Cheltenham United Reformed Church in Touch July/August 2014
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1 Cheltenham United Reformed Church In Touch July/August 2014 2 Welcome to In Touch – the magazine of Cheltenham United Reformed Church. Cheltenham United Reformed Church is a joint Pastorate of the 3 United Reformed Churches in Cheltenham. This means that they share a Minister – Revd Maz Allen – and indeed they work very closely together in all respects. New readers, who may also be new to the area, can be assured of a warm welcome at all 3 Churches:- St Andrew’s United Reformed Church is situated in Cheltenham town centre. It is a former Presbyterian Church built in 1885. Recent renovations have retained its essential character whilst at the same time delivering an impressive facility meeting the needs of the 21st Century. Current membership is around the 100 mark. Prestbury United Reformed Church serves the village of Prestbury to the north of Cheltenham. It is a former Congregational Chapel built in 1866. Current membership is around the 20 mark. Services are normally held at Prestbury on only the 1st, 3rd and 4th Sundays of each month. The Church in Warden Hill is a Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) between the Anglican and URC communities serving the large residential districts of Hatherley and Warden Hill to the south of Cheltenham. Sunday morning services currently alternate between St Christopher’s and the URC Centre with a typical congregation of 85. Ministry is shared between the URC Minister (Revd Maz Allen) and members of the Anglican South Cheltenham Team Ministry of whom the Revd Jacqui Hyde has particular responsibility for The Church in Warden Hill. The Church in Warden Hill has its own church magazine – The Lantern – but its activities and events are also publicised in this In Touch magazine. The website of the Cheltenham United Reformed Church (www.urcic.org.uk) and the website of The Church in Warden Hill (www.tciwh.org.uk) are further sources of information about the churches. 3 Cheltenham URC Services and Prayers: St Andrew’s Every Sunday: 11:00am Morning Worship (Communion Service on 1st Sunday) 3rd Sunday : 9:30am Jump4Joy ( an informal short service for all the family) Prayers during the week at St Andrew’s are subject to change at present – please see the Church notice board for times. Prestbury 1st Sunday: 10.30am All-age Worship 3rd Sunday: 10.30am Morning Worship 4th Sunday: 10.30am Communion The Church in Warden Hill Sunday Morning venue alternates between St Christopher’s and the URC Centre 1st Sunday: 10.30am Family Worship 2nd Sunday: 10.30am Family Communion 3rd Sunday: 10.30am Family Communion 4th Sunday: 10.30am Family Communion at St Christopher’s) Morning Worship at URC 5th Sunday: 10.30am Family Communion at St Christopher’s) Morning Worship at URC During term time New Shoots for younger members (2-14) takes place during the service. Every Sunday: 6:00pm Evensong at St Christopher’s, Evensong if the morning service is a Communion Service Holy Communion if the morning service is NOT a Communion Service. Daily: 8:00 am Morning Prayer at St Christopher’s Tuesday: 10:30am Communion and Prayers at St Christopher’s 4 Dear Friends, As I write, we are in the throws of the football World Cup, in the middle of the England v Sri Lanka Test series, on the eve of Wimbledon and just a few weeks’ away from the Commonwealth Games. This is an exciting time for sports’ fans. For the majority of my life I have enjoyed watching tennis, golf and crick- et on TV, (definitely not football or rugby), but it was the Olympic Games that got me interested in watching live sport. I will be going to Glasgow to watch two sessions of athletics and in a rush of patriotism, I have pur- chased tickets for the Invictus Games, spear-headed by Prince Harry to champion injured service personnel in their determination to overcome disability. As a nation, passion for sport and passion for supporting those taking part go hand in hand. Yet as a nation, belief in God and supporting the Church are far from synonymous. There seems to be an acceptance of God as Creator, plus a deep fascination with ‘spirituality’, however that may be defined. Established Christian worship, however, seems hardly relevant, particularly to younger generations. What can we do? There are no easy answers or quick fixes, but we are being challenged to take risks for Christ which may depart from our comfort-zones or long-held beliefs in how things should be done. Traditions are important; so are growth and development. Let us ask God’s Spirit to work in us as individuals and as churches that we may be- come trail-blazers for Jesus Christ in a society that needs help in engaging with Good News. Wishing you a Happy Summer. Maz 5 CHELTENHAM UNITED REFORMED CHURCH In Memoriam: We give thanks for the life