Good News Letter

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.359                                                                                                                      March 2024

From our minister

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As we step into the Easter month, a time of profound significance in the Christian calendar, I greet you with joy and anticipation.  This month, our hearts and minds are drawn to the pivotal events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, which encapsulate the essence of our faith – the journey from darkness to light, from despair to hope, from death to resurrection.

Explaining Easter to children poses its challenges.  Despite our best efforts to articulate its meaning, children may struggle to grasp its depth.  Indeed, even some grown-ups may find the concept of resurrection difficult to fully comprehend or believe in.

Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus?  If not, I earnestly hope and pray that you will come to embrace this truth soon.  The Bible conveys its importance with clarity:

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19)

It is crucial to recognise that disbelief in the resurrection detracts from the authenticity of one’s faith journey.  To reject the resurrection is to embark on a journey of faith devoid of its essence.  Lent presents us with a prime opportunity to contemplate the significance of the resurrection and to embrace it wholeheartedly.

Good Friday serves as a poignant reminder of Christ’s sacrificial love for all humanity.  It is a day of solemn reflection, inviting us to contemplate the profound depth of Jesus’ suffering on the cross.  The darkness of Good Friday underscores the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice and the extent of God’s redeeming grace.

In observing Good Friday, let us come together in prayer and contemplation. Let us humbly acknowledge our need for redemption and express gratitude for the immeasurable gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  May this day serve as a solemn reminder of the lengths to which God is willing to go to reconcile us to Himself.

Yet, even as we dwell in the solemnity of Good Friday, we do so with the assurance of Easter Sunday drawing near.  For Easter Sunday is the day of triumph, the day when death is conquered, and new life bursts forth from the tomb.  It is a day of rejoicing and celebration, as we proclaim the victory of our risen Lord.

As we transition from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, let us do so with hearts full of hope and anticipation.  Let us embrace the promise of resurrection and renewal, knowing that through Christ, all things are made new.  May the joy of Easter Sunday permeate our lives and fill us with the assurance of God’s abiding presence.

As we journey through this Easter month, may we focus our hearts and minds on the profound significance of Good Friday and the transformative power of Easter Sunday.  Let us walk in the footsteps of our Saviour, following Him from the cross to the empty tomb, and may our lives be a testament to the hope and joy found in Him.

May God’s blessings abundantly shower upon you and your loved ones during this Easter season.

Every blessing,

Revd Sang Wook Han

A new hymn for Methodism

At Methodist Conference last June, Richard Mainwaring’s hymn Do all the good you can (‘The world is my parish’) went down very well, not least because of the ambitious and inspiring video that accompanied it and which features choirs and soloists from Methodist schools all over the world.  The hymn is also known as ‘The world is my parish’.  It draws on words attributed to John Wesley, and was written for the Transforming Lives Methodist Education International Conference last May.  The conference coincided with the 275th anniversary of John Wesley’s model school, Kingswood, in 1748.

(from Singing the Faith Plus, July 2023 update).

Good Friday

We will join with other churches in Coulsdon, beginning with a combined act of worship at 11am in St Aidan’s Roman Catholic Church, Chipstead Valley Road.  This will be followed by a united Walk of Witness back to the green outside our Church, where there will be a joint outdoor act of worship at about 11.45am.  Tea, coffee and hot cross buns will then be available in our Church Hall.

Easter Sunday

At 6.30am (please don’t forget that the clocks will have gone forward overnight for British Summer Time) we can again come together with those from other churches, to celebrate at the top of Farthing Down the dawning of this most important day in the church calendar.  Following the open-air service, people can adjourn to the Scout Hut, behind St John’s Church Hall, by Bradmore Green Pond, to share breakfast at 7.15am.

Easter Sunday worship at our Church at 10am will of course include Holy Communion.

Church diary

Sun 3 Mar.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 7 Mar.   11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 10 Mar. 10am           Mothering Sunday (Rev. Stephen Mares)

Thu 14 Mar. 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 17 Mar. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Graham Claydon-Knights)

Mon 18 Mar. 10am            Craft Club (Plastic canvas; sewing kit)

Thu 21 Mar.. 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 24 Mar. 10am           Palm Sunday (local arrangement)

Thu 28 Mar. 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

                     8pm             Maundy Thursday Holy Communion  (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Fri 29 Mar                            Good Friday (see above)

Sun 31 Mar. 6.30am        Easter sunrise service (see above)

10am           Easter Sunday (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 4 April   11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 7 April  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.357                                                                                                                          January 2024

 From our minister

 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Happy New Year!

The new year of 2024 has now begun.  I hope that this year will be a year filled with God’s grace and love within your families as well as in your workplaces.

Last month, we held the Circuit Carol Service at our church.  We enjoyed the tea served at the church before the service started.  I’d like to say thank you to everyone who helped in any way that night.  I’m sure your warm hospitality was appreciated by all who attended.  In addition, the choir's beautiful harmony, the organ and brass instruments, and our singing during the service made it a special time as we waited and prepared to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.

