2015 NEWSLETTER

KJ NEWSLETTER 2014

Yes - another exciting year has passed for the Guest family; if anything, more exciting and eventful than I think we can ever remember! The highlights: Kyoko and Ben got married, Ben got a new job, a new flat and a new car and Kyoko got her visa (hooray!) John turned sixty, Kim and John saw the Northern Lights and visited the three megacities of the world within two months and Hannah fell pregnant with our second grandchild!The lowlights: Kyoko was detained by the UK border authority who promptly lost her passport and Kim was made redundant and closed the company she has built up over nearly fifteen years making 17 people redundant.

 

KIM: It has been a hectic year with lots to do. Hannah and I spent the early part of the year planning Ben and Kyoko’s wedding in the UK while they were living in Tokyo. The day itself was amazing and worth all the stress in the planning, despite the authorities nearly sending poor Kyoko home again when she arrived at Heathrow T5! With guests from the USA, Japan and Australia the logistics were a bit tricky but we managed to pull it off and then Ben and Kyoko had a mini-moon in Paris before Kyoko had to fly back to Tokyo to arrange her spousal visa. I continue regular trips to Derbyshire to visit and night sit Mum and help out so Dad can run errands. My mum has continued through the year putting on a little weight (she is still under 7 stone!), she managed to make it to the wedding but was very weak on the day. It was such a great day and fantastic to have her there. When she had a little smoochy dance with dad even the wedding co-ordinator at Gosfield Hall cried. Elijah made a lovely page boy walking down the aisle with Hannah who was a bridesmaid. The constant stress of running a charity in the current economic climate finally caused the trustees to make the decision to close. Although sad, it was for them a relief so now I am looking for something to do (job wise) in the New Year having had a few weeks break and our lovely cruise from New York to the Caribbean in November. We were excited to arrive back in NY the day before Thanksgiving and as we had booked a night’s stay were able to see the Macy’s parade for the first time. As I write this I have just come back from a visit to Champneys with Hannah, a nice time with the mum to be and some nice Mummy and me time to spend time catching up with Hannah. Our time together usually taken up by Elijah who is always centre of our attention! Elijah continues to delight us and as his talking and comprehension grows now that he is nearly 4, we are constantly entertained by the things he says and does. We have had a few sleepovers with him this year which are great fun as he loves to sleep in his fishy bed and has claimed his mum’s old room as his!

Another highlight for us was a quick trip to Tokyo in September to celebrate Ben and Kyoko’s wedding Japan style. It was a lovely opportunity to meet Kyoko’s extended family and visit her family home in Mobara. We have come to love our trips to Japan and the lovely insight to the country that we get from Ben’s experience and having a Japanese daughter in law. 

 

JOHN: As we drove back from Heathrow in January after saying goodbye to Ben and Kyoko, Kim suggested we might celebrate my milestone birthday by me choosing sixty things to do before I turned 61. I have had such fun doing those sixty things and, at the time of writing, have competed 36. I’ve been to Iceland and the Caribbean, seen The Mousetrapand Wicked, taken the Gravesend ferry, camped in the garden, had a candlelit supper with Kim in Reykjavik, celebrated Gwen’s 95th birthday with a cream tea in Brighton, visited two of my three goddaughters, had breakfast with cousin David and a stay-over with Peter in Carlisle, had Okonomiaki with Kyoko and Ben in Tokyo and Sunday lunch with Hannah, Jon and Elijah in Brentwood, got Patrick Stewart’s autograph and made a daisy-chain with Elijah. Among other things, I still have Shakespeare and Star Wars to come, plus a narrow-boat trip, the Orient Express, Monopoly and the Rainforest Café, a sleep in a hammock, a Christmas market and a road-trip in a mobile home. Plus, in May I get to achieve my Number Sixty: to hold my second grandchild in my arms!

