Minister: Revd. Emma Aikins Fd.A; DipHE
Stoneleigh Methodist Church Magazine
April 2018 – May 2018
He is Risen
Stoneleigh Crescent, Stoneleigh, Epsom, Surrey KT19 0RT
I have
seen the
Lord
From the MinisterDear Friends,
Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia!
This Easter season, we celebrate our Lord Jesus’ victory over death and proclaim our faith in him as we greet the whole world with the words of the hymn “Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son, endless is the victory,
thou o’er death hast won…”
I want to thank the church congregation for their commitment to stay after service during the Lent studies on Moving Stories. Each time I counted how many stayed for the session, it was a proportion of two thirds of the congregation at each morning service which is remarkable.
The words of Mary Magdalene to the disciples after going to look for the Lord Jesus was: I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18) and it resonates a challenge to us all, as well as an invitation to ask ourselves – have we seen the Lord?
Encountering the Lord Jesus as our saviour is a very unique experience and it doesn’t happen the same way for everybody; however, it’s always a joy to share that moment and to continue each day to live a rededicated life.
I was watching the funeral service of the Evangelist Billy Graham on YouTube and as I listened to all the tributes one of his daughters began her tribute by saying “Everyone here has a Billy Graham story” and although being a daughter she said I am going to share my Billy Graham story and that prompted me that I have my Billy Graham story too. What I remember in the 1970s was that I went to a crusade organised by the crusaders’ group following Billy Graham’s visit to Ghana in the 60s. The Crusaders were like a group of Billy Graham followers (similar to Scripture Union and Youth for Christ ministries) and this group had links with churches, schools, hospitals and community evangelism. I joined the Crusaders for a while and enjoyed the numerous outreach programmes. It was through this ministry that I received my first ‘Pilgrims Progress’
booklets. I remember learning the song “O what a wonderful, wonderful day” one day during fellowship and this particular song was sung at every altar call whilst praying for those who would have come forward to accept the Lord Jesus as their personal saviour. This song is an affirmation and indeed the words invigorate the soul.
O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget; After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Saviour I met.
O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart; Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.
Chorus
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, When at the cross the Saviour made me whole;
My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day, Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!
Born of the spirit with life from above; into God’s family divine; Justified fully through Calvary’s love, O what a standing is mine! And the transaction so quickly was made, when as a sinner I came, Took of the offer of grace He did proffer - He saved me, O praise His dear name!
By John W. Peterson © 1961
My message to all re-echoes the words of Mary Magdalene, that we ‘see the Lord’; that our encounter will continue to resource us spiritually. May this Easter JOY be an encounter of New Life in Christ our Saviour. Revd. Emma
TWAM (Tools with a Mission) Thanks to everyone who contributed to our collection of tools and sewing equipment.
The gentleman from TWAM was thrilled by all the things he had to take away, as were the Thursday
Fellowship at Worcester Park Baptist Church. This doesn’t have to be the end - please spread the word.
Perhaps you have friends who are builders, gardeners or mechanics, TWAM are also happy
to take portable typewriters, men’s bicycles, computer equipment, wheelchairs Details of the scheme are on the main notice board, and the walk-in cupboard in Room 1 is open for donations.
Steward’s Notes
Thanks to you all for inviting me to become a Steward again, things are a little different this time around and it has taken a while to adjust the mindset but on the whole, it is good to be more involved again.
I can’t believe it’s already April; after the horrendous March weather I hope that we will be celebrating Easter in the sunshine. The Lent studies, held on a Sunday after service have been successful, encouraging more people to stay than might otherwise have come out again to a midweek group, although I know some miss the soup! We have been looking at a series of studies based on migration stories from the Bible, helping us to understand the challenges faced by migrants today and to see what lessons can be learned. The one thing it has shown me is that nothing changes; power, fear and greed are the same human traits today as they were in biblical times, but we have the example and teachings of Jesus to show us a better way.
I think Jeananne mentioned that we went to a ‘Rend Collective’ event in Guildford with Stan and Mary Brown. After a difficult start (no trains) we eventually arrived at the new ‘G live’ venue where Hillsong Church holds their services. The place was packed with people of all ages but mainly youngsters, we were blown out of our seats by the volume but it was an amazing night. Guvna B, a young Christian rapper, was something I’d never experienced before. The headliners ‘Rend Collective’, an Irish, Christian rock folk band, had the place jumping, it was brilliant. Watching the crowd really made me think; we hear in the media that the church is dying, but it’s not, it’s just changing. Those teenagers and young people all go to church and were sincere in their praise, they just express it
differently from us. It might look like one big party, which it was, and why not, but as they grow and mature, question and distil their understanding of their faith that love and enthusiasm will, hopefully, stand strong and see them through their life. So, we should not fear the future. Remember that, like Christian in The Pilgrims Progress, we have a key of Promise.
