The star reminds us that everyone is entitled to hear the good news The vicar writes on Epiphany about Jesus in a way we can all appreciate and understand what it means for our lives, because what God has done in sharing His love Our focus for Epiphany is the story of the wise men from the East. with the world is for everyone; and how will people hear if we don't The birth of Jesus was an event of cosmic significance. A star rose discuss it openly? over Bethlehem to mark it. The whole world had a sign if they could Conversation is more than just talk. Genuine conversation happens only read its meaning. The birth of Christ affected the whole cosmos when we are prepared to change, to learn from what others say to us and wasn't just a local event. Here was a light not only for the people and be changed by it, when there is a real meeting of minds in the of Israel but for all people. God’s gift of Jesus is for everyone. quest for better understanding, better relationships and a better We live among a world of people today who are steadily marching world. What we talk about, how we talk and who we talk with, shapes further away from God. Preachers are preaching, churches are human lives and human history. crying out, "Come to this church." People are being "churched" to I believe that sharing our faith is done best through genuine death. Some have sought the Christ, others have sought the system. conversations. It means that we have to be prepared to see our faith Still others ignore it all. in new lights and in new ways as we hear others ways of looking at Please don't misunderstand me. I want people in church. I want to life and hear of others experiences. That is very different from quietly live among a community of church going people. I want to live among believing what we believe and letting others believe what they the moral standards that church-going people learn. But, I would believe. I hope that this year in St. Saviour's we will be able to create much rather live among a community of those who seek Christ. One new opportunities to tell others about the Christian faith and to can go to church without ever seeking Jesus. develop our skills in talking about our faith, particularly with those Wise men sought Him. Wise men and women still do. When the outside the church who are perhaps seeking Christ. search starts, God will provide a teacher. It may be a Bible that they pick up and read for themselves, or it may be YOU. You may be the only Bible that some will ever read. It's absolutely essential that those of us who are already in a relationship with Jesus, continue to seek Him. We mustn't think that because we are already Christians we know all there is to know about Jesus. We mustn't think that we've got the deepest and most personal relationship that exists. If we are to be wise and follow the example of the Magi, we must seek Him, converse with Him and communicate Him to others. This means our faith can't be something which is private, merely a matter of opinion. Our faith is for sharing , it needs to be discussed openly and considered in the light of other faiths and other peoples experiences of life. We shouldn't shrink from God of all, be our daily star that guides our lives. bringing it out into the open and talking about it. Sometimes it's May we always follow your light in all that we do and say, easier and cosier to believe what we believe and let others believe forever trusting, hoping and believing in your Word and what they believe. But I think the Epiphany story shows that is not the sharing it with those whom we meet. gospel way. Amen. In 1851, Rev. George Sumner moved to be a vicar in Hampshire and Mary dedicated herself to raising her children and helping her husband in his ministry by providing music and Bible classes. In 1876, when her eldest daughter Margaret gave birth, Mary was reminded how difficult she had found motherhood. Inspired, Mary publicised a meeting of mothers in the parish to offer mutual support. Her plan was quite radical in its day as it involved calling women of all social classes to support one another and to see motherhood as a profession as important as those of men, if not more so.

