you could ask people in your congregations, local networks etc. if they have a spare room that they would be willing to offer a week's accommodation to an international student (or two) over the next couple of weeks and then let me know interest or uptake by the end of August? I will then tally together any offers and let Adam in the SU know what can be offered.

This would be a great way for the local Church (maybe as part of Hope initiatives?) to serve not only the University and Students' Union, but also the individual international students that arrive.

Be blessed

Phil Simcock Community Action Volunteer Co-ordinator

USPG
There are ten copies of the new edition of the USPG magazine Transmission available for people to look at in church. The ten copies of the old edition were thrown away entirely untampered with. Do please take the trouble to read about this worthwhile charity.

FROM THE REGISTERS

Baptisms:
(27th July) Joseph Chambers; (10th August) Freya Dean; (17th) Toby Hardesty, Katie Worley.

Marriage:
(16th August) Stuart Saxon and Samantha MacKay; Guy Brendon and Liffy Baker; (23rd August) Oliver Irwin and Claire Longbottom.

Blessing of Marriage:
(23rd August) Edward and Christie Down; (24th August) Sundeep Singh Dhesi and Rachel Sumal.

Funeral:
(18th August) Pauline Chew.

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CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER 2008

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