Barbara Clarke – an appreciation.
Many who remember Barbara, who died on 7th
December 2017 do so with regard, affection and gratitude, for she was a faithful member of
Stoneleigh Methodist Church; a regular attender at services of worship, class leader and leader of Women’s Fellowship.
Over the past year those of us who have visited Barbara have been greatly saddened and distressed as we witnessed the life-diminishing grip of dementia. But that is not how we should remember her, for Barbara, together with her husband John, made a valuable and unique contribution to the life of the church and beyond. At her funeral service, we learnt that her grandsons appreciated her active and creative interest in their welfare and regarded her with great affection.
As we see from the comments below, this appreciation of Barbara has also been expressed by a number of our Church Members.
Here are examples of their warm and generous comments.
“Barbara was a friendly, active person, and an excellent leader of the Women’s Fellowship for many years---“
“She had a genuine love of children, particularly shown by her care and interest in Susan, and towards other children in the Church, including my own---“
“When remembering Barbara, I also think of Susan, whose life was transformed due to Barbara’s fostering, and thereby including her as one of the family---“
“I recall Barbara welcoming the change of name from “Women’s Fellowship” to “Tuesday Fellowship” so that men were also invited and warmly welcomed. Thanks are due to Barbara for the continued
success of the Fellowship under her leadership---“
“Barbara was a very caring Class Leader and did regular pastoral visiting. She was close to her family in which Susan was always included---”
“Few people realise that some years ago, Barbara was prepared to take on the bureaucracy which was hindering Susan’s welfare.
Barbara showed she was a real ‘fighter’ in the best sense of the word-
So, we remember Barbara with thanks; yes she had her struggles in life, but faced them with fortitude. Hazel and David
The Gathering - an inter-church movement for people seeking more of
the presence of God in their lives
“The Gathering” is held in the Queens Stand on Epsom Downs once a month. I have been twice now, along with Margaret Adams our Circuit Superintendent and Emma Aikins our Minister here at SMC.
It was very different to anything I had been to before, with lots of young professional people welcoming us and people so happy, worshipping and praising God. We had quite a while of singing with a great live band and lead singers; none of the songs I knew, but they were easy to pick up and the whole atmosphere was one of joy and freedom to praise God in any way you liked.
They have a guest preacher each time and it is a very prophetic ministry. They have a strong belief that God is going to do wonderful things in the UK and will enable leaders to be forward setting up more “Gatherings” up and down the country.
The preaching is powerful and there is a great emphasis for coming forward for prayer and blessing. They have such a team of prayer leaders; it is really amazingly well organised as so many people go forward.
I would have liked to have gone up, but never did! People were talking in “tongues” and having to be caught as they were so overcome in the spirit and fell backwards.
Last month the guest preacher was an Australian called Noela Collis who is a well-known international speaker, and she was so
inspirational. I honestly felt so much more at ease with her as she was quieter and was preaching in a way that really resonated with me. It is wonderful to see so many young people alongside all ages from some of the local churches, celebrating God’s Love and wanting to be part of this new venture and feeling so involved and so sure of their commitment.
Young people with good skills and wanting to come together in a different form of church from what we are used to, is only to be celebrated and encouraged!
So, if you would like to hear more or come along with me, do say
. Jeananne
Talk on Dementia.
On Thursday 19th April 2018 at 2pm
at Stoneleigh Methodist Church, Stoneleigh Crescent,
KT19 0RT.
Claire Robertson has many years of experience. Having worked for the Alzheimer’s Society for 17 years, she is now a Trustee of
Dementia 1st and has kindly agreed to come and talk about the
effects of Dementia on the person affected and their carers. She will also give advice on dealing with situations that may occur when you have someone with Dementia in your group or church.
We have asked Claire along as Stoneleigh Methodist Church is starting a singing afternoon for people with Dementia and their carers this Spring* but I thought that it might be of interest to others so anyone is welcome. No charge but a donation to Claire’s charity would be welcomed.
For further info phone Lesley on 020 8393 4116. *see notice on back page
I went to Fellowship on 12th January 2016 and was very interested on the talk
about how to use water given by Jo Hedges from Education Dept. of Sutton and East Surrey Water Company, some of which was included in The LINK for Oct /Nov 2016. This carries on from there: - Helen
As with most things in life it’s all about keeping the balance. We need to make sure we replace the water our bodies lose during the day.
