St. John’s World
Issue 91 May/June 2017
Newsletter of St. John’s Methodist Church, Amersham
The day the King of England
and the BBC made history
The coronation of King
George VI and Queen
Elizabeth took place at
Westminster Abbey 80
years ago this month, on
12th May 1937 – the date
that had been set for the
coronation of his brother
Edward, until he
abdicated.
Rev Frederic Iremonger,
Director of Religion at
the BBC and Honorary
Chaplain to the King,
read from the service
book. During the
consecration and the
Holy Communion, the
microphones were
turned off.
The occasion marked the
BBC’s first official TV
outdoor broadcast and the
first use of an outside
broadcast van. However,
the service was not
televised – just the
procession to and from the
Abbey.
The Archbishop of
Canterbury, Cosmo
Lang, saw the coronation
as an opportunity for the
spiritual renewal of the
nation and on 27th
December 1936 he
launched a campaign of
evangelism called Recall
to Religion, with an
address on BBC radio.
The BBC Television
Service had only been
operating since the
previous November.
Eight miles of television
cables were laid across
central London so that the
images could be sent to
the transmission centre at
Alexandra Palace.
Commentary was by
Freddie Grisewood, who
was at Hyde Park Corner.
But it was the first
coronation to be filmed:
the 40-strong camera crew
inside the Abbey had to
wear evening dress.
The film was later shown
in edited form as a
newsreel in cinemas
across the British Empire.
It was also the first
coronation to be broadcast
on radio: 28 microphones
were placed around the
Abbey.
There was no
commentary, but the
As recounted in the film
The King’s Speech,
there was concern about
the King’s stutter, but he
delivered his speech
without a problem.
He later wrote to the
Archbishop, thanking
him for his support
through the “ordeal”,
adding: “I felt I was being
helped all the time by
Someone Else, as you
said I would.”
Remembering Arthur Sullivan of
the Savoy Operas…and Onward
Christian Soldiers
Sir Arthur Sullivan, best
known for the brilliant
comic operas he wrote
with W S Gilbert, was
born 175 years ago this
month, on 13th May
1842.
Ironically, he never
wanted to be
remembered for the
operas, such as The
Mikado and The Pirates
of Penzance. Instead,
he wrote: “My sacred
music is that on which I
base my reputation as a
composer.”
But although he wrote
striking oratorios such
as The Prodigal Son and
The Light of the World,
by far his most popular
sacred music remains
the tune for Onward,
Christian Soldiers.
The young Arthur
Seymour Sullivan – his
father an Irish musician
and his mother of Italian
descent – was a Child
(choirboy) of the Chapel
Royal and the first
winner of the
Mendelssohn Scholarship, which enabled him
to study at the Royal
Academy of Music and
the Leipzig
Conservatory.
He became organist of
St. Michael’s, London, in
1861, and the following
year a performance in
London of his incidental
music to Shakespeare’s
The Tempest made him
an overnight celebrity.
He then became a
professional musician,
teaching, playing the
organ, editing and
conducting, as well as
composing various
classical works, including
a ballet, a cello concerto,
a symphony, choral
works, several overtures
and a series of chamber
pieces and hymns.
His first successful comic
opera (without Gilbert)
was Box and Cox, but
Richard D’Oyly Carte
brought the two men
together for the
immensely popular
Trial by Jury.
The rest is history. The
G&S collaborations are
now known as the Savoy
Operas, after the theatre
where they were
performed from 1882.
Sir Arthur’s relationship
with Gilbert – portrayed in
the brilliant Mike Leigh film
Topsy-Turvy – was not
always calm, but Gilbert’s
satire and verbal ingenuity
were matched beautifully
by Sullivan’s technically
brilliant tunefulness.
Sir Arthur died in London
in 1900.
St. John’s Methodist Church
Prayers & Poems for May17
Woodside Road, Amersham, Bucks
Waiting
(Acts1:1-11)
Team Ministry:
Ministers:
Rev. Anne Ellis
01753 891858
[email protected]
Revd Steve Watts
01296 6747892
[email protected]
Church Contacts:
Mrs. Ann Cloke, 01494 725743
Lay Worker:
Mrs. Pam Sitford, 01494 862439
Hall Bookings:
Mrs. Sophie White
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 07788 452429
Through the week at St. John’s
Sun 11.00 am
Morning Worship
Mon
4.45 - 5.45pm
7.00 - 8.30pm
Tues
5.30 - 7.00pm
7.00 - 8.30pm
Brownies
Guides
Wed
9.30 - 10.30am
Pilates
Fri
5.30 - 6.45pm
6.30 - 8.00pm
7.30 - 9.30pm
8.00 -10.00pm
Beavers
Cubs
Scouts
Explorers
9.30 - 11.30am
3.00 - 4.30pm
Open Doors Coffee Lounge
Messy Church (Monthly)
Sat
Rainbows
Guides
‘Our halls and rooms are also used by other groups please contact Hall Bookings (above) for availability'
St. John’s World
Editor: Ray Richards
Tel: 01494 583233
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www. amershammethodist.org.uk
He told us to wait,
then went away.
