Church Magazine
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The magazine is published every month and is self funding through local advertisements. It incorporates the diocesan magazine called CRUX. Extracts from the magazines will be placed on this page to give the reader a flavour of: who thinks what and what happens in St Nicholas Church along with any other article that might appeal to the interested mind.
Opposite is magazine no 1 from 1891. Its insert was called The Parish Magazine but changed to The Church Monthly in 1892. In December 2010 there will have been 1424 magazines without a break.
THE LATEST LETTER FROM THE VICAR - June 2010
Not too long ago a member of the congregation remarked that there was ‘a lot of love’, in the magazine this month.’ Easter reminded us all of the absolute love of God for his creation, that he allowed Jesus to be crucified, for us, on the cross so that we might believe that love is stronger than death. It is good that as Christians, we can unashamedly talk and write about love.
In April, I went with Monday Club to visit Lancashire Radio, in Blackburn, and we listened to a live broadcast featuring the presenter Sally Nadine and three ladies with a story to tell; there we heard about a young girl called Tesse. Tesse is the daughter of Helen and is three years old. At the age of one Tesse stopped growing and was later diagnosed as having a fatal and very rare neurodegenerative medical condition called Alexander Disease. Her life expectancy is between 5 – 10 years.
Death is particularly tragic when it involves a child and caring for a child who you know will die sooner rather than later must be unimaginably hard. And yet the mother exuded nothing but love and happiness and said that her daughter’s situation has enabled the family to love each other every day, more and more. Yes, she has cried a lot but I didn’t detect even a hint of reproach in her words. We were all very much affected, as she told her story.
History is of course littered with desperate situations and I can hear cynics denigrating our loving God, as if he had a part to play in Tesse’s condition. I believe that he is with the family now enabling them to discover love in the fullest sense on earth now, as it is in heaven.
Is there an alternative to love which is equally life sustaining? Would anger, angst, self blame, rejection or even denial help Tesse – of course it wouldn’t. So often we read about tragedies such as this as happening somewhere else, but this is so local to us, and so touches our hearts even more. Helen teaches at St Peter’s RC school here in Newchurch. Please remember her and the family in your prayers.
With every blessing,
Sue.
Article on PRAYER July 2007
St Nicholas is a catholic church ( note the small c ) in the sense that it is part of the ‘whole Church’ throughout the world, throughout time and eternity. It has been the practice of the Anglican Church in every age to pray for, and with those who have departed, and it is good therefore to see the pricket stand so well used in church.
To sit quietly in St Nicholas Church and to be surrounded by structures which have born silent witness to so many prayers over nearly 500 years is a great privilege. “The stone is the library of his poetry” R.S Thomas.
Our fellowship together and witness to the risen Christ is based on love and prayer, for we are “compassed” about continually by “a great cloud” of those who have borne witness to the faith (Heb 12:1), and who form with us “the general assembly and church of the first born” (Heb. 12:23).
Indeed the Lord taught us how to pray and we also gladly say: ‘Therefore, with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name; ever more praising thee and saying, Holy…………….’ [Preface and Sanctus BCP]
When we pray we are not alone. The Christian departed, expect the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come – the Creed is testimony to this hope. We believe that they rest “in Christ” (I. Cor. 15:18) for the present, and that they will rise again on the last day.
RS Thomas –a Welsh Poet / Priest, spent a lifetime grappling with God and often he would express his frustration with His apparent absence in his life and the apparent uselessness of prayer, but then he found himself writing thus:
Prayers like gravel / flung at the sky’s / window, hoping to attract / the loved one’s / attention. But without / visible plaits to let / down for the believer / to climb up, / to what purpose open / that far casement? / I would / have refrained long since / but that peering once / through my locked fingers / I thought that I detected the movement of a curtain.
[Folk Tale]
As for me I quite like the idea [who knows (God knows!) what the reality is?] of the departed and the angels praying for me and me praying with them. A good friend / priest, once told me just hours before he died that he would pray for me – and strange as it might seem, I just know that he does.
A Letter from the Team Vicar June 2008
Sadly, much of the wisdom about God’s gift of wisdom is arrived at through suffering. Not so long ago I buried a full term still born child. We can only start to imagine what anguish was experienced by the parents. And often I have to say to parents in situations like this, that I do not have any glib answers when they ask: Where was God? But I know that God did not want the baby to die anymore than he wanted the recent floods in Burma or earthquake in China.