We lose water through
• urine…note this is only coloured water!, (1400ml = 2.5 pints) • perspiration – even sitting doing nothing our bodies work to
regulate our temperature and can lose half a litre a day (just over ¾ of a pint). So, the warmer it is and the more we exercise the more we need to drink. (950ml = 1.7 pints)
• breathing and talking (250ml = 0.4 pints) We replace water through
• drinking (1500ml = 2.6 pints) • eating (800ml = 1.4 pints)
• our metabolism (300ml = 0.5 pints)
Jo gave us lots of pointers to keep hydrated.
• Fruits and vegetables are great sources of water – and you need them for your five-a-day!
• Keep a bottle of water handy to encourage you to drink water whenever you can
• Fill a jug or bottle with tap water and keep it in the fridge – that way it is ready chilled when you want it
• Have a glass of water before each meal
• Drink a glass of water to replenish your fluids after a trip to the toilet
• Start a diary of when you have a drink during the day – this could be useful for anyone you know who suffers from dementia, as they may forget to have a drink
• Start the day with a good drink of water to ensure a high fluid intake early in the day
• Drink little and often and remember, when the weather is warm we perspire more and so we need to increase our water intake
• Add a slice of lemon, lime, basil or mint leaves to your water to give it some flavour – this works for hot or cold drinks
• All drinks count but water has no calories or added sugar • If you are worried about your weight opting for water instead of
If you would like an item to be in “The Link” please send it to
Vivienne Ridgway
vivienne@ridgworld.com
Articles for inclusion in the next LINK should be with Vivienne by
10th May 2018
The right to edit or omit articles is reserved to SMC, The Minister and Stewards The views expressed in this magazine are not
necessarily those of SMC as a whole
May we be prophets through our words and in our hands of
healing.
That others might see Christ in us
While Christ to us revealing
Taken from
“God still needs prophets who will rage” By Andrew E Platt © 2015 Stainer & Bell
Services
*Special Note Annual Church Meeting
Rotas
Rota Duties
Tuesday Fellowship
Please feel free to come along to Fellowship at any time, there will always be a warm welcome.
1st April Easter Sunday Communion Revd. Emma Aikins 8th April Morning Worship Local Arrangement 15th April Morning Worship Revd. Emma Aikins 22nd April Morning Worship Tony Loft
29th April * Morning Worship followed
by Annual Church Meeting Revd. Emma Aikins 6th May Holy Communion Revd. Emma Aikins 13th May Morning Worship Revd. Margaret Adams
20th May Morning Worship Revd. Emma Aikins
27th May Morning Worship David Eagle
3rd April NO MEETING
10th April Devotional
17th April Maureen & Richard Jackson – Musical memories
24th April Sheila Willis – “Beside the Seaside”
1st May Devotional
8th May Fellowship AGM followed by Quiz with Denise
15th May Visit to Ruxley Fellowship Anniversary – transport will be arranged
22nd May Lorimer Burn “Stories from a career in flying”
29th May NO MEETING – Bank Holiday week
Stewards Welcome Sound/Projection
1st April Lesley/Jeananne Ruth/Christine Tom 8th April Val/Denise Brenda/Ken Denise 15th April Jeananne/Val Norma A/Catherine Norma J 22ndApril Lesley/Catherine Denise/Geoff Ken
29th April Val/Debbie Doris/Jeff Robin
6th May Marion/Ernie Ruth/Christine Norma J 13th May Lesley/Jeananne Pat S/Geoff Pat P
20th May Jeananne/Val Brenda/Ken Tom
Lord of my senses. Jesus is in my sight;
help me to see injustice and fight it. Jesus is in my smell;
help me to recognise fear and combat it. Jesus is in my hearing;
help me to hear the cries of the lonely and comfort them. Jesus is in my taste;
Help me relish my life and gratefully live it. Jesus is in my touch;
help me to reach out and teach others of his ways. Lord, help me come to my senses,
for it is there you reside.
Rosalind Shaw, Wolverhampton.
Prayers submitted by Hazel Eagle
God of hope, in whom there is no darkness at all, fill our lives with your light, and illuminate our thinking, so that we reflect your light in the dark places of your world.
Use us to bring about
love where there is hatred and bitterness, hope where there is negative thinking,
encouragement where there is lack of purpose. May your light and love reach out through us to every person we encounter day by day, so that they may come to know you, and open their lives to you,
the source of all life, love and hope. Amen.