After all the excitement,
all the joy of having Him back,
He has gone again.
Yet this time there is hope,
This time there is His promise
Of power, of His Spirit,
Of a new dimension of His presence.
This leaving is different
Now we know He’s forever alive.
And we wait in confidence and anticipation
to witness to the world…
and we wait
for His Spirit to come…
by Daphne Kitching
Presense Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Parting from our loved ones is difficult. We long to be
together, but sometimes it isn’t possible and we don’t
always understand. The disciples must have wanted
Jesus to stay with them, after the joy of the resurrection
and those wonderful reunions. And yet you knew that it
was better for them - and for us - that Jesus returned to
you so that He could send His Spirit to live in us, to
comfort and strengthen us and to work through us.
Thank you that even though human parting is inevitable,
because of Jesus eternal life is freely offered to those
who trust in Him. And while we are here on earth you
promise never to leave us or forsake us. Thank you,
Father, for your love - and your bigger picture!
In Jesus name.
Amen.
by Daphne Kitching
Its just not Cricket!
It’s really just not cricket
How hard a mother works
To get her kids to the wicket
A job that lacks in perks!
Rising, driving, and making
The sandwiches and teas;
Cleaning, ironing, baking
The cakes which greatly please!
Mum’s taxi covers the miles
So they can score those fours.
She claps and broadly smiles,
But she should get applause!
By Nigel Beeton
lives (‘being watchful
and thankful’). We can
pray for ‘open doors’ to
point people to Jesus
and what He can mean
in their lives. We all have
opportunities to do this,
as even Paul prayed as
a prisoner in chains!!
The Archbishops are
encouraging us to
choose five people who
we can pray for
regularly.
Why not ask God to
guide you, as you settle
on five names and
commit to praying for
them daily, perhaps by
using the following
prayer:
The Rev Paul Hardingham
welcomes the major new
national initiative for prayer
coming from the Archbishops
…
Thy Kingdom Come
The Archbishops of
Canterbury and York are
calling Christians of every
denomination to join in
with Thy Kingdom Come,
a prayer initiative between
Ascension and Pentecost
(25th May to 4th June), to
pray for the nation to know
Jesus Christ. It is a time to
seek the empowering of
the Holy Spirit, that we
may be effective
witnesses to Jesus Christ.
Praying for others to know
Jesus is one of the most
powerful things we can do.
Persistent prayer for
others brings
transformation to their
lives. As Paul writes:
‘Devote yourselves to
prayer, being watchful and
thankful. And pray for us,
too, that God may open a
door for our message, so
that we may proclaim the
mystery of Christ, for
which I am in chains.
Pray that I may proclaim it
clearly, as I should.’
(Colossians 4: 2-4).
As Paul says, consistent
praying for others
involves discipline (‘be
devoted’) and responding
to what God is
already doing in people’s
‘Loving Father, in the
face of Jesus Christ your
light and glory have
blazed forth.
Send your Holy Spirit
that I may share with my
friends the life of your
Son and your love for all.
Strengthen me as a
witness to that love as I
pledge to pray for them,
for your name’s sake.
Amen.’
****************************
The Ven John Barton
considers the amazing,
joyful hope of the
disciples…
A Strange
Farewell
One of the most
extraordinary passages
in the Bible tells the
story of Christ’s
goodbye, which we call
the Ascension:
“While He was blessing
them, He parted from
them and was carried up
into heaven. And they,
after worshipping Him,
returned to Jerusalem
with great joy, and were
continually in the temple
praising God.”
It was the last time the
apostles would see
Jesus. They had
experienced the utter
catastrophe of His
death, followed within
days by the triumph of
His resurrection. Later,
He left them. Instead of
the sadness we might
expect after His final
farewell, they were
exuberant and went
back to Jerusalem.
What an extraordinary
reaction. Jesus had
gone, Jerusalem was
fraught with danger, yet
they seemed brimful with
confidence.
Ringing in their ears was
His repeated teaching
about the Kingdom of
God and the commission
to preach forgiveness of
sins throughout the
world, beginning at
Jerusalem.
They were to wait there
until they were “clothed
with power from on
high.” Far from feeling
abandoned, they were
full of hope and eager to
be equipped for their
vocation. They and the
Christian community
would represent Christ
on earth, as He
represented them in
heaven, “seated at the
right hand of the Father”,
in the words of the
Creed.
All this is temporary.
God has not planned the
world to remain in its
present state in
perpetuity.
