FIVE ALIVE The Magazine of the Redruth Team Ministry St Euny Redruth, Christchurch Lanner, St Andrew Pencoys St Andrew Redruth and St Stephen Treleigh JUNE 2019 PRICE £1.00 Team Clergy Church Wardens St. Andrew Redruth Caspar Bush—Team Rector 01209 216958 Lez Seth 01209 215191 Deb Grigg 07742 865618 Sue Pearce 01209 217596 Graham Adamson 01209 315965 St. Euny Redruth Peter Fellows 07903 807946 Margaret Johnson 01209 211352 Lay Readers Lucie Rogers 01209 211255 Jim Seth 01209 215191 Web site: www.miningchurch.uk Judith Williams 01209 202477 St. Andrew Pencoys Margaret Du Plessy 01209 481829 Jill Tolputt 01209 214638 Christchurch Lanner Magazine Editor/Treasurer Ross Marshall 01209 215695 Richard & Rosemary 01209 715198 Mary Anson 01209 211087 Robinson St. Stephen’s Treleigh PASTORAL TEAM 07724 639854 Anne Youlton 01209 214532 ST EUNY OUTREACH WORKER 07971 574199 (Clare Brown) Christine Cunningham 01209 218147 Enquiries Concerning Church Halls St Andrew’s Crypt Lez Seth 01209 215191 Pencoys Church Hall Christine Walker 01209 215850 Lanner Church Hall Margaret Davis 01209 214470 Treleigh Church Hall David Rowe 01209 218416 Enquiries Concerning Weddings and Baptisms Please email Revd Caspar Bush on [email protected] or telephone 01209 216958 Benefice Office & weekly news sheet Administrator: Simon Cooper: Tel office 01209 200739 (Please leave a message) E-mail: [email protected] Benefice website http://www.redruthchurch.org.uk Administrator: Alice Bush Email: [email protected] FIVE ALIVE MAGAZINE Subscriptions £7.50( PER YEAR OR £1.00 PER COPY): please contact your Churchwardens Articles and advertisements: please contact:- Richard and Rosemary Robinson: [email protected] by FRIDAY 14 JUNE Rector’s Notes – JUNE 2019 There are some great things happening in June to read about in this edition of Five Alive. But I wanted to high- light especially Thy Kingdom Come – an international movement of prayer between Ascension Day and Pente- cost we’re joining in with. Prayer is the lifeblood of our churches, and this is a chance for us to make a concerted effort to pray for the renewal of our churches locally, and the Church of God generally. When’s it happening? Each of our churches is hosting a day of prayer from 8am till 6pm as follows, and we’re all in- vited to come along for an hour or two (in as many venues as we can): Tues 4th June at Pencoys Wed 5th June at Lanner Thurs 6th June at Treleigh Fri 7th June at St Andrew, Redruth Sat 8th June at St Euny Then on Sunday 9th June at 3pm there is a Pentecost celebration service at Gwennap Pit, hosted by the Methodists but to which we’re all invited. Resources As last year, some beautiful resources have been printed: In full colour, a Prayer Journal, a Novena and a family adventure prayer map complete with stickers! Plus there will be prayer stations to help us pray imaginatively, and set spoken services through the day. With my prayers, and very best wishes Caspar Bush (Team Rector) Revd Graham chats with ….. Robin Knights “Enjoy the view while it lasts” Robin laughs as we take a seat in the garden. Recently, new vistas have opened up with sweeping views from Mount Ambrose down to St Ives Bay but they may be short lived, as there is quite a bit of building going on around their home. We are in a place that has been home for Robin practically all his life: his parents had a house close by before the “new” road in Mount Ambrose was built, and Robin has lived here ever since, with he and Trish bringing up their two now adult children here too. We talk about coming to faith, answered prayer and the faithfulness of God in the highs and lows of life. “But please don’t portray me as some kind of super-spiritual person!” Robin insists. He tells me of the highs and the lows of his own life, and it is apparent that he is only too aware of the damage that can be inflicted by Christians putting pressure on each other. He has known expectations that Christians should always be strong, joyful and successful. Any admission of weakness was frowned on as a sign of little faith. Now Robin is glad to have found a place and a home to express his own faith, and to be himself. Robin’s faith story begins with being part of an “Open Brethren” church and he has memories of being part of “Treasure Hour”, a weekly gathering of about 120 youngsters at Green Lane chapel in town, now a community building at the corner of the New Cut car park. But it was at a Crusader camp at St David’s in Wales, that a 15 year-old Robin experienced a pivotal “Holy Spirit moment.” Visiting the cathedral, Robin was struck by the sight of a crucifix. In Robin’s Brethren church there were no crosses on the walls at all, “but when I saw this image, and it was the image not any words, I had a sudden realization of what Jesus had done, and all this for me.” Young Robin felt God with him right then, and was filled with joy and jumping around the fields at the wonder of it all. The next time Robin remembers a feeling like this was at his confirmation just three years ago at St Andrew’s Redruth. He recalls the unexpected power and joy at that moment of blessing. But a lot happened in the intervening time… Robin went away to London to train in retail – his father was a master draper – and on his return went on to run the department store at the bottom of Fore Street. “It is through visual moments that God seems to speak to me” Robin remarks to me, remem- bering the sight of a double rainbow seemingly coming from the landmark tower of the Fore Street shop. And that sign of God’s faithfulness carried Robin through what had been a challenging moment as the business ended up being sold. “It was a promise to me.” That challenging time was one in which Robin, “did lots of walking, lots of talking to God. When I tried to control things, it just didn’t work out, and I got to a moment when I just said “Right, God, it’s over to you””. Eventually, Robin was drawn to St Stephen’s church in Treleigh. Robin and Trish’s daughter was married not so long ago at the church and Robin recalls with a smile the warmth with which they were welcomed there – although they arrived late (a long story involving the advertised time having changed…!) The week after the wedding Trish and Robin then independently of each other were convinced that they both needed to go back to Treleigh; they just looked at each other one Sunday morning and knew that they should go – “God drew us in.” And, for Robin, this season has become one in which many prayers and dreams from long ago are coming to fruition. “It sounds a bit odd, but Trish and I wanted from the beginning for this house to be used by God”, and through the “Upper Room” home groups which have they have hosted, Robin has a sense of the family home being used for God’s purposes; a community of friendship where faith can be explored and people are free to be themselves. Again, Robin is insistent that everyone has something to offer: “I’m convinced that God wants to use our personalities, not put pressure on anyone to live their faith in a particular way. There is free- dom to be yourself” Indeed! And we are so glad that Trish and Robin have found a home in the benefice and blessed to share in their ongoing story. ————— —————— Upper Room groups are a feature of the benefice. They are home groups for study, prayer and friendship. Some meet for a few weeks at a time in 6 week blocks, others are continu- ous. If you are interested, do find out if there is one meeting near you! ************************************************************************ Choirs Raise The Roof at St Andrews Redruth The church was full to capacity on Sunday 5 May for the regional concert of the 2019 Cornwall International Male Choral Festival. 160 singers took part from Wales, Nottinghamshire, South Africa and Cornwall. Highlights from the first two choirs were Bui Doi (Miss Saigon) From South Notts Men’s Chorus and Prayer for Africa, a piece especially learnt by Four Lanes Male Choir to honour our South African singers. The South African choir were called the Barons and comprised boys from the prep school of the St Stithians College near Johannesburg. They have a close connection with Cornwall as they share the “One and All” motto and the school was originally formed by two Cornish- men one of whom is an ancestor of the Bishop of Truro. The choir’s colourful shirts provided an enjoyable contrast to the formal wear of the other choirs. Their music was joyous and included secular and traditional African pieces and they were rewarded at the end by a standing ovation. The 70 strong Bridgend Male Choir closed the concert, their final piece was An American Trilogy accompanied by keyboard and organ and provided a truly rousing finish to a wonderful evening. Richard Robinson ST STEPHEN TRELEIGH On Maundy Thursday the Sung Eucharist was led by Canon Eddie Woon assisted by Len Cunningham. At the end of the service the altar and chancel were stripped in silence, of all cloths, candlesticks and crosses, culminating with the Vigil until 9pm.