And finally, Radford Road Church Leamington Spa Thank you for reading this electronic copy of Radford Road Church Magazine. At present a very limited number of Magazines is being printed and most people are receiving electronic copies. Please let Marjorie know the email addresses of anyone who would like to receive the Magazine by this method. This is a much greener, cheaper and less time consuming way of producing the Church Magazine. What’s more, those receiving the Magazine by email have a colour version! In future we will continue the magazine production electronically and will only print hard copies for those unable to access the internet and for visitors to the church. At present 61 copies of this Magazine are being sent out. Please email [email protected] before Sunday August 23rd if you have any items suitable for publication in the September Magazine. Radford Road Church web site: www.radfordroadchurch.org.uk July/ August 2020 16 THE MINISTER’S LETTER Dear friends and family at Radford Road Church, MINISTER (URC) Revd. James Church The last few months have been unlike any we have experienced [email protected] before. We all watch the news anxiously hoping that the R rate of MINISTER (Methodist) Revd. Sam McBratney the virus remains under one, and we can begin to move into a [email protected] new ‘normal’ which many of us long and pray for. So many ADMINISTRATOR Margaret B plans have been disrupted, weddings put on hold, birthday celebrations postponed, even plans to move house delayed. CHURCH TREASURER Tina Last weekend I saw pictures of friends making promises of commitment to one another in their back garden in an online ceremony, followed by ORGANIST Margaret H the heavens opening up and rain bucketing down. It’s not as pleasant as the sunny May we have enjoyed, but the earth has been crying out for refreshment, and we could all do MID-WEEK WORSHIP Jane with the cleansing of rainfall. Just after the rain the most amazing symbol emerged in the sky above, a strong clear reminder of God’s unbreakable promise of peace, a WEDNESDAY LUNCH Veronica rainbow. This is another symbol that has been with us over these past months from spot the FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE Margaret H rainbow in children’s windows, a way to lift community spirits, through to rainbows Ruth for keyworkers and the NHS. I believe you can even buy Swarovski rainbow jewellery now in support of the NHS Charities Together. PROPERTY Bridget In the last few weeks media attention seems to have moved on to the ‘Black Lives Andrew Matter’ campaigns, as the world has been deeply shocked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police. It can be hard to watch the anger in the protests and riots, but RAINBOWS Bridget there is hope in them too and a conversation to be had about who we memorialise, why we memorialise them, and how this is perceived by others. BROWNIES Bridget Back to the cleansing rainfall. We often miss this but the destruction of Noah’s flood wasn’t a capricious and unrestrained act but a controlled response born out of the pain GUIDES Emma of God seeing the wickedness of humanity and that every inclination of their hearts was continually evil (Genesis 6:5). Maybe there is something cleansing about these protests RANGERS Sarah too. Maybe we are hearing voices and experiences that need to be heard, and maybe the washing of the Edward Colstons of this world into the River Avon is part of that. BEAVER SCOUTS Matthew The more I read through the account of Noah, the more I am reminded that nothing was simple or easy about it. The whole account is troubling, but at the end of it we see a CUB SCOUTS Matthew rainbow in the sky, a symbol of peace, of hope, of promise. It is no accident that Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Nelson Mandela lay hold of the rainbow as a SCOUTS Malcolm symbol of hope for their nation after years of oppression and violence. They spoke of an emerging “rainbow nation” as an aspiration, a vision of the future, to be built after EXPLORER SCOUTS Mark the troubles on the much harder work of truth and reconciliation. I suspect this will be true for our society also, we will need to come together, after ACTING GROUP SCOUT Mark these protests and this pandemic. Then we will need to grieve what has happened, talk LEADER about our experiences and perceptions of injustice, and to work positively to build strong integrated and hope-filled communities. For this is what I believe God is calling MAGAZINE EDITOR AND Marjorie us to do under the banner of his rainbow, following the Lordship of his Christ, and in WEBSITE COORDINATOR [email protected] the spiritual fellowship of his global church. With love in Christ Jesus, James 2 15 FAMILY NEWS THE MOUSE TRAP Please remember in your prayers A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might those who have suffered bereavement this contain?" the mouse wondered. Comfort the families and friends who grieve. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the those who are ill Please think especially of Mavis, Ken, John F. Ann and Clarice. warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a those who have worries and anxieties mousetrap in the house!" Give them peace and comfort in the knowledge that you are close to them. The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr Mouse, I can those who are self-isolating and all who have been confined to their homes over tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be recent weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic bothered by it." Please may they know of your nearness to them as they feel cut off from family and The mouse turned to the pig and told him "There is a mousetrap in the house! friends. There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so th We send our love and sympathy to Sam whose father died of Covid 19 on June 16 . very sorry, Mr Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured Please hold the family in your prayers. you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There Sue’s daughter, Helen, would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow! Mr Mouse. I'm sorry for her and all the NHS workers over recent weeks. you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the Congratulations to John F who celebrated his 107th farmer's mousetrap alone. birthday on July 7th. We hear that he received 256 That very night a sound was heard throughout the house - like the sound of a birthday greetings! mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. John was born in Enfield, London in 1913 and moved to In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had Leamington in 1943 when he was offered a position caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital within the Ford Motor Company where he was and she returned home with a fever. employed for 40 years. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took He attended Radford Road Church for many years and drove to church in his car his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's each Sunday until he was well over 100 years of age. He is a remarkable sickness continued, so friends and neighbours came to sit with her around the gentleman. clock. He now lives at Cubbington Mill Care Home. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow Many thanks to Sally and Andrew who have spent a lot of time tending the slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. outside area of the church. They keep the car park tidy by sweeping up the leaves The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, and debris that accumulates and they ensure that the surrounding area is neat and the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern tidy. you, remember: when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all Although we are not able to go to church for our regular Sunday Services it is involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another important that the building and surrounding area remain clean and tidy. and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Each of us is a vital thread Thank you Sally and Andrew. in another person's tapestry. Author Unknown Taken with permission from The Parish Window 3 14 OUR COVER PICTURE RE-OPENING THE CHURCH This stained glass window is colourful, vibrant, Although the Government has said churches can open for private prayer from and eye catching, and is an expression of our June 15th and be fully open from July 4th this is not an easy process as the risk faith.