Our particular era may
seem to be particularly
grim, but it is but one
strand in human history
and we are no more
distinctive than any other
generation. Although the
world as it is seems to be
lasting a long time, we are
living in what the writer of
the Letter to the Hebrews
calls ‘the final age’. We
are to anticipate a finale,
when Christ’s rule will be
apparent to all.
There’s an Old Testament
proverb which is
particularly apt:
“Many are the plans in a
person's heart, but it is
the Lord’s purpose that
prevails.” Isn’t that
exactly what we hope for
every time we pray for
God’s will to be done on
earth, as in heaven?
The Archbishop of
Canterbury and others are
prompting us to join in a
global ‘wave of prayer’
between Ascension and
Pentecost (25 May to 4
June), concentrating on
“Your Kingdom Come”.
That will make us
usurpers, praying for
God’s Kingdom to
displace all others!
It will also make us one
with Christ.
Dates for your Diary
May
Nejebar fled Afghanistan
with her family after the
Taliban threatened to kill
her husband, Noor, who
was a teacher.
It wasn’t an idle threat the Taliban first blinded,
then murdered, another
member of their family.
‘The last days and weeks
in Afghanistan were the
hardest,’ says Noor.
‘When I went to work, my
heart was beating harder.
I didn’t know if my family
were going to be alive
when I got back.’
Nejebar’s family are
stuck in Greece
When the family arrived at
the refugee camp in
Greece, they thought they
would only stay for 10
days. But they’ve been
there six months now and
there’s no end in sight.
The only protection they
have against the wind and
rain is their tent.
There’s no school for their
children. Five-year-old
Sudai, their youngest, is
ill, but Nejebar and Noor
don’t know what’s wrong
with him because they
can’t communicate with
the camp’s doctor, who is
Greek.
Nejebar’s hope for the
future
Nejebar is the rock at the
centre of her family,
holding them together
throughout all this
uncertainty.
She has even welcomed
Faraidoon and Farzad into
the family, two brothers
who don’t know where
their parents are, or if
they’re even alive.
‘We still have some hope
for our children’s future,’
says Nejebar. ‘We only
want a peaceful life. We
want our children to go to
school. The most
important thing is our
children.’
Isolated and alone
Making sure she and
her children had
enough to eat was no
easy task for Alice
after her second
husband died. With
no money and no
means of supporting
herself, Alice was left
homeless.
Alice recalls: ‘I was
sleeping in a
structure that was not
in a good condition. It
was abandoned.
Only half the roof had
grass thatch, and half
was open. When it
rained, I would be
rained on and I would
get sick.’
Often ill, Alice
struggled to provide
food for herself and
her children – food
that could make the
difference between
staying healthy and
deteriorating further.
Alice says: ‘We
lacked food. Some of
my children became
malnourished.
I became depressed
because I couldn’t do
the work.’
A balanced diet
Alice’s life changed
when she joined a
support group for
people living with
HIV.
Christian Aid partner
ACK Development
Service (ADS)
Nyanza has been
helping this group
through a project
funded by Comic
Relief.
It helps Alice and the
other members
identify where
government support
is available and
where there are gaps
that need to be filled.
Alice and her family
have gone from
strength to strength.
Christian Aid
Events in May 2017
Saturday 6th at 7.30pm
Concert by Chiltern
Singers, Bucks Voices,
plus 2 young soloists
Amersham Free Church.
Tickets £10 (inc. wine or
juice)
from Sylvia Parrott
Tel: 01494 432924
Mon 15th to Fri 19th
12.00 - 2.00pm
Soup Lunches
at the Friends Meeting
House. Whielden Street,
Amersham.
Saturday 27th
9.30 - 3.00 pm
C A. Craft Fair at
St. Michael’s Church.
Sat. 6th 12.00 - 4.30 pm
Lindengate Spring Fair at
Wendover.
Sat. 13th 3.00 - 4.30 pm
Messy Church The Disciples learn how to
share.
Sun. 14th 9.30 am
Holy Communion
Sun. 14th to Sat. 20th
Christian Aid Week
See separate article on this
page for details.
Sat. 27th 9.30am - 3.00pm
Christian Aid Craft Fair at
St. Michael’s Church.
June
Sat. 10th 3.00 - 4.30pm
Messy Church.
July
Volunteers needed:
House to house
Collections.
To help on Church stalls
at the Craft Fair.
Items needed to sell on
Church stalls:
Plants, books, cakes,
toys and games, brick-abrac, unwanted gifts.
Mon. 19th 7.30 for 8.00pm
COTHA AGM.
Sun. 23rd 10.30 am
COTHA United Service at
Amersham Free Church.
August
Thurs. 31st 7.00 pm
Welcome Service for
Revd Nigel Wright at
Chesham Methodist Church
If you can help in any
way, please contact:
Sylvia Parrott, telephone
01494 432924
Open Doors
Coffee Lounge
Every Saturday
9.30 to 11.30am. In
The Wesley Room
Come, meet old friends
and make new ones