Also, on 19th December, we had Carol Singing in front of Aldi in Coulsdon.  Despite the wet weather, as many as eighteen people gathered and sang carols and announced the coming of baby Jesus.  In less than an hour, we raised £126.50 for Nightwatch Croydon.

Above all, we had the Christmas Eve Holy Communion and the Christmas Day Services praising Jesus who came to save us, and we long for His second coming.

A busy December has passed and we are now in the new year of 2024.  We will hold our Covenant Service on the first Sunday of January.  We are people who have confessed Jesus as our Saviour and decided to live as his disciples.  I hope through our Covenant Service, it will be a time for us to once again commit to live as disciples of Jesus.

From 10th January, a new group called ‘Maths@Church’ will be held every Wednesday from 4:00 to 5:30 pm.  It is aimed at children in primary school, from years 1 to 6.  It will be a time to convey the love of Jesus to them, whilst focusing on mathematics.  We need your support and prayers.  Please pray for the children who will participate in this group, for the leaders who will guide them and for the volunteers who will support them.

I hope Coulsdon Methodist Church becomes a church full of love in 2024.  We must work harder to meditate on the Word of God and communicate with God through prayer.  I hope that we can share the love of Jesus Christ with the people around us.  I hope that the love we have received will be spread through us to our neighbours and our community.  I hope that 2024 will be the year in which we all take on these challenges with all our hearts and achieve them.

Let us praise the Lord all our days.

Every blessing,

Revd Sang Wook Han

 Candlemas and ‘Old Christmas’

Snowdrops, sometimes knowns as 'Candlemas Bells'

For most of us, Candlemas, celebrated on 2 February, is all that remains of “old Christmas”, the traditional period of 40 days between Christmas Day and the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple.  There’s something still powerful about offering light in the darkness after all the twinkly fairy lights have been taken down from houses and neatly pruned trees.  And just as Mary and Joseph offer their child to Simeon in Jerusalem, our lights are a kind of question to ourselves: what will we ourselves offer into the darkness and into this new year?

Old Christmas, like Old Advent (the season leading up to Christmas Day) and the period of Lent preceding Easter, was a period of 40 days.  It began on Christmas Day and continued until the day on which Christians recall the presentation of the baby Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem by his parents, Mary and Joseph.  (This despite the quirk of our Lectionary regime of readings that has already raced ahead to the Baptism of Jesus and the beginnings of his ministry.)

The presentation by Mary and Joseph, described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2: 22-40), would have been timed to coincide with the end of Mary’s ritual purification after childbirth – a period of forty days.  For that reason, the day is also sometimes referred to as the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin.

There are several traditions associated with Candlemas (including the eating of crepes in France and the more widespread reference to snowdrops as ‘Candlemas Bells’).  However, for most Christians it is the idea of Jesus-as-light bringer that is uppermost on this day.  Candles may be blessed; a candle-lit procession may take place; and, on Candlemas night, many people place lighted candles in their windows at home – all actions that remind us that Jesus is often described as the “light of the world”.

Singing the Faith offers one hymn that explores in some detail the presentation of Jesus at the temple, and the encounter of the ‘holy family’ with the old man Simeon: “Through long years of watchful waiting” by Tom Wilkinson (StF 232).  The hymn writer leads us carefully from that first, critical recognition of God’s presence in the baby Jesus to the inevitable, loving but painful self-giving of Christ’s crucifixion.  He uses Simeon’s warning to Mary (‘and a sword will pierce your own soul too’) to bind these two events together: in verse 2, ‘Mary’s heart is crucified’; in verse 4 she recollects Simeon’s words ‘and her love dissolved in tears’; and, finally, ‘In Christ’s death outside the city God’s own heart is pierced with pain’ (v.5). In this way, Thomas addresses the idea that it is God who, out of love for us and for creation, endures the pain of crucifixion alongside and through Jesus.

Also see Andrew Pratt's hymn “Mary and Joseph came to the Temple” (StF 229).  This is a simpler text than Tom Wilkinson's.  It gives a more straightforward re-telling of the biblical narrative.  However, unlike Tom, Andrew devotes one verse to the older woman in the story, Anna, and his final verse alludes directly to the prayer that Simeon utters on seeing the baby Jesus.

*The information about Candlemas included here is based on the introduction to “Living Upside Down: four sessions for small groups Part 2 – The 40 days of Old Christmas”.  (Adapted from “Marking Candlemas” on the Methodist Church website)

Week of prayer for Christian unity 2024

A range of resources are available to download to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  They have been prepared by an ecumenical team from Burkina Faso facilitated by the local Chemin Neuf Community (CCN).

The chosen theme is “You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbour as yourself”.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the best known passages of scripture, yet one that never seems to lose its power to challenge indifference to suffering and to inspire solidarity.  It is a story about crossing boundaries that calls our attention to the bonds that unite the whole human family.

In choosing this passage, the churches of Burkina Faso have invited us to join with them in a process of self-reflection as they consider what it means to love our neighbour in the midst of a security crisis.  Communities in the British-Irish context may be less vulnerable to acts of mass violence than in Burkina Faso, but there are still many living with the memory and/or the threat of serious violence, centred on issues of identity and belonging.  There are also groups within communities, including people from ethnic minority backgrounds and people seeking asylum, who feel particularly vulnerable to violence or being displaced by the threat of violence.