I am sure that many of you have also experienced that, ‘dark night of the soul’ as Jesus did when he cried on the cross: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Job did not find any immediate answers either but slowly came to realise that prayer and worship, love and relationship were crucial to the understanding of the wisdom of God.
It is not insignificant that the Christian God is not buried on earth, unlike the God’s of many other religions. Christians have only an empty tomb and a bare cross to point to, but that is enough. For behind the resurrection of Christ and his ascendance into heaven lie the Holy Spirit and the earthly scriptures of the Old and New Testament together with the new covenant which Jesus Christ chose to leave us with.
Rather than old bones and archaeological interpretation, we have Jesus saying in Matthew 22 v36-40, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and all the Prophets hang on these commandments.’ Here is the beginning of the understanding of the Wisdom of God.
He is there in the midst of suffering of whatever kind, sharing the grief, and crying too. He is there, with wide open arms catching all the emotions that fall on him – with Love.
Our gift as Christians, which I believe God has granted us through His grace, is to hold the hand in the darkness, to be able to pray and worship, and to seek the light
Letter from the Team Vicar August 2008
Next month I will have been here for three years – doesn’t time fly! But when you see that St Nicholas [1511] has been here for almost 500 years and St Anne’s [1886] almost 125 years - it is just the blink of an eye. And it is good, to reflect in both our churches upon what has happened in this time and to remember all those faithful priests and congregations who have brought us to where we are. So, what of the future?
The Deanery Plan has been ratified and unless there are some exceptional circumstances the next 100 years will see fewer churches in Rossendale and fewer priests. Within any community, the faithful are the people responsible for God – how much more simply can you put, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” [1 Cor.12.27] What a responsibility, and what a challenge to us all!
And the community needs to be constantly reminded that it is, through the Church and it’s Sacraments, that they can find peace and go away refreshed. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” [John 8.12] But I also know that any Church perceived as a shop – open only on a Sunday, has a short shelf life; so there is also a need for ‘open doors’ – and glass ones at that, and a need to go out and proclaim the Gospel through the way we live and the hope we have for the future in Jesus Christ. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” [Matthew 5.16]
And ‘good works’ are why community church based groups for toddlers, teenagers, families and the elderly are essential for the future of any Church. At Holy Communion we offer our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice; to be sent out in the power of His Spirit to live and work to His praise and glory. “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” [Romans 12.1] And may God through His grace and the breaking of bread, give us the strength to achieve His will.
Letter from the Team Vicar—December 2008
I knew that Christmas was on it’s way when I spotted Christmas cards for sale in October! Another portent was the magnificent changing colours of the leaves prior to their fall, and of course the changing weather and the white frosts on roofs and hills. But how often do we pause and reflect upon the moment – the unexpected smile, the kind deed, the spiders web on a frosty morning, the Robin at the window, each event an invitation from God to be still and to wonder.
The journey to Christmas within the church can also be measured by the changing colours of the fabrics used in the liturgy. Do we notice such things? The green journey through Trinity followed by the red of The Kingdom Season, the purple of Advent and then the white of Christmas itself.
These changes, like the seasons, suggest a journey and they fill me with expectation? But whatever the change, whatever our situation, whatever the journey, it is ‘time’ that is passing, so there is something to be said for finding the space to be still and tasting the fruit of God’s creation.
Jesus said, “So do not be anxious about tomorrow; tomorrow will look after itself.” [Mat 6.34] and the psalmist said, ‘This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ [psalm 118.24]
Joy and bewilderment and I dare say, tears and sadness, will be on offer to us this Christmas as gifts from God and amongst all of this Jesus reminds us, “Surely life is more than food, the body more than clothes.” [Mat 6.25]
Within the undoubted celebration that many of us will have, let us find time to offer support through prayer or action for the poor, the lonely, the bereaved, the distressed and those who have no-one to love them. Christmas is also the moment when God and His Church, calls people to be still, to remember the birth of His Son, so that those who believe in Him will have eternal life. Let us not miss the moment. Let us rejoice and give thanks to God for Jesus, in Church this Christmas, with our neighbour.
Letter from the Team Vicar - January 2010
When everything has settled and the family have gone home, or the morning after the night before, there is the cleaning and tidying to do. And usually with a big sigh perhaps, we start again restoring some order and sense of purpose to our houses, not least perhaps to reassess our finances as a result of our Christmas festivities. And a new year offers us once again, the opportunity to address the clutter in our lives.