Last month Christine Moore was made a member of the Mothers’ Union and The first Bishop of Newcastle, Ernest Wilberforce, invited Mary to give an address Chrisitne, along with Marian Young have taken over the running of the monthly about national morality and the importance of women's vocation as mothers to meetings which now meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. The next one is on change the nation for the better. After a very passionate address, a number of the the 16th January. women present went back to their parishes to found mothers' meetings on Mary Sumner's pattern. The Bishop of Winchester made the Mothers' Union a diocesan I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who support the Mothers’ organisation. Union by way of your annual gift of money which is greatly appreciated by this amazing organisation. The Mothers' Union concept spread rapidly across the country and the British Empire and by the turn of the century, it had grown to 169,000 members and today Sadly since we lost Edna (Branch Leader) over seven year ago, other members stands at millions worldwide! have also died and some are now housebound, known as ‘Indoor Members’, which means we are down to just 27 members. Out of those 27 members quite a few In 1897, during her Diamond Jubilee, Queen Victoria became patron of the Mothers' people work so at our meetings we only get around 15 people attending. We have Union, giving it an unprecedented stamp of approval. Mary Sumner lived to lead the no desire to put the Mothers’ Union into abeyance as many churches are having to Mothers' Union to act in rebuilding the heart of Britain after the First World War. do, but I would like to encourage as many of you as possible to continue coming to Mary died on the 11th August 1921 aged 92 and is buried with her husband who the meetings or if you aren’t a member, to consider joining. had died 12 years before, in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral. The inscription How did the Mothers’ Union begin? it all began with Mary Sumner who was born on their tomb (from Revelation 14:13) reads: I heard a voice from Heaven saying Mary Heywood in Lancashire, the third of four children. The family moved to unto me: Blessed are the dead which died in the Lord from henceforth. Here, saith Herefordshire, in 1832, where Mary Sumner's mother held mothers' meetings. A the Spirit, they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them. year after their arrival in Herefordshire, Mary’s six-week-old brother died. Her Mary Sumner has given us an incredible legacy, please let us follow in her footsteps mother's faith, her women's meetings and her brother's infant death may have all and continue to embrace her passion for God, for family life, for fellowship together inspired Mary Sumner decades later to begin the Mothers' Union. and for being there for others. Mary learned to speak three foreign languages and sing well. To complete her The name ‘Mothers’ Union’ can be quite off-putting. musical education, she travelled with her mother and elder sister to Rome. Whilst The Organisation is open to men and women and there she met her future husband, George Henry Sumner, the son of Charles you don’t have to be a parent! All you need is to be Richard Sumner, the Bishop of Winchester and a relative of William Wilberforce. interested in supporting all the great causes the Mothers’ Union gets involved in. The couple married in Colwall on 26 July 1848, 18 months after George's ordination as an Anglican priest. They had three children: Margaret, Louise and George; the Please consider coming or even joining - latter became a well known artist. we need you! Thank you to those of you who have Church Missionary Society Mother Teresa and on the right, as a teenager Boxes. These were emptied before Christmas and we were able Tim Lenton looks back on an extraordinary woman… to send £400 towards the amazing work done by CMS. Thank you. Mother Teresa – 90 years since her work began Peter Lainton. Sister Mary Teresa – the future Mother Teresa – arrived in Calcutta ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 90 years ago this month, on 6th January 1929, to begin working with the poor and the sick. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1910, she was of Albanian heritage but had moved to Ireland in 1928 to join the Sisters of Loreto – formally known as the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her father had died suddenly when she was about eight, but her mother was a firm and loving influence on her. She received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux. After making her first profession of vows in May 1931, she taught at St. Mary’s School for girls. Six years later she made her final profession, after which she was called Mother Teresa.