This year has not been the easiest for the older members of the family. Gwen had a number of falls and in April we regretfully decided to move her into a local Care Home. She now lives in the wonderful Cedar House in Stanford le Hope and I am able to see her regularly. Her dementia means she forgets much and is often anxious and afraid but she is wonderfully looked after and father is able to visit her from time to time. He is now on his own and finally beginning to feel his age (93!) but still refuses to use a walking stick. He gets to church meetings as often as he can and has wonderful friends in Christine and Clive. We are now encouraging him to think about moving: perhaps to be with us as a first step.

Having completed my Masters degree I have now been accepted for a doctorate, researching the subject of Play as an antidote to the ministerial stress! (Gof is in his element!). I still write a weekly column for the local paper and am involved with all my local schools as well as chairing SACRE and Thurrock Faith Matters. Next year I will be appearing as Jacopo the Pirate in TREASURE, an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo as part of the Christian Arts Festival. (April 24th 7.00 pm in Cheltenham Town Hall if you’re in the area.) No more books in the offing yet: when I get a spare moment, I like to have a lie down!

I have four and a half years until retirement (14.6.20). I’m not counting the days; I am making the days count! Please pray for the last few months of my training colleague, Jokey, as she is likely to say farewell to SLH and look for her first incumbency and for Janice (administrator), Maureen (Community Pastor) and Steve and Graham (wardens) as we seek to lead the church family. We have been joined in leadership by Simon who has taken on oversight of our 11.00 congregation. Messy Church, Open the Book and COACH mentoring all figure in our regular ministry as does MannaFest, REFresh (Fresh Expressions reaching out to lonely, elderly and vulnerable folk) and periodic Men’s and Women’s breakfasts. We are half way through a very large building refurbishment project that has seen the church hall revamped. We still plan a new floor and a toilet for disabled use in the church building plus many other useful amenities. God has been very good to us all! 

 

MARY: Can you believe I’ll be 19 in February – that’s about 114 in your years. My staff (K and J) look after me quite well but still tend to get under my feet a lot. I’m getting a little bit of arthritis so live birds and mice are somewhat beyond me and my food generally comes in a sachet. When I think I’m being ignored (woefully often with these over-busy humans) I like to let them know where I am. MIaaawwwwrowwarrghowwmiaarrowww!!

 

Well … we have been far too busy and haven’t seen nearly enough of you! John’s 60th was a lovely opportunity to catch up with a few of you and we’re sorry if you weren't able to make it. It has been a roller-coaster of a year but we keep reminding ourselves of how the Lord has been amazingly graceful in His provision for us both as well as for our wider family. Kim has a lovely picture of God saying “I’ve got this” whatever we have to face and we know our future and our loved ones are safe in His mighty hands.

We wish you all the joys of the holy season and much fun and playfulness in 2016. The Lord be with you!

 

Elijah

Gwen’s 95th

Our Japanese family

God 

is 

good!

Mum and Dad and Kim

John’s 60th

Ben and Kyoko

Hannah and Jon

Kim, John and Mary xxx

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

 

Where were you last Friday at noon? I was privileged to stand with some of the lovely people from our community as we observed the national minute of silence to remember the victims of the massacre in Sousse, Tunisia. Our flags flew at half-mast; some of us prayed to God. Some shed a tear or two and some just reflected ruefully on the horrors of this world. All of us stood in silence.

 

As I write this, I think about the times I have sunbathed on holiday – by a pool or on a beach. I’ve been privileged to take foreign holidays – once in Tunisia itself. The calmness of the scene is usually interrupted only by the laughter of children playing, the splashes of bathers or the sound of waves lapping on the shore. 

 

We don’t anticipate automatic weapons; we don't expect screams of fear or cries of pain. Holidays are for rest and recreation, not torture and terror. Why should such peace be so brutalised by fear and how can our society be invaded by such wanton and inexplicable carnage? Tough questions to try and answer.