of Alan Brown, member of St. Andrew's, who died suddenly on 20th May. We also give thanks for the life of Godfrey Outram, of St. Andrew's, who passed away on Thursday 12th June, following a prolonged spell in hospital. A thanksgiving service to celebrate Godfrey’s life is to be held on Monday 30th June at St Andrew’s at 12noon. Please remember Wendy and her family in your prayers. Our prayers: Joan Dickens, Rosy Pearson, Margaret Manson, Sandra Jeans, and Wendy Outram. Congratulations: to Alex and James Law, on the occasion of Ellena's baptism at St. Andrew's on 1st June; to Irene Webber, from Prestbury, who was ordained an Elder on 29th June; to baby Tamsin Cleal-Ward, being Dedicated on 13th July at the Warden Hill URC Centre. The Obituary of Alan Brown Alan and Margaret Brown joined St. Andrew's in 2012 when they came to live near their son in Pittville, Cheltenham. Alan had been an Elder and part-time church organist at one of the Norwich URC's for many years. He had a passion for Scottish country dancing, wine and food! Sadly, Margaret died in 2013 and Alan found life more and more difficult. He enjoyed the church-fellowship and will be sadly missed. Our prayers are with Alan’s family and friends. Maz 6 The Obituary of Godfrey Outram Like many of us in Cheltenham Godfrey Outram came to the town to work at GCHQ, which he served until retirement. His work took him on a tour of duty to the States, accompanied by Wendy and the children, Martin and Diane. He and Wendy later had a tour of duty in Germany, where he and I worked together on liaison duties with a number of military organisations and nationalities. His dry even sly wit and gentle tact saw many a senior military man go away happy. He and Wendy have been members of St Andrew’s since Godfrey’s retirement and until very recently Godfrey was involved in much of what was going on. He was what is so often called “one of life’s gentlemen”. Not a great one for outward show, he was nevertheless there quietly getting on with it, sharing his expertise and talents. In particular Creative Cards owes a debt to him, for the many lovely cards he contributed to. Sadly the last few years have seen Parkinson’s take its toll, but St. Andrew’s will miss Godfrey, who did so much so quietly and with no fuss. Our thoughts at this time are with Wendy and Martin, Diane and Gary and the grandchildren, Emily and Thomas, who brought a real twinkle to Godfrey’s eye. Keith Norcott ******************************************** 7 Pensioners’ Forum – Wednesday 2nd July – Building Circles Building Circles is a charity whose primary focus is to offer friendship and support to people and their families. They do this with the amazing help from a team of volunteers who give a few hours of their time every month to spend time and support people with learning disabilities who are often lonely and isolated. As usual the coffee bar will be open from 10.00am and the talk will begin at 11.00am. Please invite your friends and neighbours – all are welcome. Lunch will be available after the talk, please pre book by ringing Matthew on 01242 222005. Last month we had an excellent presentation on Diabetes covering the systems, risk factors and treatment. People who are most at risk are: Aged over 40 years (or over 25 if South Asian) From a Black, African, Caribbean or South Asian origin Those who have a parent, brother or sister with diabetes Overweight Women with a waistline bigger than 80 cm Men with a waistline bigger than 94 cm Those who have ever had high blood pressure or heart attack or stroke People taking anti-psychotic medication Women who have polycystic ovary syndrome Known to have pre-diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance The more risk factors a person has the greater their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Symptoms may include: Passing urine more often, especially at night Increased thirst Extreme tiredness Genital itching Wounds and cuts that take a long time to heal Blurred vision Losing weight without trying. 8 How can I find out if I am diabetic, a simple blood test by the Doctor or Chemist will give you the answer. It is a serious medical condition that won’t go away, but with the right treatment it shouldn’t stop you living a full life. Web site address is www.diabetes.org.uk. There is no meeting in August, we will resume on 3rd September. Pensioners’ Forum at St Andrew’s United Reformed Church (near Queen’s Hotel) You are invited to the following Talks 11.00am – 12.00noon Wednesday 2nd July ‘Building Circles In Gloucestershire’ Frances Watson FREE ENTRY – ALL ARE WELCOME Coffee Bar open from 10.00am – 12noon Coffee/Tea 50p www.urcic.org.uk ********************************************* Reading Group The next meeting of the Reading Group will take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 27th August 2014 at Prestbury URC.