The Encourager

The Encourager - December 2002

Nigel Writes about .... Something, anything or nothing?
Does it matter what you believe? Where does the boundary come between a personal opinion which is ultimately of no consequence and a belief which makes a difference? My experience is that people often talk of believing in God in the same way that they might talk of believing in fairies at the bottom of the garden, or believing that the earth is flat rather than being an oblate spheroid.
In our culture, belief has been relegated to the personal, or private conviction which ultimately has little or no relevance in the very modern world in which we live. "Each to his own". "If it works for you that is really good", etc. Perhaps this is an unfair generalisation based on a not very scientific survey of media and impressions gained through meeting various people from different walks of life. But it appears that G K Chesterton was right when he said that "when people stop believing in God, they do not believe in nothing, they believe anything".
In the New Testament, belief is not just a thought or opinion, but it is putting your trust in Jesus, the living Lord, in a way which shows that your life now depends on him. In other words, belief in Jesus is 'efficacious. It changes things. It means that the believer can receive all the benefits which Jesus achieved through his death and resurrection. Indeed, it is putting your trust in Jesus which is the way to heaven, the way to forgiveness, the way to peace and the way to life with God now.
I haven't written what I intended to write about. I was going to write more about Christmas and what it means, etc. But I will leave you with a thought which connects with the above. As you progress through December and into the Christmas season, will you be celebrating Christmas without Christ? Or will your faith and trust in him make the difference for you? What will be at the heart of your Christmas this year?

Services in December and at Christmas

Sunday 1st December
10.00am All Age Worship with Baptism
6.30pm Evening Communion

Sunday 8th December
10.00am Holy Communion
6.30pm Evening Prayer

Sunday 15th December
10.00am Holy Communion
4.00pm Christingle Service

Sunday 22nd December
10.00am Church Family Communion
6.30pm Carols by Candlelight

Tuesday 24th December Christmas Eve
4.00pm Children's Christmas Service
11.30pm Midnight Communion

Wednesday 25th December Christmas Day
10.00am Church Family Communion

Sunday 29th December
10.00am Church Family Communion
6.30pm No service of Evening Prayer at St Barnabas' Church

Building Update
There has been a lot of work done by the D.C.C. since the parish meeting. We have considered all the comments you made and have looked again at the brief we gave the architect. We realised that the brief ranged wider in its scope than many people in the congregation were expecting. The D.C.C. however, is still convinced of the need to do something with the inadequate hall facilities.
One of the architects had suggested a two phase development. Phase one is addressing the issue of the hall, phase two was looking at the church interior. The conclusion was that the first phase was very close to what we think is needed. There were several questions we wanted to ask. Many were details, for example about the position of kitchens and the amount of storage space. Other things needed design changes earlier than originally planned in the two phase scheme, for example the covered link between the new hall and the church. We also decided that although we wanted the floor size of a badminton court we did not need the height.
Several members of the D.C.C. met the architect, Mr. Richard Crooks, on 7th November when we discussed changes to the plans and also a likely timetable for the future.
Mr. Crooks thought that he could have some new plans for us to consider by early December. These would be based on the original design but incorporating the issues we raised with him. Once we have agreed the floor plan, a budget can be planned so that we can decide whether to commit to the project. At this time we are working on an ad hoc basis with Mr Crooks without being committed to substantial costs.
Once the sketch plans have been produced which are deemed to meet our requirements, providing we have made the necessary financial commitments, the following timescale was indicated (best case scenario). It is likely that it will take 12 weeks to obtain planning permission, a further 8 weeks to complete working drawings and put out to tender and about 26 weeks to finish the building. To our surprise we learnt that the project has been planned to allow continual use of the church and of one or the other of the church hall buildings (old and then new) so that all present activities can hopefully continue.
We are all looking forward to seeing the new plans at the end of the year. We will of course keep you informed of developments and invite further comments when appropriate.

Marrick Priory Trip
The Marrick Priory Trip for young people age 10 and over will take place on the 22nd to 25th April 2003. There are a few places left, but if you want to come and haven't applied yet, it's best to secure your place now.We would love to have two or three more adults to accompany the trip - if you could come, please let Nigel know. It's great fun, and you don't have to get wet and muddy...

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