 

Simon and Garfunkel sang that the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and in tenement halls. The prophets I read tell me much can be learned in times of darkness and desolation, when peoples tremble and long for hope. One such prophet, Elijah by name, gripped by despair in a time of national crisis, cried out to God for purpose as he struggled alone. And, in a still small voice, God spoke to him.

 

Sometimes, silent refection can be our only response or at least a beginning to change. In the sound of silence we too might hear a still small voice of hope.

 

Take a minute …

HOW HARD TO FORGIVE

You don’t expect to get shot for going to church but that is exactly what happened to members of the congregation of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina last week. Nine people aged between 26 and 87 were shot during a bible study, allegedly by Dylann Storm Roof. America is once again in uproar.

 

How do we come to terms with such appalling tragedy? In our own country, we don’t need to think for long before remembering Hungerford, Dunblane and Lockerbie. These events and others like them show the ugly face of evil in the few who brutally take the lives of the innocent many. Shock and anger are usually the first reactions. We align ourselves with the victims and their families and demonise the perpetrators.

 

In the days that follow such events we usually ask what lessons we can learn and pledge it must never happen again. But it always does …

 

In the face of hatred, fear and violent death it is easy to feel impotent and resigned. People of faith remind us of the need for forgiveness, even for the wicked. But surely it isn’t possible to offer forgiveness to a gunman who kills you at your prayers, is it? Well, apparently, it is.

 

Relatives of the victims have told Dylann Roof “I forgive you”. They have prayed for him and in their grief reached out with love. This may seem incredible and even naively useless but ridiculous as it may appear, self-giving love is the only response we can make.

 

To love and forgive the darkest and most depraved is desperately hard and seldom a choice we make but it will release us from hatred and division. It will heal us and it will save us. “Perfect love casts out fear”, the Bible tells us. I challenge you to try it.

HAVING A HISSY FIT

Mother of twins, Cho Hyun-ah, had her prison sentence suspended last week after earlier causing a scene at JFK airport. The daughter of the South Korean Airline’s chairman apparently had “a hissy fit” after being served macadamia nuts in a bag instead of a bowl. She reputedly assaulted a crew-member and demanded the chief flight attendant return the plane to the terminal.

 

Cho escaped a “hijacking” charge but has been ridiculed in the press and nation and has received worldwide notoriety she will find hard to live down. Punishment enough, methinks!

 

When was the last time you had “a hissy fit”? When did you stamp your foot, throw your toys out of the pram, threaten to take your ball home and generally show yourself up with a temper tantrum? It isn’t just confined to toddlers and teenagers, is it?

 

Most of us are fortunate enough to escape the kind of embarrassing publicity attaching to this unfortunate lady; clearly a person of privilege and influence suddenly brought low. But losing it in public and showing up our family and friends can have all kinds of long-lasting and unpleasant ramifications. Better by far to avoid the meltdown altogether.

 

If you are someone prone to losing your temper and being unreasonable, take some steps to help yourself and others. My friend Shane (and others like him) can offer simple and helpful tips on anger management. Being positive in your outlook and generous in your giving will also help.

 

Realise your responsibilities by far outweigh your rights and the world really doesn’t owe you a hearing, never mind a living. And if YOUR macadamia nuts should turn up in a bag instead of a bowl, take a deep breath, count slowly to ten and thank the good Lord for every single blessing He has given you.

 

Have a nice day!

WHERE CAN I FIND FRIENDS?

 

One of my parishioners stopped me outside the Polling Station last week to ask if the church (building) was open. He confessed he wasn’t particularly religious but wanted somewhere quiet to go and perhaps light a candle and remember his wife who had passed on some years before. He said how much comfort had had received from attending a local group where he could make new friends and just chat. Thank God for groups like that!

 

No one likes to be the object of pity or on the receiving end of “charity”. None of us wants to be considered “a needy case”. We just want somewhere we can turn up and have a chat and maybe a home-cooked meal, share a beer or glass of wine and perhaps play cards or a board game. We’re not especially lonely (not really); we’re just looking for friends.