Churches Together in Coulsdon

The churches of Coulsdon and Old Coulsdon will, as usual, be marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity by holding an ecumenical service to which all are invited.  This year it will take place at 10.30am on Saturday 20th January at Old Coulsdon Congregational Church, opposite Grange Park and Tudor Parade (buses 60, 404 or 466).  The service will be preceded by refreshments at 10am.  All are welcome.

(See the article above about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.)

Prayer day: the Way Forward

South Croydon United Church is holding a Prayer Day on Saturday, 20 January 2024 from 11.00am until 2.30pm to pray for the Way Forward.  It is an opportunity for anyone from our Circuit churches to drop in and join them to pray for the Way Forward for our church and also for the Circuit.

Church diary

Sun 7 Jan.  10am           Covenant service (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 11 Jan.  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 14 Jan. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Stephen Mares)

Mon 15 Jan. 10am            Craft Club (in John Saunders Room)

                                             (Chinese folded gift card – paper kit)

Thu 18 Jan.  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sat 20 Jan.   10.30am       Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service (at Old Coulsdon

Congregational Church; see above)

11-2.30         Prayer day: the Way Forward (at South Croydon United Church;

see above)

Sun 21 Jan. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 25 Jan.. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 28 Jan. 10am           Morning worship (local arrangements)

Thu 1 Feb..  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 4 Feb.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.355                                                                                                                      November 2023

From our minister

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Winter is coming, as the clocks went back an hour last Sunday.  I hope and pray that all of you at Coulsdon are well as you prepare for the cold winter, whilst continuing to share the love of Christ with those around you.

We had a Harvest Festival Service on the first Sunday in October and after the service, we had an opportunity to share a meal.  Many members of the congregation remained for this occasion and I certainly enjoyed having conversations over the delicious food from various cuisines.  I’d like to say thank you once again to everyone who spent a lot of time and effort preparing for that day.

On the evening of 12th October, I chaired my first church council meeting in the chapel.  We looked back on what had happened over the past few months and made plans on what to do in the future.  During the meeting, various opinions were discussed, and we will continue to share the gospel and the love of God, with our neighbours and the community.

The church will celebrate its 112th anniversary this coming Sunday, 5th November 2023.  I would like to share with you a brief history of our church.  The information I have used is from “Methodism in the Purley Circuit: A Brief History of the Circuit and Churches”.

In 1907, when the village of Coulsdon was growing rapidly, a few Methodists met together for fellowship in the home of Mr. Thomas E. Bond who may be regarded as the founder of the Methodist society in Coulsdon.

The first planned service was on 14th February 1909 and the plan for the last quarter of that year shows Coulsdon with nineteen members.  The society met spiritual needs of the neighbourhood as well as attempting to meet the needs of the community.

Meanwhile, the search for a suitable site for the church building was in progress and a site on Brighton Road had been purchased.  There is an interesting thing recorded about the first contribution to the building fund - it was an anonymous gift of one shilling from a passenger on a train to London.  Eventually, the construction of the church building project was completed and the building operations commenced.  On Wednesday, 5th April 1911, the stone-laying ceremony took place.

For a long time since then, many people have received comfort and been able to meet God through this church and their lives have been changed.

Have you thought about what path we should take now?  If you're immediately thinking of a grand plan, you may say that it's hard, that you don't have time or the money for it.  However, if we look back at the path we have taken and then think about the path forward, the answer may be a lot simpler than we had originally thought.  If we do our best on the tasks given to us today, every day, each day will become a month, a month will become a year, and a year will become a hundred years.

I hope and pray that the church and its members will be more excited about the coming year and the next ten years from now, than today.  I hope we can build such a church together.

Every blessing,

Sang Wook

In a world that God made good

let us pray

for people seeing things

   no human being should see

for people seized by terror

    no human being should experience

for people whose depths of suffering

    no human being should know.

God of unquenchable hope

Confirm our belief that

this is not how things should be;

Affirm our belief that

things can and will be different;

Strengthen our belief in

Jesus

who opens the way from

death to resurrection, and

Help us, as his disciples

to be your

agents for change

in our broken world.

Amen

Church diary

Sun 5 Nov.  10.30am      Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

                                             and Church anniversary service

Thu 9 Nov.   11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 12 Nov. 10.30am      Morning worship (local arrangements)

                                             and Remembrance Sunday service

Thu 16 Nov. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 19 Nov. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Nigel Cowgill)

Mon 20 Nov. 10am            Craft Club (in John Saunders Room)

                                             (“Christmas decoration” paper kit)

Thu 23 Nov. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 26 Nov. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Eileen Poore)

Thu 30 Nov. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 3 Dec.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.353                                                                                                                    September 2023

From our minister

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Shalom!