As soon as she arrived in Calcutta she was exposed to the extreme The proceeds from the Charity Boxes and the Christingle Service poverty there, and this made a deep impression on her, eventually amounted to £620. leading her to start a new order called The Missionaries of Charity, prompted by what she termed a ‘call within a call’ that she received in This is a great result and will go a good way towards helping families 1946, on a train journey from Calcutta to Darjeeling. in need. Thank you all very much indeed. Pauline Hadfield. Her main objective was to look after people who nobody else was ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ prepared to look after. Susan & Brian Johnson move to Whitley Bay Rev Tony Horsfall considers the extraordinary story By the time you read this Susan and I shall have left St Saviour's to of Richard Cousins’ Will. move to Whitley Bay, just north of Newcastle upon Tyne. What a legacy!! About ten years ago the then Bishop of Stockport asked us to move to St Saviour's. We were happy to do so and were grateful for the The charity Oxfam recently received a legacy of £41 million following welcome we received from you all. In the last few years we have the death of business man Richard Cousins. Richard was killed in a mainly been part of the 8.30 congregation. For some time we have plane crash in Sydney Harbour on New Year’s Eve 2017, and he realised that we should move nearer to our family before we get too very tragically died alongside his two sons, his fiancée, her daughter, old. So we are off to the north east, where our elder daughter and and the pilot. It was a dreadful tragedy. her family have lived happily for some years. A year before the tragic accident Richard, the CEO of catering firm We shall not be idle. I am being appointed Associate Priest at St Compass Group, had inserted into his will a ‘common tragedy Peter's Balkwell and St John's Percy Main and Susan will be clause’, stating that in the unlikely event of him and his immediate assisting at the Willington Team Ministry in Howden, all in North family members all dying at the same time, the majority of his fortune Tyneside. I shall be helping the small congregations at St Peter's and should be given to Oxfam. Little did he realise that such an obscure St John's prepare for amalgamation in 2019. Balkwell is a large, clause would actually be triggered, and that so soon. deprived former council estate, with few facilities and amenities. A will comes into effect only on the death of the person who makes Percy Main is an area whose traditional industries, coal mining and the will. The Bible speaks in the book of Hebrews about the death of ship building, have closed down, with no real replacements. Susan Jesus in these terms: ‘In the care of a will, it is necessary to prove will be helping with the mid week activities at St Paul's Willington the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only Quay, a Fresh Expression community church, especially with the when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who older members of the congregation. All are active but small churches made it is living (9:16-17).’ seeking to make a difference to their local areas. Just as Oxfam were the undeserving beneficiaries of such a We are not the only older clergy in the deanery. The Bishop of wonderful legacy, so we too are the undeserving beneficiaries of the Newcastle had taken early retirement before becoming a Bishop. The amazing benefits of what Christ has done on the cross. We receive Area Dean is a retired vicar and two of the other active clergy are an inheritance beyond our wildest dreams, which we could never retired bishops. For the moment at least, Oldies rule. We shall not be have expected. His death triggered the clause whereby we could around for long, but hope to prepare the way for younger clergy to benefit from His suffering. take over in due course. And what is that inheritance? It is the knowledge that our sins can be Please remember us and the congregations we shall be joining in forgiven, that we can enter in to a living relationship with God, that your prayers. We'll let you know how we get on. our eternal future is secure. This is a legacy far more valuable than ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ any amount of money. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Susan and Brian for the help they have given to me by covering the 8,30 a.m. service when Don’t miss out on your amazing inheritance. Christ died for us all, I’ve been away and for their occasional preaching at our Sung and YOU are included in His will. The benefits of His death at Eucharist. I have really appreciated their support over the years and Calvary are there for you to receive freely, and without condition. You wish them both every blessing. Missing you both already!! Diane too can be very rich! Can we make suffering into anything positive? By Tony Horsfall. 