UPDATES AND USEFUL
INFORMATION (15th July 2020)
Dear All
Greetings
and blessings as we continue to navigate a global pandemic. I would like to
remind you that the Synod website, the denomination’s website and the Synod
Coronavirus blog all provide support. The blog contains all past weekly briefings
and other relevant information. It is to be found at - https://urceasternsynod.blogspot.com/
Owing
to staff leave, the next week’s briefing will not be posted on the Synod website
until the foillowing Monday or Tuesday, but it will be posted on the blog next
Wednesday afternoon. We hope to send out the usual email reminder, but that depends
on the Moderator’s IT skills! If you don’t
get a reminder, please look on the blog anyway, especially if you use the
weekly All-Age materials.
Best
wishes, PAUL
CHURCH MEETINGS
LOCKDOWN PHOTOS
What some have been saying about themselves
and the gospel –
Thaxted
Plume Avenue, Colchester – for an art competition
ALL-AGE RESOURCES FOR THIS SUNDAY
Families at home Sunday 19th July
Story time for under five’s – Love
Reading and watching and listening together
The parable of the wheat and the weeds with
Paul (Nicola is on a well-earned break this week, but has prepared everything
else!)
Matthew 13.24-30,36-43
Jesus told the crowd another parable: ‘The
kingdom of heaven is a bit like someone planting his field with good seed. He
is very happy, but at night, when everyone is sleeping, his enemy creeps in and
plants weeds among the wheat, then sneaks off again. So when the wheat starts
to grow, the weeds grow too! ‘The servants then go to their master and ask him,
“Sir, didn’t you just plant good seed in your field? So where have all the
weeds come from?” When the master tells them that an enemy has planted them,
they ask, “So, shall we pull up the weeds?” ‘But the master replies, “No,
because if you pull up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat as well. Let them
both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will send in the reapers,
and then the weeds can be collected up, tied into bundles and burned. The wheat
can be harvested and put in my barn.”’ Later, Jesus explained the parable to
his disciples: ‘Listen carefully. This is the story of my world. The master is
the Son of Man, that’s me. My friends are like the good seed, and my enemies
are like the weeds that the devil has planted. The harvest is like the end of
time, and my angels are the reapers who separate the wheat from the weeds in
the field – the good and the evil in the world. All the evil is thrown away,
like weeds on a bonfire, but all the good will shine like the sun in God’s
kingdom.’
A story with actions
Use the simple actions (in italics) as you tell the story.
Jesus told a story:
A farmer planted wheat seeds in his field –
but someone else came to the field and planted weeds!
(mime planting)
The wheat started to grow. And so did the weeds.
(wiggle fingers)
The weeds grew and grew. But still the wheat grew.
(wiggle fingers)
The farm workers wanted to pull the weeds up,
but the farmer said, “No, it will damage the wheat.”
(shake finger)
The weeds grew and grew. But still the wheat grew.
(wiggle fingers and raise arms)
When harvest time came, the farmer harvested the weeds and the wheat.
He separated them into weeds and wheat.’
(turn one palm upwards and then the other)
Praying together
Response line: Thank you that you are working in the world.
God of the kingdom,
for the times when we know
that you are close to us:
Thank you that you are working in the world.
For the times when it is harder
to see you at work…
Thank you that you are working in the world.
For the times when the world
feels like a hurting, broken place…
Thank you that you are working in the world.
Amen.
Seedling Prayers
Together plant seeds into pots of soil and pray:
Lord,
as these seeds grow,
may we remember that you are always there,
in everything we see and do.
Amen.
Balloon Bubble Prayers
In time when we are asked to stay 2m apart
and some of us can be together in a bubble at school or a social bubble. Take time to talk to God about the people you
are close to, the people you feel separated from and the people who are alone.
You will need:
- Balloons
- Strips of paper
- Paper heart
shapes
- Pencil or pen
Write their names on the strips of paper and
put them in a balloon with a paper heart.
Inflate the balloon.
Throw the balloon in the air and keep it
bouncing as you pray for all the names you have put in the balloons. When you have finished and the balloons you
can pop them as a loud Amen.