Greetings at the beginning of the Connexional Year.  Now, the Circuit has a new superintendent minister and I have come to Coulsdon Methodist Church with pastoral responsibility, as I continue with my role at Caterham and Whitethorn Avenue Methodist Churches.

Allow me to tell you a little bit about myself.  I was born and raised in South Korea as a minister’s kid and came to England in 2010 with my family - my wife Younie and two children, Hannah and Daniel.  My Wesleyan connection started in South Korea but my Methodist connection began at Kingston Methodist Church where we had been so warmly welcomed by the door steward.  We cannot forget her as she helped us to settle down in the church and blend into the community so well.

In the past, I had some opportunities to lead services at Coulsdon and to worship here at other times.  It is a great privilege for me to become a part of the Coulsdon Church community and I am looking forward to carrying on my journey with you, as disciples of Christ to love and serve the church as well as the local communities.  We could be like the door steward or like Abraham, who unknowingly treated an angel.  By continuing to share the love of Jesus, more lives will return to God.

Let us carry on doing "all the good we can", "by all the means we can" and "in all the places we can" to save the lost souls.

Every blessing,

Sang Wook

Purley Circuit staffing

Rev. Sang Wook Han, as well as becoming our minister, will continue to look after Whitethorn Avenue and Caterham churches.

Our new Circuit Superintendent minister, Rev. Graham Claydon-Knights, will have ministerial responsibility for Sanderstead and Warlingham churches.

South Croydon United Church (Methodist and URC) will continue to be looked after by Rev. Martin Knight.

Rev. Stephen Mares, though retired, remains a member of our congregation and will continue to preach throughout the Circuit, along with Rev. Ermal Kirby and local preachers.

Music at Sanderstead URC

The ‘23-‘24 season commences on Sunday 17 September at 3pm with a jazz concert given by The Ted Beament Piano Trio making a welcome return to Sanderstead.  Ted was the pianist with Humphrey Lyttleton's band and is joined by his brother Pete on drums and Pete Ringrose on bass.  We are guaranteed a most enjoyable afternoon of easy listening from these top musicians.  As always, tea and exceedingly fine cakes will follow the concert which lasts for around an hour.  Admission by programme at the door is £8 or £4 (18 or under).  Sanderstead United Reformed Church is on Sanderstead Hill (next to the library) CR2 0HB.  www.surc.org.uk

Creation Time

The ecumenical Time for Creation stretches from 1 September to the feast of St Francis on 4 October.  It is a period that, in the UK at least, incorporates the period of Harvest Festivals, traditionally a focal point of our autumn worship.  But we are encouraged to think more broadly still.  For example, we may wish to re-engage with the Methodist report Hope in God’s Future, which was adopted as an official Conference Statement in 2011 and updated in 2020.

Creator of All,

From your communion of love, life sprung forth like a mighty river and the whole cosmos came into being.

On this Earth of overflowing love, the Word was made flesh and went forth with the life-giving waters proclaiming peace and justice for all creation.

You called human beings to till and keep your garden. You placed us into right relationship with each creature, but we failed to listen to the cries of the Earth and the cries of the most vulnerable. We broke with the flowing communion of love and sinned against you by not safeguarding the conditions for life.

We lament the loss of our fellow species and their habitats, we grieve the loss of human cultures, along with the lives and livelihoods that have been displaced or perished, and we ache at the sight of an economy of death, war and violence that we have inflicted on ourselves and on the Earth.

Open our ears to your creative, reconciling and sustaining Word that calls to us through the book of Scripture and the book of creation.

Bless us once again with your life-giving waters so that the Creator Spirit may let justice and peace flow in our hearts and overflow into all creation.

Open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all creation.

Bless us to walk together with all people of good will so that the many streams of the living waters of God’s justice and peace may become a mighty river all over the Earth.

In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Fish and Chips Quiz

South Croydon United Church are organising a Fish and Chips Quiz evening on Saturday 9 September and would like to invite all Circuit members and friends to join them by putting together a team of up to 6 players or by asking to be allocated to an existing team.  They are raising money for Ukraine.  They will be fundraising for the White Eagle Club who are purchasing and sending out stretchers which can be lifted by one person, as opposed to the normal four, to transport a casualty; each stretcher costs about £700.  They will also be holding a raffle.  They hope that you can support this worthwhile cause.  The flyer and booking form are on the notice board at the back of the church.

Noah's Ark Art Festival and Autumn Fair

This will be taking place at St Andrew’s Church Coulsdon on Saturday 30th September between 11am and 2pm.  There will be a selection of stalls, games and a wildlife show.  All are welcome and admission is free.  For further information please see the poster on the notice board at the back of church.

Church diary

Sun 3 Sep.  10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han)

Thu 7 Sep.   11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sat 9 Sep.                            South Croydon United Church Fish & Chips Quiz (see above)

Sun 10 Sep. 10am           Morning worship (local arrangements)

Thu 14 Sep. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 17 Sep. 10am           Morning worship (Curtis Juman)

Wed 20 Sep. 10am            Craft Club (in John Saunders Room)

Thu 21 Sep. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 24 Sep. 10am           Morning worship (Revd. Ermal Kirby)

Thu 28 Sep. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sat 30 Sep.  11 -2            St Andrew’s Noah’s Ark Festival and Autumn Fair (see above)

Sun 1 Oct.   10am           Harvest Festival and Holy Communion (Rev. Sang Wook Han.)