 

We’ve got a few groups like this around the community; some are attached to the church, some aren’t. None of them try to get you to follow any particular creed or regulation; that’s not why they’re there. These groups exist to promote friendship and meeting together – something most of us like to do. You probably know of some near you. By all means, let me know about them and I’ll happily give them a plug in this column!

 

I’ll just mention two groups that I think are really great. ReFresh meets in the SLH Methodist Hall on the High Street most Tuesday mornings at 10.00am. On the 3rd Tuesday they follow up with a delicious meal for just £3. There’s a great team of local people running it and everyone has a wonderful time.

 

MannaFest meets at 6.30pm in Victoria Road Chapel (just up from the roundabout) this Friday (15th) and fortnightly thereafter. There’s a delicious three course home-cooked meal for the cost of a voluntary donation, music and plenty of good company. A similar team of local people run it and it lasts about two hours.

 

Looking for friendship and good company? Why not try a local group? After all, they say a stranger is just a friend we haven’t met yet. God bless you!

 

 

A Bit More Common Sense?

Thank you to all those who kindly commented on my last reflection regarding a potential “Common Sense Party”. Sadly, no millionaires emerged to sponsor my idea and I’m a little late now to enter the election anyway. But that doesn’t mean we can’t all contribute to a campaign for more common sense in our community and nation. How about it?

 

Let’s start with the common sense idea of voting. Yes, I know that whichever party you vote for, you’ll still get a politician but most of them have good intentions and try hard. Vote for the one that shows the most common sense but don’t abstain. Common sense tells us that is a sure way of getting somebody you don’t want.

 

And then there’s the independence issue. Everybody seems to be telling us we’d be better off going it alone. Rubbish! I’m not in favour of Scots, Welsh, English, Irish or even UK independence (sorry Nigel!) because common sense tells us we all need each other to get along. As the old TEAM acronym reminds us: Together Everyone Achieves More.

 

Common sense tells me that criticising and condemning the other party’s ideas gets me nowhere. We can learn from each other and we can help each other and, yes, that does mean people from other tribes, football teams, schools, sectors and countries regardless of their colour, creed, culture or ability. Charity may well begin at home but it doesn’t end there!

 

Common sense tells me that people with the most have a moral responsibility to help people who have the least not just because we are all human beings but because it is simple common sense that if you have two apples, you should give one to your neighbour who has none. Besides, that is how you make friends!

 

I believe Common Sense is a gift from God given to all and I think if we used it a bit more we might make a better world. What do you think?

It’s only Common Sense!

I was remarking to a friend the other day what fun it would be to start my own political party in the General Election, had I but the time and the money. I would call it “The Common Sense Party” because, in my naïve way, I think that is mainly what is missing in the way we do things today.

 

Our strapline would be something like: “Common Values, Common Vision, Common Sense – Common Join us!” We’d pull together a large group of likeminded people and try to inject a bit more naïve realism into society: a bit more compassion, a bit more down-to-earth sensibleness. But that’s probably how most of the other political parties started, isn’t it?

 

My party would put a penny in the pound on income tax for each of education, health and policing because, after all, you only get what you pay for. We’d stop trying to bribe the public with promises of more for less because common sense says you can’t cut taxes AND provide better services. We’d celebrate diversity and welcome people from other parts of the world who were willing to work and adopt common sense British values.

 

Most of all we’d also expect those with more to support those with less. As Voltaire says: “with great power comes great responsibility.” Nobody needs £50,000 a week, whether they’re a banker or a star footballer and certainly nobody should be living on the streets or wondering how they’ll feed their kids tomorrow.

 

Jesus’ manifesto said something about us needing to be like salt and light in society and offering good news to the poor. Real practical application of that sort of attitude could revolutionise politics!

 

You won’t be able to vote for my party I’m afraid but whoever you do vote for, consider carefully and please use your common sense!

