Stranton and Burbank Community Church SIGNPOST Rooted in God’s love Growing together with Jesus Branching out in the power of the Holy Spirit 40p June 2016 ALL SAINTS CHURCH, STRANTON CHURCH SERVICES Sunday 8.30am. Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) 10.30am. Service (with children’s groups for 3-14s) 1st Sunday of the month will be Holy Communion 2nd Sunday of the month will be Morning Worship 3rd Sunday of the month will be Holy Communion 4th Sunday of the month will be Lighthouse Service 11.00am. Morning Worship at Burbank Community Church, at Ward Jackson School. 7.30pm Youth Fellowship (14 years +) On the Third Sunday of each month, Messy Church takes place at St Matthew’s Community Centre at 4.00pm. This is a time for parents/ carers and children to have fun together, doing crafts and various activities, based on a bible theme. Occasionally, (2 or 3 times a year) the congregations at Stranton and Burbank all come together for the 10.30am service, and this is followed by a bring and share meal. Wednesday Morning 10.00am. Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at St Matthew’s Community Centre. Please note that the next Messy Church will be on 19th June and will continue to take place on the Third Sunday of each Month 2 Acts Over the forthcoming few weeks we will be reading and studying the Acts of the Apostles. If you don’t know it very well, it is the fifth book in the New Testament and it should be regarded as the second part of a two volume account of the life of Jesus and the early Church that was written by the doctor, Luke. If you are a little familiar with it, you will know that it starts with Jesus’ ascension and the day when the Holy Spirit came in power to the first community of believers in Jesus, raised from the dead – and the seeds of God’s new regime were blown all over the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond (these are remembered in Ascensiontide and Pentecost, which we celebrated in May). Then an influential Jew called Saul, who had been on a mission to persecute Christians because he believed they were heretics, encountered Jesus – he was struck down and blinded – and turned around to become Paul, the great advocate of the Jesus Movement, strategist, theologian and planter of churches. In the middle of Acts the Council of Jerusalem debated and resolved the first issue which was seriously to divide the Church, whether the new movement was for the renewal only of God’s people the Jews, or for the whole of humanity. Thankfully, Paul got his way. The remainder of Acts is mainly stories of his travels and adventures, taking him ultimately to the centre of Empire in Rome. Sometimes called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, Acts conveys the power of God in every page through miracles, testimonies and triumphs over adversity. It is a complex narrative, not a neat piece of fiction; about real life, not ideals. The Jerusalem Church began with the supernatural, world-shaking event of Pentecost, the believers selling all their possessions, having everything in common, worshipping God together and breaking bread every day. But within a generation it was destitute and Paul was arranging collections for it in Asia Minor and Macedonia. The disciples were lynched, stoned, flogged and imprisoned, not just once, but repeatedly. We know that Paul was eventually executed by the Emperor Nero in the 60s AD. Throughout Acts, though, is the miraculous thread of God’s involvement in human lives and communities and the hope of proclaiming and participating in the eternal Kingdom of Jesus, crucified and risen from the dead. As you read Acts, reflect not just on God’s story in the lives of the first followers of Jesus; but reflect also on God’s story in your life, the times when he has touched you with his power and his love – even turned you round - as well as the times when you have experienced difficulties, weakness and opposition. Reflect on the reality of God’s plans for the whole of humankind and the part that he has dignified you with by your involvement. Andrew 3 From the Home Front On a foggy Saturday afternoon we went to see the recently released film of the life of Florence Foster Jenkins. It was based on the true story of this eccentric and wealthy American lady. She had been a child prodigy, playing piano for the President when only 8 years old. After graduating from high school, she wanted to go abroad to study music, but her wealthy father refused to pay and wanted her to give up music. However Florence retaliated and eloped with Dr. Frank Thornton Jenkins and they moved to Philadelphia. Shortly after their marriage, Jenkins contracted syphilis from her husband and Dr. Jenkins disappeared from her life and it is not known whether they divorced or separated. She earned a living in Philadelphia as a piano teacher, but after suffering an arm injury, she had no means to support herself and lived in near poverty. Her mother came to her rescue and she moved to New York around 1900. It was then that she decided to become a singer. In 1909, she met a British Shakespearean actor named St. Clair Bayfield, who became her manager. They lived together in a "common law" relationship for the rest of her life. After the death of her parents Florence inherited enough money to restart her career in music. She took voice lessons and became involved in the musical social circles of New York City, where she founded and funded her own club, The Verdi Club. Poor Florence had little sense of pitch or rhythm, and couldn’t hold a note. Her accompanist, Cosmé McMoon, made adjustments to compensate for her variations and mistakes. Unfortunately, there was nothing McMoon could do to conceal the inaccuracy of her intonation: the notes she sang were consistently flat and their pitch deviated from the music. Also she could not pronounce words in other languages! It was likely that many of her difficulties were due to the effects of syphilis, which caused progressive deterioration of her central nervous system, made worse by side 4 effects from poisonous mercury and arsenic treatments. She was firmly convinced of her talent throughout her life and dismissed the audience laughter during her performances as "hoodlums ... planted by her rivals." She was aware of her detractors, but never let them stand in her way: "People may say I can't sing," she said, "but no one can ever say I didn't sing. Florence usually performed to invited audiences only. But in 1944 she hired the Carnegie Hall, at her own expense, in order to entertain the troops, giving them free tickets. Since this was her first "public" appearance, newspaper critics could not be prevented from attending. Their scathing, sarcastic reviews devastated Florence. Two days after the Carnegie Hall concert, she suffered a heart attack. She died a month later, on November 26, 1944, at the age of 76. It seemed that this lady was deluded and indulging herself - but it spoke to me on several different levels. Florence had a gift and used it to try to educate and entertain others. She was true to her dreams and didn’t let criticism deter her or change her set course. Florence never gave in to her illness – she insisted on following her decided action regardless of how she was healthwise. She was filled with compassion - when she heard of the injured members of the armed forces and their needs, she spared no personal expense in order to entertain and cheer them in the best concert hall possible. She was supported by people who cared for and about her, who protected her from unkindness, because they saw the ‘good’ in her. I felt there was more to this lifestory than just a tragic-comedy tale… If you get the opportunity, watch and see how it speaks to you. J.A.R. 5 An unexpected ministry – asylum seekers, baptisms and care On Sunday 10th April we had a tremendous celebration when 4 adults Azam, Bob, Niloufar and Negar were baptised by full immersion. In many ways this event had started 4 months before on the Sunday before Christmas when we first welcomed Azam and her family to Stranton church. It soon became clear that Azam followed by her two daughters had converted in Iran and that they were seeking asylum because their lives were in danger. As committed Christians they were drawn to our fellowship and indeed several members of the fellowship were drawn to them. The actual baptism was really encouraging. We welcomed several other Farsi speakers from Hartlepool and further afield. Parts of the service were translated into Farsi to make our guests welcome. Around that time we welcomed a number of other Iranian families, who are also seeking asylum on the basis of conversion to Christianity. Another baptism is now planned for June when as many as 6 Iranians hope to be baptised. We all rejoice that Azam, Nilou and Negar have been granted asylum and are now refugees. They have chosen to stay in Hartlepool and will now need our ongoing support as they settle, learn English and work out the best way forward in terms of jobs and education. My impression is that God is at work amongst us and we are called to join in. I have learnt a great deal from all that has happened in these last few months.