(Click for larger picture)Barry Weetman tells us that the Recorder won’t print accounts of long service presentations because there are so many of them… here’s the article they missed out on
150 Years of Preaching Celebrated!.
What a great night we had at Central Hall on the 27th April 2008 when well over 200 of us gathered to celebrate the achievements of not just two of our Local Preachers but 3. The service had been organised to celebrate 60 years of preaching for Fran Harper and 50 years for Gilbert Rowley but we has an addition to this celebration as we recognised the achievement of the late Mike Jackson who had completed almost 40 years on full plan. The service included hymns chosen by Fran and Gilbert, "Give me the Faith, and "And can it be"
respectively, which were both written by Charles Wesley. We has an Isaac Watts hymn sung by the Sheffield Male Voice Choir who brought us "When I survey the wondrous cross" to the tune
"Morte Christe" and then "I hear the welcome voice" to the tune
Gwalahoddiad. Modern Methodist hymn writers were represented as we sang "The church of Christ in every age" by Fred Pratt Green and our final hymn went back to more traditional writers with "To God be the glory" by Fanny J
.Crosby (Francis Jane Van Alstyne).
The reading was from 2 Timothy 4 and the brief sermon was about preaching the word in season and out of season and how each of one of us can preach the word by the way we live.
The Superintendent Minister, Rev John Davies presented the certificates and said a few words and tributes were paid to Fran by Frank Higgs, to Gilbert by Peter Robinson, with John Davies paying tribute to Mike Jackson.
I think that almost everyone who was at this service would say it was a fantastic evening and a great celebration of the achievements of our local preachers.
SEPTEMBER 4th 1943
Laurence Rogers: 18 Brookhouse Road, Walsall WS5 3AD writes:
If that date means anything to you drop me a line - I shall be delighted to hear from you. Meanwhile here is a cutting from the Walsall Observer reporting what happened...
The Central Hall Christian Youth Club opened on Saturday with a rousing Social evening. About seventy young people were present, and the party atmosphere prevailed, the pace being set by a hand-balloon game which squashed any formality at the start. Quickly following was a parcel game in which every wrapping (carefully saved for salvage) disclosed a typewritten command to the victim.
Before anyone quite recovered. Two girl and two boy volunteers, dressed in comical clothes, entered the arena of guests to put on an impromptu act.
The two boys proved themselves first rate knock about comedians as they tripped each other up, vainly clutching at an ever tippling top-hat. The girls were more restrained until the
good-humoured company clapped them off the floor. A 3s-6d book token was awarded the boys, who were judged according to the applause.
Other games and stunts followed in quick succession. One boy won a bar of chocolate by fitting, at lightning speed, the correct lady with the correct pair of shoes, taken from a mixed-up pile of eleven pairs. There were tugs of war, and some remarkable flashes of dramatic art in a feature called "I Want to Act." The incidents portrayed ranged from mimicry of the small child to the tough guy of a Wild West saloon. Half-way through the evening the club leader, Mr. Laurence Rogers, explained the club organisation briefly. He said the club was to be run for youth and by youth. Although adult s would act as instructors to various activities, they would keep in the background. The members were to elect their own chairman to run each activity and they would have
their own parliament, consisting of all the members and meeting every third Thursday.
The Alzheimer’s Society have an Information Centre in Lower Hall Lane open on Mon-Tues-Thurs from 11am to 3.30 p.m. Call 01922 634173 for details
I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn.
We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one white
family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when100 riot police came in with AK47s and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful
house - 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings - because it was 'too close to the airport', so we are feeling extremely insecure right now.
You know - I am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know - how can you help? Even if you put us in your own mental ring
of light and send your guardian angels to be with us - that is a help - but I feel so cut off from you all knowing I cannot tell you what's going on
here simply because you will feel uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave here so that is not an option. I ask that you all pray for us in the
way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive vibes... that's all. You can't just be in denial and
pretend/believe it's not going on. To be frank with you, it's genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by Amnesty
International which says we are - IN level 7 - (level 8 is after it's happened and everyone is in denial).
If you don't want me to tell you these things - how bad it is - then it means you have not dealt with your own fear, but it does not help me to think you
are turning your back on our situation. We need you, please, to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people
turn their backs and say - oh well, that's what happens in Africa. This Government has GONE MAD and you need to help us publicize our
plight --- or how can we be rescued? It's a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands
of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family approached me, brother of
the gardener's wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 adult people and a child on
this property, and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water. How can I take on another family of 4
----- and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open? I am not asking you for money or a ticket out of
here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures. So PLEASE don't
just press the delete button! Help best in the way that you know how. Do face the reality of what is going on here and help us SEND OUT TO THE
WORLD.