WHAT CHURCH WHERE? (An Eeyoresome reflection on Palm Sunday 2015!)

A question to ponder. Where is the church today and what kind of church should it be? Considering public

processions today - the Notting Hill Carnival, the Remembrance Day celebration at the Cenotaph in London

and more recently the funeral of Richard the third in Leicester – where is the church there? And more

particularly, when we think about Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, where is the Church there?

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby came out with a quote a few weeks ago that I am beginning to

use more and more. Justin said of the church: "First,the church exists to worship God in Jesus Christ.Second

the church exists to make new disciples of Jesus Christ. Everything else is decoration. Some of it may be very

necessary, useful and wonderful decoration – but it's decoration." I think the archbishop is on to something

there: an important biblical fact (cf Matthew 28; 16-20) we easily overlook in favour of our own “point of

view.”

Jesus was a different kind of King. The crowds expected him to come in on a white charger as you would

expect from any conquering King. But the Scriptures remind us that Jesus was prophesied to enter Jerusalem

on a donkey the foal of an ass. The Old Testament had prophesied it hundreds of years before. Fact! But facts

have an annoying way of getting in the way of our expectations and points of view. For example we thought

we knew Richard the third. We had seen his portrayal by Laurence Olivier "now is the winter of our discontent

made glorious summer by this son of York…" and so on. It turns out that Richard was quite a different King

from what we had been led to believe. Our Queen reminded us that Richard was a Christian Monarch whose

faith sustained him through turbulent times in life and in death. Jesus is also a different kind of King. But the

question remains - where is the church?

Could it be that the church on Palm Sunday is actually the donkey in the story? And even this is a different

kind of donkey from what we expected. Mark 11 reminds us that the donkey was tied and that it had never

been ridden. Perhaps this is a picture of the church today - not really doing what it was designed to do

following its own expectations and points of view. Not allowing the facts to get in the way! Justin Welby's

church is a church that is more interested in mission then decoration but is this the church we see today?

Maybe it is more like a donkey tied up and never having been ridden when instead that's exactly what the

donkey had been made for.

But there is good news! The Lord needs the church! He told his disciples to say if anyone asked, to tell them

the Lord needs it! Yes it's really true: the One who made the stars has chosen to limit himself to need us.

Believe it!

So where is the church and can we find it? It's not that difficult to find Jesus nowadays. But it can be a lot

harder to find the church. You have to get through a lot of decoration! Where is the church today? Where is it

in Stanford le Hope? Where is it in St Margaret's? (A lot of people stayed away from Victoria Road Chapel on

Palm Sunday because they didn’t think it was “church”. Equally, a lot of people may stay away from St.

Margaret’s main building next Sunday because they don’t think that’s church either!)

Where is Justin Welby's church? Is it a church more concerned with mission then decoration? Is it tied up?

Outside? On the street? By a door? In other words - is it bound? Is it where the people are? Is it outward

looking? Is it close to opportunity? Whose church is it anyway? It's certainly not mine or yours! It doesn't

belong to the people out there. It belongs to Jesus. And the Lord needs it. He gave his life for His bride. What

is it about the church that excites you; that makes you get out of bed in the morning? That might tell you

something about whether you're more interested in mission or merely decoration.

Hey! Are you a bit tied up at the moment? What's keeping you bound? Is it the way we do things? The

building? The Church of England? Are we singing the wrong songs? Are the sermons too long? Do you not get

on with the people who go? Is it because we're always asking for money? I've got News for you – it's all

decoration! Jesus says “Unitie it and bring it here!

What Church Where? So where is the church then? Don't look for a spire or a tower or stained-glass windows.

Don't look for funny clothes or pious faces. Don't even look for good, kind, community-spirited well-wishers!

You won't find the church there any more then you'll find Jesus on a big white charger, carrying a flag (not

yet, at any rate!)

No. Look for a group of men and women and boys and girls who are making disciples. And when you find

them… join them!