‘Let’s be careful and kind and keep in mind what friendship is really
about
Let’s also remember that things will get better, we’ll soon be together
once more…
But on your low day when you can’t find the way, remember we’re all in
God’s bubble’
Creating together
Watery weeds
On a large sheet of paper draw a sheaf of wheat using a white crayon or
candle. Using watery green paint and brushes. Paint pictures of weeds on the
picture. What can they see appearing
among the weeds?
Playing together
Cocktail roulette - Pullling out the weeds
You will need: a tray of compost, three cocktail sticks each.
·
Colour the bottom of each stick in either red, yellow or green and then
bury the coloured ends into the compost with the remainder of the sticks poking
up.
·
Remember that the weed in the story looks the same as the wheat until it
is fully grown. In this game you will pull out the sticks, but you will only
know the colour once you’ve pulled a stick out.
·
Standing in a line, in turn, each person removes one stick from the
tray. If they remove:
·
a red stick, they must take one step backwards;
·
a yellow stick, they must stand still;
·
a green stick they may take one step forward.
The winner is the person who has moved the furthest when all the sticks have
been pulled out.
With thanks to Roots for some of these materials
© ROOTS for Churches Ltd
(www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020.
Reproduced with permission.
WHAT I’M READING
--- Nigel Crisp (Great Meeting, Hadleigh (Suffolk):
"Pandemic 1918 - The story of the deadliest influenza in
history" by Catharine Arnold 2018 - fascinating account of 1918/19;
it has all happened before.
"The Covid-19 Catastrophe - what's gone wrong and how to stop
it happening again" by Richard Horton editor of The Lancet. Published
May 2020. An honest account. Very secular but with a final chapter
"Towards the next Pandemic" that provides a usefully challenging
exercise to read alongside Scripture. Something I haven't tried yet, only
got the book yesterday and read it in day - something unusual for me.
"Theology of the Sceptics" by Dorothee
Soelle1995. Bit radical perhaps, but puts a new angle on things.
--- John White (Christ Church, Clacton)
I
would like to recommend a book which I read recently. It's called Godbothering
by Rhidian Brook, published by SPCK. It contains the author's thought for the
day from 2000 to last year. Thought for the day is on the Today programme on
Radio 4 on weekday mornings, usually at about 7.45 am. In his thoughts [mini
essays really] Rhidian touches on the big questions of life and death and much
in between. He refers to his own experiences and also current affairs. He
writes in an interesting and challenging way and there is certainly much food
for thought in the pages of this book. Highly recommended for church and
non-church folk alike!
--- Margaret Bates (The Bridgwater Drive Church)
I found myself reading, 'A Thousand Miles from Nowhere:
Trucking Two Continents' by Graham Coster. I found it a really good read -
I like travel books (the Geographer at heart) but this is like no other I've
ever read. I've often wondered what the life of a long distance lorry driver
was like.
In complete contrast I've been reading 'How to Pray' by Pete
Grieg - just a chapter at a time - between other books. I've found it ticks
all the boxes - helpful, interesting and thought provoking. The stories and
examples are really helpful and some are amusing too. It's the sort of book
that when I've finished it I will go back and read again.
'The Salt Path' by Raynor Winn - definitely my sort of
book - husband and wife walking the coastal path of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset
as a way of dealing with a crisis in their lives so a mixture of scenery,
people, life changing experiences etc.
'Paris Echo' by Sebastian Faulks which I really enjoyed but
I wished I'm made a note of who was who at the beginning and a little note
about who they were - (it's my age!).
'Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont' by Elizabeth Taylor - just delightful
easy reading (also a film)
'An Incidence of the Fingerpost' by Iain Pears - brilliant
historical murder mystery - some real life characters woven into the story
'Untold Stories' by Alan Bennett - I dip into this
between other books. I love his writing and I enjoy autobiographies. (Enjoying
'Talking Heads' on TV)
'The Surgeon of Crowthorne' by Simon Winchester - hard to
believe but it's a true story - fascinating
A friend has recommended 'Water Land' by Graham Swift - set
in The Fens of Norfolk so I'm looking forward to that.
--- Paul Whittle (Synod Moderator)
Another
very different recent read I have enjoyed is ‘Middle England’ by
Jonathan Coe. Coe reflects, through the story he tells, on our changing society,
ending at the point where Brexit is fast approaching.
