The Gospel of St Mark 13

THE GOOD NEWS LETTER 26th July 2015

Welcome to St Andrew’s! If you are new, please do stay for refreshments after the service and introduce yourself to a member of the congregation or one of the clergy Have you noticed? Please do keep an eye open for anyone missing from church – be aware so that we can be sure that all is well. Please let Fr Guy or Lesley know if anyone would like a visit or Home Communion.

Today’s theme There’s enough for all! There is enough food in the world for all to eat well – if some eat less; there’s enough money for all – if some have less; there’s enough love to go round and no one has to have less! Today Dawn Watson Dawn Watson has now been with us on placement from Cuddesdon Theological College for the past month and sadly Sunday will be her last day with us. It has been a pleasure having her with us and we wish her every blessing in continuing her training and in her ministry ahead From 3.30pm, Sunday 26 th July

1 Sevilla’s Open Garden Invitation Sevilla Hercolani has a quite delightful garden, full of different ‘rooms’, wonderful variety of flowers, shrubs and plants, not to mention a few surprises. She has very kindly offered an open garden invitation to St Andrew’s to come for tea and refreshments and to enjoy the garden. A donation – suggested £5.00 - to the Homeless project is asked for, so enjoyment and generosity all in one! This Week Thursday 30 th July In aid of the Children’s Society It’s not every day or every parish church which has such a high level performance by such a musician. And this will be in support of one of the key charities we support: the Children’s Society. Sign up for a ticket on the list in the café – encourage friends and neighbours to come – take a poster or a flier.

Looking ahead 10am-5pm Tuesday 28 th July Open Door trip to Wyevale Garden Center Nr Bicester

Including: Landscape show gardens, Crafts and gifts, Restaurant, Plants for sale, Fish and much more! Sign up as soon as possible on the list in the Cafe

Trustee Appointment - Voluntary The Barons Court Project, in Hammersmith and Fulham, is a small, well-established drop in centre for street homeless people and people with mental health problems. We have been active for 30 years and support on average 30 people a day. We are seeking to recruit new trustees to ensure the governance of the project is robust, lead the direction of the project, and ensure we meet all our legal and statutory responsibilities. Trustees currently meet four times a year, but there is an expectation that trustees will also be involved in the project outside of meetings. You must have an empathy for homeless people and those with mental health problems. You might come from a Commissioning background, will have good networks, preferably in the local area and be able to assist with fundraising or bring in other specialist skills. For more information please contact [email protected] or call 020 7603 5232.

Life at St Andrew’s Jewellery and Mosaic workshops On Tuesday morning (fortnightly) and Friday mornings (weekly) Constance is leading creative workshops for mosaic and jewellery making. These are proving very popular and all are welcome. No previous skill is needed and everyone can create something beautiful. It’s also a great time for conversation and meeting! Mosaic making needs broken or not wanted coloured or patterned china. If you have some bring it to church for Constance 2 Ministry at St Andrew’s During these weeks we are including items about each of the ministries and activities in the life of St Andrew’s. The full set can be found in the Annual Report which is on the website and hard copies in the café.

Flower arranging Group The flower arranging group is made up of Tessa Wilkinson, Jane Baring, , Magdalena Kotnarowska Mohammed, Natalie Bishop, Natalia Zotova, Emma Beecham, Lily Koroma, Phoebe Gilpin-MacFoy, Barbara Routledge

The team take it in turn each Sunday, some in pairs and some alone, to arrange the flowers in church from Easter to Advent and Christmas to Lent. They are a dedicated group that quietly make our church beautiful for worship.

The whole group plus a few others gather to arrange the flowers for the major festivals either gathering on the Saturday before the festival (Easter, Pentecost and Harvest) or after worship on Sunday to prepare the church to welcome our Lord at Christmas

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the group for the time they give up to keep the flower rota going, and to say we are always delighted to welcome newcomers to the group. Anyone who is interested should speak to Tessa Wilkinson. The wider world Asia Bibi: death sentence in Pakistan This is an article by World Watch Monitor which reports on the many cases of persecution of Christians around the world

Pakistani Christian Aasiya Noreen (known as Asia Bibi) has been allowed to take her appeal against her death penalty for blasphemy to Pakistan's Supreme Court in the capital, Islamabad. After her appeal in Lahore's High Court was unsuccessful in October 2014, this is now the last chance for them to appeal that her conviction should never have been allowed, due to inadmissible evidence. Noreen's case has attracted worldwide attention and led to much criticism of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws. Noreen, 50, was the first woman to be sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws when she received the death penalty on 7 November 2010, after allegedly making derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammad during an argument with a Muslim woman. The Muslim woman had refused water from Noreen, a colleague, on the grounds that it was “unclean” because it had been handled by a Christian. The Muslim woman and her sister were the only two witnesses in the case, but the defence failed to convince judges that their evidence lacked credibility. Noreen was first arrested in the summer of 2009 and has since been confined to prison, mostly in the high- security District Jail Sheikhupura, 22 miles north-west of Lahore, and now in the women‘s jail in Multan. In April, Noreen’s family met Pope Francis at the Vatican, where he prayed for her and for all suffering Christians. And in March, she was made an honorary citizen of Paris in a show of support by the city’s mayor. To date, more than 580,000 people have added their signatures to a campaign by change.org. and another petition, by www. citizengo .org has gathered over 625,000 signatures. Fifteen Pakistani Christians are currently believed to be facing the death penalty for blasphemy.