The King in the Car Park

Amid remarkable and unprecedented scenes, the last Plantagenet king of England, the last to die in battle, was laid to rest in Leicester cathedral with great pomp and ceremony. 35,000 people attended his wake and archbishops and monarchs were at his re-interment.

 

Of her predecessor, our Queen commented: “… we recognise a king who lived through turbulent times and whose Christian faith sustained him in life and death.” The monarch perhaps cruelly lampooned by Shakespeare, cut down in his prime, would not have been disappointed at the honour paid to him by his nation. Yet for years, Richard III lay undiscovered under that most mundane of places: a council car park.

 

Some two thousand years ago another king lay buried in an unmarked grave; just another Jewish insurrectionist executed by the occupying invaders. However, this monarch lay not for years but merely days and claimed kingship not just of England but of all the world. Jesus I we might call Him, mainly because He is the One and Only and there has never been another like Him. He offers His Kingdom not for a horse but for a simple childlike faith that says: “take me!” A faith that will sustain any of us, like Richard, “through turbulent times … in life and death”. 

 

A king in a garden? A king in a car park? Remarkable things happen in unremarkable places and extraordinary events take place at the most unlikely times. You were not a mistake, not an accident or freak of nature, whoever you are and wherever you’ve come from. God loves you and the King of all that is invites you not to His funeral but to His wedding banquet.

 

This Easter – will you accept the invitation?

Don't be afraid to shine!

 

If you’re anything like most of the people in my congregation, you won’t have made a New Year resolution this year. The excuse usually given is that we generally break them within hours, so what’s the point anyway? A lot of us are so afraid of failure we don’t even start in the first place.

 

Some of the church bible readings for last week were from Psalm 20. A modern translation says: When you win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners. May all your wishes come true! That clinches it—help's coming, an answer's on the way, everything's going to work out. 

 

Psalms tell it like it is. They are also have tons of encouragement. They remind us not to be afraid to try; to launch into the future, confident that we CAN achieve our goals!

 

Remember the tortoise and the hare. How easily the guy in the shell suit could have given up, scared out of participation by the speed of his rival. But he didn’t give up and against all the odds – he won! The tortoise won; and so can you. Make that resolution, set that goal. Plan to win and you will!

 

Marianne Williamson wrote: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,gorgeous, talented, fabulous? … We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

 

So – stride boldly into 2015 and shine!

Blooming Marvellous?

I know I’m starting to get old because I’m increasingly enjoying trips to the Garden Centre! Despite having fingers that are unquestionably NOT green, I love to see a good garden with a fine display of flowers. Old or young – which of us doesn’t!

 

It seems quite a number of people in Stanford le Hope are also getting the idea of seeing their community blooming. Despite funding cuts putting the annual Thurrock in Bloom in jeopardy this year, the now famous “Bunting Sisters” (Lin Swords and Lydia Keys) are taking steps to see that Stanford at least will be as blooming good as it blooming can be!

 

Young or old, male or female, expert or novice, farmer, fertilizer or window-box wannabe – you are encouraged to get down to the WELCOME CLUB on Victoria Road at 7.00 pm on 28th January to share your ideas for making Stanford le Hope bloom again in the spring. And the summer and autumn too!

 

We are particularly keen to see the uglier fly-tipped areas beautified and every effort made to see a cleaner and greener community. All being well, we may even enter Anglia in Bloom and see how far we can go.

 

If you grow sunflowers in your school or water hanging baskets outside your house; if you mow your pocket handkerchief lawn or lovingly tend your beds in all weathers and even if you’ve never so much as handled a pair of secateurs … please come and join the blooming team!

 

Lin and Lydia and a host of flowerpot people are calling you to make a blooming difference by planting a few more seeds of hope to provide a blooming future for everyone. Thank you!

Thurrock to have Faith in Action Audit

My friends Tim and Andy (local church leaders) are doing a “Faith in Action Audit” in the community to find out whether the local church is having much impact in caring. Chances are if you’ve been helped out by FoodBank or a toddler group in your area, it may well have been connected to the faith community.