Tuesday Fellowship
On 6th February our guest was the Rev Canon Stuart Thomas, formerly vicar of Ruxley Church and a good friend of SMC. Now the vicar of
Frimley Anglican Church he told us of the initiative at schools in his area to involve the children in simple dramatising of Bible stories, using a Lion publication specially written for the purpose. With a selection of items from his team's dressing-up collection and
volunteers from the Fellowship he showed how the story of Daniel's bravery and trust in God enabled the foreign king to embrace a true faith, with modern schoolchildren acting out the message to each other in the drama.
The following week was an equally enjoyable experience, with Colin Petley taking us on a tour of Israel that he and Pat had made some years ago. A series of photos from their collection, projected on screen with Colin's good commentary, led us to Bethlehem, Jerusalem and many other historic places in the Holy Land
associated with the life of Jesus that are now busy tourist attractions with churches built on the sites. It was good to know that one could still find peace and stillness in the Garden of Gethsemane and by the Sea of Galilee.
By the time you read this we will have celebrated the Fellowship's 2018 Anniversary on 20th March with a welcome return visit by Margaret Watson
entertaining us on her golden harp, followed by a tea party with cakes made for us by Nescot's catering department.
Our Tuesday afternoon programme is designed to cover a variety of interests in friendly fellowship and good company. All are welcome to join us on Tuesdays as publicised in the Link and weekly news sheets. Geoff Lawrence
Women's World Day of Prayer - Suriname
The origins of WWDP were in USA and Canada in the 19th Century, now it is a global ecumenical movement including more than 170 countries. The Day begins in Samoa in the Pacific and finish 24 hours later in American Samoa.
It is held on the first Friday in March, this year it was prepared by the women of Suriname. For those, who like me, don't know where that country is, look at the top of South America, west to east, you have Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French-Guiana. Suriname has 9 districts but the majority of the country is Sipalwini district. The coastal area is less than two metres above sea level, leaving it at risk due to climate change and rising sea waters. It is the greenest country on earth with almost 94% covered by pristine tropical rain forest with high biodiversity. Due to the variety of plants grown in Suriname, work itself is diverse - rice, bananas, oil, andiroba trees - oil is made from the seeds, coconut oil; many plants provide food, medicinal plants and fishing.
There are sea turtles, sea shells, coconut oil, exotic flowers, birds and bees producing a rich honey, however the mining of gold and bauxite may contaminate the water due to the chemicals used in the extraction process.
The service itself was based on Genesis 1: 1-31 'All God's Creation is Very Good!' The service accentuated God's marvellous world, including the natural beauty of Suriname but we must look after it and not cover it with our rubbish. Seven women, dressed in costume, talked about their lives and work.
The first inhabitants of Suriname were the Arawaks, whose
ancestors had been Maroons (enslaved Africans who ran away to the interior to be able to live freely.) Others had ancestors who came
from China, some from France, also from the Netherlands known as Boeroes and from Indonesia becoming indentured labourers.
The women of Suriname are trying to encourage everyone to avoid damaging the environment with plastics, paper, chemicals and a careless or avaricious attitude. The beauty of this land created by a loving God needs to be cherished for future generations.
Friday was cold, snowy and windy but the feeling in St Mary's, Ewell was warm, welcoming and inclusive. The Deputy Mayor and his Mayoress of Epsom and Ewell were greeted by Dorothy Baxter, who had organised our service, and they joined the others in the
congregation.
Music was provided by Emmaus from Ruxley Church and the Leader of the Service was Judy Quaife who encouraged us all to use the Suriname language where printed. The Sranan Tongue was phonetically written, making it easy to say or sing.
‘All God's Creation is Very Good!' =
'A heri grontapu di Gado meki bun doro, doro!'
(pronounced: 'a hair gront-ar-pu dee gardo metchi, boon, doroe, doroe').
St Mary's have installed TV screens in the church allowing
everyone to see what was happening, including the unwrapping of items representing 'Light and darkness' (a candle), or 'Land and vegetation' (a bunch of bananas), seven items in all, their wrappings were discarded (I enjoyed that part), but they were picked up later and put in boxes for recycling, all of this being part of the service. Following the service, we braved the snow and traffic to reach the church hall where we partook of lovely refreshments, sandwiches, cakes and scones and enjoyed a convivial time with members from other churches.
We came away feeling that we had learned a lot about Suriname, a country on another Continent with a very different climate and lifestyle to ours.
God has given us a wonderful world and what can we do to stop excessive rubbish overwhelming it?
Maybe by next years’ service, from Slovenia, we will have made headway?
Catherine Draper - rubbish thrower.