2019: Is it even possible to make a New Start? His grace really is sufficient The Christian faith teaches that a new start is endlessly possible. It is provided by a personal encounter with the risen and living Jesus ‘To keep me from becoming conceited because of these Christ. He offers us the opportunity and the resources to make a surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my new start, despite all our circumstances or failings. flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace The Bible records many encouraging examples of people who were is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”‘ 2 able to start again after encountering Jesus. These include a woman Corinthians 12:7-9 caught in adultery who was facing execution by an outraged We cannot identify for certain the nature of Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’. community, a hated tax collector named Zacchaeus who had been It may have been a physical illness like malaria or problems with his collaborating with the enemy, and Peter, the close friend of Jesus eyesight. It could refer to the constant opposition to his ministry from who publicly disowned him. those Jews who hated what he was doing. What we do know is that whilst Satan used it to give Paul a rough time, God used it to keep God’s provision of a new start liberates people from the powerful hold him humble in the midst of the wonderful revelations that had been that guilt, fear and memories of failure can have over a human. The granted to him. life, death and resurrection of Jesus have made a way for humans to find God’s forgiveness. A Christian is someone who has accepted Paul’s instinctive response to the thorn is to ask God that it be God’s forgiveness and now has the freedom to reject the old habits removed. He persisted in prayer too, showing that he really expected of bitterness, anger or revenge, like disposing of a ‘shabby old coat’. God to deliver him. Prayer should also be our first response to crisis. Many Christians experience this as such a new beginning that they Our belief is that God is able and willing to rescue us from any attack describe it as feeling like a different kind of life. of the devil. However, in this case God in His wisdom chose not to deliver Paul from the thorn, but instead to pour His grace into his life Forgiveness, however, is not the same as perfection. Although many in such a way that he could cope with the situation and continue to Christians can look back to a specific time at which they made a minister effectively. decision to make a new start as a follower of the way of Jesus Christ, Grace has been defined as ‘God’s strength in our weakness.’ living up to a new way of being is an ongoing struggle. There is a Whether or not God chooses to answer our prayers for healing or frequent need to revisit and remember the new start. Church services deliverance, we can always count on the daily supply of His almost always include a point at which worshippers are encouraged empowering and enabling grace. There is no situation outside of His to think about recent failures, confess them, and ask for the mercy of protective care, no need too big for His resources to match. Let your God in absolute certainty that He will forgive. weakness be the opportunity for God’s all-sufficient grace to sustain you. His power is waiting to strengthen you. The Bible describes God’s promises of mercy as ‘new every morning’. It is in the gracious nature of God that mistakes and A Prayer: failures are not a stick to be beaten with, but an opportunity to Lord, today I choose to lean on you, change into something better. and to receive again your grace into my life. Taken from Christianity.org.uk. All in the month of JANUARY Canon David Winter consider Auld Lang Syne Celebrating Thenadays It was: ‘Auld Lang Syne’ was sung over the New Year, especially in 100 years ago, on 5th January 1919, that the German Workers’ Party Scotland. It should, we are told, ‘never be forgotten’. But what is was founded by Anton Drexler. In 1920 it was renamed the National it? Socialist German Workers’ party – better known as the Nazi Party. 90 years ago, on 6th January 1929 that Mother Teresa arrived in The words actually mean something like ‘long time ago’ and it is Calcutta, India to begin working with the poor and sick. the ‘acquaintances ‘of long ago that we should not forget. In other words, and somewhat to contradict the usual New Year 80 years ago, on 26th January 1939 that General Franco’s forces greetings, it calls us to look back. The past, it says, is precious, captured Barcelona as part of the Spanish Civil War. as are the people who have been part of it for us. 70 years ago, on 1st January 1949 that the British Nationality Act At my age people often use the word ‘nowadays’. Usually came into effect. It established the status of ‘Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies’ and granted those citizens the right to enter negatively – ‘nowadays there‘s nothing good on the TV’ or and live in the United Kingdom. ‘nowadays people never say thank you’. It’s a mindset that is shaped by the memory of a golden age that probably never 60 years ago, on 8th January 1959 that Charles De Gaulle was existed. Yet there is a truth in there somewhere. If we find inaugurated as President of France. ‘nowadays’ unsettling, why not remember ‘Thenadays’? Our 50 years ago, on 30th January 1969 that the Beatles gave their last past is who we are. Its people have shaped our lives. There is public performance, on the roof of Apple Studios in London. nothing wrong sometimes in looking back and remembering. As 40 years ago, on 7th January 1979 that Vietnamese troops captured the song says, it should be ‘brought to mind’ – the ‘old the Cambodian capital Phnom Phenh and overthrew Pol Pot and the acquaintances’ of our lives. Khmer Rouge government. For me, that is my father taking me as a six-year-old to watch 30 years ago, on 8th January 1989 that the Kegworth air disaster the steam trains go by. It’s my grandparents in their Welsh took place. A British Midland Boeing 737 crashed onto the M1 village. It’s old friends and colleagues, some from as long as 70 motorway in Leicestershire while attempting an emergency landing at years ago, with all the laughter and tears we shared. And it’s not East Midlands Airport. 