Wed 25 Oct. 12.30           Methodist Women in Britain Autumn lunch, Sanderstead (details to follow)

The Good News Letter

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.351                                                                                                                          June 2023

From our minister

Dear Friends,

One event which did not get a mention last month was “Wesley Day” and its associated Sunday, “Aldersgate”.  As it turned out, we were able to mark that Sunday this year – with some reflections about the “heart-warming” experience of John Wesley – followed by some thoughts about our calling to live a “Generous life”.

Regrettably it was a Sunday when the congregation was smaller than usual; so I take the risk of boring those of you who were there by offering some thoughts from what I offered that morning.  We began by considering the experiences of John and Charles Wesley during May 1738 – and we sang the hymn Charles Wesley wrote to mark their “conversions”.  It begins “Where shall my wondering soul begin?” (Singing the Faith 454) and it speaks of their discovery that what matters is to experience the grace and love of God – and not to strive to achieve salvation by their own efforts.  “Conversion” is probably the wrong word, as both brothers were already clergymen of the Church of England – and very serious and committed in their faith.  What happened to both brothers during that month was a new experience of God’s love – about which John wrote that his “heart was strangely warmed”. This is all related in his own Journal; the day of the heart-warming was 24th May 1738 – and that date continues to be marked by Methodists world-wide.

We moved on to make the link which was offered by Methodism some years ago of the calling to live a Generous Life.  Sections of various posters linked with that day were displayed, one of which dealt with key ideas from John Wesley.  One was the Biblical verse from 1 John 4:19:  “We love because God first loved us”.  Anything the Wesleys did, and anything we do, is in response to the God who first loved us.  Then on the poster followed a saying of John Wesley about how he tried to live his life – and which he hoped others would emulate.  “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can”.  (If you have ever wondered where the name of our development agency “All we can” came from, you probably know now.)

So apart from that Biblical verse and John Wesley’s injunction, what does it mean to live a “Generous life”?  We are encouraged to think about our commitment to God, to the church and to the world in terms of our time, our money and our active love.  As it was described on one poster, we are engaging with a gracious God to:-- give more time, give more money, give more of what we are doing (and can do) to change the world.

Clearly there is a huge task for all of us who seek to live a generous Christian life.  I narrowed it down to some of the activities for which we need volunteers within the life of the church.  The list was - Communion Steward, welcomers; Powerpoint preparers and operators, pastoral carers, coffee servers (both on Sundays and Thursdays), musicians. I would now want to add people to care for and take responsibility for our building.  Perhaps you can think of even more roles within the church; and if there’s nothing in that list that appeals to you, I’m sure that we can find you a role.

The Church has challenged us to find out what it means to live a generous life in response to the generous love of God.  May we all find what it means to each one of us.  It’s over to you.

With love and prayers

Stephen

Methodist Homes

Sunday 11 June is Methodist Homes Sunday, the day when we remember each year the work of this Methodist organisation.  As the largest charity care provider for older people in the UK, Methodist Homes (MHA) offer some of the highest quality care, accommodation and support services throughout Britain.  Their mission is to inspire the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life.  Celebrating their 80th anniversary this year, today they support:

3,896 older people living in their care homes, many receiving specialist dementia or nursing care

2,763 older people living independently in retirement living communities, with access to social and leisure facilities and flexible care when needed

11,476 older people living independently in their own homes with the support of MHA’s community services across Britain.

MHA was founded in 1943 by a group of Methodists who wanted to improve the quality of life of older people in the time before the creation of the Welfare State.  Whilst open to providing care and support to people of all faiths and none, MHA continues to have strong support from Methodists as well as other Christians to this day.  Here is a timeline of their progress to date:

1945: MHA’s first residential care home MHA, Ryelands in Wallington, opened to improve the quality of life for older people.

1950s: A steady stream of residential homes were opened in the South East, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire

1977: Housing services established offering sheltered accommodation for rent.

1988: First MHA Communities group set up providing support to older people in their homes, through volunteers.

1989: MHA’s first specialist nursing care home built, founded on MHA’s principles of privacy, dignity, independence and well-being.

1997: Dementia specialist care delivered in purpose-built care homes, focussing on the person and their individual needs.

2000: Retirement living with care services established combining self-contained accommodation with care and support.

2004: Community services set up to provide MHA’s dementia care to people living in their own homes.

2007: MHA introduces reflexology training for members of staff, enabling them to become qualified reflexologists to enhance care and well-being for residents in several homes.

2008: MHA employs its first in-house music therapist, to provide support for residents with dementia.

2009: MHA acquires its first retirement village, Auchlochan, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

2016: MHA selected by ITV to guide the award-winning dementia story line on Emmerdale.

2020: MHA response to Covid-19 and the launch of Digital Communities.  As their community groups were no longer able to meet in-person, their activities went online to provide continuing support to people in their own homes.