 

Fifty local authority areas are taking part in this audit in partnership with a national charity called Cinnamon Trust. It aims to find out what provision there is and how it can connect with other complementary services. Using an online survey and with the support of TRANSFORMATION THURROCK and THURROCK FAITH MATTERS, Tim and Andy will help the church (and other faith groups) recognise their potential.

 

On May 20th these findings will be presented to the Archbishop of Canterbury and give a clearer picture of what faith is doing to help people like you and me in a whole variety of ways.

 

It has been said that if the church stopped its work in the community, the whole voluntary sector would close down overnight! The faith sector’s long-term presence, strong motivation for social action, volunteering record, and provision of informal care in friendship settings has long been recognised and encompassed by the term ‘social capital’.

 

“Church” is not just about stained-glass windows, bells, hymn-singing and funny costumes; faith can make a real practical difference in the neighbourhood and it has been doing that in Thurrock for generations.

 

It would be nice to think that this special survey might generate not only increased interest in the provision of genuine care but a real partnership across religious, political and socio-economic boundaries to build a better and kinder place to live.

Voluntary Work?

They seem to be “slicing the salami” thinner and thinner in Thurrock at the moment and cuts to local services are hitting us all. No Thurrock in Bloom this year and now bus and library services are under threat. The messages I’m getting tell me people aren’t happy!

 

My colleague Maureen was one of those who spoke at full council last week and was assured by the council leader that no libraries will be closed and new one is planned to open in Purfleet. It is encouraging to hear that local centres of learning and enquiry will be maintained but this is by no means the end of the story.

 

The drive to cut costs and possible new working practices across most of our local boroughs may mean that many hard-working individuals will lose their jobs in favour of volunteers. As a large contributor to the voluntary sector, the Church is always pleased to see local people offering their time and talent for free but we are far from happy that it may mean somebody losing their employment.

 

Unpaid work and voluntary labour may well be the future for “austerity UK” but we could find ourselves living in a society that puts more and more pressure on the retired and taking advantage of those who offer themselves. In the meantime paid jobs will be more difficult to come by as our local councils try harder to get something for nothing.

 

The Good Book is very hot on sharing and caring but Paul writes in his letter to Timothy “a worker deserves his pay” so I don’t think God would be happy with a society that promoted job losses as a means of saving money.

 

Next time you visit your local library or benefit from any of our local services, spare a thought (and perhaps a prayer!) for those whose jobs are under threat.

FUNNY FOR MONEY?

At the time of writing, it is Red Nose Day across the country and thousands of individuals and organisations have been working hard to raise millions for needy people in the UK and Africa. I didn’t get my red nose out on this occasion but you can often find me sporting it on the ridiculous white face of Gof the Clown (my alter-ego!)

 

Did you do something Funny for Money this year? It’s not too late you know! There are loads of good causes in Stanford le Hope and right across Thurrock that you can give to and persuade others to give to via your creativity. Shane and Rob and Julie and James and Lin and Lydia and Sharon and Dave and Cherie and Kerry and John (to name just a few in our locality) have been doing all sorts of crazy things to remind us how important it is to be generous.

 

Making and baking and going and growing and swimming and singing and caring and sharing and staying and playing and giving and living and lots of other things that don’t necessarily rhyme have reminded us that people and relationships are special. Thank you to them and thank you to you!

 

And Comic Relief reminds us not just how important it is to give money but also to remember to laugh! The Bible says we should give “hilariously”; in other words, it should be fun! Not taking ourselves too seriously undermines the fear that many would have us wallow in – the terrorists and even sometimes the politicians, God forbid! Giving generously dethrones the idols of materialism and reminds us of the intangible values of friendship and family.

 

The book of Proverbs says that a cheerful heart is good medicine. Having fun as we give sets us free from cynicism and stress and makes the world an immeasurably better place to live in.