The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please don't ignore or deny what's happening.
Some would like to be protected from the truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? 'If only we knew how bad it really was we
could have helped in some way'.
[I know we chose to stay here and that some feel we deserve what's coming to us]. For
now, --- we ourselves have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next meal - but what is going to happen next? Will they start
on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State now. I want to send out my Title Deeds to one of you because if they get a hold of those, I
can't fight for my rights. Censorship! ---- We no longer have SW radio [which told us everything that was happening] because the Government jammed it out
of existence - we don't have any reporters, and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here, they would have an absolute field day.
Even the pro-Government Herald has written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of many folks homes,
which are supposed to be 'illegal' but for which a huge percentage actually do have licenses.
Please! - do have some compassion and HELP by sending out the articles and personal reports so that something can/may be done.
'I am one. I cannot do everything, --- but I can do something.. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.' Edward Everett Hale
Please send this on. We send jokes out without blinking an eyelid. We don't get told this on the news in South
Africa, we only get told what they want us to hear. We all have a chance to do something, even though the something is by pressing forward to as many
people as possible. Let's stop talking and let's start doing! There is power in prayer, there is also power in more people knowing about this than
you in my address book. This is going to America, Dubai, Australia, France, South Africans all over South Africa, the UK. By forwarding this to all in
my address book I have done something. The world needs to know what is going on.
John Wilcox and his wife Carole have undertaken extensive travel in the last two years since his retirement. Their experiences in the Americas have been particularly interesting and John shares some of his notes with us. The contrast between prosperity and poverty is very great
and John makes the point that these are all Christian countries, but with different histories. They have already made bookings for further travels and have a list stretching well into the future.
Canada - smart, sprawling, clear roads, good tourist spots now becoming over-commercialised
(e.g. Niagara), rail is freight-orientated, housing standards generally high, abundant flags.
Alaska (USA) - few people but concentrated in the towns (often only reached by sea-plane), employment seems high, pavements very dodgy to the unwary - H & S seems to be lacking ! Railways efficient,
e.g. Anchorage and Skagway areas.
New England (USA) - Maine / Massachusetts / Vermont / New Hampshire / Rhode Island - generally clean except for areas of large cities / towns where graffiti and rubbish abound, clear roads, good tourist sites but becoming over-commercialised, parks and memorials (even to victories over the hated British in 1766 and 1812) very well manicured. Trying to build up a 'history', with flags everywhere, even in cemeteries.
Caribbean - each island has its own character, and flags are conspicuous - I like St.Kitts / Nevis. with its railway; Carole likes Tobago with its scenery; Grenada still seems to be suffering from the Cuban invasion and being ignored by UK at the time, and recently by the hurricane where UK has chipped-in to help; Antigua is good if you appreciate Nelsonic-naval history; Barbados is vibrant; Dominica is lush;
St. Lucian children in their school uniforms are very smart; the Virgin Islands (USA) are over-commercialised but drive as in UK and V.I.(UK) are very pretty but steep. However, all are spoilt by dumped rubbish such as refrigerators / cars / old building materials / graffiti, and litter, with 'palaces' (probably belonging to those who have emigrated, invested, and returned) cheek-by-jowl with shanties, and churches often being adjacent to a liquor-store - both offering spiritual salvation however, the police are conspicuous. Curacao (Dutch) - has no natural water-supply and so depends on
desalination, but again is pretty and well-organised; Aruba (Dutch) is generally very prosperous with its oil-led economy; and
St. Maarten (50% Dutch and 50% French) is well -organised with good housing and employment though with its separate communities. good housing, and employment.
Mexico (Acapulco) - much unemployment with shanties adjacent to skyscraper hotels and offices on a wide curving beach, over-commercialised but too-vibrant with noise and traffic-congestion.
Nicaragua - now for a shock ! Its recent disruption and dictatorship has left it with few 'palaces' but even its churches look run-down, though well-used. Unemployment is rife, and whole families are begging, with babies and grannies all standing with their hands out or trying to sell trinkets. The 50-mile drive to Granada was abounded by rubbish, litter, and shanties. Public transport was run-down and almost non-existent. The retail premises are gloomy and cramped, and in need of 'modern' touches. A startling contrast to our comparative-affluence and well-being.