2021: The launch of MHA’s first campaigning effort, #FixCareForAll  The campaign called for adult social care to be a national priority in the Government’s coronavirus recovery programme.

Please remember the work of Methodist Homes in your prayers.

Concert at Sanderstead United Reformed Church

The current concert season concludes on Sunday 18th June at 3pm with a lively and tuneful programme given by the Alfred & Salamanda Saxophone Quartet making a welcome return to Sanderstead.  There will be music by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin as well as arrangements of numbers by The Beatles and many others.  As always, tea and cakes will follow the concert, which lasts for around an hour.  Admission by programme at the door is just £7 or £3 if you are lucky enough to be 18 or under.

The 2023-24 season commences on Sunday 17th September 2023 at 3pm with the The Ted Beament Jazz Trio.

All concerts take place at Sanderstead United Reformed Church on Sanderstead Hill (next to the library) CR2 0HB.  For further information email sanderstead.music@gmail.com  or check the website: www.surc.org.uk

Church diary

Sun 4 June  10am            Holy Communion (Revd. Stephen Mares)

Wed 7 June 6.30pm         Thanksgiving service for Food Hub (at Purley United Reformed Church)

Thu 8 June  11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 11 June 10am            Morning worship (Curtis Juman)

Thu 15 June 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 18 June 10am            Morning worship (local arrangements)

Mon 19 June 10am            Craft Club (Storage pod – sewing kit)

Thu 22 June 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 25 June 10am            Morning worship (Rev. Stephen Mares)

                     4pm             Circuit Summer event (at Whitethorn Avenue)

                     5.30pm         Easter offering service (ditto)

Thu 29 June 11am            Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 2 July    10am            Holy Communion (Rev. Stephen Mares)

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.349                                                                                                                        April 2023

 From our minister

Dear Friends,

The month of April brings this year – as it does many years – the most important days in the Christian calendar; that is, Holy Week and Easter.  Once upon a time Holy Week would have meant a wide range of additional services; we now focus on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in Holy Week.  (Strangely, the only exception was 2020 when, during lock-down, I offered prayers from my computer on each day of the week.)  This year we offer something a little different for Palm Sunday – with the whole of Mark’s Passion narrative – slightly dramatised.  We will also be offering a Communion service at 8.00pm on Maundy Thursday.  Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday always feels particularly special as it marks the day, and perhaps time, of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples.  Many years ago we used to hold this in the Chapel, with tables down the middle and us gathered around; and it was even in an Upper Room.

Good Friday in Coulsdon is always an occasion when the churches come together to commemorate that holiest of days.  This year I encourage as many of us as possible to share that commemoration – which will begin at 11am at St. Mary Help of Christians in Old Coulsdon.  From there we will process past the shops of Old Coulsdon to an open-air service at Bradmore Green.  After that we are invited back to St. John’s for tea or coffee plus hot-cross buns.

After the journey through Lent and the journey with Jesus to the cross and death, comes the glorious breakthrough of the resurrection.  Easter day is the day when we celebrate that wondrous event.  That begins a period of 7 weeks of the Easter season, when the resurrection is the centre of our thinking and celebrating.  Throughout that period it is appropriate to sing Easter hymns – though I confess to having been surprised when an Anglican colleague chose “Christ the Lord is risen today” about 5 weeks into that season.  Perhaps I too have things to learn about making Easter a proper season.

In the middle of April and a few weeks into the Easter season, we will hold our General Church Meeting – our annual occasion for the whole congregation to both hear about everything going on in the life of the church and to have their say.  This year we will slightly shorten the service, so that we can start the meeting at 11am.  To encourage everyone to stay we will be holding a “Bring and Share” lunch after the meeting, so it will be a good social occasion.  Please do your best to share the whole event.

With love and prayers for Holy Week and Easter,

Stephen

“Praying with hymns”

This booklet is intended as a guide for those who want to use hymns as prayers.  You might be preparing to lead worship at a church or event without music, or maybe you've been asked to lead prayers and are anxious about what to say.  You might need help to find the right words in a pastoral situation.  Or perhaps you're someone who loves the poetry of the hymn book and wants to explore it further.  The resource is packed with easy-to-find suggestions grouped under themes familiar from Sunday worship, and includes suggestions of hymns written in the ten years since our hymn book was first published.  Order as an A5 booklet from Methodist Publishing, price £3.50; also available as a PDF download from the Methodist Church website.

Music at Sanderstead United Reformed Church

The next concert will be a special midweek organ recital given by Jeremy Lloyd on Wednesday 26th April 2023 at 7.45pm, at Sanderstead United Reformed Church on Sanderstead Hill (next to the library) CR2 0HB.  Admission by programme at the door £7 (under-18s £3).  More details at www.surc.org.uk

Croydon Churches’ Floating Shelter Annual Review 2022

“Why are we not running a shelter?”

“Covid isn’t ‘a thing’ any more, is it?”

“Why can’t we just run a shelter with those who don’t mind mixing?”

“Surely anything indoors is better than sleeping on the streets.”