Assisted Dying Bill Once again draft legislation is to come to Parliament proposing that doctors be allowed to be involved in killing patients under the so-called ‘assisted dying’ bill, despite it having been defeated many times previously and despite being opposed by the British Medical Association and the Disability charities as well as the Church of England and all Christian churches and all other faiths.

The Church of England’s position: “We believe that the Assisted Dying Bill has the potential to damage both the wellbeing of individuals and the nature and shape of our society. If enacted, the Assisted Dying Bill would put at risk many more vulnerable people than it seeks to help. Every person's life is of immeasurable value and ought to be affirmed, respected and cherished by society. This is true even when some people no longer view their own lives as being of any further value. This attitude is central to our laws and our social relationships; to undermine this in any way would be a 3 grave error and risk eroding carefully tuned values and practices that are essential for a society that respects and cares for all The Assisted Dying Bill would allow individuals to participate actively in ending others' lives, in effect agreeing that their lives are of no further value. This is not the way forward for a compassionate and caring society. Vulnerable individuals must be cared for and protected even if, at times, this calls for sacrifice on the part of others. Each year in the UK some 500,000 elderly, vulnerable people suffer abuse; sadly, often at the hands of their families or carers. It is essential that these and other vulnerable individuals are not placed at increased risk. Being perceived as a burden or as a financial drain is a terrible affliction to bear, leading in many cases to passivity, depression and self-loathing. In such circumstances, the desire to end one's life may be prompted by depression, external pressure or a sense of duty to others. The provisions of the Assisted Dying Bill would only add to the pressures that many vulnerable, terminally ill people feel, placing them at increased risk of distress and coercion at a time when they most require love and support. For them, 'choice' would represent a further, heavy burden to be borne.

The Bill seeks to provide safeguards against abuse; numerous legal safeguards already exist in other areas, but have failed to stop child, domestic and elder abuse. There can be no confidence that regulating assisted suicide would fare any better. Rigorous regulation and careful monitoring have not prevented the most serious lapses of trust and care in some parts of the NHS and within a number of Care Homes. It is naïve to believe that, if the Assisted Dying Bill were to become law, proposed safeguards would not similarly be breached with the most disastrous of consequences, by their nature irrevocable.

We must choose what sort of society we wish to become: one in which people are valued primarily for their utility or one in which every person is supported, protected and cherished even if, at times, they fail to cherish themselves. Better access to high-quality, holistic palliative care, greater support for carers and enhanced end of life services are the hallmarks of a truly compassionate society and it is to those ends that our energies must be directed.”

Saints Days, Festivals and Commemorations 29 July Mary, Martha & Lazarus The gospels describe how Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus gave Jesus hospitality in their home at Bethany outside Jerusalem. Jesus is said to have loved all three. After Lazarus' death, he wept and was moved by the sisters' grief to bring Lazarus back from the dead. Martha recognised Jesus as the Messiah, while Mary anointed his feet and, on another occasion, was commended by Jesus for her attentiveness to his teaching while Martha served. From this, Mary is traditionally taken to be an example of the contemplative life and Martha an example of the active spiritual life.

30 July William Wilberforce, Social Reformer William Wilberforce was born in 1759 in Hull. Converted to an Evangelical piety within the Church of England, Wilberforce decided to serve the faith in Parliament instead of being ordained, becoming a Member of Parliament at the age of twenty-one. He was a supporter of missionary initiatives and helped found The Bible Society. Settling in Clapham in London, he became a leader of the reforming group of Evangelicals known as the 'Clapham Sect'. Of all the causes for which he fought, he is remembered best for his crusade against slavery. After years of effort, the trade in slaves was made illegal in the British Empire in 1807 and Wilberforce lived to see the complete abolition of slavery, just before his death on this day in 1833. Who’s Who Vicar: Canon Guy Wilkinson [email protected] 07515 327757 Curate: the Revd Lesley Bilinda [email protected] 07956587176 Associate Priest: Fr Lincoln Harvey [email protected] 07855 866823 Licensed Lay Minister (Reader): Letty Buxton [email protected] 020 7385 3193 Parish Administrator: Penny McCarthy 4 [email protected] 020 7385 5023 Churchwarden: Trevor Dawson [email protected] 07957 398126 Churchwarden: Humphrey Gervais [email protected] 07977 444440 Star café and room bookings: Pippa Knap [email protected] 020 7385 5023 Evangelist: Constance Mirembe [email protected] Welcome to St Andrew’s If you are new, we would like to welcome you to St Andrew’s, and update you by email with our news and events. Please fill in the form and hand it to a member of the clergy or welcome team First name …………………………………………………………………………………….. Surname ……………………………………………………………………….…...………… Address ………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………… …………….. Postcode ………………………………………………………………………………………… Telephone No …………………………………………………………………………………. Email ………………………………………………………………………………………………

WHAT’S ON EACH WEEK Sunday 10.00am Family Communion and Children's Church followed by delicious refreshments and great conversation! 6.30pm Evensong. First Sunday of every month 6.30pm Choral Evensong and a glass of wine. Third Sunday of the month 6.30pm Taize Prayer Monday 10.15am Informal Communion Service for parents, carers and children followed by fun and refreshments. Tuesday 10.30am till noon Open Door: 'Coffee, chat and fun activities especially for the over 60s Wednesday 7.30am Holy Communion 10.00am till 1pm Songs and Stories for children with refreshments for all Thursday 11.00am Holy Communion Saturday 8.30am till 1200 Project for the Homeless.