Puerto Rica - much more affluent than its neighbouring Nicaragua . The tourist industry is emphasised so that tidiness and facilities are much more evident. Little graffiti or litter / rubbish and, with no Armed Services and a stable administration, the police are not common.
Panama - the Canal is a money-spinner, as long as it remains frequently dredged (deforestation has brought on difficulties with lower rainfall causing maintenance problems) and widened and deepened.. A general air of affluence and employment.
These are all Christian countries with non-Christian places of worship often being conspicuous by their absence.
R. John Wilcox, August 2006
I have just returned from visiting S. Norway / Denmark / Sweden, inc. Gotland, Latvia / Estonia / Russia (St.P.burg.) (East) Germany, to-and-from Southampton.
The excursion guides, whilst chatting, have each reported the current ethos of their nation.
General attitudes were :
All current and former royal palaces were o.o.t. cf. UK, and no wonder that Russians overthrew Tsarist regime which had oppressed them into greater
poverty by contrast, and Latvia / Estonia were now republics.
Sweden / Denmark / Norway very proud of their Monarchy.
Most countries reluctantly accepted the Euro (they preferred their own, except (E.) Germany) rather than $ or £ - but the ship was in £.
Global warming will sink these countries and certainly their capitals if the sea-level rises.
EU has routed their fishing fleets, their military defences.
EU has imposed immigration upon them and they, therefore, insist on fluency in language and history before entry and acceptance. Few `foreigners` were
evident.
The Russian Police force is recognised as corrupt, and walking around in St.P is
intimidating, though the buildings are enormous.
Islam etc. has no place because, in e.g. Visby (Gotland), the state gives 2% of GNP towards looking after their Churches - which were beautifully kept -
though o.o.t. in splendour with gilt and stained windows everywhere, even if 12 or 13 Century. There were no temples visible anywhere.
The EU has helped East Germany / Latvia / Estonia tremendously to restore municipal buildings.
Naval power was evident at sea and in Copenhagen / St.Petersburg / Warnemunde, but the only UK RN ship was in Southampton awaiting scrapping.
The Baltic is polluted and bathing is not recommended.
Education is free, and minimal HE costs (eg. £60 per term for transport).
Health care is usually paid to the GP on each entry but any consequences (eg. Visby by helicopter to Stockholm) are included, inc. prescriptions.
The North Sea was generally empty, except for Oil Rigs, but the Baltic and ports were busy.
Each country had an individual history which was very mixed with Denmark / Finland / Russia / Hanseatic League / Sweden having had periods of
`colonial` power.
Gotland has no defence, and is wary of being vulnerable to terrorist attack, esp. if the Russia-EU gas pipeline runs nearby.
John.
FROM BARRY WEETMAN...
God is not interested in statistics. He has all the facts and figures. He is interested in souls. I am interested to hear this when the Methodist Church experiences a surprising dichotomy. The distinctive voice of the young is so powerfully heard at the Methodist Conference at a time when there is shockingly so few people between the ages of 13 and 25 in our churches. Does the Gospel mostly go untold and unheard among the young? Was it ever "cool" or have we just lost the art of gossiping the Gospel among all ages? At the 2003 Methodist Youth Conference I heard our preaching described as "pants" and a suggestion that all preachers should retire at 65. However, I have interviewed young people from the former "Iron Curtain" countries who told me they were Christians because, although their parents were Communists, they had learned from their grandparents what it was to belong to Jesus Christ. Dare we then blame everything on the age gap?
It was in order to do something about bridging this "gap" that I invited the Methodist Youth Executive to send representatives to speak at the circuit service celebrating my 40 years as a local preacher. If we claim to be an inclusive Church we cannot allow so-called age differences to drive us apart. I wanted young Methodist leaders to help us understand what is "cool" about the way they worship and engage in ministry and mission. Eventually, the then Methodist Youth President and her predecessor agreed to take part in an afternoon interactive workshop and evening service. A youth evangelist with the Rob Frost Share Jesus
Missions team also agreed to take part and it was his plan to use the "cafe service" style as a vehicle for a sharing of ideas. Unfortunately, the Youth President, Nikki Wilkinson, was taken ill and could not take part in the programme at Walsall Central Hall. She also failed to notify the planned preacher, Ellie Griffin, from Darlington, in time for her to be at the service. Consequently, we were left with Mark Williamson, of the Rob Frost team, to lead both the afternoon and evening events. A major dimension, youth, was largely missing from the programme.