“We’re all vaccinated now so the danger isn’t as great.”

“Volunteers were always so enthusiastic that it’s a shame to waste all that energy.”

All these comments have been made this year by various volunteers of our Floating Shelter. So what are the answers at a time when the number of rough sleepers in Croydon is increasing and there is not enough funding to provide them with single-room accommodation?

Background

For the first two years of the Covid era we were prevented from running the Floating Shelter as an overnight operation since government policy was to place all rough sleepers into single-room accommodation. Itinerant dormitory-style sleeping with inevitable close-contact socialising was no longer safe, particularly in a sector of the population where vaccine take-up was known to be exceptionally low at only 30%.

The broad picture in 2022

These strict rules were relaxed in the summer of 2022 and a few shelters in London have since cautiously re-opened: Glass Door covering Westminster, Fulham and Hammersmith; Robes Project covering Lambeth and Southwark and Hackney Night Shelter. The latest news is that the local charity Renewed Hope based in Redhill has been approached by Reigate and Banstead Council to consider opening a night shelter as they have no other accommodation for rough sleepers.

The above shelters that have re-opened have both full-time paid staff and volunteers. They receive their referrals from day centres across London who also carry out the initial assessments. They are not supported by local councils and, whilst Public Health England has not opposed the projects, it has advised strict running practices such a ventilation, distancing, mask wearing, daily testing and contingency plans for guest and volunteer illness,

The picture in Croydon

The relaxation of the government ruling against rotating shelters came too late for CCFS to make the necessary plans for re-opening in the autumn, even if such a thing were possible in an entirely volunteer-led organisation. Furthermore, the biggest problem would have been who would refer the guests into the shelter and carry out the risk assessments on each person, an essential pre-requisite to ensure the safety of all guests and volunteers. In the past, dedicated staff within Croydon Council performed that task as well as dealing with any problems that arose beyond the competence of volunteers (often by removing a guest from the shelter and placing them in a B&B or hostel) and finally supporting guests in their moving on into employment and permanent accommodation. Croydon Council’s financial position has meant it can only fulfil its statutory obligations and can no longer support the work of the CCFS in the above ways.

For all these reasons the CCFS was not in a position to run the Floating Shelter in 2022.

Support for Nightwatch

Nightwatch distributes hot food and sandwiches every night of the year in Queen’s Gardens, Croydon. Since the start of the Covid era the CCFS churches have transferred their efforts from the overnight shelter to supporting Nightwatch by taking on the sandwich provision. This year we continued this, providing 100 sandwiches per night. We, in Coulsdon, took on our normal Thursdays in November and December. In addition we sent in large consignments of groceries each week collected for us by St Mary’s, Old Coulsdon. There was an enthusiastic response to this initiative and this year 68 volunteers were involved either making sandwiches, delivering them and the grocery donations to Croydon or administering the system. This is a small contribution towards the problems of the homeless in our borough but has, nevertheless, been a valued one and Nightwatch is grateful for the support.

The Future of CCFS

This was once again discussed at the autumn AGM of the CCFS. It

remains difficult to predict the future of the organisation but many believe that CCFS will, in fact, be asked to operate a shelter next winter (2023/24). It was agreed that we should wait until the end of March 2023 to see how other shelters around London have been able to apply the necessary good-health practices and discuss the situation with Croydon Council once again addressing the issues of referral and move-on of guests. If the council is still not able to offer support then CCFS must consider closing down. We, in Coulsdon, have retained our equipment in storage at St Aidan’s in case of future need.

Leonie Wilding, CCFS Co-ordinator

Cliff Festival 2023

Cliff Festival 2023 runs from 26-29 May at Cliff College in Derbyshire.  Expect morning and evening worship and Bible teaching, seminars, games and activities for people of all ages, opportunities to be reenergised and resourced for mission – and all in the stunning surrounds of the Peak District.  Come for the day or bring your tent and come for the weekend.  Groups of 10 or more people receive a discount on all tickets and camping plots – so gather a group of friends or church family and come and be equipped together at Cliff Festival 2023.  Visit www.cliffcollege.ac.uk/cliff-festival to find out more and book.

“The Big One” weekend

This is a bringing together of various groups concerned about climate change to protest outside Parliament from 21st to 24th April.  There is a specifically Christian response within this – as well as a more general protest.  Churches Together in South London recently organised an online briefing about it, and you can see a recording at https://youtu.be/kvlHD7xffZ4

You can find out more at christianclimateaction.org/the-big-one

We did not weave the web of life

The Earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and  those who live in it.   (Psalm 24, 1)

Every part of this Earth is sacred.

Whatever befalls the Earth

befalls the children of the Earth.

This we know, the Earth does not belong to us,

we belong to the Earth.

This we know, all things are connected

like the blood which unites one family.

This we know, whatever we do to the web

we do to ourselves.