47 people were killed and 74 injured. just happy things like my own family but also the sad loss of 20 years ago, on 1st January 1999 that the Euro officially became loved ones and the feeling of helpless deprivation that follows. the new currency in 11 European countries. (Coins and banknotes All of this is part of my ‘Thenadays’. entered circulation in January 2002.) As we wish people a ‘Happy New Year’ it’s not a bad idea to 10 years ago, on 20th January 2009 that Barack Obama was pick up that strange Scots saying and invite them not to forget a inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. human heritage which is ours – people, events, experience. ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is the totality of our lives as we have lived them. Looking back is often the best way of looking forward. April returned to Britain in 2013, utterly exhausted, but was soon back in action with a new mission, working with Operation Mobilisation from a base in Zambia to train workers helping homeless children. April Holden has discovered a strength beyond her own. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dying Well – Dying Faithfully By John Wyatt, IVP, £9.99 We cannot choreograph our own death, but we can die well. This is a book for Some good books to read during these dark winter nights those who are facing death. It is also for their relatives, friends and carers. John Wyatt looks at recent trends in dying. He examines the ‘art of dying’, a Midwife of Borneo – The True Story of a Geordie Pioneer Christian tradition from the past. We see opportunities for dying well and by Wendy Grey, SPCK, £7.99 faithfully, real-world examples of personal growth and instances of 1959. Newcastle nurse Wendy Grey leaves her comfortable life and answers a reconciliation and personal healing in relationships. On the other hand, there call from people in Borneo to run a clinic in a place so remote, many there are also challenges to face: the fears and temptations that dying can bring. have never before seen a white woman. Until her arrival, medical witchcraft We learn from Jesus’ example as we focus on His words from the cross. The has been the norm. Nevertheless, Wendy quickly gains the trust of the locals, wonderful news is that we can look forward to ‘a sure and steadfast hope’, the and they begin to flock to her for treatment. And, terrifyingly, when some amazing hope of resurrection and its implications for our lives today. require emergency surgery, she must also become anaesthetist and surgeon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ or watch her patients die. Dream Chasers – The Journey of Nine Ordinary People Who Became From treacherous journeys on land and water to tea parties with the governor; Extraordinary by Uta Schmidt, Lion Hudson, £9.99 from tussles with snakes and scorpions to Scrabble with nuns; from struggling Have you ever known the pain and disappointment of a shattered dream, a with illness to suddenly falling in love – this unique glimpse into contrasting hope deferred, a vision put on hold? Maybe you started out with a dream in sides of a lost colonial world is possible thanks to Wendy’s detailed diaries, your heart, but it got buried beneath the rubble of life’s challenges. Whatever it written by the light of an oil lamp in her bamboo and palm-leaf house. may be, life took some unexpected turns and threw you off-course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dream Chasers follows the lives of nine ordinary people, who overcame great They Called Us Love – The Story of April Holden and Africa’s Street Children hardship in order to follow their God-Given dreams. In doing so, they became By April Holden & Deborah Meroff, SPCK, £7.99 extraordinary. Through exclusive interviews with these leaders, Uta Schmidt April Holden was told Africa would lead to her death. She went anyway. uncovered that in chasing their dreams they do not avoid life’s Despite chronic health problems, she was accepted by a mission, which sent disappointments and hardships. They endure suffering and experience crises her initially to Egypt. Then she seized the chance to move to one of the of faith, but ultimately they find a way through. toughest, most war-torn countries in North Africa, pioneering homes for street And we can all do the same on the way to our God-given dreams. Through boys traumatised by war or fleeing abuse. In these loving homes, the their inspiring stories you will gain insights into the process of becoming who youngsters could recover and, repeatedly, she saw miracles of provision and God called you to be, and you will grow in determination to follow your dreams protection. straight through the fire of transformation.