When we look back at what happened in our lives last year, everyone has a story to tell. It may be one of sadness or of joy, of disappointment or challenge and amongst it all, as it has been for almost 500 years, is the Church on the hill – our Church.
For many, the church is a place of refuge, a sanctuary from the sadness of loss or loneliness, a place where problems can be shared with others and with God, where thankfulness can be expressed and forgiveness asked. For many it is an oasis of peace and tranquillity in an otherwise chaotic world. All these things, unconditionally given by God, with love.
And every Sunday the congregation hear the words of Jesus: ‘This is my body which is given for you,’ just as the disciples heard it so many years ago, and for his voice to continue to be heard here in Newchurch, the church must remain open.
The bible reading at Bishop Nigel’s Pilgrimage service was from Isaiah 54.2-3: “Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitation be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the desolate towns.” This text has been with me, ever since my first Vicar in Monmouth, used it to preach on The Future of the Church, at his last service in the church (he died that evening). We have certainly enlarged our tent with the new Narthex and now we are charged with using it to the Glory of God in this place.
But just as we may as a household, need to take stock of our finances, so we too at St. Nicholas will also need to reassess our finances. The Parish share this year is £25,000 [up £2000 on last year] and then there are the running costs. Time and talents are so important, as they are God given gifts, but sadly they don’t pay the bills. Can I ask that all of you look again at what God has given you, at what this church means to you and ask, what can I give as part of the body of Christ, for the work of the church in this community.
Letter from the Team Vicar - April 2010
It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the millennium and as we look back we know that some things have changed. And certainly one change is our faith, which itself has undergone some battering in recent years as the Church has tried to accommodate changes in an increasingly secular multicultural society.
As we look forward to our 500th Anniversary in this place, we still hope to achieve Christ’s imperatives that we might all be one. Talks are continuing with the Roman Catholic Church and the Methodist Church, but we appear to be weighed down by our histories!
Last month, I watched the television documentary programme on the life of Mo (The former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) and was surprised at the portrayal of the first meeting of Mo with the leaders of Sinn Fein. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness were immediately portrayed as being more concerned about their histories (which they used to justify their position of perceived subjugation) rather than peace. Again, when I hear of conversations with Muslims they seem to refer to as far back as the Crusades to justify their response to ‘Western values.’ What is it about our respective histories that can trap us into spirals of suspicion ? Is there no understanding of peace, forgiveness, turning the other cheek, swords into ploughshares, compassion, relationship and love? These are values outside of human nature which Christ sought to bring to God’s creation that we might all be one. His message, in spite of us, has not changed over 2000 years.
As we celebrate Easter let us commit ourselves to seeking the common good, listening to the other person’s point of view, opening our minds to the possibility that we might not be establishing the body of Christ here in Newchurch. I quoted St Teresa of Avila in last month’s letter and again here are some of her words: ‘Yours are the hands with which Christ is to bless people now.’ Christ has risen, He has risen indeed. Let Alleluia be our song.
Promises to God
This month we read about and probably heard about the Catholic man (founder of Kwick Save) who promised God when he was younger, that if he made him a millionaire he would give back half of what he earned to the Church. In the event he did become a multimillionaire and has now given back to the Church the sum of four hundred million pounds – almost all his fortune. Did God answer his prayer, and if so for what purpose?
This reminded me of the story of the man who asked God to help him win the lottery only to receive a reply from God along the lines of, meet me half way and actually buy a lottery ticket! I did wonder how many of us have made promises to God at some time in our lives and what were the circumstances. I suspect that sometimes promises are made out of despair and at others as part of a ‘joining ceremony’ such as those made at Christian baptism or even for some of us, a Scout or Girl Guide promise!
I have difficulty with promises that suggest one can bargain with God (if........I will......!) and also with the idea that we can hold God to ransom! I am not too happy either with a ‘shopping list’ style of praying for God knows our needs even before we start to ask, and he will answer them His way in His time - I am convinced of that! God, of course, has made promises to us not least that all those who believe in Him shall have eternal life or as Jesus said to the criminal on the cross: ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23.43)
For me, holding my empty hands out at the Eucharist in humble humility and empty of myself (I find that I have to continually work at this), I receive with joy, God’s promise to me and to the world for those who wish to listen.
A pilgrim.