And
one more, Meg Warner’s ‘Joseph’, reviewed in the current issue of ‘Reform’.
This book reflects on the story of Joseph (the one with the coat of many
colours) but in a context of it being a story of resilience. This is also
currently relevant, and sufficiently recently published to refer to
Coronavirus.
AND ONE MORE TO READ:
FUND
RAISING POETRY BOOK
Naomi
Young-Rodas, has produced a booklet of poetry she has written during lockdown,
as a fund-raiser for the churches she serves - Christ Church, Rayleigh URC, and
The Bridgwater Drive Church, Westcliff on Sea.
Available
at £5 per copy.
£3 for a PDF version.
With
‘poetry’ in the Subject line and your address and she will post a copy to you.
OR,
if several people in your church are interested, it may be easier if you do a
bulk order for all and then distribute them locally.
Payment – by BACS, directly to the
Church account:
Christ
Church, Rayleigh Sort – 20-70-93 Acc. – 60254363 Reference – ‘poetry’ + your church name if doing a bulk
order
The
proceeds will be divided between the two churches.
If
you prefer a PDF version, just transfer £3 to the church account above, then
email Naomi and she’ll email it to you.
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
Following on from the discussion panel mentioned in last week’s
briefing, a second event, takes place on 21 July from 7-8.15pm. Author and
keynote speaker, the Revd Dr Munther Isaac, Pastor of the Christmas Lutheran
Church in Bethlehem and Academic Dean at the Bethlehem Bible College, will be
speaking live from Bethlehem.
The Revd Philip Brooks, Secretary for Ecumenical and Interfaith
Relations, said: “It is a real privilege for the URC that Munther has agreed to
do this. We met him whilst out in Bethlehem last September and he is a deeply
thoughtful and engaging speaker. This will be an opportunity to hear at first
hand the experience of living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Time will be allocated for audience questions. To take part,
please contact Carole
Sired.
ACTION
FOR CHURCHES: PROPOSED ANNEXATION OF THE WEST BANK
You
may recall that in our update in mid-June we shared with you that the June
Mission Committee meeting passed a resolution asking local churches to write to
their local MPs about the proposed annexation of large parts of the West Bank
by the Israeli Government. We would urge you to meet with your church
officers to respond to this urgent request. The Secretary for Ecumenical
and Interfaith Relations has produced a guidance note – posted on the Synod
blog at –
and
an example of a letter to assist you in this, also posted on the blog –
DO
BLACK LIVES MATTER IN THE URC?
This
webinar was hosted this week by the URC’s Global and Intercultural Ministries
team, and was extremely well attended by a wide range of people from across the
URC, including from our Synod. Perhaps inevitably the vast majority of
attendees agreed with the statement that black lives do indeed matter in our
church, but there were some very useful reminders of how we can challenge
ourselves at the moment. Some recurring points included the need for us
to be listening to others’ experiences, when they want to share them, rather
than talking; if we become defensive we should be asking ourselves ‘why’; we
should speak with, not for, others; we should speak up and challenge others
where necessary. It is hoped that this webinar will have been the
first in a series, as it was felt that there was a great deal more to explore
and discuss than was possible in the short time available.
RISK
ASSESSMENTS AND RE-OPENING
Just
a reminder to keep reviewing your decisions about your buildings and people,
not to feel any pressure to reopen prematurely, and as you do start to adapt
what you’re doing please let us know how you’re managing to keep everyone
included.
FACEMASKS AND FACE-COVERINGS
Just a reminder to keep an eye on changing advice and good practice –
the suggested use of face-coverings is increasing. At the moment, I am not
aware of it being mandatory in churches, but it probably makes good sense. Also,
the advice is social distancing at two metres, or at one metre plus additional
measures. Face-coverings are a significant additional measure.
URC ADVICE
Just
a reminder that the coronavirus advice page on the URC website is being updated
with resources and advice on a daily basis:
Finally,
just a reminder from Lindsey, Nicola and myself that we are still there for you
and, if there is anything you think we might offer, or you just want a chat, then
do contact us:
Our prayers and our best
wishes,
STAY SAFE AND KEEP WELL! GOD BLESS! PAUL