(Adapted from Chief Seattle, 19th Century)

Church diary

Sun 2 Apr.   10am           Palm Sunday (Revd. Stephen Mares)

Thu 6 Apr..  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

                     8pm             Maundy Thursday Holy Communion

Fri 7 Apr.     Good Friday    (see Stephen’s letter above)

                 11am           Christians Together in Coulsdon service (at St Mary’s RC Church)

                 followed by   Walk of witness to Bradmore Green

                 followed by   United open-air service on the Green

                 followed by   Refreshments in St John’s church hall

Sun 9 Apr.   6.30am         Easter sunrise ecumenical service (Farthing Down carpark)

                 followed by   Breakfast (at Old Coulsdon Congregational Church, Cameron Hall)

                     10am           Easter Sunday Holy Communion

Thu 13 Apr.  9am              Church working party

11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 16 Apr. 10am           Morning worship (Jill Gradon)

Mon 17 Apr. 10am            Craft Club (Stitch Resist Shibori, sewing kit)

Thu 20 Apr.  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 23 Apr. 10am           Morning worship (Rev. Stephen Mares)

                     11am            General Church Meeting

                     followed by   Bring and share lunch

Thu 27 Apr.  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 30 Apr. 10am           Morning worship (Revd. Nigel Cowgill)

Thu 4 May.   11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 7 May   10am           Holy Communion (Rev. Stephen Mares)

COULSDON METHODIST CHURCH

www.coulsdonmethodistchurch.org

Facebook: @coulsdonmethodist

No.347                                                                                                                        February 2023

From our minister

Dear Friends,

February is a month with few distinctions; it’s a month when many of us are hoping winter will come to an end.  The British climate is never predictable, so there are no guarantees. What can be guaranteed is that it will be the shortest month of the year, this year and every year.  It is also usually the month when Christians start to observe the season of Lent.  That is the case this year – and while I cannot yet share with you what we will study in a Lent group, I can assure you that there will be group running through Lent.  For more information, please keep your eyes on the Church notices or our website.

This year the Ash Wednesday service for the Circuit comes to Coulsdon.  It will be at 7.00pm on Wednesday 22nd February – and will offer the special Communion service offered for that day – including the option for the imposition of ashes.  I find this a very meaningful and helpful way to begin this special season.  All are welcome to attend.

Last month I shared with you my concern about how many of those in leadership of the church have been key people for many years.  I expressed the hope that we might find new people ready to take up the reins.  I also hoped that we might be able to grow the regular congregation.  One month on, I am concerned that the opposite seems to be happening (not that I have been able to be with you more than twice in the month; perhaps the other weeks have been bigger!)  I know that some people have been unable to attend because of ill health and that is understandable; but if we are going to be able to offer anything to the people of Coulsdon, a strong, vibrant and regular worshipping congregation is essential.

Is there something you find lacking in what we offer?  Please let me know if there is anything we can do to encourage you to share more regularly in worship.

With love and prayers,

Stephen

World day of prayer (Friday 3 March 2023)

“I have heard about your faith”

Our sisters in Taiwan are sending us blessings with the service they have prepared for World Day of Prayer 2023.  Taiwan is an island rich in natural resources and culturally diverse.  The women of Taiwan share the issues faced geographically, politically and socially and also their hopes for the future.  Let us join with them as we give thanks for the beautiful island and people of Taiwan and encourage one another in our faith just as Apostle Paul did in his letters.

The Day of Prayer is celebrated in over 120 countries.  It begins in Samoa and prayer in native languages travels throughout the world - through Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas - before finishing in American Samoa some 38 hours later.

World Day of Prayer is an international, inter-church organisation which enables us to hear the thoughts of women from all parts of the world: their hopes, concerns and prayers.  The preparation for the day is vast.  An international committee is based in New York and there are national committees in each participating country.  Regional conferences meet to consider the service and the local groups make their plans.

Coulsdon Methodist Church will celebrate the service on Friday March 3 at 10.30am.  A warm welcome awaits you and refreshments will be served afterwards.  Please join us, we will be happy to see you.

Your local committee

News from the Global Relationships Team of the Methodist Church in Britain

Radiate webinar  Do you have an interest in global relationships and global mission?  Join for us for a time of storytelling where we will hear from Mission Partners and about the most recent work of the World Mission Fund.  Wednesday 8 February 2023, at either 1-2pm or 7-8pm via a Zoom webinar.  For more information and to book, go to:

www.methodist.org.uk/our-work/our-work-worldwide/global-relationships

Church diary

Sun 5 Feb.  10am           Holy Communion (Revd. Stephen Mares)

Thu 9 Feb..  11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 12 Feb. 10am           Morning worship (local arrangements)

Mon 20 Feb. 10am            Craft Club (Dreamcatcher - sewing kit)

Thu 16 Feb. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 19 Feb. 10am           Morning worship (Revd. Stephen Mares)

Wed 22 Feb.   7pm             Ash Wednesday Circuit service

Thu 23 Feb. 11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Sun 26 Feb. 10am           Morning worship (Curtis Juman)

Thu 2 Mar.   11am         Open Church; 11.45, Thursday prayers

Fri 3 Mar.     10.30am      World Day of Prayer service (see above)

Sun 5 Mar.  10am           Holy Communion (tba)