From the News Sheets
21st January
Circuit Notice. As many people will be aware, Rev Margaret Adams is due to retire in the summer of 2018. Over the last few months the Circuit Stewards have been working with the Leadership Team of the Lantern Church to find a new minister to fill the vacancy that will be created by her departure.
This process has now been successfully completed, and we are happy to report that (subject to approval by the Methodist Conference next June) Deacon Dawn Canham is appointed to serve in the Wimbledon Circuit from September 2018, with pastoral charge of The Lantern Church. Dawn is currently serving in the Melton Mowbray Circuit. We look forward to her joining our Circuit later this year.
Angela Linton-Smith - for the Circuit Stewards
28th January 2018
Joan P. I would very much like to thank everyone for their good wishes, cards and beautiful flowers that I received for my birthday earlier this month - it is a privilege and joy to be part of such a caring church. With great appreciation – Joan
Connie Wade. “I am writing to inform you that my mother Connie Wade died on 6th January 2018 at the age of 88. She was active in the Church between 1965 and 1994 when she retired to Worcester, so some of your older members may remember her. She was a member of the Young Wives club and helped run the Brownies and Guides. She continued to receive the Link regularly in Worcester.”
From CTE
Easy Access Church, a place where all are welcomed, included and encouraged. A bit of a new venture - a short church service especially geared for those with learning disabilities - followed by refreshments. The first service will be today (28th January), 3:00pm at All Saints Church Hall, Fulford Road, West Ewell KT19 9QY. All are welcome - please spread the word. For more information please contact Paula Smith,
paula.smith@mybroadband.com, 020 8337 2957. 4th February 2018
The talk on Dementia has been re arranged for Thursday 19th April 2:00pm in the Link Room. Anyone with an interest in the subject is welcome. Further details nearer the time. Lesley
Room 1 Refurbishment – the windows in Room 1 have now been replaced (including the two in the front toilets.) The next stage is to decide on finishes and colours for the wall, carpets and curtains, and perhaps appropriate furnishings for the room generally. This will be discussed by the Property Committee on 20th February so if you (all members) have any thoughts, please let Denise know by tomorrow Rev Margaret Adams. There will be a Circuit Service of Farewell for our Superintendent Minister at 3:00pm on Sunday 1st July 2018 at The Lantern Church, 195-205 Worple Road, Raynes Park, SW20 8RA, and this will be followed by tea. RSVP for catering purposes to Angela Linton-Smith (62amls@gmail.com).
11th February 2018
Lent Bible Studies this year will start after the Sunday services from next week (18th February) at 11:30am, and finish by 12:15pm (there will be a coffee/tea/biscuit/sandwich break from 11:15am) – full details on the notice boards.
18th February 2018
We welcome James Tallon and Gemma Gauld worshipping with us this morning. They are already known to us through parents, carers and toddlers’ group and at crib service. They will be getting married
in our church on Wednesday 18th April and we ask for your prayer support.
Thanks to the Scouters for removing the two ‘tin sheds’ down the side of the Church – one has been relocated into the Garden Area behind the Church where the electricity substation used to be many years ago, and the other dismantled and is awaiting disposal.
18th February 2018
We were very sorry to hear that Barbara Finnan died on Friday (16th February); we understand that she had been unwell since
Christmas. Please keep Donald and their family in your prayers at this sad time, funeral details will follow
4th March 2018
Barbara Finnan's funeral will take place on Friday 13th April., 11:00am at Kingston Crematorium, followed by a celebration service at New Malden URC (opposite The Fountain roundabout) at noon. Please feel welcome to attend both, but Donald said the
crematorium service will be very short.
Photo of Patrick Draper making a snow angel during the recent bad weather.
Some of the
ladies who
told the
story and
shared in the
Service
Music was
played by
Emmaus
Musicians from
Ruxley Church
It was worth braving the snow and ice to the Parish
Hall for the after-Service Refreshments!
You must remember this
Sing back the memories
As we get older we may develop memory problems, sometimes associated with Dementia. Singing exercises body and mind and when we sing together it can revive memories and stimulate the brain whilst sharing in fun and laughter and making new friends.
New group opens on May 9
th2018
We meet on Wednesday
EXCEPT the first Wednesday each month
2 -3.30pm
Stoneleigh Methodist Church, Stoneleigh Crescent, KT19 0RH Everyone should be accompanied by a friend, relative or carer, who will have the opportunity to meet others in the same
situation and share their experience in a friendly manner over a cup of tea.
NO previous singing experience is necessary, just come and enjoy yourself
.
We look forward to seeing you
Cost £1.50 per week