By promoting this 40 years' celebration I have been shocked, more than I ever believed possible, by the lack of young people in our churches both in circuits and across the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District. I do know there are notable exceptions. I had suspected the situation was dire, but what I found was worse than I imagined. There are so few aged between 13 and 25 in the Walsall circuit and neighbouring circuits. We need to find some answers to why this is the case. Is there an
unbridgeable gap in what is becoming the age of the pensioners? What do we do about the situation? On what terms and on whose terms are we ready to welcome young people? Are both the young and older people too quick to discriminate, to ready to exclude and too closed of mind? There can be a lot of whingeing and moaning among us all. Could a group of circuits in the Black Country join forces in organising an event in which young people can help us sort out these differences?
May I suggest should an event might form part of the mix of events and projects for the 2005-2006 year of 24/7 non-stop prayer being embarked upon by the Methodist Church and launched at the Conference in June. This initiative is a product of the Methodist Youth Conference. The Great North Prayer has already been tested in the Newcastle Upon Tyne District. Reflecting on this, one of the co-ordinators, Andy Murphy, told me: "Were prayers answered? Yes. Were people brought closer to God? Yes. However, only God has the facts and figures, and he is not interested in statistics. Even the side effects were a real blessing. For instance, working together as a District, young encouraging the old, circuits meeting just to pray, people awaking to meet God at times they never knew existed, new prayer groups formed, Christians being brought close together and many people realising an hour spent with God is not an hour wasted. It is a timeless hour... like a glimpse of eternity."
Inevitably, with two principals missing, the cafe service to mark my 40 years as a local preacher lacked a planned ingredient. However, such was the co-operation from circuit staff and members I felt there was an extraordinary spiritual dimension evident throughout the day. It was certainly not a "gimmick" service and it would be folly to rule out God, through the Holy Spirit, working through different forms of worship in a wide variety of ways. This cafe service, I think most suitable for evening and weeknight worship perhaps linked to an Alfa course, was effective for many people there and not least among my own family. I thank God for this.
A news item from the June Walsall Parish Magazine
THE CARPENTER'S SHOP
Some of you may know the recent history of what was arguably one of the most successful local Church initiatives ever started in Walsall. Hilson Carter's vision was to collect surplus furniture from those who did not need it and give, yes GIVE it, to those without and it ran for 20 years.
We started with a Mini Bus, volunteers took seats out to collect furniture and put the seats back on each occasion, so it could transport mainly youngsters to events. Over the years the Shop it kept getting better and bigger getting better premises and finished up not only recycling furniture but training people in the carpentry skills needed to mend and renew the furniture before it was passed on to a new home.
It always depended on grants and donations to enable it to run, and over the years the money had always come in, although sometimes not as smoothly as others.
Now unfortunately the Carpenter's Shop has had to close, make staff redundant and inform creditors, as grants that had been promised on paper have not been forthcoming and so the decision has been taken to cease 'trading'.
It is the opinion of the Editor that like many other similar projects who also have had their funding withdrawn or drastically reduced (as at The Vine) it is due in no small way to help pay for the cost of the war in Iraq.
Points for Prayer
· There are outstanding debts..
· The staff who have been made redundant as they seek or start new work
• Trainees who have had their training disrupted
Give Thanks
For 20 years ministry to some of the most disadvantaged people in Walsall
For all who have already found new positions
For trainees who have been able to continue their training elsewhere
What Now?
One aspect of the Carpenter's Shop and probably that which most people are aware of is the collection of unwanted furniture etc. Obviously they can no longer do this, but there is another organisation called Tool Box that can offer the same service (although not on the same scale)
Toolbox is based in Willenhall c/o New Invention Methodist Church, Lichfield Road, Willenhall Tel 01922 - 40 33 22 (yes - a Walsall prefix) They receive referrals from Social Services, Refugees and other statutory bodies, but at the moment don't have a lot of storage space. They, too are also trying to raise funds so if you supported the Carpenter's Shop in the past, you might like to consider how you can help them.
M.R.B
Mrs Val Day, from Walsall Heart Care, receiving a cheque for £330, collected by our Church during 2005.
Mrs Day gave a short talk about the work at the centre in Portland Street,
Walsall.
Each year a local charity is nominated and 2005 was the year for Heart Care, other monies were raised and donated to the same cause, £780 from Sheila and Ron Hodson’s anniversary/birthday party and donations from the funeral of Mrs Sandoz another £300, giving an amazing total of £1,410.